The Moon Stealers and The Children of the Light Read Online Free PDF

fear of
attack. But, the creatures were evolving rapidly and Steven had noticed they no
longer stayed restricted to night-time hunts, but had begun to venture out on
overcast days, as well as the dusk and dawn hours. Hopefully, if they managed
to return to Fort Halstead , the scientists working in the community would have managed
to replicate the vaccine that would provide a permanent solution in protecting
the human race.
    ‘I think we should approach the coast during the day
and see what sort of defences they have arranged,’ added Tracker in a low voice
once the noise of the creatures had passed.
    ‘I agree, approaching at night will be too dangerous. In
so much darkness the headlights from the cars would be easily spotted and could
bring too much unwanted attention,’ said Steven.
    ‘Even if the docks are unguarded, how will we cross to
the other side?’ asked Georgia .
    ‘We will have to take a small boat, maybe even row
across,’ replied Steven.
    ‘That could be too dangerous,’ added Tracker. ‘The
waters of the Solent can sometimes get quite rough. If we choose the wrong
time to cross, we might not make it to the other side. If there are guards on
the mainland, we could pretend to be someone else, someone of value to the
community.’
    ‘You mean, be willingly taken?’
    ‘Yes. If there are others crossing, we could simply
merge in with the crowd and give false names.’
    ‘But, what if someone recognises us from the Bank
Community?’ said Georgia . After being left at the mercy of the creatures by
Coldred once, she was not keen to have a second experience of his form of human
selection again. The first time she lost part of her arm, the second time they
may lose much more.
    ‘If we bumped into Wanda or Coldred our whole journey would
be pointless,’ added Steven.
    ‘If there are guards on this side of the water, they will
be running boats or ferries of their own at regular intervals. They may still
be foraging for supplies on this side and taking them over, we could stow away
amongst the boxes.’
    ‘I don’t like it,’ replied Steven. ‘We need to keep
our contact with the community to a minimum.’
    ‘Then, the only other way would be to make our own way
across.’
    ‘They might only operate crossings from Lymington as
it's the shortest distance and would consume less fuel,’ explained Steven. ‘We
could head for the second shortest crossing. They wouldn’t have enough guards
to place them everywhere and may have concentrated their operations in
Lymington only.’
    ‘If you were setting up a community on the Isle of Wight , where would you start?’ asked Georgia .
    ‘Osborne House,’ replied Tracker. ‘It’s the perfect
place for Coldred: a grand house in a commanding position on the north coast,
as well as substantial grounds. I went there once.’
    ‘As a tourist, or were you visiting family?’ asked
Steven with a smile.
    ‘Definitely as a tourist,’ said Tracker understanding
Steven’s reference to Tracker’s link to the British royal family. Osborne House
had once been the holiday home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert .
    ‘What about Carisbrook Castle ?’ asked Steven. ‘It’s very central and would make a
great headquarters.’
    ‘I think both places could work for Coldred. I still
think there would be a chunk of the community stationed at a port, probably at Yarmouth , where the boats dock that come from Lymington.’
    ‘What’s this place?’ asked Georgia as she stuck a finger onto a thin piece of land that
jutted out from the coast. ‘ Hurst ?’ she read.
    Steven flicked through several other leaflets he had
picked up at the tourist office. Eventually, he stopped and read a section:
    “ Hurst Castle . Built by Henry VIII as an artillery fortress to
defend the entrance to the Solent . It was later used to hold political prisoners during
the 17 th century.”
    ‘That may be the best place to get over without being
seen. If Coldred’s guards are stationed