Quest for the Secret Keeper (3 page)

Carl’s chest was pumping hard, but he still managed to ask the headmistress if both he and Ian could go aboard to say their farewells.

“Yes, yes,” said Madam Dimbleby. “But hurry along. They’ve got a bit of a drive ahead of them to Dartford.”

Carl dashed onto the bus, but Ian held back. “Madam, is Theo about?” he asked.

“She’s inside, Ian,” Madam Dimbleby said gently, but with a small shake of her head. “Theo’s been sticking to my apron strings so much recently that I felt we both needed a bit of a break from each other. I’ve sent her to help find some spare sheets for the soldiers at the keep. She’s upstairs right now rummaging through the earl’s extra linens.”

Ian smiled, thanked his headmistress, and boarded the bus, which he noticed was stuffy with stale air. Several children were attempting to open the windows, but the bus was old and the windows wouldn’t give way easily. Ian hurried to the back to assist a girl of about seven, named Margaret, with her window. He worked the latches with one hand while tugging on the pane with the other. After a loud squeaky protest, the window gave way.

As the cooler air rushed in, Ian overheard a soldier outside ordering the German prisoners to disembark from the lorry. He then overheard one of the Germans say, “What does the English pig want us to do?”

“He is ordering us down, Commander,” another man said in reply.

Ian looked with narrowed eyes at the Germans and toyed with the pouch about his neck, which held a very special stone of magical properties. The stone—part of a gem once known as the Star of Lixus—was made of pure opal, and it allowed the bearer to understand and speak any language ever spoken as if it were the bearer’s very own tongue.

Ian’s eyes traveled to the British soldier unloading the Germans from the lorry. And Ian noticed that only when the soldier moved his gun threateningly did the Germans obey.

“Do what he says, men,” said the German commander with a sneer. “We will have our opportunity soon enough.”

“What are you staring at?” asked someone right behind Ian, causing him to jump.

Ian turned to see the boy named Jasper holding a roll of extra clothing and blinking up at him with large brown eyes. “Nothing,” Ian assured him, and moved out of the way so that Jasper might take his seat next to Margaret. The pair were siblings and had come to the orphanage after losing both their parents to consumption.

Carl, meanwhile, was jovially making his rounds, saying
goodbye to all the occupants on the bus. Ian marveled at how easily Carl made friends and how so many of the children genuinely seemed to like him.

As all the passengers got settled, Ian moved to lower a few more windows. Each time, his eyes returned to the German soldiers being herded off the lorry, and he noticed that several were whispering among themselves.

At that moment, Admiral Ramsey—a man Ian had come to admire greatly—exited the front door of Castle Dover along with his personal assistant and a few other high-ranking soldiers. Seeing Madam Dimbleby, the admiral nodded and began to walk to her. Theo had suggested to Ian that the admiral was rather fond of their headmistress, and judging by the way Madam Dimbleby blushed every time the admiral was near, Ian tended to believe her.

From the bus, Ian could see that the appearance of the admiral captured the German commander’s increasing attention. Rather boldly and loudly, the commander turned to one of the British soldiers guarding him and asked, “Do you speak German? Can you understand what I’m saying to you?”

The soldier seemed to understand at least that much, because he shook his head. “No,” he said.

“Do any of you soldiers speak German?” For emphasis the commander pointed to all the men guarding his group of prisoners.

Again the British soldier shook his head. “We’ll have a translator here soon,” he said, not looking as if he especially cared if the commander understood him.

But Ian could tell that the German commander did
understand the soldier, and a twisted grin lit on his features. When the admiral had drawn a bit closer to their bus, he saw the German commander look round at his men. “When I give the order, as one we will move for their guns. Take down the admiral first, and shoot as many of the others as you can,” he told them.

Ian’s heart dropped to his feet and he bolted for the front of the bus. “They’re going to shoot the admiral!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, lunging for the steps. “It’s a trap! It’s a trap!”

As he emerged from the bus, several astonished faces stared in absolute shock at him—including that of Admiral Ramsey, who was now standing a few feet away next to Madam Dimbleby. “You speak German?” he gasped as Ian stopped dead in his tracks.

In an instant, Ian realized that he was speaking the last language he had heard, and as his eyes darted to the German prisoners, he realized his mistake, as they too were looking at him with a bit of astonishment.

