Chapter 13: The Master
“What happened to Eric and the horses?” asked Sarah anxiously.
“I don’t know -- hang on, what’s that?”
William had seen a piece of rag lying on the ground. Quickly, he ran over and picked it up.
“What is it?” said Sarah, running over to him.
“It looks like a piece of Eric’s robe,” replied William, examining the rag closely.
“What are we going to do?” panicked Sarah, her eyes teary. “Something’s taken Eric and we don’t know where --”
William heard the distant sound of a lone horse galloping along the narrow track towards them.
“Quick,” he said, grabbing Sarah by the arm, “we’ve got to hide.”
After rushing behind a large boulder, they peered out and waited for the horse and rider to make their appearance.
“It could be Eric,” said Sarah, sounding hopeful.
“Maybe,” said William, “but we can’t be sure.”
As the sound came closer, the tension built. Who was it? Was it Eric or the evil creature that had taken him? William didn’t know, but in a matter of seconds, he would.
“Look,” shouted Sarah, “it’s Thunder.”
Together, Sarah and William ran out from behind the boulder and up to Thunder, who snorted loudly when he saw them.
“You don’t know how happy we are to see you,” said Sarah, stroking Thunder’s side.
Thunder looked glad, too, and he nosed her in reply.
“It looks like Thunder must have escaped from whoever took Eric and the other horses,” said Sarah.
“Yes,” agreed William, and he looked up the path, “and by guessing where Thunder came from, they were taken into Evermist.”
“What now? If we go after Eric, there mightn’t be enough time left to get the cure to Nibbles.”
William looked up at the sun and tried to work out how much time Nibbles had left before it was too late.
“Quick, climb up,” he said abruptly, and he mounted Thunder. “I’ve got a plan.”
After climbing up onto Thunder, Sarah held onto William tightly.
“What’s the plan?” she asked, while William turned Thunder around.
“I’ll explain later,” he replied. “Right now, we’ve got to ride.”
Before Sarah could say another word, they were off, galloping up the rocky path.
The mountain path was treacherous and William was forced to make many frightening dashes to avoid deadly landslides. After the difficult ride, they had arrived at the top of the mountain. They peered down into the still, misty land of Evermist.
“Look, in the distance,” said Sarah, pointing, “a sorcerer’s fortress.”
William stared out along Sarah’s finger and saw a tall stone tower, partially shrouded by fog. It looked like a truly evil place.
“Yes, I can see it,” said William, “and I bet that’s where Eric is, too.”
Thunder snorted and hoofed the ground.
“I think Thunder’s telling us you’re right.”
“Well, let’s get going,” said William. “There’s no guessing what sort of danger Eric’s in.”
With urgency, they rode down the mountain track leading into Evermist. Once they had arrived at the base of the mountain, William was struck by the cold air that surrounded them. It seemed even colder than up in the mountains. The cold wasn’t the only thing that caught William’s attention. The trees did, too. They had no leaves and looked like claws sticking out of the ground, waiting to grab anyone who ventured too close.
“I don’t like this place,” said Sarah.
“Neither do I,” replied William, “but if Eric’s been taken to that tower, then we have to keep going.”
Nervously, they rode into the deathly quiet forest, mist curling around Thunder’s legs.
“Don’t you feel like we’re being watched?” asked Sarah, as they journeyed. “I’m positive someone … or something is out there in that mist.”
William also felt they were being watched, but he didn’t want to worry Sarah about it.
“It’s just your nerves,” he replied. “Nobody’s out there.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” replied William. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
When they arrived within walking distance of the tower, William pulled up Thunder and dismounted.
“Here,” said William, taking the bottle of Scarlet out of his pocket and handing it to Sarah, “take this.”
“What do you want me to do with it?” she asked, holding the bottle.
“I need you to get it back to Nibbles before it’s too late,” answered William. “You should have enough time to make it to Camelot. That was my plan.”
Sarah looked infuriated.
