A repetitive and turbulent vibration moved through the ground as a galloping horse traveled toward the camp. The soldiers and the villagers looked into the forest and saw Capitaine De Lange charging toward them on his horse, returning from battle. He was in a frenzy and covered a wounded arm. He jumped off his horse and ran up to General Marquis.
“General Marquis! General Marquis!” the captain cried.
The general was anything but pleased to see him. “Why are you not leading the battalion in the Charming Kingdom, Capitaine De Lange? Have you led your men to a victory already?”
De Lange fell to his knees and stared up beseechingly at him. “Sir, my battalion did everything we could, but we were outnumbered!” he told him.
“WHAT?” the general shouted.
“Outnumbered?” Baton shouted as well. “But that is impossible! We sent more than enough trolls and soldiers into the Charming Kingdom!”
Capitaine De Lange began sobbing at the general’s feet. He knew what the failure would cost him. “We counted the army correctly, sir! But we weren’t expecting that hundreds and hundreds of citizens would be fighting with them! The trolls surrendered or fled into the Dwarf Forests upon seeing them. We were defeated!”
The general took a step closer and stared into De Lange’s eyes. The lava at the bottom of the canyon behind him was nothing compared to the fire in Marquis’s eyes.
“Are you telling me our Armée was defeated by the peasant men and women of the Charming Kingdom?” General Marquis asked. His nostrils had never been so wide and his head was so red he looked like he was about to catch on fire himself.
Capitaine De Lange shook his head; he had much worse news to tell him. “Not just in the Charming Kingdom, sir! Civilians stood with their kingdom’s armies in all of the kingdoms. All of our calculations and predictions were correct—but we never could have seen this coming! Please believe me when I say we did everything in our power!”
The general turned his fiery gaze toward Colonel Baton, who was shocked by the news. “General, I oversaw the plans myself,” Baton said. “We were positive they would lead to victory.”
The general looked away from the colonel and promptly walked away from the men who had failed him. He had never been so disappointed in his entire military career.
“Lieutenant Rembert, your pistol,” General Marquis demanded.
The lieutenant followed his instructions and retrieved his pistol for the general. In the blink of an eye, General Marquis turned to Colonel Baton and Capitaine De Lange and shot them both in the foot. They fell backward and slid down the canyon walls. They moaned as they tried to get to their feet. A low growling noise vibrated up the canyon walls and the commanders’ moaning increased. A series of deafening screeches echoed next from the canyon, but they weren’t human. The sound was like a thousand nails were being dragged across metal.
“The dragon’s awake!” the Masked Man said, and the entire camp covered their ears.
In between the earsplitting screeches, the camp heard the colonel and the captain scream as they were eaten alive. The general’s wrathful stare never left his face.
Marquis handed Rembert back his pistol. “Congratulations, Rembert, you’re a colonel now,” he said. “Now feed those animals to the dragon once it’s finished with its appetizer.”
“Yes, sir,” Rembert said, and ran off to fetch the stolen livestock.
General Marquis paced up and down the edge of the canyon. He was experiencing the greatest failure of his life—and the general did not take failure well. More than half of his army was gone and it had been defeated by peasants of all things. He quietly plotted how his army was going to come back from this catastrophe.
The Masked Man approached him but kept his distance. “You started this war and you can still win it,” he said. “I’ll tell you again, once you have the dragon—”
“If you tell me one more time all I need is a dragon to win this war, I will feed you piece by piece to the dragon myself!” the general warned. “Any hunter knows you cannot kill a boar with one arrow alone. You need one for the head and one for the heart. The dragon may be an arrow I’ll fire into the head of this world, but if I had seized the capitals and the rulers of the kingdoms, I would have had this world’s heart. This army would have been unstoppable.”
Rook had been intently listening to their conversation the entire time. He realized he had information that the general wanted. “General!” he declared, standing with his hand raised. “If it’s the kings and queens you’re after, I know how you can get to them.”
He couldn’t believe what he was doing—it was as if his sense of survival had overridden all his other senses.
The general scowled at the boy and laughed at his pathetic attempt to get his attention. “Silence, before you are fed to the dragon next!”
“I’m serious,” Rook said. The other villagers pleaded for him to sit and stay quiet but he resisted. “The kings and queens were sent away long before your men arrived at the capitals. I saw it happen and I know where they are.”
General Marquis was already angry enough as it was and this village boy claiming to have answers he did not, was not helping. “Then tell me where they are,” he said, and walked closer to him.
Rook shook his head. “I’m not telling you unless you set all the villagers free,” he said.
The general was so upset by the mention of another bargain he looked as if lava were going to erupt from inside of him. “Perhaps I’ll kill each of the villagers in front of you until you tell me where they are?”
“Excuse me, General?” the Masked Man said. “With all due respect, what the boy is asking for isn’t very much. The villagers are useless so you wouldn’t be losing anything by granting him what he wants in exchange for whatever he might know.”
General Marquis gave the Masked Man the ugliest scowl yet. “You don’t have the right to give me advice!” he said, and struck him across the face.
