“She did remain in the chariot. Thy mother then walked to Kevin and touched him upon the shoulder. Suddenly he did leap up and grab her. Scott, the other man, ran out from behind the hedge - and he too was wearing gloves and a mask. He threw a sack over thy mother’s head while Kevin ran to the chariot. He stopped its noise and pulled out a tiny metal stick from inside.”
“The ignition key,” said Jason. “He switched off the engine.”
“Kevin then hurried around and took hold of thy sister,” Echo went on. “She did kick and scream but he dragged her away, and locked her inside the big white chariot that lay hidden in the field. Thy mother fought against Scott, freeing herself of the sack, attacking him, trying to save thy sister. Scott had a knife and he did say ‘Stay back and no one gets hurt’. Thy mother was very brave, and still she did struggle, and showed no fear towards Scott and his knife. Perchance he did only mean to threaten her at first, but…”
Her voice tailed away. Jason was numb with shock, and could do nothing but wait for Echo to break the silence.
“Scott did say something about a beck,” she continued. “Then he placed thy mother in her own chariot and drove her away. Meanwhile Kevin took thy sister away in the white chariot.” She paused, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I am sorry to upset thee with such things.”
Jason was fighting back the tears now, his mind sagging under the weight of everything he’d heard.
“The police found Mum and her car a couple of days later,” he said hoarsely. “At the bottom of a river called Oswaldley Beck. They could never figure out who did it, and no one knew what happened to Lauren – till now.”
“I sense the Powers of Time have more to show us,” said Echo. “But dost thou wish to join me?”
“Another gewita?” Jason hesitated a moment to think it over. “Yes we should do it together, in case you don’t understand everything you see.”
Echo took his hand. The oat field gleamed and glowed, throbbing with energy, and next moment Jason and Echo found themselves sitting in darkness once more. A ragged cloud shifted, bathing everything in moonlight to reveal a ploughed field covered in a glittering frost. They scrambled to their feet, hearing a rumble of voices. Following the sound, they came to a small gathering of people close to the edge of the field. In his astral body Jason felt only a slight chill, but the night must have been cold because all four people were dressed in winter clothing. Scott and Kevin wore scarves, gloves and long coats. Tiffany was also there, and Lauren, both in woolly hats. Scott had the metal detector while Kevin held the lead of a large, fearsome dog.
“It’s a Rottweiler!” said Jason. “Good job he can’t see us. That thing could take your leg off with one bite!”
“I do not fear dogs,” Echo said calmly.
Jason took a closer look at Lauren. She seemed a little older now, and he sensed a deep sadness in her – so unlike the smiling, bubbly, carefree sister he’d once known.
“So, Lauren, you’ve drawn another blank,” Scott was saying. “Funny how I don’t believe you. I think you’re pretending there’s nothing in this field, just to get back at us.”
“Don’t forget the deal,” said Tiffany, slinging a spade over her shoulder. “Find nothing and we’re not gonna feed you. Find something valuable and you’ll be okay. Try to make a run for it and we’ll set Hector loose.”
Kevin tugged on the lead. The dog bared its fangs, letting out a low growl, its jaws slathering. Lauren swallowed hard, her fearful eyes fixed on the dog.
“I’ve… I’ve found plenty of stuff already,” she stammered. “On other nights. Why can’t you just let me go? You don’t even need me. You’ve got a metal detector.”
“Are you thick or something?” said Scott. “With you around, we can check a field in minutes. We can cover a whole area in one night, a hundred times quicker than before.”
“Then why threaten me with that dog?” Lauren protested. “What’s he going to do? Kill me? I’d be no use to you then.”
“Not being very smart, are you?” snapped Tiffany. “I hear that poxy brother of yours is in a children’s home, some dump called Brandsby House. Be a shame if any harm came to him.”
Rage thundered through Jason as silent tears streamed down Lauren’s face.
“You wouldn’t hurt Jason,” she said, her voice tremoring. “He’s done nothing to you.”
“The way I see it, he’s our insurance policy,” Scott told her. “We won’t bother him - we won’t even go near him - so long as you play ball.”
