Time Hunters and the Spear of Fate, The (12 page)

Becky released him and saw the
towering stack of empty cereal bowls by his bed. ‘So you like cornflakes?’

Edgar chuckled. ‘Very tasty. I think
I might enjoy twenty first century food.’

‘Then you just wait until you taste
a cheeseburger and chips.’

Edgar looked puzzled. ‘And what is a
cheeseburger?’

‘It’s cheesy heaven on a bap.’

‘It’s also made of beef, dungbrain!’
Becky growled under her breath, making sure Edgar couldn’t hear. ‘He’s half
Bull!’

The smile fell from Joe’s face.

‘Don’t forget Edgar’s a vegetarian,
Joe,’ Becky said loudly.

‘Oh, yeah,’ Joe said. ‘Actually,
veggie burgers are even better.’

‘Then I shall look forward to
devouring many of them,’ Edgar replied. ‘Anyway, how have you been keeping?
From what Perce tells me you’ve been continuing your relic quests with some
success.’

‘Yeah,’ Joe replied. ‘After we
buried the Golden Fleece, we went back and in time and found The Box of
Eternity. It was pretty hair-raising stuff, but we got it in the end. And now
we’re looking for the Spear of Fate.’

The second the words left Joe’s
mouth, Edgar’s face dropped. ‘So I gather. And you are not the only one, I can
assure you of that …’

Seeing Edgar’s change of expression,
Becky felt terrible. For someone so huge, so powerful, so formidable, Edgar
looked as fragile as a scolded child. Not knowing what to do or say, she
decided to follow her heart. Reaching forward, she placed her hand tenderly on
Edgar’s. ‘We’re very sorry about your brothers.’

Edgar nodded and managed a smile.
‘Thank you, Miss Becky.’ His thick black lips quivered. ‘Yes, Gergo and Gergan
were noble in their deaths.’ His gaze angled down, before looking up again,
into Becky’s eyes. ‘I would beg you not to go searching for the Spear if I
believed you would listen. You could not possibly comprehend the evil you will
be up against.’

‘You mean Aribert Heim?’ Joe blurted
in such an insensitive tone it made Becky scowl at him.

‘Not now, Joe,’ she said firmly.
‘I’m sure Edgar doesn’t want to -’

Edgar raised his hand. ‘Please, Miss
Becky.  I can talk about him. After what he has done to me, to my
brothers, I refuse to dread him.’ He turned to Joe. ‘Yes, Joe. I mean Heim.’

‘What was he like?’ Joe asked.

‘He is a devil in human skin,’ Edgar
said without emotion. ‘A demon. He walks as you do, he breathes as you do, but
he is not as you are.’

Becky was processing everything
Edgar had said. ‘And what did he want with you?’

Edgar inhaled a deep, rattling
breath. ‘He knows of my heritage. He knows my people descend from the lost
island, the motherland, the isle of the Ancients.’

‘You mean Atlantis?’ Becky said.
‘You’re talking about Atlantis.’

Edgar nodded. ‘I am,’ he said in a
quiet voice. ‘And since Heim slaughtered my brothers, I am the last of the
Minotaurs, the last of my race. He wanted me because he believes I know the
secrets of the old guard. He believes I know the location to the Chamber of the
Ancients, the gateway, lost to time and legend, that will lead to the Spear of
Fate.’

‘And do you?’ Joe asked. ‘Have you
heard of it?’

Finally, the glimmer of a smile
returned to Edgar’s face. ‘I’ve done more than heard of it, Master Joe. I’ve
been there….’

Chapter
17

The Chamber of the Ancients

‘I don’t understand?’ Joe asked.
‘Have you seen the Spear of Fate?’

‘Oh, Lordy, no,’ Edgar replied.

‘But you’ve been to the Chamber of
the Ancients?’ Becky pressed.

‘I’ve been to the Chamber’s marker,
to the
Tauri Stones
. My grandfather took me as a
Calfan
, a young
Minotaur, in my seventh year.’

‘What are the Tauri Stones?’ Becky
asked, intrigued.

‘It is an ancient tradition of my
race that, at least once in your time on earth, you must place a stone at the
entrance to the Chamber of the Ancients. The stones are symbolic of our wish to
maintain the ways and beliefs of our ancestors, the customs of the motherland
and our oneness in protecting the Chamber. These are the Tauri Stones. And it
is to these stones I have visited, but never have I ventured inside the
Chamber. And never would I. No Minotaur would.’

