The Unwilling Apprentice (Book 2) (26 page)

Hawkins smirked. "And you for a gargoyle," he returned.

Sampson smiled and looked up at the sky. He had enough time to stiffen when a shadow dove down and collided into him. They crashed to the ground, and Ruth sheepishly grinned at him. "I might need advice on my landings," she told him. Sampson chuckled, and his daughter hugged him.

Canto and Pat looked around for their other companions, and Fluffy pushed his way through the crowd with Ned, Fred and Tramadore on his back. Fred barely had time to slide to the ground when Pat barreled into him and wrapped him in a tight, armor-poking hug. Canto gave Ned a hearty handshake, and bowed to Tramadore. "It's been a long time, Ezekiel."

"Indeed it has, Canto, and I'm glad to see you here when my people most needed you," Tramadore replied.

Pat pulled Fred to arm's length and scowled at him. "Where have you been hiding? Under a rock?"

"I almost got under a lot of rocks," Fred joked. Pat wrinkled her nose, and Fred laughed. "I'll tell you later."

"I'm curious to know how this was done," Ned spoke up as he nodded at where the stone had stood. There was only an empty hole with bits of rock strewn about the area.

Before anyone had a chance to explain, a rider rode through the armies and up to Hawkins. The man was a guard of the castle of Galaron. He had dark circles under his eyes and his horse was exhausted. "Captain, Galaron has fallen!"

CHAPTER 26

The party was stunned. Hawkins stepped forward and placed a hand on the steed's neck; it was soaked with sweat from the long ride to the plains. "What do you mean? Who attacked it?"

The rider shook his head. "Not who, but what. Undead creatures spilled out from the statue dedicated to the king's father and destroyed the city. Thank Phaeton the creatures were slow or no one would have survived, but the city lies in ruins."

"Is the city still under attack? What about the king?" Hawkins asked him.

"The creatures still inhabit the city, and the people have all fled. A great many are coming this way because they have nowhere else to go. As for the king..." The messenger shook his head. No other answer was needed.

Tramadore stepped forward. "We will take as many as will come."

Hawkins grimly nodded. "Thank you, my lord, but I must ask a more immediate favor. My men must return to Galaron, and we're in need of fresh horses."

Tramadore bowed his head. "We will give you as many as we have."

The call to help Galaron rang through the men and the city, and everyone gathered horses and provisions. Even the traitors of Tramadore assisted, and those of Tramadore who had no damage done to their property or family hitched up carts and wagons to mules to help the wounded who were on the road from Galaron. Others cared for the wounded of the battle, and many a Galaron and Tramadorean knight would never ride again. The gargoyles pitched in with managing the wounded and flying them from the plains into the city, a much more gentle ride than in a cart.

Enough horses were found to provide for four dozen knights, and Pat's companions. As their captain she would accompany them back. Fred prepared Fluffy for the journey, and Ruth said goodbye to her father. The gargoyles were assigned as night protectors to Tramadore, and they were given safe haven atop the mountain behind the city. In an hour the company set out down the road at a fast clip.

A figure at the mouth of the secret entrance into Tramadore watched them leave. It was Percy, unscathed by battle and with a smirk on his face. He dove down into the ruined opening and worked his way through the rubble to the golden gate. Beyond the bars sat a pile of boulders, and beneath those was the body of his father. He'd seen the conclusion to the chase, but didn't show any signs of remorse. He stooped down and picked through the stones until he uncovered his father's severed hand. The ring on the finger was still intact, and he pulled it off and admired the glowing stone.

With his other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a fragment of the stone from the plain. He chuckled. "You were right when you said our family would be the ones to lead the change, father, but you won't be around to see it."

