Beyond the Cherry Tree

by Joe O'Brien

  He thought of how Zera and he looked alike. Even though she looked poorly, there were recognisable similarities; they had the same nose, and their hair was identical in colour. Josh then thought of his parents, his real father and mother, Borlamon and Trila, trying to force long-lost memories of them to the front of his mind.

  Then he thought of Henry and Nell and how he always thought of them as his closest loved ones. His mind was alive with thoughts and this fuelled a fire in his heart – a fire that would never burn out. Bravery once again washed over him.

  I am the King of Habilon! he thought as Heckrin carefully descended from the clouds.

  Chapter 25

  The Final Battle

  Feldorn was a battlefield! Norlif had opened his kingdom to those who had escaped Habilon’s ruin, and now Krudon’s evil was inflicting their wrath on Feldorn. Cyclopses and krags thrashed through Feldorn’s trees and sent Norlif’s tree elves to the floor of the forest, where they were picked off one by one by the blues that hid beneath the thick foliage.

  Danthenum and Smolderin were in aerial combat with dragolytes. Smolderin took out two, maybe three dragolytes with each raging breath of fire.

  Feldorn’s archers bombarded the southern grasses between the forests and the arc while a small army of Habilon’s men and Norlif’s warrior elves, along with one thousand of Hink’s dungers, struggled against Krudon’s fierce and merciless goblin army.

  There was no trace of Bortwig.

  As Heckrin flew over Togilin’s shore, Josh could see a colony of sea ogres swimming away and leaving the deserted beaches behind. This was not a good sign, according to Wilzorf. The sea ogres feared the worst and were leaving Habilon’s troubled land.

  As they neared the arc the cries of battle rattled their ears. The torched skies above Feldorn sent shivering fear through Josh’s body.

  As they flew over the arc, they could see the bodies of Krudon’s dragolytes. The red one was still attached to the chariot, but its head dangled from its neck in the spot where the orb must have lanced it. The black dragolyte was further away, lying beside the hand of Sorkrin that rested upon the ground.

  On Wilzorf’s command, Heckrin circled the arc twice before landing on the grass beneath it. There was no threat left! It appeared that evil and good had finished their contest in this sacred place and all that was left was death.

  As Wilzorf laid the princess beneath the arc he could see Krudon’s mutilated body leaning against the wall to the side of the arc. In addition to his right hand being singed off, the evil sorcerer had deep, smouldering burns all over his body and face. Although the orb had shown him little mercy, he was not dead. His breaths were hampered and distant.

  Wilzorf stood in front of Josh, and then knelt before him.

  ‘My king, is it your wish to return the good of the orb to your wizard?’

  Josh placed his hand upon Wilzorf’s shoulder.

  ‘It is my wish.’

  Suddenly, the orb began to glow.

  Wilzorf stood up, and then looked up to the orb.

  The wizard raised his staff toward the top of the arc.

  The light from the orb grew brighter and brighter until it reached out to Wilzorf’s staff.

  ‘Great Orb,’ began the wizard, ‘symbol of all that is good in Habilon.’ Wilzorf reached out his left arm toward Zera. ‘Banish all darkness and evil from the princess and return her to us.’

  The light shot through Wilzorf’s body and out through his arm and into Zera until it returned to the orb, forming a triangular beam.

  With a sudden flash in the sky, the light vanished and Wilzorf fell to his knees.

  Josh ran over to the wizard and helped him to his feet.

  ‘Look, my lord,’ gasped Wilzorf.

  Zera was standing beneath the arc, dazed, rubbing her hand across her forehead. For the first time in twelve years brother and sister, Borlamon’s heirs, were reunited. Josh ran over to join his sister beneath the arc. Zera instantly knew him. She had been told about her brother, the prince who lived on the far side of the Great Tree, by the knights who had trained her. Brother and sister just stared at each other with disbelief, until Zera broke their silence and cried out to her brother with the faintest of cries.

  ‘Joshua!’

  The twins embraced and felt each others’ hearts beat together for the first time since they were infants.

  As Zera joyfully hugged her brother, Bortwig ran up the steps in front of the arc. The elf had sneaked pass the goblin army with Mirlo’s help.

  Wilzorf smiled at Bortwig, happy to be standing with him beneath the arc, but victory was not yet with the good of Habilon.

  ‘We must act quickly, my lord,’ beckoned Wilzorf, pointing toward the fields beyond.

  Krudon’s goblins were advancing toward the arc. As Wilzorf and Josh ran toward Sorkrin, Krudon opened his eyes and bellowed out laughter.

  ‘Kill him!’

  Suddenly, the black dragolyte lifted its head and screeched out. It had been playing dead. The evil creature rolled its head around to them, spitting a barrage of molten rocks.

