Rise of the Retics (22 page)

“Are you kidding me?” she yelled angrily as she saw the bear approaching. “Who in the fiery depths of the Underworld are you kids? This was supposed to be a simple and easy kidnapping for goddess sake. I mean, it’s Tuesday! This is not what I want to deal with on a Tuesday! You two,” she snapped at the dwarves who looked too dumfounded to act, “take care of the bear. I’ll finish with the flying squirrel here. No one touch the demon. He’s still mine after I’m done with her.”

Looking at each other uneasily, the two dwarves shrugged and slowly approached Tyranna.  She held her ground, growling and swiping when they got too close.

“Ummmm, Mira . . .,” yelled the one armed dwarf, “What exactly are we supposed to do to it?”

“Do I have to do your thinking for you? I said, take care of it.”

Mirabella gave her answer as she approached Sam, slumped on the ground with the dagger protruding from her flesh. She tried to raise her other sword arm but could barely hold it still.

“Not so fast now, are you, Rodent? Your people always think they’re so tough. Look at us. We defend the lord protector. Ha! You’re nothing. You bleed just like everyone else.” She fluttered down, landing her right foot on the handle of the blade sticking out of Sam’s skin and pushed it in even further.

Sam writhed in pain but did her best to avoid giving Mirabella the satisfaction of seeing her scream. Though she tried hard, she dropped her other sword, unable to maintain the grip. She was defenseless.

“How does that feel, huh? Can’t block that, can ya? Scream for me, Rodent. I want to hear you scream for your mother!”

Jaxon could see the pain in her eyes as Sam bit her lip to keep from making any noise. He had to do something to help her. She saved his life for a few minutes at least. He owed her.

Jaxon searched the room for something, anything that he might be able to throw or swing from where he was, but there was nothing. Nothing but dirt walls and shadows and fire . . .
FIRE!

Jaxon took a deep breath and tried to remember his training with Lord Malverne. He needed to harness his feelings, in order to use them. Jaxon closed his eyes, to try to stop the room from spinning and help him concentrate. He imagined Mirabella. He thought about her ordering her men to kill Rigby. He thought about how his beloved companion was lying in a pool of her own blood. He remembered his tail and how painful it was when she cut it off. Finally, he thought of the pain Sam was enduring trying to save him.

As he ran through each memory, Jaxon’s pain began to subside, replaced by pure anger. His dizziness faded and his mind cleared. He could see everything in the room despite the fact that the light was still dim and he had yet to open his eyes. He set his focus on Mirabella, flying just a few feet off the ground, digging the blade over and over again in Sam. The flame from the sconce illuminated the maniacal look plastered to her face as she enjoyed her work.

Jaxon reached out to the flame. He felt its heat, its power, its fickle nature. He understood it. He beckoned it.

Flame answers for no man.

But, Jaxon wasn’t man. He was something different. He was special.

Flame answered for him. Flame liked special.

Fire burst forth from the sconce like an uncontrolled arm reaching out to crush its victim. It engulfed the faerie, wrapping around her body in a quick violent attack, stinging skin and incinerating hair.

She screamed, just as she had been taunting Sam to do just a moment before.

The flame stopped as quickly as it had started and Jaxon dropped back to the floor, the dizziness and massive headache back in full force.

“My wings! My beautiful wings! You destroyed them!”. She dropped to the floor and rolled on her back trying to put out the last remnants of flame.

The dwarves threw their attention toward their enflamed boss, completely losing track of what was going on in front of them. Tyranna did not. She swiped at the one-armed dwarf sending him sprawling hard into one of the wooden shaped pillars around the outskirts of the room. He collapsed into a pile on the ground, unmoving.

His partner managed to swing his head back just in time to see the powerful jaw of the girl-turned-polar bear wrap around his leg. Tyranna lifted him off the ground, swinging him violently through the air as his bones crunched in her mouth. She spit him right out after that. Apparently dwarves taste horrible.

“Everyone, freeze where you are!”

It was the first time in his life Jaxon had been truly happy to hear that voice. He raised his hand feebly into the air and waved.

“Hi, Sheriff Quicktrigger.”

“What in Merlin’s
[30]
beard is going on here?” The sheriff looked around the room and assessed the situation. “Mirabella DiBasso . . . there’s no getting out of this one. Grab her, boys.” Several deputies and city watchmen flooded through the room.             

“You three will pay for this!” screamed Mirabella as she struggled to get away from Deputy Copperbuckle, who was large even for a centaur. “I swear, no one burns my wings and gets away with it. I’ll be back, and you’ll pay! You’re dead, Half-blood!”

