The Three Thorns

by Michael Gibney

  The second tremor came with a vengeance. Loud thudding steps totalling eight in a row vibrated through the floor. The dark spirits scattered once Tommy’s eyes turned away from them.

  Lemis and his sea guards encircled the boys like a pack of creeping monsters from some horrible ending of a nightmare. Slowly but surely, the Nockwire rose to their feet to tower behind Sebastian and Tommy.

  Instead of stepping back from Lemis and the Nockwire, Tommy pushed Sebastian to the ground and leapt out of the way of the oncoming terror he saw charging toward them all, long before anyone else had.

  Ripping a massive hole straight through the six-inch stained wall, the mighty heroes made their grand entrance. The giant rock-shelled monster kept up its amazing momentum, trudging through dozens of enemy troops before it sped across the room, unable to stop.

  Molo slid left and right in an attempt to slow down, whilst kicking and stepping upon several goblins he'd scattered around the room like pebbles.

  The gigantic rock creature abruptly changed course the moment he noticed Lemis assailing toward the human children, alongside the Nockwire assassins. Instead of kicking his heels in the floor to steady himself, Molo sped his charge, heading directly for the small band of sea guards and gremlins that enclosed the two boys. He had no choice but to keep charging, for time was of the essence.

  “My friends are over there. Help them, Molo,” a tiny but rowdy voice called out from above the crowd. Tommy instantly recognized his brave brother resting on top of the giant’s head. Benjamin pointed at the deadly assassins who looked unprepared for a sudden and mighty impact.

  Molo’s momentum proved too strong for the Nockwire’s feeble attempts to shield themselves. His rock-shelled body repelled every shabby arrow and sword fired at him. Trump slithered closely behind each giant step, avoiding any contact with allies or foes as he kept a close watch on Benjamin.

  Cassius rushed to the aid of his allies at once, joining the other bounty hunters in battle and striking fatal blows to any enemy that stood in his way.

  Molo thrashed his way through an entire group of fiendish assailants within seconds, simultaneously stomping upon Lemis’s sea guards below his feet while he tackled Thestor between his huge stone arms. Grabbing a steady hold of the Nockwire’s neck by one of his gigantic hands, Molo reached for the tail of Lemis’s omnicorn above his head before twirling the flying steed in circles.

  Molo was unbeatable. Scythas did not hesitate to protect his companion and dove onto Molo’s rocky back to restrain the giant. But his sly attack was not enough to stop the rock-shelled giant. Benjamin’s words of encouragement only fuelled Molo’s determination to keep charging.

  He rushed Lemis and the Nockwire against the enormous courtroom windows. Unable to slow down, Molo stormed through the glass and plunged down the side of Stained Castle’s cliff side, taking Lemis and his omnicorn along for the ride, to their deaths. Scythas had just managed to help Thestor break free from Molo’s fierce grip, and flew to safety seconds before the rest crashed.

  “Benjamin!” Tommy yelled when he ran to the window and looked all the way down. “I can’t see him.”

  “That’s because I have him,” Cecil called out, flying overhead, carrying Benjamin nearer to the ground.

  “You made it!” Sebastian called in surprise.

  Tommy couldn’t withstand his excitement either, greeting his brother with a tap on the back. Benjamin didn’t seem to notice nor care at first. His concern for Molo drowned out the commotion around him. Pushing past Sebastian and Tommy, Benjamin rushed through the broken glass to lean over the middle of the gigantic window ledge.

  “Molo! He saved you both.” Benjamin snivelled, turning to Sebastian and Tommy as his lips trembled. “He’s gone!”

  “He looked strong enough to survive the fall. I’m sure he did, boy. Legs forward, we must leave this place,” Cecil instructed, as he flew onto the panel to help each boy up onto the platform.

  “Who are you?” Benjamin gasped.

  “Cecil Baskin at your service my Prince,” Cecil panted.

  Just then Jodo Kahln appeared from behind the desk and took a sly kick at the pixie’s back, bruising his left wing. Cecil gave out a painful cry and fell head first onto the floor, knocking himself unconscious.

