Chapter 39 - Return to the Mound

Cable was hungry and thirsty and cold and weary and sore from head to toe. He lay on the hard ground, unwilling to move another inch. His destination lay below him, just a few feet away, yet he felt utterly unable to complete his journey. The sun was about to set on what had been one of the most difficult journeys of his life, and all he could think was, good riddance. All he wanted to do was lay down and sleep and never wake up.

***********

The day had begun with great promise. Doofus--Jimbo’s “pet wild boar”--had led Cable and Jimbo to the river and to the discovery of the glorious but mysterious trumpet. When Cable had first set his hands on the trumpet, his whole body trembled with excitement. The note that had been left by Ronaldus had exhorted him and Jimbo to “let the trumpet resound, that the evil ones shall be no more.” The “evil ones,” of course, referred to the hideous cloaked creatures that just days before had terrorized Cable and nearly thrown him into a smoking mound atop a nearby mountain. The thought of blaring a trumpet and ridding the land of those dastardly beings thrilled Cable. At least, it did at first.

But his excitement was tempered as he realized that, in order to complete his mission, he had to return to the mound. That meant that he would probably encounter the creatures again. And while it was exciting in his mind, from a distance, to think that he could save the land from their fearsome influence, it was another thing entirely to actually do it.

After retrieving the trumpet, Cable had returned back to the trail that Doofus had blazed. He walked behind Jimbo, who in turn followed the fearless Doofus. Every once in awhile, Cable had tried to pass Jimbo and assume second place in the procession. After all, Cable figured that Jimbo would be a lot better at fighting off any possible cowardly assault from behind. But whenever Cable got in front of Jimbo, Doofus would stop, look backward, and growl. And then he’d refuse to move until Jimbo moved back in front of Cable. Doofus’ shenanigans greatly disturbed Cable, and more than once he felt like rearing back and giving the boar a mighty boot in his rear end. But common sense did eventually prevail in the mind of the 16-year-old prince, impassioned teenager though he was. After all, there was no sense in offending the one creature that actually knew where they were going. Besides, the boar was comprised of 500 pounds of solid muscle. Kicking that kind of mass was only marginally smarter than kicking a stone wall.

What had aggravated Cable further was that the path was so circuitous. From a distance, Cable could see the hilltop that they would eventually need to ascend. Every once in awhile, when the group reached a clearing, Cable had been able to see the hill, towering over the river in the distance. But Doofus wouldn’t lead them straight to it. Instead, he led them in seemingly every other direction. They slogged through swamps and trudged through streams, such that all of Cable’s clothing from the waist down was completely soaked. They seemingly ascended and descended every hill in the entire countryside. As Cable feet got wetter, his legs got heavier, and his journey grew drearier.

At one point, Cable had gotten completely fed up with Doofus’ relentlessly wearying trek. He grabbed Jimbo by the back of his cloak and cried out, “Why doesn’t that dumb animal just lead us to the mound!”

Jimbo had looked around and then put an index finger to his lips. “Shhhh...” he whispered. “You’ll hurt his feelings.”

But Cable would have none of it as he bellowed, “Jimbo, I could care less about the emotional well-being of a pet wild boar. We’ve got to get to that mound, and I don’t think it’s really that far away. But this critter is making us cover every square inch of the countryside before we ever get there. I’m sick of it! I just want to get this over with!”

Jimbo then tapped Doofus on the back. This evidently was the signal to stop, because Doofus suddenly stopped moving. Then Jimbo turned and faced Cable. In a low voice, he said, “Look, Herc, I know this isn’t particularly easy. I’m not very fond of waddling around in wet feet meself. But I need you to think for just a minute. The enemy knows where we started from, because--in case you forgot--they swooped in after we left and burned my lovely castle down to the ground. And the enemy probably knows where we’re going. Trust me--bad guys know when trouble is coming their way. So, if they know where we started and they know where we’re going, they are going to be on the lookout for us.

“So now you’ve got to ask yourself the question: where will they be looking? Well, as we talked about earlier, evil is lazy. And because those blokes are lazy, they think we’re lazy as well. They figure we’ll just take the straightest route to that mound, ‘cause that’s exactly what they’d do. Well, Herc, we are neither lazy nor dumb. We’re not gonna do what they think we’re gonna do. We’re gonna wind our way ‘round the countryside and sneak up on ‘em. They’ll never know what hit ‘em, Herc! Just let Doofus do what he does best. Okay?”

Cable knew that Jimbo was right. But Cable was also getting tired and grumpy, and he didn’t want to give Jimbo too much satisfaction in being right. So he just mumbled, “Okay, fine,” and started moving. As he stared at Doofus, he could have sworn that a smug smile crossed over the boar’s face before he turned and started leading again. When a young man is tired, even the expressions on animals’ faces can become tremendously annoying.

As the journey wore on, however, Cable had noticed something mysterious happen. The longer they walked, the heavier the trumpet felt. At first, Cable just figured his arm was growing tired. But as time wore on, he realized that it was more than fatigue. After all, Cable had carried a sword for long distances without growing weary, and a sword weighs more than a trumpet. No, it seemed as though there was something magical about this trumpet. The closer they came to their destination, the weightier the trumpet seemed to become. Finally, as the afternoon sun started to decline toward the horizon, Cable felt he couldn’t go another inch. He plopped to the ground, let the trumpet tumble down at his side, and cried out, “I’m finished! I need a rest!”

Jimbo tapped Doofus on the back again, and the loyal boar stopped once again. “What seems to be the matter, mate?” he said as he turned back toward Cable.

It killed Cable to say anything, because he knew that Jimbo already had a fairly low opinion of his physique. But Cable had to toss his pride aside in order to find some rest for his exhausted bones. After pausing to catch his breath, Cable said, “Jimbo, you can laugh all you want, but I can’t carry that trumpet another step. It’s been growing heavier and heavier and heavier and heavier. I’m done, Jimbo. The whole thing is just too much.”

Jimbo gingerly walked over to the trumpet, as if he were approaching a cardinal that at any moment might fly away. Upon reaching the trumpet, he squatted down and stared intently for several awkward seconds. He then reached out, grabbed the instrument, and quickly stood up.

But after a short moment on his feet, Jimbo bent over at the waist and dropped the trumpet to the ground. “Crikey, mate! That’s the heaviest little gizmo I’ve ever laid hands on!” Jimbo exclaimed.

Cable felt some measure of relief in knowing that the weight of the trumpet was not his imagination. But his sense of satisfaction didn’t last long. He knew that they still needed to ascend the hill and reach the mound. A wave of despair washed over Cable. “Jimbo, I feel like we’ve been given an impossible task,” he said. “I get the feeling that evil creatures are all over the place, and it’s up to us to get rid of them. But we can’t do it. We just...we just don’t have the strength. And not only that, I don’t even really know what we’re supposed to do when we reach the mound. What if we get there and a bunch of the creatures are waiting for us? Am I supposed to just blow the trumpet then? Do I have to be on top of the mound to blow it? Do I have to blow it for 15 seconds? Gee whiz, I don’t even know how to play the doggone trumpet! Look--why don’t you play it, Jimbo?”

Jimbo pondered the question for a moment, scratching his chin and rubbing his whiskers as he did so. He finally shook his head and said, “No, Herc. I can’t do it. I think it’s pretty clear--you found the trumpet, and it is your responsibility to play it. I can help you carry it, and I’ll do everything I can--even if it kills me--to get you up to that miserable mound. But you’ve got to play it, Herc. There’s no other way around it.”

