by Lucia Ashta
“Unless he’s injured.”
“I didn’t see him get injured, did you?”
If anyone would have, it would be Nando, with his telescope vision. “Just because we didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”
“Sir Lancelot is small and light,” I said on a lamenting sigh. “It wouldn’t have taken much to hurt him. That wind almost knocked me over several times.”
Walt no longer looked as sure of Sir Lancelot’s well-being.
Humbert roared again, and this time a stream of flame exited the castle opening. It skimmed across the grassy hill in front of it far enough to light a small tree on fire.
When I exchanged looks with Nando and Walt, they were as shocked as I. It was only by pure chance that no one had been standing there at that moment. There’d been people passing a few minutes before. If not for the fact that we all suspected Humbert was about to exit, there would have been people there.
The tree burned, and my mind said, Run! Go the other way. But the feeling inside my heart propelled me to do what I knew was right, no matter the cost. I hadn’t yet managed to save Trixie. I wouldn’t fail Sir Lancelot too.
I turned to the witch and wizard behind me. “Arianne, Gustave, can you do anything to calm Humbert?”
But I had my answer merely by looking at them. Arianne didn’t even seem to hear me. Her hair was wild, circling her head in a great big arch, making her wild eyes seem unhinged. Gustave did look at me when I spoke, but he didn’t answer.
“Great,” I muttered under my breath. “They’re the best qualified to deal with magical creatures, and dragons especially.” Actually, beyond Clara, they were the only ones qualified to deal with Humbert, and Clara barely seemed to be in better shape than they were, though at least she was lucid.
“I’m going in.” I started advancing on the entrance to the castle. When I looked over, Nando was walking with me. “You don’t have to come.”
My brother raised his eyebrows, indicating that we both knew how ridiculous my statement was. He was coming with me, no matter what. “Come on,” he said, offering me an arm to link through. “We have an owl to save.”
“Hold on,” Walt said. “I’m coming too.” He didn’t sound happy about it.
Nando and I faced him. “You don’t have to,” I said. “Really.”
“No, I really do.” His expression was electric, charged with an intensity I wasn’t sure I understood. It was so palpable that Nando alternated looking between him and me several times before arching his eyebrows at me in silent question. But I didn’t understand exactly what was happening between Walt and me, though it was clear something was.
“What about Marie?” I squeaked out, then cleared my throat, and pretended I wasn’t embarrassed.
“She’s fine. She’s helping Gertrude with Clara.” He stared at me, eyes blazing. “I’m going.”
“Fine then,” Nando said, his usual casual manner absent. “Come if you insist, but we’ve wasted enough time.” He pinned his arm to his side, effectively squeezing my arm against his body, and marched us up the short patch of hill to the entrance.
“What’s wrong with you?” I whispered, well aware that Walt was right behind us. But Nando didn’t answer. He stomped right up that hill and across the grass that still burned in the parts that weren’t charred.
I ducked, even though there was no visible threat. “This is where... where Humbert blew his flame!” I whisper-screamed at him, bobbing my head awkwardly away from an invisible threat.
“It’s fine. Come on.” He pulled me along in his wake.
“You have no way of knowing that it’s fine.”
“I can see in there, remember?”
“Oh.” I ran a hand across my head to smooth my hair before remembering that it was no use. I straightened my back instead. “You can actually see in there?”
The sun was bright. Compared to the darkness we’d endured inside the dungeon, it was blazing—which made it impossible to see beyond the immediate entryway of the castle.
Unless one had magical eyesight....
“I can see perfectly.”
Walt hurried to keep up, and Nando urged me to increase my speed. What is wrong with him?
“Humbert has backed away from the opening,” he said.
“He’s backed away?” I asked. “That makes no sense. He seems desperate to get out, not that I blame him for that, not one bit.”
“It’s safe to go in.”
Wait a minute. “It’s not safe to go in. There’s a huge, angry dragon in there. That’s about as unsafe as it gets.”
