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

  “Well, that explains why he talked so funny, pausing every couple words. I’d do that too if…I had…my tongue…going in…and out…all the time.” As he said it, Alden flicked his tongue in and out, mimicking snakes he’d seen.

  Both boys laughed, releasing the pent-up anxiety they had felt during the long wait. But even as they laughed, they knew they would be in for a serious challenge getting the Stone of Athanasia away from Abaddon in his current form.

  Having finished lunch, Andy and Alden left the confines of their hideaway and were happy to see the rundown house grow smaller and smaller with each step. Still wary and on the lookout for the bellicose, they walked through the thick fog talking in hushed whispers.

  “What’s up with Razen calling Abaddon ‘my liege’?” Alden queried.

  “That surprises you?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Why?”

  “Come on, Andy. The King trusts Razen. You’ve seen how he treats him. I mean, he made him manager of the castle. I don’t get it. The King’s smart. What’s he see in him?”

  “I’d say Razen duped him. I’ve always thought so. Come on, did you hear how easily he agreed to Abaddon’s demand that he kill the King at some point?”

  “Kinda makes you wonder what he might have done before he started serving in the castle, ya know?” agreed Alden.

  Andy looked down at his hands. While the cuts and blisters had healed, evidence remained of the wounds he had endured chopping wood. “I can’t stand him. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s working for Abaddon. It makes sense. Even if the King can’t—or won’t—see it, we need to protect him from Razen.”

  “But how? When we’re at the castle it’s easier, but the whole time we’re away, the King’s vulnerable.”

  “I know, but at least we know Razen’s not going to hurt the King until he figures out how to get the stone to bond with Abaddon, and who knows how long that might take. We still need to hurry though.”

  They grew quiet and had walked along in silence for several minutes when Andy said, “I wonder how Razen missed seeing my handprint on the railing on his way out. And the extra footprints on the dusty floors.”

  Alden looked over at him. “No idea. But I guess it doesn’t matter since he’s gone, right?”

  “Would he report to the bellicose that we were in the house and must be close by?”

  Alden opened his mouth to speak and then changed his mind. The boys looked around again, surveying the area as far as the fog would permit and listening for any unusual sounds. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary—for now. Andy pulled Methuselah out of its pouch.

  “Better out and not needed than in and needed,” Andy said.

  Alden followed and drew his weapon too.

  They continued walking in silence, alert for any unusual noise. They froze several times after hearing various disturbances. All proved benign, but the tension grew unbearable.

  “Okay, I’m freaking out here. Let’s talk about something, anything.”

  Andy nodded, feeling the same way.

  “Have you figured out anything more about the clue when it mentions nectar of slyness?”

  Andy shook his head. In all the excitement of their trip, he had not thought any more about it.

  “Nectar of guile, from whence it spewed,” Andy recited quietly. “That’s what the clue said.” He thought for several minutes as they walked. “Wait!”

  “Want to enlighten me?”

  “We’re pretty sure the clue spoke about Sometimes Island, right?”

  Alden nodded. “Yeah, to find something hidden there.”

  “How much you want to bet Abaddon went to Sometimes Island when he left the house? Somehow I have a feeling finding the stone and getting the next clue go together. Hear me out. The part I couldn’t figure out before. Look, Abaddon is a snake now, right? What do snakes do?”

  “They slither, flick their tongues, attack.”

  “I’m thinking about them attacking or biting. What do they bite with?”

  “Their fangs? Venom?”

  “Yes! In fact, some snakes spit venom as they strike.”

  “Wait, are you saying we’re supposed to collect some of Abaddon’s—” Alden stopped, disbelieving.

  “Venom? Yes, I think that’s exactly what we’re supposed to do. I think that’s why I got those two vials.”

  “Right, all while grabbing the stone from him. Sure, that’s a good one, Andy.” Alden laughed nervously. “Do you know how crazy that sounds? And I suppose the pink liquid in one of the vials is an anti-venom for when we get bit, right?”

