Chapter Ten

Streaks of light filtered past the canopy of tall trees surrounding Ryder and his allies as they prepared to leave camp.

Even though he initially urged the group to leave the previous night, Ryder was glad they decided to get some rest before departing on their journey.

He rubbed his neck. Man, am I sore!

Stretching his arms above his head, he thought back to the Nalun attack. Wielding his father’s sword in a bloody frenzy was both frightening and exhilarating.

Dad would have been proud of me, Ryder thought as he looked down at the gleaming sword.

“Ryder, are you ready?” asked Albie.

“Ah, yeah, ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied. Grabbing a sack, Ryder loaded it with dried lera berries, several flasks of water, and a few medicinal plants he had found nearby.

Albie carried a large rucksack filled with additional supplies, including dried meat, fresh picked mushrooms, and more flasks filled with fresh water. Cridifer followed suit with his own small pack and the two guards, Kroy and Lant, pulled a small cart filled with larger supplies and weapons covered by heavy blankets.

As they marched through the tall grass, Ryder wondered, Have I trusted the right Necohians?

They hadn’t made it too far when Albie frantically shouted, “Everyone STOP! Look!” The small furry creature pointed ahead to a field of vibrant flowers.

“No,” murmured Ryder, “it couldn’t be.”

“Lapu flowers. We better cover our faces,” grunted Lant.

“I thought these things didn’t exist anymore?” asked Ryder.

“They’re plentiful around here. The King had fields planted after Princess Sophie went missing. It was supposed to prevent future criminals from reaching the city walls,” replied Kroy.

“And to keep those trying to escape within the grasp of the King’s army,” added Lant.

Albie removed his pack and grabbed a flask of water and a handful of cloth strips. “Good thing we came prepared,” he said as he carefully poured a small amount of water on each cloth and handed one out to everyone.

“Cover your nose and mouth. And make sure to tie it tightly. I don’t want to have to carry any of you through this field,” joked Lant, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Following orders, Ryder and the others tied the damp rags around their faces.

The lapu flowers were stunning. Bright yellow petals dotted with aqua spots and neon pink flowers with orange stripes flooded the landscape in front of them.

“So are they still as potent as before?” asked Ryder.

Albie shook his head. “Yes, even more so in some cases. I’ve heard all one has to do is take one smell and BAM! You’re unconscious!”

They stepped carefully, disturbing the flowers as little as possible. Each step was precise and calculated. By the time they had traversed through the seemingly unending lapu field, the sun was directly above them and burning hot.

“Let’s walk a bit further and then stop for lunch,” stated Albie.

The others mumbled in agreement.

After they were a safe distance from the fields of dangerous flowers, they sat to rest and unpacked a small feast.

Lant dug around in one of the packs and produced several large brown mushrooms with faint yellow flecks on the cap. “Here,” he grunted as he handed them out to everyone. “We better eat these today. If we wait too much longer, there’s a good chance they’ll become toxic.”

As everyone inspected their mushrooms for some sort of indication that they were toxic, Kroy handed out leather flasks of fresh water.

In addition to the mushrooms and water, they munched on dried lera berries and a small portion of dried meat.

For dessert, Cridifer had provided everyone with a ripe kuba, which was beyond decadent. The bright purple fruit was about the size of a grapefruit and it fit perfectly in the palm of Ryder’s hand. As he bit into it, sweet, tangy green juice dribbled down his chin.

Kuba was his little sister Brianna’s favorite fruit. The thought of her made Ryder’s stomach twinge and his heart ached.

Interrupting his thoughts, Albie shouted, “Hey! Look! Those are definitely Laro’s tracks! And, it looks like he was pulling the same cart as us. See? Look at the wheel marks, they match ours.”

Ryder got up and looked at the area Albie pointed to. “See? Three toes with little claw marks there and one extra right there! They match my feet! See?” The little creature flopped on his back and held his short furry legs in the air for Ryder to inspect.

“Well, they look like a match to me. But how do you know the tracks belong to Laro and not some other Tribe of Topher member?” asked Ryder.

Kroy cocked his head to the side and looked at Ryder with a strange expression. “Well, that’s simple. The only Tribe of Topher members besides us are back near the Swive River. We’re all that’s left.”

“What do you mean, you’re all that’s left?” questioned Ryder.

“Well,” said Kroy, shifting his weight, “we used to live within the castle walls. The Queen adored our kind. My wife served as one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting for years, and I was the official Royal Storyteller. Princess Sophie used to love my stories of magical creatures from faraway worlds.”

“So what happened? Why aren’t you living there anymore?” asked Ryder.

Looking around at one another, Lant spoke up first. “After the Princess disappeared, Grishma played a much larger role in the King’s life. Grishma convinced the King to kidnap many innocent Necohians and throw them into the dungeons. It instilled fear amongst all creatures living within and outside of the city walls.”

Kroy continued where Lant left off. “We went from a place of favor with the Royal Family to being thrown out like the waste from the chamber pots. My wife thought it was some kind of mistake. She and several family members managed to make it back into the castle to confront the King. Before he could even respond, Grishma snatched her up and had her thrown in the dungeons. That’s part of the reason I agreed to come on this trip. I have to save my wife.”

Ryder’s eyes widened. “From that point on,” Kroy said, “things got a lot worse. There were sweeping kidnappings and murders across the kingdom. Potion masters, or healers as some call them, were among the first to be captured and thrown in the dungeons. Now, even though I could never prove this, I know that Grishma has them mix up concoctions that keep the King ‘slightly off’ at all times.”

