Charlie couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The knight was Richard?

  When the knights first summoned Charlie to this world, they’d taken him to a married couple living in Troa. There, Richard, and Mary had assumed responsibility for him. After his fight with Lusafeen the witch, Richard worried she might have messed with him in some way and requested the knights send someone to check on him. But the knight in question, Sir Talmot, stumbled upon them while Charlie was showing his adopted parents his powers. To ensure his safety, Richard and Mary decided they would lead the knights away and throw off their trail. At the same time, Charlie and his friends went to seek shelter with a researcher in Arcadeya.

  A lot had happened since then. But why was Richard here now? Why had he attacked without saying anything? Those, and a thousand other questions surged through Charlie’s mind. But when he opened his telepathic mouth, the only thing that came out was. “Richard?”

  Surprise overtook Vetica’s face. “Wait, what?” She turned to look at Charlie. She’d heard Richard’s name before. Charlie had told Merlin and Vetica all about his adventures prior to meeting them. Richard and Mary were names they were both already familiar with. She turned back to look at the knight before them. “That’s Richard?”

  Richard propped himself up. “It seems there’s been a misunderstanding.” He rose to his feet slowly so as not to alarm Vetica.

  “Get him, Mousifer!” Merlin yelled in the distance! Charlie and the others turned to look toward the noise. Merlin was riding Bonehead. His hand was still outstretched from throwing something. It didn’t take long to see what. Mousifer was flying forward like an arrow towards the leather-clad man.

  “What the—” the man said before Mousifer smacked right into his face.

  The mouse’s tiny black paws went to work as he screamed a battle-cry. “Squeak!”

  “Boss! There’s a demon on my face!” The man in leather ripped at the seams of his mask and flung it into the tree line with Mousifer still attached.

  “Squeaaaaa!” Mousifer said as he landed in the bushes. A short series of rustles later, the tiny mouse emerged unscathed. He glared at the now mask-less man.

  The man seemed closer in age to Merlin and Vetica than to Richard. He had red spiky hair and was clean-shaven. He was also lucky, considering Mousifer hadn’t clawed through that mask of his. Both of his daggers were now sheathed at his side. The red-haired man squatted and took a breath. “Well, that was terrifying. I’ve hunted some pretty nasty creatures, but nothing really prepares you for a tiny demon scratching at your face. Whew,” the man said.

  Bonehead skidded to a stop nearby. Merlin hopped off, tucked under his shoulder was bear-form Bleedy. The little poof-ball wore an annoyed expression on his face. Merlin noticed everyone’s eyes on Bleedy. “What? Oh him? Yeah, Bleedy keeps changing back and forth for some reason. I don’t think he can control it right now. But, uh, why isn’t everyone fighting? Also, that was a pretty good throw, right? I’m not the only one who noticed, right? Guys?”

  “Don’t throw Mousifer, Merlin!” Charlie shot a look at him and turned back to Richard. “Why did you guys attack us?” he asked.

  Richard was quiet for a moment. “Arkady here,” he said, motioning to the red-haired man in the leather armor. “He found a lead on a man who matched the description of someone you were traveling with. When Arkady questioned a guild leader who’d made a deal with this…Merlin, it came to light that there were connections to the cult.”

  Orb bounced in the air. “Oh…I get it. We set a trap to lure out the cultist, but because of that, Richard and this Arky guy thought Merlin was the cult or was associated with them at least. He must have thought the cult had taken Charlie and me hostage! He came to save both of us! Also, hi Richard! Long time no see, man,” Orb said.

  Richard sighed. “Yes…both of you. Hi, Orb.”

  Vetica adjusted Charlie in her arms. “Sorry about your hand,” she said, eyeing his armor where she’d severed his metallic glove clean off.

  Richard smiled and loosened his armor at the sleeve. “I’ve had worse.” The entire arm piece came off to reveal the stump where his arm ended. Richard had already lost his arm when Charlie had first met him. So, Vetica hadn’t cut through his actual flesh, just the armor itself. “The armor was a…gift. It was meant to help disabled knights continue fighting. I hate it. But it helped me avoid attention, and I needed to move discreetly for a while.”

  “Man…you’re really lucky she didn’t chop off your other hand. That would’ve sucked!” Orb said.

  Richard chuckled. “We should make camp; there’s a lot to talk about. I’m sorry for attacking you all without having all the information. I just wanted to make sure Charlie was safe.” He turned to look at Bonehead, who glared at him. “Are you alright?”

  Bonehead huffed but nodded all the same.

  Vetica looked at Richard and considered his words. “If I thought Charlie was in danger, I’d attack first and ask questions later as well. So, I suppose I’ll forgive you.”

  “Well, boss, that’s one of two. Now we just gotta—” Arkady started.

