The Time Hunters (Book 1 of the acclaimed series for children of all ages) (20 page)

Chapter 29

Nephele’s
Fleece

Uncle Percy and Will heard nothing of the activity
outside. They were deep into the caves and moving fast. Milly jogged alongside
as if taking an afternoon stroll.

‘Becky knows, does she not?’ Will said.
‘About her father.’

‘Yes,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘She’s a bright girl. I
had to tell her.’

A strange expression crossed Will’s face. ‘How much
does she know?’

‘She knows he was a traveller, that’s all.’

‘And the boy, what does he know?’

‘Not a thing. Not yet, anyway. I thought it best we
wait until he’s older. Becky agreed with me.’

‘He has much to discover,’
Will
said. ‘They both do...’

They trekked further into the winding chasm, neither
of them saying a word. The further they advanced, the more they became cloaked
in a thick, impenetrable darkness. They had been walking for five minutes when Milly
came to a sudden halt and growled.

‘What is it, girl?’ Uncle Percy said; looking ahead
he could just make out that the tunnel arched to the right.

Will
fixed
an arrow to his
bowstring.

At that moment, the tar-black walls began to shake,
the ground shivered.

Uncle Percy glanced anxiously at Will. ‘Is that
wind?’

Will had no answer.

And then they heard it: a low wailing sound.

Uncle Percy pulled out two squid grenades as Will
took aim.

The sound was growing louder, heading in their
direction … an ugly sound; shrill, harsh, like fingernails on a blackboard.
 

Uncle Percy recognised it at once. ‘TO THE FLOOR!’
he yelled. Using all of his strength, he heaved Milly to the ground, shielding her
eyes. Will
dropped
beside him. A moment later, a dense
fog of winged creatures turned the corner.

Bats.
Thousands
of bats.

Uncle Percy clamped his eyes shut and braced
himself.

The maelstrom hit.

Flapping.
Screeching.
Flailing.
Thrashing.

A few seconds later, it was over.

Gasping for air, Uncle Percy opened his eyes and pressed
his face softly against Milly’s forehead. ‘It’s over, girl. Everything’s fine
now.’ He turned to Will and smiled half-heartedly. ‘Well, something spooked
them.’

Will didn’t smile back.

They dusted themselves down and set off again,
pushing on in almost complete darkness for a few minutes when, in the distance,
they spotted light. Racing over to it, they emerged into a cavern the size of a
football pitch with four tunnels leading out. A thick shaft of misty sunlight
shone down from a wide fissure above.

Uncle Percy’s gaze tracked a steam to a huge oak
tree in the centre of the cavern. His eyes widened. Hanging from the tree’s
largest branch was a glittering object that cast a flickering golden reflection
like a thousand fireflies on the far wall.
The Golden
Fleece.

‘It’s really here,’ Uncle Percy breathed, as if he
never believed in its existence in the first place.

‘Then seize it.’ Will’s eyes darted from tunnel to
tunnel. ‘We must leave this place.’

Slowly, Uncle Percy edged closer to it, moving as
though in a daze, his feet struggling to find their natural rhythm. Reaching
the stream, he leapt it in a single bound and moved over to the oak tree, where
he found himself rooted to the spot, entranced,
hypnotized
by the Fleece’s beauty. Taking the greatest of care, he lifted the Fleece from
its branch. It felt weightless, extraordinary, unlike anything he’d felt
before.

Then a very strange thing happened.

The Fleece fizzled with energy. His back stiffened
as a power surge slammed his body. At once, visions crashed through his head -
abstract, random visions. But he understood them. It was knowledge.
Millions of years of knowledge.
The
knowledge of the ages.
His brain screamed, but he couldn’t stop. He
needed more. He could see everything - the past, the future. It was he, not the
Fleece that had the power.

He dropped it at once.

‘What’s the matter? Will asked.

