part0080

He wore a suit of Golden Knight armor. So did the rest of the Henchmen as they rode north toward the Spine.

“Who said that, someone in your world?” Sticks asked. She rode to the right of Abraham, while Horace and Pratt were on the left.

“Captain James Tiberius Kirk,” Abraham said. “Star Trek IV, the Voyage Home . He quoted another person. I think it was Latin, but I don’t know who said it originally.” Oddly enough, he found his situation similar to the Star Trek movie, where the whittled-down crew of the USS Enterprise had to time travel with two whales to save the world. “It wasn’t the most popular movie in the series, but I liked it.”

“Humph,” Sticks said quickly.

The Henchmen, along with a handful of Golden Riders, hadn’t stopped moving since Pratt agreed, surprisingly, to the idea. The big, gruff man had a better head on his shoulders than it appeared. The next tricky part was getting close enough to King Hector while hoping the king hadn’t completely lost his mind to the power of the Crown of Stones.

“There isn’t any hiding where they are going,” Horace said.

Tark and Dominga were still riding far out in the front on scout duty.

“They march thousands of soldiers. They even took more from the Wall.”

The moment when the Henchmen rode through the Shield of Steel was bleak. The great doors were gone. The enemy had taken them. The forces of Southern Tiotan, however, were nowhere in sight. The King’s Army scouts stated that they’d moved back north, toward the sea. They left the path to the Spine wide open. As far as Abraham was concerned, King Hector was being led into a trap.

Making it to Giant’s Vein River took over three days of hard riding. The company crossed the river and moved toward the Spine. Late on the third night, they made camp.

Sitting by the campfire, Horace said, “The King’s Army moves slow compared to us. We will catch them late in the day tomorrow. But I’d say that they will be in the bottom of the Spine by them. I wouldn’t want to navigate those mountains with any army. The terrain is too dangerous.”

“The king thinks he is invincible,” Abraham said. He chewed on a piece of dried meat and drank from his water skin. “No doubt Lewis and Leodor have caught up with him. I am sure that he has the king’s pride puffed up.”

“What sort of son could betray such a father?” Pratt said. He was lurking nearby, sharpening his sword with a stone. “King Hector is a good man. It is something I never understood about Lewis. He was treated well.”

“Perhaps too well,” Clarice said as she and her mother joined Abraham by the fire and sat down. “Lewis has always been an entitled brat. May the Elders help Kingsland if he ever gains the crown.”

“And I thought he might have turned the corner the last time we saved him,” Abraham said. “Listen to me everyone. If Ruger comes back, you know the drill.”

“We’ll fill his ears with your plans,” Horace said. “We understand now.”

“I need to go back. I need to tell them what is going on,” he said. “If I could only control it.”

“Isn’t that the problem? Isn’t that what the Sect wants to do?” Clarann asked.

“Yeah. Be careful what you wish for.”

He warmed his hands at the fire. The rain had stopped a day before, but he was still damp all over. The armor, though light, was heavier than what he was used to as well. Even the queen and princess had armor on as well. It wasn’t a good fit but was good enough to fool someone from a distance. Not all the Golden Riders were tall, only most of them.

“Everyone get some rest,” Abraham said. “The crack of dawn will be here before you know it.”

The present company moved away. Some of them lay on their bedrolls and others underneath a blanket. Clarann and Clarice were both yawning when they left. Pratt had set up a tent for them to sleep in.

Only Sticks and Horace remained with Abraham. “I said ‘everyone.’”

“We aren’t everyone,” Sticks said.

“Look, I’m going to get some shut-eye too.” He scooted back to a spot where his feet were several feet from the flames. He lay his head back on his bedroll and looked up into the odd pattern of stars. “Do you have names for the stars in the sky?”

With a heavy upward stare, Horace said, “They are named after the Elders.” He pointed at the sky. “That’s the Elder of Turtles. That’s the Elder of Flowers. That’s the Elder of—”

“I get it.” Abraham closed his eyes. “It’s not very different from back home. Our stars are named after legends and heroes from an age long ago. Geez, I can’t believe I’m talking about this. Those aren’t my stars, but they should be, and if they are not, then I must be at least a galaxy away from home.” He sighed. “This can’t be real.”

Solomon plopped down beside Abraham. “Now isn’t the time to start doubting. Not when we are so close to the end. It’s real. You have to believe it’s real. I have to believe it’s real.”

Abraham clicked his steel-shod boots together, yawned, and said, “There’s no place like home.”

“If only it was that easy,” Solomon said. “But I don’t think those ruby slippers would ever fit on my feet.” He lifted a hairy two-foot-long foot. “That would be expensive.”

“I bet. Try and get some sleep.” He settled in for the night.

The campfire’s embers crackled. The soft rustling of the company settling down surrounded him. The fire’s warmth ran from his head to his toes. With a soft breeze passing through the night, he drifted off into a heavy slumber.

He woke from his sleep, sitting up and gasping for air. The stars in the sky were long gone. So were the Henchmen.