"Piffle!" spat the master mantra maker, steam rising from behind his ears.
Abruptly the sound of somebody shouting far below echoed throughout the residence. Peter stood watching as the king's normally, kind, caring and responsible face visibly flinched, albeit for just a split second.
"Stay here," he ordered the trio. "Whatever you do, don't reveal your presence. No one is supposed to have access to the library at the moment. Do you understand? If you're caught up here, you'll be in massive amounts of trouble, and so will I." Shaking his head, turning to leave, this time his voice was softer. "Please don't reveal yourself" and with that, he ran off, pretty quickly for someone of his age, heading for the staircase.
The shouting grew steadily louder with real panic etched into whoever the voice belonged to. Clearly surprised at the turn of events, the three friends stood looking at each other. After a few uncomfortable moments, Gee Tee, still with the scroll tucked neatly under his wing, headed off towards the balcony.
Instinctively, Tank grabbed him by the shoulder, before Peter even had a chance to move.
"What do you think you're doing?" declared the strapping rugby player.
"More to the point, what is it you think you're doing... apprentice?"
The very unsubtle reminder from the master mantra maker about who employed whom would at the very least slow down most people or dragons; not Tank though, who was in no mood to play one of his employer's silly games right at this very moment. Keeping a vice like grip on his boss, not easy whilst being loomed over, he looked him firmly in the eyes, adding steel to his words.
"This is the king we're talking about. He asked us to do something, and by God we're going to do just that. I won't have you getting us and the king in trouble. Do you understand?"
Peter's jaw was almost scraping the ground. It wasn't so much what his friend had said, it was the way in which he'd said it that was so shocking. Gee Tee's mouth twitched slightly, but before he had a chance to say anything, Tank let rip once more.
"You should also remember why we're here. This is Peter's day. It is only because of him that we're here at all, and I will not have you ruining it for him."
A tense silence shrouded the three of them as Tank continued to hold on to his boss, the old shopkeeper glaring daggers at his outspoken young apprentice, while Peter stood, too shocked and surprised to speak. Off in the distance, the sound of footfalls floating up from the twisting staircase could be heard. With the shouting having stopped, the three, using their enhanced senses, could just make out a few desperate words.
"Sire, Sire... come quickly."
"What is it Madeline?" asked the king, all businesslike.
"I'm really sorry to disturb you on your day off, but it's... it's... one of the Crimson Guards, Sire. He's in a really bad way, close to death we think, but he says he has information that he will only pass on to you in person."
High above in the library, Gee Tee shook off his apprentice's grip, and keeping his voice to a whisper, addressed both youngsters.
"I wasn't going to ruin things for either us or the king. It's good to know that you do at least have a little steel in your soul, though, apprentice," quipped the shopkeeper, giving the two of them a little smile. "What I was going to do though, something I recommend that we all do now, is move a little closer to the balcony, so that we can see and hear exactly what's going on. I get the distinct impression that it might well be of great importance, and that the king just might need our help."
Creeping through the array of bookcases, making virtually no noise, Peter was relieved to know that the master mantra maker had no intention of spoiling things, or getting the king into trouble. Sneaking round the final giant bookshelf, all three of them crawled along the polished floor, before sitting up against the side of the balcony. No longer the faint whisper they were, the voices from below were much crisper and clearer. Closing his eyes, Peter tried to imagine exactly what the king was going through. Three more sets of footsteps came across clearly, coming from the direction of the entrance. If Peter wasn't mistaken, it sounded as though someone was either being supported or dragged along.
"Get him up on the plinth," ordered the king.
"Yes Sire," came two identical replies.
"And just who are you?" asked the king suspiciously.
"My name is Yoyo Baines, Sire, a healer from Perth, Australia."
"You seem vaguely familiar."
"I once served in the council's med centre, a very long time ago."
"Ahhh," sighed the king. "And how is it that you find yourself here today?"
"Your Crimson Guard. I found him beneath Perth, struggling for life. He convinced me to bring him straight here, against my better judgement, it has to be said."
Standing deep in thought, the king eventually spoke.
"Could you have healed him?"
Just as Yoyo was about to reply, the unconscious Flash started to come round, flailing his arms and legs on the plinth as he did so. Sweat poured off his brow as he tried to sit up and swing his legs over the side. Both guards who'd accompanied Yoyo and Flash into the private residence stepped forward to help, only to be waved away. Sitting up despite the pain, Flash swayed delicately from side to side. Yoyo stepped in close, just in case Flash lost consciousness again.
Upstairs, next to the balcony that overlooked the plinth, the three friends listened intently to what was taking place down below. In an effort to remain concealed just as the king had wished, Gee Tee had cast a mantra that was now masking all their life signs. It was of course something from ancient times, but the master mantra maker had remembered it and cast it in barely an instant. Both friends had been amazed at the change in the old shopkeeper since they'd entered the library. It was almost as if he'd been infused with energy and had cast off about two hundred years. As the two friends glanced across at each other, hidden from view, they both wondered how long Gee Tee could remain so full of power and, more importantly, how long he could, or would, behave himself.
Down below, in the vast open circle with the plinth in the middle, Flash anxiously looked around at everyone there, before whispering to the king.
"Yoyo saved my life, Sire. Please let him stay. He's the only reason I've managed to get back to you with this information."
Like most people and dragons, the king thought himself a good judge of character, and made an instant decision, knowing he could always undo it later on.
"Alright Flash, he can stay... for now."
Flash nodded.
"The others though, they have to go," he whispered to the king.
Thinking long and hard about what to do, it didn't take him long to reach a decision.
"Guards, Madeline... please leave us," ordered the king.
"Sire?" replied Madeline, his personal assistant, politely.
"Do the three of you not understand a direct command? Leave at once, and don't come back until I order you to do so. Yoyo and Flash will be staying at my behest."
"Yes, Sire," answered Madeline and the guards simultaneously, before turning around and strutting back out through the entrance.
With a quick flick of his head, the king glanced up at the balcony on the library floor, certain he knew what was going on, despite not sensing anyone up there. A gut feeling told him that the shopkeeper had once again employed his craftiness, and that his guests were indeed taking everything in.
"Sire," announced Yoyo. "Before we go any further, I must tell you that Flash's injuries are very serious, fatal in fact, from what I've seen."
A worried frown creased the king's brow as he eyed Flash.