  Andy hadn’t considered what the pink liquid might be for, but as Alden mentioned that, it seemed logical.

  When Andy didn’t respond immediately, Alden continued, “You’re crazy! You think whoever gave this clue thinks it’s okay if we get bit? A snake that size. With poisonous venom. It’d kill us!”

  “Shhh. Keep your voice down.”

  “How am I supposed to keep my voice down? You’re telling me you’re okay with this? ‘Cause I’m not! Why would there be an empty vial and one with antivenom if we weren’t gonna get bit?”

  A strange peace flooded Andy’s thoughts. “I’m thinking it’s a precaution. I don’t think we’re being sent to be poisoned. What would be the sense in that? How would we get the second ingredient back to the castle? Think about it. It’s just like when we had to get the red dragon scale.”

  Alden pondered that notion for a minute before replying, “I suppose you’re right.”

  They walked on in silence for several minutes, reality sinking in for both of them.

  Finally, Alden broke the silence. “What about the library of Oomaldee?”

  Andy thought a moment before replying, “I’m not sure how it fits in. The clue says ‘lies your objective hidden.’ I still think Abaddon’s not going to hide. My gut tells me our hidden objective is the library.”

  “But if we know we’re supposed to get venom from Abaddon as the next clue, why do we need to find the library?”

  “I don’t know. Can you just trust me on this?”

  “Sure,” Alden replied, smiling. “Well, looks like we need to find someone who knows where the library is.”

  Andy nodded. I’m not going to mention what Mermin told me about pixies probably being able to find it unless I have to. He suggested, “Maybe someone in the town of Ooggy knows where it’s at.”

  “We can ask around. What could it hurt?”

  The Snail watchtower came into view by late afternoon. Because of the fog, they were practically on top of it before they realized.

  “Let’s find a place to camp tonight. We’ll go into town tomorrow morning.”

  Hearing a rumbling not far away, Alden said, “I know that sound. That’s a gristmill grinding grain.”

  Andy wouldn’t have known the sound of a mill even if it bit him, as the saying goes. He accepted Alden’s word for it and asked, “Would that be a good place to spend the night?”

  “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “Then let’s go check it out.”

  They hoped to remain unseen, so they crouched behind the stone fence that enclosed the farm and peered over, scanning the scene before them. The bluster of a large grey horse attracted their attention as it circled around a grinding wheel. The animal moved the runner stone around a good size wattle and daub barn that appeared modestly maintained. Several white, curly-haired goats milled about and nibbled on scrub along with a few sparse chickens. To the right of the structure stood a cottage of similar construction. The smell of blueberry pie wafted across the yard. Both boys wished they could enjoy the sweet treat, although they knew this would defeat their secrecy. Alden’s stomach rumbled and Andy glanced over, smiling.

  “I know,” he whispered.

  The miller stopped the horse after a while and unhitched it from the grinding wheel, leading it into the barn. Several minutes later, he headed into the house.

  “Come on,” Andy whispere
d.

  They made their way without incident past the chickens and the overly friendly goats, avoiding the clusters of raisin-shaped droppings scattered about, then into the barn. With the door shut behind them, they laid their packs down and looked around. They stood on a dirt floor and looked up at thick-beamed rafters from which hung skeins of washed mohair. In a stall to their right, the work horse munched its dinner. It noticed them but kept on eating. To their left, against the far wall, a set of modest stairs angled up to the loft. Having been in the barn at his grandpa’s ranch, Andy knew the fun of climbing around in a haymow where there were always adventures for his imagination.

  “Come on!”

  Alden followed him up the rickety stairs. The air up here was stagnant and stuffy. They found piles of hay neatly organized for winter feeding along with several bundles of processed mohair ready for the miller’s wife to spin into some saleable commodity to help the family eke out their subsistence living.

