The missing mortals, p.8
The Missing Mortals, page 8
Dean Harwood looked at his watch. It was nearing time for supper, so he instructed the group to get dried off as best they could with the towels they’d brought in their backpacks and prepare for the mile trek back to the car. Sebastian was trying to cram one of the dive masks into his already stuffed pack when it happened. The mask fell out and, after rolling down the slight embankment upon which Sebastian was standing, dropped into one of the deeper pools by the arch. It landed in the water with a loud plop and immediately began to sink.
Giving the rest of the group a sheepish look, Sebastian said, “Sorry about that. Don’t worry. I’ll get it.”
The pool in which the mask had landed was next to the bluff and almost eight feet deep. Sebastian would need the other dive mask to locate the one he’d dropped. Realizing this, Doug, who had the other mask, wordlessly dug it out of his own pack and absently handed it to Sebastian. He was still worrying about what their next move should be and, in his preoccupation, barely glanced at Sebastian as he handed him the mask.
Mistaking Doug’s behavior for irritation, Sebastian apologized again. This snapped Doug from his worrisome thoughts and seeing the hurt look on Sebastian’s face, he hastened to reassure him. “It’s no big deal. I was just thinking about something else.” He said the last two words with special emphasis.
Sebastian gave a little nod, indicating he understood what that something else was. They had all been convinced that Darius had hidden one of the sculptures at the arch. The fact that they hadn’t found anything cast serious doubt on all of the other locations they’d put on their list. Sebastian knew Doug was deeply worried about what that could mean for his dad and Lord Dinswood. With a sigh, he put the dive mask on and adjusted it. As soon as he was finished, he dove cleanly into the clear water of the creek. The clarity of the creek’s water was due to its gravel bed, and it was so exceptionally clear that even though this particular spot was almost eight feet deep, it was possible to see the bottom from where they were standing.
While the others watched, Sebastian entered the pool and felt the refreshing water rush over his body. He effortlessly kicked to the bottom and was just reaching for the sunken dive mask when he happened to look toward the bluff only a couple of feet away. He blew out a stream of bubbles in his surprise. There was a hollow space in the side of the bluff that extended back approximately four feet. The small cave was about three feet wide, and its roof rose little more than a foot above the creek bed.
Sebastian immediately realized why they hadn’t noticed it before. The overhanging rock made it impossible to detect from above. It could only be seen by someone who was almost lying on the bottom in this particular spot.
It wasn’t the discovery of the little cave alone that had Sebastian almost drowning in his excitement. It was the metal box wedged in the very back of it. The box was exactly like the one Lord Dinswood had shown them that first night in his apartment—the one in which the sculpture of Ruth had been found. Quickly, Sebastian grabbed the dive mask lying on the bottom and began to kick toward the surface, eager to tell the others about his discovery. Just before his head broke the surface, he realized that he couldn’t say anything—at least not with Doug’s dad and Miss Jennings around. He’d have to behave as if nothing had happened, and it was going to require the greatest acting performance of his life.
Sebastian surfaced and waved the dive mask with a flourish. “Got it,” he exclaimed as if the successful retrieval of the mask was the sole reason for his cheerfulness.
“Good job, Sebastian,” Dean Harwood commended. “Dry off and then we’d better get going.”
Sebastian did as instructed, and soon they were ready to go once more.
The walk to the car and ride back to the castle were accomplished in silence on the part of the youngsters. Dean Harwood and Miss Jennings chatted casually the entire time, attributing the behavior of the kids to tiredness. Martha, Emma, and Doug were all worrying over the frightening threats in the note they’d found. Trying not to give anything away, Sebastian managed to appear as sullen as the others. If the others had known what he was holding back, they would have immediately nominated him for an Oscar in the best actor category.
As soon as Dean Harwood pulled the Explorer to a stop in front of the castle’s main entrance, Miss Jennings and the four youngsters got out. Sebastian waited until Miss Jennings had gone into the castle and Dean Harwood had driven around to park the car before he exploded with the news of his discovery.
