Quest for the Secret Keeper (11 page)

When they arrived back at the keep, they were all astonished by the number of wounded soldiers now filling the dozens and dozens of cots in the front half of the orphanage. Nurses and doctors hurried about and the keep no longer looked or seemed like a home for children; it seemed like a
full-fledged hospital. As they made their way through the throng to the stairs, they were all shocked when they nearly bumped right into Madam Dimbleby.

“Madam!” Ian gasped when he saw her. “You’re up and about!”

The frail woman offered him the faintest of smiles. “Dr. Lineberry insisted I attempt a few paces today,” she said weakly. “I agreed, but I’m still quite angry at him for not allowing me to attend Gertie’s funeral.” Madam began to tear up at the mention of her cousin, and Ian took her hand and lent her some support. “There, there,” he said gently, motioning to Theo and Carl to go on up ahead of him. “Let’s walk you back to your bed, shall we? And I’ll personally tell the good doctor that you followed his instructions to the letter.”

But when Ian had led the way back to Madam’s room, he discovered it filling up quickly with the wounded. “Oh, my,” said Madam Dimbleby, pulling her robe closer about her.

Ian grimaced. These men certainly needed the space, but this was, after all, Madam Dimbleby’s room. He nearly put his foot down, but then he thought of the kind Lady Arbuthnot’s invitation and he decided there was no better time than the present.

Slowly and carefully he worked the headmistress over to a chair near the door, told her he’d be back straightaway, and dashed out to find Landis. Once he’d told the groundskeeper his predicament, Landis agreed to get out his bicycle and make haste to Castle Dover.

Within a half hour a car from the earl’s fleet had arrived
and Ian was helping the frail woman into the motorcar with a small satchel of her belongings. “Eva will be with you to keep you company at Lady Arbuthnot’s,” he told her. “And don’t worry about us. We’ll be well enough.”

Ian’s throat tightened when he saw Madam’s lower lip tremble. She looked up at him with sad eyes. “Was the funeral beautiful, Ian?”

Ian swallowed past the large lump in his throat. “It was indeed, ma’am. Madam Scargill would have been most pleased.”

He stepped away then and closed the door, wishing never to see that look on Madam Dimbleby’s face again.

I
an felt as if he had just closed his eyes when he was shaken awake. “Ian?”

Ian opened his lids to find Argos peering down at him. “Are you awake?”

Ian nodded groggily and sat up, yawning. Argos was attempting to quietly wake Carl, but Ian knew he wouldn’t have much luck. Carl was a deep and sound sleeper. “You’ll need to hold his nose,” Ian whispered. “It’s the only way to wake him.”

Argos looked doubtfully at him and continued to gently shake Carl, who, in turn, continued to slumber. Finally, Ian got up, walked over to his friend’s cot, and held his nose between his fingers. Carl jerked awake within three seconds. “What’s happening?” he gasped, and Jaaved woke up with a start too.

“It’s time to go,” Ian told them, returning to his cot to get dressed.

After putting on his clothes, he hurried down the stairs
and knocked on what used to be the nursery door. Theo opened it, looking sleepy. “Is it time?”

“Yes,” he said. “We’ll need to hurry if we’re to make it to the castle in the next twenty minutes.” Theo nodded while yawning and closed her door. Ian then went back up the tower steps to check his satchel and make sure he had everything.

“Do you have the sundial?” Carl whispered.

“Yes,” Ian said.

“Prophecy?”

“Yes.”

“Vial?”

Ian sighed, his patience low. “Yes, Carl, I have all of it. Worry about your own things, would you?”

Carl said nothing for a few moments, but then he asked, “Some nibbles for the boat?”

“You won’t want to eat on the boat, Carl,” Jaaved told him, pointing to the window. “It’s quite windy out this morning. The channel’s going to be very rough.”

“If you’re implying that I might get seasick, I can assure you I won’t,” Carl said stubbornly. Then he turned to Ian and said, “Really, Ian, did you get us some nibbles for the trip?”

Outside, it was still very dark, and Ian made sure to pack an extra sweater, because out on the water it was likely to be chilly.