‘Why not?’ Joe asked.

‘It is forbidden,’ Edgar replied.
‘To remove the Tauri Stones and enter the Chamber would be a sacrilegious act.
The Chamber of the Ancients is a revered place, a place that should remain
concealed forever from human eyes, corruptible eyes that may plunder the
countless treasures beyond its walls.’

‘What do you mean
beyond its
walls
?’ Becky asked.

‘According to legend the chamber is
a doorway…’ Edgar replied. ‘Open it and a path is revealed, a great path that
leads to the last surviving vestige of the old world: a perfect replica of the
great Temple of Poseidon...’

At once, Becky remembered what Uncle
Percy had said about the location of The Spear of Fate:
- The most
intriguing legend is that it ended up in Egypt many thousands of years ago,
hidden in an underground temple.

‘The Temple of Poseidon?’ she
breathed.

‘Yes,’ Edgar nodded. ‘She was said
to be the most magnificent edifice in all of Atlantis, dedicated to the God who
fashioned her. And after Atlantis’ fall, she was reconstructed to the last
detail by the finest craftsbulls to have ever lived … It is within the Temple’s
hallowed walls that the Spear of Fate is said to reside.’

‘So where is the Chamber?’ Joe asked
eagerly.

‘In
Ta-Mehu
… Lower Egypt, on
the outskirts of the city of Memphis, the capital of the old Kingdom.’

‘Does Uncle Percy know about all of
this?’ Joe asked.

‘He does,’ Edgar replied.

‘Good,’ Joe replied determinedly;
just then his expression changed as if struck by a sinister thought. ‘And what
about Heim? Did you tell him when he … when he captured you?’

Edgar raised his snout proudly and
said in a firm, defiant tone, ‘I told him nothing. I would rather my tongue be
torn out by its roots than divulge anything of the secrets of my brethren.’ He
looked over to see that Becky looked distressed; his voice softened. ‘Pardon my
harsh language, Miss Becky. It’s just the very mention of Heim unleashes the
brute in me.’

‘I understand,’ Becky nodded
sympathetically.

Joe, however, wasn’t fazed in the
slightest. ‘We should make a move,’ he said to Becky. ‘Get Uncle Percy and
Will, get the Gadeirus tablet and –’

Edgar’s face crumpled with shock.
‘You know of the Gadeirus Tablet?’

‘Know of it … we’ve got it,’ Joe
replied.

‘B – but how?’ Edgar stuttered.

Joe shrugged. ‘Some German bloke
nicked it from the Nazis, then kicked the bucket, and a Yeti dumped him in a
cave. Uncle Percy knew the Yeti.’ He grinned. ‘Stroke of luck, eh?’

Edgar’s nostrils flared. ‘Yes,’ he
puffed. ‘The Gadeirus Tablet holds the key to opening the Chamber of the
Ancients. I thought it had been lost in the mists of time. Lordy, this is a
surprise!’

‘It’s covered in strange symbols,’
Becky said. ‘We think they might be Atlantean words. Could you translate them?’

Edgar was too lost in his own
thoughts to reply. ‘Where is the Tablet now?’

‘Uncle Percy’s got it,’ Joe replied.

Without hesitation, Edgar’s gigantic
fingers curled around a remote device at the side of his bed. Almost
immediately,
three laser beams shot out of the
hologram receiver set on the floor, converged overhead, and morphed into an
instantly recognizable form.

‘Is everything all
right, Edgar?’ Uncle Percy asked anxiously.

It was then Becky
noticed something quite unexpected. Standing behind Uncle Percy, deep concern
etched on his rosy-cheeked face, was
Charles Butterby; he was studying something that looked like a
rectangular block of wood, painted a deep red. The instant he noticed the
Hologramophone was working, however, he looked shocked and quickly pulled the
block from sight.

‘Smashing,’ Edgar replied. ‘You
never mentioned you’d found the Gadeirus Tablet.’

‘I didn’t want to over excite you,’
Uncle Percy replied. ‘I thought it might –’

‘Would you be so kind as to let me
see it?’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Absolutely,’ Edgar replied. ‘If
what you say is true, you are in possession of a quite exceptional object. I’d
give my left horn to see it…’

‘I don’t think that’s necessary.’
And with that, Uncle Percy’s hologram vanished.

Becky glanced at Joe. There was a
lengthy silence where no one said a word.

