The Time Hunters and the Box of Eternity (31 page)

‘
Just a bit,
’
Becky replied.

Joe pointed at the mountain opposite and his smile grew.
‘
Hey, that cliff looks
like Mr Taylor, our science teacher.
’

To Becky
’
s amusement, she found Joe was right. The cliffside did indeed
resemble a human face, with a forehead, eyes, nose, and a long shimmering
silver beard in the form of the waterfall.
‘
That is actually uncanny,
’
she laughed. And then
goose pimples stood up on her neck.
‘
Oh
–
my
–
God,
’
she exhaled breathlessly.

‘
What?
’
Joe replied.

‘
That
’
s it,
’
Becky said, lifting
Mr Flint and kissing him firmly on the beak.
‘
Mr Flint, you really are the best.
’

‘
What are you doing?
’
Joe asked,
bewildered.

Becky ignored him, returned Mr Flint to the ground, turned to the
others and announced in a loud, steady voice,
‘
I know where Blackbeard
’
s treasure is!
’

Uncle Percy looked at her.
‘
What
’
s that, Becky?
’

‘
Remember Israel Hands
’
poem,
’
Becky said.
‘
It said
‘
Listen closely to
my friend.
’
Well, we all thought he was addressing his English friend, ermm -
’

‘
Mallory,
’
Uncle Percy prompted
her.
‘
Edward
Mallory.
’

‘
Yeah, him. Anyway, we
thought the
‘
my friend
’
meant Edward Mallory and he
’
d just missed out the comma. But it doesn
’
t. He wanted Mallory
to actually listen closely to his other friend: Mr Flint.
’

Joe looked confused.

Becky continued.
‘
Think about what Mr Flint
’
s been saying to us: Old man
’
s beard … Through the mouth … Into the bowels.
’
She pointed at the mountain.
‘
The
cliffside looks like an old man
’
s face, the waterfall looks like his beard. We just have to get
behind it, into his mouth and head downwards. Don
’
t you see, Mr Flint
’
s been telling us all
along where the treasure is …
’

Chapter 29

Teach
’
s Treasure Trove

Uncle Percy beamed at her with pride.
‘
Clever girl.
’
Immediately, he withdrew what Becky recognised
as a pair of amnoculars and trained them on the mountainside.
‘
Israel Hands, you
really were far too intelligent to be a pirate.
’
He gave a satisfied nod.
‘
Yes, there appears to
be a narrow path in the rock that leads up behind the waterfall. Oh, how
exciting…
’

Leaving Mr Flint at the hut with a promise to get him later, the
group left with renewed vigor, reaching the mountain in no time at all.

Becky looked up at the waterfall in awe, a cool, welcoming spray
speckling her face, when, through the corner of her eye, she saw Uncle Percy
turn towards her and Joe.

‘
Now I
’
m aware there might be
some opposition to this,
’
he said.
‘
But I
’
m going to ask you both to stay here and -
’

Becky had been expecting it.
‘
Nope. We
’
re coming this time.
’

‘
Absolutely,
’
Joe agreed.
‘
Don
’
t even try and stop
us.
’

Uncle Percy nodded gloomily.
‘
Yes, I thought you might say that.
’
He sighed heavily.
‘
Very well. Now, we don
’
t know what we
’
re going to find in
there, but I think we should all prepare for the worst. Bruce, would you be so
kind as to let Becky have one your flintlocks?
’

Becky gasped. She was getting a gun.

‘
If you
’
re sure, boss.
’
Bruce passed over a
flintlock.

Uncle Percy looked heartbroken as he watched Becky turn the pistol
in her fingers.

Joe, on the other hand, had turned green with envy.
‘
You are so lucky,
Becks. Maybe I should have one?
’

‘
Absolutely not,
’
Uncle Percy said firmly.
Then he turned to Becky.
‘
Please, please be careful with it.
’

‘
I will,
’
Becky replied.
‘
It
’
s just … I
’
ve never fired a gun
before.
’

‘
It
’
s pretty much just aim
and pull the trigger, missy,
’
Bruce said.
‘
You
’
ve got ten bullets.
’

Uncle Percy looked miserable.
‘
Frankly, if we do come across any trouble I
would prefer you drop the gun and hightail it out of there as quick as you
possibly can. And that goes for you, too, Joe.
’
With that, he unscrewed the sword from his
cane and approached the path.

Taking each stride with care, mindful of the dampness underfoot,
Becky trailed Uncle Percy to an altitude of about seventy feet when he
disappeared from view. Following close behind, Becky soon found herself in a
large, dank cave with oily black walls; shivering from the sudden drop in
temperature, she spied a wide hole opposite that fanned into a long, dark
tunnel.

Uncle Percy waited long enough for Joe, Bruce and Will to catch up,
before entering the tunnel. Hesitantly, Becky did the same. She wasn
’
t sure which was
louder, the aeroplane-like roar of the waterfall or the pounding of her own
heart.
 
Glancing ahead, illuminated by
swirls of light from tiny cracks in the walls, she saw the tunnel slope
downwards before tapering into blackness.

‘
The last time we were
anywhere like this we met a vegetarian Minotaur,
’
Uncle Percy said to Becky, trying to break the
tension.

‘
No,
’
Becky replied
sharply.
‘
I
think
you
met a Hydra with nine heads…
’

Uncle Percy
’
s body deflated.
‘
Ah, yes,
’
he replied.
‘
I forgot about that one.
’

From then on, no one said a word. All of a sudden, Becky spied a
strange, misty, multi-colored light in the distance.
‘
Is that sunlight?
’

‘
I
’
m not sure,
’
Uncle Percy replied,
squinting.

