by D. W. Vogel
“It’s ironic, is it not?” the king said. “These are the nodes of my prison. The usurper on my throne used the houses of my wayward Knights to bind me here in the filthy darkness. He thought my sentence would last forever.”
Emerald smirked. “Some of your sentences certainly do last forever.”
“Silence!”
Oh, that’s a good King Voice. Treffen was impressed in spite of himself.
The king focused on Emerald. “You are an impertinent child. It does not trouble me in the slightest that your blood will release the final seal.”
“Look, Mr. Goat,” Emerald said. “This is all really super interesting. But we’re here to rescue my sister. So how about you just hand her over and we get on our way? It’s going to take me a month to get the wet dog smell out of this coat, and I’d like to get started.”
“Your sister?” The king looked honestly puzzled. “Why would you think I harbor your sister?”
“Because Saros’s machine just spun in a circle when I fed it her hair. It’s because she’s here behind this magic shield. So hand her over, and I’ll let you live to bore your dumb animals to death for another thousand years down here.”
Treffen’s lips twitched as he tried not to smile. That’s my almost-sister.
“I regret to inform you that I have no sister of yours. But do take comfort in knowing that, whenever I meet her, I’ll be certain to inform her that your final wish was to find her.”
Well that doesn’t sound good at all.
“And now, for the Bear.” The king’s eyes flickered from Gawain’s sweaty, writhing form back to Emerald’s angry gaze. “The irony is not lost on me, young lady. You shot my second-in-command, Boris. You robbed me of one Bear, but you’ve brought me a fine replacement.”
Trent’s voice rumbled quietly behind Treffen. “And if I die, you just get a new tree?”
The king didn’t hear, or at least, didn’t respond. He frowned at the group that was once again blocking his way out of the tight passage, and the chimeras dragged their captives in the shuffle to make room. Everyone followed the king back into the middle of the chamber.
Gawain was pulled forward, and all three were shoved back to their knees.
“Now, the Bear,” the Betrayer repeated. He pulled a knife from the folds of his robe. Its blade glinted in the flickering torchlight. The two chimeras holding Gawain ripped off the ropes that bound his hands. Each one held an arm, but the Knight had no fight in him. The curse had robbed him of his strength and will.
Treffen struggled against his captors, but they just dug their claws deeper into his arms.
The king pulled off one of Gawain’s gauntlets and held it up to the light, tracing the raised bear shape with a thick, black fingernail. “The final Knight.” His eyes flicked to Emerald. “Followed by the Crown. At long last, the chains will be broken.”
He smiled at Gawain. “Be of good cheer, Bear. The long years of resistance are over.” He slashed the knife down on Gawain’s wrist and held the gauntlet under the drips of blood. It hissed like grease on a hot pan where the blood hit the bear emblem.
Emerald screamed. Gawain made no sound.
A deep rumbling hum filled the room, growing in intensity until Treffen thought his ears would implode. He fought to keep his eyes open as Gawain thrashed on the smooth floor. No, no, no, Gawain, be strong.
The king stepped back and held the bloodied gauntlet aloft. “Welcome, Bear!”
Gawain writhed on the floor. The chimeras that had held him jumped back and scurried behind the king. Gawain’s body twitched, and his mouth foamed, eyes staring wide as a deep groan bubbled out of his throat.
Treffen’s voice joined the scream, but he couldn’t hear it, nor Emerald’s next to him. The magical hum drowned it all out, thrumming in his ears.
The chimeras that held his arms dragged him back away from the writhing Knight on the floor.
Treffen watched in horror as Gawain ripped off his armor piece by piece, throwing each part to the floor with a clatter that Treffen could feel but not hear. Gawain stretched and grew, thick brown hair sprouting all over his body. His nose lengthened, and his teeth erupted into long yellow fangs.
With a roar that Treffen could hear over the awful hum, the monster that had been Gawain leapt to his feet and snarled. He was lighter of fur than Boris had been. Gawain the Bearstruck Berserker raised his head and roared his rage.
