The Time Hunters (Book 1 of the acclaimed series for children of all ages) (19 page)

‘Goodbye, Edgar,’ Becky and Joe flung their arms
around his waistline.

Edgar hugged them tightly. ‘I will miss you both,
very much.’ His voice quivered. ‘You must take excellent care of each other.’

‘We will,’ Becky and Joe replied at the same time.

Will stepped forward and offered his hand.
‘Our thanks, my friend, and our best to your brothers.’

Edgar pushed Will’s hand aside and pulled him close
in a back-crushing hug.

Releasing Will, Edgar turned to the group. ‘I refuse
to weep,’ he sniffed, ‘but there is one more thing...’ He reached down and
lifted up his sack. He pulled out a long object swathed in matted brown cloth.
‘I want you to have this.’

He unraveled it to reveal an orange dagger, which
glistened in the sunlight. The dagger appeared to be made from the same curious
metal as the Theseus Disc.
 
‘It was my
grandfather’s.’

‘We can’t, Edgar,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘You’ve given
us quite enough.’

‘You must,’ Edgar insisted.
 
‘If you are to face the great beast your
mortal weapons will be of no use. This is made from the metal of my motherland.
It may bring you the fortune you need. I beg you to take it.’ He offered the
dagger to Uncle Percy, who took it.

What was a dagger in Edgar’s hands was nothing less
than a magnificent sword in Uncle Percy’s.

‘Thank you, Edgar,’ Uncle Percy said sincerely.
‘We’ve taken so much from you and given you nothing.’

The Minotaur gave a deep bow. ‘Your friendship has
been the finest gift I could have ever wished for…’

Taking it in turns, they each gave Edgar a final
hug. Then they climbed into the time machine and drove off.

Grief-stricken, Becky turned and watched as Edgar
grew smaller and smaller, his plate-sized hands waving madly.

What she couldn’t see were the streams of tears
rolling down his snout.

Chapter 27

The
Red Caves

As they pressed deeper into the island, Becky felt a
profound sense of loss swell inside. She missed Edgar terribly, and judging
from the glum faces around her she wasn’t the only one.

‘I hope Edgar will be safe,’ Joe said.

‘He’s the size of a monster truck,’ Becky said. ‘Of
course he will be.’

‘I know, but -’

‘He will,’
Will
reassured
them.

‘According to the alto-radar,’ Uncle Percy said,
‘his family’s island is less than a mile away. It’ll be good for him to see his
brothers again.’
 

Becky twisted to face front. ‘Uncle Percy, why don’t
we know about Minotaurs? I mean, we know about dinosaurs and other extinct
things. Surely, someone would have found Minotaur fossils? They’re big enough.’

‘That’s an excellent question, Becky,’ Uncle Percy
said. ‘And I was the biggest doubting Thomas about their existence, wasn’t I? I
suppose, the reality is that there are many creatures that we have no idea
existed. If there was only a small population to begin with, the chances of
finding remains are actually very remote. Alternatively, hundreds of new
species of fish are discovered each year.’

‘But that’s just boring fish,’ Joe quipped, ‘not
massive Bull-men.’

‘The same principles apply, Joe,’ Uncle Percy
replied. ‘There are many species that have managed to remain hidden from human
eyes, some living in such hostile climes it’s virtually impossible for humans
to explore.’

‘Like Yetis,’ Joe said excitedly. ‘Do they exist?’

Becky snorted. ‘Of course they don’t.’

‘Actually, Becky, they do,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘I’ve
met one.’

‘You have?’ Joe gasped.

‘I have,’ Uncle Percy confirmed.
‘A
community of them, in actual fact.’

‘Where did you meet them?’

‘I was in the Himalayas exploring the south-western
slopes of the Menlung Glacier in 1950, and I got separated from my party, a
British geological expedition. Anyway, I was at an altitude of about 15,000
feet, when I discovered some large footprints covered in blood. I followed the
trail and found an injured Yeti. It had been attacked by a number of snow
leopards. Fortunately, I had food and an extensive medical kit, and spent two
days nursing him back to health. He told me his name was Gimbledok and -’

‘Yeti’s can talk?’ Becky interrupted, sounding very
skeptical.

