by Adam Wallace
‘Perhaps we should be wary,’ he said. ‘Perhaps this would be a good town to avoid. Perhaps they know of ways to stop us.’
Sir Jiccal, peeling some skin off Sir Fing to make him appear more fearsome, looked over.
‘None know of ways to stop the undead,’ he said. ‘Only those who have lived as undead know the secret.’
‘Verily,’ Sir Reel interjected. ‘The knight doth speak of clouds in the rainbow of my horse. As night duskens, so the dawn brings forth a mangy elephant’s flower.’
No-one knew what that meant, so they ignored him. Sir Charge stood.
‘No, Sir Vyvor. Thou may, as you have done in all towns we approach via foot, tend to the horses as we attack. Verily, I do not understand thy reluctance for brains, yet thou art a vital part of our order, for thy skills on the field of battle are surpassed only by the luck thou doth bringeth. Thou encountered and avoided death many times before the final cut. Thy luck must surely shower upon us as well. Thou shalt stay, but we shall continue to wreak destruction upon any who stand in our way, and even those who we must go out of our way to encounter. Anyone that doth stand, we shall destruct … I mean destroy.
We still do not know the whereabouts of the Wilderene Flower, and it is this we must discover. We attack Bandragon come morn.’
The Black Knights cheered. Well, all of them cheered except for two. Sir Vyvor didn’t feel like cheering at all, and Sir Lee was grumbling about having to keep on attacking when all he wanted to do was take a nap.
Even though he was turning fifteen, Pete McGee was still excited about it being his birthday, and rose before the sun. He leapt out of bed, ignoring the pillow hair that stuck up in all directions, and raced into his mum’s room.
‘Fair maiden!’ he cried, automatically going into knight speak. ‘Fair maiden, a joyous day has arrived.
Why art thou still resting?’
Pete’s mum, who was already awake (she got just as excited as Pete when his birthday came around), slowly opened one eye, pretending to be asleep.
‘Why doth thou yelleth?’ she asked sleepily. ‘Surely thou can let a maiden rest.’
Pete laughed and shook her blanket.
‘Thou art so awake!’ he said, ‘Verily, upsy daisy!’
That got Mrs McGee. She laughed too and got out of bed, already fully dressed and ready for her son’s birthday. She only hoped her present arrived in time.
Ashlyn and Marloynne appeared at the door to Mrs McGee’s room, also fully dressed and ready for breakfast.
‘Man, you two make a lot of noise this early in the morning,’ Marloynne said. He rubbed his fist. ‘Anyway, I believe it’s about time for some birthday punches. What do you say, Pete? You ready?’
Pete nodded, flexing his arm for the onslaught. Ashlyn stepped in first.
‘You two never stop do you? It’s always punch this and competition that. You know we have to tell Pete something.’
Marloynne nodded, a little disappointed he wasn’t able to give birthday punches. He knew he would get a chance later though. Ashlyn continued speaking.
‘Pete,’ she said. ‘We’re sorry, but you will have to wait until after your training to get your presents today.’
Mrs McGee joined in.
‘That’s right, Pete. By the way, what would you like to eat for your birthday lunch?’
Pete laughed. He knew his mum had already bought the usual, but he played along.
‘Wellllllll,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘I was thinking maybe some vegetables with gravy, and a piece of bread on the side would be nice.’
Pete’s mum went over and hugged him. She knew Pete sometimes longed for more, but he was prepared to put that aside for the good of the family. She loved that about him.
‘It shall be done,’ she said. ‘Now go and train. You do not want to keep Sir Mountable waiting. We shall see you at midday for lunch.’
Pete smiled, hugged his mum, hugged Ashlyn, punched Marloynne on the arm and ran outside before he copped a punch in return.
He raced out, then opened the gate and led Lightning away at full speed (Pete’s full speed that is … Lightning’s full speed was a little faster than Pete could run at!). As he left he heard Marloynne yelling from behind him.
‘I’ll get you for that, McGee! Double birthday punches today!’
