Dragon Quest

by Heather Walker

  Robbie pulled up short and listened. Angus’s door yanked open one more time behind him, and Angus rushed out, in his shirt this time. Carmen followed on his heels. “What’s going on?”

  Another blow boomed somewhere far away. The three of them listened for a moment. Then all three burst into action. They raced for the stairs. Robbie put his foot on the first stair when a projectile catapulted through the wall next to them. It smashed into the stairs, and the supports underneath it gave way. The whole staircase collapsed under his feet.

  He wheeled to retreat to the landing, but he couldn’t catch his balance. Angus rushed forward and snatched at his arms. “Rob!”

  Robbie floundered in mid-air. He grabbed at his brother. Angus tried to pull him back, but the stair under Robbie’s feet crumbled to a powder. He plummeted into space and pulled Angus with him.

  Carmen screamed. Her hand shot out, but both men fell away into nothing. The stairs sank into a pile of rubble on the floor far below. Angus and Robbie fell on top of it still clasped in each other’s arms.

  Robbie hit the stone hard. It bruised his ribs, and he groaned in pain. Carmen’s voice echoed down the empty space from above. “Angus! Robbie! Are you all right?”

  “We’re awricht,” Angus growled.

  He didn’t have time to say anymore before another missile struck the roof over their heads. The ceiling trembled, and plaster broke loose. Angus’s hands took hold of Robbie and hauled him to his feet. “Get up, mon. We mun’ get out o’ ‘ere afore they destroy the whole castle.”

  Robbie struggled to his feet and shook the dust out of his face. Carmen hopped down from the crumbling floor above them and landed next to Angus. Angus started climbing over the debris. “Where’ll we go?”

  “This way,” Carmen murmured.

  She steered them to a door to one side. They ducked through into the servants’ quarters. Not a living soul remained in any of the rooms. Carmen led them down a dim hall to a back entrance into the Guard room.

  Angus eased the door back and stole a peek into the courtyard. “They’re out there.”

  “The ghouls?”

  He nodded. “They’ve got the castle surrounded. We’ll ne’er get out alive.”

  “We ha’e tae,” Robbie insisted. “We cinnae stay in here, or they’ll knock the place down around our ears.”

  He started forward, but Angus yanked him back. “Ye’re no goin’ out there, Rob. I cinnae allow’t. I lost ye once’t, and I cinnae lose ye again—no licht this.”

  Robbie grabbed him by the head and kissed him on the lips. “Listen tae me, mon. Ye’re the King ‘ere, no me. They cinnae beat ye wi’oot me fichtin’ ye. As laing as we’re together, they cinnae touch us. We mun’ get awa’ from the Throne. They may smash the castle tae a powder, but they cinnae destroy the Throne. We’ll get awa’ and hide ye somewhere. It’s our best shot tae defeat ‘em.”

  Angus frowned. “Are ye sure?”

  Robbie burst out laughing. “O’ course not. I’m no sure o’ naught but ye, mon. I cinnae let ‘em tak’ ye. Now come on, the both o’ ye. We mun’ get awa’ from the castle afore one o’ these stones crushes us all.”

  He didn’t wait a moment longer to argue. He headed through the door into the courtyard. The stable sat across the yard. Robbie went over the whole castle in his mind to recall what he saw the first time he came here. The stable was still inside the walls. The horses stamped and screamed in their stalls, but the ghouls couldn’t get inside the walls. As long as Robbie and his companions remained inside, they were safe.

  He darted forward. “This way, mon.”

  Angus followed his lead. Robbie ducked into the stable and paused to let his eyes adjust to the dark. Carmen breathed next to Angus at his side. He had to find a way out. He had to save Angus. Nothing else mattered. He trusted his brothers and Elle to find their way out.

  He forced his mind away from Elle. He couldn’t think about her inside the castle. She could take care of herself. He would find her again if it was the last thing he did. He crossed to the nearest stall and lifted the bridle off the wall. “Gang ye and get yer horses. Dinnae bother saddlin’ ‘em. Just bridle ‘em and get ye ready tae mount.”

  “What’re ye doin’?” Angus breathed.

