It is time for me to return home, Wisker told the Bots who gathered around him. I can no longer wait for William to be found. I will pay you very well to keep looking for my friend. Here is most of the money that I won tonight. I must keep some of it to show to the people of the land of Mayfair as proof that I have been here. If you have not found William by the time that I next return, I will find a way to get more money to pay you to look for him.
That will be easy, called a Bot named Robin. You will just bet on number Five and you will have all of the money you will need.
Wisker and all of the Bots in the group laughed. Someday that may not be true, Wisker told them. All of the racers are working hard to improve their skills and someday one of them may even get better than racer number five.
Wisker looked around. Well, I guess Ive got to go home now, he told them. I am afraid that when I go back home without William the people will see me as being a liar, he let out a deep sigh. Never the less, it is time to go back. He held up his magic wand and said, Wibbledee, bibbledee, dibbledee dome, now is the time for me to go home. A gateway opened and Wisker stepped through it. Soon he was back in the secret tunnel. The people quietly clapped when they saw him.
The queens foot soldiers are out and searching the grounds, said a man named Jeremy, coming close to Wisker and speaking quietly. Where is your proof?
Wisker hung his head low. My companion William will not be returning, he confessed. He loved it so much in the new world, it was so big and shocking, that he decided to stay there and make it his home.
You are a liar, cried Maggie. William is my husband and there is no way that he would have left me and his family. She began to cry and to mmoan for her husband.
But indeed he did, said Wisker. I have tried to find him, but he just disappeared.
You are a liar, a liar, a liar! cried Maggie. She pulled her apron up over her face and cried and cried.
The people in the room soon became divided. Some believed what Wisker was saying and others did not.
Please listen to me, pleaded Wisker but he had very few listeners now and soon the people began to move out and to shake their heads with disbelief.
Wisker is just an old crazy wizard who lies to us, said Nigal sadly.
Please listen to me, pleaded Wisker. What I am telling you is the truth. But the people didnt believe him, no matter what treasures he showed them from his recent trip.
He just used a magic spell to make those things, cried Bettina. He isnt the great wizard we used to believe him to be. Now he is just a crazy old wizard. Who lies to us.
Soon Wisker was left all alone in the room. I t was completely silent and dark. Wisker began to blame himself for taking Benji with him. Now there is no way that I am ever going to get anyone to believe me, he said to himself.
Suddenly Wisker heard footsteps coming through the tunnel. They werent just the footsteps of a few people but of hundreds and they were all coming towards Wisker. Someone has told the soldiers where I am, thought Wisker. He went to pick up his wand to disappear and found that it had been stolen. There is no way out, thought Wisker. I am in very serious trouble. Wisker quickly hid behind an old table.
Come out, Wisker, shouted King Alfred. Wisker raised his head and came out from behind the table.
You will spend eternity in prison, King Alfred told Wisker. It was evident that the king was very upset.
But my lord, you are lying to your people, said Wisker.
You fool!!! These low grade humans could never understand what their eyes will be seeing, said King Alfred disparagingly.
Wisker looked at the king whom he had once protected and served. I am so very disappointed in you, he told him sadly. I cant believe that you are willing to keep your people in a bubble and not let them know that there is another world out there.
Take him to prison, said King Alfred, pointing at Wisker. Never let him see the light of day again.
I am not going without a fight, thought Wisker. You are a stupid fool, he shouted at the king. Nothing but a lying, stupid fool! The guards began to punch and kick Wisker and dragged him by his cape to the prison.
Please listen to me, pleaded Wisker to the guards. Your king is lying to you. Wisker pleaded with the guards who had once been happy to claim him as their friend, but it was all to no avail. Wisker was put on public display and everyone in Mayfair was there to witness the fall of Wisker.
You fools, the king will kill you all, shouted Wisker as he was dragged through the public square.
Many of the people there had once been Wiskers friends, but now they were his enemies. It is not safe to be Wiskers friend any more, said Jeremy, as he began to clap. Dont look sad or youll be finding yourself the next one to be dragged off.
Deep down, many of the people began to wonder if there was something to Wiskers story, but it was too late to do anything about it, at least right then.
After Wisker had been dragged off, the people of the land of Mayfair went to their homes and found that the front door of each home had a letter nailed to it.
Daniel took the letter off from his door and read it out loud to his family. If any citizens are caught defying the kingdom of Mayfair and the royal family they will be sentenced to Dragon Island where no one has ever come out alive, he read.
The king also wants it to be known that anyone who was a part of Wiskers secret meetings will be punished.
Daniels family was very frightened. They hurried into their home and quickly locked the door behind them. The King has found out about the secret meetings and the secret tunnels, whispered Daniel.