Cridifer interrupted. “What do you mean, ‘slightly off at all times’? I heard he was just going plain crazy!”

Scratching his soft furry head, Kroy responded, “Ah, it’s hard to explain. It was like the King stopped caring what happened to his kingdom. He used to be involved in all major decisions regarding his people, wars, and most importantly, his family. It seemed like all of a sudden, Grishma was acting on behalf of the King without ever being appointed to do so.”

Gently interjecting, Ryder asked, “I don’t mean to be rude, but how do you know that’s what happened?”

Exhaling sharply through his nose, Kroy said, “I know because even though we were thrown out, I still have contacts within the castle walls. One of the King’s servants, who is also my dear friend, witnessed the whole thing.”

Hearing this gave Ryder hope. If we have a spy at the castle, maybe rescuing Brooklyn, my family, and all of the others trapped in the dungeons won’t be impossible after all!

Lant continued. “From what we’ve heard, the Queen didn’t take too well to Grishma taking over. Apparently, to deal with this, Grishma had her exiled to a heavily guarded castle in the Halias Swamp. Grishma probably convinced the King she was safer living there or something like that.”

This time, Cridifer interrupted. “What about Princess Sophie? Is she even missing?”

“My sources tell me she’s with her mother in the swamp castle. When we met Brooklyn last night, we were convinced Princess Sophie had escaped and was on the run. Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. The rumor is that Grishma took the Princess there late one night and then claimed the next day she must have been kidnapped while the King slept.”

Albie chimed in, “Yeah, the King was so out of it he completely believed Grishma’s story.”

“Wow, so do you guys think it would be possible to use your insider information to get into the castle and into the dungeons? That might be our best bet for rescuing Brooklyn, my family, and the others.”

Albie, Lant, and Kroy exchanged glances. “There’s a secret entrance to the castle, and I can get us there. Once we’re inside, you must stay hidden until I can find one of my old friends. If I can find no one, we may have to abandon the plan and try again later. Remember, this is a top guarded secret, if we’re caught, we could all be thrown in the dungeon or even killed! Everyone agree to follow my lead?” asked Lant.

The group nodded solemnly.

“If we’re successful and we make it into the castle safely, we’ll need some sort of plan. Also, there’s one more thing, in order to truly succeed in any form, we must slay Grishma,” finished Lant.

“Slay Grishma?” squeaked Cridifer.

“Yes, or there will never be any hope of living a day in our lives without the fear we’re going to be hunted down and murdered!”

By the end of the second day they reached the outer city walls. Keeping a safe distance, Ryder observed heavy vines growing up the steep, coarse gray walls. He could also see the watchtowers placed strategically along the top wall to allow for maximum coverage.

How in all of Necoh are we going to get over that wall?

Ryder and his crew waited under a squat tree with vast branches covered in long, thin needles until the last rays of sunlight faded. It provided them with coverage and a chance to rest.

“Hey, Albie! Pass the lera berries,” whispered
Cridifer.

“Haven’t you eaten enough?” Kroy responded
harshly.

“Do you really plan on hauling all this stuff over the wall?” responded Cridifer.

Rolling his eyes, Kroy snipped, “Once we get over the wall, we’re going to need some supplies until we make it into the castle!”

Suddenly, the branches behind Cridifer began to shake.

Ryder immediately put his finger to his lips and silently shushed the others. Creeping toward the branch, Ryder unsheathed his sword. Lant followed at an arm’s length with a short, gleaming dagger exposed.

Before either of them could blink, a small muddy figure burst through the brush.

“Wait! Wait! Don’t hurt me! It’s me, Pidifer!”

Lant didn’t hesitate to meet the charging creature.

“STOP!” shouted Ryder.

Cridifer peeked from behind a large branch. “Pidifer! Is that really you?” he shrieked.

“Yes, brother, it’s me, Pidifer. I’ve been following your tracks since the sun rose. I wasn’t sure if you were kidnapped or if something horrible had happened to you. I’m so glad you’re okay!” The two orvbas ran toward one another and embraced.

“I feared the worst when you plunged into the Swive, brother! How did you ever survive?”

Pidifer held his head up high and smiled. “Oh, well, I was very brave! When the Nalun broke the raft apart, I was able to grab part of the rope holding it together before I was swept downstream. I almost drowned several times, but you see, orvbas are very good swimmers and I managed to stay afloat. Anyway, it was terrifying, but I was very brave. ‘Just keep swimming, Pidifer, keep swimming!’ I told myself. So I did, I just kept swimming. Finally the river slowed and I used the rope to snag a branch hanging overhead and I pulled myself out. Orvbas are very strong, too, in case you didn’t know. Right, brother? Enough about me already, I’m starving. Do you have anything to eat?”

Albie looked shell shocked. His eyes swept back and forth from Pidifer to Cridifer. “So you two are brothers?”

“Yup! Can’t you tell? We look just alike,” they answered in unison.

Ryder spoke up, “I can vouch for Pidifer. He was in the raft when we were attacked by the Nalun.”

The conversation was interrupted by a low growl that caused everyone but the brothers to sit up straight on full alert.

Pidifer smiled and shrugged his mud-caked shoulders. “Oh! Sorry guys. That was just my stomach. I’m starving!”

Ryder walked over to two of the packs and fished out some food for Pidifer. He also updated him on the details of their quest. He paused for a minute, and then said, “The problem is, even though we might have a way to get into the castle, we still don’t know how to get over the walls.”

Between bites, Pidifer managed to get out, “Oh, well, that’s easy!” Munch, munch, munch. “I know how to get over the city walls, no problem.”

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