Ziggy's Corner: And now for the final chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed this story. I had to switch from word processor to html format when submitting, because for some reason, won't allow me to submit normally, and text format looks kind of stupid. Anyway if you've enjoyed my characters, let me know, because I have a few ideas for them in some sequels. And on that note, on with the final chapter.
By the time Ryder and Watt got to the back door, Banning was gone, charging out after his little girl apparently. Andrew was holding Hayley tightly, having spent the night along with the two men, the two of them looking at each other, and at these two men. Ryder frowned, turned toward the door and began to walk out.
"Wait," the older knight called out. "Banning didn't want us to go out there tonight."
Ryder and Watt stopped and looked at Andrew. "That girl is out there, with some kind of maniac," Watt said. "You can't expect us to just stay here and do nothing."
"Her father is out there, isn't he?" He asked the girl who looked up doe eyed in his eyes. She looked up at him and just stared.
"I'm sorry, but that's not in my nature to just walk away from people in trouble," Ryder said.
"Is that why you ran away from your own comrades in France?" Andrew asked with a slight smirk.
Ryder frowned, his body tightened as he watched the girl look at all of them. "Watt, let's go."
"Don't be stupid, Ryder Holmes," Andrew suggested. "It would not be wise to anger Banning. He seems to have known who you are."
Ryder blinked and cocked his head, as the other man produced a letter in the old man's writing, telling the Inquisitor where he could find the Templar. Ryder's eyes felt his body tighten, and he looked at the girl. "That doesn't matter. That man's child is in danger, and I'm going to help her." He looked at Watt, who nodded.
Ignoring Andrew's pleas to stay in the house, the two men bolted, and quickly made their way to the tree, and the lights, which seemed to be dimming. With a small candle in each man's hand, they looked, for the struggle, for footprints, where there were none. Ryder began pacing the ground, listening for the ever growing fainter yips of the ghostly dogs. He wallked back and forth, his eyes focusing on the ground under the tree.
"I never noticed this, but is the ground warmer around this area, than the others?" Watt asked, feeling a patch of dead grass, brown dirt. His friend frowned, and cocked his head, until he was shoulder with shoulder with the other man.
"This is very interesting," Ryder said, as his hands ran through the dirt. He looked up at the inn, but saw no lights there, no warm glow. Andrew had shut the inn tight, in obedience to Banning's superstitious requests. Or did he? Ryder looked down at the ground and continued to feel it until he nodded. "I think I have it, though I don't know how I could have missed it before."
"What is it?" Watt asked.
"Feel here," Ryder said, moving his hand over the patch of earth he was studying. His friend followed his example and frowned.
"It feels hallow, but how can that be?"
"Not too hallow," Ryder said, knocking on the ground. There was a harsh, wooden sound. "There's a cavern down there, and I'm willing to bet its lit by torches."
"That explains the light around the tree," Watt said, "but what is it being used for? And how is the light being snuffed out?"
"I don't think it is, but I do think its being covered up with planks of some kind. Then whoever is behind this simply pulls the planks away when they want the people to think the spirits are about." He turned toward the house. "Did you happened to take your knife or sword like I asked you to before we came down the stairs?" His friend nodded. "Good, follow the patch of hallow dirt. If my gut is right, you'll be led to a cave of some kind. Go there, and you'll find out what happened to Larke."
"But what are you going to do?" Watt asked with a frown.
"I'm going back to the mastermind of all this, and have a few words with him.
Watt frowned, "But Banning …,"
Ryder shook his head, "The look in the girl's eyes, how he knew that I was noble, and though it looked like Banning's hand writing, it was done in a manner befitting someone of higher learning."
"I don't think Banning is stupid," Watt said.
"Neither do I, which is why I think you'll find him in the cave holding the girl captive."
"You think he's part of this?"
"He has shown a lot of fear, more so for a person respecting a knight, or a stronger man."
"You think it's Sir Andrew who's responsible for this?"
"Yes, I know it is. He claimed he didn't know where Hayley was when he came to us, but then said she was at the cemetery. Plus the dirt I told you about."
"Yes, you said you saw it on him when he came running up, and also on the slab Hayley was laying on," Watt said with a nod.
"And it was on Banning's hands too. I thought at first it was frost, but after I saw more of the stuff, I realized the connection." He smiled, "Now come Watt, the games afoot!" The words startled him even more than his friend.
"What are you talking about now?"
He shrugged. "My apologies, it just seemed like the right thing to say at this second," he laughed, "who knows? Perhaps centuries will come when others of my family say the same thing."
They laughed, and Watt went off, with thoughts and pictures of generations of Holmes talking about games and feet, as they had began to solve their riddles. He smiled, his affection for this man growing wider. He hurried along, and continued to follow the path until he was lead to a small cave. He smiled again, "Ryder, you are a man of great cleverness," he chuckled. He took out his blade, and slowly crept closer to its opening.