The small group traveled long and hard back to Galaron. They passed the long, shuffling line of refugees and met tired, scared eyes. It was heartbreaking for them to see the injured, bedraggled people of Galaron trudge down the road with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The evacuation hadn't given them time to take anything but what they wore. Passing by the people, Pat jumped down from her horse put her cloak around a young boy and girl, twins, and smiled into their grimy, tired faces. "It'll be okay. Carts of food will be here soon." They smiled back and thanked her, and she mounted her horse. Her face was firmly set and she spurred her horse on at a faster pace, and the whole company followed suit.

The company reached Galaron in a day and crested the hill above Salaron to catch their first glimpse of the city. The area around the metropolis lay in a smoldering ruin of half-extinguished fires and fallen walls. The gatehouse was a wreck of stones and burnt logs. Inside the city the houses and shops were piles of collapsed walls and crackling fires. Not a single roof sat atop their structures, and the streets were devoid of every living soul. In the midst of the desolation arose a large, glowing stone like the one on the plains of Tramadore. It sat at the spot of the commemorative fountain.

Beyond it at the far end of the city was what remained of the castle. The imperious gates lay broken on the ground, and the windows were empty eyes that looked out on the dead city. Fires lit up the desolate halls and rocks from the walls were strewn about the courtyard. Among the streets and gates were the bodies of those poor souls who hadn't made the escape with their friends and family. The only movement in the entire city was shambling corpses with red eyes. They shuffled through the streets in search of fresh victims, and many congregated around the glowing stone.

"My god..." Pat whispered.

Ned closed his eyes and forlornly shook his head. "There's nothing we can do here."

Pat whipped her head to him, and the others were aghast. Hawkins straightened and frowned. "We won't leave Galaron in the hands of monsters."

The old castor nodded at the stone. "Your weapons and my powers can't defeat that magic. It's far older and more powerful than our strengths can overcome."

"But I defeated the stone near Tramadore with a hairpin," Hawkins protested.

"Do you have such a hairpin with you now?" Ned asked him. The captain scowled, but turned away. Ned looked to Pat. "What will you do, Captain?"

Pat glanced behind her at her men. Their eyes were full of fear and horror at their fallen home, but many looked over their shoulders at the road. Many had passed their loved ones and wanted to return and care for them. Pat sighed and nodded. "We'll return to Tramadore and from there find a way to release Galaron from this cursed stone."

Pat turned her horse away from the desolation, and the men silently followed her lead. Ned and Fred were the last to leave the hilltop, and Ned stood behind Fred. The young man's gaze was trapped on the stone, and Ned watched him. "What are you thinking, my apprentice?" he asked the young man.

Fred shook his head. "I don't know. There's just something not right here, like I'm missing something."

Ned pulled his horse even with Fred and patted him on the shoulder. "It will come to you in time, but for now let's leave this place."

The old castor rode back down the hill, and Fred squinted at the stone. He thought he saw the light grow brighter for a moment, but maybe it was just the fires all around it. He turned Fluffy away and followed the others back to Tramadore. On the way they came upon the refugees again and provided what help they could give. In a day the people from Tramadore with their carts met the Galarons with open arms, and led the ragged people to their new home at the city against the mountain.

The refugees were given tents out on the plains on the edge of the battlefield. The fallen troops were buried, and many Galarons now had more reason to mourn as they visited their dead. Pat, Ruth and Fred watched and helped with the messy business, and when night fell they were exhausted. The three were herded to Tramadore's castle by Ned, and placed in bed after their long adventure. The youngsters fell asleep quickly, but Fred was plagued with nightmares. He dreamed of the cavern cave-in and Sturgeon chasing him, but this time he was caught by the disembodied hand and pulled back into the darkness of the falling rocks.

Fred woke up in a cold sweat. He was in his own room, and outside the dark sky told him it was still night. Sleep wouldn't come to him, not after that nightmare, and he shuffled into his clothes. Outside his window among the tents he could see fires burning to heat the refugees, while the town was only partially repaired where the fiends had wreaked havoc on the lower streets. Fred slunk his way downstairs and into the entrance hall. All was quiet and still, but a movement out of the corner of his eyes. It came from the dining hall door. He went to the entrance and peeked inside. The room was in order again, and the Uncomfortable Chair sat atop the hatch.

