Giganterra (G/T)

Chapter 52: On the Run

Joey was soon swarmed by dogs, sniffing and licking him all over. He weakly shooed them away and tried to get up, only to fall back in a heap. King Richard arrived on his horse in a towering temper.

"Squire! Where did that backstabbing knight go?" he yelled, with no acknowledgement of Joey's troubled state. His expression twisted with exasperation when he saw Ajax immobile in the grass, smothered in blood.

Joey considered lying and pointing in the opposite direction, but he was shrewd enough to recognize that the dogs would expose his bluff. "That way..." he breathed, holding up a shaky hand before dropping it to his side.

"Dog trainer! Sick the dogs on that traitor! Let them tear the flesh from his bones!" Hardon commanded. "As for the human... bring her back to me alive. If you can." He scowled darkly, enough to make Joey shiver. He couldn't imagine being small, in the hands of that degenerate brute. He didn't blame Martin for his impulsive decision in the face of such wickedness.

The dogs raced off in a frenzy with their trainer. The king cursed under his breath as he dismounted his horse. "Stupid, incompetent soldiers. I have to do everything myself." He rummaged in his saddlebags and pulled out a glowing stone and a vial of potion. "Good thing I have these with me. I guess Hunter was right, of all people."

He tromped over to Joey and sprinkled a few drops of healing potion over his open slash. "Get up, you worthless maggot," he grunted, kicking him in the side. Joey groaned in pain, though the salve did help to soothe his injury. The king lumbered over to Ajax with the glowing stone. He stuffed the stone into his empty eye socket, tore the sword out of his gut, and sprinkled some healing potion on him for good measure.

Joey was horrified to behold the behemoth rise from the dead, as if he hadn't been shot through with arrows, impaled, and knifed in the face. His eye was unfocused and dull, as if he wasn't cognizant. He stood motionless, dripping blood and sweat.

"Ajax. Take the squire and mount your horse. We are returning to the castle," King Richard ordered. He was distracted, and didn't appear to notice the arrow tips sticking out of Ajax's neck and chest.

The guard mindlessly obeyed and lumbered over to Joey, looming over him. He gave no indication of recognizing the man who tried to kill him. Joey let out a small whimper and tried to shuffle away, but the huge giant bent down and grabbed him in his arms. The squire yelped, but Ajax stuck his boot in the stirrup of his saddle and sat on his horse with Joey sprawled across his lap as if he didn't hear him at all.

The horse broke into a trot, sending bolts of pain through Joey with every step. He hung helplessly from his perch, unable to move. He searched the face of the guard for any hostility, but Ajax was completely blank. His mind was empty, like all his memories had been erased. Joey hypothesized the destruction of the magic stone in his head must be the root cause. He could only hope his perfidy would be forgotten, and the king would never find out. He used the last of his strength to clumsily rip out the arrows, hoping the king wouldn't notice, and tossed them into the woods. Ajax stared ahead robotically, not reacting at all.

While they returned to the castle, Martin sprinted away from the dogs tailing him, towards the sound of running water. He halted at the shore of a nearby river. Before he jumped in, he pulled Candy out of his pouch. With all the tempestuous chaos and noise, she was highly disoriented and scared. Martin wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't waste a single second.

"Hold on tight, Candy!" he ordered, tucking her into his collar against his neck. Candy braced herself and gripped the fabric tightly. Martin waded into the rushing water up to his armpits. He shuddered as his body rebelled against his will, not wishing to be subjected to such miserable cold, but forced himself to continue. He was still lightheaded and dizzy from his head injury; he could only hope that the strenuous conditions wouldn't make him pass out.