Quest for the Secret Keeper (32 page)

“What has he stolen?” the head priest asked, his tone changing to concern.

“A whistle,” the desperate father said. “And I
must
have it back!”

Ian went rigid and out the corner of his eye he could see that Carl had too.

“I never took any whistle!” Wolfie said feebly, and then he too stiffened. Turning his head slowly, the young boy looked at Carl and at the shiny gold whistle dangling from his neck.
“You!”
he said accusingly.

“I can explain,” said Carl, looking at Ian as if to ask for help.

Ian pressed his lips together and wrapped one hand around Wolfie’s mouth and the other around his middle. “I’m terribly sorry,” he said as the boy struggled against him. Almost immediately he felt Wolfie bolt into his thoughts and nearly convince him to let him go.

Desperate to fight off the feeling, Ian smacked his head against the wall, and in his arms he felt Wolfie flinch even as his own head erupted in pain. “Carl!” Ian commanded. “We’ve got to be off!”

Carl slapped his hand over the one covering Wolfie’s mouth and grabbed Ian by the arm. “He can’t get into both our heads,” he said, and began to lead them to the edge of the woods.

Ian knew that at any moment they might be spotted, but they had to risk it now that Wolfie knew he and Carl had been in his house and had stolen his father’s things.

His own ears were ringing with the smack he’d given himself, and he wished he hadn’t done that quite so hard. Once Carl brought them into the trees, Ian sank to his knees to catch his breath. Wolfie was small for a boy, but he was still heavy.

“Ian!” Carl said, crouching down and keeping his hand firmly over Ian’s. “We must move deeper into the trees! I believe Van Schuft saw us!”

Ian gulped down a lungful of air and struggled to stand up again. Wolfie kicked and squirmed but Ian wasn’t about to let go. He had taken two steps when Carl paused, let go of Ian, and moved to a tree, which he thumped his own head against. Again, Wolfie flinched in Ian’s arms, and Carl turned around, saying, “Do that again and I’ll give myself such a wallop that you’ll be sorry for a month!”

Ian would have smiled if the situation hadn’t been so dire. “We must find Mr. Goodwyn!” Ian said desperately.

Carl appeared to waver between helping Ian with Wolfie and dashing off to retrieve their schoolmaster. “It’s just a bit farther,” he said, taking up Wolfie’s feet, and Ian was glad he’d decided to stay with him.

The muddy forest floor dragged them down as they wound their way through the wet foliage, at last coming to the spot where a very wet Perry stood waiting miserably in the rain for them.

“Whatever took you lads so long?” he said when he’d spotted them.

Again, Ian sank to his knees, his arms ready to give way under the weight of the still struggling lad. Perry came forward quickly and helped Ian with Wolfie, but when Ian took his hand away from the boy’s mouth, Wolfie let out a small shout before Ian could clamp it down again.

“Let me,” Perry insisted, winding his own arms around Wolfie and being careful not to let him shout again.

“Thank you, sir,” Ian said, letting go and sagging against a tree.

Perry smiled. “Of course,” he said, then turned and set Wolfie down. Patting him on the head, he said, “Off with you now, young man. Back to your father you go.”

The next moment, Wolfie jumped toward Carl, snapped the whistle from his neck, and dashed away back toward the abbey, blowing mightily on the whistle as he ran.

“No!”
Ian shouted, bolting after him, but he was caught by the arm and held firmly in check by Perry.

Meanwhile, Carl, who’d been left a little stunned when the whistle had been torn from his neck, collected himself and dashed off after Wolfie. Ian watched helplessly as the pair quickly disappeared into the thick tangle of trees. The moment Wolfie was out of sight, Perry released Ian and wobbled backward. “I say, Ian, what just happened?”

Ian didn’t wait to explain; instead, he took off running after Carl and Wolfie. He’d gone perhaps a hundred meters when he heard a sharp yelp and a desperate cry for help.

Ian ran straight for the noise and within seconds came upon a sight that pulled him up short. Adrastus of Lixus had hold of both Wolfie and Carl, although only Wolfie seemed to be fighting the restraint.

Looking up at Ian, the general smiled and said, “These two belong to you?”

“General!” Ian said, panting for air. “Thank you for catching the Thinker.”

Adrastus turned Wolfie, who was dangling above the
ground, to face him. “Your mind games won’t work on me, little one. Best to save your strength, eh?”

