History Keepers: Nightship to China (2 page)

On an island full of eccentrics, she was one of the oddest mixtures of all: opinionated, reckless, shockingly beautiful. She was almost exactly his age (they had celebrated their fifteenth birthdays in the same week), but she seemed to possess decades of worldliness in her tiny frame. With ideas above her station, she had asked people to call her by her
formal
name – Miss Yuting – but had recently given Jake permission to use her nickname: Yoyo. He was the first to be granted the privilege.

Yoyo was as accomplished as she was striking. It went without saying that she was a brilliant fighter, but she was also a master mathematician and an exceptional code-breaker; she could speak as many languages as Charlie, draw like Michelangelo and play a dozen musical instruments, including the harp and the Scottish bagpipes. She was good at everything; everything except making friends.

She had insulted Topaz within two minutes of her arrival. Topaz had gone to greet her, upon which Yoyo had handed her her cloak and asked her to run her a bath, assuming that she was her maid. She hadn’t got on any better with the others – belittling Nathan’s dress sense and Charlie’s skill in the kitchen. No, it was only to Jake that she showed any warmth, and he had no idea why.

After scouring the whole building, he eventually found her on the roof. At the top of the tower he saw her silhouette outside the casement window.

‘Miss Yuting?’ he called.

The small figure rippled in the heat, then a voice called out: ‘Didn’t I tell you to call me Yoyo?’

‘Wait here, there’s a good boy,’ Jake said to Felson, climbing out of the window. Remembering that he was wearing a turban, he pulled it off and stuffed it in his pocket; then mussed up his hair, squared his shoulders and stepped across towards her. It was precarious, the tiles steeply raked and loose in places. Distant sounds carried up from below. Everyone was taking their seats now.

‘I think the wedding’s about to start,’ Jake offered as he drew near. She had her back to him and was busy fixing a harness around her chest. It was connected, via ropes, to a large pyramidal bamboo frame, which held a sail-like canopy. It was a perplexing sight. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m going to test this parachute,’ she replied without looking round. ‘I have made it to Leonardo da Vinci’s precise specifications.’ Like her mother, Yoyo spoke English with an almost perfect cut-glass accent. ‘It was successfully tested in 1485, so I am not unduly worried. I’m going to jump off the gantry there.’ She pointed to a thick metal beam that stuck out from the top of the building.

‘Really? Is that a good idea?’ Jake found himself asking. He adjusted his voice down a tone. ‘I mean, it looks . . . dangerous.’ This was an understatement: she was going to throw herself off a two-hundred-foot-high building trusting to nothing but a bit of wood and tarpaulin.

Yoyo looked round at him and smiled. ‘If it wasn’t dangerous, it wouldn’t be worth doing.’ Her face was a shock of beauty: perfect alabaster skin, eyes like emeralds and a mouth of carmine red. She was clothed like a mythic princess in a dress of coral silk, belted at the waist, with a sword and dagger slung from her hips. ‘Wish me luck,’ she said, picking up the sail and stepping onto the narrow beam.

Jake’s stomach flipped again as he looked down at the sheer drop. He had a sickening premonition of the celebration suddenly turning to tragedy; of the device failing and Yoyo thumping to her death in front of everyone. ‘Miss Yuting, I really don’t think this is a good idea,’ he insisted.

She held the sail up towards the sky. ‘If you don’t start calling me Yoyo, I’m going to get angry,’ she said, suddenly accelerating and leaping into the void. ‘Victory!’ she shouted as air filled the parachute.

There were cries from below, and Jake could see a swathe of guests standing up, pointing towards them. He heaved a sigh of relief when he realized that Yoyo’s contraption was, after all, effective. Eddies of warm air carried her away from the castle and back again, and within a few seconds she had landed right next to the wedding party. She un fastened herself from her harness, brushed down her dress and took her seat as if her mode of arrival had been not the slightest bit unusual.

Jake saw his mother shake her head in astonishment, then look up at him, holding out her hands in disbelief. He hurried back downstairs, Felson scampering at his side. They took a shortcut through the stateroom, along the corridor of the communications wing and down towards the armoury.

As they hurried through the door, Jake noticed the animal sitting on her haunches in the centre of the room; it was as if she was waiting for him. It was Josephine, Oceane Noire’s ‘pet’ lioness.