Cable fell silent. He felt like a tremendous burden was sitting on his shoulders, and he was powerless to even stand, let alone act. He could only shake his head and scratch his hair and wonder.

Jimbo broke the silence. “So Herc--do you remember anything from your first time at the mound? Was there any clue about what you’d need to do? You’ve got to be a bit of a detective, Herc. We haven’t come this far for nothing. Just think. Were there any clues?”

Cable thought for a moment. His first trip to the mound was fearful, and he didn’t relish the thought of recalling it. “Well, Jimbo, I remember being grabbed and being led over to the door. I...I remember some kind of plaque over the door. It was kind of obscure...”

“What did it say, mate?” Jimbo interrupted.

“It said something like, ‘In this place let the call go forth, that the madness may end.’ It was strange, because my father’s seal was at the bottom of the plaque, like he had put it there himself. The creatures said that they were agents of the king, and that they’d been sent to call me to the mound. I just had to answer the call and step through the door. I...I couldn’t argue with them. I didn’t know what to think. I just knew they couldn’t be right. My father wouldn’t have wanted me to go through that door, no matter what those hideous creatures said. I just knew it.”

After a few more seconds of rubbing his chin, Jimbo jumped up and yelled, “Kili-kili-kili! Mamba mamba mamba!” He then twirled around, did a headstand, did a few pushups while doing his headstand, and then vaulted himself back to his feet. “I’ve got it, Herc! It all makes sense now! I’m sure you’re father did put up that plaque, but it didn’t mean what the creatures said it meant! Not at all!”

“So what does it mean?” Cable asked.

“It means that you’ve got to take that trumpet and blare it into the pit!” declared Jimbo. “Somehow, we’ve got to get back to the mound’s door, open it, and let the trumpet’s call go out! Somehow, when we do that, the creatures will be doomed and their madness will come to an end.”

“How is playing a trumpet supposed to kill those...those beasts?” Cable asked.

“Look, mate, I don’t know exactly how it works. But the king has declared it, right? You saw his seal, didn’t you? And aren’t you the one who told me that your father always said, ‘Don’t let the things that you don’t understand get in the way of the things that you do understand’? Well, Herc, here’s the deal. We’ve gotta get to that mound, and you’ve got to play that trumpet and let it resound into the heart of the pit. We don’t know how we’re gonna get the trumpet up there, and we don’t know how you’re going to be able to lift it to your lips, and we don’t know how you’re going to play it. But we’ve just gotta do it.” Then, turning to Doofus, Jimbo added, “Besides, my friend’s feelings are gonna be hurt if we give up now. Won’t they, Doofus-baby?” Jimbo stooped down to pet the boar, and Doofus rubbed his head playfully against Jimbo’s knee.

Cable came over to try and pet the animal, but Doofus backed up a step and growled. He then grabbed a corner of Jimbo’s cloak and shook his head vigorously. Jimbo rose to his feet and said, “That’s our cue, Herc. We’d better get going. Lead the way, Doofus old boy!”

Cable was irritated. “But Jimbo--what are we going to do with the trumpet? I can’t lift it, and you can’t lift it.”

Jimbo rubbed his chin once again and looked skyward. Doofus seemed to know to wait while Jimbo thought. Jimbo then said, “Well, if I can’t do it, and you can’t do it, why don’t we both try it together?” Cable was sure it wouldn’t work, but he didn’t have any better ideas. So he knelt down next to the trumpet and grabbed the mouthpiece while Jimbo grabbed the bell. Together they lifted. Surprisingly, the trumpet lifted with relative ease. It was heavier than a regular trumpet, and it was somewhat awkward having to walk side-by-side with Jimbo. But working together, the pair carried their burden and followed Doofus.

The latter portion of their journey was steep and tiring. Every once in awhile, they would reach some rock outcroppings where the easiest way would be to use both hands to climb. But whenever one of them let go of the trumpet to try and climb, the trumpet seemed to multiply its weight and the other person could no longer hold it. They could only continue if both of them held the trumpet as they moved together. It was difficult and sometimes treacherous, but it was the only way forward.

Finally, as darkness closed in on them, they climbed one last rise. When they reached the top, Cable plopped to the ground. The trumpet tumbled down next to him. Cable’s legs were still soaked from trudging through the swamps. His entire upper body was drenched with sweat. And as the sun set and a gentle night breeze kicked up, Cable felt chilled to his rattling bones. He was exhausted and weary and ready to give up. This brings us back to the point where we met Cable at the start of this chapter.

*********************

“Hey Herc--come ‘ere!”

Jimbo’s voice roused Cable from a very brief nap. He was tired and irritable and didn’t want to move another inch. “No Jimbo, why don’t you come here? I’m sick of following that animal, and I’m sick of carrying around heavy loads and doing stuff that’s hopeless and all the rest of it. I’m done, Jimbo! Just let me sleep!”

Jimbo walked down to Cable and extended his arm. “Stop fussing, your majesty,” he said. “Trust me--you’ve got to come see this!” Cable reluctantly grabbed Jimbo’s arm and struggled to get to his feet. He then followed Jimbo to the top of the rise. To Cable’s surprise, the hill dropped off sharply below. It was like a small cliff that was only 10 or 15 feet high. For some reason, it looked strangely familiar. He squinted in an attempt to pierce through the gathering darkness. But his mind was foggy, and he couldn’t make sense of it.

“Look, Herc,” said Jimbo. “We’ve reached the top of the mound, by gum! The door is right below us! Doofus got us here, right to the doorstep of our mission! All we’ve got to do is grab the trumpet, jump down, open the door, and blow away. It’ll be mission accomplished, mate! And then we’ll be able to catch a pig, roast ‘im up, and celebrate!” Doofus uttered a low growl at this comment from his master. Jimbo didn’t appear to notice.

But Cable was not eager to do anything. “Look Jimbo,” he pleaded. “If...if we grab that trumpet and jump, we’ll probably break an ankle or something. I mean, have you ever jumped side-by-side with someone while holding a trumpet? I don’t like it, Jimbo. It’s dangerous. And look, there is no one here. What’s the rush? I say we get some sleep, wait till it’s light out, and find another way down. Then we can try and figure out how to open the door and play the trumpet. We’ve done the hard part. Let’s just rest a bit, okay?”

“Well, Herc, I can’t do it without you,” Jimbo replied. “So if you want to wait, we’ll just have to wait. But if we act now, it’ll all be over in just a few minutes. We’ve come this far...why not just finish the job?”

But Cable didn’t answer with words. He just shook his head and laid down on the ground. Jimbo groaned and turned back toward the dropoff. He laid down and extended his body out over the edge. Looking downward, he could see the door. “Oh Herc,” he muttered. “We’re so close...”

Then a faint glow caught his eye off to his left. He lay in silence as the eerie glow slowly approached. He soon saw four figures approach in the darkness. “Herc...if you can hear me, old buddy, we’ve got company. And it doesn’t look good...”

Chapter 38 - Annala's Rescue

It was Annala.

Even in the dim light of the flickering campfire, Andres recognized this woman--the one who had treated him so kindly when he first arrived at Dor-ko’s prison. Her perfume cast a pleasant fragrance around them--an odd contrast to the grim, violent scene that had just transpired. Andres had no idea how she got there, but he sure was happy to see another friendly face. And he was happy for his friend Gregorex, who had been away from his girl for four years. They were reunited at last.

