Challenge -
Done by CHARLENE for TANN
"A short story involving the return of a guest starring character like Zandora or Dekkion” ... with an extra New Young Ones slant!
= = =
One of the Team
“I can’t believe you did something so retarded!” Holly snapped suddenly, breaking the golden silence that the group of travellers had been embracing.
The young adults were gathered in a beautiful valley. Lush greenery surrounded them, and the vast meadow land was covered in daisies. A stream with bright blue water was just feet away and beyond the stream was a forest. It was a lovely place, though the serenity was completely lost on the Brush Rubber, her anger dominating her emotions too much for her to appreciate anything at that moment.
“Holly, it’s been almost a week. Let it go,” pleaded Carter, rolling his eyes at her as if for good measure.
“But aren’t any of you guys mad? You should be. It’s Kane’s fault we’re still stuck in this dump when we could have been home by now,” Holly grumbled.
“I don’t think this place is a dump,” Miku spoke. The attractive Japanese girl had been entertaining herself by making a daisy chain. Her project complete, Miku slipped the chain over her head, smiling as it hung around her neck “I think it’s kind of pretty.”
“You would,” muttered Holly, shooting the other girl a glare. Just her luck to get stranded with one of the most annoyingly perky people Holly had never known.
“We had to save those people, though, didn’t we?” asked Joto, looking to Kate, rather than to Holly, for an answer.
“Well we couldn’t just let their village burn to the ground,” explained Kane calmly “And Dungeon Master told us afterwards that we did the right thing.”
“And it wasn’t completely wasted. We got given free food that lasted for days,” Carter pointed out.
True that being handed food that didn’t need to be killed and cooked first wasn’t bad, but if they’d just gone through the portal instead of staying behind to help, they’d be in their own world eating burgers and fries by now. And the supplies they’d been given by the villagers had already run out. They were back to not knowing where their next meal was coming from.
The more she thought about it, the angrier Holly grew. Nobody has asked HER if she’d wanted to stay. Even when she had tried to protest she’d been ignored.
She hated that it was Kane who had been placed in charge of them. No one was the boss of her. She did what she wanted to do, not what someone else asked or, in Kane’s case, demanded of her. It might not have been so bad if someone else had been made the leader instead. Had Carter or Miku been given the job, Holly knew she would have been able to wind them both around her little finger. But no. It had to be Kane. Mister Stubborn, Miser I’m Always Right. Mister You’ll Do What I Say And Like It. It was just her luck!
“Don’t try to make us believe you have really let those people lose their homes if it had been solely up to you. Not even you’re that heartless, Holly” said Collin.
“Oh yeah? How would you know! You barely know me! None of you do, not really!” Holly shot back, her frustration and fury only continuing to grow. The more she was challenged on anything, the angrier she became. She’d always been that way, even as a little kid.
“And right now I’m thinking maybe that’s a good thing,” replied Kane. He was getting irritated now. Holly knew that if she kept pushing the issue much longer, Kane would lose it.
She didn’t care. Holly wouldn’t let herself be intimidated by Kane’s temper. In fact, she actually enjoyed winding him up, trying to see how far she could go before he’d be unable to control himself. It was something of a sport for her.
“Oh, really?” scoffed Holly, realising that this time she wasn’t going to get what she wanted. Instead, the tables had been turned and Kane was the one winding her up. His calm indifference towards her goading attempts was infuriating.
“Well maybe I should just ditch you guys. Go my own way. Least then I’d get to do what I wanted!” Holly argued. She didn’t think about what she was saying; only that she had to have the last word and get her way. She wasn’t going to let Kane make her look stupid, even if the whole conversation had started because she’d been spoiling for a fight.
“Maybe you should,” replied Kane, glaring at her now, clearly having had enough. His voice remained calm but there was annoyance in his eyes.
“Fine! I will! I don’t need you!”
With that, Holly stood up from where she’d been sitting cross-legged on the ground and took a few steps forward, heading towards the stream.
“Holly, you can’t go off alone. Where will you go?” protested Miku.
“Who cares? Anywhere you’re not!”
Any displays of concern were lot on the Brush Runner, and she crossed the stream, walking on the water as though it was a road. For one of the first times since she’d been here, she found herself actually grateful for her powerful Moccasins.
* * * *
“We should go after her,” said Miku only seconds after Holly had disappeared from view by walking into the forest on the other side of the stream.
“Should we?” snorted Kane. During their first days in the Realm, the Samurai wouldn’t have hesitated to go after one of his friends. But Holly had pushed him past breaking point with her bad attitude and he wasn’t going to sit and take it anymore.
If she wanted to run away, let her. He wasn’t her, or anyone else’s keeper. He didn’t care what Dungeon Master said about his friends being his responsibility. Holly wasn’t his friend. Kane had hardly known the hot tempered Apache girl before getting trapped in this world with her and he had no interest in learning more about her. She was arrogant and disrespectful and annoying and he didn’t want to get to know anyone like that, whatever Dungeon Master said.
