After meandering through a few more hallways and descending a few more stairways, Pipes led Remmaline through a giant door. At this point, he released her hand, opened the door, and quietly but urgently said, “Follow me and stay close!” Remmaline, not daring to say a word, simply nodded her head and passed through the doorway. When she first saw the doorway, she was relieved at the prospect of finally getting some fresh air. But as she emerged outside, she realized that the air was anything but fresh. In fact, it was among the most putrid air that she’d ever breathed. Looking around, she realized why.
She had just entered a courtyard that was filled with black knights. These men were the smelliest beings Remma had ever seen, and that included the pigs that Skittlechip used to raise out behind the castle. The air seemed to be so thick with the odor that Remma could taste it; she gagged twice and nearly lost sight of Pipes as she did so. The knights were lining up in companies of 100. Each company had 10 rows of 10 men. The men were each covered with black chain mail armor, and each had a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. The various companies each had a commander in front of them that was shouting orders to put on their helmets and get in order. Remma could hear the soldiers grumble as they begrudgingly lined up in battle array. “I’d grumble too if I were surrounded by such gross-smelling people,” Remma thought to herself. She secretly felt bad for the poor men that had to stand right in the middle of those groups. They would have to march for hours surrounded by that horrible smell, and they could do nothing about it. And though most of them might be really bad people, some of them--like Fred--might be there just because Slumbutter captured their family and made them serve him.
As Pipes and Remmaline walked through the courtyard, Remma gradually heard some men uttering loud cries and moans off to the side. Pipes evidently also heard the sound, because he veered off to the right to see what was going on. Through the dim light, Remma could see three men leaning against the castle wall. Their shirts were off, and their hands were tied to some iron rings that were fixed to the wall. A fourth man was standing behind them and beating them, one by one, with a rod. As he beat them, the man declared, “You miserable wretches, this will teach you to scorn the command to go to battle!”
Pipes held Remmaline back with his right hand, then he approached the man that was administering the beating. “What seems to be the problem?” he inquired.
“Who are you?” the man replied with a sneer on his face and with contempt dripping from his voice.
“I am Pipes, the second in command of this expedition,” Pipes replied calmly. “Now I suggest that, unless you want to join these three men, you answer my question straightway.”
The man seemed unimpressed. “Well I don’t care who you are,” he replied. “My name is Thudrucker, and I have one job--to make sure that the men are prepared for battle. I report to none by Lord Slumbutter himself, so I could care less how high and mighty you think you are. As for these three louts--they had the audacity to come down and say that that armor had been stolen. Well, a man without armor isn’t “fit for battle, and we’ve got no use for ‘em. So I’m going to beat them as an example to the others, and I’m going to throw them in the dungeon till our army returns from its victorious conquest.” Then, raising his rod in the air as he raised his voice, Thudrucker continued, “And if you’ve got a problem with that, then maybe you need to get a taste of my rod up the side of your ugly bald head!”
No sooner had Thudrucker finished his sentence then Pipes darted down, grabbed the man by his ankles, then stood up. He then began to swing Thudrucker around in circles, shaking him vigorously as he did so. The rod soon fell out of his hand, and his armor and cloak soon slid off his body as well. In a few moments, Thudrucker was as barechested as his victims that remained against the wall. Then Pipes released him and sent him flying about 50 feet in the air. He landed alongside a nearby company of black knights, who had a hearty laugh at his expense.
Pipes then walked over to where he lay on the ground, picked him up by the throat, and held him high in the air. As Thudrucker shook, Pipes thundered, “It looks like you too have lost your armor! I’ll give you a choice, you insolent fool. You can release these men, or you can join these men! What will it be?”
In a barely audible voice, Thudrucker croaked, “I’ll let ‘em go. Just please put me down.”
Pipes released Thudrucker’s throat, and he crumpled to the ground. Pipes motioned to Remma and they began walking again. As he walked, Pipes turned and bellowed, “If I see one more scratch on those men when I return, I will track you down and break every bone in your body!” Remma saw genuine anger in his face. She still didn’t undertand all that was going on, but she knew that Pipes was not a man to be trifled with. If he asked her to do something, she would do it. She sure didn’t want to end up like Thudrucker.
Eventually, Pipes and Remmaline passed through a sallyport and walked over the bridge that traversed the castle’s moat. The field beyond the moat was filled with men on horseback. Pipes barked out to no one in particular, “Where is Lord Dor-ko?” One man on horseback, who evidently recognized his voice, replied, “He’s up front, Pipes. Tell him we need to get moving. The men are restless--if we don’t get going and start fighting the enemy, these boneheads will just start fighting each other.”
“Thank you,” Pipes replied. He picked up the pace as he continued moving forward. Though he was merely walking, Remmaline had to run just to keep up. Pipes no long spoke to Remma; he simply turned around from time to time to make sure that she was still with him. The kindly look that Remma had initially seen on his face back at the castle had disappeared. It had been replaced by a look of tight-lipped determination. Remmaline could only wonder what that meant.
Finally Pipes and Remma came to the head of the column of cavalry. As they did so, Pipes was surprised to hear a whinnying sound, followed by the sight of Dor-ko flying through the air. Dor-ko and his armor crashed to the ground with a loud thud. A great white horse towered over him, standing on his hind legs and pawing the air with his forelegs. Dor-ko quickly rose to his feet. Cursing with all his might, he grabbed a whip that lay nearby and started beating the horse. “You thrice-accursed beast! You most detestable of all creatures! I shall teach you to defy me!”
Remmaline was shocked at the sight. She loved animals, and she started to run forward to try and protect the poor horse. But without even casting a glance her way, Pipes reached down and held her in check. “Don’t move a muscle,” he whispered. Pipes then walked up to Dor-ko and asked, “Where, might I ask, did this animal come from?”
Dor-ko straightened out his armor and tried to resume a pose of dignity. He then replied, “It is the wretched horse named Spartacus, which that dolt named Philip brought to us. This is the only beast alive that knows how to navigate through the Great Swamp of Cliffton.” Then, his rage returning, Dor-ko bellowed, “How dare he defy the authority of Lord Dor-ko?” And he resumed whipping the horse. Spartacus reared up and recoiled from the beating.
Remmaline couldn’t stand it any more. Seeing that Pipes’ back was turned, she ran forward to Dor-ko and kicked him in the shins. “Leave him alone!” she cried. “If he threw you off, it’s just because you deserved it, you meanie!”
Dor-ko stopped whipping the horse and turned to Pipes. “Who is this miserable little whelp?” he asked.
“That is the rebel king’s daughter, Lord Dor-ko,” Pipes replied. “As you know, my lord, we are bringing her as insurance that the rebels will not resist our relentless assault.”
Dor-ko turned back toward Remma and stooped down to stare at her. Remma saw a cruel smile come over his scarred face with a crooked jaw. “Oh, yes, of course,” he said slowly. Then, without warning, he grabbed Remmaline and thew her in the air toward Spartacus. “Why don’t you take the horse?” he yelled as Remma flew through the air.
Remmaline was sure that she was about to die. She was hurtling right toward the horse, who continued to rear back and snort. She just knew that she would land on the horse, and that the horse would send her flying through the air again, and that should would be flipped upside-down and land on her head and break her neck. But instinctively she reached out for the horse and grabbed it by its neck. But then something very curious happened. The horse bent its knees, settled gently to the ground, and stopped moving. Remma slid herself onto the horse’s back and took a deep breath. For the moment, she was still alive.
Dor-ko just stared at the horse, completely dumbfounded. His crooked jaw hung open, but no words escaped. Pipes broke the silence by saying, “Lord Dor-ko, I see that my horse, Mudpuddle, has been brought forward. Why don’t you ride him, while I take Spartacus? The horse seems to have taken to the girl, and he should now ride with no trouble to our destination. It shan’t be long before we are at the gates of Cliffton.”
Dor-ko didn’t reply with words. He simply spit, grunted, and strode over to Mudpuddle, a sinewy brown horse that stood just a hand or two shorter than Spartacus. Leaping up on the horse, he turned and yelled, “Sound the horn! We’re moving forward!” A bugler who stood nearby mounted his horse and blew his horn. Pipes vaulted atop Spartacus and placed Remmaline behind him. “Hold on tight and listen,” he whispered. Pipes led the horse over to the left of Dor-ko. Soon the march began, with the cavalry leading and the foot soldiers following. The Grand Army of the Black Knights was on the move, with Dor-ko and Pipes riding at its head. They sound of the march was muted as the horses and soldiers trod on the fresh dirt road that had been methodically carved through the dense forest. The assault on Cliffton had just begun.
After about 15 minutes of marching, Dor-ko turned to Pipes and said, “Is that the smell of smoke that inflames my nostrils?”
Pipes said, “It could be, Lord Dor-ko. Shall we move forward and inspect?”
Dor-ko nodded. He turned behind him and motioned to one of the men behind him. “Hey Diphthong!” he yelled. “We’re moving forward! Keep ‘em marching and in order--we’ll be back shortly.” Then Dor-ko and Pipes urged their horses forward, and they galloped quickly down the road. Within minutes, they were beyond the sight of the advancing army.
After the horses had crested a hill and turned a corner, they came to an abrupt halt. One hundred yards in front of them was a raging fire. Some large trees had been cut down across the road, and they were all ablaze. Flames leapt 20 feet into the air, and smoked billowed up to the sky. Dor-ko was stunned. “What is this?” he asked. Then, with rage rising in his voice, he asked again, “What is this? Who dares defy the advance of our armies?”
Remma then watched as she saw Pipes pull his horse alongside Dorko’s. Quickly grabbing his spear, Pipes thundered at the top of his lungs, “We do!” He then thrust the butt end of his spear into Dor-ko’s gut and knocked him from the horse. He swiftly vaulted himself astride Mudpuddle, leaving Remma atop Spartacus. “Ride toward the flames!” he bellowed. “Now!”
Remma didn’t dare look back. She spurred Spartacus onward, and soon she found herself moving faster than she’d ever moved before. She thought she noticed a couple of arrows flying through the air, but she hardly could worry about them when she was facing a wall of flames. The fire came closer, and Remma was heading straight at it. When she was a mere 10 feet away, she heard Pipes’ voice behind her yell, “Leap!”
Remma then felt herself fly through the air, still planted firmly atop Spartacus. She ducked and closed her eyes as she passed through the raging flames. For the second time in the last hour, she felt sure she was about to die. But while her mind raced, her horse landed on the other side of the log barrier. She quickly collected her wits and looked to her left. Pipes and Mudpuddle were beside her. They had both made the leap, and they had both survived.
