by Don Trowden
Mrs. Jones watched the soldiers march into the night then turned her attention to the wreckers who had lost their bullying courage. “Right, boys, I know which of you are the ringleaders so don’t try to fool an old woman. Now the rest of you, who wants to live?”
A forest of hands shot up.
“It’s amazing how most of you are basically really nice people deep down and we never knew it,” she said with a laugh.
Chapter Ten
The Leap of Faith and Miss Jones to the Rescue
Neets and I followed the redcoats back down the path for a couple of minutes, intending to cut across the field to Schwartz’s house. I’d noticed a five-bar gate close to where we’d climbed the wall and saw no reason why I should scrape my shins yet again. I undid the latch and was about to swing the gate open when a dark figure loomed ahead of us barring our way.
“Marlene?” I said, hoping the figure wouldn’t prove to be bald, male and huge.
“Bryn?” said Neets, hoping for a hunk and getting her wish.
“Thank heavens you’re safe, Unita.” I’m sure Bryn meant to include me as well, but I’m not certain I really cared. “My dad and I were dead worried when we couldn’t find you and especially when that Marlene woman disappeared through her Portal thing. Where are you going now?”
“To Schwartz’s house,” Neets said before I could stop her. This was Temporal Detective Agency business and Bryn was already getting too involved for my liking. “We want to look round his place while there’s no one there. Do you want to join us?” Stupid question. Is Arthur king of Camelot? Or rather was he before he took up with the lovely Merl? Bryn grabbed the opportunity with both hands and then did the same to Neets as he helped her through the gate into the field. Typical man, I thought, as I followed after them, closing the gate behind me.
“Wait a minute.” I stopped. “You two go on and I’ll catch up later. I’ve already had a personal tour of his house from the owner and besides I want to see what’s happening at the Crabart and make sure Schwartz is finished.” I walked off towards the coastal cliffs before the other two could protest, but the way they floated across the field hand in hand made me realize they probably wouldn’t notice if I was with them anyway. Not that I cared…honest.
The sound of distant musket-fire and the odd scream told me the fight was at its peak and probably nearing its end one way or the other. I could see the odd stab of flame from the guns as they fired, and I used them to tell me which way to go, though as they all looked alike I just hoped I’d chosen the right side’s guns.
I watched as Lewis and his men dropped back allowing Schwartz’s thugs to follow them screaming up the hill ready for the kill, but what the wreckers hadn’t seen was the trap being sprung as more of Lewis’s men emerged from the sides and surrounded them. Lewis called for a ceasefire, offering mercy to those who put down their weapons and certain death to those who wanted to fight on. Most of the thugs dropped their muskets and became prisoners, but from where I stood I could see there was one prisoner missing. There was no sign of the bald-headed gorilla and I knew Schwartz had escaped.
I stumbled down the slope to where the wreckers had based their operation for the night and took the lanterns off the two donkeys the thugs had used to try and lure unsuspecting ships onto the Crabart causeway. I patted their rumps and told them to look for Pedro, but being donkeys they walked in the opposite direction with the kind of stubbornness that would have made my Pedro proud. Marlene had done her job well, or possibly the storm had just blown itself out, and by the light of the moon I could see the debris the wreckers had left behind, from half-eaten sandwiches to broken swords. I suddenly felt in need of a weapon and bent down to pick up a discarded knife but I never reached it.
“Secure the wench,” snarled Schwartz. “Tie her hands but leave her legs free. She has some walking to do, but not much.”
Rough hands seized me round the throat and others pinned my arms to my sides, making sure I had no chance of fighting back. I turned, looked at Schwartz and saw more hatred on his face than I’d seen in my entire life. And I was its focus.
“Walk, girl. Follow the cliff path and don’t expect a rescue because as usual Lewis has gone, leaving you to answer for his actions tonight. Walk and don’t even consider running away. You can think about flying though.” He laughed leaving no doubt what he meant as I made my way slowly up the path towards the Leap of Faith and certain death.
