by Eric Vall
“Can’t manage it, can you?” the wizards mocked me from all sides.
“Cienna, one more time!” I screamed, and as the world stopped for a breath, I was able to see the real Jamar again, but action resumed after only a second.
“I don’t know what’s going on!” the blonde cried out. “I can’t do it for that long right now. When I do it over and over, it doesn’t last for more than a couple of seconds. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish we’d completed the marriage ritual.”
“The marriage ritual?” the Jamars sneered as they stopped short. “Is that what you all are trying to do? Jessamine, poor girl, you are nothing but a common whore if you fucked this man to try and gain power. Ali would be ashamed of you.”
The illusions’ horrible voices echoed around me, and suddenly I was more than done with this dude’s bullshit.
“Fuck you!” I screamed, and I nudged Starlight to charge forward. I was suddenly blind with anger, and we moved to attack the closest Jamar.
I had picked the wrong one, though, and I rode right through the apparition as easily as a cloud of mist.
“You’ll never get me!” Jamar scoffed. “You might as well give up now, false hero. I’ll take these princesses, and I might even let you be on your way, back to wherever you crawled out from.”
“Cienna, do it!” I screamed, and time froze, but the real Jamar was behind me, and I couldn’t strike effectively yet again. “I’m going to get this son of a bitch!”
The clones circled faster now, and they whirled around us like the tornado that had brought them. They started to lunge forward from atop their black steeds, and they swung their scimitars at me in unison.
Then time froze again, and I could see how dangerously close the blades were to cutting me and the women. I reeled back, and I decided my best option would be to ride a short distance away and try to confuse the wizard.
“Hyah!” I shouted as I kicked my heels into Starlight’s sides, and the horse reared up before she shot forward.
A ring of zombies encircled the space where the two of us were faced off, but I rode right through them. Jessamine lashed out with her scimitars to push back some of the frozen undead, and I shuddered as I heard their bones snap under Starlight’s hooves.
When time flashed back to the present, we were about twenty feet away, and the Jamars looked around in confusion, but then I heard the wizard laugh again.
“So, you have tricks, too,” he snickered. “Don’t worry, I have more up my sleeves.”
Suddenly, only one Jamar remained as he lifted his great sword into the air, and huge bolts of lightning began to hit the ground around us.
Starlight whinnied and cantered back, and I hoped the mare wasn’t about to bolt.
“Joe, I don’t think this is going to get us anywhere,” Jessamine groaned from behind me, and I knew she was right.
I glanced over my shoulder to look at the dark-haired princess, and sweat dripped from her brow from fighting off so many wraiths.
But suddenly I could hear hoofbeats off in the distance.
“It can’t be… ” Cienna breathed as her blue eyes widened.
“Joe, look up in the sky!” Jessamine shouted, and I snapped my head back to see the magic carpet headed in our direction.
The sound of horses was growing louder, too, and for the first time, the wizard appeared confused.
“What’s happening?” he muttered to himself.
Starlight and his steed continued to circle one another at a distance, but Jamar didn’t seem to be able to keep himself from glancing behind him.
I could see the cavalry in the distance now, and I silently cheered. A line of soldiers on horseback with great plumes in their helmets rode in our direction, and the bright sun glinted off their armor, shields, and weapons. I’d never truly believed help was actually on the way, but it was coming now.
“Do you see it, Joe?” Cienna laughed wildly as she poked me in the back. “My men are coming to help us!”
Jamar must have suddenly decided it was time to strike, though, because he pulled up on his reins and prepared to charge at us with his giant black mount. However, the sound of other horses seemed to be too much for the great steed, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he reared up into the air and knocked the wizard to the ground.
I felt triumphant for a moment, but then Starlight spooked too and reared up just like the other horse had, and then the white steed immediately bolted in the direction of the castle. The princesses and I fell to the rough ground, and for a moment, the wind was knocked out of me. There was no time to stop, however, and I leapt to my feet and offered the women a hand.
