//------------------------------// // 9 - The Brimstone Barge // Story: Sunny Starscout and The Mystery of Magic // by OneLonelyPickle //------------------------------// Meanwhile, at Castle Rockhoof… An old stallion leaned against a grey stone wall. He was guarding the top of the Northeast Tower of Castle Rockhoof, his favorite corner of the complex as it was usually just him there and it was quiet. The parapet had shorter walls for archers such as himself. His pony bow was also leaning on the grey stone wall. Yes, it was quiet. Just perfect for late afternoon naps. And mid-afternoon naps. Even late morning naps! The old stallion liked to nap quite a bit. He was a stallion of a gentle disposition, typically. His was a well-worn, smoky-grey coat that always looked a little dusty. A ghostly pale lavender mane sat on the top of his head like a hat, cut in the typical Earth Pony soldier’s flat top style. He wore no armor or anything fancy - just a belt around his midsection to which his quiver was attached. Fading copper-colored googles sat over his closed eyes. The old stallion snored in a whisper. Something about the crenellated walls of the Northeast Tower made him more comfortable than anywhere else. A frantic clip-clop of hooves echoed upwards from the sole entrance to the top of tower. A female Earth Pony emerged, her face full of urgency. “Sir Curio, I — Sir! You’re asleep again!” Sir Curio grumbled himself awake. He blinked a few times and then removed his googles to rub his eyes. “Oh, uhhh, Artemis. It’s you.” Sir Curio yawned, wide but silent. He smacked his lips contently. “That was a nice nap. I rate it 8/10, as far as naps go,” he said with a light chuckle at the end. Artemis stared deadpan at him. “I hope you’re having fun with your little ‘sleep most of the day’ routine while the mountain trolls are coming down more and more frequently.” Sir Curio smiled and winked. Artemis’s mouth became a line and her brows flexed downward with concern. “If you kept awake at meetings, you’d know that, master.” Artemis wore plates of thin bronze armor. Squires were not given the heavy kind of armor that Knights like Sir Bastion and Sir Curio received (though the latter never used it), but Artemis was happy not to be weighed down by eighty pounds of metal that rarely came in handy. Not, at least, for her. Artemis had a coat of a dirty off-white color, and it was well-groomed for a soldier of Castle Rockhoof. Her dull brown irises sat over bored white eyes. Sir Curio yawned again and turned to look out over the tower. “Look, no trolls,” he smiled. “Surprise, surprise! You know, by now, you ought to trust me!” But Artemis was not convinced. The north side of the Northeast Tower looked out onto a large area of rolling hills dotted with evergreens, tall as the biggest troll. It wasn’t hard for mountain trolls to hide, the sneaky beasts who had come down from the Smokey Mountains to search for wayward Earth Ponies. “Is that so, Sir Curio?” Artemis got right into her master’s face with a cheeky grin. Sir Curio leaned back, and half his mouth became a frown. Artemis continued, “Old age will catch up to anypony, eventually, ‘Eagle-eye’.” Sir Curio puffed up his chest and cheeks. He grunted. “Watch it, squire! I’ve got more life left in these hooves enough to beat you youngins without breaking a sweat!” Artemis giggled. Sir Curio leaned back nonchalant against the stone wall. His next sentence was quieter and softer than the last. “Sometimes I just find it important to…” Another yawn. Soon his eyes were fluttering closed, and he exhaled sharply. “…have a…” Snoring. The squire laughed out loud. “MASTER!” she shouted. Sir Curio jumped awake. “Bah! Okay, I get your point! I’m getting old, Artemis! I need my—” Artemis watched Sir Curio’s left ear twitch violently. His pupils became small. He twisted his body around in an instant, facing the crenellation in the stone wall, and at the same time dropped his goggles back over his eyes with a hoof. He leaned his head back toward his side to grab an arrow from his quiver. In a rapid, skilled motion, he snatched the arrow from the quiver with his teeth, secured it within his longbow secured to the tower floor, and masterfully pulled back the drawstring and arrow. The creaking, stretching sound of the string being pulled was tight and taut as if a rope under great pressure was about to snap in half. Then, Sir Curio let the arrow fly, almost too quickly to even aim it first. But Artemis knew better. The force of the arrow being released shot some air into Artemis’s face, and the singing of the arrow was vicious. She raced over to the side of the stone wall to see it soar