Children of the Knight (66 page)

He offered Jack a shy smile. “You’re right, Jacky. I been acting like a little kid. A stupid-ass little kid. C’mon, let’s go back. I need to tell d—Arthur something real important, somethin’ I shoulda said a long time back, somethin’ I can’t
not
say.”

Now Jack smiled, really smiled, for the first time since Mark’s death, and stood, dragging Lance to his feet. “Then let’s go.”

Lance jumped up and grabbed his skateboard.

“You should text Arthur that we’re coming home so he can stop worrying about you,” Jack suggested as he dusted some dirt and debris off Lance’s bright green shirt.

“Okay,” Lance agreed and rapidly thumbed in a message as they began walking toward the mouth of the alley. Jack saw him pause, as though considering what to say, and then Lance finished and returned the phone to his pocket. Feeling better than he had in days, he threw his arm around Jack’s neck and futilely tried to choke the bigger boy, maybe even take him down.

They were playfully wrestling, like two regular boys who didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, and were thus distracted when two Asian men abruptly appeared at the entrance to the alley and clamped cloth-filled hands over each boy’s mouth. So sudden was the attack, and the chloroform in those cloths so potent, that both Lance and Jack were unconscious before either knew what had hit them.

A Hummer stretch limo rolled to a stop in front of the alley, and both boys, limp and unconscious, were dragged to the backseat and thrown in. One man even grabbed the skateboard. The entire kidnapping lasted mere seconds, and there were no witnesses. The limo quietly drove off into morning traffic.

Chapter 12

T
HE
H
UB
was bustling with activity as nets were folded into large backpacks, and kids tinkered with the various smoke bombs to get the feel of them and how they worked. Arthur and Reyna had filled up the Escalade several times that morning, always returning to the storm drains and depositing their load of supplies just inside the main grate and then setting off to buy more.

Esteban and the older boys had made it their quest to secure or make those smoke bombs that would be used to flush out the “rats,” as Reyna called them. More and more of these devices were procured and brought to the same location and added to the overall supplies.

When knights began trickling in throughout the early afternoon, teams were assigned and needed supplies apportioned. Every team had at least one cell phone for communication and video recording. Most had more than one. One of the Asian boys who was a tech wizard of sorts, gathered the one hundred team leaders together and put all of their numbers into a group message on Reyna’s phone, so Arthur could alert every team simultaneously when to begin.

Alas, Arthur’s phone was still attempting to charge. In fact, it had not fully charged all morning while Arthur and Reyna were shopping, so the tech wizard, whose name was Thuy, but who’d been dubbed “Sir Techie” by Reyna, surmised that the battery must’ve gotten wet, not an unusual occurrence in a damp storm drain.

“No biggie,” Sir Techie told Arthur with a shrug. “I’ll find ya a new battery tomorrow, after the big raid.”

Arthur sighed dejectedly and nodded his thanks.

And so the king’s phone, with Lance’s final words inside its memory, lay silent and useless within The Hub, the boy’s message never opened.

Arthur paced nervously. The raid was set for dusk. His entire army would arrive shortly to collect their supplies and move out into the city to prepare their traps. All seemed to be moving according to plan. His knights, young though they may have been, were nothing if not resourceful and eager.

However, it was now 2:00 p.m., and neither Lance nor Jack had returned. Chris nervously tossed Jack’s football up and down and watched Arthur pace. Finally, Reyna sauntered up, already dressed for battle in her leather pants, boots, long-sleeved brown tunic, jerkin, and chain mail shirt. She handed Arthur her phone.

“Here’s my phone, Arthur,” she announced, tossing a wink Chris’s way. The small boy gave her the silent head nod. She opened the phone and showed Arthur the group Sir Techie had created in the messaging section. “Any text you send will go to every team captain at the same time.”

Arthur nodded, his mind far away. “Any text from Lance?” he asked hopefully, “Any message?”

Reyna shook her head, her features etched with worry. “What could have happened to them?”

Arthur sighed heavily. That shadow of doom had begun to block out the sun and the moon. “I do not know.”

“Did you ever text him from my phone to let him know you were using it?” Reyna asked. “If he thinks it’s me he might not answer, though I’ll kill him if he ignores me.” She flashed a halfhearted smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

Arthur’s eyes widened with comprehension. “What a fool am I! In our mad dash for supplies, Reyna, I didst forget.”

Awkwardly, he thumbed in a message to Lance, letting the boy know that he was using Reyna’s phone and to
please
contact him. Then he gazed deeply at the screen a moment, as though expecting Lance to text right back. The screen remained blank. Only his own reflection gazed back at him. The reflection of a distressed and guilt-ridden man. Sadly, he slipped the phone into his pocket.

