Fred remembered his mission. "Ruth got permission from her father to pay her life-debt to us, so she's in Pat's bedroom. We were wondering if her amulet keeps her awake during the day or if she'll turn to stone."
Ned pulled at his beard and led Fred over to the door. "If my memory serves me then yes, it will prevent her from turning to stone, but only if she retains her human form. If she tries to return to her original body she will sleep as any other gargoyle."
"Right, I'll go tell them." Fred left the room and returned to the girls. He passed on the information. Pat was relieved and Ruth was ecstatic.
"I cannot wait to see the sun over the sky!" she eagerly told them.
"Speaking of sun, I would like to get some sleep before that rises," Pat spoke up. The hour was well past midnight, and a thought struck Fred.
"Does that mean it's your birthday right now?" he asked her.
Pat furrowed her brow and finally shrugged. I suppose it does."
Fred grinned and held out his hand. "Congratulations on living this long."
Pat rolled her eyes, but took his hand and gave a hearty shake. "I couldn't have done it without you and Ned."
A pair of hands broke in between them, and the humans looked over to their gargoyle friend. She smiled back. "Congratulations to you both."
Fred laughed. "It's not my birthday today. Mine is in a month or two."
Pat raised an eyebrow. "Or two?" she repeated.
Fred shrugged. "I'm not really sure. My parents would celebrate it around this time and mention how I was born under a shooting star, but I lost track of the exact date a few years ago."
"I still wish you both a happy birthday," Ruth insisted.
"And to you, also," Pat returned. They all shook hands and congratulated one another on living to such a great age. The friends parted, with Fred returning to his room. He found Ned retired and asleep, and soon joined him.
The next day broke bright and early, and there was a great crowing in Fred's ear. He bolted upright and his face flew into the wispy hair of Ned's beard. The boy struggled to free himself of the great mass of hair, and Ned pulled them apart. Ned fell back on his butt and Fred glared at him. "Were you trying to strangle me?"
Ned chuckled and raised himself to his feet. "I was merely awakening you for your first full day as my servant."
"Apprentice," Fred blandly reminded him.
Ned tapped his chin and wrinkled his nose. "I suppose we may use that title."
Fred rolled his eyes, rolled out of bed, and into a fresh pair of clothes. They went downstairs for breakfast, and Fred had his first glimpse of the dining hall. The room was three times larger than that of Tramadore, and more decadent. Tapestries hung from the walls between the stained-glass windows, and the four dozen wood chairs around the long, thick wood table were as large as the Uncomfortable Chair.
The pair found the long table crowded with the other guests. Percy and his father were of the party, and they nodded politely at the castors. King Stephen was at the head of the grand party, and he gestured them over. They heeded his call and found the seats on either side of him to be empty. "Please be seated," he commanded them, and they obeyed. Fred noticed the king looked carefully at him. "This morning I was given some astounding news by residents of Tramadore concerning this boy here." The noisy table grew quiet as they listened to the king's words.
Ned raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? What news was this?"
Stephen reveled in the attention and puffed himself up like a peacock. "That he is none other than the boy who sat on the Uncomfortable Chair." The guests gasped and whispered among themselves. Fred shrank beneath all those eyes staring at him. "Why did you not inform me of this sooner? I would have shown him the honor due to such a destined individual."
Ned bowed his head. "My apologies, Your Highness, but we sought to protect Lady Lamakin first, and fulfill his destiny second."
"Perhaps they are closely connected," King Stephen pointed out. "And as such, I must insist on his being one of her guardians."
Fred perked up at the demand, and Ned smiled. "That is very gracious of you, Your Highness, and as his master I accept your offer."
The king's eyebrows crashed down. "Master? What means this?" Fred winced at the royal's displeased tone.
"I have taken him on as my apprentice, Your Highness," Ned replied.
"Without my permission? Unconscionable!" King Stephen exclaimed. He stood up and pounded his fist against the table. The other guests froze. "At whose table do you reside? Under whose roof do you now find comfort?"