“Let me go!” Wolfie cried pitifully, but Adrastus clearly had no intention of doing that. He did release Carl, however, who seemed all too glad to set his feet back on the ground.

Carl brushed himself off, pocketed the whistle he’d recovered from Wolfie, and asked, “Where’s Mistress Adria and Iyoclease?”

Adrastus appeared surprised. “They’ve come through the portal with you?”

Both Ian and Carl nodded. “They split up from us to go in search of you, sir,” Ian told him.

The general pressed his lips together in irritation. “I have not seen them,” he said. “And now that you have the Thinker, this is most unsettling. The portal will be opening soon, especially since I have the box with me.”

“You’ll give it to us?” Ian asked him. “Just like that?”

Adrastus nodded. “It appears that if you two found the fifth Oracle here, then that is what the prophecy wants me to do,” he said. “I should not want my wife and Iyoclease to be in this dangerous place a moment longer than necessary. Come. I will see you to the portal and across, then go in search of my wife and Iyoclease.”

“But what about Mr. Goodwyn?” Carl protested, his eyes searching the woods for any sign of their schoolmaster.

“There’s one more with us, General,” Ian said. “Our schoolmaster, who was waiting for us to coax Wolfie out of the school.”

Adrastus growled, his impatience clearly expressed in his dark eyes, but at that moment, Perry appeared. Yet even when he waved to them, Ian saw the general put a hand on his sword. “He’s our friend, General,” Ian said quickly.

Adrastus’s eyes slanted at Ian. “You are friends with the SS?”

“It’s a costume,” Carl told him. “We pinched it from Van Schuft’s home.”

The general’s eyebrows rose. “Van Schuft?
He
is here?”

Ian nodded. “His house is just up this hill and to the left. You can see it from the entrance to the portal.”

In Adrastus’s arms, Wolfie squirmed and struggled with renewed vigor. “And that’s Van Schuft’s son,” Carl said, a mean look in his eyes. “Can you believe that Laodamia actually wants us to bring him back through the portal?”

Adrastus appeared thoughtful, and he eyed the small boy curiously. “Van Schuft’s son?” he said. “Well then, lads, by all means, let’s send him through to Dover before his father can intercede.”

Perry led them through the drizzle up the slippery slopes. When they all heard the sound of an approaching motorcar, they waited for it to pass. Ian saw with some satisfaction that behind the wheel was Dieter Van Schuft, but poor Wolfie saw his father too and he took up his battle to be released from the steel embrace of General Adrastus. “There, there, lad,” Adrastus told him. “You’ll not get loose from my grip, so it’s better to stop your squirming.”

Wolfie complied, rather abruptly, actually; however, in
the next moment, Perry had stepped into the roadway and was waving frantically after the motorcar.

Carl rounded immediately on Wolfie and struck him across the head. “Stop it!” he snarled.

Ian called to his schoolmaster, but it was too late. Van Schuft had seen Perry in the rearview mirror, and the motorcar screeched to a halt. Adrastus swore under his breath and silently edged back down the slope, taking Wolfie out of range.

Ian and Carl remained hidden in the shrubbery, watching with pounding hearts as the motorcar backed up and came to stop next to Perry.

Although Ian strained to hear what was said, he could hear nothing coherent, so he could only stare at his schoolmaster and attempt to read his body language. To his horror, Perry merely nodded and went round to the other side of the vehicle before glancing gravely in their direction and getting in. A moment later Van Schuft gunned the engine and he and Perry sped off.

“Oh, this is a bloody fine mess!” Carl snapped, stepping up to the roadway and peering after the motorcar. “Where do you think he’s taken him?”

Ian didn’t have a chance to answer. Behind him the foliage rustled and up came the general. “What’s happened?” he asked.

“Van Schuft’s taken Mr. Goodwyn.”

“Taken him?” Adrastus repeated.

Ian nodded.

“Was it against his will?”

“No,” Ian said. “I believe he went of his own accord.”

Adrastus nodded. “Very well,” he said. “Let’s be on our way to the portal door.”

Ian’s jaw dropped. “But what about Mr. Goodwyn?” he cried. “We can’t just
leave
him!”

The general leveled his eyes at Ian. “We can, and we must,” he said. “Your friend has gained us a distraction and some valuable time, Ian. We should not waste the opportunity.”