Once they were all certain they had everything they needed—save Carl’s nibbles, of course—they made their
way down the spiral staircase, pausing to collect Theo, and continued down the main stairs on tiptoe.

Luck was with them, and they managed to leave the keep without waking a single injured soldier.

Without speaking, the group hurried along the dark road to Castle Dover, and Ian could see the earl waiting for them on the front steps. “Good morning,” he said to them quietly.

“Good morning, my lord,” they all answered.

“Are we ready for our voyage?”

As one they nodded, and the earl motioned for them to follow him. Winding their way through the earl’s residence in a somewhat circuitous path, they avoided the sections of the castle that either had been ruined by fire or were currently occupied by soldiers. Eventually, they found their way to the back of the castle and out into the earl’s garden.

Ian winced when he realized that much of the earl’s beloved hedge maze had been burned to a crisp, but the earl hardly seemed to glance at it as they walked to the back garden gate.

Ian felt a tinge of déjá vu; the last time he’d gone through the garden gate in the wee hours of the morning, he’d been running for his life from one of Magus the Black’s hellhounds. He’d barely escaped, and his arm still held the scar from the bite that awful creature had inflicted on him.

He attempted to put the memory out of his mind and moved silently with the others down the winding path, past the small patch of woods where the portal was hidden, to the road leading to the harbor.

They arrived at the earl’s boat shortly thereafter, and the earl lowered the ladder so that they could all climb aboard. Ian marveled at the beauty of the earl’s ship as he helped Theo up the rungs.

Once they were aboard, there wasn’t much for Ian, Theo, and Carl to do, save concentrate very hard on not being sick and look out for any signs of trouble, of course.

Luck was on their side that day, because they reached Boulogne in just a few hours, the earl’s vessel being a swift one. Theo walked on shaking legs over to the ladder, and Ian carefully lowered her to the deck. He and Carl waited with her while the earl spoke to Argos and Jaaved about their course to Le Havre. “If the Germans break through the French line, they will march the bulk of their forces straight for Paris. This means it will take them time to secure the coastline and all the major ports, but Boulogne is too close to the front line to leave the vessel unattended. This is why you must travel farther south and seek safe harbor in Le Havre. When you dock, leave the ship in the hands of my dear friend Monsieur LaBlanc, the harbormaster. If the Germans reach his harbor, he will know how to hide the boat’s origins.

“From there you must make your way to Paris. Jaaved, do you have the map of France I gave to you?”

“Yes, my lord,” Jaaved answered immediately, reaching into the fold of his coat and pulling out the map to show the earl.

“Excellent. I have marked the map with the safest route, and as your French is perfect and Argos here wears
the Star, you should be fine. But with your darker skin, Jaaved, you must be very careful about attracting unwanted attention. If you do encounter the enemy, do exactly as they say and speak only in French. Give them no reason to suspect you or where you come from, do you understand?”

Jaaved pumped his head up and down and Argos said, “We will not call attention to ourselves, Hastings. We will find you at the Fontaines de la Concorde as soon as we can.”

The earl nodded but his expression was troubled. He looked at Theo, whose color was finally returning, and asked, “Theo, are you quite positive that Jaaved and Argos need join us in Paris? I feel it will be much safer for them to remain with my yacht in Le Havre and await our arrival.”

Theo said, “They
must
join us, my lord. It’s imperative, although I can’t quite explain why.”

The earl sighed. “Very well. I trust your intuition, Theo.” Turning back to Jaaved and Argos, he asked them again if they felt comfortable with managing the boat’s rigging and such, and they both assured him they did. It was then time to say goodbye and wish them bon voyage.

The earl’s yacht set off again, and the four of them watched as it sailed out of port, weaving between the many fishing and military vessels rushing out. When the yacht was a mere speck on the horizon, the earl motioned for them to come along, and off they went through the crowded streets, making their way to the train station.

The small city of Boulogne was teeming with people, and Ian was amazed that most of those who crowded the
streets were soldiers from his own homeland. He knew that Prime Minister Churchill had ordered the vast army stationed in France to pull out and retreat to England, but Ian could hardly believe it was happening until he saw it up close.

Everyone in the streets was gloomy; no one wanted to believe the Germans were capable of taking France. However, the evidence was all around them.

