Knight Quest (Time Hunters, Book 2)

by Chris Blake

  Al blushed and looked at the ground.

  “And a knight must show manners and courtesy,” King Arthur said. “Why, when the squire’s son, Percival, caused a lady to drop her basket of eggs, I saw for myself how Alymere helped her.”

  Percival’s friends and family started to grumble.

  But King Arthur bellowed, “QUIET!” and they fell silent.

  The king turned back to the crowd. “Sir Alymere has proven that he has all the values of a knight. He should be an example to you all.”

  Then King Arthur handed Al the golden sword with the green amulet embedded in the blade. “You will need a weapon worthy of a knight, Sir Alymere. Take this sword and use it to serve your king and country.”

  Al, holding his golden sword, was carried around the village on the blacksmith’s shoulders. The villagers’ applause was deafening.

  “Feast! We shall feast tonight and toast our local hero!” the blacksmith shouted, setting Al down.

  “Aye!” the washerwoman said. “Come along, ladies. We owe it to our champion, Alymere, to bake, stew and fry a meal fit for the king.”

  As the delighted villagers started to drift away to prepare for the celebration of Al’s knighthood, tears started to stream down the boy’s dirty cheeks.

  “Are you all right?” Tom asked.

  Al wiped his face with his sleeve. “I just can’t believe how lucky I am,” he said. “Thank you so much for your help, my friends. You’re great fighters, both of you. And very brave.”

  Isis sighed happily. “Yes, I am.”

  “Maybe I could ask King Arthur to give you another go at being a knight?”

  A grin started to spread across Tom’s face. He was tempted for a moment. He thought about charging through the woods on a horse, jousting in a tournament, and meeting all the Knights of the Round Table.

  Calm down and stop being stupid, he told himself. I don’t belong in this time.

  But Tom simply couldn’t stop thinking about what a great guy King Arthur seemed to be. I wouldn’t mind fighting for him. Being a medieval knight would be a whole load better than school!

  When he looked over at Isis and Cleo, however, he remembered that they would never get into the Afterlife without his help. And of course he would miss Mum with her comfy hugs and silly jokes. Then there was Dad, with his stories about the Ancient Greeks and Romans and Egyptians. Well, I suppose I might miss them a bit…

  “It’s brilliant of you to offer,” Tom said, sighing heavily. “But no thanks. We’ll leave the knightly deeds to you, Sir Alymere.”

  “Well, I feel I should repay you somehow,” Al said.

  “Actually,” said Isis, staring at Al’s shiny golden sword. “There is one little, teeny tiny thing you could do for us…”

  “Of course, my lady,” said Sir Alymere, bowing deeply. “You only have to ask.”

  “That lovely green stone,” Isis said, pointing to the amulet. “It would look so pretty as a necklace.” She fluttered her eyelashes.

  “It is yours, my lady,” said Al, gallantly handing her the gleaming sword. The amulet sparkled a bright, vivid green.

  Isis eagerly grabbed the sword and tried to dig the amulet out with her fingernails. “Get out, you stupid thing!” she said through gritted teeth. But the amulet wouldn’t budge.

  Cleo wound herself round her mistress’s legs, purring loudly.

  “Good idea, Cleo!” Isis said, sucking her sore fingers. “You have a go!”

  The cat dug her little claws under the glittering jewel. Finally, the amulet came loose. Isis grabbed it and held it up to the light.

  “Thank you, Al,” said Isis. “You’ve been a true friend and a real gentleman.”

  “But wait! Aren’t you going to stay for the feast?” asked Al.

  “Sorry, Sir Al. We’ve really got to be moving on,” said Tom. “But good luck fighting the Saxons!”

  Tom, Isis and Cleo ran to the edge of the clearing. They stood in a little triangle.

  “Here, Tom, give me your hand and take Cleo’s paw,” said Isis. “Hurry!”

  When they all touched the amulet, it began to glow. As the green light spread, wind whipped round their ankles. Growing stronger, it swirled through the meeting place, where King Arthur sat in his carved chair, flanked by his mighty knights, and villagers bustled about preparing for a feast.

  Tom felt a familiar sucking sensation as the scene in front of him started to blur.

  “Here we go!” he said, squeezing his eyes shut as they were whisked through the tunnels of time to the future.

  Tom landed on his bottom with a thump. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was behind the art block – all signs of King Arthur and his knights had vanished. Isis and Cleo were sprawled next to him on the ground. Now they were back, her bronze skin had been replaced by the crusty yellow wrappings of a five-thousand-year-old mummy.

  “Oh, bother,” said Isis, poking her bandages in dismay.

  “Cheer up! We’ve got another amulet,” Tom said brightly.

  Isis held the glittering jewel in her bandaged hand. “I suppose that’s true,” she said with a grin. “Two down, four to go!”

  That reminded Tom of something. He checked his watch. “Same date and time as when we left!” he said. Then he frowned. “Oh no! That means I’ve got double Maths next! I hope Anubis comes for the amulet before the bell rings. Double Maths is bad enough without a bad-tempered Egyptian god shouting at me.”

