I was skeptical when Naomi told me that our success depended on Charlotte getting out of the dungeon. “Okay, back up, how is Charlotte getting released?” I asked.
“Her Gerard does not want her in the dungeon; I am sure of it. No one can believe he consented for her to go down. I think he was so desperate to get her to calm down that he was willing to do anything,” Naomi explained.
Liam didn’t hide his alarm. “So how did she get down there in the first place?”
“She staged a fight and yelled at her Gerard and Blake. She even slapped him when he tried to kiss her. She got him where he is sensitive by telling him that their love was fake,” Naomi said, clearly impressed with Charlotte.
“Wow!” There was nothing wrong with her slapping a boy who tried to kiss her. Liam and I smiled at each other when Naomi described the slap. We could both picture her doing it.
“I heard all this through a servant who was listening and watching from the doorway,” Naomi explained. “Blake had to stop Calvin from going to the dungeon to retrieve her. It is really impressive how she can fight that bond. At first, I doubted that she would listen to me, but I think she can sense when someone is speaking the truth, and she senses that Blake has bad intentions,” Naomi said, running her fingers along a bow. I didn’t say anything in response; I just looked ahead trying to stay calm.
We walked for several hours, first through an open clearing, and then through a dense forest, before Percy suggested we stop for lunch. I wasn’t particularly excited about eating more of the usual food, but I was ready for a break. Before we could find a place to stop, we heard hoofbeats, and we all became still.
“Samantha, get up that tree and find out who is coming,” Percy ordered.
Samantha scaled a tree immediately. “It is five uniformed men on horseback. They are going to come right by us,” Samantha called down.
I tensed. Although I knew that there was the chance we would encounter resistance on our way to Bellgard, I wasn’t prepared. I unsheathed my sword and prepared to attack. Naomi changed into her cat form and stood in the middle of the forest path hoping to get the men to stop.
It worked. As we waited in the forest, I heard one of the men yell, “Keep your eyes open, stay alert.” The men slowed to a stop right next to us.
Liam took out the first two men with his crossbow, just as Samantha jumped out of the tree and knocked a third man off his horse. I watched as Monty bounded over to that one, immediately placing his sword to his neck. It took me a few seconds to react, but I jumped out of the cover of the trees and went after one of the two remaining men, propelling him from his horse and leaving him wounded on the ground. Meanwhile, Tomas had taken out the final man. Satisfied that the fallen men would be no problem, I walked over to where Monty stood over the wounded man. This man was dressed differently than the others, in a more formal black uniform.
“Norman, who sent you here?” Monty bellowed.
“Monty Winthrop, when we were sent out to get you, I did not really believe it. It has been almost twenty years, brother.”
“You are no brother of mine. Tell me what your orders were that led you here,” Monty commanded.
“We were ordered to kill on sight,” Norman said. I shuddered; things were more serious than I thought.
“Who issued the order?” Monty demanded. “Was it the new Gerard?”
“Do you really think the new Gerard would order the family of his Essence killed?” Norman asked, laughing. “Of course, it was Blake.”
“But the Gerard consented to the order?” Percy walked closer to where Monty stood.
“As Blake would say, better to seek forgiveness than permission. The Gerard has no idea about the order. That is why he sent me and not one of the new Guardians.”
“Tie him up!” Monty ordered angrily, as he looked down at the man with hate-filled eyes. “I cannot believe you were once one of Emma’s Guardians.” Norman, perhaps sensing there was little to be gained, said nothing.
We silently set to work moving the men and securing the former Guardian to the tree. Monty said that by a code of honor he couldn’t kill the Guardian, but I could tell that he wished he could cause him more harm. Without anyone saying a word, we started to walk again.
As we got closer to Bellgard, I decided to ask Monty and Percy more about the role of a Guardian. “You keep saying that a Guardian is tasked with protecting the Essence, but what does that mean exactly?”
Monty nodded at Percy, letting him answer the question. “A Guardian is willing to do anything to keep the Essence safe, even if it means sacrificing his own life. Traditionally, the Guardians were seen as separate from the rest of the military. They would intervene in affairs if it would keep peace, and therefore protect the Essence. If Energo remained strong and at peace, then the Essence had little to fear.”
I wondered what this all meant for me. “You said traditionally; is it different now?”
“From the beginning, Blake has treated the Guardians almost like generals,” Monty explained. “Using them as leaders of the elite military he created, the Bravado.”
“Is he going to try to do the same thing with Charlotte’s Guardians?” Liam asked, walking along beside me.
“Yes. Although the Guard is receiving the usual Guardian training, I believe that he is treating them like officers of the Bravado,” Percy explained, before looking over at Naomi for collaboration.
“From what I have seen, Blake already has all of the Guardians in agreement, even the Gerard,” Naomi added.
“What exactly is the military doing?” I asked.
“They have been building up weaponry in anticipation of the Essence’s return. They intend to continue with their military campaigns against the other worlds, still under the guise of protecting Energo,” Percy explained.
As useful as it was to learn more about the present situation, it also made me more anxious about our plans. I didn’t like the idea of Charlotte being in the middle of such a militaristic state. I was proud of her, but I was also frightened for her. I tried to understand the emotional turmoil she was going through, but I knew that I couldn’t. I just hoped we would get to her soon.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Charlotte
As soon as William left, I looked over at Ruth, although I didn’t need to physically see her to know she was giving her support. The connection between us was growing as I learned more. Despite the severity of the situation, I felt that in some ways I was gaining a grandmother figure in my life, something that seemed even more important now that my mother was gone. I definitely had the need for more female role models in my life. Ruth assured me that getting out of the dungeon would be easy.