“That’s your plan?” she shouted. “For me to ride off, leaving you to take on who-knows-what and rescue Eric all by yourself.”
“I know it’s not the best plan, but it’s the only one I could think of where both Eric and Nibbles stood a chance.”
“I won’t go,” said Sarah, crossing her arms. “You need me.”
“Of course I need you, but I have to go alone,” said William. “I don’t know how long it’ll take to get Eric out of there, and what if we’re both caught? Nobody will know where we are. At least if you go back to Camelot, you can get some help.”
“I guess you’re right,” sighed Sarah, having realised the predicament they were in.
After slipping the bottle of Scarlet into her pocket, Sarah took hold of Thunder’s reins.
“Be careful,” she said. “I have a bad feeling that your arrival is expected.”
“Don’t worry,” smiled William, “I’ll be fine. Just get that potion to Nibbles, OK?”
“I will,” answered Sarah, and she turned Thunder around and rode off into the mist, back towards the mountain.
William was all alone now. He knew Sarah’s warning about his arrival being expected was true, but he tried to put it out of his mind and focus on his objective, rescuing Eric. Eric would certainly be locked up in the tower somewhere, and all he would need to do is find a key to free him. It sounded good in theory, but somehow, William knew it wasn’t going to be that simple. Not coming up with anything better, William held his staff tightly and started off towards the menacing tower.
Upon arriving at the tower, William discovered it was surrounded by a bottomless pit. A stone bridge was the only way across.
“Remember, you’re the Chosen One,” murmured William, fear slowly building up in him as he walked across the bridge and approached the tower’s huge wooden door. “You can handle anything.”
The tower’s door was completely unguarded and, unnervingly, left partially open. William thought this was very strange, but he convinced himself that maybe someone just forgot to close it and that maybe guards weren’t needed in this type of neighbourhood. Whatever he thought, it didn’t change the fact that it was the only way inside.
Without any other option, William slipped through the gap and into the tower. Inside, he found himself standing in a dark hall lit only by burning torches.
“Greetings, Chosen One,” said a cold voice, echoing from the far side of the hall. “I’ve been expecting you.”
Squinting into the shadows, William saw a robed figure sitting on an unattractive skull shaped chair.
“Who are you? And what have you done with Eric?” questioned William firmly, pointing his staff at the shadowy figure.
“Who am I?” replied the figure, laughing quietly. “I am … the Master.”
The name Master didn’t ring any bells for William.
“Now, tell me where Eric is.”
The Master rose up from his chair and approached William, his face and body hidden away under a black hooded robe.
“Keep your distance,” ordered William, “or I’ll use my staff.”
“Temper, temper,” said the Master, stopping a few yards from William. “Threa
tening strangers with your staff isn’t very nice, especially ones who are so closely tied with your past.”
“What have you got to do with my past?” asked William suspiciously.
“Oh, didn’t you know? I was the one who sent your ancestral father to your world.”
William was dumfounded.
“My ancestral father?”
“Yes, he and the other fools on the High Wizard Council fought me,” replied the Master.
Instantly, William remembered Merlin telling him about the battle.
“You’re the evil warlock!” he blurted out.
“So, you have heard of me?”
“I’ve heard of the battle you talk about, but that was hundreds of years ago … how can you still be alive? And how do you know one of the wizards was my ancestral father?”
“It is only by drinking dark potions, potions which have taken as much as they have given, that I have survived for so long,” answered the Master wretchedly. “As for your ancestral father, the scarf you wear so preciously around your neck was the same scarf he wore, a scarf enchanted to resist fire. That is how I know.”
William now knew why his scarf didn’t get burnt in the Fire Ring Race. It was enchanted.
“What did you mean the potions have taken as much as they have given?” questioned William.
“Maybe it is best I show you,” replied the Master.
Before William’s very eyes, the Master pulled back his tattered hood and showed his face. It was dry and badly decomposed. William felt sick to his stomach as the stink of rotting flesh filled his nostrils.
