Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early Page B

said.
    â€˜I see it.’
    â€˜No! Look! ’ He pointed down the tunnel at the way they’d come. A wave of water was rushing at high speed towards them. They didn’t even have time to react before the wave crashed into them, knocking them onto their backsides in the river.
    Arthur managed to get to his feet and helped Ash to hers. The water level was now just below their chests and rising rapidly.
    â€˜Where’s Will?’ she said.
    Arthur looked around frantically and spotted a dark figure bobbing under the water. He quickly pulled Will out. There was a trickle of blood running down his forehead where he’d knocked it on the stone floor.
    â€˜Will, are you all right?’
    Will shook his head to clear it. ‘Yeah, yeah. I was just a bit dazed. Thanks.’
    â€˜Can you walk?’ Will nodded his head. ‘Good, we need to get out of here quick. The water is going to be over our heads soon.’
    As quickly as they could, they waded back up the tunnel. With the water so high and the flow so strong, it was hard work. They all slipped more than once and, to counteract this, put their arms around each other as they walked. By the time they reached the place where the tunnel split, the water had risen to their necks. They didn’t even see or hear the second wave coming until it was too late. This one was coming up the tunnel from the direction of the Liffey and it smashed into them, tumbling them head over heels.
    Swept off their feet by the furious wave, they were instantly disorientated. Their phones, which had managed to survive the first onslaught, blinked out the instant the second wave hit. They didn’t know what was up and what was down and soon lost their grip on each other. The only thing that Arthur was aware of was that he was still holding the bronze pendant. For some reason he thought that was very important.
    When the wave subsided a bit, Arthur swam to a wall and clawed his way along the bricks, finding his way to the ceiling. The tunnel was nearly totally flooded but there was still a small pocket of air up there and he inhaled greedily. Will had also managed to find the air pocket.
    â€˜Have you seen Ash?’ he asked Arthur.
    Arthur just shook his head, preserving his oxygen. He took a deep breath and plunged his head back under the water. He could just make out Ash struggling on the bottom of the tunnel, pulling at her leg urgently. Arthur resurfaced.
    â€˜I think her leg’s caught on something,’ he said. ‘She needs our help.’ Taking another deep breath, he and Will dived back under and swam to Ash. Her eyes seemed to be bulging as she pointed furiously to her foot. It was caught inside a gutter on the floor of the tunnel.
    Arthur swam closer to investigate more. If she pushed in her leg and turned her foot at an angle, it would come free. He took hold of her shin and tried to push it into the gutter more; it was the only way she could get the space to angle her foot. She shook her head in fear and tried pulling away from him. Will saw what Arthur was attempting to do and tried to calm her down, pointing to the gutter and giving her a thumbs up. Ash closed her eyes, refusing to look. Arthur eased her foot further into the gutter, turned it forty-five degrees towards her, then pulled it out in one smooth motion. Arthur and Will swam her up to the surface.
    She pulled air into her lungs and gasped appreciatively. ‘Thank you, thank you so much.’
    â€˜We’re not out yet,’ said Arthur.
    â€˜I’m so sorry,’ Will said. ‘I got us into this.’ He looked to be on the verge of tears.
    â€˜It’s all right, we’ll get out,’ Arthur said, trying to comfort them, although not feeling so sure himself.
    â€˜What are we going to do?’ cried Ash. ‘We’ll never be able to hold our breath long enough to swim back to the ladder and this air pocket isn’t going to last