The Time Hunters and the Spear of Fate (The Time Hunters Saga Book 3)

by carl ashmore

‘I’m all about the truth, Percy, you should know that.’ Butterby winked mischievously at Becky. ‘Yes, there have been many distortions when it comes to Cleopatra, and none more so than the nature of her death. Do you recall how she supposedly died?’

  ‘Wasn’t she bitten by a snake?’ Becky offered. ‘An asp?’

  ‘That’s partly correct,’ Butterby said. She was bitten all right. But not by an asp. No, she he was actually bitten by an ass … a donkey - the bite became infected and that’s how she popped her clogs.’

  ‘Really?’ Becky giggled. ‘And was she the most beautiful woman alive?’

  ‘Far from it,’ Butterby said. He lowered his voice so Uncle Percy couldn’t hear. ‘Between you and me she was a bit of a moose. Queen Nefertiti, on the other hand, now that was a different matter.’

  ‘I’ve heard of her,’ Becky said, warming to Butterby now. ‘Who was she?’

  ‘Ah, now she was reputedly a real knock out,’ Butterby replied. ‘And not just in the looks department, but also as a person. Great Royal Wife to the Pharaoh, Akhenaten, she became Pharaoh herself after he died. She was as beloved as any ruler in history. Of course, there are plenty of other fascinating Pharaohs in Egyptian history: Ramses II, Khufu, Amenhotep III, Hatshepsut, Narmer, Wankare … all of them hugely interesting. And what an ingenious culture, too. Did you know the Ancient Egyptians invented many things we use today: toothpaste, deodorant, scissors, keys, paper and the 365-day calendar. They even invented beer, so it’s in deference to the Egyptians that I partake as often as I do.’

  Becky and Joe laughed again.

  ‘So are we all ready?’ Uncle Percy shouted back.

  A few seconds later, waves of hazy light spilled from Blanche’s control panel like an incoming mist, swirling all around, before shooting everywhere in thin jets.

  Becky heard Edgar deliver a shrill squeak and patted his hand gently. ‘It’s okay, Edgar. It’s perfectly –’ Before should could finish, a shattering BOOOOM rent the air.

  *

  With the blast still ringing in her ears, Becky stared eagerly out of the window to see a glistening landscape of orange sand, which merged into the purest powder blue sky she had ever seen.

  Egypt.

  ‘Is it over?’ Edgar asked nervously.

  ‘Yes,’ Becky replied breathlessly, feeling his grip slacken around her fingers. ‘We’re here.’ She looked over at a beaming Joe, before directing her gaze at Uncle Percy. Immediately, her excitement turned to concern. He was bent over the dashboard, his face lined with confusion. Will was standing beside him, and the two were talking in whispers. She stood up and advanced towards them with tentative steps. ‘Is everything okay?’

  Uncle Percy looked back at her, puzzled. ‘Mmm, something very curious has happened.’ He pointed to the chronalometer.

  45 … 23 …76 - ARRIVAL SUCCESSFUL:

  22nd July 5.00pm 1360 BC.

  Becky saw at once the reason for his confusion. ‘I thought we were travelling to 1460 BC?’

  ‘That’s what I set it for,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘Hang on, let me try again…’ He input the same numbers and within moments, light was leaking from the dashboard again. Becky didn’t have time to return to Edgar, when a BOOM echoed all round. Becky looked again at the chronalometer.

  45 … 23 …76 - ARRIVAL SUCCESSFUL:

  22nd July 5.00pm 1360 BC.

  Becky was confused. ‘I don’t understand?’

  ‘I’m not sure I do,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘They’re definitely the correct coordinates for 1460 BC.’

  ‘What does it mean?’ Becky asked.

  ‘It means either this is 1460BC and the chronalometer is malfunctioning, or this is 1360BC and we can’t travel any further back. Have you ever seen anything like this before, Charles?’

  Butterby joined them up front. ‘No,’ he said grimly, shaking his head.

  ‘Do you think it’s the Omega Effect?’ Joe asked.

  ‘It could be,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘But I’ve never heard of it dictating where and when you travel to quite like this before. I mean, that’s a difference of a hundred years.’

  ‘Is there anyway we can find out which year we’re in?’ Becky asked anxiously. ‘Because if this is 1360 BC then Heim and his goons could be right around the corner.’

  ‘I’m afraid there isn’t.’