Everything else seemed to be still as Gregorex and Annala embraced. They held each other for what seemed like hours. Annala cried, while Gregorex constantly cleared his throat and stroked her hair. Finally, they faced each other and prepared to kiss. At that point, the silence was broken.

“Ahem...excuse me there, Gregorex. But we’ve got some bad guys to take care of.” It was Samek.

Andres turned back toward Annala. He saw her say to Gregorex, “Kindness is seldom sufficient, you know.” She then turned around and ran to Samek. “Oh Daddy, I wondered if I’d ever see you again,” she said as she buried her head in his shoulder. The gruff chief of the village of Cliffton then shed a few tears of his own.

Gregorex motioned to Andres to follow him. Andres did so, and they proceeded to tie up Oba and Amma. They tied their hands together behind them, and they tied their feet together as well. As the two villains slowly regained consciousness, Gregorex spoke up and said, “Well, fellas, I’d sure hate for you to be uncomfortable, so I’ll tell you what. I’m going to lean you up against this nice oak tree.” Gregorex then dragged both of them over to opposite sides of a tree and propped their backs up, so that they sat upright. Continuing, Gregorex said, “And because I want you to be able to get some rest, I’m going to tie you to this tree. That way, you won’t tip over and hurt your back or anything.” As he spoke, Gregorex took more rope and tied it around both of them, lashing them to the tree.

Oba shook his head violently, as though trying to realize what had just happened. Andres observed him move his shoulder, only to realize that his arms were completely immobilized. Andres chuckled to himself as he stared at his pathetic enemy. Samek’s blow had apparently dislocated Oba’s jaw, so that the bottom part of his jaw was crooked and twisted. Andres walked over and said, “Man, that looks sore. Can I help ease your pain just a bit?” He then playfully (but not too gently) rubbed Oba’s jaw. Oba, distressed at his helplessness, attempted to spit at Andres. But Andres was too quick; he caught the man’s spit in his hand, and then rubbed it on his jaw.

“All right, that’s enough fun, Andres,” muttered Gregorex. He then turned back to Korbi, who still lay on the ground where Andres had tied him up. Gregorex grabbed him and held him high in the air. He then carried him and pinned his back against a tree trunk. Shaking him, he bellowed out, “You traitor! How could you do this, you miserable wretch! You sell your accursed shoes and take our money, only to try and sell us out to Dor-ko and Slumbutter. How much did they pay you to turn on us? How much?”

Korbi’s eyes were wide with fright. Gregorex continued, “Oh, you human vermin! It’s nice to see you get rattled a bit. You’ve walked through life as though nothing can touch you--like you’re above everything, like nothing bothers you. I knew you hated me. You thought you could hide your contempt, but I saw through it. So you and Philip worked out your plan to have me captured. Yes, I know you were in on the whole thing! Well guess what, pal? It didn’t work! And now I’m going to give your sorry hindquarters a one-way ticket to the moon!”

Gregorex prepared to throw Korbi against the tree, but a hand reached out and grabbed his right arm. “Gregorex...please,” said Samek. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Gregorex saw Samek, and the fire in his eyes diminished just a bit. “Okay, fine,” he mumbled. He then dropped Korbi, letting him plummet to the ground in a heap. Gregorex turned and walked away for a moment, before turning back and asking, “Do you know what this guy did to me?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me, Gregorex. We’ll need some time to catch up. But in the meantime...” Samek turned back toward Korbi. He picked him up, set him on his feet, and untied his hands. He then grabbed his by the shoulders and faced him into the woodline. “Look out there, Korbi,” Samek said. “Our enemies and your friends are out there. I’m going to give you five seconds to get running. Tell your friends that two of their comrades are lashed to a tree, waiting to be freed. Tell your friends that we’ll be waiting for them. Tell them that they could throw their whole doggone army at us, and we’ll not move. Not one inch. Tell them that we don’t fear them, and that we look forward to the fight. And tell them that you’re coming alone, because you’re the only coward that didn’t dare to stand up to evil. Did you get that? Now get out of here!” Samek then propelled his foot into Korbi’s rear end. Korbi didn’t wait around. He took the hint and dashed off as fast as the dense forest would permit.

Samek turned around, only to see Gregorex with his hands atop his head, his eyes wild with disbelief. “How could you just let him go?” he asked, incredulous.

“I’m sorry, Gregorex, but what else could we do? If we brought him back to the village, then we wouldn’t be able to shut him up. He’d get everybody scared. I don’t want the people to know that there has been a traitor in our midst--not yet, anyway. A battle is coming, and I need everyone to be of one mind. We need to focus on the enemy, not on ourselves.

“Besides, we don’t have any place to hold prisoners. But hey...we’d better go check up on the others.”

Andres, Gregorex and Samek turned and walked back toward the campfire. Andres saw Pilch writing frantically with one hand while wiping his forehead with his other hand. “Oh my! Oh my!” Pilch kept uttering. “Too much activity! Too much activity! How can poor Pilch keep up with it all?” He then quickly looked up, glanced all around him, and started writing again, all the while mumbling, “Too much! Too much!”

“Relax, Pilch!” bellowed Samek. Andres wondered how anyone could relax in response to Samek’s stentorian voice. “Just write something like, ‘There was much fighting, and the good guys won.’ That’s enough detail. I don’t need my scribe dying of a heart attack just because there was too much stuff to write down.”

Pilch didn’t even look up. He continued to scribble as he replied, “Oh Samek, you just don’t understand the grave responsibilities of a proper scribe! And now look what you’ve done! I’ve started talking, and now I’ve got to write that, too! Oh my...”

As Pilch talked, Andres thought he noticed something missing. “Hey...wasn’t there someone sitting next to Pilch when we first got here?” he said.

Samek stopped and scratched his head. He then said, “Why yes...Old Ferd! Where in heaven’s name did he go? Did he die of a heart attack? Poor guy--this really is too much for that old man’s heart to handle!”

“He went to fetch some water,” came a woman’s voice from behind them. Andres turned around and saw Annala, helping to lead a man over toward the fire. The man was nearly doubled over; he was obviously in great pain. “While you were fighting the bad guys, my poor rescuer fainted and fell off our horse. He needs treatment right away.”

“Oh Babes, I’m sorry!” said Gregorex. “Let me help you!” Gregorex ran over and wrapped the man’s right arm around his shoulder. Together, Annala and Gregorex led him over to the fire. They gently laid him down near the log on which Korbi had been sitting. They stretched his feet toward the fire, and they propped his head and shoulders up on the log. Gregorex peeled off his cloak to serve as a pillow for the man.

Annala then began to pull away at the man’s shirt. On his left side was a wound, from which he had lost a lot of blood. The blood was caked on to this skin and to the shirt itself. She gently pulled the shirt away, causing the man to groan as she did so. Annala then turned to see a bucket of water being placed down next to her. Old Ferd had just returned, having filled the bucket from a nearby stream.

Gregorex asked, “Who is this guy?” As Annala tended to the man, she told her story.

“It didn’t take too long for the news of your escape to get to Slumbutter. That weasel came to my door and kicked it open. He burst into my room, waking me up as he yelled over and over again, ‘Tell me where he is! Tell me where he is!’

“‘I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ I told him. Well, he didn’t like that answer. He slapped me in the face, grabbed my hair, and yanked me out into the hallway. ‘You don’t know what I’m talking about, eh?’ he sneered. ‘Well, I think you know perfectly well what I’m talking about. Gregorex is gone, and you’re going to tell me where he is. And to help persuade you to talk, you’re going to spend some time in Chamber Tango.’

