The Adventures of Sir Roderick, the Not-Very Brave Read online

  Roderick saw the edge of his blanket lift and hover in mid-air.

  ‘Goodnight, Roderick. See you in the morning, and if the other potion works you’ll see me.’

  Although Roderick was exhausted, he was also burning with curiosity. Who was this mysterious person lying next to him, and why was she invisible?

  ‘Wait. What happened to you? Why are you here, in the middle of nowhere? Why were you following us?’

  ‘I wasn’t following you. We just happened to be going in the same direction. I was turned invisible and my voice was taken, and now I’m looking for a cure.’

  ‘What do you mean, you were turned invisible? Who by? How?’

  ‘One day, about eight months ago, it just happened. I was riding my horse along a country road, and I disappeared. One minute I was there and the next I wasn’t. Since then I’ve been voiceless and bodiless. You’re the first person I’ve communicated with.’

  ‘Someone must have put an invisibility spell on you. Who would have done that?’

  ‘I have no idea. My family think I’ve disappeared.’

  ‘Well, you have.’

  ‘Yes, but they don’t know what happened to me . . .’ Roderick heard an edge of pain in her voice.

  ‘Where are you from?’ he asked.

  There was a pause. ‘Danover,’ Ruby said. Roderick knew of Danover as a small, mainly peaceful kingdom that bordered both Nareea and Baronia to the north.

  ‘Didn’t you try writing with a stick in the dirt for anyone else?’

  ‘At first I couldn’t pick up anything. I was more than invisible. It was like I was almost completely gone. I could slap someone in the face and they wouldn’t feel it. I went around doing that for a while. It was quite fun. But then my hand got sore. Eventually I learnt how to pick up little things, then bigger ones, and after a lot of practice I could write with a stick in the dirt.’

  ‘But why are you here?

  ‘I was searching for someone who might be able to help me. A couple of days ago I saw you on the road and I thought that, since I was heading in the same direction, I might as well travel with you so I could finish your dinner, warm myself by your fire and sleep in a tent. Last night I heard your friend mention that you could make potions so I was hoping there would be an opportunity to try to communicate with you and ask you to help me. I was going to do it this evening when you made camp, but the snake sped things up.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘So many questions! I should have thrown that bowl harder so it knocked you out.’ She sighed. ‘Okay, listen. We’re looking for the same person.’

  ‘What! How do you know who I’m looking for?’

  ‘Because you have been talking about it non-stop for days, you idiot. I’ve been following you, remember. It’s one of the good things about being invisible. You find out a lot.’

  ‘Why are you looking for . . .’ He stopped. What if she was bluffing and she didn’t really know?

  ‘Ganfree Banfor. You can say his name, Roderick. I’m looking for him because I thought he might be able to cure me.’

  ‘Well, if you’re looking for Banfor, I’ve got some bad news. I’m searching for him but I don’t know where he is. He could be anywhere.’

  ‘But you want to find him, right?’

  ‘Yes of course,’ he said, hoping it sounded convincing. Did he? He certainly wanted to be a hero, but on the other hand he didn’t want to get too close to anything that might be dangerous.

  ‘Then you’re heading in the right direction.’

  ‘He’s around here? Where?’

  ‘I think I know where he is.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘I’m not sure if I should tell you.’

  ‘I got your voice back. You have to tell me.’

  ‘Why are you looking for him, anyway? You tell me that and I’ll tell you where he is.’

  Roderick wasn’t sure that was a good idea. His mission was supposed to be secret. But Ruby had probably overheard most of it already and besides, he was far too tired to come up with a convincing lie.

  So he told her the truth, outlining the gist of what the Queen had explained to them. When he finished he left a space for Ruby to tell him where Banfor was. She didn’t fill it.

  After a few moments he prompted her. ‘So?

  ‘Hmmm.’ She sounded distracted.

  ‘So . . . where is he?’

