by R. C. Rutter
Edward looked stunned. “We have been set up. He must have heard us making the plans. All this time I was thinking he did us a great favor by keeping us out of jail. Here we are, attacking the largest army. Just the two of us. What fools we are.”
“Yeah. What fools we are” said Arthur laughing.
“Well” replied Edward. “I think we should really get the soldiers spooked tonight. You know, really torment them. Live up to our reputation.”
“Ha, we don’t have a reputation yet. Make it a good one. Oh well, I’m listening……”
“Grab something from the bag.”
Arthur reached into the knapsack. He felt around and only found two items. He pulled a slingshot out of the bag.
“Cool” exclaimed Edward. “I do can some damage with that. What else can you find?”
Arthur pulled out a kitten. It immediately began purring.
Edward looked stunned. “Now wait a minute. I understand the slingshot but after carrying the knapsack all this way, I would have known if something alive was inside it. This must be his sense of humor. Exactly how do we use a kitten to scare 5,000 soldiers?”
Arthur shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe it is an attack cat?” Upon hearing that, the kitten hissed and purred even louder.
“Someone has definitely gone bonkers. I hope it is not me!”
Arthur put the kitten down and it started licking its paw, then took off and went right to Edward who was holding the slingshot.
Every time Edward moved his hand with the slingshot, the kitten followed. “Maybe it is the kitten’s toy?” Edward put it on the ground and the kitten ran right over and sat down on it.
Arthur’s jaw dropped. “This is NOT even funny!”
The kitten started bouncing up and down on the slingshot.
Edward picked up the slingshot with the kitten on it. The kitten started jumping higher and higher.
“Edward, don’t you dare!”
“Hey, it is not my idea. Look at how the kitten is acting. He loves it!”
Edward pulled the slingshot back just a few inches and let it go. The kitten shot through the air squealing and snagged a tree trunk as it went by.
Climbing down, the kitten ran right back to Edward.
Edward stood there dumbfounded just looking back and forth between Arthur and the kitten.
He pulled back the slingshot again and let it go. The kitten squealed again as it flew through the air, its claws and nails extended to catch something to land on. It landed and quickly ran back to Edward.
Edward looked at Arthur with a strange smile on his face. “I have an idea!”
* * *
Chapter 17
The soldiers were pacing. The first platoon was guarding the perimeter but that did little to relax the rest of the soldiers. Any force big enough to attack them would not be stopped by a single platoon which left the entire army restless.
Very few were getting any sleep. Tempers were short and escalating. Fights broke out and were quickly suppressed by the officers.
After several hours the tension had finally subsided a little until the howling sound came from the trees. It was not quite human but it was not quite an animal sound either. It got louder and louder as the soldiers tried to locate the source.
One soldier made his way to the side of the road, tilting his head from side to side listening, trying to find out where the sound was coming from.
His eyes got real big as he spotted the ball of fur with outstretched claws coming directly at his face. All he had time to do was to let out a scream as the kitten landed and the claws dug into his cheeks. He dropped his sword screaming in agony with his arms flailing up and down at his sides.
The soldiers around him erupted into chaos, not knowing what to do. If they attacked the cat, they might accidentally stab their fellow soldier in the face so they just stayed back arguing with each other about what to do.
Having down its damage, the kitten pulled back the claws, leaped to the ground, and disappeared into the bushes.
The wounded soldier fell to the ground holding his face with blood running between his fingers. The medic finally arrived and began treating the wounds but could not stop the bleeding. In just a few minutes the soldier was dead.
“What happened here?” said a voice with authority.
The medic looked up to see where the question came from. It was the colonel who was approaching. The medic stood and saluted.
“Soldier was attacked, Sir. Unfortunately his wounds were too great and he was unable to survive.”
The colonel got really angry. “And the rest of you are just standing here while the attacker gets away?”
One of the soldiers was brave enough to answer. “The attacker was too fast, Sir. It was too close and we dared not attack for fear of hurting our comrade. Then it took off faster than we could chase it.”
“Faster than an arrow, you idiot?”
“It was too small, Sir. Too small of a target and too fast. In the darkness, it was just not possible.”
“And just exactly what was this too small and too fast attacker?”
“Not quite sure, Sir.” The soldier was unwilling to answer for fear of facing the wrath of the colonel.
“Do you dare refuse to answer a direct question?” The colonel was getting really agitated now.
“No, Sir.” The soldier hesitated for a minute, trying to avoid the glare of the colonel. Gathering his strength, he sucked in some air and said bravely “It was a kitty.”
