“The last thing I’m worried about right now is how I look,” she said. She pointed to the tombstone. “How do we get through that thing?”
“We better figure that out quick,” Watch said, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the toppling castle. “We have company.”
It was true. The black knight was coming.
And with him the witch.
18
They hurried toward the tombstone, backward. But all they got for their troubles were more bruises on the back of their heads. The interdimensional portal was not open.
“Why isn’t it working?” Sally demanded.
“I suppose you could ask the witch,” Adam muttered. “She’ll be here in a minute.”
“The knight will be here before her,” Watch said grimly, pointing. “Look, he’s coming around that tree. We need weapons. A few strong sticks.”
“A few hand phasers would be better,” Sally remarked.
They quickly scavenged for sturdy branches that they could use as oversize batons. In a rough semicircle they stood guard in front of the tombstone. The knight approached warily, his silver sword drawn. Behind him, maybe two hundred yards, the witch strode rapidly through the convulsing graveyard. Her hair shone like flames. The light in her green eyes was the sickly color of death.
When the knight was maybe twenty feet away, Adam ordered the others to spread out around him.
“Well come at him from every side,” he said.
They fanned out. The knight, although big and strong, was somewhat clumsy.
Adam smacked his steel-plated knee with his wooden stick and the knight almost lost his balance. Sally was more bold. Coming at him from behind, she whacked the knight over the top of the head. He didn’t like that.
In a surprisingly swift move, the knight pivoted.
He swung at Sally with his silver sword.
Watch and Adam gasped.
Fortunately, Sally ducked.
The knight’s stroke missed. For a moment he stumbled. Watch took the opportunity to drop his stick and leap onto the knight’s back. His arms flew around the knight’s neck and he rode the black warrior as he would a galloping horse.
“What are you doing?” Adam cried.
“I saw this in a movie!” Watch called back, barely able to hold on to the knight.
“We have to get him off there!” Sally cried, rushing to Adam’s side. “The knight will kill him.”
No truer words were ever spoken. Even though they could whack the knight with their poles, they couldn’t rush him directly. Not unless they wanted to be cut down by his sword. Adam and Sally watched helplessly as the knight reached over his shoulder and grabbed Watch by the arm. Slowly he began to pull Watch to the front, raising his sword in the process. In a moment, Adam knew, Watch would be missing his head.
Just then a bony hand stabbed out of the ground.
Twirling dead fingers searched left and right. As if worked by invisible radar, the skeleton’s palm scanned the area. Struggling with Watch, the knight stepped one step too close to it.
The hand grabbed the knight’s boot.
The knight dropped Watch and stared down at the thing.
Making an angry noise, the knight raised his silver sword.
The skeleton yanked hard on the black boot.
The knight lost his balance and fell backward, dropping his sword.
Another skeleton arm wrapped around the knight’s neck.
He was being pulled under.
Adam, Sally, and Watch let out a shout of victory.
For about two seconds.
“Enjoying yourselves?” the witch asked, standing dangerously tall, only thirty feet away. In the struggle with the knight, they had momentarily forgotten her.
The fire in her ruby ring flared and a cold green light shone in her eyes. She took a step forward and smiled wickedly. “You have been more trouble than I expected. But at least now I have the three of you together.”
Adam reached for the knight’s sword. It was incredibly heavy. Motioning the others behind him, he pointed the sharp blade at the witch.
“Take another step,” he warned, “and I’ll run you through.”
“Ha!” the witch said, and took another step forward, moving between them and the tombstone. “You would be no match for me if you had a hundred men and a hundred swords behind you.” She raised her right hand, the one that held the burning ring. “This second I could melt you as if you were made of wax.”