  “Maybe he won’t bother,” Isis said cheerfully. “Maybe the old dog has decided that since we’ve done such a great job, he will just let me kee—”

  The sky suddenly darkened and a gale blew up. The branches of the tree next to the art block started to wave wildly, as if a hurricane was sweeping through the playground.

  “Spoke too soon,” muttered Tom.

  The ground began to rumble and shake, and then the enormous jackal-headed god burst through the wall of the art block. He walked towards Tom and Isis menacingly.

  “Hand over my amulet, you greedylittle girl,” barked the god angrily, spraying specks of spit on Tom and Isis.

  “Ugh. Say it, don’t spray it,” said Isis, wiping the dribble off her arm.

  “I see you still haven’t learned anything, Princess Isis,” sneered Anubis.

  “Actually, I’ve learned that a pig-boy can be braver and more gallant than a nobleman,” said Isis. “So there!” She stuck out her tongue.

  Tom shook his head in dismay. Isis might have learned that having a title doesn’t make someone better than everyone else – but she couldn’t seem to get it through her head that being rude to the Egyptian god of the Underworld was a bad idea. Though of course her brains had been sucked out through her nose when she was mummified…

  “I will teach you to respect your betters!” raged Anubis, his red eyes flashing. “You will give me the amulet now, or I’ll send you straight back to King Arthur’s England. I believe there’s a vacancy for a pig-girl!”

  “All right, all right. Don’t get your loincloth in a twist,” Isis said grumpily, dropping the sparkling amulet into thegod’s hand.

  “Good call,” whispered Tom. “I can’t really see you as a pig-girl.”

  Anubis stalked round the children, like a jackal circling his prey. Tom felt an icy chill run up his spine as the god of the dead brushed past him. Cleo whimpered and pawed at Isis, her tail sticking straight upand quivering with fear. Only Isis didn’tlook scared.

  “Your first two adventures have been nothing but a warm up,” bellowed Anubis. “But I’m through with this child’s play.” He smiled nastily, baring his sharp, yellow teeth. “Your next challenge will be full of peril and will take you to the most dangerous time in hist—”

  Whump!

  A football smacked Anubis right in the face. In a flash, the god disappeared.

  Tom’s friend Danny came running to collect his ball.

  “Sorry about that, mate,” said Danny. “Hope it didn’t hit you.”

  “Nop
e,” said Tom. “It didn’t get me.”

  Just then the bell rang. Tom walked back into school with Danny. From behind him, Tom heard Isis say, “I think I’ll take a nap, Fluffpot. This finding-amulets business is tiring.”

  Phew! thought Tom. At least I won’t be distracted by Isis in this class.

  As he walked to his Maths lesson, Tom thought about the adventure he’d just had. The jousts and the swordfights, the shining armour and the magnificent horses. Sure he’d been clonked with a lance and nearly crushed by a rockslide – but he’d learned how to fight like a knight. And best of all, he’d got to meet King Arthur! Now he knew that this legendary hero wasn’t just a myth – he’d seen him with his very own eyes.

  Tom smiled as he sat down at a desk. Four more amulets to find, he mused. I wonder where the third one will be hidden…

  And as Mr Braintree scribbled maths problems on the whiteboard, Tom started dreaming about other legendary leaders. Who would he meet next?

  Tom glanced over and saw Isis lying on the carpet in the reading corner. Cleo was curled up next to her, already fast asleep. He smiled. An Egyptian princess could be a handful – but he had to admit they madea great team!

  WHO WERE THE MIGHTIEST KNIGHTS?

  Find out more about the legendary King Arthur and his brave Knights of the Round Table.

  KING ARTHUR was a legendary king. As a young man he proved himself the rightful King of England by pulling a magical sword out of a stone. Arthur was then given his own special sword, called Excalibur. During his reign he married the beautiful Guinevere, built a magnificent castle called Camelot, and created the Knights of the Round Table, an order made up of the kingdom’s twelve best knights.

  LANCELOT was one of King Arthur’s most famous knights, known for his bravery and good looks. He was invited to join the Knights of the Round Table when he convinced one of King Arthur’s enemies to surrender without a fight! King Arthur trusted Lancelot more than any of his other knights, but that turned out to be a BIG mistake. Lancelot fell in love with Queen Guinevere and stole her away from King Arthur. But Lancelot regretted his actions, and ended his life a hermit, feeling guilty for betraying his friend, till the end of his days.

  GAWAIN was King Arthur’s nephew. The most famous story about Gawain is of him and the Green Knight, who challenged Gawain to chop off his head, as long as he could do the same to Gawain a year later. Not believing this was possible, Gawain beheaded him, but the Green Knight simply picked his head up and stuck it back on! For the next year, Gawain was always worried and wore a magical green ribbon around his neck, which protected him from the Green Knight’s axe.

  GALAHAD was Lancelot’s son, known for his courage. Like King Arthur, Galahad pulled a sword out of a stone, proving that he was the knight destined to find the Holy Grail, which was a sacred cup. Along with two other Knights of the Round Table – Bors and Percivale – Galahad went on a long, difficult quest to find the Holy Grail. When he finally found it, Galahad was so happy that he asked to die in that very moment!

