CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

LIV
John, Bill and Jeannine were skipping back to the castle. They were all in high spirits, having defeated both Wendel and his mother, and the fact that they were on their way to collect 50 men for the battle only added to their happiness.

“Maybe I’ll get even more for killing his mother!” thought John hopefully as the castle came into sight. “Then I’ll be done my search, and we can spend the extra time preparing.”

Suddenly, however, a cacophonous boom knocked all three of them to the ground as a dazzling flash temporarily rendered them blind. There had been an explosion!

“Did you guys see that?” asked John, slowly picking himself up.

“Yes. No. Wait, yes! Wait…no,” said Bill, disappointed. “Wait, what did you say? I wasn’t listening.”

“The explosion, Bill! I think it came from about a mile to the left. We should go check it out,” said John. “We can spare a few minutes.”

The three changed their course and set off for where the explosion had occurred. They jogged there, hoping to reach it quickly. After a minute, they realized that the explosion had come from inside a forest; they would have to go through it.

The forest was densely packed with all sorts of vegetation, so when they reached an area with charred tree trunks and burning grass, they knew that this clearing must have been caused by the explosion.

They all looked around, hoping to find the source, when a bright green flicker caught their eyes. It was Shamus!

“Well hello there, laddies! And you, missy” he said, nodding politely to Jeannine. “It’s been a fine while since we’ve met, ain’t it?”

“Shamus!” cried John. “It’s great to see you again! What are you doing here? What’s been going on with Josiah and the NBA? We have a lot to catch up on.”

“We sure do, laddie – sure as shamrocks! All we need now is a place to talk without bein’ overheard,” said Shamus.

“We’re going to the castle now,” said John. “I’m the king, so I should be able to get us some privacy.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, John?” asked Jeannine.

“No, you’re just not important,” replied John. “You remember Bill though, don’t you, Shamus? He brought down that helicopter by pointing at it?”

“Of course, laddie! Now, let’s get to that castle.”

Shamus, John, Bill, and a very angry Jeannine set off for John’s palace once more.
“So what was that explosion just now?” asked John. “I’m assuming you were behind it in some capacity.”

“Ay, I was, laddie. I flew here pretty fast and didn’t have much time to slow down, so when I
landed, I did a fair amount of damage, I did!”

“You flew here? I didn’t see a plane or anything,” said Jeannine.

“Right, I flew by meself.”

“You…you can fly?” asked John. “How?”

“Why, all Asians can fly, of course!"

"But-"

"Now let’s not be sayin’ anything more till we get to your castle!”

They walked on in silence, and it was very boring. In fact, it was probably the most boring thing to have happened since that fateful day John opened the letter to Newsweek. He reflected on how turbulent his life had become as he continued walking, but that actually made him long for some excitement, which ended up only increasing his boredom.

Finally, they reached the castle. The doors were already open, and Pompetus stood there to greet them, straining to look relieved.

“King John! You’ve returned!” said Pompetus brightly. “And I see you’re still alive, thereby retaining control of the crown and preventing me, Pompetus, your loyal servant, from taking it. What…good news!”

“Yes, thank you, Pompetus. This is Shamus,” said John, pointing to Shamus. “He’s with me. Now we’re going to go to my throne room and discuss the present situation. I’ll be leaving tomorrow. Ready my 50 men.”

“Certainly, my Lord,” said Pompetus, scowling cheerfully.

“And prepare a feast. I could go for a nice feast right about now,” continued John.

“But of course,” replied Pompetus.

“Excellent. Jeannine, help the cooks with dinner. Bill, Shamus? Come with me.”