look after them carefully though – the boss is always going on about that. Weeding, for example. Can’t let a Nithling interfere with any of the exhibits.”
“Could you show me how to get to the Elysium?” asked Arthur. “Is it far away?”
“I s’pose,” said Phineas. He scratched the bridge of his nose. “We’d have to cut between the hedges here, get on to the Garden Path…pick up a dragon—”
“A dragon?”
“Dragon fly ,” said Phineas. “Big ones, fitted for riding. Only I’ve never ridden one, though I s’pect they’d do what you tell them. Anyhow, we get on a dragon and fly towards the sunset – have to wait for it, of course, cos Lord Sunday moves the sun around, but the Elysium always faces the setting sun.”
“If he likes it so much, there must be a good chance Lord Sunday will be there himself,” Arthur guessed.
“I dunno,” said Phineas. “There’s a lot of Garden. You could sort him out though, couldn’t you? What with being…what did you say?…the Rightful Heir and all that.”
Yes, I could, thought the angry, boastful part of Arthur. But his more sensible side said quite the opposite, remembering what he had been told about the Keys, and how the Seventh Key was paramount over all.
I’d have to find the Will quickly enough to get itshelp to force Lord Sunday to relinquish the Seventh Key, thought Arthur. But if I run into Lord Sunday first, I’ll be toast. Perhaps I should get help first, like Part Six of the Will said…
“I wouldn’t mind seeing you and Lord Sunday have a punch-up,” remarked Phineas eagerly. “That’d be right promising, I reckon.”
“You’d probably get killed just watching,” said Arthur bleakly, remembering the Keys being used in battle back in the Great Maze, and when Saturday had first broached the Gardens.
He shook his head and took out the Fifth Key.
“I have to go somewhere,” he said. “Don’t tell anyone I was here, all right? And make sure this house…this Garden bed stays weed free.”
Phineas nodded, but his dark eyes were fixed on the mirror, intent on what Arthur was going to do.
Arthur held the mirror up, looked into it and tried once more to visualise Thursday’s room. At first he saw only his reflection, but that wavered and he felt a surge of relief as the now-familiar carpet with its battle-scene motif slowly coalesced into a solid view, with the rest of the room shimmering into focus around it. But just as it was about to becomeentirely crisp and real, the mirror shook in his hand and the vision wavered. Arthur frowned and gripped his wrist with his left hand to steady it, but the mirror continued to shake and twist, as if someone else was trying to take it away from him.
“Steady!” hissed Arthur, exerting his willpower to keep the mirror still and the scene in view. But just as he had with the Atlas, he felt an opposing force, one that grew stronger and stronger, until the Fifth Key flew from his grasp and clattered on to the floor.
Arthur clenched his fist, but seeing Phineas watching him so intently, he managed to contain his anger. Instead of punching the walls, he knelt down and picked up the mirror, slipping it back into his pouch.
“Maybe I won’t be going after all,” he said. “How do we get out of here?”
“Through the hedge,” said Phineas. “It’ll open for me, being a Gardener and all. Just stay close behind.”
He touched the hedge that blocked the kitchen door and a boy-sized hole opened in the greenery.
“Come on, bigger than that!” said Phineas. The hole grew large enough for Arthur. Phineas put oneleg through it, then hopped back again. “My fork! Can I have it back, please, sir?”
“Yes,” said Arthur. “Do you want it lit?”
“Oh, that’s all right,” said Phineas. “I’ll swap it for another one. I just have to have one to hand in.”
He climbed through the hole.
Arthur looked around the kitchen and glanced up at the ceiling, to the room above where his
“Could you show me how to get to the Elysium?” asked Arthur. “Is it far away?”
“I s’pose,” said Phineas. He scratched the bridge of his nose. “We’d have to cut between the hedges here, get on to the Garden Path…pick up a dragon—”
“A dragon?”
“Dragon fly ,” said Phineas. “Big ones, fitted for riding. Only I’ve never ridden one, though I s’pect they’d do what you tell them. Anyhow, we get on a dragon and fly towards the sunset – have to wait for it, of course, cos Lord Sunday moves the sun around, but the Elysium always faces the setting sun.”
“If he likes it so much, there must be a good chance Lord Sunday will be there himself,” Arthur guessed.
“I dunno,” said Phineas. “There’s a lot of Garden. You could sort him out though, couldn’t you? What with being…what did you say?…the Rightful Heir and all that.”
Yes, I could, thought the angry, boastful part of Arthur. But his more sensible side said quite the opposite, remembering what he had been told about the Keys, and how the Seventh Key was paramount over all.
I’d have to find the Will quickly enough to get itshelp to force Lord Sunday to relinquish the Seventh Key, thought Arthur. But if I run into Lord Sunday first, I’ll be toast. Perhaps I should get help first, like Part Six of the Will said…
“I wouldn’t mind seeing you and Lord Sunday have a punch-up,” remarked Phineas eagerly. “That’d be right promising, I reckon.”
“You’d probably get killed just watching,” said Arthur bleakly, remembering the Keys being used in battle back in the Great Maze, and when Saturday had first broached the Gardens.
He shook his head and took out the Fifth Key.
“I have to go somewhere,” he said. “Don’t tell anyone I was here, all right? And make sure this house…this Garden bed stays weed free.”
Phineas nodded, but his dark eyes were fixed on the mirror, intent on what Arthur was going to do.
Arthur held the mirror up, looked into it and tried once more to visualise Thursday’s room. At first he saw only his reflection, but that wavered and he felt a surge of relief as the now-familiar carpet with its battle-scene motif slowly coalesced into a solid view, with the rest of the room shimmering into focus around it. But just as it was about to becomeentirely crisp and real, the mirror shook in his hand and the vision wavered. Arthur frowned and gripped his wrist with his left hand to steady it, but the mirror continued to shake and twist, as if someone else was trying to take it away from him.
“Steady!” hissed Arthur, exerting his willpower to keep the mirror still and the scene in view. But just as he had with the Atlas, he felt an opposing force, one that grew stronger and stronger, until the Fifth Key flew from his grasp and clattered on to the floor.
Arthur clenched his fist, but seeing Phineas watching him so intently, he managed to contain his anger. Instead of punching the walls, he knelt down and picked up the mirror, slipping it back into his pouch.
“Maybe I won’t be going after all,” he said. “How do we get out of here?”
“Through the hedge,” said Phineas. “It’ll open for me, being a Gardener and all. Just stay close behind.”
He touched the hedge that blocked the kitchen door and a boy-sized hole opened in the greenery.
“Come on, bigger than that!” said Phineas. The hole grew large enough for Arthur. Phineas put oneleg through it, then hopped back again. “My fork! Can I have it back, please, sir?”
“Yes,” said Arthur. “Do you want it lit?”
“Oh, that’s all right,” said Phineas. “I’ll swap it for another one. I just have to have one to hand in.”
He climbed through the hole.
Arthur looked around the kitchen and glanced up at the ceiling, to the room above where his
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