The Lost Sword

by Pitt, Darrell

  ‘Don’t fall,’ Scarlet advised.

  ‘Great advice,’ Jack said. ‘I’ll be sure to follow it.’

  The building groaned.

  ‘That’s nothing to worry about,’ Mr Doyle assured them. ‘These towers are made to move with the wind.’

  Jack nodded, peering up the shaft. Crossbars reinforced the walls.

  He gripped one and stepped over to it, his heart palpitating. One wrong move and it would be a very quick journey to the bottom.

  He climbed up to the next level, disengaged the mechanism controlling the elevator doors and carefully pulled it open.

  The corridor beyond was empty. The cells lining it on both sides were also empty. If Edgar was here, he was around the other side. There were no guards. After all, who in their right mind would try to break in through the side of the building?

  Jack stuck his head over the edge. ‘Throw me the rope,’ he whispered.

  Within seconds, Mr Doyle and Scarlet were beside him.

  ‘My boy,’ Mr Doyle said, ‘you’ve done exceedingly well.’

  ‘We’re not out of this yet.’

  They hurried down the corridor, but Edgar was nowhere to be seen. Jack was just about to give up when they reached a cell with a man curled up on a bunk, reading a book.

  ‘Piggie?’ he exclaimed.

  Piggie?

  Jack and Scarlet looked at each other.

  ‘Don’t call me that,’ Mr Doyle snapped. ‘We’re here to help you escape.’

  ‘A shame,’ Edgar Doyle said. ‘I was catching up on my reading.’

  Mr Doyle had the cell open in seconds. Now Jack had an opportunity to look more closely at Mr Doyle’s brother. He was dressed as if he’d stepped straight out of a renaissance painting. Taller than his brother, and thinner, with a long, thin moustache that twirled up at the ends, he wore a cavalier hat, adorned with red and blue feathers. It matched his voluminous blue pants and crimson shirt. The thick black belt encircling his waist appeared to be made from the same material as his boots—alligator skin.

  Edgar took a deep breath of air as he stepped free, slapping his chest.

  ‘Now go we in content. To liberty,’ he said, ‘and not to banishment.’

  ‘Pardon?’ Jack said.

  ‘From the Bard,’ Edgar said. ‘William Shakespeare’s As You Like It.’

  ‘Edgar has always loved Shakespeare,’ Mr Doyle explained drily, introducing Jack and Scarlet.

  ‘You’ve adopted children, Piggie!’ Edgar said. ‘Good for you!’

  ‘They’re my assistants,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘And don’t call me Piggie. My name is Ignatius. And what is that terrible smell?’

  Edgar looked insulted. ‘You never did have much in the way of style,’ he said. ‘It’s Mon Paris. One of the world’s most expensive colognes. You know I’ve always loved good cologne.’

  ‘As long as you didn’t have to pay for it.’

  ‘Tsk, tsk. That’s all in the past. Now you must tell me what has happened.’

  He listened as they gave him a potted version of their adventures.

  ‘I see,’ Edgar said. ‘I am pleased to hear you continued searching for the sword. I was apprehended by Fujita as I returned from Daikonshima.’

  ‘At least we’ve found you. Now we need to escape.’

  ‘After retrieving the parchment,’ Edgar said. ‘It may still contain valuable information.’

  ‘We’re doing no such thing,’ Mr Doyle snapped. ‘We’re getting you out of here, and forgetting all about this blasted sword. It’s almost gotten us killed half-a-dozen times already.’

  ‘And leave behind the most important artefact in human history? What’s wrong with you, Piggie?’

  Jack stepped forward. ‘We’ve got to go,’ he said. ‘Fujita might turn up at any moment.’

  ‘All the more reason for us to stay. We can take the map from him and—’

  Mr Doyle grabbed Edgar’s lapel. ‘Listen to me,’ he said, quietly. ‘You can either come with us, or stay. Which is it?’

  Edgar gently shook free. ‘Why,’ he said, ‘I’m coming with you. Who needs the most powerful weapon in human history when you can enjoy tea and scones before a raging fire?’ As they headed down the corridor, he continued to Jack and Scarlet. ‘I assume my brother has told you about my adventures.’

  ‘Er,’ Jack said. ‘He said you used to be a thief.’

  ‘Thief is such a strong word,’ Edgar said. ‘I tend to think of myself as a borrower. A lover of paintings, sculptures, jewellery—’

  ‘But didn’t they belong to other people?’

  ‘I like to borrow them for long periods,’ Edgar said, flashing a cheerful smile. ‘And I ask you: who really owns anything? Life is so fleeting. One must seize opportunities as they arise.’

  Mr Doyle led them back to the elevator. Jack was pleased to see the rope was still attached. All they had to do was—

  He stopped. A sound was coming from the elevator shaft. Jack peered down to see a rising elevator.

  Bazookas.

  Someone was coming.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ‘Maybe we can use another elevator,’ Jack suggested. ‘Or the stairs.’

