Chapter 3

His head hurt; pretty well everything hurt, especially his arms, but that was because the Orc behind him seemed to be trying to pull them out of their sockets.

The Barbarian was close by, held by another Orc. The little boy was scowling, not looking afraid at all. That, more than anything else, made Eric feel weak and inadequate.

The two Young Ones were dragged through the dark Castle, towards the glowing light ahead. Eric didn't need to be clairvoyant to know who was waiting for them.

Venger smirked as they were brought in, staring at the Cavalier for the whole time. Eric was breathing hard, fighting panic and fear. This wasn't good. Things could only get better. They couldn't get worse…please don't let them get any worse!!

'We have two of them,' said Shadow Demon from his Master's side. 'We should use them as bait, the others will try to…'

'Be silent!' ordered Venger. He looked the Cavalier in the eye. Eric tried to stare back, but he couldn't hold Venger's stare for more than a few seconds. Something nasty was going to happen to him, he could feel it.

'Take the Barbarian,' said Venger suddenly. 'Throw him in the fires.'

For an instant, Bobby looked shocked and terrified, but the expression was only fleeting. Then he struggled as the Orc pulled him away.

'Hey, no!' shouted Eric, tugging against the Orcs that held him. 'Bobby's just a kid!'

'So?' asked Venger coldly. 'What concern is it of mine?'

He signalled the Orcs to continue, and Bobby struggled more vigorously, shouting insults at the top of his voice. There was a huge pit close by, Eric couldn't see into it, but there were thick tendrils of smoke coming out of it.

'You can't!' said Eric, trying in vain to pull free of the Orc's grip. 'C'mon Venger! You can't! Please!'

The Arch-Mage held up his hand and the Orcs paused.

'You would plead with me?' he asked mockingly. 'But what else do you have to offer me, Cavalier?'

Eric's stomach lurched, and he couldn't speak. There was no mistaking the implication in Venger's statement, Eric knew exactly what the Arch-Mage wanted. But he couldn't let the little squirt suffer like that. He just couldn't. And as much as it went against his selfish ideals, he couldn't stand by and do nothing. There was only one thing he could think of to say.

'Whatever you want, I'll do it. Just don't hurt him.'

'Er-ic!' cried Bobby, but the Arch-Mage ignored him, and gave an evil smile. His eyebrow flicked up.

'You? You would willingly betray your friends? How amusing!'

'Eric, no!' shouted Bobby. 'You can't do that to our friends! Venger can do what he likes to me! I don't care!'

Venger stepped forward, to tower of the Cavalier.

'But you know someone who does care. Don't you, Cavalier?' said Venger quietly.

Eric shuddered, knowing exactly what Venger meant. Sheila, she would be devastated if anything happened to her brother. She would never recover. It would destroy her.

Eric closed his eyes.

'Sheila would never understand, Bobby,' he murmured. 'If anything happened to you, she'd…'

'The fate of the Barbarian is in your hands, Cavalier.' Venger gave a pointy-toothed smile. 'And just so you know what you are saving him from…'

Venger reached out, fire at his fingertips. He touched Eric's armour and burning, excruciating, white-hot pain burst though the Cavalier's chest. It only lasted a second, but it took at least two minutes before he could breath properly again. He looked shakily up at the Arch-Mage and gulped. Venger had enjoyed doing that; he'd enjoyed it a lot!

'Do we understand each other, Cavalier?'

Eric nodded.

'Good. Then you will return to the Cloudbear's city. You will deprive your friends of their weapons, and you will signal the Orcs when it is safe to attack.'

This time Eric couldn't nod, any movement would have made him sick. He had no choice.

'I understand,' he whispered.

'Take the Barbarian!' Venger said to the Orcs. He pointed up, to the wheel dangling above the fire-pit.

'What are you doing!' demanded the Cavalier.

'Forgive me, Cavalier, if I do not trust your word. I will keep the young Barbarian as a pledge of your loyalty.'

Eric looked balefully up at Venger.

'You mustn't hurt him.'

The Arch-Mage nodded.

