The Rogue Knight (32 page)

C
HAPTER

 32 

SKY CASTLE

I
t was daytime again. Puffy white clouds softened the blue sky. Cole lay sprawled on thick grass with Jace on top of him. Judging by the scale of the grass, they were back to normal size.

“What happened?” Cole asked.

“Sorry,” Jace said, moving off him. “I had to get us out of there. I wasn't sure if my guess would count if I didn't touch a living thing, so I grabbed you.”

“This is ridiculous,” Cole griped. “I thought we were supposed to have a chance! That time we never even reached another living thing!”

“We might have been close,” Jace said. “She could have been a rabbit. We didn't make it up there to find out.”

“Trillian warned us it would be hard,” Mira said. “We have to win, anyway. It's now or never. My guess this time.”

She walked over to Cole and gave him a hand up. As Cole brushed himself off, he looked around, trying to refocus. A huge wall loomed ahead of them. Gray blocks the size of cars were fitted together without mortar. A large, gateless archway granted access through the wall. Part of another wall was visible through the arch. Above everything soared a narrow, straight tower, stretching absurdly high, its base out of view.

“Oh, no,” Jace moaned.

“What?” Mira asked.

“This was my worst sky castle,” Jace said. “My fifth mission. I never came closer to dying.”

Cole checked over his shoulder. Behind him, the grass ended at an abrupt edge with only sky beyond. Glancing around, he didn't see any skycraft or distant castles.

“Tell us about it,” Mira said.

Jace gave a weary sigh. “It was bad. I chose not to wear a parachute. Back then, I thought speed was more important than a safety net. These walls are part of a maze. At the center is a herd of horses.”

“Scary,” Cole said.

“Says the guy with nightmares about bunnies,” Jace snapped. “I haven't finished.”

“What's the threat?” Mira asked.

“There was a monster,” Jace said. “A big one. Maybe twice my height. It had blades for hands. The lifeboat set me down in the center with the horses, but the monster chased me into the maze. It played cat and mouse for a while. I swear it toyed with me for fun. Then it drove me up the tower. There were no rooms—just a spiral stairway that went up and up. I seriously thought I would die from exhaustion. The monster was right behind me, its blades scraping against the stone steps. I could hear it breathing. At the top was a musty room with no windows. I was cornered. I knew I was dead. There was no way out, no way back to the lifeboat.”

“How'd you make it?” Cole asked.

“The room had lots of old chests and trunks,” Jace said. “Inside one of them I found the golden rope. As soon as I picked it up, I could feel that it moved however I wanted. When the monster entered the room, I used the rope to dodge around it and zoomed down the stairs. That was the first time the rope saved my life. It was also my closest call as a scout.”

“I never heard that story,” Mira said.

“I've never told it,” Jace said, looking up at the tower.

“What other living things were here besides the horses?” Mira asked.

“Just the horses,” Jace said. “While running from the monster, I got a good tour of this place. There are about twenty horses at the center of the maze, near the base of the tower. They roam free in a field.”

“Do you remember how to get to the middle?” Mira asked.

“With the rope, I was able to get on top of the walls,” Jace said. “That made the maze a snap. It seems a lot worse when you're down inside of it.” He stared up at the top of the wall. “Might be hard to get up there right now.”

“If only we had some plastic cups,” Cole mused.

Jace chuckled. “Sorry about falling back there.”

“I'm just glad I wasn't the only one,” Cole replied.

“Those walls must be thirty feet high,” Mira said. “I don't see a way up. We'll have to chance the maze.”

They walked through the archway and into a long corridor of stone. Mira and Cole looked to Jace.

“This way, I think,” Jace said. “It's been a long time. My last visit was pretty frantic.”

“Does the monster live in the tower?” Mira asked.

“I don't think so,” Jace replied. “The room felt more like a storage room than a lair. When it attacked me last time, the creature appeared in the maze.”

“Do you think you could recognize Honor as a horse?” Cole asked Mira.

“I sure hope so,” she replied. “This is our last try. What if the creature corners us? I just use my guess and get us out, right?”

