Beast World Read online

  Lightfoot led them to a vehicle parked outside the museum. It was an enclosed metal wagon with double-doors at the rear. It seemed like it should have a couple of horses at the front to pull it. Instead it had a smaller vehicle, like an engine on wheels. A mass of gears and cogs, it belched steam from a pipe on its top. It was attached to the wagon by a metal strut and two cables ran from the engine to a couple of levers atop the wagon, behind which was a seat.

  ‘In they go,’ instructed Lightfoot, as he began to haul himself up into the driver’s seat.

  Xandra was carried into the back of the wagon and gently placed onto one of the two wooden bench seats. Lex followed and sat next to her. The doors were closed and the wagon took off with a lurch.

  Twisting around in her seat, Xandra was just able to see out of the small, barred window. Lex also peered out.

  As they reached the end of the street, they passed a large domed building with a sign:

  THE ORATORY SCHOOL FOR CIVILISED ANIMALS. But what came next was even more astounding.

  As they moved past the building, they were met by a lush expanse of greenery. The park was bookended by beautiful buildings. And rising up above the trees was an elaborate construction of glass and steel. It towered over the park and glinted in the sunshine, like an enormous jewel. The palatial building was at least a third of the size of the park. Temporary fencing had been erected around the gardens to keep onlookers at bay.

  Xandra’s eyes locked onto the structure and a yearning she couldn’t explain stirred within her. She felt a strange tugging – a need to visit the glass building; to go inside. It was like the weird feeling she’d had about the Doorway painting.

  ‘I want to go there,’ said Xandra.

  ‘What?’ asked Lex.

  ‘I need to go there,’ said Xandra. ‘It’s … it’s beautiful and amazing and … and … there’s something special … and …’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ asked Lex.

  Xandra continued to gaze at the building, lost in her thoughts. As the wagon turned into another street, the view of the park and its glass jewel was gone. Xandra sighed, the yearning replaced by an unexplainable ache.

  ‘Are you okay?’ asked Lex.

  ‘What?’ Xandra turned to her brother. ‘Um … yeah. I’m okay.’

  ‘You sure?’

  Xandra nodded. But she wasn’t all right. She’d been so amazed and excited by the sights … but now it hit her. This was some strange other world, and they had no way of getting home. She could feel the fear building inside her. What would happen to them? They had already been arrested. What next?

  Xandra regarded her brother, and saw her own concerns mirrored in his eyes. She couldn’t let her fear win. She had to keep control.

  ‘We need to work out where we are,’ Xandra whispered.

  ‘That’s what I’ve been trying to do,’ said Lex. ‘And about the only thing I can think of is that we’ve gone through a tear in the fabric of time and space.’

  ‘Lex!’ Xandra looked sternly at her brother. ‘This isn’t Doctor Who. This is really happening.’

  ‘Yeah, well … if you’ve got a better explanation, I’m listening.’ He folded his arms across his chest with an I-know-better-than-you attitude.

  Xandra didn’t have a better explanation. How could she?

  The wagon lurched and stopped. Through the window Xandra saw an imposing, grey stone building. They heard Lightfoot jumping down from the driver’s seat and a moment later, the doors swung open.

  ‘Out you come, lad,’ said the police sergeant. Then he turned and shouted: ‘We need two constables over here, chop, chop.’

  Lex hopped out of the wagon and two more police rhinos appeared. They stopped and gaped.

  ‘What in blazes is –’ the first rhino began.

  ‘Mind your manners, lads,’ warned Lightfoot. ‘The young lady is unable to walk. Please assist her.’

  They lifted Xandra out and carried her up the steps towards the building entrance. Lex followed.

  The sign above the doors read:

  LONDINIUM POLICE.

  ‘Londinium,’ Xandra said to herself. ‘Sounds Latin.’

  ‘Straight to the lock-up,’ instructed Lightfoot.

  Xandra and Lex were taken past the reception counter where a sheep in a three-piece suit was arguing with another police rhino. In the area behind the counter, police rhinos looked up in surprise from their oversized desks.

  At the end of the room, a door led to a long corridor with cells on either side. Xandra stared as they passed an array of dishevelled and poorly dressed animals behind bars. Reaching the end of the corridor, Lightfoot unlocked the door of the final cell and stood back as Xandra was placed on the bottom level of a bunk bed. Lex sat down beside her.

