by Amy Neftzger
“It’s cold. It feels like icicles scratching my skin,” Kelsey informed Nicholas. It was also slightly painful, but she didn’t mention that part.
Moss and Nicholas studied the mark for a few moments. The petal had faded slightly, but it was still there.
“Try again,” Moss said with encouragement.
Nicholas repeated the application, but when this didn’t further erase the mark, he decided to saturate Kelsey’s arm with the solution by slowly pouring it over the mark. Just before the last of the solution was gone, the mark disappeared.
“Stubborn little bugger,” Moss said to himself. Then he looked at Nicholas and continued, “You have excellent instincts. Pouring that solution to drown the mark did the trick!”
“I think it may have been easier to remove if we had gotten to it sooner,” Nicholas said. “It’s programmed to spread and multiply, as if it’s taking root. I treated it like a plant root. They die when they’re flooded with water, so I thought that maybe the seed of destruction would die if we drown it with the logical solution.”
“We never get away from plants,” Maggie sighed.
“The earth is covered with them,” he replied.
“I’m just not good with plants.”
“But you’ve learned how to be better with them,” he said with an encouraging smile.
“We all have a lot to learn and a tremendous amount to accomplish,” the king replied. “This plant is only one of many strategies the sorcerer is planning.”
“This could be very serious for the whole kingdom,” Nicholas added. “We need to stop him before he moves onto his next plan – whatever that may be.”
“Can we do it?” Kelsey asked. “He has such a large head start on us. These plants are everywhere, and we don’t even know how to tell them apart from the natural ones that are harmless.” She felt the doubt slowly rising inside her like the foam on a glass of ale. It fizzed and bubbled gently, tickling her with fear.
“We don’t have a choice,” Nicholas replied. “We have to fight him. I know he scares me, and maybe he scares some of you also. But we shouldn’t ever let fear stop us. There’s too much at stake.”
“I like the way this conversation is going!” Newton exclaimed.
“I hope I can find a way to help,” Maggie interjected. “I’m not a warrior, but I want to contribute.”
“Thanks to all of you,” the king interjected. “We now have all the hope we need. I’m grateful to have all of you working with me. I have no doubt that we’ll win this war, but it won’t be easy. We don’t have much time, but with effort and determination, we can overcome anything.”
“How do you know we’ll win? How can you be certain?” Kelsey asked.
“Because I’ve seen the end,” Newton answered. “As I’ve told Nicholas, Gargoyles have excellent scrying skills. I already know the future, but I don’t know how to get there.”
Kelsey suddenly felt very tired as she looked around the room. She studied the faces of all her friends, and in the eyes of each one, she saw the reflection of the hope that they had all worked to save. Hope was something worth fighting for, and she had fought for it without realizing how much she, herself, needed it. Her gaze finally settled on Nicholas.
“Let’s take him down,” she said with conviction.
“That’s the spirit!” Newton said as he flapped his wings with excitement.
Acknowledgements
There were many people who assisted in the making of this book. First of all, I’m grateful to my editor Ken, who has a keen eye for detail that I always appreciate. It’s a pleasure working with you you. I’d also like to thank Cory for taking time out of his busy schedule to work on these illustrations. My only criticism is that you should do more portraits of gargoyles. You really have a talent for it. Finally, to my many friends and family who supported me as I worked on multiple books at one time: I know I behaved like someone with a split personality at times, but remember that there’s so many varieties of me to love because of it. I love each one of you and so do my other personalities.
Fiction Books By Amy Neftzger
For Children:
All That The Dog Ever Wanted
Bedtime Stories For Dogs
Bedtime Stories For Cats
The Orphanage of Miracles
The Orchard of Hope
For Adults:
Conversations With The Moon
Leftover Shorts
Confessions From a Moving Van
The Ferryman
For more information, please visit Amy’s website at:
www.amyneftzger.com