Dare to Believe: Teen & Young Adult Epic Fantasy Bundle (Series Bundle Andy Smithson Bk 4, 5 & 6): Dragons, Serpents, Unicorns, Pegasus, Pixies, Trolls, Dwarfs, Knights and More!
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“And the score this season stands at thirteen matches for Cavalry, nine for Castle Staff,” Hannah informed. “Let’s see what Castle Staff can do to make it closer!”
A chorus of boos rose from Cavalry’s side, while exclamations of enthusiasm resounded from the other.
“Where’s Merk?” Ox growled as Max motioned from midfield for the teams to join him.
Andy looked about and finally spotted the gnome running full tilt to join the team. He juggled a number of small spheres in his stubby hands, but Andy couldn’t make out what they were until the short man reached them. “Shh,” Merk warned.
As always, the gnome had dressed for the occasion. Over his royal blue Oscray uniform, feathers sprouted in every direction, making him look like a blue penguin in a pillow factory explosion.
With everyone focused on the coin toss, Merk flicked his brows and whispered to Andy, “Feather bombs. Want to have some fun with me?”
Temptation pulled on Andy’s mind, but he hesitated. I’m the prince. People need me to act like it, especially these days. Gremlins assaulted his reasoning, pushing their agenda of fun. “I can’t,” he finally whispered back with a sigh.
“Suit yourself.”
“Cavalry wins the toss,” announced Max.
Hannah echoed the result over the crowd, producing a cheer and mad flag-waving from Cavalry fans. Growls rose from blue-clad supporters.
“Go Castle Staff!” screeched a high-pitched voice from the direction of the spectator box. Andy turned and did a double take as Mom stood madly waving a blue flag. Father cheered beside her, enjoying the festivities as much as she did. Andy could not help but laugh. Since when does Mom get into sporting events?
“And it looks like Major Cahill will be throwing the lurk to start the first game,” Hannah reported, causing raucous hooting to erupt from the green side of the field.
The major waddle-ran with the irregular white lurk lofted to his shoulder, releasing it just before crossing the line marking the fallow. Looks good. He didn’t cross into the egg white, Andy translated in his head. The ball stirred up dust as it bounced erratically, finally wobbling to a stop nearly in the center of the field. Again, a roar went up from fans on the green side of the field.
“Well done, Major!” Hannah complimented.
“Cadfael and I will throw the bumpers,” Ox announced to the team on the sideline. The pair joined two Cavalry players lined up on the edge of the fallow, each wielding a blue sphere the size of a medicine ball. At Oscar’s whistle, the four players rushed through the fallow. Before the egg yolk! Release it before the egg yolk! Andy silently urged. Like shot putters, each planted a toe as they reached the edge of the flump, and spun as they launched their projectiles.
Ox and Cadfael made spectacular throws, both landing close to the lurk. The Cavalry throws were less amazing, falling short.
“No flags. All bumper throws are good!” Hannah informed.
Ox returned to the sidelines and appointed Andy, Alden, Hans, and Gwinny to throw the first round of spongs.
“You can do this.” The captain patted Alden’s shoulder, before commanding, “Helmets on!”
Alden nodded.
Andy furrowed his brow.
Securing his headgear, Andy grabbed a green spong then tried giving Alden a fist bump, but his friend left him hanging. Alden slumped into position and that’s when the chant began.
Alden, Alden, he’s our guy!
When the pressure’s on, he throws high.
Look out, birdies in the sky,
You’re likely to be hit when his spong goes awry!
Yes Alden, Alden, you’re our guy!
Not a real threat, pray tell us why.
Screw up your face and give us the eye,
But the fact remains. What’s your reply?
“But I thought you were on a hot streak,” Andy protested over the noise.
“I was,” Alden grumbled, then turned and started talking to Gwinny.
Cadfael leaned over and in a whisper informed, “Cavalry started that chant eight or nine matches ago. They saw it got under his skin, so it stuck, effectively ending his hot streak.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Andy saw Hans turn toward the castle porch and connect with Yara. A frown blossomed on her face.
