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Well, at least Polkayne wasn’t too far away from Peloryon Island. Providing I was in the right time I could transport myself home and that would be that.
Feeling slightly easier I closed my eyes and stifled a yawn, but my eyes flew open again when I heard a worrying snarling sound. I stared nervously at a large, black dog that was prowling towards me.
He wasn’t on a lead and there was no sign of any owner.
Okay, stay calm. It’s just a dog.
I swallowed nervously as a second black dog loped over to join the first.
Okay, two dogs.
‘Nice doggies,’ I said, hoping they didn’t sense my fear. I liked dogs generally, but these were huge, and there was something about them that suggested they’d prefer me to a tin of Pedigree Chum any day.
‘I see you’ve met our faithful pets.’
I dragged my gaze from the dogs, hoping I’d find some genial owner who’d assure me that Fluffy and Cuddles were absolute sweethearts and wouldn’t hurt a fly. What I saw filled me with dread. Five men and a woman were standing there, smirking at me. They were wearing brown breeches, waistcoats, and white shirts, and all had red neckerchiefs, as if it was some sort of uniform.
The man at the front had black hair and pale green eyes and a nasty sneer on his face. The young woman also had black hair, but her eyes were dark. She stood, arms folded, a little behind the first man, watching me with a look of curiosity on her face. I guessed she was a lot younger than the others. Maybe only in her twenties.
Behind them stood four other men with reddish-brown hair. They were grinning at me as if they found this whole scene hilarious.
‘I have,’ I said, hoping my voice didn’t sound too shaky. ‘Very nice dogs.’
They seemed to find that funny. The dogs growled loudly. If I hadn’t known better I’d have sworn they understood what I’d said and had taken it as an insult.
‘Sorry,’ I said, ‘but would you mind calling them to you please? I must get home.’
‘So soon?’ The man at the front shook his head sadly. ‘What a shame. And you’ve only just arrived.’
I narrowed my eyes. Meaning what? Had they seen me arrive back in this time? But Hector had assured me that humans never noticed the arrival of Guardians in their midst, even if we appeared right in front of them during our time travel.
My pulse began to race.Humans never noticed. What if these weren’t human?
‘I must go,’ I said, taking a step forward.
The dogs padded forward, too, drool dripping from their jaws.
‘Could you call them off please?’ I repeated.
‘And why would we do that, Wulfram Pendragon?’
I stared at the man with the dark hair and my heart sank. I’d lingered too long away from the safety of the island. The Pendragons had tracked me down. I needed to get out of here, fast, but somehow, his pale green eyes were locked on me, holding me fast. I couldn’t think straight.
‘I think he’s figured out who we are,’ the woman said.
‘I think you might be right, Siofra.’ The man stepped towards me. ‘So you’re my nephew. The mighty Great Guardian. Meet the family, Wulfram.’
He half turned, waving a hand to encompass the gathering behind him.
‘Siofra’s my daughter. Your cousin. Say hello, Siofra.’
‘Hello, Wulfram,’ she said, smirking.
‘This fine chap is my cousin, Spite.’ He indicated a burly man standing a few paces behind. ‘I suppose that makes him your half cousin or second cousin or something. I can’t be bothered to work it out. What does it matter, eh? We’re all family.’
My stomach was whirling so fast I thought I was going to be sick. Why couldn’t I zap out of here? I kept repeating where I wanted to be in my mind, but nothing was happening. I had to try harder. I was in real trouble here.
‘These are our—shall we say helpers?’ He grinned. ‘Malliss, take a bow.’