through the air, far into the distance. Eventually, she watched the arrow strike some tall, grey figure, and on impact the arrow exploded into a cloud of thick, light-blue dust. Artemis mouth dropped, though she wouldn’t let Sir Curio see. Not again. “Those trolls…” Sir Curio said shaking his head and making a disapproving chirping noise, “They’re far too loud.” He turned to his squire and smirked. “Why, didn’t you hear the twig snap when he got within a mile of the Tower?” Artemis collected herself before facing her master and rolling her eyes. “Yes, good job, Sir Curio. Show off, why don’t you — you know, I came up here to talk to you about the prisoner that that blowhard Bastion is bringing from one of the southern fishing villages on the coast.” Sir Curio moved his googles from his eyes to his forehead so his squire could see the crease in his brow. He shifted his head downward and raised those same, stern brows. Artemis cleared her throat. “I mean Sir Bastion, master. Anyway! I overheard that one of the ones he is looking for is from the Starscout family. I thought you might want to know, beca—” Sir Curio yawned incredibly loud. Artemis’s ear twitched and she glared at him. Sir Curio chomped his jaws a bit more before wiping a hoof against his snout with a sniff. “Starscout? Don’t care about that.” Sir Curio turned back around and looked out onto the surrounding area beyond the walls. “What about the fishing village to the south? Isn’t there some problem with those ‘Mongrel Mutts’ in that area?” Artemis pressed on, deftly dodging the distracting questions. “Diamond Dogs — and yes, there is a problem with them coming into our territory, we discuss it at the meetings — but Sir Curio! Ponies used to tell me about that one Starscout you befriended when you were younger, and I thought… maybe this is the same one, or he or she knows your old friend!” Sir Curio cleared his throat and replied in a less patient tone, still facing away from his squire. “It wouldn’t matter if it was. That was a long time ago. Before you were born. I’m not interested in Starscouts or any family for that matter, none except my own and that of our Protector.” Artemis took a step forward and shook her head. She turned to the side and breathed out with annoyance. “But — Dad! This is—” Sir Curio swerved around, his wrinkled face drawn into a vicious scowl. Artemis retreated. “You will address me as Sir Curio,” he said quietly but firmly, with an expression that gave away his angrier feelings. “I am the Right Hoof of the Protector of the Realm — you could be flogged for less!” Sir Curio’s demeanor change caused Artemis to fall onto her flank. The Knight glared coldly at her from above. “If Sir Bastion is bringing this Starscout here, then he or she is a traitor! Not a friend! Understood, squire?” Artemis returned all the ire she received, glaring back up at Sir Curio with the same stubborn irises. The same cantankerous stare. She quickly scooped herself up and trotted for the stairs. Artemis had gritted her teeth but forced out a “Yes sir”, and before descending the stairs, stood tall and straight and hung her head briefly in salute. Sir Curio quickly did the same before turning around to face valley. His squire returned mid-way through her stomping down the stairs. She spoke in a clear, slightly shaky voice. “Master, I noticed that you haven’t been bringing any flowers to my mother lately. I hope you are not starting to forget her.” Sir Curio heard Artemis become choked up. There was a sniffle, and then the telltale sound of a mare leaving down cobblestone steps. Sir Curio screwed his face into a scowl and looked up and around at the generous peaks of the Smokey Mountains laid out before him. A lone crow cawed somewhere. The only noise except the breeze. Sir Curio closed his eyes and sighed, long and deep, then spoke softly to the wind. “You said it yourself, Artemis… it’s because of the mountain trolls…” He opened his eyes half-way and stared back out at the greens and the browns of the valley. “That was the fifth one today I hit with the freeze powder arrow.” Sir Curio looked up the orange-purple sky, and in the clouds found the face of a long-passed lover. Remembering that face always brought up another: an old friend. Somepony his daughter seemed to think he held in fond memories. Sir Curio bitterly shook his head to forget that face. “Lorelei,” he began after refocusing on the lover in the clouds, “believing in stupid ponies full of dreams is what got you killed. It won’t get our daughter killed, not while I still have my strength.” Sir Curio hung his head and stared at the stone of the wall. The age of dreamers is