Read Online The Pitchfork of Destiny by Jack Heckel - Free Book Online

his chin in thought. He quietly mouthed the word Volthraxus to himself.
    â€œIt’s perfect,” said Will, warming to the argument. “Last time we had no trouble defeating whatever we ran into.”
    â€œI guess that’s right,” Charming agreed, but his brow knitted.
    â€œListen, Will,” said Liz, stepping in quickly before Will made the decision a fait accompli . “I love Elle like a sister. However, it is too late for anyone to do anything today. You are exhausted from your ride, and your horse is near death, and Edward has been ‘farming’ all day. Let’s all go inside and eat and get some rest. Edward, can you tend to the King’s horse? In the morning, we’ll talk about everything and make a plan. Then the three of us will find a way to help Elle.”
    â€œBut, you are staying here,” said Will and Charming together.
    â€œNo, I’m not,” said Liz. “I’m not sure what fairy tale you two are remembering, but the last time the pair of you went off alone, a troll almost took Edward’s head off, and Will nearly died of blood poisoning from drinking at that foul tavern.”
    Charming and Will flinched as Gnarsh the Troll and the horrid beer of the Cooked Goose blended together in a noxious mixture of memories. * They both sunk into a melancholy at the remembrance, which for Charming also included the disgrace of being disowned by his father, which, no matter the time or distance, still stung.
    â€œBut . . .” Will began.
    â€œNo, ‘buts,’ ” Liz said sternly. “This time the two of you will not ride away and leave me behind to worry and wait.”
    Charming opened his mouth to say something, but Liz’s emerald eyes met his, and something in her look silenced him. This was not about him, or at least not entirely. This was about Will. It was obvious that the King was not himself, and it was just as obvious that Liz had decided that they needed to delay him as long as possible and give him time to come to his senses, and perhaps for his army to find him.
    Ultimately, Liz managed to coax Will back to the cottage and get him to admit that he was both tired and hungry. Admittedly, she was helped by the fact that Will was on the point of collapse and simply didn’t have the strength to do much more than gesture wildly and mumble. She prepared supper while Charming tended to the horse and made sure Goliath was well.
    As he brushed and fed the animals, his thoughts were on Volthraxus. He knew with a certainty that the best course, and the one least likely to get the King or Liz killed, was for him to take on this quest alone. Perhaps his reputation ­coupled with sheer audacity would be enough to win the day.
    It would give me a chance to make up for past failures: never killing the dragon, never saving the princess, wearing that feathery hat after summer. Why doesn’t fighting a dragon sound as attractive as it might once have?
    What he didn’t want to admit, what he had never admitted to anyone, and what he would certainly not reveal now was that after reading everything ever written about fighting dragons, he had determined without any doubt that no man, no matter how skilled, had any hope of defeating a dragon in single combat. And this was Volthraxus, the Killing Wind. If the legends were true, he was an ancient male dragon of immense power. Charming vaguely recalled something about a weakness that Volthraxus had, but he couldn’t remember exactly what it was, and it probably didn’t matter. In the stories, every dragon always had a crucial weakness, but in truth, they were rarely useful. You needed two things to slay a dragon, for it to make a mistake and lots of luck, and having an army at your back didn’t hurt either. Okay, three things. And, even then, fighting a dragon was almost universally a death sentence, and now Charming had Liz and a happily ever after that he wanted to