Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates (5 page)

'Ah yes, her powers of prediction! So far we have seen her speak accurately about that which has already happened. But little about the future. Why is that?'

'It's more difficult,' explained Leonora. 'The past I can do so easily. But to look into the future, I must be alone with the person who seeks to know what is to come, and they in turn must be ready to accompany me. Then I can give them glimpses of what will be.' She smiled at Cornelius. 'What about it, little man? Would you like to learn about your future?'

'I would not,' said Cornelius without hesitation. 'As far as I'm concerned, that is something that no man should have access to.'

'Why ever not?' Sebastian asked him. 'Surely it can be helpful to see what lies ahead?'

'I do not doubt it, but for my part I would rather go into the future in blissful ignorance. Too much information can be a dangerous thing, Sebastian – and knowing nothing can mean a happy life.'

'Yes, but supposing we'd met with Leonora
before
we entered the forest? She might have warned us against taking that path. And then, who knows, maybe Phantom would still be—'

Cornelius suddenly set down his empty bowl. 'I'm tired,' he said. 'If you'll forgive me, I think I'll turn in.' He gave Sebastian a meaningful look. 'You could do with an early night too,' he added.

'Oh, not yet. I haven't finished eating.'

'No. Umm . . . well . . .' Cornelius got to his feet. 'See you don't leave it too late – we need an early start in the morning.' He bowed respectfully to Leonora. 'Madam, good night. I thank you for your hospitality.'

'Why don't you use one of the chambers deeper in the cavern?' suggested Leonora. 'You'll be warmer and more secure in there.'

Cornelius shook his head. 'I'm used to sleeping outdoors,' he said. 'I'm sure I'll be fine.' He shot one more meaningful glance at Sebastian and went out into the darkness. Sebastian suddenly felt like a naughty child, determined to stay up past his bedtime. What was Cornelius so worried about anyway?

It was at this point that Adam started yawning. 'Do you know, I'm rather tired myself,' he announced. 'Been quite a day, what with one thing and another.' He got up from his seat. 'Good night, Sebastian. If I don't see you in the morning, I trust that the rest of your journey will be better than your entry into Geltane Forest.' And with that he turned and headed for the stone corridors at the back of the cave. Which left Sebastian and Leonora sitting alone at the fire.

Sebastian was suddenly rather nervous. He glanced up at Leonora and she smiled at him, lifting the wineskin.

'A little more?' she suggested.

'Why not?' he said, almost defiantly. He watched as she filled his goblet to the brim, but in truth he already felt very light-headed. 'This stew is delicious,' he said, simply to break the silence.

'I'm glad you approve. I like a man who enjoys his food.' She was still looking at him intently and he felt decidedly self-conscious. 'So, Sebastian,' she ventured, 'are you a man who is afraid to look into his future?'

Sebastian shrugged. 'I'm not afraid of anything,' he said. He picked up the goblet and took a big gulp of the warm red wine. 'I'll have you know, I'm considered quite a hero in Keladon. It was me who led the army into the city to depose the evil King Septimus. In fact, I single-handedly vanquished him in calmed ombat . . . I mean, armed combat.'

'Ah yes, the man I saw on the tower!' She leaned closer. 'And what about this woman who caused you to leave it all behind?'

'Princess Kerin. Or rather, Queen Kerin, as she is now. But wasn't then . . . if you see what I mean.' Sebastian realized he was rambling and made an effort to pull himself together. 'Talk about ingratitude! I was the one who made her queen. Well, not the only one, obviously, but the main one. So I came away to try and forget her. It's like Cornelius says – plenty more sish in the fee!' He glanced suspiciously at the goblet of wine and set it down carefully on the ground.

'But what compels you to go to Ramalat?' persisted Leonora.

'Oh, it's not Ramalat really. That's just the starting point. We're going to—' He caught himself just in time. 'I . . . really shouldn't talk about it,' he said. 'It's a secret: Cornelius says I've to tell nobody.'

'Quite right,' she agreed. 'You never know who you can trust.'

'Oh. I trust
you
!' he protested. 'After all, you saved us from that serpent. It's just . . . well, I did promise Cornelius, so . . .'

'I understand. Really. A secret is a secret.' She smiled at him. 'Well then, Sebastian, do you think you are ready?'

'R-ready?'

'To look into your future.'

'Umm. Oh, well . . . I suppose . . .'

'Good.' She leaned closer and extended her hand, one finger pointed towards his face. 'I want you to relax,' she murmured. 'Let every part of your body relax. We're going to take a journey, you and I, into your future. But first . . .' The tip of her finger touched his forehead and a strange warmth flowed out of the end of it. The warmth seemed to travel throughout his body and he was just about to say how strange it all was when he found that he could not even open his mouth. He tried to move but there was no strength in his muscles. The nearly empty bowl of stew slipped from his hand and fell to the floor where, without a sound, it broke into several pieces. Sebastian registered this even as a black hole seemed to open at the back of his skull and spread outwards like a growing stain, until it had claimed him completely.

