The Broken Sun
Authors: Darrell Pitt
P
RAISE FOR THE JACK
M
ASON
A
DVENTURES
âA fun story, easy to read and full of action⦠Bonus points for being the first kids'
book of its kind I've come across that gives mention to the suffragettes!'
Books+Publishing
âLots of mechanical mayhem and derring-doâbreathless stuff.' Michael Pryor
âNon-stop action, non-stop adventure, non-stop fun!' Richard Harland
âSet in a fantastical London, filled with airships, steam cars and metrotowers stretching
into space, this fast-paced adventure and homage to the world of Victorian literature
and Conan Doyle offers an enjoyable roller-coaster read for fans of
Artemis Fowl
and the Lemony Snicket seriesâ¦[a] rollicking who-dunnit that will keep young Sherlocks
guessing to the very end.'
Magpies
âCharming, witty and intelligently written⦠This series no doubt will be a huge hit
for early teens, the writing is intelligent and Darrell Pitt has created characters
that challenge and provoke readers to invest in the storyline.' Diva Booknerd
THE JACK MASON ADVENTURES
Book I
The Firebird Mystery
Book II
The Secret Abyss
Book III
The Broken Sun
DARRELL PITT began his lifelong appreciation of Victorian literature when
he
read the Sherlock Holmes stories as a child, quickly moving on to H. G. Wells
and
Jules Verne. This early reading led to a love of comics, science fiction and
all
things geeky. Darrell is now married with one daughter. He lives in Melbourne.
The Text Publishing Company
Swann House
22 William Street
Melbourne Victoria 3000
Australia
Copyright © Darrell Pitt 2014
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright above, no part of
this publication shall be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise), without the prior permission of both the copyright owner
and the publisher of this book.
First published in 2014 by The Text Publishing Company
Design by WH Chong
Cover illustration by Eamon O'Donoghue
Typeset by J&M Typesetting
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Author: Pitt, Darrell
Title: The broken sun: a Jack Mason adventure / by Darrell Pitt.
ISBN: 9781922182166 (paperback)
ISBN: 9781925095166 (ebook)
Target Audience: For young adults.
Subjects: Detective and mystery stories.
Dewey Number: A823.4
This project has been assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia
Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
To Patrick
For leading the way
CONTENTS
âI need a seven-letter word that means
difficult to find
,' Scarlet Bell said, peering
at the crossword puzzle in
The Times
.
âHmm.' Jack Mason looked up from a book on mountain climbing. âHow about
exciting
?'
They were sitting in Ignatius Doyle's library on the top floor of 221 Bee Street.
While it contained booksâthousands of themâthe shelves were empty. The books were
stacked on the floor according to colour, while the shelves held odd items that had
no place in a library: the chimney from a Stephenson steam engine, a fish tank containing
a preserved snake, two stuffed monkeys, a jar marked âToenail Clippings', a vase
with a bronze
plate that read âEbenezer JonesâMuch Loved but Easily Forgotten', a
pile of men's undergarments and a cluster of oval spheres that looked like dinosaur
eggs.
âI can see two problems with that answer,' Scarlet said, pushing back her fire engine
red hair. âThe first is that
exciting
has eight letters.'
âCan't you just squeeze it in?'
At fourteen, Jack was a year younger than Scarlet, and small for his age. His expertise
was not tests of the mind but the body. He and his parents had been trapeze artists
in the circus. After their untimely deaths, he lived in an orphanage until Ignatius
Doyle, the famous detective, employed him as his assistant.
âI've never heard of anyone doing that,' Scarlet said.
âWhat do the rules say?' Jack reached into one of the voluminous pockets of his green
coat and withdrew a boiled lolly. âI bet it's allowed.'
âThere are no instructions saying you
can't
do it, but there is also a second problem.
Difficult to find
can hardly be defined as
exciting
.'
Jack wasn't so sure. Discovering the unknown with Mr Doyle often took them to exciting
places.
Surely they are the same thing?
Scarlet threw down the newspaper. âWe need a mystery to solve,' she said, giving
up on the elusive word. âI fear our brains are stagnating.'
Jack didn't mind a little stagnation. Their previous adventure had taken them all
the way to America in the pursuit of the world's most deadly assassin. It was
only
through their efforts that a second civil war had been averted.
