"Fudd," he breathed one last time.
"Your High--" Fudd said as he poofed in front of Elliot. His feet were at the very edge of the gripping mud, and he teetered forward as if he was about to fall in.
The Shadow Men advanced on Fudd, so Elliot stuck his arm as close to Fudd as he could reach, spreading barely enough light to protect him.
Fudd flapped his arms wildly to balance himself away from the mud, but it did no good, and he fell forward. A half second before he landed, however, he poofed himself away, poofing back almost instantly at a safer distance from the mud, though still within Elliot's light.
"My apologies for the delay," Fudd said. "It's very hard to find you in this darkness." He glanced back at the Shadow Men. "So this isn't going well."
"Stay as close to me as you can," Elliot said. "We're surrounded, but they can't touch me in this light. The more I sweat, the more the light is gone, though. I need your help to get out of here."
Fudd inched closer to Elliot. "I assume the gripping mud wasn't part of your plan."
"Of course not."
"Oh, good, because I couldn't help but think what a terrible plan that would have been. Like a rabbit hiding in the trap to escape the hunter."
"Just get me out of here!" Elliot scowled.
"Right away, Your Highness. Give me your hand." After a few grunts and several groans, Fudd pulled Elliot from the mud. Then he asked, "What do we do next?"
"Stay close and let me think," Elliot said. Warm mud dripped from his clothes, pulling the glowing potion off him with every drop.
Fudd didn't need to be reminded to stay close. He pushed so close to Elliot that there was no room for air between them.
Fudd tapped Elliot's shoulder to get his attention. "Back in Burrowsville, I've been reading about Kovol. Patches reminded me about the story with Kovol. She's right. Either Kovol is awake, or he soon will be."
"Kovol's awake?" Elliot shuddered. "That sounds bad."
Fudd shrugged. "If you think it'd be bad for the entire human race to collapse and be ruled by an army of the undead, then, yes, I suppose it is bad." He paused for a moment, then added, "I can help."
"I might not want any more of your help," Elliot said. "I'm not sure I can trust you."
Fudd looked at Elliot as if he'd been slapped. "Your Highness?"
"Mr. Willimaker is gone. The Fairies took him until I get Kovol's"--Elliot paused and wondered if the Shadow Men were listening--"until I do something for them too. Did the Fairies contact you?"
Fudd's eyes widened and he drew his hands together. "Can we talk about this when we're not surrounded by hundreds of creepy Demon servants?"
"Hundreds? Mr. Willimaker told me there'd only be fifty."
Fudd shook his head. "Based on the numbers here, I suspect there's closer to fifty thousand Shadow Men in Demon Territory."
A trickle of sweat rolled down Elliot's cheek. He wiped it free and saw the light so dim around his body that the Shadow Men could now get within inches of him. He began backing away with Fudd on his toes at every step.
"The flashlight," Elliot whispered.
"Not yet. It's for the darkest of dark places." Fudd's voice shook as he spoke. "I'm afraid there are darker places ahead of you."
"It's dark enough. I can't see where we're going."
"Your light is almost gone," Fudd said. "But I can't poof you away. My magic is too weak right now."
"Last night, Mr. Willimaker made a cold fire in his hand. Are you strong enough to do that?"
"Yes, but it's not enough light for the two of us." Fudd glanced up at Elliot. "The Fairies did ask for my help, but I told them no. After the Goblin war, when I said I'd never again betray you, I meant it. You are my king." Fudd flattened his palm, and instantly a spark of fire appeared on it. He placed it onto Elliot's hand, who thought it was surprisingly cool amid all the heat created by the Shadow Men. It gave off enough light to surround Elliot, but the light wasn't enough for Fudd. "This will only burn for a few minutes," Fudd said. "Run fast."
Elliot shook his head. "What about you? Make more fire."