Chapter 47: Harken Returns
Saturday morning on Filbert Street had been a busy one. Charlie had successfully brought Billy and Rembrandt back, but he didn't look as happy as he should have. I watched him struggle to push Matilda out of his mind, but I knew he wouldn't succeed. I felt bad for him, but although Matilda may have been a good person, she was still living with the Count.
Things were finally starting to come together for us, and for that, I allowed myself to be happy. Alice and Emma had concocted a plan to help Olivia, I had a confirmation that Alice in fact had Grandma Bone under a spell, and Uncle Paton and Salem had come home in the middle of the night. When Miss Ingledew came to pick up Emma, it had woken both Uncle Paton and Salem from their slumber. Miss Ingledew refused to stay and talk with Uncle Paton and I wondered if they were fighting. I, however, was so excited to see Salem wander out of the living room that I nearly broke my neck descending the stairs to get to him.
"I'm so happy you're here. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to return with the fog." I said, wrapping my arms around him tightly.
"It seems that I won't be able to leave again any time soon either." He grinned his stupid, goofy grin and I felt even happier.
"Come on, I have some good news." I grabbed Salem's hand and practically yanked him back up to my former bedroom where we decided that Billy had to stay so no one would know that he was back. When we stepped into the room, everyone seemed to be trying to kill a fly that had flown in.
"A fly? Aren't they all supposed to be dead?" Salem asked.
"This fly came back with us from Badlock." Charlie said. "Alice has a bad feeling about it." It flew behind some heavy furniture and there was no way for us to get it.
"I'm going to go catch Maisie up on what has been going on." Alice slipped by us to get to the kitchen.
"And I'll get some clean clothes for Billy." Charlie added.
"Full house, huh?" I noticed Zelda sitting in the corner tending to a few scrapes Billy had gotten in Badlock.
As the day went on, the fog got thicker and Miss Ingledew's prediction came true. The mayor and the councilors and a handful of police officers left the city. With no one around to enforce law, the many villains that resided in the shadows were free to do what they wanted. Before we all went to bed that night, Maisie made sure every single window was sealed and every door was locked.
Once she declared us safe, we were allowed to go to bed. Our slumber didn't last long however, because everyone in the house was awakened by a deafening explosion that shook the house. Everyone ran out of their bedrooms and onto the landing. Salem, who had been asleep in the living room, ran to the front door that had been left wide open and a cold wind whipped into the house.
"What was that?" Maisie cried.
"It sounded like a meteor strike." Uncle Paton rubbed his eyes.
"Or a bolt of lightning." Charlie added.
"Or," Alice spoke so quietly that I almost couldn't hear her. "it was the sound of a fly turning into something much larger."
I looked back at her in horror. I had forgotten about the fly that had come from Badlock. Naturally, the Count would be skilled in shape shifting. A feeling of dread filled my chest and I wished to disappear. I knew he was coming, but I thought we would have more time to prepare.
"If that is him, he's probably going to the academy." Salem dead-bolted the door again and pulled a blanket tight around his shoulders. "He's here for a fight."
"We have had hardly any time to prepare for this." I looked back at Uncle Paton. For the first time, I knew he didn't have all of the answers.
"We have no choice. We can't just stand back and let this happen." Zelda cut in.
If the Count was heading to the academy, that meant that it would be too late for me to do anything for Manfred. I had run out of time. "Salem, I'm so sorry. There was nothing I could do for Manfred. I tried, but I ran out of time."
"It couldn't be helped." Salem said solemnly.
"It was a waste of her energy if you ask me." Zelda added stiffly. Salem glared at her but didn't say anything.
"It seems that no one is going to get any sleep tonight." Maisie grumbled. "I guess I'll put on some tea."
Everyone, excluding Billy, filed into the kitchen and took a seat as Maisie put her kettle on the stove and placed a package of cookies between all of us at the table. No one else seemed to want to speak, but there was no way we were going to be able to sleep soundly after everything that had happened. I put my head on the table and wondered what would happen if we stayed in the city even longer.
"My family is way in over their heads. This isn't going to play out the way they want it to. This man is much more sinister than they could ever imagine." Salem placed his hand on the back of my head and massaged my scalp gently.