If France did in fact fall, what would that mean for England? Ian wondered. He knew the earl’s thoughts were equally pensive, because he could see his patriarch’s eyes darting here and there as if he was calculating the number of departing soldiers.

It proved quite difficult to obtain a rail pass, as most of the tickets for the day had already been purchased. It seemed that while the port was full of departing British soldiers, the train stations were filled with fleeing French citizens.

From the snatches of conversation happening around Ian, he knew that all those leaving the area wanted to put as much distance between themselves and the invading Germans as possible.

The sad expressions and tearful goodbyes of those around him were heartbreaking and Ian had to work at keeping himself detached.

The earl was finally able to secure them passage to Paris later that afternoon, and while they waited, Ian stared mindlessly at the crowds and Carl and Theo played a game of cards.

They asked if he wanted to join, but his heart wasn’t in it. Instead, he settled for surveying the people around him. While he was in this state of observance, he happened to catch sight of something familiar.

Stepping onto an outgoing train across the platform was a very tall man with broad shoulders, thick curly hair, and a long cloak. As the man took hold of the rail to step up onto the train, Ian spotted a gleaming bronze cuff wrapped round the man’s wrist.

At first, Ian’s mind was slow to make the connection, and he stood up from his seated position to get a better look at the stranger boarding the train. Focusing on the man, he took several paces forward and watched the stranger take the final step aboard. The conductor then blew the warning whistle and the train began its slow chug out of the station. Ian hurried forward just as recognition burst into his mind, and he shouted, “General Adrastus!”

The man in the doorway of the departing train jerked, whirling around, and their eyes met. Ian knew he wasn’t wrong; Adrastus of Lixus stared at him in shock for three heartbeats and then the train had moved on and he was lost to Ian’s sight.

“Ian?” he heard the earl say.

Ian stared at the back end of the train, straining to see if Adrastus had perhaps gotten off and was coming back to meet him. But the longer he waited, the more the crowds closed in for the next train, and Ian could not see any sign of the general.

“Ian?” he heard the earl repeat, and he finally tore his eyes away and looked to the earl.

“Sorry,” he said when he noticed the earl, Carl, and Theo all looking up at him curiously.

“You all right?” Theo asked.

Ian nodded. “I saw him,” he said. “General Adrastus. He was boarding the train that just left here.”

The earl turned to read the overhead sign displaying what trains were leaving which platforms. “He’s headed south,” he said. “Along with the rest of northern France.”

“Perhaps he’s on his way to Paris too?” Theo said.

Ian looked back at the platform, searching the crowd once again. He had met the general only once, a year earlier, when he and Carl had nearly been killed by one of Magus’s servants. The general had saved their lives, but once he knew who Ian and Carl were, he’d made haste to leave their company.

The mystery of Adrastus of Lixus was something that teased away at Ian’s brain, especially as he knew the prophecy had instructed him to find the general—for what specific reason he hadn’t yet determined, but to know he’d been so close to the man and yet so far frustrated Ian greatly.

With a tired sigh he pulled his eyes away and went back to sit next to Carl and Theo. “We can only hope that we’ll meet him in Paris,” he said. “Laodamia has told us that we need to find him, so it’s obviously important that we do.”

“We can use the sundial!” Carl said.

Ian brightened. He reached into his trouser pocket to pull out the sundial, then he studied the dull surface and knew it was just the thing to help him locate the general. “Excellent idea, Carl. And we can also use it to help us locate Océanne and Madame Lafitte as well.”

The earl reached out and squeezed Ian’s shoulder. “Best to tuck that instrument away for now,” he whispered while looking pointedly at the crowds and the nearby strangers subtly eyeing the trinket in Ian’s hand. “We’ll make use of it later when we have some privacy, all right, Ian?”

Ian hurried to tuck the ancient magical relic away. “Right,” he said. “Apologies, my lord.”

They waited several more hours for their own train to arrive, and when it finally did, Ian felt weary to the bone. Dusk had fallen, and although they’d eaten a bit of bread and cheese midafternoon, they were all still quite hungry.

When they were seated in their berth, Carl—who was in a foul mood—grumbled, “I told you to make sure to bring some nibbles along.”