Fif15teen

  ****

  Knowing that word of the girl’s capture would reach Castle Haven, Thaniel doubled the perimeter guards and Gideon threatened boys with dismemberment if they even thought of slacking off. The Dog House was in an uproar when Akeem finally arrived. Boys were dragging logs bigger than themselves out of the forest in preparation for an impromptu celebration. Massive casks of soup made with giant wild mushrooms, cattails, and chicory bubbled invitingly over low fires. Skinned rabbit and raccoon, slaughtered deer and lines of skinned river rat—tails burned crispy—hung over fires, filling the Dog House with the savory smell of roasting meat. Akeem’s stomach grumbled, but he ignored it. He pushed past excited boys, made his way to his shelter, and flopped down next to Doc. Doc looked at him sympathetically but did not speak.

  “They want me to kill her.”

  “Yes,” Doc said softly. Akeem dropped his head into his hands. Time passed in silence, and neither boy spoke for quite some time.

  “Who is she?”

  “She is called Piper. She’s important to Pox and the inhabitants of Castle Haven. A bit of a scientist I’m told. It will be a good kill; a hard blow to the Angels,” Doc said unconvincingly. His words were spoken as if rehearsed, and Akeem could hear the bitterness behind those words.

  “I can’t kill her, Doc. They won’t really make me do it, will they?”

  Doc scowled. “It’s the law and the fundamental nature of Fifteen. Kill or be killed.”

  “It’s crazy!” Akeem raked his hands through his dreads.

  “Shh, not so loud,” Doc said, looking around cautiously.

  “Where are they keeping her? Can I speak to her?”

  “She’s in the pits, but it is forbidden to speak with her. We are sworn enemies. However if you wish to throw things at her, spit on her, or generally torment her, you are welcome to do so,” Doc advised sarcastically. “But first you must see Dregg.”

  “Who?”

  “It seems you have been given special favor by Thaniel himself. Dregg is our blacksmith. He will make a weapon for you. It is quite an honor as there is very little metal here. As you’ve probably noticed, most of the Dogs make their own weapons out of whatever they can find. Dregg is especially gifted, so your weapon will no doubt be effective and beautiful. It won’t be ready for the ceremony, but you’ll have it soon enough.” Doc clapped Akeem on the back.

  Akeem gulped. Just what he needed, his own special weapon he would have to find special ways to avoid using. He sighed loudly, and Doc eyed him with concern. “Go on, no way out of it now. Take that path over there and...”

  “Stay to the right, I know!” he quipped and Doc chuckled.

  “Actually, I was going to say, don’t let Dregg frighten you. He’s quite mad but exceptionally good at what he does. You’ll find him in the caverns, undoubtedly. Stand your ground, man.” Doc shoved the tall boy out of the shelter. Akeem walked, shoulders slumped, across the camp and followed a narrow path into the Trapped Forest. A shout from above made him glance up at the expansive tree city. He stared open mouth, impressed by the ingenuity of these crazy, wild boys. The dwellings were not so much houses as they were bubbled cocoons made of sticks, vine, and leaves. Some of the peapods dangled from the treetops like giant teardrops and others clung to trunks, one above the other, like enormous six-fingered hands. Narrow walkways and dangling vines crisscrossed the sky. Boys swung precariously back and forth and scrambled up and down like frenzied squirrels. The trees were alive and teeming with life. Monkeys, sloths, and a multitude of arboreal creatures shared the canopy with hundreds of dwellings that stretched through the trees connected by crisscrossing bridges, open decks, and narrow stairs. Rope ladders and knotted vines hung invitingly from high above and dangled inches above the forest floor. It was a marvel. Every boys’ dream made reality. All he could do was wonder how they did it all.