  The constables left, leaving Lightfoot standing by the door, eyes trained on the twins. He sucked at his teeth noisily.

  ‘What’s going to happen to us?’ asked Xandra.

  ‘I don’t rightly know,’ admitted Lightfoot. ‘For starters, I need to report all this to the superintendent. He’ll know what to do … I hope.’

  Stepping out of the cell, Lightfoot clanged the door shut and locked it. As he left, Xandra and Lex saw that all the animals in the other cells were staring at them. Xandra shivered, a cold fear gripping her insides.

  ‘I’m scared,’ said Lex.

  She nodded. ‘Me too.’

  ‘What ya in fer?’ demanded the bleary-eyed weasel.

  The animal wore a torn shirt and scruffy trousers. His paws were bare. He was leaning against the close-set bars that separated his cell from that of Xandra and Lex’s. He grinned, displaying sharp, needle-like teeth.

  Lex sidled closer to his sister.

  ‘Um,’ said Xandra. ‘We’re not sure.’

  ‘I is in fer thievin’.’ The weasel grimaced. ‘Jewels, mostly.’

  ‘Really?’ said Xandra, not knowing what else to say.

  ‘Yeah … really. If the coppers ’adn’t of caught me, I’d be livin’ the high life.’

  Xandra thought he was rather shabbily dressed for a jewel thief.

  ‘’Em high society animals think they is so smart,’ he continued, tapping a finger to his nose. ‘But I knows things. Likes how they hide stuff in ’em hollow books. And how they never lock their upper windows. And how servants is quick to tattletale if yer threatens ’em just so.’ The weasel snapped at the air in front of him.

  ‘How interesting,’ said Xandra, trying not to show her fear.

  Lex shuddered.

  The weasel squinted at them. ‘I could teach ya. How’d ya likes a career in jewel thievin’?’

  ‘No thank you,’ said Xandra, trying to be polite.

  The weasel hissed, closed one eye and glared at them. ‘Gots me eye on ya.’ After a few moments, he turned around and leapt up onto his top bunk.

  ‘I don’t want to stay in here,’ Lex whispered to Xandra.

  ‘Me neither.’

  Xandra looked around their cell. Aside from the bunk bed, there was a small table with a jug of water, and a chamber-pot in the far corner. It smelled like the pot hadn’t been changed since the last occupant.

  Two of the cell walls were made of brick. The back wall had a little highset window – too high to see through.

  Lex began to pace the length of the cell. ‘What are we going to do?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ admitted Xandra, her mind racing at the impossibility of it all. ‘I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.’

  And wait they did. Lex paced and talked about rifts in time and space. Xandra wrung her hands and fretted. Not only were they trapped in some bizarre world, but she was here without her wheelchair.

  She felt so utterly helpless.

  It was a feeling she was unused to.

  It was a feeling she hated.

  A couple of hours later, Lightfoot returned, accompanied by a llama.

  ‘It’s your lucky day,’ said Lightfoot, as he unlocked the cell
and stepped back to allow the llama to enter.

  The llama was dressed in a black jacket and high-collared white shirt, with tan trousers, waistcoat and cravat. His outfit was completed by a top hat.

  ‘Goodness me,’ he said, staring at Xandra and Lex. ‘How extraordinary. As I live and breathe I never thought the day would come, when I would see a real live human.’

  The twins looked at the llama. Xandra’s mouth dropped open. She knew she was in a world of talking animals. And yet, each new animal continued to take her by surprise.

  ‘Do pardon me,’ he said. ‘Where are my manners? My name is Archibald Baxter Caractacus Dunlevy, representing the Royal Cryptozoological Society. At your service.’ He doffed his hat and bowed. A shaggy tuft of tawny hair fell over his right eye. Straightening up, he tossed his head back and quickly returned the hat to his head, holding the hair in place.

  Xandra regarded the llama. He was the first animal they had encountered who had been nice to them from the start.

  ‘My name is Alexandra Volodin,’ said Xandra, deciding to use her full name just as the llama had done. She figured it would be the polite thing to do. She elbowed her brother.

