“Captain Ralph, what about his powers? The beast is rumored to have many spells to fight against us. How can we stop those?” a man in the back asked.
“Good question, Thompkins. It is said he has the same mystical powers that the Second Kingdom is also rumored to have. Since we’ve never had contact with the Second Kingdom, we can only speculate on the truth of these reports.”
“So, we’re going in blind?” Carter asked.
“Bluntly, yes, we are,” Captain Ralph told them.
A few rustles indicated the shifting of positions, and murmurs began to stir up around the room.
“I need to be honest with all of you. The stories we have heard passed down suggest this is a man of unequaled power. A lot of what we have heard could be hearsay. There might be nothing left in that castle. Of course, there is a chance we will find our foe,” he said.
“Will we be ready? If the rumors are true, could we be heading to our death?” another asked.
“I won't lie to you, my friends. It’s true many of us might perish today, and to expect anything less would be a lie. However, we need to realize that our options have run out. We are no longer a sustainable kingdom.”
“Our people are dying every day and our numbers have dwindled to almost nothing!” a voice called from the back.
Roz and Nina stretched around to see who it might be, but they couldn’t see through the crowd. Nina reached over and took Roz’s hand in her own. Squeezing it, Roz hoped her friend didn’t feel the sweat coating her palms.
“We have lost our loved ones too soon and too frequently to sit around and hope the Second Kingdom will rescue us. Or anyone else will for that matter. Especially since our riders can't get past the dense forest,” Ev shouted.
Agreement arose from the group. Some cheered, stomped their feet, or whistled. Roz and Nina joined the outcry.
“We have a choice. Die doing nothing or die trying!” Captain Madison shouted over the noise. “Which do you prefer to do?”
“Die trying!” they shouted.
The response blasted Roz’s ears, and she looked at Nina. Both had wide eyes and began to laugh. They could feel the energy in the room. There was fear and a tense movement, but the excitement was growing.
“When we go in, you’ll have a captain and leaders assigned to your units,” Captain Murphy began explaining.
Roz looked at Nina and shook her head. Leaning down to her ear, she whispered, “Your brother listened to me, didn’t he? I’m not going to be named a leader, am I?”
“I don’t know,” Nina mouthed.
Eyes darting throughout the open room, Roz tried to find Leuthar. She couldn’t let him hear her announced as a leader and not him. Catching Ev’s eye, she made a motion to get his full attention. His eyes on her, Roz pointed to herself and shook her head.
He shrugged and turned to face the captains. He wouldn’t meet her eyes at all. A nauseous feeling cramped her stomach, and she rubbed over it with her free hand.
Nina squeezed her left hand, and Roz stiffened as she waited for the captain to continue. Detecting Leuthar in the back, closest to the exit, she kept an eye on him as Captain Ralph picked up giving the instructions again.
“The leaders are our secondary commands. You’ll follow them if something happens to one of us. We’re counting on you to keep your cool and continue the mission despite losses. These are the leaders we feel have shown improvement, calm thinking, and high marks in their classes. They are our top ten in field and intelligence training.”
Nina glanced back up at her. Roz ignored the look and kept Leuthar in line with her peripheral vision. There weren’t many parents here, it was filled with the combatants. There were fifty from seventeen to twenty-seven.
They had been inducted into the program ten years ago. Her first day was the very same day she turned seven. The program took anyone from seven to seventeen to begin training. Captain Ralph’s thought process was the young were fast, easier and quicker to train, and would be able to build strength better than those who were older.
“We’re sending offense teams in first with defense following close behind. As you know, the main job of the offense teams is to discover, distract, and detonate. You’re going to use everything you have against the beast, if and when you find him.”
“The defense teams,” Captain Starsky took over, “are going to go in secondary. Their primary duty is to back up offense. However, they are also targeting any library which will contain information we can utilize.”
Roz held onto Nina’s hand and hoped Ev had talked to the captains for her. She couldn’t stand watching anything happen to Leuthar in front of all of these people. They would know if he had the sickness then, and she couldn’t let that happen.
“The leaders will be there to support and direct you. If you have any problems, be sure to direct your questions to them. They can relay them as needed to the captain of your division. If your captain has been killed, the leaders will be your first point of contact,” Captain Madison said.
Ev stepped up. He was one of the oldest recruits, and because he was at the top of the class, he already had a position of command. Although, he hadn’t been made a captain yet, it was the next step.
“I’m going to share with you the leaders for each team. I’ll be the leader for the first offense team. Defense one, your leader is Levi.”
A few cheers erupted in the left-hand corner, and Roz turned to see Levi’s hands raised in the air. Gulping, she faced Ev.
“Offense two, your leader is Natalie,” Ev paused while more cheers called out. “Defense two, your leader is Lincoln.”
Roz wanted to join the others cheering for the leaders, but her throat was constricted, and she thought she might gag if she opened her mouth.
Ev continued, “Offense three, your leader is going to be Brooklyn.”
Roz held her breath.
“Defense three, your leader is Julian.”
These were the last two people. The last team. So far, the names Ev had mentioned the other night were the same ones he was calling now. This meant she could possibly be a leader for the last team.
