The Tunnels Below Nadine Wild-Palmer (tools of titans ebook .txt) đ
- Author: Nadine Wild-Palmer
Book online «The Tunnels Below Nadine Wild-Palmer (tools of titans ebook .txt) đ». Author Nadine Wild-Palmer
âThat guy there, starting at zero, thatâs Jacques dâOrâs son, Aubrey. Itâs his first professional sigh-ride. If he finishes at first, heâll win today! Thereâs a lot of pressure on him, and his father really didnât want him to enter for obvious reasons.â
âLike?â said Cecilia, probing.
âThink about it, ding-bat.â
âExcuse meeee!â exclaimed an offended bat-face sitting next to Luke.
âI beg your pardon. Iâm sorry,â Luke said sheepishly.
âYes, well, thatâs rather offensive, donât you think?â And with that, the bat-face got up and moved seats.
Luke looked rather embarrassed but he continued despite himself.
âIf over time, Aubrey doubles at fifteenth like Jasperâor worse, sixteenthâheâll be in the sewers the rest of his life, even if his dad is the leader of the Corvus Community.â
âNo wonder he wasnât pleased. Pretty bold move by Aubrey!â said Cecilia.
âYou bet! This is the most heated tournament I have ever been to!â
A mole-face in front of them with a stack of papers and a feather quill pen interrupted them.
âDid someone say âbetâ?â he asked.
âBingo!â said Luke.
âNo, sir, thatâs Tuesdays in Market Square. Today now, Iâm taking bets on the Ride or Sigh competition,â said the mole-face, drily sniffing the air.
Luke and Cecilia filled with giggles and tried not to laugh.
âOK then. We would like to place a bet. We would like to bet on Aubrey to finish first,â he said, handing over a pile of buttons he, Cecilia and Jasper had pooled together.
âExcellent,â said the mole-face.
âHold on. Are you sure?â Cecilia said, resting her hand on his wrist a moment.
âWell, what are your instincts telling you?â asked Luke. âWhat do you feel?â
She stared up into the cloud and let it wash over her. It seemed to be telling her something but not with words; the sighs spoke to another part of her.
Luke nudged her. âHellloooooo? Anyone in there?â
âFor some reasonâand I know itâs a gambleâbut theyâre telling me youâre right!â she said. âBet on Aubrey to come in first.â
âThatâs settled then,â said Luke, handing over one fistful of buttons and then another. He turned to Cecilia.
âThatâs an awful lot, Luke!â she added.
âWell, letâs just say, I trust your instincts⊠and thatâs also the tip that Augustus gave Jasper!â he said confidently.
âBrilliant odds, sir,â said the mole-face.
âSee,â said Luke, taking the tickets and thanking him. The mole-face wiggled his nose and shuffled off. His trousers were far too long and dragged along in the dirt.
âIâm not sure how I feel about gambling. My granny always says to stay away from that sort of thing, that it canât lead to much good.â
âSure,â said Luke. âBut your granary isnât here, is she?â
âGranny! Granary is a type of bread!â corrected Cecilia.
âYouâre funny,â said Luke, patting her on the head. âTechnically this isnât betting, itâs life-saving!â
Madame Midnight cawed and the stadium was quieted to a murmur. A pale form cut through the sighs that were still gathering; it parted the colourful mists like water and landed high on the stage next to Madame Midnight.
âIs thatâŠ?â
âJacques dâOr? Yeah, thatâs him,â said Luke.
13Ride or Sigh
Jacques dâOr was astonishingly beautiful. Although he was quite far away, there was something captivating about him. Jacques dâOr picked up a sphere that looked like it was made of glass and held it up over his head. It was about the size of the gym ball Ceciliaâs mum had at home. She had thought it was solid at first but as she watched she could see it morphing. Jacques dâOr let it go and as it floated over the crowd it grew larger and larger and larger until it looked like a giant bubble full of colourful sighs. Madame Midnight inhaled a deep breath and the audience followed suit.
âBreathe in,â whispered Luke, his warm breath tickling her ear, âand breathe out deeply with a sigh when everyone else does.â
The entire crowd sucked in all the air around the bowl and the bubble danced before them. Every last drop of air was sucked in until Ceciliaâs lungs were bursting, then all together they released a sigh, bursting the bubble with a multitude of coloursâa rainbow cloudâand the sigh riders were off! The sigh shot around the edges of the stadium. It was incredible to watch as the riders whizzed round on their bits of old carpet, rugs and mats of different shapes and sizes. The sigh riders tried to overtake and undertake each other. Luke pointed out to Cecilia when someone was trying to hold their place in a position as everyone, including the audience, got carried away on this magical wave of emotion. It was like a mixture of horse racing and surfing, and it reminded Cecilia of the tale of Aladdinâhe had a magic carpet.
Soon a commentary began, led by a chicken-face and a monkey-face chattering and clucking away from a box at the centre of the Concave Stadium. Jasper adjusted himself in his seat, tilting his right ear towards the sound so he could get a better grasp of what was going on. It was thrilling! When the sigh died down Madame Midnight orchestrated the crowd to release a new sigh to keep the competition going. And the sighs changed colours depending on the mood of the crowd, which acted as one giant being. Every so often a competitor would be overcome with emotion and burst into fits of laughter or floods of tears, shooting out of the loop, then recover themselves and return to the race. It was a spectacle that allowed Cecilia to forget and become completely absorbed in the moment.
When the race ended Luke grabbed Cecilia and hugged her.
âWe won!â he screeched. âAubrey came in first!â
Jasper, who had been quite reserved for the whole event, danced and jumped about too. He was ecstatic.
âOhhhhweeee!â he shouted. âRight, you two go and collect the winnings. Iâll wait here!â
Cecilia thoroughly enjoyed the competitionâit seemed pretty simple to follow, but she did wonder if the repercussions were a bit harsh and she brought it up with Luke as they squeezed along
Comments (0)