“It’s not one of my skills, I’m afraid.”
Jack took the rod confidently and marched out to the edge of the sandbank, surveying the pool as he went. There was an occasional ‘plop’ followed by telltale concentric ripples in the water as the trout fed in the fading light.
“Here goes.”
He flicked the rod once, and then repeatedly, until a large loop of line was whooshing back and forth through the still air of the gorge. Then, he thrust out his arm, pointing the rod towards the last set of expanding circular ripples he had seen in the pool. The whole line raced forward across the river. The tiny fly, invisible in the gloom, presented itself just above the rippling water. There was a sudden disturbance and a brown fish leaped up from the surface with a splash. Jack was taken by surprise, but took the strike. He felt the tug on the line as the trout struggled to free itself. Slowly, he reeled it in.
Angus danced on the sandbank shouting, “You got him!” several times over.
“Hey, first time… what do you think of that? Never done that before!” Jack half-turned to Angus and the professor, delighted with his success. He plonked the medium-sized trout at their feet.
But he had been lucky. It took him a further forty minutes to land another fish — losing two flies and having to rethread several leaders in the process. The professor busied himself with lighting a small fire from some driftwood on the bank and improvising a cooking grill. He piled up some stones on either side of the fire and looked around for something that they could use to suspend the precious fish above the flames. In a minute, he emerged from the boat waving two metal pegs. With these, they skewered the gutted fish and then balanced them neatly above the fire, with either end resting on the stones. It wasn’t perfect, but it did the job and soon the fish were sizzling away. After twenty minutes, Angus removed one and cut it open on a flat stone.
“Prof?” he offered a piece of the moist, pink flesh to the professor on the end of his penknife. The professor popped it into his mouth and immediately started to gurgle appreciatively. In five minutes it was all gone.
Afterwards, they wrapped themselves, mummy like, in the blankets and canvas canopy. With the security offered by the gorge, their stomachs at least partly full and the fire still giving off a modest warmth, their spirits were lifted. Although only just dark, Jack was astonished by the number and brightness of the stars that twinkled down from the Austrian night.
The professor gently urged Angus to complete his story. They listened intently. Angus leaned up from his canvas bedding on one elbow. The dying flames from the fire flickered across his face, creating lines and shadows where none existed — making him look older than he really was.
“In the short time we had together your dad told me a lot, Jack. I don’t want to upset you, but I really think you would be proud of what he’s done. I’m not really sure I understand all this stuff… But after I had met him, for the first time in my life I was sure of one thing. A hundred per cent sure.”
“What’s that?” Jack asked.
“I agreed with him and Pendelshape on what they want to do.”
“What do they want to do?”
“Change the course of history — stop the assassination of the Archduke in Sarajevo and stop the First World War. Now we’re here, well, maybe we can help them do it.”
Jack had never heard Angus talk about anything so seriously — it didn’t sound like him at all.
“It’s just what the Rector told us back at the castle,” the professor said.
“Did he?” Angus was surprised.
“Yes,” said Jack. “We should tell you what happened to us too.”
He explained what the Rector had said. He explained how the Rector and VIGIL had been astonished to learn of the creation of the second Taurus and how alarmed they all were about the possibility that his father might use it to make changes in history. He explained why Pendelshape had taken them into his confidence — and how his attempt to snatch Jack to safety, away from the Rector — might have succeeded if the Rector had not arrived in the Taurus control room with Tony, Gordon and the others.
“… So you see, it is not as simple as you first thought. When you came to rescue us, I suppose we panicked, and followed you… but maybe the Rector and VIGIL are right and Dad and Pendelshape are the ones who are wrong about all of this…” Jack struggled to remember what the Rector had actually said about making changes in history, “It might mean that we would make history different — possibly worse.” Yes that was it, “And maybe the war would happen anyway, maybe it’s even supposed to happen. Have you thought about that?”
But Angus was having none of it, “Jack — your dad and Pendelshape are right. I’m certain of it. Your dad talked all about how this war leads to the Second World War and how the whole of the twentieth century is a complete nightmare — and it all starts this Sunday in Sarajevo.”
“This Sunday?”
“Yes. This Sunday coming — 28th June 1914 — in Sarajevo. That’s when the assassination happens.”
“Today is…”
“Monday 22nd June,” the professor said. “So — only six days to go.”
“Right,” Angus continued. “You know I never paid much attention in Pendelino’s classes — but the way your dad talked about it — it was real, I can tell you. And what is also real is that he has now made a way of changing it all and, well, making it better. If you talked to him, I think you’d get it.” Angus shook his head and then lay back on the ground, exhaling slowly, “I think we need to help him do this. Your dad called it our destiny.”
There was silence as they thought about the significance of what Angus was saying. In the short time that he had known him, Jack’s father had obviously made a big impression on Angus.
“Why did he send you — why not come himself? Did he have any message for me?”
“Not really. He sent me, I think, ’cos he knew that you would trust me. As I said, I was supposed to be supported by a couple of others — the guys that rescued us from the school — but something must have happened during the transfer. Your dad hasn’t got as big a team as VIGIL, or guards like Tony and Gordon. Pendelshape stayed with your dad — kind of in reserve — in case something went wrong. As for instructions… It all happened very quickly. We had one chance to rescue you. Your dad’s Taurus was powered up, we finally got a signal and a fix on your time and location and, of course, we were going to travel straight back again. We weren’t supposed to hang around here. But the signal went…”
“Not very reliable these time phones…” Jack said. “What does it say now?”
Angus sat up again and rummaged in the breast pocket of his fatigue jacket. He unzipped a padded pouch and took out his precious time phone. He cupped it in his hands carefully and flipped it open. Just in the same way Jack’s had done, a very faint blue light illuminated the device from the inside and they inspected the glowing read- out.
Date: Monday 22nd June, 1914
Time: 11.33 p.m.
Location: Southern Tyrol
“The yellow signal bar is still off,” Angus said. “So we still can’t use it. No surprise there.”
“Did Dad or Pendelshape say anything else? You know — that might help us decide what to do… or where to get help… now we’re stuck here?”
“Not really — although he confirmed what Pendelshape said to us — remember? That when they did the final testing of the Taurus at the school, Pendelshape, and I think your dad too, made some test trips back to 1914. Pendelshape chose the year himself — made some excuse that it was a period of history he was interested in.”
Jack rummaged for the photo that was now in his pocket. “Yes — I think I’ve still got the photo that he showed us.” Jack produced the black-and-white photo of the four young men of the Black Hand standing next to Dr Pendelshape. They could just make out their gaunt, grey-washed features by the light of the flickering flame.
“There they all are. Pendelshape and the assassins…”
“Funny to think in the time we’re in now, 1914… this photo can only have been taken a few weeks ago, months at the most.”
There was a pause before Angus continued, “Yes. And by choosing 1914, Pendelshape and your dad were actually starting to put their plan to change history into action. Pendelshape infiltrated the Black Hand — the assassination cell — and gained their confidence. They always planned to return…”
“… and somehow disrupt the assassination in Sarajevo.”
“Right,” Angus continued. “I think Pendelshape and your dad’s plan was to kind of infiltrate the group and
