The Unwilling Apprentice (Book 2) (24 page)

Fluffy scooped up Fred and the girls, and the group hurried out the rear. The light of the stone pulsed and stretched out into tentacles. They passed Ned's barrier and made for the others. Ned collapsed his barrier and swung his staff to shoot balls of flames at the lengths of the tendrils. The balls hit and severed the light, which caused the whole arm to dissipate. Ned rushed after them, covering the group with his fireballs. The entire camp was emptied, and the men and their horses stood at the other end of the encampment a half mile off. The tendrils gave up the chase halfway and retreated back into the stone.

The companions turned and with their uneasy army at their backs they looked out on the stone. With each passing moment the halo of magic grew larger and darker. The core of the stone remained bright, and its light lit up the plains like the full moon on a cloudless night.

Pat slipped off Fluffy and scowled at the rock. "Is this some sort of trap by Sturgeon?" she asked her companions.

Ned shook his head. "No, this magic is too powerful. Only Canavar could have created such an enchanted stone."

"But the stone has been here for years!" Spalding argued. "How could he have placed it on this road knowing we would be here?"

The ground shook and a dark column of magic shot up from the tip of the stone. A terrible howl filled the air and shadows flew out of the column. The shadow creatures wore cloaks over their bodies and hoods over their heads. No legs stuck out from beneath the cloaks, but red eyes burned inside the hoods. They descended to the earth and filled the ground with their spectral forms. The things swooped and dodged over one another until one caught sight of the city gates. It howled and pointed, and they moved as a single shadow toward the city. The countless creatures swarmed over the road and slammed against the walls of Tramadore.

"They're attacking the city!" Spalding cried out. He turned to Hawkins. "You must abide by your oath and help us defend the walls!"

"How are we to defeat creatures such as those?" Hawkins snapped back. "It would be as though they were attacking the air!"

"Then let me give them the power to do so," Ned spoke up. "And it will give them the courage to fight." He stepped up to the front of the army and raised his hands in the air. His staff glowed and sparkled, and each sparkle shot out over the army. They landed on every weapon, and the blades and arrows pulsed with light magic. The men lifted their weapons and stared in awe at the bright magic. Ned turned to Spalding and Hawkins. "With these weapons they will be able to destroy the creatures as though they were men."

"And a woman will lead them," Pat spoke up. She took hold of one of Hawkins' spare horses and swung into the saddle. The men behind her were scared and confused. She unsheathed her sword, which glowed without the use of Ned's magic, and turned to the combined army of Galaron and Tramadore. "Brave men of Galaron, you have left your homes to fight for the honor of Tramadore. Now you fight to defend her from this evil. Your weapons are blessed, and with a stroke you will smite the shadows who plague the walls of Tramadore." She looked to the columns of Tramadore soldiers. "Valiant men of Tramadore, now is the time to defend your home from this new menace. Protect her with your life, for you fight to save your wives and children." Pat raised her sword above her head, and the bright blade glowed in the last rays of the setting sun. "For Tramadore, and the glory of Galaron!"

"For Tramadore!" the men of Tramadore cried back.

"For Galaron's glory!" the men of Galaron yelled.

Pat spurred her horse toward the stone. The columns of soldiers, with Hawkins and Spalding at the lead, raced after her. Canto commandeered one of the encampment's pack animals and followed the cry of battle.

Fred had Ruth seated behind him, and he turned Fluffy around to spur them on to battle. Ned caught Fluffy's saddle horn and stopped them from joining the fray. "Our mission remains the same," Ned told them.

Fred gestured to the army and the wraiths. The stone no longer spewed the shadow creatures, but they numbered in the thousands. "But we're needed here!" he protested.

Ned stared into the boy's eyes with his unwavering gaze. "If Sturgeon absorbs the magic from that stone then all the world will be in peril. We must lead him away from the battle."