“Deputy, get her out of here. How bad are you kids hurt?”

“Sam!” screamed Gnipper as she rushed into the room. “Your shoulder!”

“I’m ok. It’s not bleeding badly, and it seems to have missed anything important. I’ll be fine. Check on Jaxon. He lost a lot of blood.”

The sheriff and Gnipper both ran to Jaxon’s side. Tyranna, shifted back to her normal appearance, joined them.

“Jaxon, can you hear me?” Gnipper asked.

Jaxon looked up groggily. “Hello, people. It’s nice to meet all of you. I’m gonna take a nap now.”

“We need to get him to Dr. Kelda, right away,” the sheriff demanded. 

“No, there’s not enough time. If we don’t reattach his tail now, he’ll lose it.

How couldn’t you possibly know that Gnipper?” Tyranna asked skeptically.

Gnipper gave the sheriff a quick glance and they both chuckled, but neither of them answered Tyranna’s question.

“Get me my bag. I think I can do this. At the very least it’s already all the way cut off, so I don’t think I can make it any worse.”

One of the deputies, a dryad female, dropped Gnipper’s bag next to her. She opened it quickly and took out several vials, a sewing needle, and a scalpel.

“I’m going to need a few minutes.”

Tyranna and Sheriff Quicktrigger both backed up a few steps and checked on Sam while Gnipper worked.

Though no one could tell exactly what she was doing, Gnipper was certainly doing it quickly. Her arms flailed around, grabbing her medical items, using them, and then discarding them randomly over her shoulder. It only took about three minutes before Gnipper jumped up and announced, “I’m done. Now we can get him to Dr. Kelda!”

Tyranna took a look at Gnipper’s work. His tail definitely was sewn back on but something was different.

“Gnipper . . . the tail’s . . . moving.”

“Yeah, I thought that might happen. Nerves confuse me. It’s possible it may never stop moving now. It’s cute though—looks like a little spiky red windmill. I think he’ll like it. At least he’ll like it more than not having one.”

As she watched his tail mindlessly spin around, Tyranna wasn’t so sure he’d agree.

Epilogue

Tyranna

Rosehaven: the Alabaster Tower

November
18, 1503

A week had passed since the night in the mines. Samantha and Jaxon had been recovering at Dr. Kelda’s office, which made Rigby ecstatic. Though she did pop several stiches trying to catch Sam’s tail.

Mirabella was still being held in the prison, along with her associates. The entire town seemed to be grateful about that. Even her grandfather’s men couldn’t argue her way out of this. She had been caught red-handed.

Tyranna now just waited anxiously for her own fate. She had been summoned, along with Jaxon, Sam, and Gnipper to appear before Lord Laszlo at tonight’s meeting of the city council. She had never been so nervous in her life.

Just after dusk, she and Gnipper left Thales to head to the meeting. Professor Tallhat accompanied them, though he spoke very little on the walk over. It made Tyranna feel even worse. Gnipper on the other hand talked nonstop about how Dr. Kelda said she did “an adequate job” on Jaxon’s tail. She was so proud of herself—nothing else seemed to matter to her at that moment.

When they arrived the council meeting was already in progress, though they were told to wait outside for a few minutes while private business was discussed. Several dozen other retics waited patiently alongside them in the lobby area, including Sam, Rigby, and Jaxon.

Seeing her friends, Tyranna took a quick step over to join them.

“Hello everyone!” she greeted, trying hard to put a smile on her face.

“Hi,” responded Jaxon, his tail spinning like an out of control top. Sam just waved, as her face showed no emotion.

“Does it always do that?” Tyranna asked, pointing at the tail.

“Nah, only when I’m a bit nervous, or if it’s going to rain.”

“How’s Rigby doing?” Tyranna asked as she bent down to pet the dog, careful not to touch any of the bandaged areas of her body.

“Dr. Kelda says she should be ok, but it’s unlikely she’ll ever be able to see out of her left eye again.”

“She’s tough,” Sam interjected. “She’ll learn to adjust.”

“I think so too,” Jaxon responded, “but it might take a while. She’s already run into the wall four times today.”

“Excuse me everyone!” cried a middle-aged but hatless gnome as he popped his head through the doors. “The council meeting is now open to the general public. All may now enter.”

Tyranna took a deep breath and gave the rest of her group a nod of good luck.

As people entered the spacious council chamber, they moved off to the sides of the open air room. Ten of the eleven members of the ruling council were present, with the lord protector sitting at the head of the semi-circle of white stone seats. Behind Lord Laszlo, Captain Alastar Bushytail stood stoically, both hands draped only inches from his sword-belt. He, somehow, managed to look at no one and everyone at the same time. 

