by Mark Boliek
Chapter 19
The darkness fell as JT and Jenny arrived at the castle. They followed the map around to a lesser tower. The moon had not risen over the tree line yet, but the night was clear so they should see it soon. The cold pricked their skin and pine branches whipped their faces, the piney scent keeping their eyes wide open as they scampered down an embankment to where the map indicated the tower’s entrance waited.
The heap of brick had no door, not even an outline of a door.
“No door,” JT mumbled.
“Well, there has to be something,” Jenny answered. “I don't think Homer would have given these directions if there weren't.” Her energy was contagious. The two of them scraped their hands up and down the base of the tower, searching for anything that might be like an opening.
The whole time, JT’s mind seemed stuck. Why is a raven like a writing desk? flashed into his thoughts, followed by, Every living creature needs this to live.
He looked up and down. It seemed hopeless to him, but Jenny did not give up. The moon broke over the top of the treetops and a trumpete fanfare blew across the walls, deep and rich. Startled, birds flew off the walls and out of the trees and into the night. The muted sound of a large crowd erupted afterward.
JT needed to get to the top, no matter what. He had to see. He scraped his hand over the brick tower one more time and felt a brick out of place. It jutted out in sort of a step. Then he felt more carefully, going straight up from the brick that stuck out. He felt another, higher brick that protruded just as the lower one. Another brick rose from the wall’s surface above that one as well. It was a ladder.
Jenny and JT climbed and as they crested the wall, the moon’s entire circle cleared the trees. Full, the moon shone brightly, illuminating the square and the thousands of people crammed into its bleachers. Great torches burned before reflective silver sheets like mirrors, making the area even brighter. The square looked like a stadium lit for a big game.
The crowd cheered and the mood was jovial. People gathered just as though it was a sporting event, laughing, joking and generally enjoying each other's company.
The center of the square held a perfectly square stage some five to six feet high with two poles in the middle, about two or three feet apart.
JT took this in quickly, for, as the moon totally cleared the tree line, another trumpet fanfare blasted into the clear night. Jenny and JT, their eyes barely peering over the top of the wall in front of them, watched the proceedings in the square below.
A wild, short man with an orange suit walked onstage. The crowd cheered, and the man acknowledged them, waving his hand and tipping his orange hat to them. Soon, the crowd fell silent, giving all their attention to this man standing on the stage alone.
“Hear ye, hear ye!” the man yelled. Though distant, his voice carried in the clear night air.
“His Royal Highness King John has called this Twelfth Day of Atonement for all to witness once again, for with it, we will rid ourselves of the bitter cold and ice this unanticipated winter has brought us. There is Evil in our land and it must be purged.”
The crowd cheered and gawked.
The scene turned dark and, in JT's mind, played out in slow motion as he saw the men lead Kali out upon the stage, her arms tied. The crowd chanted some undecipherable chant. The noise grew muffled as JT's vision narrowed to a tunnel. He tried to comprehend what was happening in front of him and the multitude of people. His heart raced and his mouth turned dry.
Two men untied Kali’s arms, then tied them again to the poles protruding from the stage. JT could tell that they pulled the rope tightly; Kali grimaced in pain. Though her face showed the pain, she shrugged to keep her emotions at bay.
After Kali was bound, another man came onstage, dressed in a medieval robe of lavish purple furs. JT recognized him as the Munch. He walked with quick steps, obviously overjoyed at the events that were about to take place.
To JT’s surprise, he waved a long, brown, leather whip into the air.
The tip cracked the cold night air and JT blinked. The Munch raised the whip and cracked it across Kali's back. Pow!
At the sound, the back of his neck knotted in sympathy. Jenny squealed.
Pow! The whip cracked again across Kali's back. JT stood up, moving toward Kali, though he had no idea if a way there existed or not. He seriously thought of jumping over the wall, but stopped just as his foot hit the edge. He scampered about in panic, mumbling and groaning. He had to get to Kali. His breath became sharp and his mind raced.
Pow! went the whip.
JT glanced at Jenny, who watched, petrified, clasping her jaw. Her lips looked slightly blue; she had forgotten to breathe.
JT grabbed Jenny, holding her tight as his eyes welled up and he began to cry. He had no idea what to do next.