  Boys called down to him as he wound his way under the tree city and onto a path that led deeper into the Trapped Forest. He left the tree city behind him and is journey became steep and craggy. He picked his way carefully down the weathered path to a flat, barren strip of land blanketed in white sand. Billets of wood covered with damp moss smoldered around the clearing, sending clouds of smoke soaring into the sky. The air was thick and hot, and a sheen of sweat appeared on Akeem’s skin as he walked toward the entrance to Dregg’s cavern. Before he could enter, someone emerged through the smoke clothed in animal skins and covered in soot. Dregg suited his name; he was the largest, most cumbersome fifteen-year-old Akeem had ever seen. If not for his two enormous blue eyes, Akeem would have mistaken him for a Cyclops. He shambled out of his cave; god-sized hammer in one hand, glowing red hot poker in the other. Akeem stood stock-still. If Dregg noticed him, he gave no indication. He walked by Akeem as if he were invisible and plunged the hot poker into another pile of wood, setting it to smolder. Then he turned and shambled back toward the cavern. Akeem heard a gravelly voice just before the ox of a boy disappeared.

  “Come, Snakehead,” Dregg growled. It took a minute for Akeem to realize that the boy was talking to him. He shook his dreadlocks in annoyance.

  “The name’s Akeem,” he said while jogging to catch up.

  Dregg grunted, making Akeem bristle. “Stupid name. Snakehead’s better,” Dregg eyeballed Akeem suspiciously. “Nehebkaw had the head and tail of a snake. You’re not an Egyptian god are you? No room here for gods, only devils. If you’re not a devil, then be gone with you,” Dregg examined him from head to toe then poked him in the butt with his giant hammer as if searching for a tail.

  “Hey!” Akeem said, jumping out of the way. “I’m not a god, just a plain old boy, and my name is a good name. It means wise and insightful. What kind of name is Dregg anyway? It sounds like the stuff you find at the bottom of a teacup,” Akeem snapped. The bulky boy moved like lightning. Dregg’s troll-like hand appeared around Akeem’s neck as if by magic, and he found himself dangling over an open pit that burrowed deep into the cave floor. Akeem blinked in surprise.

  “Yes, that’s what it means, the bottom of the barrel, scum, and lees. Just like me,” Dregg snarled.

  “Don’t...let go,” Akeem wheezed.

  Dregg looked at him with contemplation. “I am a murderer that does not kill,” he said before lowering Akeem back onto solid ground.

  “Huh?” Akeem choked out, but Dregg did not answer. Doc was right; this kid was completely off his rocker. “Why do you live out here by yourself?” Akeem asked.

  “Angels can’t make steel. Thaniel won’t risk me to battle. Here is where I hide; here is where I make evil.” Dregg shoved Akeem aside as he walked deeper into the cave. Akeem sighed and reluctantly followed.

  Dregg’s cave was enormous, with countless levels, shafts, and passageways. His forge was in a dimly lit, low-roofed cavern. Various holes in the ceiling allowed the smoke from three separate fires to escape through layers of rock. Tools of his trade hung from mounts hammered into the rock walls. An enormous anvil stood sentry in the center of the swelteringly hot room.

  “Where did all of this come from?” Akeem asked.

  “We took it when we left, along with the lives of many Angels. They fought hard; they didn’t win.”

  Akeem was in awe. “This stuff came from the castle?”

  “When I left, they killed Bunny to make me sad; it’s dark inside my head now,” Dregg said cryptically. Akeem nodded enthusiastically. Although he had no idea who or what Bunny was, he certainly believed it was dark inside Dregg’s head. “You can sleep there,” Dregg pointed at a dark hole in the cave wall.

  “Sleep?”

  “You will help me forge the weapon. Thanial wishes for me to teach you. It’ll take a month.”

  “A month? Akeem asked, slightly relieved.

  “Do you know what weapon you want? A sword? A dagger? Perhaps a cutlass?”

  “Yeah, something that doesn’t kill,” Akeem mumbled under his breath.

  “Speak up, man,” Dregg growled.


  “I have no idea.”

  “Sleep there until you do.”

  Akeem winced as he approached the dark opening. “But...it stinks in there.”

  “It was home to Ganock.”

  “What is a Ganock?” Akeem asked nervously as he picked up a large, sharp tooth from the edge of the hole. “And will it be back?”

  “Ganock was a bear. He grew too fat, got stuck, died. I ate him,” Dregg said without remorse. Akeem gagged in disgust. “Go fetch your things, be back before sundown. Take the path at the back of the cave.”

  Akeem didn’t have to be told twice. He dashed out of the cave without so much as a backward glance.