Blue Fire and Ice (11 page)

They didn’t need to collect Reach. As Calamity jumped, the ballerina ran through the door and climbed aboard the cart. Sparkle lunged forward and the fire cart moved off. Grunge glanced at Reach.

On her head was a yellow and red fire hat with a deep brim. Over her pink dress she wore her black fire jacket, which came down to her hips. Her pink tutu stuck out from the bottom of the jacket. On her feet, in place of her dancing shoes, was a pair of thick, black rubber boots that came almost to her knees.

Grunge thought it looked pretty cool and wondered what it would look like onstage.

‘The signal!’ cried Crimson to Grunge and Reach. ‘Do you see the signal?’

‘There!’ shouted Reach. She pointed directly north of Beadleburg. A bright yellow pillar of light split the sky. ‘Brian said Tek made the light tower. I’ve never seen anything so bright!’

‘OK, Sparkle, that’s where we’re going. Hurry now, it’s not far!’ Crimson’s voice was low but urgent.

Sparkle knew they must get there as fast as they could and she gathered all her strength and surged towards the light tower.

As soon as they had seen the fire, the patrol realised the danger to the nearby barn. Farrow, the poor farmer who owned the silo and barn, was standing, watching the blue fire in horror.

‘Buckets!’ one of the patrol yelled to him. ‘Buckets, Farrow! Where are your buckets? You’re supposed to have buckets!’

The blue fire had shocked Farrow and he stood, not moving or speaking. He felt a sharp clip on his ear.

‘Farrow! Do you want to watch everything burn? Are you going to stand there and watch that fire destroy our lives? Fetch a bucket!’ shouted a voice that sounded familiar. He turned and looked at his wife.

Fallow stooped to pick up the bucket she had dropped when she had given Farrow’s ear a little clip. She saw the pain on her husband’s face and concern and affection softened her voice. ‘We can save the barn, Farrow. Nothing can save the silo, my rooster, but we can save the barn.’

Farrow looked at his plucky wife. He gave her a little smile. ‘My brave little hen,’ he murmured and ran to fetch more buckets.

Farrow and Fallow and the three patrol members were throwing water on the barn as fast as they could. Each would run a short way to a nearby dam, fill their bucket and rush back to the barn. With a great heave, they threw the water on the walls. The walls hissed when the cold water hit them.

It took Sparkle less than a quarter of a clock’s face to get to the fire. She had run as fast as her legs and heart would let her. Her chest heaved as the Muddles jumped from the cart. Crimson ran to the horse and laid a hand on her cheek. ‘Well done, Sparkle,’ she whispered.

The three Muddles quickly unfastened the hose and attached it to the water tank.

‘Crimson, you take the hose. Reach and I will pump!’

Crimson grabbed the brass nozzle at the end of the hose and ran towards the barn. They had driven the cart as close as they could but the barn lay on the other side of the blazing silo. She would have to run past the blue fire to get to the barn.

As Crimson neared the silo, she felt the strength draining from her legs. She stumbled and nearly fell. Her heart pounded inside her chest, like it was hammering to get out. She could hear each beat echo in her head. Through the throbbing in her head came a voiceless call, summoning her. She turned towards the blazing silo. The fire; the blue fire was calling her.

The flames reached out to Crimson. Thin fingers of fire were coming to take her to its cruel heart. She could feel herself drawing near to the flames. The searing heat surrounded her as she approached. Crimson fought to ignore the calling and the pounding in her head. She willed her legs to turn and run, away from the flames, but they no longer obeyed her. ‘No!’ she screamed in her head. ‘I won’t ... I won’t!’ The voice in her head grew stronger until it drowned out her own protests. Step by step she edged closer to the fire.

Grunge saw Crimson falter, then turn and walk slowly towards the blazing silo.

‘Crimson!’ he cried. He ran towards her. ‘Crimson! No!’ Heedless of Grunge’s cries, Crimson kept walking, answering the fire’s call. Sparkle whinnied loudly, calling to Crimson. Crimson kept walking.

Grunge scooped her in his arms as she neared the flames. The heat scorched his clothes. Crimson was limp in his arms as he ran back to the fire cart. Gently, he laid her on the ground.

