The Warrior in the Mist

by Ruth Eastham

  The policeman headed towards Aidan.

  ‘Get in the car, son.’

  ‘What?’ Aidan backed away a step. ‘Why?’

  ‘Just get in the car.’ Aidan noticed the handcuffs dangling from the policeman’s waist; his hard stare of suspicion.

  ‘I want to know why,’ Aidan said. His heart beat fast.

  ‘You are being arrested for arson,’ the policeman said matter-of-factly. ‘You have the right to remain silent.’

  Aidan gave a gasp. ‘But I had nothing to do with it!’ he stuttered.

  ‘We have an eyewitness statement,’ the policeman went on. ‘Someone saw you acting suspiciously at the back of the hall during the meeting.’

  ‘Who told you that? It wasn’t me!’ Aidan insisted. Wasn’t this policeman listening?

  The officer pointed at the open door of the police car. ‘I won’t ask you again.

  ‘Get in.’

  A spear plunges towards them. One horse rears, blood spraying from its neck. A high-pitched neigh that is more like a shriek pierces the air. The chariot swerves, tilts. The three are thrown to one side, clutching at the reins, at the air.

  – CHAPTER 8 –

  BATTLE PLAN

  Aidan breathed in the smell of fresh hay and leather tack, filling his lungs with the comforting, earthy aroma of horses.

  But from outside the stable door, carried faintly on the warm morning air, was the stale smell of burning.

  Aidan shivered and zipped up his jacket.

  Arson. They’d accused him of starting the fire. He still couldn’t take it in.

  He watched Ann the vet listening to Centurion’s chest with a stethoscope, Dad stood nearby with a brooding look.

  ‘Aidan, are you OK?’ Emmi burst through the stable door, breathless. ‘We heard what happened!’

  Jon was with her, his eyes wide. ‘I can’t believe they think you did it!’

  ‘It’s total madness,’ Dad muttered. He caught Aidan’s eye, but then looked away, and Aidan got a queasy feeling. Did Dad really believe that he had nothing to do with the fire? After all, he hadn’t believed him about the flames on the lake.

  It was obvious the police hadn’t believed his story about the person he’d seen. Things the officer at the station had said shunted through Aidan’s mind: Look, Aidan, there’s no evidence anyone else was involved. We know you’ve been having some family issues: your mum’s illness; you having to leave Carrus for your dad’s new job …

  Aidan’s hands had tensed into fists. All of that was none of their business!

  Other things he’d been told flashed through his head: You are going to be released on bail and are ordered to appear in court next week.

  It looked bad – Aidan knew that – him creeping around the museum after it was closed. But what was he supposed to tell the police about what he was doing there? Following ghostly will-o’-the-wisps that nobody else could see? That really would get him locked up!

  And then there’d been the hallucination, or whatever that was; the shadows of galloping horses; the thunder of hooves; the terrified neighing.

  No, he’d kept his mouth well and truly shut about both of those things.

  For obvious reasons.

  The vet unplugged the stethoscope from her ears and ran a hand slowly along Centurion’s leg. The horse made a rumbling noise deep in his throat.

  ‘There are signs of an infection,’ Ann said. ‘I can give antibiotics, but I’ve got to say the wound isn’t healing as fast as I’d hoped.’ She rooted around inside her leather bag. ‘There’s no way he can be seen by Berryman, or it’ll be obvious something’s up.’

  ‘But the race is tomorrow!’ cried Emmi. ‘Berryman wants Centurion to pull the chariot!’

  ‘There’s absolutely no chance of that,’ said Ann. She gave Centurion another injection.

  ‘And if Berryman comes looking for him?’ said Emmi.

  The question hung in the air, unanswered. Aidan glanced at Dad, but he was standing motionless, still lost in his own thoughts.

  ‘Aidan,’ Emmi said quietly, ‘are you coming to today’s protest? Fracking starts tomorrow evening during the festival and …’

  ‘Haven’t you heard?’ frowned Ann, snapping the clasp on her bag shut. ‘The fire triggered a clampdown. The police are panicking about an escalation in public disorder and they’ve come down hard. The protest camps were dismantled this morning and there were quite a few arrests.’

