The City of Lizards Read online

  The girl’s toes tickled more than ever. Therefore, to avoid bursting into laughter, she forced herself to think of horrible, disgusting things.

  Her friends tried to help her.

  “Think about eating a whole bowl of stinky brussel sprout soup,” Ravi whispered to her.

  “Or about a thousand cockroaches crawling in your hair,” Thomasina whispered.

  “Or about falling into a pool of rotten eggs full of slimy crawling maggots,” Ravi whispered at the umpteenth question about Mrs. Flopps. And he smiled, pleased with himself. He thought that was the yuckiest idea of them all.

  “Rats! How are we supposed to find the door with Mrs. Broomstick always snooping around!” Thomasina fumed.

  Since it was lunchtime, they decided to make the best of it and bought themselves a traditional Cornish specialty — pastry pies filled with meat and onions.

  They ate at the Pembrose wharf, dipping their feet in the water to fend off the heat. Nestled like a precious stone between the sheer cliffs, the turquoise ocean looked as smooth as silk, the water surface rippled only by the occasional diving seagull.

  After wolfing his pasty, Pendragon started running up and down the wharf, trying, unsuccessfully, to catch one of the birds.

  “We’ll never get rid of her …” Ravi moaned.

  “How long is it going to take her to examine the whole house?” Thomasina asked.

  “And, most important of all, what is she going to do when she’s finished?” Ravi added bleakly.

  They both looked at Minerva, who wrinkled her freckled nose. That’s one problem we’re not going to solve easily, she told herself, skimming the water’s surface with her feet. She had thought about it over and over (her hair was a tangled mess, something that always happened whenever she thought hard), but she had not come up with a plan. Luckily for her, she did not have to answer the question just yet.

  “Have you come to see the Terror of the Seas?” two silvery voices asked behind them.

  Startled, the three children spun around. Araminta and Gwendolyn Bartholomew stood there smiling at them, their faces shaded by two pink, silk parasols.

  “Last night old Tom saw it off Shipwreck Bay, you know,” Araminta whispered, stooping to talk to them.

  “He said that it was huge and sent up sprays of water as high as a mountain,” Gwendolyn whispered.

  Pendragon started barking at the ocean, as if to dare the monstrous creature.

  Ravi yanked on the leash and pulled the dog back. “Don’t worry,” he spoke softly to the animal. “I’ll protect you.”

  “One thing is for sure,” Araminta whispered, “this part of Cornwall never runs out of monsters!”

  The sisters were the town historians, and in the summertime, the Bon Ton, their women’s clothing shop, turned into a tourist office. They knew almost everything about the small village and its surroundings — and about the people who lived there. Other than fishing, there was very little to do in Pembrose. Therefore, gossip was the townspeople’s favorite pastime.

  Minerva’s face brightened. “What about Lizard Manor?” she asked. “Any mysteries there?” It had occurred to her that the two might know something about the door the Order of the Owls were searching for. In the meantime, without realizing it, she had taken out the small key and started fiddling with it.

  The sisters opened their eyes wide.

  “Mysteries?” Araminta exclaimed.

  “That house is bursting with mysteries!” Gwendolyn chimed in.

  “Did you know that it was built with pieces salvaged from sunken ships?” Araminta asked. “That’s why it has such an odd shape.”

  “The wooden rafters, however, rotted from the salt water,” Gwendolyn explained. “And the house has always been on the brink of collapse …”

  “It is not wise to build houses on the bodies of those who died at sea,” Araminta concluded grimly.

  Steady steps echoed along the wharf as a huge shadow was cast upon them. “My dear ladies, you wouldn’t be scaring these poor children with one of your awful stories, now would you?” Doctor Gerald asked in a stern voice.

  The sisters startled and blushed. They had been caught red-handed. Telling frightening stories was indeed their specialty.