“I gasped when I heard him say that. Chamber Tango is the torture chamber. Guards will sometimes beat prisoners for hours at a time. They will beat them until the prisoners talk. I’ve heard that they do terrible things there...and I was about to find out first-hand.”

“The BEAST!” declared Gregorex. “If I ever get my hands on that man...”

“Calm down, Gregorex,” interrupted Annala. “We’re together now, and that’s all that matters.” She then reached out and squeezed Gregorex’ hand. Andres was amazed at how one touch from her hand could tame Gregorex. Andres didn’t think that anything in all of creation could have that kind of impact on the man.

Annala then continued. “When we got near a torch in the hallway, Slumbutter stopped. He saw a man standing on the opposite wall, reading something. Still holding me by the hair, he walked across the hallway and slapped the man with the back of his hand. The man dropped what he was reading and looked up, wide-eyed, at Slumbutter. ‘Hey Lackey!’ Slumbutter yelled. ‘I don’t pay you to read. I don’t pay you to think. I pay you to obey! Now take this woman down to Chamber Tango immediately! Lock her up, and tell her to wait. I will tend to her personally when I return!’ Slumbutter then thrust me into the man’s chest and walked away.

“As soon as Slumbutter’s footsteps faded away, the man quickly retrieved what he’d dropped, putting the paper into his pocket. He then grabbed my arm and said, ‘Follow me, ma’am.’ And we began walking down the hallway. We came to a stairwell and began to descend. It seemed like we descended forever, but probably that’s just because I was so scared. We finally came to a landing and walked down another hallway. This one was very dimly lit. I thought to myself, ‘This may be the last light that I ever see.’ The only sound that could be heard as we walked was the jingling sound of the man’s keys.

“Finally, we stopped in front of a door with a big ‘T’ written in red. The man reached for his keys, and I closed my eyes. I couldn’t bear to see the insight of this terrible room. I heard him insert the keys into the door.

“But instead of hearing the keys turn, all I could hear was a sobbing sound. ‘No more! No more! I can do this no more!’ said a voice. I opened my eyes, and saw the man crying. The man took the keys out of the door and threw them to the floor. ‘I’m done!’ he declared. ‘Listen--there is no time to lose. If you have any hope of surviving, you need to follow me right now!’

“I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know this man; I’d never seen him in my life. But I just nodded and said, ‘I’ll be right behind you.’

“The man led me back up two flights of stairs, until we came to ground level. Once there, we could see many of the black knights mustering--they were obviously getting ready for battle. The man grabbed my hand and led me through the door. ‘Do you know where we’re going?’ I asked. ‘Yes,’ he replied as he kept moving. ‘How are we going to get there?’ I asked. ‘I don’t know,’ replied the man. ‘I just know that right now, I’m a free man. I’ve been given a way of escape. If someone finds us and kills us on the way, well that’s the way it goes. I’d rather be killed as a free man than keep living as a slave. I wouldn’t even think of putting you in danger, except that Slumbutter would probably have killed you anyway in Chamber Tango. So let’s take our chances and hope for the best.’

“The man led me through crowds of black knights and other servants. Amazingly, no one asked us anything. That’s kind of the way it is in Dor-ko’s castle--everyone sees to themselves. They don’t take too much notice of anyone else. But just as we broke out from the crowds and seemed free to continue our escape toward the woods, a voice from behind us cried out, ‘Hey! Where are you going!’

“At that, my rescuer panicked. He just grabbed my arm and muttered, ‘Let’s run!’ And that’s exactly what we did.

“I knew we didn’t have much of a chance. As you can see, he’s quite heavy-set and he couldn’t run very fast. Though we had a bit of a headstart, the man that was pursuing us soon caught up with us. He grabbed my rescuer by the shoulder and spun him around. ‘You coward!’ he yelled. ‘I ought to take my sword and run you through this very instant.’

“I thought the rescue was over right there. My rescuer is a kind man, but I don’t think he’s a fighter. He just stood and stared. The other man drew his sword and--it looked to me, anyway--prepared to drive it through my rescuer’s heart. But before he could do so, some heavy hoofbeats shook the ground beneath us. A beautiful horse suddenly appeared, coming between us and the man with the sword.”

“That was Ranger!” Andres piped up. “That was Cable’s horse! We saw him when we were escaping ourselves! He must have gone back to rescue you!”

“Well,” continued Annala, “I was thankful for the distraction. I immediately yelled to my rescuer, ‘Let’s get on him and get out of here!’ The horse knelt a bit, as though knowing we’d need some help getting on. We mounted quickly--I was in front, and my rescuer was in the back. The horse quickly stood up and took off. I could hear his rear hoof smack our attacker in the jaw as we headed off. But after we’d gone a few steps, my rescuer said, ‘Stay down! I think we’ll get some arrows pretty quick!’ He then leaned over me. A few seconds later, I heard him groan. Sure enough, the man had let an arrow fly. It had struck my rescuer in the side. I urged him to hang on as we escaped into the woods.

“When we got out of range, we stopped briefly. I helped pull the arrow out, but we had time for little else. My rescuer said that he’d ride in front. ‘I’d hate for a beautiful face like yours to be hurt by all the branches that will come flying at us in these woods,’ he said. And then we were off. We stopped once at a stream to get a drink, but other than that we’ve been moving constantly. This horse--he’s amazing. It’s like he’s been guided this whole way.”

By the time Annala was done with her story, she had completed dressing her rescuer’s wound. Andres thought the man looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place him. As he pondered over where he could have seen this man before, the sounds of approaching footsteps were heard in the woods. Gregorex immediately reached for his nearby bow. As he notched an arrow and drew back the string, he cried out, “Who is it! Declare yourself or die!”

“Hold your fire! It’s us!” came a familiar voice. It was Legs. He came crashing into the clearing, with Remmaline and Kaelanna behind him. Pipes followed close behind. With a quiet urgency in his voice, he declared, “Look, folks, we need to get inside the city gates right away. We just scouted out one of Dor-ko’s advance parties. They’ve got a platoon of cavalry that is not far away. If we don’t move quickly, we’re going to be cut off.”

While he spoke, Kaelanna quietly ran over to the man that had saved Annala. She burst into tears as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him as big an embrace as she could possibly give. She buried her head into his shoulder and said, “Oh, Daddy...I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” For Annala’s rescuer, of course, was Fred the jailer.

Chapter 37 - Journey to Cliffton, Part 2

“What does it say?” asked Andres impulsively. “Just rip it open and find out!”

Gregorex turned and glared at Andres. “Look, if my old master is going to send a sealed message to someone, then he obviously doesn’t intend for me to look at it. So I’m not going to.” Gregorex then turned away and muttered, “That’s the problem with kids today. They don’t know enough to mind their own business.”

Andres heard every word, but pretended as though he hadn’t. Still curious, he asked, “How do you know that it isn’t addressed to you?”

Gregorex grabbed the scroll and shoved it in Andres’ face. “BECAUSE IT’S ADDRESSED TO ‘LORD SLUMBUTTER, THAT’S WHY!’ he bellowed. He then started to throw the scroll to the ground in disgust, but quickly checked himself. Instead, he took one last glance at the scroll’s seal. “Hmmm...that’s odd,” he mumbled.

“What’s odd?” asked Andres, who at times just didn’t know enough to stop asking questions.