Finally, it was Edgar who spoke.
‘The Gadeirus Tablet has always held the utmost fascination for me …’ He blew
out a high-pitched squall of air. ‘According to legend it has not been seen for
over six millennia, and the - ’

His words were cut short by the
appearance of a flickering bead of light, which expanded outwards like a
raindrop on a puddle. With a blinding flash and a loud
crack
, Uncle
Percy appeared beside the bed, the Gadeirus Tablet tucked firmly beneath his
arm. He looked at Edgar, held out the tablet and smiled. ‘Is this what you
want?’

‘It is,’ Edgar replied in an
unsteady voice. Reaching over, he took the tablet and stared at it with the
intensity of a father gazing upon a newborn child. Instantly, his face looked
younger, his eyes were bright and fierce with life; the cuts on his face seemed
to vanish, replaced by a blushing, healthy glow. Gently, his fingers traced
every symbol, every groove. ‘If only my grandfather were alive to see it…’

Becky’s heart soared. Edgar looked
himself again. ‘Is it written in Atlantean? Can you translate it?’

Edgar’s mouth broke into a grin as
his eyes found hers. ‘You may have to give me some time, but yes, it is written
in Atlantean, and fortunately I was taught it as a Calfan. My grandfather
insisted upon it.’ His eyes returned to the tablet and he began to laugh.
‘Lordy, I never thought I’d read its kind again.’

‘What does it say?’ Joe asked
eagerly.

Edgar took some time before he spoke
again. ‘I believe it’s a riddle.’ In silence, he studied the markings for a
further few minutes, making strange squeaks every now and again as he
considered his translation. Finally, a look of satisfaction crossed his face
and he whispered, ‘I think I’ve done it.’

‘Go on then,’ Joe said hastily.
‘What does it say?’

Edgar cleared his throat.

‘I breathe and I roar

But I have no mouth

I only move north

But never south

I have no toes

But fingers galore

And if you catch me

You’ll catch no more

So track the Salamander

If you so dare

And pass beyond me

To Poseidon’s lair’

Becky felt her body tingle with
anticipation. Eager to solve it, she played the words through in her head, time
and again:
I breathe … only move north … fingers galore … you’ll catch no
more. 
It didn’t take long before an answer appeared.  She looked
at Uncle Percy, who beamed back at her with a boyish glee.

‘Have you solved the riddle, Becky?’
he asked in a way that suggested he already knew the answer.

‘I think so.’

‘Care to share your thoughts?’

‘It’s
fire
,’ Becky said
confidently. ‘I think the answer’s fire.’

Uncle Percy’s smile widened. ‘That’s
exactly what I was thinking…’

Chapter 18

Bullseye

Joe looked baffled. ‘And what’s fire
got to do with anything?’

‘Haven’t a clue,’ Uncle Percy
replied. ‘Edgar … any ideas?’

‘Crumblies, no,’ Edgar replied. ‘I’d
never have worked that out. I’m distinctly dim most of the time.’

‘What’s a Salamander?’ Joe asked.

‘It’s an amphibian, Joe,’ Uncle
Percy replied. ‘However, in classical antiquity, the Salamander was always
associated with fire. In fact, the word ‘Salamander’ derives from the Greek for
‘
fire lizard’
.’

‘So are we supposed to walk through
fire or summat?’ Joe asked.

‘I certainly hope not,’ Uncle Percy
replied. ‘I’m sure it’ll all become clear, however, when we reach the Chamber
of the Ancients.’

‘Then what’re we waiting for? Let’s
get cracking…’’ Joe turned eagerly to Edgar. ‘Edgar, where did you say this
Chamber was?’

‘On the borders of Memphis, at
Saqqara, the City of the Dead …’

Becky felt a stab of panic. ‘The
City of the Dead?’

Uncle Percy noticed Becky’s anxious
expression. Keen to put her mind at ease, he said, ‘It’s a cemetery, Becky,
nothing more sinister than that. A vast cemetery … the oldest in Egypt.’

‘And the first Minotaur burial site
since the exodus from our motherland,’ Edgar offered. ‘The Chamber was built
adjacent to the area known as ‘
The Cemetery of the Sacred Bulls’
.’

A flash of recognition flickered on
Uncle Percy’s face. ‘Isn’t that where they buried the Apis Bulls?’

‘It is, Perce,’ Edgar said. ‘I’m
impressed. You certainly know your Egyptian history.’

‘I know bits. Charles Butterby is
the real expert.’

‘What are the Apis Bulls?’ Becky
asked, enthralled.