What’s that about?
With the bumpers in nearly the center of the field, the eight spongers, four from each team, divided themselves evenly on their respective sides. Across the field, Andy saw Merk sneak behind enemy lines and, quick as lightning, lay a feather bomb behind the opponent’s closest sponger. Within seconds blue feathers exploded, coating the Cavalry player who now looked like an overgrown blue albatross.
Andy doubled over laughing, and Cavalry’s chant halted.
“Yes!” Alden crowed.
In the ensuing chaos, Merk proceeded to gift the other three Cavalry spongers with identical feathers, much to the crowd’s delight or dismay. The gnome raced for safety among his teammates, a raving vulture-man on his tail.
Henry blew his whistle, calling the spongers to take their positions. Reluctantly, the Cavalry sponger ceased pursuing Merk and he took his place with his feathered fellows outside the fallow.
A second whistle and, as always happened, motion slowed around Andy as he hurled his green spong toward the lurk. Time resumed just as fireworks exploded over midfield as green and red projectiles collided. Angry shouts erupted from both sides and spectators flooded onto the field claiming interference. Three fights broke out.
It took Henry, Max, Oscar, and Hannah working together to restore order. Between the refs physically corralling outraged fans and repeated calls from Hannah for calm, they finally cleared the field. Oscar and Max stood guarding the lurk with Andy’s lonely green spong the only contender for the score.
“Point to Castle Staff!” Hannah announced.
“Way to go!” Ox bellowed, giving Andy a bone-jarring pat on the back.
“Take that!” Alden snarled, pointing at green-clad fans. Rather than silencing his tormentors, they took up the chant once more, making Alden fume.
Alden, Alden, he’s our guy!
When the pressure’s on, he throws high.
Look out, birdies in the sky,
You’re likely to be hit when his spong goes awry!
Yes Alden, Alden, you’re our guy!
Not a real threat, pray tell us why.
Screw up your face and give us the eye,
But the fact remains. What’s your reply?
Cavalry fans continued taunting, and Alden’s throws went wild the next four points, causing him to pummel his helmet with clenched fists.
“That won’t help,” Andy cautioned.
A shouted remark from the crowd behind Andy drew his attention. “The King’s not shutting them up just like he’s not stopping Abaddon from turning more of us into those birds.” Andy scanned the crowd but could not tell who dared voice the comment.
“Let it go,” Cadfael cautioned.
“But…” Andy objected.
The craftsman wagged a finger and shook his head. “Confronting them won’t help. They’re scared just like us.”
Andy’s stomach tensed.
Emmadank threw the lurk to begin the next point. It hugged the edge of the flump as it wobbled to a stop. Cadfael and Merk tossed the bumpers and, combined with Cavalry’s throws, a barrier of four blue balls surrounded the white target.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” Ox coached. “Remember, you’ve got to get the spong in the flump to qualify.” Get it inside the egg yolk, Andy translated.
With the chant ringing in his ears once more, Andy encouraged, “Ignore them, Alden. You whupped their behinds before they started that.”
“I know. That’s why it started,” Alden sighed. “But it’s—”
“It’s not true!” Andy protested. “Now come on, let’s you and me show them.”
Alden rolled his eyes but shuffled into position. Andy moved to the end
of the scrum and motioned Alden to do the same on the opposite end. Ox and Gwinny took positions between them on the edge of the fallow. The four Cavalry spongers elbowed their way between, separating Castle Staff.
Oscar put his whistle to his mouth as Cavalry fans picked up the volume of their chant, nearly drowning out the ref’s shrill screech. Motion around Andy slowed. He picked his spot, to the left, a sliver of space between the lurk and one of the bumpers. It was no more than a basketball’s diameter, a difficult shot by any standard.
He released his spong as Cavalry spongers, in their zealous jockeying for position, entangled themselves with Ox and Gwinny, taking everyone down. Andy’s eyes found Alden as he released his green projectile with a grimace.
