The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis (18 page)

Alan a’Dale stopped playing. “Dost thou wish me to share my gest with the people, muse?”

Amanda laughed and hugged him. “Yes. Share it with as many people as you can, Alan. Make your gest your quest.”

Alan a’Dale hugged Amanda fiercely back. “I shall wander the countryside far and wide, and share my gest with other minstrels. ’Tis my promise to thee, muse.” Then he let her go, bowed, and before leaving the tent, the wandering jongleur turned and winked. “I bid thee farewell, Amanda.”

Melody snapped her fingers. “Yes, it all makes sense now. Belial changed things by turning Sheriff Marc against Robyn, so we must even the score—balance what has been done by delivering the truth to the people. Come on, everyone, we don’t have much time! We’ll meet back on this hill when everyone’s done!”

Treena groaned. “Too bad we couldn’t just tweet the good stuff about Robyn.”

Much scrunched his pudgy face. “Why would thou want us to tweet like birds?”

“Never mind!” Amanda, Ravi, Drake, and Melody yelled together as they exited the tent.

The Timekeepers hit the streets of Nottingham, spreading the good deeds of Robyn Hodekin. They were talking so fast that some people were getting Robyn’s name mixed up, while others got the message right away. Robin Hood? Robert Fitzooth? Robert, Earl of Huntingdon? The worst for taking information were the monks. They kept asking about Tuck’s origins—and got it all wrong when someone yelled fire. Somehow Tuck became a friar. It got more confusing as Amanda tried to explain things. People started gossiping that Robyn lived in Sherwood Forest instead of Robert Fitzooth’s manor, and “Little” Jean suddenly became John because someone had pronounced Jean’s name with a mouthful of bread and cheese. It spread like wildfire.

When Amanda had told as many people as she could find about Robyn, his friends, and their good deeds, she hustled back up the hill. She reached the top gasping and gulping fresh air. Amanda hooded her eyes with a hand and waited for Belial’s neatly lined dominoes to start falling over.

Suddenly, mob mentality kicked in, and the people got enraged. They demanded Robyn’s release. Crowds began shoving the guards, chanting angry threats and throwing rotten vegetables at them. Max Tarbush clutched the front of Robyn’s tunic and dragged him away from the encroaching horde. He chortled again, then fanned out his deck of metallic cards and stuck them under the base of Robyn’s throat. Amanda clasped her neck. She knew Tarbush was capable of anything, even if it meant killing Robyn to give Belial the outcome his evil heart desired—no Robin Hood, no symbol of hope, no history of a legendary hero. Gone, erased, deleted with the flick of madman’s wrist.

Then Amanda caught sight of Jordan winding through the crowd. Something was in his hands. He held it in a familiar way, as if it were a football. Jordan’s hood was pulled back, his left hand methodically slapping against whatever he was clutching. He appeared to be pacing, looking for an opening. Amanda removed her hand from her throat and continued to stare at Jordan’s odd behavior. Whatever he was doing, he seemed focused on his intention. Jordan suddenly stood still, nodded, then hurled what Amanda realized was a deformed turnip toward the back of Max Tarbush’s head. It whacked him hard and threw him off balance. The impact caused Tarbush to release his razor cards, giving Robyn enough time to weasel out of his hold. He lunged for his prize—the silver arrow—and plunged it into Tarbush’s stomach before he had time to regain his weapons or his wits.

An enraged screech escaped Max Tarbush’s mouth. Amanda covered her mouth. Black slime oozed out of his eyes, mouth, nostrils, and stomach, saturating his entire body at an incredible rate. His body gurgled, bubbled, and fizzled as if his insides were boiling over, reaching the point of no return. What was left of Maxwell J. Tarbush stumbled backward, tripped into a pile of manure, and dissolved in it, leaving Robyn’s silver arrow behind, untarnished.

Jordan sprinted over, plucked the arrow out of the manure, and handed it to Robyn. He yelled something about team spirit and chest bumped Robyn. Grinning, Robyn clasped Jordan around the shoulders and slapped him roughly. Amanda shook her head.
Boys will be boys.

