“I won’t do it.” Lark shouted. He stood proudly with his hands at his sides. Zupo took a stand next to him; always the loyal one. “I don’t want to kill my children.”
Mary turned abruptly. Now Lark was rebelling, too? “I guess Maryanne has a few more minutes to live.” Mary sighed. “Emihe, dear, finish your sister for me.”
Emihe and Maryanne stood inches away, ready to fight. Their arms spread as if they were going to tackle each other. Emihe floated a few inches off the marble floor.
Mary stomped over to Lark. She grabbed him by the neck. “Traitor.”
With Mary distracted, Zupo motioned for the children to follow him. Missy, the cat, lay frozen with fright on the floor. Chrysmys picked up Diane and Melissa vanished.
“Where’d she go?” Zupo twirled around.
“She does that.” Chrysmys rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry she’ll follow us.”
“Come along.” Zupo crept backwards, watching Mary. Not that there was anything that he could do to her…
Mary squeezed Lark’s neck tight. “What should I do with you?” She slammed him against the wall. “I think death would be too easy for you. After all you only live for a few years.” She flung him down into the marble next. It split beneath him.
“Mary, stop!” Maryanne cried out. Her little arms flailed about as she sprayed water at Emihe. “Leave him alone. He doesn’t mean what he says. He’s just a silly human.”
“Yes, my little Maryanne, that’s all he is, a pathetic little human. But, even that isn’t good enough for him. He has to be a jackass!” She snapped her fingers.
Lark shook uncontrollably. He bounced up and down until his jaw cracked. “What did you do? You monster,” Lark said. His fingers curled into themselves and a thick hard nail bed formed.
Emihe, seeing that Maryanne was distracted, with all her might shot a wave of mud at her little sister. It was like a tsunami of mud in the middle of the throne room. Maryanne flew backwards, hitting her head on her jeweled throne.
“Guards.” Emihe motioned for them. Many of Lark’s warriors stepped forward. They were just human men but they had such wickedness in them that Emihe feared for her life. “Finish my sister.”
Even with Maryanne knocked out, Emihe couldn’t just kill her. Not with her own hands. Sure, Maryanne was a rebel, a free thinker but still, she was her baby sister. Emihe looked away.
The men raised their spears over their heads, ready to kill the Queen they’d come to love. War and blood was what they loved most. Fighting alongside Mary was much more entertaining than standing guard over Maryanne’s stupid silver castle. There wasn’t a fight here. Mary brought the fights and it was safer to be on the winning side.
Mary grinned. She watched Lark convulse on the floor, Zupo and the children run (as if they’d get very far) and her warriors ready to kill little Maryanne. It was time for Mary to end Gadaie and everyone in it. It was her fault any of them existed.
“What’s happening to me?” A warrior shouted. He dropped his spear and his squad gasped. He shrunk and his lower legs turned gray, his body pink like a pig, and he grew a snout. “Why are you changing me, Mary? I am on your side!”
“I didn’t.” Mary swallowed. “Who did that? Who has such power?” She searched the room. “Give me that spear.” She snatched the stick from another man who twitched on the floor. “Goodbye, Maryanne.” She raised her hand above her head. Mary closed her eyes and lowered the spear.
It hit Marble. Maryanne’s body was gone.
“All right, who hid the girl? I am so going to hurt someone.” Mary stomped about. “Melissa, dear, show yourself. You are the only one who can turn invisible.”
“Mary!” Emihe screamed. “What’s happening?”
Mary looked behind her. Emihe was locked in some sort of invisible force field. “Hey,” Lark shouted. He was in one too. Their bodies were frozen in mid-air.
“No,” Mary said. “That’s impossible!” Her body no longer moved. She was like stone, standing there on the marble. “What is going on?”
“Everybody out!” The warriors squealed like pigs. Mary gasped. They looked like half rat, half pig men now. “Mary has betrayed us.”
“I did not!” Mary yelled.
“Retreat, men, retreat.”
The walls shook and the sofas in the sitting room tumbled over. The skies lightened. Who could possibly overpower her? She was the creator of this world. She was the source of their life and abilities. They were nothing without her.
“Melissa!” Mary snapped. “Stop playing games, child, and show yourself.” She turned around. There, in the hidden room lay Maryanne, still unconscious. “I can’t wait till I get my hands on that brat.”
