Edward was mulling over these dark thoughts when suddenly there was a noise at the cottage entrance. The door banged open and, to everyone’s surprise, Tabitha, her pearly wings fluttering with agitation, rushed back into the cottage followed by her master.
“It’s Whiplash Scruggs and a troop of Groundlings! They must have followed Melchior here,” Tabitha shouted.
Jemial flashed Melchior an expression filled with doubt. His voice took on a dangerous tone. “Either that, or someone has led him directly to us.”
Chapter Five
ESCAPE!
Through an open window, Edward could hear the faint barks of Whiplash Scruggs’s hounds in the distance. Edward still saw Scruggs and his deadly pair of silver scissors every time he closed his eyes. He was terrified of the cruel teacher, but at least now he had friends to help protect him. He wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
“I am not working with Scruggs!” Mr. Spines wheezed. His face looked haggard and pale. “The Jackal has spies posted everywhere, keeping watch on every new arrival in the Woodbine. I did my best to cover my tracks, but as you can plainly see . . .” Mr. Spines indicated his own withered and crumpled form. “The Corruption has made it difficult for me to even move. If I don’t have some medical attention soon, I probably won’t survive much longer.”
Spines seemed much smaller and uglier than when Edward first met him on the train. The creature had more spines growing out from beneath his stovepipe hat than ever, and his jacket was riddled with holes where new spikes were starting to poke through. He was starting to look more like a monster than a man.
Mr. Spines coughed and continued, “Whiplash Scruggs doesn’t care about any of you. All he wants is the boy.” Melchior indicated Edward with a sharp nod.
“W-well, h-he can’t have me!” Edward shot back. He was starting to panic.
“Of course he can’t,” Spines said, shooting Edward a withered look. “Trust me, boy, with whatever I have left, I will fight to keep you safe from him. But we must hurry if we’re to escape his notice.” He turned his bloodshot eyes on Jack. “Is there a back door?” Melchior ran his tongue across his yellowed teeth.
Jack nodded. “Yes, Joyce had me install a passage for just such an emergency. I’ll take you to it.”
“You’re going to help him? After what he’s done?” Tabitha asked, looking amazed.
Jack nodded at the young Guardian. “I believe that Melchior is telling us the truth. I’ll do all I can to help. If he says he’s against the Jackal and wants to help Edward, then that’s good enough for me.”
“That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard!” Tabitha shouted. “He could betray us all!”
“It’s true,” Jemial said. “With all due respect, Jack, do you realize what you’re risking? If he’s lying, there could be terrible consequences.” Jemial glanced at Edward. “How do we know Melchior’s not going to turn Edward over to the Jackal? You know how the Groundlings are, they’ll do anything to get into their master’s good graces.” Jemial shook his head, worried. “I think delivering him to the Council is the safest bet.”
In the brief silence that followed, Edward could hear the barking of Whiplash Scruggs’s hounds growing closer. They needed to hurry.
To Edward’s surprise, the faun didn’t appear in the least bit concerned by the Guardians’ doubt. He tapped his pipe out in his palm thoughtfully and said, “Thank you both for your counsel, but I haven’t changed my mind.” Jack glanced at Melchior and smiled. “I believe everyone deserves a second chance.”
Jemial sighed. “You leave me no choice, Jack. I’ll have to report this,” he said. “But for friendship’s sake, I’ll wait to do it until tomorrow morning. Melchior’s presence in the Woodbine will not be received well by the Council. You might think he’s still a Guardian but most of my colleagues won’t. They’ll probably want to see him hunted down and destroyed as soon as possible.”
Edward thought Tabitha looked ready to explode with anger as she watched the exchange. But one look from Jemial and she bottled what was sure to be an angry retort.
A howl interrupted Edward’s thoughts, sending a chill down his spine. Scruggs was nearly at the door!
“Is the house protected?” Jemial demanded.
“We had a couple of Guardians do a Shield Song several years back, but it probably needs to be sung again,” Jack said.
“I’ll sing the Song of Warding. It should reinforce the shield on the cottage and hold Scruggs off for a while.” The big Guardian turned to Tabitha and said firmly, “I want you to go with them. Help the boy find his mother.”