  Butterby looked worried. ‘Perhaps we should return to the twenty first century until we can sort this out?’

  Uncle Percy thought for a moment. ‘I think you’re right, Charles.’

  It was then that a firm, determined voice rang out. ‘No,’ Edgar said. ‘We are here now, and there is a task to complete. If Heim is here then we must avoid him at all costs, but we must get what we came for.’

  ‘Agreed,’ Joe said emphatically.

  Uncle Percy turned to Will. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘Perhaps these events have happened for a reason,’ Will replied solemnly. ‘I think we should remain and see where destiny leads us.’

  Uncle Percy looked at Becky. ‘What do you think?’

  A lump formed in Becky’s chest. Taking a few moments to consider the options, she looked at Edgar and said, ‘I think we should stay.’

  Uncle Percy nodded. ‘Very well. Then let’s put all thoughts of Heim aside for the moment, and take a look at our current position.’

  ‘Where are we?’ Joe asked eagerly, scanning all sides for a hint as to their location.

  ‘You won’t see anything from this angle, young man,’ Uncle Percy replied, his voice resuming a cheerful air. ‘But if you pop outside, you should see something quite impressive to our rear.’

  Becky glanced at Joe and together they sped down the aisle to the exit.

  A wall of blistering heat met Becky as she leapt onto the sand. Shielding her eyes with the palm of her hand, she stopped dead in her tracks. Three colossal pyramids filled her eyes. Towering. Majestic. Eerie. Slowly, her eyes moved left to right and settled on the central one, as a butter-yellow sun clipped its apex. Looking round, she could see there were other edifices, too: small temples, statues, causeways, and numerous wells.

  She couldn’t breathe.

  Even Will lost his usual composure. ‘The good Lord above!’

  ‘The Giza Necropolis,’ Uncle Percy declared, as Butterby and Edgar joined them. He nodded at the central pyramid. ‘The Pyramid of Khufu is the largest and oldest; built around 2584, it’s one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It’s quite something, isn’t it?’

  Becky couldn’t find any words.

  ‘And what about the Sphinx?’ Joe asked. ‘Isn’t that around here somewhere?’

  ‘It certainly is, Joe,’ Butterby said. ‘Actually, there’s something very interesting to show you regarding the Sphinx. Do you know what I’m talking about, Percy?’

  ‘Ah, of course,’ Uncle Percy replied, nodding. ‘I forgot all about our arrival date.’

  ‘What is it?’ Becky asked eagerly.

  ‘Follow me, kids,’ Butterby said, turning to the east and walking away.

  Becky noticed he moved awkwardly as though wearing in a new pair of shoes.

  ‘The Sphinx is a fascinating monument,’ Butterby said to Becky and Joe as they caught him up. ‘And if we’d have arrived just two hundred years later you would see something totally different.’

  Becky glanced at Joe, confused. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Now what do you know about the Sphinx?’ Butterby asked.

  ‘Err, it’s has body of a lion, doesn’t it?’ Becky said. ‘And the head of a man … a pharaoh, I think?’

  ‘That’s certainly what most people believe,’ Butterby replied. ‘And that’s certainly how it has appeared for over three thousand years.’

  “What’re you talking about?’ Joe asked.

  ‘Look.’ Butterby raised his arm and pointed into the distance at the giant monument that rose magnificently from the sand.

  Becky’s heart fluttered as she made out the familiar outli
ne.

  The closer they got, however, the more she saw there was something very different about it, something far removed from the way she’d seen it in photographs. The Sphinx’s body was decorated in brushstrokes of red and black paint, making its fur seem almost alive, but it was when its head came into view that she had the shock of her life. Fully expecting to see a human head, she was astounded to see the head of a giant cat-like creature, its jaws open wide, displaying reams of sharp teeth; even more chilling, four enormous eyes, each painted jet-black with bright yellow pupils, lined its skull.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Becky wheezed.

  Joe, on the other hand, gave a triumphant laugh and clapped his hands. ‘Mister Everall was right,’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Becky asked him.

  ‘He was convinced that originally The Sphinx had a different head, a non-human head. He showed us some newspaper cuttings that claimed some boffins had proved it used to be that of a cat, but I don’t know many cats with four eyes, do you? He also said it was built way before the pyramids.’