  Robbie didn’t linger to answer. He rushed to the next stall and opened the door. He flew down the stable from one door to the next. Angus and Carmen went to work. They bridled three horses and held them until Robbie opened every stall. He herded all the horses into the open stable.

  Angus and Carmen watched him, breathless. Robbie nodded to them. “Ready? Mount ye up.”

  Angus and Carmen swung onto their mounts. Carmen held Robbie’s horse by the bridle while he swung open the wide door at the far end. That door led onto the open field between the castle and the river. The ghouls cast their weird light over the moon-drenched grass.

  Robbie fought for breath. His heart exploded in his chest, but he had to keep going until he accomplished his mission. The horses crowded around him. Their sides shivered in terror and excitement. Their eyes gleamed in the dark, and their warm breath puffed in the quiet.

  Robbie hurried to Carmen’s side and slung his leg over his mount. He took his seat. “Now!”

  He slapped the nearest horse on the rump. Angus and Carmen waved their arms and shouted to the horses. The whole her rocketed forward with a squeal. They plunged into the dark and set off galloping at top speed across the field.

  Angus kicked his horse in the flanks. He exploded out of the stable in the midst of the herd. Carmen barely got a hold of her mount’s mane before the animal leapt forward. All the horses lunged into the open at once.

  Robbie bent his head over his horse’s neck. The horses plunged and kicked up their heels in their desperate flight out of the stable. They streaked under the mass of ghouls circling the castle. They ran for the river, jumped across, and disappeared into the forest.

  Robbie glanced around and spotted Angus and Carmen cantering with the herd to safety. His spirits soared. This was really going to work! He tightened his legs around his horse to urge it forward when an otherworldly shriek echoed above his head. He glanced up, and his heart plunged into his shoes.

  The ghouls stopped their circling and turned their dark eye sockets on the fleeing party. Angus and Carmen already gained the river and disappeared into the forest. Only Robbie remained behind. He kicked his mount, but at that moment, a bolt of lightning slammed into the ground in front of the animal’s head. The horse veered so fast Robbie almost hit the dirt. He struggled to correct while the animal rushed off at an angle to the rest of the herd.

  Robbie didn’t try to turn the horse. He gave the creature his head, and a good thing he did. Lightning crashed into the ground all around him. The animal swerved one way and then another to miss it. The bolts crackled through the air. The horse screamed and plunged. It dodged and danced every which way at once. Robbie focused all his power on staying in his seat.

  The horse cantered all over the plane. It ran away from the river and even headed back to the stable where it belonged, but a wicked slash of lightning sizzled down in front of its face. Turf and grass spattered in Robbie’s face. This couldn’t go on.

  The horse reared and pawed the air. Robbie dared not look up the see the ghouls moving in on him. The horse came down running. It streaked over the grass headed straight for the ridge where the ghoul army camped. Robbie considered jumped clear when, in front of his face, another wave of ghouls came flowing over the ridge. They swept down the mountain heading straight for him.

  Robbie held his breath. He couldn’t stop the horse or turn the creature in its headlong flight. He could only hold on and hope for the best. The ghouls unleashed their fire on the desperate animal. Lightning whizzed all around Robbie’s head.

  The horse screeched in terror and broke sideways. It plunged down the hill back toward the castle. The ghouls still circled there to cut off anyone from going in or out. Robbie let his eyes sink clos
ed. He couldn’t watch this.

  A mass of ghouls separated from the circle to trap him between the castle and the rank coming up behind him. Lightning flew thick and fast. It raced horizontally past the horse and vertically all around. Robbie couldn’t ride through that thick hail of fire without getting hit.

  A few more vicious strikes crashed on either side before a hellish bolt struck the ground right in front of the horse. The impact blew a crater in the sod and flung the animal back. The horse landed on its back with Robbie pinned beneath it. Only a miracle saved Robbie from getting every bone in his body pulverized to a bloody pulp.

  The horse shrieked in terror and rolled off him. It lunged to its feet. In the blink of an eye, it rocketed away and disappeared into the night. Robbie struggled to get his legs under him, but when he looked around, he saw the horse gone and the ghouls moving in for the kill.

  He let out a shuddering sigh. This was it. He would die out here, and he would never see Elle or his brothers again. His shoulders slumped, and he prepared to meet the inevitable. The ghouls gathered above his head. Their lightning winked against the black sky, and electricity weighed heavy in the air.