And behind him in the corner of the room, the light in the crystal bear statue shattered into darkness.
Chapter 33: The Immortal King
The Bearstruck chimera that had once been the Questing Knight Gawain slumped over to stand behind the Forgotten King. He kept dropping to all fours, then standing up on his hind legs, clearly fighting the urge to go feral in his new, horrible form.
The king reached out and patted his head. “There, you see, Bear? Isn’t that better? You’re wondering why you fought all those years against your true nature. But your king understands, and your king forgives.” He turned to Treffen and Emerald. “Indeed, all are welcome to join the army of the true king.”
“My father is the true king. You’re just a goat in a basement.”
His hairy brows scowled. “You forget yourself, Princess.” His face resumed its normally placid expression. “But no matter. The Consul knows my worth. Even through the long years of imprisonment in this . . . basement . . . I have proven myself superior to the rulers above ground. And my Midnight Queen has also seen the value of the Shadow King.”
It took Treffen a moment to realize the goat-creature was referring to himself. Shadow King indeed. Emerald is right. He’s nothing down here. But . . . a queen? Treffen searched his memory. The Betrayer had intended to marry the daughter of King Felspar. She realized his evil in time and refused him, thus setting off the war which resulted in his long incarceration. Has he forced some girl to marry him down here? Treffen shuddered at the thought.
The king looked down the hall to the final lit point of the star-shaped room. “The world has forgotten me,” he said, almost to himself. “They speak of me as legend, as myth. They threaten their children in my name, saying, ‘Behave, or the Shadow King will get you.’”
“That’s not what we call you,” Emerald interrupted.
He rounded on her, stalking up to stand right in front of her. “It matters not one small bit what you call me, Princess.” He turned the title into a curse. “For soon I shall be free. The Consul and the Midnight Queen have promised that Crystalia Castle shall be mine, putting right a thousand years of wrong. All the subjects of Crystalia shall bow to me and to the Midnight Queen.” His lips curled into a small smile. “Well, nearly all. You, my dear, will never bow before my throne.”
“Darned right I won’t.” Emerald was as upright as she could be, forced to her knees by the chimeras at her sides.
He doesn’t mean you’re too proud. He means you’ll be dead. Treffen wouldn’t say it aloud. He suspected Emerald had misunderstood on purpose.
The king bounced on the balls of his feet, which were barely visible under his robe. “And in moments, it will all be over. All this”—he indicated the dark, damp chamber—” will be but a chapter in the storied history of the Shadow King.” He looked like a child with a birthday present, just waiting to unwrap the shiny paper. “So very long I have waited for this moment. So very long.”
Emerald drew a breath to speak, but Treffen hissed at her to be still. The whole time the king had been speaking, Treffen had been working on his bonds. The way he’d held his wrists when the chimeras had tied him left a bit of slack when he pressed his arms together. It was a very old trick, but one the chimeras hadn’t known or hadn’t cared about. Inch by inch, he’d worked them down until his hands had slipped free. Now he held the ropes wrapped around his hands, giving the illusion that he was still tied. A glance over at Emerald showed she’d done the same thing. Thank you, Master Birch. For both of us.
The king was still talking. “Of the five seals that once held me captive, only one remains. The houses of the rebellious Knights have all fallen. Now only the power of the crystal crown holds me in this wretched place. And when your blood spills,” he said to Emerald, “that final seal will shatter. And the world will learn why they should never have forgotten my name.”
The king reached for Emerald, and Treffen lunged forward, but his captors held him fast.
“And what shall be your token, Princess?” The king knocked Emerald’s hat onto the floor and kicked it out of the way.
“You’ll pay for that,” she muttered, audible only to Treffen.
He searched in her wild green curls but came up empty handed. “No crown, Princess? No tiara?”
“I’m not really a tiara kind of girl,” she said, eyes narrow.
“No, my dear, I can see that you’re not.” His eyes lit on the jewel she wore at her throat, a large faceted emerald on a chain. “But I believe that will do.” He reached for the jewel, and quick as a cat, Emerald sank her teeth into the Betrayer’s hand.