Fred glanced between Ned and the charging army. Pat reached the front line of the wraiths and her sword cut through them like knife through butter. Their screams of rage filled the evening air and the mass turned from the city walls and against the oncoming armies. Man and shadow clashed, and both were cut down as the wraiths revealed clawed hands and from beneath their cloaks came long, sharp teeth.

Fred turned away and grit his teeth; he felt like such a coward. "Damn it..." he muttered.

Ned slipped in back of Ruth and nodded at the entrance to the castle at the far end of the mountain. "We must hurry or all our efforts will be for naught."

CHAPTER 24

The three aboard the cantankus shot over the plains and came to the locked golden gate. Behind it lay the bodies of half a dozen guards, and Ned's expression grew strained. He slipped off Fluffy and unlocked the gate. "It appears the assassin kept his word and has traveled from the stairs through the caves to free us a path."

Fred scowled. "Let's just get this done," he insisted.

Ned got back on Fluffy, keeping the gate open for their escape, and they sprinted into the cavern system. They passed more groups of guards, all dead, and climbed the winding stairs as far as Fluffy's body would fit. They dismounted and snuck up to the hatch beneath the dining hall floor. Ned put a finger to his lips and gestured to the ceiling. Voices floated through the floor.

"But my lord, the armies are right outside the gates!" a nervous man entreated their lord.

A fist pounded against the table, and Sturgeon's voice spoke angrily to the other man. "Why do you bother me with this news? Let them battle and wipe each other out, and the victor will deal with my army. What is more important is finding that assassin. He may know the whereabouts of my son."

"The men are looking for them both, my lord, but we've had no luck," the man replied.

"Then stop relying on luck and use your wits!" Sturgeon snapped. "Use the men from the cavern if you must, but find them!"

"Perhaps they aren't as loyal as you assumed," a calm, soft voice spoke up. It was Lord Tramadore.

"Perhaps you would like your tongue cut out, my lord," Sturgeon mocked him.

"I don't believe I'd like that at all," Tramadore countered.

"Then what do you say to this?" The three below the hatch heard the sound of a hand knocking against bone. "You had me underfoot for too long, Tramadore. Now you will be the one to kneel."

"You're mad, Sturgeon, if you believe you were ever mistreated enough to justify your actions now," Tramadore bit back.

The doors to the room slammed open and a new voice broke in on the conversation. "My lord, the dark army has turned back on the walls! They've broken through the gates!"

A chair clattered onto the ground. "What?" Sturgeon shouted. "Where are the fools who are supposed to be guarding them?"

"They are overwhelmed, my lord, and their weapons do nothing against these shadows," the man replied.

"Must I do everything myself?" Sturgeon growled.

They heard his footsteps stalk out of the room, and Ned ventured to push up the hatch. The group saw Tramadore seated on one side of the dining table with two guards along the wall behind him. There was a meal on the table, and the door leading to the entrance hall was open. Ned noticed silverware on the table and peeked his staff over the rim of the hole. Tramadore stared at the table in a depressed stupor, but he jumped when the utensils came to life.

The silverware leaned their necks forward in a bow, and the guards on either side of him noticed the living utensils. They grabbed for the swords in their sheaths, but the forks and knives flew off the table and pinned them to the wall. The guards screamed for help before the large serving spoons floated up and bashed them hard on the head, silencing their wails. Unfortunately, it was too late. There was noise in the halls and Ned popped out of the hatch. He quickly untied Tramadore and pushed the man ahead of him before more guards crashed into the room. Ned sicked the silverware on them and the men needed their swords to fend off the vicious knives and forks.

When the pair reached the open hatch Sturgeon himself appeared in the doorway. His complexion reddened and his face twisted into a horrible scowl. "You fools, stop them!" he shouted at the guards. They had their hands full with the cutlery, and that gave the companions ample time to duck down into the escape route.

Ned shut the hatch and hurried everyone down the stairs. Fluffy eagerly awaited them and they all climbed onto the beast's back. They heard footsteps hurry down the steps above them and Fluffy flew down the steps just as Sturgeon made his appearance around the corner. A cruel, cold smile appeared on his lips and he shouted to them. "Are you leaving so soon? Before all the fun begins?"

