Final Kingdom (10 page)

Reb went off to collect firewood. He was still grieving over Wash.

Sarah sat beside Abbey and Jake. Her face was lined with despair, and she could hardly speak. “We're getting whittled down one by one. Josh, then Wash, and now Dave.”

Jake patted her shoulder. “We just have to keep on. There's nothing else to do.”

Reb managed to snare a rabbit, and they made stew. But by now it was growing dark. “I wish Beorn would come back,” Jake muttered.

As if in answer to his wish, the dwarf emerged from the growing darkness. “I found the herbs!”

“Quick, give them to me,” Abbey said eagerly. She listened as Beorn explained how they were prepared. Soon the pot was boiling, and the leaves were simmering. “These may be the same herbs the centaurs used,” she said.

“Not the same,” Beorn said, “but maybe they will help.”

They treated Dave's wound by binding leaves over
the punctured flesh, which was now swollen, blue, and cold to the touch. Beorn raised Dave's head, and he inhaled some of the vapors, which seemed to revive him. He spoke feebly, “I'm a lot of trouble . . .”

“Don't say that.” Abbey put an arm around his shoulders, saying, “Here—try to get some of this stew into you.”

Dave ate a few bites, then shook his head. “No more.” His voice was a mere whisper, and he lay back again on his bedroll.

Abbey sat beside him as the hours of the night passed. From time to time she would look out into the darkness and listen, but there was no sound.

Sarah made breakfast, and they ate although no one seemed hungry. Then they sat around idly waiting, for there was nothing to do. Not fifteen minutes later, Sarah jumped up. “There!” she cried. “Glori's coming— out of those trees.”

“That's not Glori,” Jake said. “Who else could be out here in this wilderness?”

“Guess we just have to see,” Reb said. He loosened his sword from its sheath. “There's only one of him, but you never can tell.”

The figure looked vaguely familiar to Sarah—something about the walk, the clothing. Then the newcomer lifted his head.

A thrill of unbelievable joy ran through Sarah.
“Josh!”
she cried and ran to meet him.

The others were right at her heels, and when they reached the lone figure, everyone babbled at once. “Josh, how did you get away? Are you hurt? How did you get here?”

“I'm all right,” Josh said. “I'm all right.” He looked well enough. His cheeks were a healthy color. “I wasn't
all that badly wounded, and I managed to get away when the guard went to sleep.”

Beorn came closer. “The guard went to
sleep?
That doesn't sound like the Dark Lord's guards!”

“What difference does it make?” Jake said impatiently. “Josh is here.” He threw his arms around the boy. “Am I glad to see you! You must be hungry. How did you get here?”

“Did you come through the Caverns of Doom?” Beorn asked. His eyes were half shut, and he was studying Josh with a careful stare.

Josh faced the dwarf. “I've been in the city of the magicians. After I made my escape, I went there, and I learned many things. They know what is happening to all of us.”

His speech, Sarah thought, seemed strangely stilted, somewhat mechanical and harsh. Her brow furrowed. “Josh, what's wrong? You don't sound like yourself.”

“I've had a hard time,” Josh said. And then he pointed at Beorn. “But
there
is the problem. That is who has brought all the terror into our lives.”

Sarah stared at Josh in disbelief. “What are you saying?”

“The magicians have ways of knowing things. They say it was Beorn who betrayed us. He's responsible for Wash's death. He gave you away. He was responsible for my ambush too. All along he's been sending word to the servants of the Dark Lord.” Josh suddenly drew his sword and started toward the dwarf.

“Wait!” Sarah stepped in front of him. “That's what Glori wanted to do. But—”

“She was right. She's been the true guide. There's the traitor!”

“But we can't kill a helpless man,” Jake said. “If he is a traitor, we'll have to let Goél make that decision.”

“He's responsible for Wash's death! Doesn't that make
you
want to kill him, Reb?”

Reb stared at Josh and then at Beorn. Slowly he said, “I don't know he's responsible, and I don't think you do either, Josh. These magicians, they're a little bit too slick for me.”

