Into the Spiders' Lair
Page 22
Walking across the uneven stone ground, he headed straight for Planter just as Cutter turned and headed straight for him. He stopped and waited for the big NPC to reach him.
“Cutter, I know you care about Planter. I can see it in the way you look at her and talk to her, so don’t deny it,” he said.
“Of course I care about her.” The big warrior seemed confused. “Why would I deny it?”
The serpent of jealousy coiled around Watcher’s soul, ready to strike. “So you admit it?!”
“Absolutely.” Cutter smiled, as if it were obvious. “She’s like a sister to me.”
“A—what?”
“Yeah, ever since we first met when we were chasing the zombie warlord, Planter seemed like my kid sister. That’s why I look after her and make sure she’s always safe.”
“You mean . . . you don’t like her?” The slithering beast within him started to fade away.
“Of course I like her.” Cutter sounded confused. “I just told you she’s like a sister to me.” He paused and stared down at Watcher, then nodded slowly and smiled. “Ahh . . . I get it now. You thought I felt the same way you do about her.”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Watcher’s cheeks grew warm as all feelings of jealousy and anger evaporated; the serpent was finally gone.
Cutter reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Now it all makes sense, all the crazy way you’ve been acting and weird things you’ve been doing.” He smiled, his steely-gray eyes piercing Watcher’s soul, then glanced over his shoulder at Planter. When he brought his gaze back to Watcher, he continued. “You need to take care of this . . . now. And if you don’t, then I will for you.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Watcher’s cheeks grew hotter.
Cutter moved behind him and whispered in his ear. “I have been and always will be your friend. Now go take care of business before I knock that block-head off your shoulders.” He shoved Watcher toward Planter, then laughed as he moved off to find his horse.
Terror enveloped Watcher’s soul as he walked toward Planter, but he knew he could not retreat.
“Watcher, hi, I was looking for—look at your arms.” Planter pointed.
Glancing down, Watcher found the iridescent glow that had been enveloping his hands and forearms had now spread all the way up to his shoulders. They glowed as if electrified from within, the magical enchantments—or whatever they were—pulsing with life.
“Wow . . . I didn’t notice that before,” Watcher said.
“Well, it wasn’t there before.” Planter’s voice was soft, only meant for his ears. “I watched you as you came out of the tunnel. The glow was only up to your elbows.”
“You watched me?” Watcher asked.
“What?” She seemed nervous, or confused by his question.
“I have to tell you something, but I’m a little afraid.” Watcher stepped away from the other NPCs, many of them glancing in his direction. Planter walked with him until they could speak in private.
“What is it?” Planter asked. “You can tell me anything.”
“Well, it’s just that . . . you see, we’ve known each other a long time, and . . . well . . . your friendship is the most important thing to me in the whole world.” Sweat trickled down his forehead, the square beads getting stuck in his unibrow. One of them tumbled down his face and found the corner of his mouth. It tasted salty.
A llama bayed in the distance, followed by the bleating of a sheep.
“You see . . . for a while now . . .” Watcher thought this stress was worse than battling the most ferocious of monsters. “I’ve been feeling . . . well . . . you know . . .”
“I do know,” Planter said. She reached out and grasped his hand, then intertwined her fingers between his. “I’ve been feeling the same about you, too.”
“You have?” Watcher was stunned.
She nodded and smiled. “I see the way you take care of everyone around you . . . especially me. I love that about you.”
His cheeks felt hot as he turned away, embarrassed. Planter reached out and brought his face back toward hers. “I like you Watcher, and I believe you like me.”
He nodded, his cheeks getting hotter. “I want us to be closer, you know?”
“I know.” She smiled, then grabbed his other hand too. “Our friendship will always be here, no matter what, but we can be more. . . agreed?”
“Agreed.” A smile burst across Watcher’s face as his stress evaporated. He felt closer to her than ever before, as if the missing piece to his soul had somehow been found, and now he was complete. He felt as if he were soaring through the air, his soul bursting with joy.
“Hey! Let’s get moving, you two!” Blaster shouted. “Fencer needs that Notch apple.”
“Come on, let’s find our horses,” Planter said.
They walked back to the other villagers, hand in hand. The other NPCs were frantically searching among the horses; the animals called into existence at the Citadel of the Horse Lord would only allow the specific villagers who summoned them to ride them again now. It was chaos, with villagers whistling and calling out to their mounts. People and animals moved in all directions, but at the center of the confusion was Winger and Cleric. They stood, arm in arm, staring at Planter and Watcher, smiling with tears in their eyes.
Watcher walked toward them, uncertain what was going on.
“You know, Dad, I think I was wrong before,” Winger said in a clear voice.
“What are you talking about, dear?” her father replied, confused.
“It was about what I said earlier.” Winger let go of her father and wrapped her arms around Watcher and Planter, then glanced back at her father. “This is exactly what I wanted for my birthday.”
Watcher and Planter were both confused as Winger and Cleric laughed loud belly-laughs that filled the landscape with joy, then kissed them both on the forehead.
“Let’s go home,” Watcher said, his cheeks turning red. “I have an important delivery to make to a little girl.”
“Absolutely!” Cleric replied. “Lead on, wizard.”
Then Watcher and Planter found their horses, as did the rest of the NPCs. As Watcher kicked his spotted horse into a trot, putting the Jeweled Mountain behind him, he thought about that name, wizard, and for the first time, instead of being afraid of the title, he wore it with pride, for it did not separate him from others or make him different. It didn’t define who he was . . . his actions did that.
Watcher was still just Watcher, but now, he was also Watcher the Wizard.
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EXCERPT FROM THE WITHER KING
A BRAND NEW FAR LANDS ADVENTURE
Watcher ached
of a deep weariness, not just of body, but of spirit as well. Fencer and Planter had been glaring at each other all through the night, and his girlfriend’s glances toward him clearly suggested he had to do something . . . but what?
I can’t send Fencer back to their village without sending a couple of soldiers with her, he thought. But keeping her here doesn’t seem like a good idea, either.
The whole situation had him completely confused.
He looked around wearily and took in his surroundings. They’d ridden hard all night and everyone was exhausted. The villagers had made it through the forest until they came across their enemy’s tracks. Now, they’d followed them into the desert, the sun already past its zenith.
“Watcher . . . look out!”
He stopped daydreaming and looked ahead: his horse was heading straight for a cactus. Watcher pulled on the reins at the last second, causing the animal to veer to the left, narrowly avoiding the prickly plant.
“Maybe you should pay attention,” Cutter chided.
Watcher could feel his cheeks turn red.
“It’s not like we need Watcher’s expert tracking skills to follow our friends’ trail.” Blaster pointed at the sandy ground. Footprints were burned into the surface of Minecraft as if something so incredibly evil had walked by and had damaged the landscape.
“That does make it easier,” Cutter added. “What do you think is making those tracks?”
“The Eight.” Er-Lan’s voice was almost like a moan, drawn out and sad. “It is the mark of the Broken Eight. All zombies have heard the stories about the terrible enchantments used to create these warriors. The evil magic used to bring these creatures into existence cannot be contained within their golden armor. It leaks out and scars the land.”