‘I - I don’t know,’ Uncle Percy said, struggling to
catch his breath. ‘I just know I shouldn’t touch it. No one should.’ He slipped
off his cloak, dropped it over the Fleece and gathered the bundle in his arms.
‘We must go …’

Then they heard something.
A deep,
stirring sound.
Their eyes flicked to the tunnels.
Nothing.
They heard it again, louder this time. Where was it coming from? Uncle Percy
and Will looked at each other. Then, simultaneously, their heads tilted down.
They had their answer.
Below.

‘Oh, crikey!’
Uncle Percy exclaimed.

The ground exploded and huge chunks of limestone,
soil and rock flew everywhere. Uncle Percy and Will covered their eyes from the
blast, paralysed with shock. Gradually, a giant head rose from the ruptured
earth.
And then another head, then another.

Uncle Percy gasped with shock as a curved talon
gripped the earth and pulled its gigantic scaled body into the light.

The Hydra’s nine heads coiled the air like serpents;
eighteen fiery red eyes glowered down at Uncle Percy.

Milly roared.

‘DROP THE FLEECE!’ Will shouted, raising his bow.

Uncle Percy let the Fleece tumble to the floor.

‘Now, move away!’ Will added, taking aim at the head
closest to Uncle Percy.

The largest of the nine heads, the central head,
stared at the Fleece, before looking back at Uncle Percy, its thin top lip curling
angrily. Then, with a tremendous howl, it lunged.

‘RUN!’ Will fired, striking the Hydra above its
right eye.

Uncle Percy sprinted towards a tunnel. Milly roared
again. She sprang at the head closest to her, sinking her long fangs into its
neck. The Hydra squealed
,
its head twisted violently
from side to side. Milly held on. The Hydra whipped its massive tail and struck
Milly hard, dislodging her grip, sending her crashing against the cavern wall.

Milly landed heavily, unconscious.

Will sent another flurry of arrows. Although each
one hit its target, the Hydra ignored them.

Uncle Percy watched as another head lunged, teeth
bared
. Dodging it, he hurled himself upon the neck. As the
head coiled upright, he pulled out a squid grenade, dropped it into the open
mouth and leapt free.
BOOM.
The head exploded into pieces.

Uncle Percy looked triumphant. His expression turned
to dismay as another head emerged from the bleeding stump.

The Hydra had regenerated itself.

Will was unleashing arrow after arrow, but each proved
useless. Then the far left head spied him and attacked. As it pounced, he somersaulted
over the head and landed perfectly. Aiming above, he fired an arrow into where the
heart should have been. Once again, it proved ineffective.

The Hydra repositioned for another attack.

An idea formed in Uncle Percy’s mind. ‘Aim for the
eyes, Will,’ he yelled. ‘Blind it!’

Will sent two arrows into the eyes of the nearest
head.
 
The Hydra screamed. He trained his
sights on the remaining heads. Again and again, he fired each arrow hitting its
target. Eye after eye was pierced, until six of the nine heads were blinded. He
reached into his quiver again. Empty. He cast his bow aside and drew his sword.

The Hydra faced him, rearing onto its hind legs.

‘Over here!’ Uncle Percy tried to distract it. He
threw a grenade at the Hydra’s feet.
BOOM!
No damage. Uncle Percy pulled out another, when the tail whipped round and
caught him off-guard. He crashed into the tree’s trunk and landed badly, blood
pouring from his arm. The Hydra refocused on Will. A head swooped down. In one
powerful movement, Will severed it, only for it to be replaced almost
immediately.

Two more heads attacked; one head knocked the sword
from his hands, the next hit him full in the stomach. He fell, winded. A claw
pinned him down. Then, slowly, the central head opened its huge jaws.

His vision blurred, Uncle Percy saw the Hydra ready
its strike.
No. Not Will
!
He
clambered to his feet. Then it struck him:
Edgar’s Dagger
.
He tugged it from his belt and
sprinted towards the Hydra. He jumped and landed on its back. For the briefest
of moments, the Hydra was distracted.

