The King's Henchmen: The Henchmen Chronicles - Book 1

by Craig Halloran

  “I gave you the best offer that I’m able to offer. After all, you stole all of our gear. I think my offer is very generous, considering.”

  “Ruger, I’m going to counter your offer with another. Two thousand gold shards.”

  “I don’t have that. You know it.”

  “Well, I guess we can’t make a deal then. Goodbye, Ruger and Twigs.” He moved back toward his chair.

  Abraham moved to retrieve his weapon. The rogues, swords in hand, blocked his path.

  “What do you think you are doing?” Lord Hawk said.

  “Taking our weapons,” he replied.

  “No, those aren’t your weapons. They are mine. It’s the price that you pay for getting out of here alive.” Lord Hawk sat down. He flicked his wrist at them. “Begone now.”

  He and Sticks turned away and walked toward the closed doors.

  Under her breath, she said, “Great plan, Captain.”

  They stood before the doors waiting for them to be opened. It didn’t happen. Abraham looked over his shoulder. Lord Hawk, Flexor, Kawnee, and the rest of the rogues all showed knowing smiles. Ruger smiled back. Out of the corner of his mouth he said to Sticks, “Why do I feel like we are about to be fed to the wolves?”

  “Because you marched us right into their den,” she replied.

  “Is something wrong?” Lord Hawk said.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, “Uh, yes. The doors aren’t opening.”

  “That’s because you have to knock,” Lord Hawk said in a suspiciously friendly manner. “Go ahead. Knock three times. Knock hard because my sentries are very hard of hearing.”

  Abraham rapped his knuckles against the thick wooden doors. Nothing happened. “This is getting worse and worse, isn’t it?” he whispered.

  Sticks nodded.

  He turned around and shrugged. “It didn’t work.”

  “Oh, that’s because you forgot to say the magic words,” Lord Hawk said. He smiled like a crocodile. “Open… Says… Me.”

  Abraham’s eyes grew as big as saucers. “What?” Before he could move a muscle, the rogues in the corners flicked a handful of pellets at his feet.

  The pellets burst open and spewed out a choking inky purple cloud.

  Abraham and Sticks broke out in a fit of coughing. The strength in his iron-strong limbs faded, and he hit the ground headfirst.

  61

  The Past

  “Isn’t this great?” Abraham asked Jenny and Jake.

  They were flying inside a twin-engine Cessna. He was a big guy, and the cockpit was cramped, but a big smile covered his face. He loved to fly.

  “What does the altimeter say, Jake?” he asked.

  Jake sat in the copilot seat next to him. The light-haired kid wore an Optimus Prime T-shirt. He pointed at the plane’s instrument panel and said, “Twenty-two thousand feet. Whoa, that’s really high, isn’t it?” He looked out his window. “Man, that’s so cool. Those clouds look like a bed of cotton you could walk on.”

  The plane seated eight people, but the only other two on board were Abraham’s wife, Jenny, and his best friend, Buddy Parker. They both sat in the next row of seats. Abraham popped a bubble-gum bubble. “Are you two doing all right back there? It’s awfully quiet.”

  “It’s just bumpy,” Jenny said. The pretty woman wore a white sundress that showed off her tan figure. Her eyes were big. “But I’m getting used to it.”

  “You will,” Abraham said. “And don’t worry, this bird is as sound as they come. Hey, Buddy, say something.”

  “I’ll say something. I can’t believe that I’m dumb enough to ride in a plane that you are flying. That’s what I’m saying.” Buddy held his stomach. “How long is this flight going to be, anyway?”

  “It’s only two and a half hours. We’ll land in Charleston before you know it. Just sit back and enjoy the flight. Besides, we have plenty of parachutes.”

  “Shut up.” Buddy was hugging a small pillow. “I should have flown commercial.”

  “Ah, this is better. No hassles for you at the airport. Now, sit back and prepare for an inflight movie,” he said.

  “What movie?” Buddy asked.

  Jake perked up. “We get to watch a movie?”

  “That’s right. We’re gonna watch Buddy’s favorite: Major League, starring Charlie Sheen.”

  Buddy grinned. “Will you shut up and just land this thing? Man, I can’t believe I have to jet from Florida back to Pittsburgh for an autograph session.”