“I found it!” he shouted.
“What are you talking about?” Martha asked tiredly.
“I found the sculpture!”
“You what?” Martha responded, her tiredness suddenly vanishing.
Doug stood looking at Sebastian with an incredulous expression. Could it be true? He studied his friend’s face and slowly realized that Sebastian wouldn’t tease about something as important as this. Blessed waves of relief washed over Doug. Sebastian’s discovery confirmed two things. First, it was now almost certain that all of the pieces Marnatti had sculpted for Darius still existed, and second, as they had thought, Darius had hidden them in places special to him and Rebecca.
Even though Sebastian had discovered the metal box entirely by accident, Doug felt a welling of gratitude for his friend. Thanks to Sebastian, his dad and Lord Dinswood were safe, at least for another two weeks. Not knowing how else to express what he was feeling, Doug simply looked at his friend and said solemnly, “Thanks, Sebastian. I owe you.”
“No problem,” Sebastian replied with equal seriousness.
Emma and Martha watched the exchange between the two boys with amusement. Boys really are the strangest creatures, Emma couldn’t help thinking. It was obvious from Martha’s wry expression that she was thinking something similar.
The next moment everyone began talking at once. It was as if a great burden had been lifted from their shoulders. Doug would have been gratified to know that his friends were just as relieved as he was at this new discovery.
They stood on the steps of the castle a few minutes longer as Sebastian explained how and where he had found the metal box. Finally, when all of their questions had been answered, they entered the castle and went to their rooms to get washed up for supper. Later that evening, they sat in the lounge and made plans to return to the arch at Crawford Creek.
Sitting in cushioned chairs upholstered in a floral pattern and arranged in a circle around one of the lounge’s coffee tables, Sebastian began the conversation with a question. “How are we going to get back to the creek tomorrow? I mean I guess we could walk, but its five miles just to the creek and then another mile to the arch.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure. We can’t ask Doug’s dad to take us,” Martha answered, stating the obvious.
Doug nodded and said, “Dad’s already told me he’s got a meeting with the board tomorrow, so he can’t go with us to check out any of the other locations. At least that leaves us free tomorrow. I’ve already asked him if we could go swimming like we did the other day, and he said it was okay.”
“That gives us until suppertime to get to the creek and back,” Emma said, entering the conversation. That should be plenty of time, she thought, as long as we don’t have any problems. Time wasn’t the only factor that needed consideration however. They were going to have to figure out how they were going to get the metal box back to the school. Emma shared this last concern with the others.
“I’ve thought about that,” Doug said, nodding again. “We don’t really need the box. We just need the sculpture. If we took a blanket, we could wrap the sculpture up in it and stick it in one of our backpacks.”
“Good idea!” Martha praised. “I’ve got a little lap blanket I keep on the foot of my bed that should do the trick.”
Suddenly, Doug’s eyes lit up as another idea occurred to him. “I just remembered something!” he cried excitedly. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.”
“What?” the others asked in unison.
“Come with me, and I’ll show you.” Without another word, Doug got up and headed for the lounge’s double doors. Not wanting to be left behind, the others quickly followed.
A few minutes later, they were standing in the school’s bus garage looking at a wide assortment of mountain bikes. “I forgot we had these. I found them when I was exploring a couple of summer’s ago.”
“Where’d they come from?” Sebastian asked.
“I asked Dad that same question when I first discovered them. He told me that the school had a teacher a few years back that started a mountain biking club. After he left, no one wanted to take over sponsorship of the club, so the bikes have just been sitting here.”
“Just waiting for us,” Sebastian said with a smile. He, for one, was very glad they weren’t going to have to walk twelve miles in ninety-degree heat tomorrow.
Emma counted the bikes. There were twenty in all, and they all had red or green frames—the colors of Dinswood Academy. “Do you think the tires are still good?” Emma asked.
