The Time Hunters (Book 1 of the acclaimed series for children of all ages) (9 page)

‘According to legend, yes, Joe.’

‘And what was that about a Labyrinth?’

Uncle Percy smiled. ‘It’s another Greek myth.
Theseus supposedly entered the Labyrinth, a kind of maze, which existed beneath
King Minos’ Palace and fought a creature called the Minotaur, a fearsome beast
that terrorised the city of Knossos.’

‘What type of beast?’ Joe asked.

‘A monster with the body of a man and the head of a
bull,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘The Minotaur was thought to be one of the fiercest
beasts of the Ancient world.
If you believe that sort of
nonsense.’

‘Have you seen one?’

‘No-one’s seen one, Joe. They never existed,’ Uncle
Percy replied. ‘I doubt Theseus did either, or any of the so-called Argonauts,
for that matter. Stories like this tend to blend fact, fiction, gossip, and
good old-fashioned codswallop. However, I’ll soon be able to tell you one way
or the other.’

Becky’s ears pricked up.
‘How?’

‘Because I’m going there,’ Uncle Percy replied
simply.
‘And Will if he’s up for it.
What do you say,
Will?’

Will
gave
a decisive nod. ‘I
would insist on it.’

‘You’re going to Ancient Crete?’ Becky asked keenly.

‘That’s right.’

‘Can we come, too?’ Becky asked at once. When Uncle
Percy didn’t respond, she added, ‘I mean … we’ve established we’re safest with
you.’

‘That’s right,’ Joe agreed. ‘And if we stay at Bowen
Hall with you and Will gone, Kruger might break in again and hack Becky to bits.
And you wouldn’t want that would you?’

Becky frowned at Joe. ‘All right, squidley. I think
he gets the point.’

Joe ignored her. ‘Then it would be your fault if he
cut her head off and impaled it on one of Gump’s horns.’

‘Seriously,’ Becky grumbled. ‘Stop speaking.’

‘Or if he sliced off her hands and –’

 
Uncle Percy had
heard enough. ‘That’s quite enough, Joe,’ he said. ‘You really do have a
disturbingly gruesome imagination, young man.’

‘But it might happen if you didn’t let us go with
you,’ Joe said. ‘No, I think it’s best for everyone if you take us with you,
especially Becky.’

Uncle Percy looked troubled as he
took out the remote and activated
the Invisiblator. An instant later, Bertha appeared. Taking a long, pensive
breath, he said, ‘I don’t know why you have to be so dramatic about everything,
Joe. Of course you’re both coming…’

*

As they boarded the campervan, not one of them
noticed a tall, sallow-faced, middle-aged man studying them intently from
across the road. Neither did they see the considerably taller, broader, younger
man standing to his left.

The traveller’s venomous blue eyes narrowed. Just
looking at Percy Halifax sickened him to his core.

‘He did bring the children,’ Otto Kruger said. ‘Just
like you said he would.’

‘Of course,’ the traveller hissed. ‘Halifax is as
predictable as the tides. Unfortunately for him, I certainly am not.’ He didn’t
even blink as the campervan vanished. He’d seen hundreds of them in operation. ‘Now,
let us pay this ridiculous curator a visit. I’d like to know precisely what was
discussed.’
 

And Otto Kruger’s powerful fingers curled round the dagger
nestled in his overcoat pocket.

Chapter 12

Will
and Marian

Becky awoke to find Sabian purring lightly at the
foot of her bed. For a moment she lay there recalling the events of the
previous day. Rolling to her left, she fully expected to see Joe in the spare
bed moved to her room since the break-in, but it lay empty. Her first thought
was a horrible one: he’d been abducted! She dismissed it at once. Not only had
Milly been standing guard outside her bedroom door all night, but Uncle Percy
had installed a series of security systems the previous night, which made it
impossible for an unsanctioned time machine to materialise within the grounds
of the Hall.

Still, where was he?

Becky dressed quickly and checked the bathroom and upstairs
bedrooms. No sign. Hurrying downstairs, she checked the ground floor rooms.
Nothing.

Finally, she marched through the parlour and into the
kitchen, where she saw Jacob sitting on the doorstep, chipping mud from the
soles of his boots. ‘Jacob, have you seen Joe?’

‘No, Miss Becky.’
Jacob’s kindly expression changed to one of worry when he saw her reaction.
‘What’s the matter, child?’

