It just a few short minutes, the wagon would roll out of the forest and there would be no going back. The trees offered shelter from the unfriendly eyes that would await them beyond the surrounding greenery. They offered comfort. Charlie really hoped this plan worked. His mind was racing. He thought of Richard. It had been so long since they’d last seen one another. Charlie and his friends had been through so much since first leaving his adoptive parents. He thought of the strange but kind Arkady, the man who now accompanied them. Richard trusted Arkady, and not just because he’d turned his back on a corrupt guild to help a merchant in need. Arkady had proven himself to be a good man, and if he had earned Richard’s faith, Charlie would choose to believe in him too. But most of all, Charlie thought of Mary.

  How was she feeling now? Afraid? Anxious? No…that didn’t sound like Mary at all. Wherever she was, Charlie wouldn’t be surprised if she was singing just as beautifully as she used to. He still missed the sweet lullabies she always used to sing before bedtime. He missed the warmth and comfort of her presence. Charlie was going to save her, and when he was done, he would give her a big hug and tell her about all the adventures he’d been on since departing the little forest town of Troa.

  “Alright everyone, it’s show time,” Arkady said, running a hand through his bright red hair. He sat in the back with Charlie and Merlin. Vetica was in the driver’s seat, and Orb hovered over her shoulder. Bleedy and Mousifer snuggled up on either side of Charlie, spending time with him in the last moments before the plan was underway. They’d pulled some extra clothes and supplies from the wagon’s various storage compartments and staged everything to look the way a merchant’s wagon might look. “I’m counting on you guys, so don’t mess this up. I really don’t want to be stuck in here if you guys get arrested or something,” Arkady said.

  “Hey, hey, hey, don’t go thinking you’re the only one who's ever crossed paths with hex knights. We’ve tangled with them before, and we’ve always come out on top,” Orb said, floating over from the driver’s bench.

  Arkady grinned. “So far. Let’s hope that luck continues. Alright guys, good luck out there.” Arkady opened the trapdoor in the floor of Merlin’s wagon and climbed inside.

  “So far,” Orb mimicked him. Charlie gently patted the top of the dungeon core. He knew Orb got extra sassy when he was nervous.

  Charlie turned his attention to Mousifer and Bleedy. “Okay, guys, I’ll see you soon!”

  “Squeak!”

  “Baby!”

  The two of them followed Arkady through the trapdoor. A moment later, Arkady pulled it shut, and the latch on the underside of the door clicked into place. Though Charlie could have hidden them inside his dungeon, they’d discussed and decided against it. If things went wrong, Arkady’s hex might prove invaluable. On top of that, Mousifer and Bleedy insisted on staying by Charlie's side. Or at least as close as they could be. So for now, they’d hide inside the wagon. If things went well, they wouldn’t be in there long at all.

  “I’ll be right back,” Orb said, zooming out the back of the wagon and into the forest.

  Charlie gave his friend a little wave.

  “It’s time, Merlin,” Vetica called from the driver’s bench. Merlin stood, and Charlie held his hands towards Merlin to make himself easier to pick up. Merlin passed Charlie to Vetica in the front seat. She set him in her lap and reached for the blanket she’d sat next to her on the bench, working to unfold it.

  Charlie smiled. Vetica’s dress looked really good on her. She was wearing the grand yellow dress that Merlin had bought for her on Capital Road. Vetica had only worn it once, briefly, in Port Carrus when they took out their first guild mission, and now she wore it once more. She’d also put her hair up in a ponytail instead of letting it hang freely as she normally did. Charlie thought the look suited her. She wasn’t the only one wearing something out of the ordinary, though. Charlie wore a white onesie in place of his trademark blue one. He hated taking off his onesie, except for baths, but to be fair, it wouldn’t be very stealthy to wear a onesie with the name of the baby every knight in the kingdom was searching for.

  Merlin had opted for the role of a merchant, a common disguise and persona for him. He tucked his favorite purple cloak safely away. Now, he wore a thick, dark coat pulled tightly over a tan button-up shirt and blue trousers. He’d wrapped a warm brown scarf around his neck. Now, he lay flat in the back of the wagon. Playing the role of a sick husband. His body covered the trapdoor.

