Princess Ruby of Tamworthia

by Phil Armstrong

Chapter 10: The Battle Plan for the Second Night

  The Mystical Forest, Skipton, Yorkshire, England, 1545.

  There was still more preparations to be done, but time would not allow. The familiar rumblings had started, deep within the darkening forest. This time, it would be different. This time, the beasts would find a reception different to any they'd experienced in the past. Joseph was a masterful planner; Ruby it seemed, was a masterful motivator. She was the leader; she'd managed to galvanized age-old enemies into a cohesive fighting force. Anticipation coursed through the forest; tonight would be different.

  The Gateway to the underworld opened as usual with the rising Moon; the familiar rush of muscle heaved its way from the foul opening. Beasts clambered from the abyss, eager to taste blood, and fulfill their breeding heritage. They were driven to kill anything from this world. They gathered in a pack, howling and snarling their presence. The clouds broke, allowing the Moon's blue light to stream into the clearing. It would've been easy to start the plan prematurely. The forest’s creatures were ready, but Ruby held firm. She was just as excited, her heart thumping wildly within her chest. The plan required a tricky start. She would have to create fire using a flint block and a pile of dried brush, covered in highly flammable pitch tar. She had to keep her nerve, and start the fire carefully. The beasts would be afraid of the fire and that was central to the plan.

  Throughout the day, a trench had been excavated, behind the entrance to the underworld. It circled the entrance, in the hope that it would funnel the great beasts, in the desired direction. Ruby poked her head from the brush, to observe a number of beasts gathering. Again she waited, as a Squirrel screamed with excitement and anticipation. More beasts poured from the entrance, eagerly awaiting the oncoming fight. The noise was deafening; grunts, chants and snarls filled the air. The trench was filled with sharpened pikes made from wood. The trees had willing donated the pikes and the flammable sap, in order to win this fight. If the beasts turned to flee in the wrong direction, they would need to cross the camouflaged trench, resulting in their fall and ultimate death.

  It was time. Ruby took the flint and struck it hard onto the curved rock, designed to deflect any sparks onto the highly combustible material. Nothing happened. She tried again; this time sparks flew, but they didn’t result in a sustained flame. Panic started to swell in her belly; it quickly spread to her mind. "Calm down," she thought, concentrating on the flint, tightly gripped within her hand. She stared at the rock and with one quick and deliberate movement, struck the flint shard into the rock, as hard as she could. Sparks leapt from the flint and a couple deflected onto the tar. A small flame burst into life, a beautiful orange flame. Ruby took a small amount of dried moss, and coaxed it carefully up to the flame. Her heart raced as the flame enveloped the moss. The moss started to burn; now she had a small fire. She held a wooden staff, doused in tar and bound with dried reeds, to the flame. She carefully dipped the tip of the staff into the dancing flames. Instantly the tar caught alight, and the flaming torch burst into life. The flames attracted immediate attention; a beast caught the brilliant light within his gaze.

  The plan was working; Joseph had meticulously planned for every detail. The beast bounded towards the light but pulled up short when he realized it was fire. Fear coursed through his body, but it didn't last. A hail of arrows plunged into the beast's side, dropping him instantly. Ruby leaned to her right; she dipped the flaming end of her staff, deep into the edge of the tar pit. It ignited instantly; she watched as the flame coursed its way around the back of the entrance.

  The flames leapt high, illuminating the clearing and causing the beasts to panic. A large beast led the way, bounding into the darkness and away from the dancing flames. The rest followed, scared by the crackling sounds and the intense heat. The stampede had begun, and the trail of beasts broke for the darkened gorge, flanked by two steep hills. As the beasts ran, they seemed to pull others with them. They streamed into the gorge and entered the welcome darkness. Joseph was smart. He knew the darkness meant safety, but the darkness could easily be a disadvantage to an unsuspecting foe. As they funneled into the gorge, they soon encountered a narrow path. Two steep walls covered in trees, boulders and bracken flanked their path. The beasts approached the trap, frightened by the flames. One of the beasts, a wily old character, sensed a trap, and headed in another direction. He was a loner and the others ignored his chosen path. He headed straight for Ruby, away from the gorge. Ruby was exposed; she hadn't anticipated a lone break away beast. She was assured the beasts would move like pack animals.