“We don't let it corner us,” Jace said. “We split up. Cole and I will try to lead it on a chase while you get to the center of the maze. Only waste your guess to save your life.”

They reached an intersection, and Jace turned. The new corridor let the lofty tower peek into view over the high walls of the maze. “I wonder if my rope is up there?” Jace asked.

“Don't you have it with you?” Mira asked.

“Always,” Jace said, removing the golden strand from his pocket.

“Shouldn't it work here?” Cole wondered.

Jace whipped the golden string around. “Nope. Not a bad thought, though.”

“I don't think Trillian would put a working rope up there,” Mira said. “He's making it hard to win. Cole's mean neighbor was a giant! We shouldn't expect any favors. The tower is probably just a death trap in this version.”

They reached a four-way intersection, and Jace stood with his hands on his hips. “I'm just guessing now,” he said, turning left.

They were halfway to the next intersection when the monster stepped into view. The shiny black creature walked upright like a human and bristled with countless slender spikes. Lacking a neck, the broad head didn't rise much higher than its powerful shoulders. At the end of each long arm protruded a pair of cruel blades, like sickles.

Tugging Cole and Mira, Jace turned and raced back the way they had come. Glancing back, Cole saw the monster loping after them, arms swinging.

“Split up!” Jace yelled as they reached the four-way intersection. Jace kept going straight, Mira went left, and Cole turned right, which was back toward where they had entered.

Heart drumming, Cole ran hard, looking back just in time to see the monster continue straight through the intersection, following Jace. Cole skidded to a stop.

What good would it do for him to head back to the entrance without getting chased? If he reversed his direction and followed Mira, he might catch up in time to help her. If the monster caught up to her, she would need somebody to distract it.

Cole ran after Mira. As he neared the intersection, he wondered if the monster might be waiting for him just out of sight. If so, Cole knew he was about to find out what he looked like on the inside.

The intersection was clear. Cole charged forward, the way Mira had gone. After a couple more intersections, Cole realized it would take incredible luck for him to choose the same turns she had. Plus, she was a little faster than him, so it wasn't likely he'd catch her.

Cole decided his goal should instead be to reach the center of the maze. If he got there ahead of the others, he would wait, maybe study the horses a little. He kept his eyes and ears open, aware that around any corner he could run into the monster.

He wondered if Jace was all right. The monster hadn't seemed too fast. Of course, it also hadn't seemed to be going at full speed. Would the monster toy with Jace like last time, or would it go for a quick kill?

Cole hit a dead end and doubled back. Sweat glossed his face and arms, and it was getting hard to breathe. Even chased by a monster, there were limits to how long a person could sprint. Especially when the monster was out of view.

Slowing to a jog, Cole kept using his glimpses of the tower to take turns toward the center of the maze. More dead ends led to more course corrections.

“It's not after me anymore,” Jace cried from a distance. “It stopped chasing me! Watch out, guys! It might be coming for you!”

Tingles of fear sparked across the back of Cole's shoulders. He increased his jog to more of a sprint again.

After rounding two more corners, an archway came into view up ahead. Through it he saw green grass and a couple of horses. He ran that way, then he saw Mira down a corridor he passed. She was heading the wrong way.

“Mira!” Cole called, yelling at half volume.

Mira stopped and turned. Cole waved her toward him, and she ran.

When she reached Cole and saw the archway ahead, she smiled and sprinted harder. “Nice job,” she panted. “I was hopelessly confused.”

As they dashed through the archway, the meadow came fully into view. The tower was now completely visible, reaching for the clouds like a medieval skyscraper. More than twenty horses grazed in the field, most of them on the far side of the clearing. Different colors and patterns were represented in their coats, including white, brown, gray, gold, and black. Several were white and brown. One was light blue.

Mira ran toward the main herd. Nearly all the horses trotted away from her. A gray horse with a dappled rump also avoided her, but stayed apart from the rest. Two of the horses, a gold one and the light blue one, walked over to her.

When they drew close, Mira spoke soothingly and stroked their necks. The light blue one nuzzled her.