Even before he had a chance to react and explain himself, however, a terrible cry rang out from inside the castle, and on the second floor Theo’s pale face appeared in a window and she screamed,
“Iiiiaaaan! Nooooooooooooo!”

Ian barely had the presence of mind to register what happened next. The German commander shouted, “Now!” and all together the prisoners rushed forward and overtook their British guards. A wrestling match ensued; the German prisoners attempted to secure the weapons from the overwrought soldiers, now fighting for their very lives.

From around the castle, other British soldiers began dashing forward to assist their fallen comrades, and the children on the bus screamed in panic and fear.

Out of the melee emerged the German commander, wielding a knife he’d managed to secure from one of the fallen soldiers. Wearing a crazed look in his eyes, he held the knife aloft and forced his way out of the tangled mess, heading straight for the admiral.

Ian lunged at the admiral, tackling him to get him out of the way before the German commander could stab him. Because Ian had shoved the admiral, the German’s mark was off and the knife connected with the side of the bus. Ian still had a grip on the admiral’s military jacket, and as the German came at them again, Ian grabbed the older man and heaved him around, up the stairs of the bus and safely out of range of the knife.

When he turned, he stared right into the commander’s eyes, which were slits of rage. Again he heard Theo scream his name, and the sound was so wrought with fear and anguish that he reflexively turned his head to her.

Movement he saw out the corner of his eye caused him to snap back, and he realized the commander was now charging straight at him, the knife aloft. Ian closed his eyes, waiting for the steel blade to strike his chest, when he himself was shoved violently aside and a horrible scream pierced the chaotic sounds of shouting men and angry curses.

Something heavy landed right on top of him, and he
crashed to the ground. A shot rang out, and then another, and another, until finally, everything went quiet.

Ian opened his eyes slowly, aware that the thing that had hit him was a person. His right arm felt wet and he looked at it. With a great deal of shock, he found it covered in blood.

Then it seemed that there was a rush of people all around, and he heard someone panting heavily and whimpering in pain. Belatedly, he realized that his headmistress was sprawled on the ground with him, and as he was pulled out from underneath her, he saw that the knife that had been meant for him had instead been sunk deep into her chest.

“No!”
he cried, scrambling onto his knees and scooting over to cradle her head. “Oh, Madam! What’s happened to you?”

Madam Dimbleby’s face was very, very pale, and her lips were turning blue. A gurgling sound came from her chest every time she attempted to breathe, and there was nothing but agony in her eyes as she stared straight ahead without focusing on anything.

Shoving his way over to kneel beside Ian, Admiral Ramsey sucked in a breath when he took in Madam’s condition, then lifted his chin and shouted,
“Medic!”

Ian felt on the verge of panic; clearly the woman who had been like a mother to him was barely clinging to life. He scooted as close to her as he could, wriggling out of his coat to lay it gently under her head. “Oh, ma’am!” he
whispered, feeling the agony of guilt. “Why, ma’am?
Why
did you do such a foolish thing?”

Madam’s hand came up and gripped Ian’s arm weakly. “Ian!” she choked just as a soldier wearing a large red cross appeared from the gathering crowd to crouch down next to them. “Send for Gertrude!”

Madam Dimbleby was referring to her cousin, Gertrude Scargill, the other headmistress at Delphi Keep. Ian’s head snapped in the direction of the old keep, at least a kilometer away, and he wondered with despair if he could make it back with Madam Scargill in time. He knew Madam Dimbleby’s injury was quite grave; if the bleeding wasn’t stopped very soon, she would likely die. Ian was torn between staying with her and doing as she bid, but one more look into her eyes convinced him he must succeed in this errand for her.

He’d gotten no farther than a few hundred meters when he saw a figure emerge right next to him. Ian started a bit when he realized someone was matching him stride for stride, but he quickly realized it was Carl. “Ian!” Carl gasped as he came up alongside him. “Wait!”

With great reluctance Ian slowed his pace and snapped, “I’ve got to fetch Madam Scargill!”

Carl reached out and firmly took hold of Ian’s upper arm, yanking him to a rough halt. “Let me!” he said between pants. “I’m faster over distances than you! You’ve got to go for Eva! Theo says she and Jaaved went into the village to mail a letter.”