over by now, certainly by now. He resolved himself anew. His nostrils flared and he scowled at the valley. We can only survive with our strength. The strength of the Earth Pony! * * * Back to Sunny, Izzy, and Hitch… “Stupid Hitch…” Sunny stared at her fellow villager with a dull glare. Hitch was mid-flirt with another female soldier after the last two had bonked him with their spears. The third was about to do the same thing just as Sunny sighed and looked up to the orange-purple sky. “He’s not like you, Professor… none of these oafs are…” Sunny smiled to herself. “Smart, talented, thoughtful, quiet, hand—” The realization of the thought made Sunny blush. She opened her eyes and saw that Izzy was staring at her with an “O” mouth and a cocked head. Sunny’s blush deepened and she twitched. “W-what are you watching me for, Izzy?!” Izzy giggled. “You’re thinking about some…pony that makes you feel thump thump — I know that look.” Izzy’s face screwed into something snarky and cheeky. “You have a crush.” She smiled wickedly and twitched her head and pupils towards Hitch. “It’s him, isn’t it?” Sunny’s mouth dropped and her eyes became huge white saucers. A choking, surprised noise forced its way up her constricted throat. She brought a chained hoof as far up as it would go as if to point at Hitch, who was about to bravely pursue the fourth and last of the mare soldiers. “THAT guy!?” Sunny shout-asked. The other soldiers took notice and came closer. Hitch fell onto his haunches from another blow. Sunny continued, “He’s an idiot! He flirts with everything that moves, and he got all buddy buddy with that jerk up front! Don’t even JOKE about me having a crush on HIM!” Hitch, still in the dirt, raised a hoof. “Hey! I resent that. I don’t flirt with everything that moves. I wouldn’t ever flirt with a Unicorn or Pegasus.” Hitch whispered the forbidden words and chuckled to himself as Sunny and Izzy exchanged a worried look. “I mean, a Unicorn? Yikes. No thank you. I prefer to have all my limbs firmly attached to my body.” He leapt to his hooves and flexed in front of Sunny. “You know: the Hitch bod! Gotta protect this national treasure — almost as valuable as Rockhoof’s shovel!” A flying rock soared through the air like a bullet and plonked Hitch in his cranium with a hollow pop. He fell over once more. Sunny looked to the source of the projectile and found Sir Bastion, who’d stopped the caravan. “Enough of all the blabber!” Sir Bastion commanded. Sunny looked over her shoulders and saw the soldiers approach her once more. She glared back at Sir Bastion, who continued. “Re-gag our little traitor princess — and consider putting one on Casanova if he does not shut his trap or start using it for the purpose for which I am permitting his sad presence.” Sunny gritted her teeth and growled as the soldiers approached. They were no less happy about her as she was towards them. Hitch got up and put a hoof to his spinning head. He noticed what was happening with Sunny and jumped over to help. “Now, hold on—” he began, cut off by a mare soldier threatening him with the pointy end of her spear. He gulped and stepped back. Sunny shouted at Sir Bastion and drew his gaze back to her. “What are you so scared of by letting me talk, huh?!” The soldiers stopped their advance. Sir Bastion’s ear twitched. “You scared that I might talk some sense into everypony?!” Everypony froze. Sir Bastion opened his mouth and turned, facing Sunny with his open mouth formed into a crescent. “No, Miss Starscout. I am not afraid of one little mare.” He took his time walking back to where Sunny was, still positioned on the defensive. “But when I hear you talk about the nonsense that you spew, it reminds me of a similar rabble rouser from twenty-five years ago.” Sunny furrowed her brow and even her snout. Sir Bastion chuckled. “Oh, glare all you want. You know, I do not remember faces or names – I typically do not care to.” Sir Bastion got within an inch of Sunny. She noticed the smell on him for the first time: strong cologne like a musty swamp. She stepped back and cringed. “What I remember, Miss Starscout, is things that upset me deeply. And two things alone upset me deeply.” Sir Bastion rose a hoof. “The first,” he said in his normal shouting tone, “Is those detestable creatures known as ‘Unicorns’” — most of the guards stuck out their tongues or fake gagged — “and ‘Pegasi’”. A few of the guards made mock puking noises. In a flash, Sir Bastion snatched the ball gag from one of his soldiers, swerved around, forced Sunny’s mouth open, and shoved in the silence-granting device. Sunny blinked once and it was over. “The second is traitors and the