  The light got stronger. They gathered their lightning to blow him to kingdom come when another wild shriek echoed across the field. Pounding beats shook the air. Robbie barely had time to turn around before that massive black dragon hit him flying a hundred miles an hour. Of course! Why hadn’t Robbie thought of that before? He never thought of changing into a dragon. They could have escaped the castle a lot faster that way, and not one of them thought to do it.

  The dragon snapped its jaws on him and plucked him off the ground. The monster raced across the grass and banked over the castle. It was Angus. He blasted through the ghouls so fast they couldn’t catch him. He carried Robbie in his mouth, back over the field to the woods beyond.

  Chapter 32

  Elle set Hazel down on the floor by the kitchen fire while she thought her problem over. How could she get Hazel out of the castle without facing those ghouls? Her courage flagged every time she looked outside.

  A groan behind her caught her attention. She turned to see Hazel rubbing her head. “Oohh! What happened?”

  Elle fell on her knees next to her friend. “Oh, thank goodness you’re all right, Hazel. I wasn’t sure you would make it.”

  Hazel looked around. “What are we doing in here?”

  “We have to get out of here,” Elle breathed. “Those things are out there, and they’re bombarding the castle with their siege machines. Is there any way to get out of here without confronting them in the open?”

  Hazel blinked. “Oh. Yes, there is. Carmen showed me. Here. Help me up. I feel a little dizzy.”

  Elle propped her shoulder under Hazel’s arm. “Lean on me. I’ll help you, but we can’t go the usual way.”

  “Over here.” Hazel steered her back down the hall to a side door into the butler’s pantry. “Now into the Grand Dining Room.”

  Elle opened the door into the Dining Room, but they found their way blocked by piles of broken sticks and rubble. “Now what?”

  “Around here.” Hazel started to revive. She could walk on her own feet now. She guided Elle back down the hall to another entrance to the Dining Room. Hazel crossed the floor to the big stone fireplace. “Here.”

  “Where?” Elle asked. “I don’t see anything.”

  Hazel ducked into the fireplace. She pressed a brick, and the back wall swiveled back to reveal a black hole. Elle stared down into it. “What is it?”

  “It’s a passage under the castle. Carmen showed it to me. It leads out to the forest without ever coming above ground.”

  “Wow. It’s like something out of a storybook.”

  “I guess these Urlus thought of everything.” Hazel ducked into the tunnel. “Come on.”

  Elle followed her, and Hazel closed the door behind her. They found themselves in a pitch dark cavern under the castle. Elle dared not speak above a whisper. “How do we know when we get there.”

  Hazel groped for her hand. “Come on. I’ve never been down here before, but we can’t go back to the castle. We’ll just have to find out what’s at the end.”

  Hazel set off. Her hand gave Elle courage. Why did she ever entertain thoughts of Hazel being incompetent and silly? Hazel dragged her free hand against the wall to guide their way. Elle trailed her into the dark.

  One concussion after another rocked the surface far above, but the sound diminished the farther they went. Elle started to take heart. This might just work. Hazel didn’t hesitate. She hurried down the tunnel into nothing.

  All at once, a draft of chilly air hit Elle in the face. The dark took on a different cast, and the two women broke into the open forest. Stars twinkled between the branches overhead, and Hazel let go of Elle’s hand. “We’re here.”

  Elle sank down at the base of a tree and sighed. “Thank you, Hazel. You did it.”

  Hazel gazed into the distance toward the castle. “I hope the others are all right.”

  “Where should we go now?” Elle asked.

  “There’s a cottage over there,” Hazel replied. “An old lady who lives there. I hope she’s all right, too. If the others got out, they’ll probably head there.”

  “We can check.” Elle got to her feet, and Hazel led the way into the forest.

  How Hazel found her way in the dark, Elle couldn’t understand. In a few minutes, they caught sight of a light shining in the darkness. Elle pressed forward and bumped into something in the dark. She bounced off, and an all-too-familiar voice broke the stillness. “Wheesht! Mind yerself!”

  “Rob!” Elle cried. She threw her arms around him.