  Richard cleared his throat. “How have you been, Charlie?” He noticed Orb buzzing excitedly and sighed. “…and Orb…tell me everything.”

  Charlie squinted. One of two? Richard had been looking for Charlie. Was that what Arkady meant? But if he was one of two, who else could be missing? A pit formed in his stomach. He looked at Richard, a sense of dread filling him. He ignored the retired knight’s question completely and asked one of his own. “Richard, where’s Mary?”

  Richard’s eyes clenched shut. He grew silent for a moment. Once he’d collected himself, he sighed, and spoke. “Where do I even start? Mary and I were traveling. Leading the knights away like we said we would. But along the way, I met a merchant. He was begging for help at a guild.” Richard beckoned to his companion. “It was the guild Arkady belonged to.”

  Arkady threw up a sheepish wave when everyone turned to look at him.

  “The merchant told me something weird was going on in Sange, and I realized your path would take you directly through there. I’d wanted to protect you, but instead I’d sent you straight into danger.” Richard shook his head. “After we helped the merchant, Arkady joined me. Neither of us could ignore whispers of missing children, and I needed to know you were safe. It would’ve been better to have someone take the information to the knights, but…I couldn’t leave it alone knowing you might be in danger. It was dangerous, and I knew we needed to keep moving, but Mary and I both agreed that if you were in danger, we needed to change course. There was no point in leading the knights away if you ran into danger anyway.”

  Charlie swallowed. Where was Richard going with this? Was Mary okay? What happened? He found himself unable to resist asking. “Richard, what happened to Mary?”

  Arkady spoke up. “Boss…if you’d rather I—”

  Richard shook his head. “No. I’ll tell him. We…dealt with two members of Arkady’s guild. It drew attention, but we escaped town easily enough. With Mary, and the merchants in tow. But turning back was risky. The knights circled in on us when we went back for you.” He clenched his fist. “I was careless.”

  Richard

  Richard knocked on the door. It was a knock his wife would recognize instantly. When she didn’t answer, he immediately worried something was off. Mary was always there, waiting at the door for him to return when he said he would. It had become something of a ritual. She’d wait, anxious he wouldn’t return. He’d knock, anxious she wouldn’t be there to answer.

  It turned out he was the one right to be anxious.

  He knocked again.

  Nothing. He fumbled his key from his pocket and grabbed the doorknob to put the key in. It turned freely. The door wasn’t locked.

  His breath caught. He burst into the home. “Mary!” he shouted. Richard’s eyes quickly adjusted to the dark house. Shards of glass littered the floor. Entire pieces of wooden furniture had been reduced to splinters. Documents…the information he’d spent weeks collecting with Arkady torn to shreds and spread throughout the hallway. His strength fled his body, and Richard dropped the bottle of wine he’d brought to surprise his wife.

  It shattered on the ground.

  Wait, there was a presence ahead. Richard drew his blade and pointed it toward the darkness of the house.

  “Not so fast, Richard.” The voice filled him with dread. It wasn’t fear of the man in front of him. No, Richard was afraid of what that voice meant. Because of who it meant had Mary.

  “Brandt…” Richard said.

  “Welcome home.” Brant stepped out of the darkness so that Richard could see him. “I’d ask if you wanted to do this over a drink but…” Brandt eyed the shattered glass of wine. Sir Brandt was the current leader of the Hex Knights. If he had Mary, then…this wasn’t good.

  “Brandt, if you did anything to hurt her, I’ll kill you.” Richard glared at the man before him. The only reason Brandt’s head was still on his shoulders was because Richard knew what would happen to Mary if he acted recklessly.

  “Let’s go for a ride. There’s something we need to discuss,” Brandt said. He ignored Richard’s blade and pushed past him.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Richard’s nostrils flared. No, he couldn’t afford to get too angry. Stay calm. Find a way out of this. He sheathed his blade for the moment and followed. There was no need to search the house. If he wanted to see his wife again, he needed to play along.

  For now.

  They walked through a field of damp grass illuminated by moonlight. Each step felt heavy, like he was wading around in mud. But the grass underneath his boots was plenty good enough to walk on. The weight he felt was one of reckoning, of facing something he always knew he would need to face.

  His past was a blade swinging toward his neck full force. There was nothing he could do to dodge it now.

  Two horses waited for them. They mounted quickly, and their horses galloped forward just as fast. Richard ignored the scenery; the only thing that mattered was following Brandt. Play along. Play along just long enough until you find the right opportunity, he thought to himself. The opportunity to show them why he alone could become a hex knight and then retire on his own terms. Why even the king didn’t risk refusing him once his decision had been made.

  He would save his sweet Mary and then, together, they’d get back on Charlie’s trail.

  Just two people. He only needed to protect two people, and he’d done a shit job of protecting either of them.