  The Pembrose doctor had a striking presence, and he commanded a sense of awe whenever his black eyebrows plunged into a frown, just like they were doing now. He was the only man in the village who dressed somewhat elegantly and would never leave his house without a necktie. That was one of the reasons why his elderly patients loved him, in addition to the fact that he offered them tea and cookies and always took their ailments very seriously.

  The doctor turned to the children. “Do you by any chance know who that strange woman wearing wool socks is?” he asked. “She’s not one of my patients, and she doesn’t look like a tourist. I bumped into her while she was heading up to Lizard Manor …”

  “Oh no!” Minerva cried. “We’ll be in trouble if she doesn’t find anyone there!” She slid the small key back under her collar and stood up, glancing warily at her friends.

  Ravi and Thomasina shot to their feet as if their bottoms had been pinched by one of the little crabs that covered the rocks of the jetty.

  “Please excuse us, we have to go now!” Minerva said politely. Then she dashed to her bicycle. “Hurry up!” she urged her friends. “I know a shortcut that will get us there before her.”

  A little dumbfounded, the two women and the doctor stood there staring as the three children mounted their bicycles and took off like rockets.

  Upset, Pendragon started barking furiously: they had forgotten about him.

  Ravi suddenly stopped, made a U-turn, and darted back to get him. “I’m so sorry!” he said as he secured the dog in the bicycle basket. Then he zipped toward Lizard Manor. The big house stood there waiting for them, perched atop Admiral Rock like a fat spider at the center of its web.

  The following day Thomasina was late meeting her friends. When Ravi saw her walking up the driveway, he was amazed: she was a heavenly vision! The silky, blond curls were held in place by butterfly-shaped hairpins, and she was wearing a delicate dress tied at her waist with a soft ribbon.

  “We are hosting a ball at my house tonight,” the girl explained. “Mom and Dad really want me to go. But I’ve already put on my dress, so I can spend more time with you. Do you like it?” She whirled around, and the skirt of the sky-blue dress opened like a magnificent flower.

  Pendragon immediately tried to bite the hem.

  Ravi was quick to hold the dog back by the collar. “C-cool,” he stammered. He looked down at his T-shirt and washed-out jeans. He would never be at her level.

  Fortunately, at least Minerva didn’t care about her clothes. She was wearing one of her many funny-looking outfits that had belonged to her ancestors. She found the clothing in the chests and wardrobes scattered around the house.

  “Where’s Mrs. Broomstick?” Thomasina asked glancing around. “Isn’t she here yet?”

  “Sure she is,” Minerva replied. “She’s examining kitchen number three.”

  Lizard Manor had three kitchens. Number one was always flooded and number two was always engulfed in the smoke coming from the wood stove. Therefore, they used only kitchen number three.

  “We sneaked out while she was inspecting the refrigerator,” Ravi said.

  “It’ll take her a while, because I’ve just bought groceries,” Minerva said, winking. “We can take a look around for the mysterious door in the meantime.”

  The three kids raised their eyes to the house that loomed over them. It would take them a long time to search all of it!

  Ravi swallowed. He felt even more uneasy after hearing the Bartholomews’ story. What still unsettled him most, however, was the manor’s name.

  “Are you really sure that there are
no lizards here?” he asked Minerva for the millionth time. He just could not stand those little reptiles, especially the fact that they could lose their tails. He had seen it happen once, and it had been a disgusting sight.

  “I’ve already told you,” Minerva replied. “Not a single one.”

  “But … what about the one in the puzzle?” Thomasina asked. “Where is that one?”

  “That’s right. How can we find a door without a lizard?” Ravi exclaimed, worried once again.

  In that exact moment, the sunlight reflected off the armpiece from the armor that still lay on the fountain next to the front door. The light caught Minerva’s attention.

  The girl walked up to take a look at the stone lizard sculpted on the edge of the pool. It was perfect in every detail, so perfect that it looked as if some kind of magic spell had turned it into stone while it was lazily basking in the sun.

  “Well, this is actually the only one —” she began but stopped mid-sentence. Something extraordinary was happening.

