The Viking's Apprentice

by Kevin McLeod

Chapter 9

  ‘So, Jacob has discovered our plans.’ The Master said, rising from their chair to gaze out the window into the darkness where all around them their plan was taking place.

  ‘We cannot allow him to interfere again, are the ogres ready?’

  ‘Yes Master, they are ready and waiting for your order,’ The Shadow King replied. ‘If it pleases you I would like to go as well.’

  ‘You can lead the ogres, but stay away from Jacob. He may be old, but we know how dangerous he can be.' The Master paused before going on.

  ‘Where are the children and that terrible dog? I should have eaten him when he escaped into our garden, but I did not want to arouse suspicion or have the children poking around the house.’

  ‘The children were not with Jacob, Master. They must still be inside the house, protected by the magic,’ the Shadow King said.

  ‘All of our goblins that went into that mansion have vanished, and with Jacob coming out I can only assume they are all dead.’

  ‘If the children are still in there we could use them to distract Jacob. It will be worthwhile checking,’ the Master replied.

  ‘If we send more goblins in they will die, Master. Even I would struggle to come out of there alive.'

  ‘I was thinking of sending something a bit more useful than a goblin to search for the children,’ the Master said as a wicked smile spread across her face.

  ‘My sisters are already in the caves working with Graff and his army loading the prisoners on the ship. You go with the ogres and attack Jacob. I will join you in the caves once I have sent my friend next door to find those children.’

  The Shadow King left to gather the ogres while the Master went into the back garden, and walked down to the bottom where she could see the ocean and the caves. Beneath her feet, right now, her plan was in action. She could not allow Jacob to spoil it again. She knew she needed the children; he would do nothing if she captured them. The Master turned and raised her arms. She whispered some words then opened her mouth letting out a sound so high pitched it was above the hearing of humans. She waited patiently then she heard the return call, a loud booming roar. He was coming.

  Jacob stopped suddenly in the tunnel shaking his head from side to side.

  ‘What is it, Jacob?' asked Elder Thomson, putting his hand on Jacob's shoulder.

  ‘’I’m not sure. I felt something go right through my head, but it has passed now,’ Granddad replied.

  He composed himself before continuing to lead the group down towards the cave system.

  The boys sat on the Longship with the Elder and Arto while the Vikings rowed silently through the water out towards the Cove. The large Viking at the front of the ship raised his hand and slowly they stopped.

  ‘Why are we stopping?' Peter asked with Jake fast asleep on his lap.

  ‘We must wait here for a signal from either the watchers in the sky or from your Granddad then we will know what action to take.’

  ‘Who is my Granddad?’ Peter asked. ‘I mean I know he is my Granddad but who is he really?’

  ‘Your Granddad is a great man who has done a lot for the Cove, and for people in general. His work had kept people safe when most of the time they never knew they were in danger,' Arto replied.

  ‘The time will come when he will tell you the whole story of his life, but it is for him to tell. Your Granddad would be hurt if anyone else did the telling for him,’ Elder Sanderson said watching Peter and George.

  ‘It is all just so much to take in, why did he not tell us any of this before? Why has he not told my mum?’

  ‘What could he have said? Could he have told your parents he was concerned that witches were going to attack his home?’ Arto said looking at the boys. ‘Should he have said he has a friend who is a talking bear that can vouch for his story?’ Arto seemed to smile as he said this.

  ‘No, you are right. I know you are. It's just so much to deal with.' Peter looked to George hoping he would back him up.

  ‘I am on a Longship with a talking bear and Vikings that came out of a painting. I have seen shadows come alive and try to steal me. I have watched goblins fight knights and gryphons in a house! I think it is safe to say your Granddad is more than you thought he was, that’s for sure.’ He looked out over the dark sea before continuing.

  ‘This is also, without a doubt, the strangest start to a summer ever,’ George said, punching Peter in the arm, and letting out a small laugh. Peter laughed as well he was glad his friend was with him.

  As the boys waited in the Longship Granddad and his companions continued through the tunnel. They moved silently not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. They were making good progress, and Granddad thought they would be in the caves within a few minutes. Suddenly one of the gryphons let out a shrill cry, and the group stopped. Granddad and the other Vikings moved back past the others to see what had alarmed the gryphon. Now both gryphons turned to face the darkness growling nervously.

  ‘What is it? What do you see?' Granddad asked peering into the darkness. He moved his torch through the air but could see nothing. The gryphons continued to stare into the darkness, their hearing and sense of smell both acuter than that of the men. The fact that they were anxious was reason enough for Granddad to feel uneasy.

  ‘Draw your swords and stay close to the light, do not wander from the group,' Granddad said drawing his weapon slowly, never taking his eyes off the darkness behind them.

  ‘What is it, Jacob?' asked one of the Vikings, drawing his sword.

  ‘I am not sure, but whatever it is it has scared the gryphons, and that is all the warning we need. We are not alone in this tunnel anymore.'

  The tunnel began to shake, slowly at first, just little bits of soil moving across the ground, then the noise came. Quiet to begin with, the sound of something approaching far away, but quickly closing the distance to the group. Still, they could see nothing. More and more dirt fell from the ceiling tumbling across the floor. The group stood ready in the narrow tunnel. A fight here would not be easy, but the alternative was to turn their back on whatever this danger was. The sound of heavy feet pounding the soft tunnel floor echoed all around, accompanied by frenzied shrieks and growls. The enemy was close now, but still, they could see nothing.

