Sebastian Darke: Prince of Explorers (29 page)

Aaron nodded sympathetically. 'We would not consider taking only a small part away,' he said. 'We felt we had earned the right to enjoy all of it. We decided to send a party back to Veltan, to bring back an army to help us. But we never saw those people again. We wasted months waiting for them to return. Either the Night Runners got them or they succumbed to wild animals or sickness – who can say?' He sighed. 'We discussed the idea of trying again, but in the end we dismissed it. I made it my self-appointed task to devise a way to get us, and our treasure, out of the city and back to Veltan.'

'That's easier said than done,' observed Sebastian.

'I knew it was not going to be accomplished easily – indeed, it has taken me many years. Meanwhile I, and the men and women of my party, made a life for ourselves here in Sanctuary. A hard enough life, for sure, but we could hunt for food during the day and stay safe in here at night; we survived well enough. Some of my companions married and in time, of course, there were children, and when those children grew, they married and in turn had more children and—'

'How long have your lot been living here, then?' asked Max, incredulously.

'Long enough for a young, optimistic fellow to turn into the shrivelled creature you see before you,' said Aaron, with more than a trace of sadness in his voice. 'I don't keep exact figures but—'

'A blooming lifetime,' finished Max.

'May I ask a question?' said Sebastian.

'Of course.'

'I've been wondering ever since we got here. Where are the other adults?'

Aaron sighed. 'Gone,' he said.

'Gone?' muttered Max. 'Gone where?'

'I think he means dead,' murmured Sebastian.

'Oh, right. What, all of 'em?'

'Yes, I'm afraid so,' said Aaron. 'Until recently, we still had a few left. But an outbreak of fever a few moons back killed two of them. The children seem to have hardier constitutions – they don't get sick like the adults did, and . . . well, grownups seem to be more prone to the yarps.'

'The what?' cried Sebastian.

'Oh, it's a term we use to describe what happens to people when they spend too long cooped up in one place. They tend to go a little . . .' He made a drilling motion at the side of his head with his index finger.

'Crazy?' suggested Cornelius.

'Yes. It manifests itself in many different ways. They run off into the jungle and we never see them again. Or they fight each other to the death. Or they throw themselves into the river and the water dragons get them. The last three adults in our party went out hunting one morning, around two moons ago. They all seemed rather . . . edgy. They never returned – at least, not in their original forms. We don't know how exactly, but the Night Runners got them. So that left just me and the children. We managed somehow – Phelan and the older children are proficient hunters, but many are too young to do very much at all. I was despairing of them ever escaping from this place and then . . .'

'And then what?' asked Max suspiciously.

'And then my prayers were answered. You arrived to help me complete my task.'

There was a puzzled silence at this.

'I'm sorry,' said Sebastian. 'I don't quite follow . . .'

'I am now too old and frail to make the journey back to Veltan. I shall stay on here and live out my remaining days with my things around me. And if it all becomes too much, I can simply do what Sesam and Lazarus did before me . . . As for the children – well, I thought Phelan here would have to command the expedition to Veltan, but – no disrespect to him – he is not old enough to have such a responsibility thrust upon him.' The old man gazed at Cornelius. 'But you, now – you may be short on stature, but you have about you the bearing of a military man. I think you could handle the job.' He looked at Sebastian. 'And you, though still young, are certainly older than Phelan.'

'I'm seventeen,' said Sebastian. He thought about it for a moment. 'Probably eighteen by now – I must have had a birthday somewhere back down the trail.'

'Eighteen. A good age! Just a few years younger than I was when I first arrived here.'

'And let's not forget,' said Max, 'that they both have me to look after them. I mean, I don't like to boast but—'

'I can see you are a fine asset,' Aaron agreed.

'I beg your pardon?' said Max.

Cornelius looked thoughtful. 'So you're asking us to escort the children – and the treasure – back to Veltan?' he said.

'Correct,' said Aaron.

'And . . . how are we to do that exactly?'

Aaron indicated a nearby table: on it lay something covered with a white cloth. 'Phelan, do the honours,' he said, and the boy hurried over to pull aside the cloth, revealing a strange-looking craft made of wood.

'The ark of Aaron,' he explained.

Max stared at it. 'I'm not being funny,' he muttered, 'but you won't get very much into that.'

The old man glared at him. 'That's just a model of it, you ninny! The real one is moored on the river.'

'Oh, right,' said Max. 'I knew that.'

'I designed it myself,' Aaron went on proudly. 'See how deep the bows are? The hold is loaded with treasure – everything that was once stored in this building. It has taken us many, many moons to get everything safely aboard.'