Just as the whip came down again, a hand reached up, and the long, leather strip cracked around the wrist, the arm pulled, and the Munch, shocked, flew forward.
Snow began to fall in thick flakes and the crowd's mood turned. The sounds of anxiety mixed with fear rose into the cold night.
JT could only feel relief; Kali's beating had been stopped. The crowd, however, grew more anxious. As soon as the Munch was pulled from the stage, lightly armored guards rescued him and seized the perpetrator who had dared wrench the whip from the air before it could tear across Kali's back.
The guards pulled the man onstage. The Munch leapt to his feet and grabbed the man by the throat. It was Arthur.
“Daddy!” Kali yelled.
Somehow, with pure will, Arthur broke the monster’s grip and ran to his daughter, still tied to the poles. He held her close, stroked her hair, and kissed her forehead, as tears fell from his eyes.
“What is this?” Arthur begged. “What in the hell is all of this?”
The Munch laughed as he raised the whip again.
“I don't know, Daddy. I don't know. I want it to stop,” Kali gasped. “But it never stops.”
The whip snapped and cracked across Kali's back. She grimaced and yelped. A tear trickled down her cheek. The crowd seemed relieved that the beating started again. Arthur held her close, yelling protests. The Munch raised the whip again.
Arthur, in his anguish, turned to hold Kali from behind, so the whip ripped through his own back. He screamed as the pain shattered his entire body. Tears poured from both Kali and Arthur’s eyes.
“I love you, Kali,” Arthur cried. The whip ripped his back again. “I am sorry that I was never there before. I am sorry that I picked others before you.”
“I love you, too.” Kali took a deep breath.
The beating continued. The crowd looked on intently. Their concentrated interest on the spectacle made it clear that they believed this act, though brutal, was necessary and good.
“Enough!” The word rose powerfully above the crowd. Arthur's back was split open, welts visible through his ripped, blood-soaked shirt; his eyes had swollen shut. Kali's eyes were dry from crying, her voice hoarse from screaming.
A hush rushed across the stadium. Homer, in only a white robe, unaffected by the cold air, walked out onto the stage.
The Munch obeyed the robed man’s command, though he appeared disappointed that he had to stop his torture.
“Kwaida would not like this,” Homer told the Munch, his voice was soft.
“Kwaida sponsors this,” the Munch responded. “We've had this discussion many times, old man. Your place is in the Egleese, not here, priest.”
“Your understanding of Kwaida is very mistaken,” Homer answered.
“No. The old texts say that one must bear the burden of the ills of this world so the rest of us may rest, live, and die in peace,” the Munch said sternly.
JT could hear the conversation, as could everyone in the arena. He didn't know how, but the words were clear. His heart pounded in his chest. He could not get the vision of Kali and Arthur’s torment out of his mind; he could still hear the sound of the whip tearing thought the cold
night. He held Jenny close.
He felt grateful to Homer and knew now that he must be Billy. Why doesn't he just kill the Munch right now?
“At what cost?” Homer asked. “Do you really believe that the blood of this innocent will bring peace to this land?”
“It has so far.” The Munch spoke more confidently. “These people obey me while this innocent, and now her father, allow for the people’s hurt to be healed.”
“Then why does it snow at this moment?” Homer inquired. “Why is there cold in this world, when you have beaten this child for so long? You may not have the peace you think you have or for the reasons you think you have it.”
“But we have given everything to Kwaida. This must be the answer.” The Munch raised his whip and cracked it again across Arthur's back. The crowd breathed in.
“Perhaps it is not,” Homer answered. “Perhaps you do not know Kwaida quite like you think you do.”
The Munch gripped the whip. “Yes.” He thought for a moment. “Perhaps you are right. Perhaps heaping our pain on these innocents is not enough.” The Munch grinned from ear to ear. “Perhaps if we kill these innocents, we will restore Kwaida's faith in us. Yes, that will do it.”
The Munch raised his whip. “Kwaida will hear us! Our pain will be placed upon these two innocents and we will kill them. Then our pain will be completely extinguished and we can live in peace with Kwaida forever!”
The crowd cheered.
Homer said nothing, though tears ran down his cheeks.
JT screamed, though his voice could not be heard. “No!”
Jenny held JT tight. He thought he might drown in the pain of his heart; Jenny's presence helped keep him afloat.