"Serves them right. At least if we fail, I'll know that they got what they deserved." Zelda spat bitterly.
"You shouldn't keep that kind of negativity in your heart." Alice frowned at Zelda. "Wishing ill-will on others makes us no better than them. It'll make you feel better if you just let it go."
"She's right, you know." Said Salem.
We sat for a while longer, at least until our nerves were calmed enough that we could all go to bed. As we went to go back to our bedrooms, the doorbell rang. "Seems that we're not going to get any sleep tonight." Uncle Paton sighed as he walked into the hallway. "Who is it?"
"It's me! Cook!" A voice called out on the other end.
I heard him unbolt the door and Cook practically dashed in. When she walked into the kitchen, she had a large suitcase and a leather bag. Her eyes stopped on Salem first. "This is where you have been this entire time? I was worried about you, stupid boy." She scolded. Salem scooped her into a quick hug in an attempt to calm her down. "I've left Bloors."
"What? Why?" Charlie took his seat back at the table while Maisie put yet another kettle on the stove.
"The balance is gone, Charlie. You can never go back there. None of you can. It's all over."
"What's all over?" Zelda pulled out a chair from the dining room so Cook could sit. Cook eyed her warily but took the seat anyway.
Alice, who had almost been up the stairs when the doorbell rang filed back into the kitchen. "Alice Angel! I'm so glad you're here. What a difference it will make." She glanced at me. "Not that you're not a good witch, Infinity."
Alice smiled and sat down next to her. "Why don't you tell us what's going on, Cook?"
"He's come back." Cook couldn't control the tremble in her voice. "Count Harken. It's too late for all of us. We need to leave."
"It's not too late." Alice said optimistically. She glanced over at me as if to ask to help calm her down. I put my hand on Cook's shoulder and it seemed to help her a bit.
"The fog is very thick. I could hardly see my way here. Some street lights are out and I could hear looters on High Street. I had to come the back way to get here."
"What is going to become of us?" Maisie poured a cup of tea and sat it in front of Cook. "What can we do?"
"Plenty." Uncle Paton said firmly. "I wouldn't want to leave this city even if I could. It's worth fighting for and I know you all agree."
"But what about mom and dad?" Charlie asked. "If we can't get out, they can't get in, and they're on their way here."
"And they will be." I said confidently. I don't know if I meant it or not, but Alice looked at me as if I had said the right thing.
Although it had been an exciting night, it was time to sleep and Maisie had yet another person to house. In total, she had ten people under her roof and had to make room for them all.
Throughout the night, the fog had finally crept over the city and smothered us all in a gray crowd. I could smell ash and smoke in the air. The cathedral clock still chimed as it did every hour and everyone still rose from their beds although we all had very little sleep. I even gave in and had coffee with breakfast.
"What's the plan for today?" I asked, glancing at Charlie.
"We're going to Olivia's." Charlie spoke with a mouthful of eggs. "If Alice and Emma were successful, she'll be herself."
"Who is we?" Maisie asked, not wanting any of us to leave the house.
"Tancred, Lysander, Gabriel and I. You're welcome to come, if you would like. But we'll be bringing her back here."
"No thanks." Zelda stared into her cup. "I don't want to take my chances wandering around in the fog. I'll wait here."
"I think we will too." Salem spoke for me and I didn't object.
"Then what?" Maisie looked so anxious that I feared she would have a stroke if she didn't calm down.
"I guess we go find the Count and we make him leave." Charlie shrugged. "I haven't thought that far."
"Charlie!" She wailed. I shot him a dirty look, but there was no way to plan a fight. Some of us may not survive it, but it had to happen. I had confidence that the Red Knight was around the city, and even if he wasn't the King himself, I knew he was powerful and would see us through. If none of us could best Harken, then he would.
So it became a waiting game. I knew Charlie would be safe alongside Tancred and Lysander, but it didn't stop me from worrying anyway. Even Alice looked worried. If her vest didn't work, Olivia would be lost forever.