Then the three of us stood back to back in a circle with our weapons brandished and gasped for air.
“Seems like we’re in for a real fight,” Cienna grunted through gritted teeth, and she gripped her spear tightly in both hands.
“We can do this if we work together,” Jessamine replied, and her chocolate brown eyes were determined as she brandished her twin scimitars.
I opened my mouth to respond, but then Jamar rose to his feet half a dozen yards away, and he turned to face us.
“So, this is what it comes down to,” the turbaned wizard scoffed with hatred in his eyes. “I suppose you think you’re the hero, boy, here to save these beautiful women and all of Fairyland. Well, I’m here to tell you now that Fairyland is beyond saving. Chernabog will prevail!”
“Are you just going to stand there and talk?” I snarled, and I leveled Genie’s Wrath between us. “Because I’m getting pretty fucking tired of your voice, you little bitch.”
Jamar bared his teeth and lunged toward me, but I parried with my blade. When our two swords met, another huge bolt of energy charged through me, and the stones on our swords’ hilts sparked purple and red as the blades locked together. I pressed as hard as I could with my sword against Jamar while I tried to push him back, and as our blades continued to touch, I watched huge bolts of purple and red lightning strike the respective gems. Then the moment passed, and the wizard and I were both thrown back onto the ground.
“Jessamine, Cienna, stand back and take on the zombies alongside the cavalry,” I commanded them as I stood and held out my hand behind me toward the women. “This is my fight now.”
Jamar had called Jessamine a whore, and I was going to destroy him.
Jamar and I circled one another with swords in hand, and I tried to keep my footwork light on the cobblestone path. The chaos of horses surrounded me as the cavalry barreled onto the scene and bowled over the undead, and bright green zombie blood splashed against me from all sides.
It didn’t matter, though. I only had my eyes on one man.
I advanced a couple of steps toward the wizard and thrust toward his chest, but he clashed his sword against my own, and we began to spar and exchange blow for blow. His blade dinged against my mail, and I briefly flinched and retreated, but I soon jabbed forward again. My knowledge of sword fighting was basically limited to slashing, stabbing, and dodging, but I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to repeat those moves with enthusiasm. I’d certainly had enough practice in video games, but there didn’t seem to be a reset option for this battle.
We drew closer together, and our swords locked again, and for a moment, I was face to face with the hideous wizard. I could smell his putrid breath as he panted from exertion, and up close, I could see that the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. He was older than I’d thought, too, and he looked almost pathetic from a few inches away.
“You disgusting piece of shit,” I growled in his face. “You wish you could fuck a princess, but you never got the chance! Jessamine would never want your tiny prick anywhere near her.”
“Watch out, boy,” the wizard warned me as he shoved me back and began to circle me. “You don’t know who you’re talking to.”
“I know who I’m talking to,” a feminine voice chimed in, and I soon realized Jessamine had come to stand behind me. Her face was cover
ed in dirt and zombie goo, but she was radiant in the sunlight. “Jamar, you’ve always been weak. You wanted to rule our kingdom, but you never succeeded. You weren’t strong enough to make it on your own, so you had to attach yourself to Chernabog’s coattails. You’re nothing but a tired old bootlicker, and you aren’t even a fraction of the man that Joe is.”
Then she spat in the direction of his face.
“Slut,” he snarled at her as he wiped at his cheek. His footwork had temporarily stopped, but he still brandished his giant scimitar in my direction.
“And Joe’s right,” the princess continued, and she lifted her chin proudly. “I’ve known you my whole life, but I’d rather die before I touched you. I met this hero, and I wanted him right away. So, crawl back to wherever you came from and die.”
“You bitch!” the wizard shouted out and suddenly advanced upon us.
I swung Genie’s Wrath wildly and managed to parry his blows. The immense golden sword felt suddenly light, and it almost seemed like it was guiding my hand. Its purple stone sparked as I lunged toward Jamar again and again, but I had started to tire a little bit, and I was afraid my defenses would weaken.
