(Adventure Adrian and the Kings) The Herald Quest

Chapter Four

 FOUR

After what felt like ages and with my heart beating fast, I finally reached the castle exit by the gift shop once again. Through the main archway and across the courtyard I could just about make out the school minibus. The vehicle was sitting in the car park across the castle gardens and looked ready to go. 

But just as I tried to make my hasty getaway, Jimmy Plunkett, the school bully as you might recall, appeared from nowhere and blocked my path. I bumped into his chest and stumbled backwards. The giant brute looked even more angry than usual. He was panting heavily and had a crazy expression on his face like a dog with rabies or something.

“Happy birthday peep squeak,” the bully growled with his teeth gritted tightly together.

“Plunkett!” I yelped. I was confused because I hadn’t told anyone about my birthday. “How did you know it was my…”

“Fourteen years old today. A man in the eyes of warriors,” the bully replied and sniffed the air several times. “I can smell it. Your filthy scent has gotten much stronger. It sinks! It’s disgusting!”

“My scent,” I whispered to myself with real confusion about the word. “Wait…warriors? I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

“You just won’t make it easy on yourself and die, will you History freak!” Plunkett threatened with an evil growl to his voice. Looking closer I could see this psycho had a cloudy, grey mist in his eyes and drool seeping from around his clenched teeth.

“Not now Plunkett…please!” I begged and desperately tried to duck under him. But the bully’s reactions were animal like and he immediately obstructed every move I tried to make.

“If the others couldn’t get the job done properly then I’ll have to do it instead,” Plunkett barked crazily. “The Dark King will be so pleased with my efforts.”

“Others?” I quivered. “And what ‘job’ are you talking about?”

Plunkett didn’t reply yet the grey swirls in his eyes began to glow red in the middle and it was then he decided to pounce. He pounded across the castle forecourt towards me with brute force and was pretty clumsy too.

I managed to dodge Plunkett’s attack just in time before he could smash me into a pulp with both of his giant fists. The bully stumbled past me and couldn’t stop himself from crashing head first into the base of a giant white pillar. I immediately noticed the impact had cracked the bottom of the stone column slightly and small splinters started to flake off.

The bully stumbled around for a second before shaking his square head and tried to clear his blurry vision. Plunkett grunted and snorted before clutching his head with pain. Unfortunately for me, Plunkett’s thick skull kept him from being knocked out cold and he eventually managed to fix his stare straight back on me before grinning evilly in my direction.

“You’re gonna regret that pip squeak!” Plunkett grumbled before grunting louder than before and then slowly thumped closer again. “I’m gonna squash you real good. Not even the Dead Kings can save you now!”

But before he could make it all the way over to me, Plunkett’s charge was disturbed by the sound of a faint cracking noise from behind him. The bully stopped and tried to listen carefully. But he couldn’t seem to spot where the sound was coming from. The creaking and breaking grew louder. Suddenly the base of the pillar fell to pieces and the giant stone tower began to topple forward.

Plunkett noticed the stone column tipping over towards him but it was too late. The pillar plummeted down and landed right on top of his cowering body. But instead of being crushed into a pool of blood and guts like you might expect…the bully burst into a bright shower of light instead. To my surprise, when the glow had finally faded away, Plunkett’s body had totally disappeared into nothing. He had been vapourised.