“What do you want from me?” asked William, covering his nose with one hand.
The Master grinned. “There is only one thing I require of you … your life.”
William jumped back and took a threatening stance, pointing his staff at the Master’s face.
“I have great powers,” bluffed William. “Handover Eric and I’ll leave peacefully, or else …”
“So brave to challenge me and seek the rescue of his friend, but so foolish, too,” remarked the Master, sneering. “I know of your great power, power which fully grown might stop me from having my revenge on the wizards of the high council.” He glared at William. “Maybe I could only defeat your ancestral father by sending him from this world, but you are different, not as skilled, still only a child. I will crush you.”
“Watch it,” warned William, “I might be a child, but I’m more skilled than you think!”
The Master stared at William with his soulless eyes.
“You are nothing compared to me,” he replied. “First I will eliminate you and then complete my plan to destroy Camelot. With you removed, I will not even need the services of my spy.”
“So, you’re the one who sent the spy into Camelot to steal information. That means you arranged for the attacks on the towns.”
“Very perceptive of you to put it all together,” replied the Master, “but enough about that. It’s time for me to bring out your friend.”
The Master turned towards a spiral staircase in the corner of the hall and called out, “Bring down the boy!”
“So, you’ve changed your mind,” remarked William. “You’re going to let Eric and me go peacefully?”
“Fool, your friend is only being released from his cell to see you die.”
“WHAT?”
“Once your elimination is witnessed, your friend will be sent free to tell the people of Camelot what has happened to their Chosen One. After they have learnt of your death, they will lose all hope. People without hope are easy to conquer.”
“You’re truly evil, you know that --?”
“William!” shouted Eric.
Immediately, William looked towards the staircase and saw a shackled Eric being led down by a small hunched over figure. At first, he couldn’t see who was leading Eric, but after a second or two, he did. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was Grudly!
“Y-you’re the spy?” said William, shocked.
“Yes,” answered Grudly ashamedly.
“You can’t be. The spy wasn’t human,” replied William. “He could jump from rooftops.”
“You think just because Grudly takes the form of a human he is one?” questioned the Master, smirking.
“I, err …”
“Show him, Grudly,” ordered the Master. “Show how feeble this little child’s mind is.”
After stepping away from Eric, Grudly pulled a large golden ring off his finger. William watched in amazement as Grudly’s face and body began to change. His skin turned green. His ears and nose grew longer … he was changing into a goblin.
“I don’t believe it,” muttered Eric. “Grudly’s a goblin.”
William couldn’t believe it, either, but when he thought back, it all made sense.
“I remember seeing you fiddling with that ring the first day I saw you,” said William, watching Grudly refitting the ring onto his other hand, “and that night I was attacked in the town … it was that ring that my teeth bite into -- hang on, how come wearing the ring still makes you a goblin?”
“The ring only works if it is worn on the right hand,” replied the Master, as Grudly submissively kept his head down.
“But why … why choose a goblin as a spy?” questioned Eric.
“Answer him, Grudly,” commanded the Master.
Grudly kept his head down and answered, “We goblins possess hearing beyond any of your kind. I could hear all conversations which happened during supper in the castle.” He sheepishly looked up at William. “Even quiet requests for water and whispers of plans to sneak out at night.”
“That’s how you knew I was going to be at the fountain that night,” said William angrily, “you listened in on us.”
“That is right,” replied the Master. “Grudly knew you were going to be there. He may have failed in carrying out my orders, but that is not important now. You won’t escape my grasp.”
“Hey, you smelly goblin,” shouted Eric furiously, “you were the one who poisoned the cakes all along, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” replied Grudly, looking remorseful.
“I don’t get it?” remarked William to Grudly. “You had a perfect opportunity to poison King Arthur, but instead, you tried to poison me. Why?”
“Because I ordered him!” answered the Master, irritated by William’s endless questions.
“So … you consider me more of a threat than the King himself?” questioned William.
