Chapter 17-2

Chapter 17-2

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“Over here quickly!” Jeff looked in between the cracks of the wall in front of the door. Jeff finding Jasmine leaning against a hidden passage away in the corner. “We must hurry to the boy before he wakes.”  Jasmine stumbles on the lower staircase taking a small light from her bag hands it to Jeff.  Jasmine coughs the black liquid out of her lungs as she wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. Taking deep breaths she leaned against the wall of the hidden cave to help hold her up.

Jeff shines the light down on her face as she wipes the poison away on her sleeve. Jasmine nods as their eyes meet. “I was the boy he met tonight,” spitting out the poison. “In hopes that you’d be here tonight foretold by the stars.”

“A knight forgotten until its time, a knight of hope not in strength, but in kindred spirit, a last boy’s hope for peace, a knight yet mourned or lost as he leads him to safety for the knight and the boy are one.”

“Jeff you are that knight,” Jasmine coughed as her face turned gray with age. “And that boy needs you. I give you a gift my last gift,” as she leans against the wall of the cavern. “The light of a mothers love,” Jasmine taking Jeff hand. Looked into his eyes for the last time a small light fills his hands as tears stroll down his cheek. A warm soft feeling embraces him as if he was a small child fresh and new. Jasmine eyes slowly close as a soft wind wraps her body with ease, a small echo of her voice left behind. “Go in peace my child, for we meet again among the stars.”

Jeff looks down at the ground were Jasmine body laid a small ring was left behind. He understood picking up the ring as he placed it into his pocket. She sacrificed herself for him and the boy tonight. Jeff followed the path down the back of the stairs in complete darkness. Counting the guards at the foot of the stairs of Morgan dungeon listening.

“The master is in a rare mood tonight.” The first guard replies.

“How do mean?” The second guard asked.

“We have more ale and more meat at the table?”

“Yes true, but the boy brat still eludes him.”

“Not after tonight my friend.” The first Guard gulped down more ale slamming down the mug on the table for more. “For we ride due south over the mountain pass for the Dark Prince awakes when the new moon rises in the west.”

Jeff could see these men were almost drunk out of their gourd except for two sentries at the other end of the small room. Sometimes it helps to be a ghost because you are already dead. You can slip in between walls unnoticed. Other times like these Jeff gripping the vile for EJ doesn’t help much due to the laws of nature. But who says you can’t have both? “What I need is a distraction.” Jeff slowly moves mug of ale of the first guard with his finger and blows in his ear. “You are a coward!” To the second guard at the table then slips back into the shadows.

“Did you just call me a coward?” The first guard looks down at mug seeing it missing on the other end of the table. “Hey, you took my mug.”

It wasn’t long before a fight broke out clearing the door as Jeff slipped himself ever so carefully down the stairs with a grin on his face. Jasmine was right so was his bond when Jeff looked at EJ in the cell, he did not look good at all. Jasmine drank most of tonight’s tonic and probably more by the look of EJ’s cold stone face sleeping in his cell. He looks older compared to the last time Jeff saw him more frail. Jeff slowly slips into his cell kneels with tears in his eyes as he looks at him whispering. “I am here EJ. Please, do you hear me? I’m here for you.”  A soft tear trickles down Jeff's cheek as he holds EJ hand in his.

In that one moment, EJ gasps as a soft warm light surrounds Jeff and EJ they see each other. “I have been waiting for you,” as the tears rolled down his cheek. Jeff smiles as he looks into EJ blue eyes as he walks free in the light once more. “Jeff,” EJ looked far as he can see “their all dead aren’t they, he killed them?”

Jeff puts his arm around him. “And what do you believe in your heart?” He asked.

EJ smiles, “that they are all still alive.”

“And has your heart ever lied to you?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Then trust it now EJ?” Jeff said. “Morgan does not have them or knows where they are, so yes they are still alive.”

“So where are we if I am not dead?” EJ asked.

“Oh, you are sleeping because you need to sleep. Morgan has been drawing his strength from you and using your memories against you. When you wake he will think he has control over you. You must let him think that he has won as he moves you to the west. I’m giving you something while you sleep that will help you fight against the poison that he has given you to clear your mind and fight against the shadow. Now rest now, for your brothers that they may find you. As I guide them to you so they may keep their promise to their mother as they place you in her loving arms once more.”

Jeff slowly lays down EJ’s head with the last drop down him placing the vile back into his pocket. Jeff sits and watches EJ sleep holding his hand as the poison leaves his body. He can hear his soft breathing. Realizing looking at EJ laying there for the first time he had nowhere to go or be. His charge was here, his bond was with him. It wasn’t to lead the army’s of men into battle or learn books of great knowledge of wisdom. He was here for one purpose only as he holds EJ hand as he sleeps. To be there for him, to be his knight, his friend, and companion someone he knew would be there that he could count on against the odds.

“To think as I hold this small boys hand now in mine, that I nearly let him down twice over the years due to my foolishness. Once when I was alive and again looking for this stupid book.” Jeff tossed the book against the wall as the pages fly open a scrap of paper of script hidden in the binding fold slips out. Jeff carefully unfolds the paper looking over at EJ’s shadow chains that EJ was wearing. They marched right down to the last notch. Jeff could barely control himself. “Could it be that simple?” As he rereads the words in his head.

Jeff paced back forth in EJ’s cell. “No nothing is that simple.” Jeff looked down at the boys face lying there sleeping. “But if it was. How would I get him out? No. your talking crazy as if you can get them off in the first place, but what if I could?” Jeff paces around and around looking at the chains and paper and the book. Placed the book back into his packet looked up the stairs pondering. “There’s one drawback. They’ll find the boy missing before I even get out of here. What I need is a body to replace this one.”