Fred slipped inside and closed the door behind himself. He stepped over to the Chair and slid a hand over a thick arm. So much had happened since he'd sat in that chair. He wondered if him sitting in there had caused all this trouble.

"You're not to blame," a voice spoke behind him. Fred gasped and whirled around. Ned stood a few feet behind him with his hands twined behind his back and a wistful smile on his face. The old man stepped beside Fred. "If anyone is to blame it's me for putting you in it."

Fred turned away. "But if I hadn't come along with you guys than I wouldn't have been here to sit in it, and maybe all those people out there would be that much happier."

Ned sighed and put a heavy hand on Fred's shoulder. "We could keep blaming this on ourselves for all eternity, and neither of us would be right or wrong. This is destiny, written by the pencil of the fates on the paper that comprises each of our lives."

Fred frowned. "Then is there no way we could avoid any of this? No way we could have done something different?"

Ned chuckled. "The funny thing about pencils is you can always use an eraser to blot out the future."

"And the past?" Fred asked him.

"Well, once written down the pencil lead becomes as ink, and no amount of washing can ever get those stains out," Ned mischievously replied. Fred's shoulders slumped. Ned sighed, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "The best we can do is learn from what we've seen and travel onward to the next adventure."

Fred hung his head. "And what if I don't want a next adventure? What if I just want to quit and not see any more death and pain?"

"Then I'd have to say you want to end your journey of life because no matter what path you take you'll always find that," Ned whispered.

Fred snorted. There wasn't any mirth in his tone. "I guess this is what I get for leaving the manor, isn't it?"

"That could also be my fault," Ned pointed out.

The young man shook his head. "No, I could have stopped you. I could have pleaded harder with Lord Damskov or escaped and gone to another manor, but-"

"-but you didn't," Ned finished. The old man slipped in front of Fred and leaned his head down to catch the young man's eyes. "So why didn't you?" Fred shrugged; Ned wasn't satisfied. "That isn't an answer."

"Maybe it's the only answer I've got," Fred bit back. He clutched his head in one hand and grit his teeth. "I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't even know if I should be here. Maybe I should just leave and get out of everyone's hair."

Ned raised an eyebrow. "Leaving without your master's permission? I won't allow it," he scolded. Ned turned Fred around and led them to the doors. "But perhaps a good night's sleep will help us both."

Fred shook his head. "I don't think I'm going to get much sleep after what I've seen."

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out," Ned replied. He raised his hand over the young man's head and sprinkled some dust onto his hair. Fred's eyes lolled shut and his knees bucked. Ned caught him before he hit the ground and swung the boy into his arms. The old man winced. "You've gotten awfully heavy, my boy."

CHAPTER 27

The next thing Fred remembered was the warm, blinding sun shooting into the room and right into his eyes. He groaned and rolled over, but misjudged his positioning. He rolled off the bed and onto the hard rock floor. That woke him up. Fred sat up and rubbed his bruised nose. The memories from the night before flooded back and he looked in bewilderment at his room. "How did I-"

"Are you up yet?" Pat asked him just before she barged into his room. She marched up to the young man, folded her arms across her chest and glared down at him. "Everyone's waiting for you."

"Waiting for me? Why?" he asked her.

"Lord Tramadore has some news, and Ned won't let us start until you're there," she told him. She grabbed him by the hand and dragged him downstairs to the study.

All the group was in the room. Ruth stood near the door when they entered and smiled at the pair. Beside the desk was Ned, Tramadore, and the two captains. Canto leaned against the far wall, and even Percy and Sins stood opposite the door in a corner. Fred cringed when the cold eyes of the assassin fell on him. He hadn't forgotten the attempt on his life. Lord Tramadore stood beside the desk where lay several open letters. The lord smiled at the young man, and looked to Ned, who sat on a nearby chair. "Are you satisfied?"