Had it been any of the others, Kane wouldn’t hesitate to go after them, but he’d just had enough with Holly. She needed to learn a lesson. Maybe this was how she would.
“Miku’s right, Kane,” said Carter, who was on his feet and staring in the direction Holly had gone, visibly worried “She could get in real bad trouble, and I know you don’t really want that to happen to any of us, not even Holly.”
It was always Carter that resorted reason to the group whenever there was conflict. The easy going Southerner had a charm about him that drew people in, that made them listen. Kane had been using Carter as an advisor, of sorts, after discovering that being a leader wasn’t always easy, that it sometimes took more than one person to make a decision.
But this time Kane wasn’t being so easily swayed. Everyone had a point of no return, and Holly had driven Kane over his.
“No. She needs to learn to grow up. If she has to do that the hard way…well, I’m not taking any of her crap anymore. The rest of us are learning to manage here, it’s time she did, too!” Kane declared. He really wasn’t going to back down on this one.
“I agree with Kane,” Collin chimed in. He’d been unusually quiet, not seeming interested in their situation until now “You need to show her whose boss, stop letting her try to push you around.”
“But she could get hurt,” protested Miku “Whatever you think of her, Holly doesn’t deserve that. I don’t think she’s as bad as she tries to be.”
“You’re right,” Kane sighed, defeated. However much he might want to, however much he thought Holly deserved it, he just couldn’t turn his back on one of his comrades “Okay. We’ll go get her back.”
* * * *
Holly looked over her shoulder. They hadn’t followed her.
Good.
She wanted to be alone. If she had her way, she’d never have to see those stupid morons again.
Holly kept walking until she could no longer see the stream behind her.
The forest didn’t seem scary, at least not by daylight. But its beauty was completely lost on the angry teenager, who busied her thoughts by cursing Kane, Miku, and everyone she felt had ever helped to ruin her life.
“Greetings, Brush Runner,” the unexpected voice made Holly jump. Looking up, she saw Dungeon Master standing in front of her, towering above her in his impressive red robes.
“Oh, it’s you,” Holly quickly recovered herself, hoping he hadn’t noticed. She glared at him. She’d come here for some peace! Her team-mates were bad enough, but she found Dungeon Master even more annoying. The way he spoke in those damn riddles like he was Yoda or something, and how he never just sent them home. She was sure he could, if he wanted.
“And my name is Holly. H-o-l-l-y, it’s not rocket science!” the girl added, her irritation only growing further by the appearance of the powerful Mage.
“You are not with your friends,” Dungeon Master observed, as though he hadn’t even noticed Holly’s rudeness.
“They aren’t my friends,” Holly snapped back “I’m better off without anyone.”
“Why do you say this?” Dungeon Master sounded as though he was asking a question, but Holly knew better. Dungeon Master didn’t really ask questions because Dungeon Master knew everything. Or it seemed that way.
“Because it’s true,” despite knowing that Dungeon Master knew the answer, Holly’s response came automatically “Besides, it’s not like they even want me around.”
“How interesting,” Dungeon Master’s tone was so hard to read that Holly had no idea if he was on her side or not, or what he was thinking “But perhaps stumbling upon you will bring good fortune. There is a matter of great urgency. Someone is in trouble, and needs your help.”
“Me?” Holly was surprised. Dungeon Master glad to see her? Wanting HER help? What was going on here? “What makes you think I can help? Or even want to?”
“In the small city of Amon, a Knight named Dekkion is being held prisoner in the dungeons of King Nawzed, the ruler of Amon, was angered when Dekkion and some of his fellow Celestial Knights freed some of his prisoners. Dekkion’s death sentence will take place one day from now. Unless someone can save him,” finished Dungeon Master.
“What about the other Knights? Why can’t they do it?” asked Holly.
“Dekkion was travelling alone at the time of his capture. Amon is his homeland, and when he saw that it was under a new ruler – one who is a cruel tyrant who has brought endless misery during his short rein – Dekkion wanted to remain behind to try and put things right again. He freed some peasants whom he believed had been unfairly imprisoned, but Nawzed’s guards discovered him just as he was leading the prisoners to freedom. They re-captured the peasants and put Dekkion in chains. Now, Dekkion sits alone in a cold cell, knowing that his death will be carried out publicly in the main square to set an example to other would-be heroes.”
“What does this have to do with me?” Holly tried to sound like she didn’t care, didn’t want to know, but secretly she couldn’t help feeling sorry for the Knight.
“I’d been hoping that you and your friends could help Dekkion. But if you are no longer working with them, perhaps you could go on this particular quest by yourself.”
“You think I can free a Knight on my own?” Holly was unable to hide her amazement.
“You could go back to your friends and ask for their help?” suggested Dungeon Master, casting Holly a brief look of doubt.
