by Victor Kloss
Now as they picked up the pace to escape this city in case someone here had noticed or worse, sent an alert, Ben still couldn’t help smiling. The Guardians were together once more.
— Chapter Twenty-Five —
The End of the Journey
“Are we there yet?” Charlie asked. He wasn’t being entirely serious of course, but Ben decided to treat the question like he was. He glanced at Dagmar, who had not paid any attention.
“You know we’re not, Charlie. We just got out of the city, okay? But I would like to know how close we are, or at least how far it is to the palace.”
Dagmar harrumphed. “So would I,” she agreed after a moment. “But right now I have no idea.”
“What?” Ben stared at the stocky Master of Apprentices, and knew he wasn’t alone. “What do you mean? You’re the one with the boots. If you don’t know how to get there, we’re in real trouble!”
“I didn’t say I couldn’t get us there,” she responded with a hint of a bite to her voice. “I said right now I don’t know.”
She turned to face the others. They were on a hill looking down over the city, and had paused to catch their breath. If Suktar’s guards were coming after them, Ben didn’t see any sign, and they would certainly notice any pursuit from up here.
He turned back to Dagmar who was still talking. “Using these boots is not like following directions,” she explained. “I do not tell them ‘the palace’ and they spit out a list of ‘turn left, turn right, go straight’. I picture my destination and then I see the way I should take to reach it quickly and safely. I had been focused on finding the four of you, and then I concentrated on the quickest and safest way out of that city behind us. Now I can stop and think, and change my target to Suktar’s palace.” The hint of a frown touched her brow. “But the boots are confused. They are not showing an easy route. They seem unable to lock onto the palace at all.” She shook her head. “It is as if the palace is hiding.”
“Hiding? The whole palace?” Charlie smacked his hand against his forehead. “Of course it is. Because why would it be easy? We don’t just have to get to the palace, we’ve got to figure out where it is first!”
“I can find it,” Dagmar repeated. “It may just take a little more time to find it than before, at least for a comparable distance.”
“I believe you,” Ben assured her. And he did. “So what should we do in the meantime?”
It was Abigail who answered. “Why don’t we have something to eat and get set up for the night?” she suggested. “Dagmar can meditate on the way while we do that, and if necessary she can sleep on it.” Their youngest Guardian offered her mentor a warm smile. “I’m sure she’ll know where we’re going by the time we’re ready to leave.”
“Nice,” Ben agreed. “But I think we should put a bit more distance between us and any dark elves that might be following us from that city first.”
After walking another hour or so away from the small city they stopped for dinner, which wound up being a more lively event than Ben remembered them having at any time before that. They were back together again, and on top of that they had managed to replace the food they’d lost when the lizard-folk attacked, along with a few other supplies, like rope, that they had also acquired from that cellar. Ben suspected that they were determined to enjoy themselves as much as possible as the danger was only getting worse, and they knew there was a very real possibility they might not all survive this. Eventually Ben lay back and looked up at the clear sky, watching the stars and listening to his friends slowly fall asleep. It seemed like he was the last one to finally doze off, the responsibility for his friends weighing heavily on his shoulders.
*
The next morning, Abigail’s prediction proved correct. Dagmar was sitting calmly by the tiny campfire when the others awoke, and she had as much of a smile on her face as she ever got.
“It was difficult,” she informed them as calmly as if she were talking about what to have for breakfast, “and I believe there is a strong spell around the palace that fought me, but in the end it was no match for Elizabeth’s Boots. I know the way to reach it.”
“Fantastic!” Ben slapped her on the shoulder, though gingerly. After all, she was still in charge of them back at the Institute. “How long do you think it will take us to get there?”
“A few days,” she answered. “The route will take us close to several more towns, but hopefully we can avoid them as much as possible.”
“We might want to stop in at least one or two to get more supplies,” Natalie pointed out. “A few more waterskins, if nothing else. I could go in disguised as a dark elf, which I think would work, while you wait on the outskirts.”
“And some meat,” Krobeg rumbled. The burly dwarf had not been pleased last night to discover that they had brought only fruits, grains and nuts from the criminals’ hideout — not that they had even seen chicken or beef, only the dried fish, which had been too bulky to carry and smelly besides. He had made do, of course, but Ben didn’t blame him for wanting something more substantial if possible.
“We’ll see what we find along the way,” Ben promised him. “But for now let’s pack up and get going.” The others nodded and sprang into action, gathering their things and making sure they had cloaks, food, weapons, and everything else. In only a few minutes, they were ready to go and Dagmar took the lead once more, guiding them down the hill. Ben glanced back once at the city before it disappeared from view. He was not sorry to see that place go.
They reached the first town the following day. It was small, no more than a few dozen shops along a single main street with homes spaced out behind that. They considered bypassing it, which would have been easy enough to do, but decided to chance this one. They could use waterskins and a few other things, and this town was so small they’d be able to get in and out quickly, at least.
“There aren’t any of Suktar’s army here,” Josh pointed out as they studied the place from a small hill just beyond it. “We’d see them, if there were.”