But soon she gave up all hope again. For when she looked up, she saw three men clad in black armor only about 50 feet away. They were sitting atop their horses. Two had spears aimed at them, while the one in the middle had an arrow notched and drawn. Their escape, Remmaline could see, was over.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Chapter 31 - The Strange Captor
While Mitch sat unmoving on a hard oak bench with his feet in chains, Remmaline was sleeping peacefully in the corner of Chamber Alpha, high atop Dor-ko’s castle. It was the last bit of calm rest that should would experience for quite awhile.
When we last saw Remmaline, she was staring out her window and observing her brother Andres being dragged into the castle. She’d felt a strange sense of relief, knowing that her brother was also a captive in the castle. She just knew that somehow he’d come and rescue her.
Andres had been a typically annoying big brother when he was younger. He teased relentlessly, he acted like he knew everything, and--if Remmaline screeched loud enough--he’d even put her in a headlock and tell her to be quiet. But as he’d grown older, Andres had become very protective of his younger sister. He could insult her all he wanted, but if he heard somebody else say something mean to her--well, that was another matter. He had given many “knuckle sandwiches” to various boys that had dared to be rude to Remma.
A little while after Remma had seen Andres dragged into the castle, Fred had come back to the room. He had brought a huge pillow and a wool blanket and placed them in the corner of the room. He had said, “Dor-ko usually saves this dumb pillow for his dogs, but I figured you might need something to lay down on tonight. It can get chilly at night, and it’s kind of miserable to just lay on the floor. So here...I cleaned it off as best I could.” The pillow was large enough for Remma’s whole body to lay on. After Fred had laid down the pillow and blanket and started to head back outside, Remma had run over and given him a hug. She’d thought she’d noticed a tear come from the corner of Fred’s right eye as he gave her a quick embrace. But he couldn’t linger, and so he’d left as quickly as he’d arrived.
And so, as darkness descended on the land, Remma had laid down and slept. It was the peaceful rest of a girl who knows that her brother is near and her father won’t rest until she has safely returned. She didn’t know how it would happen, but somehow she knew that it would happen. And as she slept, she readied herself for the adventure that would come her way as the days unfolded.
Little did she know that the adventure would unfold much sooner than she might have thought. It seemed like she’d no sooner laid down her head when crash!, the door to Chamber Alpha burst open. Remmaline heard a high, whiny-sounding voice bellow out, “All right, lady and gentleman! The party is over! It’s time to get moving!”
Remmaline was startled. First, she looked toward the window. It looked dark outside, with just a slight glimmer of light on the horizon. It appeared to be early in the morning. She figured she’d slept a few hours, but not nearly long enough for her tired body to feel rested. She then looked back toward the doorway. Two men were standing there, holding torches. As they placed the torches in holders on the wall, she examined the two men. One was an enormously fat man with a small head and a gross-looking beard. (Remmaline hated beards, by the way. She figured that the worst torture in the world would be to have to kiss a man with a beard.) The other was a slender man with a bald head. The one thing that seemed remarkable about the bald man was his tremendous muscles. They kind of looked like boulders sticking out of his body.
As she stared at the men moving about the room, she tried to recall where she’d seen them before. Then it came to her--those had been the men that had brought Andres into the castle! Remmaline’s heart leaped for joy. She knew that, even though they might be the meanest men in the world, somehow they would lead her to Andres. She braced herself for some short-term misery, but was hopeful that--somehow--she would soon see her brother.
As the men moved about the room, the bald one spoke up. In a deep voice with a slight drawl, the man said, “Hey Chub, did you really need to kick the door in? I’m pretty sure that’s why Fred gave us the keys--so that we could just open the lock and walk in.”
“Mind your own business, Pipes!” replied the fat man. “There’s nothing more intimidating to a prisoner than having scary men like ourselves burst into the room while they’re sleeping! Isn’t that what we’re all about--putting fear into the hearts of our prisoners?”
The bald man named Pipes was not impressed. “Look, Chub, you scared a little girl. Big deal! Anyone can do that. And besides, guess what’s going to happen now? Lord Slumbutter is going to see that a door got broken, and he’s going to get some ripping mad at you!”
This news seemed to sober up the impulsive Chub. He reached down and grabbed the bag of coins that was still sitting at Mitch’s feet. Softening his voice somewhat, he said, “Uh...hey Pipes, uh...if I paid you 10 silver coins, do you think you could come back and fix this thing? I mean, there’s no need for anyone to get in trouble, right?”
Pipes answered, “Look, Chub, do you remember what happened about a month ago? You thought you’d be clever and sneak into Lord Slumbutter’s throne-room. You wanted to sit down on the throne, just so you could feel like what it was to be a king. Well, you did it, and guess what? You and your slender little body ended up smashing the throne to pieces! And I went in and repaired it and saved your skin, and you still haven’t paid me! So look, pal...fix your own dumb doorway. We need to get going.”
Chub put his head down in shame. Clearly he was embarrassed. But after he moped around for a minute or so, he regained his composure and stalked over toward Mitch. He was still sitting, unmoving. on the bench, his leg still in chains. Chub pulled Mitch’s arms behind him and put them in handcuffs. He then undid the leg irons, freeing Mitch to stand up and walk around. “Good morning, Mitch!” Chub spoke with what seemed to be a fake cheerfulness. “I have a special message from Lord Slumbutter! It seems that he, er, regrets his treatment of you. He actually wishes to thank you for your faithful service! He has dispatched me, his devoted and faithful and mighty servant, to escort you and Philip to a place where your devotion will be rewarded more...uh...appropriately.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mitch responded. They were the first words he’d spoken since arriving in Chamber Alpha.
“You’ll see in due time,” Chub’s whiny voice replied. “But trust me--this place is fantastic. And the incredible part about it is that it actually prepares you to serve Lord Slumbutter even further! It is a place that will totally transform you!” Then, dropping his voice somewhat, Chub continued. “They say that, when people come out of this great place of reward, they become immortal. They become so fearsome and mighty that none dare resist them. To be honest, I eagerly await the day when my service will be rewarded in such a way. You are one lucky man!”
“If it’s such a great reward, then why have you kept me in handcuffs?” asked Mitch.
“It’s simple,” said Chub, grabbing Mitch’s arm and leading him toward the door. “Although Lord Slumbutter likes you and wants to give you a great gift, he...well, he doesn’t exactly trust you. So he just wants to make sure that you get to your destination so that you truly experience the wonder of your prize. Don’t worry; it will all become clear soon enough.”
Mitch was too tired to resist Chub’s prodding. As he stepped out the door and into the hallway, he asked one last question. “What is this supposed place of great reward?”
Remma heard Chub’s reply echo through the corridor. “I can’t tell you too much, of course. But the place is called...the mound!” Chub then laughed eerily into the darkness, and he and Mitch walked away.
Pipes then came over to Remma and took her by the hand. Remma was amazed that someone that was so strong could be so gentle. For some reason, it never occurred to her to resist. She just put her hand in his and followed. They walked in silence toward the doorway. Before grabbing a torch, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of bread. Extending it to Remma, he said, “Please take this. You’ll need your strength for the trip to come.” Remma took it gratefully without a word and ate it.
Once Remmaline downed the bread, Pipes again took her by the hand and led her into the hallway. The torch in Pipes’ other hand didn’t help very much; all Remma could see was the floor beneath her. She couldn’t see where she was coming from or where she was going to. So, while she felt a bit uneasy holding the hand of her captor, she realized that she had no choice. If she tried to run away, she’d be instantly lost.
They walked in silence down many hallways and many stairwells. Remma could hear lots of activity going on below her in distant corridors. She could her armor clanking and men grunting. She wondered if perhaps the army was getting ready for battle. The thought made her shudder. Were the black knights getting ready to attack her father? Did her father even know what was going on? Oh, how Remma just wanted to escape and see her father, if only for just an instant, to warn him of the coming danger! But all she could do was follow the giant hulk of a man that was leading her through this dark, smelly castle.
Finally, Pipes released Remma’s hand and stopped walking. He squatted down and looked Remma in the eyes. He asked simply, “Ma’am, do you know how to ride a horse?”
Remma was surprised at the question. This man who could have been so mean treated her with great gentleness and respect. She replied, “Yes, sir. My father...you probably know who my father is...well, he’s been teaching me how to ride since he first saw me about four years ago. It’s a long story, but anyway, yes...I can ride just fine.”
“Okay,” Pipes replied. “Now listen to me. You are in the middle of something really big, and you’re not going to understand everything that you are about see. But you’ve got to trust me. When I tell you to do something, you’ve got to obey, immediately and without question. If you do, everything will be all right. If you don’t...” Pipes’ voice trailed off.
Remmaline answered, “I guess a little girl like me, surrounded by black knights as a captive in a strange castle, doesn’t have much of a choice except to do what I’m told.”
“We always have a choice,” replied Pipes. “I can’t tell you any more. The decision is yours. The fate of both of us rests in your hands. Now let’s go.”
Remmaline’s mind raced as her strange captor took her by her hand and led her onward.
When we last saw Remmaline, she was staring out her window and observing her brother Andres being dragged into the castle. She’d felt a strange sense of relief, knowing that her brother was also a captive in the castle. She just knew that somehow he’d come and rescue her.
Andres had been a typically annoying big brother when he was younger. He teased relentlessly, he acted like he knew everything, and--if Remmaline screeched loud enough--he’d even put her in a headlock and tell her to be quiet. But as he’d grown older, Andres had become very protective of his younger sister. He could insult her all he wanted, but if he heard somebody else say something mean to her--well, that was another matter. He had given many “knuckle sandwiches” to various boys that had dared to be rude to Remma.
A little while after Remma had seen Andres dragged into the castle, Fred had come back to the room. He had brought a huge pillow and a wool blanket and placed them in the corner of the room. He had said, “Dor-ko usually saves this dumb pillow for his dogs, but I figured you might need something to lay down on tonight. It can get chilly at night, and it’s kind of miserable to just lay on the floor. So here...I cleaned it off as best I could.” The pillow was large enough for Remma’s whole body to lay on. After Fred had laid down the pillow and blanket and started to head back outside, Remma had run over and given him a hug. She’d thought she’d noticed a tear come from the corner of Fred’s right eye as he gave her a quick embrace. But he couldn’t linger, and so he’d left as quickly as he’d arrived.
And so, as darkness descended on the land, Remma had laid down and slept. It was the peaceful rest of a girl who knows that her brother is near and her father won’t rest until she has safely returned. She didn’t know how it would happen, but somehow she knew that it would happen. And as she slept, she readied herself for the adventure that would come her way as the days unfolded.
Little did she know that the adventure would unfold much sooner than she might have thought. It seemed like she’d no sooner laid down her head when crash!, the door to Chamber Alpha burst open. Remmaline heard a high, whiny-sounding voice bellow out, “All right, lady and gentleman! The party is over! It’s time to get moving!”
