The Andy Smithson Series: Books 1, 2, and 3 (Young Adult Epic Fantasy Bundle) (Andy Smithson Series Boxset): Dragons, Serpents, Unicorns, Pegasus, Pixies, Trolls, Dwarfs, Knights and More!

by L. EE

  He investigated further, checking in empty cells and anywhere he thought the bird-man might have disappeared. Nothing. I don’t get it, he couldn’t have just disappeared. Well, actually, maybe he could have. But why was he here? What was he doing? Andy remembered the King’s comment from the last time he was here about not wanting to battle creatures in the dungeon. Hmmm…

  Andy finally gave up his search and returned to the knights.

  “Well?” Sir Gawain asked.

  “I couldn’t find him. I didn’t hear the dungeon door when he arrived, and I didn’t see or hear him leave.”

  “That’s about right,” responded Sir Kay.

  “What do you mean?”

  “We see vulture-men come and go all the time,” Sir Gawain chimed in.

  “What? How come you never said anything?”

  “It’s so commonplace, we didn’t know it was important,” defended Sir Kay.

  “When you say commonplace, like how frequently?”

  “Oh, all the time, several times a day. The King and Mermin know about it. Don’t suppose there’s much they can do though,” added Sir Gawain. “If there was, they would have by now I suppose.”

  “What do the vulture-men do when they come?”

  “No idea. They show up, waddle past us, and we never see them again, just like this time,” replied Sir Kay.

  “This is weird. Does anyone else know?”

  “Every once in a while we see Razen,” Sir Gawain responded.

  “Why does that not surprise me?”

  Andy’s stomach sounded a loud complaint. The knights smirked.

  “Must be nice to get hungry,” Sir Gawain commented.

  “Well, that sounds like the announcement our lesson is concluded,” declared Sir Kay, smiling.

  “Thanks for teaching me! I’ll bring Alden next time.”

  “Please do,” Sir Gawain replied as Andy turned and headed for the dungeon door.

  Later that afternoon, when Alden was back, Andy told him about his dream and all that had happened in the dungeon. “We’ve got to get that stone back,” Andy concluded with resolve. “Are you with me?”

  “Absolutely!” Alden responded without hesitation. After a second’s thought he added, “But I need a sword.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ve been thinking about that. Hannah’s dad could get you one.”

  “But what are we going to tell him? We can’t just walk up to him and say, ‘May I please have a sword?’”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m not sure what to tell him,” replied Andy, pacing.

  “Andy, I think we need to tell Cadfael our plan to go after the stone.”

  Andy hesitated. He knew his parents couldn’t be trusted with such an idea. They would call it nonsense. “You don’t think he’d try to stop us?”

  “I don’t know, but someone’s got to do something. We can’t just leave the King and Mermin like this!” Alden fretted. “Abaddon is threatening to attack. Everyone’s on edge. And Razen’s acting as if nothing’s wrong!”

  “Let’s ask Hannah to give him a message,” Andy suggested.

  Despite Hannah’s frustration at the boys’ reluctance to divulge the reason for requesting a private meeting with her dad, she delivered their message. So after enduring the loneliness of dinner without the King and Mermin, Andy and Alden went outside to meet Cadfael near the empty Oscray field. By the unanimous consent of both teams, Oscray had been suspended until the King and Mermin improved.

  “What’s so secretive we have to speak out here?” Cadfael inquired as soon as he saw them.

  “We need to keep our voices down,” Alden cautioned.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Clue #2

  “We want to retrieve the Stone of Athanasia,” Andy began.

  Cadfael quickly looked from Andy to Alden but remained silent.

  Sensing the man’s willingness to listen, Andy thought, Maybe some adults will listen. He continued, “We can’t leave the King and Mermin this way. Especially when Abaddon’s threatening to attack and no one—” he cleared his throat to emphasize his point, “—in a position of authority seems to be doing much to protect the kingdom.”

