History Keepers: Nightship to China Read online

  As Jake stared through the bars at the dark shape of the Mont St Michel, he was filled with disgust at himself. In a few hours’ time he was supposed to be saying farewell to his parents. Even worse, he and Nathan had broken one of the most solemn rules of the organization by drawing attention to themselves.

  ‘We have to find a way out of here!’ he exclaimed, shaking the bars. But they were set solidly in the stone wall.

  5 FAMILY IN RUINS

  AN HOUR LATER, a voice whispered from outside: ‘It’s me.’ Jake and Nathan looked up to see a familiar face looking through the window and immediately leaped to their feet.

  ‘Sorry to keep you waiting,’ Yoyo said quietly. ‘I’ve been waiting for the guard to doze off – not to mention the whole platoon next door. But I have a plan to get you out of here . . .’ She produced two sticks of dynamite. ‘Borrowed from the army stores,’ she explained.

  The sight of the explosives gave Jake a jolt. He hadn’t come across dynamite since Agata Zeldt had detonated her bombs in ancient Rome, creating pandemonium and carnage during one of the largest public events in history.

  ‘It’s an interesting notion,’ Nathan told Yoyo, ‘but these walls are three feet thick. We’ll just end up drawing more attention to ourselves, and no doubt losing some limbs into the bargain – and I’m rather partial to mine. No, I’m afraid we have only one option. Miss Yuting, you need to get help from Point Zero. The commander has an understanding with Poing de Fer. She’s the only person who can get us out of here.’

  Jake’s heart sank. Involving Galliana Goethe was the last thing he wanted. Losing a limb was almost preferable to the disgrace he would suffer once their misconduct became common knowledge. But he knew that Nathan was right. They had to do everything they could to limit the damage.

  Yoyo reluctantly agreed, and moments later Jake and Nathan saw her rowing back across the bay.

  Nathan turned to his companion. ‘Jake, old boy,’ he said, ‘can we agree on something?’

  ‘What?’

  Nathan was clearly in a serious mood: his voice was low and deep. ‘Not to fall out over Miss Yuting?’

  Jake looked back at him, half smiling – and nodded. Nathan held out his hand and they shook on it.

  ‘Friendship is more important than anything,’ Jake declared solemnly. Then he started to laugh; though it hurt his head. ‘I can’t believe you followed us here.’

  ‘Well, no one needs to know about it, all right? I’d be a laughing stock if it ever got out.’

  ‘God forbid that anyone should laugh at you.’

  They both chuckled, but then sat in silence, listening to the sounds of the dance in the distance.

  The night passed slowly, the noise dying down by degrees. At dawn, Jake heard the sound of splashing oars. He pulled himself up. His head throbbed and the bruise around his eye was sore. He saw a small craft with navy blue sails approaching the mainland. It was Galliana’s yacht, the Kingfisher, and he could see her standing at the prow. There was a gentleman with her, in a top hat – Jupitus Cole.

  Jake frowned. ‘Why’s he here?’ he said to himself, his spirits plummeting still further. He watched as the boat docked at the pier. When the pair disembarked, Jake noticed that Jupitus was carrying a heavy crate. They headed towards the town and disappeared from view.

  ‘Nathan,’ Jake called quietly to his friend, who had fallen asleep in the corner. The American opened his eyes and sat up. ‘They’re coming.’

  Jake tucked in his shirt, combed back his hair and tried to clean his face with his skull-and-crossbones scarf. It didn’t make much difference: he still looked dreadful.

  ‘I do the talking,’ said Nathan, smartening himself up. ‘This is my mess.’

  Jake shook his head. ‘I was the one who came here in the first place.’

  Voices came from beyond the door. Jupitus had started talking – in slightly broken French – but Galliana soon took over. She was completely fluent and spoke with authority. Whatever she was saying must have been reasonable, as Poing de Fer seemed to put up no fight at all; his tone became almost jovial.

  Five minutes later there was a clinking of keys and the door swung open. Jake froze as Jupitus entered, eyes cold and mirthless.

  ‘Your parents leave within the hour,’ he spat contemptuously to Jake. ‘I believe they would like to speak to you before they go.’

