“How do we keep getting into these situations?” Magellan asked, leaning back against the stone wall.
“Eleven years of friendship and I still don’t know,” Monk replied as he paced by the wall. He ran his hands over the rocks. They were damp. Reaching the door, Monk examined it. The wood was thick, and it was bolted from the outside.
Monk rummaged through the tree house. He shoved the boxes this way and that. He scrambled up onto the rafters and looked in every crevice. Could Magellan have taken it? Monk did not want to believe it, but he had only known Magellan for a month, and twelve-year-olds can be tempted. Monk crouched on the rafter trying to figure out if this was a possibility and where it had gone.
Magellan swung over the railing and entered the tree house. Monk dropped onto him, and they both crashed onto the floor.
“Hey!” Magellan yelled, trying to wrench free. He managed to roll over and send Monk off him. Monk grabbed him and rolled back on top. Magellan wiggled free, but Monk got hold of his arm and kept him from going far. Magellan managed to roll onto of Monk. But Monk wrapped his legs around Magellan and flipped him off. Back and forth they went until Monk managed to pin Magellan down.
“Look there, my boy!” Sir Thomas pointed toward the castle. On the balcony, stood the king with his specter held high. “With the king behind you, you will win. He can keep their tricks from touching you. Remember the lessons you’ve learned.”
With that, Sir Thomas wheeled his horse and galloped toward the left flank. Daniel clutched his sword tighter and licked his dry lips. This was his first major battle. He had fought in skirmishes while in the Knight Academy, but never against a large army. His company advanced toward the thin line spread across the front. A wave of enemy soldiers came toward them.
A volley of arrows fell among them. Daniel dodged them. He slowed his pace as the line around him thinned. “There is no standing still in battle, my boy,” the words of his teacher echoed through his brain. He glanced behind him. The king stood tall. No retreating today. Daniel turned and with purpose started advancing toward the enemy. His steps started to quicken. He is eyes glued to the enemy. The enemy had halted forming a formidable line across the battlefield. A strong fellow elbowed his way to the front of the enemy ranks.
“What’s the plan,” Magellan yelled back to Monk. Even though he shouted at the top of his lungs, the wind swept the words away so that Monk could barely hear him.
“Plan,” Monk shouted back, “My plan was to follow your plan.”
Ben shivered as he gazed into the forest. It was dark. The trees seemed to grow in a tangled mess over each other. Now and then a ray of sunshine slipped between the leaves.
“Come on,” Jed yelled, motioning to him. He stood on a fallen tree, ten feet into the forest. “What are you waiting for?”
“What are you doing,” Magellan asked suddenly. The feet of his chair hit the ground with a thud as he looked across at Monk. “You’ve been silent for a good thirty minutes and have not eaten one banana chip.”
Monk sat at the desk across from him. Papers and maps were spread across it. “I was thinking,” he answered.