“No!” Holly instantly dismissed the idea “I don’t need them, I don’t need anybody. Which way is the palace? I’ll go to Dekkion and help him myself. I’ll show all of you!”
“Very well. The cottage is to the west. Journey westward and you will soon reach it. But remember; Pride goeth before a fall.”
“Huh? Jeez, can’t you just speak like a normal…person?” Holly trailed off. Dungeon Master had somehow vanished right before her eyes and she’d not even noticed until he’d gone!
She sighed, getting the feeling that she was already in too deep.
Holly forced any fear out of her mind. She had a task to do, and she was going to prove them all wrong if it killed her!
* * * *
Dungeon Master watched the Brush Runner leave. He had faith that the girl would learn the error of her ways, but she was easily one of his more…challenging pupils.
There was great unrest within her. She was deeply unhappy. He felt this. The inner sorrow that her comrades could not sense simmered so strongly that it was impossible for anyone with the right intuition to miss.
The Mage had faith that his unruly student could, but it would take time, patience, and hard work.
Yes. Holly the Brush Runner had a long journey ahead of her.
* * * *
“She can’t have gone far. It’s only been a couple minutes since she ran off,” remarked Miku as they crossed the bridge, entering the woods across from the stream.
“Maybe not, but you know what people are like…if they don’t want to be found, chances are, they won’t be,” replied Kane, who just knew already that this wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing was easy here.
“HOLLY? HOLLY? WHERE ARE YOU?” Collin had cupped his hands around his mouth and was shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Easy, Collin. We’re trying to find one girl. Not wake the dead,” Kane chided lightly.
“She could be hiding some place,” suggested Joto “Like in a hollow tree or something.”
“Or in bushes,” said Miku “These woods are pretty big. Wouldn’t be hard for someone to disappear here.”
“So we should do more searching and less talking,” concluded Kane, before leading his friends deeper into the forest.
* * * *
The more she walked, the more Holly’s nerves increased.
She hadn’t been on her own before since getting her. Not like this. She’d run off, but only to go and sit and sulk somewhere until Kane or Miku or Carter came to find her. She hadn’t ever gone on a quest completely by herself, though. This was new. And it wasn’t in the least bit exciting. It was scary. But she dared not turn back now. If she admitted she’d been wrong, they’d all tease her mercilessly for ages.
And she was no coward!
She could do this. She would prove her worth to Dungeon Master, to everyone. If she saved that Dekkion guy, she’d earn their respect. No one would look down on her again if she showed them what she could do.
Because she was NOT worthless.
Holly knew that was what the others thought of her. It wasn’t any thing specific any of them had ever said or did, it was just a feeling she had. They hated her. Like everyone else did.
But she wasn’t going to think about that. She had an important job to do and she wasn’t going to fail. She wanted the satisfaction of being able to laugh in their faces when they found out what she had done. They’d never believe it!
Dekkion would be grateful to her, too. He’d think she was really something if she could free a Knight like him all by herself.
Maybe, if she succeeded, Dungeon Master would send them home as a sort of reward. If she was responsible for getting everyone back to their own world, she’d be a real heroine. No one would mock her ever again.
Her spirits lifted for the first time since arriving here, Holly quickened her pace and walked briskly towards Amon.
* * * *
“Holly! Come on, Holly, this is stupid!” Kane called for his missing team-mate as he and his remaining followers went deeper into the woods.
Kane wondered if it was always going to be like this. Even if they got Holly back this time, she’d probably only run away again in the future. Her spoiled brat outlook and unreasonable temper would see to that. If things weren’t going her way, she’d sulk, insult others and be an overall pain in the butt. Even when things were going her way she never showed any real signs of happiness or niceness like most people.
What was wrong with her?
The Samurai glanced at the others.
Everyone else had taken being transported here rather well, considering. After a few days of despair, confusion, disbelief and denial, they’d already fallen into a routine. Every day they would wake up at sunrise, take an hour or two to hunt and eat, and then begin roaming aimlessly around looking for a portal home.
Each member of the little band contributed something towards making things easier.
Miku’s sense of fun and her high-spirited attitude never failed to lift up someone who was down.
Carter’s natural charm made it easy for the Rouge to help break-up arguments whenever any erupted within the group. He had a skill for preaching to the crowd without coming over as condescending or arrogant.
Collin…well, Collin was a bit of a show-off, and a bit too loud, but he was coming along. He stuck with the group and mostly did what was asked of him. Mostly.
And Joto, like Miku, also had a fun-loving nature. His youthful innocence often brought hope to the group, too, and the ten-year-old was already quite good with his weapon, which allowed him to transform into any animal he choose.
But Holly…the girl had no positive attributes, or so it looked like. Kane had tried to be patient and understanding, but she was making no effort at all. She just moaned and sulked about everything. It had already gotten old.
“If we get her back, and she runs away again over something else later, I don’t know if I’m gonna go after her next time,” announced Kane. “I’m already sick of this.”