  “And my dad’s birthday party.”

  “Yeah, that too.”

  “Where did you say it was?” Buddy asked.

  “Hinton. Well, Dad’s driving in from Hinton to meet us in Charleston. He doesn’t know about this birthday present, so I can’t wait to see his eyes when we show it to him.” Abraham was thrilled to death to buy his dad a plane. His father, Captain Frank Jenkins, was a highly decorated war hero in Vietnam, who flew F-4 Phantoms. He became an instructor after he retired and taught Abraham to fly as soon as he was able. “Man, he’s going to be thrilled.”

  “Let’s just hope that he doesn’t think that you overdid it, honey,” Jenny said. “You know he doesn’t like it when you spend money on him.”

  “That’s why I’m going to tell him that it was your idea.”

  “Oh no, you won’t!” She reached up and tickled Abraham.

  He jumped in his seat. “Okay, okay, I won’t. Just don’t tickle me while I’m flying. I’ll pee myself!”

  Jake giggled. “You said pee.”

  “So, what’s the plan, again?” Buddy asked. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “We land in Charleston, then what?”

  “Well, we land, see Dad, give him his present, then I’m pretty sure that he’ll want to fly his new toy. He takes us to Pittsburgh for the autograph session. We’ll fly up, back, spend the night in Hinton for the party, and take a commercial flight back to Florida just in time to resume training camp.”

  “Man, being famous gets crazy,” Buddy said.

  “It’s going to get crazier after we win the pennant. You can count on it,” Abraham said.

  “The Pirates are going to win the World Series,” Jake said. “I can feel it!”

  “That’s just what I’ll need. Abraham and Buddy with even bigger egos,” Jenny said.

  Abraham and Buddy chuckled. “You know it,” Buddy said. “I’m gonna beat my best batting average and crack out over fifty home runs. It’s going to be sweet.”

  “You know it,” Abraham said. He looked over at his wiry, tawny-headed son. “So, do you think Grandpa Frank is going to like his present?”

  “He’ll love it! If he doesn’t, I’ll take it,” Jake said.

  “You know, I was about your age when Grandpa started taking me flying. He made sure that I got my pilot’s license, too.” He dropped his headphones down on his neck. “He used to say, ‘You never know when you’ll need to fly a plane.’ So do you want to learn to fly?”

  “You bet I do?” Jake said.

  “Well, climb over here into the captain’s seat.”

  “Really?”

  “Hon, I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” Jenny said.

  “Oh, it will be all right.”

  “No, it won’t be,” Buddy objected. “You are the pilot, and you’re going to get this metal bird on the ground. Sorry Jake, but ol’ Buddy would rather play it safe.”

  “Aw, shucks.” Jake slumped down in his seat.

  Abraham hit him in the leg. “No pouting. Besides, those two buzzkills won’t always be flying with us.”

  “Hey!” Jenny punched Abraham in the arm. “You better not.”

  “Ow, that’s my pitching arm.” He giggled. “Don’t damage the moneymaker, baby.”

  “Yeah, damage the baby maker instead.” Buddy tossed his head back and laughed. “Now that would be funny.”

  Jen cozied up to Abraham. Her soft lips kissed his cheek. She smelled great.

  “What was that for?
” he asked.

  She took his free hand in both of her warm ones. She placed his hand on her belly and said, “Speaking of babies…”

  62

  Abraham’s head jerked up from the floor. He was in the same room. Lord Hawk, Flexor, and Kawnee were sitting in their chairs. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He’d been dreaming about the past, the accident. It was a day he’d lived over and over again. It set his blood on fire.

  Gathering his thoughts, he said, “Where’s Sticks?”

  Lord Hawk pointed to his left. Sticks was chained up to the wall between the burning cauldrons of fire. Her head was sunk against her chest. “She’s resting. It takes some people longer than others to recover from the smoke of slumber. So how are you feeling, Ruger?”

  “What do you want?” Abraham replied.

  “Do you know what is more valuable than gold?”

  A really good pizza. Ice-cold beer. It depends. “Good health.”

  “Ha! Well, I suppose there is some truth to that.” Lord Hawk shifted in his seat. “Information. Yes, information is one of the most valuable assets that a man can acquire. Especially if it is information about a certain king.”