  Ruby was stunned into a motionless state, as she watched the great beast running at full speed, towards her location. Her survival instincts kicked in and without thinking, she rolled to her left, distracting the beast. She landed in a kneeling position. She reached back and retrieved her bow. She raised it with her strong left arm. She quickly reached for an arrow, knowing she had time for one shot only. She loaded the arrow with her right hand and pulled the twine back taught. Aiming at the beast's throat, she waited for the right moment. Her heart pounded and she could feel her arm shaking under the resistance of the bow. "Now!" was the word screaming through her thoughts.

  Ruby let the arrow fly, but she didn't have time to trace its path. The beast was upon her, snarling its teeth and bearing down. She let the arrow fly and immediately rolled to her left. The beast let out a strange yelping noise, as its momentum came to an abrupt halt. The arrow had hit its mark, felling the great beast. It dropped immediately and slid across the grassy ground, towards Ruby. Ruby had rolled into a ridge, made of rock and covered in moss. She hit the rocks hard, bruising her leg. She lay still, silently watching the beast expire. The pain coursed through her body. She dropped her head to the ground and closed her eyes. The sounds of battle emanated through the darkness as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, was a stone ridge covered in moist green moss. Hiding below a natural rock ridge was a small plant, sporting a beautiful flower, a Yellow-bell. She squinted in disbelief. She pushed through her pain and approached the plant, to get a closer look. It was indeed a Yellow-bell; hiding beneath the natural rock ledge, this flower would have been shielded from the wet mist. The Witch had missed this one, in her efforts to eradicate the flower from the forest.

  The pack of beasts continued to pour into the gorge; Ranger had realized the beasts had been bred for their fighting abilities, not their intelligence. For an instant, he felt compassion for the beasts. Then he remembered the carnage he'd witnessed over the last year. The beasts ran along the narrow path, as Joseph had predicted. They ran swiftly, pushing the one in front, in order to escape the dancing flames behind. Soon the forest floor, covered in leaves, ferns, dirt and bracken, fell beneath their feet. A cleverly disguised trap had been laid, with a false floor masking a deep, open, pit. The pit was armed with sharp wooden pikes, waiting to greet the unsuspecting beasts. In their panic and the darkness, the beasts saw nothing; they pushed onwards towards their death.

  High above the path, stationed on each ridge, creatures armed with arrows and boulders unloaded their arsenal into the pit. The entrance to the gorge was ignited, closing the escape route for any beast that tried. It was over quickly, quicker than anyone expected. The sound of wounded animals rose from the pit. Tar was poured into the pit, and a lit torch was thrown down to finish the job. Joseph turned from the blazing pit and allowed a smile to cross his face. No creature of the forest will be harmed tonight. His plan had worked perfectly.

  The battle had been a success but the Fairies were still searching the woods, increasing their efforts and moving further away from the protection of familiar surroundings. As the leaders gathered, their mood was buoyant. It was a while before they came down from their euphoric state, and settled to discuss the night's events.

  Giselle landed gracefully on a sawn off tree stump. "We've done well tonight. Joseph, the creatures of the forest salute you."

  Ranger scur
ried to a nearby trunk, "That showed them, fantastic job!" Their excitement was clearly coursing through their veins.

  Belver was the voice of reason. "We've lost many brave souls in this battle, let's not forget that. We fought well tonight, thank you Joseph, but we still have one more night, and no way to get the Wyvern home. We're hanging on, let's face it. We're bravely hanging on." Belver shook his scarred snout, "We can't hang on forever, and we need the Wyvern's help."

  Joseph hung his head. He had to admit it felt good to pull off a plan with such precision, but Belver's summary was the truth.

