Felix Jones and The Honour of The Keeper (Felix Jones Adventures Book 2)

by Julian Roderick

  “Thank you,” said Felix, “but not as bravely as your men.”

  “Your gifts brought us great luck today,” the old man added. “But we must be wary of the white man as we have stirred the bee’s nest. He will not forget today.”

  “Yes, make a treaty now before it is too late for your people,” said Felix, trying his best to look wise.

  A deathly silence fell.

  “Peace, never!” cried Crazy Horse. “These two are white men who want us gone.”

  “They speak the truth,” said Sitting Bull. “We should think on their words.”

  Crazy Horse looked angry and screamed, “They speak with forked tongues! They must join their soldiers on the Little Big Horn!”

  As he ran towards them, the boys drew their swords ready for action. Crazy Horse pulled something out of his waist band and threw it at the boys. It was the books! Felix leapt after the books as Tom fended off Crazy Horse causing him to charge straight past the anxious pair. Felix retrieved the Books and threw the text book to the floor, there was a picture of farmers ploughing a field in the 1600’s. As Crazy Horse charged again the pair hugged each other, holding tightly on to their swords, and jumped onto the Book. Felix grabbed the Book as they entered the time portal.

  They both passed out.

  5

  Felix awoke again to see his smirking Guardian flying through the colourful vortex at his side.

  “That was a close one!” Tom shouted.

  “Close! One more minute and we’d have our scalps on those spears!” replied Felix.

  “Should be OK in the fields cutting hay,” smiled Tom.

  “We have to get back,” said Felix worriedly.

  “We need answers for the Industrial Revolution!” cried Tom.

  “I don’t care,” said Felix “We just need to get back home.”

  As usual before arriving at their destination the pair blacked out.

  Once again the first thing Felix saw when he awoke was Tom’s grinning face.

  “At last,” said Tom, “the Book has landed us somewhere nice and for a change we’re not being shot at.”

  “Where are we?” whimpered Felix. His body ached all over. He looked at Tom and laughed at the sight of his best friend sitting there dressed as a Native American Indian. He soon realised he looked the same; wherever they were, they would stick out like sore thumbs.

  “Where are we?” asked Felix.

  “Not a clue,” replied Tom, “but the view is amazing.”

  Felix sat up to see what his best friend was so happy about. He was greeted by a sight that was breath-taking. Fields filled with crops of yellow and orange rolled down the mountainside to the bright blue sea. They were surrounded by vines full of large bunches of ripe purple grapes. Dotted around the patchwork fields stood small farm buildings whose terracotta tiled roofs shone red in the sunlight. Near the sea stood a town, people wandered around the streets like ants but something was missing.

  “This isn’t England in 1600!” Tom stated as he studied the pictures in his History text book.

  “I think that’s the Mediterranean,” replied Felix. “The only places I know with vineyards are France, Italy and Spain.”

  “Look in the Book dummy!” laughed Tom.

  Felix opened The Book of Words and on the first page he saw:

  Location Mount Vesuvius, Italy

  Date 24th August 79

  Languages Latin

  “It’s lovely here,” said Tom. “Can we stay a while?”

  “You can stay if you want. We’re not going to get shot but it’s going to get a bit warmer,” replied Felix.

  “Where are we?” asked Tom.

  “Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.,” said a frustrated Keeper. “The Sheriff taught us about it last year in Geography. I’m sure it erupts soon!”

  “Great!” said Tom holding his head in his hands. “We’ve turned up for a Roman toga party dressed as Indians.”

  “Let’s go to the town, it must be Pompeii,” said an excited Felix. “We’ll be able to see it when it’s still in one piece.”