“First let’s each pick one that looks like it’s in pretty good shape,” Doug suggested. “There’s a tire pump on the bench over there, so we can air up the tires if we need to.”
Needing no further prompting, they each set about choosing a bike. Once they’d made their selections, Doug and Sebastian checked all the tires and aired the ones that needed it. In no time, they had four bikes ready to go for the next day.
With nothing else to do, they returned to the castle. They were just about to go inside when Sebastian suggested a game of badminton. As it was still fairly early, the others readily agreed, and soon they were swatting at birdies under the shade of a large oak. When it got too dark to see the birdie, they decided it was time to go in. After agreeing to meet in the dining hall at eight the next morning, they went to their dorm rooms to prepare for bed. They were going to need a good night’s sleep for the long day ahead.
Emma awakened the next morning at seven o’clock. She yawned sleepily and sat up. A glance out the window confirmed that it was going to be another hot and sunny day. Emma was thankful that Doug had remembered the bikes. Walking in this kind of heat would have been nearly unbearable. Of course pedaling a bike wasn’t going to be any picnic either, but at least it would get them to the creek faster. With that thought, she went in the bathroom to get ready for breakfast, and when she came out, she saw that Martha was already dressed for the day.
Emma dressed while Martha took her turn in the bathroom. Then they left for the dining hall. When they got there, the boys were waiting for them.
“We’d better eat up this morning,” Sebastian commented as they filled their trays with an assortment that included scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. “We’ll need all the energy we can get today.”
“Don’t eat too much, Sebastian,” Martha cautioned. “If you do, you’ll get sick in this heat.”
“Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that,” Sebastian agreed.
After making their selections from the breakfast buffet, they returned to their table and ate in relative silence. When everyone was finished, Doug stood up to empty his tray and said, “We’d better get going. Why don’t you girls go get your backpacks, and we’ll meet back here to get some sandwiches for lunch. We need to make sure we fill our canteens too.” He was just turning away when he remembered something else. Turning back around, he said to Martha, “Don’t forget your lap blanket. We’ll need it to wrap the sculpture in.”
Martha nodded her understanding. She had a little first aid kit she intended to bring along as well. Martha wasn’t expecting to need it, but one never knew when an accident might occur. She thought back to last spring when they were searching for the treasure. There were a couple of times her first aid kit would have come in handy.
“I’ve still got the dive masks, so I’ll bring those,” Sebastian said as they parted ways outside the dining hall.
Moments later, they were back in the dining hall filling their backpacks with the sandwiches, chips, and fruit the cooks had prepared for them. They also filled their canteens. After checking to be sure they had everything they needed, they headed outside and made their way around the east side of the castle to the bus barn where their transports waited. Before leaving the bus barn, Doug walked over to one of the workbenches along the south wall and picked up a small crowbar, explaining that they would need it to open the metal box. After stuffing the crowbar into his backpack, he put on the cap Lord Dinswood had given him and got on his bike.
Doug had been wearing that cap everywhere he went ever since Lord Dinswood had given it to him. Emma had to admit he looked good in it. She also knew it would please Lord Dinswood to know how much Doug appreciated his gift.
With a wave that signaled the others should follow, Doug rode out of the bus barn. As they pedaled to the driveway in front of the castle, Emma couldn’t help smiling. It had been a long time since she had ridden a bike. Her father had taught her as a little girl. It had been the summer after her mother had died, and she had just turned six. For her birthday she had gotten her first bicycle, complete with training wheels. As with most little girls, at that time her favorite color had been pink. Knowing this, her father had purchased a small bicycle with a pink frame and bright pink streamers hanging from the rubber grips of the handlebars. Emma had been ecstatic. It had been the first time she’d been truly happy since her mother’s death.
Emma’s dad had firmly resolved that by the end of the summer Emma would no longer need the training wheels. He had been a kind and patient teacher, and it was one of Emma’s fondest memories of her father. Of course, things had changed after he had married Vera. Her smile faltering, Emma brushed that thought away. Determined to enjoy the day, she lifted her face to take full advantage of the cool morning air rushing past it.