'And you; if you inform your friends of what has happened, then I will destroy him instantly. Shadow Demon will know.' Venger looked into Eric's eyes, and the Cavalier knew the Arch-Mage would carry out the threat, slowly.

The Cavalier dipped his head, just once, feeling more cowardly and more wretched than he had ever felt before. Hank would never have let himself be used like this; he wouldn't have been dumb enough to get captured.

'Go, Cavalier. Ensure my Orcs take the Cloud Bears' city.'

It took him a few seconds, but Eric managed to nod again…

'Greetings, Cavalier.'

His thoughts dragged abruptly back to the present, Eric looked up at the familiar voice, suddenly feeling worse.

'Dungeonmaster,' he said flatly. 'Come to tell me I'm a traitor too? You'll have to get in line.'

The old man looked sadly at him.

'This has not happened the way I had foreseen, Cavalier. And I am sorry.'

Eric frowned at the word "foreseen", but let it pass. He was too deeply in trouble to care anymore.

'Whad-ya want?' asked Eric.

The old man frowned in a sad, but caring way.

'To wish you well, Cavalier, and to help you.'

'Gre-at! It's a little late for that.'

'Really, Cavalier?'

For a moment, anger flared inside him at the old man's words. But the expression on Dungeonmaster's face almost made the tears start again.

'I don't know what to do,' he admitted. 'Without the others, I'm trapped. I don't know what to do.'

Dungeonmaster gave a nod and a poignant smile.

'He who has the answer and doesn't know it, is just as lost as he who ever knew. You have the answer, Cavalier. It is as close to you as the wind…'

Eric snorted, knowing that was all the help he was going to get for Dungeonmaster.

'Well, that's just great,' he muttered, not even bothering to check if the guide had gone.

'I still don't know what to do…' he murmured once more.

But his footsteps lead him back to Venger's Castle.

They had spent a wretched night. The others had all managed to get some semblance of sleep, but Hank hadn't. Guilt and recrimination made it impossible.

But now, as the suns light started to creep into the forest, those feeling were being eroded away by a new feeling: Cold, heartless anger. The feeling of betrayal made him feel ill.

There was a noise beside him, and the Ranger turned to see Presto sit up, rub his eyes and look round at him. Seeing Hank was watching him, the Magician clambered out of his covers and came over.

For a few minutes they didn't say anything but eventually Presto spoke, in a whisper.

'What are we gonna do, Hank?'

It was a question that had occupied him for most of the night.

'I don't know. But we've gotta find Bobby. And we've gotta get the Cloudbears outta here too.'

Presto frowned.

'Why?'

'Venger's got his heart set on destroying them. They're easy targets up here.'

For a moment there was silence, then Presto shuddered. Hank put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder, knowing who he was thinking about.

'I can't believe he did it, Hank,' whispered Presto. 'How could he do that to us? I thought he was my friend.'

'We all did.'

'How could he betray us?'

Hank had no answer. Part of his mind was thinking about Eric, but another, small part was suddenly curious to know why Venger hated the Bears so much. He'd been told, hadn't he? Presto was still talking.

'I don't know about you, Hank, but I don't ever wanna see him again. I hope I don't, I couldn't stand it. I don't know what I'd do. I feel sick inside, I feel… Hank?'

Hank had stopped listening. The Ranger's mind was racing. He had a possible answer, and a potential plan. They knew already what to do! He looked at Presto and gave a pain-filled, but genuine smile.

'C'mon!' he said. 'I've gotta talk to King Kamala!'

The great Hall was empty, but for Bobby tied to a wooden wheel suspended above the fiery pit, and Venger.

'Eric!' said the Barbarian happily. It had to be the first time the little squirt had ever been pleased to see him.

'Cavalier,' said Venger slowly, his deep voice reverberating around the hall. 'Shadow Demon tells me you have failed to help capture the Cloudbears.'

'Yeah,' said Eric. 'Sue me!'

The Arch-Mage scowled at his insolence.

'I will do worse than that, Cavalier!'

The wheel began to rock, and Bobby cried out.

