The Three Thorns (25 page)

“What now?” Sebastian asked, when something caught Tommy’s eye once more. It was the spirits he was told about, the ones that he had seen earlier that lay in the darkest corners of the Stained Castle.

Tommy watched their erratic movements diving into the fighting crowd. Every time a goblin or soldier of Saul was killed, a black spirit from the stained walls would sharply descend toward their bodies and pull their darkened spirits out. Sometimes the spirits of the Stained Castle would take a dead creature’s soul so fast, the new soul would instantly become a part of it. It was an accumulation of dark spirits that waited for their own opportunity to strike at the dead.

Tommy’s concentration on the accumulating spirits was broken when Sebastian lifted a dagger that had landed on the window ledge after being thrown to him from the middle of the room by Ban Pan. Tommy suddenly took the dangerous instrument off his brother just as the gremlins stood in front of them.

“We have no choice,” Tommy yelled to his brother.

Sebastian nodded eagerly when they both ran against the assailants that charged back at them. But the nearer they got to their attackers, the more Tommy could see the gremlins for what they really were. In a frantic skid and desperate tug at Sebastian, Tommy managed to stop both of them from making a grave mistake.

“It’s a trick, get back,” Tommy explained.

“But they’re smaller than us,” Sebastian started, his heart beating with newfound bravery. “We can take them.”

Tommy quietly shook his head and moved against the window as he studied the clever illusion. “No they’re not. I see them,” he whispered to Sebastian.

“See what?” his brother asked, confused.

“Watch!” gasped Tommy while pointing back at the gremlin guards in front of them.

The two guards had already begun to shed their brilliant disguise the moment Tommy’s piercing eyes saw through it. Real armory reappeared, ripping through the skin of the gremlin costume. Both villains started growing in stature and changing in size, until everyone saw what Tommy’s eyes could see through their dark magick. It was the Nockwire.

The assassins Tommy had been dreading since the moment he’d first laid eyes on them had finally returned for them in the new world, like they had promised. Baring their needle-like weaponry tight in their grips, both assassins took thudding steps in front of them, pinning each boy to the window.

Sebastian faced the bushy haired and cloaked assassin Scythas, whilst Tommy faced the heavily-armored beast Thestor for his third time. It was in that hellish moment, without warning, that Tommy finally unleashed his first new worldly power.

Cecil struggled to turn his head when Jodo pinned his face hard against the cracked window. The evil knight stared obsessively at his assassins, waiting for them to strike a fatal blow.

Spotting a trickle of sweat roll from Jodo’s brow down his cheek, Cecil was sure the evil knight had his focus elsewhere. He released his own light spell from his glowing staff. The sudden surge of electricity caused an instant separation between the pair. Jodo was flung a few yards from Cecil and landed on the ground in a firm combat pose, watching his faithful and trusty Nockwire assassins bully the children into a helpless position.

Amidst the bedlam, all Sebastian could do was cover his eyes like a scared animal preparing for the worst, when the heavily armored villain lifted his brother up by one strong hand.

As Thestor prepared to kill his human captive with a fatal stab, Tommy found himself staring directly into the assassin’s face. His fire-lit eyes saw past the monster’s cursed form to who the Nockwire assassin was before: a man.

Suddenly, Tommy’s shining eyes caught the attention of the dark spirits and attracted them. The blackened spirits that were invisible to most civilians, the souls Cecil Baskin had warned him not to indulge, Tommy now openly embraced. They noticed his stare immediately and swarmed to him, only too happy to claim another pitiful life.

The Nockwire didn’t know what had hit them when blackness of each dark spirit engulfed their senses, shrouding their faces from everything around them. The attack caused each assassin to stagger to his knees, making the marble floor shake.

“The child, get that human child!” Jodo called to Lemis, who was still fighting off the defensive barrier that the bounty hunters and elves had successfully sustained.

One whistle from Lemis signalled his trusty omnicorn to breach through the ceiling of the enormous room. Amongst the endless fighting of the two armies, Lemis led the omnicorn and several of his last remaining sea guards to Tommy and Sebastian.

“Now is our chance. Let’s wipe these parasites out,” Lemis called back as he rode the horribly diseased and greasy creature in the direction of the two children. Once again, Tommy and Sebastian found themselves cornered, this time by different and equally dangerous assailants. The pursuit for their lives was unrelenting.

At first, Cecil thought it had been the combined weight of both the Nockwire falling to their knees that sent the minor shockwaves through the ground. Ariel had hoped it was the storm spell the warlocks had yet to complete.

The intense display of Tommy’s inner powers had left him drained. His blazing eyes turned their focus onto what approached beyond the Stained Castle’s walls. He could see what had caused the sudden shockwaves.

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 powerful 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.