Roz felt Nina release her hand. Instead, Nina wrapped her arm around Roz’s back and placed her left hand on her arm.
“It will be okay,” she mouthed.
“Offense four, your leader will be Roz,” Ev’s voice echoed in her ears, and so did the screams and shouts surrounding her.
The pats on the back as those beside her congratulated her went unnoticed. Roz’s eyes immediately went to Leuthar. His own met hers, and she could see the betrayal in them. He’d expected to be named. Not her.
This isn’t good, Roz thought and shook her head at him. She needed to let him know this wasn’t her doing.
“Enough now,” Ev interjected, and her classmates calmed. “Last, defense four, your leader will be Mila.”
Everett had just sealed her fate. Roz watched as Leuthar looked down, wiped a hand across his eyes, and took one last look at her before exiting the building.
“Roz, what are you doing?” Nina asked, when she tried to break out of the sidehug.
“Leuthar just left. I have to go find him. He expected to be named. I told him he would.”
“Why would you do that?” Nina asked, following her.
She shrugged and pushed through. Her fellow recruits patted her on the back and congratulated her as she passed. Ignoring their words, she continued to the exit. Opening the door, she found she was too late.
Her brother had disappeared.
“Roz!” Nina burst out the door behind her. “You can’t just leave. We have to listen to the plans and practice. Leuthar will be fine. He’ll come back when he’s feeling better.”
“Nina, this is all my fault. I just thought he would be made a leader, and I wanted to give him something positive to look forward to.”
Nina tilted her head back for a moment before straightening. She pushed her dark brown hair over her shoulder and massaged her templ
es.
“I can’t believe you told him he’d be chosen. You didn’t know he would be!”
Roz sighed and dropped her head into her hands. Groaning loudly, she made sounds until she ran out of air. Raising her head again, she shook it and shrugged.
“Nina, I just wanted to give him something positive to think about, and I did think he’d be picked. He’s really good.”
“I’m sorry, Roz. The captains know you’re better. He can’t be angry over you being chosen. If he is, be careful. Make sure it’s regular anger and not the sickness. Maybe you should spend the night at my house?”
“I’ll be fine, Nina. I told you, Leuthar is okay. He’s been acting normal. Everyone gets angry. Including me and you and Ev. Even my father has been upset the last few days with the state of the soil and planting.”
“Yes, but you know it’s one of the signs. Normal anger versus involuntary anger is something to watch for, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Has Leuthar been hallucinating? That’s how we first found out mom had it.”
“I remember. She exhibited hallucinations, and your father had anger outbursts which turned violent.”
“Captain Madison’s daughter started with talking to herself. She told him she could see and talk to others. Captain Starsky’s wife tried to murder him. In his sleep. You know it can come on in different ways very quickly.”
“I know. It was stupid of me. Oh, so very stupid,” Roz admitted. “My mouth was speaking the words before I even realized it. Is it so bad that I wanted him to have a win?”
“It isn’t bad, and you’re not stupid. Ridiculous and way too nice might be more accurate descriptions. Roz, I don’t even know what to do with you.”
Closing her eyes, she stood motionless. Replaying her horrendous mistake over and over in her mind, she could only conclude one thing: “Leuthar can’t have the sickness.”
Her eyes popped open, and she grabbed Nina’s arm.
“Leuthar can’t have the sickness. If he did, he could have exploded in there. He didn’t. He isn’t sick!” Roz threw her arms around Nina and laughed.
“I suppose you’re right,” Nina hesitated. “It doesn’t mean he couldn’t get it. Any of us could, at any time. That’s the scary part.”
Roz nodded. “I know.” She looked up and down the street. “We should get back inside. We’re missing everything. I hope Leuthar comes back.”
“He will,” Nina said. “Let’s go.”
They reentered, and eyes found them.
Captain Murphy was speaking, “However, our only option is to strike, and strike undercover. If we go in the early hours of the morning, he will be asleep and unsuspecting. We hope for that anyway.”
“Remember as offense, you strike and keep striking from every side. He may be able to take a few of us at a time but not several recruits from every offense team at the same time. Our hope of distracting him will be your primary focus,” Captain Madison told them.
Captain Starsky spoke next, “While they're distracting the beast, defense, you step in and back them up with everything you have. Fire power will be needed here. Be careful when shooting not to hit your partners, but know that if you have the shot, take it! Do not hesitate!”
“Defense three, I want you to search for the library. Offense three will protect you in this endeavor. One and two, your primary goal is finding the beast, and four, your backup. You will be our next round of fire power and defense if one and two need help.”
The tactics were discussed for several more minutes. Questions were asked and answered for a while longer. Roz listened and took in all of the information. Her team would be backup.
Pausing, Captain Ralph took in the whole room. He made eye contact with Roz as his gaze swept over them. She noticed his pause. His brown eyes were dark and held her own. He wouldn’t look away.
“So, are you with me?” he asked.
“YES!” The outcry was loud and fierce, voices blended in a resounding echo.
Roz lifted her voice as high as the others. She was determined to kill this beast. In a matter of hours, they would be on the move. This had to work. It was their only option for so many reasons.
