Ambush. Part 24

"Wait," I whispered. "The plant that attacked me at the hospital months ago?"

"I needed you to be motivated to plant that stone."

"The mushrooms?"

"I needed that stone as well."

"The cactus?"

"Fear is a great motivator."

"What about the tree ambush?"

"I wanted the dragons to myself," he whispered sinisterly.

"I'm your son," I said sadly, feeling the sickness of our blood swirling and boiling beneath my skin.

"I don't know what you're talking about," my father said for the second time.

Kate and I tried to back up, but plants began to fill the s.p.a.ce behind us.

I was beginning to fear for my life, which just so happened to be the perfect thing to do. I could feel Jude down below in the gla.s.s cavern with Malcolm and Paul. I could feel him sense the danger I was in, and I could feel him begin the long scramble back up the shaft.

"Don't be too disappointed," my father said. "The sickness would have killed you soon anyway. I'm just speeding things along. Pillages have never had the strength to think beyond themselves."

Kate held my hand as we backed away from my father. I looked at her, and she looked at me. I saw the fear and sadness in her eyes. I also saw an idea forming in her mind. It was as if I could see inside her head.

The idea was impossible.

She glanced at me and nodded slightly. Her body was trembling with fear, but her shoulders were squared. She looked like she had been through one heck of a prom. She had the answer in her head, but I couldn't do it.

Kate squeezed my hand.

My mind was pushing out, trying to make my head explode. I'm not sure why, but I started to cry and sob. My shoulders shook, and I knew what I had to do.

I could feel Jude as he climbed up the shaft recognize what I was thinking. There was a sudden crippling panic in my chest.

"What's the matter?" my father barked.

Kate squeezed my hand one last time, and I knew there would be no other opportunity. With a like mind we turned and took two steps, slamming into the iron boiler. It was extremely heavy, but it rolled toward the large hole where the closet door used to be. I could feel Jude screaming and clawing up the tunnel with Malcolm and Paul behind him. His shock at my betrayal made me sob harder.

"Stop!" my father yelled. "Attack!" he screamed, ordering every living thing to tear into Kate and me.

It was too late; the heavy iron boiler gathered enough momentum to roll over the floor edge and into the shaft. Strings of ivy pulled Kate and me back as the boiler dropped down the shaft, heading straight for Jude. My brain screamed, and I begged Jude to forgive me.

We could hear the boiler crash madly down into the shaft.

I fell to the floor crying as plants sliced me up. The pain they were inflicting wasn't half as horrible as the searing hurt in my head. Jude was screaming, and his fear felt like a hot poker against my naked eye.

"You fool!" my father screamed, diving toward me. Just as he fell on top of me, an earth-shattering explosion shook the entire manor. I rolled across the floor and into Kate, and we turned to see a fireball of flame burst up out of the shaft. The boiler had not only crushed the dragons, but it had set off an explosion that must have blown the gla.s.s cavern to smithereens.

My father seethed and lay still on the floor as the plants in the room withered and retreated. Kate was leaning up against the tub, looking like she hadn't really enjoyed her prom like she thought she would. I slid down and leaned into her. I then cried until every ounce of water in my body was used up.

The king was dead.

Chapter 30.

Let It Be Everything hurt for a little while. I'd really love to say that from that moment on it was all great, and, of course, I'd also like to say that I'm better than Kobe at basketball. Some things just aren't true, and the truth is, it took me weeks to smile again-I just felt so awful about what I had had to do.

Thankfully, after a few weeks, things cleared up inside my head, and I began to feel happier than I ever had. It seemed the boiler had not only killed the king, it had destroyed all the darkness in my head.

After the explosion, my dad was rushed back to the hospital where he remained in a coma for three days before he woke up crying. I was there when he woke up and did a little more crying of my own. I'm not really a big fan of guys weeping, but we both finally realized that even though the dragons were gone, we were going to be all right. It also kind of felt like we were finally meeting each other for the first time.

My father would have never been at the manor that night if not for Sheriff Pax. The sheriff had been so consumed with figuring out his own memory loss and how to protect Kingsplot that he had foolishly taken my father from the hospital. My dad had promised Sheriff Pax that all the answers he sought were in the manor. But when they arrived at the manor, my dad had been a less-than-perfect host, ungraciously thwacking Sheriff Pax on the back of the head with a shovel. He had then forced Scott to tie the sheriff, Thomas, Wane, and Millie up in the kitchen.