Eric shuddered. He'd come so far along this road, there was no turning back. He couldn't go back now. Though his friends all thought he was a traitor, he couldn't bring himself not to care.

'No! Stop!'

Venger arched an eyebrow.

'No harm will come to him, as long as you continue to do as I say,' Venger told him. 'But betray me once more and…'

'I-I wont cross you Venger,' said Eric, unable to look at the Arch-Mage. 'I promise.'

'Good, now go! And bring me the Cloud Bears!'

The conversation was over, and Eric turned, despairing. There was no way he was gonna be able to do that, not now the others had disowned him. He had no idea what to do! nothing had changed.

He stopped by the door, leaning heavily against the frame and pulled the Heartstone out of his pocket. He looked at it.

'Some good luck charm you turned out to be,' he said with a sigh.

As he stood there, out of sight of the people in the hall, he heard Venger speak.

'I must have those Stones destroyed, Shadow Demon. Those accursed Bears must not be allowed to keep those stones. The danger is too great.'

Eric looked down at the stone in his hand, trying to understand. The tone in Venger's voice had not been full of his usual confidence. The Arch-Mage was scared!

He stared at the stone, as it winked at him in the flickering firelight. Venger was scared or the stones!

What if these stones can destroy Venger, he wondered. Why else would he bother with those dumb little bears?

Suddenly, he knew what he had to do. But for it to work, he had to get help from the others. And for that to happen, he had to tell them everything.

That idea scared him, but what else could he do? He had to trust them, he had to trust that they would hear him out and it would all be ok.

He moved as fast as he could, sometimes walking, but mostly running, even in the forest. He just hoped he'd be in time, anything could have happened while he'd been in the Castle. He had to get back to the others.

By morning, the Cavalier, was very near, and he paused a short way from the Cloudbear's tree. The Orcs had some sort of climbing machine that had scaled the tree opposite. Hank had kept them at bay, but there was only so much they could do. The tree was soon going to be overrun.

He couldn't see the others, only a big green blimp-thing that…

It was the Hat!

Eric grinned. Trust Presto to come up with something as dumb and inspired as that! He would have to congratulate him when they next met. That was one spell he was sorry he'd missed.

The Hat-blimp was lifting off from the tree. It would be a close thing! Helpless on the ground, he watched their escape.

Flaming arrows were fired up at the over-inflated Hat. One punctured the side letting the air out and the Hat started to fall. Quick as lightning, Diana threw the Javelin up to plug the hole, but the Hat was loosing height. This was his chance!

Eric waved frantically at them.

'Guys! Hey guys!' he cried.

There were Orcs running here and there, a few were heading for him, but he stood his ground, still waving. The Hat was coming close.

Presto noticed him first.

'It's Eric,' he said, surprise and revulsion evident in his voice.

'C'mon guys, help me up!' yelled Eric. This was his chance. His only chance.

'No,' shouted Sheila, 'no way, go back to your Orc friends, traitor!'

The Hat drifted by, and Eric grabbed one of the guy ropes that were trailing on the ground behind them, and the Hat sank further. The Orcs were close.

Eric tried to pull himself up but, with the Shield, it was almost impossible. Fortunately, as the hole was now plugged, the Hat began to rise out of the way of the Orcs beneath. The Hat rose steadily, lifting him up with the others.

'C'mon guys,' he shouted breathlessly. 'I need help! I've figured it out, it's the Stones he's afraid of…'

He managed to look up and was shocked at what he saw. All of them, even Diana, looked down at him as if he were something they had found on the bottom of their shoe. The rest of the sentence stuck in his throat.

'Yeah! We figured THAT out too,' said Hank coldly. 'On our own. Without you.'

Eric gulped. He looked at Presto, his good friend Presto, but there was only an icy glare on his face.

'Yes, but I…' started the Cavalier.

'Save it Eric!' shouted Presto. 'We DON'T need your help!'

The Magician pulled out a knife and sliced through the rope in one quick movement.

'I need yours!' shouted the Cavalier.

It was too late. Eric fell.

The ground was a long, long way down.