“You a threat? Ha. You are nothing, a mere worm. I will annihilate you so completely that only ashes will remain.”
Once again, the Master tried to make William feel hopeless, but William wasn’t falling for it. He felt sure he possessed the power within him to defeat the Master, a power the Master was much more scared of than he made out.
“Yeah, yeah,” replied William calmly. “Bring it on.”
The Master looked furious.
“You will suffer a painful death for your insult, Chosen One,” he said, before glancing at Grudly. “Secure the prisoner while I deal with this worm.”
“Yes, my master,” answered Grudly.
Obediently, Grudly scuttled over to Eric and put his bony arms around him.
“Get off me, you smelly thing,” complained Eric, as Grudly dragged him over to the wall and locked him up.
While this was happening, William tried to stay calm and focus his mind on the most powerful spells he knew.
“Staff, come!” shouted the Master, and he looked over to his chair.
Out from the shadows came a twisted wooden staff with a huge black crystal on top. It flew through the air and into the Master’s skeleton-like hand.
The Master looked back towards William and grinned.
“Time to die,” he said, and he pointed his staff at William.
“We’ll see about that,” replied William, as they faced off.
The next moment, the Master unleashed a stream of fireballs at William. Spontaneously, Willia
m used an ice blast. In an explosion of water and steam, the fireballs were extinguished.
“Is that all you’ve got,” teased William.
“That was a mere taste,” replied the Master angrily, and he prepared to fire again.
With an expression of hatred on his face, the Master used his most powerful spell.
“Watch out,” screamed Eric in terror, “he’s using a Death Touch spell.”
William watched with horror as an intense red wave of energy poured out from the Master’s staff and glided towards him, twisting and turning like a serpent. William didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know any counter spells. Then, without him even being aware of what he was doing, William pointed his staff directly at the incoming spell. With an explosion of intense light, a blue wave of energy shot out of William’s staff and collided with the Master’s spell. For a moment, both spells disintegrated into each other, but that wasn’t to last. William’s spell began to push forward.
“It’s impossible … I-I can’t be defeated,” muttered the Master, struggling to maintain his spell. “I-I can’t be --”
Without any warning, the Master ceased his spell. Immediately, William’s spell surged forward and tore through the tower’s wall, blowing a large chunk of it away and allowing the sun’s rays to stream in.
“My master,” whimpered Grudly, as the tower shuddered violently, “what happened to my master?”
“He’s dead,” replied Eric.
“You lie! You lie!” shouted Grudly, and he ran off to where the Master was last standing, hoping to find him.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” said Eric, as William ran over to him. “The whole tower’s coming down.”
“I need a key,” said William, struggling with Eric’s chains as stone boulders fell from the ceiling and crashed to the floor.
“Down there,” replied Eric, “Grudly accidentally dropped it down there.”
William glanced down and saw the key next to Eric’s foot. Quickly, he picked it up and unlocked Eric from the chains.
“Let’s go,” said Eric.
“What about Grudly? We can’t leave him here,” replied William. “He’ll die.”
“Forget him,” answered Eric. “There isn’t time.”
Eric was right, there probably wasn’t enough time for them to grab Grudly and make it out, but William couldn’t just leave him there, sobbing on the floor.
“Here, take my staff and get out of here,” said William. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Just hurry up,” replied Eric, before running out of the collapsing tower.
Frantically, William ran over to Grudly and tried to convince him to leave.
“You can’t stay here,” he said, kneeling down next to Grudly. “You have to leave.”
Grudly looked up at William with tears in his eyes.
“You were always good to me,” he said sadly. “You were even so kind to ask my name when we met.” Grudly paused and wiped his nose. “That’s why I tried to warn you by putting a message on your bedroom door. I wanted you to leave this world.”
“You scratched that message into my bedroom door?”
“Yes,” replied Grudly, “I thought if I scared you, you would return back to your world and never have to face my master. You would be safe, but you didn’t leave. Why?”