Jake wasn’t fond of the beast; no one on the island was, except her owner. As a cub, Josephine had been sly and devious, but now she was worse – unpredictable and spiteful, as if she viewed everyone as an enemy. Charlie, a great animal lover, had made a huge effort, cooking her special meals and taking her for walks. In return, she’d bitten his hand. Since then, Commander Goethe had insisted that the lioness be kept locked in Oceane’s quarters or on a leash when exercising. Jake had not seen her for weeks, and now she looked more ferocious than ever.

‘Where’s your mistress?’ he asked her. ‘Is she at home?’ Oceane had shut herself up in her suite for weeks, avoiding anything to do with the wedding. She had still not forgiven Jupitus for betraying her by taking up with her arch-rival, Rose. Jake advanced cautiously, wondering if he might be able to herd Josephine back to her quarters, but he stopped when she gave a low growl, sitting up and fixing him with her amber eyes.

He gulped, quickly glancing at the wall of weapons, working out how best to defend himself if she suddenly went for him. But Josephine just twitched her ears, turned and padded across the room. She gave him one last sly look, then pushed the door open with her nose and slipped out.

Jake took a deep, calming breath before hurrying after her, and emerged at the top of the grand staircase. The lioness was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where did she go?’ he asked Felson. The dog appeared as perplexed and unnerved as his master. The life-sized portraits of all the past History Keepers stared at them silently as they went down the stairs. Jake felt sick with worry – Josephine shouldn’t be roaming around when there were so many guests on the island! He had to alert someone. He rushed back to the lawn, but by the time he got there the congregation was standing and the orchestra already playing a Mughal
Wedding March
.

‘Where on earth have you been? What were you doing on the roof?’ Miriam demanded, flushed with anger, as Jake sat next to her in the front row.

‘I was told to find Yoyo . . . Miss Yuting.’ He shrugged defensively. ‘I didn’t know she was going to throw herself off the building, did I?’ He was aware that his tone was rude – that it so often was these days when he spoke to his mother. ‘But listen, I’m worried about Josephine, she’s—’

‘Just put your clothes on properly,’ Miriam snapped, pulling his scrunched-up turban out of his pocket, unwilling to hear more. She peered round at Yoyo. ‘That girl’s not right in the head.’

Jake did as he was told, hoping the lioness had taken herself back to her own quarters – though he found himself glancing round the edges of the lawn nervously.

Suddenly a spontaneous round of applause went up at the appearance of Rose Djones, carried triumphantly on a sedan by four men, including Jake’s dad, Alan, dressed in the Mughal style. Rose – looking like an Indian queen in a headdress and layers of bright crimson silk – reclined on velvet cushions, surrounded by garlands of flowers. The spectacle was only slightly spoiled by the presence of her trusty carpet bag bundled up next to her.

‘Do you think I’m mad,’ Rose called down to Miriam as she passed by, ‘marrying a man who folds his socks before he gets into bed?’

Miriam couldn’t stop giggling. She’d already forgotten all about her little spat with Jake and squeezed his hand in delight.

The litter bearers carefully set down their load and Alan escorted his sister to the altar, where Jupitus Cole was waiting with a stiff smile that gave the impression he might still make a run for it. The ceremony began: the marriage of Rosalind Aurora Djones to Jupitus Tarquin St-John Seneca Cole.

It wasn’t until the moment came for the rings to be exchanged that Jake noticed Felson suddenly sit up and prick his ears, then stare at the banqueting table and growl softly. It was covered with a white cloth that went down to the ground, and Jake saw the material rustle as something moved underneath. Then, halfway along, Josephine emerged. With everyone’s eyes on the ceremony, only Jake had seen her. For a moment the lioness stopped, staring at him as she had done in the armoury.

All at once a little girl – one of Dr Chatterju’s nieces – caught sight of the beast and screamed. The sound was so shrill that everyone turned at once and a great shout went up.

Josephine was momentarily confused. Then she bounded forward towards the bride and groom. There was a gasp of horror as she sprang towards Rose. The two gold rings, one halfway onto Rose’s finger, went flying into the air. Josephine snapped, her teeth taking hold of the many layers of silk, shaking Rose around like a rag doll.

ROSE THREW HERSELF
backwards into Jupitus’s arms, shuddering in horror as the lioness came away with a mouthful of silk, which she spat out. As a mass of people bore down on her, Josephine swung round, skidded on the grass and smacked into the banqueting table, sending the Mont St Michel cake tumbling to the ground.