“What about the blue one?” Cole asked.

“Honor isn't supposed to recognize me,” Mira said. “I don't think she'd be this friendly to a stranger.”

“It's coming!” Jace cried, his voice nearer.

Cole whirled. Through the archway he could see the monster loping toward him. Beyond it, Jace was also running, following it.

“Mira!” Cole called. “We have company.”

“It could be the gray one,” Mira said. She hurried toward it, but the horse trotted away, cantering briefly to increase its distance. Cole ran to cut off the horse, hoping he could drive it back toward Mira.

When the monster entered the clearing, several of the horses whinnied. The monster charged toward Cole, moving with the same loping strides. Waving his arms to keep its attention, Cole fell back toward the tower.

“There, there,” Mira cooed, approaching the gray horse, holding out her arm, grass on her palm. “Come here, girl. Nothing to be afraid of.”

The monster abruptly changed course toward Mira. The gray horse let Mira approach and nibbled some grass from her hand. Mira petted its nose.

“Mira!” Cole warned. The monster was closing in. It didn't matter if Mira guessed wrong. If she kept waiting, she would die! “Say it!”

Mira looked up and saw the monster only a few strides from her. Jace rushed into the clearing through the archway and started yelling, “Hey! Ugly! Over here!”

Keeping a hand on the horse, Mira crouched and shielded her face with her forearm. The monster stopped in front of her, one long arm raised high, twin blades poised to scythe down. “Yield,” the creature growled in a raspy, alien voice.

“Say it!” Cole repeated.

Letting go of the horse, Mira dove low at the monster. As her fingers reached its foot, she shouted, “Honor!”

C
HAPTER

 33 

FOG LAKE

C
ole stood at the brink of a clear pool, surrounded by diverse crystals streaked with luminous color. In the distance rose the pearl-and-platinum extravagance of Trillian's palace.

Not far away, Mira faced a tall adolescent girl in traveling clothes who Cole recognized from their first trial. It was Honor.

Mira beamed up at her sister. Her hair was shorter again, and her clothes were no longer fancy. Honor looked flabbergasted.

“Mira?” Honor finally managed. “It can't be.”

“I came to find you,” Mira said, throwing her arms around her sister. Honor was a full head taller than her younger sibling.

Rather than enjoy the hug, Honor looked around angrily. “Trillian! Is this another of your tricks?”

“No, Honor, it's really me,” Mira insisted. “I came to find you with some friends. We just won your freedom.”

A silver bird landed near them and became Hina. “It is true, Honor. This is indeed your sister, and all of you are now free to go.”

Honor gazed down at her sister, hands on her shoulders. “Mira?” she said, her voice a little choked. “Is that really you? It's been so long! You look the same.”

“So do you,” Mira said, still beaming. “It's been forever.”

Honor pulled her sister close in a tight embrace.

“I can't breathe,” Mira croaked after a long moment.

Laughing, Honor let her go, and Mira stepped back. “You're still flimsy!”

“You still don't know your own strength.”

“Wait a minute,” Honor said suspiciously. “I was just in a contest trying to win my freedom.”

“You almost killed me,” Mira said.

Honor covered her mouth. “That was you?”

“What was your contest?” Mira asked.

“There were three scenarios,” Honor said. “First, I had to stop Father from abducting us. Then I had to prevent three rats from attacking some rabbits. At the end, I had to stop three horse thieves.”

Mira hit her forehead with the heel of her hand. “You were always the attacker!”

“I've been chasing you this whole time?” Honor asked, appalled.

“Me and two of my friends,” Mira said. “Jace and Cole.”

“Oh, Mira, I'm so sorry.” Honor looked over at Cole, then her eyes found Jace. “I didn't know.”

“People try to kill me all the time,” Jace said.

“Ditto,” Cole added.

“It wasn't your fault,” Mira soothed.

Honor sighed. “I'm a fool. I expected trickery, but nothing like this.”

“You looked like Owandell to us,” Mira said. “If I was really sharp, I might have guessed it. He never carried a sword. He wasn't the type to get his hands dirty.”

