Dawn of the Zombie Knights (11 page)

‘No, boy. Wrong answer. Did your words before mean nothing? Did you hear nothing of what I said? You do not become a knight to impress people. If, in reality, that is your reason, once you lose the title you have nothing. Nothing at all.

You become a knight, a leader, by what you do. That way there is no title to lose, you have only your actions to live or die by. Did you need a title to retrieve the Wilderene Flower?'

Pete didn't even know Sir Mountable knew about that. He shook his head.

‘Correct, boy. Correct.' Sir Mountable lowered Pete back to the ground and let him go, smoothing over the scrunched up top gently. His voice also softened.

‘Now. We have much work to do. My reasons for training you are my own, but I must let you know, training a knight after he has been banished is not a well-looked-upon action. Being trained as a knight after being banished is looked upon even less well. So if we are discovered we are both in trouble.

We must therefore tell no-one of our training, aside from your family, and then only if you are sure they will not betray your trust. Are you still prepared to go through with this?'

Pete nodded.

‘Do not go half-hearted on me, boy. If this is truly all you have dreamed of, I will need you to show it to me every second we are together, and every second we are not. Are you prepared to go through with this?'

Pete, finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, stood up tall and even went as far as to punch Sir Mountable on the shoulder.

‘YES!' he yelled. ‘I am ready to do this every step of the way and no-one, NO-ONE, will stop me.'

‘Good, boy, that is more of what I want to see … although I can tell we are going to have to work on your punching power. If I wasn't looking I would simply have thought a mosquito bit my shoulder.'

Pete smiled, glad to see Sir Mountable did have a sense of humour after all. So he punched him again.

‘No, actually, that was more like a mosquito just landing on my shoulder and rubbing its foot against me.'

Pete punched him again.

‘A flea scratching its back on my arm.'

Another punch.

‘No, that was like a dollop of cream.'

One more punch. Pete started to giggle.

‘The softest pillow. Our work begins tomorrow. Arrive with the sun.'

And with that, Sir Mountable turned and went into another room. Pete left the house, an energy like he had never felt before filling his body. He had hope. He had spirit. He had a horse and he had a mentor knight.

Things had changed alright.

new day dawned. Pete McGee was at the door of Sir Mountable's house as the sun stretched itself over the trees. Horsey Horse Horse was eating grass with the goat in the front yard, and Pete held a bucket of water in his hand. He put down the bucket and opened the door, ready to drench Sir Mountable if he was asleep, or hungover, or both. To his surprise, when he entered the house, there was Sir Mountable, clean-shaven and dressed, eating his breakfast. He glanced over at Pete.

‘You're late,' he said gruffly. ‘When I say “with the sun”, I mean that when the sun rises we are out training. Understand?'

Pete nodded and backed out the doorway, trying to cover up for the water.

‘Yes Sir. I just need to put out my horse's water, which is in this bucket here. Water for the horse. To drink.'

He went outside and put the bucket next to the horse and goat, hoping Sir Mountable hadn't guessed what he'd really brought it over for. Going back inside, Pete realised this training wasn't going to be ea—

‘AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!'

The scream came from Pete, who now stood in the doorway with the point of a sword touching his throat.

‘A knight,' Sir Mountable said, ‘must always be prepared to be attacked, for there are many who wish to destroy him. Knights represent, as you said, good over evil, and so evil wishes to destroy them. Evil also cheats. Evil is also sneaky. Always be relaxed, but alert.'

Pete would have nodded, but feared that if he did the sword point would go straight into his neck. So he sort of just grunted a reply instead.

‘Good,' said Sir Mountable, removing the sword, ‘and so your training has begun.'

The first day of Pete's training consisted of cleaning Sir Mountable's house, cutting the grass with a scythe, and washing down the goat and Horsey Horse Horse.

‘Your horse must shine,' Sir Mountable announced, stroking the newly washed horse's fur that afternoon. ‘He is a major part of your entire image as a knight.