Scott reluctantly had done so.

Scott had actually been reluctantly doing things for my father for some time now. Unbeknownst to any of us, Scott and my father had been communicating in secret. It was Scott who had turned the water on in the bathroom and let the sink overflow. Scott had been my dad's mole. Unfortunately for Scott, being a mole didn't stop my dad from hitting him with the shovel after he had tied up the others.

After my father had everyone tied up, he had climbed to the fifth floor. There he had discovered that the elevator was temporarily out of order. So my dad had decided to wait in the dark and use the element of surprise to finish me off and claim the dragons for himself.

As you know, it didn't quite work out like he had planned.

The explosion had done way more damage than I had antic.i.p.ated. It had not only killed the dragons, but it had obliterated the elevator shaft and cracked part of the manor's foundation. I had thought the weighty iron boiler would crush the dragons in the shaft, but I had never antic.i.p.ated the boom. Sheriff Pax informed me that many of those ancient boilers were like bombs due to gases that had built up in them over the years and their lack of use. I was also pretty sure that the gasoline I had stored for the generator probably contributed to the big bang as well. When Kate heard I had stored gas down there she was amazed, and not in a good way. Apparently that was a bad idea seeing as dragons breathe fire. I had never thought of that, which Kate pointed out was one of the reasons I wasn't fit to be a dragon raiser. She was probably right, but it didn't matter anyway. There would be no more dragons to raise in my future.

Sheriff Pax was very kind to me and our family as we all tried to sort out what had happened and what should take place next. He knew that in time the memories of what had happened would fade, so he was always writing stuff down. He could have locked up my father or me or caused all kinds of problems for us, but in the end his only concern was this: "Get those old boilers out of your home," he had said. "I'll get some of my men to do a check for you. We've got to keep you safe. I couldn't bear to see something else happen to that manor."

I told him he gave adults a good name, and he told me that he would never forget I had said that. I also promised him that he had more than made up for killing that turtle years ago.

A marvelous thing was occurring in Kingsplot. It seemed as if the fog had lifted. The morning after the explosion the world was a sunny place. The clouds kept to the highest mountains, providing rain and keeping the rivers alive, while making it possible for the valley to finally get a light tan. Green like I had never seen filled the fields, and trees that used to huddle and shiver now stood tall and welcomed the days.

Kate and I had survived a lot-angry dragons, knife-wielding plants, and an explosion. Plus, I had ruined her prom and lied to her repeatedly. She had every right to still be angry with me, but she wasn't. I guess the fact that I had read her mind at the right time, and then acted on it, seemed to erase almost all of her bad feelings for me. She knew how hard it was for me to destroy Jude and Malcolm and Paul, and apparently she felt as if I had suffered enough. Compa.s.sionate and beautiful-she was pretty much perfect.

Wyatt was the most put out of everyone. He had been in the kitchen untying people when the explosion had gone off. He had missed the action in the manor, but more important, his prom had been ruined, and that prom had been his chance to, as he put it, show the ladies what he had going on. I figured I had done the entire student population of Callowbrow a favor by putting a stop to that.

Since the death of Jude, not a single plant had bothered me. I had a feeling they never would again. It was hard for me to come to terms with the thought that I would not see another string of ivy growing under my command, or ride another dragon, but a clear mind and a sane father seemed like a pretty fair trade.

My dad was released after just two more weeks in the hospital. He was a different person. In fact, he didn't even look the same anymore. His hair was short, and his face was clean-shaven. He seemed twenty years younger and at least two inches taller. The weirdest thing was that he was always smiling.

I could finally see the resemblance.

He now also had a personality and presence that drew people near instead of driving them away.

Wane and I drove down from the hill and picked my dad up. The lady with the big nose was waiting with my father in front of the hospital when we arrived. I hopped out, and I walked to my dad. I was taller than him now, and we still had a bit of catching up to do, but we were going to be just fine.

Big Nose saw my father to the car and then waved good-bye as if she really cared.

"Wane's driving?" my dad said as he and I climbed into the back.

"Not if you'd like to," Wane offered.

"No," my dad laughed. "I'm fine, I just thought Beck might want to."

I looked at my dad and tried to figure out who he was. Since the moment I had arrived in Kingsplot I had been begging him to let me get my license.

"I don't have a driver's license," I reminded him.

"We need to fix that."

My dad seemed way smarter now.