“You three must have been the captured traitors,” Honor said. “You looked like Father, Owandell, and Serbus to me. We were both duped. We went up against one another through altered versions of the same scenario. Mira, I had no idea.”

“You had to stop us all three times to get free?” Mira asked.

“I had to kill the three of you,” Honor said. “Trillian told me it would be difficult. But I couldn't pass up a chance to escape.”

“We were looking for you,” Mira said. “We knew you wouldn't be in your true form. All we had to do was find you, touch you, and say your name. But we only got three guesses—one in each place. I didn't think about you being the enemy until right at the end, when you asked me to yield.”

“Were you about to pick that horse instead?” Honor asked incredulously.

“It kept apart from the others,” Mira said. “That seemed kind of like you—doing your own thing. But as I got close, it just didn't feel right. Something told me to wait until the last second, in case I made a better discovery. Asking me to yield was something you would do, but it didn't seem like something a monster would do.”

“I shouldn't have done it,” Honor said. “Not if I played his game the right way. Killing you was my ticket out of here. It just seemed harsh to kill a trespasser. You hadn't stolen a horse yet. None of you tried to fight me. I felt like a bully. No, worse, a murderer. I knew you were probably just some fabrication, and I knew you might disappear again before my blow connected, but I still couldn't feel right about striking you down without offering you a chance to surrender.”

Cole had moved over to stand by Jace. They stayed off to the side, close enough to hear everything, but not wanting to intrude. Honor glanced at them. “Thanks for coming for me. Look at you. You're just kids.”

“What are you?” Jace asked. “A wise old grandmother?”

“I meant no offense,” Honor assured him.

“You looked like a monster to us,” Cole asked. “Could you tell?”

Honor shook her head. “I felt like myself the whole time.”

“How well did you know the maze?” Jace asked.

“Not well,” Honor said. “I only knew I had to protect the horses at the center. You three looked like little goblins.”

“Congratulations on winning your freedom,” Hina said, stepping closer to Mira and Honor. “I am to escort you to the gate. Before you go, Trillian asked me to pass along a parting gift.”

“I don't want anything from him,” Honor said.

“Nevertheless, it is yours,” Hina replied, opening a carved wooden box. A tiny sphere of light emerged.

“What is that?” Mira asked.

“I thought Trillian's power couldn't reach beyond this domain,” Honor said.

“This is Spark,” Hina explained. “Trillian did not craft this figment. Callista did. The Grand Shaper rested here for a time before going into hiding. She left several figments with her former master. This one can lead you to her.”

“Greetings,” Spark chirped in a tiny voice.

“After all this time, Trillian wants to guide me to Callista?” Honor exclaimed. “I came to this part of Elloweer looking for her. But then Trillian captured me. He never said a word about helping me find the Grand Shaper.”

“My master knows your mind,” Hina said. “Lately, he has learned more about the fiend Morgassa. He wants her stopped, and he doesn't believe you'll have a chance without help from the Grand Shaper. It's in his interest as well as yours.”

“If he knows where she is, why not just tell me?” Honor asked.

“She has hidden herself deep within Fog Lake,” Hina said. “Finding her on your own would be quite a feat.”

“Your problems are solved!” Spark cheered. “I'm your new leader!”

“You can guide us to Callista?” Honor asked.

“Easily,” Spark replied. “Fog Lake is less than a day from here. With me as your leader, you can't go wrong.”

“Showing us how to get there doesn't make you the leader,” Jace corrected.

“It does if you're following me,” Spark squeaked.

“Tell Trillian we accept the gift,” Honor said. “Will you show us out?”

Within minutes, they were back on the extremely red road. The splendid coach awaited. There was room for four. Hina rode her horse.

Cole looked at the flashy palace receding behind them. Mira caught Honor up about their fight with Carnag and the danger of the shapecrafters.

“I knew nothing about shapecrafters,” Honor said. “Reggie had suspicions about Morgassa's power being linked to mine. We hoped Callista might aid us.”

“We saw Reggie at Blackmont Castle,” Mira said.