BANG! BANG!

Lord Laszlo slammed the heavy marble ball into the arm of his chair, demanding quiet and attention from the crowd.

“Order! I demand order, please.” He waited a brief moment while a few straggling conversations died. “Thank you. Before we begin to venture into old business, I wish to call to the attention of the council a new situation that requires our discussion this evening. While I know, new business normally follows old business, I’ve decided to make a change tonight, as this particular incident involves children. Children who need to go to bed at a reasonable hour and do not need to sit here listening to the trivial and boring arguments of adults. Do I hear any objections?”

A chorus of no’s and nay’s echoed from the other nine council members.

“Very well then. Would the following citizens please step forward: Jaxon Miniheart, Tyranna Wolfskin, Gnipper Tallhat, and Samantha Bushytail.”

The four children slowly walked up in front of Lord Laszlo. Rigby, still limping and bandaged, stood at Jaxon’s side. His tail was moving so fast it looked like a flicker of candlelight.

“You four have been brought before this council today for disciplinary measures related to events occurring seven nights ago. Do you understand why you are here?”

“Yes, sir,” they all spoke in unison. Rigby gave a slight, somber bark of agreement.

“And as a result of this occurrence, Thales policy states that expulsion is in order. However, a majority vote of the ruling council of Rosehaven will determine if such a punishment is, in fact, proper. I will read the charges brought forth, as prepared from statements by Professor Gnorbert Tallhat, Dean of Students at Thales, Sheriff Kirgo Quicktrigger, arresting officer in the incident, Dr. Kelda Pearlhorn, and the four minors involved.

AHEM
. He cleared his throat loudly, getting his reading voice ready.

“On the night in question, it has been determined that Mr. Miniheart left Thales Academy after curfew without permission or chaperone. His goal was to dye the lake surrounding the Alabaster Tower a red color, imitating blood, a tactic commonly used by demonic armies prior to invasion. His intention was to cause widespread havoc and riots among the people of Rosehaven so that he could take credit for it and be expelled from school.” Lord Laszlo gave the boy a sideways glance of confusion before he continued. “Hoping to convince him to change his mind Ms. Wolfskin followed him, where she watched as he and his canine were attacked by Mirabella DiBasso and two dwarves in her employ.”

“Ahem,” interjected Giuseppe “I’m sorry to be rude, Lord Laszlo, but that allegation by the children is completely unfounded. They are small, young, confused.”

“Giuseppe, we will discuss your granddaughter’s role in this affair at her hearing. Right now, I merely wish to understand the actions and motivations of these four children.”

DiBasso nodded and stopped his interjection.

“Now, as I was saying, the three assailants beat this beautiful canine mercilessly and left her to die on the road, while knocking Mr. Miniheart unconscious in order to kidnap him. Seeing this, Ms. Wolfskin returned to Thales with Rigby in order to procure help for the dying dog. Correct Ms. Wolfskin?”

“Yes, Lord Laszlo,” Tyranna answered respectfully, “I did not know where else to take her.”

“And during this time, Ms. Tallhat, Ms. Bushytail and yourself decided to bring Rigby to Dr. Kelda’s office? Why didn’t you inform one of the teachers or Professor Tallhat of the predicament?”

“I was afraid that if someone found out, Jaxon would be expelled, and that I would too for following him.”

“It was a poor decision, Ms. Wolfskin; I hope you understand that.”

“I do, sir,” she answered regretfully.

“Dr. Kelda, when the children first arrived at your office how bad was the dog?”

“She was in critical condition, Lord Laszlo. She could have died at any moment. She had several broken ribs, a dislocated jaw, a concussion, and extreme internal bleeding. I was forced to do immediate surgery.”

Rigby barked a loud thank you.

“I see you did impeccable work, as always, Doctor.”

Kelda nodded her thanks. “Even with my best work, I regret that I could not restore sight to her left eye.”

“A regrettable occurrence, indeed. Kelda, it says next that you instructed the three students to sit outside and wait for you to finish surgery so that you could accompany them back to school. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Lord Laszlo. It is. They chose to ignore me. Scared me half to death when I went outside to get them and they were missing.”

“Thank you, Dr. Kelda. Girls, after you left, it states that you returned to the scene of the attack and picked up a trail. This trail led to an abandoned mine shaft. It was at this point that Ms. Bushytail decided that heroics were necessary and proclaimed that she would lead a rescue attempt. Ms. Tallhat, in disagreement, left to get Sheriff Quicktrigger. Well Ms. Tallhat, that sounds like the first wise move any of the three of you had that entire night.”