  ‘Yes, all right,’ she said slowly, as if her mother was ordering her to share her favourite toy. ‘After I became invisible, I snooped around trying to work out how I could get fixed, and I heard about this powerful magician called Ganfree Banfor. But nobody knew where he was. Eventually, I heard a rumour that he might be inside the Circle of Mountains.’

  Roderick went pale. ‘You mean . . . where the cannibals live?’

  ‘No,’ said Ruby reassuringly, ‘there are no cannibals there.’

  He felt a little better.

  ‘The cannibals live on the way to the Circle of Mountains. We have to go past them to get there.’

  Roderick started to feel a bit faint. The Circle of Mountains lay ahead of them, west of the Forest of Gilderang. They were tall and much too steep to climb and while there was rumoured to be a path that led through them into the circle’s centre, no one had ever been able to confirm its existence.

  He remembered another piece of information about the Circle of Mountains.

  ‘Isn’t that also where the giant cockroaches are supposed to live?’

  ‘That’s the place.’

  ‘That’s not good.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘They’re the most dangerous creatures in the world.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It’s okay for you. You’re invisible.’

  ‘They smell pretty good.’

  ‘I don’t care what they smell like. It’s their teeth I’m worried about,’ Roderick snapped.

  ‘I meant their sense of smell is pretty good, so even though I’m invisible, they could find me.’

  ‘Well, I’d still rather be you than me.’

  ‘Oh would you?’ growled Ruby. ‘You’d like it if no one could see you or hear you? And if your friends and family were worrying themselves sick about what had happened to you, and you couldn’t even let them know that you were right there next to them? You’d like that?’ Her words rushed out, falling over themselves. ‘You know what? I don’t think you’d like it. I think you’d hate it. Just like I hate it.’ Suddenly, muffled sobs filled the tent.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said, awkwardly sticking out his hand in the general direction of her head to give her a comforting pat.

  ‘Owww!’ she screamed. ‘You poked me in the eye!’

  ‘Sorry! I was trying to pat you.’

  ‘I’m not a cat!’

  He tried again, adjusting his aim. This time he found her hair.

  She sniffled as he stroked. What a strange girl. One minute throwing stuff at him, the next bursting into tears. And that voice. In a way, the fact that she was invisible was the least strange thing about her.

  CHAPTER 6

  AN ALARMING GLIMPSE

  Next morning they ate bread and cheese for breakfast. Then, as Roderick packed the tent, he considered his options.

  Ruby was heading towards the Circle of Mountains. If he wanted to find Banfor, he should go with her. But if he wanted to avoid giant cockroaches and bloodthirsty cannibals, he should go somewhere else.

  The safest option would be to proceed as planned to the Forest of Gilderang and search for Banfor there. That was, after all, what he had been instructed to do. Of course there wouldn’t actually be any point searching the forest because he now knew that Banfor wasn’t there, so he could just find somewhere safe and comfortable to camp for a few days, possibly even before he got to the forest, have a bit
of a rest and then head home. Mission accomplished, more or less, with no risk of being eaten, torn to shreds or having anything else thrown at him by Ruby.

  ‘Shall we?’ asked Ruby, once everything was packed. Reluctantly, Roderick nodded.

  ‘You sit up behind me,’ he said. He didn’t need to decide anything yet. It would only be when the route to the Circle of Mountains and the Forest of Gilderang diverged that he would have to choose.

  He mounted Fruitcake, and felt Ruby pull herself up behind him, unless of course it was some other invisible person who happened to be passing by and fancied a ride.

  Fruitcake snorted in surprise as though wondering how Roderick had managed to put on so much weight overnight.

  They trotted silently through the forest for half an hour before Ruby spoke. ‘It’s thinning out.’

  Indeed it was. Sunlight streamed onto the path as the forest opened onto a plain. Ahead the track forked. At the junction Roderick pulled Fruitcake up.

  ‘Here we are,’ he said.

  ‘Left to the Circle of Mountains,’ said Ruby.

  And right to the Forest of Gilderang, and safety, thought Roderick. He kept Fruitcake still.