Wane drove along the old highway and toward the mountains and around the lake. The day was warm, and fat flocks of fowl flew in cl.u.s.ters over Lake Mend.

"This is a historic day, Beck," my father said happily. "Just think, two Pillage men returning home healthy."

I couldn't help but smile.

"I feel so light," he said.

"Maybe you should put your seat belt on then," I suggested.

My dad put on his seat belt and looked at me.

"Beck, you have saved me," my dad said seriously, as Wane tried hard to pretend that she wasn't listening in.

"Ah," I waved. "It's just a seat belt."

"Not that," my father said with emotion. "It was a fortunate day when you came to Kingsplot. Look where we now are."

"Well, it did get a little messy between then and now," I reminded him. "Not everything's gone smoothly."

"I heard about the prom," he said sympathetically.

"Really?" I asked. "With all that's happened, that's the detail that sticks out?"

"I know Kate wanted to go," he explained.

"Wow," I laughed. "You've obviously been talking to Millie."

My dad laughed and changed the subject.

"I can't wait to see the manor," he said with excitement. "There's nothing like clear thought. I feel like my life has just begun."

I wanted to point out that despite all the changes he had made, he was still kinda old. Instead I said, "Yeah, the manor's an incredible place."

"I wonder," he said reflectively.

"What?" I asked as the car began to climb upward on the winding road.

"There's something I think we should do."

I listened carefully to my father's idea.

Chapter 31.

The End Summer was like a dream, and warmth filled the Hagen Valley in buckets. Gone were the gloom and misty grayness that kept everything so closed in and wet. Kingsplot was alive with sounds of life and celebration and progress. There was even talk of the public library getting Wi-Fi soon. Tonight, however, the real celebration was taking place miles above Kingsplot. You see, despite all the happiness in my life at the moment, I still felt a little bad. I mean, sure, I had saved my family, but I had ruined Calloway's prom. My father's idea had been to throw a formal party at the manor to make up for it.

Yeah, my father.

I saw the wisdom in his idea instantly. So with a lot of planning and some help from everyone, I put together a little formal bash at the house, and tonight was the night.

The house of Pillage had never looked more amazing. Millie, Thomas, Wane, and Scott had gone all out. They had hired dozens of temporary helpers for the house and gardens. There were candles in every window and lining the drive. It looked like the Milky Way had settled right here on earth.

The first floor had been staged and set up with decorations, and tables and chairs ensconced in material. Everywhere I looked I could see candles in odd shapes and sizes, their wicks winking with light and movement. The manor was so clean and decorated, I hardly recognized the place.

I hired a deejay who promised he would play only things we approved of, and I begged Millie to dazzle us with her food. I had never seen such a small, old person jump so high. It was as if her entire life had been a buildup to that one request. Thanks to her, the manor now smelled of amazing food. I knew there wouldn't be a single guest who would go home hungry tonight.

My father and I knew the party wouldn't make up for everything we had done to Kingsplot. It wouldn't even make up for me destroying the Callowbrow a.s.sembly hall and ruining prom, but I wanted it to feel like we were at least trying. Wyatt suggested we use the old prom theme, but I had never really liked that cheesy theme. So, Kate and I came up with a new, much less romantic one: Themes Are for Books Wyatt painted the theme on a big banner and hung it beneath the three gargoyles perched atop the driveway gate.

At first I was worried that n.o.body would make the drive up to the manor, but by the time the party was in full swing, there were hundreds of couples there. Everyone came wearing the tuxes and dresses they hadn't gotten the chance to show off properly at the prom.

I had changed as a person, but I still wasn't humble enough to wear what Thomas had picked out. So I had driven myself with my new license into town and rented a regular tux. Now as I stood in the foyer of the manor and welcomed people, I looked at myself in the entryway mirror. The black-and-white contrast of my outfit reminded me of the prison jumpsuit I had once worn.

I kept checking to see if Kate had arrived. I knew her dress had been destroyed by dragons, and I was curious what her new one would look like.

Princ.i.p.al Wales and his surprisingly attractive wife came in through the front door. Invitations had been sent out to the entire Callowbrow faculty as well as the students. I was surprised how many faculty members had actually shown up.

"This is a n.o.ble gesture," Princ.i.p.al Wales said as he entered the manor. "I've longed to see the inside of this beautiful home."

Wane and Thomas took their coats and motioned for them to move into the main hall and see a bit more.

I glanced around, wondering where Kate was.