My Sparkling Misfortune (The Lakeland Knight) (13 page)

"So
that's
what is going on here! You two are in it together. Of course. Now I see where you got your information, Shabriak."

Philip, released by the skeleton, ran up to me.

"That I can readily believe!" he declared, glaring at Kellemar. "You are desperate to become a hero, you'll do anything for it!"

Shabriak smirked.

"Sorry I had to spill the beans, Prince Kellemar."

Kellemar was dark red with fury.

"He is lying!! You are lying, you wicked grave robber!"

He snatched his sword and threw himself at the wizard. Four skeletons immediately jumped in, blocking his way. Kellemar began showering them with blows, which they parried well.

Shabriak snapped his fingers again, calling more skeletons.

"Kick him out, he is pathetic."

I took Prince Philip by the shoulder.

"Let's go, Your Highness. Let them sort it out between themselves."

We headed to the door, but we did not make it there.

"Not you, Arkus," I heard Shabriak say as no less than a dozen skeletons ran up and stood in our way, swords ready. "Prince Philip may go, in fact if he stays I will have him thrown out as well. But you--I still need to have a word with you."

I looked at the prince.

"Go, Philip."

"I will not leave without you, Sir Lakeland Knight."

So he still called me that, poor boy...

"You must. My horse is in the yard. Take it and ride home."

"But what about you? He wants to harm you, I see it!"

"I can defend myself."

"Trust me, Arkus: you can't! Not against
that!
" snapped Kellemar, on the way to the door--being dragged by the skeletons who had at last overpowered and disarmed him.

"Shut him up, will you?!" Shabriak yelled, irritated. "I won't have him ruining my surprises! Now, Philip--get out. Help him out!"

A skeleton wanted to grab the boy, but I struck him so hard that he fell apart.

"Don't you dare touch him! His Highness is leaving. Go, Philip." I lowered my voice. "My hands are tied while you are here. I cannot fight."

That convinced him. Before he left, he shot a sharp look at the wizard.

"I will return with my father's army, and I promise you, Shabriak, you will be sorry you were ever born!"

Brave little fellow. He was positively making me proud.

"Royal brat," Shabriak commented. "He is lucky you added that line in the contract."

I scanned the hall. Ten skeletons plus the wizard. I should be able to handle that, unless he starts using magic. And even then, Jarvi's sword should help.

"Well, Shabriak, I am at your service. What do you have to say?"

He stepped up to me.

"You have insulted me, Arkus. I had made you a generous offer, and you refused it. I don't like that. I don't like being outsmarted, either."

I smirked.

"Well, you are not the only one disappointed. I told you Ulkaria was under my protection, yet you did what you did. Not to mention the sparkling. Shall we settle all this with a duel?"

"A duel? No. I am no fool to pick up a fight when I have someone else to do it for me. And I do have someone else. An old friend of yours, dying to see you."

Once again, he motioned to his bony lackeys. Six of them rushed to a side corridor; I heard clinking of chains--and the growl.

At first, the monster did not want to come, the skeletons were pulling on the chains, dragging him. That changed as soon as he saw me. Now they had to hold the chains and even pull back, hard, trying to restrain him.

I suppose some of that hero stuff rubbed off on me--I didn't run, although the monster had not become any less frightening than before. I stood and looked at him, clutching the hilt of Jarvi's sword.

"What a touching reunion," Shabriak went on, very pleased with himself. "You know, I had no idea that you've got such a buddy. Kellemar told me. I figured it would be smart to have him around, in case you refuse to sign the paper and start causing trouble. Things did not go as planned, but I still wouldn't deny you two the pleasure of seeing each other again."

He paused, watching for my reaction, waiting for a response. I said nothing.

"Perhaps you are not aware, but he was under a peculiar spell, too complicated to explain. It slowed him down when he'd try to get you. I removed it, to make it more fun. Enjoy."

Shabriak gestured to the skeletons, and they dropped the chains. The beast flew at me, fangs bare.

I never thought he was that slow before. Now he seemed to move like lightning, crossing the hall in a split second. I snatched the sword and met him with a good blow. He felt it; I could see the surprise on his ugly mug as he jumped back--only to attack again, with increased fury.

The beast was not the only one surprised. Shabriak saw the shining sword in my hand as well.

"You've got his sword!" I heard him yell. "Arkus, you are detestable! You sold me a sparkling without a sword?!"

Ah, so
that's
what he actually wanted. Good thing he did not put it in the contract.

I had no time to reflect on it though, I had one enraged monster to fight.

"Give it to me, Arkus, and I'll stop the beast!"

"Not a good time for jokes, Shabriak!"

I was wielding the sword much faster than I thought I ever could. The sword had become incredibly light in my hand and at times seemed to move by itself, as if guiding me in this battle.

"I mean it! I'll kill the monster and give you anything you want!"

"I heard that before!"

"Here, I'll prove it!" The wizard called for his skeletons. "Stop the beast! Catch him!"

They tried, but the monster was too intent on his mission. The skeletons kept grabbing the chains he still had wrapped around his neck and torso, but he'd shake them off. Shabriak decided to help, conjuring some sort of a fiery disk and hurling it at the monster. That ticked him off; he left me alone and turned on the wizard.

Shabriak became whiter than his skeletons. He swung his sword, but regular swords did not impress the beast, as you probably remember. Another fiery disk only made matters worse.

