shot open and he sat up with a jolt. ‘I have to stop them . . .’ he muttered, running out of the stable and down the path to the other side of the island. But the pier was deserted, save for a single person, and the
Escape
was disappearing towards the grey line of the horizon.
‘
Nooooo!
’ Jake yelled.
Signor Gondolfino was watching the retreating ship. Jake flew past him, to the very edge of the pier and called out again at the top of his voice: ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry . . .’ The sea seemed to mock him: there was no chance anyone on that ship could hear him.
Signor Gondolfino approached, tapping his way carefully along the quay with his ivory cane. ‘
Mi dispiace tanto
, Jake,’ he said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder. ‘My deep regrets. Your mother gave me this for you.’ He handed over a note:
You’re my special boy, I love you
.
Mum
Jake watched the ship disappear over the horizon; then his face crumpled and he started to cry. Signor Gondolfino put an arm around him. ‘
Piangi, caro mio
. You cry – it’s good for you. It’s so hard to be grown up.
Magari fossimo bambini per sempre
. If only we could be children for ever.’
A drop of rain fell from the sky, splattering onto Gondolfino’s silk jacket. Then another; and another. Soon they were soaked to the skin.
6 T HE D OOM B ELL
JAKE WAS WIDE awake, tossing and turning, the events of the day haunting him. It was gone two when he heard a single deep toll from somewhere far below. There were many bells that rang on the island for many different reasons, but this one had a distinctive tone that was unfamiliar to Jake. It sounded ominous.
A few moments later, he heard doors slamming and footsteps clattering along corridors; then urgent voices coming from the quay. He went over to the window and looked down. Galliana, hurriedly fastening her cloak, was issuing orders to two boatmen. As they started preparing a ship – the
Tulip
, a craft that Jake had sailed in on an ill-fated expedition to Stockholm – Jupitus Cole emerged, buttoning his jacket and putting on his top hat, followed swiftly by Dr Chatterju with a bulging leather case.
Jake
had
to know what was going on. He threw on some clothes, put on his boots, and hurriedly made his way down to the ground floor.
‘What’s happened?’ he asked the doctor on arriving at the pier.
‘The doom bell just rang!’
‘The
doom bell
?’
‘SOS. Someone’s got into difficulty trying to enter the north-western horizon point!’ Horizon points, Jake knew, were the places where agents could leap through time.
He felt sick, fearing the worst. ‘Is it my parents?’ he asked, remembering his terrible vision.
‘No,’ Chatterju said. ‘The mayday signal came from the past, the 1790s. Your parents were heading the other way.’
‘But perhaps they got lost in time?’ Jake persisted. It wouldn’t have been the first time they had taken a wrong turn.
‘All we have is an SOS,’ the doctor replied, opening his case to check the contents: it was full of medical instruments, bottles of medicine and syringes.
Galliana and Jupitus rushed aboard the
Tulip
and started up the engine. Chatterju bustled up the gangplank after them.
Jake was desperate to follow. ‘Can I assist in any way?’ he called hopefully. Galliana and Jupitus stared at him, their opposition clear.
‘The more hands the better . . .’ Dr Chatterju offered. ‘Who knows what trouble they might be in . . . Whoever
they
are.’
Reluctantly Galliana agreed. ‘Quickly, then.’
Jake hurried up the gangplank, the boatmen untied the rope, and a second later the vessel lurched away from the sea wall. Behind him, he heard the main doors crash open; then more hurrying footsteps, and Nathan appeared, followed by Yoyo.
‘What’s happened?’ the American shouted from the quayside.
‘SOS from someone entering the north-western horizon point,’ Jake called back.
His two friends watched, powerless, as the ship sped
Escape
was disappearing towards the grey line of the horizon.
‘
Nooooo!
’ Jake yelled.
Signor Gondolfino was watching the retreating ship. Jake flew past him, to the very edge of the pier and called out again at the top of his voice: ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry . . .’ The sea seemed to mock him: there was no chance anyone on that ship could hear him.
Signor Gondolfino approached, tapping his way carefully along the quay with his ivory cane. ‘
Mi dispiace tanto
, Jake,’ he said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder. ‘My deep regrets. Your mother gave me this for you.’ He handed over a note:
You’re my special boy, I love you
.
Mum
Jake watched the ship disappear over the horizon; then his face crumpled and he started to cry. Signor Gondolfino put an arm around him. ‘
Piangi, caro mio
. You cry – it’s good for you. It’s so hard to be grown up.
Magari fossimo bambini per sempre
. If only we could be children for ever.’
A drop of rain fell from the sky, splattering onto Gondolfino’s silk jacket. Then another; and another. Soon they were soaked to the skin.
6 T HE D OOM B ELL
JAKE WAS WIDE awake, tossing and turning, the events of the day haunting him. It was gone two when he heard a single deep toll from somewhere far below. There were many bells that rang on the island for many different reasons, but this one had a distinctive tone that was unfamiliar to Jake. It sounded ominous.
A few moments later, he heard doors slamming and footsteps clattering along corridors; then urgent voices coming from the quay. He went over to the window and looked down. Galliana, hurriedly fastening her cloak, was issuing orders to two boatmen. As they started preparing a ship – the
Tulip
, a craft that Jake had sailed in on an ill-fated expedition to Stockholm – Jupitus Cole emerged, buttoning his jacket and putting on his top hat, followed swiftly by Dr Chatterju with a bulging leather case.
Jake
had
to know what was going on. He threw on some clothes, put on his boots, and hurriedly made his way down to the ground floor.
‘What’s happened?’ he asked the doctor on arriving at the pier.
‘The doom bell just rang!’
‘The
doom bell
?’
‘SOS. Someone’s got into difficulty trying to enter the north-western horizon point!’ Horizon points, Jake knew, were the places where agents could leap through time.
He felt sick, fearing the worst. ‘Is it my parents?’ he asked, remembering his terrible vision.
‘No,’ Chatterju said. ‘The mayday signal came from the past, the 1790s. Your parents were heading the other way.’
‘But perhaps they got lost in time?’ Jake persisted. It wouldn’t have been the first time they had taken a wrong turn.
‘All we have is an SOS,’ the doctor replied, opening his case to check the contents: it was full of medical instruments, bottles of medicine and syringes.
Galliana and Jupitus rushed aboard the
Tulip
and started up the engine. Chatterju bustled up the gangplank after them.
Jake was desperate to follow. ‘Can I assist in any way?’ he called hopefully. Galliana and Jupitus stared at him, their opposition clear.
‘The more hands the better . . .’ Dr Chatterju offered. ‘Who knows what trouble they might be in . . . Whoever
they
are.’
Reluctantly Galliana agreed. ‘Quickly, then.’
Jake hurried up the gangplank, the boatmen untied the rope, and a second later the vessel lurched away from the sea wall. Behind him, he heard the main doors crash open; then more hurrying footsteps, and Nathan appeared, followed by Yoyo.
‘What’s happened?’ the American shouted from the quayside.
‘SOS from someone entering the north-western horizon point,’ Jake called back.
His two friends watched, powerless, as the ship sped
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