JT did not know what happened after that in the arena, for he and Jenny climbed back down the brick ladder. They made their way back to the Egleese without a clue what to do next. Maybe Homer would be there and have some sort of explanation of what they had just witnessed, but JT felt that no answer would satisfy him.
People filed out of the arena peacefully and went back to their homes, hoping that their pain and suffering would be paid for by Kali and Arthur's blood.
Jenny and JT made their way to Michael’s bedside. Michael's thoughts seemed more organized, despite his obvious pain. He grimaced as he turned in the bed to face JT. Homer was nowhere to be found.
JT tried to stay calm, but he could not hold the tears back.
“What happened?” Michael asked. “Did it go okay? Did you find Kali?”
JT couldn't say anything. His jaw trembled as he tried to get the words out. Finally he mumbled, “They beat them.”
“What?” Michael's voice became louder.
“Michael, it was horrible,” Jenny began. “They led her out onto this stage and actually whipped her. I don't believe it. It was horrific. That awful man whipped her.” Jenny buried her face into Michael's side.
Michael's eyes closed, then he peered up at JT over Jenny’s head. JT could only nod, tears flowing down his cheeks.
“Why?”
“I don't know, Michael,” JT began. “For some reason the people in this kingdom believe that it will heal them and that the snow will stop and that they will continue to have peace.”
“Impossible,” Michael answered. “Homer said that was just a tale. I don't believe it.”
“That's what happened,” JT replied. He sat in a chair in the corner of the room. “Now…” His voice faded; he could barely speak. “They're going to kill her. They're going to kill Arthur, too.”
“Arthur?”
“Yeah. He jumped onstage to try to stop everything—Kali's beating. They just whipped him, too, and now they are going to kill them.”
“Where's Homer?”
“Don't know. That Munch or whatever that thing is said that Billy's behind all of this. He said that he basically wanted all of this to happen.”
“He said Kwaidy or Kiki or something,” Jenny said with her face still buried Michael's blanket.
“Same thing,” Michael answered. “Billy is Kwaida.”
“Then certainly he can stop this,” Jenny responded, her voice begging.
“Yeah. That's what I've always thought, too,” JT said. He sank his face into his hands. “Anything in that journal that can help us now?”
“Of course,” Michael answered. “I told you. Everything you need is in that book.”
JT held the book again. Patience was not his strong point, no matter how hard he tried to pretend it was.
He remembered their first adventure in Bruinduer. Kali had mentioned that she loved knights and ladies and the romanticism of “once upon a time.” Even in a fantasy world such as the one that surrounded him, JT wondered if fairy tales always ended the way she would hope.
JT handed his grandfather's journal to Michael, who immediately turned to the back. There, a very neat pouch held a stack of pictures. He flipped through the pictures and pulled one out that JT had seen so many times recently, the one of his grandfather and a dark complexioned man in their robes of feathers and animal skins.
“Turn it over,” Michael said.
JT flipped the picture over and once again read, “Me and Jato, purification ceremony, 1972.'
“There, in that picture, is a ceremony that can purify this land. It will bring closure to everything and make you a part of the covenant with Billy.”
“What?” JT asked, confused. “I thought all we had to do was complete a task.”
“That's right, JT,” Michael explained. “The ceremony is a task in itself. You see, there is nothing you can really do to gain Billy's trust. No task is great enough—no gift, no good deed. That's why the people drawn to this world keep coming back. They want to possess it and that is not the key.”
“Charlie and I tried to do the ceremony.” Michael's voice became soft.
JT stared, his heart racing. He thought Michael had told him everything.
“We failed, obviously. We wanted to purify ourselves to make us one with Billy. But we didn't know what that meant. We felt that if we did the purification ceremony, Billy would see us as equals. Boy, were we wrong. Charlie wanted to use the purification to take Billy's power away. He wanted to take his place. From what you've told me, it seems that the Munch knows that that won't work, so he's trying to purify this land by placing its sorrows and pain on Kali. I have to think that's not quite working, either.” Michael turned to a page near the back of the journal and began to read.
August 25, 1972
Today was a day I hope to never forget. Jato and I swam in the ocean. But this was no ordinary swim. For the first time, we have purified ourselves from the land that the Vryheid called Bruinduer.
Billy has seen fit to let us dwell in his presence as long as we must, as long as our days in Bruinduer last. You see, we are only allowed so much time in the land.