  Lex jumped to his feet. ‘Ah … and I’m her brother, Alexander Volodin.’

  ‘Gender variants of the same root name,’ said Archibald, ‘meaning to “help” or “defend”. Fascinating that your parents chose to do that.’ He paused for a moment to scratch his chin. ‘Assuming, of course, that you do have parents.’ He leaned forward. ‘You do, don’t you?’

  Xandra and Lex nodded.

  ‘Of course you do,’ said Archibald. ‘I dare say that everyone at the RCS will be most excited to meet you. I have always insisted that humans, once upon a time, did exist. Many scoffed. But I maintained my position against much opposition. And to have you here in the flesh, confirming my theories … that you not only existed … but that you still do. Well, that is … that is most exciting. There are so many questions that I would like to ask. Where have you come from? Where have you been living? How did you get here to Londinium? How did –’

  Lightfoot cleared his throat loudly. ‘Begging your pardon, but I really must interrupt at this point and ask that perhaps you could continue this conversation outside of the incarceration cells.’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ said Archibald. ‘Please do excuse me. It’s just that this is so exciting.’

  ‘If you say so, sir,’ mumbled Lightfoot.

  Archibald turned back to the still astonished humans. ‘Now, I believe that, ah … Miss Volodin, isn’t it?’ Xandra nodded. ‘That Miss Volodin is incapable of walking. With your permission, I have arranged some personal transport for you.’ He turned back to Lightfoot. ‘Sergeant, if we could summon –’

  Before Archibald could finish, Lightfoot blew his whistle.

  ‘Oh my goodness,’ said the llama, lifting a hoof to his ear. ‘That was rather loud.’

  The door at the end of the corridor burst open. With a gush of steam and a clanking of gears, a chair walked in. Xandra and Lex gaped in wonder as the chair scuttled down the corridor towards their cell. A white sheep in a black chauffeur’s uniform trotted alongside it. As the chair arrived at their cell door, the sheep reached over and stabbed at a button on the armrest. The chair came to a halt, the sounds dying down to a low puttering.

  ‘Thank you, Smithers,’ said Archibald. ‘We’ll take it from here.’

  The sheep tipped his cap and left.

  ‘May I present, the Ambulator Mark 3,’ Archibald declared. ‘It is the very latest in personal transport for those who are … for animals who cannot … well … for those in your situation.’

  The cushioned chair was high-backed, with large, wide armrests. Brackets, gears, pistons and cogs were contained within a cage-like construction of metal rods beneath it. Below that were four hinged metal legs, each with three long claw-like appendages. It was an astonishing and ungainly contraption.

  I’m supposed to use that? Xandra wasn’t sure she wanted to. Nevertheless, she allowed Archibald and Lightfoot to help her onto the Ambulator. It was surprisingly comfortable.

  Archibald explained its operation to Xandra. There was a lever embedded in each armrest. One controlled forward and backward movement, the other controlled left and right direction. The llama pressed the start button.

  With a cough and a splutter, the mechanics of the ambulator sprang into action. Steam vented from each side as Xandra pushed the lever. With a jerking motion, it almost threw her out of the seat. She yelped and grabbed at the armrests. Great start! she thought. Discovering a seatbelt, she attached it before continuing. It was a bit scary, but also quite thrilling. Although it took some stopping and starting, she managed to drive the contraption out from the cells, past the astonished faces of the rhino police and onto the streets of Londinium.

  Animals passing by stopped to stare at the two mythical beasts coming out of the police station; one of whom was riding in a mechanical walking chair. There were gasps, neighs and moos of surprise.

  Archibald quickly ushered his two charges towards a steam-driven wagon. Unlike the police wagon, this was all one vehicle with the driver’s seat inside a front compartment. In fact, Xandra thought it look a bit like an oversized kombi van.

  ‘Cutting-edge locomotive technology,’ said Archibald. ‘The SteamCarriage Locomobile.’

  Smithers was standing by the vehicle with the rear doors open. Once lined up at the back, Archibald flipped a switch on the ambulator, and the feet retracted as it slipped into the vehicle. He and Lex then climbed in the side door and seated themselves, while Smithers went to the driver’s compartment. The whole vehicle shuddered as the engine started, steam jetting out around the exterior.