Pete laughed again and ran off with his horse. Once they were a short distance away from the house, he stopped. Bowing low to Lightning, he then mounted the horse and they started off once more. This time Lightning sped up a little, and Pete felt much more confident. He could feel the horse wanted to go even faster though, and felt a little bad he had to hold back.
‘Not long, Lightning,’ he said. ‘Soon we’ll go so fast no-one will be able to keep up with us.’
Lightning whinnied and sped up a little more. Pete held on tight to the mane, his legs gripping on too. But he stayed up, and for that he and his butt were very thankful.
Once he got to Sir Mountable’s house he leapt off the horse the way he had been taught, and landed gracefully by Lightning’s side. He gave his horse a quick hug around the neck, stroked Sir Mountable’s hire horse, tossed a carrot from his pack to the goat, and went inside. Sir Mountable was sitting at his table.
‘Greetings, good Sir,’ Pete said, feeling very happy. ‘Art thou ready to train?’
Sir Mountable shook his head, fighting the smile that attempted to burst through. He didn’t smile much, the old knight, but this boy had that effect on him. He hung his head.
‘I am sorry, young McGee. We shall not train today. I am too old for this. I must leave you on your own now.’
Pete couldn’t believe his ears.
‘No way! Not after everything we’ve done, you can’t just stop now. Oh this is not good at all. We were going so well. We built a barn! I can ride a horse! You even, oh, I cannot believe this. You are a stinky old man.’
Although slightly offended by the insult, Sir Mountable continued the charade he had been working on for weeks.
‘No, boy. This is the end for me. You can do this on your own now, although perhaps you may need this.’
His voice gave away his excitement, rising at the end of the sentence as he stood up and whipped out a crossbow from beneath his coat. Pete stared at it. It was not full size, but it was perfect.
‘So you’re still going to train me?’ he asked, continuing to stare at the crossbow.
Sir Mountable grunted.
‘Of course, boy. How else will you learn all that is left to learn? How else will you learn how to use your crossbow? How else will you learn the real secret behind being a knight?’
All Pete heard was ‘your crossbow’.
‘Ohhhhhhhhhhh yeah!’ he cried. ‘It’s seriously mine?’
Sir Mountable did smile now, a truly genuine smile of happiness and pride.
‘It is, boy. I made it myself. I know you yearn to use a bow and arrow, but that is not something you shall be able to do. Know your limitations, and make them your strengths. If used wisely, this crossbow will be a great asset to you. Come now, we must test it out.’
The two went outside. Sir Mountable mounted his horse. Pete mounted Lightning. Sir Mountable nodded, impressed.
‘Good. You learn fast, boy, and you practise hard. It is a great gift. Now, have you practised riding as well? I shall tell you one thing and one thing only. Imagine you and the horse are one. Feel him move beneath you. Feel his weight shift. Use your touch to anticipate his movements. Become one with the horse, and you shall be almost as good a rider as I. Now then. YAH!’
Again he galloped off. Pete stroked Lightning’s neck.
‘Okay boy,’ he said softly. ‘Let’s give it a go. YAH!’
He held on with all his might and closed his eyes, trusting Lightning to be his eyes for him. The horse didn’t let him down. Pete did as Sir Mountable had suggested, focusing solely on the beast beneath him. It was weird, but having his eyes closed actually made it easier. He felt Lightning’s mus
cles tensing and relaxing as he galloped. He was soon able to tell, even with his eyes closed, which way the horse was turning.
Eventually he opened his eyes, and was amazed to see that Sir Mountable was nowhere in sight. Lightning kept on galloping, and Pete hoped they would catch up to the old knight soon. He turned his head to look around and, not yet being as skilled as he would have hoped, he lost his concentration and his connection with Lightning. The horse veered to the left, Pete was looking to the right, and the wannabee knight ended up rolling end over end on the ground. Lightning skidded to a halt as he realised Pete had come off again.
He trotted back to his owner as Pete slowly raised himself from the ground, feeling a bit sore and sorry for himself. He looked around and saw he had fallen not far from the field to which they had been riding. He started walking, Lightning by his side, when suddenly a horse dashed by with a yell from its rider. Pete jumped, startled. He ran to the field and saw it had been Sir Mountable, who was now prancing around on his horse.