That was a good point, and the deciding factor. Even so, Ben decided to play it safe. He took Natalie and Josh into town with him while the others went around. That way if they needed help, Krobeg and Dagmar could rush in, but Natalie was the only elf in the group and he and Josh were at least tall and slim enough that they might fool people if they kept their hoods pulled down.
It turned out that they need not have worried. The town had a small general store and when they wandered in there only the shopkeeper and his assistant were in sight. Natalie picked up the things they needed and carried them up to the counter while Ben and Josh hung back, staying quiet. She paid quickly, said thank you, and then re-joined them and the three of them headed back out together, not rushing but not wasting any time. Then they continued on through the town. Dagmar and the rest were waiting just on the far side.
“Any trouble?” she asked as they reunited.
“None,” Ben replied, tossing back his hood. “Natalie handled it perfectly.” She rewarded him with a warm smile. They distributed their new purchases, and then set out once more.
They were not as lucky at the next town. It was larger than the last one, and even from a short distance away they could already see the armour of Suktar’s troops, many of whom were grouped out in the town square and all along the front of the building facing it, which was most likely the local tavern.
“There are far too many of them,” Natalie warned, studying the scene with her sharp elven eyes. “We should just go around it.”
“Won’t that take us almost half a day out of the way?” Krobeg asked. “I can handle them if needed, although I know it will be a noisy affair.”
They turned to look at Ben. He sighed. He had to balance their urgency versus drawing attention to themselves. It was frustrating and more than a little hard to manage, with countless good men and women losing their lives and homes back in England.
“We go around,” he said finally. “Maybe we’d win, maybe
we wouldn’t, but we can’t take the chance. Better to lose a little time than to lose one of us, or worse. Besides, I don’t want Suktar to know we’re coming until the last minute, to give us the best chance of succeeding at this mad quest.”
Krobeg nodded, an approving look in his eye. Ever since gaining Elizabeth’s Breastplate he had been eager to fight, but he was far from stupid and was as determined as any of them that their mission succeed.
They took a long path around the town, keeping their eyes open and their spellshooters out in case there were wandering patrols. Ben wasn’t happy about the delay, but he did breathe a sigh of relief when they were well past that town safely.
Later that night, though, Ben found himself pacing their campsite.
“What’s bugging you?” Charlie asked finally, sitting up and peering at him.
“I don’t know,” Ben replied. He glanced about. It was quiet, and everyone else was already asleep. “I just keep feeling like… like somebody’s watching us.” He shook himself and shrugged. “I know, I know. I’m probably just going nuts or something.”
Charlie just looked at him sharply. “You say that, but I’ll never forget your freaky sixth sense. Have you asked Abigail?” He looked around, eyes getting slightly wide. “Maybe one of Suktar’s guys is following us. Like that Shadowseeker.”
They both shuddered. The Shadowseekers were an elite unit in Suktar’s army, incredibly dangerous and extremely good at sneaking in places. If one of them was following the Guardians, they could be in real trouble. Especially if the Shadowseeker was keeping Suktar informed as to where they were.
Ben nodded. “I did ask her,” he replied. “She didn’t sense anyone nearby. I just can’t shake the feeling.”
Finally, Charlie shook his head. “Fine. Let’s just keep an eye out. I think Josh has a few tracking spells; they are usually for hunting game, but they’ll pick up anyone passing by. I’ll ask him to set a few.”
Ben considered that. “Yeah, good idea,” he agreed at last. “Thanks.”
But it still took him a while before he was able to get to sleep.
*
It was late afternoon the following day when they emerged from a small copse of trees. Up ahead, silhouetted against the start of a glorious sunset, was the unmistakable outline of a huge, sprawling stone castle. The air in front of it shimmered like some sort of heat wave that was hard for the eye to focus on. Ben looked around, trying to see it better and noticed that a glow was rising from Elizabeth’s Boots on Dagmar’s feet. Dagmar saw him staring at them and nodded.
“The only reason we can see this place is some sort of spell emanating from the boots. Otherwise not only would we not see it, we would feel an urge to go around this whole large area.”
It was the largest castle Ben had ever seen, the outer wall curving off to either side and vanishing in the distance. He couldn’t decide if it was beautiful or outright scary.
They were still far enough away, and hidden by trees, that no one could spot them yet. It was a miracle they had gotten this far, really, without anyone stopping them. Ben knew part of that was because Suktar had committed a huge number of his troops to the war effort, which must have left gaps in his security patrols.
He was just searching for higher ground to get a better vantage point when Natalie gasped.
“Look out!” she shouted, pointing to the side. There, half-hidden among the trees, was a dark elf patrol of five spearmen. Four of them faced off against the companions, but the fifth turned and ran back towards the castle.
Ben drew his spellshooter and cast a level-two ice bolt, the spell coming out fast and shooting towards the nearest spearman’s chest. He drew his sword and closed in, only to see the spearman swipe his spell out of the air and knock it towards Joshua, who just barely blocked it with the shield.
He cursed under his breath as he realised that any guards this close to the palace wouldn’t be any mere spearmen. Krobeg was lagging a bit behind, but Ben turned to him.
“Krobeg! They’re all yours!”
