by Wesley King
“Hey,” I said. “Hey, Paul. Steve.”
“Hey,” they said.
There was a quick moment of silence. Uh-oh. What happens now?
“Should we get our seats?” Liam asked.
“Yep,” Shal said quickly, walking by. “Hi, Paul.”
“Hey,” he said, glancing at Steve.
This was going well.
Everyone went inside, with Mia sticking very close to me and Liam heading inside with his friends. Liam shot me another smile as we reached the counter. He’d gelled his hair a little so that it was parted at the front. It should have been super nerdy. I thought it was super cute.
“Still treating me to that date?” he asked.
“As long as you’re getting the popcorn,” I replied.
He laughed. “Deal.”
And from there it was all a happy blur. We definitely sat with the three girls and three boys beside each other, but I was at the far end next to Liam, so I didn’t care. Shal looked a little miffed that Paul didn’t sit next to her, and Mia just looked thrilled.
Dinosaur Ninja was an even stupider movie than it sounds. But everyone was so nervous and awkward that we laughed at everything—even the part where the ninja raptor practises a breakdance. Don’t ask. Better yet, Liam and I shared a large popcorn, which meant we had seven different two-hands-in-the-popcorn-bag moments where we laughed at each other and fumbled to let the other one go first. Those were the best.
Every time I looked at him, I could see Dinosaur Ninja reflected in his glasses. Needless to say I now love that movie.
When the lights came back on, Steve made a joke about dinosaur feces, we all laughed, and then we awkwardly made our way back to the lobby. I called my dad, Paul called his mom, and then we gathered in a loose circle outside to wait.
It actually wasn’t bad. Paul and Shal kind of talked about how bad the movie was, Mia said something like “I know,” that Steve laughed at for some reason, and Liam and I just talked about the irony that a raptor was using a sword. It was very stimulating.
Paul must have lived really close, because his mom was there in like five minutes. We all looked at each other for a second.
“That was fun,” Liam said. “Thanks for the invite.”
Should we shake hands? Hug? Kiss in the moonlight?
They made it easy. They all just did like a little half wave and started for the car, leaving us to smile and act normal until they had safely driven away, at which point we obviously started to giggle and laugh and break down everything that had happened.
Stache showed up soon after—clearly having sped all the way—and we climbed in and started home.
“How was it?” he asked gruffly.
“Fun,” I said.
He glanced at me. “How fun?”
“We didn’t kiss in the moonlight,” I said.
He nodded and turned back to the road. “That’s my girl.”
When we got home, we grabbed a bag of chips, some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and proceeded straight to my room. I did get fifty questions on the way up from my mother, who had clearly stayed up way past her bedtime to find out how it went, and I gave her just enough that she went off to bed with a smile on her face. As soon as we closed the bedroom door, the gossip really got going.
“Did you hold hands?”
“Paul is a lot funnier than I thought.”
“Did Steve look at me again?”
“I can’t believe those babies didn’t sit next to us.”
“Liam looked so cute.”
Yeah, the last one was me. These types of comments continued for at least two or three hours. We kind of broke it up by checking our profiles and eating ice cream and pumping the two air mattresses Stache had fished out of the garage, but it was definitely mostly talking. I just kept thinking about Liam smiling at me as a raptor did backflips in his glasses. I think it might just have been the best night of my life.
When we’d finally exhausted the conversation, we all settled into our beds and turned the lights off. I just lay there looking up at the ceiling and smiling.
“Laura?” Mia said.
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad we went.”
“Me too,” I said.
Shal sighed. “Now if we could just get Carl to come next time.”
With that we started to doze off, and I rolled onto my side against the wall and closed my eyes. I was still way too excited to sleep. The other two were sleeping soundly, and I was still lying there, thinking about one of those great two-hands-in-the-popcorn moments. I pictured his little crooked grin as he quickly pulled his out again.
I was still picturing this when something hard bounced off of my window.
My eyes shot open.
I quickly turned to Shal and Mia, but they were still asleep. I rolled over again, shaking my head. Maybe it was just a bat flying into the window.
I was just closing my eyes again when there was another crack on the window.
Someone was out there. Slinking out of bed, I carefully stepped around Mia and opened the curtains. There, standing in the middle of my yard, was Eldon. He gestured for me to come outside and then slipped back into the shadows.
Frowning, I snuck out of the room, still wearing my red-and-white cotton pyjamas. I grabbed a coat downstairs, threw it on, and gently eased the front door open. Hurrying out into the cold night air, I rounded the house, heading for the woods.
“What is it?” I asked urgently, spotting Eldon and the others in the shadows.
I saw immediately that there were three others. Uncle Laine was there, looking ominous in the background, as was Allison, watching me from beneath her hood.
“Laren just spotted a group of goblins,” Eldon said quietly, pulling me into the darkness of the trees. “It looks like they are preparing an attack.”
“On me?”
“No. One of your neighbours.”
I shook my head. “Why would they do that?”
“To start the war.”
I blanched. “What are you saying?”
He put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’m saying it’s time to do your job. We have to stop them before they harm anyone.”