Ned bowed his head. "Yours, Your Highness, but an apprentice does not cease to be nor is created an apprentice merely by location."
Stephen's face reddened and he sputtered out his words. "You dare advise me on my rights! I am king here and-"
"-and Your Highness is frightening his guests," a calm voice interrupted. The party swung their heads toward the door and watched Lady Martley walk up to the king's throne. She curtsied to him and seated herself opposite the two men. "Surely you will not object to Ned here helping this young man, ordained by the Chair himself, to fulfill his destiny as a great man,? she scolded the royal. She took a goblet in front of her plate and poured herself a healthy quantity of wine from the pitcher. "It would be as though you were trying to stop the Lady Lamakin from taking charge of her duties as leader of your army."
Stephen's face cooled and he fumbled for his words. "What? No, of course I would not prevent such a thing. I merely wished to instruct Ned here on the proper respect he should show to me."
Martley sipped on her wine, and smiled over the brim. "A true king would not need to remind his subjects of his power," she schooled him. Stephen's mouth flopped open and shut like a fish, and before he could think of a reply Martley glanced around at the guests. "But where is the lady of honor? Is she not down yet?"
"I'm here," Pat's voice called from the hall, and she entered the room dragging Ruth behind her. The gargoyle girl was enamored with the light from the windows and bumped into chairs and walls. Pat wore a long dress, and she occasionally tripped over the shoes and the hem on the way to her seat beside Martley. She stood before the king and curtsied to him. "Good morning, Your Highness," she politely greeted him.
Her polite manners pleased the royal and soothed what anger was left. He took her hand and kindly led her back to her seat. "Good morning to you, my dear lady and future captain. I hope you slept well, regardless of the city's slight touch of panic last evening."
"I slept very well, thank you," Pat replied as she seated herself. The dark bags under her eyes told a different story, and seeing Ruth's energy told him the gargoyle was the reason behind the lack of sleep.
Stephen returned to his seat, but stood over the table and glanced at those seated at the head. His face was filled with admiration, but Fred didn't trust the man's moods. They changed course faster than the course of a flooding river. "What honor you all do me by appearing at my table." He raised his glass and his guests followed suit. "To the future Captain of Galaron, and this young lad-" He forgot the boy's name.
"Fred, Your Highness," Martley reminded him.
"Ah yes, to Fred, the future leader of a great change." Fred cringed at the wrong reading of his destiny. "May you both bring Galaron and the world prosperity." The king drank from his goblet.
"Here, here!" were the muffled replies from the other guests, and they joined in the drink.
As Fred looked over the rim at the table, his eyes fell on Ruth. She couldn't look away from the sun, and her eyes blinked constantly to keep from watering. Pat sat opposite him and ruthlessly pulled at the collar of her dress. Beside her was Martley, who winked at him. He snatched a glance at the mad king, but the man was deep in talk with Ned about the celebration supper that night. Down the table sat Percy and Sturgeon, and the elder watched them with a careful eye. Fred wondered what sort of a madhouse he had joined.
CHAPTER 12
The rest of the day was both tedious and b
usy. Ned and Fred watched the goings-on in the preparations for the supper, and poor Pat was sucked into the middle of the affair with Martley and Ruth at her sides. Dresses were fitted, hair done up, and the day wore on. There was some trouble in convincing the cooking staff back into the possessed kitchen, but on threat of the king's displeasure they resumed their work and made a grand meal for the occasion.
The only diversions the men gave themselves was a walk through the city. Fred watched for signs of the white smoke, but he witnessed nothing unordinary. The singed remains of the burnt buildings were removed and the broken houses were fixed. They walked along the streets for a long while until he sidled up to Ned and lowered his voice so none overheard him. "Are we looking for something?"
Ned nodded. "Signs of Canavar's influence."
"But wouldn't someone notice the white smoke?" The sun was bright over their heads, and no fog obscured the streets.
The old man shook his head. "Only those with a gifted eye, or someone who knew what they were looking for would see his smoke. However, I am looking for something even less obvious, a stone."