The colonel was stunned. He could not believe what he just heard and felt a ton of anger raging within him. His shoulders tightened as he gritted his teeth. He stared for a few minutes looking at the other soldiers trying to maintain his composure. They began nodding their heads up and down.
“You mean to tell me that a kitten did this and not one of my brave and courageous soldiers could do anything about it?” The colonel groaned and shook his head in disbelief.
The soldiers all dropped their heads, ashamed of their failure.
The silence was broken by the sounds of bells in the distance.
“What the….” came the remark from the colonel.
The sound was coming from the sky and approaching the army. Most of the soldiers were now on their feet, swords drawn and looking up.
The sky was so dark they could not see anything. The sound kept on getting louder and louder until it was directly overhead. The soldiers started covering their heads for fear of getting hit by something.
The sound of the bells passed over and disappeared into the distance.
It was a few moments before the colonel gained his composure. “TO ARMS, TO ARMS!” he yelled. The soldiers scrambled to grab their shields and form their lines facing outward, ready to battle.
The colonel moved back to the front of the army and gathered his officers around him.
“Any ideas on what is going on? The men are spooked and on edge.”
He was met by silence.
“Perhaps we should send patrols out. Give the men something to do. You know take their minds off of things” suggested one of the captains.
“Very well then, set up a rotation of the troops. There will be no sleep for anyone tonight. Dispatch one of the couriers back to the castle. Tell the demons that we are under attack from magic. They should know the meaning of the cat and the bells. We need to find out what manner of magic we are dealing with. They might be able to help us.”
The courier soon departed on one of the few remaining horses. Galloping down the road he did not see the pair of eyes that was watching his every move and keeping pace with his horse. The rider was making good time as he settled into the routine and boredom of riding. He expected to be back at the castle by the next evening.
Looking down at the road, he was mesmerized by the passing ground and did not see the outcropping of rock ahead.
If he did, he might have spotted the glaring red eyes that were looking right at him and getting very c
lose. Very close.
It was only when he felt the teeth sinking into his neck that he realized that he was being attacked. He moaned as he fell off the horse and lost consciousness, hitting the ground.
The wolf stood over the lifeless body until it disappeared.
He howled.
* * *
The pounding in his ears was growing louder and louder as the King regained consciousness. He opened his eyes but could not see anything. He turned his head left and right trying to find some light anywhere when he realized that he was blindfolded. He flexed his arms but could not move them as well. As his senses recovered, he realized that he was completely bound. The demons were obviously not taking any chances this time. Until his strength returned, the King knew there was very little he could do physically.
The sound coming from the next room was muffled but he could hear the faint screaming. He knew it must be Antonio and Rafael. It was a huge price they were paying for their loyalty. He made a vow to himself that he would never again tolerate anyone who tried to manipulate the system. Cedrick would certainly pay for his behavior. He would see to that for sure.
Physically he was bound but he knew could still travel and find out what is going on. The King relaxed and let his mind wander.
Looking down from above, he saw that he was bound, gagged, and blindfolded. Two guards were stationed inside the room at the door. They were both watching him closely. They could neither sense nor see him outside of his body. He turned and passed through the wall into the next room. Rafael was laying flat on a table, his hands and feet bound. With eyes wide open, he was transfixed on the ceiling. Blood was trickling from his ears. He was beyond pain and was near death.
Antonio was slumped in a corner with his chest heaving. He was not bound at all but was curled up in a fetal position. Obviously the demons felt he no longer posed a threat. Antonio was a well-trained soldier with a lot of strength. It would take a lot of healing for him to recover.
The King knew he could not help them right now. As much as he wanted to, other matters had to take precedence. Passing through several more walls, he was soon outside the castle.
He turned west and flew over the treetops on his way to the Cave of Forlorn. Halfway to the cave he found the Royal Army which was stopped instead of marching. Considering their orders to get to the cave without delay, this was extraordinary.
The King could hear bells in the distance and watched as two black crows flew over the army towing bells. He could see the soldiers looking up then scatter as the sound approached.
Looking around, he could see no other army in the area and he did not sense any magic being used here. Whatever or whomever was tormenting the army needed to be thanked. He made a mental note to find and reward those responsible.
He decided to lend his support. He descended towards the soldiers until he was right at their shoulder height and flew from the end of the army towards the front. The soldiers could neither hear him nor see him but they grew frightened as they felt a very cold chill penetrate their skin as he passed by.
The soldiers were just beginning to return to the road after the bells passed when the chill caught them by surprise. Several gasped as they could not breathe the sudden frigid air. It felt like they were being punched unexpectedly in the chest and their breath was taken away. Several hundred soldiers who felt the full effect collapsed where they stood. The rest experienced the chill, dropping their swords as they were too cold to hold on to.
