Sebastian Darke: Prince of Explorers Read Online Free PDF

Cornelius's story and marvelled at his friend's cleverness. It was clear that despite his concerns for Sebastian's welfare, the little warrior's mind had remained active enough to spot golden opportunities. He had noticed that Keera seemed to be in awe of Sebastian from the very start, treating him with great care and reverence, as though attending to the needs of a king. He had taken his first opportunity to ask her about it.
     
Soon enough she had told him the story and shown him the ancient parchment. At that point, Cornelius could easily have dispelled the notion, but he had decided that it would be in their interests to allow it to develop. It was Keera who had convinced her father that the strangers in the camp were not ordinary men; and that their appearance here at the village had great significance for the future.
     
'I've spoken with Keera's father, the chief,' said Cornelius; 'a powerful warrior called Maccan. I asked him if he had ever heard of an ancient lost city in the jungle. He replied that of course he had – it had been a familiar story since his childhood. Not only that, but an old man of the tribe called Joseph claimed to have visited it when he was a little boy.'
     
'Could he lead us there?' asked Sebastian, trying to hide his mounting excitement.
     
'Joseph is very old and infirm, not capable of making a long journey – but Maccan thought that he might be able to give us directions to it. I told him,' said Cornelius, puffing away on his pipe, 'that the reason we were sent here was to find the lost city. And for that we would require a guide.'
     
'I see,' murmured Sebastian. His eyes were growing heavy but he was determined to stay awake a while longer. 'So . . . did you talk to this . . . Joseph character?'
     
Cornelius frowned. 'Not yet,' he admitted. 'But it's on my list. I thought I'd wait till you were a bit stronger. I'm sure you'd like to meet him. The thing is . . .' He puffed on his pipe for a moment, emitting great clouds of fragrant smoke. 'Keera told me that nobody from the tribe would be willing to undertake a long journey at the moment – not with the Gograth threatening the village as they are. So I was obliged to promise her . . .' He hesitated and threw a cautious look at Sebastian.
     
'What?' prompted Sebastian. 'What did you promise her?'
     
'That, er . . . we'd rid her of that little problem before we left the village.'
     
Sebastian stared at him. 'What . . . little . . . problem?'
     
'The Gograth. I told her we'd ensure that they were never a threat to the Jilith again.'
     
Cornelius blew out another cloud of smoke. 'So we just have to work out exactly how we're going to do that,' he said.
     
'Cornelius,' sighed Sebastian, 'how can you hope to achieve it?'
     
The little warrior smiled. 'I'm already working on it. My plan is to train the Jilith up as an army so they can give the Gograth the trouncing they so obviously deserve. Maccan has already approved my plan.'
     
Max snorted and shook his great horned head. 'Why does it always come down to fighting with you people?' he asked. 'Surely there's some other way. Couldn't you go to the Gograth and offer them your hand in friendship?'
     
Cornelius looked doubtful. 'Did they strike you as the kind of people who are open to reason?'
     
'They didn't even strike me as people ,' said Max. 'More like overgrown boobahs with shorter tempers.'
     
'Well, there you are then,' said Cornelius. 'Offer them the hand of friendship and they'd most likely chop it off and cook it for dinner.'
     
'But . . . from what Keera was saying,' murmured Sebastian, 'they greatly outnumber the Jilith.'
     
Cornelius made a dismissive gesture. 'Numbers mean nothing! The Gograth look like they need help to do up their buttons. All the Jilith needed was a mighty general to teach them the finer points of warfare.'
     
Max looked glum. 'Yes, but where are they going to . . . ?' He glared at Cornelius. 'Not you, surely? You're only a