  Emmi gave a gasp of dismay. ‘What?’

  Aidan signalled to her and Jon and the three of them went outside.

  He quickly filled them in on everything that had happened – all the details of the fire and the theft.

  ‘The stolen object was donated by Robbie?’ Emmi quickly messaged her cousin on her phone. ‘Are you sure? Did you tell the police that?’

  ‘I couldn’t see the point,’ Aidan told her, ‘especially when it was obvious they didn’t believe me about someone else being there and smashing the case.’

  ‘We should keep that information to ourselves anyway,’ Emmi said hurriedly. ‘At least until we’ve had a chance to talk to Robbie.’ She tried another message. ‘Oh, he’s still not answering!’

  ‘What do you think Robbie meant,’ said Aidan, ‘when he said he’d found a best treasure? It must be what he donated to the museum, right?’

  ‘Well, it couldn’t have just been one of his animal skulls or some old bones,’ said Jon. ‘Not if someone took such a lot of trouble to steal it.’

  ‘Nobody can prove anything was even stolen.’ Emmi twisted a strand of hair between her fingers. ‘There won’t be any record of what was in the museum case, with people just going in and donating stuff when they wanted. Do you still have Robbie’s card, Aidan?’

  Aidan shook his head. ‘I lost it in my rush to get out.’

  ‘Well, whoever stole Robbie’s object, that same person also started the fire!’ Emmi said with conviction.

  ‘To cover their tracks,’ she explained, as Aidan and Jon stared at her. ‘Think about it: all the glass cases were broken in the heat and everything was destroyed. If you hadn’t gone in there, Aidan, no one would have even known about the theft.’

  ‘Makes sense,’ said Jon, slowly nodding. ‘Whoever it was probably thought the museum was empty. And you said the fire alarm wasn’t working, Aidan?’

  ‘They would have disabled it!’ said Emmi. ‘So the place would be a total inferno before the fire brigade got there.’

  ‘But what was so important that someone was willing to destroy a whole building?’ said Aidan.

  ‘Whoever it was must have had a really good reason,’ Emmi said. ‘They didn’t want anyone to know what was in that case.’

  She tried Robbie on her mobile again. ‘Where is he?’ she muttered. ‘You know what it’s like when he’s in the middle of his wanderings or working on an art project. He’s probably roving about the lanes somewhere with his sketchpad and has left his phone at home. Oh, we so need to talk to him. Right now! We’ve got to clear your name, Aidan, find out what’s behind all this!’

  ‘And on the other minor subject of the fracking starting tomorrow evening?’ said Jon. ‘And Aidan having to move away if it does?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Emmi, ‘how are we going to stop the fracking? The protest is virtually dead – you heard Ann. So we need another tactic.’

  ‘Easy!’ said Jon glumly. ‘All we have to do is find Queen Boudicca’s tomb and get the whole Carrus area declared a World Heritage Site before teatime tomorrow evening – just like Mr Williams said. Easy as hot cherry pie, and a cold can of Coke!’

  He licked his lips. ‘Man, I’m thirsty.’ He pulled at the neck of his T-shirt. I wish this heat would ease off a bit.’

  ‘I saw that storms are forecast for tonight,’ said Emmi. ‘The dry weather’s going to break.’

  Emmi’s words caused a memory to shunt into Aidan’s mind. He gripped Jon’s arm a bit too hard and his friend flinched. ‘What was that other thing M
r Williams said in the meeting?’ he asked hurriedly. ‘Something about the drought?’

  ‘What? Well,’ said Emmi, frowning as she tried to remember, ‘he was saying this is the driest summer on record … and then he was talking about archaeological surveys … and he said something about the drought conditions being perfect for …’

  ‘Aerial studies!’ finished Aidan. A plan was forming as he remembered Jon’s idea to film the chariot race from the air.

  His thoughts whirred. It was crazy. Crazy, but irresistible. His fingers twitched, as if he was charged up with a strange kind of electricity. He pulled up Google on his phone and scanned through some sites. Maybe it was the adrenaline of being arrested; of being a suspected criminal, wrongly accused. Maybe it was being so worried about Centurion. Maybe it was because of being forced to move away. All he knew was that he had to do something. Determination sprang up inside him like hot little flames.