  ‘Mr Cole’ – Nathan beamed – ‘may I start by saying, this is clearly not as bad as it looks.’

  ‘You may do nothing of the sort,’ snapped Jupitus. ‘Your jangling voice is unwelcome at the best of times, but before breakfast it is unendurable.’

  ‘Jangling?’ Nathan shrugged to himself. ‘That has quite a pleasant ring.’

  ‘Mr Cole, I’m so sorry,’ Jake began. He had a whole speech worked out. ‘I am completely to blame—’

  Jupitus silenced him with a hiss. ‘I have even less interest in your point of view. I’d conserve your energies for those you have hurt the most.’ He turned and left. Jake and Nathan eyeballed each other and followed him out.

  Galliana was waiting, equally stony-faced. Jake had never seen her dressed so soberly – almost like a schoolteacher – and with such attention to period detail (where clothes were concerned, she tended to be as eccentric as her friend Rose). Jake offered her a smile, but she ignored him.

  ‘Merci, Monsieur Poing de Fer,’ she said, turning to the sheriff. ‘C’était un plaisir, comme toujours . . .’ She patted the crate that Jupitus had brought from the boat. It contained nine ancient-looking bottles of golden-brown liquid. Jake guessed that she had used them to bribe him.

  Jupitus led the way back to the pier, where Galliana’s boat, with its distinctive dark blue sails, was waiting. Nathan attached the skiff he’d brought over to its stern, and they set off for the island. Not a word was spoken for the entire journey.

  As they approached the quay, Jake saw that a group of people had gathered there. Usually the departure of agents on missions to distant lands and times was a cheery affair. This time, the Escape was being prepared for his parents’ journey in almost total silence.

  Mr and Mrs Djones stood at the front. It was a shock seeing them dressed in modern clothes again – Alan in his corduroy trousers and Miriam in an old woolly jumper and a denim skirt over leggings. Next to them was a piece of luggage that always seemed to presage bad news: a red suitcase, bulging in readiness for the journey.

  Galliana’s boat docked, and she and Jupitus stepped ashore, followed by the boys. Jake felt everyone’s eyes on him; Yoyo was also watching from a distance, her tight-lipped mother standing guard next to her. Topaz, waiting with Nathan’s equally concerned parents on the quayside, offered Jake a glimmer of a smile, but she looked sad, and Jake realized that he had let her down, along with everyone else at Point Zero.

  He approached his parents, his head bowed, barely able to look them in the eye. ‘I’m glad I managed to see you before you left,’ he offered in a quiet voice.

  Miriam shook her head and asked, ‘What is it that we did wrong?’

  ‘Nothing.’ Jake shrugged.

  ‘Are you proud of your behaviour?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Do you have any idea what the commander had to do to get you out of jail?’

  ‘Mrs Djones, may I just say—’ Nathan began.

  ‘You may not! I’m not impressed with you, either. You should be setting an example,’ Miriam snapped without taking her eyes off Jake. ‘I asked if you had any idea what the commander had to do to get you out of jail?’ Jake shook his head. ‘She had to bribe the police with cognac left to her by her dead husband! It was two hundred years old. It was priceless.’

  ‘No, I didn’t . . . I mean, I didn’t ask her to . . . I mean, I’m sorry.’

  ‘So what did we do wrong?’ Miriam asked again.

  ‘You didn’t do anything wrong!’ Jake shouted, suddenly losing his temper.

  ‘That’s how you speak to me? Do you hear how he speaks to h
is mother?’ Miriam asked her husband. Alan shook his head; Jake had never seen him look so disappointed. Suddenly Miriam broke off. She leaned forward and sniffed Jake’s shirt. ‘You’ve been drinking . . .’

  ‘No.’

  ‘You stink of alcohol, Jake! Don’t lie to me.’

  ‘I’m not lying.’

  ‘Actually, Mrs Djones—’ Yoyo interrupted from the back; but her mother silenced her with a glare.

  For a moment Miriam closed her eyes and shook her head. ‘This is your two-week warning, Jake,’ she said in a baleful tone that Jake had only heard once in his life; it sent shivers down his spine. ‘Do you hear me? We shall return from London, collect you and go straight back again. You will be going back to school, so you can start saying your goodbyes.’