It seems that our time could be limitless since the only obstacle is to open a door, but we have lived whole lives behind the Mahogany Door. We have loved and fought, and we have done some wrong, so, to be reconciled with that land, we must purify ourselves. We must swim in the water and repeat to each other that we shall never enter the land again.
We asked Billy to join us, but he promised that he was there regardless.
This process was bittersweet for us. We discovered something that I am sure we were never meant to find or, in some cases, make. I am most certain that it was not the Vryheid who created that world.
We laughed and danced. We told stories of our adventures and dressed in the robes of Jato's ancestors. For our sins of Bruinduer have been wiped clean and we may live in peace if we choose to do so. The man that helped me find this world, the man that destroyed the real world, and I have now finally become reconciled.
“You see, JT, you can purify yourself from this world. We can wipe the slate clean,” Michael stated.
“But there is only one problem,” JT interrupted. “The Munch will never leave, so I am sure he wants to pile his and this world'
s woes onto Kali somehow and purify himself that way. This world can give you anything, remember?”
“Yes, JT , that's correct to a point, but, after reading the journal, you know that can never happen. The only way we can make it happen is if we get the Munch to leave Bruinduer, whether he wants to or not.”
“Yeah, but just like you experienced, Michael, the power in this place is too great. He'll never give it up.”
JT hung his head. He could not get rid of the sight of Kali and Arthur being beaten by the Munch. JT's hands felt hot. The scent of perfume hit his nose. “I guess we'll have to kill him, then.”
Michael closed the journal and stroked the back of Jenny's head. “I suppose you are right.”
The night lingered. JT read some more of his grandfather's journal by candlelight. The stories, epic in scale, were nothing he could ever have imagined, but then, he realized, he was living them, too.
Slowly, without haste, he fell asleep. He had no idea what would happen in the morning or the rest of the day, so he hunkered down and buried himself under blankets. He was comfortable, if only for that one—possibly last—night.
His head swam with thoughts and hopes for the future, maybe even a future with Kali—if he could save her.
The morning came and JT left comfort behind. JT peeked his head out the window; the air smelled fresh and new, but that smell bore witness to the brutal cold that engulfed the kingdom.
He could see no movement, so it was impossible for him to know what the citizens felt. It was obvious to him that none of them had ever seen the land in this condition before.
He and Jenny piled on clothes and armor. It was difficult to move, but the only way they could travel.
Michael tried to rise, but he felt dizzy and Homer ordered him back into bed.
Horses waited for Jenny and JT. They mounted and walked them out into the bitter cold that now blanketed Bruinduer. The beasts reminded JT of Gabriel and John, the two horses he and Kali rode from Triton to Godwin to warn Michael of Charlie's attack. JT held the reins and patted the horse’s neck as though it were his old horse friend. “Good boy.”
The horse, responding to JT's calm confidence, gently trotted into the harsh weather.
Almost no time passed before they came upon the castle. With the roads empty, the land was beautiful from one side to the other. The white cover of snow mad the overcast day bright. The ice hung like Christmas decorations and elaborate natural sculptures. The powder crunched beneath the horses' hooves in a steady tempo that eased JT's nerves. The sound kept his mind on something other than the task before him.
They arrived at the castle's gate uneventfully, but, as they dismounted, the gates opened. They were expected.
A single man walked across the square. Dressed in white, he blended in with the frozen Vryheid land. His feet moved beneath the snow as his legs dug and ploughed deeply with every step.
As he arrived to the gate, the lone man threw back his hood. The Munch himself had come to greet his guests.
JT reached for his sword, but, with one gesture, the Munch froze him. Jenny tried to do the same, but, like JT, she could not move.
“No need to worry anymore, my friends. This will all be over soon.” The Munch smiled and turned. He beckoned two guards, who disarmed JT and Jenny. They had no choice but to follow the Munch into the castle grounds.
“My people are at peace today. They know that, once the prisoners are killed, the land will be purified and this forsaken weather will be a distant memory.”
“You can't control the weather,” JT said.
“Oh, I tend to disagree,” the Munch answered. “You see, Kwaida's world is perfect, but, for some reason, humans don't know how to live in it. They are nothing but destroyers.”
“That's the pot calling the kettle black,” JT said childishly.