“I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to,” answered William. “The Staff of Tarlos is missing its crystal.”
Suddenly, Grudly stood up.
“My former master has the crystal,” he said excitedly. “It’s in his bedroom. I’ll go get it and show you how good a goblin I can be.”
“Stop!” shouted William, as Grudly ran off, dodging the falling stones. “There’s not enough time.”
It was no good, Grudly wasn’t listening. William was left with no other option than to run from the tower before it was too late. Avoiding the collapsing roof, William ran from the hall and out of the tower. Outside, Eric was waiting from him on the other side of the stone bridge.
“Quick,” he shouted, “the bridge is starting to collapse.”
Without a second to lose, William made a life or death dash across the bridge.
“Come on,” chanted Eric, as the bridge crumbled, “you can do it!”
Desperately, William kept running, but he couldn’t make it, the bridge was falling away too fast. Just seconds before the whole bridge fell from beneath him, William dived for the far ledge and disappeared from Eric’s view.
Suddenly, it dawned on Eric … he could’ve caught William in midair.
“W-what have I done?” he stuttered. “I-I forgot to use the L-L-Leviarnus spell.”
Just then, over the sound of the crumbling tower, Eric heard a faint voice calling for help. Quickly, he ran to the bridge’s edge and peered down.
“Give us a hand, will you?” said William, hanging from the bridge’s edge by his fingers.
Eric swiftly lent down and, with all his might, pulled William to safety.
“I thought you were a goner,” said Eric, as they made their way from the ledge. “Hey, what happened to Grudly? I didn’t see him run out or anything.”
“He was still in there when I came out,” replied William sadly. “He was heading to the Master’s bedroom to recover the missing crystal for the Staff of Tarlos.”
“Oh … at least you made it out in one piece,” said Eric, as they turned around and watched the tower plummet into the bottomless pit. “That’s the important thing, right?”
William didn’t answer. He stood silent, thinking about the cruel fate that had been dealt to Grudly with the last remains of the tower disappearing from sight.
“Come on,” said Eric, handing William back his staff, “it’s a long walk back to Camelot. We’d better make a start. We don’t want to be in this place when it gets dark.”
William sighed and put Grudly out of his mind.
“You’re right. We’d better leave.”
As they turned to head off, the sound of galloping horses came echoing through the mist surrounding them. Before they knew it, Mr Turner, Sarah and a group of heavily armed solders had pulled up in front of them.
“You’re alive,” screamed Sarah ecstatically, as she jumped off Thunder’s back and came running up to them, quickly giving them both big warm hugs. “We saw the tower collapsing and thought you were in it.”
Sarah’s lightning dismount from Thunder was a stark contrast to the speed Mr Turner could dismount from his horse.
“A little help here,” yelped Mr Turner, one of his feet stuck in his horse’s stirrup.
Eric rolled his eyes at Sarah and William.
“He knows he’s no good at riding. Why’d he come?”
“I thought that was pretty obvious,” replied William.
“Yeah … I suppose,” said Eric, looking a bit ashamed for questioning his father’s intentions.
Without another word, Eric ran over to his helpless father to give him a hand, leaving Sarah and William alone.
“I have to know something,” said William, a troubled look on his face.
“What is it?” said Sarah gently.
“Did … did Nibbles make it?”
Sarah smiled. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, he’s doing fine. The potion worked a charm.”
“That’s fantastic,” said William. “You don’t know how much of a relief that is to me.”
“Come on, you two,” called out Mr Turner, after being helped back onto his horse. “The sooner we’re back, the sooner I can get off this beast.”
“Just out of curiosity,” asked William, as he and Sarah headed back over to the horses, “how come Merlin and King Arthur didn’t come with you? I thought nothing could’ve held them back.”
“They wanted to,” replied Sarah, “but the High Wizard Council voted they stay.”
“And why was that?”
“Some of them said both King Arthur and Merlin were too significant to risk their lives rescuing children who are
n’t anything more than average.”
