flames. They didn’t seem to notice them.
“We can make it.” Mr. Jett assured him.
“No,” Ackerley said, his eyes burning, “I’ll go. You stay safe in your room. I can make it.”
“I can’t let you do that, Ackerley. I need to protect you.”
“You already did.” Ackerley coughed. “Now get back in there before the smoke fills it up.”
Mr. Jett shook his head. Ackerley didn’t want to be mean, but time was wasting. He shoved Mr. Jett away and ran for it.
The side of his face burned and his eyes hurt so bad that he couldn’t keep them open. But he continued running. The crackling and the whooshing of the flames was so loud he couldn’t tell if anyone was after him. He managed to see enough to know he was getting close to the spot. He wiped his eyes and saw the area.
Ackerley pushed the stone out of the way, slipped inside, and replaced it.
The cool damp darkness felt good. He wiped his eyes, letting the tears wash the ash out.
The pain and exhaustion finally caught up to him. For a while he couldn’t find the strength to get off the ground and continue on. His wrist hurt worst of all. The bandages were soaked through. He held it tenderly, moving his fingers to make sure they still worked. He coughed uncontrollably, vomiting a little.
Once his head stopped pounding and he didn’t think he would faint by trying to get up, Ackerley crawled through the tunnel, his good hand propelling him forward.
The garden looked and felt as lovely as ever. The smell of greenery and the trickle of water made his head feel a little better.
Cerise sat in the grass against the far wall, staring up into the sky. She got up quickly when she saw him. Her eyes scanned his body, pausing momentarily on the bandages.
“What happened?” She said, her voice hollow.
Ackerley shrugged. “I got attacked. Where’s Kenton.”
“He went looking for you.”
Ackerley sat on the log by the water, wondering if it was safe to drink.
“Let’s wait a bit, and then get going.” He said.
“We should go now.” She said gravely. “It’s only a matter of time until they get here.”
Ackerley bent down and drank from the pool. It tasted a little strange, but he was so thirsty it didn’t matter to him.
“Ok, but just a couple more minutes.”
And so they waited. Cerise sat back down and stared at the sky. Ackerley drank more water. When he had gotten his fill he plunged his head in and shook it around. It felt good.
A noise made him jump to his feet. Kenton crawled out of the tunnel. He wore a Welgo jacket, which was much too big for him. He saw his brother and came towards him angrily.
“Why did you go back?” He roared, seizing Ackerley by the arm and leading him towards the wall. When he saw the bandages he let go. “What happened to you?”
“That Victor guy attacked me.”
The anger dissipated, replaced by awe. “And you escaped?”
“Mr. Jett shot him with an arrow.”
Kenton looked impressed. “That was very nice of him. Did you thank him?”
“Of course.” Said Ackerley irritably. “He saved my life.”
Kenton went over to the wall and pushed the door open. Together the three of them went through it.
“I’m going to get Sidestep. You two wait here until you here this knock.” Kenton rapped on the door leading to the outside a few times. “Alright?”
They agreed.
Kenton slipped through and out of sight.
Cerise and Ackerley waited patiently. They stood silently, each watching the door nervously.
He thought of a bunch of things he wanted to say to her. So many questions entered his brain. What was her favorite color? Did she miss Indigo? Would she miss the castle?
He opened his mouth, but then shut it. Those could come later. If everything worked out they would be seeing a lot of each other on the way to Vloraisha.
“What’s taking him so long?” Cerise said after they had been standing there for a good ten minutes.
Ackerley’s stomach lurched. What if he had been killed? What would they do? They could wait there until everything blew over, but what if it never did?
“He’ll be here.” Said Ackerley certainly. “He’s gotten past them a bunch of times before.”
Someone knocked on the door. Both of them jumped a foot in the air. Cerise took several calming breaths and opened it slowly.
Kenton pulled Ackerley out, glancing around wildly. Sidestep nudged him gently as Kenton threw the rope around him.
“Not this again.” Ackerley moaned.
“Don’t give me that!” Kenton shouted.
Ackerley looked at the ground; a little embarrassed.
Kenton helped Ackerley on the horse and then gave Cerise a boost to sit behind him. Kenton got on in front and finished tying the rope around his brother.
