Chapter 50 - Gregorex Returns

Gregorex sat on the ground, his back against a tree, his head lowered. He was exhausted and frustrated and uncertain. He was too discouraged to continue his quest, and he was too tired to go back to Cliffton. So he just sat and waited for something to change, feeling utterly powerless to do anything.

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His quest had begun about 36 hours earlier, when he was mounted atop Spartacus and traversing the Great Swamp. He had offered to ride back to the castle as fast as he could to tell King Maximilian of the impending attack. He knew that Cliffton was no match for Dor-ko’s army, so he rode with great swiftness to plead for help. He felt it was the village’s only hope for survival.

When he was midway through the Great Swamp (which Spartacus alone knew how to traverse), he caught a glimpse of a flash of light off to his left. He turned and saw what appeared to be a ball of fire hurtling out of the woods in his direction. Gregorex urged Spartacus onward, hoping to get out of the fireball’s path. But there was nothing he could do. The flying object struck him in the side and knocked him from his horse.

Gregorex landed in the swamp and immediately panicked. Slowly but relentlessly the swamp started to drag him under. The more he struggled, the more entrapped he became. Soon his feet were devoured. He was nearly down to his knees when he paused briefly from his struggle and stared across the swamp. In the woodland beyond the swamp, about 40 yards away, he could make out a glimmer of light. It appeared as though the object (or creature) that had knocked him from his mount was residing in the woods. And to his amazement, as long as he stared at the light, he no longer sank into the swamp.

Gregorex turned around to call for Spartacus. He felt, if he could grab hold of his horse’s neck, Spartacus would be able to pull him out of the miry mess. But as soon as he turned to look for Spartacus, he began to descend further into the Great Swamp. It didn’t take Gregorex long to stop searching for Spartacus and to look back toward the glowing light in the woods. He now realized that his only hope of salvation from the swamp was to keep his eyes on the light and to pursue it with all his strength.

So Gregorex began to move toward the illumination. Moving was excruciatingly difficult, yet he seemed to gradually emerge from the muck with each feeble step that he took. Within minutes, Gregorex emerged from the swamp and entered the woods.

For a moment, Gregorex was filled with great anxiety. He had felt as though the safety of Cliffton had rested upon him and his mission. He feared that his inability to notify the King meant that Cliffton--along with all his friends, old and new--was doomed to destruction at the hands of Dor-ko. He felt like a failure.

However, a strange joy came over him as he peered deep into the woods in search of the light. When his eyes caught a fleeting glimpse of the mysterious object, he was filled with hope. He had an inexplicable feeling that, if he could just place his hands on the object, then everything would be all right. So with his hope renewed despite his feeling of physical exhaustion, Gregorex pressed ahead into the woods in pursuit of the fireball.

Throughout the night and all the next day, Gregorex chased after the mysterious object. No matter how fast he moved, it stayed ever before him--bright enough to draw his intention, but not bright enough to reveal what it was. Gregorex lost all track of time as he dashed headlong through the woods, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around the light. Yet try as he might to fulfill his all-consuming quest, he was frustrated at every turn. The object was too elusive.

The pursuit continued through the second night. Gregorex had now been without sleep for over two days. His throat was parched from thirst, and hunger gnawed at his belly. He felt overcome by fatigue and weariness. Yet still he pressed on.

Until he came across a path. And then the mysterious illumination disappeared.

Gregorex stood still. He looked down the path in each direction. He neither saw nor heard anything. He peered into the woods, desperately searching for the light. He saw nothing. It appeared that the terrain rose abruptly on one side of the path, as though he were near a hillside. So he clambered up the hill in hopes that, from a higher vantage point, he might be able to see the light. But again, he saw nothing. So Gregorex trudged slowly back down the hill. He sat down on the ground, leaned his back against a tree, and sighed. Until the light showed itself again, his quest was over.

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As morning dawned the next day, Gregorex thought he heard a noise in the distance. He looked around for any sign of the light but saw none. He then put his ear to the ground. Sure enough, he heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats. A horse was galloping down the path in his direction! Gregorex quickly got to his feet. He was desperate for food and water, and this rider might have some of both.

Gregorex then remembered that he was in enemy territory. If anyone was coming, it was certain to be one of Slumbutter’s soldiers. He didn’t figure it was a whole platoon; as far as he could tell from listening, it was a single horse. But Gregorex didn’t take any chances. He looked around and saw a large rock, tucked into the hillside and situated just a few feet from the edge of the trail. He quickly climbed atop the boulder and waited for the horse to approach.

Within a minute, the rider came into Gregorex’ view. As he passed by the boulder, Gregorex leaped out and grabbed the rider. Taking hold of the rider’s cloak, Gregorex fearlessly yanked him off the horse. The two tumbled to the ground in a heap. As he fell, Gregorex looked behind him. He saw the startled horse kick up his hind legs, release a large pack that was on his pack, and flee down the path.

Gregorex turned his attention back to his adversary. “Are you a friend of King Maximilian?” cried out Gregorex as he attempted to pin him to the ground. “Tell me now!”

“Curse him!” replied the cloaked man.

An infuriated Gregorex drew back and tried to slug the insolent man in the jaw. But the cloaked man had no interest in fighting. Instead, he simply tried to escape. He crawled and slithered and twisted and writhed his way out of Gregorex’ grasp. He came to his feet and started running down the trail after his horse. Gregorex desperately tried to chase after him. He started to dive in one last attempt to grab him. As he did so, however, he tripped over an object that lay in the middle of the path. He fell at his fleeing adversary’s heels. He tried to grab an ankle, but all he did was grasp the man’s robe. The man slid out of his robe, leaving it in Gregorex’ hands while he continued his flight down the trail.