Luckily for us, it seemed to work because Olivia's voice was the first that I heard when the door opened. She launched herself into the kitchen and into Alice's waiting arms. Their reunion was interrupted when Maisie cleared her throat. "So what are Cook and me supposed to do? Just wait and wonder?"
"Maisie, we'll be okay." Salem said clearly. "Cook, have I ever let you down?"
"Tch." She rolled her eyes at Salem and grinned, before reaching up to pat his cheek. "You were always a good boy, Salem. I trust you. Maisie and I will be here. We'll keep the balance together."
And with that, we left the house and a large group of us traversed through the fog and up High Street. We were greeted by two figures looming out of the fog, one large and one smaller. Dagbert and Katya waited and Katya looked every bit as confident and cheerful as I thought she would.
"Is Julia alright?" Uncle Paton asked her.
"Just fine. Piminy Street is deserted. No one is there to bother her now."
"That means that they're all on the Heath."
"Yes, it does. But we can cope, can't we?" Katya pulled back her coat to show us all that she carried a beautifully crafted and equally deadly sword with her. I summoned mine as well, and those who had never witnessed me use it before gaped in awe.
"Shouldn't we have one of those?" Charlie eyed my sword warily.
"You have your endowments, my dear." Katya said. "You would be more a danger to yourself than others trying to use a sword without proper training."
"They don't amount to much." Charlie murmured. Of course, Charlie's picture traveling wouldn't help him but he was a powerful magician. I did worry for Gabriel and Billy, however.
"Listen, my dear. You are children of the Red King. That's all you will need when the time comes."
With that, we continued to walk. I watched Dagbert as he walked beside Charlie. He had changed quite a bit since the death of his father. With his curse broken, he no longer had the fishy smell that repelled people from him. His skin had also lost its green tint. He looked like a perfectly ordinary boy, but I knew that deep inside he was still just as powerful as he had been before.
Before we could continue much further, I heard someone call out. When we all turned to look, I saw Benjamin's dog bounding towards us followed by Benjamin, Fidelio and Riley. There was another form further behind them, walking very slowly. "Don't just run ahead like that, you could get yourselves killed!" It barked. I recognized that voice right away.
A familiar mop of red hair followed by glowing amber eyes made me nearly squeal with excitement. I hadn't expected to see Asa again. "You left without us, you know." He smirked at Charlie. "I was going to come alone, but these guys insisted on coming too. Had to babysit them the whole way here."
"Asa, we're glad to have you. But these guys can't come. They're not endowed." Lysander said coolly.
"So what?" Fidelio frowned.
"You won't be safe. You need protection." Tancred added.
"We'll be fine." Riley held out the aluminum baseball bat in his hand and Asa snickered from behind him.
"What about your parents?" Alice said gently. "Didn't you tell them what you were about to do?"
"We left notes, and we're coming." I had never seen Fidelio speak so defiantly.
"I'm sorry boys," Uncle Paton began.
"Natalia." Zelda called out in an attempt to warn us that there was someone approaching, but before she could do anything, there was an explosive crash. The traffic lights toppled over and laid broken in the intersection. The misty figures of Zelda's aunt and cousins could just be made out.
"Traitor!" An angry voice called out.
There was no way for anyone to turn back now, so we let them join us. We were now a group of eighteen as we headed towards our destination with the Brankos causing heavy damage behind us. Chimneys toppled and windows broke. Abandoned cars could be heard after their alarms started to blare. Before us, a lamp post crashed to the ground and glass shattered into thousands of shards.
Both Uncle Paton and Zelda had reached their limit. Together, they caused equally devastating damage as Uncle Paton exploded window panes and Zelda sent the glass shards from them pointed directly at her family. Yelling and shrieks could be heard as they retreated down the street.
Uncle Paton and Zelda shared a subtle high five before we continued our march down the street. Asa fell into step next to me, his hands in his pockets. "I came back to keep you safe." He said in a low voice, as if he didn't want Salem to hear. "I owe you that much."
"You repaid your debt, Asa." Salem spoke up before I could. "But I'm happy you're back."