  They rode in silence; there wasn’t anything to talk about. It didn’t take long before Richard spotted flames on the path ahead of them. A group of hex knights stood in a circle in a grassy clearing. There were twenty-five to thirty of them. They’d planted several torches in the ground. At their center, Richard recognized a beautiful woman being held hostage.

  Mary. Her arms were bound behind her back, and there was rope fastened around her ankles. Behind her, one of the hex knights stood with his hand on her shoulder. Sir Redrick, one of the twelve.

  Richard spat. He swung his leg over the back of his horse and dismounted before it had fully come to a stop. He ran towards the circle. With a sigh, Brandt dismounted and followed. He wasn’t in as much of a rush.

  “Mary!” Richard yelled as he ran forward. No one stopped him from entering the circle and pushing towards his wife.

  She returned his call with one of her own. “Richard!”

  But as Richard neared, Redrick held a hand up. He tightened his grip on Mary’s shoulder. Her face strained, but she didn’t make a noise. She stared her husband in the eyes with a fierce look of determination. Mary was as strong as ever. Richard stopped, glaring at Redrick.

  Redrick relaxed his grip, seeing Richard’s compliance.

  “Mary are you okay?” he asked his wife.

  “I’m fine, Richard,” she said. “I—”

  Redrick’s hand slipped over her mouth before she could finish whatever she wanted to say. “That’s enough talking, Mary.”

  “Redrick, you bastard,” Richard said. His hand hovered over the hilt of his sword. He noticed the hex knights around him tense up. They knew what he was capable of. They knew the only thing holding him back was the hostage they held.

  Redrick shrugged. “I’m just following orders, mate.”

  Brandt’s boots squelched in the mud behind him as he finally caught up. Richard spun to face the leader of the knights. “Brandt, you leave her out of this. She’s my wife. If you want me, here I am, but not Mary. Don’t you dare do this,” he said.

  Brandt stood there, only a few feet away from Richard, staring him down without a word.

  Richard drew his sword and swung it towards Brandt. It stopped an inch away from the hex knight leader’s throat.

  Brandt didn’t flinch. He stared into Richard’s eyes, and then his gaze fell to the blade near his throat. “You know what happens if you walk down that path. And I know she means too much for you to take another step in this direction.”

  “You’ve gone too far with this,” Richard said through gritted teeth.

  Brant shook his head. “You forsook your pledge, your oaths for this woman.” He threw a hand up, gesturing towards Mary. “Despite that, I was foolish enough to think that after everything, even after you turned your back on us, you would still understand what was at stake now. Where’s the boy, Richard?” Brandt demanded.

  “I don’t know.”

  Brandt took a step forward. “You sent him to Arcadeya!” he shouted, spit flying from his mouth. “To that damned scientist, and despite our efforts, he refuses to talk. So, I’m going to ask you one more time. Where is the boy?”

  Richard lowered his blade and took a step towards Brandt. He stared down at his former friend and repeated his words. “I don’t know,” he said slowly, letting each word breathe for a moment before saying the next.

  Brandt sighed. “Redrick.”

  Richard wheeled around just in time to see Redrick unsheathe a dagger and hold it to Mary’s neck.

  “Brandt—” Richard started.

  “Woah,” Sir Gregory called out, holding his hands toward Redrick. His eyes dialed in on Brandt. “This has gone too far. We’re hex knights, Brandt; this isn’t what we do.”

  Brandt glared at him. “We do whatever we need to.”

  “Richard was a brother in arms! I went along with this because I hoped we might work something out, Brandt. But this is too much. Mary is our friend. Richard is our friend. This needs to stop.”

  “They were our friends, Gregory. But a hex knight cannot be a friend to someone willing to betray his country,” Brandt spat back.

  Richard’s shoulders slumped. “What do you want? My life? Take it but leave Mary out of this.”

  Mary tried to speak her protest, but Redrick’s firm grip remained.

  “Take it!” Richard shouted. He dropped his blade into the dirt below.

  “I don’t want your life, Richard. I don’t want Mary’s either. You know what I’m after. You know what has to happen,” Brandt said. He kneeled and picked Richard’s blade from the dirt. He held the sword by the blade and offered the handle back to Richard. “You’re going to find that boy. You’re going to bring him to me,” Brandt said coldly.

  “What?” Richard asked.

  It was Brandt’s turn to step toward Richard this time. “You created this mess, and now you’re going to fix it. If you want Mary back, you’ll bring me the boy. That’s the price.”

  Charlie

  “Wait, so…Brandt made you come after me? You have to give me to him to save Mary?” Charlie asked, still processing the story Richard told. They’d listened to Richard tell the story as the last remnants of the sun had fallen and the moon had risen. Pausing only to retrieve the wagon and build a campfire. Everyone was gathered around the campfire now except for Arkady. He wandered the edge of their camp looking for sticks to feed the fire but also not wanting to miss the conversation.