  He laughed out loud in the dark. “Lass! I thought we’d lost ye.”

  “I thought I lost you. How did you make it out?”

  “Ne’er ye mind.” He took her hand. “Come alaing. The others are waitin’ in the cottage.”

  “I’ve got Hazel here with me,” Elle told him.

  Robbie spun around. “’azel! Oh, that’s a lucky stroke! We’re needin’ her.”

  Elle felt Hazel tense at her side, but Hazel said nothing on their way to the cottage. Robbie opened the door, and Elle stepped into the light and warmth. Bodies packed the little house. Angus and Carmen sat together on the one bed. Ewan and Jamie stood by the blazing fireplace, and Callum sat on a stool at their feet.

  “We’re all ‘ere except Fergus,” Robbie announced. “He’ll be alaing any minute now.”

  Elle sat down at the table and her shoulders sagged. “Thank the heavens we all made it out. We can stay here until we figure out what to do.”

  “We’ll no stay ‘ere,” Robbie replied. “We were just tryin’ tae figure out how tae find ‘azel. Now that she’s ‘ere, we’re goin’ back out there. We’ve no time tae lose.”

  “Me!” Hazel cried. “What were you looking for me for?”

  “Tae cast the spell,” Robbie replied. “Yer the ainly one as can do’t. As soon as Fergus arrives, ye mun’ go back out there and make the spell tae send those things back where they came from.”

  Elle’s head shot up. “She can’t go out there alone. Are you crazy? The ghouls would cut her down long before she got anywhere near making the spell.”

  “She’ll no go alone,” Robbie replied. “We’ll allus go out there taegether. We’ll ha’e tae, licht ye say. We’ll ha’e tae defend her while she does it. It’s the ainly way.”

  Elle stared at him. “Are you insane? This will never work. It’s suicide.”

  Robbie didn’t answer. Elle looked around at the rest of them. None of them would look at her, not even Carmen. They all knew it was hopeless. As soon as the ghouls realized what Hazel was doing, they would attack in all their terrifying fury. They would destroy the whole group and Hazel last of all.

  Just then, the door burst open and Fergus blew in. His cheeks flushed, and he smiled at everybody.

  “Did ye get i’tall?” Robbie asked.

&nbs
p; Fergus nodded. “I got’t. It weren’t easy, but I done’t. ‘ere.” He handed a pile of stuff to Hazel.

  She backed away with her hands raised. “I’m not doing this. I can’t, so don’t ask me to. It’s impossible.”

  The smile vanished off Fergus’s face. “Ye can do’t. We talked aboot this.”

  Hazel’s tone changed. Her whole attitude and expression changed when she looked at him. “How am I supposed to concentrate on the spell with those things all over the place? You guys’ll be fighting tooth and nail. It’ll be noisy. I can’t do it.”

  Fergus lowered his voice to a confidential murmur. “Ye can do’t. Ye winnae be alone. I’ll be richt wi’ ye.”

  Everyone in the cottage held their breath watching these two. Hazel searched his face. His deep black eyes sparkled when he looked back at her. They locked together for what seemed like an eternity before she took a breath. “All right. If you think I can, I’ll give it a try. I can’t promise anything.”

  “Ye’ll do’t,” Fergus breathed. “I ken ye will.”

  Hazel shook herself. “When do you want to do it?”

  Angus jumped to his feet. “Richt now. We mun’ strike immediately.”

  “The five o’ us’ll tak’ our dragon forms,” Robbie added. “Ewan, ye and Carmen and Elle’ll tak’ the ground position and defend ‘azel. The five o’ us’ll do our best tae draw the ghouls awa’ from ye, but I’ll mak’ no promises how successful we’ll be. Ye mun’ all do the best ye can wi’ it and we’ll hope fer the best.”

  Hazel rounded on Fergus. “Don’t fly off. Stay close in case I need you. I might not have the power to cast the spell on my own.”

  He stood closer to her than anybody expected. He never left her side. “I’ll be there. I’ll no be far awa’. Ye focus on the spell and dinnae think aboot me. I’ll be wi’ ye. If ye cinnae do’t or ye need me help, I’ll come tae ye.”

  A brief smile flashed over Hazel’s face and immediately vanished. “Okay. I’ll do it.”