The Mask Wearer (17 page)

Amos and Medusa were hiding in the tall grass, not far from the walls of Bratel-la-Grande. From this strategic spot, the mask wearer could easily see the city gates through a telescope. He was happy with what the mongooses had accomplished and waited confidently for the rest to unfold. He knew that Karmakas would be enraged and would unleash his basilisk. Amos had his rooster on his knees and was ready for the next round.

He had evaluated the situation and sent his orders to Junos in a sphere of wind. Suddenly the gates of the city opened. The basilisk—the size of a large hen—came out. He was exactly as described in the book that Amos had read: His body was snakelike, but he had the head of a rooster and the beak of a vulture. He walked on two thin, featherless legs much like those of a chicken.

Amos and Medusa blocked their ears with a thick paste made of ferns. Then Amos uttered a few words that the wind carried away to Junos.

“Stop your ears!”
Junos shouted to his men.

Wasting no time, all the knights blocked their ears with the fern paste. So far everything was going according to plan. Nothing had been left to chance. But when the basilisk took
flight, Amos was stunned to see the creature’s body grow tenfold. He then saw the basilisk open its beak. Right away Amos understood that the beast was shrieking out its paralyzing cry. Medusa grabbed the telescope from Amos and confirmed that the soldiers did not seem to have suffered. Only the horses were motionless.

Amos concentrated on creating a sphere of communication in his right hand. Then he raised his other hand and made the wind blow in the direction of the basilisk. The hideous bird-creature flapped its wings furiously to reach the knights. But the wind was too strong and the basilisk was hardly advancing. Amos had to maintain his focus to command the wind. He had trained a good deal before leaving Berrion, but this exercise always quickly drained him of energy. The intense attention it required gave him horrible headaches.

The basilisk kept making huge efforts to move forward, but Amos was putting a difficult obstacle in front of it. The mask wearer was sweating heavily. He had to wait for the right moment—for his rooster to crow—his right hand firmly holding the sphere of communication, his left hand still raised. He felt his legs weakening. The rooster was at his side, unconcerned. Amos was gradually losing his grip on the wind, and the basilisk was gaining ground. To delay the flying creature, Junos signaled for a volley of arrows to be unleashed. They rained down on the basilisk, causing the beast to falter slightly.

Karmakas gnashed his teeth, his lips foaming, as he looked upon the scene. He couldn’t understand why the wind had picked up and how the knights were still able to move. A second volley of arrows took off. The basilisk was wounded
in the thigh. Strangely enough, this seemed to increase its strength tenfold. It used all its energy to fight the wind and was getting closer to the Berrion army.

At last, Amos’s rooster let out a loud
cock-a-doodle-doo
. Warned by Medusa, who had unblocked her ears, Amos turned around and imprisoned the animal’s song in a sphere of wind. At that precise moment, he lost his focus and the wind stopped blowing. The basilisk surged headfirst toward the knights. His stare burned their hair and beards, as well as the manes and tails of the horses. Exhausted, Amos managed to launch his sphere in the basilisk’s direction.

“Catch this, I have a message for you!” he shouted.

What followed brought two large tears of rage to Karmakas’s eyes. The rooster’s song, locked in the ball of air, reached the basilisk and filtered into its ears. It was the only one to hear the rooster’s song—and it exploded in midflight, a few yards from Junos. Shouts of victory rose from the army of knights. They unblocked their ears and congratulated each other. There were a lot of handshakes and embraces. Amos had time to smile slightly before he passed out, drained by his efforts.

When Amos regained consciousness, Medusa was by his side. He had been taken to a temporary shelter and the young gorgon was watching over him.

“What happened? Where am I?” he asked.

“You’re awake at last! You’ve been asleep for two days!” Medusa answered.

Amos sat up, totally horrified.
“Two days! I’ve been asleep for two days?”

“Yes,” the gorgon said. “But don’t worry, the knights have everything under control—for now.”

“Tell me what happened. Tell me everything.”

“We took control of the situation,” Medusa began. “After the basilisk died, Karmakas sent dozens of pythons and boas down the walls of Bratel-la-Grande. They were huge and strong, with bodies as thick as tree trunks. But the knights felt confident and were motivated by their two previous victories, so they attacked the snakes. It was a tough fight and several knights were wounded. But Junos shouted orders and himself killed at least a dozen of the beasts with his sword. Thanks to him, we won the battle. A while later, a slight earthquake shook the castle of Bratel-la-Grande. Nobody knows why or how this happened.”

“But what’s going on now?” Amos asked, alarmed.

“The knights worked tirelessly. They dug trenches, put up wood fences, lit fires that burn night and day, and patrol outside the city relentlessly. Their shield-mirrors are directed toward the city constantly, and the gorgons don’t dare to look outside the walls. Karmakas is no doubt planning another attack against Junos and his men. The knights are very tired, and some fell asleep during their watch. It’s impossible to take the city: its walls are too high. The gorgons send arrows on everything that moves. It would be suicidal to try to approach the city, and it isn’t feasible to smash down the huge gates. Junos does not know what to do anymore. He’s
waiting impatiently for you to wake up and devise a new attack strategy.”

