The Blue Seal of Trinity Cove (4 page)

“Oh, I'm well, thanks,” she managed to get out. “Any chance of a walk? I have some things I need to talk to you about.”

“Yeah, sure,” David answered. They each said their good-byes to Mrs Game and walked towards the town and the store from which they bought their milk-shakes.

“I've come back to get you, David. Things on the island are worse than what we thought.” Bobby began to tell him the story of all of the recent happenings on the island.

“And the worse thing is that if something isn't done very soon the Crone is sure to die. You should see her; how she's even holding onto her life is beyond me. She's literally wasting away.”

“I can't believe the Workhouse Oracle has this much power over her,” David said and he was obviously shocked to hear this news. “Where does she get her power from, and what does she want with the crystal ball, and what does this all have to do with my heritage?” David asked.

“I don't know, David, but I can tell you it's something sinister. I've never in my life before felt such an evil force. I felt her power when she had her tentacle wrapped around my neck and I honestly thought she was about to kill me. If it weren't for Ranku and Tinka and the chief coming in when they did, I don't think I would be here to tell the story.” Bobby felt her face go pale and she touched her hand to her throat as she was remembering the terrifying experience. David looked into her eyes and she saw something in him that was unlike anything she had seen in a person before, other than her mother perhaps. He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her towards him and they walked on in silence like that for a little while. Tears sprang to her eyes again but she blinked them away. She tried to understand what it was that was passing between them but, as usual, it was all beyond her. She did recognise though that it was nice to be comforted by him in this way and she secretly hoped that whatever she had to endure in the future in regards to the island, he would be there to experience it with her. She suddenly found herself liking the idea of having a male companion in spite of her insistence and vow to herself that she would remain alone for the rest of her life. He was her cousin after all and oftentimes cousins became close, even if they were boy and girl and not girl and girl. There was nothing wrong with that. She pulled away from him though, in spite of herself. Why did he have to be so familiar with her? It was just too much.

T
hey ordered their milk-shakes at the store and sat at their regular table out the front.

“I still don't understand what all of this has to do with my heritage, do you? Did she say anything else about my ancestors?” David asked Bobby.

“No, I know it's strange because I can't work that out either. But the Crone keeps talking about you all the time and even the professor can't understand why.” Bobby got to the bottom of her glass and started to slurp noisily.

“Well, I think you're right. The only thing we can do is to go there and then I can see for myself what's going on. I've only got one week though before I go to live at the boarding school so …” and David let the sentence trail off as he looked at Bobby intently.

“Right, well, that came around fast. What a fast summer!” Bobby said.

“Yes,” David said and looked away from her to stare at the ground.

“So when can you get away?” she asked.

“I don't see any reason to put it off. Let's meet at the tree tonight. Actually that works well because Mum and Dad are going out with friends tonight and they won't notice I'm not at home.”

“Okay,” Bobby said and pushed the wave of apprehension that came over her away. As scared as she was to meet with the Workhouse Oracle again, she was also determined to get to the bottom of this mystery no matter what.

Bobby and David barely had time to collect their thoughts when they found themselves lying, again, on a bed on the sandy floor of the island hut. And right then the professor burst through the door. They leaped to their feet.

“And not a moment too soon, I should say. There's a lot going on and I'm pleased to be seeing you again.

How are you?” the professor shook David's hand and clapped him on the shoulder.

“I'm very well, thank you. But I hear things aren't going so well here on the island,” David answered.

“No, indeed. We are living through perilous times, my lad, but for some strange reason, our old Crone thinks that it's you who holds all the answers. I don't for one moment pretend to understand what it is that's happening but I must say I am rather interested in what you make of it all.” The professor ushered them from the hut. Sebastian was already holding onto Bobby's hand and David observed it with a puzzled look. When they stepped from the hut there was no welcoming party as there usually was. In fact the whole place seemed rather quiet and deserted.

“I think you'll find things to be quite changed, David, since you were last here.” Sebastian made an awful crying sound and rubbed Bobby's hand with his other hand as if trying to say something.

“What is it, Sebastian?” David asked.

“I'm afraid Sebastian has had quite a shock. He's remembering when Bobby was almost killed by the Oracle. We thought we might lose you, Bobby, and now he has nightmares most nights. I fear he may never let you out of his sight again,” the professor explained.

“But look silly, here I am, right here. Nothing has happened to me and nothing will, I promise; cross my heart.” And Bobby made a cross over her heart and then knelt down to give the monkey a big hug. Sebastian rubbed his eyes and looked at her woefully as if wiping away tears. She rubbed his head and they walked on.

“I'm afraid things haven't improved since you left, Bobby, and in fact I would have to say that if we don't have some kind of answer soon we are indeed going to lose the Crone and goodness knows what will become of the island then,” the professor said, confirming her fears. David stared at the professor wide-eyed, still not fully comprehending the gravity of the situation.