“Maybe you wanna change your mind,” said Tiffany with a sly grin. “Maybe there is something valuable in this field after all.”
Their faces became blurred as the darkness swirled away. Jason felt his feet lift from the ground. When he looked again he was in bright sunlight, flying through the air, hand-in-hand with Echo. They were soaring over the curving hills of the Wolds, high above the ancient hedges that ran like threads across the landscape. Jason saw the golf course and old railway far below. He and Echo passed the treetops of Witch Wood then followed the old trackbed until, after about a mile, it disappeared inside a disused tunnel. But the gewita took them in a different direction, away from the tunnel. Soon Jason could see grazing fields beneath him, then a narrow road and a large stone archway set in a high fence. Beyond the iron gates in the archway he and Echo glided above a winding, high-banked lane with parkland at either side. A grand, turreted country house came into view, its limestone walls, tall gables and Tudor chimneys the colour of ripened corn.
“’Tis Ravenstone Manor,” cried Echo. “I sense it.”
She and Jason sailed down to the house, landing to face its ornately carved front door. Echo let go of his hand and together they drifted through the door into a huge hall, its floor of polished wood, its panelled walls decorated with shields, daggers, swords and flintlock pistols. To either side, oak staircases led up to a balustrade and gallery, like a long balcony. Beneath it, at the far side of the hall, Jason caught sight of a young woman with her back to him. She was standing in front of a full-length wall mirror, ruffling her hair.
“’Tis the sly vixen herself,” said Echo. “Tiffany Cobalt.”
She and Jason hurried across, standing to one side of Tiffany. She was in a little black dress and high heels, her wrists decorated with dozens of silver bangles. Her heavy make-up and mascara made her look spookier than ever. She ran her long, blue-varnished fingernails through her short, spiky dark hair.
“You’re right,” said Jason. “It is her – but she looks different, and quite a bit older.”
Echo closed her eyes and pointed a finger. “She is now seventeen years of age.”
Jason heard the thunder of footsteps on the gallery, then the sound of someone coming down one of the staircases. Scott appeared in the hallway, sauntering across to stand beside his sister.
“Going clubbing?” he asked her reflection in the mirror.
“Sure am,” said Tiffany, pouting at herself to check her bright red lipstick. “My taxi should be here in a minute. I reckon some bloke’s gonna get lucky tonight!”
“What about Lee?” Scott asked. “Hasn’t he asked you out yet?”
Tiffany’s wide mouth curved into a grin. “No, but he will.”
“He fancies you like mad,” said Scott. “So does Carl.”
Tiffany puckered her lips again, then wiggled her hips in her tight dress.
“Let’s face it,” she said casually. “Everyone fancies me like mad.”
Scott laughed. “I used to have the same problem myself – till I settled down.”
“Yeah right,” said Tiffany. She picked up her handbag from a nearby chair then faced her brother, lowering her voice. “Anyway, get this. I was in town today and someone told me about an accident that’d happened - in a garden at a children’s home. Some kid fell out of a tree and bashed his head, and he’s in hospital now. Guess who?”
Scott shrugged.
“Jason Fleeting!” said Tiffany, g
reen eyes glittering. “Lauren’s brother. He’s in a bad way, so I heard.”
“How bad?” said Scott. “If the kid dies, we can’t threaten to hurt him anymore. Without that threat, Lauren won’t play ball.”
“The kid isn’t dead,” said Tiffany. “Not yet, anyway.” She cast a glance across the hall. “But don’t worry about Lauren. She doesn’t have to know anything about it.”
“She’s got a telly in the basement room,” Scott pointed out. “Thanks to Maxine. What if Lauren sees it on the news or something?”
Jason stared at Echo. “Who’s Maxine?”
Echo spread her hands. “I know not.”
“We could take the telly away,” Tiffany suggested.
“Lauren’s going to suspect something if we do that,” said Scott. “I warned Maxine about it. She’s too soft on the girl, but try telling her.”
“It won’t be on the news anyway,” said Tiffany. “Not unless the stupid kid dies.”