“Very well,” Amos said. “Unlike the knights, I am well rested. And I have a plan. Tell me where Junos is and let’s finish this battle.”

Karmakas had gone back to his laboratory totally bewildered. For the first time in his life, he had lost three consecutive battles. It was unheard of for a sorcerer as powerful as he was. He felt ashamed and dishonored. In his rage, he hit the table in front of him with his fist. It took him a while to notice that the walls of the room had changed. Skulls, femurs, and tibias decorated his laboratory now. In an instant, he knew that Seth had left his world to come and talk to him. Slowly he turned around and saw his master’s golden throne behind him. The snake-god, comfortably seated, was looking at him with scorn.

“How dare you treat me this way!” Seth bellowed as he crossed his legs. “I offer you a rooster’s egg, and first you allow the egg to be stolen by the Knights of Light. Then, after years of searching for it, you recover my precious gift and you lose the hatched basilisk in the most miserable way. How can I continue to trust you and show you my goodwill?”

Karmakas lowered his head and begged for his master’s mercy. “I am,
ssss
, sorry. I underestimated my,
ssss
, enemies. I thought that—”

“You thought!”
Seth thundered, making the earth quake. “
A plague on you! Either win this war or I’ll crush you, you stinking
reptile! Now go and show me that you’re worthy of my godly power and of my trust!”

The whole castle shook and cracks appeared in the foundation. Then the walls of bones vanished into thin air, and Seth’s temple disappeared, replaced by Karmakas’s laboratory. The sorcerer fell to the ground, his head in his hands, trembling with anxiety and rage. After a few seconds, he tried to gather himself. He rushed to his book of magic and started to study some powerful spells. For a long time, he stayed locked in his laboratory.

While Amos and Junos were establishing a plan to take back the city, Medusa went in secret to visit Beorf. He was a pitiful sight. The young gorgon caressed his head tenderly.

“You’ll soon be free, Beorf,” she whispered in his ears. “I know that you can hear me. Your body is now of stone, but your soul is still here, hoping and waiting to be delivered. I’ve come to see you for the last time. You’re the first and only friend I’ve ever had. I’ll never see you again, but you’ll be in my heart forever. Keep the sight of my eyes in your memory. You’re the only person who’s admired them. Thank you for your friendship and your kindness. Thank you for believing in me. I’ll show you that I was worthy of your honesty and of your feelings. Good-bye, my friend.”

Medusa kissed Beorf on the cheek and left the cavern, totally distressed by this final visit.

The gorgon returned to the camp as the knights were preparing to enter the city. Night was about to fall and the
army had to act swiftly. No one had noticed Medusa’s absence. She saw that the men of Berrion were not wearing their armor. In secret, they had made life-size figures from branches and mud, and had dispersed them around the city. These strange scarecrows were attired in the knights’ armor, helmets, and boots. From a distance, they looked like real humans. Only their stillness seemed a little odd, but one would have to watch them for a long while to understand the trickery.

Leading his warriors, Amos headed for the tunnel through which he had followed Beorf. The knights proceeded after him in tight order, with a torch ready to be lit tucked into their belts, a sword in one hand and a shiny shield in the other. Every shield had been modified. Thanks to leather strips, the knights were now able to carry them on their backs, a little like a tortoise shell. The entire army managed to go through the tunnel unnoticed and crawled over the ground to hide inside the city walls.

“I’ll go to the castle with Medusa now,” Amos said to Junos. “She’ll take me to the sorcerer. Wait till you hear from me. I’ll tell you when to attack.”

Solemnly, Junos shook his friend’s hand.

“At your disposal, Mask Wearer! Good luck, Amos! I think that Crivannia would be happy with her choice if she could see the way you’re leading this fight.”

“Thank you, Junos.” Amos smiled. “See you soon.”

Medusa entered the castle with Amos by her side. He was wearing a bag over his head, and his hands were tied behind his back. The young gorgon was pulling him behind her with a rope. She pretended to limp and was using the ivory trident
as a cane. She easily passed in front of the gorgons keeping guard and went before Karmakas.

“I’ve captured the mask wearer, master,” she said. “I bring him to you in person.”

Abruptly, the sorcerer asked, “Why did you not turn him to stone,
ssss
, as I asked,
ssss
, you to do?”

“His powers are huge, Father, and he is resistant to my magic,” she answered, lowering her head.

Karmakas approached Amos and pulled the bag off his head. When he saw his face, he burst out laughing.

“This is who you,
ssss
, captured? This is a mere boy,
ssss
, who dares to stand up to me?” He shook his head. “Well, come here,
ssss
, and watch what is going,
ssss
, to happen to your army!”

Medusa stood aside while Karmakas pushed Amos toward a balcony at the top of the highest tower of the castle.