The Lost Knight (Volume IV) The Lost Prince

Chapter 39: Death Comes to Visit

Pumpkin Butt bows to the audience and guides us out of the room. Dathid's right outside the door waiting for us. I've never seen him this way. His jaw says he's angry, but he looks as if he's trying not to cry. He falls in step behind us, and we wordlessly follow Pumpkin Butt back out to the street to another building that might be an Inn.

The Eurynomon behind the counter is wearing armor and a helmet, but not a mask. Pumpkin Butt, the Inn Keeper, and Jonah are arguing loudly about something. Probably the fact that we don't have any money. Jonah slams his fist on the counter so hard a jar falls off and bounces under a table.

The Inn Keeper slams his fist down too and yells something in Jonah's face. Pumpkin Butt interjects something and the Inn Keeper bows his head. Jonah slams his fist into the counter with such force it cracks. The Inn Keeper bows again, and so does Pumpkin Butt. Neither of them will look at Jonah. Pumpkin Butt exits the room backward but won't make eye contact with anyone.

"Agatha, give me your knife," Jonah orders. It takes me a second to recognize English, then realize he's talking to me, and he's asking me for something. I fumble for my dirk and hand it to him. The Inn Keeper inspects it, puts it in a drawer, and steps from behind the counter.

Dathid missed the entire exchange. He's leaning against a wall, staring at his fingers. Jonah nudges him as we pass, and he peels wordlessly off the wall and follows. The siege may not be going well for the elves. Dathid's worried. Something bad has obviously happened to someone he cares about. I hope Galia's okay; she's his whole world.

I stop thinking about him when I almost fall down a flight of steps. I've come from a land where everything was slightly undersized to a place where everything is rather oversized. The steps are wearing me out. I missed one and would've tumbled down the entire flight if Jonah had not caught me.

The nice thing about the crappy room the Inn Keeper puts us in is that it's large. It's also clean, but its age makes it look dirty. "I'm going for a walk," Dathid says and stomps out the door before either of us can respond.

"Is that a good idea?" I ask.

"No," Jonah answers, gazing worriedly at the door. "But he'll be fine. Hopefully, he's coherent enough to hide somewhere." He turns his attention to me. "You are to always be with me. Do you understand? Anytime one of them is around, you're right here," he says, pointing to the floor in front of him. "They believe Death has come to visit them. That could go one of two ways. Hopefully, they're frightened enough to stay away from this room. However, if a freakish death occurs while we're here, we may be lynched."

"So other cultures think you're the Grim Reaper, too. Interesting. And they can see you?"

"Most of the species on Ashra can see me. Humans could too, if they'd acknowledge that another sentient being lives among them. Many humans can sense my presence. It usually scares them."

I don't want to talk about that. I need to know what's going on with Dathid. "Why is Dathid upset? Is Cromsmead okay? Did someone die?"

"Let's talk," he says as he moves to the rickety table in the corner. One of the two mismatched chairs moans under his weight but holds. I sit in the other, and my feet don't touch the floor.

"I feel like a five-year-old," I say as I swing my feet. I've changed my mind. I don't want to know what's going on. 

Jonah takes a deep breath. I wipe my palms on my tunic. Dathid wouldn't have been so calm if something had happened to his daughter. "Is it Galia?"I ask just as he's about to speak.

He shakes his head. "Galia is fine." I relax. Dathid can handle anything as long as his daughter's alright. "The siege of Cromsmead was a ruse to lock the Elves in while the Grucht Leisck attacked Manahata."

My heart cramps. I was wrong. Dathid can't handle this. 

Jonah keeps talking. "They battled for over a week, and the Faeries eventually pushed them back against the elves, thus surrounding the Grucht Leisck."

The room spins, and my fingers tingle. "What happened to Manahata?"

"It's been destroyed. King Ohad is dead. Some of the Grucht Leisck came through the portal. Finnegan, the human gatekeeper, is believed to be dead, also."

I lean back in my chair. Images flash across my vision: King Ohad and how nice he was to me, Hetty and Zeal, and Finnegan, what a kind soul. Who could kill such a sweet, feeble old man? I want to ask about Oberon Thunderclaws, but I doubt anyone inquired about my cat. 

"The Eurynomon dispatched a battalion to help with clean up. Dathid is contacting Manahatta to find out what's going on. Since he's breaking our silence, we might have revealed our location. We may need to run if the Grucht Leisck track us."

"Run where? We're protected by a fifty-foot wall, surrounded by monsters on dragons. If the Grucht Leisck can get me here, they can get me anywhere."

That thought knocks the words out of both of us. I take off my armor and pace the room while Jonah stares at the cracks in the table. Dathid bursts through the door and plops a big bag of cherries in front of Jonah. He hands me a loaf of bread. The steam carries a wonderful herbed scent to my nose. I sit, and I tear into it like a hungry dog.

Dathid stands in front of the window, and Jonah stares at his back. I feel bad for eating, but the bread is delicious, and I've been munching rodents for a month.

"My father," Dathid mutters but can't say the rest. "My sister is fine. She needs her son back. Some humans came through the portal. Our journey may be pointless. Ziras may have figured out another way. My home is destroyed. They salted the ground. I could hear trees screaming."

I put the bread down. Dathid won't look at us.

"How many used the portal?" Jonah asks, shaking his head. "If Ziras found a way to Earth, he would've used the portal himself. The Rosicrucians have been seeking wizards on Earth since they can use the portals. I believe they may have found some. "

Sometimes I imagine what would happen if I opened the portals because I believe Ziras's story that we were here first. Humans would love it here. But I'm wise enough to know that it wouldn't be sunshine and rainbows. Each species would fight until there was only one left. I also can't unleash an immortal specter on Earth. I need to lock those portals forever, even if I can never go home again.