I know I said image is not important, and in real terms it is not. But on a superficial level, how you look can strike fear into those who wish to defeat you. You must carry yourself with confidence, and your steed must do the same.'

With that Horsey Horse Horse puffed out his chest and trotted around the yard, making Pete and Sir Mountable laugh.

‘Call him over,' the old man said.

Pete hesitated.

‘Here. Come here,' he called.

‘The horse's name,' Sir Mountable said gruffly, ‘always use the horse's name.'

Pete hesitated again. Oh man, this was going to be embarrassing. He breathed deep, let the air out, and then called his horse.

‘Here Horsey Horse Horse,' he said in a weak voice. Sir Mountable slapped his forehead.

‘No no no
no no
,' he said. ‘The horse has lightning on its forehead. It is a fast, fast horse. Surely you can do better than Horsey Horse Horse?'

‘Quick Sticks?' Pete asked.

‘No.'

‘Speedy?'

‘No.'

‘Fast running horse?'

‘They're getting worse.'

‘Rushes?'

‘NO!!!'

‘Lightning Head?'

‘Lightning! Your horse's name is Lightning!'

And so Pete McGee's gallant steed was given a name.

‘And now,' Sir Mountable continued. ‘That bucket. Carry it to the town centre, fill it at the well, return, water the garden, revisit the well, and continue until I tell you to cease.'

‘But you have a tap right here,' Pete said. ‘I used it this morning.'

‘Do not doubt my orders. Understand? Discipline is a key. Discipline of your mind and body. Now. To town.'

Pete nodded and walked off with the bucket, wondering why it was he had just done chores all day for Sir Mountable when he wanted to be trained as a knight. Still, it was step one. Maybe real training would start the next day.

The next day, Pete was so sore he could barely move. All the cleaning and scrubbing and grass-cutting and animal-washing and walking into town and back with a bucket full of water
(which he couldn't pass from one hand to the other because there was no other hand)
had left him with tired legs and a shoulder that felt like it had been pummelled with a sledgehammer.

He arrived at Sir Mountable's house feeling very sorry for himself, and moving like the slowest snail in the herd
(or whatever a group of snails is called)
. Sir Mountable was again ready for Pete when he opened the door, and once more the sword found its way to Pete's neck.

‘Be ready, boy.'

‘Dude, I can barely move, let alone react.'

‘Good,' Sir Mountable said, sheathing his sword. ‘Now, we start again. Once you are moving the pain will disappear. You will be fine. Come.'

He walked outside. Pete followed him slowly … very slowly. Sir Mountable stood at the boundary of his property beside a pile of bricks.

‘I need a fence, boy. First we carry these bricks and lay them out ready to build. Then we stack them. Then we build a brick fence.'

‘We?' Pete asked.

‘Yes … well you. I will supervise and help when needed.'

Pete did the entire fence himself.

He carried all the bricks and laid them out as requested. Sir Mountable then showed him how to construct the fence using specially mixed cement that Pete had to stir to a thick consistency, leaving his arm like jelly afterwards.

Then Pete lifted and stacked and cemented and smoothed the entire fence, while Sir Mountable had Lightning running and jumping and stopping and doing all sorts of things.

When the fence was finally finished, Sir Mountable ordered Pete to brush Lightning again. Pete did so, although reaching up and brushing with his tired and sore arm was incredibly hard. But he did it, and he did it without complaining. He had said he would not doubt the orders, and so he would not. He didn't really understand why it mattered if the horse glistened when he couldn't even ride it, but he kept that to himself. He did have to admit Lightning was looking great after the wash and brush, and the horse was starting to fill out, muscles defining themselves as though in a dictionary. As Pete walked him home, he wondered if he would ever be able to ride his birthday present properly.

he next month was pretty much the same as the first couple of days, although as time went on Pete was not allowed to walk. He had to jog into town. He had to jog from one chore to the next. He had to jog to pick something up, and then jog as he carried it to wherever it was meant to go. Pete lifted and carried and cleaned and ran and built. By the end of the month he was strong, fit and tanned and, just like Lightning, starting to look more like the adult he would become.