  For the sake of caution, they’d decided it would be best to change up their looks a bit. They had crossed paths with the knights before, so there were those among the hex knights who might recognize them. But despite the fact Richard had been tracking down Charlie over the last few months, he wasn’t without connections, and he was quite resourceful as well. They’d listed the names of the knights that they’d encountered, the ones that would be able to identify them. There was apparently a big meeting coming up that the highest-ranking knights would be attending. Between that and his other intel, Richard was certain that none of the knights who would cause a problem for them would be present here. Charlie suspected there was something Richard wasn’t telling them, some reason for his certainty, but he hadn’t pushed for an answer. He trusted Richard.

  Vetica took the blanket on the bench and swaddled Charlie in it, laying him to rest in her lap. Despite the imminent plan, Charlie did his best to relax.

  Vetica looked down at him. “Ready, Charlie?” she asked.

  “One second,” he said. “Orb, are you coming?” he called out with his mind.

  The blue dungeon core returned quickly, buzzed over, and forced himself inside the blanket with Charlie. “Yup. Was doing some last-minute coaching for the scalers. Everything’s good on my end!” Orb said.

  Charlie grinned, his only two baby teeth on display. “Okay then, we’re ready, Vetica!”

  She nodded, sucked in a breath, and then let out a loud, piercing whistle.

  That was the signal. It was time.

  Marvin kicked into high gear. He dragged them forward like a horse possessed. At the same time, trees crashed behind them as if something was giving chase. The disturbance sent birds scattering into the sky, and a flurry of leaves filled the air.

  Charlie laughed in excitement.

  Orb rolled around in the blankets they were in. “Charlie, don’t forget your lines!” he reminded.

  “Oops! Sorry, Orb.” Charlie wrinkled his brows and prepared himself. He took a deep breath and then started wailing at the top of his lungs.

  The wheels of the wagon bumped where the road was uneven. The wagon rattled furiously.

  “Ow! I just bit my tongue!” Merlin cried out.

  “You’re supposed to be unconscious!” Vetica hissed. A moment later, the wagon burst out of the forest and into an open field.

  Ahead of them, through a field of long-grass stood a stone-walled settlement. Soldiers stood atop the walls, and a large stone gate blocked outsiders from entering. Charlie could just barely make out the rooftops of homes and buildings through blurred, watery eyesight. In the center of the settlement stood a vast tower that stretched high into the sky. Vetica stared at it as well. “That’s got to be…200…maybe 250 feet tall,” she muttered her assessment. She shot a look over her shoulder. “The scalers are keeping a great pace, but they should slow down a bit. We don’t want them too exposed when the knights react.”

  Bonehead and six other komodon scalers lumbered after them, pretending to give chase. Their large bodies were covered in a thick, slimy mud that made them appear more brown than green.

  Ahead, six soldiers moved toward them on horseback, some with weapons drawn, others with hexes ready to send magic shooting forward.

  Vetica squinted. “That’s odd. Only two of them are hex knights are far as I can tell.” She glanced over her shoulder again. “Steady now…if we keep this pace then—”

  One of the men on horseback slowly rose until he was standing on the back of his horse. An emerald-green elemental hex formed behind his back. Though Charlie couldn’t tell which element it was.

  Orb peeked out from the blanket, sensing the surge of magic. “What the hell? Is he surfing a horse?”

  The hex pulsed, and the standing knight shot high in the air, as if the hex propelled him. He was moving quickly, way too quickly. The realization made Charlie pause mid-cry. It was hard enough to fake crying; how was he supposed to focus with something as unexpected as this going on?

  The knight flew through the air toward them, and when it looked as if gravity might reclaim him, more emerald hexes formed underneath his feet. He was walking on them. But despite that, each step not only kept him afloat but also sent him shooting forward toward them. One of the other men on horseback, an older man, cupped his hands and yelled something that Charlie couldn’t make out, but it seemed encouraging. When he finished yelling, he clapped his hands together excitedly as his horse ran, leading the other soldiers after the flying knight.

  “What’s he gonna do?” Orb asked.

  Vetica gritted her teeth. They hadn’t expected anything like that. Maybe that was their mistake, underestimating the hex knights.

  The knight landed on a large emerald hex in the air some twenty feet ahead of them. He drew a long, thin blade from a sheath on his waist and pointed it at the scalers chasing after the wagon. A huge elemental hex appeared around the rapier in his hand. “Never fear, for Sir Thespin is here,” he called out. “Grab onto something!”