The Munch laughed. At the inner gate of the castle square, he turned to his visitors and rested his arm on the gate. “Well, now, I am one not really to hold a grudge and I do care—I really do. I just believe that we need to play by the rules. So…”
The Munch pushed on the gate, swinging the massive iron slab open to reveal the arena where Kali and Arthur had been the night before. It was packed with people to the tops of the bleachers. The silence of one second became a deafening roar the next.
The Munch yelled, “I am all for second chances and, since I am feeling so generous today, we'll play a little game.”
JT and Jenny stood there, horrified. They could not move a muscle. JT could only think of the terrible scene from the night before, watching Arthur and Kali be beaten. He could not fathom what the Munch had in store for them next.
“It is a really simple game, to tell you the truth. The one rule is simple: If you can save Kali—who is way up there in that tower over there—“ The Munch pointed to a window in a very tall, ominous tower across the castle grounds. “Then this can all be over. You all can go home.” The Munch smiled broadly.
“What's the catch?” Jenny asked.
“No catch,” the Munch replied.
“You're not like that,” JT fired back.
“How do you know that?” the Munch asked, his smile as bright as ever.
“I read my grandfather's journal. I know about you. I know what the dark side of a human can do,” JT answered. “Plus… There's always a catch.”
“Well, sometimes you can't believe everything you read.” The Munch paused for a moment, scratching his chin. “On second thought, maybe you're right. Besides, the weather has my people depressed. They need some entertainment. There's no catch, because there is no way you will save Kali. Just like you read, JT, I always like to have a little fun.” The Munch guided Jenny and JT into the arena. “Besides, who said I was human?”
In an instant, the Munch bounded onto the small stage to explain the game he had picked. JT’s breath leaked out in puffs of fog. His nose ran and the smell of tens of thousands of people floated in and around the arena.
The crowd separated as the guards led JT and Jenny into the square. He knew this feeling, he remembered the walk through the crowd to Michael's castle in Godwin.
They arrived at the stage, where he and Jenny stood, mesmerized by their surroundings. He thought about the day before and the beating. He couldn't believe it had actually taken place and these people had condoned it.
“I will make this speech short and sweet, because that is what this display will be.” Like a politician lying, the Munch explained, “This young man and his friend have declared they can rescue us all from the grips of agony and sorrow by saving our young princess and her father.”
JT knew that he had said nothing of the sort; his back tightened and his palms became sweaty from holding back his anger.
The Munch continued. “All they have to do is go to that tower, right across the grounds, and claim their prize.”
The crowd collectively sighed and laughed. No doubt the Munch painted this scene for his subjects' entertainment—and as a blatant show of his control over events.
“Well, go.” The Munch smiled and shooed his contestants. “We're waiting.”
The crowd fell quiet as JT and Jenny made their way carefully toward the tower. The dazzling white snow covered the tops of the castle and the smell of fresh pine sap wafted about. The wind blew through the gray sky and the mail JT and Jenny wore jingled, echoing off the walls.
Sighs and whispers rumbled through the massive crowd. JT knew there was a catch to what lay before him. He remembered what Michael had told him.
The tower where Kali waited was much farther than what it appeared. Their breathing suffered as they fought their way through snow wearing heavy mail.
“I have no idea what is going to happen, Jenny,” JT said as they came to a stone wall that circled the tower, some twenty feet high.
“I understand,” Jenny said.
“Just so you know, you may have the ability to use your sword in ways you never thought you could,” JT explained. “You see, in
this land, somehow you become what you think you want to become. A warrior is one of those things. I feel it right before combat—well, at least, the last time I was in combat I did. I could just fight like a seasoned soldier. I don't know how it happens, it just does. Use it to your advantage and let it happen.” JT felt grateful for whatever had restored his memories of Bruinduer.
Jenny said nothing.
Why is a raven like a writing desk? The thought shot through JT's mind in a snakelike whisper. Every living creature needs this to live.
JT reached his gloved hand up to the handle on the gate and pushed. The gate did not open. He planted his feet into the snow the best he could and, with Jenny's help, pushed until the gate finally gave way.
He stepped through first, then Jenny followed. The snow crunched and, behind him, he heard the crowd utter a collective, “Ooooo!” He did not know why they made the sound, but he was certain, just like his last time here, that nothing was as it seemed.