‘You must concentrate to the finish, boy, lest you fall on your buttocks once again. HA!’
Pete laughed too and ran over, ignoring the dull throbbing where he had landed. Sir Mountable dismounted.
‘I have to say, boy, that was quite a ride. You have come a long way. Let us see if you can learn to shoot just as quickly.’
The next two hours were spent on a number of drills with the crossbow. Pete learnt how to connect it to his belt, and how to draw it from there at speed. Clumsy at first, after what seemed like hundreds of times it started to feel more natural. Then he was allowed to shoot, aiming at a large tree.
His first shot flew well to the right of the tree.
His second shot stuck into a bird’s nest.
His third shot parted the mane of Lightning.
His fourth shot somehow hit Sir Mountable, who had been standing beside him. It got the knight’s shoe, right between his big and second toes.
Some time was then spent on aiming and again, after much practising, Pete started to get the hang of it. Sir Mountable had also constructed a quiver that hung across Pete’s chest. It was specially designed so that Pete could reload the bow by inserting it into the quiver.
By the end of the session Pete could not only hit the tree, but he could draw the crossbow, shoot an arrow into the tree, reload and do it again. He wasn’t super fast, but he could do it. He sat with Sir Mountable as they drank some water. It had been a long session.
‘We must head back,’ Sir Mountable said. ‘Your mother told me you had to return home for lunch by midday.’
Pete nodded. Sometimes, when he was training and learning, he felt as though he was in a zone and could go on forever. He loved it. He loved learning new skills, and pushing through the pain, mental and physical. But he also loved spending his birthday with his mum, and he did not want to miss his birthday meal. That was their tradition. He stood up and looked at Sir Mountable.
‘You will join us for my birthday meal right?’
Sir Mountable stood slowly.
‘Boy, I have not turned down the offer of a meal before. I am not about to start doing so now. Let us ride.’
The two mounted their horses and the race back to the McGee’s was on in earnest.
At the same time that Pete McGee had arrived at Sir Mountable’s house before his training session, the Black Knights arrived at the edge of Bandragon, mounted on their horses. All of them dismounted except Sir Vyvor.
‘We shall return soon,’ Sir Charge said to him. ‘Tend the horses. Have them ready for our departure.’
Sir Vyvor nodded. He didn’t like helping in the destruction of any town, but he was as eager to discover the whereabouts of the Wilderene Flower as Sir Charge, although for different reasons. Once he got the flower and returned it to the great oak, he planned to kill the other Black Knights. Then he would guard the flower himself, as Dazene had done for so many centuries before.
The Order of Black Knights started to march upon Bandragon. The residents of the town were unprepared, although they did notice a strange smell in the air. They simply assumed that George from 121 McGregor Street had eaten a curry-filled meal the night before and was feeling the after-effects.
hen Pete McGee arrived home with Sir Mountable, three things happened in very quick succession.
The first was that he saw Molloy and Tahnee, his great friends from Bandragon. They were sitting out the front of the house, waiting for him. Pete was amazed and thrilled. He dreamed of the day he could go and live in Bandragon. Molloy had become his best friend in no time at all, and Tahnee was, well, she was … wow … yep … woooo! (Pete had, if you remember from the first book, a small crush on Tahnee.) Pete leapt off Lightning and ran over to hug his friends.
‘What are you doing here?’ he cried, his voice almost a yell he was so excited. Molloy was always excited, and always spoke in rhyming slang. Sometimes though, the rhyming slang followed a b zarre path to get to the word that was meant.
Luckily Pete had written and received letters from Molloy since they had last seen each other, and was up to date with his friend’s speech.
‘Sweet (Sweet = Pete), your mum wrote to us and lay in the sun (lay in the sun = basked in the sun = basked = asked … that was a long and random one) us to come for your birthday. We were like, are you at an auction (at an auction = bidding = kidding)? Of course we’ll be square (square = there)! And so here we are.’