  Belver raised his eyes and tried to redeem himself. "Perhaps the Fairies will return with good news, perhaps they've found a Yellow-bell."

  "Or perhaps they haven't." A voice emerged from the darkness. It was Ruby. Ruby joined the group, relieved to see her friends. "Let's face it, it's a long shot. I don't think they'll find one, the Witch seemed pretty thorough."

  Ruby's tone was unusually negative, out of character from this normally positive, inspirational, leader. Giselle flapped her wings in annoyance, she recognized the truth in the statement, but it didn't help matters by being so honest.

  "We have to believe; we'll organize and join the Fairies in their search. Get the creatures together; we need to explain the importance of this search."

  As the leaders turned, Ruby interrupted. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. It seems a fruitless waste of time. They would be better planning for the next night's activities."

  Everyone froze. Ruby had overstepped her authority. The creatures called her Princess, but Giselle was one of the most revered, feared, and wisest of the mystical creatures. Even the Wyvern listened to her counsel, and rarely went against her advice. Princess Ruby had no right to disrespect the Great White Owl in such an open way. There would be consequences, and the rest of the group tensed, before retribution was administered.

  The Great White Owl swiveled her head, fixing Ruby squarely within the gaze of her large yellow eyes. Giselle puffed out her feathered chest, and flexed her wings. She resisted the temptation to spring forward, with her razor sharp talons bared. "A fruitless waste of time?" repeated Giselle, giving Ruby one last chance to explain her statement.

  Ruby stepped forward confidently. "Yes, a fruitless waste of time, when I've already found this." Ruby extended her hand, which contained a darkened cloth, taking an uneven shape. All eyes were focused upon the small, concealed shape, nestled within her palm. She carefully, and gently, removed the flimsy cloth, revealing a clump of dirt, some exposed roots, and a green stem supporting five medium sized leaves and a stalk. The stalk protruded proudly towards the dark sky. At its wilted end, was a perfectly formed Yellow-bell. Ranger gasped audibly. Giselle settled and folded her wings, standing down from her attack position.

  "You found one!" exclaimed Joseph, stating the perfectly obvious.

  Belver was excited too; he could feel his heart beating strongly within his chest. For the first time, in a long while, he believed. This flower had restored his hope; he'd always thought the Wyvern could help them fight this enemy, now he believed they could win this fight. Now they had more than a fighting chance. "We need to plant it, care for it and water its roots. Let's keep it safe until tonight, and we'll need to get it to the pond. Giselle, can you help with that?"

  Giselle was pleased. "Take good care of the plant, keep it in the shade, keep it dry and guard it with your lives. When the Moon returns, I'll fly the flower to the pond and we'll conduct the Moonlight ceremony. I predict heavy rain today; the Witch will use all of her powers to summon the rain. The Black Fox will be running through the forest; it has keen ears. If that Yellow-bell gets damp, it will chime loudly, a noise that will be heard. This is our last chance; it must be kept dry and safe. Princess Ruby...." Giselle stopped, to ensure Ruby's attention. "Fate chose you to find this precious flower. You must be the one to guard it. That's your task today, your destiny; nothing else matters. I'll meet you here, when the light starts to fade. Guard this precious flower with your life; keep it dry and safe." Giselle flapped her mighty wings and disappeared into the forest.

  The enormous responsibility started to register with Ruby; her excitement was quickly replaced by a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. After a while a Fairy fluttered into view; "Giselle said you had new orders for us?"

  Ranger took control, "Yes, we do. Ask the Fairies to return from their search, we have new orders but it's complicated, and Princess Ruby will need to speak with Acron personally. We need all of the Fairies to return."

  Looking puzzled, the Fairy saluted, retreating into the distance.

  Ranger was quick to explain himself. "We can't tell them. Suppose the Witch were to snare a Fairy? We don't want her to know about the Yellow-bell." The group nodded in appreciation of Ranger's caution. "We need to keep this quiet, at all costs." The gravity of his words sunk in with the group.

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