The Secret of Excalibur by Andy McDermott Read Free Book Online Page A

‘I’ll see you again before we go, okay?’
    She waved. ‘Bye, Uncle Eddie!’
    ‘Bye, Holly.’ Chase turned away.
    ‘Nice to meet you both ,’ said Nina pointedly, before following Chase and his grandmother in the direction of their hotel. ‘What was that all about?’ she whispered to him.
    ‘Family stuff.’ When it became obvious he wasn’t going to elaborate, all Nina could do was sigh and make the most of a pleasant stroll through the park.

3
    A fter Chase and his grandmother left, Nina returned to the hotel room to get her laptop and the encrypted disc. Making her way back through the maze of softly lit corridors, she wondered again what secrets it held - and why Rust could only reveal them to her in person.
    Rust was waiting for her in the Paragon’s ‘Vista Lounge’, an elevated, semi-circular, glass-walled extension overlooking the seafront. Above it on the western cliff was a large brick building proclaiming itself as the Bournemouth International Centre, the beach and pier to the south. With the bright afternoon sun shimmering off the waves and holidaymakers ambling about, it was an attractive view, marred only by the looming Imax building east of the pier. Nina found herself agreeing with Nan about its being an eyesore.
    So, to her surprise, was Rust. When she’d met him previously, the German had been smartly dressed, almost dapper. The dishevelled figure who stood up to greet her, on the other hand, looked as though he’d spent the night sleeping in a ditch. His jacket was crumpled, unkempt grey hair sticking up at angles as if he’d received an electric shock. With his thick-framed glasses, he looked almost like a cartoon of a mad scientist.
    He still had his manners, however. ‘Ah, Nina!’ he said, standing and bowing as she approached. ‘So good to see you again. And I am grateful you agreed to meet me.’
    ‘Well, you didn’t leave me much of an option,’ she replied as she shook his hand. ‘I got the feeling you would have camped out on the UN’s doorstep if you had to.’
    She meant it as a joke, but Rust nodded. ‘Perhaps. But we are both here! Come, sit down.’ He directed her to his table near the back of the room. Nina realised he had chosen to sit as far from the lounge’s other occupants as possible, most of them opting for a clear view of the sea. Rust pulled out a chair for her, then regarded the other people present suspiciously before sitting himself.
    She followed his darting glances: an elderly couple sharing tea and biscuits, a young man with over-gelled hair talking animatedly on his phone, a large bearded guy with an ugly scar carved into his forehead concentrating on his newspaper. Nina felt briefly sorry for him - whatever caused his disfigurement had clearly been a serious injury - before turning her attention back to Rust. ‘So, what’s the big secret?’
    Rust leaned closer, voice dropping to a conspiratorial near-whisper. ‘Nina, tell me . . . what do you know about King Arthur?’
    Had Nina prepared a list of potential subjects for Rust to bring up, she doubted that would even have appeared in the top thousand. ‘Er . . . in the historical sense, or as mythology?’
    ‘Historical, of course.’
    ‘Of course,’ she said, trying to conceal her bewilderment. ‘It’s not really my area of expertise, but I know enough to know there’s not much to know. He was the leader of the ancient Britons in the sixth century, he united the tribes of Britain following the withdrawal of the Romans, and fought against the Saxons and the Picts until the Saxons finally conquered England by the seventh century. Beyond that . . .’ She shrugged. ‘That’s when legend and Monty Python take over.’
    Rust nodded approvingly. ‘And what of King Arthur’s sword? Do you think that is just legend also?’
    ‘I don’t know. There are some historical accounts, but they’re very sketchy. I mean, there isn’t even agreement over whether it was one sword or two.