'He's still out there, you know!' continued Donovan. 'You'll recognize him by the scar I put across his side. Cruises by the beach every day, hoping that I'll venture out. That's how come I ain't as well fed as I might be. Any time I try and wade out into deeper water, it comes a-lookin' fer me. Holds a grudge, see. Twice now it's nearly had me in its jaws. Twice!'
'I think we saw your kelfer,' said Cornelius. 'When we were coming in to shore, a huge white fellow—'
'Aye, that's the lad! Kelfers are not just pure evil, they're cunning with it – they've got it all goin' on up here.' Donovan tapped his sun-blasted head with a shrivelled forefinger and Sebastian felt a shiver go through him. Clearly the long years of loneliness had taken their toll on Jack Donovan.
'So you made it to shore and . . .'
'I very near died from loss of blood, but 'twas hunger for revenge kept me alive. And the thought of seeing my boy again.' He pulled away from his son, placed his hands on the Kid's shoulders and gave him a fierce look. 'Bones and Sully,' he said. 'Tell me those two aren't still aboard my ship.'
The Kid looked very uncomfortable. 'It's a pity they're not,' he said, 'for the Black Hand is at the bottom of the ocean, Father, sunk in a battle only a few days ago.' He hung his head in shame. 'I'm sorry,' he said.
But Donovan shook his head and stroked the boy's hair. 'Tell me, son, did she go down fightin'?'
The Kid nodded and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.
'Then that's all that matters. And who sank the ship?'
There was a brief uncomfortable silence. Then Jenna took a step forward.
'That would be me, Captain Donovan,' she said. 'I took your ship on in a fair fight and sent her to the bottom of the sea.' She reached out a hand and put it on the Kid's shoulder. 'Your son put on a brave show, but in the end he was overcome. We took him aboard rather than leave him to his fate. If we could have saved your ship, we would have, but she was too badly damaged in the battle.'
Donovan stared at her for a moment with those mad blue eyes, as though deliberating what his response should be. Then he nodded. 'There's no shame in losing a fair fight,' he said. 'And no blame to be apportioned. You have rescued me, and for that I will be for ever grateful.' He looked at his son. 'Bones and Sully?' he asked.
'They're still around. We had a run-in with them in Lemora. Gave them a right good kicking, we did.'
Donovan's eyes widened. 'But . . . you didn't kill either of 'em?'
The Kid shook his head.
'Good! That's for me to do. It's all I've lived for these last two years.'
'There's more, Father,' said the Kid. 'There was somebody who paid Bones and Sully to do their dirty work. A captain out of Ramalat called Trencherman. He wanted the Black Hand for himself and he didn't care how he went about getting her.'
Donovan looked grim. 'Then he too is my mortal enemy,' he said. 'And I'll settle with him when I meet him face to face.' He released the boy and sat back. His mood changed abruptly: now he was grinning happily and rocking backwards and forwards where he sat. 'Hoop dee doo!' he cackled. 'This is a good day. One I thought I'd never live to see!' He looked around at the others. 'So what brings you good people to this island?' he asked.
'They've come seeking treasure, Father!' said the Kid excitedly. 'They have a map and everything.'
Captain Donovan gazed at them and then gave a lopsided grin. 'Treasure?' he said. 'You mean to tell me that I've been sitting on a fortune all these years and never even knew it?'
'If my chart is correct, yes,' said Cornelius. 'It is our belief that the fabled treasure of Captain Callinestra is hidden somewhere on this island.'
Donovan stared at Cornelius for a moment and then burst into a laugh that was only just on the right side of sanity. The sound of it made Sebastian shiver.
'Captain Callinestra? Hoop dee doo! Not one of those fake treasure maps they've been selling for years in every port in the land, is it? You wouldn't fall for a story like that, would you, sir? Why, if I had a croat for every time I'd been offered one of those things, I'd be a wealthy man today!'
Cornelius looked uncomfortable. 'I have no reason to doubt the map's authenticity,' he said.
Donovan managed to calm himself a little. 'Well, how did you come by it?' he asked.
'It was given to me—' began Cornelius.
'Sold to you,' Sebastian corrected him.
'Er . . . quite so. Sold to me by an old dying sailor in a military hospital.'
'Sold to you?' cried Jenna. 'You never mentioned that before!'
'I always said it sounded funny,' muttered Sebastian. 'A dying man selling a map – what's that all about?'
Cornelius made a small gesture of irritation. 'It's been right so far, hasn't it?' he snapped. 'The two sisters dressed in grey . . .' He frowned and shook his head. 'Anyway, we've come this far; we may as well follow it to the end and see. If the map turns out to be wrong, then you may ridicule me as much as you like.' He smiled at Captain Donovan. 'Of course, Captain, since you are already here, you are most welcome to join us in our quest; and should we be successful, and provided my partners agree, I am prepared to offer you a share of whatever we find.'