Blood welled up in the wound as the king ripped his hand from Emerald’s mouth. He scowled at the princess. “I have lived for centuries. You think a few teeth marks will slow me down?”
The king held out his hand, and Treffen watched with horror as the wound closed up before his eyes, blood drying into powder and falling away into dust motes.
“I am immortal. I am forever.” He reached forward again and yanked the chain from Emerald’s neck. “And you . . .” He smiled. “You are not.”
Treffen gritted his teeth. It’s now or never. his bow, his machete, and Emerald’s rifle . . . in the far corner of the room. Here goes nothing.
Treffen feinted backward, confusing his captors for a moment, then lunged forward again, flinging the ropes onto the floor. He made a grab for the Forgotten King, who had turned to the side as he reached into his robe pocket for the knife. Treffen leapt onto the king’s back, tackling him away from Emerald.
The king disappeared from underneath him, popping up three steps behind him. Treffen flopped to the floor, rapping his chin on the stones. The chimeras made a dive, grabbing him by the arms and hauling him back in line next to Emerald.
“Oh, little elf, your training is incomplete.” The king chuckled. “Perhaps the eldest of your kind remember the powers I once controlled. But I’ve been down here a very long time with nothing to do but practice. You’ve already seen some of my new tricks. And now you’ve seen another.” He disappeared again and popped up right behind Treffen, leaning down to whisper in his ear. “Who knows what else I’ve learned?”
He strode back around in front of his kneeling captives. “And so, little elf, I offer you the chance to join the army of the Shadow King. You’re a crafty fellow, and quick.” He nodded at the ropes Treffen had slipped. “The Shadow King will accept your vow of allegiance. You are a child of the Deeproot Tree. You understand lumber. I would give you the great honor of leading my axmen into the grove and directing their blades to fell the loathsome old thing. I will even give you some of the wood to make your very own bow. No other elf has ever had such a thing.”
Treffen’s stomach churned. Fell the Deeproot Tree? He swallowed bile at the thought of Her majestic trunk crashing to the ground in a riot of axes.
“I would rather die than see Her fall,” he whispered.
The king shrugged. “So be it.” He turned to Gawain, who slouched in the corner, grumbling low.
“Bear, prove your loyalty. Kill the elf.”
Chapter 34: Bearstruck’s Return
The shaggy Bear dropped to all four feet and snorted. He took a step toward Treffen, then another.
“You might not want to be in the line of fire while he gets used to those claws.” The king’s words made Treffen’s captors jump away, and Treffen scrambled to his feet.
What to do? Master Birch’s lessons flew through his mind. Stand your ground. Play dead. Make a loud noise and try to look intimidating. What to do depended on the type of bear that was attacking. And that was for real bears. This was . . .
He got a good look as the Gawain-bear lumbered forward. Most of the other chimeras in the room were eye-bending mashups of human and animal. They walked on two feet, mostly, and some had human hands or faces with horns or manes or wicked claws. Gawain looked all bear.
Except for the eyes. Over the past couple of days when he had raised the visor of his beloved helmet—which now had been tossed aside like an apple core—Gawain’s eyes were the only part of his face visible in the shadow. Blue like the sky just after dawn. Now that was the only part that Treffen could still identify under the shaggy fur.
“Gawain, don’t do this,” he said, backing away. Don’t run. All predators will chase if you run. “Gawain, I know it’s you. Don’t you remember me? I’m Treffen. I’m your friend.”
He thought there might be a slight twitch in the Bear’s face at the sound of his human name, but the Bear didn’t slow.
“You don’t have to do this,” he continued. Where to escape? His weapons were on the opposite side of the room, right next to the huddle of the king’s chimeras. His back touched the corner where one of the star-point hallways opened into the central chamber. Cool stone on his back, and warmth on the back of his leg.