Remmaline was startled. First, she looked toward the window. It looked dark outside, with just a slight glimmer of light on the horizon. It appeared to be early in the morning. She figured she’d slept a few hours, but not nearly long enough for her tired body to feel rested. She then looked back toward the doorway. Two men were standing there, holding torches. As they placed the torches in holders on the wall, she examined the two men. One was an enormously fat man with a small head and a gross-looking beard. (Remmaline hated beards, by the way. She figured that the worst torture in the world would be to have to kiss a man with a beard.) The other was a slender man with a bald head. The one thing that seemed remarkable about the bald man was his tremendous muscles. They kind of looked like boulders sticking out of his body.
As she stared at the men moving about the room, she tried to recall where she’d seen them before. Then it came to her--those had been the men that had brought Andres into the castle! Remmaline’s heart leaped for joy. She knew that, even though they might be the meanest men in the world, somehow they would lead her to Andres. She braced herself for some short-term misery, but was hopeful that--somehow--she would soon see her brother.
As the men moved about the room, the bald one spoke up. In a deep voice with a slight drawl, the man said, “Hey Chub, did you really need to kick the door in? I’m pretty sure that’s why Fred gave us the keys--so that we could just open the lock and walk in.”
“Mind your own business, Pipes!” replied the fat man. “There’s nothing more intimidating to a prisoner than having scary men like ourselves burst into the room while they’re sleeping! Isn’t that what we’re all about--putting fear into the hearts of our prisoners?”
The bald man named Pipes was not impressed. “Look, Chub, you scared a little girl. Big deal! Anyone can do that. And besides, guess what’s going to happen now? Lord Slumbutter is going to see that a door got broken, and he’s going to get some ripping mad at you!”
This news seemed to sober up the impulsive Chub. He reached down and grabbed the bag of coins that was still sitting at Mitch’s feet. Softening his voice somewhat, he said, “Uh...hey Pipes, uh...if I paid you 10 silver coins, do you think you could come back and fix this thing? I mean, there’s no need for anyone to get in trouble, right?”
Pipes answered, “Look, Chub, do you remember what happened about a month ago? You thought you’d be clever and sneak into Lord Slumbutter’s throne-room. You wanted to sit down on the throne, just so you could feel like what it was to be a king. Well, you did it, and guess what? You and your slender little body ended up smashing the throne to pieces! And I went in and repaired it and saved your skin, and you still haven’t paid me! So look, pal...fix your own dumb doorway. We need to get going.”
Chub put his head down in shame. Clearly he was embarrassed. But after he moped around for a minute or so, he regained his composure and stalked over toward Mitch. He was still sitting, unmoving. on the bench, his leg still in chains. Chub pulled Mitch’s arms behind him and put them in handcuffs. He then undid the leg irons, freeing Mitch to stand up and walk around. “Good morning, Mitch!” Chub spoke with what seemed to be a fake cheerfulness. “I have a special message from Lord Slumbutter! It seems that he, er, regrets his treatment of you. He actually wishes to thank you for your faithful service! He has dispatched me, his devoted and faithful and mighty servant, to escort you and Philip to a place where your devotion will be rewarded more...uh...appropriately.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mitch responded. They were the first words he’d spoken since arriving in Chamber Alpha.
“You’ll see in due time,” Chub’s whiny voice replied. “But trust me--this place is fantastic. And the incredible part about it is that it actually prepares you to serve Lord Slumbutter even further! It is a place that will totally transform you!” Then, dropping his voice somewhat, Chub continued. “They say that, when people come out of this great place of reward, they become immortal. They become so fearsome and mighty that none dare resist them. To be honest, I eagerly await the day when my service will be rewarded in such a way. You are one lucky man!”
“If it’s such a great reward, then why have you kept me in handcuffs?” asked Mitch.
“It’s simple,” said Chub, grabbing Mitch’s arm and leading him toward the door. “Although Lord Slumbutter likes you and wants to give you a great gift, he...well, he doesn’t exactly trust you. So he just wants to make sure that you get to your destination so that you truly experience the wonder of your prize. Don’t worry; it will all become clear soon enough.”
Mitch was too tired to resist Chub’s prodding. As he stepped out the door and into the hallway, he asked one last question. “What is this supposed place of great reward?”
Remma heard Chub’s reply echo through the corridor. “I can’t tell you too much, of course. But the place is called...the mound!” Chub then laughed eerily into the darkness, and he and Mitch walked away.
Pipes then came over to Remma and took her by the hand. Remma was amazed that someone that was so strong could be so gentle. For some reason, it never occurred to her to resist. She just put her hand in his and followed. They walked in silence toward the doorway. Before grabbing a torch, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of bread. Extending it to Remma, he said, “Please take this. You’ll need your strength for the trip to come.” Remma took it gratefully without a word and ate it.
Once Remmaline downed the bread, Pipes again took her by the hand and led her into the hallway. The torch in Pipes’ other hand didn’t help very much; all Remma could see was the floor beneath her. She couldn’t see where she was coming from or where she was going to. So, while she felt a bit uneasy holding the hand of her captor, she realized that she had no choice. If she tried to run away, she’d be instantly lost.
They walked in silence down many hallways and many stairwells. Remma could hear lots of activity going on below her in distant corridors. She could her armor clanking and men grunting. She wondered if perhaps the army was getting ready for battle. The thought made her shudder. Were the black knights getting ready to attack her father? Did her father even know what was going on? Oh, how Remma just wanted to escape and see her father, if only for just an instant, to warn him of the coming danger! But all she could do was follow the giant hulk of a man that was leading her through this dark, smelly castle.
Finally, Pipes released Remma’s hand and stopped walking. He squatted down and looked Remma in the eyes. He asked simply, “Ma’am, do you know how to ride a horse?”
Remma was surprised at the question. This man who could have been so mean treated her with great gentleness and respect. She replied, “Yes, sir. My father...you probably know who my father is...well, he’s been teaching me how to ride since he first saw me about four years ago. It’s a long story, but anyway, yes...I can ride just fine.”
“Okay,” Pipes replied. “Now listen to me. You are in the middle of something really big, and you’re not going to understand everything that you are about see. But you’ve got to trust me. When I tell you to do something, you’ve got to obey, immediately and without question. If you do, everything will be all right. If you don’t...” Pipes’ voice trailed off.
Remmaline answered, “I guess a little girl like me, surrounded by black knights as a captive in a strange castle, doesn’t have much of a choice except to do what I’m told.”
“We always have a choice,” replied Pipes. “I can’t tell you any more. The decision is yours. The fate of both of us rests in your hands. Now let’s go.”
Remmaline’s mind raced as her strange captor took her by her hand and led her onward.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Chapter 30 - Meandering through the Dungeon
When we last left Andres, he and Gregorex had just slipped out of their prison cell and were determined to make their escape. Gregorex led the way as they quietly walked down the dark hallway. However, nagging question came into Andres’ head that he just couldn’t answer himself. Impulsively he reached out, grabbed Gregorex’ robe, and asked, “Do you have any idea how to get out of here?”
Gregorex turned and glared at Andres’. Of course, though he tried to look very stern and irritated, it made no difference to Andres, since it was too dark for Andres to see his expression. After a few seconds, Gregorex realized the futility of communicating with his stare. Instead, he whispered in the most sarcastic voice he could muster, “Oh yes, of course I know how to get out of here! I go for walks daily through these lovely hallways. Sometimes Dor-ko invites me up for supper, and we walk hand-in-hand through the castle, and he tells me all of the escape routes that I am welcome to take if I ever want to leave. So yes, of course, I know just where to go!”
Andres just shook his head and muttered, “All right, all right. It was a dumb question.” Then, not wanting to aggravate Gregorex any further, he just remained silent. They continued their stealthy walk down the hallway.
After a few moments, Gregorex reached behind and grabbed Andres, holding him still. It was evident that they were about to reach another hallway that ran perpendicular. As Andres stood and stared, he noticed two things. First, he saw that the crossing hallway was dimly lit; evidently, there were some torches hanging from the walls. This gave him a measure of good cheer, since Andres hated the dark. But the second thing he observed completely canceled out this good cheer. He heard slow footsteps. This meant that someone, probably a guard, was roaming the hallways. Andres feared that their escape would be cut short before it even began.
But Gregorex was not to be deterred. He turned back toward Andres, put his mouth to Andres’ ear, and whispered, “Get down and follow me.” He then pulled Andres down to the floor. The floor was damp and musty, and Andres just knew that a rat was going to run over him at any moment. But when Andres noticed Gregorex crawling forward toward the opening to the cross-hallway, he put his fears aside and followed.
After about five minutes of slow crawling, the hallway came into view. As it turned out, there were actually two guards in the hallway, and they slowly marched back and forth. They appeared to pay no attention at all to the completely dark hallway from which Andres and Gregorex had come. As Andres stared, his eyes adjusted and he could see fairly clearly. The cross-hallway was about 20 yards long. There appeared to be many cells in this hallway, for he could see several locked doors. The guards were of average height, but they were extremely stout. They paced up and down the hallway, with a spear in their left hand while the other hand remained free. The two guards observed a very strange ritual as they marched. They would begin at opposite ends of the hallway, staring at the wall, facing in opposite directions. Then they would do an about-face and begin slowly marching toward each other. Oddly enough, when they met each other at the halfway point, they draw back their fists and slug each other--sometimes in the guts, sometimes in the chest, sometimes in the jaw, and sometimes in the side of the head. But after throwing their one punch, without missing a step and without saying a word, they would continue to march. Once they reached the end of the hallway, they would cough and gag and spit and grumble for a few seconds as they recovered from the blow. Then they would straighten out their garments, do an about face, and repeat the bizarre ritual.
Gregorex and Andres lay on the floor, watching in wonder as they observed the guards march back and forth. Andres moved forward slightly so that he could speak to Gregorex. “How do you suppose we get past these guys?” he whispered into Gregorex’ ear. Andres thought it was a whisper, anyway.
At the sound of Andres’ voice, Gregorex’ entire body lifted about an inch off the floor. He whipped his head around and stared at Andres in shock. Then, grabbing Andres’ head and pulling it by his ear, he said, “Didn’t your mama ever teach you how to whisper? A doggone prisoner smashing rocks with a sledgehammer would make less noise than your confounded whisper!” In his fury, Gregorex didn’t realize that his whisper wasn’t exactly silent, either.
But it didn’t matter. The guards were oblivious to any observers. They just continued to march up and down the hallway, dealing each other brutal blows as they went. They never seemed to tire of it. Andres figured that if you worked in a dungeon, any kind of entertainment--even slugging each other--was better than just sitting and being bored.
After watching the guards for about 15 minutes, Gregorex turned and whispered once more in Andres’ ear. “Stay here and watch,” he said. “I’m moving in.” Andres was too unnerved to say anything. He knew that, at this point, his life rested in Gregorex’ hands. He waited and watched breathlessly.