‘Oh, nothing,’ Becky replied. Then her gaze fell on
to the half-eaten plate of sausages, bacon, egg and baked beans on the table.
‘Is that Joe’s plate?’

‘I think so, Miss Becky,’ Jacob replied. ‘Tell me
what’s wrong?’

‘What’s wrong is there’s food on it!’ Becky was
alarmed now. She had never seen Joe leave
so
much as a
single bean on a plate, particularly at breakfast. Telling herself she was worrying
needlessly, she marched out of the kitchen and crossed the rear path. Shielding
her eyes from the brilliant sun, she scanned the area. He was nowhere to be
seen. She ran to the front of the Hall.
Still nothing.
Feeling slightly anxious now, she was sprinting over to Will’s tree house when,
silhouetted against the turquoise sky, she spied two figures in the archery
field: a boy wielding a bow and the distinctive outline of a three-horned
dinosaur.

The relief that swept through her was replaced by anger.
She stomped over to
Joe,
arms folded and barked, ‘Why
didn’t you tell me you were up?’

At hearing her raised voice, Gump looked up, strands
of grass dangling from his mouth like green spaghetti.

Joe looked confused. ‘What?’

“Why didn’t you tell me you were up? And why didn’t
you eat all your breakfast?’

‘My breakfast?
What’s that got to do with anything?’

‘You left your breakfast. I’ve never seen you do
that before.’

‘It was a third helping,’ Joe said. ‘Maria wouldn’t
let me leave the table until I couldn’t physically move. Have you really come over
here to yell at me for not finishing my sausages?’

Becky didn’t know what to say to that. ‘You should
have let me know you were up, that’s all I’m saying.’

‘Why? What’s it got to do with you?’

‘I’m your big sister, and that means I’m your boss! And
the other day a bunch of nutters trashed
our
rooms.’ Her face turned red. ‘SO IT’S GOT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH ME!’

‘Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I was here, and
besides, you were snoring. I didn’t want to wake you.’ Facing the target, he positioned
his fingers on the bowstring, pulled back and released.
Whoosh.
The arrow landed dead centre.

Becky was impressed at the shot. Her temper faded.
‘I don’t snore,’ she mumbled. Then she heard another voice.

‘Your aim is much improved…’

Becky whirled round to see Will emerging from the
trees.

‘I’ve still got a long way to go to be as good as
you,’ Joe replied.

‘In time, young sir, you will better me, of that I
am sure. Now, before you do each other harm, would you join me in a drink?’

‘Yes, please,’ Joe said.

‘In the tree-house?’
Becky asked eagerly. Unlike Joe, she had never been there before.

‘Aye,’
Will
replied. ‘I’d
like you to meet an old friend of mine.’

Becky and Joe looked at each other, puzzled.

‘Who?’
Becky asked curiously.

‘Why, the Lady Marian, of course…’

*

A few minutes later, deep in the forest, Becky and
Joe were standing on a wooden platform at the base of an oak tree. Thick with
age, its huge, gnarled roots clung to the ground like giant fingers. Becky
looked up and marveled at the structure above; lodged between the tree’s
branches, the tree house was the size of a small bungalow. Will stood beside
her, clasping a lever attached to a series of wheels, pulleys and ropes that
scaled the trunk like vines.

‘Ready?’ Will asked.

Upon Becky’s nod, the platform took to the air.
Climbing higher, she grew breathless as the Hall, the lake, the maze and even
the distant village of Addlebury unfolded before her. She followed Joe off the
platform onto a spacious verandah, her eyes soaking up every bit of detail.

‘So where’s Marian?’ Joe asked impatiently.

‘I’ll get her.’ Will whistled loudly and looked over
blanket of treetops that lined the horizon. A treetop stirred and, to Becky’s
surprise, a giant bird rose into the air.

‘This -’ Will
said
, ‘- this
is Marian.’

Hiding her initial disappointment, Becky watched as
the bird soared towards them. Extending its claws, it landed on the balcony rim
and gave a triumphant yelp. Becky stepped backwards, stiff with fear.

‘Do not be alarmed,’ Will responded, as Marian pecked
affectionately at his fingers. ‘She will not harm you.’

‘What kind of bird is she?’ Joe asked.

‘A Golden Eagle.
Stroke her. She will approve.’

Becky and Joe gathered their courage and inched
towards her, their hands outstretched, until they touched the eagle’s neck.

‘She’s beautiful,’ Becky said.

‘Methinks she knows,’
Will
whispered.