“It does slow us down,” agreed Carter “The time we spend looking for Holly is time that could go towards trying to find a portal. But still…we can’t just ditch anyone while we’re here. We need to stay together, right?”
“Indeed.”
The Young Ones gasped in surprise. Kane stopped walking so abruptly that Carter wasn’t able to stop in time himself, and walked right into Kane.
“Dungeon Master!” Kane exclaimed. The way the Mage always seemed to appear as if out of thin air never failed to catch him out. “What are you doing here?”
“You are looking for the Brush Runner,” Dungeon Master stated.
“Um…yeah,” admitted Kane “But how did you know?”
“She is headed towards the nearby city of Amon, where she will try to set free a Knight named Dekkion.”
“She’s going alone? Is she crazy? That sounds like something that could get her killed!”
Momentarily surprised that he cared so much when just seconds ago he’d been talking about leaving Holly for good, Kane realised, then, that a drastic change within the group was needed. Instead of making her feel like they’d be better off without her, they might need to try the opposite solution and treat Holly as though she was really needed. If she’d gone off on a mission by herself, she had to be wanting to try and prove her own worth, if not to anyone else, then at least to herself.
He was still angry with her, but slowly Kane was realising he felt something for the girl other than contempt and annoyance.
He cared about her.
She was, after all, one of them, whether she liked it or not. However unhelpful she had been up to this point, she didn’t deserve to have anything bad happen to her. All they had in this ridiculous world was each other. And he’d been entrusted to look after the others, to make sure they ALL got home safe, every last one of them.
“Yeah, we’ve got to find her,” agreed Miku worriedly, concern reflecting in her deep eyes.
“You’ve changed your tune, Kane! Just a second ago you were talking about ditching her for good…and that wouldn’t be a bad idea either, if you ask me. She’s been nothing but trouble,” argued Collin.
“Dungeon Master, who is this Knight that Holly’s gone to rescue?” asked a curious Joto.
Dungeon Master retold the story of Dekkion to his pupils, and by the time he’d finished, Kane’s concern for Holly’s safety had only increased.
“We’ll go to Amon. We’ll get Holly back and free Dekkion,” said Kane, flooded with determination. If they didn’t, he dreaded to think about what could happen to both his team-mate and the Knight.
“Hey, Dungeon Master, once we get to Amon where -” Kane began to asked, but gasped.
Dungeon Master was gone.
* * * *
Amon was a tiny city.
But it was very pretty and the buildings were all nice looking and well-kept. Houses lined either side of the street, not un-like they would in her own world. They all had white walls and thatched roofs, two windows (one on the ground floor level, one on the upper level) and brown wooden door.
As Holly walked, the street with the houses trailed off into the town square, which was bustling with activity. There were market stalls set up that were selling anything from fruit to jewellery. Holly stopped to admire a beautiful necklace that caught her eye, but had to decline the trader’s enthusiastic offer to sell it to her. She had no money, and even if she did, it would go towards food rather than useless trinkets, as pretty as they were.
She was hungry, now that she thought about it. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and it had to be after lunch time by now. Holly tried not to look at all the mouth-watering food that was for sale and quickened her pace, wanting to find the palace. The sooner she freed the Knight, the sooner she might get home. Then she could just pig out on pizza and chocolate and do nothing but watch TV. No more dumb quests.
Walking through the large square, Holly passed many oddities. There was a man standing on a box reciting poetry to a small, but captivated audience. Further along, there was another man who was drawing sketch-portraits of anyone who wanted one. A little girl who had to be younger than Joto was sitting on a chair opposite the artist and Holly watched briefly as he sketched her. On the opposite side of the square, a young boy played something that looked like a flute while a girl of the same age danced to the music. They, too, had attracted a crowd of onlookers and the girl danced quite beautifully. She was adorable too, clad in a pink dress with ribbons in her hair. The children had to be younger than Joto. Holly watched them for a moment, smiling, but quickly pushed on.
As the town square trailed off into another street, Holly could see the towers of what had to be the palace towering over the houses.
She’d found it!
There was a high wall around the palace. It was too high to climb over, but that wasn’t a problem for her.
“Wings,” she ordered, looking down at her moccasins. Obediently, the shoes magically sprouted wings, one on each foot.
“Fly,” Holly commanded. The wings fluttered and slowly Holly was lifted up off the ground and into the air. She rose up, high and high until she could see over the wall. She hovered behind it, careful not to let anyone see her spying.
She could see four guards by the main entrance doors at the front of the building, and half a dozen more near to the main gate at the front of the courtyard, but that was all.
For the first time, Holly wished she wasn’t alone. If the others were here, some could cause a distraction while the rest of them sneaked inside. It would be easy.
Except they weren’t here. Who knew where they were now. They were probably looking for a portal without her. They might have even found one. What if they’d gone home already and she was trapped by herself?
Holly pushed all thoughts of the others out of her mind. She couldn’t worry about that now. She’d chosen to do this alone and do it she would! If she didn’t, Dekkion would be killed.
