In the early hours of the morning, everyone was awoken abruptly by the mournful shrieks and wails that came from Ledbetter, who was sitting bolt upright in his bed, fighting with his covers as if they imprisoned him. Still crying out, he rose from his bed and ran towards the door of the cellar.
Kayleb and Cornwall woke with a start. They had seen David hurtling after Ledbetter and both decided to follow. It was quite easy to find their way, as Ledbetter had overturned chairs and had swept vases and ornaments from tables as he passed. They followed the trail and found David and Ledbetter on top of a tower on the battlements of the chateau. The wind was fresh and was blowing with gusto. David stood by Ledbetter, both dangerously close to the edge of the battlement. Ledbetter looked pale and had a haunted look in his eyes. He was shaking violently.
‘Let me help you, my friend. What terrible dream has caused you so much distress? Come back downstairs and I will make you a drink to calm you,’ said David kindly.
‘There is no hope for him,’ said Ledbetter, shaking his head.
‘He will do it and there is nothing I can do to stop him.’ Tears trickled down his hollow cheeks.
Kayleb and Cornwall looked at Ledbetter forlornly and wanted to help but didn’t know how. The view from the battlements was exhilarating and the height made Kayleb’s head spin. He felt anxious. This wasn’t a good place for a desperate man to be. Kayleb’s muscles tensed. He wanted David to bring Ledbetter inside and out of harm’s way.
‘Tell me what troubles you, Ledbetter. Maybe there is some- thing I can do?’ said David. ‘Come inside and talk to me. It’s something to do with your charge, isn’t it?’
Ledbetter nodded and the wild look in his eyes calmed.
‘Yes, you are right. He is about to do something very stupid and I cannot leave this place to help him. I am too old, and I fear that I have not long for this world.’
‘Let me make you well again, you know I can,’ said David.
‘Then, perhaps, you can help him.’
‘No, it’s not right. I am tired and have had enough of living. I am too tired and too old to go to him,’ replied Ledbetter sadly.
‘But perhaps you could, perhaps you can cure him of his madness?’
‘Tell me,’ asked David, taking his arm and leading him back towards the door. ‘I can feel his depression and desperation. It has something to do with his partner, I think?’
Ledbetter’s legs gave way and he slumped down on the top step of the tower.
‘I know he is going to harm her, not because she has done anything wrong but because like him she grows old and he yearns for her to be the young beauty that she was, when they were assigned together. My boy drinks too much and takes drugs. He is an aging pop star and is not as popular as he used to be. Last night I saw him slumped across a table, drunk. His partner, Apple, found him and woke him from his drunken stupor. She saw the desperation in his eyes and did not know how to help him. At the side of the room is a huge metal box. She does not know what it is but knows there is a connection between this casket and my boy’s state of mind. I know what it is for. It is a time device! He wants to send Apple and himself back in time so he can meet her all over again. He is a fool! This machine is untested and I fear that those who built it are laughing and counting the credits they have conned him into parting with. In my dream, I saw Apple swimming in the pool. She is older now, it’s true, but she is still beautiful. Why can’t he see that? I don’t understand him? He must be stopped; he is losing his mind. I hope it is not too late.’
Ledbetter looked up, his eyes searching their hearts for help. It was Cornwall who spoke first.
‘It is not too late. We can get to him, can’t we, David?’ David looked sadly at Ledbetter,
‘We can try but I fear that, if what you say is true, then this could happen at any moment. We will try our best to get to them before it is too late.’
A smile flickered across Ledbetter’s face
‘Yes, you are kind people; I know you will help me. You need to get to London quickly. I will give you my donkeys. I have collected them from the wild over the years and am getting too old to care for them. Come and have breakfast and then you can be on your way. I will know if you succeed because my dreams will tell me.’
Ledbetter sprang up, his spirits restored, and headed down the steps followed by David, Kayleb and Cornwall. David looked sadly at Kayleb and Cornwall and whispered, ‘I have a feeling that we are already too late. Last night I dreamt I saw a man laying out a woman in a coffin. He placed a lotus flower in her hands and wept for forgiveness. He had not meant to kill her; she had screamed and became hysterical. She did not want to lie in the coffin or go back in time. As he held her down, he covered her mouth and nose with his hands so he could not hear her cries for help. She suffocated! I just hope the man I saw wasn’t Ledbetter’s charge.’
Ledbetter spun round. He had heard what David had said and terror and desperation filled his eyes. He pushed past everyone and ran back outside. Before they could do anything, he jumped up onto the edge of the battlements and then with an ear-piercing scream hurled himself over the side of the tower.
David, Kayleb and Cornwall tore after him but they were too late.
‘Couldn’t you have kept that to yourself?’ yelled Kayleb angrily.
‘Look what you’ve made him go and do. Couldn’t you see he was a broken man? Were you blind?’
David shook his head sadly. ‘I’m sorry ... I’m so, so sorry. He saw exactly what I saw last night and couldn’t face the truth. I did not want to give him false hope. If only he had let me heal him, but he would not let me. I can only heal those that want to be helped. He was a good friend and I will miss him terribly. I have let him down, I will never forgive myself.’
Kayleb saw David’s sadness and regretted shouting at him. ‘I’m sorry, David. There was nothing we could have done; he took us all by surprise. It’s too late for Apple but maybe if we find her partner, you could help him; he is obviously ill.’
Ledbetter’s body was found battered and broken at the foot of the tower and they buried him beside a wild cherry tree. David managed to find a way out of the chateau and they left the cold lonely building with heavy hearts. Quietly they made their way down-river and headed towards the Channel, riding the donkeys that Ledbetter had promised them. The sky had darkened and it threatened to rain. A breeze rustled through the parched grass. It had not rained for months.
Kayleb had been glad to leave the chateau. Breakfast had been a sad affair. The walls of the castle felt like they were closing in on him. His chest had felt tight as the damp walls and the dust had made his asthma rear its ugly head. The fresh air of the wilderness had been a relief and the donkey he had chosen was eager to be out too. Rowan was behind him, riding a particularly fat donkey, which regularly snatched mouthfuls of the dry grass. Rowan had been surprisingly quiet that morning and had not moaned once. Perhaps the shock of burying Ledbetter had upset him, Kayleb thought. Rowan had dug the hole with everyone and not muttered a single word.
Kayleb’s donkey stopped short, almost unseating him, and looked agitated, its ears twisting this way and that. Kayleb looked up ahead and could see something moving. His heart almost stopped beating, as a band of angry wasters ran towards them with their weapons held up high ready for an attack.
‘Link hands,’ shouted David. ‘Link hands!’