Chapter 45

Saturday, February 8, 1936

Castle Henry

 

Johnny, Mel, and Dame Honoria piled into the town car and drove away from the king’s estate at about four o’clock in the afternoon. And as unlikely as it would have seemed a few hours earlier, Nina left with them.

Johnny had been worried sick that she’d be in jail forever. After all, dozens of people and ghosts had witnessed her attempt on the life of King Robert.

It was touch-and-go, nerve-wracking.

Brigadier Stafferton—who had seemed to Johnny to be such a nice guy—had insisted that Nina be charged and hauled off to jail immediately, to await her trial. When Johnny saw the look of helplessness on his friend’s face as the police came to take her away, it cut right into his heart.

Johnny had protested emphatically that it wasn’t Nina who had committed the crime. It was the wraith Checheg, who had somehow possessed and commandeered his friend. Dame Honoria, in her most imperious voice, had argued that it would be a grave injustice to prosecute the child for anything—that she deserved a medal instead. Mel had pointed out that, more than anyone else, Nina was responsible for the defeat of the bog zombies. She had provided the essential clue that led to victory.

But the brigadier had said that, as much as he appreciated their opinions, he was bound by the laws of the land to take Nina into custody.

Then, quite unexpectedly, the king himself had spoken up.

In that soft, small voice of his, he made a very eloquent case for Nina’s release. Although he couldn’t see Checheg, his manservant Oates had described the horrifying scene of the Steppe Warrior rising out of Nina’s mouth like a puff of poison gas. With Checheg finally dealt with by the Zenith troopers, the king said he felt no further threat to his wellbeing.

And he pointed out that the country, and perhaps the world, was still in grave danger from rogue ghosts. Nina, being the only living person they knew of who had been possessed by a ghost, would be far more valuable aiding Dame Honoria and Melanie in their efforts than sitting in a frigid jail somewhere in the Royal Kingdom.

The brigadier had finally relented, with the proviso that Nina make herself available for questioning before she left to fly home to the Plains Republic. Nina assured him she wouldn’t go anywhere until she had revealed every last detail about her stay at Bilbury Hall.

Johnny had even been allowed to take a few shots of the battle scene before cleanup took place. The grounds were littered everywhere with bog zombie remains, shrunken and lifeless, no longer a threat now that the ghosts had vacated them.

The brigadier gave assurances that the corpses would be returned to the north and given honorable re-burial in the bogs they had come from.

“These bog men, these warriors were victims, too,” he had said. “Their graves in the bogs were desecrated for the sole purpose of giving Percy Rathbone a ready-made army. They deserve to again rest in peace.”

In the aftermath of the Battle of Castle Henry, Colonel MacFarlane had watched Johnny like a hawk. He explained that he still felt awful about losing Johnny and Nina the day of the train wreck. He blamed it on that odd, heavy fog that blanketed the northern areas. “We don’t get weather like that in Zenith,” he remarked. “Strangest thing is, it seemed to make me feel muddled and uneasy. The boys, too. I really didn’t start feeling normal again until we arrived at Wickenham.”

Just before their departure from Castle Henry, the king had taken Mel aside and said a few words to her. She explained in the car that he had asked her to send him a pair of etheric goggles. He was “awfully keen” to see ghosts whenever he felt like it. And “cost was no object.” But Mel had already decided that they would be a gift, in gratitude for the king’s spirited defense of Nina.

Back at Wickenham, Johnny was delighted to be reunited with his MacFreithshire companions. Over a delicious supper whipped up by Dame Honoria’s cooks, everyone caught up on the news. Johnny didn’t mention it, but he knew that Marko, Iris, Basil, and Uncle Ez would be receiving a special letter of commendation from his majesty. And the SGS intended to similarly acknowledge the roles that Raj, Pet, and Centurion Quintus had played—with special medals minted for veterans of the MacFreithshire campaign.

Although Dame Honoria offered them lodging for the night, Uncle Ez loaded up Marko and Iris into his auto. They were following Bess Tippett back to her place, where they would spend the night. On the way, Uncle Ez was going to drop Basil and Professor DeNimes off at the Blackfield station to catch the late train to Royalton. They were taking Edward Hastings—also known as Evvie, the late Lord Hurley of Evansham—home for a proper reunion with his younger brother and his mother.

Johnny promised to send Marko and Iris copies of the photos he had shot during their adventure. And he told Marko that if he ever needed a bodyguard again, he’d know whom to ask for.

“I realize that we got off on the wrong foot back there in Higgsmarket,” Johnny said. “And that was maybe partly my fault, thinking that I always know best. But you have to admit that you did come on pretty strong.”

Marko clapped him on the shoulder. “I suppose I did,” he agreed. “But I didn’t know much about you, except that you were some kind of star news photographer who was just twelve years old.”

“Twelve and three-quarters,” Johnny corrected him.

“Twelve and three-quarters, then,” Marko repeated. “I wasn’t about to let you go off half-cocked and get your head cut off. It was dangerous out there and we had to play it smart.”

“I think the problem,” Iris said, “comes down to two young male egos bashing into each other at full speed. Bound to be fireworks.”

Nina was standing by Johnny and Mel. “Boys,” she said, winking at Iris. “Who can figure them out?”

“In the end, Marko and Johnny made a fine team,” Iris concluded. “All those kids from Bilbury Hall owe you two a big debt.”

“And we owe you and Petunia, too,” Mel said to Iris. “As soon as I get back home, I’m making three pairs of etheric goggles pronto. One for the king, one for Evvie’s family, and another for you. So your mom can see Petunia whenever she wants to.”

With that, Iris and Pet rushed to embrace Mel. Johnny figured the hug lasted a full minute.

By the time the guests had left, it was close to midnight. Weary and exhausted, everyone was about to head upstairs to bed when there came a loud knocking at Wickenham’s front door. As if by magic, Gilligan the butler appeared out of nowhere, in his bathrobe. He opened the door and in marched Uncle Louie, suitcase in hand.

Johnny felt a new surge of energy and ran to greet his uncle.

“I’m never letting you kids out of my sight again,” the big man said, giving them each a bear hug. He even gave Dame Honoria a quick squeeze, lifting her off the ground with a grunt.

It was another hour before Johnny’s head finally hit the pillow. It was so good to be reunited with his family again. Another near disaster had been averted and everyone was safe. He knew he would sleep like a log tonight.