Ignoring the fracas, Andy followed his friend’s spong as it hit the fallow and rolled just inside the flump, stopping to the right in the only other perfect spot available.
Andy thrust his arms skyward and leaped, avoiding the tangle of writhing players.
“Woohoot! You did it!”
Alden did a double take then threw his fists into the air. “Yes! I did it! I did it!”
A hush fell over Cavalry fans even before Oscar declared Alden’s throw had won Castle Staff the point.
“The score stands at Castle Staff six, Cavalry zero,” Hannah announced.
More grumbling emanated from green-clad spectators when the final point of the first game went to Castle Staff courtesy of Andy’s throw, with Alden’s effort just shy.
“I’ll take it!” Alden trumpeted, having silenced his hecklers.
Andy spotted Hans and Yara again exchanging looks. Yara waved her palms animatedly as she shook her head.
Andy pulled Hans aside. “What’s going on? I keep seeing you and Yara signaling each other.”
“Yara used Alden as a test subject at the beginning of the season. She implanted positive thoughts in his mind, allowing him to throw extraordinarily well. I caught on and forbade it. Her powers are not to be used to tamper with Oscray.”
Andy remembered Yara’s admission in her letter and tried to suppress a grin with mixed success. “Did you tell the King?”
“I did, but with tensions running high we both agreed it would be best not to tell anyone. Yara promised not to help Alden anymore.”
“Hence the end of his hot streak,” Andy deduced.
Hans nodded. “It just happened to coincide with Cavalry fans starting that infernal chant.”
“Yara didn’t help him just now did she?”
“She says no and I believe her.”
Andy caught Yara’s gaze and grinned, which she returned along with a flick of her eyebrows.
The first five points of the second game proceeded much the same as the first game, with Cavalry managing to take one point. Alden contributed two of these points for Castle Staff as his throws grew more accurate and his confidence bloomed.
“The score stands at Castle Staff four, Cavalry one,” Hannah announced.
Gwinny had thrown the lurk, which wobbled to a stop near the middle of the field to start the sixth point. Mom bounced next to Father, both clapping wildly as Emmadank and Merk prepared to throw the bumpers.
But before Oscar blew the whistle, a translucent maiden floated into view before the elevated spectator box, causing a smattering of shrieks before a hush fell over those gathered.
CHAPTER SIX
Innerus on Ice
“My queen! I was so excited to hear you’d returned. I wanted to personally welcome you back.”
Not missing a beat, Mom responded, “Thank you, Imogenia. Have you given our talk further thought?”
Their talk. Their talk. Andy’s brain whirred, at last recalling, Oh, about lifting the curse.
“I have.”
“And?”
“I’m not ready yet, I’m sorry. But I am very happy to see you again.”
“I’m not giving up on you, Imogenia,” Mom encouraged. “We both know it’s past time.”
A smile etched the spirit’s shimmering face. “I don’t want to interrupt your game further, so I’ll take my leave, but again, welcome back.” With that, Imogenia faded into nothing.
Silence screamed across the field and Mom cleared her throat.
“Continue,” the King instructed, at which Oscar launched a shrill screech into the air.
Imogenia’s departure took with it any fight Cavalry players had left, for three points later Hannah announced, “Castle Staff wins tonight’s match, bringing the season’s standings to thirteen matches for Cavalry, ten for Castle Staff. We’re catching up!”
Later that night, Andy stared at the wood beams that formed the ceiling of his room. The shutters on the window to the left of his bed hung open, welcoming any breeze courageous enough to venture in. The faint glow of the moon through foggy skies added a measure of light. Only the chirp of crickets and the hum of an occasional airborne pest interrupted the night’s calm, a vast contrast to earlier events.
Andy clasped his hands behind his head and took a deep breath, savoring the smell of his room. “It’s so good to be back,” he said to himself. His thoughts turned to the day he had experienced: Yara.
His heart banged in his chest and he let his thoughts drift for several minutes until another thought pushed his dreaming aside.