“I’ll get you out,” she muttered, glancing at the palace and wondering whereabouts inside the dungeons were.
“Over,” Holly said to the shoes, and they flew her over the wall.
“Down,” she said lastly. Down she floated, smoothly and quickly, landing quietly right inside the palace courtyard.
Miraculously, her grand entrance went unnoticed. Seeing that there were no guards there, Holly darted around the right side of the palace, pressing herself up against the wall, trying to conceal herself.
Now all she had to do was get inside and find the dungeons. Except as she looked, tip-toeing around to the back of the palace, and then the left side, she saw that there was no way in. She couldn’t find any secret entrance or unguarded doors. There was just no way of getting inside apart from those main front doors, which were heavily guarded. What was she going to do? She couldn’t give up. She was so close. Dekkion was right inside those walls!
“And what might you be doing here?”
Holly jumped. She’d been so consumed with worry over how she was going to get into the palace that she’d not heard the guard coming up to her from behind. She spun around, eyes wide, and he grabbed her roughly by the arm. She tried to struggle but his grip was too tight.
“You’ve got a Knight called Dekkion imprisoned here. Why? He was trying to help people!” said Holly. She was frightened, but there was no way she’d let the brute who held her know that.
“He went against the King. As have you by entering the palace grounds uninvited.”
“The king’s a monster!” Holly didn’t mean to go so far, but the words were out before she could stop herself “He hurts people who don’t deserve it! He needs to be stopped!”
“This talk is treason! I will take you before his Highness. He will enjoy deciding your punishment,” the guard spat.
Holly tried to kick out at him, hoping her shoes would help her get away, but his grip was just too strong and he pulled her inside the palace.
* * * *
If Holly had to use only one word to describe the palace throne room, it would have been ‘decadent’.
Even as she trembled as the guard pulled her towards the King, she couldn’t help take in the beauty of the room. The marble floor was so well polished that it actually sparkled, and the pillars were made of gold. There was a rich red carpet leading from the door to the throne and countless decorations like vases and treasure chests littered the room. Paintings hung on the walls and drapes the same colour as the rug hung from large stain glass windows.
“Bring the offender before me,” the King ordered, though he sounded more bored than he did threatening.
King Nawzed himself was nowhere near as impressive as his home. He was sitting down, but even then Holly could tell that he was by no means a tall man. He was thin as a rake, middle aged and balding and looked more like a worn down accountant rather than royalty. On his lap was a black cat who looked as bored as its owner that he petted on and off every few moments. This was the man who terrorized a city? The Brush Runner tried not to laugh.
“Kneel,” the King commanded her.
“What if I don’t?” she shot back. If she was ever going to bow down to someone, it wouldn’t be to this idiot.
The guard who still held her arm let her go, but quickly pushed his hands down on her shoulders, forcing her to obey.
“Hey!” she protested angrily.
“You have been accused of speaking out of turn about King of Amon, and of plotting to cause harm to His Highness,” said a tall, dark-skinned man who stood next to the King’s throne, trying to look important. He wore floor length robes that were a deep purple in colour. He had on his head a hat that looked not much unlike one that the Pope in her world wore. It was the same shade of purple as his robes. In his left hand, he held a long silver staff. Holly wondered if it was magic.
“How do you plead?” asked the tall man.
“I didn’t do anything!” protested Holly “And I only said what I bet everyone in this city’s thinking anyway!”
“Osaze, may I remind you that the penalty for treason is -”
“Death. Yes, you’re Highness,” agreed the tall man. Osaze addressed the guard. “Take her to the dungeons. She can be hung at dawn with the Knight Dekkion. A fitting punishment, I think.”
“What? No! You can’t! I’m just a kid!” Holly shouted as she was dragged away. Normally Holly would hit out at anyone who labelled her as a mere child, or treated her like one, but it was the only weapon she had left. Unfortunately for her, the King seemed indifferent towards offender’s ages and took no notice of her arguments.
“You’ll be sorry! I work for Dungeon Master and he’s gonna be furious when he finds out what you did!” yelled Holly, mentioning the wizard in a last ditch attempt to try and save herself, hoping the fact that she was his pupil might scare the King into changing his mind/
It didn’t. She struggled as hard as she could as she was forced out of the room and the last thing she saw before something hard slammed down on the back of her head was the King yawning.
Then there was only oblivion.
* * * *
Kane hadn’t wanted to stop, but they would faint if they didn’t eat something. Not wanting to waist precious time hunting, they’d found some berry bushes. Berries weren’t the most filling of foods, but they were better than nothing at all.
After their brief rest, they hurried on and soon the city came into view.
“Where should we look?” asked Miku, eyes darting around, trying to take everything in as they stood in the main town square.
“Describe her to the locals and ask anyone if they’ve seen a girl like that. Someone might be able to tell us at least which direction Holly went in,” said Kane, thinking hard.
