Junkland (The Hoarding Book 1)

by Patrick Johns

  No, he remembered thinking. Piller’s eyes went back to the wounds in the little girl’s stomach. He felt sick. Piller had fallen to his knees and threw up on the cobblestone road.

  When he had regained himself, he took the young girl over his shoulder. He had carried her to the graveyard and buried her right next to his own mother and father.

  I didn’t even know your name, he remembered thinking, as he went to his knees before her grave. He had begun to cry. I’m sorry I failed you all. All of you! I promise I’ll be a better knight. I promise all of you. He had glanced at his mother and father’s graves. I promise.

  When Piller had returned to the Poolesguard chambers, all his brothers were there. There was Edmond Gifford, Raulin Clere, Wymon Kitt, Mazo Dapfer, Devan Lark, and their captain, Landerin Raneir.

  “I see you got yourself into a little trouble, Piller,” Landerin had confronted him.

  Piller had tensed up. “Wh-what?”

  “There’s blood all over you. What happened?” Landerin asked.

  All eyes were upon him.

  Piller had bowed his head and told them the story of how he had saved the little girl from those men.

  To this day, Piller regretted lying. But he had been scared of ruining his reputation, of destroying everything he had worked for.

  Back in his cell, Piller covered his face between his knees so the rest of his brothers could not see. He didn’t want them to see their captain crying. He didn’t want them to know the truth, that he was a fraud, that he had always been a fraud.

  His thoughts drifted towards the sea of screams. The screams of all the innocent men, women, and children pleading for help. He had wanted to help them. But he had been following the king’s orders and had been blinded by his duty—or what he thought was his duty.

  He thought he was fixing his wrongdoing by opening the gate. Nadia had told them they would save the Retrievers who had been attacked at the inn. But was there anyone even left out there?

  I wonder what happened to all those people, Piller thought, as he took in a deep breath. He had a feeling they suffered a similar fate as Hollow and Arnold: a cold heartless fate, sucked into one of those packs that the Hoarders carried.

  Piller finally lifted his head. He tried to force himself out of his mind. He needed to escape his thoughts; they were eating him away. He tried to adjust his back to a more comfortable position, but there was nothing comfortable about sitting against steel bars.

  He saw his last remaining brothers: Devan, Krist, Martellus, and Benjamin. They were all tightly packed inside the cell. Krist and Martellus were sitting back-to-back, sleeping upright. Devan was carving something on the wall with a small rock he had found lying on the stone floor. Benjamin was sitting against the back wall, staring out into space. Piller wondered what they were all thinking.

  Other cells lined the dungeon walls. Piller had taken many prisoners down to the dungeon before, so he was familiar with the layout. There were a hundred and forty-seven cells. The first hundred were lined from the entrance door to the back wall. There was a turn halfway between that branched off with the other forty-seven cells.

  Each cell had a mixture of men, women, and children who were all huddled together, trying to comfort each other. There was fear in all of their eyes. None of them knew what was to come. Even Piller couldn’t answer that question.

  Two guards, in their yellow suits, would consistently enter through the door, taking yet another victim out of the dungeon. Sometimes the prisoner would return and other times…

  Piller shuddered. He didn’t want to think about the other times. They had taken Riago last. The guards had walked down the hall, past Piller’s cell. It was weird seeing them up close. The weapons they carried were nothing of what he had ever seen before. He wouldn’t even know what to do with it if he tried to steal one.

  The guards had turned right and out of sight. Piller heard the clinking and clanging of keys as they swung on the guard’s belt.

  Then there was screaming.

  “No! Get your bloody hands off! No! Don’t—”

  There was a loud thud and—silence. They dragged Riago back down the hall, back past Piller’s cell again. Riago had a bruise on his forehead and was unconscious as they dragged him by his feet.

  He had yet to return. And frankly, Piller didn’t think he would.