‘Not particularly well, I’m afraid,’ Uncle Percy
said. ‘However, he was speaking in an ancient Nepalese dialect, and I, of
course, was wearing my transvocalisor. Anyway, by way of thanks, he took me to
his cave village, high in the mountains. There were about twenty Yetis in
total. Gimbledok was their chieftain.’

‘What were they like?’ Joe asked.

‘Very noble,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘Very loyal, peaceful
unless provoked, and they love collecting things. Some things I found dated
back hundreds, if not thousands of years. That reminds me, I really should
visit them soon.’

‘Would you take me?’ Joe said immediately.

Uncle Percy chuckled. ‘We’ll see.’

‘What other creatures exist?’ Joe said eagerly.
‘Ones I might’ve heard of.’

‘Err, Unicorns,’ Uncle Percy said, glancing at Becky
in the rear-view mirror.

Becky’s ears pricked up.
‘Really?’
Unicorns had always been her favourite mythical creature.

‘Indeed, they do. As a matter of fact, they still
exist on an unchartered island in the South China Seas. There are hundreds of
them.
Staggeringly beautiful creatures.’

‘What about werewolves?’ Joe asked enthusiastically.

‘Not to my knowledge.’

‘Vampires?’

‘There were rumours during the seventeenth century,
but I honestly can’t say.’

‘Dragons?’

‘Again, plenty of rumours,
particularly from twelfth century Europe.
You’re from then, Will. Did you hear of any dragons?’

Will smiled. ‘Tuck claimed he saw one once. But the
friar’s fondness for mead clouded his vision on more than one occasion.’

For a further five minutes, Joe asked about which
other mythical beasts existed and which hadn’t. He was particularly
disappointed to discover the Loch Ness Monster was a mechanical cow planted by
an Irish time traveller, Fergal Murphy, in the nineteen twenties, the result of
a drunken dare.

After much laughter, it was Becky’s words that
changed the tone.
‘And what about Hydras?’

The campervan fell silent.

‘That, Becky, remains to be seen...’

*

Soon the conversation dwindled to little more than
the odd murmur. The gravity of their situation had dawned - they were
approaching the Red Caves, the supposed location of the Golden Fleece.

Becky stared at
Edgar’s dagger.
And she wasn’t the only one. Joe was looking,
too. Hesitantly, he leant over and picked it up.

‘Be careful with that, Joe,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘It’s
extraordinarily sharp.’

‘And this is what we’re going to kill the Hydra
with, is it?’ Joe said.

‘If there is a Hydra, Joe, I’m sure it will be dealt
with in whatever way is necessary,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘However, whatever
happens,
we
are not going to be killing anything. At least, you’re not.
You and Becky are not taking one step inside those caves.’

Becky was gobsmacked. After all they’d been through
together. How could he even consider them not being together at the end?

‘But -’ Joe spurted.

‘But nothing,’ Uncle Percy replied firmly.

‘We can fight,’ Joe said resolutely.

‘I’m sure you can,’ Uncle Percy replied.
‘But not today.’

Joe’s voice was rising now. ‘So what are we going to
do?’

‘You can wait outside and guard Bertha!’

Joe turned beetroot red. ‘From what?’ he barked.
‘Monkeys?’

Uncle Percy didn’t rise to the bait. ‘I’ll be
setting Bertha’s remote to Bowen Hall. If Will and I don’t return, you will
travel back to the Hall. It is not open to discussion.’

Joe looked to Will for support.
‘But
Will?’

‘I would have it no other way,’
Will
replied honestly.

Finally, Becky broke her silence. ‘But you need us
…’

‘What I
need,’
Uncle Percy said,
‘is for you both to be safe.’

‘But you can’t go in there alone,’ Becky said.

