The Time Hunters and the Lost City (The Final Chapter in the Time Hunters Saga Book 5)

by carl ashmore

  ‘And if he was going to take any Electroic Cognivated Gynoid then it would be me,’ Barbie said stuffily to Kenneth. ‘You’re not the only one with skills.’

  ‘I know that Barbie,’ Kenneth replied. ‘You’re amazing. Simply amazing.’

  ‘Stop being such a creep.’

  ‘Oh, please don’t be like that,’ Kenneth replied. ‘I only meant –’

  ‘Be quiet now.’

  ‘Both of you be quiet,’ Uncle Percy said as if scolding a pair of naughty children. ‘I’ll pagidize you both if we need your help, but I really don’t think we will.’ He approached a table, picked up a large portravella and curled it around his wrist. ‘C’mon Becky, Joe.’

  Becky and Joe each placed a hand on his arm. A moment later they were all encased in a ball of shimmering white light.

  In a flash, Becky’s eyes were adjusting to a new landscape.

  They were standing on a wide manicured lawn of a large manor house, bordered by a tall yew hedge, a scattering of willow trees and a set of south facing stone steps which meandered down to a small orchard.

  ‘So how long ago has it been since Sir Walt stopped wearing hats?’ Joe asked.

  Uncle Percy scowled at him. ‘If you’re asking when he passed away, then it was six months ago. He was beheaded in October 1618 and we’ve arrived the following April.’

  Becky looked concerned. ‘But surely Otto Kruger could’ve already got the head?’

  ‘That’s not happened,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘I have it on good assurances Lady Raleigh is still in possession of it.’ He inhaled a deep breath and looked up at the house. ‘Now, before we see Lady Raleigh, can I just remind you how sensitive and uncomfortable a situation we find ourselves in, not least for Bess Raleigh, so let’s do this as quickly as we can and with the utmost respect, delicacy and decorum. Do you hear me, Joe?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Good.’

  As Uncle Percy walked toward the house, Joe leaned into Becky’s ear and whispered, ‘We’re picking up a dead bloke’s head in a bag. How can you be delicate about that?’

  Becky and Joe trailed Uncle Percy to the sturdy wooden front door and watched him rap three times. They waited no more than ten seconds before the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman, her hair as black as the velvet dress she wore. Her face was shielded behind a lace veil, which she raised to expose an attractive face that, although pallid and pinched, hinted at a gaiety of someone younger than her years.

  ‘M-Mister Halifax?’ Lady Raleigh said nervously, struggling to find her voice.

  ‘Please, Madam, call me Percy.’ Uncle Percy bowed deeply.

  Lady Raleigh extended her hand for Uncle Percy to kiss. A wedding ring with a ruby the size of an egg gleamed brightly on her fourth finger. He hesitated for a second as he stared at her hand. Then he took it and kissed it softly.

  ‘I am your humble servant, M’lady.’

  Lady Raleigh smiled, gaining confidence with each passing second. ‘Then, sir, you must call me Bess, for although this is a meeting of the utmost incongruity I wish for it to not be an occasion of formality.’

  ‘As you wish, Bess. Please, allow me to introduce my nephew and niece, Becky and Joe Mellor.’

  Lady Raleigh curtseyed. ‘Verily, I am privileged to make your acquaintance, Becky and Joe.’

  ‘Hello,’ Becky and Joe said simultaneously.

  Becky thought that Lady Raleigh, although anxious and hesitant, handled the situation with a surprising degree of grace and self-assurance.

  ‘Prithee, follow me,’ Lady Raleigh said, turning and walking away from the door. Uncle Percy, Becky and Joe followed.

  Passing through a Great Hall, the only sound being the swish of Lady Raleigh’s dress brushing the stone floor, they entered a parlour with an enormous stone fireplace, above which was the Raleigh family coat of arms. Lady Raleigh stopped at a table and chairs and fanned out her hand.

  ‘I pray you all sit.’

  ‘Thank you, Bess,’ Uncle Percy said, gesturing for Becky and Joe to sit down alongside him.

  It was then that Becky’s stomach churned as if a thousand worms thrashed about inside. Glancing over at Lady Raleigh’s chair she saw a large red leather bag – a bag she knew contained the head of Sir Walter Raleigh. She looked away quickly for fear of throwing up all over the table.