Reyna cleared her throat. “Um, isn’t it time for you to call the mayor? You asked me to remind you.”

Arthur smiled warmly at her. “Thank you, Reyna, for your help and your loyalty. Ye have become one of my most trusted and dependable knights, and ye have become a better young woman, as well. I feel great pride in thee, my child.” He placed a hand lovingly on her shoulder.

Reyna actually did something she’d never done in her life—she blushed with embarrassment. Never before had she been so complimented, and certainly never by anyone she considered like a father. God knew her real father had never paid her a compliment. She actually felt speechless, another first.

“Um, thanks, Arthur,” she mumbled as genuine humility wrapped itself peacefully around her heart.

Then she looked up at Arthur, at the faraway look in his eyes, and placed both hands on his shoulders. “We’re gonna find Lance, Arthur, believe me. If he’s not back by the time we move out, I’ll go looking myself, soon as were done.” She paused and lowered her hands to her sides as she considered her next words, amazed that they were the truth. “I never thought I could take orders from anyone, especially a young kid like him. I always had all the answers.”

She hesitated, recalling how Lance’s uncanny wisdom had helped her make peace with Salma, had helped her connect with Esteban on a deeper level than she’d ever connected with any boy, had helped her
not
become her parents. “That boy is special, Arthur, more special than anybody I’ve ever known, and I love him. We’ll get him back, I promise.”

Now Arthur nodded in gratitude, overflowing with a deep sense of love. How great a gift he’d been given in these amazing children, he thought for the umpteenth time. “Thank you, Reyna, for loving my Lance as I do, and for your fealty.”

She nodded and then took on a look of mock seriousness. “Ahem. The mayor?”

Arthur bowed. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, causing Reyna to grin. He pulled out her phone and punched in the mayor’s number.

A
CROSS
from City Hall, the eleven-story sheet still covered the Mural Project. A system had been set up utilizing a long pull cord attached to the top of the sheet and connecting to both upper corners. At the appointed hour, the mayor would pull the ripcord, the sheet would flutter down, and the mural would reveal its face to the world.

Bleachers had been erected on the grounds of City Hall to accommodate crowds and dignitaries for the grand unveiling scheduled for tomorrow night. Among the setup paraphernalia along the Temple Street side were several wooden ramps that had been used to roll the heavy bleacher sections into place and now awaited removal. The ramps were relatively steep and sloped, attracting any skaters who happened to live in the downtown area. A security guard had been stationed in front to make sure no kids got hurt before the ramps could be dismantled and removed.

Even Villagrana had not yet seen the finished mural, but then he didn’t care to. The mural was just an expensive, tedious attempt on his part to show, publicly at least, solidarity with Arthur’s crusade. Sadly, all his efforts to discredit the man had backfired, including the school issue. The mayor intended to pursue that angle vigorously by riding that obnoxious woman teacher on every homeschool standard the state insisted upon. If nothing else, he hoped to burn her out quickly and leave Arthur stranded.

Sitting in his office, Villagrana was hosting President Bernie Sanders and Chief of Police Murphy. The topic for discussion was the mural unveiling, crowd control, and how to spin the event to their advantage.

The mayor’s secretary beeped on the intercom. Annoyed, Villagrana flipped the talk switched abruptly.

“Diane, what part of ‘no calls’ didn’t you understand?” His tone was snippier than usual.

Diane’s slightly nasal voice filtered in through the intercom. “Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but it’s King Arthur on the line.”

That got the attention of all three men, and Villagrana exchanged a look with Sanders.

“See what he wants,” the council president said with a shrug.

“Okay, put him through.”

Villagrana picked up his phone and went instantly into his PR voice. “King Arthur, what a pleasant surprise,” he schmoozed. “To what do I owe this honor?”

Murphy shook his head in disgust.

Then the mayor’s smile dropped. “I don’t understand. The mural unveiling is tomorrow, so what’s happening tonight?” He listened a moment, frowned, and then looked disgusted. “I’ll see what I can do. It’s rather short notice.” He listened again and sighed heavily. “Very well. I’ll contact the council. Good-bye.”

He hung up and sneered at the phone in contempt.

“What was that all about?” Sanders asked, twiddling his tie as he spoke, a nervous habit he needed to break.

The mayor looked like he felt nauseous and that amused Chief Murphy. “He said for all of us, including the whole city council, to gather here tonight at dusk.”