They got to their feet and, as Jason steadied himself, he saw a flash of light in the darkness at the far side of the field. It seemed like a torch beam, pointing at the ground, though it went out after a few seconds.
“There’s someone in the field,” he hissed.
“There is no need to whisper,” said Echo. “In a gewita, no one can see or hear us.”
“This is unreal,” said Jason. “But I’m sure I saw a torch.”
“A torch?” said Echo. “Dost thou mean a flame?”
“No – it works with batteries and a bulb. I’ll explain later.”
“’Tis important to know who made the light appear,” Echo said.
As she spoke the distant torch flashed on again, going out a moment later. She set off in that direction and Jason followed.
“You’re sure they can’t see us?” he said.
“I am certain.”
They’d gone about fifty paces when Jason heard hushed voices. Gradually he could make out two men, silhouetted in the moonlight. He and Echo crept nearer still, close enough now to see that the men wore dark clothing and black woolly hats. One of them had a metal detector, the other a short spade.
“What is the device?” Echo asked, stopping a couple of metres away.
“It finds buried treasure,” Jason explained.
He stood at her side, intent on the men. They were deep in conversation, unaware of the two time-travelling observers.
“Just a couple of brass buttons,” one man was saying, holding out a gloved hand. “Maybe a hundred years old, but not worth much.”
“Waste of time,” the other man grunted.
“This field’s probably been searched already,” the first man said. “We’ll carry on, though.”
With this he switched on the metal detector and began to sweep it from side-to-side.
“I know what’s going on,” said Jason. “These men are night-hawks. I’ve seen stuff about this on telly. They sneak out after dark, using machines like this to find treasure on people’s land. They never ask to do it, though – and they just keep anything they find. The police say they’re no better than thieves.”
“I know not telly,” said Echo. “But ’tis of no matter, for the gewita continues.”
The men’s shadowy faces began to blur. The darkness rippled, time speeded up and the moon crossed the sky in seconds. Echo took Jason’s hand and they both floated up from the ground. Next moment they were soaring through the air, above the fields and hedges as dawn broke. A small village came into view and Jason and Echo sailed down in the early morning light. A second later they were standing on a grass verge just outside the village, the word Cleaving written on a sign at the roadside.
“Cleaving!” said Jason. “This isn’t too far from where I live.”
Echo let go of his hand and, in the same instant, they heard the sound of an engine. Jason whirled around to see a car in the distance, heading along the road towards the village.
“’Tis one of those big-eyed chariots!” said Echo. “How does it go so fast?”
“It’s all down to something called science,” said Jason. “You’ll see loads of weird things from now on.”
He and Echo instinctively stepped back onto the verge as the car sped past. It carried on for another fifty metres before slowing down, parking near a row of houses. Two men in dark clothing stepped out, one of them opening the boot to remove a lengthy object wrapped in sacking. The men cast furtive glances up and down the village street before heading to one of the houses, scuttling inside.
“These are the same men,” said Echo. “Though no longer do they wear hats. Let us follow.”
She and Jason broke into a run, stopping as they reached the car. The house looked run-down, its windows covered in grime, the front garden overgrown. Jason followed Echo as she hurried down the path. She came to the door but didn’t slow her pace, walking straight through the blue-painted wood and disappearing from sight.
Jason slid to a halt. “Wow! How did you do that?”
“Thou canst do it too,” came the reply from the other side.
Jason stepped up to the door and put a shoulder against it, expecting resistance. Instead he felt a sudden numbness before he glided through like a ghost, joining Echo in the narrow entrance hall.
She grinned. “See, ’twas easy.”
They heard voices and rushed down the hallway, to the kitchen at the far end. Both men were there, one sitting at the table, spreading out a dozen brass buttons.
“I’m never going to make a fortune like this,” he said, running his fingers through his unruly, light-brown hair. “But I’ll be a multi-millionaire one day – just you see.”
Echo stepped up to the table to take a close look at the young man, assessing every detail.