Despite the cavalry’s advance, the zombies still appeared to be coming from everywhere, too. Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see the armored soldiers cutting down the undead soldiers, but when one fell, several more stepped up to take its place. The princesses could stave off the wraiths almost lazily with their combined powers at this point, but the battle seemed never ending. My wrist vibrated with every strike of my sword, and I knew it was time for a different plan.
Then I realized that while even the undead appeared to be giving Jamar and me a wide berth, it was still pure chaos around us.
And that gave me an idea.
“Jessamine, transform me!” I commanded her as I jumped back from Jamar and into the fray of undead, and I gestured with my head toward one of the zombies.
“You want me to… ?” The princess slashed through the torso of another undead and looked at me with a question in her eyes, but I nodded in response.
“And Jessamine, I’m going to need it to last a while,” I replied as I panted from the exertion of the fight. “You and Cienna find a friendly soldier and get on his horse for safety, and then work as hard as you can to keep me transformed.”
“Yes, my hero.” The raven-haired beauty grasped my free hand, and then the power surged between us.
I could see the bright blue sparks from the ritual pass in front of my eyes again, and the next time I looked down at my body, I saw the tattered clothing and rotten body of one of the zombies. Jessamine had done a spectacular job with the effects, and I almost gagged at the sight of myself.
There was no time to waste, though, so I grabbed Jessamine’s arm and pulled her through the clashing armies toward the flash of Cienna’s blonde hair. Then, when I had both women firmly by the arms, I turned and tugged them deeper into the surrounding throng until we completely disappeared from Jamar’s line of sight.
“I’m going to need the two of you to find safety, quick,” I panted. “I’m not going to be able to help you for a couple minutes, but I know you can stand on your own. Just don’t let me change back.”
“Of course, my hero.” Jessamine nodded her head, and even with bright green zombie blood splattered across her face, the warrior princess was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Excuse me, I’m going to need your horse,” Cienna called out as she grabbed the leg of a nearby cavalryman, who looked down at her in shock.
“Princess Cienna?” the soldier gasped, and his eyes practically popped out of his helmed head. “We thought you were dead.”
“Obviously, I’m not,” the blonde grunted before she whirled and speared a zombie through the chest. Then she yanked back on the haft, and as the corpse fell to the floor, she glanced back at the mounted soldier. “Well?”
“O-Of course, Your Highness,” the man stammered as he quickly dismounted his horse. “Here, it’s all yours. Let me give you ladies a hand.”
Before I knew it, both princesses were up on his large steed, and it was time to complete my mission.
As I crossed my fingers, I turned away from the women and attempted to disappear into the crowd while I searched for Jamar. Thankfully, the zombies ignored me, since they seemingly accepted me as one of their own. As far as I could tell, I looked exactly like one of the undead minions other than the giant sword in my hand, which I tried to keep low to the ground for anonymity.
I had two goals now: stay away from the cavalry and get to the wizard as quickly as possible.
I tried to move with stealth through the madness and laid as low as I could while I attempted to circle back to Jamar. It was a good thing he was wearing red, because his cloak and turban contrasted with the pale blue uniforms of Cienna’s troops and the zombies’ faded rags. I could just see his face, and he stood there with rage in his eyes as he fought back the cavalry and looked around for me and the princesses.
I pushed back the wraiths in front of me, and finally I was about six feet behind the evil wizard. I looked down at my tattered form, and I knew it wouldn’t do.
I wanted this motherfucker to look me in the face and know it was me when I killed him.
So, I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to focus on Jessamine while I mentally communicated that I needed her to change me back. I didn’t know if it would work, but I thought and thought as hard as I could, and suddenly I saw those blue sparks again. Then I looked down to see I was back to being plain old Joe, and I smiled with satisfaction.