  Jake could feel his face heating with anger. ‘Really?’ he hissed. ‘Every time the same threat—’

  ‘This time we mean it! We mean it!’ Miriam swore. ‘You’ve become impossible.’

  ‘Well, maybe you did do something wrong. For a start, you lied to me my whole life.’

  ‘What?’ Miriam gasped.

  ‘Now, Jake, let’s not get carried away . . .’ Alan began.

  Rose tried to intervene. ‘Come on, now – everyone’s a bit tired and emotional.’ She took Jake’s hand, but he shook her off.

  ‘Well, you did. You lied about everything,’ Jake continued, gathering momentum. ‘You lied about working here – the bathroom shop – everything in London . . . all lies!’

  ‘We did that to protect you,’ Miriam said. ‘You know why we did that.’

  ‘And you lied about Philip. My own brother!’ Jake stared at her, eyes flashing with fury. ‘I hate you.’ The phrase hung in the air for a moment; then he turned, pushed his way through the crowd and ran up into the castle.

  Miriam sobbed as Alan pulled her into his arms.

  A few minutes later, leaving the murmuring crowd on the pier, Alan and Rose went looking for Jake.

  He had gone to Dora’s stable and slammed the door behind him. He often took refuge with the elephant when he felt low: just being close to her calmed him down. Of course, she was only an animal, but she seemed wise all the same. He fed her some carrots, stroked her ears and searched her ancient eyes for the answers to his problems.

  When he heard his father and aunt calling his name, he hid in a little compartment where the straw was kept, covering himself completely.

  After a while the shouts stopped. Jake lay there a little longer. He was exhausted, his eyelids feeling heavier and heavier.

  Suddenly a vision came to him – he wasn’t sure if it was a dream or a hallucination – of his mother crying out. The Escape had been holed in a storm and was being dragged down under the foaming waves. His eyes shot open and he sat up with a jolt. ‘I have to stop them . . .’ he muttered, running out of the stable and down the path to the other side of the island. But the pier was deserted, save for a single person, and the Escape was disappearing towards the grey line of the horizon.

  ‘Nooooo!’ Jake yelled.

  Signor Gondolfino was watching the retreating ship. Jake flew past him, to the very edge of the pier and called out again at the top of his voice: ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry . . .’ The sea seemed to mock him: there was no chance anyone on that ship could hear him.

  Signor Gondolfino approached, tapping his way carefully along the quay with his ivory cane. ‘Mi dispiace tanto, Jake,’ he said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder. ‘My deep regrets. Your mother gave me this for you.’ He handed over a note:

  You’re my special boy, I love you.

  Mum

  Jake watched the ship disappear over the horizon; then his face crumpled and he started to cry. Signor Gondolfino put an arm around him. ‘Piangi, caro mio. You cry – it’s good for you. It’s so hard to be grown up. Magari fossimo bambini per sempre. If only we could be children for ever.’

  A drop of rain fell from the sky, splattering onto Gondolfino’s silk jacket. Then another; and another. Soon they were soaked to the skin.

  6 THE DOOM BELL

  JAKE WAS WIDE awake, tossing and turning, the events of the day haunting him. It was gone two when he heard a single deep toll from somewhere far below. There were many bells that rang on the island for many different reasons, but this one had a distinctive tone that was unfamiliar to Jake. It sounded ominous.

  A few moments later, he heard doors slamming and footsteps clattering along corridors; then urgent voices coming from the quay. He went over to the window and looked down. Galliana, hurriedly fastening her cloak, was issuing orders to two boatmen. As they started preparing a ship – the Tulip, a craft that Jake had sailed in on an ill-fated expedition to Stockholm – Jupitus Cole emerged, buttoning his jacket and putting on his top hat, followed swiftly by Dr Chatterju with a bulging leather case.

  Jake had to know what was going on. He threw on some clothes, put on his boots, and hurriedly made his way down to the ground floor.

  ‘What’s happened?’ he asked the doctor on arriving at the pier.

  ‘The doom bell just rang!’

  ‘The doom bell?’

  ‘SOS. Someone’s got into difficulty trying to enter the north-western horizon point!’ Horizon points, Jake knew, were the places where agents could leap through time.

