The Time Hunters (Book 1 of the acclaimed series for children of all ages) by Carl Ashmore

bitterness and regret
she should change the subject. ‘And were you an outlaw?’
    ‘I was a soldier …a soldier who became an outlaw through
duty and wish - a duty to a people, and a wish to honour an absent King.’
    ‘And you did steal from the rich and give to the
poor?’
    ‘In 1189 I left England for foreign shores. When I
returned Prince John, King Richard’s cowardly brother had proclaimed himself
King of England. Moreover, he was crippling his people with taxes and laws that
denied all liberty. Myself, and a few of my friends stood against that.’
    ‘So you did rob the rich?’ Joe pressed.
    A smile split Will’s face. ‘We
attempted to distribute the wealth more squarely, yes.’
    ‘Awesome,’ Joe exhaled.
    But there was one question Becky was burning to ask.
‘So was there a Maid Marian? I mean one without a beak...’
    Will paused. ‘There was another Marian, yes.’
    ‘And were you two, well, you know?’
    ‘We were but acquaintances. That is all.’
    ‘But the story goes that Robin Hood falls in love
with -’
    ‘But as I have stated, it is just that – a story.
Furthermore, Marian was betrothed to another …’ Will’s gaze shifted to Becky’s neck. ‘Perhaps, if I’d have been a wealthy man and
could have presented her with such gifts -’ he nodded at the pendant, ‘- then
our fate would have been very different…’
    Becky teased it between her fingers. ‘It’s my lucky
pendant,’ she said proudly. ‘My dad gave it to me before he died.   I’ve never taken it off since.’
    ‘Tis a most beautiful trinket.’
    She looked down at the stone and her smile faded.
But then a thought struck her. A wonderful thought! ‘I’ve got to go,’ she said
abruptly. ‘Joe, you stay here!’
    ‘What’s the matter?’ Joe said.
    ‘Just stay here!’
    Moments later, a bewildered Will lowered Becky to
the ground.   Before the platform reached
the bottom, she had leapt off and disappeared into the forest. Bursting out of
a gap in the trees, she sprinted over the archery field, over the lawn, and
into the kitchens, hurtling past a baffled Jacob.
    ‘Did you find your brother, miss?’ he asked
anxiously. ‘Is everything well?’
    ‘Couldn’t be better,’ Becky replied ecstatically.
‘Where’s Uncle Percy?’
    ‘The library,’ Jacob replied. ‘I believe, he’s - ’
    But Becky had gone. She scaled the stairs in record
time, and was soon at the library door. She hurled it open to see Uncle Percy
surrounded by books and an unfurled scroll of brown parchment. He looked up.
    ‘What’s the matter, Becky?’
    Becky marched over. ‘I want you to take me back in
time.’
    ‘I am taking you back in time. In fact, I’ve got a
-’
    ‘No,’ Becky interjected. The widest of smiles
crossed her lips. ‘I only want to go back six years. I want us to stop my dad
going on that boat trip. We can stop my dad from dying...’

Chapter 13

 
    The
Omega Effect

 
 
    Uncle Percy exhaled slowly. ‘Becky, please sit down.’
    Impatiently, Becky sat, her feet tapping the floor.
She didn’t understand. Why wasn’t he as excited as her?
    Uncle Percy rolled up the parchment slowly. ‘What
I’m about to say will be difficult to hear. ’ His eyes
found hers.   ‘But I did travel back to try and save your
father…I did try to stop his boat setting out to sea. It didn’t work. Nothing
worked. No matter what I did, no matter how far I went back, your father set
sail, a storm set in and he never came back.’
    Becky’s face dropped. A dull silence cloaked the
room.
    Uncle Percy continued, his face growing wearier with
each word. ‘You see, what happened every time I tried to change the events of
that day is the single most
inexplicable occurrence in time travel. Furthermore, I have no answers that
will make this any easier for you. All I can say is that sometimes things can
be altered, and sometimes they can’t.’
    ‘You tried to save him?’ Becky whispered.
    Uncle Percy nodded miserably.