  “Wait, did he say grab onto—” Merlin started.

  The emerald hex pulsed, and an explosive gust of wind exploded from it. Vetica’s ponytail rippled, whipping against her neck. She wrapped her arms even tighter around Charlie and curled forward to shield him from the worst of the gust. Even Marvin was forced to a halt so as not to lose his footing. Behind them, clothes and supplies were ripped from the back of the wagon and sent flying away.

  The wind died down as suddenly as it had started. When she was sure it was safe, Vetica turned to look over her shoulder at the scalers. Charlie twisted his head to look as well.

  Bonehead and the other komodon’s stood tall. Bonehead’s eyes were filled with anger, and he roared defiance at the hex knights’ attack.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “It’s okay, Bonehead! You did really good! Go back into the woods for now, Richard still needs your help,” Charlie thought-spoke to the large scaler.

  Bonehead’s eyes flicked down to Charlie. He growled one more time at Sir Thespin before turning and lumbering back toward the forest. The other komodons turned back and followed him as well.

  The hex underneath Sir Thespin’s feet dissipated. He slowly descended to the ground, falling as gently as an autumn leaf. Sir Thespin had a handlebar mustache that curled in on itself. He wore a green doublet and a black leather cavalier hat with a void-colored feather protruding from it. He watched the retreating scalers through a squint and sheathed his rapier. “What were those? Much too large for any lizard I know.” He shook his head before seemingly remembering the civilians he’d come to rescue. “Oh my, are you alright, madam—” He paused as his eyes locked on Vetica. Sir Thespin swallowed, and his jaw dropped. “Such elegance…such radiant beauty…”

  Vetica frowned. “Uh…”

  Sir Thespin didn’t move a muscle, utterly transfixed by Vetica.

  Orb burst into laughter. “I’m pretty sure that guy is hearing Tchaikovsky in his head right now. He’s in looooveee.”

  The other men are horseback finally caught up with them. The older man, who had clapped earlier, dismounted his horse and hurried over. Of all the new arrivals, he stood out the most. He wore a comically tall, cone-shaped hat and wasn’t wearing the usual armor of a hex knight. Though, to be fair, Sir Thespin wasn’t either. In place of armor, the old knight wore a deep-blue tunic. But the strangest thing about him was the long white beard that hung straight down to his chest and then wrapped several times around his body like a magnificent beard tornado. He’d been the only man not to draw a weapon or summon a hex when the group had approached to help. As far as Charlie could tell, he wasn’t armed at all. “That was awesome, Master Thespin!” the man said. His tone and choice of words surprised Charlie.

  Sir Thespin turned, snapping out of his trance. He turned to the soldiers still on horseback. “Follow the creatures, drive them further away from town but avoid engaging for now. We’ll send a hunting party out once these folks are safe and we have a chance to report.”

  “Sir!” the men said in near unison. A moment later, their horses galloped into the forest in search of Bonehead and the others. Charlie wasn’t worried. They’d hidden an entrance to his dungeon nearby, and Richard, King Scalea, and a horde of scalers would guard it from any intruders. Not to mention Koi Levi lurking in the dungeon depths. When phase one of their plan was complete, Parent would close the opening to the dungeon and return to Charlie.

  Those knights wouldn’t find a trace of his scaly companions.

  Sir Thespin scanned the treeline for any lingering signs of danger. He paused, noticing something behind the wagon. “Um, madam, do you know him?” he asked.

  Vetica and Charlie realized at once who Thespin was talking about. She turned once more to look behind the driver’s bench and realized Merlin was nowhere to be seen. How had they missed that before, Charlie wondered. Vetica quickly cradled Charlie closely and dismounted the wagon. Marvin whipped his tail nervously, unable to see what was going on. Charlie felt a lump in his throat. He really hoped Merlin was okay.

  Vetica hurried around to the back of the wagon and found Merlin sprawled out on the dirt road. He was covered in dirt and stray blades of grass that had been ripped from the ground by the earlier gust. Merlin looked up at his concerned friends and groaned. “Hello there—I am a magician by the name of M—” Vetica clamped his mouth shut with her shoe. “Save your energy, honey, it looks like you’ve hit your head.”

  “Mhmmammm!” Merlin said, speaking into the shoe.

  “Yikes. Classic case of drain bamage,” Orb said.

