Cloud Riders (26 page)
Authors: Don Hurst
On his back, Keen Aware ran a hand over his breast plate as he drew another deep breath through his grandiose appendage. The plate was bent on its left corner and creased across its dancing-hut emblem. Keen Aware searched for more damage, each of his six eyes observing a different part of his body. His nose swelled, then in instant healing, returned to its normal size. “Oh oh. Hurry hurry.” He jumped up and manned his station at the main console.
The Claude Nab form changed into a big fat white and gray horse. “All aboard!” Reshape called out, his voice bouncing around the room.
Paul and Vickie jumped onto Reshape's back.
Isno stopped circling and joined them with a great leap. He had total ownership of the horse's rear position.
Reshape whinnied and charged at the ice slab.
Keen Aware held down the two buttons marked
Door
. The barrier moved inward and shot upward. “Hurry up! Hurry up!"
As they flew away from the Ice Hut, it danced sideways. An outdoor loudspeaker barked: “Don't let the rockets bite! Hurry up! Hurry up!” Only the clouds could hear this call.
Satin greeted Paul with a strained voice.
"I can take over. Boss."
The voice faded as a wind gust reassembled Satin into a cucumber closely resembling Keen Aware's nose, but much larger. He blew further apart, his transparency rendering Satin unfit for riding.
"Mother Silk. I join you."
His voice sounded relieved, a great pressure having been lifted from him.
Three things happened simultaneously. A bitter nasty voice entered Paul.
You didn't listen, boy, and now you die. My son visits to kill you.
Reshape's big fat horse form whinnied and said, “I am sorry to tell you, I am not allowed to carry passengers.” Paul, Vicki and Isno fell as Reshape changed into a golf ball, the size of a golf ball, as a burst of hot emerald fire shot past. It had been close enough to scorch the dimples on the upper side of the ball, singe Vicki's hair, and sting Paul's eyes.
Kid Badd glided backward, his legs not moving. He beat a semi-transparent fist into his other semi-transparent hand, exhibiting frustration beyond what Paul had seen before.
A strange feeling shot through Paul. He knew this boy from somewhere before his attacks, but his mind clouded when he tried to remember who and where.
They plunged toward Earth. Paul held onto Vicki. Isno free fell, twisting for an eventual landing.
"I would be most honored if you would ride me, Sir Paul."
A cloud unicorn drifted beside them. She swooped below Paul and Vicki and caught them on her back.
"I'm Velvet, daughter of Satin, granddaughter of Silk, Sir Paul."
"Boy, you showed up at a convenient time,” Paul said with relief. “We needed you to hurry up! Hurry up!” Paul said, holding his nose to produce a nasal tone imitation of Keen Aware. He imagined the falling Isno being caught by a small cloud below him, which came true much to his amazed enjoyment. Were things starting to swing into his parallel-imagined-life focus rather than being in everyone else's?
"The Silk family is assigned and dedicated to you and your flight. It's an honor, Sir Paul."
"What's its name?” Vicki asked.
"Velvet, granddaughter of Silk, daughter of Satin."
"We must proceed toward Horrid Ice Castle, Sir Paul. Queen Calamity Horrid summons us."
"Calamity Horrid has put in an urgent call for us,” Paul explained to Vicki. “Maybe we'll run into Will.” He wondered what Calamity Horrid had to do with Vile Extinction pushing out of her wormhole. What about Fawn? “Isno, have you seen Fawn?"
"Girl Fawn?” Isno cat-asked.
"How many Fawns do you know?” Paul demanded. He couldn't turn and look at Isno with Vicki blocking his view.
"Two know."
"I didn't see another girl named Fawn, Isno,” Vicki said. “I thought I knew all the girls."
"There down, here and,” Isno explained.
"On Earth?” Paul quizzed, hoping to pinpoint the location as he sorted out Isno's scrambled language.
Velvet turned up her speed, and the wind whistled past their heads.
"Calamity Horrid needs to see you right away, Sir Paul Highness."
"Hurry-hurry,” Paul joked, then laughed.
"What's so funny?” Vicki asked.
"Everything, Sis. Everything.” He chuckled. “Kid Badd's aim. Isno talking. Will's long speeches. Riding unicorns. Keen Aware's hurry-hurry. Me supposed to save the Earth solar system. The more I think about it the funnier it gets."
"Paulie, it isn't funny. Really."
"I know, Sis. That's why it's funny."
Vicki hugged him tighter.