ponydung that comes out of their mouths.” Sir Bastion looked at Sunny for a minute while she tried to speak around the ball gag. She became so heated she closed her eyes and her face reddened. Sir Bastion roared with laughter and his soldiers joined in. Hitch glared at the Knight, as did Izzy, who surprisingly was not cowering and hiding for once. “Now,” Sir Bastion cried, wiping away a joyful tear from his smiley face, Sunny raging all the while, held back by two soldiers. “You will not be able to spew any more filth, and the rest of us can have peace and quiet!” Sir Bastion turned and walked away. Sunny stared at each of the soldiers near her in turn. They appeared like normal Earth Ponies, not unlike her fellow Maretime Bay denizens. One soldier was a brown-coated stallion, average height and build. Another was slightly taller and smoky-grey. One mare, a light blue. Another, off-yellow. Each one in the. Each one looked normal but acted like the worse ponies that Sunny couldn’t stand. The type that laughed at her parents’ dream. “One day,” Sunny heard Sir Bastion shout. Everypony turned toward the unignorable noise. “You will understand what I mean. You will face the reality of why us Earth Ponies are separate from the others. And you will remember what the great Bastion Titaneous told you.” Another ringing of laughter filled the air. Sunny closed her eyes and tried to shut it out. Something hard smacked her on the rump and Sunny cried in pain through the ball gag. Turning, she saw the light blue mare soldier glaring at her, blunt end of her spear at the ready. “Get a move on, traitor!” Sunny tried to blow a raspberry but just ended up slobbering around the gag. She took a step forward, chains rattling. Her left backhoof gave out and she collapsed onto her knees. The soldiers laughed. Tears formed in her eyes. “Hey.” It was Hitch’s voice. Sunny shook her head. She almost started talking, then realized it would be fruitless. Hitch spoke again, nudging Sunny in the side. “Get up.” Sunny opened her eyes and moved her head to look up only she never got the chance. In a heartbeat Hitch scooped Sunny’s entire body up with a single hoof and stood her up. Sunny stared wide eyed at him with a hanging mouth, then quickly closed it and just blinked. Hitch had a different look to him, not so goofy and more reliable. A determined crease notched his brow. “You okay?” he asked, and Sunny looked down at her sore hooves, raw where the chains were secured. She shrugged. Hitch smiled. “I figured. You always were tough.” He slapped Sunny hard on the back and she would have toppled over if he didn’t keep her in place. Sunny tried to ask Hitch a question through the gag but Hitch just laughed. “Not sure what you’re saying, but if it’s about me, I get it.” He flashed Sunny a flirtatious smile that shattered all the recent admiration the stallion had earned. “I’m a big slice of mulberry pie: soft, sweet, tender and chew…” Sunny headbutted the side of Hitch’s head and he grunted in pain. “H— ow! Stop doing that!” he cried, rubbing his head. “I’ve gotten enough trauma for one day!” Sunny stared at him, deadpan. He rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay. I’ll be serious.” Hitch got close again and whispered. “Listen — I have a bone to pick with Ms. Hoity Toity Protector Mare at Castle Rockhoof, too. If you were wondering, I’m tagging along to get her ear, just like you.” Sunny rose an eyebrow and Hitch continued. “What I figured is: if I stick with Dirtbag up there and act like I’m helping get you to talk, maybe she’ll let me back in to the Castle. And, if so, I can talk to her again! You uhh might have heard that I got banished from Castle Rockhoof. It’s a long story. Don’t worry about it for now.” Hitch moved over and talked normally again. “Point is: we need each other! So, let’s work together, yeah?” Sunny shook her head and left hoof. Hitch closed his eyes and nodded. “Yes, I agree. My presence is mesmerizing.” Sunny facehoofed. Hitch smiled. Both ponies heard a throat clearing to their left. Turning, they saw Izzy’s head poking up and visible through the wagon railing. “Mister Hitch,” Izzy asked, “Sorry to be a bother but, what’s your Cutie Mark supposed to be?” She pointed down to his flank, and Hitch blinked. Sunny’s gaze followed Izzy’s and she studied the flank picture that she didn’t care to notice before. The Cutie Mark was a golden shield, a slightly different shade than Hitch’s usual coat color, with a teal horseshoe in the middle. Two small hearts donned either side of the shield near the bottom. When Sunny saw it, memories from years ago came flooding back. Memories of a different