  ‘We are going to find Boudicca’s tomb,’ he announced.

  ‘What?’ Emmi raised her eyebrows. Jon stared at him.

  Whatever it took, thought Aidan; however impossible it was.

  They had to – find – Queen – Boudicca’s – tomb.

  And he had a plan of how to do it.

  His friends shuffled closer as he started to explain the strategy.

  By the time he’d finished, Emmi’s eyes were gleaming with excitement. She had her phone out as well, scanning sites that had more of the information they needed. ‘If it’s here to be found, we are going to find that tomb, Aidan,’ she said firmly. ‘We won’t let you lose your home without a fight.’

  ‘No way, Aide!’ added Jon. ‘We’ll do everything we can to help.’

  Aidan felt a rush of emotion at his friends’ words. ‘Thanks guys.’

  ‘I feel obliged to delicately point out that the odds are not exactly in our favour, though,’ said Jon. He shook his head. ‘Less than thirty-six hours left. Nothing to go on. Experts like Williams have spent their entire lives searching for Boudicca’s tomb and drawn a blank. You’d have to be a total nutter to even try.’

  He broke into a grin as he fist-bumped Aidan.

  ‘Count me in! Operation Tomb Boudicca is go!’

  Into the battle,

  Into the tomb,

  Follow Queen Boudicca

  Meeting her doom.

  Recover her bones

  From the Roman foe,

  Hide the tomb

  Where none dare go.

  Lay her to rest in a tomb of her own,

  Lay her to sleep on her final throne.

  Eternal sleep, forever in youth,

  Guarded by leverets, Valour and Truth.

  Bury her bones,

  Bury her sword,

  In a stone-carved tomb,

  With a royal hoard.

  – CHAPTER 9 –

  OPERATION TOMB BOUDICCA

  Aidan watched Jon lay the green canvas bag at the top of the small sunlit hill overlooking Carrus Woods. A few clouds drifted lazily across an otherwise blue afternoon sky. No sign of the forecast storm.

  ‘Perfect flying conditions,’ said Jon happily.

  His voice went down a notch. ‘Ready?’

  ‘I really think this is going to work!’ Emmi said eagerly.

  Jon began to unzip the bag, then grabbed his friends’ arms and pulled them close, as if he was about to break the Official Secrets Act.

  ‘Remote-controlled drone,’ he hissed.

  Emmi gave an appreciative gasp as Jon reached into the bag.

  Aidan’s skin tingled. This was it. The only sure way they had to sweep a big area, mega fast.

  They’d spent all morning researching everything they could on archaeological aerial surveys. What they’d read confirmed what Mr Williams had told them about drought conditions increasing the chances of finding something. They’d learnt what patterns to look for on the dried-out ground: unexpected coloured lines or shapes only visible from the air that could mark out something below the surface.

  ‘State of the art,’ Jon said proudly, laying the drone on the brown-tinged grass.

  Aidan probed the odd-looking contraption. It was like a kind of squashed helicopter, black in colour, with four sets of propellers on the top to get it airborne. The whole thing rested on an arching pair of metal landing skids, and fixed underneath was a digital camera.

  Jon sat back, looking very pleased with himself. ‘Primed and ready to fly,’ he said with a small salute. He pulled a laptop from the bag.

  Aidan’s heart beat faster. There was so much resting on whether they could stop the fracking – so much more besides protecting the land: his dad’s job on the estate, their home, Centurion … did they really have a chance of finding anything?

  Jon lifted up a remote-control box.

  The rotors on the drone started to turn with a whirring sound, quickly gathering speed until the blades were a blur of movement.

  Aidan watched him tap the computer keyboard and an image flashed up on the monitor.

  ‘The camera and the laptop are talking to each other,’ Jon said with satisfaction. ‘We have live film footage. Take-off at my command.’

  He clicked a button and the rotors sped up.

  ‘Good to go?’ he asked over the buzz.

  Aidan gave a nod. This was really it. The search for Boudicca’s tomb was on!

  He saw Jon tweak the small joysticks each side of the control box with his thumbs, and the drone rose smoothly into the air and hovered over the ground like some kind of robotic insect. The computer screen was filled briefly with a smiling Emmi giving the thumbs up, then all Aidan could see was the ground behind her as the machine climbed.