Tabitha looked aghast. “But she was captured by the Jackal! No Guardians can penetrate his Lair. And besides, you promised that we would go to the graduation ceremony. I’ve waited so long!”
“Tabitha, this is not open to discussion. You’re to protect the boy. We can address your graduation later,” Jemial commanded.
“But . . .” Tabitha complained.
“That’s an order, young one.”
Tabitha looked livid. “You’re making a huge mis—”
But she didn’t finish her sentence. Jemial towered over her, his magnificent silver wings stretched out to their full width. The apprentice’s eyes grew wide as she stared at her master. The older Guardian’s wings glowed with magical radiance, throwing the room into sharp, shadowy contrast. Everyone, including Edward, shielded his or her eyes. Jemial looked furious, and the look on Tabitha’s face said she knew she had gone too far.
“YOU ARE MY APPRENTICE AND YOU WILL OBEY!” Jemial thundered. Sparks shot from his fingertips and his curved sword glowed with an unearthly radiance. Tabitha stared up at Jemial, and although Edward could tell she was afraid, she was trying hard not to show it.
Suddenly, a loud B-B-BOOM!rattled the interior of the cottage. Edward looked around wildly. What was that?
“It’s Scruggs! He’s attacking the shield on the cottage. Everyone please go down the hall to my study. The entrance to the secret passage is there. Quickly!” Jack said, motioning to Edward, Melchior, and Tabitha.
Jemial withdrew a small flute from his pocket and began to play the Song of Warding. Beautiful music filled the air and a faint, golden glow materialized around the outside of the cottage. As the song took effect, Whiplash Scruggs’s attacks seemed to grow more muffled.
Melchior and Tabitha hurried down the hall. But before Jack could follow, Bridgette pulled him aside. Edward paused in the doorway, wanting the chance to say good-bye to Bridgette before he left. He couldn’t help but overhear what she said to her uncle.
“I’m going with them, Uncle,” she whispered.
“No, it’s too dangerous, Bridgette. Moloc is one of the most vile creatures in the Jackal’s army. You could be seriously hurt!” Jack answered.
Bridgette looked resolute. “I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to protect me, but I need to go.” She glanced at Edward and then quickly turned back to her uncle. “Remember what we talked about? I believe that this is the reason I’m here, the reason I didn’t go immediately to the Higher Places like my sister.”
After a long moment, Jack nodded, but he didn’t look happy. “So be it. Come with me.”
The faun trotted quickly out of the living room, leading Bridgette and Edward down a narrow hallway. Edward knew it was selfish and would put Bridgette in danger, but he was glad she was coming with him.
BOOOOOM!The sound came again, this time from the opposite side of the house. Edward, who was waiting in the back room, glanced outside a nearby window and saw curling wisps of yellow smoke rising from the lawn.
Edward tried not to panic, and silently prayed that somehow Jemial’s song would still work.
Just buy us a few minutes more so that we can escape!
Then the booming sound came again. And this time, to everyone’s horror, the sound was accompanied by a loud CRACK!
Scruggs had broken through!
Jack rushed to a large wardrobe in the corner of
his study and opened the doors to reveal a hidden passage.
“Quick, through here!” the faun commanded. “Follow this passage all the way to the dock at the end. I’ll send a signal to the boatman; he’s a friend of mine and will help you. Good-bye and good luck!”
Bridgette caught her uncle in a fierce hug and Edward could see tears in both of their eyes. Then the faun pushed the wardrobe doors closed and the passageway was suddenly plunged into total darkness.
Edward heard a sharp scratching noise. Then a flicker suddenly illuminated Mr. Spines’s ugly face. He was holding a light encased in a tiny, silver box covered with gears.
“Follow me!” He growled and hobbled down the damp passageway. Edward and the others followed the tiny, glimmering light as it bobbed off into the distance.
Debris rained down, and several muffled explosions echoed above them. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the end. Spines climbed up a small ladder and shoved hard against a thick, wooden trapdoor.