“Let’s roll!” said Gregorex, ignoring the question. He mounted his horse and announced, “There is no time to lose, do you hear? We’ve got to get to Cliffton as soon as possible. The sun sets quickly around here, and we’ve probably only got another half-hour of daylight. I’m going to stick to the road. Follow me!” Without even turning to see if anyone was behind him, Gregorex tore off down the road, with Spartacus kicking up great clouds of dust as he galloped away.

Sensing great urgency, the others followed. Andres went next, followed by the girls. Legs and Pipes formed the rear guard. All of the riders spurred on their horses to move as swiftly as possible. But no one could keep up with Gregorex and Spartacus. The great white horse that towered above all others was soon lost in the distance.

Andres quickly got frustrated. He was in the front, but he didn’t really know where he was going. He strained his eyes to look for some sign of Gregorex ahead. He saw nothing. At first, he wanted to put on a good show for the girls and not admit that he was somewhat fearful of riding through this strange forest. But finally, as the group reached a hilltop, Andres brought everyone to a halt. He gazed down the road that descended before him and still saw no sign of Gregorex. He then tried to stand up on his horse in order to get a better view. However, just then a slight gust of wind blew over the high ground. Andres lost his balance and tumbled to the ground. Irritated beyond his wits end, he groused, “I give up! Someone else take the lead! I’m sick of this!”

“Hey, would you keep it down?” came a reply.

Andres turned around and looked at Legs and Pipes. “Did you just say something?” he asked.

“No, sir,” replied Legs. Pipes simply shook his head.

“Dummy...I mean, Your Majesty, I’m up here!” came the voice again. Andres turned to his right and looked upward. Perched in the midst of a towering oak tree was Gregorex. He held his index finger to his mouth, indicating for the others to be silent. He was straining to see something in the distance that had caught his attention. When he appeared satisfied, he quickly descended to the ground and dashed over to join the group.

“Look--something is going on, and we’ve got to find out what it is,” declared Gregorex, out of breath from sheer nervousness. “I just saw a small group of people leave the city gates, holding some torches. That’s unusual after dark--most of the time, people stay inside the walls at night. I want to take Andres and check it out. Legs and Pipes--I want you to stay here with the girls and guard the road. If Dor-ko sends some kind of advanced party to check things out, do whatever you can to delay them. Trouble is coming our way.” Gregorex then walked over to Legs and Pipes and shook their hands. “Gentlemen...I can’t thank you enough for getting me out of that miserable prison. I guess this is what we were saved to do--to stave off an onslaught of evil.”

Then turning around and heading into the woods, Gregorex bellowed, “So let’s do it!” Andres quickly slid in behind Gregorex, and the two of them slipped back into the dense and darkening forest. The two moved slowly and stealthily, carefully avoiding stepping on small twigs and dry leaves and other objects that could reveal their movement. The deliberate pace nearly drove Andres crazy. He couldn’t stand the suspense, yet he didn’t dare to ask Gregorex any questions. When some torch light began the reach them through the trees, Gregorex signaled for the two of them to hit the ground and start crawling. Andres obeyed, of course, yet his mind immediately imagined a dozen rats crawling all over him. This was one of those times when the imagination is so active that it seems as though hours have gone by, when in fact only a few minutes have transpired.

Eventually Gregorex reached back and put his hand on Andres’ shoulder, bringing him to a halt. Andres looked below and to his right. About twenty feet to his front, the woodline stopped and there was a small clearing. In the midst of the clearing was a small fire pit, in which was crackling a small but growing campfire. Three logs, which served as benches, were distributed around the campfire. On the log closest to Andres, facing away from him and toward the campfire, sat two people. One of them appeared to be busy writing something. On the log to the right of the campfire, Andres could see the silhouette of a second person. Though the man was barely visible, he appeared to Andres to be a big fuzzy furball, with thick hair covering his entire body. On the log on the opposite side of the fire, facing Andres, was a fourth man, also sitting alone.

From the bench closest to Andres came a booming voice. “All right, Korbi, please explain why you’ve gathered us here. And it had better be good. You know as well as I do the dangers that can come from being outside the village gates at night.”

Gregorex nearly jumped at the sound of the voice. He whispered to Andres, “That’s Samek! He’s the village chief, and he’s also my master! It seems as though someone has called the assembly of Cliffton together. This is very odd...”

Andres started to ask a question, but he felt Gregorex put a hand over his mouth before he could say a thing. He kept his mouth closed and listened as the man on the opposite side of the fire spoke up. “Thank you, Samek. You of course know that I would never endanger anyone without good cause. You also know that I wouldn’t waste your time with an abundance of words. It is a great privilege to serve on this assembly, yet it is also a great responsibility. I take this responsibility seriously. I’m sure all of us do. But I have a grave concern, my fellow members of the assembly. It is a concern that...”

“Just get to the point!” bellowed Samek, clearly irritated with the speaker. “You can cram less substance into more words than anyone I know!”

Gregorex leaned over to Andres and whispered, “The second guy that spoke--his name is Korbi. He’s part of the assembly of Cliffton. I trust him about as much as I’d trust a hungry rattlesnake to watch my children...well, if I had any children, that is. Now shut up and listen!”

Andres wanted to be indignant at being told to shut up, even though he hadn’t said a word. But he was too fascinated with the drama unfolding before him to bother to respond. Korbi was the next to speak, “Your patience is overwhelming, Samek. I will get to the point as you have requested, without any further adieu. But please...spare me any further interruptions, as it will only delay the delivery of an important message for all of us. It is a message we all need to...”

“If you don’t get to the point this very instant, I will separate your head from your body with my bare hands!” Samek snapped. “At least then, I’d only have to listen to your head while the rest of your body did something productive for once!”

Gregorex again leaned over to Andres and spoke up. “I never liked that guy--never at all! He is always calm and cool. He never gets rattled. He does everything at his own pace, and he could care less about anyone besides himself. He has no concept of sacrificing for others. Now quit interrupting and listen!”

As his eyes adjusted to the descending darkness above and the emerging firelight below, Andres focused on Korbi. The man seemed completely oblivious to Samek’s rebuke. He paused a few seconds, then pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. “If you’ll pardon me a moment, Samek, this fire is irritating my eyes just a bit,” he said.

While Korbi dried his eyes, Gregorex whispered again to Andres. “That jerk! He’ll take his sweet time. Now, do you see that guy sitting next to Samek? His name is Pilch. He’s the clerk. He writes down everything that takes place at these meeting. He usually doesn’t say much, because if he did, he’d have to write it down. The other guy is Old Ferd. I think that ‘Old’ is part of his real name. I heard that he was covered in hair when he was born. I think he got a razor or something for his first birthday, so he could start shaving. He’s always looked old. He’s odd, but he’s a good guy. Now quiet down and listen!”

Andres complied as he heard Korbi finally resume his discussion. “Thank you for waiting, Samek,” he said. “As I was saying, grave danger awaits us. Why, just this afternoon I was out in the woods, looking for any suspicious activity. Ever since our dear friend Gregorex disappeared, I have feared having no one patrolling these woods. I decided to take this responsibility upon myself, since I love this village and its people so dearly. It is why I feel so privileged to be a part of this assembly.”

Korbi paused and looked around the campfire. He appeared to try and look everyone in the eyes as he nodded his head. Gregorex started to gag. Andres whispered, “What’s the matter?”