  The shadow cast by a tall, ancient pine tree had reached one of the ground floor windows — one that overlooked the fountain. Half of an owl etched in the glass had turned dark, just like the tail of the stone lizard.

  Minerva’s nose tingled. “When the owl is cut in half and the lizard loses its tail, you have found the City of the Ravagers …” she recited aloud. “Oh! I’ve got it!” she cried, scaring the socks off her friends. Without giving any explanation, she put her hands on the lizard’s tail and pushed with every ounce of strength that she could muster up.

  At first, nothing happened. Then, screeching loudly, the fountain started to turn, and then it opened, revealing a flight of stairs.

  The three friends were frozen with amazement.

  Minerva was the first one to shake off the awe. “Hooray!” she exclaimed, raising her arms to the sky in victory. “We’ve solved the puzzle!”

  They could not celebrate for long, though.

  “CHILDREEEEN! WHERE ARE YOU?” It was Mrs. Broomstick. The creaking of her crocodile-skin boots echoed through the entrance hall.

  “What are we going to do now?” Thomasina asked. “She’s coming!”

  Minerva ran a hand through her tangled hair then made a decision. “Come on! Follow me!” she ordered. She stepped into the dark hole that had opened beneath the fountain.

  Ravi and Thomasina followed her, with Pendragon close behind them. As soon as they had reached the bottom, though, something unexpected happened: the fountain closed behind them.

  When Amelia Broomstick, first-class social worker, craned her neck out the main door, the three kids had vanished.

  “Humph, that’s odd,” she grumbled. “I thought I heard their voices.”

  Ravi put his hand on Pendragon’s mouth. “Shush,” he said. “She’ll hear us.”

  “We can’t let her find us. Not now that we’re about to find the door,” Minerva whispered.

  The three children stood still and silent. When the woman’s footsteps had died out, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Phew! That was close.” Minerva sighed.

  “We managed to disappear right under her nose!” Thomasina cheered.

  “Where are we though?” Ravi glanced about. “It’s too dark to see anything.”

  Thomasina started rummaging through her bag; she was never separated from it. “We’re going to need this,” she said, taking out a flashlight. She shone a light on the stairs they had come down from.

  Ravi walked to the top and tried to push the wall that had closed up behind them. “Not a chance. It won’t budge.” He gave up.

  “And I can’t see any way to open it either,” Thomasina observed.

  “So we’re stuck down here,” a worried Ravi said.

  Minerva grinned. She didn’t look worried at all. “Maybe, but we’ve solved the puzzle,” she reminded him. “So …”

  “The door must be here!” Thomasina said excitedly. She started sliding the light beam along the wall. “Hey! There’s a lamp over there,” she said.

  An old oil lamp hung on a rusty nail. Two flints for lighting it were set in a small hollow space in the wall next to the lamp.

  Minerva rubbed the flints together, until they produced a spark. She lit the lamp, and a moment later they were surrounded by the glow of warm light. “You can put the flashlight away,” she told Thomasina.

  They could see clearly now: they were in a round space the same size as the fountain.

  “Look! It’s there!” Ravi cried pointing at something behind the girls.

  The two girls turned around and saw a two-shutter wooden door. Its edges were decorated with lizards carved into the wood. The small reptiles looked almost real: tiny hissing tongues, scrawny clawed feet, and bodies that looked like pocket-sized dragons. They were covered in a layer of dark green paint that was now flaking off.

  They drew closer to take a better look at it.

  “Finally,” Thomasina muttered solemnly. “The door to the City of the Ravagers …”

  “The door to the treasure!” Minerva cheered.

  “Okay, but … where’s the lock?” Ravi asked. “I can’t see it.”

  “Well, it has to be there,” Minerva insisted.

  They searched every inch of the door but couldn’t find anything.

  “Rats! I’ve never heard of a key for a lockless door!” Thomasina groaned. Unable to give in despite the evidence, she kept feeling for the lock on the ragged wood.

  Minerva, on the other hand, stopped to think. She took the small golden key in her hand, as if it had the power to inspire her. Her friend was right: if there was a key, then there definitely had to be a lock as well. But where?