Edgar leveled his eyes at her. ‘From
the moment Minotaurs first appeared in Memphis, manfolk looked upon my kind as
celestial figures. Soon, they conceived the bull god, Apis, and worshipped him
like no other. To honour Apis, the Memphian clerics would select an actual bull
and, believing it to be the earthly embodiment of Apis himself, bestow upon it
all the luxuries of the world until it passed, laying it to rest in the
Cemetery of the Sacred Bulls. A new Apis bull would then be found and the cycle
would continue.’

‘How fascinating,’ Uncle Percy said
truthfully. ‘I had no idea there was such a connection between Apis and the
early Minotaurs.’

‘Oh, yes,’ Edgar said. ‘My
grandfather was a keen historian, particularly in relation to Egypto-lantean
history, and passed much of it on to me.’ His black eyes gleamed. ‘Somehow I
inherited his passion for it.’

‘Fantastic,’ Uncle Percy beamed.
‘It’s always so inspiring to find the truth behind these legends.’ He looked at
Becky and Joe. ‘Don’t you agree?’

‘Yes,’ Becky agreed.

Joe, on the other hand, looked
bored. ‘Whatever …’ His face brightened again. ‘But now we know where the
Chamber is, shouldn’t we get our skates on and whizz back to Ancient Egypt?’

Uncle Percy tutted. ‘You do know
you’re receiving the most extraordinary, not to mention unique history lesson
here, young man?’

‘Lessons are for borin’ school,’ Joe
replied, much to Uncle Percy’s visible frustration. ‘I want to go on a kick-ass
adventure and find the Spear of Fate.’

Uncle Percy was about to challenge
when he stopped himself. Sensing it was futile to argue, he said, ‘Then you’ll
be delighted to know we’re leaving this afternoon. Barbie is preparing the time
machine as we speak.’

‘Excellent,’ Joe replied. ‘Which one
are we taking? Bertha? Beryl? Betty?’

‘Blanche,’ Uncle Percy replied.

Becky and Joe swapped excited
glances.

‘And what type of vehicle is she?’ Joe
asked.

‘You’ll see …’

It was then Becky remembered
something. ‘Uncle Percy, what was Mr. Butterby holding in the Time Room? I saw
him on the Hologramophone. He was holding something … something red. He looked
nervous. As soon as he knew we could see him he tried to hide it, but it was
too late.’

‘Err, you don’t miss much, do you?’
Uncle Percy said awkwardly. He – err –brought me something. Something he’d
acquired on a recent time trip.’

‘What?’ Becky pressed. ‘And why did
he try to hide it?’

 ‘I’ll show you later.’

‘Show me later,’ Becky replied.
‘Tell me now.’

‘I’d need to show you.’

‘So where’s Butterby now?’ Joe
asked.

‘
Mister Butterby
has returned
home to get ready.’

Joe’s eyes narrowed. ‘Ready for
what?’

‘He’s coming to Egypt with us,’ Uncle
Percy said matter-of-factly. Seeing that Joe was about to object, he said,
‘Charles is an expert on Egyptian customs. He could prove himself quite useful
in certain situations.’

‘Can he fight?’ Joe pressed.

Uncle Percy frowned. ‘What on earth
has that got to do with anything?’

‘In case we get into a scrap.’

‘I have every intention of avoiding
any
scraps
, thank you very much,’ Uncle Percy replied.

‘Yeah, but they seem to find us
anyway,’ Joe muttered. ‘And let’s face it, Aribert Heim is poncing around Ancient
Egypt with a shed load of Drake’s gorillas, so I think we’d better prepare for
the worst.’

‘Oh, I certainly am preparing for
the worst,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘Believe me, I’ve made modifications to Blanche
I’d never under normal circumstances dream of making in a million years.’

Joe raised his eyebrows. ‘What
modifications?’

‘Never you mind,’ Uncle Percy
replied. ‘The fact is, I will be setting Blanche’s
chronalometer
to the
year 1460BC, one hundred years or so before Heim is due to set foot in Egypt,
so I’m hopeful to avoid any physical altercations.’ His eyes found Edgar’s.
‘Now, Edgar, we’re leaving for Ancient Egypt this afternoon, but I’ll make sure
that Barbie keeps a close eye on you and –’

‘What do you mean, Perce?’ Edgar
replied. ‘I’m coming too.’

‘Oh, no, my friend,’ Uncle Percy
replied warmly. ‘I can’t allow that. You’re very poorly.’