  “Mr. Baskin!” Sebastian screamed in horror.

  “Well, well. Look at you all. You’ve gotten so big.” Jodo sniggered, stepping closer to the three boys. “You really shouldn’t have come back here. As you can clearly see, it’s quite upsetting for everyone,” he continued, thrusting the boys toward the window by his magick. “Let’s start with the first born.”

  Tommy slammed first against the same window that had a large split in it from Cecil’s dent, followed closely by Sebastian then Benjamin.

  A sudden strike from behind sliced Jodo’s holey, shredded black cloak in half, causing the knight to stumble off the panel. Once Jodo was back on his feet he set his eyes upon a stocky and rough bounty hunter; a hunter he immediately recognized from his own past.

  “Cassius Shark, I watched you die,” the knight jeered, as he manoeuvred his way around the bounty hunter.

  Cassius didn’t hesitate to attack the devious and unpredictable knight. After spinning one of his crystal balls toward Jodo’s face, the bounty hunter fired his dagger to his imprisoned friend, slicing through the tightened strap that entangled Ariel’s wrist. The strap tore loose, disjoining her from her own weapon, which was embedded too deep inside the marble stone wall to be removed. The knight shielded his eyes from Cassius’s blinding light spell and staggered away from him.

  Ariel fell to the ground and rushed to pick up Cassius’s dagger that had set her free. Equipped with the new blade, she jumped behind Jodo, blocking his exit while Cassius obstructed the knight’s path at the front. As both protectors closed in on him, Jodo Kahln took out his own weapon in great haste and raised it high above his right shoulder, gripping the handle tightly, and eager to make his first strike. Jodo showed amazing agility and balance during his assault, until Cassius carved a prominent mark upon the knight’s armored breastplate by his golden blade in one close hit. Sparks flew off the knight’s weapon as they continued to duel.

  The cracked window finally smashed under their weight. The three boys grappled to avoid a dangerous fall over the window ledge. Broken glass covered them. Tommy pulled his two brothers away from the ledge, and then ran to Cecil’s aid. Lifting an arm and a leg each, Tommy and Sebastian instructed Benjamin to secure the pixie’s wings as the three brothers struggled to get Cecil back onto his feet. He did not look it, but Cecil Baskin was extremely heavy for a pixie.

  It was only a few seconds later when they felt the dead weight of Cecil abruptly lift from their shoulders. Stumbling to look behind them, they noticed their large troll protector, Ban Pan Cackerin, relieving them of the burden. Ban Pan flung the unconscious pixie over his massive shoulder and motioned to them.

  “This is a job for the troll,” he barked proudly, leading them through the mess of broken weaponry and carcasses of horrid goblin creatures.

  The horde of villains grew rapidly. More goblins entered the fold while dangerous ogres and evil hobgoblins stormed through the hole in the castle’s wall.

  Just as the enemy crowd had overpowered the last of the defending elves, warlocks, bounty hunters, and faun soldiers, the Council’s witch circle finally released their powerful spell.

  Rain poured from the ceilings inside the Stained Castle, stirring up a massive oceanic wave spell. An enormous wave rose over everyone, before crashing down on all the armies.

  “Here it comes!” Ban Pan roared, holding onto the three boys and the unconscious pixie to protect them from the mighty wave.

  Jodo Kahln had been smart enough to take his exit while he still could, but not before having the last clash of his sword. He fought the two daring protectors until they had successfully cornered him near the windows. Using his magick, the powerf
ul warlock knight melted both of their instruments of steel. Jodo took full advantage of his position, striking his blades at the unarmed warriors. Cassius and Ariel retreated toward the huge hole Molo had made in the Stained Castle’s wall the moment the wave broke.

  Remembering his trusty new slave, Jodo rescued Jennings from one of the hidden corners of the courthouse. It hadn’t taken the faint-hearted man long to run away and hide from the ongoing battle; he didn’t have the strength to withstand the fight that would have been required of him.

  Trump swiftly slithered his way toward the evil knight and begged to be taken with him.

  “You still have a job to finish, toad. Camouflage your skin and follow them…that’s an order,” Jodo called back through the howling winds.