The Masked Man fell to the ground and spit out a mouthful of blood. “I’m only trying to help, General,” he grunted. “If you lose this war, I lose this war, too! I’ll be sent back to prison! I want to see you conquer this world as much as you do!”
The general slowly caught his breath and walked over to the boy. “All right, tell me and I’ll let these people go free,” he said calmly.
“No,” Rook said. “Let them go first and then I’ll tell you where the royals are.”
The general stared directly at the boy, waiting for his left eye to twitch, but it didn’t. “Fine,” the general said. “But if you don’t supply me with the rulers, I will kill you myself.”
Marquis gestured for his soldiers to let the villagers go and Rook watched as one by one they were set free and ran into the forest. Many of them were hesitant to leave Rook with the soldiers but he assured them he would be fine. Farmer Robins was scooped up by two villagers and escorted out of the camp.
“Don’t do this, Rook! Don’t be a hero!” Farmer Robins cried out. He tried resisting the men helping him escape but his wounds were too painful for him to put up a fight. Rook waited until he was safely out of sight before giving the general the information he needed.
“I don’t know where they are, but I know how to find them,” Rook said.
“Then show us the way,” the general demanded.
Rook closed his eyes and let out a sigh. It wasn’t until after the deal had been made that he realized what he had done, or that by saving a few he had put many at risk. “Forgive me, Alex,” he said to himself.
Had the world been in a better state, traveling down the secret path would have been quite an enjoyable trip. The kings and queens aboard the carriages were exposed to areas of their own kingdoms they had never seen before. They visited with one another and discussed how to make life easier for their kingdoms by reforming the treaties of their trading agreements and they considered how their armies could work together to manage the criminals who traveled between their borders.
The plans were bittersweet, though, knowing as they did that the Armée was still at large and that it would be a while before life would return to normal and they could return to their kingdoms.
Every few hours they stopped to stretch their legs and Goldilocks showed the travelers a new self-defense trick or two as they had requested, and she was impressed by the progress they made in such a short amount of time.
The voyage down the secret path had become a unique bonding experience for all the men and women involved. Goldilocks seemed to be enjoying it the most. She was practically glowing after every lesson and her smile never left her face.
“May I just say, you have never looked more gorgeous,” Jack told his wife. “I’ve never seen you look so happy before.”
“You know me, I love a good adventure,” Goldilocks said. “Especially when I’m accompanied by my dashing husband.”
Jack laughed and squinted at her. “I know you too well to believe that for one minute,” he said. “There’s something else you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”
“All right, I’ll tell you,” Goldilocks said. “Although I would never admit this in front of Red, being around the other queens—the strong, smart, and confident women that they are—has been highly enjoyable.”
Jack’s mouth fell open dramatically. “You mean to tell me my wife is enjoying girl time?” he asked with large mocking eyes.
“I think I am,” Goldilocks said, just as amused to confess it as he was to hear it.
“I think there’s even more behind that smile,” Jack said. “You only make that face when you’re about to surprise me with something. Come on, Goldie, you know I don’t like surprises. Just tell me if you have a secret.”
Goldilocks’s smile grew even wider. “Perhaps I do,” she said. “But like all good secrets, it deserves to be kept quiet until the right moment.”
Jack laughed and shook his head. “You and your secrets,” he said. “We could be married for one hundred years and I still would learn new things about you every day.”
“I hope that doesn’t bother you,” Goldilocks said with a wink. “I am a woman of many secrets and you’re just scratching the surface.”
An endearing smile came to Jack’s face. “Actually, everything I learn about you only makes me love you more.”
Goldilocks leaned in to kiss him but the horses pulling their carriage suddenly dashed forward and began galloping much faster than they normally did. They looked forward and saw that the secret path, which usually curved and looped across the land ahead of them, had become perfectly straight and shot directly into the horizon.
“What’s going on?” Goldilocks said.
“We’re headed southeast,” Jack said after glancing up at the sun. “Maybe Alex and the others want us back? Maybe the war is over?”
The carriages raced through the countryside and into the forests of the southeast. The horses began to slow down, however, when a young man came into view on the path ahead. He was in his mid-teens and was tall with floppy brown hair.
Red poked her head out of her carriage window to see what was going on. “I know I’ve never met that boy before, but I could almost swear I know who he is,” she said, wondering how.
The carriages stopped directly in front of him. The young man looked up at them with tears in his eyes.
“Who are you?” Jack asked.
“I’m sorry,” the young man said.
“Sorry about—” but Goldilocks didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence.
A hundred soldiers suddenly emerged from the trees and surrounded the carriages. Jack and Goldilocks quickly retrieved their weapons but there were too many of them to fight. The kings and queens in the carriages screamed as rifles and swords were pointed at them. There wasn’t anything anyone could do—they had been ambushed by the Grande Armée.
General Marquis was the last to appear out of the trees. He stood behind Rook and patted his shoulder. “Well done, my boy,” he said. “Well done, indeed.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE SIGNAL IN THE SKY
The flames on Alex’s and Conner’s wounds faded as the sun set and night fell upon the tiny cottage in the woods. Soon the flames dimmed more, burning so low only a thin glow covered the healing parts of their bodies.
