Savage Games of Lord Zarak

by Gilbert L. Morris

  “You might be describing me,” Lady Lara said. Then she added, “I intend my life to be different from now on, though.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Both Lara and Roland jumped to their feet. Somehow the princess knew who the speaker was as soon as she saw him.

  Goél’s hood was shading his face, and he pushed it back.

  Without a word, the two knelt before him.

  Goél put one hand on Lara’s head, the other on Roland’s, and kept them there a moment. Then he said, “Rise up, my children. You indeed are passing through a deep valley.”

  “Goél, my father is dying!” Lara looked up at him pleadingly. He took her hands and said, “Do not fear, Lady Lara.”

  Somehow she could sense the man’s strength. She had heard much about Goél from Roland and Bentain and Sarah. Now she found she could barely speak to him. She finally whispered, “I have been wicked, sire, but I want to be different.”

  “You are already different, and you will grow as time passes.”

  “But my father, Goél. He is dying.”

  Goél dropped her hands then and sat on the stool beside the king’s bed. For a time he simply sat looking into the pale face of King Falmor, as Lara and Roland watched him.

  Goél put one hand on King Falmor’s forehead. At his touch the king suddenly stiffened, and he moaned.

  Goél leaned toward the king and spoke words that Lara could not hear. His voice had been quiet, almost a whisper.

  Sudden shock ran through Lara then. As she watched, color began coming back into her father’s face. And then with joy she saw his eyelids flutter and his lips move slightly.

  “You have been under a dark cloud for many years, my friend.”

  This time she did hear Goél’s quiet voice. It was filled with power and warmth, and it seemed to affect the king’s entire body.

  King Falmor’s eyes flew open, and his gaze met that of Goél.

  “Who are you, sire?”

  “I am Goél.”

  The king lay still, but then his eyes fell on Lara. He held out his hand, and she flew at once to take it. “Father, you’re better!” The king muttered, “I am better. How long have I been here?”

  “You have been in this bed only a few days,” Goél told him. He stood now and looked down on the king. “But you have been under the power of an evil force for many years. Your spirit is weary. As for the wound, you will find that it will properly heal now. I have dealt with the poison.”

  “I have strength again!” the king exclaimed. “I want to sit up.” With Roland’s help he managed to sit in the bed, and then he stared long at the boy. “I remember. Your name is Roland.”

  “Yes, sire.”

  “He has been a faithful servant to you, King Falmor,” Goél said. His eyes went to Lara, and he added, “I think you will find a way to reward him.”

  The king stood to his feet shakily. He faced Goél and bowed his head. “I fear I have not been a good king, sire.”

  “You have been controlled by an evil force, but it is not too late to change.”

  King Falmor then looked at Lara. “Indeed, your mother would have hated what I have become.”

  “It will be different now, Father.”

  “Yes, it will.”

  Josh and the other Sleepers and Goodman were waiting by the door of the hut when Goél came out.

  “How is the king?” Josh asked at once.

  “The king will get well.”

  A cheer went up, and Josh said, “It’s a miracle!”

  Goél smiled. “A small miracle perhaps.” Then his face grew serious. “But there is still a battle to fight.”

  “You told us the battle would mostly be in the hearts of people,” Sarah said quietly. “And now the king’s heart is changed, and Lady Lara’s heart is changed, and—”

  “Yes. But evil must be rooted out of the land. Lord Zarak will kill you all if he has the chance.” Goodman said, “All of my men are ready, sire, but what are we against so many?”

  “Strength is not always in numbers. There once lived a wise man who delivered a whole city into the hands of an army. I think we will see another ‘small miracle,’ but you must fight,” Goél said. “The heart of the king has indeed changed, and when he is on his throne again and evil is defeated, this land will see peace and justice.”

  Sarah was standing next to Josh, and he felt her take his hand. Then he heard her whisper, “And I’ll bet we see a new prince very soon, too.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, you’re so dense, Joshua Adams! I mean Lady Lara will marry Roland.” “How do you know that?” Sarah was feeling very good. “I didn’t read all those romances for nothing. They’ll get married and live happily ever after.”

