by R. C. Rutter
* * *
“Here little kitty, have another bite?”
The kitten gently took the morsel and carried it off. The guards had decided they were hungry and were taking time to eat. They watched for a moment then turned their attention back to their own food.
“Where do you think he is going with that?”
“Guess he wants to eat in private.”
“Hey, what about the King? What are we supposed to do about feeding him?”
“I dunno, didn’t get orders for that.”
They did not realize that the kitten had dropped the food and was no longer in sight.
“Well, we just can’t let him starve you know.”
“Tell you what, you go bang on the door and when the friendly guard answers, you ask him.”
“Oh.” The guard thought for a moment. “Maybe it would not be a good idea to do that.”
“You think?”
“Well, if I were you, I could call him in here!”
“Are you an idiot?”
“What?”
“You said to call him in here!”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. I distinctly heard you.”
“I tell you, it wasn’t me.”
“Well, maybe it was the King. Shall we ask him?”
The guards turned to look at the King but he was not there. All that remained were the ropes that had been chewed apart. Then they realized that the King was standing right next to them.
The guards dropped their plates of food as the King said “It was I who said to call the guard in here.”
The two of them were frozen in place, not sure of what to do. The kitten leapt onto the table and sauntered over to them. As it got closer it began to growl. Its hair was puffing up and fangs were showing from its open mouth.
“GUARD! GUARD! We need help!
“Hey, what is going on in there? Can’t the two of you manage to do anything right? Get back to your duties or I shall beat you myself.”
“GUARD! HELP!”
The two guards were up against the wall with the snarling and growling kitten in front of them. They heard the key turn in the lock and watched as the door opened.
The corridor guard took one step into the room and saw the King standing there free of his restraints. He took another step before he fell to the floor, cut, scratched, bruised, and unconscious. The two guards fainted at the sight of the kitten atop the big corridor guard, licking its paws.
“My dear old friend” said the King gazing at the kitten. “How long has it been? Too long I am afraid. How is Theodore? Well, I hope. I can’t thank you enough and I will always been in your debt.
The kitten was purring loudly then quickly stopped. Its ears perked up and it began growling.
“What’s that? More guards are coming? I think it is best to put a stop to all this nonsense. The demons have left the castle, I can sense that. Their power here is waning. Come, my little bundle of joy, time to take back our castle.”
The kitten began walking towards the door but hesitated as the King was not following. Looking back, it saw the King bent over trying to catch his breath.
“I am sorry. The recent turn of events has left me a bit weak I am afraid. I need to be re-united with my daughter before it is too late. Perhaps I shall sit for just a moment or two.”
The King sat down and contemplated his next move as the guards arrived. With swords drawn and shields up, they entered the room.
* * *
“This might work to my benefit yet!” Cerberus smirked as he found his soldiers and they made their way back to the cavern. The demons had left him in the room thinking he was dead. His loose band of soldiers were happy to follow him as he promised them all the jewels they could carry. He thought to himself “the rumor is already there; why not make use of it?”
There was a small room where two caves joined before reaching the cavern. Creature knew this place well. He planned to meet the Queen there.
A few of his soldiers refused to fight anymore, even with the reward of gems waiting. They thought Cerberus would get mad, but he stayed very calm about it. He gave them instructions on how to leave the cave. His remaining soldiers were happy as that meant more jewels for them. Cerberus was happy as the malcontents were gone. The malcontents were happy because they were leaving. It would be some time before they realized that Cerberus gave them the wrong directions.
Cerberus smiled.
As they neared the room, Cerberus slowed down and began walking quietly. He wanted to make sure they arrived first. He knew if they surprised the Queen, she would begin killing and not stop. That would not do.
Cerberus arrived at the room and fell to his knees. He laid his sword in front of him with the handle far away. Anyone seeing that would know that he could not quickly pick it up.
He motioned for his troops to sheath their weapons and kneel as well. The sound of the Queen approaching became louder and louder. She would soon be upon them.
“What have we here?” The Queen towered over the creature, holding her sword and wand. “Come to beg forgiveness? Come to beg for your life? Ha!”
Cerberus glanced up and quickly lowered his eyes. “Mistress, it is I, with my troops who first attacked the wizards. We would have succeeded were it not for the statues.”
“And if you had succeeded what then?”
“Why, we would have delivered the girl to you. I have no interest in her. I only want my freedom that you had promised me.” Cerberus smiled and groveled at her feet.
“You disgust me and I shall kill you know.” The Queen lifted her wand ready to strike.