“The flames are almost gone,” Alex said. She stood from the cot and finally could put weight on her leg without any pain.
“My ribs feel good, too,” Conner said. He twisted his torso and touched his toes without any difficulty. “I’ve never felt better! Looks like the fire did the trick!”
“We really need to get going,” Alex said to Hagetta.
Hagetta didn’t argue with her this time. She retrieved Alex’s crystal wand from the fireplace and handed it to her. “Here you are, my dear.”
Alex examined her wand and didn’t find a scratch on it—it was as good as new. “We’ll never forget this kindness,” Alex said. “If there is anything we can ever do, please don’t hesitate—”
Hagetta raised her hand. “The best thing you can do is to promise me you’ll take care of yourselves,” she said warmly. “I don’t understand why such heavy burdens have been placed on your young shoulders, but the taller you stand, the less weight you’ll feel. Don’t ever let anything break your spirit, children. Courage is something no one can take away from you.”
Alex and Conner exchanged a kindhearted smile with her. Goldilocks had told them the same thing once, and now they knew who she had learned it from.
“We always seem to land on our feet,” Conner said. “Except that one time you saw us crash and we almost died—but thanks to you, we even bounced back from that!”
Alex leaned under the table. “Are you ready to go, Lester?”
“Squaaa!” Lester squawked and happily fluttered to his feet, almost knocking the table over in the process.
“Great, then let’s go—”
Suddenly, a heavy knock came on Hagetta’s door. All four of them immediately turned to it.
“Are you expecting company?” Conner asked.
“No,” Hagetta said. She was just as alarmed as the twins were by the sound of a visitor. “Quick, hide behind the cauldron so no one will see you.”
The twins crouched behind the cauldron. Lester dived under the table again and Hagetta placed a large tablecloth over it to shield him better. Alex pointed her wand at the door, preparing for the worst.
Hagetta opened the door only a sliver and peeked outside. “Can I help you?” she asked the caller.
“Hello, sorry to disturb you but I’m looking for a young girl and boy. The goose they were flying was shot from the sky and they were spotted landing in the woods around this area,” said a familiar voice. “Have you seen them?”
Hagetta cautiously opened the door a bit wider so the twins could see who was on the other side.
“Xanthous!” Conner exclaimed, and popped up from behind the cauldron.
“It’s all right, Hagetta, he’s a friend,” Alex said.
Hagetta let him inside and he greeted the twins with enormous hugs. He had never been so happy to see them.
“Alex! Conner! Thank the heavens you’re all right! I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he said.
His cheerful demeanor confused the twins—weren’t they in the middle of a war? Did he not know the Elf Empire and other territories had been attacked?
“Xanthous, why aren’t you in the Charming Kingdom?” Alex asked. “The Grande Armée has started their attacks! We saw them strike the Elf Empire!”
“We were just about to warn you and the other fairies,” Conner said.
“We already know! All the kingdoms have been attacked except for the Fairy Kingdom,” he informed them.
Alex covered her mouth and tears instantly filled her eyes. “Oh no!” she said. “We never expected they would attack all the kingdoms at once! We didn’t plan for that! I told everyone to split their armies in half! I left everyone outnumbered!”<
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Xanthous placed his hands on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “Alex, you don’t have to be upset. Even with half the armies in hiding, we still managed to outnumber them!”
Both the twins’ hearts started racing, but for the first time in a while they beat in a good way. Was he telling them good news or were they just imagining it?
“Did you just say you outnumbered the Armée?” Conner asked. “But how is that possible? They were double the size of us.”
A proud smile came to Xanthous’s face. “It seems both sides made a mistake in counting,” he said. “They counted the kingdoms’ armies after they were divided and only sent enough soldiers to match those numbers. And it seems we didn’t incorporate the forgotten army in our estimates.”
“What forgotten army?” Alex asked. Her head was spinning trying to recall a kingdom or territory they hadn’t counted.
“The citizens!” Xanthous exclaimed. “I’ve never seen anything like it! As soon as the Grande Armée and their recruited criminals crossed into the Charming Kingdom, all the average civilians left their homes to join the army in the fight! And it didn’t just happen in the Charming Kingdom; I’ve heard word from Skylene, Rosette, Tangerina, and Coral—the same thing happened in the other kingdoms as well!”
“That’s awesome!” Conner said with a celebratory fist pump.
It sounded too good to be true and Alex wanted to get all the facts straight before she got her hopes up. “Wait a second. You’re telling me the majority of the Grande Armée has been wiped out and we still have half of the Happily Ever After Assembly armies in hiding waiting to reappear?”
“Yes!” Xanthous nodded.
“So that means we outnumber them now! And by a lot!” Conner happily concluded.
“We do!” Xanthous said, and picked up both the twins and whirled them around the cottage. “We just might win this war after all!”
The twins were so happy to hear this they hollered and jumped around the cottage. Their celebration was cut short when Alex remembered there may have been more than just soldiers at stake.