A
braham woke with his face in the dirt. Someone was shaking him.
“Captain! Captain!” Horace said, rolling Abraham over onto his side. “Are you well? You appeared to faint.”
“Yeah, I probably did. It’s me, Abraham.”
The sun was shining overhead.
“Oh.” Horace lay on his belly.
They were on a bluff, looking down upon a valley below the base of the bottom of the Spine. The King’s Army had gathered down there, numbering in the thousands. They were making a steady march toward the winding hills of the Spine. Foot soldiers led the way, followed by heavy cavalry and support troops.
“So we caught up with them?” Abraham asked. “Have we made contact with the king?”
“No, this just happened. You, or Ruger, hadn’t made up your mind on how to approach it.” Horace took a knee and stood up with a grunt. “What do you think?”
“I think we’d better act quick.” He eyed the sky. “Keep a lookout for zillon dragon riders. I know they are out there. The other side told me.” He put a hand on Horace’s shoulder. “And keep an eye on me too. They have me jumping back and forth like a frog on a lily pad. It’s getting old.” He made his way down the hill where he met up with the others.
Pratt stepped forward and asked, “What is the plan, Ruger?”
“It’s Abraham—ah, heck, never mind. Does it even matter at this point? Man, I feel like the Tin Man in his suit of armor.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Anyway, we won’t stand here, watching from a distance. The King’s Army will see us if they haven’t already and get suspicious. The sooner we meet with him, the better.”
“What are you going to do? March up to the king and tell him that his son the prince betrayed him again?” Pratt said.
“I wanted you to do that?”
“Prince Lewis will skin me alive,” the Guardian said.
“We all need to get as close as we can. It’s the only way to keep King Hector from getting slaughtered.” He glanced at the distant hills. “The Sect will be waiting with an army of guns and big tanks. We have to stop the king. Now, they want the crown to keep the tunnel open. We can’t let them have it.”
“Why don’t we destroy it?” Horace said.
“If there is no other way. This is the only way. It’s going to have to be done one way or the other. Who’s with me?”
“Death before failure,” Horace said.
All the Henchmen nodded. Even Pratt.
Solomon brought Abraham’s horse over. “This is big, isn’t it?”
“Why do you say that?”
“I can feel the hair standing up on my neck. I’ve been lost here for decades, and I’ve never felt a feeling like this. If it happens, it happens.” He offered his huge hand to Abraham. “I just want to say thanks for trying.”
Abraham shook his hand and said, “Do you still want to go home?”
“I’m not sure. You?”
“Honestly, I think I’m ready to go back now that I know my past wasn’t my fault. It was theirs. There’s no telling how many lives they ruined. I just know that I have to stop it.”
“I support you.” Solomon looked at all the people dressed in the full armor of the Golden Riders. “Man, I wish I could have fit into a suit of that cool armor.”
“Well, stay out of sight.”
“Don’t worry about me. Once we hit the Spine, they’ll never find me. Besides, I have an idea.”
Abraham raised a brow. “You do? What is it?”
“I’ll surprise you.”
Led by Pratt and Abraham, the Henchmen, with full helmets on, rode onward and joined up with the King’s Army. The soldiers they passed saluted the Golden Riders as they trotted their horses by them. Many of the king’s men let out encouraging cheers as they headed deeper into the front ranks.
Pratt cleared his throat and said to Abraham, “I’m not the sort of man that is good with crafty words. Never in my life would I wish to accuse the king’s son of treason. I cannot lie either. What should I say?”
“Tell him that you have a message about Ruger, just for him.”
“I’ll never get by Prince Lewis if he is there. He’ll demand to hear the words himself, and he is my commander.” Pratt shifted in his saddle. “I’d rather fight a dozen Gond than do this.”
“Tell them the truth. Tell them that Ruger escaped the prison and that you felt he should hear it directly from you. That’s not a lie, now is it?”
“Well… no, I suppose.” Pratt turned his head aside and pointed. “Ah, there is the king’s banner.” Pratt kept looking around as though he was nervous. He continued to shift in his saddle.
“Play it cool, Pratt. You have to do this for king and country.”
“What does play it cool
mean?”
“Being more like Shades.”
“Ah, I think I can understand.”
Abraham caught the first glimpse of King Hector. Surrounded by a host of the King’s Guardians, he wore a black suit of armor trimmed in gold plate, with a white fur cloak over his shoulders. The Crown of Stones shined dully in the sunlight. Melris, Prince Lewis, Leodor, and Leah were all riding close to his side. His heart jumped.
Prince Lewis was the first to turn around at the sound of the Henchmen’s approach. He wore his black cape and had Black Bane strapped between his shoulders. He cut through the Guardians with Leah in tow. “Pratt, what are you doing here?”
With his helmet still on, Pratt bowed and said, “I bear a message.”
“Take your helmet off, fool! I can’t understand a word you are saying.”
Pratt removed his helmet, hooked it underneath his arm, and said, “I wanted you to know that Ruger Slade has escaped from the House of Steel. Our forces are searching for him now.”
“Did you search for him at the Stronghold?” Lewis said with growing irritation in his voice. His gloves tightened on his reins. “Well?”
“Er… uh,” Pratt blanched. “It was the first place we looked, to no avail.” He scratched his thick sideburns. “They were gone. Er… escaped and hiding.”
Abraham watched as new sweat trickled down the side of Pratt’s cheek. He’s cracking like an egg. Too late to abort now.
Lewis scanned the ranks of the Henchmen disguised as Golden Riders. His stare moved from one person to another. With a froward expression, he said, “Take off your helmets. All of you.” He slid his sword from his sheath, but Black Bane remained fastened to his back. “Now!”