Hearing harsh breathing coming from each side of her, Amanda turned to find Miriam, Treena, Drake, Ravi, and Much returning from their heralding. She hooded her eyes with a hand. Melody, Jean, and Wil were at the bottom of the hill, still talking to some of the townspeople.

“OMG!” Treena yelled, still huffing. She pointed. “T-The sheriff and his men…they’re heading for Robyn and Jordan!”

Startled, Amanda cast her eyes back in time to witness the sheriff, with his sword drawn, running toward Robyn and Jordan. He had managed to thwart the ranting crowd and seemed hell-bent on finishing what Belial had started. However, Sheriff Marc didn’t see the white horse approaching fast on his right flank. Amanda smiled. Sir Gavin the Just maneuvered his steed over enough to cut the sheriff off and knock him down, then galloped over to where Jordan and Robyn waited. He hoisted the boys up on the horse just as Sheriff Marc got back on his feet. The muddied sheriff bellowed a curse, wielded his sword, and started to charge again.

“Robyn Hodekin!” Miriam screamed out. “Thou art my
champion!”

Robyn looked directly at Miriam. Even Amanda could feel the intensity of their connection. He nodded, pulled his bow from his shoulders, nocked the silver arrow, aimed it at the advancing sheriff, and let it go. The sheriff’s sword was shot out of his hand, causing him to stumble and fall. His men scattered as the cheering crowd rushed toward Sheriff Marc, pelting him with rotten vegetables and fresh cow dung.

Amanda’s jaw dropped when she spotted a familiar face leading the pack. “Mortimer!” she shouted.

Mortimer stopped and glanced up the hill. Amanda waved at him. A bright yellow tunic and green pants had replaced his tattered clothing, and his white hair was clean and cut. He placed a hand over his brow and squinted momentarily.

“Amanda? ’Tis thee?”

Amanda cupped her mouth with her hands. “Yes! Good to see you’re free, Mortimer!”

“Aye! Thou hast brought me and my people luck! Bless thee, Amanda!” Then Mortimer turned and resumed his assault on the wayward sheriff.

Amanda clapped and whistled as Sir Gavin—a.k.a. Professor Lucas—saluted the people of Nottingham. The crowd opened up a pathway for their knight, his squire, and their newfound champion to let them pass while poor Sheriff Marc was getting pummeled. The horse kicked the ground, reared, and galloped toward the hill where Amanda and the others were observing.

Robyn jumped down first, followed by Jordan, who quickly peeled off his squire hose and cloak and chucked them. Professor Lucas dismounted slowly, groaning as if he hadn’t been on a horse for a long time. Melody, Jean, and Wil reached the crest of the hill to finally join them, out of breath and clapping. The professor pulled off his feathered helm and took a deep breath. His cheeks were ruddy, his hair was damp, and sweat dripped down the sides of his face.

He shook his head. “Whew! I don’t think I’m cut out for knighthood.”

Melody smiled and walked up to him. With the sleeve of her blouse she gently blotted his sweaty face. “I don’t know about that, John. I’d say you’re skills on the jousting field definitely delighted me.”

The professor’s face turned beet red.

Drake ran up and high-fived Jordan. “That was wicked-awesome, Jordan. You nailed Tarbush good! That had to be your best throw this year!” Drake slid Jordan’s knapsack off his shoulder and handed it over to him.

Jean slapped Robyn on the back. “Well done, Robyn! Thou art a longbow man after all!”

“Aye, coz, ’tis the truth,” Wil added with a grin. “Even the young maidens from the village talk about thee!”

Miriam made a noise that sounded like a pig’s snort.

Robyn went into his breeches, pulled out the leather purse full of the gold he’d been awarded, and tossed it to Miriam. He sheepishly smiled. “I won for thee, Miriam. ’Twill be enough to carry thy household a goodly year or more.”