  He laughed. “You are a romantic, Sarah.”

  “Yes, I am,” she said firmly. “And it wouldn’t hurt you to have a little more romance in your soul.”

  15

  Lord Zarak’s Castle

  I’m worried,” Reb said. “I’m really worried.” He was sharpening his sword, and he looked apprehensively toward the dark forest that surrounded the farm of Garn.

  “What are you worried about now?” Wash asked. He was eating a raw turnip, and he frowned at it. “I guess some people like raw turnips—but I don’t think I could stand many more of them.”

  “You’re always thinking about your stomach,” Reb said. “Why don’t you think about the big problem?”

  “What big problem?”

  Reb cast a look of disgust toward his smaller friend. “I mean that the forest out there is crawling with Zarak’s army. They could come busting in here at any minute. I sure wish we had a bunch of Stonewall Jackson’s soldiers here.”

  “Well, we don’t. We’ve got a few men in green under Goodman, and we’ve got us. How many do you suppose Lord Zarak has?”

  “More than a thousand, I suppose.” But Reb suddenly grinned. “Well, that sounds about right—us against a thousand. We can take ’em, don’t you think?”

  Wash finally threw the turnip away, saying, “I wish I had a boloney sandwich and an RC Cola.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” Reb groaned. “What wouldn’t I give for a Quarter Pounder and a chocolate milkshake! But those days are gone. Tell you what, though. If we don’t get into action pretty soon, I’m gonna go out and kill us a wild pig or something. Might as well kill one of the king’s deer while I’m at it. What could Zarak do to us that he’s not planning to do already—which is to hang us?”

  Josh and Sarah came wandering up. Josh asked, “What are you two doing?”

  “Eating raw turnips and hating them,” Wash said. “My stomach thinks my throat’s been cut.”

  “I was talking about going out and getting us a deer,” Reb said.

  Josh grinned. “Might as well. Zarak would kill us anyway.”

  Reb leaped up. “Well, I’m glad you agree. You want to come, too, Wash?”

  “No. I’ll just stay here and dream about eating.”

  “Some good venison stew would be good for the king,” Sarah said. “Or even venison steak!” “How is he?” Wash inquired. “He’s getting stronger every day. It really was a miracle how that wound started to get better.”

  “It was the poison that was the big problem,” Lady Lara said. “And Goél did something about that. Which reminds me. If we go into battle again, we’d better be careful. Nothing to slow a fellow down like poisoned arrows.”

  At that point Dave and Abbey joined them. “What comes next?” Dave said. “We can’t hide here forever.” “We’re bound to get discovered sooner or later, aren’t we?” Abbey asked nervously. “And what’s happened to Goél?” Dave went on. “I haven’t seen him for two days now.” “He disappeared after he helped the king, but they had a long talk together, I understand,” Josh said. “What did they talk about?” Wash asked eagerly.

  “They didn’t let me in on their plans, but I feel better about everything now—even
if there are a thousand guys out there wanting to kill us.”

  They were still talking when Reb came back with a deer slung over the back of the workhorse. “Supper time!” he said. “Let’s skin this critter and eat!”

  Roland, as well as Goodman, joined the Seven Sleepers, Lady Lara, and King Falmor for a meal of delicious venison steaks cooked over an open fire.

  Roland thought the king was looking much better today.

  Falmor ate his steak eagerly. “This is the best feast I’ve had in memory,” he said.

  Lady Lara laughed. “Hunger is a good sauce, isn’t it? Who killed this deer?”

  “Well, I reckon I did,” Reb said.

  “I thank you for your generosity, Reb.”

  The king smiled. “Perhaps we ought to dub you Sir Reb.”

  “Oh, he’s already Sir Reb. He was made that by the king of Camelot,” Wash said warmly, his eyes full of admiration for his friend. “How do you feel, Your Majesty?”

  “I feel like a new man. Not just physically but inside too.” Then the king saw Garn and his family returning from a day in the woods, looking for berries. He called, “Come and join us.”