Ned had Fred stop Fluffy two dozen yards down the cavern, and the old man twisted around to face their adversary. "Sorry to be such rude guests, but we have a battle outside that won't wait for us," he called back.

Sturgeon held up a hand and showed off the ring about which Percy had spoken. "Do you recognize this power, pathetic castor?" he mocked Ned.

Ned straightened and scowled. "I do, and I know that power is too great for you to handle, Sturgeon."

Sturgeon fisted his hand and darkness swirled out of his clenched fingers. "Then let me prove you wrong."

A great wind blew around Sturgeon, and from his hand spilled out the undead from the Valley of the King. The skeletal warriors rode on their rotting steeds and raced down the stairs after the companions. Sturgeon mounted one of the steeds and led his army down the steps. Fred's eyes widened and he spurred Fluffy down the cavern. The wind whipped and bit at their faces, and behind them the undead army closed the gap. Fluffy whimpered and Fred understood. His load was too great.

"What's wrong?" Ned yelled above the wind.

"We're too heavy. Fluffy can't go any faster!" Fred shouted back.

Ned looked to Ruth who sat between them, and Tramadore was against his back. "Perhaps it's time you spread your wings," he told her.

Ruth blinked, and her eyes widened when she realized what he meant. She smiled and rubbed her hand against the jeweled necklace. In a moment of dazzling light she transformed into her true form and opened her wings. The gust from the undead army pushed her upward, but she caught hold of Tramadore's shoulders and lifted him with her into the air. The old gentleman cried out in alarm and clung onto her clawed hands. "Hold on, my lord!" she yelled at him.

The companions sped through the underground cavern, two in the air and two on Fluffy. They dodged in and out of the myriad of holes, spikes, and stalagmites with the army ever at their backs. In a small nook at the front of the caverns beside the stairs, and well-covered from the wind, sat Deadly Sins. He watched Sturgeon and his undead army give chase, and beneath his handkerchief he grinned. "My good lord, it seems your cunning is your undoing." He glanced up at the ceiling that stretched all the way to the golden gate. Explosives had been set by Sturgeon's men to protect the passage, and the fuse hung in front of Sins. He stuck a match against a stalactite and lit the fuse. The flame ran quickly along the coiled rope and into the first of the gunpowder-filled balls. "Run faster, little cantankus," he prayed.

The first bomb shook the entire cavern, and Fred looked over his shoulder in time to see the chain of explosives detonate. Ned glanced back and his face paled. "Oh dear."

Fred thought that was an understatement, but they had bigger problems to worry about. The exit was a dot at the end of the tunnel while stalactites rained down on the rear guard of the undead army and crushed their bodies into dust. The earthquakes from the blast hastened the collapsing spears of rock, and rubble fell all around them. Fluffy dodged the boulders and jumped over the holes created by the earthquake. Ruth ducked and swooped around the collapsing ceiling, and Lord Tramadore was a rag doll to her twisting and turning. The wind carried them faster than the cantankus could run and they outdistanced their companions by only three dozen yards.

Sturgeon glanced over his shoulder and saw the chaos of his own making. He spurred on his undead steed and his army followed, but not without losses. Even their supernatural speed couldn't outrun the falling boulders and debris. The explosions matched their speed, passed them, and overtook even the cantankus ahead of them. He narrowed his eyes, clenched his teeth and focused his power into the horse on which he rode. The consequence was that the skeletons at his back lost their speed and their undead lives. They were caught in the collapsing ceiling and their shrills of pain echoed above the noise of the pounding rocks.

The extra power gave his steed more push, and Sturgeon closed the distance between the cantankus and himself. Ned turned and saw the lord inch closer foot by foot. He swung his staff and shot out a blast of fire. Sturgeon raised his ring and with a swipe of his hand brushed aside the flames. A sneer slipped onto his face. "You will have to try better than that, old man," Sturgeon crowed.