  Lady Raleigh didn’t notice. ‘Forsooth, this is a conference I never believed would occur.’

  ‘I’m sure,’ Uncle Percy replied.

  ‘And thou art travellers in time?’ Lady Raleigh asked. ‘You hail from a future that has yet to pass?’

  ‘We do,’ Uncle Percy replied.

  Lady Raleigh shook her head with disbelief. ‘My lord and sweet husband, Walter, was a wise and virtuous man, and I trusted his verdict on all matters, but fie on me for doubting his word that you could be a real person of soul, flesh and character.’

  ‘I am very real, as is my purpose for being here today.’

  ‘I need not learn more,’ Lady Raleigh said, pulling a letter from her sleeve. ‘My husband requested I bestow this upon thee. And for my part I would do nought else.’ She passed over the letter.

  Uncle Percy took it. ‘Thank you, Bess.’

  ‘Your gramercy is not required. But I pray thee to fulfil my one request.’

  ‘Anything.’

  ‘As your eyes bear witness, you can observe I have not broken the wax seal. In faith, it has not been for want of curiosity. Sir, would you recite the letter for me?’

  Uncle Percy didn’t hesitate. He unfolded the letter cleared his throat and began to read.

  Chapter 15

  Raleigh’s Riddle

  ‘To the honourable Percy Halifax,

  First, I send my deepest regret at not encountering you in person, for my curiosity is stirred by your very being. However, I wager at the hour you appear my flesh shall have fed the worms, my blood moistened the earth. Furthermore, I lament not hearing the tales of your voyages, which would make even mine seem trifling and of small import. If Sir Pickleton’s words about your wider quest bear truth then ye are in want of my familiarities and counsel, and as I too keep faith in his appraisal of your goodliness, I am prepared to deliver you all I know in accordance with mine own honesties.

  If you possess this epistle then I also trust you are now in custody of my head. It is with compunction I ask you to procure such a memento but in time it shall reveal its secrets and help guide you on the trail of the golden city of Manõa, the holy place that is El Dorado. My heart is torn when I think on El Dorado, for its pursuit was stained with the death of my first born son, Watt. ‘Tis true, for my shame I constructed a false account for the world about the nature of his passing and even my beloved wife, his mother, still has no cognizance of that which truly occurred. I present here the facts - Watt was ne’er killed by Spaniards but by the terrible hands of those that protect El Dorado, the Ewaipanoma, for they truly are the flesh-eaters of fable and guard the city’s entrance with ferocious resolve. ‘Tis because of the Ewaipanoma I fled the city with my grief, never to explore further or return. If you elect to enter the city’s realms you shall surely meet their wrath and ire.

  Mark this as a caution, sir.

  As is my comprehending, you are in pursuit of a Godly artefact within Manõa’s barbicans, a relic of such power it may have moulded the Golden City for itself. Many would claim this a fanciful tale fit for fools and foreigners, but not I. Although I barely set foot in the city and did not see such a relic, the wonders I have seen suggest it would be a fitting home for a relic of God’s own design. Furthermore, I hold faith that there is nought but truth in Pickleton’s claim you require the power of this relic to defeat a depraved and decadent evil … and this is why I bestow upon you the subsequent advices of how to locate the city.

  For there is a map, a sole map, of unique and distinctive design, known only to myself and drawn by my hand that can lead to El Dorado.

  Upon returning to England, and b
efore my arrest on false charges, I sited the map within an oriental strongbox which I gave to my esteemed and trusted friend, adventurer and fellow member of The School of Night, Sir Oliver Fisher. I gave him no clue as to the nature of the token he carried, and bade him swear on his children’s souls to keep it with him until his death.

  In faith, e’en with the strongbox in your tenure you wouldst require my succour in discerning its secrets. And with that in mind, I have shaped something for my amusement as much as your frustration. I understand you to be a scholarly man, Mister Halifax … then decrypting this verse should offer no difficulty of any degree.

  Herodotus, a tale he voiced

  Of the tyrant’s slave

  Now woad and ash and gunpowder

  Accompany me in my grave

  A withered canvas, mine eyes can’t see

  Bears a love which feeds my breath

  The sun and air that shares my blood

  And survives beyond my death

  And it is there my thoughts and words reach their finale. I bid you luck and benefit on your journey, and must once again advise you of the dangers inherent on the pathway you propose to take. And perhaps if I may invite one favour of you - when you have done with my words and perchance more notably my flesh, wouldst you arrange for my head to be returned to my wife so it may lie with its friend and neighbour, my shoulders, in a hallowed grave.

