The Lost Kingdom by Matthew J. Kirby

Author:Matthew J. Kirby
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2013-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

The storm abated a short while later, and strong winds buffeted the ship. It took more hands on deck to keep the sails trimmed, so I did what I could to help, shivering in my damp clothes. I worked alongside Phineas, his blond hair blown across his face.

“Sharp eyes,” he said. “Spotting that bottle in the river.”

“Thank you.”

“Good thing you found it. Hopefully we’ve caught and dealt with Andrew before he was able to do any real damage.”

“Hopefully,” I said. “Was that one of your bottles?”

“Yes, it was.”

I looked over at Andrew, seated on the deck, tied to the mast with his hands behind his back. His head hung forward, the brass pendants and coils in his ears dangling toward his lap. He looked as defeated as a person could.

Phineas shook his head. “He must have taken it while we were out gathering samples of mineral water from the springs. I should have noticed its absence, but I didn’t.”

While the wind brought extra work, it also propelled us at a faster clip. Toward evening, having put many miles between us and the fog-bound wall, my father called a meeting of the crew. He gathered us below, away from where Andrew could hear us.

“In spite of Andrew’s betrayal,” my father said. “The recent excursion did give me hope that we may yet find Madoc’s people. The wall was obviously built by the Welsh.”

“What provides you with such certainty?” Mr. Godfrey asked.

“The method of construction,” my father said. “It was far too advanced to be of savage origin.”

“Your argument is based upon a false premise, John,” Mr. Godfrey said. “The Indians are quite capable of that and more.”

Mr. Kinnersley spoke up. “Francis, are you saying the wall is unconnected with Madoc?”

“No,” Mr. Godfrey said. “I believe it is directly connected to Madoc. But I arrived at that conclusion by way of different evidence.”

“What evidence?” my father asked.

“An inscription,” Mr. Godfrey said. He then sat back, a slight smirk on his face as we all waited for him to continue. “You may remember, I followed the wall in a different direction, and I found the one thing that all walls must have.”

Phineas rolled his eyes. “And what is that, pray tell?”

“A gate,” Mr. Godfrey said. “And above that gate I found an inscription, of which I made a charcoal rubbing.” He smirked again and pulled a rumpled piece of paper from inside his coat. He unfolded it and smoothed it over his knee before passing it to my father. “My Welsh is not perfect,” he said. “But I believe the inscription could be translated as ‘Aberffraw built anew in Unity and Justice.’” He paused. “Aberffraw being the seat of the Kingdom of Gwynedd in Wales. Madoc’s father’s kingdom, in fact.”

The rumors were true. We weren’t searching for a fiction, but something tangible. Something I had touched.

“It exists,” Phineas said. “The Kingdom of Madoc exists.”

“Or existed,” my father said, studying the rubbing. “I agree with Mr. Godfrey’s translation. But we must not forget that the wall we found, and the settlement it may have once enclosed, are long since abandoned.

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