The group pressed on, weapons raised, their footsteps echoing
against the dull walls. Closer and closer, they advanced, watching intently as
the curious light swelled before them. It appeared to be radiating from not
one, but three caves.

Her pulse racing, Becky approached the first cave. As she did, her
eyes widened with astonishment.
 
The cave
was crammed to the ceiling with gold: caskets, figurines, boxes, tiaras,
bracelets, masks, statues and countless more pieces she couldn
’
t see.

‘
Oh my word!
’
Uncle Percy
whispered.

‘
Smother me in butter
and call me a bagel,
’
Bruce said.

‘
We are sooooo rich!
’
Joe gasped.

‘
It
’
s not ours, Joe,
’
Uncle Percy replied
quickly.

Then, one by one, they moved on to the next cave. This time, they
found it bursting with silver: candlesticks, jugs, urns, strongboxes, bowls,
cutlery and armour. In a daze, they moved to the final cave, which was
jam-packed with jewelry; precious gems of all shapes and sizes cast
kaleidoscopic colours on the dark walls.

‘
Well, blow my chaps
off,
’
Bruce breathed.
‘
Forget floristry… I
’
m takin
’
up piracy.
’

For what seemed like an age, they all stood there, stock-still,
captivated by the immeasurable riches on display. Then they heard a deep,
distant moan.

Becky jumped, startled.

‘
What was that?
’
Joe uttered.

‘
It
’
s probably just the
wind, Joe,
’
Uncle Percy replied, although Becky wasn
’
t convinced by his
tone.

‘
That didn
’
t sound like wind,
’
Joe replied.

Becky had to agree. She faced front, her hand curling round the
flintlock
’
s
grip. She saw the tunnel curve slightly, hiding the path ahead. His sword
raised, Uncle Percy moved forward, trailed by Will who had set an arrow on his
bowstring.

Heart pounding, Becky turned the corner and her eyes nearly popped
from her head. They were standing at the edge of a vast sea-cave with walls as
black as tar. A wide stretch of grey sand merged into seawater, which flowed
out through a giant archway to the ocean beyond. A strange silvery mist floated
above the water like a shimmering carpet. But the most surprising thing was the
three-mast pirate ship anchored in the shallows. She recognized it at once.
‘
That
’
s the ship that was at
Devil
’
s
Spear Island, isn
’
t it?
’

‘
The Winchester Man,
’
Uncle Percy said,
bewildered.
‘
Richard Young
’
s flagship.
’

As the group moved into the middle of the cave, Becky
’
s eyes scanned the
ship
’
s
deck. It appeared deserted.
‘
So where is everyone?
’

Before Uncle Percy had a chance to respond, however, the most terrifying
sound penetrated the cave like a deadly gas. It was laughter. Low, foul,
humorless laughter. The laughter quickly formed into very slurred, indistinct
words.
‘
Welcome
ter me abode….
’

Terror flooded Becky. Looking over at the far end of the cave,
barely visible through the velvety black shadows, she saw an enormous man sat
on a golden throne, his disfigured, pale, bearded face illuminated for the
briefest of moments. Then her heart plummeted further. Beside him, an enormous
golden chest was tipped open on its side, a trail of gold coins leading into
the water. The same silvery mist that filled the cave poured out of it like
exhaust fumes.

‘
Pandora
’
s Box!
’
Becky whispered out
loud.

‘
Blackbeard!
’
Joe said at the same
time.

Blackbeard leaned forwards, his face touched by a thick shaft of
sunlight. Becky
’
s hand shot to her mouth. The right side of his face had been
completely torn off, exposing bone and sinews and blackened teeth. A large
chunk of his neck was missing. Dried blood caked his mouth and whiskers.
‘
It be agreeable ter
have y
’
all
here …
’
he
rasped chillingly.

‘
Z - zombie Blackbeard,
’
Joe squeaked.

Becky was paralysed with fear. But then it occurred to her:
Blackbeard was alone. If he were a zombie, at least the kind of normal zombie
she
’
d seen
in films, he would be easy to kill.

Lazily, Blackbeard raised his hand.
‘
And ye have nothin
’
ter fear from me … I
’
ve fed on many a brain
fer a day now, and me belly is full ... It
’
s made me strong. It
’
s made me fast. It
’
s made me clever … but
as fer my newborn … well, yer blood will smell most temptin
’
ter them, I be sure …
And yer brains will taste sweet …
’
His hollow eyes flicked to the shadows.
‘
So arise my army of
the damned… Protect yer master … and feast fer your first time…
’

Suddenly, the walls came alive. Dozens of pirates emerged from the
blackness; twisted, mutilated and misshapen, their long, skeletal arms
stretched out before them, groaning so loudly it made the cave walls shudder.

Uncle Percy turned off-white.
‘
Oh, crikey,
’
he said, looking round to see they were
approaching from all directions.
‘
The Winchester Man had a crew of about seventy five …
’

‘
Sweet mother of
Bethesda,
’
Bruce muttered.

Becky turned hastily to Joe.
‘
Okay then, Zombie Assassin,
’
she said shakily.
‘
You
’
re up. What do you
suggest we do next?
’

Joe gulped.
‘
Shoot brains …
’
He raised his Joe-bow.
‘
Shoot a lot of brains...
’