I slowly crept up behind the wizard and, when I was close enough, I readied my great broadsword.
This was it. The moment of truth.
“Hey, asshole!” I shouted.
Jamar whirled around in surprise as I raised Genie’s Wrath as high as I could into the air.
“This is for Jessamine!” I screamed, and I plunged the giant sword directly into the great wizard’s heart.
He locked eyes with me in shock, and then he looked down at the sword in his chest as I viciously twisted the hilt. Blood ran out of the corner of his mouth as a choked gurgle tumbled off his tongue, but he couldn’t even get a word out before I yanked my blade from his sternum, and he fell to the ground face first.
I stared open-mouthed at Genie’s Wrath as the huge, gilded sword dripped blood onto the cobblestones. Then a strange whooshing sound echoed through the air, and I looked around me.
To my amazement, the zombies had begun to crumble into dust. Their horrible moaning stopped, and after a moment, all I could hear was the sound of hoofbeats and the yelling of the men.
Then something tapped me on the shoulder, and I jumped and spun around. Princess Cienna and Princess Jessamine were behind me atop the brown and white horse they had commandeered, and they were grinning from ear to ear.
“Joe, you were incredible!” Jessamine exclaimed as she jumped down off the steed, and as soon as she got close enough, she threw her arms around my shoulders and pulled me close to whisper into my ear. “You really are my hero.”
“I… I can’t believe I killed him,” I stammered as I dropped the bloody sword to the ground, and it clattered on the stones below.
“I’m so happy you are my husband,” the black-haired princess purred as I wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace. “You will save our world. This is just the start.”
Then Cienna also dismounted, and she ran over to throw her arms around me as Jessamine stepped out of the way. The blonde’s lithe body pressed against me, and I tucked my nose in her tangled hair and inhaled her woodsy scent.
I’d done it. We’d done it.
“We won,” I croaked, and I clutched the blue-eyed princess against me.
“Yes, and I’d say it’s about time to celebrate,” she told me as she pulled away with a grin on her face. “Let’s go find Starlight, and then we’re going to feast.”
Chapter 15
On
ce we rounded up the cavalry, we walked up the path to Cienna’s castle, and up close, it was even more like something out of the movies. The huge, red parapets stretched hundreds of feet into the sky above our heads, and a thick, white stone wall surrounded the entire structure. This was a real-deal castle, with a moat and a drawbridge, and it definitely seemed more heavily fortified than Jessamine’s palace.
I couldn’t wait to get inside.
“We have to find Starlight!” Cienna called out to the soldiers who were milling around. “Has anyone seen my horse?”
“Yes, Your Highness!” A heavily armored man saluted. “Starlight ran right to the stables.”
“Oh, she must have been glad to be home,” the blonde gasped as her knees shook in relief. “Do you mind if we go see her for a second?”
“Of course not.” Jessamine grinned. “Lead the way! I am excited to see your home.”
“Then let me give you a quick tour.” Cienna smiled, grabbed our hands, and pulled us over the footbridge toward the stables.
I’d never been anywhere like this before, and I stared up at the huge stone castle. We entered a huge courtyard with a gigantic fountain in the center, and it was at least three hundred feet to the tops of the walls. Men in rough clothing led horses around the grounds, and I saw a couple of knights practicing their sword fighting, while maids and other servants ran around on the walks above us.
“This is amazing!” I chuckled. “Cienna, you actually live here?”
“I do,” she laughed as we walked. “This is my home. I didn’t grow up this way, but I inherited all of this when my former husband died.”
We seemed to be close to the stables, because the smell of horse shit and hay had gotten slightly stronger. Then Cienna spotted Starlight from across the cobblestones, and she pulled us to run faster.
“There she is!” Jessamine cried out. “Cienna, I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank god,” Cienna breathed as she reached the horse and threw her arms around her neck. “Starlight, I thought you were dead. Don’t ever do that to me again!”