‘I
never
said
we were going in alone,’ Uncle Percy replied mysteriously.

‘But -’

Uncle Percy smiled sweetly at her. ‘And that is my
final word on the matter…’

Chapter 28

The
Great Gate

Becky and Joe sulked as the campervan weaved its way
through dense jungle into the heart of the island. Joe had thrown the dagger to
the floor. He refused to speak to anyone and stared furiously out of the
window.

Much to Becky’s frustration, Uncle Percy was
ignoring their silent protest and acted like he hadn’t a care in the world. He
hummed loudly, pointed out interesting wildlife, cracked jokes and conferred
with Will as they pored over Edgar’s map. Then it swelled on the horizon:
a
red mountain.

‘What the
- ’
Uncle Percy said,
his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

Becky peered through the windshield and let out a gasp
of surprise. Before them stood the ruins of a decimated village; flecks of sand
carried on the air like a yellow mist, landing on the scarred remains of burnt
out buildings. Her surprise turned to horror as she saw dozens of human
skeletons scattered everywhere, their flesh long since torn off by scavengers. She
felt bile rise in her throat as she saw a snake loop the black, empty
eye-socket of a human skull.

‘What happened here?’ Joe puffed.

‘No idea,’ Uncle Percy said gravely.
‘But whatever it was happened a long time ago.
It’s none of
our concern.’

From the sound of his voice, Becky wasn’t convinced.

Uncle Percy steered Bertha towards the Red Mountain.
They were now close enough to see something gigantic and silvery fashioned into
the rock.

The
Great Gate.

A few minutes later, Uncle Percy drew Bertha to a halt
and they all clambered out. Soon, they were standing in a dumbstruck silence
before the colossal grilled structure that gleamed brightly in the high sun.

Reverently, Uncle Percy’s eyes moved left and right,
up and down, as he absorbed every inch of the magnificent construction. ‘So
this is Minotaur craftsmanship … remarkable!’ His hands moved across the thick
panelling to find a circular space on the far left-hand side. ‘The keyhole…’

Becky’s pulse raced as she felt Joe’s hand slip into
hers.

They were so close.

At once, Uncle Percy swivelled on his heels and marched
to the campervan. He climbed in, inputted something onto the time pad, and
wound down the window.
 
‘Now Becky, Joe,
I won’t be a second. Literally…’

Becky and Joe exchanged as, with a
BOOM
,
Bertha had vanished.

‘What’s he doing?’
 
Joe said.

‘Worry not,’
Will
smiled. ‘His
plan
is
 
-
’ Before
he could finish, Bertha reappeared in exactly the same spot as before.

Uncle Percy was sitting there, a broad grin on his
face. ‘I told you we weren’t going in alone.’ He flung open the driver’s door.
‘I’ve brought the cavalry.’

Becky watched; her curiosity spiked. She noticed the
campervan was swaying from side to side.

Uncle Percy slid open the side door and, with a
majestic roar, Milly leapt out, into Becky’s open arms

Beaming, Becky ruffled her head. Then she heard a
high-pitched whine and she knew at once that
Milly wasn’t the only Bowen resident to have made the trip.
‘Sabian?’
she cried, lifting the cub out of the campervan and clasping him to her chest.

Uncle Percy tickled Sabian’s chin. ‘I thought you
might appreciate some company while we’re gone.’

‘You’ve been back to Bowen Hall?’ Becky asked.

‘I have, indeed,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘Maria wants to
know if you fancy chicken and chips for dinner? Oh, and she’s making blueberry
tart for pudding, which I assure you is a real treat.’

Becky couldn’t believe it. The world of Bowen Hall,
Maria, and blueberry tarts seemed such a distant memory.

Uncle Percy entered more coordinates onto the
time-pad. ‘Bertha is now set to return to Bowen Hall. When Will, Milly and I
have entered the caves, I want you to wait
one
hour. No longer! If we haven’t returned I want you to press
this button here …’ he pointed to a winking amber button, ‘and return to the
twenty first century.’