When we passed the academy, no one came running from the doors to attack but we were joined by Dr. Salthweather and Charlie's trumpet teacher, Senor Alvaro. I felt a little bit safer having the two intimidating men among us, but I hadn't known that Senor Alvaro was endowed.
The Heath lay on the left, just beyond the academy. It was a wide stretch of tough grass and gnarled shrubs that stretched over a mile long. It seemed like the perfect place to have a battle, though I was surprised that they had decided to fight on an even playing field. The whole place seemed to be deserted. I couldn't see the Red Knight anywhere. We stood at the edges, watching, waiting.
I thought I could hear something, but I wasn't sure. Runner Bean's ears perked up and a low, warning growl came from Asa's throat. In the distance, two bloodthirsty Rottweilers bounded down the field, running on commands that came from none other than Dorcas Loom and her pimple faced brothers. Runner Bean looked ready to attack, but I knew he couldn't handle those two dogs on his own. Asa was shaking and I thought he would turn, but he appeared to be biding his time. Tancred began to call forth a storm and Katya and I had our swords ready. Billy Raven quickly shoved us aside and ran towards the two dogs.
He was barking and howling, intensely enough to intimidate the other dogs to drop to their haunches and whine. Billy issued commands in their language that none of us could understand. I watched in awe as the two dogs bared their teeth once more, but this time at their masters. With piercing screams, Dorcas and her brothers were on the ground, cowering in fear as the dogs paced around them. When they were satisfied in their submission, they came back to Billy and licked his hands.
"One down. Three more to go." Charlie said quietly.
"Manfred won't show his face." Salem scoffed.
"We always did the dirty work for him." Asa added. "But that boy is here, the one with the stones."
Stone creatures emerged from the fog. "It's Eric, what do we do now?" Charlie asked.
"Stop them." Tancred grinned and grabbed my hand, pulling me forward with him. "Come on, Infinity. It's our turn."
There was a violent clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning shot through the fog, cracking one of the stone creatures in the head. "Tancred, I need you to clear the fog. I can't see well enough to fight."
"Of course." He lifted his jacket and began to whirl it around his head. As the fog lifted, I could see more stone creatures lumbering towards us at disturbing speed. I lifted my sword and cut through a large stone gargoyle. The large stone pieces dropped from the sky and landed on the ground next to me.
With Tancred's support, I dispatched a few more and he lifted the fog even higher. I almost wished I could unsee the vast army of trolls that bounded towards us with large spears, pikes and axes.
"Harken brought mercenaries." Uncle Paton stepped to my side and pulled out a slim, rapier like sword. As soon as his sword met the air, a flash of electricity spun from his hand and down the length of the sword. "You're not the only one who has been practicing, my dear." He grinned at me. Katya brandished her sword as well.
Tancred, Uncle Paton, Katya and I charged towards the army. I knew I was taking damange as clubs and hammers hit me, but I didn't seem to feel it. I fought them hard and gave more than I got. Lysander's ancestors joined in on the battle and I could feel the support of the white robed warriors as I sliced into the army of trolls. Mr. Torsson had arrived and he and Tancred rained down heavy bolts of lightning into everything that crossed it's path.
Titania made herself known and I could see spikes of ice raining down from her fingers. It was her that pierced me, hard enough to bring me to my knees. I knew I was bleeding and the pain was too much. I was losing my focus and if I didn't get up, I was going to die.
A blood-curdling howl erupted through the air as a giant gray beast ran through the downed trolls, putting itself between me and Titania. It sunk its teeth deep into her arm before there was a cloud crack and she threw Asa aside. I heard another deep growl as a beautiful red leopard jumped between us. Titania ran and I was able to get to Asa. He looked like he had also been speared with a devastating bolt of ice. He was breathing but I couldn't get him to move. I was trying to lift him from the ground when I heard a shriek and saw a bright light. When I looked over, Titania was on the ground and Alice was walking away.
I dragged Asa's body away from the wasting trolls. He was slowly starting to turn back into a boy again, and that wasn't a good sign. "Come on, Asa. Wake up." I pleaded. I could hardly see through the tears in my eyes or concentrate with the sounds of battle that surrounded me. When I looked around, I could see Charlie crouched next to Uncle Paton. He wasn't moving and there was an arrow sticking from his chest.