With all his strength, Uncle Percy ploughed the
dagger through the thick, armour-plated skin into its heart. Leaping to the
ground, he watched as the Hydra twisted in agonising spasms. Then, with a
mighty crash, it fell. One by one, each head became still.

For what seemed an age, Uncle Percy stared vacantly
at the lifeless creature. Then, to his surprise, he heard the most unexpected
sound.

It was applause.

Slow, mocking applause.

Chapter 30

The
Traveller Revealed

‘Bravo, Percy, Bravo.’ The words echoed through the
cavern.
 
‘Quite the
dragon-slayer.
I would never have thought it possible.’

Uncle Percy wiped the blood from his eyes and looked
at the left-hand tunnel. A figure emerged from the shadows. ‘Who’s that?’ he shouted
over.

‘You don’t remember an
old
friend?’

Something stirred in Uncle Percy’s memory. He knew
the voice. The man walked into the light, his pale features illuminated. Uncle
Percy’s face drained of colour. ‘Emerson?’ he gasped. ‘Emerson Drake?’

‘Ah, you do remember!’ Drake said.

‘B-but -
you’re
-’

‘Dead?’
Drake tutted.
‘You do like your little exaggerations,
don’t you?’

Uncle Percy watched as a stream of armed men
followed him into the cavern. His eyes widened with horror. At the back, held
by a powerfully built man, were Becky and Joe. His heart sank further when he
recognised their captor: Otto Kruger.

‘Uncle Percy?’ Becky shouted, Sabian squirming in
her arms. She broke free from Kruger. Hardly noticing the Hydra, Becky raced
into Uncle Percy’s open arms. Joe sprinted over and embraced Will.

‘They captured us,’ Becky said. ‘I’m so sorry. We
let you down.’ Then she glanced at the unconscious Milly. Her heart sank. ‘Is
Milly -’

Uncle Percy stared proudly at her. ‘Milly will be
fine. And, Becky, don’t ever think you could possibly let me down.’

‘How sweet,’ Drake crooned. ‘I do enjoy family
reunions.’

‘So how did you do it, Emerson?’ Uncle Percy said
flatly.

‘Do what,
old
friend
?’

‘Fake your own death?’ Uncle Percy said.
 
‘I was at the airport. I saw you board the
plane and I saw that plane explode on take off.’

Then Becky remembered what Uncle Percy had told her
at Mammoth Gorge. Emerson Drake was a university friend of Uncle Percy’s - a
member of the Oxford Time Travellers Exploration and Research Society – and was
supposed to have died in a plane accident.

Drake gave a mirthless laugh. ‘You saw precisely
what I
wanted
you to see. I
boarded the plane with all of the other passengers. I wanted
you
there. I wanted all of those
ridiculous
Otters
there. You see -
what the eyes witness, the mind does not question. However, what you wouldn’t
have seen was the
portravella
, the
portable travelling
device,
I carried in my hand
luggage. Of course, the accident had to appear to be genuine - that was the
tricky part. After all, I didn’t want any unwelcome investigations. Anyway, I
left the plane just before it exploded. I was already in the departure lounge
watching
you
when the fireworks
commenced.’

‘FIREWORKS?’
Uncle Percy roared. ‘There were hundreds of people on that plane.
Dozens of children.
You killed them all just to fake your
own death?’

A cruel smirk formed on Drake’s mouth. ‘It worked
didn’t it. I could never have taken my intended path if that absurd Institute
knew I was alive. In the end, all they could offer me was Gerathnium, and, as I
have perfected a way of generating my own, I didn’t need them anymore. You see,
I am on a journey you could not possibly comprehend and I certainly didn’t want
the rest of you getting in my way.’

‘What journey?’ Uncle Percy asked. ‘I think you can
tell me now, judging by your friends over there, I’m not going to live to tell
a soul.’

‘That is true,’ Drake gloated. ‘And you have
assisted me a great
deal,
perhaps you do have a right
to know. Anyway, in many ways the journey has only just begun … with that!’
Drake pointed at the Golden Fleece.

