Ned looked off into space, and even Pat's glee melted away into worry. "Is it important?" she repeated Fred's question.
Ned shook himself of his stupor. "What? Oh, yes, very important. That's the particular ability for Canavar. He uses the stones to focus his power and create such things. So what are we sitting around here for? There could be more danger afoot." Pat helped him climb to his feet, and Fred fetched his staff and placed it in Ned's hand. Ned took a step forward and stumbled; the pair noticed he winced. "I think perhaps that whack on my head did more damage than I thought."
"Maybe you can ride Fluffy?" Fred suggested. Fluffy heard that and bound forward with an eager bark.
Ned grimaced, but patted the cantankus on the head. "All right, you can have the honor of carrying me, but be gentle."
Fluffy was not gentle. The moment Ned's butt slid onto Fluffy's back the dog bound forward with a roar of a bark. Ned screamed and clung to the beast's back as they sailed over the bridge. The youngsters ran after them, but had a hard time keeping up; not so much from Fluffy's pace as from their laughter taking all their breath away.
The companions reached the other side of the bridge and traveled over the gentle hills that lay beyond the river. Night came on before they reached the capital, and they rested beside a crackling fire. Fred, as the most exhausted, collapsed between his blankets. While he slept Pat took the chance to recant to Ned what had happened to them, including Fred's eerie behavior after she pulled him from the water. "What do you make of it?" she asked him.
Ned leaned forward on his staff and his brow furrowed in thought as he watched the fire. After a moment he closed his eyes and shook his head. "I can't say for sure, but you would do well to watch over him. I would trust no one else with the knowledge of his affliction."
"Watch him? How can I watch him after we reach the capital? Would you not be a better protector of him?" she countered.
Ned shrugged. "I may be, but you two are closer in age and would give much more trust to each other than to an old man like myself."
Pat frowned at him. "You must be joking."
The old man turned up his nose in fake insult. "I never joke about such serious matters," he teased her. His amusement didn't last long, for his face drooped and he looked to her with his weary old eyes. "But in all seriousness he needs you, and I think you may find a use for him. He has saved your life several times. A boy like that would be a great asset to have on hand in these dangerous times." Pat stared into the fire and Ned retired to leave her to her thoughts.
The next day they awoke and hurried on their way. By midmorning they saw the crest of the hill, and their steps quickened until they reached the peak. There was a flat spot at the top, and they took in the view. A large, green valley spread out before them in the shape of a bowl. Mountains capped with snow stood to the north, and smaller mountains lay on either side. In the valley was a large city of stone, larger than Tramadore, and a great road led up to the three gates that fed commerce into the metropolis. They could see carriages and carts wheel through the gates, and countless people wandered in and out. The city was defended by a twenty-foot thick wall of stacked stones, and a small army of guards patrolled the battlements. In the back-center of the town stood a tall castle fortress built on the only hill in the valley. Three towers rose up from the high, defensive walls, stepped so that a giant could walk from one to the next like stairs.
Ned smiled and nodded at the place. "A very pretty sight. Let us hope we are expected." He trooped down the mountain and Fred aimed to join him, but a hand grabbed his arm. He turned back to find it was Pat.
Her face was pale and her voice shook; she turned away from him. "I want to ask you something," she told him.
Fred frowned. "What is it?"
"Once we reach the capital I'll be under constant guard, and only able to see noblemen and the king. I-" she paused, took a deep breath and turned to look into his eyes. "I want you to be one of those guards, along with Ned."
Fred blinked; he wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "You want me to guard you?"
Pat smiled and tilted her head to one side. "Why not? You've been doing a pretty good job of it so far. If it hadn't been for you that monster would have carried me away."
The boy shrugged. "I-I guess, but to keep protecting you like it's an official thing? Won't the king have some good guards you can use-"
Pat put her finger on his lips, and shook her head. "They will be strangers to me, and how can I trust strangers over those who I already know will risk their lives to protect me?"
Fred pulled away from her finger, squinted his eyes and rubbed his chin as he leaned in toward her. "I don't know. Will there be free food?"
The girl rolled her eyes and slapped him on the shoulder. "Is that all you boys think about?" she scolded.
Fred rubbed his bruised shoulder, and sheepishly smiled. "It's a high priority for us. I can't protect you on an empty stomach."
Pat shook her head, sighed and turned him around to face the downward trail. Ned waited for them a dozen yards down, and there was a smile on his face. "Come on," she told him as she pushed him down the trail. "Let's go see what trouble you can get us into at this place."
Acknowledgments
Thank you for reading this book, your support is very much appreciated! Without your support, I wouldn't be writing anything, so there's always room for you in my dedications.
I know your time is valuable and I sincerely thank you for finishing this novel! If you would take a brief moment to return to where you purchased the book and leave a review it would be much appreciated! Reviews help new readers find my work and accurately decide if the book is for them as well as provide valuable feedback for my future writing.
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Other Books by Heidi Willard
The Unwilling Adventurer (The Unwilling #1)
Blood Guardians (Blood Guardians #1)
Plagued Sleep (Blood Guardians #2)
Weathering Tides (Blood Guardians #3)
Freed Souls (Blood Guardians #4)
Hawthorn Inn (The Catalyst #1)
Sanctuary (The Catalyst #2)
Ghost Woods (The Catalyst #3)
Chimes of Midnight (The Catalyst #4)
Beneath the Valley (The Catalyst #5)
The Unwilling Adventurer (The Unwilling #1) Page 16
