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.She laid her head on his shoulder and squeezed tightly.“No, I’m just cold.”Mr.Foley shook his head.“I’m sorry,” he said softly.His labored breaths puffed forth like an old steam engine.“I’m really sorry.”After they rounded the bend, Bonnie whispered into his ear.“Okay, I think right here’s fine.”Mr.Foley squatted again and let Bonnie slip down.He turned quickly to catch her hands and helped her steady herself.“So do you want me to come back for you in a while?”She tested her knee but kept most of her weight on her good leg.“I’m hoping that won’t be necessary, but if I don’t come back in say, one hour, then, yes, please come and get me.”“One hour? You’ll get awfully cold in an hour.”She hugged her coat closer to her body and laughed, blowing out a long stream of white vapor.“I don’t think there’s any getting around that.”Mr.Foley turned back toward the car and walked several steps, but he hesitated, looking back at Bonnie.His long arms drooped below his sagging shoulders, and he seemed ready to run back and snatch her up again.She had an idea of how he must have felt, leaving an injured, orphan girl standing out on a cold mountain alone.She gave a reassuring smile and waved, but she pulled her hand down again when she remembered the missing gloves.She wrapped her borrowed coat more tightly, thankful that Walter’s sister, Shelley, hadn’t taken it to college.She had protested going back to Mr.Foley’s house to get it, but when she saw that it was big enough to go around her backpack, she relented.Mr.Foley sighed, and a new stream of steam engine vapor poured out.He buried his hands in his pockets and trudged down the path.He didn’t look back again.Professor!” Walter called, rubbing his finger on a tree trunk.“Another one of Billy’s marks!”Professor Hamilton strode to the tree and then looked back to the path they had taken.“That’s the fifth mark, the last one coming precisely northeast of here.I suggest that we continue to follow William’s lead and—”A load cracking sound interrupted the professor, followed by a series of strange noises.Walter spun around and looked in every direction.“What’s all that racket?”The teacher tilted his head to listen.“I hear men yelling, wood splitting, and.” He put his hand to his ear.“Fire?”Walter pointed, ready to run.“Over there?”The professor studied his GPS device for a few seconds.“I believe you’re right, and it should all be downhill.” With Professor Hamilton leading the way and Walter still lugging the briefcase, the two rushed toward the sound of the commotion.From his knees Billy watched the scene before him through a veil of dripping blood.Behind the dark knight, Devin rushed into the smoky woods, hacking with his sword at anything that got in the way.Within a few seconds, Devin vanished into the cloud.The dark knight showed no emotion as he walked toward Billy, his sword in his right hand, his shield up and covering his left side.Billy wiped away the blood and steeled himself.The dark knight marched on, never altering his pace.When he reached Billy, he snatched a handful of his hair, pulling against the gaping wound and forcing him to stand on his feet.Billy didn’t struggle; pain and helplessness paralyzed both mind and body, and a new eruption of blood flowed down his forehead.The knight released Billy’s hair and stepped back with his sword raised and his shield in place, as if daring him to attack.The fire’s darkening, smoky haze encircled his sinister form.“Any last words, mongrel?”Billy glared at the knight.He wanted to fight, but with his fire literally squelched, he had no weapons.He looked in the direction Devin had run.Was the evil host winning? They had lost two, but they were obviously Devin’s sacrificial lambs, their only role being to sap Clefspeare’s strength.And had the dragon escaped? It didn’t look to be faring very well with its weakened attempts to fly failing so miserably.Billy thought about the dragon’s face, the nobility he saw when it severed his ropes, even at its own peril.Wasn’t that love? Wasn’t that the same look his father had when he stood in the plane to take a bullet for his family?What other proof did he need? Dragon or no dragon, this was his true father.He had to get away and help.Somehow he had to keep his dad alive.Without any other options at his disposal, Billy decided to try a bluff.The candlestone was gone.Maybe if he could stall long enough, his flames would have time to return.He turned back to the dark knight and scowled.“If you give up now,” Billy said with all the confidence he could muster, “I’ll let you live.”The knight let out a loud, bellowing laugh.“Let me live? Bannister, I don’t think you understand your position here.I am Palin, squire of the last of the great knights.I’m going to cut your head off with one swing of my sword, and Sir Devin will have another trophy for his collection.”Billy’s throat tingled at the thought of the blade slicing through, and he tried not to gulp.He had to keep his composure and buy time.Maybe, just maybe, Palin was more cowardly than he was pretending.He scowled again and took a defiant pose, resting his hands on his hips and cocking his head.“Remember the scorched body of the last person who tried to kill me? Where are you keeping that trophy?”Palin laughed.“That stupid hillbilly couldn’t beat a dragon in a video game.” The knight held up his shield and braced his legs.“Go ahead, Dragon Boy.Give me your worst.”Billy tried to create fire.Surely his anger was hot enough.But he felt nothing, no boiling in his belly, only the return of dizziness as blood drained from his head, coursed around his eyes, and dripped to the ground.He cast his eyes downward and sighed deeply, dropping once again to his knees and trying not to faint.Palin lowered his shield.“Just as I thought.” He stepped closer to Billy and raised the sword in a striking pose.“Time to die, mongrel!”Billy gulped hard.There was no way he could run.His only hope was to duck away at the last second.With a mighty thrust and turn of his shoulders the dark knight swung the blade toward Billy’s neck.Billy watched the deadly blade coming, hoping somehow to evade the swing, but blood and dizziness made everything blurry [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]