  “Razen’s never been in a position like this before,” Cadfael replied knowingly. “I don’t think he knows what to do. What’s your plan?”

  “Never mind how, but I know the beast that attacked me last night stole the Stone of Athanasia and gave it to Abaddon. We need to find it and bring it back. Only that can restore the King and Mermin.”

  “You’re sure about that?” Cadfael questioned.

  Andy and Alden nodded.

  The large man stood quietly for a minute before asking Alden, “Does your mom know?”

  “Not yet,” he answered.

  “You’re both brave,” Cadfael concluded. “You run this by her, and if she agrees, I’ll help you get whatever you need.”

  To say Marta was not thrilled with the idea would be an understatement, but given the severity of the situation, and after talking it through, she reluctantly consented to the plan. True to his word, but with the provision that Alden keep it hidden except for during practice and when it was needed for defense, Cadfael furnished him with a fine sword balanced for his size. He also provided Andy and Alden with two wooden training swords. Over the next three weeks they studied with the knights to build their fighting skills. They worked on the proper form for moving most effectively, how to maintain the proper distance from an opponent, various ways to intimidate, how to leverage their surroundings to gain advantage, and how to find the flow of battle and gain control of it. Never far from Andy’s mind was the uneasy realization that he would soon face the bellicose again. That notion kept him ever vigilant and focused.

  Their practice was regularly interrupted by the arrival and departure of vulture-men, necessitating quick hiding. Sir Gawain joked that these spontaneous interruptions were fine-tuning their sensitivities to detecting the presence of enemies. Not surprisingly, Razen mysteriously appeared one morning. The knights and Alden had time to hide, but Andy wasn’t quite fast enough. Razen caught sight of him and rebuked him for being in the dungeon. “It’s not safe. Stay out!” he chided. After his departure, the participants shook off this intrusion and resumed their instruction.

  While the knights had never trained anyone before, they pursued an organized approach. First, they had Andy and Alden practice their skills without an opponent. As they progressed, Sir Gawain and Sir Kay became the opponents; hitting a stone knight with a wooden training sword hurt no one. Finally, the knights decided they were ready to combat each other, and both boys came away sore and bruised. Marta complained that their training was too brutal, but the boys maintained their resolve and pressed on.

  When they were not training or doing assigned chores, Andy worked on trying to figure out where Abaddon might be. Every so often, Alden would check in to see what progress he had made, but after getting a few testy answers, he thought better of asking again.

  During this time, Andy also made a habit of checking in on the King and Mermin every morning on his way to breakfast and periodically throughout the day to see if their conditions had improved. Hans got so he would simply shake his head when he saw Andy coming to save him the trouble of asking. “No change I’m afraid. They’re both still unresponsive,” was his standard reply. Andy could see growing worry and fear etched on the healer’s grizzled face. Hans had never dealt with anything like this before and had no idea what to anticipate. It was clear he felt helpless.

  With his own increasing sense of helplessness, Andy made his way up to Mermin’s library one afternoon.

  “What am I missing? Abaddon can’t just vanish into thin air,” he reasoned aloud.

  After consulting several more books but still finding no answers, Andy’s sprits sagged. Three weeks had passed, and he felt exhausted from looking for clues as well as training. His frustration peaked.

  “I’m never gonna figure this out!” Andy yelled, his emotions finally
boiling over.

  He threw the book he was holding across the room and kicked the table leg, upsetting the stacks of books. Several crashed to the floor.

  “Ahem,” a voice in his head interrupted.

  What? Go away!

  In that moment, Andy’s eyes rested on the book that only he could see sitting on the shelf across the way. He remembered the situation that led to its discovery a year ago. The King had gotten a bit testy at not being able to figure out the first clue. Under his breath he had kept saying, “Patience. Things should be exactly as they are.”

  Okay, maybe things should be exactly as they are. But I still don’t have any idea where to find Abaddon, and I don’t know how long the King and Mermin have left.