With a roar the Silver Dwarf launched past, smashing into the spearmen with his axe. The first went flying into a nearby tree, while the second stabbed at Krobeg’s chest and watched the spear shatter in his hands. A great sweep crashed in the second one’s helmet; then Krobeg grabbed the last two and slammed them together.
Silence settled over the small hill, hard breathing the only sound. Ben, Joshua and Krobeg turned to see the others arrive.
Ben grabbed Krobeg by the forearm and squeezed. “Thank you. That taught us a lesson; anyone we meet here is going to be an elite guard and a lot harder to take down.” He turned to the others. “This is where we use our hardest spells or our armour if it has any offensive abilities. If this fight is anything to go by, nothing else will make any difference.”
Charlie was still breathing hard after running to catch up. “Well, things are probably about to get even scarier, if that’s possible.” He turned back and looked towards the castle. “I’d say it’s somewhat unlikely our little incident here went unnoticed.”
As if his words had been some sort of dark prophecy, a long, shrill horn blew from the direction of the castle.
They all turned to look. Dust was coming from one side of the castle as a huge gate opened there. Natalie squinted and could just make out black horses with equally shadowy riders.
“It’s the dark elf knights. Not as fast as their light cavalry, but they’ll be faster than us on foot, and their armour is magically resistant.”
The others nodded, and turned to face their final objective. A long field separated them from the castle, rising as it went so that Suktar’s stronghold was situated atop a wide, low hill with a commanding view of the countryside, which meant, of course, that anyone watching from there would see them coming. There wasn’t anything they could do about that now.
Ben took a deep breath and let it out loudly. His heart was beating fast and he felt a bit queasy; running from possible death to almost-definite death evidently didn’t agree with his stomach!
“Okay, Guardians,” he called out. “Let’s jog halfway, pick up the pace in the third quarter and sprint to the end to stand a chance of getting there before we are overrun by those knights!”
They took off together, the castle looming in front of them. Charlie’s puffing increased steadily in volume. That and Krobeg’s loud, thumping steps were all Ben could hear past the blood throbbing in his ears.
As they got halfway Ben managed to shout, despite being out of breath, “Start running!”
The castle was getting closer, and Ben poured on the speed. Natalie was the only one outstripping him. He dared not look back, but he could hear hoof beats pummelling the ground.
They had to be closing fast, and it sounded like a few dozen on horseback. Sword in one hand and spellshooter in the other, Ben sneaked a look back over his shoulder and saw Joshua with the shield strapped across his back for protection. They were intent on getting to the palace, but he and the others knew that no safety awaited them there — if they even made it in time. Ben let out a defiant scream, and heard his friends joining him. He wasn’t going to die here, so close to the goal. They ran on, the sound of the stampede behind them drowning out everything as the castle rapidly approached.
— Chapter Twenty-Six —
Krobeg’s Great Sacrifice
“We’re not going to make it!” Joshua shouted.
They were running full speed across the field now, but the dark elf knights and their black horses were quickly closing the gap. Ben could see at once that Josh was right. They simply weren’t fast enough to keep any distance between themselves and those soldiers, and there was too much ground left to cover. They wouldn’t reach the castle in time.
He quickly scanned the area up ahead. “There!” he shouted, pointing a little to the left of them. The hill the castle sat upon was not perfectly even, and in some places it projected outwards more than in others. The spot he’d indicated was one of
those. If there was any place where they had even the slightest chance to reach the top of the hill before being attacked, it would be there.
“Go!” Krobeg hollered back. “I will slow them down!” And the silver-haired dwarf turned and cut at an angle across the field. He was no longer headed for that spot on the hill; instead he shot like a silver bullet directly at the dark elves.
Ben wanted to argue, to call his friend back, to keep them together, but he couldn’t think of anything more effective to do. Krobeg stood the best chance of stopping the soldiers, and even if he just held them back long enough for the rest of their group to reach the hill, Ben knew the freedom of the world was at stake. So he just grit his teeth and pushed on, running as fast as he could.
He heard a loud, crazed whoop and knew that Krobeg had reached the dark elves and was launching himself at them, silver axe in hand. Ben didn’t stop or slow, or turn to see. He couldn’t worry about that just now. Instead he focused all of his energy, all of his strength, upon that hill.
What seemed like only seconds later he suddenly realised he was climbing, his legs carrying him higher with each stride.
And then he was atop the hill, the ground levelling out, the walls of the castle looming overhead from only a few yards away. Ben paused to catch his breath a second, then turned and studied the scene that had sprung up behind him, and the one forming around him even now.
Natalie had arrived before him and Joshua was climbing up now. Charlie, Dagmar, and Abigail were just a few paces behind. Ben felt a quick burst of pride and relief to see that his best friend wasn’t slowing the rest of the group down at all — Charlie was breathing like a bellows, and his face was bright red, but he was still moving and showed no sign of stopping. As the three charged the hill, Ben moved to the edge, leaning down and out, and offering his hand to haul each one the last few feet to the top once they were close enough to grasp.
Several dark elves were right behind them, black horses labouring up the steep incline.