Becky’s eyes moistened. ‘But -?’

‘No, buts,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘You
must
do as I say. Now, if we don’t
return in an hour, it doesn’t necessarily mean that anything bad has happened
to us. However, I do need you to return to the Hall. Then, I’d like you to ask
Jacob to take you to a pub in Addlebury called The Magpie Inn. I want you to
explain everything to Reg Muckle, he’s the landlord. Now Reg is a smashing chap
and an ex traveller, he’ll know exactly what to do. Do you understand?’

Becky and Joe nodded.

‘Will you do that for me?’

‘Yes,’ Becky mumbled.

‘You promise?’

‘We promise,’ Becky said.

Reluctantly, Joe nodded.

‘Thank you,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘But I don’t want
either of you to worry. We’ll all be tucking into blueberry tart before you
know it. Won’t we Will?’

‘Of that I am certain.’

‘I’m scared,’ Becky said quietly.

‘There is nothing to be scared of,’ Uncle Percy
replied.

Sensing her upset, Milly curled her head against
Becky’s leg.

‘See…’ Uncle Percy added. ‘Milly isn’t worried, and
neither should you be. Are you ready, Will?’

Will looped his bow over his shoulder. ‘I am.’

Uncle Percy inserted Edgar’s dagger into his belt.
Taking out the Theseus Disc, he approached the gate and slotted it into the
hole. Then he inserted the Suman Stone into the disc and waited. For a second
nothing happened. Then the key exploded into life. Jets of emerald light spread
from the Suman Stone and slithered all around like cracking glass. Within
seconds, the light had fed every inch of the gate, turning the dull silver metal
misty green.

Becky felt her heart racing.

Joe’s mouth dropped open so much he resembled a
fish.

A loud, creaking sound fractured the silence.
Slowly, the gate edged open, revealing a long tunnel behind, lit by thin beams
of sunlight that filtered in from cracks in the tunnel walls.

Uncle Percy knelt before Becky and Joe. ‘I promise
you that we will come out of this alive,’ he said, ‘and with a Golden Fleece.
Now, I bet you didn’t expect to do that in your summer holidays, did you?’

‘We would’ve been happy with a day trip to Rhyl.’ It
took all of Becky’s resolve not to grab him and not let go.
 
Instead, she placed Sabian on the ground and
watched sadly as he and Milly rubbed noses.

Uncle Percy turned to Joe, who wore his bravest
face. ‘Joe, I need you to take care of your sister and Sabian for me. Will you
do that?’

‘Course I will.’

Kneeling, Will met Joe eye to eye. ‘Do not fear, I
swear we shall return. There is still much about archery you have to learn, and
I would not miss teaching it you for the King Solomon’s fortune.’

Joe forced a smile and said, ‘Just come back.’

‘Come, Milly,’ Uncle Percy said. Milly obediently
padded to his side. ‘Now, remember. If we’re not back in an hour you must leave
for Bowen Hall. Get to the Magpie Inn. Tell Reg Muckle everything.’

Becky took hold of Joe’s hand. She clasped it tightly.
‘We will.’

‘We’ll be back in a jiffy.’ Flashing them a parting smile,
Uncle Percy entered the gateway.
Will followed, Milly at his
side.

‘Be safe,’ Becky shouted, as she watched them
disappear into the shadows.

There was no reply.

*

Becky and Joe stood there, alone and helpless.
Sabian tugged at Becky’s sandals. She picked him up again and pressed her cheek
against his. A single thought flooded her mind:
What if she never saw Uncle Percy again?
She couldn’t begin to
explain how much he and Will meant to her. They were her family now.

‘We should follow them,’ Joe said.

‘No,’ Becky replied. ‘For once, let’s do as we’re
told.’

‘But they might need our help,’ Joe said. ‘What if
they -’ he hesitated, ‘- what if they don’t come back?’

‘They will,’ Becky replied.
 
‘I know they will.’

‘But - ’

‘No, Joe, we wait. That’s what Uncle Percy asked us to
do, and we promised we would.’