"Jarvi, come here!" I heard the wizard shriek. "I order you! Come and defend your new master!"

Nothing happened (not counting the monster, of course, who kept chasing Shabriak around the table). So Jarvi must have already gotten released... unless the paper carried no weight to begin with, because his real name was not Jarvi but Tulip. I had not thought of that before.

"Arkus, what have you done?! Why isn't it working?!"

"Don't ask me, I did nothing. I would say it's your own trickery finally catching up with you."

Shabriak figured that circling the table was not productive and rushed to the corridor from where the monster was brought in. The beast followed, almost catching him at the entrance and crushing a couple of skeletons on the way.

He would return, of course, but now I had a few minutes. I used them to get out. Only two skeletons were left at the door, and they jumped away from me, fearing the shining sword.

My horse was still in the yard. I stopped, puzzled. Why didn't Philip take it? Did he not leave? Where was he?

"Did you forget about me, Arkus?"

It was Kellemar. And he had Prince Philip, tied up and gagged.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Are you insane, Kellemar?! What are you doing?!"

"I no longer care what I am doing, but I know this: I will not allow the likes of you being hailed as a hero and walking around with a sparkling's sword! Give it here!"

"You've lost your mind..."

Kellemar pressed his blade to the boy's neck.

"I said give it to me or I'll kill him!"

He was crazier than Shabriak...

"Listen, if you think that having the sparkling's sword will also give you the sparkling, you are mistaken. He will be dead if the sword changes hands, so you can't benefit from it."

Kellemar wouldn't relent.

"I don't believe a word you say, and secondly, even if it's true, I don't care. The sword is good enough by itself. Well? I will count to three. One."

Jarvi...

I saw Philip wince. Kellemar's blade was hurting him.

"Two."

Once again, I had no choice.

"Take it. Let Philip go."

I handed the sword to Kellemar. He grabbed it, throwing his own blade aside--and struck me in the next second. He aimed for the same spot Sebastian had hit, only on the right side.

Philip's eyes widened in horror. I staggered, but did not lose ground.

"Hitting an unarmed man, Your Highness? Very heroic indeed."

Fury twisted Kellemar's face. I thought he would strike again, and for a moment it looked like he was going to, but then he changed his mind.

"I'll let the beast finish you off. Goodbye, Arkus."

He turned to leave, dragging the boy with him.

"Release Philip! You promised you would!"

Kellemar stopped, grinning.

"I promised no such thing. I only said I would kill him if you did not give me the sword."

"What do you want with him?! He has endured enough, let him go!"

"No. He knows too much. I will see whether I'll be able to convince him to tell the story my way... And if not, I will have to present the king with his son's body--blaming it on you, of course."

Philip's hands were tied, but his legs weren't. He took a step aside and kicked his captor in the shin. Kellemar gasped, nearly losing his balance.

"Ouch, you little brat!!"

With that, he swung the sword and hit Philip in the head with the hilt. The boy collapsed.

Blinded with rage, I picked up Kellemar's blade and leapt at him. I do not know what I was hoping for, with a regular blade against a sparkling's sword, wounded and forced to fight with my left arm. Truth is, I wasn't thinking at all. I suppose fury doubled my strength, because somehow I overpowered Kellemar and knocked him over. Then the beast once again demonstrated his aggravating habit to show up at the most inopportune moment.

The monster burst out of the fortress with a deafening roar. He saw us, and saw that I no longer had the sword that stung him.

"There you are at last!" exclaimed Kellemar, climbing to his feet and hurrying to step aside. "Don't mind me, go ahead, do your job."

The beast was more than willing. He was in the middle of his leap at me when the familiar cracking sound echoed through the air.

Jarvi?!...

No. It was Ellar.

The green sparkling materialized between me and the monster and struck him so hard that he flew all the way to the gate, rolling over a few times.

Kellemar's mouth dropped.

"Another sparkling?!"

"Yes! And this one brings judgment!"

Ellar's eyes flamed with anger. With one swift move, he swept over Kellemar and knocked the sword out of his hand. I picked it up. The shining seemed to have grown dim.

"This can't be happening..." Kellemar muttered. "This is wrong! You must be helping
me
, not
him
!"

"Sorry, but it's you who got it all wrong. Sparklings do not help villains."

Leaving Kellemar to process that, Ellar turned to the monster.

"In the name of Faradin, I command you to leave this man alone and never come near him again."

Here something incredible happened. The beast let out a long growl, glaring at the sparkling, and then spoke in a strange, irregular manner.

"I must... kill... him... ... I cannot... leave... this... detestable world... until I do!"

I stood rooted to the spot. I had no idea this thing could talk!

"Try breaking this command, and Faradin will burn you alive. However..." Ellar's eyes narrowed. "If you are so intent on killing someone, I can give you a new target."

He looked at Kellemar. The beast turned his head to regard the prince as well.

"Will I... be released... if I... obey?"

Ellar appeared to think--or perhaps he was consulting with Faradin.

"Yes. The conditions are the same as before."

Kellemar stared at the sparkling, slowly shaking his head.

"No. No. You can't be serious!"

"I will hold him for five minutes. Then you will find out whether I was joking or not."

The prince's stunned gaze turned to me.

"I don't think there is anything I can do," I said, "even if I wanted. Except maybe ask Ellar to slow the beast down again?"

"That's already done," nodded the sparkling. "As I said, the conditions are the same."

"In that case, run, Your Highness. That's the only advice I can give you."

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