“We’ll just have to hope he doesn’t,” said Scott. “For our sake.”
A horn hooted outside.
“That’s my taxi,” said Tiffany, slinging her handbag over her shoulder before dashing away with a clatter of heels. “Don’t wait up.”
Dark shadows began to creep across the hall then everything dissolved in a twisting, rippling mist. Jason felt seasick for one frozen moment before, suddenly, he found himself sitting with Echo in the oat field once more.
“’Tis finished,” she said, breathing out.
This was too much for Jason now. He buried his face in his hands. The tears began to flow, and he couldn’t control them. Echo knelt beside him to put an arm across his shoulders.
“I am so sorry. But now we do know thy sister is alive, and also where she is held captive.”
Jason looked up, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. A surge of hatred coursed through his veins.
“I’ll kill them!” he said. “Scott… Kevin… Tiffany. I’ll kill them all!”
“’Tis not my way to kill people,” said Echo. “But we can raid the manor at a time when the Cobalts are away.”
“No, there’ll always be somebody about I bet,” said Jason. “They wouldn’t leave Lauren there on her own.”
“Then we must fight the Cobalts,” said Echo. “I will beat them most horribly, then rescue thy sister.”
Jason shook his head. “We can’t take them on, just the two of us. They all do kung fu – that means they’re experts at fighting.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “But you’re right, we do know the truth now. Lauren is at the manor, in the basement. The gewita can’t have been very long in the past – we saw Tiffany talking about my accident, and that was only five days ago.”
“But if we cannot raid the manor, how are we to defeat the Cobalts and save thy sister?”
“I’ve got a plan,” said Jason, making a grab for the carrier bag. “We’ll tell the police, then they’ll go and get her.”
“I know not police.”
“They’re people who solve crimes,” he explained. “Try to, anyway.”
He took out the map and unfolded it in front of them.
“Fie!” said Echo, eyes widening. “’Tis a strange picture.”
“I guess it is a picture, kind of,” Jason told her. “It shows this part of the country and what it looks like from the air.”
He found Witch Wood then traced a finger along the route of the old railway. Once he’d located the tunnel he ran his finger north for what would be about a quarter of a mile, past a country road to a small grey rectangle and the words Ravenstone Manor.
“The gewita was right,” he said. “The manor isn’t far from here. Okay, here’s the plan. Earlier on, when I was heading to Witch Wood, I broke a fence near the golf club. Some fat man chased me but I got away. Hopefully he’s cooled down a bit now. We’ll go back there and I’ll own up to the whole thing. I’ll give him some money to pay for his rotten fence, then ask to use his phone. I’ll say it’s an emergency, then I can ring the police and tell them everything.”
“I know not ring the police,” Echo said. “Nor golf club.”
“I’ll explain it all later,” said Jason. “We want the police to come out and see us there. They’ll probably ask who you are, but we’ll think of something.”
Echo frowned. “Thou speakest in riddles.”
Jason knelt up to look out across the oat field. The chainsaw was still buzzing in Witch Wood. “You’ll just have to trust me.”
They both got to their feet. Jason pointed away from the wood, towards the five-barred gate in the far corner of the field. “That leads to the old railway, then back to the golf course.”
Echo stretched her legs, bent her knees then ran on the spot, like an athlete limbering up. She flexed her arms and took several deep breaths.
“My strength is now fully returned,” she panted.
“Great,” said Jason. He reached into the carrier bag, pulling out the green hooded top and hiking trousers. “You’ve got to put these on. Your mother said we should hide your stripes, and she was right.”
“I will do as thou wishest, if it helps thee,” Echo said.
Jason helped her into the hooded top then he zipped it up, leaving the hood down.
“’Tis a fine garment,” Echo said, admiring the top before taking off her deerskin boots. “Fie, my feet do smell.”
Jason explained how to work the zip and fastener on the trousers. She put them on, smoothed down her dress and got back into her boots, tucking the trousers inside them.
“Perfect fit,” said Jason, folding up the map and putting it in his side pocket. He grabbed the carrier bag. “Let’s go.”