I could see Salem trying to yank Zelda away from the woman with red ringlets and a sixth sense. She was brandishing a slingshot and Zelda was screaming and holding a hand over her eye. The woman suddenly dropped to the ground. Her expression was blank. Salem had done something to her. I searched for Riley and I couldn't see him anywhere. "They're all falling and I can't save them." I now hovered over Asa's completely human body. His chest was completely torn up and he was struggling to breathe. I put all of my energy towards healing myself so I could better help Asa, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do anything in time.
An awful laugh rolled across the great field. The enchanter's voice boomed into my ears as if he was standing above me. "It's all over! GO HOME! The city is mine!"
"No, no, no!" I screamed, covering my ears. I didn't want to hear his voice nor see his face. I heard his giant black mare scream as it galloped across the field. The storms subsided, the drum beats quieted. I tried to wipe some of the blood away from Asa's face, but I found I couldn't move. I was paralyzed. We were losing and I couldn't save anyone.
All I could do was scream. So I screamed. I screamed at Asa for putting himself in danger for me. I screamed at Salem for letting it get this bad when he could have stopped it a long time ago. I screamed at my dad for leaving us here to clean up the mess he made.
All at once, a brilliant bright light shot across the heath. The leopards leaped up with their ears pricked forward and the black stallion reared itself, nearly knocking it's rider to the ground. The leopards bounded towards the source of light. I squinted to try and see where it was coming from. A beautiful white mare stood on the edge of the field with the magnificent Red Knight on her back.
"At last." The Enchanter roared.
His black stallion thundered towards the white mare. Their swords were drawn and I almost couldn't tear my eyes away from him until Salem's voice snapped me out of it. "CHARLIE! NO!" He yelled, his voice cracking and raw. Charlie had managed to break from his paralysis and was trying to run between the two great figures. There wasn't anything I could do, but I did breathe a sigh of relief when he didn't make it in time. I quickly turned my attention down to Asa and tried to heal him as quickly as possible.
When I succeeded in my task and he was breathing easily, I looked back up at the fight before me. The Red Knight seemed to be growing tired and his head was lolling side to side as he tried to block the Enchanter's blows. I saw the opening to finish the fight, and I had no doubt that the Enchanter did too.
He rose his sword to piece the knight's breastplate when I saw Charlie run. He ran with speed I never thought a boy his age could achieve. I watched as he leaped for the stallion's harness, and with all of his strength, drug the horse towards the ground, knocking the Enchanter off balance. "CURSED BOY!" I heard the Enchanter roar, but then I saw the Knight take his chance and pierced the Enchanter with his sword, directly through the heart.
The Stallion reared and knocked the Enchanter off of its back. He hit the ground with a loud thud, the sword still buried in his chest.
I looked up at the sky and could see that the fog was rapidly clearing. The blue sky and beautiful sun shined through. The ghostly army seemed to disappear with the fog and the scoundrels of Piminy Street limped away with their heads hung low.
I looked around and saw that no one seemed to be fatally injured. Alice was helping Uncle Paton, Zelda had uncovered her eye and it looked like it was still there, the leopards were moving around the field and nudging the injured back to life. I felt Asa's fingers curl around my wrist and I looked down into his yellow eyes. "I don't think I'll ever pay back my life debt to you." He grinned.
I punched him hard in the chest and rolled him off of my lap. "Don't you ever do something that stupid again! You could have been killed."
"Eh, it was worth it." He gently pushed me back.
I shakily stood to my feet and scanned for the Red Knight. He was on his back, only a few feet away from Charlie. The white mare guarded his body and I feared he was injured. I ran across the field and Charlie and I managed to reach him at the same time. "Oh my god, he's bleeding." I looked at the red liquid seeping through is chainmail.
"What do we do?" Charlie looked at me, panicking.
"Fuck. Take off his helmet. But be careful." I raised my hands, ready for my healing spell. As Charlie slowly pulled off the helmet, a familiar face was smiling back up at us.
"Dad?" Charlie and I spoke in unison.