  ‘And Mister Everall was quite right,’ Butterby said. ‘My guess is that The Sphinx is nearly nine thousand years old … six and a half thousand years older than the pyramids themselves. Of course, I have no idea why it was built or, indeed, who built it, but it is certainly a wonderful historical conundrum.’

  ‘I may be able to answer that,’ Edgar said, appearing alongside Uncle Percy and Will. ‘I imagine it was built by my ancestors. You see … the Sphinx was a creature of Atlantis. I have never witnessed one, they became extinct many eons ago, but are celebrated in Atlantean lore.’

  ‘And they’re this big?’ Becky asked, surprised.

  Edgar chuckled. ‘Lordy, no. This beast makes me want to soil my loincloth. No, from what my grandfather told me, a Sphinx was a small animal. Ferocious, yes, and I’m certain it could give an exposed ankle a nasty nibble, but they were too tiny to be of any real menace.’

  ‘And do you know anything about this monument, Edgar?’ Uncle Percy asked, intrigued. ‘Why it was built here?’

  ‘No, Perce,’ Edgar replied, shaking his head. ‘This was the time of the ancients - the time of my kind’s first appearance in this land after the fall of Atlantis. Such answers have been long lost.’

  Becky was about to question Edgar further when, through the silence, she heard the most unexpected sound. She glanced anxiously at Uncle Percy, who had frozen with disbelief.

  ‘What’s that?’ Edgar said.

  Dazed, Uncle Percy looked upwards, his head twisting left and right as he searched for the source of the noise. He opened his mouth to answer but Joe beat him to it.

  ‘That’s a plane …’

  Chapter 21

  Spitting Fire

  Then, seemingly from nowhere, a thunderous whoosh echoed all around them. A plane soared overhead, painted in brown and greens, flying low, weaving the glassy sky. To her surprise, she recognized the concentric red, white and blue roundels on its undercarriage from countless old films. A moment later, two more planes joined it, and the three planes gathered in an arrow formation.

  ‘They’re Spitfires,’ Joe gasped.

  Becky watched the Spitfires separate. Then, to her horror, an earsplitting clatter of gunfire rang out as bullets peppered the distant sand, firing at something she couldn’t see.

  ‘Associates!’ Uncle Percy shouted. ‘Back to Blanche!’

  Following his lead, the group raced off in the direction of the time machine. Edgar charged ahead, followed by Joe, Will, Becky, Uncle Percy, with Butterby bringing up the rear at little more than a fast shuffle.

  Alarmed, Becky glanced back at the struggling Butterby. Whirling round, she sped over to him. ‘Come on, Mister Butterby. You need to run.’

  ‘I’m sorry, my dear,’ Butterby replied. ‘I’m afraid I’m not the man I once was, and these sandals weren’t exactly made for a sprint.’

  ‘Let me help.’ Becky shouldered him as best she could. Moving faster now, she saw Edgar reach the bus some distance ahead of the others. Looking back, his black eyes found her and Butterby. Without hesitation, he took off again and was suddenly powering towards them, his huge feet pummelling the ground. He reached them in no time at all.

  ‘Can I be of service?’ Edgar puffed. Not waiting for a reply, he shovelled Butterby in his arms.

  ‘Oh, how humiliating,’ Butterby muttered, as Edgar took off again.

  ‘You’re deceptively heavy, Mister Butterby,’ Edgar said.

  ‘I’ve put on a few pounds recently,’ Butterby muttered with embarrassment. ‘Thanks for noticing.’

  Becky set off behind Edgar. Gathering speed, she looked up to see Joe was already at the bus, his hands waving for her to hurry.

  ‘Come on,’ he shouted.

  Through blurred eyes, Becky saw that one of the three Spitfires had broken away from the group.

  ‘Becks. HURRY!’ Joe yelled again.

  Becky charged on, her lungs burning in her chest. She watched as Edgar and Butterby reached the bus. Less than twenty metres away now, she saw the lone Spitfire adjust its trajectory, its nose turning in their direction. With the last of her energy, she leapt inside the bus, landing hard, banging her skull against the bottom-most stair.

  ‘HOLD TIGHT EVERYONE!’ Uncle Percy yelled from the driver’s seat.

  A deafening noise sounded from above. Dozens of bullets thumped against the bus’s bodywork. Becky smothered a scream.

  The bus rocked left and right like it had been caught in a hurricane.