“He seems most handsome,” she said. “Yet there is an evil about him that does make my flesh creep.” She closed her eyes and pointed a finger. “I do sense his name. ’Tis Scott.” She paused, concentrating harder before looking at him again. “Scott Cobalt. Fie, ’tis an unusual name. Methinks these men are brothers.”
Her attention turned to the other man; a short, squat individual with hardly any neck. He was aged about twenty, his hair greasy and unkempt.
“But this one is not at all handsome,” Echo said. “He is an ugly stink-toad.” She closed her eyes and pointed again. “His name is Kevin, and he is the younger brother.”
“Multi-millionaire?” he grunted. “Working for George Megginson? That’s a laugh.”
“You think I’m going to work on some poxy farm all my life?” said Scott. “No chance. I’m going to be stinking rich – whatever it takes.”
“Well I’m sick of this night-hawking,” Kevin mumbled.
“Oh yeah?” said Scott. “What else would you be doing? Watching your brainless horror films all night?”
Kevin muttered something under his breath as he unwrapped the sacking from the metal detector, leaning it up near the fridge. He put the kettle on then reached up into a cupboard for a couple of coffee mugs. He swore loudly as one of them slipped from his hand, shattering on the work surface.
“Careful!” said Scott, cringing. “You’ll wake Mum and Dad up.”
“So what?” said Kevin. “I hate ’em.”
“And you’ll wake Tiffany up.”
Kevin shrugged as he waited for the kettle to boil.
Tiffany Cobalt, thought Jason. The name seemed familiar to him.
“Why are we being shown these things?” he asked.
“I cannot be certain,” said Echo. “But ’tis something to do with thy mother, and thy sister. The gewita will tell us more.”
The walls began to glimmer and the room dissolved. Jason saw a stream of fuzzy images then suddenly he was standing in sunlight in a very familiar place. He recognised the modern housing estate straightaway, and he and Echo were facing a small, semi-detached house with a rusting silver hatchback on the drive.
“We’re in Oswaldley!” he said. “This is where I used to live – 18 Milton Close – the house we rented!”
They both glanced up and down the street but saw no one.
“It’s all coming back to me now,” Jason said. “About Tiffany Cobalt. I’ve never seen her, but Lauren talked about her quite a bit – they were in the same year at school. Tiffany was always moaning about her parents, especially her dad. He’s a kung fu instructor – that means he knows all about fighting – and he taught his three kids to fight just like him. But he was also a gambler, and a bully, and he was rotten to his children – especially Tiffany. Then one day her brothers came into a load of money, and they moved into a big posh house called Ravenstone Manor.”
“All of the Cobalt family?” Echo asked.
Jason shook his head. “Just Tiffany and her brothers. She was only thirteen at the time but Social Services couldn’t stop her moving away from her parents. At school she was always bragging about how rich she was, saying she’d never have to get a job when she was
older. All the other kids were jealous as hell.”
Echo frowned. “What is Social Services?”
But Jason didn’t have time to answer. He heard the sound of an engine and looked quickly to his left. A shiny black Range Rover drove up, drawing alongside the pavement behind them. Jason gasped as the driver stepped out. It was Scott Cobalt, though he looked a couple of years older now. The passenger door opened and a girl appeared, aged about fourteen, her hair long and jet black. She wore high-heeled shoes, a skimpy red dress and plenty of mascara and lip gloss. Her jutting jaw, broad toothy grin and piercing green eyes made her look quite scary.
“’Tis Tiffany,” said Echo, closing her eyes for a moment.
But already Jason was following Scott and Tiffany as they made their way to the front door. Echo joined them a moment later. Scott knocked three times.
“Maybe I shouldn’t watch any more of this,” said Jason, knowing who was going to answer.
“Thou must be brave,” said Echo. “The gewita shows us these things for good reason.”
The door was answered by a smiling woman with pale blue eyes and straight, dark brown hair that framed her face. Jason went cold all over.
“Mum… ” he whispered.