I also found the source of evil Hannah sensed, courtesy of Abaddon, but Methuselah can’t defeat it.
A sour taste filled his mouth. It was true. His trusted companion’s weakness had become real today. There would be no more hoping.
Restore the centers of the nations’ powers, that’s what I need to do. But where to start.
The empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that had troubled him all year was back…that is, until his thoughts faded to Father. The hug they exchanged had calmed his frayed nerves. Remembering again slowed his breathing and eased the tension in his muscles.
Everything will work out.
Andy had nearly drifted off when a familiar voice dropped anchor.
“I’ve heard harps playing since you returned. Your love for the princess has deepened. Ahhh, amore,” Andy’s inneru sighed. “I so love it when my host is in love. All that delicious oxytocin.” It giggled. “I have to watch my waistline. You know what they say, a minute on the lips, forever on the hips… yes, even for guys.”
You’re back. Andy held his tone even.
“You knew I would be. I’m glad to have your company. It was getting lonely around here. There are fewer and fewer innerus still active with more and more folks turned.”
Andy’s thoughts raced to the increased number of servants and cavalry he had seen at the game who bore the marks of Abaddon’s torment. And their behavior! Never had he seen everyone so angry with each other.
Are people acting that way because…?
“That’s right, their innerus are frozen. And I’ve no idea how this conundrum’s going to get fixed anytime soon. Which is why I’m glad you’re back. Now I have you to keep me company. But I must say, your most recent departure came without warning once more. I barely managed to hook my tail around a writer’s block. I floated on it for quite some time until headquarters came and rescued me. If I hadn’t—phew, I hate to think what might have happened.”
There are writer’s blocks in my brain?
“Of course. We throw them out every so often to keep things interesting.” Andy’s inneru laughed as Andy just shook his head.
You have a tail? Really? Andy chuckled.
“I do.”
What do you look like?
“Well, right now I look a fright. I’m glad you can’t see me.”
No really, what do you look like?
“A lot like you except I have wings and horns.”
What color?
“My wings are gray, my horns are red, and my tail and the rest of my body are black.”
But you think you look a lot like me? Andy snickered. What would happen if you got sucked into my world?
“I’d be homele
ss, poor, and destitute with no way back. I might as well die.”
Does that mean the next time I returned to Oomaldee, I’d die too?
“Exactly.”
What’s your name?
“Why, Andrew Ferrin Smithson, of course, same as you.”
I’m going to nickname you MiniMe.
“R-r-really?” the inneru stammered, its voice rising. “I feel so honored! I know of no other inneru who has been named by its host.” Then, clearing its throat, MiniMe added, “We have thankless jobs as you know. I’m not complaining mind you. It’s just the way things are.”
MiniMe was silent for quite some time but finally sighed contentedly, bringing a smile to Andy’s face as dreams claimed him.
The next afternoon, Andy joined Father, Mom, and Mermin as they climbed the stairs to the War Council meeting room on the sixth floor of the castle. Like before, Andy’s breath grew labored as he scaled the last two flights, while the others took them in stride.
There’s definitely something to be said for that Stone of Athanasia.
Sucking in air as they stopped in the darkened alcove to the right of the stairway, Andy soon heard the familiar sound of stone scraping stone as the secret door slid open. Mermin set about lighting the torches lining the walls.
The space looked the same as the last time he had been here. Ornate tapestries depicting knights in combat draped nearly every inch of the walls and colorful rugs blanketed the floor. A large, rich wood conference table dominated the center of the space.
Andy glanced up. Alden, Hannah, and Yara ought to be getting into position to eavesdrop on the discussion from the secret tunnel above the room. With the abundance of fabric covering the ceiling, he could not spot the opening through which they listened.
Major Cahill, clad in his dress uniform, found the room and waddled in. He bowed to the King, kissed his ring, and proceeded to do the same with the queen. Spotting Andy, he approached. “Nice play last night, my prince. You certainly managed to silence that chant.”