by K J Taylor
‘Stop!’ Northrop said suddenly. ‘Wait.’
They hesitated. ‘What?’ said Elyne.
‘Let’s take her prisoner,’ said Northrop. ‘The king should interrogate both of them.’
‘Fine,’ said Srawn. She pinned Snarl down with the edge of her axe blade. ‘Have you got that bastard yet, Tannock?’
Tannock and Wittock had managed to catch Ambit and now had both arms twisted behind his back. Deeble took the spear and held it out of his reach.
‘We’ve got him,’ Tannock growled.
‘Good,’ said Northrop. ‘Let’s get them to Lucknow City. Come on, my lady.’
Ambit, forced to walk between Tannock and Wittock, twisted his head and saw something that made him groan. Princess Etarina, looking a little ragged, but as imperious as always, coming to join Northrop with her head held high.
‘There you are,’ she said. ‘I knew we would find you eventually.’
‘Couldn’t get me out of your head, eh?’ said Ambit. ‘Don’t worry, that’s normal.’
Northrop slapped him. ‘Shut up. You’re coming to Lucknow to answer for what you’ve done, and your pet is coming too.’
‘Let him go,’ Snarl hissed.
‘Not this time,’ said Northrop. He pointed his sword at her. ‘You’ll walk ahead of us and Whitear will have an arrow pointed at you every moment. If you try to run away, you die. If you try to attack us, your little weasel of a friend dies. Understand?’
Snarl dug her claws into the ground. ‘Fine. Let me up.’
Srawn withdrew her axe, and Snarl got up. She obviously wanted to go to Ambit, but Whitear had already loaded another arrow onto her bow, and the small demon kept her distance.
‘Now, we go,’ said Northrop. ‘Let’s hurry.’
‘What are you going to do with us?’ Snarl demanded.
‘You’re spies for the demons, both of you,’ said Northrop, ‘and the so-called Chosen One is a traitor. You’re both going to the king, and he’ll decide what to do with you.’
‘You can’t kill him,’ said Snarl. ‘He’s the Chosen One.’
‘We’ll see about that,’ said Northrop, darting a murderous glare at Ambit.
The eruption of the First Mountain was over now, and things had calmed down in the city. But several buildings had been damaged, and others were on fire, and the streets were ankle-deep in ash. The eight companions force-marched Ambit past confused and frightened people, all of whom backed away when they saw Snarl walking ahead. Snarl completely ignored them. She kept her place, constantly shadowed by Whitear and Rigby, both of them ready to kill her the moment she tried anything. Ambit walked behind her at the point of his own spear, knowing he couldn’t risk doing anything either. Maybe they wouldn’t kill him, but they could kill Snarl.
Meanwhile, the city guard were out in force, and once word got out that the eight companions had just strolled into the city they only got halfway to the castle before Lord Deever showed up. His armour looked grubby now, but his voice was as imperious as always.
‘What is this?’ he demanded, and then spotted the princess. He gaped, and quickly went down on one knee. ‘My lady!’
Etarina pushed forward. ‘Deever,’ she said with a smile. ‘It’s good to see you again.’
Deever stood up. ‘I’m so happy to see you’re safe,’ he said. ‘Your father is very worried about you.’
‘As you can see, I’m fine,’ she said. ‘We have these brave people to thank. Deever – meet the eight companions of the Chosen One.’
Deever bowed to them. ‘It’s an honour. But who are these two?’
‘Prisoners, my lord,’ said Northrop. ‘Spies for the demons. We’re taking them to the king.’
‘Please, allow me,’ said Deever.
‘With all due respect, maybe your men could accompany us into the castle?’ said Northrop.
‘Very well,’ said Deever. ‘Follow us.’
The eight companions were given a squad of guards as an escort, while the princess was taken on ahead to the castle. Ambit walked slowly. His head had started to hurt again, and so had his hand. Maybe he shouldn’t have burned the skin off his palm, after all. Then again, he’d have plenty of time to heal down in the Lucknow dungeons, assuming they had any of those.
