The Alchemist's Apprentice: and the Ogre's Curse
Chapter 6
The warlord's castle
We were now on the move again, Godwin had made some more potions and gave me some to keep in my pockets, he explained what they did and how to use them but to tell the truth I wasn't really listening, I knew that they were colour coded, the yellow ones were explosives, the black ones were sticky like glue and the others, I couldn't remember what they did. I was more concerned about not getting squashed by an angry Ogre.
As we walked down a path that skirted a quiet village Godwin walked ahead as I talked to Brock about his life here. He told me that he was a blacksmith that lived in the northern part of Kalth, he had a wife and was happy here, that is until the warlord had found a way to curse all that opposed him. The rumors say he paid a handsome amount to a sorcerer to inflict the curse on the warlord's enemies. He went on to say how the curse made everybody feel sick and constantly drained, the worse was the pounding in their heads. The king did his best to put an end to the warlord but due to the weakening actions of the curse his army was struggling to hold him back. Brock himself had joined the Kings army a few months ago, he couldn't sit back and watch his community be destroyed, the warlords plans were to take Kalth for himself then expand out into the Wood Riders realm and then beyond. That was the reasoning for the raids on my villages, to test the reaction of the Wood Riders. When the warlord's army was strong enough he would attack with a large force.
To me they seemed to have the same lives and problems as any other race. The stories I was told when I was younger were just that, stories.
The warlord's castle came into view as we rounded a large rock face, the grassy plains and wooded areas we left behind an hour ago; from then on the scenery was just bleak grey rock. The castle was a giant structure that sat precariously on the top of a cliff; we could see the main pathway leading up to a massive wooden drawbridge spanning a great chasm.
"You didn't mention we had to cross that to get in!" I said to Brock. He just shrugged.
"When is the bridge raised?" Godwin asked the Ogre.
"It goes up midday when Ogres are resting; it goes back down before dark when Ogres work." Brock answered.
Godwin stared at the bridge intently. "Do you know?" He said rubbing his chin. "That is the first wooden structure I have seen in Kalth since we have been here."
He was right thinking about it, everything we had seen was made of stone or metal.
"Yes, we Ogres not good with trees, we good with rock and metal." He smiled when he said metal.
If I am correct, that bridge looks like Wood Rider workmanship from a bygone era." Godwin said.
I was slightly puzzled. "What does that matter?" I asked.
"Well, all the ancient workings were made from a different type of tree back then to what we use now. Think of the temples in Woodridge, the timber used to build it was a very heavy and thick wood and unlike today it was pretty much fire proof. The trees that were used have all died out now; it is very rare to see anything made from it nowadays."
I had to stop him before we ended up having a history lesson. "Why do we need to know what it's made of?"
Godwin turned to Brock. "Are you a good shot with that?" He pointed to the pulse rifle slung over his shoulder.
"I am very good." He replied. I had to agree after the shot that killed the snake.
Godwin told him what he wanted him to do; I didn't hear exactly what he said to him before the alchemist dragged me away heading for the drawbridge.
We crouched low behind a large rock that was twenty metres from the bridge, it was nearly midday and we watched the last few Ogres cross over the chasm.
"Let's go Lemon, we have to be quick!" He ran out from the rock over to the edge of the bridge I quickly followed making sure I wasn't seen.
"We will never make it across without being spotted!" I didn't know his plan for getting across, but I couldn't see any way it was possible. There were Ogres watching from the castle.
"Come this way!" Godwin whispered. We slowly moved on to a thin ledge that went underneath the drawbridge. Godwin pulled out a small black bag from his pocket, it looked like tar. "Put a very tiny amount on your hands." He said before passing it to me. "Not too much." He whispered.
It was incredibly sticky stuff; I had trouble trying to hand the bag back as it kept sticking to me. Then we heard a loud clunk. "Here we go, grab the bar above us." Godwin said to me.
I looked up and saw the metal strut he was talking about, I reached up and grabbed it, my hands instantly stuck to it. There were more loud clunks and the drawbridge started to rise with us dangling beneath it.