Becky and Joe coddled Marian for a few minutes and
then watched as she flew off into the forest. Will brought a jug of fresh apple
juice and three goblets and together, they settled back to enjoy the cool
morning air.

‘Do you ever miss your own time?’ Becky asked.

’I miss my friends,’
Will
replied without a hint of sadness.
‘The untouched
countryside, the purity of the air.
It was a simpler time. Things have
changed a great deal in eight hundred years, much of it for the worse.’

‘So what’s it like being Robin Hood?’

‘I would not know, miss.’ Will laughed. ‘I am not he.’

‘I know that,’ Becky said. ‘But you’re the basis for
him. And he’s, like, one of the best heroes ever.’

‘I am no hero,’
Will
replied simply.

‘You must have done something pretty major to become
Robin Hood,’ Becky added. ‘Has Uncle Percy told you about him, about the legend?’

‘He has.’

‘So what’s true and what isn’t?’

‘I shall confess to never wearing tights of Lincoln
green. What else are you keen to know?’

Becky pondered this for a few seconds, but Joe beat
her to it.

‘I saw a film where it said you were the son of a
rich nobleman. Is that true?’

‘My father was a blacksmith,’
Will
replied.
‘An esteemed man but lowly of standing.’

‘What about the Sherriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisbourne,’
Becky asked. ‘Were they real?’

Will’s expression hardened. ‘Aye,’ he replied bitterly.
‘The Sheriff was a Norman aristocrat, William de Wendenel, a spineless, cruel,
rodent of a man. But it was Guy of Gisbourne who was evil incarnate. One of my
regrets is leaving my time without dealing him the brutal justice he had dispensed
to so many others.’

Becky thought Will so full of bitterness and regret
she should change the subject. ‘And were you an outlaw?’

‘I was a soldier …a soldier who became an outlaw through
duty and wish - a duty to a people, and a wish to honour an absent King.’

‘And you did steal from the rich and give to the
poor?’

‘In 1189 I left England for foreign shores. When I
returned Prince John, King Richard’s cowardly brother had proclaimed himself
King of England. Moreover, he was crippling his people with taxes and laws that
denied all liberty. Myself, and a few of my friends stood against that.’

‘So you did rob the rich?’ Joe pressed.

A smile split
Will’s
face. ‘We
attempted to distribute the wealth more squarely, yes.’

‘Awesome,’ Joe exhaled.

But there was one question Becky was burning to ask.
‘So was there a Maid Marian? I mean one without a beak...’

Will paused. ‘There was another Marian, yes.’

‘And were you two, well, you know?’

‘We were but acquaintances. That is all.’

‘But the story goes that Robin Hood falls in love
with -’

‘But as I have stated, it is just that – a story.
Furthermore, Marian was betrothed to another …’
Will’s
gaze shifted to Becky’s neck. ‘Perhaps, if I’d have been a wealthy man and
could have presented her with such gifts -’ he nodded at the pendant, ‘- then
our fate would have been very different…’

Becky teased it between her fingers. ‘It’s my lucky
pendant,’ she said proudly. ‘My dad gave it to me before he died.
 
I’ve never taken it off since.’

‘Tis a most beautiful trinket.’

She looked down at the stone and her smile faded.
But then a thought struck her. A wonderful thought! ‘I’ve got to go,’ she said
abruptly. ‘Joe, you stay here!’

‘What’s the matter?’ Joe said.

‘Just stay here!’

Moments later, a bewildered Will lowered Becky to
the ground.
 
Before the platform reached
the bottom, she had leapt off and disappeared into the forest. Bursting out of
a gap in the trees, she sprinted over the archery field, over the lawn, and
into the kitchens, hurtling past a baffled Jacob.

‘Did you find your brother, miss?’ he asked
anxiously. ‘Is everything well?’

‘Couldn’t be better,’ Becky replied ecstatically.
‘Where’s Uncle Percy?’

‘The library,’ Jacob replied. ‘I believe, he’s - ’

But Becky had gone. She scaled the stairs in record
time, and was soon at the library door. She hurled it open to see Uncle Percy
surrounded by books and an unfurled scroll of brown parchment. He looked up.

‘What’s the matter, Becky?’

Becky marched over. ‘I want you to take me back in
time.’

‘I am taking you back in time. In fact, I’ve got a
-’

‘No,’ Becky interjected. The widest of smiles
crossed her lips. ‘I only want to go back six years. I want us to stop my dad
going on that boat trip. We can stop my dad from dying...’