'But . . . who built it?' asked Cornelius. 'Surely not the children?'

'Oh no, we still had plenty of adults when we started work on this. As you can no doubt imagine, it has been an

incredibly slow process, finding the wood, cutting it, allowing it to season properly and then actually putting the thing together. It has taken many years. And over those years, our workers have fallen prey to the Night Runners.'

'Well, they must have been careless,' said Max bluntly. 'Those things only come out at night, so surely all your lot had to do was stay inside until the sun came up?'

Aaron shook his head sadly. 'It's not quite as straightforward as that, I'm afraid. True, the Night Runners cannot venture into the sunlight – the touch of it destroys them. But they
can
lurk in dark, windowless rooms waiting for careless people to come foraging for food or fuel. And there are many places like that in this city.'

Max snorted. 'Remind me not to go into any of them,' he told Sebastian.

Cornelius was strolling around the model ark, inspecting it closely. 'It certainly looks imposing enough,' he said. 'Where did you get hold of the plans?'

'I had to design it,' said Aaron. 'Another reason why it's taken so long. And I'll admit I didn't get it right first time. But as I'm very fond of saying, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.'

Max brightened a little. 'An omelette,' he said. 'That would go down very nicely!'

Cornelius glowered at him. 'He's talking about a hypothetical omelette, you nitwit!'

Max frowned. 'Don't think I've ever had one of those,' he said. 'A bit of cheese would do me – I'm not fussy.'

Cornelius did his best to ignore Max. 'We came down that river on a raft,' he said. 'The river Sleed, I think you called it? We passed through some horrendous rapids. We even came over that huge cascade upstream and were lucky enough to survive the fall. You really believe this heavy craft can handle such rough treatment?'

Aaron smiled. 'It won't have to,' he said. 'There
are
no rapids between here and Veltan.'

'Well, I appreciate you followed its course upriver when you first set out, but that was a lifetime ago – you can't be expected to remember every detail.'

Aaron shook his head. 'Oh no, you misunderstand. I found some old charts that mapped the course of the river. According to them, the great waterfall is the last obstacle. From here it's a nice calm stretch all the way to Veltan. It's simply a case of going with the current.'

'That's what
I
was told,' said Max.

'
We
didn't have charts,' said Cornelius defensively.

Aaron smiled. 'It ought to be simple enough,' he said. 'A lot easier than the journey down river you have already endured. And somebody must take up the challenge! My life is nearly over but those children will arrive in Veltan with great riches at their disposal. They will be set up for life.' He looked shrewdly at his companions. 'And so, of course, will you.'

'Us?' Sebastian looked at him blankly.

'Well, I wouldn't expect you to change your plans without seeking some kind of reward. Shall we say twenty per cent of the value of the treasure to share out as you wish?'

Sebastian and Cornelius exchanged glances.

'That seems a most generous offer,' said Cornelius, 'if, as you say, what is in this room is only a tiny part of the treasure . . .'

'Oh, it is! Trust me when I say that if you undertake this task, you will be rich men indeed. I don't know what this Thaddeus Peel has offered you but—'

'It's not a fortune,' said Cornelius. 'I can tell you that much.'

'But you know nothing about us,' said Sebastian. 'How do you know you can trust us?'

'I don't,' admitted Aaron. 'But I consider myself a good judge of character; and I simply have no other choice. I am coming towards the end of my life. These children will be all alone in the world – they are orphans. And you, good sirs, represent their one chance of escaping from this hell on earth and finding a new and prosperous life in Veltan. I hope you will agree to help them.'

'Well—' began Cornelius, but Aaron lifted a hand to silence him.

'No, I don't want you to decide here and now. This enterprise has been so many years in the preparation, what difference can a few more days make? Have a think about it. Later, Phelan will take you to look at the ark so you can judge for yourselves how robust it is. And he will show you the treasures that are stored down in the hold. When you have considered everything carefully, then come back to me and tell me your decision.'

He sat back in his ornate throne and his narrow shoulders slumped with exhaustion. 'I swear, these days even talking seems to wear me out. I pray you will excuse me and allow me to rest a little. We will speak again soon.'

'Of course.' Cornelius bowed his head and he and the others followed Phelan back out through the huge doors.

Just before he left the room, Sebastian glanced back once again at the frail, skinny old man on his fabulous throne, surrounded by riches that he would never be able to spend.

He tried to imagine what kind of life he must have endured in this place while he drew up his plans for escape. Sebastian thought that it was one of the saddest stories he had ever heard; and he knew in that same moment that he would have to help the old man to achieve his dream.