I closed my eyes not daring to look down at the depths below. We were really doing it! We were breaking in to an Ogre warlord's stronghold. "Take deep breaths my apprentice." He must have seen the fear on my face.
The bridge seemed to take an age to fully close, when it finally did with a loud bang it threatened to shake us off. Godwin and I were hanging hundreds of metres above ragged rocks far below. "What now?" I shouted at Godwin, I had to shout as the wind up here was blowing hard. We couldn't go upwards as there was a large lip above that would be impossible to traverse; we couldn't go down because the underside of the drawbridge was smooth wood with nothing to get a grip on.
"Just wait." Godwin said.
So I waited and I felt my hands starting to slip, the gluey substance must be losing its stickiness. "Whatever we are waiting for it had better hurry up, I'm starting to slip!"
"Hold on lad, any second now." Any second now I would drop I thought. Then I heard a muffled thump below me, then another.
"What is that?" I cried. Godwin smiled at me as a flash of bright light came between us, when it dissipated there was a deep indent in the underside of the drawbridge next to my head.
Godwin laughed. "To tell you the truth I was starting to think my idea wouldn't work!" He pulled one of his hands of the bar and grabbed the edge of the indent. There were more flashes all around us and more indents appeared. "I hope you're a good climber? Because we have a way to go before we reach the bottom." Godwin said using more of the indents as hand and footholds.
I felt like crying as I followed him down, the glue on my hands was still tacky enough to help me grip the edge of the holes. It took us twenty minutes to make it to a ledge near the bottom of the bridge. I collapsed onto it next to Godwin. He patted me on the shoulder. "Well done Lemon, we might just make an alchemist out of you yet."
I laughed; I think it was because of the relief that I was still alive and a way of losing the tension.
"Learn your history boy; this just goes to prove it could save your life." Godwin said to me.
"Are you talking about the wood?" I asked sitting up.
"Yes I am," he said grinning. "I knew the ancient wood used in the bridge construction wouldn't splinter when shot, it's a heavy soft wood and I hoped more than knew that shooting it might make enough of a dent for us to use to climb down. I'm just glad that Brock is as good a shot as he said he was."
“Well, we are across, what now?"
"I haven't a clue young apprentice, I hadn't thought we would make it this far." He laughed out loud. "Come on; let's see if we can find a way into the castle."
We made our way along the ledge thirty metres before we found a suitable part of the wall to climb, this was easier climbing then when we were on the drawbridge, there were plenty of jutting rocks and footholds, we climbed for ten minutes before we reached the top and peered over. We could see an open empty courtyard, the closed drawbridge on our left and the entrance to the castle on the right. I looked at Godwin, he wasn't even out of breath, and I was panting and sweating. "How do you do it?" I asked him.
"It's all in the tea my boy; it's all in the tea." The main entrance doors were open with no one standing guard. "There's our way in, right through the front door." Godwin said.
"You have got to be kidding me!" I replied.
"Why not? If what Brock said is correct the Ogres should be
resting until sundown."
"We can't just..." Before I finished what I was saying he was already over the wall. I had no choice but to follow.
We dropped down the other side on to what looked like a battlement, we ran along the length of it crouching and watching for movement but the place seemed to be deserted, at the end of the battlement there was a set of stone steps that curved down to the courtyard below, the entrance was twenty feet away from the base of the stairs, as we descended two burly Ogres came out of the castle door carrying pulse rifles slung over their shoulders. Godwin and I froze, there was nowhere to hide we were totally exposed standing on the steps. The Ogres were talking in their own guttural language, I believe they were laughing too but I couldn't tell, surely they would see us standing in the open, they moved to the centre of the courtyard and stopped. I slowly tapped Godwin on the shoulder hoping he would know what to do. He whispered back. "Stay perfectly still and do not move."
I was silently praying for the Ogres to leave, they didn't, instead they did exactly what I didn't want them to do and they turned and headed in our direction. I was ready to run but where would I run to? I was trapped in the warlord's castle and couldn't get out until the drawbridge lowered at sundown. The Ogres were still coming; I was guessing they were making their way up onto the battlements. What was Godwin thinking?