Gregorex paused for a few more seconds, until the guards met and punched each other in the stomach. Then, as one of the guards passed by in front of him, he silently rose to his feet and followed. Since the other guard was facing the opposite direction, no one (except Andres) even saw him move. He stalked the guard until he reached the end of the hallway. Then, as the guard began to cough and gag, Gregorex slugged him in the side of the head and knocked him to the floor. Thankfully, the other guard was coughing so hard that he never heard what was happening at the other end of the hallway. Gregorex quickly grabbed the guard’s spear and conked him in the head one more time with the butt end of it, just to make sure he was unconscious. Then, at the appointed time, he made an about face and started to march down the hallway.
Gregorex was terrified that the other guard would notice that someone different was marching down the hallway. But he needn’t have worried. The halls were only dimly lit, so it was impossible to see facial features unless you were very close. And not only that, the other guard’s face was pretty well swollen up from all the beatings he had taken. His eyes were so black and blue that he could hardly see, anyway.
After what seemed like an eternity, Gregorex met the other guard at the halfway point. Rather than just stand and take the punch from his adversary, Gregorex stepped to the side to avoid the blow, which was aimed for his chest. Then he quickly stepped back and launched an uppercut at the guard’s jaw. The guard’s feet lifted up off the ground, and he fell flat on his back. Gregorex then took the end of his spear and once again rammed it against his foe’s forehead. The unsuspecting rube quickly descended into unconsciousness.
Andres vaulted to his feet. “You did it, Gregorex!” he exclaimed. “Now let’s get out of here!”
“Not so fast,” Gregorex replied. “Let’s think about this for a minute. Here these guards are, lying on the floor. They have their dumb little uniforms on, while we just look like a couple of prisoners. We ought to change clothes--it’ll help our escape.” Andres nodded his head. He felt bad that he hadn’t thought of it himself.
The guard that lay in the middle of the hallway was the first victim. While Andres held his feet, Gregorex pulled off his robe and put it on himself. Then they went down to the end of the hallway where the other guard lay. While Gregorex pulled off the robe, the guard stirred slightly. Andres felt like jumping out of his skin, but Gregorex remained calm. He whispered to the waking man, “Do you feel all right?”
“I’ve got a bit of a headache,” grumbled the guard, struggling to open his eyes.
“Well, let me help you take care of that,” replied Gregorex. He then punched the guard in the temple. The guard became unconscious once again, and the uniform was promptly removed.
Gregorex helped Andres slide the robe on. It was kind of big, and that drove Andres crazy. He hated clothes that didn’t fit very well. “This thing is too long!” he grumbled. “I’m going to trip on it all the time!”
Gregorex paused and turned to his fellow escapee. “Well excuse me, poor Prince Andres,” he replied. “If you’ll give me just a few moments, I’ll see if I can find the royal tailor to help hem your garments and make them more comfortable. I’d hate for you to have to escape in something that didn’t fit properly. Is there anything else I can get for you while I’m out? Can I get you some tea, perhaps? Would you like sugar in it?”
“Shut up, Gregorex,” Andres mumbled under his breath. Gregorex heard it, but he chose to ignore it. He knew that his message had gotten through.
But now, Gregorex worried about leaving the guards lying in the middle of the floor. “What are we going to do with these guys?” he asked rhetorically. “If we just leave ‘em here, they’ll wake up and chase us down in just a few minutes. And we can’t tie ‘em up, because we don’t have any rope.”
Andres piped up and said, “Oh, Gregorex, why don’t you just wait here while I run to the rope shop!” But before his sarcasm could go too far, another voice emerged from the dungeon. “Just drag them in here!” it said.
“Who said that?” asked Gregorex, peering through the darkness.
“I’m over here!” said the voice from inside one of the cells.
Gregorex walked over to the place where he’d heard the voice. “How am I supposed to put these oafs in there?” he asked. “As far as I can tell, you are locked up!”
“And as far as I can tell, you’ve got the uniform of the prison guards on!” replied the voice. “If you’ll reach into the pockets, you’ll find some keyes. That is how you’ll put those oafs in here.”
Gregorex grimaced as he reached into his pocket and indeed realized that he had the keys to the prison cells. He grabbed one of the keys and inserted it into the lock. “Lucky guess,” he mumbled to himself as he opened the lock. The door opened, and the prisoner gave Gregorex a hug.
Gregorex stepped back and looked over the newly-freed captive. The man was fairly short, but he looked as strong as an ox. His face was covered with hair, and his chest stuck out well beyond his slender stomach. As Andres stared at him, he thought he looked like a miniature upside-down pyramid with a mop lying on top.
“What’s your name?” asked Andres.
“My name is Legs,” replied the prisoner, “ and I can’t thank you enough for getting me out of there.” He then ran to the end of the hallway and started dragging the unconscious guard into the cell. When he completed that task, he ripped off a piece of clothing and wrapped it around the guard’s mouth, making a gag. “We don’t need this knucklehead making any noises when he wakes up,” he said.
Gregorex did the same to the guard that lay in the middle of the hallway. After the two guards were securely gagged and lying in the cell, the three former prisoners stepped out into the hallway and shut and locked the door.
Before they started to walk away, another nagging question had to escape from Andres’ brain. “Excuse me,” he said, “but why in the world is your name ‘Legs’. You’re not exactly, uh...super-duper tall.”
Gregorex groaned. “Didn’t your mama ever teach you that some questions are just too dumb to ask?” he said.
“It’s all right,” replied Legs. “I get asked that question all the time. Well, at least, I used to get asked that question all the time, before I became a miserable prisoner. The reason is because my arms are as big as legs.” He then flexed his muscles. Andres marveled at the man’s biceps. He figured that about five or six of his arms could fit inside of just one of Leg’s arms. The man’s upper arms were the size of tree trunks.
However, before the trio could begin their escape, they heard footsteps off in the distance. The longer they paused, the louder the foosteps became. The prisoners froze. “They are coming right towards us,” muttered Gregorex.
“Yep, but from the sounds of it, there is only one person coming--and there are three of us,” replied Legs. “Wait for my signal. When I yell ‘move!’, that is our signal to attack. And not a moment before. Understand?” Gregorex and Andres just nodded. Legs was taking charge, and the other two were glad to follow.
Moments later, a figure emerged into the hallway. To Andres, the figure looked strangely familiar, though the lighting wasn’t good enough for him to be sure of exactly who it was. After the figure made about two steps in their direction, Legs sprung into action. He leaped to his feet and ran right at the approaching man. But instead of signaling for the others to come forward, he abruptly stopped short and just stared at the figure. Then--much to Andres’ surprise--the two men embraced. He saw the other man hand a bundle and a piece of paper to Legs. Then the man kissed Legs on the forehead, turned around, and quickly disappeared. Before coming back to Gregorex and Andres, Legs ripped open the bundle and put on the clothing that it contained. He then made a motion with his arm to signal Gregorex and Andres to come forward.
When Andres reached Legs, he saw that he now wore a guard’s uniform as well. But just as he started to open his mouth to ask a question, Legs said, “I’ll explain everything later. For now, we’re all dressed as guards and we need to make our way out of here.” He then held up the piece of paper that the mysterious man had handed to him. “Let’s find a torch and take a look at this map,” he said. “We don’t have much time to get out of here! We have a mission to accomplish!”
Gregorex turned and glared at Andres’. Of course, though he tried to look very stern and irritated, it made no difference to Andres, since it was too dark for Andres to see his expression. After a few seconds, Gregorex realized the futility of communicating with his stare. Instead, he whispered in the most sarcastic voice he could muster, “Oh yes, of course I know how to get out of here! I go for walks daily through these lovely hallways. Sometimes Dor-ko invites me up for supper, and we walk hand-in-hand through the castle, and he tells me all of the escape routes that I am welcome to take if I ever want to leave. So yes, of course, I know just where to go!”
Andres just shook his head and muttered, “All right, all right. It was a dumb question.” Then, not wanting to aggravate Gregorex any further, he just remained silent. They continued their stealthy walk down the hallway.
After a few moments, Gregorex reached behind and grabbed Andres, holding him still. It was evident that they were about to reach another hallway that ran perpendicular. As Andres stood and stared, he noticed two things. First, he saw that the crossing hallway was dimly lit; evidently, there were some torches hanging from the walls. This gave him a measure of good cheer, since Andres hated the dark. But the second thing he observed completely canceled out this good cheer. He heard slow footsteps. This meant that someone, probably a guard, was roaming the hallways. Andres feared that their escape would be cut short before it even began.
But Gregorex was not to be deterred. He turned back toward Andres, put his mouth to Andres’ ear, and whispered, “Get down and follow me.” He then pulled Andres down to the floor. The floor was damp and musty, and Andres just knew that a rat was going to run over him at any moment. But when Andres noticed Gregorex crawling forward toward the opening to the cross-hallway, he put his fears aside and followed.
After about five minutes of slow crawling, the hallway came into view. As it turned out, there were actually two guards in the hallway, and they slowly marched back and forth. They appeared to pay no attention at all to the completely dark hallway from which Andres and Gregorex had come. As Andres stared, his eyes adjusted and he could see fairly clearly. The cross-hallway was about 20 yards long. There appeared to be many cells in this hallway, for he could see several locked doors. The guards were of average height, but they were extremely stout. They paced up and down the hallway, with a spear in their left hand while the other hand remained free. The two guards observed a very strange ritual as they marched. They would begin at opposite ends of the hallway, staring at the wall, facing in opposite directions. Then they would do an about-face and begin slowly marching toward each other. Oddly enough, when they met each other at the halfway point, they draw back their fists and slug each other--sometimes in the guts, sometimes in the chest, sometimes in the jaw, and sometimes in the side of the head. But after throwing their one punch, without missing a step and without saying a word, they would continue to march. Once they reached the end of the hallway, they would cough and gag and spit and grumble for a few seconds as they recovered from the blow. Then they would straighten out their garments, do an about face, and repeat the bizarre ritual.
Gregorex and Andres lay on the floor, watching in wonder as they observed the guards march back and forth. Andres moved forward slightly so that he could speak to Gregorex. “How do you suppose we get past these guys?” he whispered into Gregorex’ ear. Andres thought it was a whisper, anyway.
At the sound of Andres’ voice, Gregorex’ entire body lifted about an inch off the floor. He whipped his head around and stared at Andres in shock. Then, grabbing Andres’ head and pulling it by his ear, he said, “Didn’t your mama ever teach you how to whisper? A doggone prisoner smashing rocks with a sledgehammer would make less noise than your confounded whisper!” In his fury, Gregorex didn’t realize that his whisper wasn’t exactly silent, either.
But it didn’t matter. The guards were oblivious to any observers. They just continued to march up and down the hallway, dealing each other brutal blows as they went. They never seemed to tire of it. Andres figured that if you worked in a dungeon, any kind of entertainment--even slugging each other--was better than just sitting and being bored.