Will you still try to find out the truth? asked Dorcus, Daniels wife. She just barely whispered the words for fear someone might be listening and overhear what they were saying.
Yes, answered Daniel. We cant be held prisioners in our own land, we just cant.
The people of the land of Mayfair were very frightened and they became suspicious of everyone. The king wanted the names of all the people who had been against him and soon neighbors began to be afraid that other neighbors would tell on them and small fights and even wars broke out, neighbors against neighbors and tribes against tribes.
This is exactly what I wanted to have happen, said the king in great satisfaction. He sent out his foot soldiers to gather all the people who had betrayed him and all the people were so frightened that they all told on each other.
Some of the kings soldiers came out into the courtyard. They played some important sounding notes on their long horns and all the people gathered around to hear what they had to say.
One of the soldiers climbed up to a high platform built into the fence and began to read. The king is setting some new rules, he read The citizens are no longer allowed to celebrate holidays, not even birthdays. The citizens are mandated to work I the fields from sun up to sun down. The king is taking away any money that the people have, any property and anything of value. Anything that has any value from now on belongs to the king. That is just the way it is and just the way it will be from now on
Many people began to cry and to wish for Wisker. I wish Wisker was here, whispered some of the people, but they didnt dare to whisper it too loud for fear of being over heard and being caught and punished by the king. The king became mean and arrogant. The people were now suffering and there was no one to help them. Please forgive us, your majesty, begged some of the people. We promise to have parties and dancing in the street and never to criticize your majesty again.
No! thundered the king. The only ones in this kingdom who are allowed to have parties are my son, Prince Harry and his sister, Princess Cilla. You will enjoy the parties, no matter how terrible they seem. Prince Harry and Princess Calla are the only children in the kingdom allowed to receive gifts. The other children in the kin
gdom are my property, just the same as the cattle and the horses are my property. The only reason they are allowed to come to the parties is so that my son and daughter have other children with whom to play.
This country is nothing less than a prison now, whispered Bettina, to her best friend Abigail, whom she knew she could trust implicitly. I remember when the king used to say that we were like family to him and it was evident that he really felt that way too.
I know, whispered Abigail. The king has lost his mind and we are nothing but prisioners now. Some of the people have begun to secretly hatch a plan to get Wisker out of prison but that is going to be very hard. Wisker is guarded around the clock and if any of us were ever caught trying to free him; well I hate to think what might happen to us.
One morning the people of the land of Mayfair got up to find that by the guard gates there was a bull. Now this wasnt just any ordinary bull, this was a massive bull, with horns that stretched out for miles. The bull spat out rainbows of fire, which while they were very pretty, they were also very dangerous, scotching trees and walls. They will scotch us too if we get too close, said Daniel. We must be very, very careful.
Some of the men of the kingdom began to dig a new underground tunnel. Every night they would sneak out of their homes and take turns digging the underground tunnel, trying to break into the prison and free Wisker.
At the same time that the people who lived outside of the palace were working to free Wisker, the palace maids and butlers were also plotting against the king. The maids would fix the king sleeping tonic that would knock him out cold, then they would send coded messages through out the kingdom to tell Wisker to hang on, they were all trying to help him.
One day there was a hitch in the plan. . There is no way that we can outsmart the king, thought one of the maids. Soon he will find out what is going on and God help all of us! I am going to tell the queen what is happening and ask for her protection. Maybe Ill get a big reward.
The queen was very angry when she found out what was happening. She called a large group of her own personal guards together. Go out into the land and revenge the plot on my husband, she ordered.
The guards went out by the thousands, running through the kingdom, arresting everyone from maids to peasant workers. Burn these homes to the ground, ordered one of the chief guards. These people will have no use for them again; they will all spend the rest of their lives in prison.
A storm of betrayal went through went through the town, all because of what the maid had started.
The maid was very frightened. She hid herself in the queens room and looked out the window. Oh what if the king doesnt win and this backlashes on me? she thought to herself. She saw her village being burned to the ground. She saw people whom she knew being carried off to jail, she saw many being tied and bound and carried off to jail and for the first time she realized what she had done. Maybe the queen and king will give me pardon, she thought to herself but it was not so.
If you will turn against your own people you will turn against me the same way, the queen told her sternly. I cannot trust you. You are guilty of treason. The queen turned to her royal guards. Haul her off to jail, she ordered. She is not to be trusted...
The people in the prison were very angry with the maid. We almost had a way out of prison but because of your inability to hold a secret, the plan is now in danger of failing, they told her. The maid huddled in a corner by herself, trembling and shaking with fear. Many of the people shunned her and called her a traitor.