The colonel tried to show no fear as he heard the commotion and witnessed the men being attacked. “These men are strong, they are brave, they would fight any enemy, but how can you fight an enemy that is not even there? What manner of mayhem is this?”
The King spotted the colonel and aimed directly for him, the cold air hitting him with full force. The colonel tumbled backwards and found himself on the ground looking at the night sky. His chest felt as if it was frozen and he was having trouble breathing. He stayed motionless trying to remain calm in front of the soldiers. He managed to do this for a moment or two until the force on this chest increased as if a large boulder was crushing him. He heard someone near him scream. It was very loud. He wished it would stop, it was so loud. He tried to speak, to say something comforting to whoever was screaming. Then he realized that he was the one who was screaming.
The pressure ceased as fast as it had started.
“Enough of that!” the King thought to himself as he moved away from the colonel. “I never really did care too much for that colonel but I can’t wait any longer. I must know what is going on with my daughter.”
The King rose and headed for the cave.
Two soldiers quickly came over and helped the colonel to his feet.
“Get off of me. I can get up myself” the colonel yelled at the men. He got to his feet and was sucking air heavily. He brushed his uniform off then his eyes fell on all of the soldiers that were staring at him.
“What is it?” he said defiantly. “Don’t you have anything better to do? What are your orders?”
The men did not move. They just stared.
“Well, what is it?” the colonel demanded.
“Beggin’ your pardon, Sir” said one of the captains. “But it looks like your hair has turned solid white. For a few moments it looked like you were frozen solid, right there on the ground, Sir. That is, Sir, until you screamed.”
The colonel became alarmed and embarrassed when he heard about the scream. Frustrated, he pulled his sword out, walked over to the nearest tree and swung at it to release his frustration.
His expression changed to one of fear as he watched his sword shatter. The colonel looked at the ground for several minutes while his men watched silently. Gaining his composure, he ordered all soldiers to check their swords. As word spread, so did the sound of swords shattering throughout the columns of soldiers.
“Can somebody explain what just happened?” asked the colonel out loud as he slumped to the ground. “Why are we being attacked so? We are good soldiers. We follow orders.” The colonel’s voice was trembling and fading but he kept talking, his mind in a daze. “Who would attack us? Why would they attack us? I am sooooo cold.” The colonel collapsed on the ground. His voice was barely a whisper and several thought they heard him say “I want my mommy.”
* * *
Cerberus left in a flash. He was now on a mission. He began murmuring to himself. “Who opened the door?” he said mockingly. “Who has the power? I don’t know. I don’t care but I do want to stay alive. Yes, I must learn who has the power. Then I can negotiate. What is it worth? Hmmmm. What would the Queen give me? What shall I ask for? Freedom? More power? Release from the cave?” The creature began to smile. “Ah, to smell the flowers again, to feel the sunlight on my face. Yes, that is it, my freedom for the secret. I think it is a very fair price. Even if I lose my magical powers, it will be worth it. I wonder how much the outside has changed. Maybe even find some companionship.”
Cerberus’ smile grew even worse.
His pace quickened as he headed for the last known area where the group was spotted. He was so enthralled in his thinking that he did not pay any attention to his surroundings. If he had, he would have noticed that something or someone was keeping pace with him.
* * *
Sacco and Vincente were tied to a pole near the campfire, still gagged. Nostrils flaring as they smelled the stew.
Samuel would walk over to them every few minutes, yell and slap them. “You are a curse on your family! You are corrupt! Your loyalty is questionable! Where is your allegiance? Who are you working for? Why are you spying on us? All of your offspring will be marked by your betrayal and you and your clans will be outcasts from this day hence. What do you have to say in your defense?”
Sacco and Vincente tried to speak but were stopped by the rancid socks in their mouths. All they could do was make grunts.
“Must you torment them so? Is there really anything they can say in their defense?” asked B
artholomew.
“No, not really but it would not be proper to kill them without convening the court.”
“Then it is settled then. I believe we have enough members here to hold the hearing.” Bartholomew stood up and cleared his throat. “To our visitors, please observe only and do not interfere. Please respect our culture as we respect yours. Our ways may be strange to you but fear not, justice is fair and justice is swift.” He pulled out a scroll and opened it. Speaking in a loud authoritative voice he began reading “Sergeant-At-Arms, I submit to you that two members of our clan have done an injustice. Those two individuals are now in the stockade awaiting their charges. I request that a court hearing be held to determine their fate. Furthermore, in the absence of the judge, henceforth and forthwith, for the duration of said hearing, I nominate myself to preside over these hearings.” He sat down, folded his arms, and waited.
