The Book of Secrets by Kathy Lee

Author:Kathy Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scripture Union England and Wales
Published: 2011-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

13

The thing

Without a word, I beckoned to Rob. He looked out, and his reaction was the same as mine.

“The monster of Ness!” he whispered.

Frantically I looked around at our fortress. It looked safe enough from dogs, but how would it stand up to a monster?

“Idiots!” said Ali, from the other window. “It’s not a monster. It’s a boat full of Norsemen!”

“What?”

I looked again. The thing, which was nearer now, seemed to change in front of my eyes. Now I could see that it was a boat, a long, black boat with a high, carved prow. With a row of oars on each side, it slid swiftly through the water.

This was what Donnie had tried to describe in the only way he knew. Not a monster... something even worse.

How many men were on board? They would surround us. We couldn’t possibly fight them all off!

“We have to get out of here. Hide in the trees. Quick!” said Rob, grabbing at the branches that barred the door.

“But what if there are dogs... ” Ali said in a faltering voice.

“Norsemen or dogs – take your pick,” I said, helping Rob to open up the doorway.

We snatched up whatever possessions we could and dived out of the tower, into the shelter of the forest. It was pitch dark there. The moonlight couldn’t reach through the thick branches overhead.

“Come on! Come on! Up the hill – further away,” I said.

Dead branches tried to trip us, twigs stabbed us in the face and fear drove us on like the fiercest of wild dogs snapping at our heels. But suddenly Rob stopped running.

“The book, Jamie!” he hissed. “Where’s the book?”

Oh, no! I’d been too busy making sure I had my bow and arrows with me. The book must still be in the tower.

“Leave it,” I told him. “If the Norsemen catch you...”

But he was gone, charging down the hill again. This was even crazier than Ali’s attempt to go back for the fish. He would get himself killed for the sake of a book!

“Let’s get out of here,” said Ali. But I couldn’t. I had to see what happened to Rob.

The moonlit water rippled as the boat slid silently in, like a dark wave. Shadowy figures climbed out of it. They gathered on the shore, still silent, and the pale light glinted on axes and drawn swords. Then they crept through the trees towards the tower.

Another shadow, black against the firelight, leaped out of the doorway. It was Rob! They saw him but he was too quick for them. He darted into the trees.

A howl of fury went up. Some of them chased after him. The others surrounded the tower. Then they went in, and found nothing except our fire. The shouts became even louder. I couldn’t understand the words, but I knew they were angry ones.

“Come on!” Ali urged me. “Rob will never find us in the dark. Get a move on!”

“The boat,” I whispered. “If they find the boat, we’re done for.”

Some of the men snatched up burning branches from our fire.

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