They were now on the school’s driveway and were coasting down the hill at a fairly rapid rate. She and Martha were riding side by side behind Doug and Sebastian. Sebastian let out a whoop and lifted his hands from the handlebars of his bike. “Look, Mom. No hands,” he joked.
“You’d better hold on before you kill yourself,” Martha admonished from behind him. “We don’t have time to stop and bandage you up.”
Sebastian turned around to make a face at Martha and nearly wrecked. Quickly, he turned back around just barely managing to get his bike under control once again.
“See what I mean?” Martha couldn’t help shouting.
In answer, Sebastian suddenly put on his brakes, causing Martha to do the same in order to keep from plowing into him.
“You idiot!” she screamed. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“No, just shut you up,” Sebastian said with a grin. Wanting to see Martha’s reaction, he had turned around in his seat so that he could look at her as he delivered his reply. She didn’t disappoint him.
Martha was so surprised by Sebastian’s answer that, for the moment, she didn’t know what to say. This was the first time he had stood up to her.
Hearing the exchange behind him and knowing that it would only be a matter of time before Martha responded with something that was sure to anger Sebastian, Doug brought his own bike to a stop and turned to look at them both with a solemn expression. “Look, guys. No horsing around. All of our focus needs to be on getting what’s in that metal box Sebastian found. Remember what’s at stake.”
Realizing that Doug was right, Martha frowned at Sebastian but said nothing. Sebastian smiled sweetly at Martha and turned back around. A battle had been averted, but Emma could tell from Martha’s expression that the war had just begun.
At the bottom of the hill, Doug slowed and turned onto the main highway. In silence, they began the four-mile trek to the gravel road that led to the creek. The terrain along this particular portion of the highway was relatively flat, so they were able to make good time. On the way, they encountered very little traffic. As it was now after nine o’clock, those traveling to work had long since arrived at their destinations. Occasionally, a car would pass them going in the opposite direction, most likely heading into town. Emma paced herself by pedaling vigorously and then coasting for a while. Next to her, Martha was doing the same thing. The boys were doing less coasting and were soon several yards ahead of the girls. Emma wasn’t concerned. She knew they would catch up to the boys when they got to the gravel road.
As she and Martha rode along, Emma took the opportunity to enjoy the scenery. Both sides of the road were heavily forested, but every now and then, Emma caught a glimpse of a house nestled back among the trees. They passed several dirt roads, which Emma assumed led to more houses. Emma began to wonder about the cottage that Darius and Rebecca had lived in while the castle was being built. Lord Dinswood had said that it was still standing. It was very possible that it was somewhere close by, and it seemed like a logical place for Darius to have hidden one of the sculptures. Emma planned to ask Doug about it as soon as they got to the creek. They may not have time to look for the cottage today, but they might be able to ask Lord Dinswood about it when they got back to the castle.
A few minutes later, Emma could see the turn off that led to Crawford Creek. The boys had stopped their bikes on the side of the road and were waiting for the girls to catch up with them. As soon as the girls drew even with them, the boys started off down the gravel road. Fortunately, there were grooves in the road where the gravel had been beaten down into the dirt. These ruts provided a smoother surface and thus a less bumpy ride than they would have had otherwise. Everyone made an effort to stay in these tire-worn areas, but even so, they encountered some rather rough patches causing them to slow their pace. As a result, the one-mile trip down the gravel road took twice as long as the four-mile ride down the highway. Emma held tightly to the handlebars of her bike, her arms becoming numb at the constant jarring. All of her concentration was on staying upright on her bicycle. She didn’t dare look over to see how Martha was fairing for fear of wrecking. When they finally reached the creek, Emma gave a huge sigh of relief. Quickly, she got off her bike and began rubbing her arms in an effort to restore some feeling. Emma noticed the others were just as glad that the bike portion of their journey was over for the time being.
