the beach.
‘Let’s make the fire up,’ Dakkar said, ignoring her question. ‘We’ll sleep on the beach tonight.’
Georgia rolled over and Dakkar threw more wood on to the fire. He watched the flames snap and flicker. More scurrying rattled the undergrowth and he peered into the darkness.
‘I don’t like this island,’ he muttered.
But Georgia just snored in response, leaving Dakkar sitting, watching the dancing shadows.
Chapter Fourteen
A Mystery
The warm morning sun woke Dakkar from his sleep by the smouldering ashes of the fire. He groaned as he rolled over the shingle, shaking pebbles and fragments of shells from his hair.
When did I nod off? he wondered. He’d sat up for some time listening to the gentle whoosh of the sea – and the less comforting sounds from the woods behind him. But at some point he must have dozed off.
Georgia stood, flexing her arms and bending her legs, her red bathing dress flapping in the gentle breeze that blew in from the sea.
‘Right,’ she said, taking a deep breath. ‘Let’s have a look at the Liberty , decide what needs doing and then find what we need to make any repairs.’
‘Did you hear any strange noises last night?’ Dakkar asked her. ‘From the woods?’
‘Just birds, probably.’ She grinned. ‘Y’know, those vicious ones that tried to kill you when you were collecting wood!’
Dakkar rolled his eyes and shook his head, then followed her down to the shoreline where the Liberty was lying on her side like a beached whale.
They ran their fingers along the overlapping planks, then Georgia went inside and tapped on the clay, identifying the location of the leak.
‘Yes, that’s it,’ Dakkar called to her. ‘I can see where the plank has been pushed in. It could have been a lot worse.’
Georgia’s head popped round the prow of the sub. ‘She’s a tough one, all right!’ she said. ‘Do you think we can fix her?’
‘It should be a case of a little tar on this side and keeping your uncle’s clay on that one,’ Dakkar muttered. ‘If we can push the board out a bit that may help too.’
‘There’s a pot of tar in the back of the Liberty ,’ Georgia said. ‘But it’ll need heating. We’ll need more firewood.’
‘I’ll get some,’ Dakkar said.
‘We’ll go together,’ Georgia said, flashing him a grin. ‘But let’s take some rifles with us.’
‘Rifles?’ Dakkar repeated. ‘Your uncle included firearms in the Liberty ’s equipment?’
‘What’s the point of arming the sub and not the captain?’ Georgia said, wrinkling her freckled nose. She grew more serious. ‘Besides, after yesterday I’m not taking any chances.’
With powder belts and rifles flung over their shoulders, they trudged up the shingle towards the treeline. Dakkar felt a mounting dread. It wasn’t from anything obvious, just a bad feeling about the wood ahead of them.
‘I feel as though someone is watching me,’ Dakkar whispered, staring into the thick undergrowth. ‘This place seems so odd.’ He gazed above the trees at the rock that formed the highest end of the wedge-shaped island. This side of the rock rose up in a steep cliff face. ‘Are those buildings up on the cliffs there?’
Georgia shielded her eyes with one hand and peered at the rock. ‘They look like cave entrances,’ she replied.
‘Like square doorways,’ Dakkar agreed. ‘And why isn’t this place on your map?’
‘It’s a tiny island.’ Georgia shrugged. ‘Hardly important. I guess it wasn’t worth mapping out.’
‘It’d be important if you ran aground on it during the night,’ Dakkar pointed out. ‘Or if you needed a beach to land on, like we did.’
They had reached the first scrubby undergrowth of the wood now and they began to snatch up any dead branches they could see. Georgia gave a snort of disgust and pulled her hand back. Her fingers were smeared in a greeny brown substance.
‘Yuck!’ she said, flicking her fingers away from herself. ‘It smells
‘Let’s make the fire up,’ Dakkar said, ignoring her question. ‘We’ll sleep on the beach tonight.’
Georgia rolled over and Dakkar threw more wood on to the fire. He watched the flames snap and flicker. More scurrying rattled the undergrowth and he peered into the darkness.
‘I don’t like this island,’ he muttered.
But Georgia just snored in response, leaving Dakkar sitting, watching the dancing shadows.
Chapter Fourteen
A Mystery
The warm morning sun woke Dakkar from his sleep by the smouldering ashes of the fire. He groaned as he rolled over the shingle, shaking pebbles and fragments of shells from his hair.
When did I nod off? he wondered. He’d sat up for some time listening to the gentle whoosh of the sea – and the less comforting sounds from the woods behind him. But at some point he must have dozed off.
Georgia stood, flexing her arms and bending her legs, her red bathing dress flapping in the gentle breeze that blew in from the sea.
‘Right,’ she said, taking a deep breath. ‘Let’s have a look at the Liberty , decide what needs doing and then find what we need to make any repairs.’
‘Did you hear any strange noises last night?’ Dakkar asked her. ‘From the woods?’
‘Just birds, probably.’ She grinned. ‘Y’know, those vicious ones that tried to kill you when you were collecting wood!’
Dakkar rolled his eyes and shook his head, then followed her down to the shoreline where the Liberty was lying on her side like a beached whale.
They ran their fingers along the overlapping planks, then Georgia went inside and tapped on the clay, identifying the location of the leak.
‘Yes, that’s it,’ Dakkar called to her. ‘I can see where the plank has been pushed in. It could have been a lot worse.’
Georgia’s head popped round the prow of the sub. ‘She’s a tough one, all right!’ she said. ‘Do you think we can fix her?’
‘It should be a case of a little tar on this side and keeping your uncle’s clay on that one,’ Dakkar muttered. ‘If we can push the board out a bit that may help too.’
‘There’s a pot of tar in the back of the Liberty ,’ Georgia said. ‘But it’ll need heating. We’ll need more firewood.’
‘I’ll get some,’ Dakkar said.
‘We’ll go together,’ Georgia said, flashing him a grin. ‘But let’s take some rifles with us.’
‘Rifles?’ Dakkar repeated. ‘Your uncle included firearms in the Liberty ’s equipment?’
‘What’s the point of arming the sub and not the captain?’ Georgia said, wrinkling her freckled nose. She grew more serious. ‘Besides, after yesterday I’m not taking any chances.’
With powder belts and rifles flung over their shoulders, they trudged up the shingle towards the treeline. Dakkar felt a mounting dread. It wasn’t from anything obvious, just a bad feeling about the wood ahead of them.
‘I feel as though someone is watching me,’ Dakkar whispered, staring into the thick undergrowth. ‘This place seems so odd.’ He gazed above the trees at the rock that formed the highest end of the wedge-shaped island. This side of the rock rose up in a steep cliff face. ‘Are those buildings up on the cliffs there?’
Georgia shielded her eyes with one hand and peered at the rock. ‘They look like cave entrances,’ she replied.
‘Like square doorways,’ Dakkar agreed. ‘And why isn’t this place on your map?’
‘It’s a tiny island.’ Georgia shrugged. ‘Hardly important. I guess it wasn’t worth mapping out.’
‘It’d be important if you ran aground on it during the night,’ Dakkar pointed out. ‘Or if you needed a beach to land on, like we did.’
They had reached the first scrubby undergrowth of the wood now and they began to snatch up any dead branches they could see. Georgia gave a snort of disgust and pulled her hand back. Her fingers were smeared in a greeny brown substance.
‘Yuck!’ she said, flicking her fingers away from herself. ‘It smells
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