Читать книгу The Lost Celt - A. E. Conran - Страница 10

CHAPTER FIVE

Romanii: Northern Borders has never felt so real as it does tonight. These guys aren’t just computer-generated anymore. I’ve seen a Celtic warrior. I’ve heard him. I’ve smelled him. I’ve even spoken to him. I should be relishing every moment of my epic victory against the Romans, but I can hardly concentrate. “Let’s pause,” I whisper.

I have to repeat myself twice before Kyler finally understands. “Good call!” he whispers back with a thumbs-up. It’s always risky playing Romanii during the week. We have to keep our voices especially low. Even if Mom is working the night shift, Grandpa is still under strict instructions to close me down. No war games during the week, only four hours max on the weekend. That’s why Grandpa’s monthly poker nights are so great.

“I can’t think of anything but the Celt. The real Celt!” I say.

“Me too. Let’s get back to planning. We have to have a plan.”

“I know, but what? He’s run away. He could be anywhere. Did you ask your mom whether they’d found him again?”

“Yeah, I slipped her the question on the way back from my violin lesson. She’d totally forgotten it was Dad she was talking to about him, not me. The Celt has disappeared, for sure.”

“Good, that’s easier for us.”

“Easier?” Kyler does a giant “what do you mean” face into the screen, which makes me laugh.

“We know he’s still out there. It’s easier for us to find him outside than in the VA with all those doctors around all the time.”

Kyler shrugs. “I could just pretend I was visiting Mom,” he mumbles. “Anyway how do we know he hasn’t already gone back to his own time?”

“We don’t,” I say, “but we’ve got to start somewhere. We have to assume he’s still here and find him before he goes back.” Kyler’s looking pretty unhappy about the whole situation, like he wants to give up. Well, no way! No way are we giving up on this.

I grab my military history book and hold the cover up to the screen. “For inspiration,” I say. Kyler holds up some chips. It’s a good idea. I take a few from the bag Grandpa let me have from his poker store and crunch. They were supposed to help me with my homework, but I figure I am at home and I’m thinking, so this is like homework.

“OK, so, you’re a Celt, and you’ve time-traveled to the future. What would you do?” I flip some pages, looking at the pictures.

Kyler blows air through his lips and lifts his shoulders to his ears. “I dunno. Go get ice cream? Fly around the world? All the stuff I couldn’t do back in my time?”

“Kyler,” I groan. “He was freaked out.”

“OK, then I’d hide.”

“Right. He’s going to lay low someplace until he can get back to his own time again.”

“So, where do you think he is?”

I’m looking at a page about Celtic weapons and how the Celts offered swords to the gods. It talks about the druids and their sacred oak groves. An idea comes. I wait a couple of seconds to let Kyler anticipate my genius. “In a park,” I say.

Kyler snorts as if he’s not that impressed.

“No, listen. It makes sense. The Celts hated towns. They conquered Rome. Rome, Kyler! It didn’t get any better than that, and you know what? They left again. They didn’t want to live there. Celts were into wild places. They worshipped oak trees, and they left offerings for their gods in ponds and marshes. If I were this guy, I’d hide somewhere I felt safe.”

Kyler puts his head to one side. His jaw drops open.

“Got a better idea?” I say.

“No,” Kyler says slowly. “That’s good, Mikey. That’s pretty good.”

“So here’s how we start. We check out a different park every day when we walk to school. We can do it without our moms—without anyone—knowing. If you print out a map tonight, we can make our first trip tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’ll do more reading about Celts and see if I can find any other clues.”

Kyler still looks unconvinced, so I try to pump him up.

“Look, it’s a special mission. We’ll call it Operation Celt.” Kyler makes a face. “OK. Operation…” I crunch one more chip. “Operation Vercingetorix!”

“What did you say?”

“Where…kin…get…uh…rix. He was a Gaul, a French Celt, who led a revolt against Julius Caesar.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes! Where…kin…get…uh…rix. At least, that’s how Dad says it, and he took Latin in school.”

“Wow. Cool. Operation Vercingetorix.”

“Or Operation Where Can Get a Celt.” I start to giggle. “Instead of get…uh…rix!”

“Operation Getaceltorix.” Kyler wants to shout, I can tell, but he can’t so he does a sort of crazy whisper instead, contorting his lips as he speaks.

“You’re one scary dude!” I say.

Kyler gives me a double thumbs-up.

I do the same.

“Operation Getaceltorix! The hunt is on!”