‘Crimson!’ said Reach. She knelt next to her friend. ‘Crimson!’ she cried again. ‘Grunge, why won’t she answer me?’

Crimson lay still on the ground, her eyes open, staring at the dark sky.

Grunge looked to where the Beadles were working frantically drenching the barn. ‘Go and get some water. Quickly!’

Reach ran, slowed by her cumbersome boots. She said something to one of the patrol and they handed her a bucket. She turned and ran back to Crimson, water splashing from the bucket.

Grunge scooped water with his cupped hands and sprinkled it on Crimson’s face. Reach tore a small piece of material from her tutu and dipped it into the water, then handed it to Grunge.

‘On her cheeks and forehead,’ she said. Grunge bathed Crimson’s face with the cloth.

‘Grunge? Reach?’ Crimson’s eyes blinked and she looked at her friends. ‘What happened? Is the fire …?’ She sat up and looked to where the Beadles were desperately throwing buckets of water on the barn. The blue fire still raged.

‘We’ve got to help! It’s the fire… It calls…’ Crimson shivered, remembering the dreadful call of the fire. ‘Grunge, take the hose. Reach and I will pump. I can’t go near it, Grunge.’

Grunge hesitated, not sure Crimson was all right.

‘Go, Grunge! We have to save the barn! I’m fine now.’

Grunge ran to the hose and grabbed the nozzle without stopping. He rushed past the burning silo to the barn. ‘Now!’ he yelled.

Reach and Crimson pushed up and down on the two handles of the pump. They could hear the water rushing from the tank to the hose. The water sprayed in a sudden spurt and the hose was nearly wrenched from Grunge’s hand. He aimed it at the barn. Smoke was pouring from its walls. The spray of water hit the barn and steam rose in a great cloud.

Grunge called to the patrol. ‘Leave the buckets! One of you help with the hose. The others help Reach and Crimson pump.’

Farrow grabbed the hose behind Grunge. ‘It’s my barn,’ he said fiercely. ‘I’ll not let the fire take it!’

With more arms working the pump, the water came faster and stronger from the nozzle. A steady river of water continued to shower on the barn. The steam and smoke from its walls lessened, and then stopped.

Grunge glanced at the silo. The fire had destroyed almost all of it. With nothing left to consume, its flames were fading. Its heat no longer felt like it was searing Grunge’s back. He looked at Farrow. The farmer’s face was covered in ash and dirt.

‘We’ll save your barn. The fire’s dying.’

Farrow shook his head grimly. ‘It’s not dying,’ he said. ‘It’s just going back where it came from.’ He looked at the smouldering ruins of his silo. ‘The blue fire doesn’t die. It waits.’

They continued to pour water onto the barn until they were quite sure the wood had cooled and the blue fire had gone. Finally, Crimson called, ‘Grunge, that’s enough. It’s safe now.’ They all stopped pumping and slumped to the ground, their arms aching. Reach felt as if it were her shoulders that were on fire. Farrow and Grunge dragged the hose back to the cart. The farmer went to Fallow, who was sitting against the wheel of the cart, trying to catch her breath. Farrow reached down and cupped his wife’s face in his hand.

‘Thank you, Fallow,’ he said gruffly. ‘Without you …’

Fallow didn’t let Farrow finished. She smiled at her husband and said. ‘Oh, nonsense. Sometimes the rooster just needs a little nudge to crow. Now, help me up. I think everyone could do with some hot coffee and sandwiches.’

It was close to dawn by the time they had rested and packed the fire cart. The Muddles said their goodbyes to the patrol and to Farrow and Fallow. Grunge couldn’t help but notice that they were awkward and a bit wary when they said goodbye to Crimson.

They were grateful that the journey back was short. The sun was peeping over the eastern hills above Beadleburg as they rode slowly into the town. Calamity was sitting at the door of the fire station, waiting. She did what she could to help and before long they had put Sparkle in her stall with fresh water and oats and had cleaned and put away the equipment.

Just as they were thinking how nice it would be to get into their beds and sleep, they heard the throaty rumble of Bell’s fire engine. The fire engine turned into the fire station and stopped. The Muddles could see Bell sitting behind the steering wheel, his tired face black with fire smoke.