A voice came out of nowhere; a hollow, jeering
voice.
‘How very principled of you, Rebecca … a quality usually
lacking in the youth of today.
Bravo.’

Becky and Joe spun sharply round.

Standing before them was a tall man with raven-black
hair, a gaunt face and tapered blue eyes. Dressed formally in a navy blue suit
and tie, it would be easy to mistake him for a bank manager or an accountant,
except he was a pointing a gun at Becky’s head.

‘I like to see obedience in a child,’ the man
purred.

‘Who are you?’ Becky panted, although deep down
she
already knew the answer.
 

She was staring at the traveller.

‘That is of no matter to you. Let’s just say I’m an
old friend of Uncle Percy’s.’

‘You’re no friend of his,’ Becky snapped back.
‘You’re a murderer!’

‘Am I now?’
 
The traveller replied with a sneer.
‘How very naïve of
you.
And if I am, what of it?
What is a
murderer anyway?’ He laughed darkly. ‘Was Winston Churchill a murderer? Was
George Washington? Of course they were. They had men killed, many men.
Considerably more blood stains their hands than mine … thus far, anyway. No, it
seems to me that killing is an essential part of greatness - killing with
motivation
and
just cause. And
my cause is certainly
just
. In
fact, show me the truly great man who wasn’t a murderer.’

‘My uncle,’ Becky replied at once.

‘Your uncle is but an ignorant
fool
,’
the traveller scoffed. ‘Why, even as we speak he is doing my bidding. He’s just
too stupid to recognise it.’

‘He’s not stupid,’ Becky cried, her blood boiling.
‘He’s the cleverest man alive.’

‘Clever? Oh, I really don’t think so.’

‘He is,’ Becky shouted, ‘He’s -’

‘He’s
my
puppet.
Nothing more, nothing less.’

‘HE’S NOT!’ Joe roared.

The traveller turned to face Joe. ‘Ah, the other one
has a tongue.’

‘Yes, I do,’ Joe barked. ‘And when my uncle comes
out of there he’ll kill you.’

The traveller snorted. ‘I doubt that. That would
take genuine courage and he’s far too much of a coward. He also possesses an
uncommon measure of decency, which would also prevent him doing anything so
bold.’

‘Then you should worry about Will,’ Joe said ‘He’d
kill you in a heartbeat.’

‘Ah, in that case I have no doubt you are correct.
But will he get the opportunity?’

‘He’ll make the opportunity,’ Joe said defiantly.
‘You just see. Your one
little
gun will be no match for him.’

‘That is the first vaguely intelligent thing you’ve
said, boy …’ Reaching into his pocket, the traveller pulled out a thin pen-like
device. ‘But do you really think I’d come here with just one little gun?’ He
pressed the gadget’s tip.

A tremendous gust of cold, artificial wind blew back
Becky’s hair. Terrified, she watched as coils of red and black electrical
charge filled the air, followed by a succession of very loud
booms
.

Four large, grey military trucks appeared. Inside,
were row upon row of stone-faced men, each wearing a dark suit, tanned leather
overcoat and mirrored sunglasses. Each carried a machine gun.

Becky scooped up Sabian and buried his head in her
tunic.

The men leapt from their benches and filed into
line, pointing their rifles at the cave. One of them, a huge blond-haired man
took charge of the others. Taking powerful strides, he walked over to the
traveller.

‘Any problems, Kruger?’ the traveller asked.

Becky’s blood froze as she recalled the name.

Otto
Kruger.

‘No,’ Kruger replied in a deep, gravelly voice. ‘The
containment area is set up at the time and place you requested.’

‘Excellent.’ The traveller looked down at Joe. ‘You
see, boy, I’m not alone at all.’ A mocking smile curved on his thin mouth.
 
‘And my Associates have plenty of guns...’

And then Becky did something she never would’ve thought
was in her. She took a single step towards the traveller, raised her hand and slapped
him ferociously across the face.