Chapter Thirteen
Eustace was in the large room where Matthew had met the Baron last night, standing by a table with some objects on it by a window. Matthew noticed the fireplace with the two chairs at the other end and shivered a little at the memory of the Baron last night.
‘Welcome, Matthew. My Lord has asked me to instruct you on what you need to do and tell you about the tools he’s given to you for your task,’ he said.
‘Here are two pairs of Travelling Stones. You need to leave one where you want to go and you then rub the other three times and it will take you there. So you’ll need to put one where the Spear of Destiny heirloom is and one where the Picture gateway is during the day so you can return at night when there will be fewer guards.
You will also need this Lock Opener to open the cupboard where the spear is. You just tap the lock like the stones three times again and it will open,’ said Eustace who then put the Stones and the key-shaped Lock Opener into two small leather bags which he gave to Matthew. He was sceptical that they would work in his world but remembered that magic had brought him to this one.
‘My Lord expects you to take care of these,’ he said. ‘You should also know that time passes differently in this world compared to yours. Essentially, one day and night here is the same as four hours there. This means that several days will have passed here by the time you will have completed your task. My Lord realises this is a difficult task and so is giving you one-and-a-half of your days to achieve it. Any later and my Lord and your friends will be worried about you,’ said Eustace.
‘How will I get back to my world?’ asked Matthew, now realising that his parents would not have missed him; for he would only have been gone for about seven hours. He also understood too well Eustace’s emphasis on “your friends”.
‘We will shortly take you to the Clearing. My Lord says that all you have to do there is stand by the Oak tree by the bridge and focus on the place where you were before in your own world. You will then be transported back,’ said Eustace.
It was really that simple? questioned Matthew in his mind, as he remembered the struggle he had the first time he had returned to the museum from the Clearing.
‘What about my friends?’ he then asked, now impatient to see Hannah again to see if she were all right.
‘I will take you to them now but you must not communicate with them about your task or tell them of your magic tools, or else...’ Eustace left the sentence unfinished and took Matthew down to the dungeon. The two soldiers outside the door accompanied them with two others. As they walked down Matthew remembered the battle the night before and thought he could still see some blood stains on his way in the now less dark corridors.
When they got to the dungeon Matthew saw that the jailer of last night was still on duty but with a bandaged head. They all entered the dungeon and approached the cell, the same one on the right where Hannah’s grandfather had been held.
When the jailer opened it, the four soldiers had their crossbows ready. From behind them, Matthew saw in the semi- darkness that Hannah, her grandfather, Tobias, Curt, and what remained of his men were all together. Eustace looked at Matthew and said, ‘Remember, say nothing,’ as the soldiers made space for Matthew to enter.
Matthew went into the dark cell and approached Hannah. But she backed away from him, eyeing him suspiciously. ‘Why have they let you in here?’ she asked.
‘I told them I wanted to see you,’ said Matthew feeling hurt but now understanding more her confusion.
‘Yes, but why are you still free and have the authority to come in here?’ she asked.
‘I can’t say. They told me not to,’ said Matthew ‘If I do, it can lead to problems for you. Look, I’ll try to help you. I have not betrayed you and will not.’ He looked behind him in the direction of Eustace. ‘You said to me before that you trusted in your dreams. I say to you now, carry on doing so.’
Matthew heard her grandfather mumble something about Matthew even being dressed like the Baron to Curt and Tobias, who also looked hostile towards him.
‘That’s enough,’ said Eustace from outside. ‘Come on. It’s time to go.’
Matthew touched Hannah on the shoulder and left the cell. He could see that she doubted him and he felt very negative about this. But he also felt that he would prove her first instincts about him right: he did not know about saving her Land from the Baron but he would certainly try to save her and the others somehow. He would show them all that he was not just “a boy” who was without any use.
Eustace guided him with the four soldiers through some corridors and stairs up to a courtyard, at the end of which Matthew could see were two large gates. There was a wagon near them, which Eustace gestured for him to get on. The gates then opened onto the bridge near the secret tunnel Matthew had entered last night. Matthew reflected how much had changed since then: talk about new experiences being necessary to grow as a person.
There were some horsemen at the front and back of them. Matthew noticed that they seemed much more alert than before as they passed over the bridge into the forest.
Matthew continued to marvel at the forest’s beauty as the wagon moved on: from the birds and squirrels in the trees to the foliage and shrubbery on the forest floor, not forgetting the musky wild smell: this environment was just what he needed after last night’s events and he allowed himself to enjoy it.
After about half an hour, they came to the crossroads Matthew had passed with Hannah two days ago. They then turned left into the track leading to the Clearing. Here Matthew began to think about what he would do when he returned to his own world.
Then, about an hour and a half after they had left the Castle, they reached the path to the Clearing from the track. The Wagon stopped and Matthew and Eustace disembarked with four soldiers. The horsemen remained where they were.
Nearly an hour later, they arrived at the bridge. ‘This is as far as I go,’ said Eustace. ‘I will be here waiting for you in nine days. Remember, my lord and your friends will be keen to see you again with the Spear. So do not fail them.’
Matthew said nothing in response and went over the bridge. He then looked back. Eustace and the soldiers were watching him and around them a little nervously, he thought, like they were uncomfortable being this close to the Clearing. It was funny, he thought, because he did not think there was anything strange about it, even though there obviously was for him to be able to travel here from another world.
He stood in front of the Oak tree at the spot where he had first entered the Land, closed his eyes, and focussed on an image of the Kunsthistorisches, as per the Baron’s instructions. But it was no good; he just could not return. He again looked over the bridge to where Eustace and the soldiers were and then suddenly realised he had to face away from the tree towards the Clearing.
It was hard at first but eventually he could feel himself being drawn back to the museum. His mind began to swirl in the usual soothing way, and then suddenly he was back facing the picture in the gallery.
He self consciously looked around him. There were a few people looking at pictures but no one seemed to have noticed his re-appearance. He looked at his watch to see if it was working. It was but the time was still 10.08 a.m., when he went to the land. He saw a from a clock on the wall that the time was 5.47 p.m., which he readjusted his watch to. He then left the museum to find his parents who would obviously be worried about him. He realised he had promised them he would see them for breakfast and been gone for over seven hours.
The Destiny of Matthew Page 13