‘Are you all right? Are you hurt?’ Jupitus asked Rose, his voice trembling. She looked down: her gown was shredded and her arms scratched and bleeding, but there was no serious damage. ‘That beast will draw no more blood! A gun!’ he cried. ‘Does anyone have a gun?’ He tore off into the building, leaving Rose in the hands of Alan and Miriam.

Nathan had already drawn his scimitar and Yoyo had also armed herself with her sword and dagger. Having no weapon, Topaz took hold of a candlestick. They all vied for the best position to strike as Josephine – certainly a pet no longer, but a wild, angry beast – patted the cake with her giant paws, crushing the effigies of the bride and groom. Nathan lunged first, but she dodged him, springing up and landing on the table, making it buckle under her weight. She skidded along, sending everything flying – an eruption of smashed crockery, cutlery and food. When she alighted upon a vast joint of meat, she took it in her jaws. Meanwhile Nathan bounded forward again, sword raised, ready for the kill.

But Josephine was too wily. She dropped the joint before leaping back to the ground and heading along the lower terrace.

‘Where is that woman?’ Jupitus roared with rage, rushing back from the fencing chamber with two pistols in his hand. ‘Oceane Noire!’ he called out. Jake had never seen him so red in the face.

‘May I?’ said Nathan, taking one of his guns and heading off in pursuit of the lioness. Jupitus, Topaz and Yoyo followed.

‘Wait for me,’ Charlie called out, bringing up the rear, Mr Drake bouncing on his shoulder. ‘She can be stopped without bloodshed, you know . . .’ He couldn’t bear to see animals suffer.

‘I’m coming too,’ Jake shouted, arming himself with a sword.

‘There’s enough of them already, darling,’ Miriam said, trying to block his path. ‘Why not leave it to one of the professionals?’

‘I
am
one of the professionals, aren’t I?’ he replied tersely, pushing past her.

He caught up with the others as they followed the track around the Mount. They skirted a turreted watchtower and continued round to the ocean-facing side of the island. Here, the path narrowed, winding between the ramparts on one side and the craggy rocks of the foreshore on the other. They were forced to walk in single file, aware that the beast might leap out at them at any moment. They were on the right path for sure: Josephine had left faint footprints of icing sugar.

The track led to a low door at the base of a sheer wall of battlements – the back entrance to the interior harbour where most of the Keepers’ fleet was moored. The door was hanging off its hinges where Josephine had crashed through it. Nathan darted through, pistol at the ready. He checked there was no immediate danger and nodded for the others to follow.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Jake felt a thrill, as he always did, stepping into this dramatic place. It was a vast domed limestone cave, secreted in the very heart of the Mount. A quay curved round one side, lined with a succession of ships of all sizes, their masts bare, rigging furled.

Nathan edged along the quay and up a flight of stairs to another doorway, which was closed. ‘This is the only exit,’ he called back quietly, ‘so she must be in here somewhere.’

The six of them scanned the empty decks of the ships. There was no obvious sign of life. ‘We search each in turn,’ Nathan commanded.

‘I suggest we use this to stop her,’ Charlie said, scooping up a large fishing net. ‘She has every right to a fair trial.’

‘No one appreciates your sensitive side more than I, Charlie,’ Nathan drawled, ‘but the creature did just try to tuck into the bride – not to mention that unfortunate gateau. Use your net by all means; I’ll put my trust in this.’ He brandished his pistol and started his search at the far end of the quay, vaulting up onto the deck of a Norse longboat. Jupitus, Topaz and Yoyo were about to follow suit when a thump came from the hold of the
Campana
– a square-sailed merchant galley – docked next to her.

Everyone froze.

Jupitus cocked his pistol. Yoyo gave him a knowing look and creaked up the steps, her sword clutched firmly in her hand, while Nathan tiptoed across from one deck to the next. An anxious Mr Drake dug his claws into his master’s shoulder. In unison, Nathan and Yoyo threw open the cover of the hold, ready for the kill. But their faces fell.

‘Rats. Having their own wedding party, it seems,’ Nathan deadpanned. ‘Rowdy little things, aren’t they?’

Jake couldn’t help but smile. Then his face froze as he became aware of a sound just behind him, from the shadows of another ship, the
Hippocampus
. He turned to see the lioness crouching at the top of the cabin steps. Her lips curled back to reveal her incisors; otherwise she was as still as stone.