They temporarily split apart and each went off in different directions, agreeing to meet back in the square. They could cover more ground apart, and the square wasn’t so big that, if something happened, the others wouldn’t not know about it.
Just minutes later, Collin yelled across the square.
“Someone saw her! She was heading towards the palace!” he bellowed. “They don’t know if she went in there, but they say that’s the direction she travelled in.”
“Great work, Collin,” Kane had learned early that it was important to hand out praise as though he was a Kindergarten teacher. A little encouragement went a long way where his friends were concerned.
Hot on Holly’s heels, they went to the palace.
* * * *
Her head throbbed.
She felt like it was the aftermath of a bad party. Too much loud music, too much to drink, too much everything.
The surface underneath her was hard, uncomfortable. Holly tried to open her eyes and instantly regretted it. Just prying them open was too hard, and she shut them before they’d barely even opened.
She groaned, unable to help it. If only she’d tried harder to use her Wind-Kick power. She might have had a chance, then. She still was nowhere near confident enough with her weapon. Holly shifted, trying to get comfortable. The effort failed. Trying to move was too hard, so she gave up quickly.
“Lie still,” a voice told her quietly. Holly didn’t recognise the speaker, and still didn’t want to open her eyes.
“Who…” Holly asked, but she struggled to form words. Her mind was spinning.
“You do not need to fear me,” the voice promised. The words were spoken in tones that were soft and deep, and held a clear hint of compassion. “I will not harm you. My name is Dekkion.”
Dekkion! She’d found him!
Holly forced her eyes open properly, groaning again. She took several moments to adjust, to try and make the world stop spinning, and then took a glance at her surroundings.
It was easy to see that she was in a cell. The door with the barred window was a dead giveaway. The space was small and smelled of things that Holly would rather not think about.
Her excitement over finding Dekkion quickly melted as she realised that they were now both trapped. Not only was Dekkion still a prisoner, she’d got herself caged and sentenced, too. It had to be the worst rescue attempt in history. She’d blown it!
And now she was going to be hung at dawn along with the Knight. They were both dead.
Holly started to cry. She couldn’t help herself. It was all so hopeless.
“The guard said that you were trying to free me. I appreciate your kindness and bravery, but I wish you hadn’t placed yourself in such danger,” said Dekkion. His warm words only made Holly sob harder.
“I’m sorry,” she apologised “I really thought I could do it. If I’d just asked my friends for help, neither of us would be here now. Dungeon Master was right.”
“You known the Dungeon Master?” Dekkion asked.
“I’m one of his pupils. That what he calls it. He’s more like a guide than a teacher, though,” replied Holly. She forced herself up into a sitting position and leaned against the wall for support, trying to ignore the pain in her head. “We haven’t been here long. We all just wanna go home.”
“I was aware that Dungeon Master’s previous pupils were no longer in this world,” said Dekkion thoughtfully “I did not know he had gained new ones. How many are you?”
“Six. There’s me, Kane, Collin, Miku, Carter and Joto,” explained Holly, feeling strange twinges of loss as she reeled off the names.
She hadn’t realised before that being in a group had meant something to her. She’d thought that she hated it, but she’d been wrong. She relied on the companionship just as much as the others did, she’d just been too proud to admit it.
Wait! That must have been what Dungeon Master had meant in his riddle. Pride goeth before a fall! He’d been warning her all along that this would happen and that she should value working as a group instead of as one, but she’d been too blinded by her own pride and anger for the Mage’s words to click into place at the time.
“I’ve ruined everything. For you, too,” sighed Holly. “If I’d just thought things through more or -”
“Hey, Holly! You in there?” a voice hissed from somewhere outside the cell. Holly stood up quickly, only to fall down again, her head still spinning too much.
She recognised the voice, though. It sounded like…Joto?
Joto! Joto was out there! Holly had never imagined that she’d feel so happy to hear him.
“Joto! I’m in here!” she kept her voice at a whisper, not wanting to alert the guards. If Joto was out there, it meant they’d come to rescue her. She wasn’t going to ruin that, too!
Holly listened and heard a scrambling sound. A monkey appeared on the opposite side of the cell door, clinging onto the bars with one hand and holding a bunch of keys in the other. Joto had changed into animal form, and it actually appeared to be working.
“Where are the others?” whispered Holly as Joto fiddled with the keys, trying to find the one that would open the cell door.
“In the courtyard keeping the guards busy. They made it easy for me to sneak in here,” explained Joto. “I hope they’re okay.”
“Get us out of here and we’ll help them,” insisted Holly “You’ll help us, won’t you, Dekkion?”
“Without question,” smiled the Knight, putting a reassuring hand on Holly’s shoulder.
“I lack my sword, but I can still fight.”
“I found the key!” said Joto, and he placed it in the lock. A moment later, the door was open and Holly and Dekkion walked out. Dekkion supported Holly, her head injury still making it difficult for her to stay upright.