Paul and Vicki rode Velvet toward the Horrid Ice Castle with Isno following on his small cloud puff named Little according to Velvet. In front of them, they saw Will and Holly flying at great speed toward them; Isno raised a paw in greeting.
Will and Holly rode Blanch Bunch past Paul and Vicki without slowing. They passed so close it almost created a spectacular yellow dirt road crash that would have blended them together for all time. Paul and Will each threw instructions at their rides, and all three clouds quickly put on their airbrakes.
"Look out, mate!” Will called as Blanch came back toward Velvet. “We just escaped, don't you know. We had to wait for Calamity Horrid and Claude Nab to get bored long enough for us to sneak out of her castle."
Paul thought it odd that Will didn't introduce the girl sharing his cloud ride. He nodded toward her, and she smiled in return.
"Oh, sorry, mate,” Will said. “Everyone, this is Holly. She's my adopted older sister. She's Chinese, don't you know. Or Japanese or Korean."
Holly nudged Will. “Will, they can see who I am. Hi Vicki."
"Hi again, Holly,” Vicki said. “I never had the opportunity to see my room, Paul rescued me too soon. Not too soon in the sense of the rescue. Too soon in the sense of seeing my room."
"Vicki, you didn't miss much. If your room is like mine, all they have is a little bed and a wooden chair. Kind of like a jail cell, I suspect, only I could open the door most of the time."
"She was in there over
five
years like,” Will said. “Glad to meet up with you, mate. But why are you lot headed back to that place? I mean, they'll just throw Vicki into her room, and I don't know what her giant monkey would do to you."
"Calamity Horrid has summoned me to her castle, Will. Sorry. It's the Earth solar system saving thing. I've got to say that white cloud sure brings out your dark color,” Paul said and readied himself for a Vicki blow.
"Paulie!” Vicki called in horror, as if on cue.
"It's the color thing again, mate. I think it's your white skin wishing to be black like me, I'm thinking, sort of. I mean, if one is black he should be black, not brown or tan, don't you think?"
Holly smacked her brother between his shoulder blades, much in the same spot Vicki targeted on Paul.
A knowing glance darted between Paul and Will.
"We're joking,” Paul said to Holly and shrugged. “Your brother thinks I'd disappear in the snow."
"And he thinks I'd be hard to find at night,” Will said with a grin. “Maybe we can like use that someday don't you know."
Both boys received blows to their backs from their sisters.
"We got to get going to the castle, Will,” Paul said. “Up here, one doesn't ignore a Calamity Horrid summons. Follow if you want. Onward, Velvet"
"Hold tight, Sir Paul Highness,"
came Velvet's thought-speech return.
"Hang on,” Paul called to Vicki.
At Velvet's abrupt acceleration, Paul held his breath and bent forward to improve his hold. Vicki's arms wrapped around his waist, fingers interlocked.
Isno screeched his displeasure at the sudden movement as Little followed at a distance.
Velvet sped up the yellow dirt road, over the crest and down toward the Horrid Ice Castle.
"Blanch Bunch said she will follow, Sir Paul Highness."
"Velvet says Will and Holly will follow us,” Paul called back to Vicki.
"Wait you me,” Isno demanded. He clung to Little's sides.
The cloud unicorn piloted to outside Horrid Ice Castle's dual entrances. Blanch and Little scurried to a position behind Velvet.
"Here we,” Isno said with a purr. He seemed relieved.
"Mate, how can we help, like?” Will offered. “Think Horrid and Nab will try and get us back into that jail room like?"
"Sir Paul Highness, you must enter alone, Calamity Horrid orders. No sister, no pet. No Will, no Holly. No me, no Blanch Bunch, no Little. Only you."
"Gang, our unicorn says you all have to stay here. Sorry.” He looked at Isno before the cat could do his dismount leap from Little. “Stay, Isno. That's our orders."
"Who say?” came Isno's hissed demand.
"Velvet."
"Who boss made?"
"Cloud stuff, Isno. Try and remember we're in their land. But hang around; I may need you to beat up on King Kong."
"Allowed cat no?"
"Allowed cat no,” Paul assured. “Stay on your ride. Her name is Little. She has replaced Huff, as you might have guessed."
"Little like I."
A small girl waited in front of the castle's archway, the left ice door open behind her. She smiled.
Vicki turned to Holly. “Holly, I think this is all taking place because of being in Paulie's parallel-imagined-life. I mean, in Paul's. You know what I mean. It's all kind of complicated in a simple way."