  His eyes continued traveling around the room. As they glanced across Mermin’s desk, he saw a gold envelope and gasped. When did that arrive?

  He stepped over the colorful mound of books littering the floor and retrieved the letter. It was addressed “To Andy, Son of Smith, Apprentice of Trust.”

  What’s that supposed to mean?

  He tore open the envelope, pulled out a short note, and read:

  With you I have been

  From your beginning till your end.

  To trust me you must learn

  My ways not to spurn.

  Preserving those you love,

  Is a promise from above.

  For lo, the time has come,

  Even though you’re feeling glum.

  Collection of ingredients,

  Requires diligence, obedience.

  Of the second, by you pursued,

  Nectar of guile from whence it spewed.

  In a land, lush, forbidden,

  Lies your objective, hidden.

  Upon an Isle, now and again,

  That appeareth at times to all seamen.

  Now eleven years you have striven,

  A new skill to you is given.

  Slowing of motion as needed,

  To win a contest unimpeded.

  Well, at least now I know why everything felt like it moved in slow motion. But the second ingredient? In all the upset of losing the stone and the King and Mermin’s questionable health, Andy had completely forgotten that he had been brought to Oomaldee to retrieve ingredients to break the curse. At least, that was the prevailing theory.

  Are you kidding me? I can’t go looking for an ingredient right now. Why would anyone even ask me to? This is totally unreasonable! Frustration overwhelmed Andy. He put the note down, refusing to heed its instruction.

  “Ahem. That’s not a good idea,” the voice in his head objected.

  Andy ignored it.

  The next morning Andy and Alden worked on diving rolls. They also practiced using the walls as leverage to leap and gain an advantage over their opponent. And all this while maintaining proper positioning of their weapons. The work challenged them.

  “Okay, let’s see you duel each other using what you’ve learned,” Sir Gawain requested.

  Practice swords drawn, the boys faced off.

  “And, begin!” yelled Sir Kay.

  The boys circled each other, slowly sliding sideways, eyes locked, swords comfortably out front. Alden faked a slash to Andy’s legs, quickly changing direction and whirling his sword at Andy’s head. Andy sidestepped, dodging the threat. Alden backpedaled, turning and running toward a nearby wall with Andy in hot pursuit. Using the moves the knights had taught them, Alden planted one foot on the wall and leaped over Andy, landing with a somersault and rolling to a standing stop. He quickly turned to face a grinning Andy.

  “Well done, Alden!” cheered Sir Gawain.

  Again the boys circled, eyes locked. Andy made the first move this time. He faked a lunge to Alden’s weaker side, then redirected to hit his leg. The practice sword’s blade found flesh.

  “Very nice, Andy,” encouraged Sir Kay.

  Undeterred, Alden launched himself upright and again took a run at the wall.

  Seeking to deny Alden another opportunity to somersault over him, Andy chose not to pursue. Rather, he positioned himself just behind the spot where Alden would land and waited. Sure enough, Alden came to a stop a foot in front of Andy’s outstretched sword. Andy made to stab, but Alden quickly ducked under the blade and swept his leg at Andy’s legs, toppling him. Both boys scrambled up and regained center balance.

  Seeing an opportunity, Andy decided to try the wall run that worked so well for his opponent. He faked to Alden’s weak side but this time took off running toward the opposite wall. He planted a foot near the bottom of the wall and launched himself up the side. Expecting his other foot to hit the wall and propel him forward into a somersault, he was shocked when the thick tapestry lining the walls gave way. He flew partway through and hung suspended at his waist.

  “What?!” Andy exclaimed, now part of the tapestry.

  Alden and the knights ran over to help him. Once disentangled, he turned around and stuck his head through the hole he had just made.

  “There’s no wall. Get a light!” Andy shouted.

  Alden ran and got a torch and handed it to Andy, who climbed through the opening. Alden followed right behind. The knights, of larger build, remained behind. Andy took several steps.

  “It’s a tunnel,”he called back. “I think it’s another section of the tunnels we found last year when we secretly entered the castle.”