stallion. “HABLAHGAHGAH!” she spat through the gag. Hitch, mid conversation with Izzy, turned in disgust. “Gross, Sunny!” he cried, “Don’t spit like that!” Izzy giggled. Sunny grumbled and stomped extra hard for effect. She moved her hoof about as if that might help her friends understand, but they just stared, confused and slightly scared. “Uhhh, yeah,” Hitch said, one brow slightly raised. “So anyway,” he turned back to Izzy, who patiently and happily listened to his story. “My Cutie Mark is the crest of the Trailblazers! We’ve always been a family of tough Earth Ponies who watch the wilds of the Realm and protect it from danger!” Hitch brandished the shovel that was normally strapped to his side, waving it about held between his teeth like some kind of sword. He threw it spinning into the air far above and struck a heroic pose, hoof to his puffed-out chest and a twinkle in his eye. Izzy’s mouth became an awe-inspired circle and she hoof-clopped. Sunny rolled her eyes. “According to legend,” Hitch said with a haughty roll of his eyebrows, “The Trailblazers are descended from Rockhoof himself. But who’s to say…” Izzy heard a noise and her head shot up towards the sky. Sunny did the same. The shovel was coming back, a rotating whoosh giving it away. Hitch showed no signs of worry, instead raising his head and opening his mouth, eyes closed. The shovel fell right between his teeth, and when he had it firmly within his jaws once more, he half-opened his eyes and shot a smoldering look at Izzy, who giggled in a totally playful, platonic way. Hitch rolled his eyebrows like wiggling caterpillars. Sunny shoved past Hitch with an audible groan, albeit muffled from the gag. He blinked at her stomping form then looked to Izzy. “What’s her issue, anyway?” Izzy shrugged. “Sorry, but I think she hates you,” Izzy spoke matter-of-factly. Hitch hummed with disappointment. “That so?” He threw his mane back and his face became cocksure once more. “Wellll hey – it wouldn’t be the first time I got the cold shoulder. That old Sunny — she’ll come around.” Hitch flashed a smile at nopony in particular. “The mares always come around. Anyway, this old shovel of mine — don’t get excited, because it’s not Rockhoof’s. They keep his safe in—" One of the mare soldiers whacked Hitch in the back with a spear and he yelped in pain. “Enough!” the soldier commanded. “This is your last chance before Sir Bastion gags and chains YOU!” Hitch rubbed his back and looked to the mare soldier. The daggers in her eyes did not lie; he swallowed hard and looked back toward Sir Bastion. The crescent grin and dastardly eyebrow V that Hitch saw told him what the mare said was no joke. Hitch sighed. “Alright, alright…” With Sunny trudging along angrily halfway between where Hitch was and where the front of the caravan was, Hitch turned back to Izzy and finished his story. “Anyway, the Trailblazers never stay in one place too long. I may be the sheriff of Maretime Bay, but it’s too boring to just put up my hooves and sit around for trouble to come.” Hitch shrugged naturally. “So, I guess I go looking for it. No shortage, these days.” Izzy made an “ooo” noise then folded her hooves across the railing and laid her head on top. “I never knew Earth Ponies could be so interesting!” she mused. Hitch’s face contorted as if he were confused. “What?” he asked. Izzy sat back up, straight and tall, and looked around. “I m-mean!” she began, “Boy, us Earth Ponies! Really quite a bunch of characters, aren’t w-we?” Sunny looked back at Izzy and the hidden Unicorn must have felt the weight of the gaze and met eyes with Sunny. Sunny signalled with widened eyes and raised brows and Izzy nodded quietly. Hitch looked between the two and shook his head. “Mares… just can’t understand ‘em…” The entourage continued on their journey as night grew ever closer. Hitch tried to get information from Sunny, with half-hearted attempts to keep Sir Bastion happy, but to no avail. Of course, Sunny’s gag made talking impossible, but whenever Hitch thought she might say something useful, he eased it off Sunny’s mouth. And of course, when he did that, she let it rip. “Sir Bastion’s a big jerk head idiot face!” she shouted at one opportunity. Hitch quickly shoved the ball gag back into Sunny’s mouth. The Knight of the Realm, still the head of the entourage, only gave a sideways glance. A single vein stood up on his tan-furred neck. With the sun casting orange light all across the sky and the ground below, Sunny noticed that the land directly to the right of the dirt path the group had been traveling on had receded to the point that she could now see where the land ended and the water