Jeff looks at the top of the stairs. “No short of body’s there,” as he smiles hearing them drink and carry on above. “Now then,” sliding into the next cells seeing if there is anything he can use. Finding and old potatoes sack, broken stool, and old moss-eaten blanket other than that rats. Picking up the potatoes sack puts in the cell next to EJ. “After all, this might not work at all. But at least I got to give it a try. The Judge has told me time and time again, things don’t happen by accident, I just hope this one of those is times.”

Jeff slips back into EJ’s cell pulling out the folded paper, touching where it describes and says “TERVEA EVST NAS” “in the light of the shadow go in peace.” The chains unlock from EJ’s legs and he is freed. Jeff was amazed he wanted to jump up and down with joy he was so excited. “Stay focused; calm down, take deep breaths, steady now we are not out of the woods yet.”

Jeff lifted EJ off the stone hard bed. “Now we just got get him out of here.” Lock picking was never his strong point as a kid growing up around cars. “Why didn’t I think of bringing down a set of keys? For one thing.” Jeff looked at EJ now in the corner, “you weren’t planning on busting him out of here that’s why.” Trying not to get overexcited. Jeff fidgeted with his small knife as he springs the lock. The lock “clicks” into place. Jeff takes a deep breath taking a couple of small breaths. “Easy now, we are long ways from getting out of this dungeon. If only I could gate out of here. It sure would make things easy for both of us EJ. You would be home where you belong, me too for that matter.” Jeff picked EJ up in his arms caring him into the next cell. Covering him with the old potatoes sack and blanket and all the loose hay he could find in the corner.

Jeff slowly climbed the stairs. “Now the hard part getting a body, I just need one lousy body to take his place.” Jeff could sense something was wrong as the brawling had suddenly stopped and men were scrambling about.  Morgan was in a fury about something calling his soldiers on the carpet in front of him wanting answer why his orders weren’t carried out.

Jeff wanted a body bad, but not that bad watching Morgan kill two of his men right where they stand coming back empty-handed. Lucky for him he was already dead or could he kill a ghost twice? He wasn’t willing to stay around long enough to find out.

Jeff taking the nearest guard closes to the door hitting him on the back of the head as he carefully bends down dragging him to the door. Jeff opens the door to the dungeon slides the guard down the stairs feet first. Watching Morgan in the shadows of the door he doesn’t have much time. He is gathering his troops now and he is planning to move the boy sooner then he planed. Over here hearing conversation bits piece from the guards Jeff swallowed hard backing into the shadows as Morgan's eyes down at his Captions. “We move at first light have the boy ready by then he should be awake by then.”

“Yes my Lord.”

“And have him brought to my quarters.”

“Yes my Lord.”

Jeff knew he had two maybe three hours before they checked on the boy. Time was not on his side sliding back through the door, picking up the guard placed him in EJ place. Jeff quickly removes the guard’s uniform. “A little small, but it will have to do get by those guards upstairs.” Jeff placed the chains on the guard. “Now let’s see how you like them shall we?”

Jeff breaks the broken vile all over the guard. Smudging it really good over his outer clothing says the enchantment then stands back watching the illusion of the guard become EJ sleeping in his place. “Oh, I do hope I did hit him hard enough?” Closing the cell door as it locked in place. “Now than EJ my boy, let say we get us the heck out of here.” Jeff slowly pushed away the piles of old straw and moss-eaten blanket smiles at the sleeping boy. Picks up EJ in his arms put his arms around his neck. Jeff slowly climbed the stairs carefully listening to every sound.

Jeff had been taught well to be a pain in everyone plans as he sticks his head through the door that only ghost can be unseen. Tripping people in there path making it really difficult when they carrying papers as he blows them in their face as they drop them all. Heck, he might even pull a chair out from under you when not expecting it just to get a laugh. Tonight was a special night of pranks of a different sort for Jeff as he carries EJ on his shoulders to safety.

“Watch out that pans hot!” A soldier ran down the hall with scorched hands screaming with arrow up his backside. “FIRE!” Fire! The rooms on fire!” People and soldiers screamed trying to put it out as Jeff smiles running with a boy in his arms. “Help!!” watching the bookcase fall on top of ten soldiers as Jeff runs past them from one room to the next.

Jeff quickly ducking in the opening where he came in with Jasmine wrapping a blanket he stole off a bed in one of the rooms for EJ.  Jeff looked at the back the passageway one last time as he brushed the hair away from EJ face. “I am no knight in shining armor EJ, but I too promised I come for you.” Jeff slowly makes it down the mountain in the cover of darkness heading east with the boy in his arms.  Using an old map he found in Lenny library of a tribe known as Zueqinten’s that might be able to help the boy and his bond with him. Jeff looks back one last time before making a gateway where he feels it safe on his own.

Stepping through the gate Jeff watched it close stepping into an old field where the brook sings along the creek bed down the stream. He sets the boy down gazing at the green trees in the distance. He could hear small children playing, farmers are working in the wheat fields. Yes, life is good here as Jeff sits on the grass beneath the old oak tree. Watching the sun rays beat down on EJ face once more, but something was wrong he couldn’t put his finger on it, looking across the valley. It seemed to perfect as he gazed out along the hills, blocking the sun out of his eyes, watching the sun go down over the snow top mountains. The birds stop still, then the blackness covered the sky as the dry ground whisked away.....