After watching the guards for about 15 minutes, Gregorex turned and whispered once more in Andres’ ear. “Stay here and watch,” he said. “I’m moving in.” Andres was too unnerved to say anything. He knew that, at this point, his life rested in Gregorex’ hands. He waited and watched breathlessly.
Gregorex paused for a few more seconds, until the guards met and punched each other in the stomach. Then, as one of the guards passed by in front of him, he silently rose to his feet and followed. Since the other guard was facing the opposite direction, no one (except Andres) even saw him move. He stalked the guard until he reached the end of the hallway. Then, as the guard began to cough and gag, Gregorex slugged him in the side of the head and knocked him to the floor. Thankfully, the other guard was coughing so hard that he never heard what was happening at the other end of the hallway. Gregorex quickly grabbed the guard’s spear and conked him in the head one more time with the butt end of it, just to make sure he was unconscious. Then, at the appointed time, he made an about face and started to march down the hallway.
Gregorex was terrified that the other guard would notice that someone different was marching down the hallway. But he needn’t have worried. The halls were only dimly lit, so it was impossible to see facial features unless you were very close. And not only that, the other guard’s face was pretty well swollen up from all the beatings he had taken. His eyes were so black and blue that he could hardly see, anyway.
After what seemed like an eternity, Gregorex met the other guard at the halfway point. Rather than just stand and take the punch from his adversary, Gregorex stepped to the side to avoid the blow, which was aimed for his chest. Then he quickly stepped back and launched an uppercut at the guard’s jaw. The guard’s feet lifted up off the ground, and he fell flat on his back. Gregorex then took the end of his spear and once again rammed it against his foe’s forehead. The unsuspecting rube quickly descended into unconsciousness.
Andres vaulted to his feet. “You did it, Gregorex!” he exclaimed. “Now let’s get out of here!”
“Not so fast,” Gregorex replied. “Let’s think about this for a minute. Here these guards are, lying on the floor. They have their dumb little uniforms on, while we just look like a couple of prisoners. We ought to change clothes--it’ll help our escape.” Andres nodded his head. He felt bad that he hadn’t thought of it himself.
The guard that lay in the middle of the hallway was the first victim. While Andres held his feet, Gregorex pulled off his robe and put it on himself. Then they went down to the end of the hallway where the other guard lay. While Gregorex pulled off the robe, the guard stirred slightly. Andres felt like jumping out of his skin, but Gregorex remained calm. He whispered to the waking man, “Do you feel all right?”
“I’ve got a bit of a headache,” grumbled the guard, struggling to open his eyes.
“Well, let me help you take care of that,” replied Gregorex. He then punched the guard in the temple. The guard became unconscious once again, and the uniform was promptly removed.
Gregorex helped Andres slide the robe on. It was kind of big, and that drove Andres crazy. He hated clothes that didn’t fit very well. “This thing is too long!” he grumbled. “I’m going to trip on it all the time!”
Gregorex paused and turned to his fellow escapee. “Well excuse me, poor Prince Andres,” he replied. “If you’ll give me just a few moments, I’ll see if I can find the royal tailor to help hem your garments and make them more comfortable. I’d hate for you to have to escape in something that didn’t fit properly. Is there anything else I can get for you while I’m out? Can I get you some tea, perhaps? Would you like sugar in it?”
“Shut up, Gregorex,” Andres mumbled under his breath. Gregorex heard it, but he chose to ignore it. He knew that his message had gotten through.
But now, Gregorex worried about leaving the guards lying in the middle of the floor. “What are we going to do with these guys?” he asked rhetorically. “If we just leave ‘em here, they’ll wake up and chase us down in just a few minutes. And we can’t tie ‘em up, because we don’t have any rope.”
Andres piped up and said, “Oh, Gregorex, why don’t you just wait here while I run to the rope shop!” But before his sarcasm could go too far, another voice emerged from the dungeon. “Just drag them in here!” it said.
“Who said that?” asked Gregorex, peering through the darkness.
“I’m over here!” said the voice from inside one of the cells.
Gregorex walked over to the place where he’d heard the voice. “How am I supposed to put these oafs in there?” he asked. “As far as I can tell, you are locked up!”
“And as far as I can tell, you’ve got the uniform of the prison guards on!” replied the voice. “If you’ll reach into the pockets, you’ll find some keyes. That is how you’ll put those oafs in here.”
Gregorex grimaced as he reached into his pocket and indeed realized that he had the keys to the prison cells. He grabbed one of the keys and inserted it into the lock. “Lucky guess,” he mumbled to himself as he opened the lock. The door opened, and the prisoner gave Gregorex a hug.
Gregorex stepped back and looked over the newly-freed captive. The man was fairly short, but he looked as strong as an ox. His face was covered with hair, and his chest stuck out well beyond his slender stomach. As Andres stared at him, he thought he looked like a miniature upside-down pyramid with a mop lying on top.
“What’s your name?” asked Andres.
“My name is Legs,” replied the prisoner, “ and I can’t thank you enough for getting me out of there.” He then ran to the end of the hallway and started dragging the unconscious guard into the cell. When he completed that task, he ripped off a piece of clothing and wrapped it around the guard’s mouth, making a gag. “We don’t need this knucklehead making any noises when he wakes up,” he said.
Gregorex did the same to the guard that lay in the middle of the hallway. After the two guards were securely gagged and lying in the cell, the three former prisoners stepped out into the hallway and shut and locked the door.
Before they started to walk away, another nagging question had to escape from Andres’ brain. “Excuse me,” he said, “but why in the world is your name ‘Legs’. You’re not exactly, uh...super-duper tall.”
Gregorex groaned. “Didn’t your mama ever teach you that some questions are just too dumb to ask?” he said.
“It’s all right,” replied Legs. “I get asked that question all the time. Well, at least, I used to get asked that question all the time, before I became a miserable prisoner. The reason is because my arms are as big as legs.” He then flexed his muscles. Andres marveled at the man’s biceps. He figured that about five or six of his arms could fit inside of just one of Leg’s arms. The man’s upper arms were the size of tree trunks.
However, before the trio could begin their escape, they heard footsteps off in the distance. The longer they paused, the louder the foosteps became. The prisoners froze. “They are coming right towards us,” muttered Gregorex.
“Yep, but from the sounds of it, there is only one person coming--and there are three of us,” replied Legs. “Wait for my signal. When I yell ‘move!’, that is our signal to attack. And not a moment before. Understand?” Gregorex and Andres just nodded. Legs was taking charge, and the other two were glad to follow.
Moments later, a figure emerged into the hallway. To Andres, the figure looked strangely familiar, though the lighting wasn’t good enough for him to be sure of exactly who it was. After the figure made about two steps in their direction, Legs sprung into action. He leaped to his feet and ran right at the approaching man. But instead of signaling for the others to come forward, he abruptly stopped short and just stared at the figure. Then--much to Andres’ surprise--the two men embraced. He saw the other man hand a bundle and a piece of paper to Legs. Then the man kissed Legs on the forehead, turned around, and quickly disappeared. Before coming back to Gregorex and Andres, Legs ripped open the bundle and put on the clothing that it contained. He then made a motion with his arm to signal Gregorex and Andres to come forward.
When Andres reached Legs, he saw that he now wore a guard’s uniform as well. But just as he started to open his mouth to ask a question, Legs said, “I’ll explain everything later. For now, we’re all dressed as guards and we need to make our way out of here.” He then held up the piece of paper that the mysterious man had handed to him. “Let’s find a torch and take a look at this map,” he said. “We don’t have much time to get out of here! We have a mission to accomplish!”
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Chapter 29 - A Re-Discovery
Cable was agitated. His mother was scolding him for not washing his face. She was saying, “Cable, you’re a teenager now, and it’s important for teens to have good hygiene.” Cable knew this to be true, but he was feeling kind of rebellious and just didn’t feel like washing. As he stubbornly refused to wash, he felt someone come and grab him from behind. Unable to move his hands and get free, he turned his head and saw what he dreaded most--one of the fearsome hooded creatures that had grabbed him earlier and tried to throw him into the smoking mound! He struggled to get free but was helpless. Then he turned and saw his mother approach him with a big, furry cloth. The fur was rough, and she rubbed his face with it. Cable couldn’t believe it. Why was she washing his face with a dry cloth? It just didn’t make sense! He tried to get free and couldn’t and he yelled at the top of his lungs, “Hellllllppp!”
And then he woke up.
As he opened as eyes and collected himself, he saw Doofus standing over him, rubbing his face all over Cable’s. He was the “furry washcloth” of his dream. Well, that was a relief. Doofus had pulled the last shift, and he was waking everybody up to prepare for the new day’s journey. After rubbing Cable’s face, Doofus walked over to Jimbo and laid his 500-pound body on top of Jimbo’s belly. It didn’t take long for Jimbo sit up and bellow out, “Help! I can’t breathe! I’m gonna die!” Then Doofus got up off his belly and gave Jimbo a pig-kiss, right on the lips. Jimbo, who seemed used to the ritual, gave Doofus a hug and said, “There just ain’t no better way to start a day than with an alarm clock that makes you nearly suffocate. Thanks, pal!” Cable could only shake his head.
Within 10 minutes or so, the crew had gathered their gear and their wits and were ready to strike off. “Lead the way, Doofus!” declared Jimbo. But the wild boar didn’t budge. He just stared up at Jim, grunting and wiggling his head around a bit. Jimbo took the hint. “So, you need a little treat to get you started, eh?” he asked. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small slab of dried meat. “Here you go, champ. Now get moving!” He tossed it into the air, and somehow Doofus leaped up and snatched it in mid-air. Seemingly energized by this meager morsel, Doofus boldly began tearing his way through the dense forest. Jimbo and Cable followed, slashing their way through with their swords. Jimbo turned to Cable and whispered, “That little piece of meat I tossed to him came from his deceased brother’s big rump. I guess it did the trick, eh? I think Doofus’ brother has been a whole lot kinder to him in death than he ever was in his life. But Herc...that’s just between you and me.”
Shortly after the trio resumed their journey, Jimbo abruptly stopped and stuck his nose in the air. Doofus, hearing his master’s footsteps comes to a halt, turned around and likewise stuck his snout upward. Neither of them made a noise; they just pondered and sniffed. Cable wanted to ask what was going on, but he didn’t dare pierce the silence. Finally Jimbo turned to Doofus and said, “Did you recognize that smell, old boy?” Doofus shook his head and snorted. Then he headed back into the woods and started blazing their trail once again.
“What was that all about?” a curious Cable asked at last.
“Herc, we people that live in the woods learn to live a lot by smell,” Jimbo replied, pointing to his nose and inhaling once again. “You’ve got to trust your sniffer, you see; sometimes it’s a matter of life or death. Back there, a faint but horrible smell came floating through the air. It’s a smell that’s come to me nostrils one other time. It was the smell of our camp, burning to the ground. Those rascally creatures probably discovered it at last and figured they’d try their hand at destroying us. But we were too quick for ‘em, Herc! We took off, just like the note said. And so I guess we just keep going. No sense to go back now, eh?”