JT could not see out of his helmet; he just could never get used to wearing one. He took it off and the bitter air pinched his cheeks, turning them bright red. A rush of cool, fresh, biting air entered his lungs. He coughed and the helmet hit the ground with a clank.
Mysteriously, the gate door behind them slammed shut. Wham!
“And so it begins,” JT muttered.
“What?” Jenny asked.
“Stay close.” JT marched toward the tower some two hundred yards in front of him. The tall, circular brick structure suddenly appeared to be two hundred miles away.
“I don't think this is going to be easy.” He picked up the pace as fast as the mail would let him and kept his eyes forward.
An eerie feeling draped the grounds. JT felt uneasy, as though something dire—or, at least, something eventful, was about to take place.
“In fact…”
The feeling wrapped JT like a present on Christmas morning. A loud thump pounded the ground behind the tower and vibrated the earth under their feet.
“I know this isn't…”
JT's legs kicked beneath him and he reached for Jenny's hand. Just as he caught her glove and pulled, the word slipped from his mouth.
“Run!”
The mail felt cumbersome at first, but, just as JT had explained, Jenny soon felt the skills of a seasoned warrior take over her body. It felt odd, but then the experience became comfortable. The armor that had been somewhat awkward now moved with her body effortlessly. They plowed through the snow, over the ground, toward the tower.
JT heard it first, but he didn't believe it—or he didn't want to believe it. A solitary voice from the crowd in the arena sounded over his beating heart and pounding lungs.
“Dragon!”
Thump! Another pounding step rolled across the land, lifting Jenny and JT off their feet. Jenny stumbled to the ground and rolled. The cold snow found its way inside her mail, numbing her skin.
JT remained balanced and unsheathed his sword. He ran toward the tower, plowing snow in his wake. As long as he kept himself between the dragon sounds and Jenny, he felt he could keep her safe.
A growl rose from behind the tower, climbing into the crisp air like a volcano about to erupt.
In a flash, the dragon took flight. A collective sigh sounded from the arena as the massive creature ascended into view.
JT froze in his tracks and peered into the sky, lowering his sword. The brown and gold dragon glared down at him. JT could have sworn the dragon appeared to recognize him. It hesitated, hovering in the air. The wind from its amazing wings buffeted JT, finding the chinks in his armor and clearing the snow beneath his feet. It took a tremendous amount of JT’s strength just to keep from being blown to the ground.
JT made a move toward the tower and the dragon dove to the ground between JT and his destination. So, the creature is protecting the structure.
JT gazed back at Jenny, who remained lying on the ground, too scared to move a muscle.
“Jenny!” JT yelled. “Keep lying still!”
“Not a problem!” she yelled back.
JT charged at the dragon. It had landed on its hind legs and stood tall in an attack stance. JT, waving his sword above his head, forgot one important thing about dragons.
Dragons breathe fire.
The flames launched from the creature's throat and JT, with no shield, did the only thing he could, he rolled to the ground into a tight ball, his back toward the flames.
Every living thing needs this to survive. The thought looped through JT's brain. Was he supposed to solve it now?
JT couldn't think.
Water! The answer seemed logical. Water put out fire and every creature needs it to live. JT felt the cold snow bite his skin.
Snow is made of water.
He compacted snow together into a ball about the size of a grapefruit. No way, he thought, is this possibly going to work.
He grabbed the snowball and flipped over. Just as the dragon was about to release another ferocious, blistering stream of flame, JT flung the ball of frozen water toward the monster's massive mouth. The snowball hit its mark, the dragon choked, and its flame was extinguished.
JT felt proud of himself as he got up and ran toward the tower again. “I don't believe that worked!”
The dragon coughed and stumbled. JT ran under its legs and found the tower's entrance. He grabbed the door.
He had forgotten one other thing: Jenny.
The winged beast did not waste its time on JT, who was behind it. The creature had spotted Jenny crouching in the snow, staring up at it with innocent eyes.
The brute coughed, sparking its flame. It shot a bright, hot stream some one hundred feet in the air, making the crowd in the arena gasp.
JT started working his way back to Jenny, but then he remembered Kali. He thought that if he could just reach Kali, maybe the Munch’s sick game would end.
He had to choose.
JT suddenly remembered why Homer sent Jenny with him.