"Just who might you be?" a harsh voice barked at him from his side. Watt turned and blinked at the sight which now met his eyes.
It didn't take him long to get back into the inn, and when he did, everything he had surmised over the night finally added up and proved to be correct. Sir Andrew Arthur held the girl to his waist, his knife pressing against her throat. For a second the cowardly man showed horror and confusion, and then he scowled. "I figured you'd be long gone by now, either following the trail by the tree, or fearing for your safety after finding out that Banning knew who you were."
"But it wasn't Banning who wrote that letter, was it Sir Andrew?" Ryder asked, inching nearer to the villain, who pulled the blade closer to the girl's throat. "You are very good at copying a person's handwriting."
He smiled. "It's a gift," he answered with a shrug.
"So why are you doing this?" he demanded.
"Perhaps I gave you too much credit." He sounded genuinely disappointed. "I did it for the land." Hayley gave a mixed squeak of disgust and terror, and he pressed the blade closer to her to shut her up. "With my marriage to Hayley, I would be able to use the land to raise an army."
Ryder moved slightly, praying to God he would not be noticed. "An army?"
"I had originally planned on using the base openingly, once I had enough members, but then that fool Banning showed up, and built his inn. Of course it was only a matter of reminding the people of the village of the sacredness of the old ways of our people of that land, and I had him eating from my hand. Banning has, shall we say, a very healthy respect for the old ways, Ryder Holmes. Unlike you and the king, who might call it, paganistic superstitions." Andrew's upper lip curled up in a cruel smile. "I saw my opportunity to bring the fear of the old ways back to the people, and recruit a much larger army by hiding under his land, than by drilling on it." He laughed.
Ryder moved an inch again, letting his muscles weaken and loosen, so there would be no stiff movements that would give him away. "You're planning on overthrowing the kingdom."
Andrew scoffed and backed up a bit. "I would never dream of that, dear boy!" He chuckled again, a laugh that seemed like it would come from a demon's mouth. "No, Ryder, not the kingdom, but the new order, I plan on overthrowing the new religion! And returning the druids to the proper place of leadership where they belong!"
"The land would still belong to Banning, and I have a feeling he'd deny the king's men any knowledge of this," Ryder said, pushing the villain to disclose more of his plot.
"He's telling lies from the start," Hayley complained.
"No child, I'm not! But Ryder is right about him denying anything in the case of an unsuccessful coup. That's why I appealed to his greed. By allowing us to operate, and by keeping quite, we paid him handsomely! In fact, it was your father, dear Hayley who kidnapped you in the first place, as well as your sister."
"You're lying!" she cried. "Father warned us never to go out there! He warned Larke to come back, and then he rushed outside to…,"
"Take her to the underground passageway you have under the backyard, isn't that right, Andrew?" Ryder snapped. He was awarded with a wicked laugh.
"But the land is my father's, even all the greed in the world wouldn't let him give up the land!" she protested.
"Which is why I wooed you," he whispered into her ear, grinning at her disgust. "And he would gain even more financially with our marriage."
"I would never let you do such a heinous thing using my father's land," she shouted, gasping as he put the blade to her throat closer, the steel starting to pierce her flesh. "Besides, William was the one to attack me, he …,"
"Was my perfect little pawn," Andrew cackled, his eyes turning predatory, his facial features bestial. He cocked his head, and Ryder could see something oozing on the floor in the other room. Careful examination showed a body laying there. "Right before the girl went out, by my advice I should add, the fool came to capture Hayley here again. I ordered him to go back, but unfortunately his indoctrination seems to have been too complete. I had no choice but to kill him."
"You're a monster," Hayley growled.
"Shut up girl!" Andrew growled back. He turned to Ryder. "I have money, there's no need for us to fight. In fact, with your talents, why not join me?"
"No thank you," the Templar snapped.
"You are sure? Being a Templar you are already wanted, it would be easy to change sides?" He smiled, only to growl as the other shook his head. "Then what about a bribe?" again Ryder shook his head. Andrew gripped the girl tighter and stepped further back. "Then what about if I were to tell the authorities yet again who you are and where you can be found?"
"Let her go, Andrew," Ryder growled.
"Sir Andrew," the villain hissed. The darkness seemed to creep up from everywhere as the stand off continued. He smiled then, and tossed her away, knocking her head against the floor and sending her into unconsciousness. "I hope she doesn't die, my plans will have to slip backwards for a while if that is the case."
He turned to Ryder, and took out his bloody blade, the life force of the Inquisitor and his goons still drying on it, as well as William's. "I seem to be gaining quite a collection with this thing," he chuckled. His eyes twinkled with the thought of combat, and he rushed forward. Ryder met him head on, their blades creating sparks as they danced and circled around one another. "You are quite good with that weapon."