  WEAPONS

  The Knights of the Round Table were very brave. They defended England against invaders and always fought with honour and courage. To help them defeat their enemies they used lots of different weapons.

  Mace: cheap and easy to make, but also deadly. It had a round head made from stone, iron, bronze or steel and it was covered in sharp spikes.

  Halberd: a lethal weapon. It had the head of an axe on top of a pike, which was a long wooden pole.

  Lance: a long pole with a sharp metal point, used by knights on horseback. In jousting tournaments, the point would be replaced with something blunt, so that it could be used to knock an opponent off his horse.

  Flail: used by knights and foot soldiers. It had a short wooden handle with a spiky metal ball attached to it by a chain, so that it couldbe swung round.

  Sword: only used by knights as they were expensive to make. A double-edged sword called the broadsword was used in combat.

  KNIGHT QUEST TIMELINE

  In KNIGHT QUEST Tom and Isis travel to Medieval England. Discover more about this period of history in this brilliant timeline!

  TIME HUNTERS TIMELINE

  Tom and Isis never know where in history they’ll go to next! Check out in what order their adventures actually happen.

  FANTASTIC FACTS

  Impress your friends with these facts about Medieval England!

  The Battle of Hastings in 1066 didn’t actually take place in Hastings; it took place at Senlac Hill which is six miles away from Hastings.

  That’s as far as the Isle of Wight is from the coast of England.

  In Medieval Law animals could be charged with committing a crime. They were tried in court and given sentences for injuring or killing people and even stealing.

  They must have been barking mad!

  During 1348-49, a third of England’s population died from the Black Death. No one knew it was caused by rats carrying infected fleas. Many people thought it was a punishment from God. It was also thought that bathing and changing your clothes would make God angry, as it was a sign that you cared too much about what you looked like. So lots of people didn’t wash.

  Stinky!

  Water wasn’t safe to drink, so people including children drank ale instead.

  Beer for breakfast anyone? Yuck!

  Which Viking was the most vicious?

  Who was Erik the Red?

  Did Vikings wear horned helmets?

  Join Tom and Isis on another action-packed Time Hunters adventure!

  Tom stuck his tongue in his cheek and frowned. “Right,” he said to Isis. “Maybe the dragon’s back means the longship.” He pointed over to the boat’s carved front.

  Isis nodded and stroked a purring Cleo. “Yes. It seems pretty obvious that the riddle is talking about a journey over the sea.”

  “Perhaps we’ll be going somewhere in that boat,” Tom suggested.

  Just as he opened his mouth to ask Isis if she knew what Valhalla was, they heard shouting and loud voices coming their way.

  Tom looked around and spotted a group of tall, terrifying men. They wore helmets and fur cloaks. At their sides, they carried the longest broadswords he had ever seen. They were running, like a herd of angry moose, down to the longship. The only obstacles that stood between them and their vessel… were Tom, Isis and Cleo.

  “Are those the Vikings you were talking about?” Isis asked quietly.

  “Yes,” Tom said, gulping. “I’m afraid so. They tried to look as fearsome as possible so their enemies would just keel over with fear at the sight of them.”

  “Well, that little trick won’t work on me,” Isis said. But Tom could tell from the quaver in her voice that she didn’t feel as brave as she was pretending to be.

  Cleo yowled when she saw the strangers and darted into the folds of Isis’s cloak.

  At the head of the group, Tom noticed a Viking who was as tall and as broad as a door – a hulking, muscle-bound man compared to the others. Bright-red hair hung down his back in wild, matted clumps. His bearded, ruddy face was covered in freckles. In his huge hand he swung a gleaming axe.

  “Do you think that axe is meant for us?” Isis asked.

  The red-headed giant thundered towards them. His steely gaze was fixed on Tom.

  “We’re about to find out,” Tom said, trembling like a jelly. “Please don’t kill us!” Tom shouted, holding his hands above his head in surrender, as the stranger came to a stop and loomed over him. Hardly daring to look into that fearsome face, Tom stared at the Viking’s boots instead. He had the most enormous feet.

  Tom hoped the Viking had understood his plea for mercy. Everywhere else that Anubis had sent them, he and Isis had magically been understood. He just had to hope his English words had come out in Old Norse!

  Beside Tom, Isis skipped backwards and forwards. Her fists were balled, but next to the huge Viking, she looked like a chick trying to pick a fight with a cockerel. “Come on then, you
big red hairball!” she shouted up at him. “You don’t mess with a princess!”

  Cleo hissed and swiped a claw at the Viking. The little cat’s stripy fur was standing on end. Tom admired his friends’ courage.

  Copyright

  First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2013

  HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,

  77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 8JB.

  The HarperCollins website address is: www.harpercollins.co.uk

  Text © Hothouse Fiction Limited 2013

  Illustrations © HarperCollins Children’s Books 2013

  Illustrations by Dynamo

  Source ISBN: 9780007514007

  Ebook Edition © July 2013 ISBN: 9780007514014

  Version 1

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