  His thoughts ran off again. He wondered about what his mother and father would think if they saw him right now. If they saw him behind these bars…would they be proud of him? Or would they shake their heads in shame of his mistakes?

  Piller rubbed the scar that ran across his face. That was another dark memory. Too dark to even think about…it was the last time he had seen his father…Father. Please guide me. I don’t know what to do anymore.

  He let his head fall deep into the palms of his hard-callused hands. He tried to shut out all the noise, but the sound of people coughing, moaning, and praying continued to surround him. They were all waiting anxiously for the door to open again, to see who would be chosen next to be taken to Nadia.

  “What’s the plan, Captain?”

  Piller raised his head from his sweaty palms to see Martellus looking at him with his hard face and curly black hair. He looked so much like his older brother, Krist. He was usually upbeat and happy. However, today he was broken, just like the rest of them.

  “Plan? There’s no plan. As you can see, we’re trapped behind these bars waiting to be plucked out like pigs ready for slaughter by Nadia.” Piller looked away from him. “No, Martellus, there’s no plan this time.”

  “Come on, Cap’. There must be a way to escape.” Krist spoke now. “We can’t just give up. We need to avenge our king and save Astenpoole!”

  “Alana’s still out there somewhere,” Benjamin had joined the conversation. “She needs us, Piller. King Leoné told me to protect her. I can’t do that stuck rotting in this cell.”

  “They’re right.” Devan stopped his carving on the wall and looked over. “These are hard times. But I’d be dead before I see Nadia destroy our home. As long as I’m alive, I’ll fight! And I’ll fight beside you, my captain.”

  “Aye, my captain!” They all yelled together.

  Piller let out a long, deep breath. “I’m sorry I’ve failed you all. Every decision I’ve made has brought failure upon myself and the ones I care about. Look at Hollow and Arnold. How can I not be blamed for their deaths? I don’t know what’s right and wrong anymore. I’m blinded. Our best bet is to pray to Zalus that a hero emerges and—”

  “AHHH!”

  A shout came from outside the door. All eyes turned towards the two lanterns. People tried to stick their heads through the gaps of the bars to get a better look.

  The shouts grew louder. They heard the sound of Captor blasts.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  Something had fallen down the steps outside the door—and then something else. A body? The guards? Piller wondered.

  There was the sound of struggling, yelling, and screaming.

  Then—silence.

  Everyone waited patiently to see what would come through that door. The entire room held its breath.

  There were footsteps approaching the door. There was a shadow as the light in the cracks went dark. They heard keys rattling and then the door flew open.

  Chapter 37

  Piller

  A HOARDER STEPPED into the torch light. Everyone in the dungeon gasped in fear. Who were they going to take next?

  However, there was something different about this Hoarder. The suit he was wearing was glowing blue instead of yellow. Piller watched as the Hoarder stepped into the dungeon. A girl followed closely behind.

  “Princess Alana?” Piller stuck his face in between the bars to try and get a better look. “Alana? Is that you?”

  Benjamin shot up and hurried over next to Piller. “Alana?” he yelled through the bars.

  Alana walked into the torch light, and Piller could finally see her features. Sh
e didn’t look well. Her brown hair was tangled, her face was almost black, and she had cuts and scrapes running up and down her body. She was also thin, very thin.

  She ran over to the knights. “Benjamin! Piller!” she turned to the rest of the knights in the cell. “My Knights of the Poolesguard! How happy I am to see—” her expression turned from happiness to confusion. “Where are Sir Hollow and Sir Arnold?” She turned her gaze back on Piller.

  “My lady, they are—Nadia murdered them.” Piller hung his head in sadness.

  “No…” Alana’s hand clutched her chest.

  “It’s true.” Krist broke in behind Piller and Benjamin. “They were shot and sucked up by those damn weapons the Hoarders have.” Krist nodded towards the Hoarder behind Alana.

  Alana turned and realized the cause of their tension. “Don’t worry. He’s not one of them. He’s a Retriever!”