She did not fully believe in her new ability to use her sword, so she did the only thing she knew how to do—besides die in a dragon’s mouth.
Since JT had met Jenny, he believed her voice to be one of the most annoying he had ever heard, but what sweet sound he heard next put him at ease, too.
A faint melody rose into the bitter cold air. JT could not hear it clearly at first, but it grew stronger. Jenny sang a song to hold the dragon at bay.
I will remember the time I first held you
It was the first time that I finally knew the truth
But by December, from my arms you were gone,
But in the morning, daylight will come.
Jenny repeated the chorus a few more times and the dragon halted in its tracks.
It tried in vain to attack Jenny. It started to slam its feet and head down onto the girl and eat her, but it could not. Its eyes turned sad and the monster circled like a cat or dog, then curled into a ball and lay beside Jenny.
The sight mesmerized JT—and the crowd in the arena. No one knew what to say, including the Munch. The evil creature had set the rigged game in motion, a game he knew he would win, but he could not change it now.
A golden tear dropped from the dragon's eyes as it fell asleep. JT sheathed his sword, turned, and made his way to the top of the circular staircase of the tower to reach Kali.
The thought hit him again. What do all creatures need to live? This time, the answer found him. It wasn't water, food, or even air; it was a heart.
JT ran up the stairs. He felt a new confidence in his step. In the back of his mind, he hoped that the Munch might actually keep his word and that, when JT reached Kali, he could walk out of Bruinduer free and clear.
He bounded up the staircase to the closed door at the top. He did not stop once he reached the top. He tightened his shoulder, shut his eyes, and crashed into the wood, bursting the lock, chains, and any other devices that might have secured the door.
The round room at the top had one teardrop-shaped
window large enough to let air in, but too small for a body to squeeze through. A candle burned in the corner on a small writing desk beside a canopy bed draped in fine white silk sheets and blankets. In front of the writing desk, staring down at a small piece of paper, stood Kali.
Her head drooped and her fingers tapped the desk.
She had not reacted at all when JT crashed through the door. She turned to him, a frown frozen on her face.
JT stood still, petrified. He did not know how to react. Kali stood there in front of him, finally. He had pictured himself running to her, holding her, kissing her, and then leaving as quickly as possible. Now he could only wait and follow her lead.
Kali patted the sheet of paper, then sat at the desk.
“Hey, JT,” she said. Her clear voice still felt distant.
JT’s body shook. He did not know why he felt so scared and nervous. “Hi.” His voice quivered.
“Please. Sit here and talk with me.” Kali pointed at the bed.
JT jingled his way across the floor and sat at the foot of the bed. He felt a tingle shoot through his body. He knew Kali had lain there; her scent filled his nose. The lavender fragrance he so remembered made his arms go weak. He wanted to hug her, but he could not find the courage to reach for her.
When Kali spoke, she spoke softly. The words created an uneasy emotion in JT. Though different and uncertain, he liked it.
“I'm sorry it happened this way,” Kali said.
“It's okay, Kali, but we really need to go.” JT gestured toward the door, his voice cracking. Though he knew they needed to leave, he also wanted to stay. Being alone with Kali was good. It was what he wanted.
“My knight in shining armor,” Kali responded. Her smile made JT melt even more. He remembered her being very opinionated and headstrong before, but now she spoke with no malice or sarcasm, no hatred or judgment. “When we were younger, I always thought that our days would be full of adventure forever. I never thought it would end up like this.” Kali shook her head.
“When we were forced to leave Athens Eden so long ago, everything changed. My dad thought he was a loser, worthless. He thought he could not offer anything to his family. He never realized that all he had to do was be my dad. He didn't have to do more. We never wanted anything from him, but he reminded us every day how much he needed to support us, to give us nice things, to fill the hole he had made when he lost the case with Michael.” Kali sighed. “I never cared about any of that. At first, my mother didn’t. either. Then she listened to him. She changed and began to care about material goods. She pushed him to give her nice things.
“He was never the same after that. He went deeper and deeper into depression until my mother had him committed. But it did not matter to her. She got what she wanted. She got his money and even more insurance.”
JT listened intently. He wanted to make her pain go away. “Did I know anything about all of this?”
“I did write you a few letters after we left, but when I never got anything back…”
JT couldn't believe it.