“I think most of the guards are in the courtyard,” said Joto. When he spoke, the occasional monkey sound omitted from his mouth, but his words were still easily understood. “There were a couple down here but I knocked them out. We’d better hurry in case any of them -”
“What are you doing? Back in your cells this instant!”
“Wake up…” Joto finished, sighing and rolling his eyes. “Uh-oh.”
“Holly, run,” ordered Dekkion, who didn’t waist a minute. He moved forward swiftly and grabbed hold of the guard by his jerkin.
“Not without you,” protested Holly. “I came here to save you; I can’t just leave you behind!”
“Just go!” Dekkion shouted, and thumped the guard in the face. Holly wanted to cheer, but Joto had already started to run. She followed, stumbling every step of the way, trying not to look over her shoulder as she heard the commotion of a fight behind her.
“This way,” Joto urged. Holly struggled to keep up. Joto was even faster in animal form than he was as a human.
They ran through what felt like corridor after corridor, never stopping, never looking back. Were it not for Holly’s shoes magically allowing her to run at twice the speed of a normal human, she wouldn’t have got so far. They came to a spiral staircase and didn’t stop. Up, up and up they went and when Holly’s legs were ready to buckle, they went through a door in the wall and found themselves right in the open courtyard.
They’d made it!
But her friends were still busy, engaged in a raging battle between the palace guards, and they were outnumbered. She could tell they were getting tired, too, but didn’t know how she could help. Her magic shoes didn’t seem to be of much use in such situations.
“Joto, can’t you transform into something more powerful?” Holly asked.
“Miku has my belt. I can’t,” he replied. Holly looked at the monkey and saw that he didn’t have his belt on. He could only transform back and forth so long as he wore the magic belt that Dungeon Master had given him. Until he got it back from Miku, he would be stuck in monkey form, and if he didn’t get the belt back quickly enough, he would soon start to lose his human side, like the ability to talk while transformed.
“Kane! Everyone! Look out!” Miku shouted. The Sorceress was wielding her Rod, pointing it in the direction of the guards. “Powers of the Realm, I call to you!”
The Rod glowed with magical energy and a lightning bolt shot out and bounced off the ground near to where the guards were fighting the Young Ones. Hearing and understanding Miku’s warning, the other Young Ones jumped out of harms way in the nick of time. But the guards were too slow to react, and the ground underneath their feet burned, causing them to jump away, screaming in shock and pain as the lightning heated up the concrete, making their feet burn.
“RUN!” Kane ordered, and they tore away towards the gates. Holly and Joto followed them, and they didn’t stop running until they’d made it completely out of the palace grounds.
“Holly, you’re back,” panted Kane, struggling to catch his breath as they hid in one of the alleyways that trailed off from the public square just outside the palace.
“Yeah,” Holly too struggled to catch her breath, and she was dizzier than ever “But Dekkion’s still inside…he stayed behind to fight off some guard so that Joto and I could get away.”
“We gotta go back for him!” insisted Joto “We gotta!”
“If we go back there, we’ll be killed!” argued Collin “We’re lucky we got away at all!”
“We can’t leave him!” protested Miku “He’s the reason we’re even here, and he saved Holly and Joto’s lives.”
“We don’t have to leave him, look!” Holly couldn’t help grinning as she saw Dekkion running from the palace. The Knight paused and whistled loudly, like the way someone trying to hail a taxi cab might do. A few moments later a beautiful, huge eagle swooped down from the sky. It landed at Dekkion’s feet and the Knight hurried to it.
“Wow!” Joto chirped, unable to take his eyes off the sight. They all started in amazement as Dekkion climbed gracefully onto the bird. It flew into the sky and hovered a few feet above them.
“Take great care, Young Ones. I hope one day we’ll meet again,” said Dekkion, before giving the bird a gentle nudge in the side with his foot. The bird squawked and took off again. The children watched until Knight and bird were out of sight.
“We did it,” smiled Holly “We did it!”
“Here, Joto, you’d better have this back,” Miku handed Joto his belt. The boy took it and placed it over his head. It didn’t fit around his waist – it was much too big for him while he was in monkey form, but as long as he had it, he could change back.
“I’m glad you’re okay. We were really worried,” confessed Kane.
“I nearly wasn’t…if you guys hadn’t come after me, I would have been hung tomorrow with Dekkion,” Holly felt guiltier than ever and looked towards the floor, ashamed “I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain. I’ll try harder…I mean, don’t expect my whole personality to change overnight or anything, but I won’t do anything THIS dumb again. I think I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to thinking I don’t need you guys.”
“I am most pleased to hear this, Brush Runner,” Dungeon Master said, again appearing out of nowhere.
“I wish it hadn’t taken so much trouble for me to realise it,” said Holly.