  The old man walked around the wagon to inspect Merlin. “Oh…is this is your husband?” he asked.

  Vetica nodded. “Yes,” she said, scanning Merlin to assess his condition.

  “I’m surprised she could say that without throwing up in her mouth. She’s good,” Orb whispered to Charlie.

  The old man nodded thoughtfully before looking at Vetica more seriously. “Oh wow, if he dies, can we get married?” he asked.

  Charlie tilted his head. There was something off about the man’s voice, something Charlie couldn’t quite place.

  Vetica’s mouth parted. “Uh…what? What’s going on today?” She asked in disbelief.

  “Oh sorry. Was that rude? I’m not very good at this stuff.” The old knight noticed Charlie in her arms. “Oh! A baby! Is that your son? Oh…oh! I’ve heard Master Thespin talk about this! You’re a milf!”

  Thespin looked horrified. “Obie! Enough! Silence Obie!”

  Orb erupted into laughter. “This old dude is great! This is freaking gold!”

  The old man’s shoulders slumped. “Did I say something bad again? I’m sorry. Oh, Master Thespin is good at almost everything! I bet he can help your husband feel better! Why don’t you take a look at him, Master Thespin?” Obie suggested.

  Thespin stroked his mustache and inspected Merlin. “It appears he’s fallen asleep. That’s good. The best thing to do after a head injury is to go straight to sleep. So, he should be fine. If he doesn’t wake up in a few days, that would be concerning,” he said.

  “Oh, also, if he goes more than four hours without breathing, that’s really bad,” Obie added.

  Orb scoffed. “Okay…I don’t think that’s true. I’m pretty sure you are not supposed to go to sleep after a head injury! Also, it's four minutes, not four hours. Merlin is closer to being a magician than these guys are to being doctors.”

  Thespin looked at the mess of belongings all over. “I’m really sorry for the mess I’ve made of your possessions,” he said with a bow. “Obie, let’s get them into town where it’s safe. Get him into the wagon,” Thespin instructed. With that, Sir Thespin hurried over to grab a few of the scattered belongings.

  Vetica sighed and turned to look toward the gate. She took a step out of earshot and whispered to Charlie. “We need to get into town as soon as possible.”

  Charlie nodded. Once Obie got Merlin into the wagon, they should be able to get moving.

  Obie rubbed his hands together and shot a grin at Vetica. “Don’t worry, I’m really strong. Master Thespin says that one day, I might even take over the knights!” He pulled his beard to tighten it and then slipped his arms under Merlin’s shoulders. “One…two…and…oh my god, what does this guy weigh? He’s sooo heavy!” Obie said grimacing. “He looks so thin, but he’s a monster! I’ve never tried to lift someone so heavy before!” His voice was strained.

  Charlie cracked a smile. He like Obie. Obie continued struggling. A fart slipped out, and he dropped Merlin in embarrassment.

  Merlin hit the ground with a thud.

  Vetica reached out a hand. “Uh, maybe you should wait for the other knight to help you…” she trailed off, watching Thespin pick up more clothes. Charlie knew Vetica wanted to help, but it was better not to arouse suspicion. The more helpless she looked for now, the better.

  “No, no, I’ve got it, don’t worry.” Obie bent down and tried again. He managed to get Merlin off the ground this time, but he was straining. His face turned deep red, and the veins on his face looked ready to pop. As far as Charlie could tell, Obie wasn’t even breathing. He took one pained step after the other. There was a loud cracking noise, and Obie suddenly reached for his back, dropping Merlin like a rag doll.

  Fortunately, Thespin finally returned, having gathered what he could in a pile in his hands. He noticed Merlin still on the ground and sighed. He placed the belongings into the back of the wagon, then lifted Merlin up effortlessly and laid him in the wagon as well.

  Obie keeled over, recovering from his exhaustion.

  Vetica eyed him. “Are you…are you okay?” she asked.

  Obie leaned on the wagon. “Who me? Oh yeah! It was no big deal. No sweat at all!” Several beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he spoke. “But, uh, do you mind if I ride on the wagon as well? I’m not sure I can get back on my horse right now.”

  “Sure…” Vetica said.

  Obie bowed his head in thanks. He took a deep breath, and flopped like a fish onto the back of the wagon, his elbow accidentally slamming into Merlin’s crotch.