Miriam stared at the pouch. Her thumb stroked the soft leather. “But…art thou not staying with us?” she asked. There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

Robyn shook his head. “Nay, Miriam, ’tis too dangerous for thee and thy father. Sheriff Marc will try to hunt me down.”

“Zounds, then we shall form a band and live in the protection of Sherwood Forest,” Jean announced as he banged the ground with his staff.

“Aye, Robyn,” Wil said. “We will become the foxes whilst the sheriff and his men become the chickens.”

“Aye and thou knowest how me and Tuck love to eat chickens,” Much added, as he patted his big belly and stroked Tuck’s shaggy head.

Tuck barked and wagged his tail, almost tripping over his massive paws.

Miriam sighed. She walked up to Robyn, gently stroked his cheek and kissed him on it. “Count me in too, Hodekin. I shall join thy band of merry rogues to aid the poor of Nottingham.”

Robyn blushed. He glanced at Amanda and mouthed
thank you
to her.

Amanda smiled just about the same time she felt a sudden jolt in her chest. This strange, yet persuasive feeling radiated up toward her neck and face. She glanced down and saw that her Babel was vibrating and glowing. Things started to turn blurry. Buildings, carts, tents, animals, Robyn, Miriam, and the others went fuzzy, formless, as if evaporating into the air. Only Melody, Professor Lucas, and her classmates remained solid, real. A sudden gust of wind caressed her, and Amanda felt her whole body spin and move. She heard a sound like a door sliding open and looked around. The Arch of Atlantis stood a few steps away from her.

Reaching for the Timekeepers’ log in the bib of her overalls, Amanda pulled it out, unlatched the clasp and turned over the front cover to reveal the crystal trident. She carefully removed it and stuffed the log back down her bib. Amanda walked up to the closest column, stuck her foot into a crevice, and climbed up to place the trident in the keystone of the arch. A face suddenly appeared in the archway.

It was Lilith, and she was beaming.

“Well done, Timekeepers,” Lilith announced. “Time has remained unchanged. All is well, and everything is as it should be.”

Amanda blew out a sigh of relief.
Good. Timekeepers—one. Belial—nothing.

“What was Max Tarbush’s creepy comeback all about, Lilith?” Jordan asked.

“Max Tarbush is what is called a dreg, Jordan Jensen,” Lilith explained.

Drake wrinkled his brow. “I can think of a better name for Tarbush, Lilith. Scum-sucking bottom feeder comes to mind.”

“Your description is closer than you think, Drake Bailey. Dregs are people who have done nothing but give the worst part of themselves to the world while they were alive. Belial collects dregs and sends them out to act on his behalf. But fear not, as dregs can be easily identified by the black slime they ooze.”

“So what was up with those ninja-style playing cards Tarbush used?” Ravi asked.

Lilith’s face stiffened. This made her look grim. “Every dreg possesses an evil device or ability, Ravi Sharma. Since Max Tarbush was a corrupt gambler when he was living, he carries a cursed deck of cards for all eternity.”

Amanda scratched her chin. Something bothered her. “But, Lilith, how do you expect us to fight against some douche-bag with an evil thingamajig or dark power?”

Lilith crinkled the corners of her eyes. “Real power comes from your intentions, Amanda Sault, and by using intention, integrity, and trust anything is possible.” Then she smiled fully, releasing the tension held in her face a moment ago. “And knowing that dregs abhor anything made of silver will help in some situations.”

Treena gasped. “Robyn’s silver arrow! That explains Tarbush’s freaky allergic reaction!”

Lilith nodded. “Silver is one of the purest metals, Treena Mui. It has the ability to repel anything impure.”

“Meeting Sir George was a bonus too,” Amanda added. “Without him, we’d be stuck in time forever.”

“Sir George is an el, Amanda Sault,” Lilith said. “He is the extreme opposite of a dreg in every way. Els are the
shining ones
, those who live by the sacred laws and serve others. They are compassionate beings who give the very best of themselves in life, and as each dreg is different, the same goes for an el.”