  “Easy Pendragon! Be a good doggy!” Ravi yelled, trying to hold the dog back. Pendragon wanted to get in on the action.

  The animal ignored Ravi. He let out a short growl and flung himself at the door. Then he bit the largest and most real-looking lizard and started shaking it back and forth until it came off revealing …

  “Wow! The lock!” Thomasina exclaimed.

  “Attaboy, Pendragon!” Ravi exulted, hugging the dog and scratching his ears. “You are definitely Agatha’s dog!”

  An excited Minerva slid the golden key into the lock. It fit perfectly. She looked at her friends, who gestured at her to go on. The girl turned the key three times and then it clicked.

  They all held their breath. Slowly, Minerva started pushing the door forward and …

  “Wait!” Ravi stopped her. “Are we sure there aren’t a thousand lizards on the other side? Maybe they were all locked up back there.”

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Thomasina pointed out. “Let’s go in!”

  Ravi sighed, then nodded at Minerva.

  “Guys, this is an historic moment for the Order of the Owls,” she said solemnly. And then, her heart throbbing like a jungle drum, she opened the door.

  When they found themselves in a little room that contained nothing out of the ordinary, they were very disappointed. It didn’t even look like there were other doors.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” an angry Thomasina blurted.

  The only thing in the room was a tiny barred window that you could reach only by standing on your toes and stretching. When they looked through it, they saw Mrs. Broomstick’s crocodile-skin boots. She was searching for them.

  SQUEEEAK! SQUEEEAK! SQUEEEAK!

  What could they do now? Ask the evil social worker to help them get out?

  “Rats! I can’t believe we came all the way down here for nothing!” Thomasina grunted and stomped her patent leather shoe on the floor.

  Minerva pricked up her ears. “Did you hear that?” She immediately bent down to examine the spot where Thomasina’s foot had left a print in the dust. She started brushing the floor clean with
her hands and then blew the rest of the dust away. “There it is! I thought it sounded hollow!” she exclaimed.

  Flabbergasted, Ravi and Thomasina stood staring at the floor. Minerva had uncovered the edges of a trapdoor and a small brass ring.

  “You’re a genius!” Thomasina cheered, hugging her. Then, not caring that she might soil her beautiful dance dress, she squatted and grabbed the brass ring that served as a handle. She looked at her friends with a bright grin. “Are you ready for a new adventure?”

  Minerva looked at Ravi. He swallowed, picked up Pendragon, and nodded. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Minerva flashed him a smile and then turned to her friend. “Open the trapdoor, Thomasina!”

  The girl pulled on the ring. The wooden door came up with an agonizing creaking sound — it had probably been a very long time since someone had last opened it.

  Thomasina took the lamp and craned her neck into the black hole that had opened at her feet.

  “Wh-what do you see?” a worried Ravi asked.

  Thomasina leaned over some more, and then let herself slide into the hole and disappeared.

  “Oh no!” Ravi yelled, terrified. He and Minerva rushed over to see what had happened.

  “No worries,” the girl reassured them. “I’m okay.”

  Indeed she was: not a curl out of place and not a wrinkle on her pretty blue dress.

  The girl held up the lamp to light up the space around her.

  She was standing in a coverless rectangular wooden crate. Stuck in the middle of the crate was a metal pole with a ring on the end. A piece of rope was attached to the ring and then ran through a wooden disk. The disk was attached to a bar stuck into the rockwall just above the crate. The other end of the rope came out of the disk and fell back into the black pit underneath the crate.

  “It’s some kind of hoist,” Minerva exclaimed.

  “That’s right,” Thomasina said. “There’s a pulley to move it up and down,” she explained, pointing at the disk fixed to the metal bar. She reached out and touched the rope hanging out of the crate. “This one’s tight. There must be a weight tied to it at the bottom,” she decided. “The crate won’t go down unless it’s heavier than whatever’s pulling the rope.”