History Keepers 1: The Storm Begins

History Keepers 1: The Storm Begins Read Online Free PDF

Book: History Keepers 1: The Storm Begins Read Online Free PDF
Author: Damian Dibben
Tags: Science-Fiction, adventure, Historical, Fantasy, Mystery, Childrens, Young Adult
arms towards the sea, a warrior goddess with jewelled eyes. Below the figurehead, Jake could just make out the ship’s name, in letters faded by many voyages: the Escape .
    ‘All aboard!’ shouted Jupitus.
    Jake looked back down the corridor, desperate to see his aunt. For a moment Jupitus remained on the bank . He stared down the length of the storm-tossed Thames, its wild waters luminous under the black sky. ‘Goodbye, England, for now,’ he said under his breath. Then: ‘Untie her!’ And he jumped aboard.
    At that very moment a black cab screeched to a halt on the north side of London Bridge.
    ‘You’ll be all right in this rain, will you, darlin’?’ asked the driver.
    A woman stepped breathlessly out of the car. She wore a long Afghan coat, and a silk scarf to tame a mass of reddish corkscrew hair; she carried a bulging carpetbag. She slammed the door. ‘Believe me, I’ve known worse. You should try being in the middle of a battlefield in a storm like this, with half the Prussian cavalry about to charge. Then you really understand the meaning of hostile weather! Keep the change. No need for it where I’m going,’ she announced, handing over a bundle of notes.
    The cab driver’s face lit up. ‘Right you are, madam.’
    But the woman was gone, charging down the steps to the embankment, her long coat trailing behind her. At the bottom, she stopped dead and the blood drained from her face.
    ‘Stop!’ she shrieked as the Escape cast off from the embankment. ‘Wait for me!’
    On board, Jake’s heart missed a beat. That voice was unmistakable. He tore across to the side of the ship.
    ‘Rose!’ he shouted at the top of his voice. He held out his arms, nearly toppling over the rail and into the Thames. ‘You have to jump!’
    A handful of crewmen joined him, all shouting at once.
    Rose took a deep breath. ‘All right, all right, I’ll try.’ She tossed her carpetbag into the air. One of the sailors reached right out over the water and caught it.
    Then she took a few steps back and ran. She shrieked as she took off from the pier and sailed towards the deck, but she landed short, her knees colliding with the ship’s hull. She managed to grab hold of the rail, but her hand was slipping. In the nick of time, a sailor reached out and caught it. The veins in his neck bulged as he pulled her to safety.
    Rose collapsed on the deck, where she lay for a minute, her chest rising and falling like bellows as she regained her breath. Then she looked up at Jake and burst out laughing. ‘Thank God I made it in time. Thank God!’
    The sailors helped her to her feet and she threw her arms around him. ‘You must be so confused, my darling.’
    Then her eyes shifted and she stiffened. Jake turned to find the cool figure of Jupitus Cole standing behind them.
    ‘Rosalind Djones. There always has to be a drama, doesn’t there?’ He stared at her with his inscrutable eyes. ‘We would have left without you.’
    Rose stuck out her chin. ‘It’s nice to see you too, Jupitus – after fifteen years,’ she replied pointedly. ‘Considering I had just over an hour to pack up my entire life, I think I should be commended.’
    Jake observed the pair of them. There was a current of antagonism flashing between them.
    Not wishing Jake to hear, Rose drew a little closer to Jupitus and whispered, ‘You couldn’t explain over the phone, but you can explain now. Where were Alan and Miriam sent?’
    Jake craned his neck, trying to make out what was being said.
    ‘As I already pointed out,’ Jupitus replied in velvety tones, ‘that information is currently classified—’
    ‘Classified? Rubbish! That act of yours never worked with me. Where are they?’ Rose persisted. ‘Of course it was you who signed the orders!’
    ‘Signed the orders?’ Jupitus exclaimed. ‘Nothing could be further from my wishes than to have Alan and Miriam Djones working for the service again.’
    ‘Just tell me where they are,’ Rose repeated,
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