began. Before it was the sea, but Sunny realized that not too far away she saw land. It was the mouth of a river. Some old words entered Sunny’s mind: “Find the mouth of the river by travelling on the road that goes out of the town toward the northeast — ponies these days call it the Old Forest River. Follow the river and you’ll cross into the Forbidden Zone… but d-don’t ever go there, understood?!” Professor Tyson’s nostalgic warning made Sunny smile. She poked Hitch on the shoulder, and when he turned, she then pointed at her ball gag with a grumble. Hitch frowned. “Oh no, not that again.” He leaned in and whispered. “Bastion will put that thing in MY mouth if I let you have one of those outbursts again!” Sunny sighed through her gag and closed her eyes. She placed a hoof on her heart then looked up at Hitch with pleading eyes. He looked away, blush on his face. “A-aww jeez, the hoof to heart thing? Really? You’re gonna hit me with that?!” Sunny brought her face closer to Hitch’s and really laid on the puppy dog eyes. He relented with a cry of frustration. “Fine! You better not cost me my ability to speak because believe it or not, I’m quite fond of that particular ability!” Sunny nodded as if it were obvious. Hitch slipped off Sunny’s ball gag and the mare Earth Pony took a deep breath. “T-thanks,” she said to Hitch. He smiled. “I’m too darn nice for my own good.” Sunny pointed past Hitch toward the mouth of the river. “Which river is this? Do you know what it’s called?” Both ponies looked. The start of the river was a gentle stream of water, and across it was more land that laid out barren and craggy like back toward Maretime Bay. But looking up, Sunny saw that there were mountains in the distance, and trees as well. Hitch cleared his throat. “Oh it’s called, uhhh, the ummm…” He scratched his ear and made a clicking noise with his tongue. “Must be the Old Forest River. Yeah! Because we’re almost at the edge of the Old Forest by the River Crossroads.” Sunny felt a shiver go through her. That means… if I follow this… Her eyes softened and she watched as the sea turned into the river through a rushing, rolling stream of water. Professor Tyson is near the Forbidden Zone right now. The ruins of Canterlot… She looked ahead where the dirt road followed the Old Forest River. She tightened her eyes and scanned the horizon and the sky. She thought she might have seen a lone mountain in the distance, but it was hard to tell. Sunny sighed worriedly. I hope he’s okay… Hitch noticed Sunny’s distant expression. “What’s got you looking so glum?” Sunny opened her mouth to speak but decided against it. She momentarily glared at Hitch, who stumbled backward. Better not tell him about the Professor. He is a sheriff, after all. Sunny continued walking while Hitch collected himself. He called after Sunny. “What did I do?! Hey — Sunny!” It wasn’t too much longer that the entourage of prisoners and soldiers came to a small mountain bend. Sunny saw that the river branched off in a perpendicular direction, with the entrance to where the river branched off being barred from traveling ships by a large wooden gate that allowed the river through the gaps in its black bars that were not wide enough for anything but water. Docked at the branching-off river, beside a series of dark brown piers, was a huge, black-metal ship. Sunny’s mouth would have dropped if she had the luxury. “Yep, that’s it: the Brimstone Barge,” Hitch said, answering Sunny’s thoughts. Sunny’s eyes scanned every single inch of the boat. She had never seen one of metal before. In terms of size, the Brimstone Barge was much larger overall than even the biggest fishing trawler of Maretime Bay. Two great, black-metal paddle wheels sat on either side of the barge, and from its back an immense smokestack rose toward the sky. Sunny spotted little figures moving about along the back deck of the boat. She heard the groaning of her fellow prisoners, who had all no doubt spotted the Barge, and one whine in particular drew Sunny’s concerned gaze. Izzy’s wobbling, glistening eyes and pouty lip nearly broke Sunny’s heart. The Earth Pony softened her expression and conjured up the most motherly smile to cheer up her friend. Izzy stopped her sniffling and managed a tiny little grin. Hitch slapped Sunny on the shoulder, to which she yelped in pain. “Chin up!” he said, “It’s not as bad as it looks! Quite a nice journey, the cruise to Castle Rockhoof.” But Sunny wasn’t so convinced. Her eyes found the glint in Sir Bastion’s, back at the front of the caravan. He had his head turned back toward her. “Almost to the Castle now, hero!” he shouted. “Your punishment awaits!”