Sebastian Darke: Prince of Explorers (39 page)

'Young master?' he said. 'Whatever's wrong?'

'Jenna . . .' he croaked; and couldn't find any more words. He pushed past the others and went to sit in the wheelhouse, his back to the door. Alone in the silence, he felt his grief sweep through him like a dark tide and could no longer hold back the tears.

The days passed agreeably enough. In the afternoons the big house rang to the sound of children's laughter. Cornelius had found them a perfect home a short ride from the city; it was surrounded by gently rolling meadows, dotted here and there with tall, graceful trees.

In the afternoons Sebastian liked to go out to the big paddock and chat with Max, who had grown sleek and fat on a steady diet of his favourite fruits and grains. Money was no object now and they wanted for nothing. Whatever they needed could be obtained from the merchants in Veltan, and whenever gold crowns were in short supply, it only required a trip to the bank, where those who oversaw the vast fortune that had been brought from Sanctuary were happy to dispense bags of gold coins as if they were no more valuable than the packets of sweets the children loved to buy from the city markets.

Sebastian and Keera had been cast as parents to an extended family of children who ran and played and sometimes argued in the big empty rooms of a mansion house that had once belonged to a prosperous oil merchant. Cornelius was the wise uncle who visited sometimes and kept a small room to himself, up on the top floor. He was still travelling here and there, pursuing his various schemes. Though now a rich man, he was never happy to sit still.

Sebastian could not say that he was happy either. He was able to put on a reasonable show, but he knew that he was just going through the motions, ticking off the days as they slipped slowly by. He was pleasant enough to Keera, though he knew that she could never be anything more than a friend. She seemed to have accepted that, just as she had accepted the fact that she would never see her village again. Somehow, that all seemed so far away and long ago. But she seemed to enjoy her role as housemother to the children, and they in turn adored her. She had made friends with some of the ladies who lived in neighbouring properties and they were teaching her to act in a manner that befitted a prosperous lady of Veltan. One day, Sebastian thought, she would notice one of the many young men who cast admiring glances at her whenever she travelled into the city to do her shopping; a romance would inevitably follow. Of course, he would do nothing to oppose it. He had loved two women in his life, both of them lost to him for very different reasons. He could not make himself love Keera, no matter how pretty she was; and even if one day his feelings changed, the death of Cal would always be there to drive a wedge between them.

After he and Max had talked, Sebastian would walk across the meadows to a spot where he could look down over the cliffs to the ever-restless ocean. Sometimes he would sit there for hours, watching intently, thinking that he might see a small boat making its way back to shore, but he never saw anything like that; and besides, Rollo Tandy had promised to send a messenger if ever any word came about Jenna or The Kid.

But there was no word; and the passing days lengthened into moons and the seasons turned, now swelteringly hot, now cool and breezy, now dark with restless clouds that threw down rods of chill rain at the shivering earth.

One afternoon Sebastian left the big, echoing house and walked down to the meadow. He found Max waiting for him at the gate, his great mournful face staring as if in silent accusation.

'I'm ruddy well bored,' Max said.

Sebastian nodded. 'Me too,' he admitted.

'It's all right being rich for a while,' explained Max, 'but then you start to wish for a few hardships.'

Sebastian looked at him. 'Whatever do you mean?'

'I mean, I've got nothing to moan about,' said Max. 'I suppose I could moan about having nothing to moan about, but that doesn't really work for me. I mean, what's life for if you can't have a good moan?'

Sebastian rubbed the buffalope's head affectionately. 'I thought this was what you wanted,' he said. 'The chance to take it easy.'

'I thought so too. But now I find myself thinking back to the adventures we've had, and yes, there were uncomfortable moments, and yes, we didn't always get what we wanted to eat, but by golly, we made our mark upon the world, didn't we?'

Sebastian smiled. 'We did,' he agreed.

'And that's the first time I've seen you smile since we arrived in Veltan,' added Max.

'Is it? Well . . . perhaps I'm beginning to accept what happened.'

'Hmm. That why you go out every day and stare at the sea? I know what you're looking for, young master, but you have to accept that Jenna's gone.'

'I know,' said Sebastian. 'You don't have to remind me.' He lifted his head and gazed across the rolling meadows. On the horizon he noticed something unusual against the clear blue sky. A distant cloud of dust.

Max saw what he was looking at. 'Something coming,' he observed. He paused for a moment. 'Something coming fast.'

Hope started to rise in Sebastian's chest. He knew it was ridiculous, but somehow he couldn't help himself.

He imagined a breathless messenger, leaping down from his horse to announce that a miracle had occurred. A longboat had drifted into the harbour, and in that longboat, two half-starved figures, barely conscious but needing only food and water to bring them back from the brink of death . . .

But after a while he could see that it was Cornelius on his dwarf pony, galloping towards them as if his very life depended on it. And surely Cornelius would not be bringing such news? And yet the speed at which he was riding! He was hunched low in the saddle, urging the pony forward as if this were a matter of life and death; now he was close enough for Sebastian to see the grim expression on his face.

He crossed the intervening space in moments and reined the pony in hard, making it rear up on its hind legs. He stared at Sebastian and Max and they could not remember ever seeing him look so tormented.

'What is it?' asked Sebastian. 'Cornelius, what's wrong?'

'I have come to say farewell. I leave for Ramalat on the morning tide.'

'You're leaving?' asked Max. 'But . . . why?'

'A message has found its way to me,' said Cornelius. 'From my parents in Golmira. They are in trouble and they need my help. I do not know how long ago it was sent, but of course I must go to them.'

'Golmira?' mused Max. 'The frozen north. That would be a long journey. A journey full of terrible hardships.'

He and Sebastian exchanged glances. Sebastian gave Max a questioning look and he nodded his horned head.

'You'll need to book two more places aboard the ship,' Sebastian told Cornelius.

The little warrior looked at them in surprise. 'Oh, but . . . I didn't come to ask you to go with me. I only came to say farewell.'

'And we couldn't let you go on your own,' said Sebastian. 'What kind of friends would we be if we did that?'

Cornelius stared at them in silence for a moment. 'I won't pretend that I couldn't
use
some help,' he admitted. 'But . . . what about Keera? And the children?'

'They have everything they need,' said Sebastian. 'And they will still be here when we come back.'

'
If
we come back,' Max corrected him.

'Yes,' agreed Sebastian. '
If
we come back.'

Cornelius nodded. 'Are you sure?'

'Of course we're sure,' said Max. 'Now, get going and book those places before we change our minds. And be sure and tell the captain that he needs to think about bringing suitable food for a buffalope.'

A brief smile crossed Cornelius's face. 'Thank you,' he said. 'A man could not ask for better friends.' He reined the pony round and galloped off across the meadow again. Sebastian and Max watched in silence until he had dwindled to a tiny speck in the distance.

'I expect we'll live to regret this,' said Max.

'I'm sure we will,' said Sebastian. 'Now, make sure you eat your fill of pommers tonight. They might be the last you'll have for quite some time. I'll see you just before dawn.'

'I can hardly wait,' said Max. He plunged his head into a bucket of fruit and started chomping away for all he was worth.

Sebastian turned away and, whistling tunelessly to himself, walked back to the big house to break the news.