Cable shuddered. The thought of being pursued by the silent murderers was hard for his 14-year-old mind to absorb. “So tell me, Jimbo,” he said after digesting the idea that his life was in jeopardy. “What is the secret to dealing with those creatures?”
“I wish I could tell you, mate,” replied Jimbo. “They’ve been after me for many years. Whenever I see them, I’m just filled with fear. It’s like my mind can only think of two things--run away or surrender. Now I fancy myself to be a pretty brave chap, and there’s not much that I run away from. But those guys--well, I just can’t take it. If I never ever saw one again in my life, I’d consider myself a lucky boy.”
Cable was somewhat puzzled by the response. “But Jimbo,” he asked, “remember when I was about to get tossed into the mound? You didn’t run away then. You actually shot your arrow and set me free.”
“Yes, mate, that’s true,” Jimbo responded. “But that was different. That time, the critters were chasing you. I’d noticed them following you for quite awhile, and so I just kind of trailed behind and watched what was going on. The truth is, I should have grabbed you a long time before they ever got to you...but I was too afraid. So I just waited till you were just about to be plunged into the fearsome door. Then my shame overtook my fear and I let the arrow fly and I chased you over the cliff. Herc--it kills me to say it, being the manly-man that I am, but the truth is, I’m sorry it took me so long to save you.”
Cable meditated on this revelation for a moment. This was a habit of Cable’s--he often didn’t reply right away. Sometimes he just needed to think. Some people interpreted it as rudeness, but really it just took his mind awhile to process new information. Finally he clapped his hands and said, “Jimbo, that’s it! That’s the secret!”
“What are you talking about, mate?” asked Jimbo.
“The secret to dealing with those creatures is to attack! When they come after you, and all you want to do is give up, what you really need to do is attack! That’s what you did--you let the arrow fly and went on the offense, and we got away. You finally said, ‘You guys can’t just have your way!’ If we ever see them again, Jimbo, that’s what we’ve got to do--no matter what our brain tells us that we ought to do. We’ve got to fight back!”
“You’re probably right there, Herc. Of course, it’s easier said than done. I hope we never have to test your theory. But it’s probably a good one.”
With that, the journey through the dense forest continued. It was slow going and laborious. The threesome made their way through the forest, but there were no landmarks for any of them to see. They’d moved away from the river, so the noise of flowing water wasn’t there to help orient them. To Cable, it seemed like they were just getting further and further from somewhere, and closer and closer to nowhere at all.
After what must have been about 4 hours or so, Doofus came to a halt. He looked back at Jimbo and nodded his head, as though summoning him forward. Jimbo moved ahead to where Doofus stood. After looking around, he said, “Good news, Herc! We’ve come across a trail of some sort!” Cable stepped forward and looked as well. Sure enough, a faint path lay in front of them, going from left to right. Cable was skeptical that the path would get them any closer to their destination, but he was glad for the chance to put his sword away and just walk. So, without a word, he followed Jimbo and Doofus as they headed off to the right.
As they walked, Jimbo said, “Hey Herc, do you remember that song about Rachel that I sang yesterday?”
“Uhhh...sure, Jimbo,” Cable replied. “How could I forget it? You sang it about ninety-three times. And each time, the tune was a little different. It was very...memorable.”
“Well, it just so happens that I am a bit of a poet, in case you hadn’t figured that out,” said Jimbo. “That’s why the message that we received yesterday sticks out in my head so much. The man made rhymes, and I’ve got to admit they were downright clever. They were almost as clever as me own, I’d say. Hey, let me tell you another of my poems.” Before Cable could interrupt, Jimbo began singing out the following:
After completing his recital, Jimbo again blew a kiss into the air and said, “That’s for you, girl.” Cable shook his head and bit his lip. He was afraid to say anything. He didn’t want to encourage him (lest he hear more such horrible poems), but he didn’t want to discourage him either (lest he get upset, which is never a good thing when you’re out in the woods).
Less than an hour after they had made the turn onto the path, Doofus paused again. Jimbo declared, “By gum, we’ve come to another trail! What luck!”
But as Cable looked around, he recognized something familiar about his surroundings. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was as though the woods were so thick, they seemed to cloud his thinking somewhat. But while Jimbo was summoning him on, Cable stubbornly refused to move. Finally he blurted out, “Jimbo, we’re just going in circles!”
“What do you mean, mate?” asked Jimbo. “Do you mean to say that Doofus isn’t doing his job?”
“Look, I don’t mean to insult Doofus,” replied Cable. “But back a ways, when we came to the ‘path’, we really were just looping around to the trail that we’d slashed through earlier. And by following that ‘path’, all we did was retrace our steps back to the same crossing. We’re not getting anywhere, Jimbo! We’re lost!”
Jimbo squeezed his chin and pondered a moment. He turned to Doofus and scratched his neck for a moment. Squatting down and staring his pet boar in the eyes, he asked, “Is that right, Doofus? Are we lost?” Doofus nodded his head, then buried his face in the dirt. Clearly he was ashamed.
Jimbo patted his dear friend. “Hey, mate, don’t you worry. It’s my fault, really.” Then, turning to Cable, Jimbo said, “You see, usually I just tell Doofus to blaze a trail, and he takes off by himself. Once he finds his destination and makes a path, he comes back and gets me. But this time, we just started following him. I think it put too much pressure on the poor boy.”
Then, turning back to Doofus, Jimbo asked, “Is that right, champ?” Doofus pulled his head out of the dirt and nodded.
“Well, that settles it, then,” Jimbo declared. “Doofus, you take off and find us a path to the mound with the fearsome doors. We’ll wait for you right here. When you’ve found it and when you made the path, come and get us. Does that sound okay?”
Doofus acted like a giddy little puppy. He chased his tail and ran around in circles a couple of times and then rubbed up against Jimbo’s leg. After Jimbo petted him one last time, Doofus tore off into the woods. For a few moments, Cable could hear crackling twigs and busted branches as the beast gracelessly meandered his way through the thick forest. But soon the sounds faded away, and silence reigned once again.
Cable turned to Jimbo and asked, “Now what do we do?”
Jimbo smiled and replied, “Now we get to do my favorite thing. We get to just wait. Just relax, Herc. Doofus will get back here eventually, and we’ll be on our way. But until then, just kick back and enjoy life in the forest.” Jimbo then made a little mound of dirt into a makeshift pillow, laid down, and closed his eyes.
Desperate for answers before his friend drifted off to sleep, Cable piped up again. “What do you mean, wait?” he asked. “We’ve got to be on our way, like the note says! We’ve got to get moving! We can’t just...just...just sit around and do nothing!”
Without opening his eyes, Jimbo calmly replied, “Actually, Cable, that’s exactly what we can do. You see, mate, we did what the note commanded. We started to make our way to the mound. You were right to say that we should leave right away, and that decision may have saved our little lives. But there’s nothing else we can do right now. If we keep moving, we just keep getting more and more lost. Moving is a great idea if you know where you’re going. But let’s face it--we have no idea where we’re going. So we need to wait till our path is made more clear.
“Believe me, Herc, I’ve spent many years in the woods. Life out here has taught me that you can’t always be in a hurry. There are some things you can control, and some things you can't. When you run into a situation that you can't control, you've just got to wait. Hurrying will only make it worse. It's like hunting for a prize stag. If the stag runs right by me and leaves a trail, then it makes sense for me to chase after him with everything I've got. But once I lose his trail, it doesn't do me any good to keep running and chasing, because running without any clear direction will probably lead me further from the stag. And it'll probably get me lost. The best thing to do is wait for the next opportunity to come 'round.”
Cable pondered this wisdom from his strange companion. Cable felt an urgency to keep moving, but he had to admit that urgency without direction probably didn't get him any closer to his goal. So he sat down next to Jimbo and just stared up at the canopy of the woods. Within a few seconds, a chilling thought came to his mind. “Jimbo—what if those creatures chase us down? They've already burned down your teepee. What's to stop them from chasing us down and killing us right here?”
“No worries, old mate,” Jimbo answered. “You see, those creatures are evil. But there is one thing about evil that most people don't realize: evil is lazy. Evil just sort of wanders around and waits for victims to just sort of crumble into its path. Those abominable creatures are too lazy to weave through the woods. They always stick to the easy places, like a road or a wide path or the river. If we get to those places, that's where we'll need to be alert. But as long as we stay off the beaten path, we'll be safe. Trust me on that.”
Cable was conflicted. He felt he ought to be scared, but he also knew that Jimbo was probably right. So he laid down and just stared. His body rested, but his mind raced. And once Jimbo drifted off and started to snore, Cable knew that getting to sleep was hopeless. Cable hadn't napped since he was about 4 years old, and he wasn't about to begin now. So he got up and paced around.
After about an hour of doing laps around Jimbo, Cable had had enough. He couldn’t just stay there while some pet wild boar went traipsing through the woods, perhaps never to return! So Cable looked down at Jimbo, whispered good-bye, found the start of the trail that Doofus had started to blaze, and started to run into the woods.
Cable ran a grand total of about two yards. Then he abruptly tripped, fell on his face, and nearly went unconscious.
After he collected his wits, Cable--still lying on the ground--turned around and looked behind him. Sitting on the ground, in the middle of the path that he’d just tried to follow, was a fuzzy creature of some sort. The creature’s presence startled Cable, and he was paralyzed for a moment. But as Cable continued the stare, the creature never moved. Cable noticed that the creature was actually facing the opposite direction, back toward the small clearing where Jimbo was laying asleep. The creature didn’t move.
It didn’t take Cable long to realize just what this creature was. It was an owl. In fact, it was the owl--the one that had guided him and Andres on their journey to find Prince Dorian some four years earlier. But this time, the owl didn’t look at him at all. It just stared back toward Jimbo. It was as though the owl knew that Cable was there, but was determined not to pay any attention to him at all.
Cable realized now that, if he wished, he could continue following the trail that Doofus had started to create. The owl would not chase him, nor would he stand in his way. But Cable just couldn’t go on. A brief wave of guilt came over him. He’d ignored Jimbo’s counsel to be patient and wait, and he had even noticed the owl that had attempted to block his path. Feeling somewhat chastised, Cable tiptoed around the owl and went back next to Jimbo. As he laid down, he looked back toward the path.
The owl was gone. Cable drifted off to sleep, relaxed in the realization that he’d made the right decision.
For the next four days, Jimbo and Cable got to know each other very well. Cable got to tell Jimbo about the ten years that he spent living in the village of Corrin--the village that Jimbo had once tried to destroy. He told him about his stepfather Torey, the man who cared for him and his brother Andres while their true father, King Maximilian, was in exile. He told Jimbo that his very first memory was of seeing his father nearly die before summoning the strength to fight on against a stranger--a stranger that, as we now know, happened to be Jimbo. Jimbo marveled as the story unfolded.