Please forgive me, begged the maid, but none of the people was willing to listen to her. They shunned her and threw stones in her direction and no one, not one single person, felt sorry for her. You silly woman, you have risked our freedom, shouted one of the prisioners at her. All the maid could do was cry and hang her head low, but no one felt sorry for her, not one single person.
Overhead the prisoners could hear the footsteps of people running through the land. Maybe it is people trying to escape or maybe it is the guards marching through the village, taking everyone they can to prison.
There was only one man who was not affected by this terrible ordeal and this was Sir Porcupine. Actually his name of course wasnt Sir Porcupine, it was really Thomas, but the king had nicknamed him porcupine because of the way that his hair stood up on his head. Sir Porcupine acted very foolish and made the king and queen laugh at his silly antics. That Sir Porcupine is a few cards short of a full deck, King Alfred told Queen Jasline as Sir Porcupine tumbled around on the floor, pretending to try to turn summersaults and failing miserably.
Sir Porcupine and his family was spared and moved into the palace with the king and queen. This is your very own home space, King Alfred told Sir Porcupine and his family. The palace will be your home just as it is mine.
The king and queen thought that Sir Porcupine was their true friend, even if he wasnt very bright. If they had only known the truth, Sir Porcupine was extremely bright and he and Wisker were the best of friends, even though they didnt show their affection in front of the king or queen.
Sir Porcupine kept a close eye on the king and queen and listened to all their private conversations, every chance he got. I vowed to whisker that I would set him free, he said to himself. And I along with many brave citizens of the land of Mayfair am going to do my very best to keep that vow.
In the meantime, the sleeping tonic that the maids had been slipping to the king had an unexpected effect. It sent him into a very deep comma. The queen was beside herself with anxiety. I dont know what to do, she moaned. I want my husband to come out of this comma and be well.
Sir Porcupine continued to keep a close eye on the queen and to listen to every private conversation that she had with the royal guards. One day he heard what he considered to be the ultimate betrayal.
I want you to bring the guillotine to the public square, Queen Jasline ordered the royal guards. I am going to get rid of that pest Wisker and his followers.
Sir Porcupine felt his blood chill in his veins. I have to get Wisker freed, he said to himself. But how am I going to do it? Most of the men are in jail and there is no way that I can dig the rest of the tunnel to release the wizard by myself.
Sir Porcupine took the long way around to get to the prison, slipping into this place and that place so that he would not be seen and at last he was at the prison and tried to find a way to get in. There was one major problem, a mammoth problem to be truthful, and that was the bull, whom he found waiting for him. The bull began to snort and to kick dirt in the air when he saw Sir Porcupine. Then he blew fire at Sir Porcupine, narrowly missing his face.
Its a very good thing I have on a knights shield and armor to protect myself from the burning flames, thought Sir Porcupine. Sir Porcupine thought and thought. How can I get past the bull and rescue Wisker, he asked himself.
Finally he had an idea. Sir Porcupine got hold of an extra strong dose of the sleeping tonic that the maids had been slipping to King Alfred. He fed the sleeping tonic to a goat and then he fed the goat to the bull, who gobbled it all up in one bite.
Sir Porcupine hid behind a bush. Ill just wait here for the poison to take effect, he said to himself. He watched and kept track of all the royal guards who entered and who left the prison guards.
Soon there was only one guard at the gate. The bull had finally fallen asleep and the guard stretched his arms out and yawned and sat down on a nearby stool. Ill just take a little nap, said the guard. Theres no one out there and if anyone should come along, the bull will wake up and hell take care of him. The guard leaned back using his hands for a pillow and soon he was fast asleep.
Ill just make sure that the guard will not wake up for a while, said Sir Porcupine to himself. He took a poisonous dart and shot it straight into the guard. There, that will keep him sleeping for awhile, sa
id Sir Porcupine, with evident satisfaction.
Once the guard had slipped into an even deeper sleep, Sir Porcupine snuck in to the prison and ran from cell to cell, looking for Wisker. He found Wisker in the very farthest cell, guarded by a golden harp and a ghost. Sir Porcupine pretended to be a guard, by putting on his armor and face shield.
The ghost plays the harp when someone is escaping, whispered Wisker, as Sir Porcupine slipped close to the bars of the cell. It will wake up anyone who is sleeping. It will even wake up the dead.
Suddenly the ghost spotted Sir Porcupine and realized that not all was as it should be. He was about to play the tune that would wake up the dead when Sir Porcupine made a dive for the harp and with super human effort, managed to snatch it from the ghosts hands.
Without the harp, the ghost could not be heard. H ran around the prison, trying to scream, but it did no good. The harp was now in Sir Porcupines hands and he was not going to give it up.
Wisker arose from his state of depression and worthlessness. He had grown old and weary.
Chapter Three
Freeing Wisker