  ‘Nice and easy,’ Jon said to himself. ‘We don’t want any sudden, crazy movements.’

  The drone dipped unexpectedly, doing a noisy sweep right over their heads. Emmi gave a shout as Aidan ducked.

  ‘Just testing the aeronautics!’ Jon laughed. ‘OK,’ his face became serious. ‘Get watching the screen you two. I’m taking her higher.’

  The drone lifted away again, moving quickly towards the woods.

  ‘We’re looking for any unusual patterns,’ Emmi reminded Aidan as they knelt together by the laptop. ‘Watch that tree, Jon!’

  ‘Woah! Emergency manoeuvre!’ Jon tilted the control box forward as the screen filled with a view of leafy branches.

  The drone continued its flight, beaming back images from the camera. Aidan got an aerial view of his house, then the sprawling building of Berryman’s mansion surrounded by its ornamental gardens; the meadow and lake, the stables. How was Centurion, he wondered?

  OK, concentrate. He glued his eyes to the monitor.

  The yellow-green rectangles of the fields filled the screen like patchwork. Narrow channels crisscrossed along them, glinting in the few places where water was still running through. He saw a red car speeding along one of the lanes.

  ‘Anything yet?’ called Jon.

  ‘No,’ said Emmi. ‘Head towards Carrus itself.’

  There was the village green, and the car park by the pub, the blackened shape of the museum … Jon had his tongue sticking out between his teeth as he flew the drone. ‘Let’s take the sweep further out.’

  The drone became a moving dot in the distance; so far away that Aidan could hardly hear it any more. He peered at the screen, seeing more fields, the odd house, patches of trees – but nothing out of the ordinary as far as he could tell.

  As time ticked by, Aidan started to get uneasy. He’d been so sure they’d have found something by now. He’d been so full of hope when he’d come up with his idea, but it was never going to be that easy, was it? If it were, surely someone would have found something long ago.

  Emmi glanced at Aidan. ‘We’ve still got loads of land to survey,’ she said, giving him a lopsided smile. ‘Can we try east now, Jon?’

  ‘Affirmative,’ said Jon. He made adjustments to the control box, head bobbing down at the computer to check the flight path.


  A siren sounded in the distance.

  ‘Nothing there,’ said Emmi. ‘Take her up a bit more.’

  On the screen Aidan saw flashing blue lights in one of the lanes.

  Jon frowned, squinting at the monitor. ‘There’s an ambulance.’ He zoomed in with the drone camera.

  Aidan’s breath caught. ‘There’s someone lying in the road.’

  He felt Emmi grip his arm. He saw her eyes widen as she spoke.

  ‘And they’re not moving.’

  For a moment, time seems to stop. The twisting horses. The girls grasping air. A gold-black Roman banner fills the sky; an eagle with its wings outstretched.

  Then the chariot overturns.

  – CHAPTER 10 –

  ROBBIE’S BEST TREASURE

  Everyone on the bus was talking about it.

  The hit-and-run on one of the lanes near Carrus that afternoon.

  A man, knocked down by an unknown driver.

  Left for dead.

  Robbie Pickersgill.

  ‘Is there any news, sweetheart?’ Aidan could hear Miss Carter’s strained voice on the end of Emmi’s phone as their bus headed towards the hospital. ‘They won’t tell me anything.’

  Emmi was sitting next to him, looking very pale. ‘He’s still really poorly.’ She bit her lip. ‘The hospital told us he woke up for a short while but he couldn’t remember anything about what happened.’

  ‘Oh, love.’

  ‘The police are appealing for witnesses, but …’ Emmi blew her nose. ‘They said he’s lucky to be alive, Miss.’

  Aidan saw Jon hang his head.

  ‘Well if there’s anything at all I can do,’ Miss Carter sounded like she was trying hard not to cry. ‘Anything at all. All you have to do is ask, you know that, don’t you?’

  Aidan stared out of the window as Emmi hung up. On his knee was a drawing pad and a tin of sketching pencils; presents for Robbie. The evening shadows clung to the buildings on the outskirts of town. He still couldn’t take in what had happened.