weary expression, and his thick brows came together. "I fear you may be right, and we must stay alert for whatever befalls us." Ned turned to the door and Hawkins stood from his seat
"Are you going out to enjoy the fireworks?" Hawkins asked him.
Ned half turned to the young man, and there was a bitter smile on his lips. "These merriments are best left to the young while the old sit inside remembering fireworks long past."
Hawkins silently watched Ned leave the room, and not long after he heard an explosion far above them. The celebrations had begun.
Pat and Fred exited the subterranean world when the first fireworks lit up the sky. They stood in the disused cistern, a round mud-brick hut dug into the ground with steep, tall walls, and through the broken roof they watched as another flash of light screeched across the sky and exploded in bits of sparkling dust.
Sampson stood in the doorway of the secret entrance, a false door in one of the walls, and breathed in the fresh night air. "It has been so many years since I was outside that I had forgotten the smell." He turned and nodded at them. "If we never meet again, fare well in your lives."
"Farewell," they replied. Sampson vanished into the tunnel and closed the door behind himself.
Fred was uneasy about leaving the gargoyles. "Shouldn't we try to do something?"
"What do you suggest?" she asked him.
The boy shrugged. "Maybe try to tell the king or somebody about them? We can't just leave them down there to die."
Pat sighed and shook her head. "We took an oath to keep their secret, and I won't break mine." She scowled and leaned forward to shove her fist into his nostrils. "And if you are any man then you will keep yours."
Fred stepped back and held up his hands; his broken stick was safely tucked against his waist. "I will, I will, I was just, I don't know, just thinking-"
"-and that's where you started going wrong," Pat interrupted. She grabbed one of his raised hands and dragged him toward a flight of stairs that led up to the streets. When the cistern was still in use they were used as maintenance stairs to reach the bottom. "Now we should stop thinking and start having fun. This is my last night before my betrothal dinner, after all."
Fred paled; he'd forgotten that part of the dinner tomorrow night. Pat didn't let him mull over it. She whisked them out of the cistern and into the middle of a grand parade. Everyone was clothed in their best dresses and suits, and they all laughed and cheered with each new explosion high above them.
The youngsters dove into the revelry and enjoyed the sights big and small. From the jugglers and fire-breathers to the food vendors and dancers, nothing escaped their delight. The fireworks kept going even after they were exhausted, and the pair found themselves on the peak of a roof over a small shop close to the main square where they shot off the fireworks. Hundreds of people likewise sat on roofs and enjoyed the dazzling sight of gunpowder and lights.
Fred heard Pat sigh beside him, and looked over to see her eyes pointed up at the sky. There was a small, sad smile on her face, and tears glistened in her eyes. They sparkled when another firework went off. "You okay?" he whispered to her.
She flinched back. "What? Oh, yeah, fine." She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and snorted to clear her nose. "Just thinking about tomorrow."
"You said we weren't supposed to be thinking," he teasingly pointed out.
Pat tilted her head toward him and grinned. "I said you shouldn't be thinking. I'm wise enough my thoughts won't hurt me, nor anyone else."
"Uh-huh, so why were you crying just now? Thinking about your precious Percy back in Tramadore?" he shot back.
Pat's face flushed and she glared at Fred. "That is the complete opposite of what I was thinking!"
Fred blinked. "What's the complete opposite of him?" he asked her. She jerked her head away and mumbled something beneath her breath. He leaned in and strained his
"Are you going out to enjoy the fireworks?" Hawkins asked him.
Ned half turned to the young man, and there was a bitter smile on his lips. "These merriments are best left to the young while the old sit inside remembering fireworks long past."
Hawkins silently watched Ned leave the room, and not long after he heard an explosion far above them. The celebrations had begun.
Pat and Fred exited the subterranean world when the first fireworks lit up the sky. They stood in the disused cistern, a round mud-brick hut dug into the ground with steep, tall walls, and through the broken roof they watched as another flash of light screeched across the sky and exploded in bits of sparkling dust.
Sampson stood in the doorway of the secret entrance, a false door in one of the walls, and breathed in the fresh night air. "It has been so many years since I was outside that I had forgotten the smell." He turned and nodded at them. "If we never meet again, fare well in your lives."
"Farewell," they replied. Sampson vanished into the tunnel and closed the door behind himself.
Fred was uneasy about leaving the gargoyles. "Shouldn't we try to do something?"
"What do you suggest?" she asked him.
The boy shrugged. "Maybe try to tell the king or somebody about them? We can't just leave them down there to die."
Pat sighed and shook her head. "We took an oath to keep their secret, and I won't break mine." She scowled and leaned forward to shove her fist into his nostrils. "And if you are any man then you will keep yours."
Fred stepped back and held up his hands; his broken stick was safely tucked against his waist. "I will, I will, I was just, I don't know, just thinking-"
"-and that's where you started going wrong," Pat interrupted. She grabbed one of his raised hands and dragged him toward a flight of stairs that led up to the streets. When the cistern was still in use they were used as maintenance stairs to reach the bottom. "Now we should stop thinking and start having fun. This is my last night before my betrothal dinner, after all."
Fred paled; he'd forgotten that part of the dinner tomorrow night. Pat didn't let him mull over it. She whisked them out of the cistern and into the middle of a grand parade. Everyone was clothed in their best dresses and suits, and they all laughed and cheered with each new explosion high above them.
The youngsters dove into the revelry and enjoyed the sights big and small. From the jugglers and fire-breathers to the food vendors and dancers, nothing escaped their delight. The fireworks kept going even after they were exhausted, and the pair found themselves on the peak of a roof over a small shop close to the main square where they shot off the fireworks. Hundreds of people likewise sat on roofs and enjoyed the dazzling sight of gunpowder and lights.
Fred heard Pat sigh beside him, and looked over to see her eyes pointed up at the sky. There was a small, sad smile on her face, and tears glistened in her eyes. They sparkled when another firework went off. "You okay?" he whispered to her.
She flinched back. "What? Oh, yeah, fine." She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and snorted to clear her nose. "Just thinking about tomorrow."
"You said we weren't supposed to be thinking," he teasingly pointed out.
Pat tilted her head toward him and grinned. "I said you shouldn't be thinking. I'm wise enough my thoughts won't hurt me, nor anyone else."
"Uh-huh, so why were you crying just now? Thinking about your precious Percy back in Tramadore?" he shot back.
Pat's face flushed and she glared at Fred. "That is the complete opposite of what I was thinking!"
Fred blinked. "What's the complete opposite of him?" he asked her. She jerked her head away and mumbled something beneath her breath. He leaned in and strained his
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