  “Oh, no, Your Majesty!” Garn said.

  “And I say yes! Come. And you, boy, what’s your name?”

  “Robert.”

  “Come, Robert. And you?”

  “My name is Pilar.”

  “Come. We’re all one here.”

  Garn and his wife and children came forward shyly.

  After watching all of this, Roland leaned over and whispered to Lady Lara, “I’m sure they never expected to ever eat with the king!”

  “Just look at their eyes, Roland. You can see they love him.”

  “I think now that he’s himself again, all of his people will love him.”

  When all had finished eating, Josh said, “Your Majesty, it’s very dangerous here.”

  “I realize that, my friend Josh, and I have devised a plan.”

  “A plan, Your Majesty?” Roland said. “You mean a plan to defeat Lord Zarak or—”

  “Yes. He must be defeated. He’s already announced that I am dead, and if he catches me, I will be dead indeed. When my daughter refuses to marry him, she will perish, also.”

  Josh nodded. “I’m sure you’re right. But we’re just so mightily outnumbered . . .”

  “We are badly outnumbered, indeed, but knowledge is power,” King Falmor said. “And I know one thing that gives us an advantage.”

  “What is that, Father?” Lady Lara asked curiously. She was so proud of her father. He had changed completely, and now he looked every inch a king.

  “There is a way. We must get at Zarak, and we cannot do it in open battle on the field. That means we must get to him in the castle.”

  “But it would take an army to storm that castle!” Josh protested. “It would have to be besieged for months!”

  “That is true,” Goodman said, “although we will try if you insist, Your Majesty. But it would seem hopeless.”

  “You’re right. A siege would be hopeless. But suppose there were a secret way into the castle?”

  “Is there?” Roland exclaimed.

  “Indeed there is such a way.” The king’s eyes sparkled as he explained. “My great-grandfather built this castle. He foresaw the time when there might be a need for someone inside to escape if the castle was besieged. So he made a secret passage. It was never used, but he passed the secret down to my grandfather, who gave it to my father, and my father gave it to me.”

  “All right!” Reb Jackson cried. “Lead me to it!” Roland was thinking hard. “Most of the army is out trying to find us. Isn’t that right, Goodman?”

  “That is right. Lord Zarak stays in the castle with just a small guard. He doesn’t think he needs much protection from a ragtag bunch such as we are.”

  “He will find out what we are,” King Falmor said, “when we take both the castle and him.” He stood up. “Let us prepare to go immediately. Can you lead us through the forest, avoiding Zarak’s army, Goodman?”

  “I can do it, sire.”

  “Then get your men together. We will start at once.”

  Excitement ran through the small camp. The Sleepers gathered up their weapons. Their guide, Goodman, sent out scouts to make sure they were not interrupted. And soon the king and his daughter headed a procession.

  As they tramped along, Lady Lara’s eyes went often to Roland.

  One time Sarah saw her watching the tall boy. “He is handsome, isn’t he, my lady?”

  “Yes. You said that once before. And I have come to see something very good within him as well.”

  The king called a halt when they reached the river. “Now,” he said, “we must be very careful and wait until dark.”

  “That will be in less than an hour, Your Majesty,” Goodman said, glancing at the sky.

  “We must not be discovered here. And when we do move, we must move very quietly.” Then Lara’s father laughed aloud. “But I am saying that to myself. Your men move as silently as deer. I am the one who is clumsy.”

  Darkness fell, and when the moon rose high enough to give them light, King Falmor said, “Let us go. The entrance is this way.” He walked ahead, and soon the entire party found themselves at the foot of a cliff. High overhead the castle reared into the sky.

  “We can never climb up there,” Dave muttered.

  “We will not have to climb,” the king said. “Follow me.” He led them then to where the foot of the mountain was covered with thick brush. “I haven’t been to this place since I was a boy, but it’s here. It’s here.” Soon he cried, “And see! Here it is.”

  Lady Lara was right behind her father. “Why, there’s an opening—like a cave opening.”