"You don't get to be a knight just because you are pretty," Ryder smiled. They crossed their blades again and pulled away. Circling, he knew he had to keep his bearings about him, neither of them could see very well in the dark, but that would make it easy for Andrew to use dirty tactics if given the chance. He closed his eyes and listened, remembering his training while he was in Solomon's Temple. It was dark there too, and sometimes he and his friends would practice night movements by walking through the halls, listening to nothing more than their own comrades' breath. He heard it, and then dodged as numerous fire pokers were hurled at him. He readied himself for another attack and dodged the rushing man, hearing glass break, and Andrew groan. He frowned, and made his way to the dying flames of the fire place, caught fire to a large stick, and approached a gurgling sound. There he found Andrew, impaled on shards of glass from the window, blood oozing from his chest and body.
He looked at Ryder, growled and tried to swing his blade, but found his strength ebbing, and finally his fingers peeled away one by one as his eyes glazed over.
Nearly five hours later, Ryder had taken care of Hayley, cleaned up the bodies and heard the sounds of footsteps, nearing the inn. His heart pounded, as did his mind. Watt, he had forgotten about Watt! He hurried toward the door, and saw in the growing light his friend, and six heavily armed men approaching. The Templar in him ordered him to flee, obviously he'd been betrayed. The human in him refused to allow him to flee. Watt had proved to be loyal and a good friend. He waited for them and then greeted them at the door. It was then when he saw Larke behind them, and two dogs behind her.
"The local sheriff thought things were weird, and came to the same conclusion you did," Watt said. "Of course they couldn't find out where the lair was, until they saw me moving, following the path."
"He was moving so slow, we figured he was part of the cult. Luckily one of the men in my company had served with him, and vouched for him," the sheriff said. "We raided the lair, and capture most of the cultists, though a good many of them were killed." They also told him about two elderly dogs, the same dogs that were the pets of the girls and had disappeared, stolen after Sir Andrew had kidnapped their mother. Ever since, when the cultists walked through the corridors, the dogs would bark, and their sound would come from the ground, right above the tree.
"Including my father," Larke said, looking down at her feet. "He died trying to murder me." One of the soldiers escorted her into the house, with orders not to lay a hand on her, or her sister.
"That poor girl," the sheriff said. He sighed, and listened to Ryder's accounts and nodded. "I thought that man was odd. He appeared out of no where one day, and claimed he had been ordered to serve in this area. I discovered his nobility, and just assumed that he was speaking the truth, rather than listen to my conscious."
"What will happen now?" Ryder asked.
"Now the traitors that survived can look forward to his majesty's brand of justice," the sheriff said with grim satisfaction. "As for the girls, it does not appear that they were any way involved with this plot, so they're free to stay here, and run this inn if they so wish."
Ryder nodded with a smile. That was awfully open minded of him. No demand that they marry or lose the building and the land, no kicking them off because they were women. "That seems fair."
"And what of you, Ryder Holmes?" the sheriff asked. "I'm impressed by your sense of justice though I should not be surprised." He sighed sadly, "However, I've heard your name before. I know what you are, and I really can not allow you to stay in my jurisdiction."
"You are saying you are willing to let me walk?" Ryder asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I never believed the lies that French snot came up with," the other man said, stroking his mustache. "I can't say the same for the king however. So yes, I'm willing to turn a blind eye and let you walk, so long as you leave this county for a while."
Ryder smiled and shook the other man's hand. How he wished there could be more open minded people who would listen to the Church as a whole, and not the will of one man sitting on a crown who planned to play the Holy Father like a puppet. Maybe if the pope could or would returned to Rome, things might change. "I promise you, nothing out of Providence will let me disrespect this kindness you have given me."
Ryder walked down the open road, his mind racing with what had transpired the last three days, when someone called him from behind and he turned to see Watt hurrying as fast as he could to catch up with his friend. "Would you like some company for a while?" he asked with a smile.
"You'd travel with a wanted man?" Ryder asked, smiling himself.
"You know after I came back from Scotland, I believed all my adventures were over, and I was ready for a boring life of just sitting around ready for the Lord to take me," Watt said. "After this, however; I must say that my blood is racing for another good mystery to run into."
"It could be that this was our one and only adventure," Ryder said. "And what of your family?"
"I didn't say travel with you forever," Watt said with a laugh. "Perhaps until we reach my small town, St. Paul. And if we never get into an adventure, well then we can still enjoy the company."
"Very well, I would enjoy you're company. Something tells me that this is indeed Providence as well."
"The next thing you will tell me is that centuries from now our future relatives will be banding together to solve mysteries," Watt said with a laugh.
"You never know," Ryder said with a nod of his head.
And that's it! Tell me what you think! Like I said, I have ideas for other adventures with these characters, so let me know if you want to read them too! Thanks for reading, and review, review, REVIEW!