“I'm the leader,” Josh said. “That's what Goél said, isn't it?” Without waiting for an answer, he advanced again on Beorn, sword in hand.

Abruptly Beorn said, “Look at his chest.”

“What did you say?” Sarah asked in bewilderment.

“Pull his shirt open and look at his chest. He has the smell of the Dark Lord about him—and if he is of the Dark Lord, he is not the Josh we knew. He'll have the mark of doom on his chest.”

Josh let out a screech and threw himself at the dwarf. Sarah managed to push Josh so that the sword blade went wide. In one swift movement, Beorn knocked Josh down. At once he rolled him over and jerked the shirt aside.

“There, you see? The mark of the Dark Lord—the mark of doom.”

“I don't understand. This is not Josh?”

“No,” Beorn said. “The enemy has many such foul tricks as this. I've heard of this before. Somehow they can conjure up what looks like a real person, but he's not a real person. Look.”

Before they could stop him, Beorn plunged his dagger into the throat of the form lying on the ground. Sarah screamed and then covered her eyes, for the figure suddenly shriveled up. It shrank and shrank until nothing was left but a little bit of black ash.

“It
wasn't
Josh,” Sarah whispered. “I knew it wasn't Josh!”

“This proves one thing,” Beorn said. “Somehow the Dark Lord knows where we are.”

“Could one of the magicians in the city have done this?” Abbey asked. “If they can do a thing like this, we are not safe anywhere.”

“We're not safe,” Beorn agreed. “We must be on our guard. Anything we see must be tested. No one is to be trusted. No one.”

The next day Dave awoke, his eyes clear. But his shoulder was painful, and he was not hungry. “Where are we?” he asked feebly.

“We're waiting for Glori to come back with a horse and wagon to take us into the city,” Abbey said. “Here, you're spilling stew all over yourself. You must eat.”

“What's happened since I've been unconscious?”

“For one thing, we saw a false Josh,” Abbey said.

When Dave expressed astonishment, she told him the whole story.

He said slowly. “That's going to make things harder. We won't know a friend when we see one.”

“Sure we will,” Abbey said. “All we have to do is look at his chest. If they've got the mark of doom, they're the enemy.”

“Did this Josh fool you?”

“Yes, he did, but I was so nervous and so ecstatic to see him, I guess it wasn't hard to fool me. He didn't fool Sarah, though.”

“Well, she knows him better than anyone else. She's still grieving over him, of course. We all are.”

“I haven't given up hope. I think Josh's still alive, and I somehow believe that we'll find him.”

Dave took her hand. “You always believe good
things will happen, that the good people will always win.” He held her hand lightly, then smiled. “I hope you always think like that.”

Abbey flushed but did not pull her hand away. “I'm glad you're better, Dave,” she whispered. “I was so worried about you. I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you.”

His hand tightened on hers. She sat quietly beside him. They said nothing for long periods. It was a way they had come to have—to be comfortable with their silences.

On the third morning, Reb spotted someone approaching. “It looks like Glori coming, and she's got a wagon.”

They all stood up to look. It was indeed Glori, riding a white horse. She was accompanied by a horse and wagon driven by a sturdy driver.

“How is Dave?” she called out.

“Much better,” Abbey answered. “But I'm glad you brought the wagon. He really shouldn't walk.”

“None of you will have to walk. Everyone get in. We're starting back at once for the city of the magicians.”

As Abbey made a bed for Dave in the wagon, Reb asked, “What about these magicians? Did you meet any of them?”

“No,” Glori said. “I was too anxious to get back here, but they know we're here. You can be sure of that.”

“The Dark Lord knows we're here too,” Beorn said grimly. “One of his emissaries found us last night. He came from that same direction.” He pointed toward Celethorn.

She stared at him coldly and said, “Get in, dwarf, or walk if you please. I still think you're a traitor.”

All were soon in the wagon. When Glori nodded, the driver spoke to the horses, and they moved ahead.

“I can't think Beorn is a traitor,” Reb said softly to Jake. “Remember how he stood in the way of that polar bear? That was the act of a brave man. That was no coward's act.”

“I know he's not a coward,” Jake said. “That doesn't prove he's not a traitor. He could have done it to save his own hide.”