With a jolt Ian realized that only Eva might be able to help Madam Dimbleby.

Eva was one of the special orphans who had been allowed to stay behind at Delphi Keep. She had come through the portal from Poland on the eve of the war with Germany, and like Theo, she also had a very special gift—that of a healer.

As a healer Eva was incredibly powerful, and she had in fact already saved several lives—Carl’s included. “Right!” Ian agreed, already turning away from the path to the keep. “You bring Madam Scargill and I’ll go for Eva!”

Ian had to bypass the small patch of woods, which housed the secret entrance to the portal, but he hardly gave this a second thought, so intent was he on finding Eva as quickly as possible.

And it was perhaps because his mind was so focused that he completely missed the sounds of running footsteps and the large figure moving through the brush, until he ran right into it.

I
an went sprawling to the ground, where he lay for a moment, discombobulated. He had no idea what he’d just run into, but it felt like he’d gone headlong into a solid brick wall.

When he was able to pick his head up, he realized he wasn’t far off the mark. Blinking furiously to clear his vision, he saw a very tall and fierce-looking warrior standing over him, wearing, of all things, a leather skirt, a brass breastplate, and a cone-shaped helmet.

The warrior appeared both startled and quite angry. “You there!” he shouted at Ian, pointing his long bronze sword directly at Ian’s chest. “Up with you!”

Ian scrambled to his feet, flustered by the man’s sudden appearance. He was so flustered, in fact, that he found it hard to form words—especially when the soldier stuck the point of his sword into Ian’s chest. “Where is this place?” the soldier demanded, his eyes darting quickly to the side to take in his surroundings.

“Er …,” said Ian. “Dover, sir.”

The soldier blinked at him, as if he’d never heard the name Dover before, and Ian couldn’t help wondering, given the soldier’s dress and abrupt appearance, if the man had perhaps come through the magical portal hidden just beyond the trees. “Dober?” he said, his tongue working to say it correctly, and failing.

Ian wasn’t about to correct the man, especially since he had such an urgent mission to complete. “If you please, sir,” he said quickly, “I’m on a terribly important errand. I truly must be off!”

The soldier didn’t lower his sword. Instead, with his free hand he removed his helmet, and he glared hard at Ian.

Seeing the man free from his helmet caused Ian to suck in a slight breath. The soldier looked familiar in a way that sent goose bumps along Ian’s arms. He was tall and broad shouldered, with a straight nose, a square jaw, light blond hair, and ice-blue eyes. Ian knew he’d seen this man before, but he couldn’t for the life of him place where. There was also the possibility that—given the man’s period attire—he might be involved with the prophecy. Still, as much as Ian wanted to question the soldier, he didn’t have time, because every moment he spent standing there was a moment Madam Dimbleby’s condition was worsening.

Ian shifted on his feet, wondering what to do. The soldier regarded the movement and said, “I do not know this place, Dober, and I seem to have lost my way. You may get back to your errand when you have led me back to my soldiers.”

Ian looked anxiously to the woods again. “Please, sir!”
he cried, desperate to get to Eva. “You
must
let me go! My headmistress has been horribly wounded and I must see to getting her a healer!”

The soldier’s eyes softened a fraction. “What is this headmist you are speaking of?”

Ian clenched his fists in frustration. “My head
mistress
,” he clarified, knowing that the Star of Lixus was allowing him to speak in whatever tongue the soldier was speaking; however, it wouldn’t translate those words coming out of Ian’s mouth that were not found in the soldier’s vocabulary. “My headmistress, Madam Dimbleby, the woman who has looked after me since birth. She’s been stabbed in the chest, and if I don’t leave at once to bring back a healer, she will very likely die!”

The soldier frowned. “Where is this healer you speak of?”

Ian pointed to the village, visible just beyond the downs of Castle Dover. “There.”

The soldier lowered his sword. “Go, then.”

Ian could hardly believe it. The soldier was letting him go! Still, he knew that after he found Eva, he’d need to come back and either help or question the soldier. Knowing the portal, he thought it wasn’t likely that the soldier was there by accident. In fact, it was far more likely that his appearance had something to do with the prophecy. “If you’ll wait in those woods for me,” Ian said, pointing to the patch of forest by the castle wall, “I promise I’ll return and help you after I’ve seen to getting the healer.”