  As the vehicle took off along the road, Xandra and Lex stared out the windows. The first few minutes of the trip were spent in silence as they surveyed the strange city. Xandra hoped their journey would give her another glimpse of the grand glass building.

  Other steam-driven vehicles puttered around them – from large bus-like contraptions with dozens of animal passengers, to smaller single-occupant machines; from fully enclosed vehicles that looked like bizarre cars, to little self-contained engines that pulled carriages.

  Since their arrival, Xandra had been focused mostly on the animals. But now she was starting to pay more attention to this incredible world.

  It was a world full of buildings with statues and fountains and manicured gardens. It was a world full of machines with cogs and pistons and gears. It was a world full of steam and smoke. If this were a fantasy world in a book she guessed it would be called steampunk.

  ‘Xandra!’ Lex nudged his sister.

  ‘Huh?’ She looked around, startled. ‘What?’

  ‘Are you quite well, Miss Volodin?’ asked Archibald.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Xandra. ‘I’m fine. I’m just amazed by the city.’

  ‘Master Volodin has been trying to explain where you’ve come from,’ said Archibald. ‘I must say that I find it somewhat incredible. Perhaps you, Miss Volodin, could add your explanation to the conversation.’

  She smiled. ‘You can call me Xandra.’

  ‘And I’m Lex, rather than Alexander,’ piped up Lex.

  ‘Oh.’ Archibald looked a little uncomfortable. ‘So … so informal.’

  ‘Yep,’ said Xandra. ‘Also more friendly. And it stops people getting confused. Alexandra and Alexander are too similar. And a bit of a mouthful.’

  ‘And way better than Miss and Master Volodin,’ said Lex.

  ‘What about you?’ asked Xandra. ‘Your name is a mouthful. What do your friends call you?’

  ‘Archibald,’ said Archibald.

  ‘Doesn’t anyone call you Archie?’ asked Lex.

  ‘Only my mother.’ Archibald blushed.

  ‘I like Archie,’ said Xandra. ‘It’s nice. Not as stuffy as Archibald.’

  ‘Well, Miss Vo … I mean Xandra,’ said Archibald, ‘you may call me Archie, if you wish. And you �
� Lex.’

  ‘Great,’ said Xandra. ‘Now, where are we going?’

  ‘We are heading for Cryptid House,’ said Archie. ‘Home to the Royal Cryptozoological Society, on the banks of the River Tamesis, on the outskirts of the City of Londinium.’

  ‘And where’s this city?’ asked Xandra. ‘What country are we in?’

  ‘Country?’ asked Archie. ‘I’m not sure what you mean. We are in the United Animal Kingdom of Britannia.’

  ‘But what about other kingdoms?’ asked Xandra.

  ‘Yeah,’ added Lex. ‘What’s outside this kingdom?’

  ‘There are no other kingdoms,’ said Archie, as if this were common sense. ‘There is just the UAK and the ocean beyond.’

  With a gush of steam, the locomobile came to a halt.

  ‘Ah,’ said Archie, ‘we appear to have arrived.’

  Disembarking from the locomobile, Xandra and Lex gazed at Cryptid House. It was more of a mansion, really. A wide set of steps led up to high double doors made of oak. The building itself was constructed from brown sandstone. Two storeys high with a gothic appearance, it dominated the street with its size. Stone gargoyles glowered down from the corners.

  Wow, thought Xandra. Imposing!

  The ambulator climbed the stairs with ease, although Xandra had to hold on as it pitched from side to side.

  Archie had to use both hooves on the large wrought-iron doorknocker.

  The doors opened, revealing a grand entrance with a staircase that curved up to the second floor. On the wall of the landing between floors was a massive clock. Ticks and tocks were interspersed with the hissing of steam and the clanking of cogs.

  As the doors closed behind them, Xandra glanced back to see armadillos in tail coats pushing them shut.

  Archie passed his hat to another armadillo in a maid’s outfit, his hair flopping down in front of his eye again. He pushed it back.

  More tail-coated armadillos came scuttling from side doors, quickly assembling on either side of the group. Each one had a set of keys jangling from a buttonhole on its coat.

  Xandra felt intimidated by the way the little creatures had them surrounded.