  ‘Does Fruitcake need a rest?’ asked Ruby. ‘I suppose he’s not used to carrying two people. I may have crept into your tent before, but this is the first time I’ve ever sneaked a ride. He’s probably exhausted, and my legs could do with a stretch.’

  She jumped off the horse. Roderick didn’t move. He was deep in thought. Should he turn left to danger and a chance of glory, or right to safety?

  ‘Just going to sit there, Roderick? Someone’s turned you to stone, have they? I thought it was bad being invisible.’ She laughed.

  Roderick looked straight ahead. ‘The Queen has commanded me to search the Forest of Gilderang and I must fulfil my mission.’

  ‘What?’ Ruby said, surprised. He imagined confusion on her face. ‘Roderick, your Queen wants you to find Banfor. She’d want you to go to where he is. Searching the forest doesn’t make sense if you know he’s not there.’

  Roderick was gripping the reins so tightly his hands hurt. He wanted to go with her. But he didn’t want to die.

  ‘Nonetheless, I have my orders,’ he said formally. ‘Unfortunately I am unable to make contact with the Queen to find out whether she wishes to change them. Accordingly I must continue to do what I have been commanded. A knight must follow his orders.’

  ‘But Roderick, a knight is supposed . . .’ She trailed off, and Roderick thought he knew why. She had just realised he was a coward. When she spoke again her voice was cold. ‘All right, Roderick. It was nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me. Goodbye.’

  He heard her take a couple of steps, then say, ‘Oh, and Roderick. Good luck with your mission. I hope it succeeds.’ There was no doubt what that was. Sarcasm.

  Then she spoke again, even more frostily. ‘By the way, there’s one thing I don’t understand. This is one of the most dangerous parts of the country. It’s also a likely place for Banfor to hide in, because it’s so remote. So why, then, did they send you to look here? Why didn’t they send a proper knight?’

  Roderick swallowed hard, ears ringing, hating himself more than he ever had before. He pulled Fruitcake around to the right and urged him down the track towards the Forest of Gilderang.

  They rode for hours along undulating grasslands, up and down gentle hills. From the top of each he could see the forest getting closer. When his shame and humiliation grew so great he thought he would burst, he jumped to the ground and sprinted down the path, Fruitcake trotting a few paces behind.

  He wanted to outrun his guilt, his fear and his self-loathing. Most of all he wanted to outrun himself.

  Soon, the trees grew denser, and he was on the outskirts of the forest. Exhausted, he found a flat clearing off the track, slumped to the ground and lay on the grass staring at the sky.

  Why didn’t they send a proper knight?

  The words burnt him. If he could have just been sure that if he had gone with Ruby nothing bad would have happened. But to deliberately choose to go somewhere so perilous . . . If something went wrong, you only had to die once – just one little time – and that was it, forever. Your life was over. Roderick tried to tell himself that he was just being sensible. He didn’t want to die, so why do something that might get him killed? It didn’t make sense.

  Why, then, did he feel so bad?

  Why didn’t they send a proper knight?

  He rolled over onto his tummy and sighed. A purple flower was growing nearby. Bandivane? Something clicked in his head. He crawled over and examined it. Yes, bandivane! He jumped up, rushed to Fruitcake and rummaged through his saddlebags until he found his spell book, and then turned to the page he wanted.

  GLIMPSING JUICE

  Swallowing Glimpsing Juice will cause a person to fall into a trance, during which they may see glimpses of the future, the past or the present.

  Three parts Bandivane (Note: Bandivane is extremely rare, appearing only in isolated clumps in Baronia’s north and is impossible to transplant or farm elsewhere)

  One part Grimnew

  Two parts Tromaneek

  Crush the Bandivane and remove the stem, leaving the sap in a bowl. Mix it with a few drops of water until it is runny, but still thick. Tear the Grimnew and Tromaneek leaves into small pieces and add them slowly, stirring vigorously. Heat the mixture and continue to stir until the Grimnew and Tromaneek leaves have completely dissolved. Allow to cool, and then drink three mouthfuls.