Next to Mum stood Lauren, just as he’d last seen her. She nearly always wore her blonde hair like that, tied in a ponytail draped over one shoulder, though it was her pretty smile he remembered the most. He stepped forward, wanting to touch her, hug her, hold her close – but Echo held him back.
“’Tis no use,” she said. “She cannot see us, and thy hands will go straight through her.”
“You must be Lauren’s mum,” Scott was saying. “I’m Tiffany’s brother. She thought it’d be okay if I gave her and Lauren a lift into town. Tiff’s been looking forward to this trip to the cinema for ages.”
“Yes, absolutely fine,” said Mum. “Lauren tells me you live at Ravenstone Manor.”
“Yep, and we’re settling in nicely,” said Scott with a smile. “Nice place you’ve got here, though, Mrs Fleeting.”
“Please,” said Mum. “Call me Anna.”
Echo turned to Jason. “Dost thou remember this?”
Jason nodded. “I was nine years old at the time. I was away at soccer practice when Scott and Tiffany called, but Mum told me about it afterwards.”
He was wondering whether he should explain soccer practice when the house began to quiver. Slowly the world rearranged itself around Jason and Echo. Now they were out in the countryside, standing in a grazing field. The Range Rover was parked in a nearby gateway and Scott stood beside it, chatting to Tiffany and Lauren.
“Why are we here?” Lauren was saying. “We’re supposed to be going to see a movie.”
“Plenty of time for that,” Scott replied. “Tiffany tells me she lost an earring at school, and you found it for her – on the sports field. She says you’ve got a gift for finding stuff.”
Lauren shrugged. “It started, you know, a few weeks ago. I’ve found a few lost things but it’s no big deal.”
“What else could you find?” asked Scott. “Gold? Silver? Something buried?”
“Probably,” said Lauren. “But…”
“It’s for a bet, that’s all,” Tiffany interrupted. “Scott’s gonna give me a tenner if you find something. You’ve gotta help me win, Lauren.”
Lauren bit her lip. “I’m not sure. I’ve already talked to my mum about this. We might do a bit of treasure hunting ourselves, in farmers’ fields, but we’ll ask permission first. Then, if we find anything, we’ll report it – and split any money with the farmer. That’s the law, you see.”
“’Course it is,” said Scott. “I should know – I’ve done a bit of treasure hunting myself. Have a look at this.”
He opened the back of the Range Rover and took out his metal detector.
“Right, Lauren, here’s the bet,” said Tiffany. “Take us to where you think there’s buried treasure, then Scott’ll check it over with his gismo. Find something valuable and I win!”
“I’m not sure.”
“Oh chill out,” said Tiffany, hands on hips. “Just a bit of fun, ain’t it?”
Lauren sighed. “I guess so - but this is a one-off, right?”
She took a couple of steps away from the car, staring out across the field, thumbs to her temples. Her blue-grey eyes fixed on a spot in the distance, then she began to walk as if in a trance. Scott took a spade from the back of the car then he and Tiffany set off after her. Jason and Echo followed a pace behind. They all arrived at the far corner of the field where Lauren came out of her trance and stamped a foot to the ground.
“Here.”
She stepped out of Scott’s way as he switched on the metal detector, sweeping it over the same spot. The machine let out a series of loud beeps then Scott threw it aside. Next moment he was on his knees, cutting the turf with the spade before digging down. He’d gone about thirty centimetres when the spade hit something hard. The smile left his face as he removed a bent, rusty nail from the soil.
“Looks like I win the bet,” he said, glaring up at Tiffany. “Totally worthless.”
“Keep digging,” Lauren said.
Scott did so, working away until the spade struck another object. He pulled it out, scraping the soil from its surface.
“Hey, a brooch!” he said in astonishment. “Looks like solid gold – and really old. Could even be Celtic!”
Tiffany swore and fisted the air. “I win!”
“Now can we go?” said Lauren. “And don’t forget, you’ve got to report this to the owner of the field.”
