beer with his dinner. Still, running into a random police check on a road he’d driven down a hundred times before was unlucky. When he’d seen the policeman step out into the road and start waving him down, he could only curse his bad luck and wonder what he’d done to deserve it.
The policeman had looked deadly serious. The truck’s headlights had reflected off the badge on his cap and the buttons on his blue uniform. Big,
big
trouble…
The truck driver had slammed on the brakes, realizing that the policeman was closer to him than he’d first thought. Why didn’t the stupid idiot get out of the way? He’d closed his eyes, praying that he’d be able to stop in time and that, if he did, he’d manage to hold on to his driving licence.
As it was, he got away with it.
He sat there in the cab, holding his breath, and when he finally pulled away again he couldn’t help wondering why he’d been stopped in the first place. The policeman – and they were
definitely
looking a lot younger these days – had done nothing but give him a good telling off and kicked his tyres a couple of times before sending him on his way. What had been the point of that? It bothered him as he drove on, pointing the big truck east, towards the coast, wide awake now and watching his speed this time.
Didn’t the police force have better things to do?
Within a few minutes of the truck starting up again and rumbling away down the road, Morag and Duncan were fast asleep in the back. In the half-light from the driver’s cab, Rachel watched them curled up among the sacks of turnips and potatoes as though it was the most ordinary thing in the world, and envied their innocence.
She lay back against the side of the truck, Adam nextto her and Gabriel sitting opposite them. Gabriel smiled, pleased with himself, but Rachel resisted the temptation to ask how he’d talked the driver into taking them. There didn’t seem much point. She knew Gabriel could get people to do almost anything and besides there were other, far more important, questions she wanted answers to.
“Why didn’t you come and get us?” she asked. Gabriel said nothing. “When we were in there. I know you could have done it. You could have just come in and got us out of there. Why—?”
“I couldn’t just walk in there. I’m sure that’s what they would have wanted and … I was waiting for you.”
“What?”
“Biding my time until you made a move. Until you took the initiative. I can’t do this all by myself, you know. I need your help. I needed
you
to get the Triskellion. It’s stronger in your hands.”
Rachel thought about it. She remembered Gabriel’s face when she’d seen him – or
thought
she’d seen him – in the churchyard, the faraway look in his eyes. Waiting.
“So it’s like some kind of battery that needs us to charge it up?” Adam asked.
“It’s all sorts of things,” Gabriel said. “All sorts.” He looked far away again, closing his eyes and letting his head drop. When he looked up again, he was smiling. “You have
got
it, haven’t you?”
Rachel reached over and laid a hand on her backpack.“In there,” she said. “I couldn’t leave it behind. Something told me we had to bring it with us.”
Gabriel nodded, satisfied. “Good. Now we can get out of here. Get the others.”
The last few words had been mumbled and Rachel couldn’t be sure she had heard correctly.
“What others?”
Adam leant forward. “Other
Triskellions
?”
Gabriel closed his eyes again and leant back as though going to sleep. After a minute or so he said, “You didn’t think there was just one, did you?”
The truck drove on through the night. Lights passed across the children’s faces as they moved on to bigger, better-lit roads. Rachel pulled an empty sack round herself when it got colder but, though it warmed her a little, she was still unable to sleep.
“Why do they call you Michael?” she asked. She nodded towards Morag and Duncan. The
The policeman had looked deadly serious. The truck’s headlights had reflected off the badge on his cap and the buttons on his blue uniform. Big,
big
trouble…
The truck driver had slammed on the brakes, realizing that the policeman was closer to him than he’d first thought. Why didn’t the stupid idiot get out of the way? He’d closed his eyes, praying that he’d be able to stop in time and that, if he did, he’d manage to hold on to his driving licence.
As it was, he got away with it.
He sat there in the cab, holding his breath, and when he finally pulled away again he couldn’t help wondering why he’d been stopped in the first place. The policeman – and they were
definitely
looking a lot younger these days – had done nothing but give him a good telling off and kicked his tyres a couple of times before sending him on his way. What had been the point of that? It bothered him as he drove on, pointing the big truck east, towards the coast, wide awake now and watching his speed this time.
Didn’t the police force have better things to do?
Within a few minutes of the truck starting up again and rumbling away down the road, Morag and Duncan were fast asleep in the back. In the half-light from the driver’s cab, Rachel watched them curled up among the sacks of turnips and potatoes as though it was the most ordinary thing in the world, and envied their innocence.
She lay back against the side of the truck, Adam nextto her and Gabriel sitting opposite them. Gabriel smiled, pleased with himself, but Rachel resisted the temptation to ask how he’d talked the driver into taking them. There didn’t seem much point. She knew Gabriel could get people to do almost anything and besides there were other, far more important, questions she wanted answers to.
“Why didn’t you come and get us?” she asked. Gabriel said nothing. “When we were in there. I know you could have done it. You could have just come in and got us out of there. Why—?”
“I couldn’t just walk in there. I’m sure that’s what they would have wanted and … I was waiting for you.”
“What?”
“Biding my time until you made a move. Until you took the initiative. I can’t do this all by myself, you know. I need your help. I needed
you
to get the Triskellion. It’s stronger in your hands.”
Rachel thought about it. She remembered Gabriel’s face when she’d seen him – or
thought
she’d seen him – in the churchyard, the faraway look in his eyes. Waiting.
“So it’s like some kind of battery that needs us to charge it up?” Adam asked.
“It’s all sorts of things,” Gabriel said. “All sorts.” He looked far away again, closing his eyes and letting his head drop. When he looked up again, he was smiling. “You have
got
it, haven’t you?”
Rachel reached over and laid a hand on her backpack.“In there,” she said. “I couldn’t leave it behind. Something told me we had to bring it with us.”
Gabriel nodded, satisfied. “Good. Now we can get out of here. Get the others.”
The last few words had been mumbled and Rachel couldn’t be sure she had heard correctly.
“What others?”
Adam leant forward. “Other
Triskellions
?”
Gabriel closed his eyes again and leant back as though going to sleep. After a minute or so he said, “You didn’t think there was just one, did you?”
The truck drove on through the night. Lights passed across the children’s faces as they moved on to bigger, better-lit roads. Rachel pulled an empty sack round herself when it got colder but, though it warmed her a little, she was still unable to sleep.
“Why do they call you Michael?” she asked. She nodded towards Morag and Duncan. The
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