He nodded at Laine, who was holding a bundled wrap of clothing. Steven stood beside him, holding another bundled wrap with a black handle sticking out the bottom.
Eldon smiled grimly.
“Come. If we’re going into battle, you had better at least look like a Monster Crusher.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Uncle Laine unfurled his bundle of clothes first, looking worried, and Eldon scooped up the items one by one. He looked at my pyjamas and scowled, obviously thinking they made for poor battle clothing. He handed me a thick brown leather vest, which I slipped over my head and fastened at either side. It smelled like dried sweat and stung my nose.
“That will at least ward off claws and arrows.”
“Claws?” I murmured.
Eldon ignored me and held up a long, hooded cloak. “Monster Crushers often prefer battle armour, but for this it would be better if you just looked like a Sword. That means a cloak, your hammer, and a knife. We stick to the shadows only.”
I nodded and pulled the cloak on. It was made of some sort of coarse brown wool, and the loose-fitting hood was long enough that it sat right down to the tip of my nose. It was fastened at the nape by a loop of brown string and a large black button. Though the cloak felt snug and warm, it was still light enough that I could move freely. It even sat comfortably on my shoulders and thighs, and I wondered if they’d had it custom-made.
Next Eldon picked up a short knife with a silver blade and solid black handle.
“Tuck this into your boot—” He saw my sneakers and scowled again. “I have to find you a tailor.”
“These are very comfortable, you know.”
Eldon shook his head and handed me a small leather sheath. “Strap it to your leg.”
I did as I was told, tying the le
ather strap around my ankle and making sure the knife was firmly tucked into the sheath. I didn’t want that thing poking me if I had to run away from a troll. It felt a bit awkward as I stood up, but I guess I would be glad to have it if my hammer wasn’t close by.
“Am I going to have to actually fight something?” I asked quietly.
Eldon looked at me, his dark-brown locks draped over his forehead. “I hope not.”
After putting on the large sheath and carefully placing the hammer in, I was ready to go. I was very grateful I had practised with the sheath, as the others were watching me closely. Especially Allison. I gave her a knowing little smile, and she rolled her eyes.
“Laine is going to guard your house, but they should all be safe as long as they stay inside,” Eldon said. He turned to Laine. “Are you sure you don’t want me to leave someone else?”
Laine drew a massive broadsword from a sheath and gripped it with one massive hand. He shook his head, his usually friendly eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’ll be fine.”
“Good,” Eldon said. “Let’s move.”
Uncle Laine gave me a comforting nod, and then I followed Eldon, Allison, and Steven into the woods, grimacing as the cold wind whipped through the trees.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“The end of your street,” Eldon said. “They were gathering there. Laren and Liz are keeping watch.”
“Why gather there?”
Eldon glanced back at me. “I have no idea. None of this makes any sense, but we have no choice. We need to destroy them.”
Frowning, I tried to keep up as we raced through the trees. Branches swiped past my face, scratching my cheeks. I passed through a spiderweb and quickly wiped it off. Why would the monsters start attacking Riverfield? To draw me out? Was it an ambush?
Eldon finally slowed down, and I saw two cloaked shadows emerge from the darkness. Liz hurried over to Eldon and gave me a brief nod.
“They’re still gathering. It looks like they might attack the first house.”
Eldon looked behind her. “How many?”
“About thirty,” she said. “They outnumber us five to one.”
“We have no choice,” Eldon replied. “I sent word back to Derwin, but Caria and the others won’t be here for hours. It takes a whole lot longer without the elevator, and only the Monster Crusher can use it.”
“Six of us,” Allison whispered. “Versus thirty.”
“And only one we need to kill,” Eldon said. “Did you see the leader, Laren?”
Laren shook his head. “No, just goblins. We’re going to have to find him the hard way.”
“Perfect,” Eldon muttered. “Show me.”
We started after Laren, and Allison glanced at me.
“Ready for a real fight?” she asked quietly.
“Not really.”
We fell into step beside each other.
“I’ve never seen this before,” she murmured. “This is the first time they’ve ever shown themselves in Riverfield in such force. Like they want us to attack.”
“Do you think it’s a trap?”
“It’s always a trap.”
I looked at her. “So why not go home?”
“Because you need me.” She paused. “Besides, if we lose, I won’t have a home for much longer anyway.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?” she asked, already sounding bored. She really was evil.
“Why do you act like that at school? I mean, you’d think someone fighting monsters wouldn’t even really care about elementary school drama.”
“Do you?” she asked, raising one perfectly trimmed eyebrow.
I paused. “Point taken. But I’m not evil.”
Allison shook her head. “I’m popular. That’s how popular girls act.”
“I don’t buy that.”
She scowled and looked away.
“It’s just how I’ve always been. It’s how people expect me to be. Maybe I like it. I don’t know. I do feel…guilty sometimes. I shouldn’t have posted the picture.”
“That was kind of mean.”
“I know.” She briefly met my eyes. “I…well, I guess I was a bit jealous that you got to be the Monster Crusher. Maybe a lot jealous. And I knew I was supposed to be helping you and that’s why I was going to just ignore you, but then you called me out and the other girls were asking if I was going to do something…I don’t know. It was dumb. I’m sorry.”