I have to admit I nearly needed a change of underwear, but had time to wonder why the heck Marlene looked at her PortalVision and decided to help us sort out the weather, but so far hadn’t come screaming down to rescue me from Schwartz as he marched me up the cliff path. The bald-headed gorilla kept jabbing me in the back so hard that I nearly fell on the slippery stones, not that he could have cared. I was going to take a far greater fall in a few minutes and for the first time in my life was truly afraid.
The path stopped climbing and leveled off so that in the moonlight I could see where the cliff curved high above a sweeping cove. Far below, the sea churned on half-exposed rocks even though the storm had calmed to a gentle breeze, turning the foaming spray into a silver mist. Unfortunately, its beauty was lost on me as I was more concerned with wondering whether I could somehow take the Leap of Faith and miss the deadly meat grinder far below.
“Move, girl.” Schwartz pushed me forward again and this time I did slip, stunning myself on the rocky path. He made no move to help me beyond giving me a toe poke, and my mumbled I was admiring the view was a waste of bravado. “Get up, you’re nearly there.” I had the sudden thought that it would be nice to be called Tertia one last time and not wench or girl, even if it was by Schwarz.
Schwartz tied a short length of rope to my wrists and was now using it to pull me to the cliff edge. I looked down and in spite of what I’d been through on top of Nelson’s column, my head swam. I’d known I wasn’t going to fall off the column but now my feet were already skidding towards the drop on the slippery grass where certain death awaited.
“Speak the truth, girl. Did you tell your friend Gawain I would be operating at the Crabart tonight? Think carefully before you answer.”
I knew what happened to anyone who betrayed Schwartz and I was pretty sure the giant knew I was responsible for the night’s disaster, so why was he asking the question? I took a deep breath of defiance. “I told him… the White Knight, Sir Gawain, Mr. Lewis, whatever you want to call him. I did it because he is my friend and trusts me. No other reason.”
Schwartz looked at me somewhat surprised and sneered. “Very well, Tertia. For the moment you can live, because for once you’ve told me the truth. Had you lied, the Leap is always hungry and at this moment you would have been learning to fly, but for now, girl, you’re coming with me to my house. For the time being, you may well be my best guarantee of a safe passage.”
Schwartz pulled me back from the Leap’s edge and dragged me none too gently onto the path. The man may have been a knight back at Camelot but he was certainly no gentleman.
The path led inland and though I remembered some of it from the morning walk, in moonlight it looked different and was certainly far muddier after the rain. Schwartz walked quickly, avoiding open ground where possible and watching furtively for any movements that could mean pursuers, but there were none and I suspected Lewis didn’t yet know he hadn’t captured their leader when the rest of the wreckers surrendered.
Ahead, I could see the house where even a small part of the treasure hoard could buy a small country and keep Schwartz in comfort for the rest of his life, wherever and whenever he chose to go. All he had to do was fill up a couple of bags with his rarest jewels and disappear through the Time Portal, spinning the dials just as I’d once done in Bryn’s cellar. We walked under the archway entrance to the courtyard and Schwartz showed no surprise that the place was empty except for two of his bodyguards. He looked at me and if there was a look of sorrow on his face it was fleeting. The two thugs looked at their
leader expectantly.
“Dispose of this human trash then lie low for the rest of the night and we’ll do a reckoning in the morning.” He turned to me. “Goodbye, Tertia, we’ll not meet again.” Having used my name for the last time he walked into his fortress and it was only then it occurred to me that Neets and Bryn were probably still inside and that Schwartz was in no mood to be hospitable.
The two men drew their knives and advanced on me, and I knew for the second time that night I was probably about to die. Once again I decided I’d rather not, but I wasn’t sure whether to stand my ground or try to make a run for it. My hands were tied in front of me, which at least made movement easier, though I had an armed man approaching me from either side, which limited my options.
“Come on, girl, make it easy on yourself,” said the first thug, though I was pretty sure he really meant me to make it easy for him. As if!