“I told you, he’s not by the entrance anymore,” Nando said.
“If he’s backed up, it’s probably because he’s about to run at the opening, or jam it with his head, or fly out. He hasn’t just given up!” I protested.
Nando was pulling me along so quickly that I stumbled. He held me up by the strength of his grip. He was usually gentle with me. What had gotten into him?
He flicked a set of wary eyes behind his shoulder. I turned too. There was only Walt, and he appeared... what? Angry? Frustrated? The two boys shared a look I didn’t understand and didn’t have a chance to.
We’d reached the entrance. Nando didn’t even pause before yanking me inside.
I dug my heals in. “We can’t just go in there!” I whispered.
“Do you want to save Sir Lancelot or not?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then it’s our only shot.”
“It can’t be. There has to be another way,” I said.
“There isn’t. If you’re certain he’s in danger—”
“I am.”
“Then there’s no other way.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked.
“You feel he’s in danger, right?”
I nodded.
“Well, I feel that this is our only shot.” He was basically saying that he was trusting my instincts by going in there in the first place. He was tacitly asking me whether I was willing to also trust his instincts. As confused as I was by the sudden shift in his attitude, I didn’t have to deliberate. I trusted Nando—always. I especially trusted him not to lead me into danger—well, at least not the kind of danger we couldn’t escape with our lives.
“I trust you.” I forced my voice not to waver, because if there was any sentiment I wanted to be sure Nando registered, it was that I trusted him with my life. He deserved nothing less. I nodded for good measure and continued moving deeper inside.
“Are you both sure...?” Walt hesitated, but Nando and I were already inside.
I blinked rapidly, trying to see something, anything. But with how bright it was outside, I couldn’t make out a single thing, not even a dragon as large as a small house.
I moved closer to Nando instinctively. “Do you see anything?” I whispered so softly that I wouldn’t disturb the already-disturbed dragon.
“Oh, I see something alright.”
From the way he said it, I really didn’t want to ask, but my mouth was moving before I could stop myself. “What is it?”
“Humbert is at the end of the hall, right in front of us.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” I said hopefully. We knew he was going to be in here, after all. At least he was farther away than I’d bargained for.
“He’s staring right at us.”
“Oh.” I swallowed a couple of times. “He’s staring at us like, oh, hey, they’re coming to save my owl friend? Or is he staring at us like we’re on the dinner menu?”
“Do you really want to know the answer to that question?”
I swallowed again, my throat suddenly dry as a brittle bone. “Yes,” I squeaked, then bit my lip because I hadn’t wanted to say it.
“He’s looking at us like we’re scrumptious dessert.” He pulled me to the side of the hall and moved closer to the dragon. “If we’re going to do this, we have to hurry.”
Since we were already doing this, I let him lead me cl
oser to danger. Ordinarily, my mind would be screaming at me to run in the opposite direction from the fire-breathing beast, who had us in his sights. But all things ordinary had gone by the wayside long ago, certainly well before we entered the castle.
“Sir Lancelot?” I called out, just loud enough that a little man in a bird’s body would register my call.
There was no answer beyond the loud and angry breathing of the scarlet beast.
“Sir Lancelot?” I tried again.
“Here. I’m here,” he croaked.
Humbert stomped his left foot, then his right. The floor shook and the walls rattled so hard that dust settled onto my already filthy head.
I squashed my instincts, which yelled at me to run in the opposite direction, and followed Nando as he led me toward the sound of the intellectually superior bird.
“Over here,” he said again, and I had to strain my ears to follow the sound... until Humbert unleashed a torrent of flame and I screamed.
“Walt!”
Chapter 7
“Walt!” I cried again, promising myself that I’d kiss the silly boy when we got out of here. I didn’t care that girls weren’t supposed to kiss boys. I’d promised myself that I’d live my life to the fullest when I’d died, and I was going to make good on that promise.