  Yours with reverence

  Silence blanketed them. Their eyes flicked between each other, urging someone else to voice an opinion about what they’d just heard. In the end it was Joe that spoke first. ‘Even Sir Walt had to give us a riddle to solve?’ he frowned. ‘What is it with these people and riddles?’

  ‘Show some respect, please, Joe,’ Uncle Percy said sternly, looking at Lady Raleigh who appeared to be struggling to prevent herself bursting into tears.

  ‘Sorry.’

  Becky was about to say something when Lady Raleigh leaned down and scooped up the red leather bag. Stone-faced, she raised it high and lowered it on the table with the delicacy of a parent placing down a child. ‘Percy, I deem this is for your guardianship now. I pray you will guard it with such caution as you wouldst if it were yet attached to a neck.’

  ‘Of course I shall, Bess.’ Uncle Percy heaved the bag close, trying to mask his unease by forcing a smile. ‘Thank you, Bess. And it shall be returned the moment I can understand why your husband felt it necessary to give it to me.’

  ‘Gramercy, sire,’ Lady Raleigh replied. ‘Tell me this, Percy, does the letter tender much illumination for you?’

  ‘No. But it will in time.’

  ‘And my husband’s riddle?’

  ‘It means little at the moment,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘But as Joe stated in a somewhat tactless manner, we do have some experience with this kind of thing. I’m certain we can make progress quickly. Can I ask you something?’

  ‘Aye.’

  ‘Can you tell me anything about Sir Oliver Fisher?’

  ‘I am unfamiliar with the name, sire,’ Lady Raleigh replied. ‘But Walter’s companions were his and his alone. I rarely encountered them, particularly if they were men of adventure as Sir Oliver Fisher appears to be.’

  ‘Not to worry,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘I’m certain we’ll learn about him soon enough.’

  Lady Raleigh fell silent as if searching for the courage to ask a question. ‘May I enquire about another matter, one that arouses my curiosity?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘My late husband cited an ancient relic?’

  ‘Yes,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘We’re searching for something called The Sacred Chalice.’

  ‘And you believe as my husband does, this Chalice boasts such celestial power it could erect a city like El Dorado from dust.’

  ‘I do, Madam. We’ve seen something like it before.’

  Astonishment creased Lady Raleigh’s face, but she strove to act as casually as she could. ‘And what say you of this evil my husband references?’

  ‘That’s the last thing you should be concerning yourself with, M’lady.’

  Lady Raleigh looked affronted. ‘You think as a woman I wouldst not be so bold as to contend with such report. For I am a far pluckier woman than my appearance may suggest.’

  ‘I’m certain you are, Bess. But this “evil” would take a long time to explain and I’m afraid we must be going.’ Uncle Percy stood up and gave a deep bow. ‘Once again, Bess, can I thank you for your hospitality, your decency and your courage? And I swear I shall take good care of your husband.’

  ‘I thank ye, sire.’ Lady Raleigh said, managing a smile. ‘However, there is one further errand I must beseech of thee.’

  ‘And what’s that?’

  ‘When these mysteries are but solved … when ye have found this map of Walter’s conception.’ Lady Raleigh paused. ‘Consent to me as your passenger, allow me to fix my gaze upon El Dorado.’

  Uncle Percy was at a loss for words.

  Becky noticed tears had pooled in Lady Raleigh’s eyes.

  ‘This hour, my ears have hearkened my first born, my cherished son was slain in the pursuit of El Dorado,’ Lady Raleigh said. ‘My heart wishes to respect his memory and my soul yearns to recite a prayer at the place of his falling. Surely, Percy Halifax, you can value a mother’s duty to her departed child?’

  ‘Of course I do, but –’

  Another voice entered the conversation.

  ‘Of course we’ll come and get you, Lady Raleigh,’ Becky interrupted, her voice firm and unwavering. ‘And we’ll take you to El Dorado. I promise you. It’s the very least we can do.’

  Lady Raleigh seized Becky’s hand. ‘Bless thee, child.’