“What about Cerise?” Ackerley asked. “Do you have another rope?”
Kenton looked at him irritably, but Cerise cut in.
“Its fine, Acks, I’ll be fine.”
Kenton’s face softened. He tied the rope tight, gave Sidestep an encouraging pat, and they were off.
Sidestep galloped swiftly away from Chellion Castle. Ackerley twisted around until he could see his home for the past few months shrink away. Black smoke billowed from the backyard; most of the windows were smashed.
And then he saw something that made him gasp. Four large Welgos on even larger horses pelted around the wall after them. Ackerley tried to say something—only weak moans came out.
Kenton looked back to see what was wrong and swore, pounding his hand onto his leg aggressively. He kicked Sidestep, something he rarely did, and the horse knew it was time to go all out.
The horse ran faster than it had in a long time. The Welgos were gaining, their swords drawn.
Sidestep couldn’t keep the pace for long. It held strong for about a minute. And then it began to slow—it wasn’t used to so much weight.
Kenton glanced back at Cerise, a frown on his face. Ackerley caught sight of it.
“Don’t you dare!” He warned.
Kenton pulled a sword from his belt, readying himself for what was to come.
All four Welgos arrived at the same time. Each held their swords high and came down with a crashing force. Kenton didn’t need to tell Sidestep what to do. The horse turned quickly, narrowly avoiding the strikes.
Kenton engaged one in a sword fight. The blades clashed over and over again. Sidestep drove hard into the opposing horse, giving Kenton an opportunity to catch the Welgos wrist in his hand and slice the horse, which fell to the ground, sending its rider flying.
“Don’t!” Cerise screeched upon seeing the horse fall. She grabbed onto Ackerley as hard as she could.
With Cerise and the rope, he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it, even if he didn’t get hit by a sword.
Kenton ignored her. The other three swung their swords all around. One hit Kenton’s black jacket and bounced off. One caught Cerise across her shoulder. She let out a high pitched shriek and her grip loosened. Ackerley turned back and pushed her down, covering her body with his arms.
Sidestep came to a stop, allowing the other horses to pass. Their size made it harder for them to double back. Kenton pulled the reigns with his free hand and they started in a different direction. It was no good; the poor horse was already too worn out.
With the sword in front of him, Kenton directed the horse straight at one of the invaders. The two fighters jabbed as hard as they could. Kenton lifted his sword at the last second and gave the Welgo a cut across the face. He dropped his sword. It hit Kenton’s jacket with little power and fell to the ground.
Two down.
The last two came at full speed, both their swords aimed at Sidestep. The horse twisted just in
time. One swipe grazed the horse’s side as the other missed. Kenton smiled with relief. He took his sword with both hands and came down with a sickening blow, cutting the Welgo across the back of the neck.
He couldn’t believe his luck. Outnumbered four to one and with only one left, everybody was more or less alright. That is until he heard his brother’s low whimper behind him.
Turning back, he saw Ackerley hanging limply off the side of the horse, unable to fall off. That last strike may have missed Sidestep, but it hadn’t missed Ackerley’s side. Blood seeped through the ropes. The gash only a millimeter above the rough binding that secured him to his brother.
Kenton watched his little brother as if in slow motion. The boy rose and fell, his arms waving carelessly around. Cerise glanced up when her protection vanished. She screamed, grabbing onto Ackerley. Kenton watched her mouth open and her eyes bulge, but didn’t hear the sound.
The commander gripped the sword hard, peeling his eyes away and looking frantically for the last Welgo. The villainous beast charged in from the side, sword pointed at the lifeless body barely hanging on. Kenton, in a fit of fury, flung the sword with all his might. It caught the Welgo across the chest, landing briefly on the horse’s back, and then got tangled in the horse’s legs. The oversized animal fell to its knees, the rider landing with a terrible crunch in front of it.
They couldn’t stop. It was still too dangerous. Kenton and Cerise propped Ackerley up—his head resting at an odd angle on his brother’s back. Cerise cried softly, still holding her own injured shoulder.
Sidestep continued on for a quarter of an hour, growing steadily slower. When it could only muster a moderate trot Kenton