Captain Donovan looked at him for a moment and then slipped an arm around his son's shoulder. 'I've just found my treasure,' he said. 'And to be honest, I wouldn't be much use to you. I'm weak from not eatin' proper. So if it's all the same to you, Beverly and I will sit this one out.'
The Kid looked at his father in dismay. 'Oh, but Dad—' he began.
'No arguments, son. We've got some catchin' up to do.' He looked at Jenna hopefully. 'I hope you do not think me rude,' he said, 'and I 'preciate I'm a former pirate who was a sworn enemy of ships like yours, but I would relish the opportunity to rest aboard your ship. And if your cook would have a bit of grub to spare . . . I've kept myself alive on whatever bits of fish and meat I could hunt for myself, but I've never had what you might call an abundance of food.'
Jenna looked doubtful at first; she was obviously wondering about the members of Donovan's old crew, still caged below decks; but then she studied the skinny, almost cadaverous figure in front of her and realized that he was barely capable of lifting a sword, let alone using one. She seemed to relax a little.
'Kid, help your father down to the beach and hail the longboat. Tell Lemuel that Captain Donovan is my guest and that they are to give him whatever he wants to eat and drink. And tell Lem to break open the best rum.'
'Aye, aye, Captain,' said the Kid. He reached out a hand and helped his father to his feet.
Suddenly Donovan seemed to remember something. 'If your route takes you inland, I should warn you . . .' he said. 'There are creatures in there. Yarkles . . .'
Cornelius raised his eyebrows. 'Yarkles?' he said. 'What manner of beast are they?'
'Something from the lowest reaches of hell. I named them that for the noise they make when they call to each other. Some kind of upright lizard, I'd say, but bigger than three men standing on each other's shoulders. It's one reason why I haven't explored inland much. Any time I've tried it, they've come a-calling and I've had to run for my life.' He giggled as though the notion struck him as funny. 'Teeth like razors, they have,' he said. 'And they seem to hunt in pairs. Luckily they don't venture into the deep jungle. They prefer to stay in the long grass around that peak.' He pointed through the treetops to the crest of a hill in the middle distance.
Cornelius consulted his chart and frowned. Then he glanced at Sebastian. 'It would seem Nathaniel's story wasn't so far-fetched after all,' he said. 'He mentioned walking towards a high peak when he was attacked. And that's exactly where we're headed.'
'Oh, goody,' muttered Max. 'It had to be.'
'Don't you complain,' Sebastian warned him. 'You could have stayed safe aboard the Sea Witch, but no, you insisted on coming with us.'
'A good thing by the sound of it,' retorted Max. 'What would your mother think if I let you face these sparkles without my help?'
'Yarkles,
' Donovan corrected him.
'We'd better get moving,' Jenna told them. 'Time's passing, and if we're going to encounter these beasts, I'd rather we did it in daylight.'
'Good point,' said Cornelius. He nodded at the two who had elected to stay behind. 'Captain Donovan, Bever— Kid, hopefully we'll see you later.'
'Good luck,' said the Kid. 'Watch your backs.'
'Yes,' said Donovan, grinning like a maniac. 'Look to the long grass and keep listenin' out for steps behind you. I'll say a prayer for your safe return.'
The Kid looked at his father in surprise. 'A prayer?' he cried.
'Oh yes. Many things have changed since I last saw you, boy. I pray a lot these days. How do you think you found your way back to me?
He draped an arm around his son's shoulders and the two of them turned away and started along the track that led back to the beach.
'Amazing,' said Sebastian. 'To come all this way and find a lost soul. Even if we don't discover the treasure, the trip's already been worthwhile.'
Cornelius looked somewhat unconvinced by this. 'But rather more worthwhile if we end up getting out hands on a fortune in gold and precious jewels,' he said.
'I wouldn't get your hopes up too high,' Max warned him. 'You heard what Donovan said about that so-called treasure map. Not to mention those vicious beasts that hide in the long—'
He broke off at the sound of a distant shriek that made everybody lift their heads to listen. Two blood-curdling notes echoed on the air, and Sebastian understood exactly why Captain Donovan had named the creatures yarkles: that was exactly the sound they made.
Max swallowed noisily. 'I don't suppose there's any point in suggesting that we turn round and head back to the ship?' he ventured.
'None whatsoever,' said Cornelius, starting forward towards the edge of the clearing.
'No chance,' added Jenna, striding after him.
Sebastian didn't say anything. He smiled ruefully at the buffalope, shrugged his shoulders and followed the others.
'Yes, well, I just thought I'd ask,' said Max dolefully. 'I might have known I was wasting my breath.' He lowered his head and began to plod dutifully after his friends.
CHAPTER 29
YARKLES
Beyond the clearing, the jungle reared up again and the narrow track twisted and turned through dense ranks of vegetation. The heat intensified, making them sweat profusely, and the air buzzed with a multitude of insects, intent on feasting on the blood of these unexpected visitors. Off in the mysterious green depths, unidentified creatures yelped, howled and croaked, the constant sound fraying their nerves.