“Do
you
think he's a traitor, Jake?” Reb asked directly.

Jake was a clever young man, smarter than most of the other Sleepers. He said nothing for a while. Then he said, “I think for sure we'll find out who's the traitor when we face Goél. No one could stand before
him
.”

B
y the time Glori had led the wagonload of Sleep ers deep into the plain toward Celethorn, Dave ap peared to be worse again. He groaned every time the wagon hit a pothole. Indeed, all the Sleepers had their teeth jarred by the rough ride.

“We need to take it much slower,” Beorn muttered. “Your friend is being shaken to pieces!” Beorn was sitting next to Abbey, who was supporting Dave in her arms to ease the ride as much as possible. The dwarf glanced at Glori; she was forging ahead at a rapid pace. “What good will it do to get to that blasted city of magicians quickly if the young man dies?”

“You're right, Beorn,” Abbey said. “Tell the driver to slow down.”

Beorn positioned himself behind the driver. “Slow down!” he commanded.

“I don't take my orders from no dwarf!” The driver was a bullnecked man with a beet-red face. He looked around and sneered. “Now, sit down, dwarfy, before I put you out to walk—”

He had no chance to say more. Quicker than thought, Beorn snatched a short, wicked-looking knife from his belt. Throwing his arm around the driver's throat, he pressed the tip of its razor edge into his backbone and said pleasantly, “I can drive a wagon better than you. If you don't slow down, I'll leave you to feed the buzzards.”

“Wait . . . give a man . . . a chance . . . can't you?”
The driver was choking, for the dwarf's muscular arm was cutting off most of his air. When the arm gave a little, he gasped, “All right. . .slower it is.”

“I knew you would be agreeable to suggestions.” Beorn removed his arm but gave the knife a little push, bringing a yelp from the driver. “I don't want to have to bring this matter to your attention again,” he remarked.

The driver brought the horses down to a slow walk, and Abbey flashed a smile at the dwarf. “Thank you, Beorn,” she said. “This is much better.”

“I don't expect her majesty up there will like it,” Beorn prophesied.

He was exactly right, for Glori soon rode back, saying, “Why have you slowed down, driver?”

Beorn rose up once again and pulled his knife from his belt. “I requested he do so. He's shaking our injured man to pieces.”

Glori glared at him, her eyes flashing. She was, indeed, a beautiful woman, but her beauty obviously made no impact on Beorn, who exchanged glares evenly with her.

“I see you're still creating all the trouble you can,” she grated and clenched her teeth.

“It was necessary, Glori,” Sarah spoke up. “Dave can't stand any more of that rough ride.”

“Oh, I'm sorry—I didn't think. I was so anxious to get some medical aid for him . . .” Glori did appear repentant. She said, “We'll be there soon, even at this slow pace. I'll ride ahead and make sure things are ready. You can see the city from here.” She pointed toward a smudge that broke the flat horizon—evidently the city of Celethorn.

As soon as Glori had ridden away, Beorn said sourly, “I wish that blasted woman would get lost!”

“You two really don't get along, do you, Beorn? Are you a woman hater?” Jake asked.

“I don't trust her.”

“Well, she doesn't trust you.” Jake shrugged. “I guess that's the way it is. Some people just don't get along together.”

“My Uncle Seedy and his wife, Mamie, they didn't get along together,” Reb remarked. “Stayed married for sixty years. Never had a pleasant day in their whole marriage.”

“Why did they stay married?” Jake asked.

Reb stared at him in disbelief. “Why, they stayed married because they
was
married!
You Yankees ain't got no idea of what marriage is really like. When a man gets married, he's got the woman that will have to do him as long as they live. Didn't you know that?”

Abbey smiled. “I like that idea, Reb.” She wiped the perspiration from Dave's brow and studied his face. “I think that's the way it ought to be. One man and one woman, married as long as they live.”

“That's the way it was done in Gum Springs, Arkansas.”

“Gum Springs, Arkansas. That doesn't sound like a very big town,” Jake said. “I don't remember that in my geography lessons. Where is Gum Springs?”