‘How so?’
Uncle Percy said. ‘If it’s the Fleece you’re after, you have it.’

‘The Fleece is merely the beginning; the first step
in something considerably more important.’ Drake revelled in Uncle Percy’s look
of utter confusion. ‘Why on earth do you think it was essential that I
died
? What do you think I’ve been
doing for the last ten years? Well, let me tell you… I’ve been constructing an
empire - a legion of scholars, experts in many fields.’

‘Like Otto Kruger?’ Uncle Percy spat out.

‘Indeed. And Otto is an expert in mayhem. Are you
not, Otto?’

‘I hope so, sir.’ Kruger replied. He pulled a
handgun and aimed it at Will.

‘Now, now, Otto,’ Drake said. ‘There’ll be plenty of
time for that.’

Will’s face remained impassive; he stared Kruger
down. Kruger cocked the pistol and smiled. Terrified, Joe launched at Will, to
block him from sight, but was pushed away. Kruger grinned wildly. Then he
fired.

‘NO!’ Joe shouted as Becky screamed.

Will didn’t even flinch as the bullet scraped his
ear and punctured the wall behind.

Otto Kruger laughed cruelly. ‘I see you have no fear
of death, groundsman.’

‘That’s enough, Otto,’ Drake said, turning back to
Uncle Percy. ‘As you can see, Percy, I have many supporters, in many times. I
call them my Associates.’

Struggling to compose himself after the shooting,
Uncle Percy turned to Drake. ‘What are you doing, Emerson? What don’t I know?’

‘As always, there are countless things you don’t
know. The question is … should I tell you?’ He drew an excited breath. ‘I don’t
think I will.’

‘You’ll fail, Emerson,’ Uncle Percy said calmly.
‘Whatever it is you’re trying to do, you will fail. And I’ll tell you for why,
shall I?’

‘Please do.’

It was Uncle Percy’s turn to smile. ‘Because you’re
not quite as clever as you think you are. Even at Oxford you were a poor excuse
for a scientist. The rest of us knew it, but we let you survive on our coat
tails. No, let’s be honest, Emerson, you were never quite as brilliant as you
liked to believe. You’re quite
thick
,
really.’

For the first time, Drake looked shaken.
 
He marched over and struck Uncle Percy in the
face.

Unfazed, Uncle Percy maintained eye contact and
continued. ‘You see, that’s what sets you apart from a man like Bernard
Preston. He was an intelligent man and an excellent scientist. And that’s why
you had him killed - jealousy,
pure
jealousy
.’

‘I didn’t
have
him killed,’ Drake spat. ‘I did it myself. And I rather enjoyed it.’

‘And I’m sure you’ll enjoy killing us, too,’ Uncle
Percy said.

‘Oh, I don’t want all of you killed.
Just you and this idiot friend of yours.’
He stared
pointedly at Will.
 

Uncle Percy’s brow furrowed.
‘And Becky
and Joe?’

‘They are more useful to me alive.’

‘How?’
Uncle Percy said urgently.

‘I’m sure you’d love to know that, wouldn’t you? Let’s
just say these charming brats are going to help me retrieve information.’

‘How?’
Uncle Percy asked.
‘From where?’

‘From someone who would rather die than give me what
I want,’ Drake said coldly. ‘Someone I’ve tortured to within an inch of his
life, and yet he still won’t talk. Someone who will now tell me all I need to
know …’

Uncle Percy looked dumbfounded. ‘J-John?’ he managed
to reply. ‘John’s alive?’

Drake’s beady eyes gleamed. ‘I believe so…’

The words struck Becky with the force of a
sledgehammer. She turned slowly to Joe, her lips forming an incredulous smile. It
was clear from Joe’s expression he couldn’t believe it either.

Together, and for what seemed like an eternity,
Becky and Joe stood there in silence as if time itself had stopped, tears of
joy filling their eyes.

John Mellor was alive.

Their father was alive.