  The Shadow King led the ogres down the tunnel hiding them in his darkness. He would pull back when they were almost upon their prey, hoping the element of surprise would give the ogres the edge. He could see the light cast by their torches. He had no doubt they were using liquid sunshine, and he would have to be careful. The ogres were in full charge now, full of blood lust and ready for a fight. They turned a sloping corner in the tunnel and there seconds from them was Jacob, his sword drawn, with the two gryphons by his side. The Shadow King waited until the very last second before withdrawing his darkness and revealing the ogres. The ogres shrieked in delight when they saw their enemy, raising their short swords, daggers and clubs to attack.

  ‘Ogres!’ Granddad cried as suddenly the tunnel was full of the foul beasts charging down on them.

  The gryphons were the first of the group to move, thrusting forward powerfully knocking over the nearest ogres before they could react. Granddad and the Vikings charged meeting the ogres head on, swords clashed, shields smashed off clubs and noise filled the tunnel. Ogres were being slain quickly as the Vikings moved with amazing speed cutting through them. They were helped by the gryphons while the knights guarded the Elders. As more and more ogres fell, more and more came, there seemed to be no end to their charge. The tunnel was filling with their lifeless bodies as Granddad and the Vikings continued their attack. Granddad realised they were getting further away from the Elders; he called for them to hold then slowly retreat to their companions. They continued to fight off the ogres as they backed up. The ogres were less enthusiastic for the battle as they stepped over the bodies of so many of their kind to get to their enemies.

  The Shadow King could see the ogres were being routed by the Vikings,
but he also saw an opportunity to inflict some revenge. Unseen as the battle raged below him he rose to the tunnel roof and crept past the fight, hovering above the knights guarding the Elders. The Shadow King dropped in front of them just as the Vikings began to move back in their direction. He reached out for one of the knights pulling him into the suffocating darkness. The other knights reacted far quicker than the Shadow King thought they would, and a strike caught the King on his neck. The blow would have killed a Shadow Walker but merely forced the King backwards. He regained his composure and crushed the final breaths of life out of the knight he gripped in his darkness. The knight's body fell to the ground as the King moved towards the others, twisting his form, changing the darkness to confuse them. They struck out wildly with their swords every stroke missing the King. He attacked again in one swift movement, lifting another knight into his darkness then throwing him effortlessly against the wall. He turned to face the remaining two knights, swirling his darkness into an ever-changing flow of shapes making it impossible for them to attack. He was having fun now and swooped in pulling away their swords, dropping them out of reach. He gave them a glimpse of his face, dark red eyes and razor sharp teeth, before disappearing into his darkness for another attack. Pain shot across him, he swirled and turned to see Jacob swiping at him with his liquid sunshine torch. It burned as pain ripped through his body. The Shadow King screamed and fled down the tunnel towards the caves. He cursed Jacob and vowed there would be another meeting.

  Jacob checked on the two fallen knights, both were dead, the only casualties of the battle. Tens of ogres lay stricken, and others had retreated up the tunnel, deserted by their leader, with the battle lost.

  ‘We must go now and make for the caves as quickly as we can. The Shadow King will alert them that we are coming. They will be waiting for us.’

  Jacob turned to the gryphons and continued.

  ‘I must ask one of you to go back up the tunnel and tell the others they must prepare to join the fight. We have lost the element of surprise.’

  One of the gryphons bowed its head before racing off up the tunnel. The remaining ogres would already be out the tunnel, and either hiding or making their way down to the caves. Jacob cast his light over the scene of the battle; broken ogre bodies lay everywhere. He took one last regretful look at the bodies of the knights then led the others on towards the caves.

  Back at the house, the knights continued to guard the kitchen where the goblins had come in. There had been no repeat attacks, and it appeared that the enemy had moved on. Still, the knights stayed at their post protecting the mansion. A roar shattered the silence and the ground shook. The sound of heavy footsteps smashed into the ground. The roar came again, and they prepared for whatever was coming. Pots and dishes fell to the ground, smashing all over the kitchen floor. They drew their swords stepping backwards in unison ready to fight. Tolldruck burst through the kitchen wall splintering the door into a hundred pieces sending brick and glass in every direction. He spotted the knights straight away and raced for them using his powerful forearms to deflect their blows, before smashing them aside with ease. He was here for the children and could not concern himself with the knights. He broke open doors searching rooms for any signs of them but could not find them anywhere. He roared as he raced upstairs in two bounds his large body barely fitting on the hallway. He checked every room without finding what he was looking for. He left a trail of destruction behind him, partly meant partly unavoidable due to his size. He leapt back to the hall in one movement, crashing into the floor by the stairs, perfectly balanced as one of the knights was regaining consciousness. Tolldruck grabbed him, lifting him off the ground as if he was a feather. He peered at the knight opening his mouth to reveal the rows of razor sharp teeth; his forked tongue darted in and out.

  ‘Where are the children?' He growled crushing the knight in his grip. The knight said nothing and stared back at the beast defiantly.

  ‘You cannot save them, but you can save yourself,' Tolldruck said loosening his grip slightly to give the knight a chance to talk. He raised a hand and nodded his head as if he were about to talk. Tolldruck released him and as he fell to the floor, he produced a dagger from under his armour and made a desperate attempt to stab Tolldruck. The blade did not penetrate his tough black skin. Tolldruck disarmed the knight and threw him full force into the wall under the stairs. His shattered body struck the secret switch revealing the basement passageway. Tolldruck smiled to himself and roared before running into the basement.