  Roderick followed the instructions and when it was ready, pulled his sleeve down over his hand, grabbed the handle of the small saucepan and filled his mug. He blew on it until it cooled and then gulped three mouthfuls. He had never had glimpsing juice before, but he knew that its effects were unpredictable. A person taking it may see something of momentous importance, such as who they will marry; they may see something that affects someone else, but which also has some relevance to their own life; or they may find out something utterly unimportant, such as that they will one day eat a banana while dressed only in red underpants and a green top hat.

  Roderick wasn’t expecting to find out exactly what lay ahead for him in life. He just wanted to see something that would reassure him that he would live longer than this mission. If he could just get a glimpse of himself doing something in the future beyond the next few days or weeks, then he would know that he would survive and that, he hoped, would be enough to give him the courage to turn around and follow Ruby. At least, a part of him hoped that. The rest of him, as usual, didn’t want to go anywhere near those cannibals or giant cockroaches.

  His mouth had gone dry so he walked towards Fruitcake to get his canteen. He had taken only three steps when the world began to rock up and down. He stopped and tried to keep his balance. The world started to spin. He felt his eyelids force themselves shut and his knees turn to soup. As he sank to the ground, he thought, But what kind of soup? Pumpkin?

  He was now in a glimpsing juice stupor. He was awake but he couldn’t open his eyes or move. At first he panicked, trying to fight the paralysis, but that didn’t work so he stopped. Then the images started to come.

  He saw a boot. Dark green. He sensed fear. Someone was scared. A knife with a blue handle. A struggle. A girl. The fear was coming from her. It felt as if this was happening not far off. Not more than a few days away, maybe fewer.

  Men were overpowering the girl. She was terrified. She needed help. She struck out, pulled at a shirt. It rode up, revealing the stomach of one of her attackers. On it was a curved scar, the shape of a crescent moon.

  The girl was pulled away. She was overpowered, a prisoner.

  A jolt. Roderick sat up, rubbed his eyes. The vision was over. It was Ruby, he was sure. She was in terrible danger, or she was about to be. But how? She was invisible. In his vision he had seen a b
oot. Had his anti-invisibility potion worked, but only on one of her feet?

  He flexed his hands. He could move again, and move he did. He quickly repacked his saddlebags, jumped on Fruitcake and urged him back the way they had just come, towards Ruby and the danger he had seen.

  It was only when he had been riding for some time that Roderick realised that the glimpsing juice had not shown him anything that suggested he would survive and return to the castle safely, and yet here he was rushing as fast as he could go towards danger and possibly death. Did that mean he had suddenly become braver? Or more stupid? He didn’t feel braver. He was still terrified of what lay ahead, but now that he knew Ruby was in trouble, he had to do something.

  What that something might be, he didn’t know. Every few minutes he had second thoughts and considered turning Fruitcake around yet again. Several times he slowed the horse to a dawdling walk, and even twice came to a complete halt, but each time he continued.

  He rode through the night until he could feel Fruitcake stumbling with tiredness. When they reached the point where he and Ruby had parted, he stopped and the horse immediately fell asleep, standing exactly where Roderick dismounted. Roderick put up his tent and lay down, but sleep wouldn’t come and he waited impatiently for first light. As soon as it arrived he remounted and without visible hesitation, but with a flurry of second thoughts, he took the path she had taken to the Circle of Mountains.

  He kept Fruitcake at a slow walk, and tried to look in every direction at once. It wasn’t that he thought there might be danger ahead. He knew there was danger ahead. He had seen it in his vision.

  The trees thinned out and the ground underfoot began to change from grass and soil to pebbles and rock. Not knowing how long it would be before they hit vegetation again, Roderick stopped and collected as much green grass as he could strap to Fruitcake so the horse had food for three or four days. Then he checked his own provisions. Bread, cheese and dried meat, plus some berries he had found on the way and three canteens full of water gave him enough for two or three days. And if he ran out he could always share the grass.