  Ruger stood up and swayed. The slumber smoke had dulled his senses. Blood flowed into his fingertips, which began to burn. “I suppose. What are you getting at?”

  “Well, those horses that you gave to us… Some of them are branded with King Hector’s mark. I find that very interesting.”

  Abraham shrugged. “So we bought some of the king’s horses. It happens.” He didn’t have any idea whether it happened or not. But it could have.

  “True.” Lord Hawk got out of his chair and walked over to Sticks. He pulled her shirt down at the neck, revealing the King’s Brand on her chest. “She is branded like a horse or like a Henchman.”

  Sticks’s head rolled from one side to the other. Her eyelids started to open as she moaned.

  Lord Hawk crossed the room and stopped in front of Abraham’s sword belt. He lifted it up with his toe and pulled the sword free. He cast a sideways glance at Abraham and said, “Slade the Blade. I never imagined that I would meet you in person.”

  “I never thought I’d meet you either.”

  Lord Hawk eyeballed the sword and said, “This must be the infamous Black Bane. The craftsmanship is no doubt high quality, but as a whole, I find it unremarkable. I can say the same about you.”

  Flexor let out a bubbly chuckle. The rest of the rogues joined in.

  “I have a weapon far greater at my disposal, which is more than a match for any sword.” Lord Hawk pulled out his gun. The six-shooter had a blue finish and a walnut grip. He spun it on his finger. “This is a weapon greater than any sword ever forged.” He tossed Black Bane onto the ground and holstered the gun after a spin on his finger. “But enough about weapons. You, Ruger Slade, are very popular outside of Kingsland. I believe there is a bounty on your head. At least two that I know of—one in Hancha and the other in East Bolg, I believe. It seems that your group gets around and does a lot of damage. I believe that King Elron in Hancha has offered ten thousand pieces of gold for your head and another five hundred per Henchman. That’s quite a sum. He wasn’t very happy about his aqueduct system that you destroyed.”

  Abraham didn’t remember any such adventure and said, “It wasn’t us. King Elron had plenty of other enemies.”

  “You know, you make a good point. But he blames Hector. Besides, it’s not like people have a picture of you to go by or anything.”

  That’s an interesting choice of words. Picture. When Lord Hawk spoke the “Open says me” phrase, it crossed up Abraham’s thoughts. He couldn’t help but wonder if Lord Hawk was someone like him. The way he talked and flipped the gun around like a cowboy couldn’t have been learned in this world. Or could it?

  “I don’t recall ever being in Hancha,” Abraham said. “I could have been mixed up with someone else.”

  “True. So, Ruger Slade, tell me what is going on and what you are doing. I know that you serve the king.”

  “Then you know that I can’t tell you what I am doing. Not that I’m hiding anything.”

  “I was afraid that you would say that.” Quick as a striking snake, Lord Hawk drew his gun, pointed it at Sticks, squeezed the trigger, and fired.

  The bullet blasted into the stone wall right by Sticks’s face. She flinched hard and let out a yelp. The loud bang echoed in the chamber. Smoke rolled out of the gun barrel.

  “If I have to ask you what you are doing again, I’m going to send the next magic stone right through the center of her skull.” That was the first time Lord Hawk said anything without even smiling. “Well?”

  Abraham didn’t doubt the man’s intentions. He wasn’t going to risk Sticks’s life even though the Henchmen would rather die than reveal their service to the king. He eyed the gun. I wonder how many bullets he has? His father, Frank, was an avid hunter, and even though Abraham had never had a great love for it, he’d fired his share of guns. He even had a pistol that he kept inside his truck for his own protection. He wished he had it now.

  “A campaign ventured into the Spine months ago,” Abraham said. “It never came back. We’re looking for survivors.”

  Sticks sighed.

  “Fascinating. And what in the world would the king be sending his men into the Spine to find?” Lord Hawk asked.

  Abraham’s eyes slid over to Sticks. She gave him a subtle nod.

  “If I tell you, will you let us go?” he asked.

  “You aren’t in a position to negotiate.” He scratched an eyebrow with the tip of his gun. “But I’ll consider it because I like you, Ruger. You’re not the stiff neck I presumed. You’re more… real.”