“He's alive?” Honor exclaimed. “I saw him cut down by members of Trillian's Red Guard.”

“He lost his legs,” Mira said. “But he survived.”

The coach halted at the end of the road before the open gate. Only blackness was visible beyond.

One of Trillian's guards held a saddled horse near the open gates. He handed Honor the reins when she approached. “Hi, General,” she said, patting the horse's neck. “Have they treated you right?” Without a word to the guard or a glance at Hina, Honor led the steed into the perfect darkness. Spark followed, then Mira and Jace. Cole waved at Hina. She nodded at him.

Cole stepped through in time to see Skye pick up Mira in an embrace and twirl her around. “I shouldn't have doubted,” Skye was saying. “I didn't expect to see you again!”

Dalton came up to Cole and gave him a hug, then patted Jace on the back. “Good job, guys!” he said. “You found her! What a relief!”

“We were making rescue plans,” Twitch said. “Not very hopeful ones.”

“We weren't all faithless,” Minimus asserted. “Given the chance, I might have taught that torivor some manners.”

“It was a close call,” Mira said. “The contest was tough. But we won in the end.”

Skye went down on one knee and bowed her head to Honor. “Your Highness,” she said.

Twitch started to kneel and bow as well, which looked interesting since his legs folded the other way.

“Rise,” Honor said. “No bows or curtseys, please. I appreciate the gesture, but we're far from court.”

Twitch straightened and Skye stood up.

“I mean to counsel with Callista,” Honor said. “This figment, Spark, will show us the way. How many of you intend to join me?”

“I do,” Mira said.

“I'm with Mira,” Jace said.

Dalton sidled close to Cole. “Are we in?” he asked softly.

“We'd be on our own without Mira,” Cole said. “Besides, who knows how a Grand Shaper might be able to help us? Maybe that's who Trillian meant when he said someone with enough power could get us home.”

“We're coming,” Dalton announced.

Everyone else agreed.

“Then we'll ride until nightfall,” Honor said. “Our guide predicts we will arrive in less than a day.”

“We surely can,” Spark chirped. “Just rely on your fearless leader.”

“I thank you all for coming to my rescue,” Honor said, mounting her horse. “I made a grave misstep getting caught by Trillian. You saved me from my folly. I'm indebted.”

“We're just happy you're all right,” Mira said.

Cole noticed how naturally Honor assumed command of the group. Her presence made it feel like they had been leaderless until now. She rode at the front near Spark and chose a good spot for them to camp as the light failed.

“I'll watch over you tonight,” Minimus volunteered.

“Nonsense,” Honor said. “We'll share that duty. You must sleep sometime.”

“Actually, my lady, I require very little rest,” Minimus said. “Watching through the night is a simple matter for me. I would not endanger you with empty boasts.”

“I'll keep watch too,” Spark offered. “I don't sleep either. And I see all directions at once. A good leader keeps an eye on his flock.”

“We'll be well guarded,” Honor said.

“Our enemies will run screaming,” Jace joked. “Nobody would tangle with a little dot of light.”

“Mighty infernos begin with a spark,” Spark cautioned.

“Can you become an inferno?” Jace asked.

“I can alert the dwarf,” Spark said sheepishly.

“Then he can unleash an inferno indeed!” Minimus said stoutly.

“I'll cloak us in an illusion as well,” Skye said. “We should rest undisturbed.”

As he bedded down next to Dalton, Cole gazed up at the foreign sky. Two dim moons shared weak light. Stars and galaxies clogged the firmament like luminous dust.

“I saw the Big Dipper,” Cole said.

“Here?” Dalton asked.

Cole explained about the simulation of Mr. Barrum's house.

“That must have been nice to feel like you were home for a while,” Dalton said. “Except for almost getting chopped up by an ax.”

“It was good and bad,” Cole said. “I saw things from our old life. I saw a normal house. I saw a soda can. I even saw the light from a TV. Funny thing is, I'd almost forgotten about TVs. I'd almost forgotten about a lot of that stuff. Maybe it was because I was tiny, or because I knew it wasn't real, but it didn't feel as much like home anymore.”