To everyone’s surprise, they emerged inside a hollow tree trunk. They climbed out through a huge gap in the massive tree right next to the riverbank. A rickety dock was about thirty yards away to the north, sprawling over a rapidly flowing river. Spines, Tabitha, and Bridgette raced toward it.
Edward didn’t follow immediately. He could hear the sounds of a battle coming from behind him and was worried. He climbed up on a low tree branch and looked back at Jack’s house. Underneath the cloudy sky, flames were beginning to lick the sides of the thatched cottage. He hoped everyone else would be all right. Edward jumped down, and sprinted to catch up with the others. Nobody frightened him more than Whiplash Scruggs. The thought that he was near made Edward feel sick to his stomach.
“Scruggs will find out we’re gone soon,” Mr. Spines yelled back at him. “Hurry.”
As they struggled down the shoreline, the sound of baying hounds filled the air, followed by a flurry of deep-throated barks.
Spines stared in the direction of the cottage and let out a long, low hiss.
“He already knows!” And in spite of his severely weakened condition, the stunted creature shot off down the dock.
“I’m coming!” a voice floated across the river toward them. Edward could make out a figure clad in heavy boots and a leather jerkin standing on a large boat that reminded him a little bit of a sturdy gondola. A stocky man was holding a long pole and was pushing the boat toward them as quickly as he could. With relief, Edward realized that this must be the boatman that Jack had mentioned!
An eerie howl split the air, much closer than before. The skin on the back of Edward’s neck prickled. Whiplash Scruggs and his Groundlings were not far behind!
“Help!” Tabitha shouted, her wings fluttering in agitation.
“I got Jack’s signal. Is there trouble?” the boatman shouted back as he poled the boat into position.
“We’re being pursued by Groundlings,” Mr. Spines growled.
The stocky man nodded quickly. “Hop aboard then, but be careful not to touch the water. You’re on the banks of the Lethye. Can’t afford to have anyone lose their marbles.”
Edward had no idea what the boatman meant, but he was careful to stay dry as he climbed in. Then he glanced behind him and immediately wished he hadn’t. Whiplash Scruggs was almost to the river.
“Go! Go! GO!” Edward shouted. “He’s here!”
WHOOOSH!Something hot whistled past Edward’s head, narrowly missing his ear. Edward raised his hand to his cheek, feeling a slight burning sensation. Fortunately, the flaming object had only singed him.
“It’s an Oroborus!” Tabitha shouted. Edward turned and spotted the blazing ring as it soared over a nearby thicket of pine trees. If it had flown any closer, it would have taken his head off!
Tabitha quickly undid a clasp at her blue sash and withdrew her golden ring. “Everybody stay as far down on the deck as you can! I’ll guard us from the air!”
She gazed down at her ring and shouted, “QADOS!” Instantly, the golden hoop was encircled in a flickering ring of blue flames. Then, with a mighty downward flap of her wings, Tabitha launched herself into the air.
Above the pine trees in the distance, the Oroborus had completed its arc and was now returning to its owner, streaking toward them like a flaming comet.
Whiplash Scruggs stood waiting for it on the dock. His troops of low-ranking Groundlings spread out behind him in various states of decay. They were terrifying. The only Groundlings that Edward had encountered so far had looked human, except for their unnaturally pale blue eyes and sharp teeth. But apparently those human trappings were reserved for the highest ranked soldiers in the Jackal’s army, a “costume” of sorts that hid their true, corrupted bodies. This throng of gibbering creatures on the bank was exposed for what they really were.
Edward cringed. Could such things have ever been beautiful Guardians? Many were half-rotten, covered with leprous sores. A few others had a misshapen wing or a crumpled bunch of feathers sticking out of their twisted backs. Their ugly faces had fangs, snouts, or vulture-like beaks, and every one of them had eyes of the palest blue.
As Tabitha swooped through the air, the Groundlings were distracted from the boat where Edward, Bridgette, and Spines were hiding. Instead they focused on the young Guardian. They jeered as Tabitha dove and swooped, trying to avoid the deadly weapon that seemed to track her every movement.
She’s not going to be able to dodge it forever, Edward thought grimly. One wrong move and she’s done for!
