A Tiara of Emerald Thorns

by R Cavanaugh

  But the trasicores had since been released, and many a person and creature were now being crushed or swallowed by the beasts. Their limbs were flailing, and even when they became unbalanced they did damage, killing or injuring any who came near them.

  Just then a horrifying scream came from his right, and he watched with utter terror as a trasicore sank its fangs into his sister, Topaz, piercing her chest and stomach in one go. It opened its mouth and wrapped its tongue around the wound, sucking horribly.

  “Nooo!” he screamed in rage and redirected his attention on the creature, jumping onto Valor and racing forward. His sword found many a soldier as they galloped in Topaz’s direction, Valor crushing all who were unfortunate enough to end up beneath him. But James’s lust for blood existed for no man at this point; it was only there for that foul creature.

  “Thomas, no!” Valor whinnied as the raven tried frantically to cause the creature to release her.

  But the trasicore would not be distracted from a meal it had and swatted Thomas without a care. It was about to step on him just at James drove his sword into its right front leg.

  The creature let out a terrifying sound and began thrashing as it limped on the rest of its five legs. Trying to keep its balance, it decided to drop Topaz and defend itself.

  “Valor, get Topaz!” he cried, jumping off and preparing to fight.

  The trasicore raised a clawed arm and swung. James was ready and cut the limb off with one stroke. The blow from him was directly followed by a blow from the creature’s tentacle, sending him flying. He rolled over and grabbed his sword just in time to avoid being stepped upon.

  “Argh!”

  He cried, swinging his sword and hitting it across its back, causing it to release another cry.

  “Take that, you—”

  His sentence was interrupted by its tongue wrapping around his waist and lifting him up over fourteen feet and banging him against the wall. He was dazed, and it took him a moment to refocus. The creature had dropped him just to pick him back up and bring him up to his razor-sharp teeth.

  Using up a massive amount of effort, he swung his sword and cut off the creature’s tongue. The creature started to writhe, and James landed hard at the creature’s feet.

  “James!”

  It was Valor, but he needed to wait until James was finished with this creature from hell. With an effort that was second only to his last stand, he drove his sword into the monster’s chest and wrenched it out as it fell.

  He was breathing heavily and continued to glare at the dead or dying creature.

  “Well, I must say I am impressed.”

  James felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He quickly swung around and found himself face to face with Igneous Stipes’s right hand man, Exotius Obscurum.

  “Yah, well…” James said, not quite knowing how to finish his sentence.

  “However,” Exotius said, drawing his own sword, Wildfire readying himself behind him, “Your father was once a great fighter, and look how he turned out.”

  Oh, that does it, James thought, and letting out a cry of absolute rage, he ran, sword raised, at his father’s murderer.

  Wildfire was now met with opposition from Valor, who was now biting, pushing, and kicking to keep him from getting to James. And Wildfire was doing the same.

  The fight between the animals was nothing compared to that of their human partners. James and Exotius were trading blows with such ferocity that their arms shook and their bones rattled. Exotius was quite strong and was throwing blows at James that made James wonder if this fight was going to end in his favor.

  He threw another swing at Exotius, but this time when their swords met, Exotius grabbed his arm, held it fast, and said,

  “You can’t win.” He smiled and continued, “And when you’re dead, I’m going to kill your friends, the rest of your family, and then I’m going to give your girlfriend to the king on a silver platter.”

  He threw James against the wall, and James rolled out of the way just as Exotius took a swing.

  “Yah,” James said, and their swords met a few more times before he punched Exotius in the mouth, sending him backward this time. “Well, when you’re dead, I’m going to feed you to the first animal that’ll have you!”

  Exotius grinned evilly. Apparently he liked that James still had some spirit in him to keep the fight interesting. He then took up his sword again and resumed their fight, taking a swing at James before running through the gates. James ran after him, determined to take him down.

  James was now running past the rest of Igneous’s army as it filtered through the gate and was heading toward the castle and after Exotius. He could see him heading for the castle’s gate, and James redoubled his efforts to reach him, running right through the fountain and not slowing. He was using every ounce of speed he had so as to reach him.

  “What’s the matter, Exotius? You afraid to fight me?” James said, stopping just as Exotius reached the castle’s drawbridge. “Afraid you’ll lose?”

  Exotius stopped just short of the bridge and turned around. That’s done it, James thought. Exotius’s sense of pride had prevented him from continuing; it was known throughout the kingdom, and James had just attacked it.

  “Araagh!!” Exotius cried, his eyes red as blood now and faster with his sword than ever before. He came at James, swinging left, then right, then left again. Each swing more brutal than the last, and James was doing all he could to keep up with him. But in Exotius’s haste to win, he lost his balance, and James seized his chance. He swung at Exotius’s chest and grazed it, drawing blood.

  This, however, only enraged him further, and he began fighting James with renewed rage, knocking him to the ground and cutting him across the chest.

  “I hope, James Tungston,” Exotius said smiling, placing one foot on James’s chest to hold him to the ground, “that you enjoyed insulting me. Because that insult is going to be your last.”