"You're smart, Vicki,” Holly said. “Do you think Claude Nab will come out after us, Paul?"
"I don't think so,” Paul said. “Calamity Horrid wants to save herself and her creations from being burned up. So, she must have saving Earth solar system on her mind. She probably wants to keep her pet close by.” Paul dismounted and walked down to the girl. “Who are you?"
"Call if you like need us,” Will shouted down to Paul. “For sure."
"Too me.” Isno curled up on Little's back and demonstrated his lack of enthusiasm by immediately drifting off to sleep.
"I'm Patty and I'm thirteen years-old going on fourteen,” she said to Paul.
Even though two years older than his sister, Paul thought she sounded a good deal younger.
"I'm 10:00 P.M. except on Fridays. Then I'm 11:00 P.M.,” she said proudly, fingering her red hair. “Miss Calamity Horrid gave me the honor to show you to her room.” She flashed a smile, walked into the castle and started up the stairs, glancing back to be sure Paul kept up.
Paul followed the girl into Sunday's passageway. They stopped outside a highly polished ice door with a large brass nametag.
CONFERENCE ROOM—CALAMITY HORRID. QUEEN. PRESIDENT. TIMEKEEPER. CREATOR OF THE ICE HUT. CREATOR OF THIS ICE CASTLE. CHIEF OF ALL GOLDEN CLOUD ACTIVITIES. AUTHORITY OF ALL FUTURE STRUCTURES. WELCOME TO MY WORLD. DO NOT ENTER UNTIL AND UNLESS INVITED.
In tiny letters at the bottom edge of the plate were the words:
Claude Nab, Collector In-Arms
.
Patty tapped on the door, carefully avoiding the brass nameplate. “Paul Winsome, Madam President."
"DON'T CALL ME MADAM!” blasted through the door in a voice so full of anger it sounded like DON'T CALL ME MAD DAMN! The walls shook and flakes of ice fell upon Paul and Patty's shoulders.
Patty bent over and implored, “Beg your pardon fairest queen of all. Please forgive me.” No answer came. “I shall return to my room at once. Please don't tell Mister Nab. Please."
"GO!” came the cruel voice.
"So, shall I leave!” Paul didn't ask a question, but blurted out in anger. He hated bullies. No greater bully existed than giantess Calamity Horrid. Being short and skinny didn't make him capable of physically challenging these bullies, but blurting out his feelings saved him from polluting his insides with restrained emotion.
"Enter, my boy Paul Winsome,” Calamity said through the ice with a gentleness Paul never heard coming from her crooked mouth before, even when Vicki had helped with her makeover.
Paul started to wish he brought Will into the castle despite Velvet's instructions. As usual, his mind played games as his thoughts swirled. Whose imagined-life existed here, now, just Calamity's? Or did he have some say in the matter? If this were a ploy to recapture Vicki, he'd shafted himself and her. It had to be Calamity Horrid's imagined-life. He could never imagine this castle or train King Kong to be his pet.
Patty's voice came from down the hallway. “Good luck, Mister Paul."
"Thanks, I'll need it,” he called back, pushed on the door and strolled in, trying to act as though he hadn't a care in the world.
The ice slabs making up the walls had a wood grain appearance; not panels but the ice itself. The super sized room glowed with the golden warmth filtering through from the cloud bank outside. A long table of wood grained ice stretched across the middle of the room.
Calamity Horrid sat at the far end and maintained a size no larger than Paul, her clasped hands resting on the table. A painting of Calamity Horrid, identical to the one he had seen on the ceiling back at the Ice Hut only smaller in size, hung on the wall behind her.
Paul's mind built a mindset protective wall around any possibility the strange woman could sucker him into one of her games.
Calamity looked directly into Paul's eyes and spoke like a loving grandparent. “Paul, my boy, so nice of you to come. I need your help.” She motioned for him to take the seat at the end of the table closest to him, which he found odd being as a conversation appeared about to take place.
"Sit here?” His voice ricocheted around the room until finally absorbed into the wood-grained ice walls. “Where is Claude Nab?"
"The tiniest whisper can be heard in this room, Paul. No need to raise your voice. Claude Nab is attending to his duties. Everybody including Vicki will be fine where they are. I am fully aware of Willis and Holly Dinker's presence,” she said in a sickly sweet voice. “I am your friend. Claude Nab will not bother them, or us. I have so ordered him."