“There,” the old Styx said.
She followed his gaze to a far corner of the pool. The water began to broil, then, with a massive splash, something burst from the surface and landed on the tiles.
With the filthy water draining from it, she could see a form the size of a man, but it was almost transparent, like a shrimp. Clear fluids pumped around its body as its gills fanned open, and it howled like nothing Rebecca Two had ever heard before.
“So it’s not just a myth,” she whispered in awe. “It’s the Armagi.”
I would like to thank . . .
My wife, Sophie, and my two sons. There wouldn’t be anything without them.
Barry Cunningham, who is so much more than just my editor or publisher. Until we met up early in the summer of 2010, I had quite a different middle section planned for Spiral. Out of the blue, Barry asked me if the Styx were really human or not. As I do every time this question is bowled at me by readers, I tried to avoid giving him an answer, but he was insistent. Barry’s like that. As I opened up a little to him and we continued to chat, it crystallized some radical ideas about the Styx women and changed the course of the book. So if you don’t like the way the story turned out, you know who to speak to.
Catherine Pellegrino of Rogers, Coleridge & White — the best literary agent and hand-holder a writer could hope for.
Karen Everitt, who plays such a crucial part in the writing process as she corrects my countless mistakes using her encyclopedic knowledge of the series.
Kirill Barybin, an exceptional young artist who got in contact through TunnelsDeeper.com, and who keeps me inspired with his work in those dark, lonely months of writing.
Andrew Douds for his invaluable advice. Any inaccuracies are entirely my own.
Rachel Hickman, Elinor Bagenal, Steve Wells, and Nicki Marshall at Chicken House, and David Wyatt (cover artist extraordinaire), who together made this book what it is.
At Scholastic in New York, Siobhán McGowan and Starr Baer, Joy Simpkins, Jacqueline Hornberger, Kevin Callahan, and Whitney Lyle.
Simon and Jen Wilkie, and Craig Turner, who together with Karen Everitt run TunnelsDeeper.com, and have done so much for the series.
And a host of people I should have mentioned before now, because in various ways they’ve been so important in helping, supporting, and influencing me as the series has progressed. They are: Mathew Horsman, Rosemary Gordon (my mother), Diana Harman (my sister), Patrick Robbins, Andrew Fusek Peters, Richard and Kathy Lynam, Chris and Sue White, Stuart Clarke, Simon and Miranda Grafftey-Smith, Ray Rough, Joel M. Guelzo, and Simon Finch.
Roderick Gordon 6 April 2011
Text copyright © 2012 by Roderick Gordon.
Inside illustrations © Roderick Gordon except: Sweeney, BT Tower, and the Old Styx © by Kirill Barybin; Skull Gate, the Colony, Coprolite, and spade, shovel, and machete chapter-ending spots © by Brian Williams.
www.tunnelsthebook.com
All rights reserved. Published by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. CHICKEN HOUSE, SCHOLASTIC, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
www.scholastic.com
First published in the United Kingdom in 2011 by Chicken House, 2 Palmer Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1DS.
www.doublecluck.com
Every effort has been made to trace or contact all copyright holders. The publishers would be pleased to rectify any errors or omissions brought to their notice, at the earliest opportunity.
Song lyrics from “Let’s Panic Later” by Wire © 1979
The Book of Proliferation. English translation © 2000 Professor Grady Tripp, used with his kind permission
Song lyrics from “The Son of God Goes Forth To War” by Reginald Heber (1812)
Song lyrics from “Time Is on My Side” by Jerry Ragovy © 1963, as later recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1964
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gordon, Roderick.
Spiral / Roderick Gordon [and] Brian Williams. — 1st American ed.
p. cm. — (Tunnels series ; bk. 5)
Previously published: Frome : Chicken House, 2011.
Summary: The outer crust is under attack by the subterranean Styx who are turning ordinary humans into walking bombs and incubators for their eggs, and only Will Burrows and his band of retired commandos stand in their way — but the Styx also have problems of their own.
ISBN 978-0-545-42961-0 — ISBN 978-0-545-43027-2
1. Civilization, Subterranean — Juvenile fiction. 2. Science fiction. 3. Adventure stories. 4. England — Juvenile fiction. [1. Underground areas — Fiction. 2. Adventure and adventurers — Fiction. 3. Science fiction. 4. England — Fiction.] I. Williams, Brian. II. Title.
PZ7.G6591Spi 2012
823.92—dc23
2012001989
e-ISBN 978-0-545-53014-9
First American edition, May 2012
The display type was set in Squarehouse.
Cover art © 2012 by David Wyatt
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Table of Contents
Cover
Frontispiece
Title Page
Epigraph
Contents
Part 1: The Phase
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Part 2: Maelstrom
11
12
13
Part 3: Assault
14
15
16
17
18
Part 4: Nuclear
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Copyright
Roderick Gordon, Spiral
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