  ‘Don’t you remember?’ Scarlet said. ‘There isn’t another elevator. Fujita only has one. And the alarm will go off if we use the stairs.’

  ‘This really isn’t a problem,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘The elevator will pass, probably severing the rope. But we have another piece. We’ll simply wait here until he passes.’

  ‘A most agreeable idea, Piggie,’ Edgar said. ‘And it will give me a chance to straighten my cravat.’

  ‘Why are you dressed like that?’ Jack asked.

  ‘A man must always look his best. As the Bard said, All the world’s a stage, and all—’

  ‘What Edgar is really saying,’ Mr Doyle interrupted, ‘is that he loves to be in the limelight.’

  ‘Not at all!’ Edgar protested, spraying on more perfume. ‘Any light will do.’

  Standing at the edge of the shaft, Jack watched the elevator climb higher and higher. It slowed as it approached its final destination—the floor above.

  ‘Best stand back,’ Mr Doyle said.

  ‘Of course,’ Edgar said, dragging Jack to him. ‘You stand back while Jack and I retrieve the map.’

  Edgar hauled Jack through the open gap and towards the approaching elevator. Smashing through the ceiling hatch, they landed on the man inside—Fujita.

  It had all happened so quickly that Jack couldn’t speak at first.

  ‘What—? Why—?’ he spluttered at Edgar as he staggered back from the unconscious crime boss. ‘Why did you do that?’

  ‘Because we can’t let the Kusanagi sword fall into the wrong hands,’ Edgar explained patiently, searching Fujita’s pockets. ‘And he was exceptionally nasty to me. I asked him repeatedly for my favourite blend of Russian caravan tea and he would not supply it.’

  ‘But...but...’

&nbs
p; ‘You sound like a steam engine, Jack. Tell me what’s on your mind.’

  ‘Mr Doyle says the sword isn’t real.’

  ‘The sword is real,’ Edgar said, pulling out the parchment. ‘Ah, here we are.’

  As the doors slid open to the Penthouse, Edgar pressed the button for the floor below, but he was already too late. Two security guards stood opposite. Their mouths dropped open at the sight of Jack, Edgar and the unconscious Fujita.

  ‘Two vodka martinis,’ Edgar instructed. ‘Hold the ice.’

  The doors slid shut before the men could react.

  ‘Mr Doyle!’ Jack said. ‘I mean...’

  ‘Call me Edgar.’

  ‘Those men will come after us!’

  An alarm broke out as the elevator descended.

  ‘Then we’d best hurry,’ Edgar said. ‘Have a way out, do you?’

  Jack explained about the dragonfly as the elevator reached the level below. The doors opened to reveal a furious Mr Doyle and Scarlet.

  ‘Are you insane?’ Mr Doyle yelled at his brother.

  ‘Not at all, Piggie,’ Edgar said. ‘I knew retrieving the map would only take a moment. Now let’s get out of here.’

  Ten minutes later they were back in the dragonfly.

  ‘Edgar-san!’ Hiro yelled. ‘It is good to see you again!’

  ‘And you, Hiro,’ Edgar replied, slapping him on the back. ‘How is your aunt’s miso soup?’

  ‘Save the reminiscing for later,’ Mr Doyle said, cutting them free from the tower. ‘We must hurry.’

  Hiro urged the dragonfly into the storm.

  ‘You see,’ Edgar said to them. ‘I knew we’d be fine. I propose a celebratory dinner. Possibly some duck, a vegetable terrine followed by—’

  Bang!

  Something slammed into the rear of the dragonfly.

  ‘They’re firing at us!’ Hiro yelled. ‘We’re hit.’

  Jack glanced back through the rear window as Hiro increased the dragonfly’s speed. Two other dragonflies, small cannons fitted to their heads, were in pursuit. There was a flash and another projectile slammed into them.

  Hiro drove the damaged beast on through the storm. They lost one of their pursuers almost immediately, but the other remained on their tail, firing again.

  Hiro pulled back the wheel and they went into a sharp ascent. He braked, allowing their pursuer to fly under them, then crashed their dragonfly down onto them. The other dragonfly flipped over and spun away into the torrential storm.

  ‘We’ve got to land!’ he yelled. ‘Our dragonfly’s not going to survive.’

  They were hurtling towards the ground. Jack caught a glimpse of a rapidly approaching dark forest. At the last possible moment, Hiro pulled back on the wheel and the dragonfly levelled out, scraping across the tops of trees. Then the creature gave a hideous shriek as a wing slammed into something.

  They slewed sideways and everyone was thrown against a wall. Jack felt his stomach heave.

  This is it, he thought. The end.

  But Hiro somehow regained control, aiming towards a small plain in the forest. The dragonfly swung about, the bottom hitting the ground, before skidding for what seemed forever.

  Finally, they stopped. The wind shrieked outside and rain poured.

  Untangling themselves, Jack climbed from the cabin and staggered into the downpour.

  Scarlet gave a cry. ‘Hiro!’ she said. ‘Is he all right?’

