Part VIII

The sun was hours before rising, Sir Plucki woke with a start, he couldn't explain it but he felt like his fatherly side was telling him something, he worried about Cammi and the words Cammi's mother spoke of. He looked out one of the nearby windows and saw it was still dark, the stars very dim almost fading, the moon was sinking awaiting it's sleep and the dark navy blue sky was soon to change to a peach and pink welcoming the sunrise. He turned expecting to see Cammi sleeping in his bed soundlessly and peacefully instead he saw what he feared, Cammi had disappeared. He started to panic and immediately acted, got dressed in his knight uniform and tore out the room and headed to where he thought Cammi's mother might be.

Cammi was miles into the dark forest away from Gummadoon as his eyes where set forward to the road, he knew he had travelled further then he ever had done even when he was patrolling the forest with his dad and his friends. He had collapsed into a crying mode when he was out of hearing range from Gummadoon, tears stained his face but he kept forcing himself to wipe them away trying to forget about them.

Sir Plucki was now in the grounds saddling his unicorn as well as his two closest friends and a few other knights, they knew Cammi was not within Gummadoon's walls and feared that Tarquan would soon arise to take him.

Cammi's mother stood in her place at the castle wall and watched the knights ride out, racing towards the forest; she pulled her cloak around her as to stop the rain from completely drenching her as she prayed only that Cammi would be safe and hoped the knights were not too late in finding him.

Sir Plucki rode hard and fast into the forest nudging his unicorn to go faster as did the others, his face held a mask of nothing but pure worry and fear. As he rode following some of the track's Cammi's in the mud which he carelessly had been trying to cover, he kept thinking as he rode and sometimes he would whisper to himself //Cammi, why? //

Cammi froze and stopped dead in his track's, he felt for sure he had heard his foster father's thought's and knew that they were looking for him.  He stared up into the sky and saw the sky change from orange to a light shade of blue with the golden sun glistering in the sky. He began to think, he always thought that he and his foster dad had a telepathic link between them since his dad could always read his mind like an open book. He stood there confused as to what he should do, he felt like his head was spinning and was becoming dizzy, fresh tears came to his eyes but they were not for his loneliness or his parents but for Gummadoon. He knew now that they did want to know him and that they did care about him just that sometimes he would have a bad day and that it not always his fault. He smiled at the thought happily, the sparkle returning to his dull eyes and the smile playing on his lips, he felt the sorrow leave his heart and eyes as he continued on his way.

Although he knew now that they cared and was warmed in the heart he still felt like he had to leave not to make there lives miserable but to put things right. He then thought to himself about his parents and then whispered //I will always love you // and with that he disappeared deeper into the forest not caring anymore about the tracks that he left behind in the slimy, squeegee mud.  He hadn't walked far however when he realised that the forest was quiet too quiet for his liking except for the breeze that passed through the forest swaying his cloak sideways revealing his sword. He felt uneasy about this sudden quietness and didn't like it as he dropped into fighting stances, he stood there listening intensively and was now walking with high alert and caution.

The silence of the forest was soon disturbed as a bone chilling cruel laughter could be heard singing through the air as the bushes around Cammi began to rustle and shake.

Cammi had stopped when he heard the laughter and he looked around in disgust as the bushes shook violently and wildly blocking his path when he saw something emerge from the bushes he stood there completely horror struck. He thought looking in the book in the library of the creature was bad this was ten times worse and looked fiercer now he stood there face to face with the creature that everyone called Tarquan.  He went deathly pale, his mouth locked open at the creature, and his face held a mask of fear and horror but he soon snapped back to reality and grabbed the hilt of his sword and withdraw it and whispered

"Tarquan"

"Cammi" Tarquan hissed and gave a half smile revealing his yellow stained teeth.

The two looked each other in the eye although Cammi tried not to, they were so cold and desired a thirst for blood as his eyes left Tarquan's and looked at his long, brown, roughed up tail that was swaying slightly behind him. He held a firm grip on his sword ready to attack when he felt the ground shake furiously knocking him down to the earth. He soon sheathed his sword considering it would be dangerous incase he stabbed himself while rolling about the place on the ground trying to stand up and gain balance. He could hear a loud crackling sound and could see that the ground was tearing away into a circle pulling him and the Tarquan underground. Cammi knew that this was Tarquan doing and began to scream as he was pulled into the dark world underground where Tarquan made his home. He pulled his bag off his shoulder's and threw it with such a force that it broke through the hard, crippled ground making a hole as it landed a few metres away from it. He hoped that someone would find him soon as he fell into darkness and the ground closed around him and return to normal as if it had never had been touched.

Sir Plucki and his friends had heard Cammi's scream not far away and feared for Cammi's safety as they raced there way over towards Cammi's screams.

They had caught up to Cammi quicker than they thought since he didn't bother to cover the tracks and were now close to where Cammi had once been. They slowed down their unicorns and looked at one another confused, they were sure that they had heard Cammi screaming from this direction and then suddenly everything around them went dead silent and there were no more tracks.

Sir Plucki had an eerily feeling and didn't like the sudden quietness and held the reins of his unicorns a little tighter as he nudged it forward.

The group then dismounted their unicorns and began to search the area to see if Cammi had really been in the area.

Hours flew by and night was drawing on as the group of knights where still on the search party convinced that Cammi was around here somewhere and was soon reassured as Sir Gumlittle came back to the group carrying something in his hand. In his hand he held a small, leather brown torn-up rucksack type bag that now had several holes and was caked over in mud, one of the straps ripped in two as he handed it over to Sir Plucki who reluctantly took in his hands and stared down at it finding it hard to believe. He knew it was most likely possible that Tarquan now had Cammi and was torturing him somewhere but he cast the thought aside he didn't want to believe it. What he wanted to believe was that Tarquan was still far away and that Cammi was still wondering on all alone in the forest waiting for him to find him.

TBC…