‘Tush and frapplepotts.’ In one
movement, Edgar yanked the tubes from his arms until they dangled down like
worms. He hurled his bedding aside. Pressing his spade-sized hands flat against
the floor, he pushed himself up and got to his feet; swaying slightly until he
gained his balance, he flexed his enormous arms, his curved horns scraping the
ceiling. Then he looked down at them all. ‘I feel as fit as a Kithara.’

Becky’s mouth fell open. The scars
that peppered his body made him look more formidable than ever.

‘Are you sure?’ Uncle Percy said.

‘I am,’ Edgar replied. ‘‘Moreover,
you are entering the dominion of my ancestors. It is only fitting an Atlantean
son should accompany you on that journey.’ His voice darkened. ‘After all, who
can truly know the perils that await should you open the Chamber of the
Ancients?’

At hearing his change of tone, Becky
felt nervous. ‘What do you mean -
perils
?’

Edgar paused. ‘My grandfather told
me the path to Poseidon’s Temple is paved with many dangers - that Thoth, an
Atlantean Elder, a great architect, sorcerer, artist and engineer, embedded
magic in its very walls to guard against the unworthy.’

‘What kind of magic?’

‘The darkest kind,’ Edgar replied.
‘Unnatural.  Terrible magic. All of it now lost to history…’

Joe saw Becky’s dismayed expression
and flicked her ear. ‘Don’t get your wand in a twist, Hermione, I’ll protect
you.’

Becky was about to kick him when
Uncle Percy cut in.

‘But those could just be stories,
couldn’t they, Edgar?’

Edgar shrugged his shoulders. ‘Of
course.’

 ‘Then let’s worry about any
so-called magic, if and when we come across it.’ He placed a sympathetic hand
on Edgar’s forearm. ‘Now are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here and rest?
If I were a doctor I’m sure that would be my advice.’

‘No,’ Edgar replied firmly. ‘I must
accompany you. Furthermore, I think you’re forgetting how the Egyptians
perceive my kind. You may find it useful having something of a God on your
side….’

Uncle Percy couldn’t argue with
that.

*

It was late morning when Becky and
Joe made their way back to the Hall. Uncle Percy had decided that they were
leaving for Ancient Egypt at three, and insisted they eat a hearty lunch and
get some rest before the trip.

Food and rest, however, were the
last things on Becky’s mind. She was worried. Edgar’s concerns about what lay
beyond the Chamber of the Ancients, Butterby’s troubled expression as he
studied the unseen object, and last but not least, Heim’s presence in all of
this had made her very anxious indeed. She suspected Joe felt the same way, but
he was doing everything he could to hide it, filling the nervy silence with as
many questions as he could.

‘So what d’you think Edgar meant by
‘
perils
’?’

‘No idea.’

‘What do you think Butterby was
hiding?’

‘Dunno.’

‘Underground temples, the Gadeirus
Tablet, the Tauri Stones - it all sounds proper Lara Croft, don’t you think?’

‘I s’pose,’ Becky replied. ‘Maybe you
should get some hot pants and a ponytail and you can raid a few pyramids while
we’re there then?’

Joe ignored her. ‘ - And this dark
magic stuff seems a bit far-fetched, don’t you reckon?’

‘Far-fetched?’ Becky sneered. ‘You
do realise we were told about it by a fifteen foot Minotaur?’

Becky and Joe entered the kitchen
door. They were relieved to find out that Maria and Jacob had left for
Addlebury to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Maria had left them a huge
platter of roast beef and mustard sandwiches and they launched into them with
gusto, thankful their meal wasn’t disrupted by a flurry of probing questions
about the coming trip.

A short while later, Becky entered
her bedroom. To her surprise, she saw an assortment of simple but elegant
garments hanging from her wardrobe door: a pearl white knee-length linen tunic
with a plaited belt, a chestnut-brown cotton cloak, and a pair of leather
sandals. Walking over, she detached the tunic and allowed her fingers to glide
over the soft, silky material. It felt so cool to the touch. Immediately, she
shivered as though someone had dropped an icicle down her back; the thought of
wearing something so light, so delicate, conflicted wildly against the stinging
cold outside.

She returned the tunic to its hanger
and curled up on the four poster bed, her body aflutter with mixed emotions -
worry, unease, doubt; but one emotion dominated the others: excitement. After
all, she was travelling to Ancient Egypt on the quest for The Spear of Fate.

And it didn’t get much better than
that.