“NO MISTRESS, I have information you need. PLEASE!”
“No, you have nothing I need and I cannot trust anything you say.” The Queen pulled her arm back.
“Wait Mistress, I know which daughter is the chosen one!”
The Queen froze, not believing what she heard.
“What do you mean which daughter? How many are there? Tell me now and it had better be the truth! In fact, I shall make it so!” The Queen waved her wand and cast a spell of truthfulness.
Cerberus rocked back but managed to stay upright.
“Which one is the King’s Daughter?”
“She has a mark on her arm, hides it with long sleeves.”
The Queen did not know what to think. She knew this was the truth; it was a difficult spell to cast but when it worked, it could not be resisted. She pondered for a moment.
“Well, I am disappointed that I am not able to kill you. Perhaps you shall be useful after all.”
“I am My Lady, I am. We shall join forces; we will attack and kill them all.”
“And what of your troops? Who are they loyal to?”
“My Mistress, they already know the rumors of the gems in your land. I have promised them that once we are done, they are free to take all that they can carry.”
The Queen smiled. She knew there were no jewels and liked the deviousness of his plan.
“Come, we have a mountain of rock to move and a war to win!”
* * *
Chapter 26
Eric was in a trance, deep in thought. Robald had this glazed look on his face. Thorgon was in a foul mood. The only ones not feeling mean or lost were Seth and Malcolm and that is only because they were still unconscious.
The soldiers were maintaining their patrols even though the girls were gone. They did not know what else to do. They felt that since Eric was part of royalty, at least they were being productive.
The cavern floor shook. Barely perceptible at first, it increased in volume and strength. Thorgon did not feel it as he was still tossing and kicking things. Eric felt it but ignored it as he had bigger things to worry about. He was charged with protecting the King’s daughter and he had failed.
Robald felt it again. It helped that he was still leaning against the entrance that had closed. He stood up and looked at the wall. It was moving with each loud sound.
“Hey, we are being rescued or attacked. I can hear them; they are trying to dig through the wall
The wall shook again and again. Robald and Thorgon stood first, shields and swords ready. Right behind them were the soldiers. Robald had instructed Eric and Erica to stay in the rear to watch over and protect Seth and Malcolm.
A crack appeared, then another, and another.
Robald leaned forward. “READY! ANY MOMENT NOW!”
The rocks were falling away as the wall shattered. A cloud of rock dust filled the air, blocking the view. Thorgon tightened his grip on his sword, trying not to breathe the dust.
A figure appeared and Robald lifted his sword and swung it. There was no time for questions, it was time for action. The sword found its target and abruptly stopped. The sudden halting of the sword sent cascades of shakes down Robald’s arm.
“Now, just hold on there. What kind of a welcome is this?”
Robald did not recognize the voice but it did not sound like any enemy. He pulled back his sword but held it ready to strike again. “You have three seconds to identify yourself.”
“Come, come now Robald, have you so quickly forgotten me?”
The face of Theodore came into view as the rock dust cleared. He was looking at his staff with the large nick cut into it. “Quite a gouge there, I am glad you hit my staff. My arm would not have survived so well.”
Robald and Thorgon were stunned. They were expecting the Queen or soldiers or something but not this. Neither one could think of anything to say.
“Wouldn’t be right if I let you have all the fun now, would it?” Theodore stepped his way carefully over the rocks as he came down from the rubble.
Thorgon and Robald looked behind him to see if anyone else was with him but he was traveling alone. They were disappointed, reinforcements would have been nice. He gave them both a hug and they watched as he started making his way back to Eric and Erica. This was quite a reunion and their mood lifted considerably. Good friends are always appreciated.
The blast knocked Robald and Thorgon down. As they fell, they watched the Queen leap over them, sword and wand both lashing out at anything that moved. Both of them yelled as they stood up just as Cerberus came flying through the opening. He smashed into Thorgon and bounced off. Several of the Queens soldiers made it passed as the fighting began. Robald and Thorgon turned around to attack them just in time to see the Queen cast a spell at them. It was too late to dodge it. The blast hit them both with its full force, sending them both into the cave wall where they fell unconscious.
A cheer rang out from the Queen’s army. They sensed victory as hundreds of them flowed through the opening like a thunderous roar. Eric and Erica were trading spells with the Queen while Theodore proved he was adept with his staff keeping all away from Seth and Malcolm.
Swords and shields met again as the two armies battled to claim the victory. The loss of Robald and Thorgon had a devastating effect on their ability to defend themselves. Eric began calling for a retreat to consolidate their forces. The Queen’s soldiers continued to pour through the opening and it was obvious that this is one battle they would lose.