  Andy pretended he was a ship’s captain steering a large vessel. Since Alden had never experienced a ship, Andy had to paint some background, but once he had, they lost themselves to their imaginations. They played for a long time until fading light forced a halt to their fun. They returned downstairs and pulled out their provisions: crusty bread, more moonberries, and goat jerky. Not exactly blueberry pie, but it would fill their empty stomachs. Methuselah provided a warm glow without attracting unwanted attention from the farm’s owner. The horse watched them as they ate.

  After dinner, Alden picked up Methuselah and went over to examine the horse. His pegasus, Optimistic, was a beautiful creature with soft purple hair and majestic wings. He wanted to see how this beast measured up to her. After a thorough inspection, Alden rendered his verdict. “Well he’s a brute and good for what he’s doing, but I’d never want him. Horses are a bit dimwitted. Can you imagine Optimistic walking around in circles day after day? She’d never stand for it.”

  “How come there aren’t horses in the stables back at the castle?” Andy asked, realizing he had never seen any.

  “Pegasi and horses don’t get along. Pegasi will destroy regular horses like this if they’re left alone together.”

  “Really?” Andy asked, disbelieving.

  “I guess pegasi know they’re superior.”

  The gray stallion whinnied and stomped his hoof.

  “I don’t think he agrees,” laughed Andy.

  Nowhere near ready to sleep, the boys decided to practice their sword fighting. They grabbed their practice swords and assumed the ready position. They locked eyes as they circled, neither wanting to make the first move lest they be put at the disadvantage if their blow went astray. Alden broke the standoff as they circled near the steps to the loft. Taking a running leap, he mounted the first four steps and somersaulted through the air, bringing his wooden blade down on the top of Andy’s head. Andy staggered, taken back by Alden’s quickness and the impact of the blow. Undeterred, he lunged at Alden as he recovered his footing, nicking him in the ribs. Andy saw another opening as Alden reflexively pulled his left hand over to cover his side. No matter how much they had practiced, overcoming the body’s instinct to protect itself proved nearly impossible. The split-second break in his concentration opened Alden up to Andy’s follow-up slice at the back of his legs. His knee buckled and Alden went down. Andy closed in for the pretend kill.

  “Okay, first point, Andy,” Alden announced as Andy helped him up.

  They squared off again, circling with eyes locked as before. Andy moved first this time, swinging his sword over the top of Alden’s, which he held too low, then bringing it down. The blow hit the back of Alden’s right hand, breaking his concentration for a second, but he recovered and lunged back, missing Andy as he bobbed to his left. Andy swung, hitting the back of Alden’s left hand. They continued this exchange until Andy threw Alden off balance with a blow to his back, ending the contest.

  “Second point, Andy,” Alden declared, rubbing his neck.

  They practiced until fatigue won the contest. The score ended nearly tied, with Andy winning fifteen and Alden thirteen skirmishes. Both boys dripped with sweat and sported bruises, but they felt energized by the exertion. More importantly, their confidence grew, knowing that should they need to use these skills, they had them at the ready.

  After cooling down, Andy offered to take the first watch. Even though they were hidden in a barn, they must not be careless and presume the bellicose couldn’t track them. Andy cleared away the hay from a section of the dirt floor, pulled a time candle from his backpack, propped it up, and lit it. Alden gathered a pile of hay into a nest of sorts and pulled a blanket over himself. Not long after, Andy could hear his heavy, rhythmic breathing.

  The time candle had one hour remaining on it when the workhorse grew restless in its stall and Andy heard a muffled sound that seemed out of place. It sounded like something scuffling pebbles on dry ground. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Could it be a rat? Andy hoped. Quiet resumed for several minutes until the noise rose again, a little louder this time. Andy stood, placing himself between Alden and the barn door. He assumed the ready position, moving Methuselah in an eight pattern, preparing himself for the impending conflict. I’m not afraid, flashed through his mind just before the door flung open, more a hope than confidence.

  The stallion whinnied as a shadowy black creature bounded through the opening on its panther-like hindquarters, lunging at Andy with a knife held in its right hand. Prepared, Andy didn’t panic at the intrusion but sidestepped the swing. The beast recovered, its piercing yellow eyes locking with Andy’s as the two began to circle, both looking for a weakness to exploit.