“Not a problem,” said Scott, putting the brooch in his pocket. “We’ll make sure you get your share, Lauren, don’t worry about that.” He grabbed the shovel and metal detector then got to his feet. “Why don’t we check the rest of the field?”
But now Lauren was walking away, heading back to the Range Rover. Once she was out of earshot, Scott and Tiffany began a hushed conversation.
“She’s good,” said Scott. “I mean really good. But it looks like she’ll take some persuading. I’ll drop you both off at the cinema, and it’s best you don’t say any more about this for a while. Once the dust has settled you can start working on her.”
“You heard the dozy cow,” said Tiffany. “She’s already got it planned, with her mum. They’re gonna ask farmers if they can search their fields then share the dosh. Why would she cut us in?”
“Owning Ravenstone Manor is one thing,” said Scott. “Keeping it up is another. We need the readies. Wait your time then lean on her a bit. You’d better make her change her mind, though, or we’ll have to take more drastic action.”
His features flickered out of focus, the field disappearing in a blast of white light before Jason and Echo were engulfed by darkness once more. Now they were standing beside a narrow, lonely, moonlit road, stretching away like a grey ribbon in either direction. Jason’s insides were churning.
“I think I can guess where this is,” he said. “And when.”
A door slammed, and he spun around. He saw a gateway in the high hedge, and a field beyond where a large white van was parked. A man emerged from the darkness, opening the back of the van. He took out a bicycle and began to wheel it to the gateway.
“What strange contraption is that?” said Echo.
“A bike,” said Jason. “But what’s he doing?”
He recognised the squat, shifty-looking man as he came closer. Kevin Cobalt crossed the grass verge then released his grip on the bicycle, letting it fall by the roadside.
“This is it, isn’t it?” said Jason. “The night they killed Mum, the night they took Lauren.” A chill swept through him. “Lauren had been to a party. Well, not really a party – just a meeting at a friend’s house with some other girls. They were watching DVDs and stuff. I was ill, so a neighbour looked after me while Mum went to pick Lauren up.”
Kevin put on a pair of gloves and a black ski mask, so only his eyes were showing.
“He does look like an evil demon,” said Echo, glancing along the road. “But what is that noise?”
Jason had heard it too; the sound of an engine. A glow of headlamps appeared in the distance.
“It’s them!” came Scott’s voice from behind the hedge. “Go for it, Kev!”
By now Kevin had put up his hood, and he was lying face down next to the bike with his arms and legs splayed out.
“So that’s how they did it!” said Jason. “Tiffany must’ve heard about the party and tipped her brothers off. Kevin pretended he’d had an accident. Then Mum comes along…she used to be a nurse…she was bound to stop…and Scott was waiting behind the hedge.”
The headlamps were lighting up the road now. Echo took Jason’s hand.
“’Tis not the time to be brave,” she said softly. “This will be too painful for thee.”
Jason’s eyelids became heavy, slowly closing, his world beginning to whirl. His arms and legs tingled as he travelled through a tunnel of no light, no sound. Seconds later his eyes were open again and he was back in the sunshine, sitting cross-legged with Echo in the oat field.
“We have returned to the present,” she said. “Where not one moment has passed. But now I must revisit the gewita, to see the next events on mine own.”
– CHAPTER FIVE –
Ravenstone Manor
Echo sat with her hands together, eyes closed. Quickly she came out of the gewita, breathing in deeply, almost choking. Jason daren’t ask what she’d seen, but knew she was about to tell him anyway.
“Thou wilt remember the moment we left the last gewita,” she began. “The big-eyed chariot was coming along the road, and the masked man Kevin did lie down by his wheeled machine.”
Jason nodded, hardly able to listen.
“When I returned on mine own, I did see thy mother’s chariot come closer and closer,” Echo continued. “Its noise became quieter, then it slowed down and stopped. The lights from its eyes shone brightly upon Kevin but he did not move. Thy mother stepped from her chariot and called to him.”
Jason’s heart turned to ice. “What…what about Lauren?”
Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time Page 5