  “We are looking for the fenix.”

  Led by Lord Hawk, all the rogues in the room let out a gusty laugh.

  Lord Hawk finally composed himself and said, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “Nevertheless, it’s true,” Abraham replied.

  Lord Hawk pointed his gun casually at Abraham and said, “I’ve got to tell you, this has been highly entertaining. You’ve really surprised me, Ruger. You really have. The insults just keep coming. Get back against the wall with your friend, Twigs.”

  “It’s not a lie.” He let out more of the truth. “The king’s viceroy sent two campaigns into the Spine to find the fenix egg. The queen is sick. The egg is the only thing that can heal her.”

  “Oh, that is rich.” Lord Hawk rolled his eyes. “And the leader of the Sect, Viceroy Leodor, I believe, told you that? My, Kingsland is in even greater flux than I anticipated. Why, it’s no wonder that those campaigns failed. No manner of man can withstand the might of the spawn of the Elders. It’s too bad for the queen, though. I heard she is very kind.”

  An awkward silence fell as all eyes in the room watched Lord Hawk pace, clearly mulling something over. Abraham noticed Sticks’s nimble fingers working at her shackles.

  Lord Hawk tapped his dimpled chin with his middle finger. In a hushed tone, he said, “The fastest sword in the world. Hmm… that makes me curious.” He spun on a heel and faced Abraham. “I’ve heard that you can draw your sword faster than a man can bat an eye. I’ll tell you what. I’m going to give you a chance to save yourself and your lady friend.” He kicked the sword belt over to Abraham’s feet. “Put it on.”

  Abraham complied, but his sword was still lying on the floor.

  Lord Hawk picked it up and tossed it to him. “Sheathe it.”

  “Okay,” he said and did.

  Standing thirty feet apart, Lord Hawk holstered his gun. “I’m going to draw and shoot. You can try to block it with your sword. If you dodge, my bullet might not kill you, but it will kill your friend. What do you say?”

  “You want me to stop a bullet with my sword? That’s impossible.”

  “True, but it’s the only chance that I’m giving you. If you block it, I’ll set you free.” Lord Hawk stood with his hand inches from his gun.
>
  Abraham’s fingers were inches away from his sword. He shielded Sticks with his body. There was no turning back now. He knew it.

  Flexor and Kawnee sat on the edges of their seats. The rest of the rogues crept closer to the scene.

  “We’ll go on the count of three,” Lord Hawk said. He fixed his eyes on Ruger. “Kawnee, count.”

  “One,” the myrmidon woman said.

  Abraham’s hand moved closer to his handle. He kept his eyes fixed on Lord Hawk. He’d seen plenty of fastballs in his lifetime, but nothing like a speeding bullet. Ruger, if you are in there, I’m going to need your help on this. New sweat ran down his temple. His heart raced.

  “Two.”

  Lord Hawk’s expression never twitched.

  “Three—”

  Bang!

  63

  The split-second moment moved like an out-of-body experience. Lord Hawk’s hand grabbed the handle. He pulled his gun. At the same time, Abraham felt his sword sliding out of his sheath like a flicker of a snake’s tongue.

  Lord Hawk’s aim straightened.

  Abraham’s sword twisted upward.

  The bullet exploded out of the barrel.

  He saw the bullet ripping through the air just as he brought the sword fully around.

  Lead smacked into metal with a loud crack-ting.

  I blocked it!

  Lord Hawk’s jaw dropped. His shoulders sagged. The barrel of his weapon dipped. In a long, drawn-out word, he said, “Impossible!”

  Ruger had blocked the bullet. Black Bane quavered in his grip. The runes etched on the metal of the blade glowed the fiery orange of a furnace fire. An unanticipated surge of energy coursed right through him. He set his dark eyes on Lord Hawk. “You’re going to pay.”

  With widening eyes, Lord Hawk pointed his weapon at Abraham and said, “Stop him! Stop him!” He squeezed the trigger.

  Abraham positioned his sword blade right where Lord Hawk was aiming. The bullet skipped away from the loud steel with another loud ting. Then he blocked the next two shots. Lord Hawk kept squeezing the trigger. Click. Click. Click.