  James watched as Exotius, with his eyes blazing, brought his sword up for the kill.

  “Say hi to your father for me.”

  Then, as he was about to bring his sword crashing down, another blade went and pierced him through the chest.

  The look on Exotius Obscurum’s face was one of pure shock and disbelief, and he stood there, swaying a moment. James could see what was going to come next and rolled out of the way as he fell flat on his face, with the sword still in him.

  James looked up and saw that Rachel MacNeil now stood where Exotius once had. She held out a hand in an offer to help James to his feet.

  “That,” she said, wrenching the sword out of Exotius and glaring at his dead form, “is for Danny and Tormen.”

  “Thank you,” James whispered, patting her arm and breathing heavily.

  “No need to thank me,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye. “You would do the same for me.”

  James nodded.

  “Of course we would,” came the voice of Valor.

  James turned and saw his horse limping in his direction. James also noticed that the fight had now entered the city, and people were getting closer to the castle.

  “Where’s Wildfire?” James asked, filled with curiosity.

  “Oh, him,” Valor said with an air of something that needn’t be discussed, “he fell into a trasicore’s dead, open mouth and impaled himself on its teeth.”

  “Eeee,” Rachel’s cat, Damien, had arrived and shivered at the thought, “that must have hurt.”

  “Ah, well,” Valor said breezily, “that’s the way life goes.”

  James suddenly realized how close he was to the castle, and in that case, Rose. He let out an involuntary groan and looked at the building.

  “James,” Rachel said softly, and they watched as the space remaining between them and the castle filled with other groups of fighters. “Go.”

>   “Go?” he said absentmindedly.

  She smiled and looked up at the castle.

  “Go and help her.”

  “I am supposed to keep you safe,” James said, looking at her and smiling a small smile before looking at the castle again.

  “I’ll keep her safe, kid.”

  It was Liam, and it felt as though he had appeared out of nowhere.

  “Don’t worry,” Enigma growled, walking right behind Liam, “we won’t let a thing happen to her.”

  Damien hopped onto Enigma’s back and curled up.

  “We’ll make sure that every soldier from here to Lake Veteris Spiritus falls before she does,” Liam said, smiling.

  “Go, James.” She whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek, “Help the one you love.”

  “I’ll see you when it’s over?” James said in more of a question to Liam.

  “’Course, kid,” Liam said firmly, readying his sword as soldiers approached, “I wouldn’t want to miss your wedding.”

  James nodded and turned to Valor, who was waiting for him. James climbed up on him, ready for the next fight. James took a final look at the four of them and watched them fight with renewed force as they took on a new group of soldiers.

  James and Valor then turned and started toward the castle. They ran past groups of fighters, but James knew he needed to focus on the fight he was most likely to have next. They finally crossed the drawbridge and were crossing the courtyard, and James knew that the next villain he met would be far worse than the last.

  Chapter 34

  The Garden

  Heartington Castle

  Rose and Vengeance had just reached the top of the staircase that led back into the courtyard and away from the trasicore enclosure and the soldiers.

  “How do we get out?” Nightmare crowed, ruffling her wings.

  “Like this!” Vengeance cried, and using the tip of the blade of her sword, she pushed the tip of it into a notch right in the middle of the ceiling and next to the door’s frame.

  The door immediately opened, and Vengeance ran through, Nightmare following her with assurance.

  “How did she know what to do?” Rose asked Nightsky and turned to look at her. Nightsky looked dumbstruck and stared blankly at her and then after the other two.

  “I know that she’s close to Rachel, but Rachel only told me about that,” Rose said and had an uneasy feeling as she watched Vengeance cut down the two guards that were posted at the door leading into the castle.

  “Come on!” Nightmare hissed at the two of them as Vengeance entered the castle.

  Rose nodded and ran from the stable across the courtyard, and after checking that the coast was still clear, nodded to Nightsky. Nightsky trotted across, her hooves causing echoes across the courtyard. Once at the door, Rose looked around and across the yard; there was most certainly no going back from here.

  They had finally made it to the castle, Rose thought as she ran down the hallway and saw the cabinet that Rachel had described.

  Suddenly there was some crazed whinnying and cries of rage from a group of soldiers. Infestus was galloping toward them from the other end of the hallway, with soldiers right behind him.

  “I don’t think we invited them to our party,” Nightmare said, stretching out her claws and swiping at the first soldier she saw.

  “Let’s throw them out, then,” Nightsky said, spearing another soldier with her horn.

  Rose and Vengeance worked hard to get through the group. Rose injured two men and ducked a well-placed blow from another. Vengeance was fending off Infestus and attempting to kill him, by the looks of it. The horse made a mad effort to get to Rose and bit the upper part of Vengeance’s arm.

  “Ahh!” Vengeance let out an involuntary cry.

  “Vengeance!” Nightmare said, impaling and tossing two guards, leaving only one and Infestus.

  “Take that,” Nightsky growled and kicked the guard in the head, knocking him to the ground and watching as he let out a gargling sound.