  The Retriever stepped towards the cell and unclipped his helmet, sliding it off his head to reveal long, brown hair, sweaty and tangled.

  Piller gasped. It was the boy: Jahrys. Piller’s stomach dropped. By Zalus, he’s still alive! He clung to the bars of his cell, looking out.

  “By Zalus,” Devan gasped behind him.

  “Jahrys…I’m sorry. I didn’t come back.” Piller hung his head in disappointment. Just another thing I’ve failed.

  “It’s not your fault. Nadia has betrayed us all.” Jahrys held his helmet at his side. He looked so young. He couldn’t be older than eighteen. His face was hard, and the suit he wore gripped around his muscular body, though he looked tired and malnourished.

  “We have to stop her,” Alana said. She made it sound so simple.

  “Aye. But how can we stop her when we’re all stuck behind these dreadful bars?” asked Devan.

  Alana turned to Jahrys. “Let’s get them out.”

  Jahrys stepped towards their cell. He took out a ring of keys from his belt. He jiggled key after key inside the lock, testing to see which one would work.

  Click.

  Benjamin slid the cell door open with a rusty creak.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” said Devan.

  Benjamin was the first to exit, followed by Piller, Krist, Martellus, and finally Devan. They all stood before the boy and Alana.

  Devan stepped forward. “I…apologize for my actions. For not believing you,” said Devan, ashamed. “I was blinded by my judgement and my assumed duty. But that’s no excuse. I should’ve listened to you.” He bent down on one knee. “I thank you for saving us, and I’m forever in your service.”

  “My name’s Jahrys Grent.” Jahrys held out a hand towards Devan.

  “Jahrys,” Devan repeated his name like it was a foreign language. He studied the boy’s hand. “I’m Devan Lark.” He stood up, still staring at the simple gesture. “And I apologize for not believing in you.”

  “It’s in the past now,” said Jahrys, still holding out his hand.

  “Erh, yes.” Devan finally reached out and shook the boy’s hand. “It’s in the past.” He smiled.

  Piller took a step towards the boy. “I, too, apologize for my actions. I should’ve seen Nadia for what she really is. I, along with the rest of the Poolesguard, are at your service.” He took a knee before the boy. His brothers followed him.

  Jahrys looked down at the knights. “These are hard times for all of us, and we’ve all been betrayed by Nadia. It’s time to put an end to her evil and save Astenpoole from her destruction!”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Piller stood up and shook Jahrys’s hand. “My name’s Piller Lorne. I’m Captain of the Poolesguard.” He turned to the rest of his brothers. “This is Benjamin Burrow, and Krist and Martellus Perriwill.”

  They all stepped forward to shake Jahrys’s hand.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Jahrys said. “I’ve looked up to all of you my entire life.”

  Piller’s heart dropped. He wouldn’t look up to me if he knew the truth.

  Jahrys continued. “…I’m forever grateful for your honor and commitment. We’re going to need all the help we can get to stop Nadia. Which reminds me…” he pushed past the knights with the keys in his hand. “Excuse me while I free the rest of the prisoners.”

  Jahrys continued down the long hall, freeing the people from their cells. There were sounds of joy and happiness, of thankfulness and laughter as the cell doors creaked open.

  Piller turned to Alana. “My lady,” he said lightly, “are you hurt?” He lifted her arm. “These cuts—”

  “I’m fine.” She took her arm back. “All is well, save my heart, Sir Piller.”

  “I’m sorry about your father.” Piller looked at her with pure sympathy.

  “As am I,” she said.

  Benjamin approached her. “Alana. I’m sorry for not being there. For not being by your side.”

  “Even when you’re not there Sir Benjamin, you’re always by my side in my heart.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  Benjamin blushed. “I will protect you through what is to come, my lady.” But Benjamin suddenly looked ashamed. “But I don’t have a sword to protect you with…”

  “That’s okay.” She laid a hand gently on his left shoulder. “Jahrys and I have come up with a plan.”