“The path to enlightenment is rarely straight forward. This was not your first stumble and it will not be your last. Even the Pure of Heart face many trials and hard decisions along the way. Whether you keep on the right path or change direction is something no one else can control,” Dungeon Master told them all. They listened eagerly, but Holly could tell her friends were just as confused as she was. Dungeon Master had mentioned that they were Pure of Heart before, but he hadn’t elaborated on it then, and it didn’t seem like he was going to this time, either.
“What happens now?” asked Kane “Do we get to go home yet?”
“That is another path which is also long and difficult. The journey home is not as simple to explain. But know this, my young pupils. You have already done good in this world, and you will continue do more good than you’d ever thought possible. Even when you feel disheartened and tired, or angry or frustrated, you need to keep going. The future of the Realm is in your hands.”
“But we’re only kids. We can’t…” Kane began, though he quickly trailed off.
Dungeon Master had gone again.
Kane sighed.
“Well at least we’re together again. That’s all that matters for now, I guess. Now let’s get out of here in case those guards are looking for us,” said Kane.
“Yeah,” agreed Holly, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. She’d taken a hard hit there; it would probably hurt for a while. “I’d rather be anywhere but here.”
They went to leave.
“Wait! You there!”
They turned, afraid that they’d been caught again. They drew their weapons and poised themselves, ready to attack if they had to.
But upon turning, they saw nobody. There were no guards, no people. Just a black cat.
“Well, I thought I heard something,” said Kane, puzzled, glancing in all directions.
“You did.”
Holly realised, in amazement that the cat was talking. She could see its mouth move as the words came out. It was talking. And it wasn’t Joto playing some dumb joke, because he had transformed back into a human.
“You’re talking…” Kane spluttered, staring down at the cat in awe “What the…this isn’t possible.”
“I wouldn’t have thought so either, once,” said the cat. Its voice was clear and well-spoke, the words coming out in a refined English accent. “Don’t worry, I mean no harm. You’re caused quite a commotion back there, in the palace, and it gave me an opportunity to escape myself. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Duke William the Third. Once, I was human like you. During that time I helped Queen Arabella rule over the Moon Lands. I’m her cousin and was her favourite confident and best advisor. Together we kept our small Kingdom beautiful and free of any suffering or hardships. Then, one day, King Nawzed sent his troops into the Kingdom. They attacked, and their numbers were so great that they easily defeated us. King Nawzed gained control of the Moon Lands and everyone who survived his invasion was enslaved, including myself and Queen Arabella. I tried to resist, and King Nawzed thought that, instead of simply ending my life or imprisoning me in his dungeons, he would turn me into the beast you see before your eyes. I suppose it amused him. I’ve been forced to be his pet ever since but I’ve been seeking freedom for years. Even though I may be stuck like this for the rest of my days, at least I’d be away from that awful palace. I might even be able to get back to the Moon Lands and my dear cousin somehow.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth? Can we trust you?” asked Kane, frowning as the cat told its story.
“You don’t,” replied the cat coolly “And I believe that trust is something that needs to be earned. Let me go with you. If I don’t earn your trust, we can just part ways again.”
“Why do you even want to come with us?” asked Holly “You’re free now anyway. You can just go off on your own.”
“Where’s the fun in being alone? Besides, your Dungeon Master’s pupils. I feel it could benefit me greatly to travel with you. Maybe somewhere I can find someone who is powerful enough to reverse the spell that’s on me. King Nawzed claims it can only be reversed by the one who cast it, but I can’t give up hope,” said the cat.
“Let him come,” said Joto “I feel bad for him.”
“I don’t want pity,” the cat said quickly. “And I’m extremely independent and resourceful. Remember, I’m old enough to be a father to any one of you.”
“I guess it couldn’t cause too much trouble if you joined us,” decided Kane. “Okay, then. Come with us. Prove your loyalty and you can stay. Maybe you’ll even be useful, somehow.”
“I’ll do my best,” the cat promised. “Thank you.”
“Now can we go?” urged Miku “It really isn’t safe…”
“We’ll go. Come on guys,” said Kane. He looked down again at the cat “You too, William.”
“Gladly.”
With Kane leading the way, the six children, and one cat, began to make their way out of the city of Amon, chatting as they went, their spirits unusually high as they walked away, leaving the palace far behind them.
* * * *
Meanwhile, far away, in a desolate corner of the Realm in the very deepest caverns underneath the mountains, just outside the long obliterated city of Celdor, a figure lurked as it had done for countless years.
For the longest time the creature had wasted away as it remained trapped, forgotten. But now its senses were returning. It could feel magic hanging in the air of the Realm, a magic so powerful that it could be felt even in the very depths of Celdor.
The creature smiled knowingly as it lurked in the darkness. A new force had been brought to the Realm. The creature could sense it, so powerful was the magic.
Something was going to happen. Something had come.
Fresh blood.
So fresh that the creature could smell it, taste it, even from within its prison.
And, the creature realised at once, the ‘something’ would be the cause of its release. One way or another.
This was the hour. The chance for revenge had come at last.
(The End)
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