Gregorex replied, “It’s a big pack of lies! That guy couldn’t care less about anyone in this village! And I’d venture to guess that he was part of the plot to get me captured! Oh, he just makes me want to throw up!”

“Well, stop gagging and listen!” replied Andres. Gregorex glared at Andres, but could say nothing. He turned his head back toward the distant campfire.

Korbi spoke again, saying, “During my patrol, I heard two men running through the woods. They seemed to be moving with great urgency. I did not recognize them, and therefore I was greatly suspicious. So I notched an arrow and bellowed at the top of my lungs, ‘Stop in the name of King Maximilian!’

“The two men were obviously startled by my bold instrusion. They looked over to the sound of my voice, and they saw me standing there with an arrow aimed at their very hearts. Both of them raised their hands in the air and said, ‘Please don’t shoot! We have news for the village of Cliffton!’

“I was intrigued by this, so I motioned for them to follow me. I have brought them here to meet with us this evening.” Korbi then raised his hands and clapped once. As the sharp sound rattled through the woods, a couple of figures emerged from the woodline on the opposite side of the campfire. Korbi slid to one side of his log, making room for the two strangers to sit down beside him.

Andres stared intently at these newcomers. One was extremely skinny. Andres thought his head resembled a banana. He had a long face and a tuft of hair on top that looked kind of like a banana stem. He sat next to Korbi. His companion was a huge hulk of a man. When he sat down, the other end of the log flipped up and sent Korbi and banana-face flying. The man grunted something and then sat down on the ground next to the log. Korbi and the skinny stranger brushed themselves off and sat down once more.

Korbi then spoke again. “Gentlemen, please meet my new friends Oba and Amma. They have willingly stayed so that they can deliver this message to you as eyewitnesses.”

The skinny man named Oba then spoke. “Thank you, Korbi, for the great privilege of appearing to this assembly. My brother Amma and I were out and about this morning, tending to our work and minding our own business. Weren’t we, Amma?”

The hulking man named Amma grunted and replied, “Hmmm...yep, working. We was working. Yep.” He then nodded his head vigorously yet said no more.

Gregorex whispered to Andres and said, “I’ve got a funny feeling about these guys. Shhhh....”

Oba then resumed speaking. He had a deep, smooth voice that seemed odd to Andres. He sure didn’t sound like some sort of woodsman. But then again, Andres wasn’t sure what a genuine woodsman would sound like. So he remained silent and listened to Oba. “As we were working, we happened to hear some loud and unusual sounds in the distance. We walked toward the sounds, and we realized that a road had been cut through the forest. Can you believe it--a road cut through these pristine lands? We were indignant and dismayed!”

Samek interrupted and asked, “If you two spend your days in the woods, how could you not notice that a road was being built in the woods?”

“Why, as I was saying, we were minding our own business,” Oba replied. “We don’t stick our noses where they don’t belong. We are humble servants of King Maximilian. But anyway, as I was saying, Amma and I looked out at the road and were greatly disturbed by what we saw. For marching down the road was a company of cavalry. And it seemed that they were flying the colors of Slumbutter and Dor-ko. We were greatly worried by this sight, but it was as though our feet were fixed in quicksand. We couldn’t move; we were paralyzed by fear. So we continued to watch.

“Well, behind the cavalry was a battalion of foot soldiers. Row after row of them marched down the road, in perfect step. What an intimidating sight. Wasn’t it, Amma?”

Amma grunted. “Hmm...yes. Scary it was. It was scary. Yep.” He nodded again as he fell silent.

Oba resumed talking. “After the battalion of infantry passed, we continued to stare as--lo and behold--some horse-drawn catapults came forward. They were bringing on the artillery! Obviously, the armies of Dor-ko were on a mission to bring mass destruction. So Amma and I put our heads together, and we figured that they were heading toward Cliffton. As we recovered from the shock of it all, our legs limbered up and we quietly moved back into the woods. We then found our horses and began riding with all haste to warn you.”

Samek then interjected. “If you rode here to warn us, why did Korbi say that you were running through the woods when he caught you?”

Oba paused for a moment, apparently perplexed. He looked over at Amma, who just shrugged. Andres had to chuckle to himself whenever he looked at Amma. The man looked like a giant apple, with the stem representing the man’s head. Andres didn’t figure you could squeeze too many brains into that tiny skull. But at the same time, the man was huge--Andres wasn’t eager to get into a fistfight with the man, who had to weigh over 500 pounds.

After an awkward silence, Oba spoke again. “Well, you see, Samek, we had barely gotten underway when those savages caught sight of us. They shot the horses out from under us. Those barbarians! I can still hear the cries of those poor horses as they struggled to hold on to their dear lives!” Oba then wiped a tear from his eyes.

Gregorex whispered to Andres, “It’s another lie! Do you remember those two horses that were running along without any riders earlier this afternoon? I’ll bet you anything that those two boneheads rode those horses and then just left them. They were probably too lazy to tie them up.”

Gregorex then went silent while Oba continued. “So we ran with all haste and will all the strength that was left to us, and we are glad that we appear to have beaten Dor-ko’s army. But we must warn you--this village is about to be overrun!”

Korbi started to speak, but Samek quickly interrupted and said, “You’ll have to pardon my skepticism, but...well, I somehow doubt that Amma over there could run for hours and hours without either causing an earthquake or collapsing from exhaustion.”

Amma hopped to his feet in anger. (To Andres’ eyes, it actually looked like he bounced to his feet.) He took a step toward Samek, but Oba quickly intervened. “Now calm down, Amma,” he said soothingly. “He just doesn’t know you. He can’t help it if he’s ignorant. Now have a seat and take some deep breaths.” Amma plopped back to the ground and obeyed, breathing deeply and loudly for all to hear.

Samek spoke again. “You know, Gregorex has been patrolling these woods for years. He never told me about two men that worked in the forest. That’s odd--Gregorex doesn’t miss much.”

Oba quickly replied, “Oh, believe me, we saw Gregorex from a distance many times. But whenever he came near, my brother and I remained in hiding. You see, I’m an apothecary. I make rare medicines from herbs from the woods, and I sell them to distant lands. I depend on complete secrecy in order to find just the right plants for my medicines. I make it a point not to be discovered.”

Gregorex leaned over to Andres and said, “Another lie! Do you think I’d miss those two lunkheads? I’ve never seen them, and that’s because they were never there! I’ll bet Amma doesn’t even know how to spell ‘apothecary’!”

“Why don’t you just walk up and expose them?” Andres whispered. “Samek will know they’re a bunch of frauds if you just show yourself.”

“Shhhhh!” Gregorex replied. “I’m the only one that’s allowed to talk here! Besides, I want to know what these guys are up to. If I show myself too soon, they may not play their hand. Let’s wait till the game is up. Just follow my lead...”

Gregorex and Andres redirected their attention to the campfire as Korbi spoke. “Samek, the way I see it, we have only one choice. We must surrender ourselves to the mercy of our adversaries. We must hoist the white flag at once. Perhaps Dor-ko will be merciful to us.”

“You’re a fool,” replied Samek. “I will never surrender.”

“Is it really so foolish?” said Korbi. “An entire army is coming our way. We are a small village--they are cavalry and infantry and artillery. It is suicide to stay and fight! Every last one of us will die against this onslaught! At least there is a chance that we’ll live if we surrender.”

“I’d rather die as a loyal servant of the king, than live as a slave to Dor-ko,” Samek replied.

“Now, you are being the fool!” retorted Korbi. “Really, do you think the king would expect you to fight against such overwhelming force?”