I frowned. “Thanks. Can’t you just start being nice?”
“Maybe. I hate school…I guess I’m just miserable there, you know.”
“Why do you hate it at school? You’re the most popular girl there.”
She stiffened and quickly started after the others, leaving me behind.
“Everything I want is in Derwin. I just can’t have it.”
I watched her hurry ahead, and then suddenly thought back to something. A very dark look she had given me in the courtyard yesterday when I was talking to Lee.
“You like Lee.”
“No, I don’t,” she said sharply, shooting me an angry look.
“You’re in love,” I said.
“Shut up.”
We joined the others where they were crouched down, watching something in silence. I peered through the trees. I couldn’t see too much in the faint moonlight, but I could hear the raspy voices. Squinting harder, I started to see the shapes forming in the trees. I could make out the mossy-green skin and the moonlight glinting off of spears and swords and metal caps. I took a small step to get a better look and stepped right on a branch. It cracked loudly, and I hunched right down to the ground, horrified. The raspy voices changed, and Eldon looked back, glaring at me. I heard shuffling in the distance.
“Good work,” Allison muttered. “So glad to have you along.”
“Weapons ready,” Eldon whispered.
“Where are they going?” Liz asked softly.
I eased around Eldon to get a better look. The goblins were marching now, their swords and spears at the ready. I looked ahead of them and just made out the faint street lights through the trees.
“They’re attacking,” I said. “We have to stop them.”
Eldon looked around, seeming hesitant. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
“We have no choice,” Allison said. “They’ll kill anybody who gets in their way.”
Eldon paused for a moment and then nodded. “On my signal.”
He slowly stood up and everyone followed suit. I felt my palms sweating on the handle, despite the cold air. But it was different than my first mission. Now the monsters were attacking my home. They were in my world. It was time to defend it.
“Now,” Eldon said quietly, moving forward in almost complete silence.
The Swords crept after him, Allison pulling the bow from her back and fitting an arrow. I took the rear, and the group slowly started picking up speed, heading for the back of the goblin troop. We broke out into a jog, still moving quietly through the trees.
We closed in, and I unsheathed the hammer and lifted it over my shoulder.
Just then a hideous shriek split through the canopy. Eldon and the others stopped immediately, and I saw the goblins turn around, smiling evilly. I slowly looked up.
There, perched in the trees over our heads, were hordes of small, wiry creatures with yellow eyes and crooked, bat-like wings. Long, clawed arms clutched the branches.
“Uh-oh,” Allison whispered.
Chapter Twenty-Six
We had been pulled into a trap. And with another awful, screeching howl, the imps descended from the trees like a wave of horrendous bats.
“Stay together!” Eldon shouted.
The first imp flew toward me, its clawed hands grasping for my face. I swung the hammer upward with two hands, smashing it right into the imp’s disfigured grey head. The imp went sailing backward, crashing into two other imps and sending all three cartwheeling out of the air into the grass.
Anothe
r imp landed on my back, and I used the handle to smash the creature in the head. It collapsed onto the ground. I wasn’t even thinking. I just had to fight.
Beside me, Allison was firing arrow after arrow into the night sky, shooting down one imp after another. For a second I thought we might win the battle easily.
And then the goblins crashed into us.
I saw Liz topple to the ground as the first wave of goblins rammed into her, her sword flying from her hand. Eldon just managed to kill a goblin as it tried to skewer Liz with a spear. I turned to help with the goblins when an imp landed on top of me, clawing deep into my arm. Blood rushed out of the wounds.
Grimacing, I elbowed the imp, knocking it off my arm. Beside me, Allison threw her bow aside and drew her sword. She cut through a goblin with a graceful swing before dispatching an imp with a hidden knife. I was glad I never got into a real fight with her.
“Laura!” Eldon cried, fighting wildly at the front. “You have to find the leader.”
“That should be easy!” I shouted back, looking over the swarm of creatures attacking us in the darkness. Between the imps blotting out the sky and the goblins pouring out of the dense trees, there were monsters everywhere.
How was I going to find the leader?
The Swords broke apart, hacking and swinging and stabbing on all sides. I charged to the front of the group beside Eldon, taking a massive swing with the hammer as I did. It connected with two goblins, sending them both flying. The crimson rubies on the hammer flared to life, pushing back the darkness, and I saw the fear in the goblins’ disfigured faces as it grew brighter and brighter.
I scanned the monsters, looking for the biggest one.
Finally, I saw one near the back, standing just a few inches taller than the rest. He wore the same black chest plate and dented metal cap as the rest of them, but his long green arms were corded with wiry muscle, and his crooked sword was particularly large and jagged. I saw his yellow eyes flashing as he shouted orders at the other monsters.
“There!” I shouted.
Using the hammer like a battering ram, I charged, knocking the goblins back. I saw Eldon pull an injured Liz to her feet, and Laren and Steven formed a protective circle around her. I knew we didn’t have much time.