While the two adventurers talked, they fished and hunted and built themselves a shelter. They ate their fill of hedgehog, of rabbit, of grouse, and of anything else that happened to wander within a bowshot of the deadly-accurate Jimbo. Every evening was the scene of a roaring campfire that roasted the day’s catch. Cable loved it. Though he’d always enjoyed Skittlechip’s cooking, there was something about eating in the wild that made the food taste richer.
But as time wore on, Cable began to feel restless again. Even Jimbo began to get worried. “Ol’ Doofus usually isn’t gone this long,” he kept muttering to himself. Finally, just after dawn on the fifth day, a crashing and crunching sound was heard. As Jimbo and Cable turned toward the sound, Doofus launched himself back into the campsite. He immediately ran toward Jimbo and jumped on his master. Jimbo fell to the ground and rolled around and wrestled his furry companion. Jimbo covered him with pats on the back and kisses on the cheek. Cable had never seen such joy on his new friend’s face. It was like a father being reunited with a long-lost son.
After the friendly wrestling match was complete, Jimbo stood up and looked sternly at Doofus. “Now tell me, mate, what has taken you so long?” Doofus seemed to wither under Jimbo’s stare. He looked down at the ground and uttered a brief grunt.
“Doofus?” Jimbo said again. “I expect an answer. Where have you been?”
After another brief pause, Doofus spit two things out of his mouth. Jimbo stooped down and grabbed them. One was a rabbit’s foot, and one was a piece of black cloth. Jimbo stared at them, as though putting together a mental puzzle. Then he stood up and said to Doofus, “I think I’ve got it, ol’ chap. Let me see if I’ve got this right. The rabbit’s foot is, obviously, from a rabbit, which you had to chase down and kill because you were hungry.”
Doofus nodded. Cable could have sworn he actually smiled a bit.
“Good,” Jimbo continued. “Cable and I have pretty much eaten everything, so we don’t have anything to give you anyway. So I’m glad you’re full. As for the piece of black cloth--well, my guess is that you ran into those miserable creatures that keep stalking us, and you’ve ripped into them just a bit. Am I right?”
Once again, Doofus nodded. He then walked over to Jimbo and rubbed against his leg. Jimbo petted him and declared, “Good boy, Doofus. You are one brave bloke. I don’t know how you dared to get close to them. You are fearless (feeeeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrrlessssss), old friend. I’m proud that you’re my pet.”
Then, turning to Cable, he declared, “Let’s get going, mate. The trail has been discovered. It’s time for us to go.” Quickly, Jimbo and Cable gathered together their weapons, struck camp, and headed out.
As the trio wound through the woods, the sound of running water started to come back to their ears. “Are you taking us back toward the river?” asked Jimbo. Doofus stopped, turned back, looked and Jimbo, and uttered a low, guttural growl. Jimbo was chastised. “Sorry, old boy,” he said. “You go ahead, fearless leader. I’ll tell Cable to stop asking questions and just follow!” Jimbo turned around and gave Cable a wink.
Finally, the river came into view. Doofus ran ahead and planted himself at the river bank. He then looked upstream and downstream, as though looking for something. “What’s he doing?” asked Cable.
“He knows that the fearsome creatures like to stay by the water,” Jimbo replied. “He’s standing guard for us, Herc. He’s the bravest beast that I’ve ever met.”
The water was fairly shallow but rushing quite rapidly at this point in the river. Jimbo waded out into the water and stooped down to get a drink. As he did so, a metallic sound came to his ears. He stood and looked upriver. “Hey Herc, look!” he said, pointing toward the sound.
As Cable looked, he saw an object tumbling down the river. A thought then crept into his head. He ran upstream, tripping and falling a couple of times as he did so. But at last he reached the object and plunged his hand into the whitewater to grab it.
He held it up to the sun. Though it had obviously been treated roughly as it tumbled down the river, it was the most brilliant object that he had ever seen. He almost felt like kneeling as he held it in his hands.
It was a trumpet.
And then he woke up.
As he opened as eyes and collected himself, he saw Doofus standing over him, rubbing his face all over Cable’s. He was the “furry washcloth” of his dream. Well, that was a relief. Doofus had pulled the last shift, and he was waking everybody up to prepare for the new day’s journey. After rubbing Cable’s face, Doofus walked over to Jimbo and laid his 500-pound body on top of Jimbo’s belly. It didn’t take long for Jimbo sit up and bellow out, “Help! I can’t breathe! I’m gonna die!” Then Doofus got up off his belly and gave Jimbo a pig-kiss, right on the lips. Jimbo, who seemed used to the ritual, gave Doofus a hug and said, “There just ain’t no better way to start a day than with an alarm clock that makes you nearly suffocate. Thanks, pal!” Cable could only shake his head.
Within 10 minutes or so, the crew had gathered their gear and their wits and were ready to strike off. “Lead the way, Doofus!” declared Jimbo. But the wild boar didn’t budge. He just stared up at Jim, grunting and wiggling his head around a bit. Jimbo took the hint. “So, you need a little treat to get you started, eh?” he asked. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small slab of dried meat. “Here you go, champ. Now get moving!” He tossed it into the air, and somehow Doofus leaped up and snatched it in mid-air. Seemingly energized by this meager morsel, Doofus boldly began tearing his way through the dense forest. Jimbo and Cable followed, slashing their way through with their swords. Jimbo turned to Cable and whispered, “That little piece of meat I tossed to him came from his deceased brother’s big rump. I guess it did the trick, eh? I think Doofus’ brother has been a whole lot kinder to him in death than he ever was in his life. But Herc...that’s just between you and me.”
Shortly after the trio resumed their journey, Jimbo abruptly stopped and stuck his nose in the air. Doofus, hearing his master’s footsteps comes to a halt, turned around and likewise stuck his snout upward. Neither of them made a noise; they just pondered and sniffed. Cable wanted to ask what was going on, but he didn’t dare pierce the silence. Finally Jimbo turned to Doofus and said, “Did you recognize that smell, old boy?” Doofus shook his head and snorted. Then he headed back into the woods and started blazing their trail once again.
“What was that all about?” a curious Cable asked at last.
“Herc, we people that live in the woods learn to live a lot by smell,” Jimbo replied, pointing to his nose and inhaling once again. “You’ve got to trust your sniffer, you see; sometimes it’s a matter of life or death. Back there, a faint but horrible smell came floating through the air. It’s a smell that’s come to me nostrils one other time. It was the smell of our camp, burning to the ground. Those rascally creatures probably discovered it at last and figured they’d try their hand at destroying us. But we were too quick for ‘em, Herc! We took off, just like the note said. And so I guess we just keep going. No sense to go back now, eh?”
Cable shuddered. The thought of being pursued by the silent murderers was hard for his 14-year-old mind to absorb. “So tell me, Jimbo,” he said after digesting the idea that his life was in jeopardy. “What is the secret to dealing with those creatures?”
“I wish I could tell you, mate,” replied Jimbo. “They’ve been after me for many years. Whenever I see them, I’m just filled with fear. It’s like my mind can only think of two things--run away or surrender. Now I fancy myself to be a pretty brave chap, and there’s not much that I run away from. But those guys--well, I just can’t take it. If I never ever saw one again in my life, I’d consider myself a lucky boy.”
Cable was somewhat puzzled by the response. “But Jimbo,” he asked, “remember when I was about to get tossed into the mound? You didn’t run away then. You actually shot your arrow and set me free.”
“Yes, mate, that’s true,” Jimbo responded. “But that was different. That time, the critters were chasing you. I’d noticed them following you for quite awhile, and so I just kind of trailed behind and watched what was going on. The truth is, I should have grabbed you a long time before they ever got to you...but I was too afraid. So I just waited till you were just about to be plunged into the fearsome door. Then my shame overtook my fear and I let the arrow fly and I chased you over the cliff. Herc--it kills me to say it, being the manly-man that I am, but the truth is, I’m sorry it took me so long to save you.”
Cable meditated on this revelation for a moment. This was a habit of Cable’s--he often didn’t reply right away. Sometimes he just needed to think. Some people interpreted it as rudeness, but really it just took his mind awhile to process new information. Finally he clapped his hands and said, “Jimbo, that’s it! That’s the secret!”
“What are you talking about, mate?” asked Jimbo.
“The secret to dealing with those creatures is to attack! When they come after you, and all you want to do is give up, what you really need to do is attack! That’s what you did--you let the arrow fly and went on the offense, and we got away. You finally said, ‘You guys can’t just have your way!’ If we ever see them again, Jimbo, that’s what we’ve got to do--no matter what our brain tells us that we ought to do. We’ve got to fight back!”
“You’re probably right there, Herc. Of course, it’s easier said than done. I hope we never have to test your theory. But it’s probably a good one.”
With that, the journey through the dense forest continued. It was slow going and laborious. The threesome made their way through the forest, but there were no landmarks for any of them to see. They’d moved away from the river, so the noise of flowing water wasn’t there to help orient them. To Cable, it seemed like they were just getting further and further from somewhere, and closer and closer to nowhere at all.
After what must have been about 4 hours or so, Doofus came to a halt. He looked back at Jimbo and nodded his head, as though summoning him forward. Jimbo moved ahead to where Doofus stood. After looking around, he said, “Good news, Herc! We’ve come across a trail of some sort!” Cable stepped forward and looked as well. Sure enough, a faint path lay in front of them, going from left to right. Cable was skeptical that the path would get them any closer to their destination, but he was glad for the chance to put his sword away and just walk. So, without a word, he followed Jimbo and Doofus as they headed off to the right.
As they walked, Jimbo said, “Hey Herc, do you remember that song about Rachel that I sang yesterday?”
“Uhhh...sure, Jimbo,” Cable replied. “How could I forget it? You sang it about ninety-three times. And each time, the tune was a little different. It was very...memorable.”
“Well, it just so happens that I am a bit of a poet, in case you hadn’t figured that out,” said Jimbo. “That’s why the message that we received yesterday sticks out in my head so much. The man made rhymes, and I’ve got to admit they were downright clever. They were almost as clever as me own, I’d say. Hey, let me tell you another of my poems.” Before Cable could interrupt, Jimbo began singing out the following:
A guy once tried to make a limerick
But he couldn’t, because he was a dimwit
So he made a dumb poem
That made everyone moan
And say, “Jimbo, you don’t know a lick.”
After completing his recital, Jimbo again blew a kiss into the air and said, “That’s for you, girl.” Cable shook his head and bit his lip. He was afraid to say anything. He didn’t want to encourage him (lest he hear more such horrible poems), but he didn’t want to discourage him either (lest he get upset, which is never a good thing when you’re out in the woods).