For now, he had to think of what he was going to say to the king. He certainly wouldn’t say he was the Chosen One. Then again . . . it might be the only way to save his skin. If he wasn’t the Chosen One he was just a spy and a traitor, and if they didn’t chop his head off for that, they’d at least throw him in a cell. But he couldn’t think of anything at all he could say to save Snarl. She was a demon. They’d probably kill her on the spot, without even bothering to ask her any questions.
In the end, there was only one thing Ambit could think to do and that was to tell the truth. He’d say he was the Chosen One, and offer to save the world in exchange for Snarl’s life. Then, the moment he got the chance, he’d run off and rejoin her. If the king was as gullible as his daughter it might work.
Close up, the castle was just as impressive as it had looked from a distance. Its white, stone walls were decked out with ivy and flowering vines, and its nine towers were shaped like flowers, complete with balconies in the shape of petals. The banners hanging from them looked a little sad just now – some of them had caught fire and the rest flapped rather listlessly in the hot wind. The front doors were made of heavy red wood with gold handles, and they opened very quickly when Deever knocked on them. He ushered the eight companions and two prisoners through an arched passageway with a curtain of vines hanging from its roof. Beyond that was an attractive courtyard, with a garden in it, dominated by a huge old tree whose branches had been decorated with bells and little hanging lanterns.
Behind the tree, a pair of curving staircases led up to another passageway, this one big, open and airy, with steps at the end which took them up again and into what Ambit supposed must be the king’s throne room. The floor was shining marble, elaborately patterned with plants and so polished it looked like a mirror. Snarl’s claws clicked as she crossed it, and Ambit was pleased to see the small demon left nasty burn-marks behind.
Northrop went ahead now, giving Snarl a wide berth. He strode to the end of the throne room, where a huge wooden throne sat on a raised platform. An honour guard lined the room, each man armed with a spear decorated with multicoloured ribbons. Northrop barely glanced at them. He went to the base of the platform where the throne stood, laid his sword on the floor and knelt, bowing his head. ‘My king,’ he said.
Ambit looked up at the throne, and was disappointed to find that after all the build-up, the King of the Land of Flowers didn’t look very interesting or impressive at all. He was a short middle-aged man with a paunch, who didn’t look quite big enough for his elaborately-carved throne. He wore a heavy robe studded with many colourful gemstones, and a large gold crown with a forest design sat on his head, the leaves and blooms picked out with more gemstones. A sceptre shaped like a bunch of flowers lay across his lap.
‘Rise,’ he said. He had bicoloured eyes, Ambit noticed, just like his spoilt brat of a daughter.
Northrop obeyed. ‘My king,’ he said again. ‘My name is Northrop Aquaberry from the village of Daisyfield. I am one of the eight companions of the Chosen One, and these people with me are the other seven.’
The king looked at them. ‘And who are these prisoners you’ve brought to me?’
‘Spies,’ said Northrop. ‘A traitor human and his demon servant. We caught them near the First Mountain, during our escape with your daughter, and decided to bring them to you.’
The king nodded. ‘Thank you for bringing them to me, and thank you even more for bringing back my daughter.’ He nodded to Deever, who drafted a couple of guards to take Ambit between them. They brought him over to the throne and roughly threw him onto the floor.
Ambit landed in a heap. ‘Ow.’
‘What do you have to say for yourself?’ the king asked from some
where above him.
Ambit got up. ‘I’m not a spy,’ he said. ‘I’m the –’
‘Ambassador.’
Everyone stopped and stared.
Snarl had spoken. Ignoring Whitear, she waddled toward Ambit. ‘King Eyton,’ she said with a nod. ‘King Volcan sent us here. He asked us to speak with you on his behalf.’
The king leaned toward her. ‘Is that so, demon?’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘My name is Snarl of the Sixth Mountain, and this is Ambit Afterman, from the village of Vinewood. My king has a message for you and we are the messengers.’
‘How dare you speak to our king?’ Srawn interrupted, raising her axe.
Snarl turned on her. ‘And how dare you attack the Chosen One?’ she said. ‘Yes, that’s right.’ She turned back to the king. ‘Ambit is the Chosen One.’
‘That’s a lie!’ Northrop roared.
The king raised his hand. ‘That’s enough. Be silent, demon, or my guards will kill you. You, Ambit, if that is your name . . . stand up and tell me the truth.’