  Using the destroyed window as his only exit, Jodo took Jennings and withdrew from the storm, followed by over a dozen goblin troops that took flight in time. In a flash, the gutless duo left the rest of Borland’s soldiers to their own fate.

  Every ally and rebel to Saul was tossed by the massive wave that covered the entrance like a cold gray blanket, swallowing its victims inside its powerful current, until nothing was left of the room but a stormy sea, unfit to be inhabited. The waves crashed on top of the Council of politicians and circle of sorcerers that had created it.

  Trump’s amphibious body adapted easy to the water current. He swam low and deep to keep out of sight and danger while he tracked the Brotherhood above him.

  Ariel and Cassius fought their way through each goblin creature when the wave washed over them.

  Like a large fire hose, a huge part of the wave smashed against their backs, pushing each protector off of their feet and out of the large hole in the wall with enormous force. Now a heavy river, the spell’s mighty current swept everyone downstream and away from the flooded Stained Castle, spreading across the route Jodo Kahln had previously taken to reach it.

  29

  Victory of the Thorns

  Cassius drew his sword out of the water when enemy figures emerged from the murky depths, swimming round him. But the bounty hunter didn’t have to strike a single blow, for other allied bounty hunters had survived the current and fought off the foes for him.

  “Protect the children, get them out of here!” a white witch screamed as she shot out of the stream to battle a flying goblin.

  Nearby, the rest of the protectors had regrouped with the children, looking wet and miserable as they waited eagerly for Cassius to appear.

  Thrusting his large claw back into the water, Ban Pan grabbed the struggling bounty hunter and pulled him through the heavy current to dry land.

  “That’s some arm you’ve got there, Master Troll,” Cassius spluttered.

  “Don’t expect my help again. I’m not here to protect the protectors, especially pirate scum,” Ban Pan griped.

  “Ex-pirate scum,” corrected Cassius, flashing the troll a cheeky smirk.

  “Take them to the hideout!” a chief faun ordered, and with that, several armored faun guards escorted the Brotherhood and their band of protectors away from the continuing battle, followed by the baby faun guard the group had met at the Stained Castle’s entrance.

  The battle itself had only begun to fizzle out when Borland’s reinforcements infiltrated what was left of the Stained Castle.

  The chief faun joined the large group and led the way to a secret doorway under the mountain the Stained Castle rested on. All were safe and accounted for. The air grew quieter as the chief faun continued to guide the Brotherhood and their protectors down an enormous set of steep stone steps. They descended a thousand feet before reaching the secret door to the Stained Castle’s belly.

  The chief faun cast a spell upon a gigantic area of stone, which uncovered the door and handle that protruded out of the rock. A few faun guards pulled the massive stone door open and led the group through its doorway before the door merged back into the mountain.

  Another enormous staircase stretched upon the inner mountain for miles, spiralling downward toward a living society below them.

  When the fauns guided the group to the bottom, they continued to lead the way through what appeared to be a marketplace consisting of large, rounded tables that were fully dressed with feasts. There appeared to be a celebration about to commence, but at close range it was clear the fauns were only storing food for the long migration ahead of them.

  “What’s all this food for?” Cassius asked the chief faun.

  “We’ve kept ourselves hidden for years, since Saul’s dark war. But ever since the Children of Abasin have returned, we have been preparing for our own trip to Reethwood.”

  “You’re going to Reethwood, too?” Ban Pan asked, panting as he held the unconscious pixie upon his back.

  “We’ve heard it is one of the last untouched places on this earth. Too long have we fauns been in the caves, homeless. We long for daylight and to be amidst the trees again. Our hooves have not been exercised enough here. This habitat is for cave dwellers and dwarves, though this particular area has done us favorably,” he said, smiling.

  “I need to get home to the Bothopolis Canyons,” Ban Pan said. “We’ve still to hold our fortresses. I must warn my people.”

  “That is the problem. We have not banded together like we should have. Most of the dwarves have fled across this earth, only to protect what is theirs,” the baby faun mumbled as it passed the chief faun.

  “He’s right. You need to stay with these chosen protectors and help guard the children,” the chief faun leader said, nodding.