“Bobby told me it has something to do with my heritage but have you worked out exactly what it is?” he asked the professor.

“No, that's exactly the problem David, my lad, no-one seems to be able to understand what it is that she's saying. She keeps mumbling something about a Blue Seal and then says ‘David will know, David will know.'”

“Really,” David answered and he looked thoughtful for a moment. “A Blue Seal. But what does she mean by Blue Seal? I have no idea what that could mean …”

“I thought that might be your answer,” the professor said. “I would like to take you to see the Crone but I fear for your safety if the Workhouse Oracle makes an appearance again. I'm sure Bobby's told you about what happened.”

“Yes, I got that story. But I don't see that I have any option,” David said. “I will go into the hut and Bobby can wait outside. If I'm there without her, it may make a difference.” David had obviously already made up his mind that this is what he would do.

“Yes, I think you're right David. There is no other option,” the professor agreed.

Bobby waited outside the hut and was relieved that, this time, there were no strange objects flung from the hut or blood curdling screams from the Crone. Instead everything was quiet, eerily quiet, Bobby thought. She asked the professor if he had worked out for what reason the orb objects that had planted themselves into the trees had been sent.

“All I can tell you is that they are here to collect information about us; this much I know for sure. We have noticed that whenever activity or even conversation takes place in this area,” and he used his finger to draw an imaginary line in a circle outside the Crone's hut, where the trees were placed, “the lights of the orbs all begin to flash in unison. Whether they are recording the sounds or visual images though, I cannot tell you. I would dearly like to take one out of a tree to examine it more closely but it is very dangerous as they seem to double as a weapon, as you already know.” He looked at the spot on her cheek that had been cut. It had healed almost completely and was now just a scratch that would not scar. At that moment the lights of the orbs started to flash but this time there was a low-pitched whirring sound as well.

“What's this then?” he said almost to himself. Then another orb started to make a whirring sound, and then another.

“It's almost as if they're talking to each other,” Bobby said. “That gives me the creeps. They could have been listening in on our conversation all this time and maybe they even know who I am and …” The orbs left their individual places on the trees and flew into the middle of the arena. They formed a column, one above the other and each one of them began to make strange noises and their lights flashed crazily as if they were very excited. The chief's son immediately pointed his spear toward the column and began to move warily toward it. The orbs then flew about in different directions as if deliberately forming a pattern that would have seemed quite pretty, Bobby thought, if it weren't for the fact that she felt her life was in danger again. She suddenly found David right beside her, staring at the scene as if trying to take it all in. An instant later the orbs flew in the direction of Bobby.

The professor and David instinctively formed a huddle around Bobby as if to protect her. The orbs fluttered up and down right in front of their faces; were they trying to decide how to get to her, Bobby thought, because that was exactly what it felt like. David put his arms behind him and grabbed Bobby to his back so that she was pressed hard against him and not able to be seen. It made no difference. Within a second, and before they had time to even think, the orbs had flown behind them and began to attack Bobby's backpack. Bobby heard a high-pitched scream and then realised that the dreadful sound was coming from her. She dropped the bag. They rotated very fast, pressing at the bag in the same fashion that a round saw presses at a piece of timber, until her backpack was torn completely to shreds and the contents had fallen to the ground.

“They're after the crystal ball,” the professor yelled. “Quickly, we mustn't let them have it.” He lurched forward and at the same moment the chief's son leaped into the fray with his spear, but both of them were driven back immediately by orbs that flew at their throats. It was a warning, “Interfere and your throat will be cut,” was what they were saying without words but with their strange lights and whirring sounds. Bobby watched on in horror as the contents of her bag were shredded to pieces. Her favourite pyjamas that she'd worn almost every night for three years, underpants, handkerchiefs, photos of her mother, her diary, biscuits and even her drink bottle, all shredded. She was so pre-occupied with what was happening right before her eyes, she had completely forgotten that the crystal ball was still lying on the sandy floor of the hut they had arrived in. Normally she would have put the ball straight into her backpack but this time she hadn't for some strange reason.

“Don't move,” the professor said through his teeth. “Don't say a word.” The orbs flew all about the heads of the four of them threateningly and the ones positioned at their throats moved closer. They all buzzed and flicked their lights and made the whirring noise more urgently now than before. And then Bobby noticed that one of them rose above the others and was making a louder, and different, noise to the others.

“They all want to kill us,” Bobby thought to herself, her intuition working overtime to try and understand what was happening, “but the leader of them has realised that they can't because then they'll never get what they want and that means their mission has failed.” All at once and in an instant they flew back to their original positions and embedded again into the trees. The chief's son took up his post again with an emotionless face that gave away nothing of what he was feeling. The others backed out of the arena quietly and slowly so as not to disturb them again. It was only when they were well down the track that Bobby broke the silence.