  “Yes. At least, that’s what he wants. If I found you and returned, they agreed to let her go,” Richard said, a sad expression on his face.

  Merlin shook his head. “Wait a minute…you were going to betray Charlie? Surely not, right?”

  “Of course not. I would never betray Charlie, and Mary would never forgive me if I even considered it. She’s everything to me, but we agreed to look after Charlie. I take that responsibility seriously, and though I had to make the decision to send him off, it’s my duty to make sure he’s safe. I failed him almost immediately and made the wrong call.” Richard shook his head. “I should never have asked the knights to come back to Troa. If not for that decision, Mary, Charlie, and I would still be living a peaceful life in our home. Now…well, everything’s gone wrong.” Richard’s head fell back, and he looked up at the sky. “Things could be so different. Mary would still be here.” Richard caught himself. He turned back to look at Merlin. “No. I would never turn my back on Charlie.”

  “Then why did you work so hard to find us?” Vetica asked. Charlie wasn’t sure if she asked out of curiosity or suspicion.

  “I had to make sure he was alright. As long as Brandt thinks I’m doing what he’s asked, they won’t harm her. So, after agreeing to his terms, I found Arkady and set back out to find Charlie,” Richard explained. “I just needed to know he was safe. That he would be taken care of if something happened to Mary or me. I see now that he does have people who care for him. I’m sorry I attacked you all. I just…I’ve not been in my right mind for a while.” Richard turned, looking toward Bonehead. “I apologize to you especially. I just…didn’t expect him to be traveling with others.”

  Bonehead eyed Richard for a moment before approaching. The komodon probably looked pretty intimidating if you didn’t know him, but Richard waited patiently and didn’t react as Bonehead approached. Bonehead opened his mouth, and for just a moment Charlie worried he might bite Richard. But a moment later he stuck out a long tongue and licked the side of Richard’s face. Charlie giggled. “Bonehead forgives you!” he said with a grin.

  Richard laughed and lifted his arm to pet the komodon on the head.

  Orb floated upward. The flames of the fire reflected off his cool blue exterior. “So, now that you know Charlie’s safe, what now?” he asked.

  “Now, I’m going to do what I have to. I’m going to save my wife,” Richard said. “It was always my responsibility.”

  Arkady looked up from inspecting a small twig that would add absolutely nothing to the fire. “Well, you know I’m going to help out too, boss!” He walked up and tossed a handful of tiny sticks into the fire. To Charlie’s surprise, the fire licked at the small limbs eagerly.

  Charlie turned his attention back to Richard. “Hey…Richard?”

  Richard turned to look at him. “What is it, Charlie?”

  Charlie crawled over to Richard and put a hand over his. “If I had stayed in Troa, then my friends and I wouldn’t have been able to help all the people we have. I don’t think you made a mistake when you sent us to Arcadeya, Richard. I think I was supposed to go on my journey. Meeting Merlin and Vetica and all the people I’ve met wasn’t a mistake. I have these powers for a reason.” Charlie fell backward to sit on the ground. He stared at his hands. “I like helping people. I don’t think it would be right for me to have the power I do and not use it to help people when I can.”

  Richard shook his head in surprise. “Charlie…”

  Charlie smiled. “Listen, I care about Mary! And I care about you, too! When the people we care about are in trouble, we help them!”

  Vetica and Merlin exchanged a concerned look, which quickly turned into smiles.

  They saw where this was going.

  Richard stared at Charlie. “What are you saying, Charlie?”

  “I’m saying it’s time to go kick some hex knight butt and save Mary!”

  “Whoa, kid, the knights are dangerous!” Arkady said. “You should leave this stuff to the grown-ups, okay?”

  Merlin chuckled. “That kid is the strongest person here. You just so happened to attack us after a rough battle. That was pretty lucky of you, actually.”

  “We’ve fought all kinds of people and monsters. We’ve even fought the knights before! I know it’s dangerous, but that just means you need our help even more. Mary’s in trouble, and that’s something I’m responsible for fixing too. So let me help!” Charlie insisted.

  “Well, if Charlie’s in, I’m in,” Orb said.

  “Bleedy!”

  “Squeak!”

  “Well, personally, I’ve wanted to meet this Mary you’re so fond of for a while now, Charlie,” Merlin said with a smile.

  Vetica nodded her approval. “Fighting hex knights sounds like fun to me.”

  Bonehead flicked his tail and slammed the ground in approval.

  Richard looked around incredulously at all of them. “I…thank you,” he said, finally relenting.

  “Alright then,” Arkady said. “What’s the plan?”

  Charlie punched a baby fist into his palm.

  It was time to save Mary.