“Sorry, old chap,” the old sailor said.
Aeolus looked down and saw the Admiral’s sword sticking out of his chest. Gurgling, he fell back onto the treasure chest. As his eyes closed for the final time, his hands twitched, trying to hold onto the treasure as it, and his life, slipped from his grasp.
The Admiral kicked the body off the chest.
“Finally!” he yelled as he opened the chest. His eyes widened at the contents. A broad grin spread across his face.
“Right, let’s go!” he said.
“But, sir, what about the other two?” asked the newly promoted Lieutenant.
The Admiral grabbed his spyglass and looked over at the lake where both boys lay still, “Dead by the look of ‘em. Let’s go!”
“But …” Lieutenant Mark was stopped by the Admiral’s glare and they lifted up the treasure chest and headed back towards the Juggernaut.
...
Peter lay on top of his brother and watched as the Navy left with the treasure, leaving Aeolus’ body in the sand. He waited as long as he could before impatience overtook him. He got up and looked at Farren. Farren looked back at him and smiled.
“Are they gone?” he asked.
“Seems like it,” Peter replied.
“Well acted,” Farren grinned in spite of the pain of the bolt that had lodged itself in his upper arm.
“You weren’t too bad yourself. I’m just glad you went along with it.”
“That’s what brother’s are for,” Farren replied.
They sat in silence for a while before Peter piped up, “Well, that’s our chance at the treasure gone then.”
“Yeh,” Farren grinned, “but we didn’t really, truly come for it did we?”
“Well, I thought you did.”
“Not really. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it would have been nice. Very nice. But it’s not the end of the world.”
“No. It’s not.” Peter and Farren stood up.
“So which way do you think we go then?” Farren asked.
“I think we should head that way through the forest. We are less likely to run into the Admiral that way,” Peter suggested.
“Sounds good to me. Although, you realise that as our boat exploded, we are kind of boatless.”
“As long as there aren’t any snakes on this island I’ll be happy,” replied Peter laughing.
They reached the outskirts of the forest when Farren stopped in his tracks. Peter turned.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked.
Farren frowned. “Something just struck me. Did you not think that the treasure was a bit … odd?”
“Well the inscription was unusual,” Peter began.
“No, it’s not just that. It was supposed to be the lost treasure of Nuestra Senora de Atocha.”
“Yeh, so.”
“But as everyone knows, the Nuestra was a Spanish ship that sank in these waters.”
“and …” Peter was getting impatient.
“… and yet we just dug it up in the shape of a chest buried in the middle of an island.” Farren paced across the sand.
“So what, maybe someone found the treasure in the ship, put it in chest and buried it.” Peter argued.
“I suppose…,” his brother reluctantly conceded and began to walk into the forest.
“Hold on. The inscription said, “If you came for treasure it lies within, if you did not, what you treasure lies beyond your grasp.” The first bit clearly refers to the contents of the chest, but the second bit. We didn’t really come for treasure. So it says what we want lies ‘beyond your grasp’.”
Farren thought for a bit.
“I’ve got it. Beyond your grasp. I think there’s something buried deeper! C’mon!” he yelled over his shoulder as he ran back to the lake.
They both dropped to their knees and dug frantically.
The hole got deeper.
And deeper.
They kept digging
And then they reached a small, little heart shaped locket. They both stared at it, disappointed.
Peter blew the sand off it and pried it open. A small piece of paper was inside which read:
My love. Go south for a hundred and four paces through the forest. Look for the cave entrance. R.
Puzzled Peter read it again and looked to see if the locket contained anything else.
It remained empty.
The boys looked at each other.
“Well, we’ve come this far,” grinned Farren.
They turned towards the forest and began to count their paces.
“One … Two …”
...
The Admiral waved the flaming torch. He looked in the distance as another torch blinked, indicating that the row boats were coming. He smiled. He had finally won! Of course the treasure would have to be turned over to His Majesty, but who was to say how much was in the chest to start with? He patted the large chest with glee.
...
“Ninety-nine … One hundred.”
The boys stopped.
They stood in front of a large tree trunk which was leaning against a sheer rock wall that was entwined with vines and creepers. They both looked at each other.
“So what now?” asked Farren.
“I guess we try and find that cave entrance.”
They went on either side of the tree.
“Hang on,” Farren said as he examined the tree more closely. “These vines are moving.”
“Snakes?” Peter’s voice shook.
“No. Breeze. There’s a cave back here.” He lifted the vines away and the cave entrance was revealed.
They walked down a long cool passageway and turned the corner and gasped …
The narrow rock corridor opened up into an enormous cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling and pointed towards a large lake at the bottom of the cave. The path curved downwards towards the water. The other side of the cave was open and, if the boys took the time to look, they would have seen that the water led out of the cave and into the ocean. However something else had grabbed their attention.