  “Yeah,” Alden agreed.

  “Do you think this is where those vulture-men disappear to?”

  “Might be. But where’s it go?” asked Alden.

  “My guess is that there are tunnels all through these walls, and there are probably other doors, too!”

  “Hey, you boys okay in there?” Sir Gawain queried.

  “Come on, let’s finish our lesson and then we can explore,” Andy suggested.

  Alden’s stomach gave a grumble.

  “Okay, on second thought, let’s explore after lunch,” Andy finished, laughing.

  When they got back to the dungeon, they filled the knights in on what they had seen.

  “Let’s finish our lesson,” Andy suggested.

  The knights had the boys square off once more. Just before Sir Kay told them to begin, they heard scuffling. Without a word, the knights leaped toward their stone platform, resuming their pose, and Andy and Alden ran for cover as usual. Alden quickly hid in an empty cell, but Andy only made it partway into the same cell before being spotted.

  “Andy! What are you doing in the dungeon when I’ve explicitly told you it’s dangerous and not to come down here?” came a high-pitched, nasally voice.

  Andy froze, then shook his head at Alden to indicate he should remain hidden. He would face this punishment alone. Quickly handing his practice sword to Alden, Andy backed out of the cell and walked over to face his accuser.

  “You seem to think rules are meant to be broken and that you’re a law unto yourself,” Razen began.

  Andy opened his mouth, but before any words came out, Razen remarked, “This is how you treat your parents and teachers at home, too.”

  “Wait a minute! This is the second time you’ve mentioned how you think I treat people at home. You have no idea what happens at home,” protested Andy.

  Razen glared at him before continuing, “First of all, you are not to speak to me that way. It is disrespectful.”

  Andy jerked back, surprised. He held his tongue.

  “Second,” Razen continued, “I don’t have to tell you how I know, but trust me when I say I’ve seen how you treat those in authority over you. You do what you want, when you want. The minute someone asks you to do something that’s not convenient or forbids you to do what you wish, you ignore. This behavior is going to stop.”

  Andy hated Razen’s command of the situation. He could not argue and, feeling defeated, his temper began to simmer.

  “Do you deny I ordered you not to come down in the dungeon?”

  Andy remained silent, refusing to admit defeat.

  “Answ
er me.”

  Andy refused to respond. Oh, how I hate him!

  “Utter defiance! Andy, you are behaving like a spoiled child. Well, let’s see if chopping wood helps teach you to respect authority and obey instructions. It’s nearly lunchtime. Immediately after lunch you will report to Trevig and have him show you how to chop wood. We got a large delivery yesterday. That should help instill some wisdom in you. You will chop wood until dinner, and Trevig is not to help you. Is that clear?”

  “All afternoon? That’s not fair!” Andy protested, thinking of the tunnel exploration he was about to miss.

  “Okay, if that’s unfair, then let’s have you chop all the wood they brought from town yesterday,” Razen scowled. “You’re not to leave your task until you’ve finished. Report back to me when you’re done.”

  Andy couldn’t take any more. He was beyond frustrated. He could barely hold his tongue at the injustice!

  Seeing the continued contempt in Andy’s eyes, Razen continued, “If you’d like to protest further, I can increase it.”

  Andy just glared.

  “All right then, go get washed up for lunch. You’d best eat your fill. You’ll get plenty hungry before you’re done.”

  As Andy stomped toward the stairs, Razen called after him, “And I don’t want to hear that you got help from statues or anyone else.”

  As soon as he finished lunch, Andy made his way out the back door of the castle and turned right. The fog was patchy this afternoon and shielded some of the bright sun, but it was still warm. He came to a barrel full of water at the edge of a vast sea of cut tree sections. He couldn’t see the far edge where it stretched into the covering fog.

  He’s got to be kidding!

  Still marveling at the huge quantity of wood Razen expected him to chop, Andy did not hear the man approach from behind.