  Awakened by the sound of the door crashing in, Alden grabbed his sword and raced over to defend. He too joined the circling dance. The stallion kicked at its stall and let out a terrified whinny. The black creature never looked Alden’s way, so without warning, he lunged for its side. The beast held up a hand and deflected him, sending him crashing to the floor. Alden’s move startled Andy, and in the split second his concentration broke, the attacker bounded at him with incredible speed, tripping him and sending him rolling into the side of the loft stairs. It pounced so that Andy barely had time to roll sideways and avoid the knife that the creature brought down with all its force. Alden made another lunge at the beast with the same result. The bellicose never broke its concentration on Andy.

  Andy scrambled to his feet and ran up the stairs just as Alden had done earlier in the evening, launching himself above the creature as he brought Methuselah down. Andy’s blade missed the beast by a fraction of an inch. He landed on the floor and rolled to a stop. The beast leapt on him in an instant. As its hand touched his arm, Andy’s skin seared with pain. He screamed but managed to hold onto Methuselah. The workhorse let out another terrified whinny and kicked at its stall. Alden ran at the creature once more, attempting to plunge his sword into its flesh, but the beast’s shield denied him again.

  The creature, still on Andy, raised its knife. Andy anticipated the move and put his blade between himself and his attacker. I hope this works.

  As it had the first time the bellicose attacked, Methuselah’s blade retracted. The beast saw it and let go of Andy’s arm, then rose to flee, but not quickly enough. Andy’s surroundings started to move in slow motion. He brought the hilt forward and the blade extended with lightning quickness, striking the beast in its thigh and drawing blood. The creature howled an ear-piercing shriek and, holding its wounded leg, made an impaired bound out the door. Time slowed to a familiar pace once again.

  Alden stood and breathed a sigh of relief. “Wow! I kept trying to jump it but nothing worked. I couldn’t even break its concentration to give you an edge.”

  While the desire to rest and tend to his injured arm tempted Andy, he motioned Alden to silence. “That shriek will have woken the farmer and his family and who knows how many neighbors. We can’t run. They’ll see us and chase after us. We need to hide, come on!” T
hey sheathed their weapons, grabbed their backpacks and supplies, and ran up the steps to the loft.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The Town of Ooggy

  Before long the farmer entered the barn. He didn’t call out, but Andy and Alden could hear him shuffling around below.

  “Where is he, Stone? Where’s the intruder?”

  The workhorse whinnied, reassured by the voice of its master.

  Andy and Alden trembled, hoping they were hidden well enough and not wanting to think about what might happen should they be found. Minutes later the boys heard the voices of several more men, probably neighbors come to help.

  “Thanks for coming. I haven’t searched the loft yet. Figured I’d wait until you got here. No point in getting hurt,” Andy heard the farmer fill them in.

  While Andy’s arm throbbed from his encounter, he dared not rub it lest he draw attention to their hideaway. Alden lay motionless next to him and Andy could hear his panicked breathing. He concentrated on slowing his own breathing as he heard several men approach. He saw the light of torches through a narrow opening in the hay under which they had buried themselves. The men searched for several tense minutes, stomping and moving hay around. At last, satisfied that whatever had screamed was no longer in the barn, the men regrouped and left.

  The pain in Andy’s arm had subsided some and he felt nothing wet on his skin when he checked. He considered coming out from their hiding place to examine his wound more fully, but as the thought crossed his mind he heard Alden’s deep breathing. Well, it can’t be too bad. I guess I’ll check it in the morning, he thought. Andy fell asleep to the regular rhythm of his throbbing wound.

  Light creeping into the loft woke him. Despite the discomfort of his arm, he had slept soundly knowing they were safe, and it took him a minute to reorient. He listened but heard no noises other than Alden’s breathing and the stirring of the workhorse somewhere below. He started moving hay from on top of them and sneezed in the process, waking Alden.