  6

  The time travellers set off down the mountain towards the town. They had their school uniforms bundled up in an Indian blanket but they would look equally silly wearing them. They came to a silver stream trickling down to the sea. The war paint was removed and they felt refreshed again by the cold water. The grapes fresh off the vines were delicious and juicy. They ate hundreds of them as they wandered happily down the hillside. Tom laughed about their exploits since Felix had been plunged into the world of The Book of Words. Felix opened the Book and asked how to get home, and why they weren’t going where they were supposed to. The same answer appeared on the second page:

  ‘Figure it out for yourself’

  “The Book’s still not answering,” said Felix looking confused.

  “We’ll figure it out,” winked Tom slapping his worried friend on the back.

  “That’s what the flaming Book said!” laughed Felix as they closed in on the town.

  The town was surrounded by a tall wall made of stone, Roman soldiers stood on duty but didn’t seem worried about who came or went.

  “This is easy,” exclaimed Tom as they approached the main gate and entrance into the town.

  “Too easy,” said Felix. “Just let me do all the talking.”

  The guards at the gate suddenly stood upright and each of them held their pilum - throwing spears - out to block the odd looking travellers’ path. Tom placed his hand on his sabre but Felix once again gave him a look that said “don’t”.

  “Where have you come from?” asked the guard.

  “We are from a far off land, Caledonia.” Felix replied in perfect Latin, “We are wandering the Roman empire looking for work and adventure.”

  “Why are you dressed like that?” the guards laughed.

  “We are minstrels, these are our costumes,” Felix grinned at Tom as he knew Tom did not have a clue what he was talking about.

  “What is your act?” asked an old gentleman as he passed.

  “I sing and he is an acrobat,” said Felix with a huge smile. He nodded at Tom who beamed from ear to ear.

  “Sing then,” demanded the guard.

  Felix burst into song, he started with “Morning has broken” and followed it with The National Anthem of the United Kingdom. A crowd gathered quickly and applauded loudly when he had finished. The old gentleman went round with a wicker basket and collected coins from the happy audience.

  “Your turn,” Felix said to Tom laughing.

  “I can’t sing,” said an anxious Tom. “They will hunt me down and stone me to death if I sing.”

  “I told them you were an acrobat,” said Felix knowing that his companion had been on the County School’s Gymnastic Squad. Tom tumbled as if his life depended upon it. Flick flacks, back flips, somersaults and jumps all linked together made up his mesmerising routine. The crowd erupted in noise at the end throwing coins and flowers at Tom. The pair were ushered into Pompeii by the applauding throng of people that had gathered to watch. The guards had little choice but to let the strangers in.

  The boys found themselves walking down the street, which was as straight as an arrow, with a basket full of money. They thought the best thing to do would be to blend in so they purchased two togas and threw them on clumsily. They bought leather sandals too. The pair of twenty-first century schoolboys blended right in. Their swords were hidden under their robes and their uniforms were bundled into a small hand held basket. The whole town seemed to be one big market place with locals selling everything from goats and pots to onions. The smells of fruit and flowers filled the air and the hustle and bustle of the crowd was invigorating. The whole experience of being in an actual Roman town made them forget for a while about the Book and getting home.

  “Let’s go to the baths,” suggested Tom with great enthusiasm. “We did that project in Primary School, let’s see what they are really like.”

  “Why not?
” said Felix and they made their way through the grid patterned streets until they found the public baths. They paid the entrance fee and went in. They followed the others into the changing room where took off their togas and wrapped loin clothes around their waists. They hid their swords under the bundles of clothes and basket and went into the tepidarium, they knew this was like a sauna. It was roasting and they began sweating straight away. Felix was becoming breathless and pushed Tom into the next room where they were greeted by a group of slaves whose sole role was to scrape the sweat and dirt off your body. This was followed by a swim in the frigidarium, which as the name suggested was a cold pool.

  For the first time on the journey, the boys felt like thirteen year olds. They splashed and ducked each other, much to the disgust of the on looking Romans. Their moment of relaxation was interrupted by a massive rumble that sounded like a lorry driving straight towards the baths. The ground shook and began to jump around. A large crack appeared in the floor of the bath and the water drained away. The boys ran into the changing area, grabbed their clothes and ran out of the bath house. Bits of masonry were falling off buildings all over town.