  “A plan?” Piller repeated. The boy may not have killed the king but I still know nothing about him. “Please forgive me for asking”—he lowered his voice, leaning closer to Alana—“but do you trust this boy?”

  Alana turned to Piller and looked at him with serious eyes. She looked like a lady, almost like her mother.

  When did she get to be so old? thought Piller.

  “I trust Jahrys with my life,” she said. “He’s my Retriever, and my knight who has traveled so far to find me. He is our hope. Our hope for saving Astenpoole and the Four Cities.”

  “If you say you trust him, I shall follow behind you. You are the true Queen of Astenpoole, our queen!” Piller said.

  “But my lady,” Krist spoke up, “please forgive me for questioning you, but we don’t have weapons. Nor do we have an army. What is your plan?”

  “Oh, but we do have an army. Look around you…” She waved a hand across the hall. Piller didn’t notice the crowd that had grown in size behind them.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” said Devan, again.

  “Alana is right!” Martellus stepped forward. “We have at least a hundred men and women down here and many more still out there on the streets. If we start a rebellion, the others will surely come to our aid.”

  “For once, Martellus is talking some sense.” Krist slapped his brother on the back.

  “He’s right,” Alana said. “The people of Astenpoole have all ready begun to fight back against the Hoarders outside the Castle Keep. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

  “By Zalus…” Devan said.

  “Okay. So we have an army,” Piller agreed. “But we still need weapons. We cannot fight the Hoarders with our bare hands. We’ve all seen what they can do.” Piller thought back to his two brothers who had fallen at the Hoarder’s foreign weapons. “Who knows what sorcery is inside those weapons.”

  “Sir Piller,” Jahrys said, returning to them. “You said you are the Captain of the Poolesguard?”

  “That’s correct.” He nodded. He hoped no one heard the hesitation in his voice.

  “We need one of your knights to stay behind and bar down the dungeon door in order to protect the women and children who choose not to fight. Alana has a sword she can leave for him to carry out this task in case things go…wrong.”

  Piller looked at his four remaining brothers. “Benjamin.”

  “Yes, Captain?” Benjamin stepped in front of Piller, waiting for his command.

  “You will stay here and protect the women and children. Protect them as you would protect Alana,” Piller said with a strong voice.

  “Yes, Captain. But…Alana,” Benjamin turned to her. “Are you not staying?”

  “I cannot stay h
ere,” Alana said. “I need to guide us through the secret passageway to the armory.” She put a hand on Benjamin’s cheek. “I’ll be okay. I promise you.” She looked at him with sweet eyes. “I’m asking you to stay here with the women and children. They need you most.” She smiled at him. “A true ruler leads her people into battle. Not stay behind. And besides, I have your training to protect me.”

  Benjamin was worried. But he let out a long breath and said, “As you wish, my lady.”

  Alana unsheathed her long sword and handed it to Benjamin.

  He looked at the sword and then back at her. “The sword your father gave to you?”

  “I trust you with it,” Alana smiled at him.

  “I didn’t know my lady had skill with a sword,” Krist scratched his head.

  “One should never underestimate the skills of a lady.” She stole a quick glance over at Jahrys and gave him a wink, which Krist saw. His face turned red.

  “Thank you, my lady,” Benjamin said, taking the sword.

  “Okay,” Jahrys continued his commands to Piller, “the rest of you will come with me and Alana to the armory. We’ll collect as many weapons as we can and bring them back here to disperse among those able to fight. Then we’ll stop Nadia and take back our home!”

  A loud cheer bounced off the dungeon walls.

  There’s hope after all, thought Piller, as he admired the boy. This boy has the blood of a knight running through him.

  “Are you ready?” Jahrys looked at each Knight of the Poolesguard.

  They all nodded in agreement.

  Jahrys turned to Alana, pausing before saying, “You should stay here with Benjamin. I can find the armory. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I’m coming with you, Jahrys.”

  “But you will be safe here with the other women and—”