But they did not hear the yarkles again for quite some time.
They walked for what seemed like hours with no real change of scenery, the undergrowth crowding in oppressively on either side. Then, just as they were beginning to think that the trail would lead on for ever, they came to a place where a steep rocky slope rose up and left the jungle behind. They struggled up the incline to the top of a ridge and found themselves looking down into a valley that was completely cloaked in a covering of long yellow grass, which swayed rhythmically in the wind. On the far side of the wide meadow, the foothills of the mountains rose steeply.
Cornelius consulted his map and read aloud:
'Now you leave the narrow pass
And move across a sea of grass,
And if the treasure you would seek,
Walk towards the highest peak.'
'Hmmph!' said Max. 'Not what you'd call great poetry, is it?'
'Never mind the poetry,' said Cornelius. 'We're not here for an education.' He glanced at the others. 'Remember what Donovan said. Those lizard things may be out there. If anything comes at us in that grass, our best chance is to stick together.' He gazed towards the mountain and pointed with his sword towards what was quite clearly the highest peak. 'Let's go,' he said. And they moved down the slope into the long grass.
It was incredibly disorientating. The grass grew higher than Sebastian's head, and it was only because the crest of the mountain remained in sight that they knew they were heading in the right direction. They fanned out to walk abreast rather than going in single file and kept their ears alert for any sounds approaching them. It soon became apparent that big creatures had recently passed through these grasslands, because there were ragged trails where the grasses had been crushed flat by the passage of something heavy. Nobody spoke, not even Max, because they knew instinctively that any noise might attract the creatures that guarded this place.
Then they came to a terrifying sight: a great pile of dung was heaped in the middle of one of the trails. They all looked at it in dismay. It was as big as a boulder and covered by a great mantle of buzzing flies.
Of course, it was Max who voiced what everybody was thinking.
'If that's the size of its poo, how big is the beast?' he muttered apprehensively.
Nobody answered him. They edged round the dung pile and continued on their way in silence.
They must have been halfway across the valley when Sebastian heard it: a dry rustling sound away to his left, as though something was pushing through the grass towards them – something big, judging by the noise it was making. Sebastian reached down and tapped Cornelius's shoulder, then pointed in the direction the noise was coming from. The little warrior paused to listen and nodded grimly. He could hear it too.
They quickened their pace, but doing so meant that they made more noise and, sure enough, the rustling sound seemed to be homing in on them. And then, to make matters worse, Sebastian heard more sounds coming from the right, and he remembered what Donovan had said earlier:
Yarkles hunt in pairs.
The noises to either side intensified, and now Sebastian could make out thudding sounds, as though heavy feet were propelling massive bodies forward through the grass. He didn't really want to look back over his shoulder but somehow he just had to. And he was doing exactly that when, quite suddenly, the nearest of the beasts came into view, and he felt a thrill of terror go through him, because he was looking at something from his wildest nightmares.
It was a huge grey-green lizard, three times the height of a man, that ran upright on two incredibly powerful back legs. Its forelegs were tiny, stick-like things that looked barely capable of holding anything, but it had a massive loaf-shaped head that seemed to hinge through the middle into a set of jaws that were fringed with what looked like hundreds of razor-sharp teeth.
The beast was looking down at the creatures running before it, its tiny eyes glittering with predatory malevolence. As it moved closer, it opened its mouth and let out an ear-shattering roar, bathing the runners with the stench of raw meat. It towered over them, its head moving from side to side, as though uncertain who to attack first.
Then its companion closed in from the other side, equally big, equally fearsome. The beasts were trying to trap their prey in a pincer movement.
The first yarkle seemed to reach a decision. It shifted position slightly and lunged downward with its great jaws. Sebastian felt the heat of the beast's breath enveloping him
and instinctively threw himself to one side, just as a scaly snout slammed against him, the great teeth locking with a click inches from his ribs. As he fell, he lashed out with the sword and felt the blade glance off the scaly flesh of the beast's nose; heard a corresponding bellow of mingled pain and surprise.
Then Sebastian hit the ground, rolled forward and came up onto his feet again. As he did so, Cornelius and Jenna turned back and took up defensive positions on either side of him. Max wheeled round too, his horns ready to charge.
The yarkles came at them, shrieking in indignation. Clearly they were not used to having their prey fight back. The first of them lunged down with its snout and was met by three swords, which slashed at its nose and jaw. It reeled back with a frustrated bellow and swung round. Something came cutting through the long grass like a great fat scythe, and Sebastian just had time to register that it was the beast's tail before he was
knocked backwards off his feet. He lay stunned, realizing that Jenna was lying beside him, and he saw the creature's great clawed feet come crashing down on either side of him. He started to struggle upright—
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