It was a ship.
It was fairly small, compact and stream lined. It only had the one row of cannons, but it oozed speed. The boys ran down the path. A plank led onto the deck. Tentatively they made their way across it. They glanced at each other and nervous smiles spread out across their faces. Each of them walked cautiously across the deck. What was this? They explored the deck. Nothing looked as if it had ever been touched.
They walked into the captain’s quarters.
There was a large desk in the middle.
On it was a note.
My dearest Mara,
If you have found this letter, then our worst fears have been confirmed and we have been betrayed by that fool, Fairclough.
I regret that we did not have more time on earth together, my love, but each day look into the eyes of our lovely boys, Farren and Peter, and remember me. I will live on in them and in your heart.
Do what you wish with the ‘Spirit’. Remember that I love you.
Yours for ever,
Renato
The boys stood there, stunned.
They read the note again.
And again.
They stared at each other.
This was impossible.
They were standing on the deck of the Spirit, rumoured to be the fastest ship ever made. A ship their father had built. Not only that, but their mother was Mara, pirate captain of the Nemesis!
“I don’t know what to say,” Farren began.
“I know,” Peter replied, “Neither do I. I mean, our mother and father…”
“Yeh.”
They stared at each other for a while.
“Well, I suppose we should see what Dad’s ship can do?” Farren grinned.
“Why not?” laughed Peter.
The Spirit sailed out from the cave as the sun began to set.
...
“Fire, captain?” Renard asked.
Mara w
atched in shock as the Spirit sailed from the island. She looked through her spyglass. On the deck … could it be? Could it be possible? After all the years that her mother had kept them from her?
Mara watched her sons from the deck of the Nemesis.
“No. Let them be … for now.”
THE END
Candy Wars: The Tooth Fairies vs The Candy King
R.G. Cordiner
You may not like your sister, but are you really going to fight a war against her?
James and Emily never get on - always fighting and arguing! But when James wakes up one night as his tooth is stolen by a jelly monster he follows it into a weird and wonderful world. Chocolate archers come out of the walls and fly in bubble gum balloons, giant rock candy trolls roam around, icing sugar snowmen appear and disappear, all under the direction of the Candy King who is preparing a war against the tooth fairies! Soon Emily and their cat Muffins find themselves joining the fairies, with only a toothless dragon and a phoenix with hay fever to help them fight the mighty Candy Army!
“The Candy King is waiting for you.”
Bug Island
R.G. Cordiner
They destroyed the mighty Mayan Empire. What hope for a few shipwrecked survivors?
A South American cruise. It should have been a once in a lifetime experience. And it was. But not in the way they imagined. Barely surviving a horrific shipwreck, the remaining passengers have to try and cope with finding food, water, shelter, let alone the constant arguments. And then there are the bugs. Not the sort that you squish and then get on with your day. Oh no. Toe biters, pond skaters, assassin bugs and harvestmen that drop down on top of their victims – all of these could be found in your garden. But on this lost island they are all at least twenty times their normal size. Trapped on an island with a six metre long giant centipede with armoured plates was not on the cruise itinerary. Now all they want is to get off – without being squished!
“Anyone pack the bug spray?”
Candy Wars II: Sweet Revenge
R.G. Cordiner
How far will you go to rescue a friend?
One year after their epic battles with the Candy King and the Tooth Fairies, James and Emily have a problem. They are bored. Normal life is just so ... normal. But they are soon faced with a bigger problem. No one is collecting the teeth! Mounds and mounds of teeth are just sitting there. Soon a weak portal appears and James and Emily find themselves back in a world that they no longer recognise. A desolate, ruined wasteland is all that remains of the island. Who did this? Is it the work of the Candy King? What happened to all the Tooth Fairies and their friends? And what creature is lurking in the sand? James and Emily are about to embark on their most amazing adventure yet, one they will be lucky to survive.
"Candy King? Ha! He is a sweetie compared to me!"
cordiner.wordpress.com
Coming Soon:
Alien Hunters: Discovery
R.G. Cordiner
A lethal game of hide and seek ... with aliens. Want to play?
In 1968 an alien spacecraft crash landed on Earth. There were survivors. Today, they walk amongst us, invisible in plain sight. They could be your teacher, your friend or even .... YOU. Everyone sees them as human. Everyone, except two children.
Thomas and Katie were unaware that they could detect aliens until they were contacted by a secret organisation. The Alien Hunters. For years they have been training for this moment. Now their fate is in the hands of two children who are faced with intense training, secret missions, some very freaky weapons and lots of slime. Let the hunt begin.
"Hunting them doesn't bother me. Finding a giant, slime filled alien? Yeh, now that bit bothers me."
cordiner.wordpress.com
Treasure Lost Page 12