فصل 51

CHAPTER 51

NOT ALL RIGHT

MOLLY FLEW OVER THE PALACE-COMPOUND WALL, immediately spotting the rocket, which was surrounded by a ring of torches and the shadowy shapes of soldiers. She flew away from this activity to the far end of the compound, where she dropped to the ground in the deep shadow next to a large building. Entering the compound had been easier than she’d expected. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw small windows with bars along the bottom of the wall. The building was evidently a prison.

Hardly daring to believe she’d been lucky enough to land next to the dungeon, she ran along the side of the building, looking for a way in. She turned a corner, and in a few feet, came to a large wooden door with iron bands. She took a breath and tried the handle. To her surprise, it turned. She pushed open the heavy door and peered inside; seeing nobody, she stepped into a small space from which low, torch-lit corridors ran off to the left and right.

She jumped when she heard a man’s voice coming from the corridor to the right. A moment later, a second voice answered. Two men—definitely heading toward her. She hesitated, considering going back outside, but she’d come too far to give up. She hurried down the corridor to the left.

Passing a line of empty cells, she entered a dark stretch of corridor, where the torches were spaced far apart. She smelled a strong, unpleasant aroma, and heard strange sounds coming from very close by.

A hairy hand brushed her neck. She stifled a scream and turned to see, in the dim light, a long, hairy arm reaching through the cell bars. The hand grabbed the air, trying to touch her again.

A monkey! What on earth?

She stepped out of its reach and moved cautiously forward to the next cell. Her heart stopped: a man! He was standing in shadow in the far corner—tall, like her father. Moving closer, she pressed her face to the bars.

“Father?” she whispered.

The figure stepped into the glow of the torchlight. Again Molly fought back a scream. A long black moustache slashed across a familiar hatchet-thin face.

Hook!

The pirate recognized her—she had once been a prisoner on his ship. He smiled, enjoying her fear, his thin lips pulling back to reveal a jagged row of brown tooth stumps. Molly willed herself on, glancing nervously back at the pirate’s cell.

“Molly!”

Relief filled her soul at the sound of her father’s voice. His face was pressed against the bars of the cell. She ran to him, and they embraced awkwardly through the bars for several long seconds. Then Leonard, apologizing for his rudeness, formally introduced his daughter to Bakari, who shook hands with her.

“How did you get in here?” Leonard asked.

“The door was unguarded,” said Molly.

Leonard nodded. “I assume the soldiers are preoccupied with the rocket preparations.” He nodded toward the cell window, which looked out onto the courtyard. “Molly, we’ve got to stop them.”

“I know,” said Molly. “Tink gave us your message. She and Peter are going to see about the rocket. But I came to get you out first.”

“But how?” said Leonard.

“I’ve got starstuff in my locket,” said Molly. “I’ll use it on the lock.” She drew the locket out from under her robe and flicked it open, reflexively squinting her eyes to guard against the brilliant light.

But there was no light.

“Oh, no,” said Molly. “I must have used it all up. Perhaps I can—” She stopped, seeing her father’s expression change suddenly.

“Molly, run!” he shouted. She whirled and found herself face-to-face with a burly soldier who grabbed her arms with a grip that made her cry out in pain. The soldier shouted something in the Rundoon language; moments later three more soldiers came running. They drew swords and gestured at Leonard and Bakari to go to the back of the cell, then opened the door and roughly shoved Molly inside. After making sure the door was securely locked, the soldiers left, laughing loudly.

Molly ran to her father’s arms. “Father, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I meant to help, and now I’ve just made everything worse.”

“It’s all right,” said Leonard, gently patting his daughter’s back. “We’ll be all right.”

Still holding Molly, he looked at Bakari. Bakari glanced out the window at the rocket, then back at Leonard. He shook his head, and Leonard understood his expression: things were most definitely not all right.