A Kingdom of Our Own

Chapter Thirty Four - Fall from Innocence

Dalton and Harry hurried home as quickly as their legs would carry them, eager to alert Skandar on the imminent threat that they had uncovered. He was sitting in the lounge, carefully examining one of his many beloved books when they came bursting in, and to their surprise; he received the news with great calmness and told them to continue with their everyday business. They certainly loved how he managed to keep a level head in such trying circumstances, but also worried that he wasn’t treating the situation with the seriousness it deserved. However, beneath all of this, Skandar had been far more disturbed by the news than he let on. He’d always assumed that the boys would be safe here and even though he still didn’t know whether or not the threat he had been told of was genuine, he thought it would be for the best to play it safe and keep a careful look out over the next day or so.

Long after both Dalton and Harry had gone to bed, Skandar remained sat in his armchair, observing the stillness of the night through the front window. Nothing had moved outside for hours and he was about to turn in for the night himself when he noticed something.

A silhouette of a teenager had appeared at the top of the driveway and stopped for a moment in front of Skandar’s house. The orange glow of a cigarette flared in front of his face and when he noticed that lights were still on inside, he walked slowly out of sight. A little late for anyone to be working out on the fields, especially on Christmas Eve of all nights, Skandar thought. A minute passed, and the teenager was back. The same slow, suspicious walk and slight hesitation when he walked by the house. It was in that moment that he came to the conclusion that what he’d been told was the truth.

The boys had been right all along. They were in danger here. He had to act now.

                                                  *

A shadow fell over Dalton’s face as he slept and a moment later, a hand reached out and touched his forehead. As soon as the hand made contact with the boy’s cold flesh, he awoke abruptly, initially afraid, but becoming more at ease once he realised it was only Skandar who was there.

“I can’t do this alone. Get your shoes on and follow me.” Skandar whispered as soon as he was sure that Dalton was awake and listening. Dalton rubbed his eyes groggily and opened his mouth to say something; to ask why he had woken him in the middle of the night, but Skandar had already left the room before he had a chance to do so. Ignorant as he was to the overall situation, Dalton assumed it must have something to do with Gavin and so wasted little time in getting dressed and rushing downstairs to meet his Godfather by the back door.

“Let’s go,” Skandar said once Dalton had joined him in the kitchen, still failing to offer him any sort of explanation for what exactly was going on. “Stay low.”

They eased through the rear door, and Dalton closed it behind them. The air was icy outside and the chill cut through Dalton’s body like a knife, causing him to instantly regret not taking the time to put a coat on.

He followed Skandar’s lead across the fields, moving deftly through the darkness without the benefit of a flashlight. After a few minutes they finally stopped running, when they reached the edge of a long stretch of woodland. Briefly, they crouched low and took a breather. That’s when it first became apparent to Dalton that they were heading for where Mason had told them that Gavin and his friends had set up camp.

He turned to face his Godfather, trembling, his eyes filled with fear, as if pleading with him to turn back.

“I’m sorry Dalton, but it’s the only way,” Skandar whispered in explanation, his cold breath visible every time he exhaled. “We need to strike while we still have the element of surprise.”