Less than an hour after they had made the turn onto the path, Doofus paused again. Jimbo declared, “By gum, we’ve come to another trail! What luck!”
But as Cable looked around, he recognized something familiar about his surroundings. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was as though the woods were so thick, they seemed to cloud his thinking somewhat. But while Jimbo was summoning him on, Cable stubbornly refused to move. Finally he blurted out, “Jimbo, we’re just going in circles!”
“What do you mean, mate?” asked Jimbo. “Do you mean to say that Doofus isn’t doing his job?”
“Look, I don’t mean to insult Doofus,” replied Cable. “But back a ways, when we came to the ‘path’, we really were just looping around to the trail that we’d slashed through earlier. And by following that ‘path’, all we did was retrace our steps back to the same crossing. We’re not getting anywhere, Jimbo! We’re lost!”
Jimbo squeezed his chin and pondered a moment. He turned to Doofus and scratched his neck for a moment. Squatting down and staring his pet boar in the eyes, he asked, “Is that right, Doofus? Are we lost?” Doofus nodded his head, then buried his face in the dirt. Clearly he was ashamed.
Jimbo patted his dear friend. “Hey, mate, don’t you worry. It’s my fault, really.” Then, turning to Cable, Jimbo said, “You see, usually I just tell Doofus to blaze a trail, and he takes off by himself. Once he finds his destination and makes a path, he comes back and gets me. But this time, we just started following him. I think it put too much pressure on the poor boy.”
Then, turning back to Doofus, Jimbo asked, “Is that right, champ?” Doofus pulled his head out of the dirt and nodded.
“Well, that settles it, then,” Jimbo declared. “Doofus, you take off and find us a path to the mound with the fearsome doors. We’ll wait for you right here. When you’ve found it and when you made the path, come and get us. Does that sound okay?”
Doofus acted like a giddy little puppy. He chased his tail and ran around in circles a couple of times and then rubbed up against Jimbo’s leg. After Jimbo petted him one last time, Doofus tore off into the woods. For a few moments, Cable could hear crackling twigs and busted branches as the beast gracelessly meandered his way through the thick forest. But soon the sounds faded away, and silence reigned once again.
Cable turned to Jimbo and asked, “Now what do we do?”
Jimbo smiled and replied, “Now we get to do my favorite thing. We get to just wait. Just relax, Herc. Doofus will get back here eventually, and we’ll be on our way. But until then, just kick back and enjoy life in the forest.” Jimbo then made a little mound of dirt into a makeshift pillow, laid down, and closed his eyes.
Desperate for answers before his friend drifted off to sleep, Cable piped up again. “What do you mean, wait?” he asked. “We’ve got to be on our way, like the note says! We’ve got to get moving! We can’t just...just...just sit around and do nothing!”
Without opening his eyes, Jimbo calmly replied, “Actually, Cable, that’s exactly what we can do. You see, mate, we did what the note commanded. We started to make our way to the mound. You were right to say that we should leave right away, and that decision may have saved our little lives. But there’s nothing else we can do right now. If we keep moving, we just keep getting more and more lost. Moving is a great idea if you know where you’re going. But let’s face it--we have no idea where we’re going. So we need to wait till our path is made more clear.
“Believe me, Herc, I’ve spent many years in the woods. Life out here has taught me that you can’t always be in a hurry. There are some things you can control, and some things you can't. When you run into a situation that you can't control, you've just got to wait. Hurrying will only make it worse. It's like hunting for a prize stag. If the stag runs right by me and leaves a trail, then it makes sense for me to chase after him with everything I've got. But once I lose his trail, it doesn't do me any good to keep running and chasing, because running without any clear direction will probably lead me further from the stag. And it'll probably get me lost. The best thing to do is wait for the next opportunity to come 'round.”
Cable pondered this wisdom from his strange companion. Cable felt an urgency to keep moving, but he had to admit that urgency without direction probably didn't get him any closer to his goal. So he sat down next to Jimbo and just stared up at the canopy of the woods. Within a few seconds, a chilling thought came to his mind. “Jimbo—what if those creatures chase us down? They've already burned down your teepee. What's to stop them from chasing us down and killing us right here?”
“No worries, old mate,” Jimbo answered. “You see, those creatures are evil. But there is one thing about evil that most people don't realize: evil is lazy. Evil just sort of wanders around and waits for victims to just sort of crumble into its path. Those abominable creatures are too lazy to weave through the woods. They always stick to the easy places, like a road or a wide path or the river. If we get to those places, that's where we'll need to be alert. But as long as we stay off the beaten path, we'll be safe. Trust me on that.”
Cable was conflicted. He felt he ought to be scared, but he also knew that Jimbo was probably right. So he laid down and just stared. His body rested, but his mind raced. And once Jimbo drifted off and started to snore, Cable knew that getting to sleep was hopeless. Cable hadn't napped since he was about 4 years old, and he wasn't about to begin now. So he got up and paced around.
After about an hour of doing laps around Jimbo, Cable had had enough. He couldn’t just stay there while some pet wild boar went traipsing through the woods, perhaps never to return! So Cable looked down at Jimbo, whispered good-bye, found the start of the trail that Doofus had started to blaze, and started to run into the woods.
Cable ran a grand total of about two yards. Then he abruptly tripped, fell on his face, and nearly went unconscious.
After he collected his wits, Cable--still lying on the ground--turned around and looked behind him. Sitting on the ground, in the middle of the path that he’d just tried to follow, was a fuzzy creature of some sort. The creature’s presence startled Cable, and he was paralyzed for a moment. But as Cable continued the stare, the creature never moved. Cable noticed that the creature was actually facing the opposite direction, back toward the small clearing where Jimbo was laying asleep. The creature didn’t move.
It didn’t take Cable long to realize just what this creature was. It was an owl. In fact, it was the owl--the one that had guided him and Andres on their journey to find Prince Dorian some four years earlier. But this time, the owl didn’t look at him at all. It just stared back toward Jimbo. It was as though the owl knew that Cable was there, but was determined not to pay any attention to him at all.
Cable realized now that, if he wished, he could continue following the trail that Doofus had started to create. The owl would not chase him, nor would he stand in his way. But Cable just couldn’t go on. A brief wave of guilt came over him. He’d ignored Jimbo’s counsel to be patient and wait, and he had even noticed the owl that had attempted to block his path. Feeling somewhat chastised, Cable tiptoed around the owl and went back next to Jimbo. As he laid down, he looked back toward the path.
The owl was gone. Cable drifted off to sleep, relaxed in the realization that he’d made the right decision.
For the next four days, Jimbo and Cable got to know each other very well. Cable got to tell Jimbo about the ten years that he spent living in the village of Corrin--the village that Jimbo had once tried to destroy. He told him about his stepfather Torey, the man who cared for him and his brother Andres while their true father, King Maximilian, was in exile. He told Jimbo that his very first memory was of seeing his father nearly die before summoning the strength to fight on against a stranger--a stranger that, as we now know, happened to be Jimbo. Jimbo marveled as the story unfolded.
While the two adventurers talked, they fished and hunted and built themselves a shelter. They ate their fill of hedgehog, of rabbit, of grouse, and of anything else that happened to wander within a bowshot of the deadly-accurate Jimbo. Every evening was the scene of a roaring campfire that roasted the day’s catch. Cable loved it. Though he’d always enjoyed Skittlechip’s cooking, there was something about eating in the wild that made the food taste richer.
But as time wore on, Cable began to feel restless again. Even Jimbo began to get worried. “Ol’ Doofus usually isn’t gone this long,” he kept muttering to himself. Finally, just after dawn on the fifth day, a crashing and crunching sound was heard. As Jimbo and Cable turned toward the sound, Doofus launched himself back into the campsite. He immediately ran toward Jimbo and jumped on his master. Jimbo fell to the ground and rolled around and wrestled his furry companion. Jimbo covered him with pats on the back and kisses on the cheek. Cable had never seen such joy on his new friend’s face. It was like a father being reunited with a long-lost son.
After the friendly wrestling match was complete, Jimbo stood up and looked sternly at Doofus. “Now tell me, mate, what has taken you so long?” Doofus seemed to wither under Jimbo’s stare. He looked down at the ground and uttered a brief grunt.
“Doofus?” Jimbo said again. “I expect an answer. Where have you been?”
After another brief pause, Doofus spit two things out of his mouth. Jimbo stooped down and grabbed them. One was a rabbit’s foot, and one was a piece of black cloth. Jimbo stared at them, as though putting together a mental puzzle. Then he stood up and said to Doofus, “I think I’ve got it, ol’ chap. Let me see if I’ve got this right. The rabbit’s foot is, obviously, from a rabbit, which you had to chase down and kill because you were hungry.”
Doofus nodded. Cable could have sworn he actually smiled a bit.
“Good,” Jimbo continued. “Cable and I have pretty much eaten everything, so we don’t have anything to give you anyway. So I’m glad you’re full. As for the piece of black cloth--well, my guess is that you ran into those miserable creatures that keep stalking us, and you’ve ripped into them just a bit. Am I right?”
Once again, Doofus nodded. He then walked over to Jimbo and rubbed against his leg. Jimbo petted him and declared, “Good boy, Doofus. You are one brave bloke. I don’t know how you dared to get close to them. You are fearless (feeeeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrrlessssss), old friend. I’m proud that you’re my pet.”
Then, turning to Cable, he declared, “Let’s get going, mate. The trail has been discovered. It’s time for us to go.” Quickly, Jimbo and Cable gathered together their weapons, struck camp, and headed out.
As the trio wound through the woods, the sound of running water started to come back to their ears. “Are you taking us back toward the river?” asked Jimbo. Doofus stopped, turned back, looked and Jimbo, and uttered a low, guttural growl. Jimbo was chastised. “Sorry, old boy,” he said. “You go ahead, fearless leader. I’ll tell Cable to stop asking questions and just follow!” Jimbo turned around and gave Cable a wink.
Finally, the river came into view. Doofus ran ahead and planted himself at the river bank. He then looked upstream and downstream, as though looking for something. “What’s he doing?” asked Cable.
“He knows that the fearsome creatures like to stay by the water,” Jimbo replied. “He’s standing guard for us, Herc. He’s the bravest beast that I’ve ever met.”
The water was fairly shallow but rushing quite rapidly at this point in the river. Jimbo waded out into the water and stooped down to get a drink. As he did so, a metallic sound came to his ears. He stood and looked upriver. “Hey Herc, look!” he said, pointing toward the sound.
As Cable looked, he saw an object tumbling down the river. A thought then crept into his head. He ran upstream, tripping and falling a couple of times as he did so. But at last he reached the object and plunged his hand into the whitewater to grab it.
He held it up to the sun. Though it had obviously been treated roughly as it tumbled down the river, it was the most brilliant object that he had ever seen. He almost felt like kneeling as he held it in his hands.
It was a trumpet.
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