Eye of the Storm (35 page)

‘Wasn’t Sam with Callum? Surely he’d at least be nearby?’

‘No, there’s still no sign of Sam. And Callum can’t tell us,’ Matt said, his voice grave. ‘He’s in a coma, Niamh, and I’m told his condition is
critical. He’s lucky to be alive.’

‘What happened? How was he injured?’

‘Apparently, he crashed a microlight into the sea some distance off the Florida mainland coast. He was lucky to hit the water just a few hundred metres from a fishing boat, or he might
never have been found. I won’t lie to you, sweetheart – he might not make it. His parents were out in Florida trying to drum up publicity for the search when they were called to the
hospital to identify him. As soon as they did, they contacted the police here.’

‘A microlight! Callum? What was he doing flying a microlight? Can we go and see him?’

‘It’s top of my list of priorities. I have a huge list of questions for that young man.’

Niamh closed her eyes and concentrated on her brother. Deep inside she could still feel the tenuous link to him, though what he was feeling, or doing, she couldn’t tell. Had he simply been
a long way away all along? Was the whole other world idea complete nonsense? All the progress that she thought they had made towards solving the mystery suddenly seemed ridiculous.

Come on, Sam! Give me a clue. Anything.

Darkness. He was somewhere dark. Was it nighttime in America? Yes. It would still be the middle of the night. Once again, she got the impression of the same monstrous face that had shocked her
once before. The scales, reptilian eyes and sharp teeth made her shiver. Was Sam asleep and dreaming? Perhaps this was a recurring nightmare. He used to suffer nightmares when he was younger. They
both had. That would explain the monster and the panic. Yet she felt no intense sense of fear to go with the image. It was strange. If anything, she was sensing feelings of friendship for the
beast. What did it mean?

She opened her eyes again and took a deep breath. ‘So when do we leave?’ she asked.

‘The earliest I could get a flight was for tomorrow morning, but we’re booked into the Gatwick Hilton tonight. As soon as you’re ready, we’ll be on our way.’

‘Surely you’ll stop for breakfast first, Matthew?’ Aggie interrupted.

‘Of course, Aggie!’ he said, giving her a broad grin. ‘After the food I’ve been eating the last few weeks, I’ll be more than happy to eat one of your
breakfasts.’

Niamh gave her father another hug and then turned and raced back up the stairs to pack. As she reached the top, she cannoned into Archie, who was emerging bleary-eyed from his room. To his
intense surprise, she stopped, hugged him too and then kissed him on the cheek.

‘Thanks for all your help, Archie,’ she said in a low, excited voice. ‘Dad’s here and he’s taking me back to Florida. I can’t believe it! And this time,
believe me – one way or another, I
will
find Sam.’

* * *

Unable to sleep, Sam stared at the roof of the cave. The dim glow of a floating raptor light globe gave the place an eerie feel and despite his blankets, Sam shivered with cold.
The cave had felt terribly empty since Callum and David had left. Sam had felt empty too. Where would Callum be now? Had he landed safely in the Reserve? They had seen the edge of a storm system
yesterday; had Callum tried to fly into it? Sadly, Sam realised he might never know.

He rolled on to his side and looked across at Nipper’s face. The raptor was resting next to him, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and strong. It would be some time before he was
fully recovered from his wounds, but he insisted that none of his injuries were serious. Nipper might now be his best friend in this world, Sam realised. With Callum gone, Nipper was certainly the
best friend he had here in the cave.

As he stared at Nipper’s face, Sam felt sure he was being watched. Nipper’s eyes opened and Sam held the raptor’s gaze for a moment. Did he feel it too? What was that? For no
apparent reason, Sam suddenly thought of Niamh. It was weird. Almost as if she was in the cave with him. His thoughts flashed back to other times he had felt as if she was nearby. Was she somewhere
feeling the same way?

He closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated on the feeling. Was she trying to tell him something? Had Callum made it back? Was that it? If he had, then Sam felt no clear sense of it. What
did surface in his mind were two words and although he didn’t exactly hear them, he felt them clearly. Two simple words that filled him with both joy and worry in equal measure. . .

‘We’re coming. . .’