“Don’t struggle and it’ll all be over before you know it,” grunted the second one.
As they spoke, the two men circled me looking for the moment to strike that would cost them the least effort and risk. The first one thrust his knife forward and the second lunged intending to stab me in the back as I threw myself to one side and rolled out of the way across the cobbles. I was quick, but even so I felt the knife cut into my robe before nicking my shoulder blade, and the pain stung badly. I was still alive, but as I tried to get up one of the thugs put a foot on my neck and laughed as I struggled to move.
“Have it your own way, girl.” The other man pricked me on the throat with the point of his blade and drew it slowly back for the kill. He grinned in anticipation, then slumped forward and lay still.
I felt the foot leave my neck and a second body sprawl unconscious across my legs, making any thought of running away impossible. I managed to turn my neck and raise my head enough to recognize the person standing next to the pile of bodies.
“Hallo, Miss Jones, it’s so nice to see you.” I managed to shuffle out from under one of the bodies so I could sit up. “Out on a night-time nature walk with the whole school, are we?”
“None of your cheek, young Tertia,” There was a chuckle in Miss Jones’s voice. “I came looking for my new teaching assistant, and it seems I was right that you would need my help. And yes, as you suggested earlier today, I did bring the whole school.” Miss Jones’s children stood grinning and held onto a lethal collection of catapults and slingshots. “Now stand up and let’s get those ropes off your wrists.”
I did as instructed, massaging the circulation back into my hands. “It’s great to see you all, but it’s Bryn and Neets that are going to need help more than me. They’re in the house looking round like a couple of tourists and Schwartz has gone down to his cellar to grab a bag of treasure. We’ve got to look for them before he breaks up a promising friendship.
Miss Jones had been a teacher long enough to recognize the signs. “I take it young Unita rather likes our Bryn? I’m his aunt so you can tell me.”
I shuffled my feet and blushed, because I was sure that the last person Bryn would want to tell was his aunt, but then she was also the nearest thing he had to a mother.
“Nothing wrong with that,” said Miss Jones sensing the obvious. “Now, tell me what’s been going on.”
The night’s events may have taken a couple of hours to unfold, but it took me less than five minutes to update Miss Jones. It would have been quicker, but the kids wanted every detail and for a few minutes I was back teaching history and geography.
“We’ll look after these two,” said the head teacher nodding towards the would-be murderers who were groaning and clutching their heads, “and then if you don’t mind we’ll go and help Mr. Lewis. If you need us, of course, then give a call and we’ll come running.”
The two thugs were expertly tied up and left in the yard to nurse aching heads, though their greatest worry should have been explaining to Schwartz how a girl had escaped, how a bunch of kids had defeated two armed men and, most important, why they should avoid taking the Leap of Faith.
I ran into the house and was fairly certain where to look first as I sprinted into the dining hall and came to a skidding halt. On one of the tables, looking like an old discarded rat, was Schwartz’s wig, though its owner was nowhere to be seen. The secret door to the underground treasure caves was wide open and without a thought I raced down the stone steps not knowing what I was likely to find.
Who am I kidding? I knew perfectly well I’d find two good friends and one really angry wrecker intent on murder.
Chapter Eleven
The Salt House Manacles and a Race Against Time and Tide
I’d always expected the air in the cellars to be musty, so was surprised yet again how pleasantly warm it was and how fresh it smelled. There was even the tang of sea-salt in the background reminding me of a newly opened bag of chips.
The door to Schwartz’s treasure room was open and I could hear the muffled voices of my two friends talking excitedly about what sounded like jewels. Probably rings. I ran across, ready to shout a warning that the wrecker was somewhere in the house, when a hand clamped over my mouth and an arm went round my throat.
“Don’t make a sound, girl,” the wrecker growled. “I’ve got to hand it to you, you’re good, but you’re not good enough. You’ve escaped death twice tonight but there won’t be a third time. Now move forward slowly, I want to see what the other two brats have been doing.” I inched forward in the dim lantern-light coming from the treasure room, ready to be choked if I gave any warning of our presence.