“That why he put us here, Korbi,” Samek replied. “He put us here to guard the southern approach to the kingdom. He put us here for this very reason! If we surrender, we lose the privilege of living up to the calling that he’s laid before us. I’m not going to live the rest of my life in shame. I’ve been given a job, and I’m going to do it. If you want to surrender, you go right ahead. But I’d rather have the word ‘courageous’ written on my tombstone than have the word ‘coward’ hung about my neck as a prisoner of Dor-ko.”

“But Samek, please think about this for a moment,” Korbi continued. “Surely the king couldn’t foresee this--a deliberate attack by a great force against a tiny village! Surely he would want you to spare the lives of your people surrender! And even as you tend to the welfare of your people, the king will certainly spare no effort to come and set you free later!”

Samek paused briefly before he replied and said, “Look, Korbi. I don’t think you’ve got any business tryiing to read the king’s mind. This is what I know: King Maximilian--may he reign forever!--has given me a mission. That mission is to watch for the enemy and to protect Freedom Pass. The king didn’t ask me to figure out what was best myself and then do it. He just asked me to serve and obey. Doggone it, that’s what I’m going to do. And if I were you, I’d be awfully careful about thinking that you know better than the king. You’re treading on some dangerous ground.”

“So you’re not going to surrender, then?” asked Korbi.

“I’d rather die,” replied Samek.

“Hmm...very well, then,” said Korbi. “Let me make one more appeal.” Korbi then raised his right hand and snapped.

At that signal, Amma again bounded to his feet. He then dove over the fire and grabbed Samek, throwing him to the ground. Andres was astounded at the agility displayed by the man. Samek fought furiously, but he was no match for the hulking mass of Amma.

Pilch just moaned as he wrote furiously, carefully documenting all that was taking place. Old Ferd got to his feet and started to try and help Samek, but Oba and Korbi quickly reached down and grabbed their bows that had been hidden behind the logs. They quickly notched their arrows and pointed them right at Old Ferd. “Don’t move another inch, old man,” Korbi sneered. “Or you’ll make your grave right here.”

Soon Amma got to his feet. Both arms were wrapped around Samek in a smothering bear hug. Samek’s arms were pinned to his side. He was completely immobilized. His face was red as he struggled, but it was to no avail. Oba put his bow down and picked up a hatchet. He walked over to Samek and smiled. “Well, look who’s helpless now,” he said.

Andres saw Gregorex reach for his bow and aim it toward Oba. “Can you get a shot at him?” Andres whispered.

“No, I can’t!” Gregorex muttered under his breath. “I can’t get a clean view! Samek keeps moving! If I shoot, he might shift and get in the way! I can’t risk it!”

Andres looked and saw Korbi hold the hatchet up to Samek’s neck. He strained his ears to hear Korbi say, “Where is all your brave talk now? Look--I’m the one about to sever your head from your body! But I’ll tell you what. If you just give the word to surrender, I’ll let you go free. You don’t need to go through this, Samek! Just give the word! And we can all live!”

Samek continued to fight Amma’s bounds, to no avail. But as he struggled and thrashed, he declared, “Go ahead, Korbi! You’re a fraud, and you’ve always been a fraud. But I’m not going to follow in your footsteps. The king gave me a job, and to my dying breath I’m going to do it. You can cut me into a thousand pieces if you want. But when you do, every piece will be crying out loyalty to the king. And each of those pieces will call the people of Cliffton to fight against you. And if you slaughter them as well, their lost lives will call out to others to fight against you. In the end, you cannot win. So go ahead and kill me! It’ll only seal your own doom.”

Korbi glared at Samek. He seemed to come unhinged. The man who was unflappable had become rattled by Samek’s steadfastness. “You senseless fool!” he cried out as he drew back the hatchet. But before he could swing it at Samek’s neck, a sound came rattling through the forest. “Stop! Stop!” cried a shrill voice. A horse then came bounding out of the woods at a full gallop.

Amma turned toward the noise. Gregorex yelled “Duck!” Samek lowered his head, and Gregorex let the arrow fly. It glanced off Amma’s head, knocking him to the ground. Andres, who’d been following Gregorex’ lead, also let an arrow fly at Korbi. The arrow struck Korbi in his hands, jarring the hatchet loose and causing Korbi to cry out in agony. Gregorex cried out, “Let’s go!” He and Andres vaulted from their position in hiding and rushed toward the campfire. Gregorex ran to Amma. When he saw Amma reach to rub his head, he smacked him in the jaw and knocked him out cold. Andres ran over to Korbi who was grabbing his hand and writhing in pain. He jumped on the man, rolled him over on his stomach, and pulled his hands behind him. He then pulled some rope out of his cloak and tied his hands together. Meanwhile, Samek leaped toward Oba, who’d been so dumbstruck that he’d forgotten about the arrow that was in his hands. Samek promptly hit him with an uppercut that sent him airborne. He landed to the ground, senseless.

All eyes then turned toward the horse that had emerged from the woods. Andres quickly recognized it as Cable’s horse, Ranger. Atop the horse were two riders. The one in the front was a large man, while the one in the back was a woman. She quickly slipped off her horse and rushed toward Gregorex.

“I told you I would find you,” she said.

Chapter 36 - Journey to Cliffton, Part 1

And so, in the faint glow of dawn, the Eastern Road was a scene of a great reunion. Andres was reunited with his sister Remmaline, Legs was reunited with this father Pipes, and Gregorex was reunited with his horse Spartacus. The next few minutes were spent exchanging stories and introducing people to one another. However, one person was left out at first--Kaelanna, the jailer’s daughter. Remmaline saw her still sitting quietly atop her horse, watching everything but saying nothing. Instinctively feeling bad for her, Remma ran over and motioned for her to dismount. She then gave Kaelanna a big hug and introduced herself. Kaelanna immediately curtsied and said, “I am honored, Your Majesty.”

But Remmaline quickly took her by the hand and said, “Aw, don’t worry about that stuff. Just call me Remma.” And from that point onward, the two became like the best of friends. Andres marveled how two girls that barely knew each other could become so friendly, so quickly.

After about five minutes , Gregorex took charge. Now that the sun had started to rise, he quickly got his bearings and realized that this was the spot where he’d originally discovered Dor-ko’s forces building the road. He raised his voice and said, “Uh...pardon the interruption, folks, but in case you forgot, an entire army is just a little ways down the road. And I really don’t feel like staying here and letting my head serve as a pincushion for their arrows. So follow me. We’ve got to hustle back and let Cliffton know that an attack is coming our way.”

With that, Gregorex mounted Spartacus. The others followed suit. Remma hopped up on Mudpuddle, and urged Kaelanna to get behind her. Legs, Pipes, and Andres mounted the horses that had come from Dor-ko’s stable. The group then slid into the woods, with Gregorex in the lead. Andres followed Gregorex, followed by Remma and Kaelanna. Legs and Pipes served as the rear guard.

Shortly after entering the dense forest, Gregorex led the group to a dry stream bed. This served as a nice trail. Although the group had to travel single-file, at least they weren’t constantly getting thwapped by stray branches. Eventually they came to a narrow trail that Gregorex had created. Gregorex had been patrolling these forests for about four years, and he’d carved out his own network of trails to help maneuver. Spartacus knew them as well as Gregorex, and the twosome led the group swiftly through the woods.

