Chapter Fifteen
Matthew suddenly woke up. He looked around him and then at the clock: it was 6.03 a.m. He realised that he needed to think of a plan to thwart the Baron. But what can I do? he asked himself as he got up and went to the toilet. He knew that if he took the Spear to the Baron he would increase his power and perhaps be unbeatable and that the Baron would probably not release his friends anyway. But he was certain that if he did not take back the Spear the Baron would keep Hannah and her grandfather and friends imprisoned, or even worse. Indeed, he was conscious that the longer he took to come up with a plan, the longer they would be suffering. Besides this, the Baron could find someone else to get the Spear. He then thought that he could take the Spear and hide it, but then Hannah and the others would still suffer.
As he got back into bed, frustrated, he thought about trying to use it himself against the Baron but he knew he did not have a clue about how to do so or about magic. He could not even use it as a conventional weapon, he thought. No, he would have to think of something else. He looked at the clock again: it was now 6.29 a.m. He would have to think of something soon, he thought, and stick to it, for the Baron was timing him. He had another day to achieve the task or else.
But try as he did he was unable to think of a brilliant plan and in the end decided to take the Spear back to the other world. But he would not give it to the Baron; he would hide it near the Clearing then use his new magic tools to try to free Hannah and her friends. They might know what to do with the Spear: how to use it against the Baron. They would certainly have a better idea of what to do than he.
He then got out of bed and wasted no more time. The first thing he wanted to do was test the Travelling Stones. Thus, he put one of them in the bathroom and went back to his bedroom and rubbed the other three times. Instantly, he was in the bathroom. Hell, he thought, these could be very useful if he could hang on to them. He also tried the Lock Opener on his hotel room door with the same success. He had a shower and got dressed, making sure he had his magic tools with him and his small rucksack for the Spear; it was 8.42 a.m. He went downstairs to go for breakfast but first he went to the internet room to check the opening times of the Hofburg Treasury; he did not want to make the same mistake before and get there too early. On Sunday, it opened at 10 a.m.
At the hotel restaurant he met his parents. This was something else he did not want to make a mistake about; this time he would not just leave without saying goodbye and would try his best not to make them worry about him. He was focused on what he had to do but did feel a little emotional at leaving them. He might not see them again, he thought. What he was going to do was dangerous. But then he forced himself to be positive. After he had helped Hannah and the others escape and given them the Spear to use against the Baron, he would return to his own world. He would then give his parents no more reason to worry about him; he would even start getting involved in life more, like Martha suggested.
He told them he was going visiting again to museums, which he now found very interesting. They said they would come with him but he said he preferred to go alone. His mother in particular was insistent and said she would help him choose a new jacket as well. But Matthew said he did not really need one and in the end his parents both gave up trying to persuade him as long as he promised he would be careful.
Matthew ate as much food as he could, as he knew it might be a long time before he had another opportunity. As he finished eating, he thought his parents now seemed to be happier about him, looking at him in puzzled but more positive ways. They were obviously still worried about him, though perhaps differently than before. Maybe they like him could now see he was “normal”. He wanted to hug them again, as he got up, but thought it might arouse suspicions in them, and so he just said he would see them back at the hotel later, as he left with his rucksack for the Spear.
The Destiny of Matthew Page 15