Gregorex lay on the ground, out of breath and out of strength. To his delight, he noticed a waterskin lying on the ground next to him. It must have fallen down along with the robe! He quickly uncorked and and took a long drink. Even though it was warm, it was the most refreshing drink he could ever remember.

He put the cork back in the wineskin, figuring he’d better save some for later. He then took a look at the robe that he’d grabbed. The inside of the robe was lined with a faded purple dye. A large golden “S” was embroidered into the fabric. Gregorex quickly realized who he’d just fought.

The faded purple was the cheap dye of phony royalty. It had been Slumbutter himself.

Gregorex shook his head in frustration, angry that he hadn’t managed to capture the rogue rebel king. He stood to his feet and walked over to the object that he’d tripped over. It must have been the pack that had fallen from the horse. It was long and large and...

Gregorex gasped. It was a body. Slumbutter had been carrying a body on the back of his horse!

Gregorex stooped down as he approached the body. Its hands were tied behind its back, and a hood was draped over its head. Gregorex immediately reached for the hands and untied them. To his relief, the body moved slightly, and Gregorex could hear a groan from under the hood. The person was alive! He started to reach for the hood when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a light off to his right. He eagerly stood up and looked into the woods. Once again, he gasped in surprise.

The rock that he’d climbed before jumping on Slumbutter had mysteriously moved! It revealed the entrance to a cave. And from insight the cave shone a bright light.

Gregorex was momentarily paralyzed. Should he stay and unmask the man that lay at his feet? Or should he complete his quest to find the source of the mysterious light? As he pondered the dilemma, he noticed that the light from the cave was fading. The longer he waited, the dimmer it got. He got the feeling that, if he unmasked the man, he might never catch sight of the light again. So he bellowed out, “You’re free, mister! Unmask yourself!” and then dashed into the cave.

Gregorex had never been a big fan of caves. Though he was a mighty hunter and a fearless warrior, he had a rather obsessive fear of bats. But he took comfort in the knowledge that the light itself had probably scared the bats away, so he pressed on.

The light grew brighter and brighter as he meandered through the cave. Finally, he rounded a corner and came to an open area. There, standing in the middle of the opening, was...an owl. A warm light radiated from it. The owl cast an unblinking stare at Gregorex as he entered the chamber. Gregorex knew immediately that he had found the one that he’d been searching for. His quest was over.

But as Gregorex’ eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed that there was something else in the cave as well. Leaning against the owl, resting in peaceful slumber, was...a woman.

Gregorex looked at the owl. He wanted to ask if it was okay to come closer, but he didn’t dare to say a word. He just stood there, waiting. Momentarily, though no words were actually spoken, Gregorex got the impression that it would be okay to approach. Slowly he walked toward the owl. He felt compelled to kneel down before the owl, for--as odd as it seemed--he sensed that he was in the presence of royalty.

The owl seemed to acknowledge the bow. He then slightly turned his head, as though beckoning Gregorex to tend to the woman. Gregorex walked toward the back side of the owl and looked at the face of the one who lay there. Yet again, Gregorex gasped.

Though mud and grime covered her face, there was no mistaking her. The woman was Susannah, the wife of Samek, the mother of Gregorex’ beloved Annala. She was alive!

Gregorex gently shook her shoulder. Susannah opened her eyes. She didn’t act startled or surprised in the least. She just smiled gently and said, “I knew that help would come. I just knew it. Gregorex...it is so good to see you.” Then she slowly came to her feet and hugged Gregorex, who fought back tears as he clung to one that he’d once feared was dead at the hands of Slumbutter.

Gregorex took Susannah by the hand and led her out of the cave. The owl did not follow them; he just stood where he was and provided enough light to enable Gregorex and Susannah to find their way through the labyrinthine cave. Once the pair exited, the light from within disappeared.

Susannah’s eye was immediately drawn to the path. She took a couple of brisk steps over to the body that still lay on the path. The hood was still draped over its head. Susannah quickly reached up and pulled it off. As soon as he did, the man turned his head toward her and coughed a couple of times. Susannah quickly leaned over and embraced the man that lay before her.

For it was her son--Philip.

Gregorex was shocked and repulsed. At his feet lay the man that was nothing short of a traitor. He had betrayed not only Gregorex, but his family--not to mention the entire village of Cliffton. He wanted to tell Susannah to get away from her son. He wanted to tell her what a rotten wretch her son was, and how he was responsible for a battle that was probably even raging as they spoke. He wanted to tell her that many people--maybe even her own husband--were likely dead right now because of Philip’s treachery.

But Gregorex held his tongue and walked away. He needed some space, or else he’d say something that he’d regret. He stood a short distance away, stewing and staring blankly into the woods. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped in the air and then turned around. He found himself staring at King Maximilian himself.

“Well done, my friend,” said the king softly with a gentle smile on his face.

Gregorex immediately took a knee before the king. “My lord!” he cried out. “Have you been here the whole time?”

“It was I who rolled the stone away,” replied the king.

Surprised, Gregorex replied, “Then why didn’t you just go in an rescue Susannah?”

The king smiled and answered. “Rescue her?” he said. “Gregorex, she was not the one who needed to be rescued. Susannah was just fine. You were the one who needed to be rescued. If you had pulled that hood off, Gregorex, you would have brought great harm to Philip. It would have caused great regret for the rest of your life. You needed to get drawn away.”

The king paused before resuming. “You did well to leave the body and pursue the light. But make no mistake--your obedience was more to your benefit than to hers.”

The king then grabbed Gregorex by the shoulder and raised him to his feet. “You have done well, Gregorex,” he said. “Come with me. A great party and splendid reunion await us. Victory is ours!”