  He felt sick, fearing the worst. ‘Is it my parents?’ he asked, remembering his terrible vision.

  ‘No,’ Chatterju said. ‘The mayday signal came from the past, the 1790s. Your parents were heading the other way.’

  ‘But perhaps they got lost in time?’ Jake persisted. It wouldn’t have been the first time they had taken a wrong turn.

  ‘All we have is an SOS,’ the doctor replied, opening his case to check the contents: it was full of medical instruments, bottles of medicine and syringes.

  Galliana and Jupitus rushed aboard the Tulip and started up the engine. Chatterju bustled up the gangplank after them.

  Jake was desperate to follow. ‘Can I assist in any way?’ he called hopefully. Galliana and Jupitus stared at him, their opposition clear.

  ‘The more hands the better . . .’ Dr Chatterju offered. ‘Who knows what trouble they might be in . . . Whoever they are.’

  Reluctantly Galliana agreed. ‘Quickly, then.’

  Jake hurried up the gangplank, the boatmen untied the rope, and a second later the vessel lurched away from the sea wall. Behind him, he heard the main doors crash open; then more hurrying footsteps, and Nathan appeared, followed by Yoyo.

  ‘What’s happened?’ the American shouted from the quayside.

  ‘SOS from someone entering the north-western horizon point,’ Jake called back.

  His two friends watched, powerless, as the ship sped off. It flew into the night, guided by the gold rings of the Constantor towards the horizon point.

  From time to time, Jake glanced at Galliana standing at the helm, the wind in her long grey hair. He realized that he only knew her in the context of the island, as an administrator – not as an adventurer. Now, for the first time, he got a sense of what she must have been like as a young agent in the field, determined and calm. Suddenly he longed to know about the missions she had undertaken. ‘Commander,’ he ventured, ‘may I ask, how can we be sure that the SOS did not come from an enemy faction?’

  ‘Mayday signals are encrypted like all Meslith messages,’ she replied, her eyes glancing at the Constantor, ‘but of course, there is never a hundred per cent certainty.’

  Jupitus illustrated the point by removing pistols from a chest beside the helm. He handed one each to Galliana and Chatterju – but none to Jake.

  ‘Everyone to be armed, Mr Cole,’ the commander declared coolly.

  Jupitus passed another weapon over, saying, ‘As a precaution only, you understand?’ Jake nodded.

  As the three golden discs on the Constantor began to align, they became even more vigilant, scanning the ocean for any sign of a vessel in trouble. Sturdy waves rolled across the Atlantic.
/>   Jake, watching from the starboard rail, noticed it first: a soft whistling in the air. He looked around, scanning the dark water. The mysterious sound grew shriller and louder. ‘There’s something here,’ he called, and Jupitus and Chatterju rushed over. As they watched, bubbles foamed on the surface; then the water began to curve in on itself, creating a hollow in the sea: the imprint of the hull of a ship that hadn’t yet materialized through time. Jake felt a pulse of fear.

  As Jupitus and Chatterju cocked their guns, there was a sudden intense rush of air, then an explosion of spectral light, immediately followed by shouts and the creaking of timbers as the vessel suddenly took shape, filling the void.

  She was a small sailing yacht, half the size of their own ship. It was certainly not the Escape; not his parents. But who could it be?

  ‘Right hand down!’ Jupitus yelled to the commander, fearing they might forge straight into it. She obeyed, narrowly missing the yacht.

  Jake could see that the other ship was in danger: her prow was sinking and water foamed up through the smashed timbers of the deck. A man in a high-collared coat, seemingly the only person on board, stood with his legs braced as he shouted for help over the tumult. He was Galliana’s age – in his fifties, Jake guessed – and had the bearing of an adventurer. His thick hair was still blond despite his age, and seemed oddly familiar to Jake. He was obviously not the enemy, as Jupitus and Chatterju immediately threw down their weapons.

  Without hesitation Jupitus jumped up onto the rail and flung himself over the foaming water onto the troubled ship, sliding down the raked deck towards the man. ‘Are you all right? Are you hurt?’ Jake heard him ask. The man nodded to his arm, indicating that it was broken. ‘Are you alone?’ A firm nod.