  “A mixed band of protectors? Preposterous! We aren’t equipped or prepared. We don’t have the same skills!” the flabbergasted troll yelled.

  “Maybe, but this is more than a civil war, Master Troll. Come this way,” the chief faun said quietly. He brought them through the market place filled with saluting fauns.

  “Where are we headed?” Benjamin whispered, but nobody seemed to hear him.

  The group walked another half mile across a marbled land. Statues of dwarf kings and queens on the cave walls loomed over each passerby, stretching several yards to a dead end.

  “Must be another one of those faun illusions,” Ban Pan whispered to Ariel. The nymph nodded in agreement when she saw the chief faun had unveiled another massive door and opened it sideways.

  The chief faun smiled, addressing the children while leading them into a brightly lit room. “I was saving this transportation spell but you need it more. Besides, I’m sure our army would like to meet you.”

  The strong sunset outside pierced through the windows of the stone room and filled it with a warming orange glow. The children looked in awe at the two thousand faun soldiers that knelt in their presence.

  “This gateway has taken you far from the Stained Castle,” the chief faun said mildly. “We must part ways now,” he continued. “If you leave this mountain, you will find the hidden sanctuary upon the opposite cliff, beyond the bridge. The Council requests that we leave the children in your care. We have duties and allies to aid on our journey. It would be much too dangerous for the humans to travel with us.”

  “I understand.” Cassius sighed, frowning back at his small group of friends. “It looks like we’re stuck with each other.”

  Passing the multiple lines of kneeling troops, each boy and protector couldn’t help but look at the sheer magnitude and precision of the secret faun army.

  The window at the end of the stone marbled room opened up, inviting them to walk through. After Tommy and Sebastian waved goodbye to the faun guard leader, the boys’ protectors took a tight grip of their hands and led them into a new area of Abasin.

  After the dusk settled, Ban Pan and Cassius built a small fire to dry off the children. No one knew what region of land the faun’s doorway had led to, but it soon became too dark to contemplate moving on further without one’s bearings. Ariel had begun sewing the wounds on Cecil’s wings shut, aided by her fairy’s light.


  The fire was beautiful and the ember glow gave off just enough heat to keep members of their band warm without attracting attention. A rustle from the bushes behind him woke the sleeping troll from a deep sleep, startling the beast to raise his claws in defense until he saw Cassius appear, carrying a young ox over his shoulder. Cassius threw the carcass down in a bundle next to the fire and made the surviving group gasp in horror at the butchered animal, but everyone felt too exhausted to argue with the bounty hunter’s untraditional ways.

  “Your bellies will thank me,” Cassius insisted.

  Sebastian sat beside a sulking Benjamin, who had his back to the fire, facing away from the group as he stared into the starry night sky.

  “Why so quiet?” Sebastian asked bluntly, encouraging him to reply with a little push.

  “Tired.” Benjamin let out a slight cough, whilst rubbing his arms to keep himself toasty warm.

  “Face the fire, Benjamin,” Ariel suggested, but Benjamin ignored the advice. The worried boy kept his eyes fixed on the night. Tommy searched along the ground and found a few pieces of living earth food for the boy to eat. Carrying the plant over to him, its tentacles jumped from Tommy’s arm and wrapped themselves around Benjamin’s hand, feeding off the boy like a parasite.

  “Bon appétit, I guess,” Tommy tittered nervously.

  Benjamin raised the dancing vegetable up to his mouth until a tug on one of the tentacles sent the vegetable flying into the camp’s fire.

  “Don’t eat anything that grows out of these lands. They’re poisonous and feed off your blood…understand?” Cassius chastised, pointing at the three boys. Tommy and Sebastian nodded their heads obediently in agreement while Benjamin sat in silence.

  “Proper food will be ready shortly,” Cassius assured them after he headed back to skin the rest of the fat off the dead ox.

  “He’s only trying to help,” Benjamin finally muttered, fiddling his shoelaces between his fingers. The quiet boy kept his back to the fire when Tommy joined him to feast upon the juicy, tender bits of ox fillet later that night.