Eric shouted. “Erica, if I keep her busy, can you teleport the four of them, yourself, and Theodore?”
Erica shook her head no. “Not with the four of them being unconscious. And have you seen the size of Robald and Thorgon? Even on a good day, I could only move one of them at a time.”
“I was afraid of that.” Eric’s face sank under the weight of his thoughts. “We have to leave them behind.”
Erica gave him a dirty look. “Over my dead body!”
“We don’t have much of a choice now do we?”
Erica continued to cast spells. She had acquired a sword from somewhere and was proving that she knew how to use it. Several soldiers rushed her at once which consumed all of her attention. She did not notice the figure approaching her from behind. Eric was yelling something but she could not hear him. Her wand was pulled from her hand as Cerberus went sailing over her shoulder. He turned around and smiled at her as he landed on the cavern floor. The soldiers easily backed her up as they got the upper hand.
The Queen sensed the level of fear rising and saw that Erica had lost her wand. Instead of casting spells everywhere, she focused only on Eric, sending blasts with increasing ferocity. It was all he could do to defend himself. Any lapse of concentration would probably result in a death blow.
Cheers began ringing out from the Queen’s army as they knew they had won this time. She began looking for the daughter and realized she was not there. She yelled at Eric “Where is the daughter?”
Eric said nothing.
“Stupid wizard, give me the daughter and I will spare your lives. REFUSE AND DIE!
Eric was not going to do that. He knew that once she got her hands on Lydia and Gweneviere, no one was safe. She would certainly not let him live, he was too much of a threat. He looked around trying to come up with a plan. Robald and Thorgon were probably dead, Seth and Malcolm were unconscious, Erica was on her knees surrounded by Creature and soldiers, Theodore was straining under the battle effort, and their own soldiers were fighting fiercely but were overwhelmed. It was not good at all.
Eric began contemplating surrender to salvage whatever lives he could.
Yells and screams came from the cave entrance as wolves burst through the opening led by Shabb. The Queen’s army was being slaughtered without hesitation as new statues began appearing randomly. They came to life and immediately fought the Queen and her remaining army. She yelled for her soldiers to rush the entrance but they were no match. The battle would be over in a matter of moments and she knew it.
Eric ran to his sister to rescue her as the wolves finished off the Queens army. This time he knew there would be no survivors. Erica was fine, just a few bumps and bruises. He turned his attention to the Queen. She was nowhere to be found.
Picking up his staff, he sent out a beam of light. It hesitated then flew off not in the direction of the cave opening but towards the side wall. He watched as Cerberus and the Queen disappeared into the wall.
He looked back to Erica. “At some point in time, I shall kill that…”
“Watch it!” said Erica.
“I was going to say witch. What did you think I was going to say?” He smiled.
“Well, if the two of you are done with family reunions, I think we had best be moving.”
Theodore was breathing heavily, standing next to Shabb. He was scratching the wolf’s ears and Shabb appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it.
“Nice to have friends, is it not? Timing could have been a little better but no complaints here. If the two of you can wake up your sleeping colleagues, we best get a move on. I believe there are some demons here holding the girls hostage?”
* * *
“Brothers, concentrate. I know we have not done this before, not for this length of time, but it is the only way.”
The demons cast a spell over Lydia and Gweneviere suppressing their spirits and making them powerless. They could only accomplish this as long as they maintained continuity. Any disruption would break the spell.
“I must remind you brothers, the closer we get to the castle, the harder this will be. Where we are should have been close enough to establish a good link between the two so when we kill one, it hurts the other. It is too dangerous to do it here; we need to be back at the castle where we can protect ourselves from the wolves. Once we kill the King and daughter, the wolves will attack.”
The demons nodded in agreement and were soon outside of the Cave of Forlorn. Their army was still there awaiting their return. As soon as the demons appeared, they began getting ready to march.
“An army will soon be upon you. Be prepared to attack. Your efforts here will determine whether we succeed or not. Be strong. We shall meet you back at the castle for a victory celebration.”
The ragtag group of servants looked at the demons in disbelief. They knew they were being sacrificed b
ut there was not much they could do about it. The cave entrance was directly in front of them and the soldiers were just behind. If they attempted to flee, they would be slaughtered by the regular soldiers. That order had already been given.
The demons mounted their chariots. Gweneviere and Lydia rode with Damien. They looked back as the chariots left the cave and a cloud of dust in their path. It was clear the demons were in a hurry.