  Wilzorf shielded Josh from the onslaught with his staff. He cast bolts of fire back at the dragolyte as it leapt up into the air and sent it tumbling to the ground. He pointed his staff toward the orb. As the orb cast a ray of light toward the wizard, the dragolyte spat one last rock ash at Josh. Wilzorf caught the orb’s light and thrusted it straight through the dragolyte, killing the evil creature instantly. But he had no time to save Josh. As the molten bullet sped toward Josh’s chest, the boy felt himself being pushed aside to the ground. The dragolyte’s evil hit Bortwig in the chest as he leapt through the air to save his king.

  Josh crawled over to Bortwig and held the elf as he whimpered and shivered. He was so cold! Zera knelt beside him and placed her warm hand under his head.

  Wilzorf glared over at Krudon. The sorcerer was laughing.

  ‘Cry not for the elf,’ said Krudon. ‘He is but a pointless creature. Save your tears, boy, for when you stand before your parents’ tombs and know that you will never know them. I took that from you!’

  Josh turned his head with hatred in his eyes. He lifted his sword and pointed it at the sorcerer.

  Krudon spluttered blood from his mouth. Death was near.

  He looked toward Wilzorf. ‘I am dying, brother, but I will not die alone. Do you remember when Sygrim taught us of a magic known as abreptus anima?’

  Wilzorf stared at Krudon in horror.

  ‘I remember well! Abreptus anima, an ancient magic of Habilonian wizards that was used to capture – entrap – the body and soul of a person, hiding it within the wizard’s body so it could be used to see things and places and people connected with the entrapped!’

  Krudon once again coughed blood.

  The evil sorcerer looked toward Josh, ‘Don’t be afraid to grasp your destiny boy!’ he laughed.

  At first Josh thought that the dying sorcerer was going mad in his last breaths, but then he remembered those words – the general’s words – in the library. The painting on the wall in the library spoke those words to him and when he told Bortwig, the elf had thought it was strange and part of the dark changes in the manor …

  ‘The general!’ cried Josh.

  Realising that his evil brother was drawing his last breath, Wilzorf knew that there was only one way to break the sorcerer’s spell; he ran over to Krudon and drove his staff through his chest.

  Suddenly, the roars of goblins could be heard approaching the steps of the arc. Josh looked to Wilzorf and the wizard nodded toward Sorkrin. Josh ran to Sorkrin and dove across the grass, reaching out his hand.

  As goblins ran up the arc’s steps, Wilzorf met them with fury from his staff, while Zera stood bravely shielding Bortwig with a dagger she had taken from the fallen elf.

  Josh rested his sword upon Sorkrin’s right hand.

  ‘Your king needs you,’ he announced. Light from the arc beamed down on Sorkrin and his army – the Zionn A
rmy awoke.

  Sorkrin looked upon his king and then commanded his army forth. A long trail of giant stone warriors followed Sorkrin as he thrashed his way through the goblin army, clearing the arc and the fields it looked upon of all evil. Zera called out to Josh and Wilzorf as they watched victory near.

  The wizard and his king could not believe what they saw before them. Krudon had spoken the truth: General Edgar Pennington stood up from Krudon’s dead body and walked a few steps away from it, stopping then turning around and looking back.

  Josh watched as Wilzorf walked over to the general and stretched out his arms to embrace him.

  ‘My good friend,’ smiled the wizard. ‘You have returned to us.’

  The general smiled back at Wilzorf. ‘Tell me, wizard,’ he said in a weakened voice. ‘Has victory crossed to our side? I would like to go home if it has.’

  Wilzorf nodded. ‘Habilon has a king once more.’ He looked toward Josh.

  The general reached out his hand to King Joshua. ‘You have grown, boy. I shall praise Henry on my return.’ Pain rushed through his body. The spell had put great strain on the general’s old body.

  Wilzorf looked around to the Great Tree.

  ‘The flowers are almost gone,’ said the wizard. ‘General, you must go now.’

  Darkness followed the fourth sunset since Josh set out on his journey. Just as Bortwig had foretold, Thericus knelt before his king and Sirg placed the crown upon Josh’s head, while Princess Zera smiled over at the statues of her father and mother, knowing that the king and queen of past – their parents – would be proud of their children on this great day.

  Krudon and all his evil had been defeated. Bortwig the tree elf was returned to health by the magic of the orb. The wizard Wilzorf had returned to the side of the king, where he rightly belonged, and good reigned over Habilon once again.

  As the celebrations roared across the magical land that Josh had made his new home, on the far side, beyond the cherry tree, Claudia Pennington excused herself from her dinner guests to answer a knock on the door of Cherry Tree Manor.