“I know you can't remember anything. I don't blame you.” Kali smiled.
JT still felt ashamed, but Kali's smile made him more comfortable.
“I went to college,” Kali began again. “I swore off men and joined groups that despised them. I got involved in a lot of things that I really don't want to talk about, but I was so angry. It is ironic that I believed what those friends told me and tried so hard to rid myself of men, but here you are to save me. I was such a fool. And now it's too late. I'll be dead soon.”
“Not if I can help it!” JT exclaimed.
A noise rumbled up the staircase. JT sprang up from the bed.
“You have to get out of here,” Kali said, her voice suddenly frantic. “Don't worry about me.”
“Not without you.” JT unsheathed his sword and bounded to the door of the small room.
“JT—” Kali started.
“Not now,” JT responded.
“JT, listen,” Kali said again, this time with more force.
JT secured the door the best he could. It was still busted from his entrance. He searched around the room in a frenzy. He took his sword and chopped off one of the posts from the bed.
“JT, please, you have to stop,” Kali begged.
“No!” JT yelled as he tried to barricade the door by shoving the bedpost under the lock to wedge it shut. “They will not hurt you again.”
JT ran toward Kali.
“JT, stop,” Kali said, her voice much calmer, almost as though she wanted to give up. “They aren't after me.”
JT edged closer to Kali. As he reached for her, the castle guards blew down the door with no resistance from JT's makeshift wedge. JT tried to pull Kali close, but his body went right through hers.
Once again, Kali was not there. He turned to look at her. Kali peered back at him, then dropped her eyes and frowned.
JT heard the Munch’s voice. “Got you.” And a laugh boomed out.
JT and Kali stared at each other. Obviously, she had not wanted this to happened, so she must have had her reasons for allowing it to happen.
“Very good.” The Munch's voice came out of thin air.
Kali's vapor turned and walked across the room, disappearing into the distance. In her place, the image of the Munch moved forward, stopped, and then stood where Kali had just been.
“This world is so unpredictable, so powerful. It is even unbelievable, to some extent. That is the biggest drawback, even though we can accomplish such cool things. Like this.”
The Munch pointed at his ghostly body, then went in and out of phase, like an old TV screen popping off and on. “The land still has its limits.”
JT squirmed in the arms of his captors.
“For one, this whole steward of the key thing. I mean, if it weren't for that itty bitty rule, I could just kill all of you. But, since you were smart enough to give it to Kali—well, killing is just that much harder than the real world.
“You know all of the beatings that she has taken since we've been here? I had almost gotten her to relinquish the stewardship. I mean, I was that close…” The Munch spread his index finger and thumb an inch apart. “Until you guys showed up. She has put up quite a fight, but never mind. Tonight is the night.” The Munch smiled. “There are other ways that the cane’s powers can be relinquished.”
JT remembered one of his dream conversations with Ol' Captain Luke.
“I will just kill her and take it. I mean, killing you will be easy. Killing everybody will be easy, here. But I did have to make a deal in order for me to get the stewardship from your little girlfriend.”
“So you just wanted the stewardship of the key? I thought you beat Kali like that to bring peace to the poor people of your kingdom,” JT remarked, his voice trembling.
“I just want power. Just like everyone else. Just like your grandfather.”
“My grandfather was a great man!” JT’s temper blazed.
“Your grandfather was a fool!” the Munch argued. “And a greedy man.” The Munch lowered his voice. “Why do you think he kept wanting to come back to Bruinduer? If the man did not want this land's power and what it could give him, your dear grandfather would have stopped and gone on his way.” The Munch paused. “Your grandfather did neither.”
JT broke from his guard's grip and charged the image, but passed through the vapor. He crashed against the wall and bounced off of it. His head swam and his anger grew. “Billy will take care of this. You wait.”
'Ha! Billy or, should I say, the mighty Kwaida? He had his chance, but he takes no side. He does not care as long as people cry to him. They cry, but he still does nothing. I am here to take care of them, to make sure that their cries are heard. We suffer from this weather, but I kill you and take care of the weather. If it does not change, then I blame someone else and take their lives or I change how the people here live. They will still look to me, because I have an answer; because I am in power. You sho
uld know how this works by now.”
The Munch turned abruptly away from JT and disappeared.
“Bring him to me.” The order shot through the air of the room.