“Walt?” My voice was strangled. Walt had been standing at the entrance to the castle, right behind us. He’d been there because of me and one of my feelings. If he was dead... if he was injured, it’d be my fault. “Walt?” I called again, and the breath caught in my chest on the way out as I prayed for his answer.
“Do you see him?” I asked Nando, working hard to keep the panic from my voice. I’d panicked enough for one day. I was so fed up with freaking out. Walt is fine. Of course he’s fine.
“Walt?” Nando called out instead of answering me, and tears pricked at my eyes. My brother dropped my arm and moved back toward the entrance—and the middle of the alcove.
“No. Nando, no,” I scolded as harshly as I could manage. “Humbert will breathe flame again!” Now I was panicking, and there was no stopping me. “Get back here right now.”
But my brother wasn’t listening to me, and I had no idea what to do to make him obey my instructions. Humbert was still behind us. The dragon breathed like Uncle when he’d had too much brandy and fallen asleep in his favorite armchair. The dead would be able to hear the dragon, who was still almost certainly filled with fire... and rage.
Wait, the dead! I’d forgotten about the spirits in my concern for Sir Lancelot. How come none of them, not even Albacus, had escaped? Or had I just not noticed them outside, as improbable as that was? The spell should have released them....
But the ghosts were already dead, so I’d have to deal with them later. “Nando,” I whispered intensely. “Nando!” Still nothing, though I could see him moving up ahead, silhouetted by the sunlight beyond the gap in the wall.
So I tried Walt instead, calling him several times. Finally, violent coughing erupted from the alcove. I wanted to feel relieved—I was desperate to—but that coughing didn’t sound good. “Walt?” I took several uncertain steps forward while skirting the wall. Nando and Walt were positioned right in the middle of Humbert’s line of fire.
“He’s all right,” Nando finally said. “Stay where you are.”
“I won’t. Not unless you get out of the range of fire.”
“I’m not planning on being here a second longer than I need to.”
“Humbert doesn’t need more than a few seconds.” I was working hard to control my voice, but was failing miserably. My words were rough and high-pitched. “Get out of there this instant.”
Nando bent over and offered Walt a hand. For the first time, I was able to see the boy I’d promised to kiss just minutes before. I didn’t feel like kissing him any longer, no matter what I’d told myself. He was putting my brother in immediate danger, albeit indirectly.
Walt was getting up, but he was taking too long.
When Humbert’s breath hitched, I pulled out all the stops. I wasn’t sure the change in his breathing was a sign of anything, but I suspected it meant he was about to breath more fire—the kind that would light a tree, or a couple of boys, on fire in a blink.
I did the only thing that came to mind. “If you don’t get yourselves to safety right this second, I’m to move right in front of Humbert.”
“You wouldn’t,” Nando said.
“Try me.”
But Nando and Walt only stood stock still, facing toward me from the looks of it. If either of them was staring me down, I couldn’t tell—nor did I care.
“One. Two. Three. I’m doing it.” I stalked toward Humbert while skirting the wall. What? I’d do whatever I had to do to get my brother and Walt to safety, but I valued life more than ever now that I’d gotten a second chance at it. I had no intention of wasting it.
A quick glance over my shoulder confirmed that my threat had worked, and Nando and Walt had moved out of the way, clinging to the wall as I did. “Isa!” they both called out at once, but I couldn’t pay attention to them anymore now that they were out of harm’s way.
Something was happening.
“Get down!” I yelled as I dove to the floor. I was rewarded with the sound of two bodies hitting stone behind me before Humbert breathed a stream of fire so hot and so terrifying that all I could do was pray it would end soon... and that we’d all survive it.
Our chances are good, I was telling myself to keep from losing it entirely. Humbert had launched his fire higher than the last time, and I didn’t think it’d even skirted the floor. Still, it was hot, and I don’t mean hot like a sweltering summer day. I mean hot like you worried the flesh would melt off your bones.
Oh no. “Sir Lancelot?” I called loudly above the roaring sound of the stream of fire. My face pressed against the stone floor, no longer cold as it had been. “Are you... Where are you?”