Fred blinked. "A stone?" He looked around them; they were surrounded by stone houses and walked on stone streets. "Um, is this a special stone?"
"Do you recall the stone you destroyed to rescue Pat at the Salaron?" Fred nodded; that had been the source of the monster's power. "We are looking for a similar stone, only larger."
"Larger? Why larger?" he asked Ned.
Ned sighed and steered them into an alley. He removed a round ball about three inches in diameter from his cloak and held it out. Fred caught a whiff of a horrible smell of rotten eggs and flinched back. "Do you smell the Dirth beetle inside this ball?"
"How could I miss it?" Fred countered.
"This beetle comes from the region of Dirth to the north of Sterning, which is where we reside now. It has a sack filled with its excrement that it ejects when in danger. Children in Dirth play tricks on each other with these balls."
Fred pinched his nose to stop the smell. "I still don't understand how this is like a bigger stone," he replied.
Ned grinned, put the ball back into his cloak and pulled forth another ball. Fred's eyes bulged out when he realized this ball was nearly ten times larger than the last one. The stench was horrendous; not even plugging his nose stopped the horrid scent from invading his nostrils. He clapped one hand over his mouth to keep from retching. "This is referred to as a master bomb. It holds about one hundred Dirth beetles and is used in warfare."
"How are you carrying that around?" Fred gasped out. He felt lightheaded and sick at the same time.
"Magic, but that is not for this lesson. This larger ball represents the larger stone we are looking for. The area of effect is much larger because the stone is much larger." He held the ball out toward the alley entrance, and the people nearby gagged and raced away. "See? A greater area of effect."
Fred couldn't take much more of this lesson. "Please put it away," he pleaded.
Ned stuffed the ball back into his cloak and the smell instantly vanished. Fred slumped down onto his knees and gasped in the clean air. Ned bent down and patted the boy on the back while his eyes twinkled with mischief. "Life lessons are harsh."
"And smell bad," Fred choked out.
"But that is why we are looking for a larger stone. Canavar may have a great deal of castor abilities, but he is limited by the size of the stones he so often uses."
Fred climbed to his feet and felt the nausea disappear. "Can't he just use his power from far away?" he wondered.
Ned shook his head. "Too unreliable, and the greater the distance the weaker the magic. No, Canavar would use a stone to focus his powers and create that white smoke you witnessed last night." They wandered a little farther and came to the square that held the statue of King Stephen's father.
Fred didn't think so highly of the man any more, not after the tale told by Sampson. He walked up to the statue and glared at the cold face. "Did you know the king's father?" he asked Ned, who came up beside him.
The old man gave a nod. "Very well, though not to my benefit. He was as cold as the current king is foolish, and during much of his reign he was a very suspicious man."
"That explains what happened to Sampson and the gargoyles," Fred muttered.
"Does it?" Ned wondered, and Fred told him what Sampson had said. When he finished his tale Ned pursed his lips together and shook his head. "If I had only known I might have been able to help Sampson. A pity one cannot go back and change the past."
"Not even with magic?" Fred asked him.
Ned smiled, but it held more bitterness than Fred expected. "Not even with magic." Ned shook himself of his dreary tone and straightened. "But gloomy thoughts are not for this day, for today is Pat's birthday. What should we give to her as a present?" Fred stiffened. He hadn't thought about giving a gift. Ned smirked. "I can see you haven't thought about this, so I shall append your name to my present."
Fred nervously smiled. "That would help me out very well," he replied.
The pair moved on with their searching and found no sign of the stone. They returned to the castle at nightfall and attired themselves in clean clothes for the celebratory evening. The castle was alive with servants hurrying to and fro, and the guests coming from their rooms in their splendid dresses and suits.
Everyone congregated in the throne room for the coronation. The area around the ridiculously tall throne was roped off and on a pedestal encased in glass lay a golden sword. The glistening weapon caught Fred's eyes and he led Ned over to catch a closer glimpse of it. The hilt was encrusted with jewels and the handle itself was made from gold.
"Wow..." Fred murmured.