Carl brashly approached the general, however, his hands firmly placed on his hips. “No!” he yelled. “Mr. Goodwyn is our friend, and we’ll not go back through the portal without him!”

Adrastus sighed as if he was terribly weary. “Carl,” he said. “Would you have your friend Mr. Goodwyn’s efforts go to waste? Further, would you place his life in even more jeopardy by attempting a rescue when he very well may not need one?”

“What are you talking about?” Ian shouted, his anger and fear for the well-being of his schoolmaster getting the better of him. “Van Schuft’s taken him away! He’ll probably shoot him before the evening is over!”

Adrastus stepped up to the road and began walking purposely across it. Over his shoulder he said, “Mr. Goodwyn went willingly, Ian. Dressed in that uniform, he’s no doubt fooled Van Schuft, at least for now.”

“But we can’t leave him here!” Ian insisted, refusing to
walk after the general, and he was grateful that Carl stood next to him in silent objection.

With another audible sigh, Adrastus turned to face them. “All right,” he said, relenting. “Allow me to get you three through the portal to safety and I give you my word that I will go after Mr. Goodwyn and send him back through as well.
Then
I will see to my wife and Iyoclease.”

Ian winced at the particularly harsh tone to the general’s speech. He seemed thoroughly out of patience with them all.

As if to confirm that, the general whirled around and barked, “Come! We must make haste and see this mission over and all of you to safety!”

Ian looked at Carl, who nodded. They would both cooperate now that the general had agreed to help their friend.

The pair trotted across the road and followed Adrastus up the slope to another set of trees. They had nearly caught up to him, in fact, when a piercing howl cut through the drizzling haze and sent goose pimples all along Ian’s arms. “A hellhound!” he cried just before a second howl drowned out his voice.

When it ended, Carl turned his pale face to Ian and said, “Make that two.”

“T
hank you for stopping,” the drenched officer said, offering a small salute and a “Heil Hitler” as the motorcar came to a stop.

Dieter Van Schuft returned the salute impatiently. He’d thought about not stopping when he’d spotted the officer in his rearview mirror, but Berchtesgaden was a small town and word might travel among the rank and file that he’d left a fellow officer stranded. “Whatever are you doing out here in the rain?” Dieter demanded, noting that the storm leader was one rank below him.

The officer pointed down the road away from the school. “I was driving in from Berlin when my motorcar broke down,” he explained. “A young boy walking along the road told me there was an abbey in this direction and that I might find assistance there.”

Dieter focused on the man’s words. When he’d insisted on seeing his son, a priest had been sent to bring Wolfie to him, and it was only then that they’d all learned that his
son had indeed run away. He’d even taken most of his clothes with him. “A young boy, you say?”

The officer nodded. “Yes.” Holding his hand just above his waist, the officer said, “About this high and no older than eleven or twelve. Small for his age, I suspect, but most helpful.”

Dieter peered at the long stretch of road in front of him. “I’m in search of a young boy of that description,” he said. “Did he tell you his name?”

“He did indeed, sir, as I demanded he tell it to me. He said his name was Wolfgang Van Schuft. Do you know him?”

Dieter gripped the steering wheel with steely fingers. “I do indeed. I am Herr Van Schuft, Wolfgang’s father, and you must show me where you discovered him,” he said. “And in exchange, I will drive you to headquarters and ensure a guard is sent for your motorcar.”

But the officer begged off. “Oh, Herr Van Schuft, that is most kind of you, but I am sure you will find your son by simply following this road a few kilometers. Wolfgang appears to be walking his way to Vienna.”

Dieter clamped his jaws together and struggled to rein in his temper. Something about the young officer disturbed him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “What is your name, Storm Leader?”

“Goodwyn, sir. I am Otto Goodwyn.”

“Well, Herr Goodwyn,” Dieter said, his voice only slightly better than a snarl. “I must insist that you get in.
Now
.”

The officer didn’t answer him right away, but finally he said, “Yes, sir. As you wish.”

After Herr Goodwyn was settled, Dieter drove away. He had to reach Wolfie and retrieve the whistle. The sorceresses were waiting, and he knew from experience that Demogorgon’s brood were not long on patience.

They drove along in silence for a bit, Dieter scanning the sides of the road for any sign of his son, the man beside him watchful too.

After speeding along for at least two kilometers, Dieter slowed the car, his eyes darting left and right. “Where did you say you spotted my son?” he asked, slowing the car even more.