Even though no one had explained how the weapon worked, Edward quickly figured it out. The Oroborus had been designed to seek out Guardians and was guided to the closest enemy target with deadly accuracy. Because Tabitha was nearest, the ring was after her. He assumed Guardian rings worked the same way, seeking their opposite in battle and honing in on evil like a magnet.
Edward could only stare, mouth agape, as he watched the Guardian fly. He’d never gotten to see anyone fly before. He watched her every move as she darted majestically through the air. He’d never seen such an amazing sight.
He really wanted to know what it was like to have such power. His wings were built for flying, but he needed to learn how to use them first. Perhaps what Mr. Spines and Bridgette had said was true. He needed to be trained. But it seemed impossible that he could ever come close to the mastery that Tabitha possessed.
And Tabitha wasn’t just flying. She was fighting, too. When the Oroborus got too close, Tabitha used her own ring as a shield. Edward watched flashes of red fire collide with blue sparks as she successfully deflected each of the weapon’s successive attacks with her slim, golden circle.
Edward had nearly forgotten about Whiplash Scruggs while watching Tabitha’s performance. But he was brought back to the present when he heard the fearsome commander bellow an order to his soldiers.
Up in the sky, Tabitha continued her acrobatic dance, narrowly avoiding the Oroborus. Edward could tell that she was getting tired. She wasn’t making as many fancy loops and dives anymore. It seemed to take all of her strength just to deflect the relentless ring.
Suddenly, all of the Groundlings gave a shout, saying the same, guttural word in unison.
“NSH!”
Circles of red flame appeared around the Oroboruses that each of the Groundlings held in their fists. Edward had mistakenly thought that Whiplash Scruggs had possessed the only one! With a shout, the other Groundlings threw their Oroboruses into the air, hurling them toward the sole defender that hovered above Edward’s boat.
Edward’s mind raced. If he didn’t do something fast, Tabitha would be cut to ribbons!
Suddenly, like it had once before, a strange word popped into his mind. It was the same word that he’d used before to repel an attack from Lilith and Henry Asmoday, two of the Jackal’s most powerful servants when he was in Los Angeles. He could feel a tingling sensation building inside of him as he turned his head skyward, determining an angle where the swiftly moving evil ri
ngs could be intercepted. Then, after steadying himself for the tremendous burst of energy that was sure to come, he stood up on the deck. Extending his fingers in the direction of the flaming weapons he shouted,
“HISTALEK!”
There was a flash of blue light and the burning smell of ozone. Lightning arced from Edward’s extended fingertips, snaking skyward to intercept the dozen hoops of red fire.
KERRACCCKKKK!The electric shock from Edward’s fingertips hit the evil rings with an explosion of sparks.
Broken pieces of Oroborus showered down all around the boat, peppering the water with little splashes. Edward swayed on his feet. It felt as if all his strength had drained from his body.
His eyes lost focus as the world spun crazily around him.
He heard a muffled shout from Bridgette as his legs folded beneath him and his long body crashed down toward the bottom of the boat, landing with a THUNK!He didn’t see his precious deck of cards tumble from his pocket and fall into the water as he hit the hard, wooden deck.
Everything went black.
Chapter Six
A VEILED THREAT
A shout of rage echoed from the shoreline as Whiplash Scruggs watched the boatman pole the vessel into swifter waters. Edward’s soggy kings and queens, deuces and jacks drifted downstream in the rushing current.
Scruggs barked a command to his troops. Seconds later, the air was filled with flaming arrows, arcing high through the air and descending toward the ship. The arrows splashed into the water all around the little boat, hissing and filling the air with smoke. But whether it was luck, or just bad shooting by the enemy, the Groundlings missed their target.
Under the expert guidance of Al the boatman, the vessel swept down the rushing current and was soon out of range, lost to view around a bend in the river.
Back at the dock, Scruggs reached into the pocket of his white coat and removed a cheroot cigar. As the smoke curled up around his ears, his eyes narrowed beneath his bushy, black brows. He noticed something that had washed up on the shore and, bending down, he picked it up with his chubby fingers.
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