Bong! Bong! Bong!
The two Ogres turned at the sounds, one patted the other on the back and made that laughing sound again, they changed direction and headed back inside shutting the doors behind them. My heart was nearly jumping out of my chest as my legs gave way and I sunk to the step.
"I think one of them said food." Godwin said, looking very pale.
"How did you know the bell would ring?" I asked finally managing to slow my heart rate down.
"I didn't." He replied.
"Then why were we standing here in the open with two Ogres walking towards us?"
"The answer is simple my apprentice, I was scared stiff and my legs would not work."
"You mean you didn't have a plan?" I was shocked and slightly annoyed.
"Nope, I didn't. Luck seems to be on our side Lemon. Now how are we going to reach that platform?"
Luck can also run out when you need it the most I thought. "Well can we move to somewhere not so open to work that one out?"
"What a good idea! I knew I brought you along for a reason." To one side of the courtyard sat six large metal barrels, we quickly ran over to them and ducked behind.
"I can't see any way in other than the door." Godwin said looking at the entrance and starting to worry.
I looked up at the expanse of a castle, the walls were made of large irregular stone and about thirty foot up there was what looked like an open window with its metal shutters blowing in the wind.
Godwin must have realized what I was thinking. "No. I can't keep this up much longer without my tea; I am eighty two you know!"
I didn't know, he did look old but not that old, and this tea must be amazing, I must get the recipe off him I thought. "One more climb!" I said. "We can't stay here that's for sure. I have some of that black stuff you gave me."
He thought about it for a few seconds. "Well then I must do it, but then I shall make some tea." He said sharply.
I didn't know how he was going to do that but he had surprised me plenty of times so far. I pulled the black bag he gave me out of my pocket and we applied some to our boots and fingers careful not to put too much on. Making sure the way was clear we ran up to the door and started to climb above it. It was tough going, my arms and legs were aching from all the climbing I had done already and my body wasn't used to all this sort of strenuous exercise, if it wasn't for the glue I would have fallen. The alchemist was above me and nearly there. I must get this damn tea!
The door below opened again, this time a large group of Ogres came out. This isn't good I thought, there were more chances of being spotted. Godwin was just pulling himself inside so I put on a spurt fearful of being seen.
Godwin stuck his head out of the window. "Less haste and more speed!" He said urgently. Just at that moment the glue let me down, my foot slipped off a stone and I lost my grip. I fell five foot before grabbing the edge of a stone jutting out, it cut into my hand and I had to muffle a scream. The pain started to shoot up my arm. Godwin was waving at me frantically.
Will this ever end! I began to climb again pushing the pain to the back of my mind not daring to look down. I made it to the window ledge where Godwin dragged me in and I slumped to the floor exhausted. Godwin looked at my wound. "That wasn't too bad was it?" He said pulling out a green tube from an inside pocket, he squeezed a dark green cream on to the gash on my palm, it stung quite badly. "That will see you alright," he pulled me to my feet. "Where do we go from here?" He asked me looking about the room.
"How would I know? This whole thing is your ridiculous idea. You keep telling me I'm just the apprentice!" I was getting angry now, to me it seemed Godwin had no plan at all, he was just crazy.
He turned to me and looked me hard in the eyes. "Yes. You are right, this is my idea and you are just an apprentice and you will stay an apprentice with that kind of attitude! I have been helping people since long before you were born and will continue to do so," he put the ointment back in his pocket. "I have been in worse situations then this before and survived, I believe in my art and my principal beliefs are to put others first even if it puts my life in danger. If you do not then you are of no use to me."
I was surprised by the passion in his voice. "I'm sorry, it's just a few days ago I was at home helping my mother cook and now I'm here standing in an Ogres castle. It's all getting to me."
"We'll help me with this and I will let you have some tea, how does that sound?" He said. I just nodded.
"Now let's find that platform." He said grinning.