Ambit got up. ‘It’s true,’ he said reluctantly. ‘I am the Chosen One.’
‘Then why are you here as a prisoner,’ said the king, ‘and why are the eight companions calling you a traitor?’
‘Er, well, I won’t say I didn’t make a few mistakes,’ said Ambit. ‘You see . . .’ He hesitated – what on earth was he going to say?
‘Tell them the truth, Ambit,’ said Snarl.
‘Do you really think that’s a good idea?’ Ambit asked out of the corner of his mouth.
‘It’s all we’ve got left,’ said Snarl. ‘Tell him.’
‘All right, but it’s not going to go down well,’ said Ambit. He coughed. ‘Uh . . . sire. Yeah. Um. I’m the Chosen One, but I didn’t want to be. I wanted to try and get out of having to save the world. So I . . . er . . . I found the eight companions and turned them in to the demon king. But it was all my idea,’ he added hastily. ‘Snarl had nothing to do with it. She’s just my friend. In fact, she keeps telling me not to do things.’
‘It’s true,’ Rigby piped up. ‘He’s the Chosen One. I saw the mark on his hand.’
The king looked at Ambit, narrow-eyed. ‘The Chosen One? You?’
‘Ask them. They all saw that stupid mark,’ said Ambit. ‘I’d show it to you now, but I kind of . . . er, I kind of burned it off again. I’ve got the spear, though.’
‘Is all this true?’ the king demanded, looking at the eight companions.
‘It’s true,’ Tannock said reluctantly. ‘He can’t be anything else. I mean, it doesn’t make any sense, but –’
‘It’s a lie,’ interrupted Northrop. ‘He’s a fake. How could the Chosen One do what he did? Betray us? If anyone was ever going to turn on us, how could it be him?’
‘Hey, how would you like it if you weren’t allowed to go your own way?’ said Ambit, turning on him. ‘How would you like it if you had some stupid prophecy telling you what to do, and what you want doesn’t come into it?’
‘I have a destiny of my own,’ said Northrop, ‘but I don’t try to run from it because I’m not a coward like you.’
‘Now then,’ said Wittock. ‘Don’t shout, Northrop. What Ambit did was unforgivable, but I think we should all be able to sympathise. We can only hope he has learned his lesson now.’
‘Have you learned your lesson?’ asked Rigby, looking hopefully at Ambit.
‘I’ve learned plenty,’ said Ambit, with a glance at Snarl.
‘So now will do as you were born to do?’ asked the king, taking control of the conversation again. ‘If you are the Chosen One, then you’re our only hope, Ambit.’
‘Oh, er, sure,’ said Ambit. ‘I mean, I saw what happened out there. The First Mountain could erupt again at any moment, and then the whole city would be destroyed. For all we know the other mountains are doing the same thing. The whole country would turn into a wasteland full of demons.’
‘Then will you lead the eight companions and destroy the demon lords?’ asked the king.
‘Yes,’ said Ambit, ‘if you’ll let Snarl go.’
‘You seem very concerned with the wellbeing of this demon,’ said the king.
‘She’s my friend, like I said,’ said Ambit. ‘She didn’t do anything wrong. Let her go, and I’ll fulfil the prophecy.’
‘It’s a trick, sire,’ said Northrop. ‘Don’t listen to him. He said he was going to do it before, and he got us all captured on purpose.’
The king waved him into silence. ‘That’s enough. Tonight you may stay here as my guests. Tomorrow, you will all travel out together, with an escort of my finest soldiers, and begin at the Sixth Mountain, which is the closest demon mountain, other than the First. You will take this demon with you as a hostage, and interrogate her for information on this mountain she claims to have come from. Is that understood?’
Northrop relaxed. ‘If we can keep the demon, then yes,’ he said. ‘We can’t risk trusting Ambit. If we have to use force to make him follow the prophecy, then so be it.’
‘Oh, come on,’ said Ambit.
‘Sire, stop,’ said Snarl. ‘Listen to me.’
‘I’ve listened to you all I wish to,’ said the king. ‘Guards – take the demon away and lock her up until morning. If you have to, keep her in water to subdue her.’
‘No!’ Snarl shouted as Srawn and Tannock forced her backward. ‘Sire, listen – the demon lords are the only thing . . .’
