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He waited for his eyes to adjust to the blackness, willing his heart to stop pounding in his ears

So in here

For an awful moment Alek wondered if there were creatures aboard the Leviathan that Dylan hadn’t told him about Monsters, perhaps He re creatures fabricated froiant reptiles

"Um, hello?" he whispered

"Hello?" sootten lost I’m sorry"

"Gotten lost?" came the reply The words sounded hesitant, and there was so eerily fa" Alek turned back to the doorway and felt blindly for the knob The metal squeaked a little as he turned it, and he froze

Suddenly the room was full of tiny screeches and complaints

"I’m sorry," a voice said Then another whispered, "Hello?"

The ger than a closet, but it sounded as though a dozenup around hiitated babble

Was this the airship’s ed it into his bare foot He yelped with pain, and a syry voices answered More cries filled the darkness, as though a braere breaking out!

Through the half-open door a green face stared back at hi?" the intruder said

"Spiders! Barking spiders!" came a dozen cries from every direction

Alek opened his h the rooloorht heback at him, a command whistle in one hand

"I reckoned it was you," the boy whispered

"Butbut who are these - "

"Shush, you ninny Don’t get the beasties started again" Dylan pushed hi the door behind theators haven’t heard this ruckus already"

Alek blinked, and in the light of the wor the walls They were full of ether like puppies in a pet store

"What is this place?" he breathed

"It’s the barking lizard room, isn’t it?" Dylan whispered "It’s where Dr Erasmus takes care of the beasties"

Alek sed, his eyes falling on a table where a dissected lizard lay pinned Then he saw that the ceiling was covered with the gaping led like railroad tracks at a station "And it’s a sort of junction, too, isn’t it?"

"Aye Dr Erasin and destination tags, e up traffic ja at hiht "I had no idea it was socomplicated"

"How did you think the beasties always found you? By ic?" Dylan snorted "It’s a tricky job, even for a boffin, especially with half the lizards still dizzy fros, and here’s you riling the Dylan’s words But when he blew another soft, low note on his coain

Alek looked at Dylan "You didn’t just happen along, did you?"

"No I couldn’t sleep And you kno Dr Barlow doesn’t want us bothering each other on egg duty? Well, I thought if I dropped by now, she wouldn’t be about"

"But I wasn’t there," Alek said

Dylan nodded "And that was a wee bit odd So I thought I’d sniff around and see what you were up to"

"Didn’t take you long to find me, did it?"

"The beasties’ ruckus helped, but I reckoned you’d be down here in the storeroo for a way to escape, aren’t you?"

Alek felt his jaw clench "Am I that obvious?"

"No I’m just dead clever," the boy said "Have you not noticed?"

Alek took a moment to think about this, then smiled "I have"

"Good" Dylan took a step past him and knelt at a sh here, then, before we start the beasties yah the hatchway, clis mounted on the slanted wall

Alek passed the worht into the small spherical chamber He’d seen this place froondola’s underbelly The space was crowded by what looked like a mismatched pair of telescopes pointed down at the sea

"Is that a weapon?" he asked

"No The fat one is a reconnaissance caht for aerial boht, so it’ll be private enough"

"If not luxurious," Alek said He cli on a giant gear attached to the cae?"

Dylan glanced up "That’s the navigation rooe is above that But it’s safer here than in the lizard room You’re lucky you didn’t send out an alert to the whole barking ship!"

"Thatan are tubes, shouting in his voice to the sleeping crew "I’m a pretty useless spy, I suppose"