History Keepers: Nightship to China (6 page)

‘Kicking a man from behind?’ Nathan hissed as the others helped him up. ‘You really are as dumb as a bucket of rocks, and not much prettier.’ He was about to draw his sword when Jake interceded, firmly placing his hand on the hilt.

‘Better not,’ he warned; ‘not in the village.’ It was one of the golden rules of Point Zero: the inhabitants of the island should avoid drawing attention to themselves. It was, after all, a
secret
organization.

But the soldier, whose sidekicks had now closed ranks with their leader, had not finished: ‘
Vos cheveux sont ridicules
,’ he said, unsheathing his own weapon and flicking Nathan’s curls. ‘
Vous ressemblez à une fille
.’

‘I look like a girl?’ replied Nathan, his hand going to his sword again.

‘That’s right,’ the soldier sneered, before nodding at Yoyo. ‘And she dances like a man.’

In unison, Jake and Nathan drew their swords.

The soldiers followed suit. Nathan attacked first, lunging at his foe, as Jake set upon the two sidekicks, slicing expertly, relishing the opportunity to show off his new-found skills in front of Yoyo. In the last year he had become almost as gifted a swordsman as Nathan.

Gasps went up amongst the villagers, many retreating in alarm, as the two young agents, with just a handful of strokes, disarmed their three opponents without even breaking sweat.

‘If you spent a little less time prancing around on the dance floor,’ Nathan gloated as he scooped up the Frenchmen’s swords, ‘you could make something of yourselves.’

‘Behind you!’ Jake shouted, as an entire platoon of soldiers surged across the square towards them.

‘Is that really necessary?’ his friend sighed. ‘It’s got nothing to do with them. Hold this a moment,’ he said, chucking his sword to Jake before turning to one of the spit-braziers and grabbing hold of the giant spit. ‘My apologies,’ he offered to the cook as he launched an entire roast pig into the air. It thumped to the ground, rolling towards the oncoming guards and knocking them down like skittles. As they landed one on top of the other, a stray helmet flew out. It struck Jake full in the chest, whereupon he tottered backwards and fell into a vat of cider; it collapsed, the contents spilling out across the dance floor.

Furious, the hulking innkeeper grabbed him by his scarf, pulled him up out of the wreckage and drew his fist back to sock him. Jake dodged the blow, and as the innkeeper lunged forward again, helped him on his way with a firm kick on the backside. There was a chorus of discordant fiddles as he crashed into the band.

Now the entire village had got caught up in the fight, locals and soldiers with one common enemy: the two young upstarts who had arrived by boat (Yoyo had sensibly retreated into an alleyway at the start of the brawl). Madness raged until two pistol shots rang out. Everyone came to a standstill as a stout man with a tricorn hat and enormous red sideburns stepped into the square, a look of thunder on his face.

The two boys edged closer to each other. ‘Just our luck.’ Nathan rolled his eyes. ‘That’s Poing de Fer, the local sheriff.’

Poing de Fer subjected them to a tirade of abuse – in the most colourful French that Jake had ever heard – before giving orders for their immediate arrest.

Yoyo watched with a sinking heart as they were handcuffed and led away.

They were locked in a tiny stone cell with a single barred window looking out onto the dark sea. They were a sorry sight: Jake’s clothes were torn, he stank of cider and he had the beginnings of a black eye. The jail was next to the army garrison, one of a cluster of old stone houses on a headland half a mile from the village. The boys had begged the sheriff to show mercy for their
moment de folie
, but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. When Nathan persisted, Poing de Fer told them that the pressgang would be round in the morning to assess them for military service.

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.

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 his 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.