An Army of Good
Page 17
Abigail looked down on Button “I’s-a be back as soon as I can now, ya hear. Y’all be good, and take care of your brothers and sisters for your mama,” she hollered, before merging into the bird-filled sky.
The beach below Abigail, and the birds, slowly rippled and moved as if it were a living being. The sand was covered in a pulsing mass of creatures that were all following Zavier to war.
Aaron carried Arthur and Lizzy. Francis was perched comfortably within Lizzy’s nest-like hair. Jazmine and Lettitia walked beside Aaron, their bodies laden with starfish lanterns and Fire Fairy pods.
“I wish you’d stayed at the house,” Aaron said with a sigh, nuzzling Jazmine.
“You heard what Zavier said. And it’s true, we’ll be safer together. What if the Nomeds attack the house while everyone’s away and I’m there alone?”
“I suppose, but I still don’t like it. You shouldn’t be going to war in your condition.”
“I’m pregnant, Aaron, not crippled. And anyway, this pregnancy has made me stronger, more protective, more determined. God help anything or anyone that tries to harm our unborn child,” she said, with a new fierceness in her eyes.
Evan rode upon Ezekiel. The bay cob was following orders from Zavier to keep the husband and father close to Mary and Grace at all times. Ezekiel was joined by Hazel, who in turn wanted to stay as close to her friend as possible.
Ezekiel turned to Hazel and smiled. “Ahh, the white warriors!” he said.
Hazel’s pure white coat was blindingly bright as it glowed in the new day’s sun. Her eyes were as warm and rich as honey. She really was a sight to see, for she carried upon her back a laughing lady, old and wise, who cradled a harp seal smooth as velvet. Above her flew a snowy owl, beautiful and graceful, fluttering like snow in the crisp blue sky. The white warriors, Hazel, Elsie, Angelo and Ice, appeared as a merging of white hair, fur and feathers and together they created a dazzling spectacle to behold.
April and Tobias hadn’t been given the title of warriors, but they felt the name befitted them. They looked the part, as they were loaded with spears, bows, arrows, swords and shields; true war horses ready to avenge the deaths of their friends and loved ones.
Harry marched proudly alongside Pelagia and his Warriors. Mateo was being carried within the body of the commander of the Water Warriors. This time, he wasn’t going to stay in the ocean feeling useless. He was going with them. His mind-reading ability had already proven useful, and he was to play an important role in the final battle.
Christian’s heroics at the beach house had earned him a respected position within the pack. Takoda, Rian, Remus and Romulus couldn’t help but be impressed by the young boy’s bravery. When they found out that Christian had successfully paralysed and then released a juvenile Nomed, they accepted him into the pack as one of their own.
Christian’s knuckles were white as he gripped a spear tightly in his right hand and grasped Takoda’s scruff securely in his left. He was no longer the same child who had arrived in Liberty. He was not the nervous little boy who thought he had lost his powers, only to find out that he had never had any to start with. He was no longer the boy who feared the monsters of the swamp, to then witness one such monster tear his mother away from him before his very eyes. That boy had gone now; he had left the night that he had faced his fears, the night that he had saved his father.
Christian straddled the coarse grey fur of Takoda’s back, holding his spear high and proud. He still had the physical appearance of the small boy that had first arrived in Liberty, but inside he had grown; he was stronger and wiser than many a man could ever be, a true warrior riding to battle on a fierce wolf, a wolf with which he shared a special power.
Mad Mrs Potty Potts and Henrietta walked together near the back, within a throng of furred and feathered creatures. Badgers, squirrels, rabbits, hares, mice and hedgehogs, to name just a few, scurried around their feet, while birds, Fire Fairies and dragonflies darted above their heads.
“Well then, young lady, this it,” Mrs Potts said, grinning wide-eyed and shaking her head with a strangely excitable bounce to her curls. Henri tutted loudly and rolled her eyes, fearing that the nutty school teacher might burst into a merry conga at any moment.
Lastly, at the very back of the horde of good creatures, stood Aurora, Dan and Shannon. They looked ahead at the slow-moving crowd. Shannon scanned the beach, checking that everyone was where and as they should be. Dan anxiously bit the skin away from the edge of his nails as he watched the animals in front of him slowly begin to shuffle forward, signalling the start of their journey to the swamp. The tip of Aurora’s tail brushed against his elbow as she calmly and elegantly prowled past him, disturbing his anxious trance.
“Come on, Dan, what are you waiting for?” she purred.
“Nothing. I’m good, I’m good,” Dan said, widening his shoulders and clenching his fists in a show of confidence. Then he, too, began to follow the crowd.
Meanwhile, at the head of the group, Zavier had begun the climb up the rocky path. With his head and neck outstretched and his hooves clattering against the stone, he pulled himself upwards. Air blew from his silky nostrils and he shook his head, tousling his mane, as if freeing himself of nerves and readying himself for battle.
Then, at the top of the path, he turned back and looked upon his crowd of followers with pride. Grace gave him a firm and encouraging pat on the neck. He whinnied, then, holding his head high, he took his first furtive steps into the shaded woodland and headed in the direction of the swamp.