He and Echo set off through the oats, heading for the gate. Jason checked over his shoulder every few minutes; the saw was still whirring away in the wood.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” he said when he and Echo were halfway to the gate. “How did the Cobalts get their hands on Ravenstone Manor in the first place?”
“Thy sister has found much treasure for them,” said Echo. “Perchance they sold it to purchase the big house.”
“No,” said Jason. “In one gewita we saw Scott and Kevin, living in some grotty house at Cleaving. But I remember Lauren telling me about Tiffany and her brothers moving into the manor. Then we saw another gewita, when Scott came to take Lauren to the cinema. He told Mum they were all settling in at Ravenstone Manor. That proves the Cobalts already owned it before they took Lauren.”
“Thou art right,” said Echo. “Dost thou wish to do a further gewita, to find the answer?”
“No time for that,” said Jason. “Maybe the Cobalts had a big find, three or four years ago, when they were out night-hawking. Then they used the money to buy the manor but couldn’t afford to keep the place up - and that’s why they needed Lauren.”
“Perchance,” said Echo.
“There’s something else,” said Jason. “The way you talk. All this perchance and thou art stuff – no one speaks like that anymore. It’s better to say perhaps and you are.”
“I say thou art and thine and to thee when I speak to but one person,” Echo explained. “When I talk to more than one I say you are, and yours and to you.”
“Okay then, how’s this for an idea?” said Jason. “From now on, pretend there’s two of me. That’ll help you get it right.”
“Two of thee?”
“No, you should’ve said two of you.”
“Two of you,” Echo said slowly.
“Try something else,” said Jason. “Ask me what I’m doing.”
“What art thou doing?”
“No, there’s supposed to be two of me, so it’s what are you doing?”
Echo repeated the phrase as they came to the five-barred gate, climbing over onto the old railway.
“’Tis a fine track,” Echo said, glancing in each direction. “We did see it in a gewita.”
“Don’t say ’tis,” said Jason. “It is a fine track.
Remember what I told you about steam trains? They used to run along here – but the railway closed years ago.” He pointed left. “This way.”
As they set off along the trackbed, heading for the golf club, another thought came to him.
“I hope they will let us ring the police,” he said. “But even then, will they believe us? I don’t suppose you can share your gift of gewita with just anyone, can you?”
“Nay,” said Echo. “Only those of dryad blood.”
“It’s no, not nay,” Jason told her. “Okay, so unless we happen to meet a dryad copper we can’t show the police what we saw – and I bet nobody believes us about the gewitas.” He hesitated, turning everything over in his mind. “Maybe I could pretend somebody rang me at Brandsby House and told me that Lauren’s locked up in the Cobalts’ basement. A mystery caller – an anonymous tip-off.”
Echo gave him a puzzled stare.
“I’ve seen police programmes on telly,” Jason went on. “They talk about something called a warrant. I think that’s a bit of paper letting the police search someone’s house. These warrant things are quite hard to get, and the police can’t go steaming in without one.”
Echo looked even more bewildered now.
“I guess I’ll stick to the story about a mystery phone call,” said Jason. “And just pray it works.”
They carried on until they were close to the golf club. As Jason entered the old railway cutting he heard voices from somewhere above. He and Echo stopped to listen.
“What’s the point of calling the police if it takes you this long to turn up?” a man was saying in a raised voice.
“We’re very busy at the station today,” a woman replied. “I came as quickly as I could.”
Jason felt his heart thump faster. He turned to face Echo, his voice a whisper.
“I’m sure it’s the man who chased me earlier,” he said. “And it sounds like he’s talking to a policewoman. We won’t need to ring the police, if there’s one here already! We’ll make her go to Ravenstone Manor.” He paused, an idea slowly forming in his mind. “Follow me – and go along with everything I say.”
Together they clambered up the side of the cutting. At the top they crouched down behind the broken fence, peering out. Three or four metres away was a patrol car, the large man standing nearby, wagging a finger at a policewoman. Jason drew in a deep breath then stood up, forcing a smile.
Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time Page 6