  “The tunnel was cut out of solid rock. As you see, the entrance is narrow, admitting only one at a time. But then the passage widens.”

  “Let me go first, sire,” Roland said. “If there’s danger, you must be protected.” The king looked about to protest, then said, “Very well. You first, and I will follow. Then you, my daughter.” They cut pine boughs, rich in pitch, and lit them as torches. Then, one by one, they slipped through the entrance and began winding their way upward through a twisting passage. It was often a low and narrow tunnel, and at places even Lara had to duck.

  And then Roland, who was still in the lead, said softly over his shoulder, “Your Majesty, we’ve come to a door.”

  “It is the secret door to my quarters,” the king said. “On the other side it does not look to be a door.”

  King Falmor waited until the Sleepers and Goodman crowded closer. “Pass along the word to put out the torches. We don’t know who is on the other side of this door,” he said in a low voice. “Probably no one, since it is my private chamber. We will go inside and then gather ourselves and go directly to the quarters of Zarak. When we have captured him, the rest will be simple.”

  Josh found himself breathing hard, and he whispered to Sarah, “Once again we’re headed into danger. Be careful, Sarah. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  Sarah reached out and squeezed his hand. “You be careful, too, Josh.”

  The king stepped around Roland and opened the secret door. It slid back silently, revealing a lighted room. Josh was ready to follow Roland and Lady Lara through the doorway when the king spoke in a loud voice.

  “Zarak! So you’ve taken over the king’s quarters, have you?”

  Lord Zarak leaped to his feet. His eyes flew wide with shock, and he cried out for his guards as he drew his sword.

  The king drew his own sword, and the two began to duel as the Sleepers and then Goodman’s men poured into the large chamber.

  “The guards are coming!” Lara cried.

  And then, within the confines of the king’s quarters, a bitter fight took place. King Falmor was an older man than Lord Zarak and recently wounded. Still, he seemed to gain strength as he fought. While the others dealt with the guards, the king backed Za
rak against the wall and tore the sword from his hand with one mighty stroke.

  He put his sword point right under Zarak’s heart, and for a moment Josh thought he would kill him. He held his breath, but then the king lowered his blade.

  “You are an evil man, Zarak, but I will not kill you. There’s been enough killing already. You are my prisoner.”

  Lord Zarak’s few guards had been totally unprepared. The Sleepers and Goodman and his men in green swarmed through the castle, taking it by storm. Less than an hour later Josh was standing in the castle’s large banquet hall, where the king had gathered his followers.

  Falmor looked about at them all, his eyes warm. “You have all served your king well, and you will find me to be grateful.” His eyes went to Lara then, and he smiled. “My first act will be to open the dungeons and free every prisoner!”

  A cheer went up from Goodman. A cheer went up from his men. Josh saw Lady Lara take Roland’s hand.

  The king too saw this. He walked over to them, and for a moment he frowned. But then he said, “I see that I am to have a son at last after all these years?”

  “I would serve Your Majesty always, but I must tell you that I love your daughter.”

  “And I love him, Father.”

  “We shall have time to get to know each other, Sir Roland.”

  “I am no ‘sir,’ Your Majesty,” Roland said quickly.

  “You are now. My daughter could not marry a commoner, so I dub you Sir Roland.”

  Another cheer went up, and the Sleepers did a dance about the floor. Josh found himself holding Sarah’s hand, and they whirled in a wild circle. Dave, not to be outdone, grabbed Abbey’s hand and they too spun around.

  When the merriment had ceased, the king said, “We will deal with Zarak, but he will not receive from my hand all of what he deserves.”

  “I think Goél would approve of that, sire,” Josh said. “There’s hope even for a man like Lord Zarak.” The king looked at Josh and then at the other Sleepers. “Will you all stay on as our guests?” “As long as possible,” Josh said. “We always are at the will of Goél.”

  “Very good. Then we will have a feast, and we will proclaim liberty to the captives.” His voice rose as he said, “And now the people of my kingdom will know a ruler who has generosity.” He put his arm around his daughter and drew her close. “And the Lady Lara will show goodness and love to all of her people.”