“Good, let’s go,” he said, and clapping his hands, he nodded. “Teams, we’re going to break up and practice. Your captains are going to fill you in on what you need to know. Team one with me, team two with Captain Madison, team three with Captain Murphy, and team four with Captain Starsky.”
Roz stepped up to offense and defense four. Mila slid in next to her and smiled.
“I’m happy we’re on the same team, Roz. You have some slick moves,” Mila told her.
“Thanks, Mila. I’m excited to work with you as well. You almost had Ev that one day. You might have been the closest one out of us all.”
“I’m pretty sure that honor went to you,” Mila countered. “Ev is the worst to beat. He’s like a machine.”
Roz laughed. “You have no idea.”
Smiling, they both turned to look at the others joining them. Captain Starsky, had arrived and was unrolling a map to place on the table in front of them. He tapped it twice before taking a step back.
“This is what we’re looking at. The castle is three stories. It has a basement and a cellar. We’ve all been talking and planning this for the last ten years. Ev has helped us with recon, and we’re almost positive something is there.”
“You’ve seen the beast?” Mila asked.
“Like what?” Mila asked.
“Why weren’t we told?” Roz interjected.
For a second, they could hear the voices all around them. Different teams were asking their captains the same thing. Questions being echoed around the room.
“We didn’t say anything because we didn’t want to scare everyone. We didn’t want anyone making their own recon visits and possibly alerting the beast to what we’re doing. Plus, you all had to be tested first,” Captain Starsky explained.
“Tested? Is this a game?” Roz felt her face heating.
Swallowing, she glanced at Mila and across the room at Nina. Her friend had twisted around and looked at her with an open mouth. She was shaking her head. Roz shook her head back and then faced Captain Starsky again.
“No, Roz. It isn’t a game. What I meant by being tested is, you all had to be trained. We needed to make sure you were all strong enough for this.”
“You knew he could be alive, and you haven’t told us? We’ve thought he was a myth for the last ten years!” Roz gritted her teeth.
“No, Roz. We haven’t. Many of our community have believed your grandfather, and it is because of his report we’ve sent these men to find out what they could. Our evidence indicates the possibility of a person on the premises.”
“He’s there?” she asked.
“Someone is. The reports we’ve received back specified food appearing, out of nowhere, on the back porch. The next morning, it disappeared as quickly as it reappeared. This has happened once a week for the entire three months of recon.”
“You kept this information from us?” Mila wanted to know.
“First, we needed to ensure the information was truthful and seen by others. We told no one in order to keep the data untainted. Each group was told not to talk. The revelation was saved for tonight.”
“So, did you find all you needed?” Mila asked.
“Only the food and shadows. Nothing concrete. However, we felt it was enough to share with you this evening. At 0300, we’re asking you to walk into a dark castle without any idea what could be there. Our evidence shows, we’re going to have to be even more on our guard.”
“You mean, he could definitely be there, and we could end up dead.” Roz asked.
“That’s one way of looking at it,” Captain Starsky agreed.
Mila stepped forward. “Should we carry through with our plan?”
“Yes, we’re going to go in just as we practiced. I wanted to make you fully aware of the facts first. You deserved to know what we’ve found.”
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Everyone nodded. Roz didn’t know if she should feel angry and betrayed, scared, or relieved. She looked away and found Leuthar. He was standing with the others in the first team. Feeling decided, she twisted back around.
“Here is the back entrance. We will be entering there. Teams one and two are entering from the front of the house. Team three will go in before us. We will hang back and wait until the count of sixty to follow them.”
He pointed to the map on the table. “This is the back entrance, and there are woods surrounding its borders. There is only one entrance the castle.”
Moving his finger along the road, he added, “Here is the main access. The first two teams will enter through this road, but we’re going to follow the wooded area. We’ll gain our route through it with team three. Any questions?”
Heads shook around the table. After a bit more discussion, the meeting ended.
“We will meet here at 0300. Get some sleep,” Captain Starsky told them.
Mila walked beside Roz as they were dismissed, and Nina and Ev joined them.
“Do you think this will work?” Roz blurted out her fear.
Instead of a quick reply, the others stood for a few moments holding her gaze and contemplating their answer. She looked to Ev. If anyone would know or tell her the truth, she knew it would be him.
“Nothing else has worked, Roz. We’re going to do this. Remember what you were asked inside? Do you want to die or die fighting?”
“I’ll fight, Ev. You know I will. It would help if you could tell me what you saw up there.”
“The same thing your captain told you. Food appearing and disappearing and shadows. We never saw a body or a beast. Our time is now, Roz. Whatever horror living up there needs to be taken down. Otherwise, we’re all going to die.”
Ev walked away. “Nina,” he called as he went.
“I’m sorry, Roz. You know why we’re doing this.”
Roz hugged Nina before watching her catch up with her brother.
“It’s what we signed on for, right?” Mila startled her.
Sighing, Roz turned to her and nodded. “It is. There’s always a part of me wanting more answers, though. None of which anyone can seem to provide. However, in the morning, we shall see what is up there on the hill.”
The Four Tales Page 28