She didn’t get to finish. Srawn hit her hard with her axe, and she went silent and let them take her away.
‘Now,’ the king said, ‘take the Chosen One to a guest room and lock him in. The rest of you will be welcome at my table tonight.’
‘Hey!’ Ambit protested as they hustled him away. ‘Let go of me, you – sire, you can’t do this. I’m supposed to fulfil the prophecy because I want to.’
‘No,’ said the king. ‘You will fulfil it because you are the Chosen One and it is your destiny.’
‘Fuck destiny!’ Ambit shouted back at him before the door slammed in his face.
Eighteen
Ambit spent a miserable, sleepless and – worst of all – sober night in one of the castle’s smaller guest rooms, whose door was locked and guarded. There was a window, but it was too small to climb through, which he would have, if he could have, even if he was on the third floor of the building. Attempting to climb down the castle wall would have been better than pacing back and forth with his shoulders hunched, stopping sometimes to glare at the door. Occasionally he muttered under his breath – mostly things like ‘Fuck the lot of them,’ and ‘Should’ve speared that arsehole through the face when I had the chance.’
By the time dawn came, he hadn’t even lain on the bed, or touched any of the food that had been left for him. A couple of guards arrived and held him at sword-point while they fitted a shackle and chains around his waist. After that he was forced to walk between them, back down to the courtyard where the eight companions were waiting. A squad of about twenty armed and armoured guards were with them. Snarl was there too, sitting in a cage slung between two long poles.
‘Ambit!’ she said the moment she saw him.
Ambit gave her a wave. ‘Hi, Snarl.’
Snarl bit at the bars of her cage. ‘They put you in chains?’
‘Yeah,’ said Ambit. ‘You know, I hate to say this, but I think we might be fucked.’
Snarl lay down on her belly, tail hanging between the bars. ‘We’ve never been in more trouble than this,’ she said. ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do.’
The sight of her made Ambit feel a little better. ‘I’ve got a few ideas,’ he said. ‘We could – ow!’ One of his guards had just thumped him in the side of the head. Ambit growled at him. ‘Sod off.’
The king wasn’t there, but Deever arrived shortly after Ambit, and the princess was already there, talking quietly to Northrop. Ambit saw her tenderly touching the hero’s face and tried not to gag. When Deever showed up, though, she
and everyone else went quiet and turned to look at him. The guard commander stood at the top of the steps overlooking the courtyard, where everyone had gathered.
‘Now,’ he said, ‘it’s time for you to go. Keep him,’ he threw a hateful look at Ambit, ‘under guard at all times. Never take those chains off him. My men will keep you all protected; they’re armed with demon-proof weapons. They’ll keep the demon under control. Make sure she and the Chosen One are able to see each other, but don’t give them any opportunity to talk privately. Go straight to the Sixth Mountain and don’t dawdle or take any detours for any reason. Time is everything now. And when you get there . . . well, you know what to do.’
‘I’m not going to do it,’ said Ambit.
Deever looked straight at him for the first time. ‘You’ll do it or you’ll die,’ he said. ‘And by the way . . . if you do manage to escape, I promise you I will see to it that you’re hunted down. To the ends of the earth if need be. And when you’re found, you’ll be killed on the spot no matter who you claim to be.’
Ambit rolled his eyes. ‘Right, whatever.’
‘Now go,’ said Deever, ‘and good luck, all of you.’
The eight companions cheered, and the princess gave Northrop a quick kiss on the cheek before she moved out of the way and let the party leave.
‘You forgot to say we’re your only hope!’ Ambit yelled back spitefully at Deever, before a tug on his chains pulled him away and out of the courtyard. Four guards lifted the poles holding Snarl’s cage, and the whole group marched out of the castle and into the city.
In the daylight, Lucknow looked even more battered than it had the night before, but at least the fires had been put out. People were busy clearing the rubble away, but stopped to look curiously at the small army that came down the main road toward the city gates. Eight people carrying shiny weapons, surrounded by an escort of guards and accompanied by a gangly man in chains and a demon in a cage. The guard at the head of the procession called out when people got in the way: ‘Move aside and make way for the eight companions of the Chosen One!’