  “So much for a relaxing trip!” said Tom. “First earthquake I’ve ever been in!”

  “Look!” shouted Felix, pointing to the peak of Mount Vesuvius which towered over the town.

  White smoke was heading skywards as the mountain came to life. The eruption had started.

  Felix and Tom were panicking but most of the population of Pompeii continued about their business after the earth tremor.

  “Aren’t you worried?” Felix asked a passing lady.

  “No,” came the reply, “these have been happening for a few months. They come and go. The mountain has been spitting smoke since yesterday morning.”

  Felix shrugged at Tom. They carried on exploring the town. Felix insisted on taking in the Forum and the Governor’s villa, both monumental buildings covered in carved statues and surrounded by people who looked richer than those at the market. The boys bought some bread, meat and cheese from a market stall. They perched themselves on a low wall and watched the world go by.

  They could see the wispy white cloud coming out of Vesuvius. Small tremors shook their seat at increasingly frequent intervals. As they watched, the top of the murmuring volcano suddenly exploded. Thick black smoke spewed way up into the atmosphere. The smoke began to spread through the sky hiding the sun and plunging Pompeii into a dusky darkness.

  “Well that’s different!” said Tom.

  “This is it,” said Felix, “by nightfall these people will be entombed in ash.”

  “Can we save them?” asked a concerned Tom.

  “We can’t change history,” replied Felix, as he picked up their belongings.

  He pushed Tom towards the main gate of the town. People were now rushing around in a panic. They realised that this wasn’t a little tremor. As they left the gate they could see people loading boats with all they could carry and rowing out to sea away from the eruption. Felix knew the tidal wave that the eruption would cause would take these people’s lives and thought about going down to the shore to warn them.

  “Oh my god!” shouted Tom, pointing up the active mountain. Felix spun round to see a cloud of thick grey ash speeding towards them and the town. “What’s that?” Tom asked.

  “I think it’s a pyroclastic flow.” replied Felix.

  “I’ll say again. What’s that?” smiled Tom

  Felix explained, “It’s a cloud of gas and rock that travels at hundreds of miles an hour choking and killing nearly all before it. It’s the ash that buries Pompeii.”

  “Thank you Mr Know It All! Now open the flaming text book!” Tom screamed at his friend.

  Felix threw the book on the floor. Neither of them cared where they ended up they just needed to get out of Pompeii. As the avalanche of rock and gas hit the northern wall of the town Felix grabbed Tom and jumped. They were gone - and just in the nick of time.

  7

  Felix thought things were looking up. For the first time on their travels he had woken up before Tom. His best friend of over ten years had his eyes shut and his limbs flopped all over the place as they travelled through time in the multi-coloured vortex. Felix was confused and worried that The Book of Words wasn’t acting as it had on their previous journeys. It usually gave them masses of information about the places and time that they visited. This allowed them to plan their route to safety. This time there was nothing apart from blank pages and ‘Figure it out yourself.’

  “Welcome back sleepy head,” said Felix when he saw his friend stirring.

  “Where are we going this time?” asked Tom. “Or is it another mystery?”

  “Not a clue. I threw the text book down, grabbed you and jumped,” replied a smiling Felix.

  “We’d better give up on the Industrial Revolution and get back to school,” said Tom.

  “You don’t mind flunking the exam?” laughed Felix.

  “Not if it means I can sleep in my bed and not be attacked by cowboys and indians or buried by a volcano!” shouted Tom.

  The boys spun round in the vortex until the two of them once again blacked out.

  It was chilly when they awoke at their new destination. They ducked behind a clump of bushes at the edge of a thick forest and changed out of the togas and back into their school uniforms. They were definitely warmer, now to figure out where they had ended up.