Ned browsed over the weapon and shook his head. "Gold is a very useless material for weapons. The king would have done better to mint coins to pay for better training for his guards."
"That's what I tried to tell him." The pair whirled around to find Lady Martley standing not far away. She smiled pleasantly at them and joined them at the rope. "His Highness designed the hilt himself and wouldn't be persuaded to give her any other gift. I'm sure you both will give her something more useful."
Fred didn't know what Ned planned, but the old man bowed his head. "Very useful indeed," he promised.
The three heard trumpets blast, and all heads turned to the entrance. King Stephen stood in the doorway at the head of the procession with his glistening crowd of gold atop his head. He was arrayed in a ceremonial uniform complete with a sword at his hip and medals on his chest.
Lady Martley leaned down so her lips brushed against Fred's ears. "The king thinks himself a general, but he has never seen battle," she told him with a chuckle.
The crowd in the room parted and allowed the procession to walk a red carpet that led up to the throne. Behind the king came a retinue of his guards with Captain Hawkins at the lead. They led a group of beautiful women, and Fred's eyes widened when he realized the loveliest of them was Pat at the front. Ruth trailed behind with other ladies-in-waiting chosen from the city nobility.
The crowd followed the procession to the throne, where the king ascended the throne and gestured to Pat and Hawkins. They stepped forward, stood on either side of the king, and turned to the crowd. Stephen held up his hands for silence. "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and allies, I am here to fulfill my part of a prophecy given fifteen years ago this day." He lowered one arm toward Hawkins and the other toward Pat. "Captain Hawkins will pass on his responsibilities to this fine young lady, Elsa Lamikan, and she will be the leader of the greatest army in all the regions."
Captain Hawkins stepped forward and removed the elegant sword from the glass case. He turned to Pat and knelt before her. He stretched out his arm, and presented her with the sword. She took the sword in hand and brandished the weapon. Pat turned, stepped up before the throne, and knelt before King Stephen. He smiled down at the young woman and placed his hand on her head.
Stephen looked out over the crowd
, and swept his free hand over them. "The prophecy is fulfilled. I present to all of you my captain, Lady Elsa Lamikan." The crowd broke into cheers and clapping, and Stephen raised Pat onto her feet and turned her to the company.
Pat smiled at them all, and particularly the two behind the rope. They grinned back at her, but Fred thought he saw tears in her eyes and they weren't of joy. Stephen raised a hand and smiled at the crowd. "Now let us drink and be merry, and let us hope this night is one none of us will remember." The guests laughed and mingled.
King Stephen stepped from the throne pedestal and entertained his guests. Hawkins offered his hand to Pat and led her down to the floor, where Fred, Ned, and Martley greeted her with open arms. Ned took her hands in his own and his eyes twinkled as he looked her over. "Very beautiful, like your mother," he complimented.
Pat blushed. "Thank you," she whispered.
Ned turned his attention to Hawkins. "And what will you do now, good captain?"
Hawkins smiled and shook his head. "Captain no more, but lieutenant of the guards."
"And I hope to have you at my side to aid me in my inexperience," Pat graciously replied.
Hawkins bowed at her. "I am forever at your service, my captain, but if you will excuse me I must attend to your men."
"Your men," she corrected him. "Until they trust me they are yours, and yours alone."
Hawkins bowed again, and left them to attend to his duties. Lady Martley wrapped an arm around Pat's shoulders and her face beamed with joy. "You are very lovely, and I'm sure the men under your command will soon learn to trust you" she encouraged the young woman.
Pat smiled, and gave a nod. "I thank you for the compliment, Lady Martley."
Martley's eyes darted over to Ned and Fred. "But I see you wish to be alone with your friends. If you will excuse me I must attend to His Royal Highness' needs."
That left Pat with the two men, and she noticed Fred hadn't spoken a word to her. "You look nice tonight," she complimented him.
"What?" Fred looked at himself and recalled his suit. "Oh, yeah, right. You look nice, too." He felt awkward talking to someone who looked so regal, so above him. She flinched back from his indifference.
The Unwilling Apprentice (Book 2) Page 9