“Well, it sounds like Oden’s uncle, Zorloth, isn’t the only wizard on the council who thinks I’m not that important to Camelot’s future,” remarked William, mounting Thunder.
“Ah, what do they know,” said Eric, his horse next to William’s, “I’d like to see any of them pull off what you did today.”
“What did happen in that tower today?” asked Sarah.
William looked back at where the tower once stood.
“I’ll tell you everything later,” he answered. “Right now, I just want to get out of this place. It gives me the creeps.”
“Here, here,” agreed Eric.
With the mist swirling around them, they rode off, heading back towards the mountains and on into Camelot. Along the journey, William explained everything to Sarah and Mr Turner about what had happened.
“But how’d you know the counter spell to the Master’s Death Touch spell? There’s none known to anyone,” asked Sarah, surprised.
“I don’t know,” replied William. “It just happened.”
“Well, if that isn’t proof enough for the High Wizard Council that you really are the Chosen One, then I don’t know what is,” remarked Mr Turner.
Upon arriving back in Camelot, Mrs Turner ran out from the town gates and pulled Eric from his horse.
“You had me sick with worry,” she squawked, looking him over for any cuts or bruises. “Never ever do that again!”
Mrs Turner looked at Eric for a moment.
“Was this the way a mother should treat her child,” she thought to herself, “to be angry at him with his safe return?”
Suddenly, with tears in her eyes, Mrs Turner grabbed Eric tightly and gave him endless hugs and kisses.
“I’m just happy you’re back,” she said, weeping lightly. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you were taken from me.”
Eric’s face turned a bright red.
“Please, Mom, not in front of the soldiers.”
While Eric struggled to free himself from his mother’s grasp, Mr Turner decided it was time to get off his horse.
“Just take it easy,” he muttered to himself, “one leg down at a time.”
“Do you need some help, Mr Turner?” asked William politely.
“No -- no, I’ll be alright,” he replied, looking down at his horse’s stirrup. “I won’t let this fangled foot thingy beat me twice.”
Precariously, Mr Turner started to dismount. At the very last point of pulling his foot free of one of the stirrups, his horse moved forward. With a thud, Mr Turner crashed to the ground and landed squarely on his bottom.
“Blasted things just aren’t meant to be ridden,” he said, looking angrily at his horse. “Even an enchanted broomstick would be easier to ride than this crazy beast.”
Mrs Turner let go of Eric and ran over to him.
“Stop talking rubbish,” she said, helping him up. “Who’s ever heard of a flying broomstick?”
“Some wizards say it’s possible,” replied Mr Turner timidly, nursing his sore backside.
“Well, they don’t know what they’re talking about, and that’s that,” she snapped.
While Mr and Mrs Turner squabbled, William turned towards Eric and Sarah.
“I’d better be off,” he said to them. “The soldiers look like they’re ready to go and I have to tell Merlin and King Arthur everything that happened today.”
“Will we see you tomorrow?” asked Sarah.
“Yeah,” said Eric eagerly, “you can’t start practicing for next year’s Fire Ring Race early enough.”
“Don’t worry,” replied William, smiling, “you’ll find me in the stables brushing down Thunder for practice as usual.”
With a pull of the reins, William turned Thunder around and galloped off with the soldiers through the town gates and onward to the castle. As William rode, one thing kept bothering him.
“Did I really destroy the Master?” he wondered. “Or did he escape?”
If the Master had used a spell to get out of the way before he was hit, then William knew one thing for sure. He would surely meet him again ...
Words from the Author
Hi there, I'm the author of William Wright and the Dragon's Treasure. I'd be more than happy to write more stories staring William, but it really depends on how popular the book ends up. So, if you want more, make sure to leave a review on whatever website you found the book and recommend it to your friends.
As for who I am, I'm just a guy who decided to write a book between studies. I'm no New York best selling author with tons of publicity and big publishers backing them up. Just my imagination and a computer is all I've got.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my book and be sure to tell your friends about it.
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