Bryn at least had no idea we were there and was too busy exploring to have noticed. “Unita, there’s a door over there.” He raised his lantern, letting the light shine on a large wooden door that, as I knew only too well, hid some of Schwartz’s most treasured items. “Keep watch for me while I go and check it out.”
Bryn crept inside the new room and whistled, which was something he hardly ever did, and when Neets joined him she was speechless, which was something equally rare. Schwartz and I watched as the light from their lanterns flickered off the carefully displayed hoard of jewels, as well as highlighting the ornaments and paintings, and it didn’t take too much imagination to realize that someone knew their value and probably even respected it.
“Schwartz?” Neets said in surprise.
“Must be, I suppose, though I wouldn’t have put him down as an art lover,” Bryn replied.
Neets opened another door at the far end of the room and stepped into an even larger area full of life-size models wearing the most beautiful clothes I’d ever seen. Our shopping trips into history with Marlene hadn’t prepared Neets for this.
“Dolce and Gabbana!” she was nearly breathless. “One of these dresses and a few of the sparklers from out there and Tertia and I would be proper ladies!”
Bryn was less impressed and becoming aware of their danger. “We’ve found what we came for so let’s get out of here and ask my dad’s men to take charge of this stuff.”
Neets reluctantly followed him into the first display room where she noticed the eggcup standing on the marble and mahogany plinth. “I bet that must be worth something, Bryn. It’s got its own display and everything. Wonder what it’s for?”
“For a diamond the size of an egg,” growled a voice behind them. Schwartz pushed me forward so that I bumped into Bryn. This time the click was of two pistols being cocked as his aim covered the three of us. I guessed he probably had spares and a sharp sword as a backup. We raised our hands. “Turn round slowly and face me.”
We did as we were told and faced our old enemy from Camelot. The giant was unmistakable even without his wig, and just looked a few years older and a whole lot nastier.
“Typical. Always crops up like a bad penny,” I said massaging my throat and gave several tuts. “Just when you think you’ve got rid of him, there he is right as rain and twice as wet.”
“Probably not the time for backchat, Tersh.” Neets was quite right, but I do like a
show of bravado. “I doubt if he’s in any mood to be nice, all things considered.”
“Wise words.” Schwartz waved one of the pistols at the door then pointed at Bryn. “You, boy. Right now I don’t care about you. Get outside and if you can get past my two men go and join your father. I’ll come for you both later.” Bryn was given no option but to leave as he ran up the stairs into the house. There was no doubt the alternative was to be shot and that wouldn’t have been of help to anyone. Schwartz pointed his pistols at Neets and me. “You two walk ahead and no tricks.”
In the outer cavern Neets went to climb the steps leading to the house, but Schwartz laughed. “Not up there, keep going and I’ll tell you when to stop. I have a little surprise for you both. As a reward for all you’ve done to me both here and in Camelot I’m going to give you a room to yourselves, though you’ll find it has a touch of rising damp.”
I had a horrible feeling I knew what he was talking about and in my mind’s eye could see two sets of manacles and a rather wet cave. The walk along the tunnel seemed to take ages, though we had the advantage over Schwartz that we didn’t need to crouch too much, even near the end when the roof became rock and dropped by more than a foot.
“Careful going down the steps,” said Schwartz. “I wouldn’t want you to slip and hurt yourselves.” Most considerate, I thought.
At the bottom we stood in a cave I remembered only too well, and it wasn’t just the cold and damp that made me shiver. The walls were wet and dripping with slime, while the floor was already two to three inches deep in rapidly rising water. One end of the cave was completely bricked up, though near the floor a couple of bricks had been knocked out to let in the seawater.
“Where are we, Tersh?”
“Down at sea level and from the distance we walked probably not too far from Port Eynon. Probably in a cave and not one we’re going to like too much.”