  Felix opened the Book and read:

  Location Hampton Court, London, England

  Date 16th May 1536

  Languages English and French

  Felix looked out from the bushes and took in his surroundings. The smell of summer flowers filled his nostrils. Sturdy, majestic oak trees spread their branches shading the forest floor. Felix sensed something moving through the forest at speed. He tapped Tom on the shoulder. Tom was still struggling to untangle his shoe laces.

  “Deer everywhere!” said Felix. “Stay put until they pass.”

  “Eh! Where the hell are we now?” Tom spurted out.

  “England,” said a smiling Felix.

  “Thank every god there is. We are home,” stated a relieved Tom.

  “Not quite!” said Felix. “We’re in England in 1536!”

  “Fantastic!” Tom muttered. “Whose life are we about to get tangled up in?”

  “Not really sure,” replied Felix.

  “Mister Historical Knowledge doesn’t know! Ask the flaming Book. It may be behaving now,” said the exasperated Guardian.

  Felix opened the Book and found page after page on the life and reign of Henry VIII.

  “Henry VIII!” said Felix excitedly.

  “Wonder which wife he’s on,” quipped Tom. “Off with her head.”

  “I think we’re in a Royal Park near Hampton Court,” whispered Felix as he looked at the map of the local area on the first page of the Book.

  “Let’s just get home,” said Tom as he searched the basket for the text book. “It’s not here!” he added. “We’ve left it in Pompeii.”

  “Well some archaeologist is going to have a shock when they dig up a twenty first century History book in first century Pompeii!” laughed Felix.

  Felix looked at the map for the location of the time portal that could actually take them home. There, as clear as day, on a map of London was the clock showing 19th May 1536, noon.

  “We have to be there in three days,” he told Tom.

  “Where?” asked his Guardian and friend.

  “The Tower of London!” exclaimed Felix.

  “That’s easy. It’s right next to the River Thames. We can just follow the river and we’ll find The Tower,” smiled Tom.

  “It’s a prison you muppet, not a tourist site. How are we going to get in?” said a worried looking Felix.

  “We’ve got three days to figure that out,” said Tom.

  The pair ducked low behind the bushes as they heard approaching hounds and horses. They buried themselves further into th
e middle of the undergrowth, hoping that the Tudor hunt would pass them by. The barking of the dogs indicated the hunting group were closing in on their position. Tom grabbed some leaves off the ground and covered himself in them. Felix, in a bit of a panic, did the same. The sound of voices filled the forest. The hunters sounded excited that the hounds had cornered their prey.

  “Sounds like the hounds have found something.” whispered Tom.

  “Yep, us!” replied Felix. A wet tongue licked his neck and the voices were on top of them. Felix turned to warn Tom. He saw the panic in Tom’s eyes as Tom was pulled out of the bush by his ankles.

  “Let me go!” Tom screamed as Felix was dragged out and placed beside him.

  “What have we here?” asked a large bearded gentleman wearing a large fur cape. He was sat on a huge charger of a horse.

  “Two strangely attired peasants Your Majesty,” said the hunter holding the boys. “On your knees before The King!” he said as he threw the boys to the ground.

  “Hunting my deer with swords is a foolish act and is punishable by death,” declared The King as he wiped the froth from his drink off his beard. “Lock them up and let’s continue our hunt,” he ordered.

  The hunter bowed and nodded as the King led the hounds off through the forest.

  “Where are you taking us?” asked Felix. Their guard took their weapons and tied their hands together behind their backs.

  “You’re coming to the palace,” said the man, straightening out his floppy green hat and matching velvet jacket. Tom couldn’t help laughing at the strange cream trousers the man wore. They were baggy and came to just below his knees. The outfit was all topped off with white socks and leather shoes.

  “Hampton Court?” asked Felix.

  “Yes,” replied their captor.

  “Nice gardens there and a lovely view of the Thames,” said Tom.