  “She’s mine!” Infestus said in a deep undertone and charged at Vengeance, attempting to trample her and giving her the opportunity she needed.

  Vengeance drove her sword right through the horse’s chest, being knocked down in the process. Infestus fell to the ground and moved no more.

  “Take that, you—” but Nightmare’s next word was quite vulgar, and Rose decided to drown it out.

  “How’s your arm?” Rose asked, looking concerned and walking over to her and looking at her arm.

  “Sore, but I’ll live,” she groaned and pulled her arm out of Rose’s reach so she couldn’t see it.

  She is just a huge pain, Rose thought, and she isn’t about to follow me anywhere. Her intention is to lead.

  “He was a huge pain in the you-know-where for sure,” Nightmare said as they finally stood in front of the cabinet at the end of the hallway.

  “I think,” Vengeance said, breathing hard and looking at Rose in a strange way, “now would be a good time to split up.”

  “It will be easier for us to conquer the two brothers by dividing,” Nightmare muttered distractedly as she looked down the right side of the hallway.

  “OK,” Rose breathed.

  Then all four of them began to break off into different directions and fulfill their different tasks.

  Nightsky, Rose, and Vengeance went left, while Nightmare went right. Nightmare was going to try to locate the throne room and see what she could find there. The other three continued together in silence until Nightsky broke off down a hallway on her right. She was going down into the dungeons in order to free those who were truly innocent.

  Rose and Vengeance continued down the hallway, and they walked in silence until they reached the entrance hall and saw the stairs leading up.

  “Look.”

  Rose’s sudden aggression had captured Vengeance’s attention.

  “I don’t know what your issue is with me, but drop it.”

  Vengeance looked Rose up and down as her eyebrows went up.

  “Well,” she said in disbelief, “you suddenly became quite aggressive and accusatory.”

  “I don’t even think that you’re from around here.”

  Vengeance had a strange look in her eyes and smiled.

  “Maybe I am,” she said and walked over to Rose and continued to look at her, “maybe I’m not. But that shouldn’t matter as, at the moment, I’m on your side.”

  “‘At the moment’ doesn’t sit well with me.” Rose said, glaring at her.

  Vengeance seemed to be thinking about something nasty, but then her face changed and became far more pleasant, as if she had just been reunited with her best friend.

  “I’m sorry that you feel that way, Rose,” she said earnestly, almost looking apologetic.

  Rose didn’t know what to say and looked at the woman before her with a wary expression. She knew that this woman couldn’t be trusted, but to trust her now was far from being an option; it was a necessity. She decided to make amends for now and bring this back up later.

  “Fine,” Rose said coolly, “let’s just get this over with.”

  “Fine,” she said slyly, heading for the stairs.

  Rose and Vengeance walked up the first flight of stairs together. In reaching the landing, Vengeance broke off and headed toward Jonathan’s end of the castle, not even giving Rose a backward glance. Rose shook her head and started up the next flight of stairs. This flight would lead her to the king’s quarters and hopefully, yet terribly, him.

  It’s so quiet up here, Rose thought as she reached the landing and looked down the hallway. Maybe, she thought, they fled from here after the others breached the city walls. Yah, she thought, smiling weakly, that’ll be the day.

  The hallway seemed so long to her, but that was more nerves than actuality. Ther
e were several doors, and each could lead to the room she wanted. From what she had been told, there was a library at the very end of the hall and then a study that was next to it. Wait, she thought, what side was the study on?

  If someone were to come by now, they would be met by a very strange sight. She was covered in sweat and blood, both human and animal alike. She was just standing there, as still as can be, and looking as though she had been frozen in time.

  Shaking her head, she began to take the first of many careful steps forward. She held her sword loosely but was ready to use it if she had to. That day she even took a secondary weapon with her by using a dagger to hold up her hair.

  After some deductive reasoning, she decided to take the first door on her left. It seemed to be the best choice, and in coming beside it, she leaned against the wall. She took a deep breath as if to prepare for going underwater. She grasped the door handle, opened the door, and dashed in.

  The room, however elegant, was empty. But it was clearly the king’s room, for the room could belong to no other. A huge portrait of the king stood just past the fireplace on her left-hand side and stood almost seven feet tall. In it, he was holding both arms across his chest, and a tree surrounded by bushes was just to his right. He was dressed in gray armor, and one hand could be seen resting on the pommel of his sword. His expression was rather smug.

  “Well,” she whispered aloud, “he thinks rather highly of himself, doesn’t he?”

  She walked over to it, marveling at its sheer size. He wasn’t, in her opinion, that far from being good looking, but the evil in his eyes, which spread across face, was not. This took away all hope of anyone taking any notice of his nicer features.

  Brr, she thought as a cool breeze ran across her. That’s weird, she thought, Despite the warm fire next to this spot, there is cold air near the painting. She turned to see if the balcony doors were open; they weren’t.

  “I wonder,” she whispered and placed her hand near the frame. Cold air was flowing from behind it.