The root of the Deeproot Tree. It curled into the room here, pushing through the smooth rock. He reached down and grabbed it. Pulled hard. The root let go in a shower of pebbles, reacting to the touch of elven hands and bending to his need. He pulled free a length of root that was as thick as his leg, and about as long, and held it before him like a sword.
Gawain swiped at him with a paw.
He dodged the blow.
“Gawain.” He repeated the name and was rewarded with a blink. “Please, friend. This isn’t you.”
The Bear swiped again, and Treffen blocked it with the root. A regular tree root would have been shredded under the force of the blow, but a piece of the Deeproot Tree in the hands of an elf was no small thing.
Drool dripped from Gawain’s fangs as he curled his lips into a snarl.
Treffen backed down the hallway. Stupid, stupid, stupid. You know this is a dead end. But he could hardly move forward. The huge Bear blocked his path.
A deep growl echoed through the hall.
“No, no, no, friend, that’s not you. You don’t have to do this.” But his words were having no effect.
Treffen bumped into something metal behind him. The suit of armor from one of the fallen Knights. Even if he’d had time to put it on, it wouldn’t have helped him. The Gawain-bear looked powerful enough to crush a man in armor like an empty tin can.
Gawain stood on his hind legs and roared. The sound turned Treffen’s legs into water. He blocked another swipe of the huge, hairy paw, realizing that Gawain was still learning how his new body worked. The hits had been experimental, testing out his new claws. He hadn’t even been trying. But Gawain knew how to use his claws now. The next swing cracked the root in his hands, and the one after that disintegrated it into a shower of splinters, leaving Treffen empty-handed and facing the enraged monster.
Behind him, the shattered crystal of one of the magical seals tinkled as Treffen backed into it. He reached behind him and grabbed a handful of the clear shards, whipping the handful forward into the Bear’s face.
Gawain roared and thrashed, pawing at his eyes where the tiny shards cut like glass. Treffen leapt onto the crazed Bear and vaulted over him, sprinting for the central chamber. Behind him, he could hear Gawain whirl around and pound after him.
He burst out into the central room and into chaos. There were twisted brambles everywhere, and Emerald and the king were nowhere in sight. All the chimeras were yelling, hooting, honking, and yapping at the wall of vines that now blocked Treffen’s view into the middle of the room.
A deep, woody voice shouted over the din. “Here, buddy!”
Treffen looked
up just in time to see his machete flying through the air. He grabbed the handle as it spun past him and looked up to see Trent, once again looking hopeful, like a puppy.
He whirled just in time to take Gawain’s next blow with the blade of the machete. The blade bit into the Bear’s paw, and he drew back with a roar, dripping blood from the wound onto the smooth floor. Treffen brandished the machete in front of him like a sword.
“Don’t do this, Gawain. You don’t belong to him. You’re a Questing Knight, noble servant of King Jasper the Third!”
Gawain lunged for him, and Treffen jumped straight up, chopping down at the Bear’s head. He scored a small cut just over Gawain’s left eye.
The room was awash with noise, but Treffen saw nothing but Gawain. The Bear stopped and reared up, more than twice Treffen’s height. He flicked his injured paw, showering the nearby bramble wall with blood.
Abruptly, he turned and lumbered off down one of the hallways.
Treffen had time to think, Is that it? Did he give up?
And Gawain returned, clutching a sword in his uninjured paw.
Chapter 35: Daylight Fades
The king smiled as his newest chimera followed his prey down one of the five narrow hallways. He turned to Emerald, who was struggling in her captors’ grasp.
“Sadly, my dear, I cannot offer you the same mercy that the foolish elf just declined. The Consul has made it very clear that you are no longer to be part of Crystalia’s story. Merely a tiny footnote in history.”
Emerald scowled. “I would never serve you, Goat.”
“No,” he agreed. “You never would.”
With a twist, jump, and kick, she wrenched herself away from the chimeras holding her. One of them stumbled into the Forgotten King, knocking the gem from his hands to the floor, where it skittered away. She dropped the ropes around her arms and bolted for the door.
A wall of brambles blocked her way.
The chimeras darted after her, but the king’s voice stopped them short.