Wheeeeez.
Jack and Scarlet looked up. Mr Doyle's apartment contained several rooms with no
ceilings. High above, leaky steam pipes and ventilation shafts crisscrossed the rafters.
Nothing unusual thereâexcept now a long metal wire was strung across the roof. Jack
was sure it hadn't been there before.
A single pale feather seesawed lazily to the floor. The sound came again, and this
time an enormous shape attached to the wire flashed overhead. Larger than a man,
it had a beak and two great wings covered in white feathers.
âIf I didn't know better,' Scarlet said, âI'd say that was a giant seagull.'
âBut that's impossible.'
âWhich means Mr Doyle is conducting another of his little experiments.'
A crash came from the far end of the apartment.
âOh dear,' Scarlet said. âI think it may have failed.'
They followed the wire, weaving through more piles of odd possessions that clogged
the apartment: a laboratory table covered in mouldy Petri dishes, a tank containing
a rat skeleton, a model of the Eiffel Tower and a gorilla costume. They also passed
Isaac Newton, the echidna. Sniffing the air, he disappeared through a curved hatch
that had once been part of the Carlsdale Lighthouse.
Reaching a corner crowded with oversized chess pieces, a bust of Queen Victoria and
a four-poster bed, Jack and Scarlet were just in time to see a birdman clambering
off the mattress. The man shoved back a mask to reveal Mr Doyle.
âFascinating,' he spat through a mouthful of feathers. âI now believe the giant gull
of Sumatra may have been a man in a costume suspended by a wire.'
âIgnatius Doyle! What on earth are you doing?'
Gloria Scott, the receptionist and live-in housekeeper, stormed into the room. She
was tall with a mess of blonde ringlet curls and her kindly face was now creased
into an expression of disbelief.
âJust conducting an experiment, my dear. Recent reports in the Malaysian press have
told of a giant flying bird.'
âAre you sure it's not a bat? As in a belfry?'
The detective removed the outfit, reached into his long black coat and produced a
piece of cheese. He popped it into his mouth. âI don't know why you're so annoyed,
my dear.' He smiled. âScientific experimentation lies at the heart of innovation.'
Gloria's face softened as she plucked a feather from Mr Doyle's ear. âYou are supposed
to be setting an example for these young people,' she said. âChildren don't do as
you say, they do as you do.' She pulled a letter from her pocket. âSome mail arrived
for you, Ignatius.'
âMr Doyle?' said Jack when the detective examined the handwriting and frowned.
âI had best go to my study,' Mr Doyle murmured, the lines around his eyes appearing
deeper than ever. âI am feeling a little tired.' Without another word, he disappeared
down an aisle, still clutching the letter.
âGloria,' Jack said. âWhat was all that about?'
She sighed. âYou'll have to ask Mr Doyle, but it's best to give him a few minutes.'
And without further explanation she too departed the room, leaving Jack and Scarlet
to stare at each other.
âWhat on earth is going on?' Scarlet cried. âI hope it's not bad news.'
Maybe it
was
bad news. âCould someone have died?' Jack suggested. âPossibly a friend?'
âI'm not sure Mr Doyle has any friends. Apart from us.'
Jack frowned. Mr Doyle did live a solitary life, immersed in solving crimes and carrying
out strange experiments. And now that Jack thought of it, he had never seen him entertain
a visitor not related to a case. âWe need to make sure he's all right,' he said.
They made their way through the apartment to the study door.
âMaybe this isn't such a good idea,' Scarlet said.
âMr Doyle may need a friend. Who is that if it isn't us?'
Jack reached into his jacket, running his fingers over his two most prized possessions:
the picture of him and his parents, and a compass. His mother and father had given
them to him before their deaths, serving as a
reminder that he would never be alone.
No-one should be alone
, Jack thought.
Especially when they need a friend.
Jack knocked at the door.
âCome in,' Mr Doyle called.
Unlike the library, the study walls were covered in bookshelves filled with books.
So many, in fact, that they overflowed onto the floor, with others teetering precariously
on the desk. Nestled behind the books was Mr Doyle, wearing a pair of magnifying
goggles. He was examining the letter.
âMr Doyle. Is everything all right?'
âWe were worried,' Scarlet added.
Removing the goggles, the detective offered them a seat.