  Uncle Percy looked guilty. ‘Pardon me, Bess,’ he said quietly. ‘Becky is, of course, quite right, and I apologise for my hesitation. It was only because in my experience these trips can be - well, to say they’re extremely dangerous is somewhat of an understatement.’

  ‘I fear danger much less than I fear deficiency as a mother,’ Lady Raleigh replied. ‘I told you … I am a more spirited soul than my countenance implies.’

  ‘Then the decision is made,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘Once we find the map I’ll collect you before we embark on a journey to El Dorado.’

  Lady Raleigh stood up and approached him, gliding across the floor like a swan on water. She stopped barely a foot away from Uncle Percy and stared into his eyes. Without saying a word, she leaned in and kissed his cheek tenderly. ‘I thank thee, Percy Halifax. Verily, you are as true and righteous a gentleman as my husband believed, and I thank you with the very essence of my soul.’ She leaned forward and kissed his other cheek.

  This time the kiss seemed to last quite some time.

  Turning a deep shade of crimson, Uncle Percy noticed Becky and Joe’s astonished expressions and angled away from Lady Raleigh. ‘It’s my pleasure, Bess,’ he said in a strangely high voice. ‘Now I’m afraid we must be going. We can see ourselves out, Lady Raleigh…’ Gripping the bag tightly, he marched away from the table, before stopping at the doorway to the Great Hall and turning as he waited for Becky and Joe to join him.

  ‘I shall see thee anon, Percy Halifax,’ Lady Raleigh said. ‘And God’s speed to thee, Becky and Joe Mellor. I pray our paths cross again afore much time hath passed.’

  ‘Bye, Lady Raleigh,’ Becky said.

  ‘See you later.’ Joe waved.

  Uncle Percy bowed again. ‘Thank you again, Lady Raleigh … for everything.’ Then he pivoted round and exited the parlour.

  A smile set on her face, Lady Raleigh never once took her eyes off Uncle Percy until he’d disappeared from sight.

  Chapter 16

  Grave Answers

  ‘Flippin’ ‘eck,’ Joe said to Uncle Percy, as they left the house. ‘You’re well in there.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Uncle Percy replied as if Joe were speaking another language. ‘I’m not with you.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ Joe grinned. ‘And she was pre
tty fit for her age. She looked like Anne Hathaway.’

  ‘Shakespeare’s wife?’ Uncle Percy said, surprised by Joe’s suggestion.

  ‘The actress,’ Becky said. ‘Played Catwoman.’

  ‘Ah.’

  ‘What d’you reckon, Becks?’ Joe said. ‘Is Walt’s missus interested in Uncle P or what?’

  ‘She might well be.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Uncle Percy said.

  ‘That parting kiss did seem to linger for some time.’

  ‘Now you’re just being ridiculous,’ Uncle Percy replied.

  ‘We’re not,’ Joe replied. ‘I thought she was gonna shove her tongue down your throat.’

  ‘Can I remind you both I am holding her husband’s head in a bag. Now would you please show some respect.’

  ‘What’s he gonna do?’ Joe said. ‘Bite you?’

  ‘Obviously not.’ Uncle Percy frowned. ‘But he is – was - one of the most notable Englishman in history so I think a modicum of deference would be appropriate.’

  ‘He might’ve been notable alive,’ Joe replied. ‘Not so much now he’s in bits.’

  ‘Will you keep your voice down!’

  ‘Why? I’m pretty sure he can’t hear me.’

  Uncle Percy shook his head exasperatedly, and came to a halt. ‘Just take my arm. The sooner we get you back to Bowen Hall the better.’

  The moment they materialised in the Time Room, Kenneth and Barbie soared down from the ceiling and landed with a soft clomp before them.

  ‘Golly,’ Kenneth said. ‘I’m so glad you’re safe. You’ve been gone precisely 32 minutes and 17 seconds. I’ve been getting worried.’

  ‘I wasn’t worried, sir,’ Barbie said haughtily. ‘I knew you’d be fine.’

  ‘Well we certainly are, Barbie,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘But thank you for your concern anyway, Kenneth. If we were a tad longer than planned it’s because we stayed and had an agreeable chat with Lady Raleigh.’

  ‘It’s Lady Raleigh’s fault,’ Joe said. ‘She’s got the hots for Mister Lubba Lubba here.’