Chapter Forty Three
The group planned long into the night. Cora asked one of the guards to have a servant bring supper for everyone, and Justin was surprised when the guard returned with food for Fred and Sigmund as well. He was even more surprised when Fred's "food" turned out to be live insects. It was more than a little difficult to swallow his own food, a delicious roast, when all he could see out of the corner of his eyes were centipedes squirming around on a golden plate. They made a horrible crunching sound as Fred ripped their heads off one by one. The fact that Fred was taking his sweet time in eating them made the meal seem to last forever.
When all of the plans were finalized, memorized, and recited, it was decided that the quest would begin at dawn the next day. Justin was pushed out of the library door mere minutes before midnight with instructions to sleep as much as he could.
It was obvious before he even made it back to his bed that sleep would be elusive at best and absent at worst. His excitement and downright fear were playing for dominance in his mind, and it was making him feel wired and dizzy.
Still, he climbed into bed and did his best to relax his muscles one at a time, hoping to induce sleep.
At some point during the short night, Justin must have fallen asleep. But, no sooner had he drifted off than a knock came at the door. He wearily pulled himself out of bed and fumbled in the darkened room to open the door, expecting to find a servant there to tell him it was time to go, but instead he found the king.
"Good morning, Master White." Justin's response came out garbled from sleep. "Good morning, Your Majesty. Is everything alright?" He realized that one reason the king might be up and about so early might have to do with his wife and daughter. On closer inspection, Justin did not notice any signs of distress or sorrow on the king's face. He looked tired, but no more than the early hour would cause.
The king's warm smile assured Justin that all was well. "Maggie told me what you will be attempting to achieve today. I wanted to personally come see you off and thank you for all that you are doing for me, my family, and my kingdom. I can assure you that when all is said and done, you will be rewarded handsomely for this."
"Your Majesty, I am not doing any of this for a reward. I genuinely care about the plight of your people and family and just want to see things right." It was the truth, but Justin felt very cavalier saying it. He was even talking as if he were in a role-playing game.
"Well, then, I thank you and suggest that you prepare yourself for the journey ahead. Even with the help of Sigmund and the gnome Fred, it will not be an easy task that you are undertaking. We will eat with the mages and your companions in the banquet hall in 15 minutes before you are off."
With a nod, the king left Justin staring after him. It was a full minute before he could pull himself out of his thoughts and go inside to get ready. But once he was dressed, he quickly made his way to the banquet hall, only needing to ask for directions twice.
The four mages were already seated at the table when Justin arrived. They all looked up in unison and rose as he came into the room. "Good morning, Master Justin." Oaklie's words came out reverently. The atmosphere in the hall was much more serious than he had expected, and he wondered if something had happened between last night and now.
"Good morning." He looked at each of the mages and smiled in greeting. "Is everything alright?" Philip gave his brother a crooked grin and nodded. "Don't mind Oaklie, he is just feeling the weight of this quest especially hard today. We all are, really. Not only is it vital that the quest succeed, but it is paramount that everyone returns safely. We do not take the dangers this quest entails lightly."
Justin swallowed deeply as the door to the hall opened and Sigmund walked in with Fred at his side. At the sight of the gnome, Justin remembered his unease at supper last night. He prayed that the gnome would not be eating the same fare he had before, and was only slightly mollified when the servant set a plate of dead insects before Fred.
With the need to begin on everyone's mind, they did not wait for the king and Maggie to arrive before starting to eat. They were almost done by the time the doors opened again, and they arrived. Maggie looked anxiously at Justin, as though she were gauging how he felt about the day ahead. He gave her a thumbs up, but then blushed furiously when she gave him a confused look. Of course, she wouldn't know what that meant. He would have to let her know he felt confident and ready, even if it wasn't entirely true.
The king and Maggie had decided to have their meal after the party had left and were simply there to see them off. With the meal done, Art and Cora passed out the supplies to Justin, Sigmund, and Fred, and after a nod from the king, everyone made their way outside the palace. The wind was stronger than the last time Justin was outside. He looked over at Sigmund and saw him exchange a worried look with his brother.
"What is wrong?" Art bit his lip before he spoke. "With the wind like it is, it may make the dragon aware of your scent. You will need to be extra cautious that you stay downwind of him so you will not be found out."
Justin shrugged, trying to show that he wasn't concerned, before turning to Maggie to assure her that all would be well. She had heard Art's words, and his nonchalant stance did not fool her at all. "Whatever you do, even if you don't bring back a single gem, you must come back unharmed. Do you hear me, Justin? That is an order." She was smiling at him, but Justin could tell that she was both serious and terrified. He gave a deep bow and winked at her. "At your command, Your Highness."
They went over the plan one more time, and then after one final goodbye Justin, Sigmund, and Fred set out towards the dragon's cave. Before they lost sight of the palace, Justin turned to see Maggie standing by herself, her arms wrapped around her waist.