  Uncle Percy started the ignition and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The bus sped off as the Spitfire roared overhead.

  ‘I don’t get it,’ Joe shouted over the roar of the engine. ‘The Spitfire’s a British plane. Why are Associates using it?’

  Will glanced at him darkly. ‘The Associate I captured was British, Joe. Never forget, the face of evil exists in all lands and wears many shades.’

  Uncle Percy reached into the glove compartment and withdrew a pair of Amnoculars.

  Getting to her feet, head throbbing with pain, Becky stumbled towards him.

  Uncle Percy raised the Amnoculars to his eyes and watched the Spitfires circling ahead. Shock creased his face. ‘My God,’ he breathed.

  ‘What is it?’ Becky asked.

  ‘Those Spitfires are having target practice.’

  ‘With what?’ Becky asked, panicking.

  ‘Look for yourself,’ Uncle Percy said, passing her the Amnoculars.

  Becky trained them ahead and a deep revulsion swept through her. Through a cloud of sand, she could just make out a young girl scrambling through the desert. Just then, the Spitfires pulled away from their target and turned in their direction.

  ‘Uncle Percy,’ Becky exhaled. ‘They’re coming.’

  ‘Not to worry,’ Uncle Percy replied calmly, pressing a button on the dashboard, looking back and shouting, ‘Will! The Browning!’

  Enraged, Will nodded and sprinted up the stairs, three at a time.

  ‘What’s a Browning?’ Becky yelled.

  Uncle Percy’s fingers dug into the steering wheel. ‘Hold on to something.’

  Becky just managed to seized a handrail as she heard a shrill whistling sound and -

  BOOOOM.

  - A bomb exploded to their left, quickly followed by another just ahead.

  BOOOOM.

  The bus shook wildly.

  To Becky’s horror, a cavernous ditch had formed in the sand.

  ‘WATCH OUT,’ Becky screamed.

  In the nick of time, Uncle Percy slammed the wheel left, swerving around the ditch, missing it by inches.

  Ears ringing, Becky shouted at Uncle Percy, ‘What’s a Browning?’

  ‘It’s a -’ His sentence was drowned out by the most tremendous crashing sound from the deck above.

  Joe looked upwards. ‘That’s a machine gun!’ he yelled with relief. ‘Fantastic!’ Racing past Edgar, who was squealing with fright, his huge fingers
plugging his ears, Joe sped up the stairs.

  Becky glanced at Uncle Percy with disbelief. ‘You’ve installed a machine gun… in a bus?’

  ‘I’m not happy about it,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘I loathe guns, but Drake’s forcing my hand.’

  Recognition crossed Becky’s face as she recalled a particular discussion with Maria. ‘That’s what you meant when you said Barbie was installing machine parts?’

  ‘Well, guns have parts,’ Uncle Percy replied weakly.

  At that moment, another crash of gunfire sounded above.

  Becky’s hands flew over her ears. Through the windscreen, she saw a Spitfire explode in midair.

  Joe appeared on the stairs. ‘Becky, you have to see this!’ he yelled, before, turning round and dashing back.

  Becky navigated the central aisle, before charging up the stairs. To her surprise, the second deck had had all of its seats removed and replaced with a bathroom, various cupboards and a sleeping area. A large wall divided the deck with an open door in the middle, through which she saw Will, elevated on a rotating chair; his hands were wrapped tightly around the handle of a belt-fed machine gun which was pointed through a turret that had formed in the roof.

  Grim-faced, Will pulled the trigger, sending out a volley of shots, showering the air with empty shell cases. The second Spitfire erupted into flames. Twisting round, he trained his sights on the final Spitfire. Before he could take aim, however, it attacked; hundreds more bullets pummelled the bus.

  Ignoring the deafening sound, Will took aim and fired. Direct hit.

  Becky watched as black smoke streamed from the Spitfire’s fuselage. With a spluttering sound, it nosedived to the ground.

  The battle was over.

  Becky hurried back below to see Uncle Percy was steering the bus towards the girl, who was lying motionless on the sand.

  ‘Becky, get the girl!’ Uncle Percy shouted back.

  Becky moved to the rear entrance as the bus slowed down. Not waiting for the bus to brake, she leapt out and rushed to the girl’s side, dropping to her knees. To her relief, she could see the girl was breathing.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Becky said softly.