  Merlin shot up like a freshly resurrected zombie. “Ow!” he yelled. His eyes were wide and red. “I feel like I’ve been beaten up,” his voice still strained from the blow.

  Obie settled onto the back of the wagon, with both his feet and beard dangling over the edge. “Alright! I’m all ready!” he said.

  Sir Thespin shook his head. “Let’s make our way to the fort. I’ll have someone return to gather the rest of your belongings, madam. We will of course compensate you for any damage to your property.”

  Vetica nodded and climbed onto the wagon’s front seat.

  Sir Thespin took a moment to secure his and Obie’s horses to the back of the wagon. With that done, he joined Vetica on the front seat. “Allow me, if you will. You’ve been through enough, madam,” he said, taking the reins.

  Vetica didn’t object. Charlie didn’t expect her too. He knew she’d want to keep at least one hand free in case she needed to draw her dagger.

  Marvin slowly pulled them toward the stone walls. Charlie noticed Thespin looking their way. “The fort will certainly be all the better to have such a vibrant light of beauty amongst its people,” Thespin said.

  “Dude, her concussed husband is literally in the back of the wagon, how shameless can you be?” Orb asked, though not so Thespin could hear.

  “I told you, boss! Total mil—” Obie started.

  “Obie, if you repeat that word again, there’ll be no snack time for a week!” Thespin called back. Thespin rubbed the back of his head. “My apologies. The boy is young.”

  Vetica shot him an odd look.

  Charlie had to admit he was confused as well.

  Thespin nodded understanding. “Sir Osmond…Obie as we call him, may look old, but he is actually young. It is his curse.”

  “His curse? Is it like…a developmental thing?” Vetica asked.

  “Oh no, nothing like that. I suppose I can’t blame you for not knowing. It is little known fact that hex knights are all cursed. Oh yes. All indeed. The real ones at least, not the ones appointed by the king. Obie was very young when he joined. But now…his body is…well, not young. Not young at all. Only his mind.”

  Merlin was apparently regaining his senses. “And what about you?” he asked. “What is your curse?”

  Thespin frowned. “Ah…it is rude to ask a woman her age, and a man his curse. No, no, I cannot say,” Thespin said.

  “Sorry, I had no idea,” Merlin said.

  “It is fine! Master Thespin is forgiving, but be wary around the others. Some of them would make a widow of your wife if they knew you even thought about asking!”

  Charlie thought that was interesting. Why would the hex knights be cursed? Another thought struck him in rapid succession. If that was true, was Richard cursed as well? This information brought more questions than answers.

  Obie suddenly leaned over the back of the wagon’s front bench. “So what’s the baby’s name?” he asked.

  Merlin was the one to answer. “Oh, his name is Char…los,” he said, only barely catching himself.

  “Oh my gosh, Mr. Head Trauma is going to get us all killed,” Orb said.

  “Charlos? I like it!” Obie said. “I think Charlos and I are going to get along just fine. Does he like games? Oh, we could play so many games!” Obie waved at Charlie.

  Charlie giggled. “I really like Obie!”

  Orb huffed. “We’re here to rescue Mary and kick butt! And we’re all out of Mary…wait…how does that saying go again? What I was trying to say is…don’t forget why we’re here, Charlie. These people are dangerous, and you need to remember what they’d do if they found out who we really were,” Orb reminded him.

  Charlie frowned. Orb was right. Of course, he was right. “Yeah, sorry, Orb.”

  Vetica looked down and bounced him in her arms to comfort him. “So, this fort? I’d never heard of it before. Has it been here long?” she asked.

  Sir Thespin grinned. “Not at all; we built it only a few months ago. You will be comfortable here, and with any luck, you might decide to stay!”

  Vetica rolled her eyes.

  Marvin rolled to a stop, and the gate slowly rolled open. As the gates opened, Charlie noticed hex knight boots standing on the other side. As the gates rose, they revealed more and more hex knight armor. A single knight stood on the far side of the gate. When it reached face level, Charlie’s breath caught.

  Richard had been certain none of the knights that could identify them would be there. All of the twelve highest-ranking knights had been summoned to the capital. Which made it even more confusing when he saw a familiar face. Though he’d only seen this knight once, Richard had told Charlie more about him. He was Sir Brandt’s right-hand man.

  A knight who was present on the night Charlie was summoned to this world.

  The second highest ranking member of the Hex Knights.

  Sir Gregory.