  The general was no longer missing!

  Epilogue

  Henry Bloom was more than pleased when Claudia tapped him on the shoulder and excused him and Nell from the anniversary guests in the main living room. The gardener and his wife were ushered to the library where a great surprise awaited them.

  General Edgar Pennington was sitting in his chair, sipping a glass of whiskey and holding a wet towel to his forehead.

  Nell almost fainted. Henry swiftly closed the library door and almost fell into the chair opposite the general.

  ‘General, sir, you’re back!’ he gasped.

  General Pennington stretched out his right hand to shake Henry’s. As he took a tight grasp of the gardener’s hand, he beckoned Nell to stand beside her husband.

  The general smiled at them. ‘He is king!’

  ‘Josh!’ cried Nell, gripping Henry’s shoulder. Henry reached his hand up to Nell’s to comfort her. He knew what this meant for Nell, for both of them.

  ‘He’s not coming back,’ said Henry softly, his eyes watery.

  The general tightened his grip of Henry’s hand.

  ‘You knew this day would come. I did warn you that one day he would have to return beyond the cherry tree.’

  Unlike her husband, Nell could not hold back the tears as she left the room. Henry stood up to follow her, but Claudia insisted that she would go instead.

  ‘Stay with father,’ smiled Claudia. It was a nervous smile. She too was in shock as she never thought her father would return to the manor and to her.

  Henry Bloom did not drink whiskey, but on this unusual night he felt the urge to pour himself a glass of the general’s finest. The two men sat and discussed all things of Habilon.

  ‘So! It’s over now?’ said Henry. ‘Krudon is dead and Josh is safe – and his sister, the princess …’ Henry struggled to remember her name. He and Nell had done their best to block out all thoughts of the land beyond the cherry tree when the general did not return after he had left Josh in their care.

  ‘Zera,’ said the general. ‘Good has returned to Habilon, Henry, and to Joshua and Zera.’

  The general could see that Henry was relieved to hear him say that, but Henry was not fooled by the general’s soothing words. He noticed – remembered – a look on the general’s face that he had seen on more than one occasion when the general had returned from an adventure beyond the cherry tree.

  ‘Something is worrying you,’ said Henry. ‘I’ve seen this look before.’

  The general’s eyes were blank. He was in deep thought.

  Henry reached out his hand and shook the general’s arm. ‘General! Edgar!’

  The general snapped out of his trance, and rubbed his head.

  ‘Sorry, Henry. I have rather a bad headache and I’m drastically tired.’

  ‘We’ll leave you now,’ said Henry as he stood up. ‘You need some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow – in the gardens.’

  The general nodded.

  Henry and Nell were the last to leave Cherry Tree Manor. Claudia, with sincere apologies, had arranged for all the other guests to leave. She had told them that urgent matters had come up which needed to be dealt with. She had not, of course, mentioned anything of her father’s return yet.

  After seeing Henry and Nell out, Claudia found her father asleep in his chair, in his library. This was a fond and familiar discovery for her and it gave her warm memories of the many times she had found him like this before.

  ‘Sweet dreams, father,’ she whispered goodnight

  She closed the door behind her, leaving the light on.

  Suddenly, the general’s eyes opened, wide and frantic. He could see a vision before him. It was not a dream or a nightmare. It was so real!

  The general could see shadows before him, dark shadows, and they reached out to him. Then everything turned black; when light returned to his eyes, he was shaking and sweating profusely.

  He stood up – his legs trembling, still weak and tiresome. He poured another glass of whiskey, took one sip and allowed good thoughts to fill his mind. He thought of Joshua and Zera together again in the gardens of their parents’ palace, and the great wizard, Wilzorf, and Bortwig watching them from a distant hill.

  As the general sat back in his chair resting his head back and closing his eyes, he spoke with great intent in his voice.

  ‘We will meet again, my good friends. I’m sure we will meet again!’

  About the Author

  JOE O’BRIEN lives in Ballyfermot, Dublin, with his wife and children. He is the author of three books about GAA player Danny Wilde, Little Croker, Féile Fever and Tiger Boots. He has also written the popular ‘Alfie Green’ series for younger readers. His book, Alfie Green and the Chocolate Cosmos won ‘Best Chocolate Book in Ireland’ in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2010. Find ‘Joe O’Brien Author’ on Facebook.

  Copyright

  This eBook edition first published 2012 by The O’Brien Press Ltd,

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  First published 2011

  eBook ISBN: 978–1–84717–395–9

  Text © copyright Joe O’Brien 2011

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  © The O’Brien Press Ltd

  Map by Oisín McGann.

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