followed by a roaring like a train rushing toward them. The water shivered and the rocks shuddered. The nail sank farther.
"Yes, yes, yes!" cried Questrid. "Something's happening. Do it again, do it again!"
"But. . . what about my mother?"
Copper looked back at Granite and could feel his anger reaching to her across the water. His eyes were black holes in his pale face.
"Later," said Questrid. "I promise we'll get Amber later."
Copper hit the rock a third time.
A roar, as if a jumbo jet were picking up speed to take off inside a hollow box, thundered and crashed and blasted the air around them. The nail slithered and sank, disappearing into the water with a slow, deep gurgle.
Then the cave was full of flying rocks and stones and grit and dust. The Rockers shouted and yelled, swarming over the rock ledges like angry ants.
A great swell rose under them, and Copper clung to the sides of the boat as it was lifted on a great wave like the back of a whale.
"That was some hammer!" cried Questrid as the boat soared toward the roof. Then suddenly they were plunging downward again, icy water sprayed over them, and Questrid had to grab for the oars before they were tossed overboard.
"Look!" he cried. "The men are on the net. It's sagging. It's going to break!"
Trying to escape the falling rocks, the men clambered over the net, clinging to it like monkeys. But there were too many of them, and bit by bit, the net was beginning to slip into the lake.
"If it falls, we'll be able to ... There! It's down!" she cried as the net finally fell. The Rockers toppled into the water with splashes and shouts and began swimming toward the shore.
Questrid strained against the oars, crashing through the choppy waves as the water rose and fell and swirled beneath them. He pointed the boat toward the mouth of the now unblocked tunnel.
"Uh-oh," said Questrid quietly, "more trouble. Look behind you."
Copper twisted round quickly.
Something was speeding up behind them—a huddle of boats or rocks ... no, it was great slabs of ice, globs of sharp blue ice, spinning and twisting through the wild water.
"Look out!"
"I don't think I'm going to like this," moaned Ralick.
The ice splinters skimmed up behind them and hit the boat with a mighty smash, jolting them so fiercely that Copper would have tipped out if the wooden boat hadn't been gripping her fingers so firmly.
The mouth of the tunnel loomed up, and Questrid yanked in the oars just before they sped inside.
The tunnel was narrow, and the water moved quickly, roaring, screaming. They went faster and faster.
"Hang on!" cried Questrid. "Hang on!"
The boat was caught in a tidal wave, it was lifted and carried along, grazing the rock walls, tipping and dipping, shooting forward, then round in a dizzying whirl. Behind them, like an angry animal, came the mass of creaking, groaning ice.
Copper was numb with cold and fright. We're going to die, she thought. This is it. The end, and I've hardly begun .. .
"It's all right," whispered Ralick. "It's only like the rides at the fair."
In her mind's eye Copper saw Spindle House. She smelled the sandalwood in the sitting room, the apple wood in her bedroom; she saw her father's face, the mother's face she would never know . ..
"But I must know her!" she shouted and immediately the panic melted away and she knew, she absolutely knew that she couldn't give up, because she was going to see her mother again and she was going to know her.
14. Home Again
The water thundered around them, pounding, swishing and tossing them like toys in a tub, but it no longer scared Copper: she was going to win.
She smiled at the biting cold of the water as it splashed her skin. She grinned at the vicious ice behind them that threatened to crush them at any moment.
"Are you all right?" cried Questrid, alarmed by Copper's frozen smile. He had stashed the oars at the bottom of the boat and, like Copper, was gripping the sides and staring ahead into the
"Yes, yes, yes!" cried Questrid. "Something's happening. Do it again, do it again!"
"But. . . what about my mother?"
Copper looked back at Granite and could feel his anger reaching to her across the water. His eyes were black holes in his pale face.
"Later," said Questrid. "I promise we'll get Amber later."
Copper hit the rock a third time.
A roar, as if a jumbo jet were picking up speed to take off inside a hollow box, thundered and crashed and blasted the air around them. The nail slithered and sank, disappearing into the water with a slow, deep gurgle.
Then the cave was full of flying rocks and stones and grit and dust. The Rockers shouted and yelled, swarming over the rock ledges like angry ants.
A great swell rose under them, and Copper clung to the sides of the boat as it was lifted on a great wave like the back of a whale.
"That was some hammer!" cried Questrid as the boat soared toward the roof. Then suddenly they were plunging downward again, icy water sprayed over them, and Questrid had to grab for the oars before they were tossed overboard.
"Look!" he cried. "The men are on the net. It's sagging. It's going to break!"
Trying to escape the falling rocks, the men clambered over the net, clinging to it like monkeys. But there were too many of them, and bit by bit, the net was beginning to slip into the lake.
"If it falls, we'll be able to ... There! It's down!" she cried as the net finally fell. The Rockers toppled into the water with splashes and shouts and began swimming toward the shore.
Questrid strained against the oars, crashing through the choppy waves as the water rose and fell and swirled beneath them. He pointed the boat toward the mouth of the now unblocked tunnel.
"Uh-oh," said Questrid quietly, "more trouble. Look behind you."
Copper twisted round quickly.
Something was speeding up behind them—a huddle of boats or rocks ... no, it was great slabs of ice, globs of sharp blue ice, spinning and twisting through the wild water.
"Look out!"
"I don't think I'm going to like this," moaned Ralick.
The ice splinters skimmed up behind them and hit the boat with a mighty smash, jolting them so fiercely that Copper would have tipped out if the wooden boat hadn't been gripping her fingers so firmly.
The mouth of the tunnel loomed up, and Questrid yanked in the oars just before they sped inside.
The tunnel was narrow, and the water moved quickly, roaring, screaming. They went faster and faster.
"Hang on!" cried Questrid. "Hang on!"
The boat was caught in a tidal wave, it was lifted and carried along, grazing the rock walls, tipping and dipping, shooting forward, then round in a dizzying whirl. Behind them, like an angry animal, came the mass of creaking, groaning ice.
Copper was numb with cold and fright. We're going to die, she thought. This is it. The end, and I've hardly begun .. .
"It's all right," whispered Ralick. "It's only like the rides at the fair."
In her mind's eye Copper saw Spindle House. She smelled the sandalwood in the sitting room, the apple wood in her bedroom; she saw her father's face, the mother's face she would never know . ..
"But I must know her!" she shouted and immediately the panic melted away and she knew, she absolutely knew that she couldn't give up, because she was going to see her mother again and she was going to know her.
14. Home Again
The water thundered around them, pounding, swishing and tossing them like toys in a tub, but it no longer scared Copper: she was going to win.
She smiled at the biting cold of the water as it splashed her skin. She grinned at the vicious ice behind them that threatened to crush them at any moment.
"Are you all right?" cried Questrid, alarmed by Copper's frozen smile. He had stashed the oars at the bottom of the boat and, like Copper, was gripping the sides and staring ahead into the
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