Nicola just looked at her until Shimlara held up her palms and said, 'Just a suggestion. It's up to you.'
'Where are the ShobGobbles?' snapped Nicola.
'They're in the stables,' answered Tyler.
'Right,' said Nicola. 'We'll meet at the stables in five minutes.'
'Um, what should we do with Katie's hair?' asked Greta nervously, holding up the hair in one hand so it looked like someone's fancy-dress wig.
For a moment Nicola felt like she might burst into tears.
'Why don't I braid it?' asked Greta. 'That way it will be easier to carry without getting tangled and then Katie can keep it if she wants to keep it.'
Nicola nodded, unable to speak.
With deft fingers Greta turned the hair into a single, neat, chunky plait and presented it to Nicola. Nicola's eyes blurred. That was the way Katie wore it for gym.
Nicola took a shaky breath and carefully packed the plait into her backpack along with Enrico's venomous letter.
She looked up at the others and saw they were all watching her, their faces tense with worry. If she fell apart, the whole Space Brigade might fall apart, and that wouldn't help Katie at all.
'I bet Katie looks great with short hair!' she said. 'Anyway, what are you all just standing there for? I'll see you at the stables.'
They all smiled with relief. Shimlara's voice came silently into her head: You're the best, Nic.
Thanks, Shimlara, replied Nicola without speaking. Now please get out of my head!
Everyone left and Nicola quickly began to dress. Her arm ached and she looked longingly back at the bed before lifting her backpack and leaving the room.
Downstairs a plump, smiling woman sat at reception. She put down a magazine she'd been reading called the Shobble Woman's Daily, the pages of which appeared to be filled with pictures of beautiful women, all caressing their long, brown hair. 'How are you? You look much better than when they brought you in last night.'
'I am much better, thank you,' said Nicola.
'Well, I guess our great Commander-in-Chief must have had a very good reason for taking down all the protective glass on the Safe Hands Bridge,' sighed the woman. 'But it's terrible to see people like you with such awful wounds from the Biters.'
Mmmmm. Nicola was pretty sure that Enrico didn't have a good reason at all.
'It's a pity you have to rush off so soon,' said the woman. 'We were excited to have guests from other planets staying with us. Where are you off to now?'
The woman's face was so friendly, it was impossible to imagine her being a spy for Enrico, but this time Nicola wasn't taking any chances.
'We're on an important mission for the Commander-in-Chief,' she said. 'And we - um - we're definitely going to do it! Absolutely! We sure are!'
'Oh, well that's good, dear,' said the woman absent-mindedly, before returning to her magazine.
Just then, the front door of the inn swung open and Tyler appeared from outside.
'We've got a problem.'
25
The ShobGobbles were lying on their sides snoring gently.
'They won't wake up,' said Shimlara despairingly. She was standing over her own ShobGobble with her hands on her hips. 'No matter what we try.'
Nicola knelt beside Quicksilver and yelled in his ear, 'WAKE UP!'
Quicksilver didn't even twitch.