Pete laughed and looked at Tahnee. Mrs McGee, Ashlyn and Marloynne had joined them as well.
‘It’s true, Pete,’ Tahnee said. ‘We’ve been planning this for ages. We really wanted to see you, and your mum’s letter finally gave Dad a reason to let us come. He’s been really worried about letting us go anywhere, because we’ve been hearing about towns being attacked. He said that because it was for you we could come and visit, but we have to go back home tonight.’
Pete frowned. He hadn’t heard of any such attacks. The way that his mum, Ashlyn, Marloynne and Sir Mountable looked at each other suggested they knew more than he did. Pete wondered if his town was under threat. He would be ready to help defend it if it was. He turned back to Tahnee.
‘I am just so glad you’re both here,’ he said. ‘I’ve missed you guys.’
He smiled at Tahnee, who smiled back. Well that still had the same effect on him! He went a little weak at the knees and all he could think of to say was ‘gah’ and ‘mah’, so he said nothing at all. He just went over and stood between the twins so that they could walk into the house. They had barely reached the door when the sound of hoof beats overwhelmed them. Spinning around they saw the King’s guards ride up to the house, before pulling up in a cloud of dust and dismounting.
‘Pete McGee!’ the tallest and scariest one said in a deep voice. ‘Where for art thou, Pete McGee?’
Pete stepped forward. He had confronted the King’s guards a few years before in saving Ashlyn. He had also been confronted with them at knight-training. He had feared them in the past, but not now. As he stepped forward he noticed it was not just the guards. Larson Smithers was also there, as were some of his friends. This did not feel good at all.
‘I am Pete McGee. What brings you to my home?’
The guard stepped closer.
‘You have trained as a knight outside of the castle. You have trained without permission of His Royal Highness, and this after being released from formal training. You have gone against the wishes of your King.’
Smithers. Pete would have bet his life Smithers was behind this. He was proven right straight away.
‘I saw you, Stumpy,’ Smithers said in his sneering voice. ‘I saw you pretending to be a knight with the old man. I knew you couldn’t give it up.’
Molloy moved to Pete’s side.
‘You’re Smithers, right?’ he said, the rhyming slang dropped for a second. He had heard of Larson Smithers in Pete’s letters, and he wasn’t overly fond of him. Smithers nodded in response to the question, but before Molloy co
uld continue he was dragged away by one of the guards.
‘This does not concern you, little one,’ the guard said, holding Molloy firmly while Molloy yelled something about a cruiser. It was all very confusing. Larson Smithers just smiled.
‘It’s over, McGee. You cannot and will not be a knight. Tell him what he has to do, Dad.’
The last sentence was directed at the head guard, who nodded. It all made sense now. Pete hadn’t realised that Smithers’ dad was actually the head of the King’s guards, and a knight, and ugly … this last part was irrelevant to everything except, well, no, it was irrelevant to everything.
‘Pete McGee. You must leave your home. You must leave this town. You are hereby exiled for a period of three years, during which time you must not practise any form of knightly training.’
‘Can I train during the day?’ Pete asked, trying to lighten the situation. His training and his mother were the two most important things in his life, and now both were being taken away at the same time.
This was not right. He looked at his mum. She had tears in her eyes as she stared back in disbelief.
‘You can come to Bandragon with us, Pete,’ Tahnee said. ‘You can stay with us.’
The guard shook his head.
‘No. Shelter may not be provided by any towns in the King’s land. If a town goes against this law, they too shall be punished.’
Sir Mountable, who had remained silent, moved to Pete McGee’s side. When he spoke, his voice was deep, strong, and proud.
‘And what of me, guard? Punish me, not the boy. I convinced him to train. I shall take on his exile. I shall leave the town. He remains here with his mother.’
Pete’s heart filled with the knight’s words. The sacrifice Sir Mountable was making, so selfless, was the act of a true knight, his desire to help another overriding any personal fears. In the end it didn’t matter, but that wasn’t the point.
‘Never fear, old one. You shall be exiled. But it shall not be in place of the boy. It shall be with the boy.’