That night, for the first time, the blue fire had come twice to Beadledom.

Chapter 5

W
e were too late. The old mill burned quickly and the two warehouses nearby were already on fire by the time we got there.’ Bell shook his head sadly. We tried to save them but it was no good.’

Bell, Crimson, Grunge, Reach, Brian and Bligh looked glum. When Bligh had heard the news of the night’s fires he had sent Brian to ask Bell and the Muddles to meet them for breakfast. They were to discuss how to cope with the new turn of events.

‘Two fires in one night. Are they punishing us for asking for help?’ Brian sounded bewildered.

Grunge swallowed the last of his toast. ‘I think whoever’s behind these fires is sending us a message. They’re telling us that no matter what we do, it won’t make any difference. They want us to feel helpless.’

‘Both fires must have been started at about the same time. It has to be the work of more than one person. It’s impossible to get from one side of Beadledom to the other within an hour,’ said Bligh. He picked up a plate and offered it to Crimson. ‘Muffin?’ he asked. Crimson politely refused. Bligh placed one on his plate. ‘We must ask the Myrmidots again for help.’

Reach hesitated, then said, ‘But what if the Myrmidots do come and the next night there are three fires? You’ll be worse off.’ Reach hoped she didn’t sound foolish.

‘How can we be worse off?’ Brian said impatiently.

Brian’s impatience made Reach feel even less sure of herself. ‘Before last night, Beadledom was losing only one or two buildings each night. Last night it lost four,’ she said in a low voice.

Bell peered at the young Muddle and nodded. ‘The two buildings destroyed by the blue fire and the two warehouses we couldn’t save. Reach is right.’ Reach gave Bell a grateful smile. ‘At that rate,’ Bell continued, ‘all of Beadledom will be ashes before long.’

‘Perhaps you’re right. More coffee, Grunge? We won’t ask the Myrmidots just yet. We’ll see if we can find another way to fight whoever is doing this.’ Bligh cleared his throat. Very deliberately, he put the coffee pot on the table. When he spoke he seemed almost as hesitant as Reach. ‘But we have another problem. Word has spread of what happened to Crimson last night. It’s made some of the townsfolk uneasy. Some are having … second thoughts … about asking Muddles to help. As High Councillor I am obliged to listen to everyone’s opinions.’

Crimson said nothing. It was Grunge who replied to Bligh. He gave a polite nod as if he understood.

‘If you think it best, we’ll leave. But I think you should tell the Beadles that if they’re worried about Crimson, they don’t have to be. Whatever happened to her, she has it covered.’ Grunge smiled at Crimson. ‘She’s always got everything covered, has Crimson.’

Crimson raised her head. She looked at Grunge for a moment, then gave her friend a little smile.

Bligh raised his hand to protest. ‘No, no, I don’t think that’s necessary.’ He looked at the half-eaten muffin in his hand. ‘Not

just yet.’

‘Well then, I think we should discuss how we’re going to find out who’s setting the fires,’ said Grunge.

Bell ran his hand over his face. ‘I don’t know where to start. My head isn’t working too well these days.’

‘If only we knew where the next fire will be ...’ mused Crimson.

Brian couldn’t hide the impatience in his voice. ‘We’ve thought of that, naturally, Crimson. We’ve tried to find a pattern behind the location of the fires, but there isn’t one. We’ve gone over the places again and again.’

‘Brian’s right. There doesn’t seem to be any logic to it,’ confirmed Bell.

‘Another look won’t hurt. Let’s have a look at that map, Brian.’ Brian scowled at Grunge’s request, but in a few minutes the remains of breakfast were removed and the map was unrolled on the table.

The sight of the map covered in blue dots shocked Crimson. She couldn’t imagine such destruction. ‘Another month or so and Beadledom would cease to exist,’ she thought to herself. But something wasn’t right...

‘There are so many dots! It’s horrible!’ Crimson exclaimed.

‘Between the blues fires and the extra ones it causes we lose two or three additional buildings each night,’ explained Brian.

Six pairs of eyes stared at the blue dots on the map and tried to find a pattern. Nothing. The fires jumped all over Beadledom, as if whoever was responsible simply stuck a pin in a map to decide where to strike next.