  Hiro was either unconscious or dead. Carefully easing him from the wreckage, Mr Doyle checked for injuries.

  ‘Mr Doyle?’ Jack called.

  ‘Just a nasty knock on the head,’ Mr Doyle said.

  Edgar led Jack and Scarlet to the middle of the clearing. Raising his arms to the sky, he said, ‘I am resolved to bear a greater storm than any thou canst conjure up to-day.’ Turning to Jack, he added, ‘King Henry VI, Part Two.’

  ‘How do you remember all these quotes?’ Jack asked.

  ‘There is a simple answer,’ Edgar said. ‘I have a superior intellect.’

  ‘But you are completely without modesty,’ Scarlet said.

  ‘Modesty is a word for dishonesty. Best to focus on the truth.’

  ‘But as a thief—’

  ‘Ah,’ Edgar cut her off. ‘But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? If I’m not mistaken, that’s a house beyond those trees.’

  A groan came from behind. They saw Mr Doyle helping Hiro to his feet.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ Jack asked.

  ‘My head hurts,’ Hiro said. ‘But I am otherwise fine.’

  ‘That was magnificent flying,’ Scarlet said.

  ‘We would have died if not for your skills,’ Mr Doyle said.

  Even in the pale light, Jack could see Hiro reddening.

  ‘I did my best,’ he said. ‘But the dragonfly is dead. Now we must find our way to town.’

  ‘Right-o!’ Edgar declared. ‘First we need food and shelter. Then we have a sword to find.’

  Jack saw Mr Doyle roll his eyes.

  They traipsed through the forest to the house where Edgar asked for directions. It seemed they were still several miles from Tokyo, but a train was due at the local station soon.

  It was almost midnight by the time they stumbled into the old Tokyo jail. Einstein was just leaving the dining hall.

  ‘Good Lord!’ he said. ‘What on earth happened to you?’

  After introducing Edgar, Mr Doyle made up the story that their dragonfly had collided with another vehicle and crashed.

  ‘I’m glad you’re safe,’ Einstein said. ‘There’s a meeting being held tomorrow to discuss the rest of the symposium. The Japanese government is concerned for the safety of the delegates and has arranged for us to be moved to another venue. They say it will be safer for all concerned.’

  ‘Surely it would be better if the symposium were cancelled?’

  ‘The Hot Earth Accord must be signed,’ Einstein said, gravely. ‘It might take years to get both scientists and diplomats to such an event again. By then it would be too late for the planet—and for mankind.’

  ‘Then I look forward to hearing more tomorrow,’ Mr Doyle said, forcing a smile. ‘We’ll see you in the morning.’

  Hiro thanked them and said he would return then. Jack and the others ate a small meal in the dining room before trudging back to their rooms where Mr Doyle pointed out a cell for his brother.

  Edgar rubbed his hands together. ‘It’s just like the old days, Piggie,’ he said.

  Mr Doyle stared at him. ‘If showing a complete disregard for everyone around you is what you mean,’ he said, ‘then you’re absolutely right.’

  Edgar slapped him on the arm. ‘Don’t be like that,’ he said. ‘We’re the Doyle brothers! Together after all these years.’

  ‘The prime minister asked me to find you. I have. Now, the sooner I see the back of you, the better.’

  Without saying another word, Mr Doy
le turned and retreated to his room.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  ‘Thank you for your patience,’ Dr Einstein said.

  Almost a hundred people had gathered in the jail’s dining room. Looking about, Jack saw scientists, diplomats, security staff and journalists. Mr Doyle and the others were at his side. The detective had barely acknowledged Edgar that morning, simply grunting a greeting as they headed off to the meeting.

  ‘I have an announcement to make that I think will make many of us very excited,’ Einstein continued. ‘We are moving to Mizu City.’

  ‘Mizu,’ Jack murmured. ‘That’s the—’

  ‘—underwater city,’ Scarlet said, her eyes wide.

  ‘Bazookas.’

  ‘A single airship will be transporting us there,’ Einstein continued. ‘Please have your bags ready. We will be assembling on the roof.’

  In the excited buzz that broke out among the crowd, Jack noticed that Mr Doyle did not look pleased.

  ‘I would prefer we returned to London,’ he said.

  ‘But the prime minister ordered you to find Edgar and the sword,’ Jack said.

  ‘Edgar has been found, but I have doubts that the Kusanagi sword will ever be retrieved. It could take months, or years, to find it—assuming the sea has not already reduced it to rust.’

  They returned to their rooms and packed their few belongings. Hiro was unable to join them as he was needed at home. Edgar went out to buy a few changes of clothing and some toiletries. On his return, Jack ran into him in the corridor, looking pleased with himself.

  ‘So we’re travelling to Mizu City,’ Edgar said, stroking his moustache. ‘Wonderful!’

  ‘Have you wanted to go there?’

  ‘Jack,’ Edgar laughed. ‘Did you not see the map?’ He pulled the parchment from his pocket. ‘The sword is clearly somewhere in the vicinity of the underwater city.’