He knew nothing else for quite some time . . .

When he woke, he was still slumped in front of the fire; or rather, what was left of it. The wood had long since burned away and all that remained was a heap of cold grey ash.

The broken bowl still lay scattered at his feet and the half-empty goblet of wine stood beside it. He felt terribly groggy, as though he'd drunk much more than he actually had, and when he got unsteadily to his feet, he realized that his shoulders and knees were aching from having slept in such an unnatural position.

He gazed blearily around the interior of the cave, but there was nobody else about and he could only surmise that Leonora had left him asleep and gone to her own bed. He imagined himself dozing off in front of her and felt mortified. What if he'd been snoring? Or, worse still, drooling like an imbecile? Clearly he had been more tired than he thought. He had the distinct impression that he'd missed something very important but couldn't for the life of him think what it might be.

He turned and stumbled towards the cave mouth. Stepping out into the night, he took a much-needed breath of fresh air and looked around. Max was slumped on the ground beside the caravan, fast asleep and snoring at an incredible volume. Presumably Cornelius had unshackled him before turning in for the night. Sebastian felt vaguely guilty since that was usually
his
task. Cornelius himself, as was his usual custom, was lying under the caravan, all bundled up in his bedroll. Sebastian fumbled around in the back of the caravan, found his own blankets and, wrapping himself up in them, lay down beside Cornelius and fell swiftly and deeply asleep.

He dreamed he was back in the cave, sitting with Leonora beside the blazing fire. She was talking to him in a low, hypnotic tone but he couldn't make out what she was saying; the words seemed to fragment around him like a blizzard of falling snow, and he was really only aware of her big, tawny eyes staring at him, seeming almost to devour him with their intensity. It occurred to him that she was even more beautiful than he had first thought and he just sat there, gazing at her in helpless devotion.

Suddenly she reached out to him and opened her hand to reveal something set into her palm – a strange oval of smooth, raised flesh. As Sebastian stared at it, a layer of skin slid back, revealing an eye gazing steadfastly up at him, the same tawny colour as the ones on Leonora's face.

Sebastian woke abruptly to the sound of Cornelius bellowing beside him. He sat up quickly and banged his head on the underside of the wagon. Turning to his left, he saw two dark shapes struggling beside him. Cornelius, lying on his back, was wrestling with a tall figure kneeling over him. A shaft of moonlight filtering through the spokes of a wheel revealed the man's face. It was Adam. In the same glance Sebastian saw that one of Adam's hands was trapped inside Cornelius's breastplate. The little warrior had both his hands gripped tightly around Adam's wrist and was attempting to pull him to the ground.

'Try to rob me, would you?' he roared. 'You two-faced lizard – I thought there was something about you that couldn't be trusted!'

In reply, Adam simply pulled back his other arm and struck Cornelius hard across the chin, making him relinquish his grip. Adam scrambled out from under the caravan and ran back towards the cave entrance where, Sebastian could see, Leonora was waiting for him.

'After them!' growled Cornelius. 'Come on, man, don't just lie there!'

Cornelius moved off in hot pursuit and Sebastian followed, still trying to get his thoughts in some kind of order. As he passed Max, he saw to his amazement that the buffalope was still sound asleep and snoring contentedly.

Adam and Leonora ran into the cave and Cornelius followed close on their heels, reaching for his sword as he did so. Sebastian experienced a powerful jolt of dread at the sight. He didn't want any harm to befall Leonora, and he quickened his pace to try and intercept the little warrior.

'Cornelius!' he yelled. 'Wait, don't do anything rash!'

Adam and Leonora raced straight through the main part of the cave and into the gloomy tunnel beyond. After running a short distance, they ducked to their left, through a small opening. The cavern beyond appeared to be in total darkness, so Cornelius pointed to a burning lantern on the wall, which was out of his reach.

'Pass me that light!' he growled.

Sebastian did as he was told and took the opportunity to speak. 'Cornelius, calm down a moment,' he said.

'Calm down be blowed! That rascal was trying to get the treasure map out of my pocket.'

Sebastian stared at him. 'But . . . how would he know about it?'

Cornelius gave him an accusing look. 'A very good question. Come on, bring that light!'

They stepped through the opening and found themselves in a small circular cavern. No other exits appeared to lead off from it and yet there wasn't a sign of Adam or Leonora.

'What witchcraft is this?' cried Cornelius in disbelief. 'I saw them come in here with my own eyes.'

'There
is
a way out,' said Sebastian, raising the lantern. 'Look – there!' He indicated a small opening a few hands' height from the floor. Beyond it, when they stopped to look, they could see a narrow trail leading into the forest undergrowth. Items of clothing were scattered in front of the opening and Sebastian recognized the cloak that Leonora had been wearing.

'It's too small for them to fit through,' protested Cornelius. 'Even
I
would have a tough time getting out.'