Treena grinned. “So an el is kind of like meeting our fairy godmother, or in this case, fairy godfather.”

“Something like that, Treena Mui,” Lilith replied.

“What about Marcus Crowley?” Professor Lucas asked. “There wasn’t any black slime oozing from him.”

The professor was still dressed in Sir Gavin’s armor.

Lilith bent her head sadly. “Marcus Crowley is not a dreg, Professor Lucas. He is something much worse—Belial’s chosen
Initiate
. I am sorry to say that he is now an instrument of evil.”

“Don’t be sorry, Lilith,” Drake said, gritting his teeth. “That loser’s a rotten apple.”

Jordan nudged Ravi. “Hey, Sharma, now’s a good time to ask Lilith about that new super power you’ve acquired.”

Professor Lucas perked up. “Super power? What super power?”

Ravi shrugged. “I…I don’t really know how to explain it. My myoelectric hand…it…does things…things by itself.”

“Not by itself, Ravi Sharma,” Lilith corrected. “You evoke it through your thoughts.”

“Evoke? Thoughts?” Drake said. “What’s Lilith talking about, Sharma?”

Ravi stared at his right hand for a moment. His face twitched. “I…I think she means that if I’m in an intense situation, then whatever I’m thinking about in that moment triggers my hand to respond to help me solve the problem, like when I was trying to stop Jordan or figuring a way to reach Professor Lucas’s hat.”

Lilith smiled. “Well done, Ravi Sharma. As I have said, you have what you need with you, as well as—”

“—the
unseen power
inside me,” Ravi finished for Lilith. He touched his hand and smiled. “Thanks for the crystal battery, Lilith, even if I can only use it during Timekeeper missions.”

Lilith placed her hands together and bowed. “Thank you for trusting, Ravi Sharma.”

Amanda sighed, thinking what the future held for them.
Crowley. Belial. Dregs. Evil instruments.
It was so anti-Disneyland. She stuffed her hands in both pockets and felt a thick elastic band. She cringed, now knowing what it was, and pulled it out.

She tossed it at Jordan. “Hey, Jockstrap, thanks for the use of—”

“My jockstrap!” His face flashed to crimson as he quickly stuffed it into his backpack. Then he winced, shaking a finger. “Oww! Geez, Uncle John, one of the lures on your stupid fishing hat cut my—” Jordan stopped. He did a double take inside his backpack. “Hey, who put this knife in here?”

“Wil Scathlocke did,” Lilith answered.

“Why would he do that?” Ravi asked.

“Wil Scathlocke finally found the justice and peace he was longing for and no longer needed to carry it,” Lilith explained. “Both the dagger and Sir Gavin’s armor are gifts from time. It is time’s way of repaying all of you for what you have accomplished. After all, good deeds deserve good rewards.”

“Well, they’re wicked-awesome gifts, Lilith,” Drake said, grinning. “But I still could have used a golden skateboard.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Professor Lucas said strumming his fingers against the breastplate of his armor. “I know of a couple of antiquity dealers who would love to get their hands on these artifacts. They’d pay big bucks for sure.”

Melody snapped her fingers. “That’s a brilliant idea, John. Once you’ve acquired a buyer, we could use the money you receive to invest toward the children’s future.”

“Excellent! Like a college or university fund?” Professor Lucas probed.

Melody grinned and then winked at the professor. “Precisely, Sir Galahad.”

Amanda felt her heart gush; it beat differently than it had before. Her entire body tingled. Everything seemed perfect in her life now, as if she was connected, plugged into something bigger and better than she could ever imagine. No one had considered her future before. Now it somehow looked brighter and clearer. Amanda hugged herself and smiled. Things were going to be different now. Much different.

“Before you go, there is something I wish to share,” Lilith said, as she raised both her arms. “I was one of the First Timekeepers.”

Then Lilith clapped her hands together seven times. The whirling rainbow instantly appeared and Amanda was gently drawn into it. Her last thought was that they were all going home—their Timekeeper journey was over, their mission complete.

The End