After the group traveled for about 2 hours, Gregorex pulled up by a brook. “Let’s get some water and take a break,” he said. “No one here has slept for quite awhile, and we could all use a little shut-eye. So get a drink and get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch.”

Andres gratefully dismounted. He knelt by the brook, stuck his head in the water, and drank to his heart’s content. He then looked over at his sister. She was just downstream, kneeling next to Kaelanna. He saw Remma grab Kaelanna’s arm and point toward Andres. “Ewwwww!” she said. “My brother just stuck his face in the water! I can’t drink water that has ‘Andres germs’ in it! Yuck!” She then giggled, and Kaelanna followed suit.

Andres was amazed. How can they be more interested in teasing me than in getting water? Sisters can be such a pain, he thought to himself. He wanted to say it out loud, but he figured it would be embarrassing to fight with his sister in front of the other men. So he just drank till he was full, stood up, and walked over behind Remma. When she wasn’t looking, he gave her a gentle push toward the brook.

“Hey!” cried Remma as she nearly tumbled into the water. “Why do you always have to be such a meanie?” Her voice seemed to fill the woods with indignation.

Andres just ignored her and laid down next to his horse. Within seconds he was asleep. He slept somewhat restlessly, nervously awaiting the tap on the shoulder that would let him know that it was his turn to be the guard. Andres hated doing guard duty alone in the woods. The thought of being the only person awake in the middle of an unfamiliar forest was enough to make his stomach churn. Every time he tossed and turned on the soft earth, he thought he heard some whispering, and he was sure it was someone getting ready to wake him up.

Finally, he couldn’t take the uncertainty any more and he just woke himself up. Slowly staggering to his feet, he pried his eyes open and looked toward the whispering voices. When his eyes cleared, he saw Gregorex, Legs and Pipes, sitting and talking softly. He then turned and saw the girls behind him, sleeping back-to-back.

“What’s up, sleepy-head?” said Gregorex. When Andres turned back around, he saw Gregorex walking toward him. Gregorex then put him in a headlock and gave him a friendly noogie. Andres tried his best to shake free, but until his body fully woke up, it was hopeless.

When Gregorex let him go, Andres mumbled, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Aw, we figured that your few hours of prison life had been pretty hard on you,” replied Gregorex. “You obviously needed some beauty sleep.”

It didn’t take Andres long to figure out that Gregorex hadn’t slept at all. He was clearly excited to get back to Cliffton. And though it killed him to have to wait, he knew that some of the group (particularly the girls) desperately needed some rest. But his patience was now expired--it was time to head out. He looked up at the sky and said, “The sun is as high as it’s gonna get. It must be about noon. The girls will have to be happy with the sleep they got. Let’s get rolling.” Within ten minutes, everyone was awake, on their horses, and on the move.

The next few hours of the journey were relatively uneventful, except for the fact that the girls were driving Andres crazy. He just wanted to ride in silence and mind his own business. But the girls talked non-stop. They talked about life in the castle, about life in the jail, about horses and hair-dos and babies and dolls and food and boys and shoes. Andres tried to turn and glare at them from time to time, but it did no good. In fact, whenever Remma saw him glare, she started talking even louder. Andres tried to cover his ears, but it did no good. Nothing in all creation could block the sounds of those girls.

Every once in awhile, Gregorex would turn around and bark at the girls, ordering them to keep it down. That usually worked--for about five minutes. Then the whispering would begin again, followed a few minutes later by talking, followed by giggling, then by loud laughter, then by another scolding from Gregorex. And the cycle would repeat itself.

Finally, Andres couldn’t take it any more. As the group reached the crest of a hill, he piped up and said, “Hey Gregorex, can you just point me in the right direction? I’m gonna walk the rest of the way. These girls are driving me nuts.”

Gregorex didn’t reply. Instead he stopped and motioned toward the west, in the direction of the declining sun. Andres followed his finger and saw some dust rising in the distance. “It looks like there’s some motion down on the road,” declared Gregorex. “Let’s check it out. Andres, you stay here with the girls. The rest of us will go take a look.”

Andres couldn’t stomach the thought of staying put. “Gregorex...uh, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but there is no way that I’m staying up here with these girls. I’d rather stick a red-hot poker in my ears than listen to them jabber some more while you’re down with the action.”

Gregorex quickly relented. “All right, Andres. We’ll go down together. But girls...” Gregorex paused and looked directly at Remma and Kaelanna. “You stay out of the way. Do you understand me? The bad guys would like nothing more than to capture a princess. They’ve done it once, and they’ll do it again if they have the chance.”

Without waiting for the girls to respond, Gregorex turned and spurred his horse down the hill. They soon veered off the path and headed back toward the Eastern Road. When they reached the woodline on the north side of the road, they craned their necks to the left. Sure enough, a lone figure was riding along. His horse was galloping along, not too swiftly and not too slowly, heading back towards Dor-ko’s country. The man was followed by two riderless horses. He wore a dark cloak, which resembled the garb of Dor-ko’s jailkeepers.

As the man approached, it was obvious that he had something in his right hand. Gregorex asked Legs to borrow his bow and arrow. Legs quickly obliged. Gregorex then notched an arrow and waited for the man to approach. When he came close, Gregorex let the arrow fly. It struck the rider in the right hand, causing him to cry out in pain as he dropped the object that had been in his hand.

The rider reigned in his horse and went to go back and retrieve the object. Gregorex quickly notched another arrow and let it fly. The arrow shot through the rider’s cap, exposing a completely bald head beneath. The rider again cried out in fear. He reversed direction one more time and headed back toward the east. Gregorex let one more arrow fly. This one whizzed by the left side of the riders head, missing him by inches. Seconds later, the rider disappeared from view. Meanwhile, the two horses that had been following him fled into the woods.

The air was silent as the sound of galloping hooves drifted away. Andres was dumbfounded. “Why didn’t you just kill him?” he asked.

“You’ve got to always think ahead, Andres!” retorted Gregorex. “Look, this guy was obviously heading back toward Dor-ko. If you know anything about military operations, you know that he has a designated time to return. If I kill him, well, as you can imagine, he won’t return by his appointed time. That means that Dor-ko would send out a search party. I don’t know about you, but I’m not anxious to run into any search parties!

“So instead, we’ll let this guy return. But he’s going to return with a story of how the warriors of Cliffton have deployed in advance. He’ll be scared, and he’ll want to make it sounds like he ran into a huge force. So he’ll tell Dor-ko that they’d better be prepared for a tremendous ambush. And that fear will slow down the Army. They’ll have to deploy skirmishers into the woods to make sure their path is clear. While they slow down, it’ll give Cliffton more time to prepare for battle. So trust me, Andres...I know what I’m doing!”

Andres had to admit that Gregorex had thought everything through. While Andres chastised himself for asking what now seemed to be such a dumb question, Gregorex left the woodline and ran into the road. He picked up a small tube that was capped with a cork. He pulled the cork and reached into the tube. Inside, he discovered a scroll of some sort. The scroll had a seal on it.

As Gregorex stared at the scroll and the seal, he became silent. “I can’t believe it,” he muttered. “I just can’t believe it.”

“What is it?” asked Legs in his slow drawl. Even the unflappable Legs seemed somewhat concerned by Gregorex’ reaction.

Gregorex shook his head in apparent disbelieve as he replied. “This scroll has a watermark on it. I’d recognize it anywhere--it’s from my master Samek. And the scroll is sealed by Samek’s own seal. I just can’t understand. Why would Samek be sending messages to the enemy?”