The girls all nodded their heads, accepting the judgment.

“So, at that point, the two remaining girls went into the mine, believing their friend was being held there by a group of murderous kidnappers.” Lord Laszlo stopped and stared at them, waiting for some kind of new clarity, but none came.

“It was at this point that they found Mr. Miniheart laying on the ground with his kidnapper over him, severing his tail. As the assailant went for a killing strike, Ms. Bushytail interceded?”

“She saved my life!” Jaxon exclaimed excitedly. He had been quiet for so long, it looked like words wanted to boil over and stream out of his mouth.

“So it seems, Mr. Miniheart. While Ms. Bushytail engaged in a duel with all three assailants, Ms. Wolfskin managed to free you?

“Yeah, she was a mouse and chewed right through my ropes.”

“It was at that time that Ms. Bushytail took a thrown knife into her shoulder?”

“Yes, my lord,” Jaxon blurted out. “Mirabella has excellent aim.

Giuseppe gave him a dirty look for using his granddaughter’s name.

“And in order to ensure her friend’s safety, Ms. Wolfskin entered the fray, engaging both dwarves at one time?”

“She turned into a huge white bear!”

“So it says. Had Coach Yogee instructed you on this manner of transformation, young lady?

“No, sir. I did the best I could with the knowledge I had. I used an image in my head from a story I learned long ago.”

“Are you aware of the extreme danger that such a shift might entail?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And yet you did it anyway. Why?”

“My friends would have died if I didn’t, sir.”

“I understand. Now Jaxon, it says here you disposed the final attacker by nullifying her wings?”

“If nullify means burned em’ off, then yes. I used my mind to wrap her in the flame from the torch.”

The crowd began to whisper and murmur.

“It seems that the facts we have are not in dispute then, so it only leaves the extent of your punishment to discuss. It is clear that each of you broke rules knowingly. Unfortunately, the punishment for leaving Thales after curfew, without permission, is expul—“

“I HAVE RETURNED!” interrupted a loud booming voice as the chamber door flew open.

All heads turned to the entrance as several retics entered. They all looked and smelled rancid, like they had gone weeks without bathing.

“Admiral Brownstache!” Laszlo snapped, “That is not how a citizen of Rosehaven speaks to this council. Control yourself.”

“My apologies, my lord” said the elf, bowing deeply. Unlike his crew, he was dressed impeccably in dark colored silks and leather shoes that looked brand new. As always, his moustache was perfectly groomed. Stella and Cletus had given it extra care today in honor of the big news.

“I come bearing news that cannot wait.”

“What is so important that it cannot wait a few minutes?”

“My lord, we have discovered, upon intense interrogation of a ranking Coalition officer, that the humans do in fact have a way of tracking retics.”

The crowd let out a collective gasp at Brownstache’s news. Everyone began wildly whispering their questions and concerns to each other

Lord Laszlo slammed his gavel down.
BANG!

“I will have silence!”

The crowd died down.

“You may continue, Admiral.”

“From what we were able to ascertain, they have a young boy who can sense retics at a great distance. We were not able to find out if they have already discovered our location, but if not yet, then it could be any day. If it is just a boy with these abilities, then we can assume that his powers will grow as he does.”

“This is very troubling news. I fear that I must admit this council had discussed the possibility of just such a thing when the Coalition first stepped up their efforts to capture retics. What you report now confirms my worst fears.”

“I do have some better news though, sir. We also found out that Sir Reginald Branchworth did not perish as we first believed. He had been seen alive and incarcerated several days after he was attacked.”

The crowd murmured loudly. Tyranna’s heart nearly skipped a beat. Branchy might still be alive! Her elation almost made her forget that they were all about to be expelled.

Laszlo waited for quiet, his face showing deep contemplation.

“Well, fellow council members, this does change things a bit. With the new threat of war I’m sure we can all agree that the defense of Rosehaven is paramount to all else. As such, as Lord Protector of Rosehaven, I am asserting my right to rule personally in this matter.”

All the council members snapped their heads toward Laszlo, even ambassador Mhucas, who had woken up when Brownstache came pouring in. It seemed that making decisions without input was not something he did often.

“Upon hearing this news, I’ve decided to remove any penalty for former infractions committed by these young citizens.” He looked straight at Jaxon as he continued. “You’ll report back to Thales immediately and continue your training. It seems to be that we might need your talents sooner than I anticipated. Despite our best efforts to remain hidden, war is coming to Rosehaven.