I feared he wouldn’t answer me either until I registered a faint rustling sound. “I’m here, up ahead, next to this”—He stopped to cough, sounding so pitiful that my heart squeezed.—“foolish beast who’s... apparently intent on killing us all.” He wheezed and I desperately wanted to reach him.
How long could a dragon possibly breathe fire? Apparently longer than I could hold my breath. After I’d started to shiver again, the flame finally extinguished. Once it stopped, I didn’t dare do anything at first, not even experience relief. It’d been nothing but bad news since we entered this castle—the first and second times.
“Are you all right, Isa?” Nando called to me. I looked behind me from my spot on the floor, not daring to get up yet, and saw he and Walt army crawling toward me. Good. At least they were finally being careful. And if Walt could army crawl, he’d live.
I considered not replying to give my brother a taste of his own medicine, but he sounded so worried that I didn’t have the heart. “I’m fine. No harm done.” Other than my nerves, which were totally and irretrievably shot. I’d never be the same after this. “How’s Walt?”
“He’ll live.” Nando didn’t sound thrilled at the prospect—curious, since he’d been the one to aid him.
“Sir Lancelot doesn’t sound well. I’m making my way toward him now.” Really, I wasn’t, but I was about to. I started crawling, imitating the boys’ moves. I kept low to the floor, grateful for the umpteenth time that I was in pants instead of one of my standard dresses.
Legs wide like a frog’s, I half crawled half dragged myself, surprised to discover that it wasn’t as easy as it looked. At first, the lumpy cobblestones didn’t bother me. But after several strokes, I discovered that I’d bruised when I flung myself to the floor to avoid the fire. From the feel of it, I was one giant bruise.
But I ignored the aches and new scratches I was gaining and searched for the little owl. “Sir Lancelot?” I called gently. Already I could tell he was in a delicate state.
“You’ve almost reached me... Lady Isa.” His voice was frail.
“I’m right ahead... to your right... against the wall... on the floor.” It sounded as if every set of words required more energy than he possessed.
Even with sunlight streaming in, I couldn’t make him out. The light tapered this far in. I squinted at the darkness, wishing I’d developed Nando’s gift, and continued crawling. I reached my arm forward—
“Ow.” Even Sir Lancelot’s complaint was soft.
I snapped my hand back as if I’d burned it. “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?” I’d only bumped into him. Still....
“I don’t think so, but I can’t tell. I’m hurt all over.”
I sucked in breath sharply. It wasn’t what he said as much as how he said it—though it was also what he said. Poor thing.
“Will you... will you be all right, you think?” It was perhaps a foolish question, but it was all I had. I was wholly unqualified to deal with the events of this day.
“Well.” He cleared his throat, which ended up devolving into a coughing fit. “Because of the spell on me... I can’t die of natural causes.” He wheezed, and I scooted closer to him, ever so mindful of not injuring him further. I was beginning to make out a small lump in the shadows.
Then what he said registered. “You can’t die?”
“Oh yes, I can die, Lady Isa.” There was movement in the shadows, confirming that Sir Lancelot was indeed the small heap I suspected he was. “If some clumsy... beast... tries to kill me, he can.”
“I don’t think Humbert meant to hurt you.”
Humbert chose that moment to roar so loudly that the entire enclosure that contained us shook. Dust and grime rained down from above, causing both Sir Lancelot and I to cough.
“See?” Sir Lancelot said.
“That doesn’t mean he intended to hurt you. He’s upset and frightened—”
“Pardon my interruption, Lady Isa, but of what would a dragon his size be afraid of?”
That was a very good question, especially as I couldn’t decide whether the dragon had chosen that moment to roar because he agreed with me or with the owl, or if it had been entirely random because he’s a dragon and isn’t supposed to follow civilized conversation. (Then again, I was holding a civilized conversation with a bird.) And even in the most dire of circumstances, Sir Lancelot is civilized.