“Mary, why did you betray us?” Emihe wept. “I always obeyed your rules and did exactly what you said.”
“I didn’t betray you.” Mary jerked back. She was upside down now and it wasn’t because she willed it. A powerful force like no other blew through the windows, ripping the shutters from their hinges. A pink gust twirled round and round like a vortex. She couldn’t breathe. Her lungs tightened and Mary disappeared through the tunnel.
Emihe couldn’t scream or else she would have. Her curly brown hair stood straight up and she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and wake up, because this had to be a dream.
The pink wind infiltrated the throne room once more, this time grabbing Lark. Was it taking each of them one at a time? Was her life over now? Lark disappeared into the vortex. She wished she could cover her eyes, but she was frozen in place like a statue in her garden back at the bronze palace.
The vortex was back and this time, Emihe disappeared inside. Her shoulders rubbed against the sides, burning her flesh like nothing she’d ever felt before. She couldn’t breathe and she flew through so fast all she saw were flashes of light.
Emihe gasped. She held her stomach and took deep breaths. She was out. She sat on her knees with her head down trying to catch her breath. Emihe looked around. She was inside her throne room in the Bronze castle. What kind of vortex brought you home during a war?
She climbed to her feet and stood on the window sill. Maybe if she finished off Maryanne, then Mary would show mercy and let her keep her small plot of kingdom. Emihe pushed off with her feet but her head knocked into a wall and she fell backwards.
“What is this?” Emihe punched the air and her fist hit an invisible wall. Her heart beat and she scratched herself with her long nails. “Mary!” She ran down the long corridor and down the spiral steps to the drawbridge. “Lower it, Loony,” she commanded her subject.
When the bridge opened, Emihe raced as fast as she could through the opening. She smacked into another invisible wall. Her body flew backwards and she hit the cobblestone walkway.
“Loony, try to pass.” She snapped at him. He stepped passed the invisible wall and continued on over the drawbridge. The Loony then disappeared from sight. “Come back, you ungrateful little creature.”
Emihe smacked her fists into the stones. “I am trapped in my very own castle.” Muddy tears trickled down her cheeks. “How could Mary do this to me?”
TRAPPED IN THE LAND OF THE MONSTERS
Mary, stuck in the vortex, flew through the black hole for what seemed an eternity. Finally, she tumbled into some grass. She jumped up with her fists clenched. But her eyes softened as did her fists. She was home, standing right in front of the Golden Bridge.
She hated being home, with her monstrous mother and her mutated brothers and sisters. The abandoned perfume factory was barely standing, and most everyone lived up in the cave. She spent her time inside her gigantic flower. It was the only one she was able to create here in the Land of the Monsters. She couldn’t seem to make this place beautiful. It looked almost like a mountainous dessert.
“Flying me back home will not stop me,” Mary said. She stepped forward, knocking her face into an invisible barrier. She stopped, almost frozen. Who could possibly block her from her own world? She created
the invisible barriers. She put up the wall and she was the only one who could cross the golden bridge.
Mary smacked into the wall once more, this time stumbling backwards. She pressed the air around her, trying to find an opening. “What’s happening?” Her body shivered with fright. Mary turned around. Several dogs snarled, inching forward. She lifted her hand, ready to kill them. She flicked her fingers; Nothing. Had someone stolen her powers, too? How could this be?
Mary ran as fast as she could towards her flower. She tried to fly; Nothing. Who would do this? She climbed the stem, placing her feet on the small leaves like steps in a ladder. She crawled into her flower and peeked down. The dogs paced back and forth, waiting for her.
ANDY
Andy’s head hurt. “Are you gonna tell Tahmi about all this?”
“No,” Jon Landers said. “And I’d like for you to keep quiet as well. Tell her nothing of the garden or what you’ve seen.”
“Why?”
“Because she does these things subconsciously; once she realizes it’s her, she may weaken and doubt. This could mean more power for Mary.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You’re her best friend and the one she trusts. You need to keep her away from this world for as long as possible. She isn’t ready to come back yet. I’ve seen the wake of destruction she’s caused. Tahmi has no control of her own creations, let alone herself.”
“You’ve also seen some good, too—like that garden.”
“She turned off Ben’s light.”
“Who is Ben?”
“He’s a sparkler. We’ve only three left and she turned him off. He’s just a regular butterfly now. Our skies have never been so dark since Mary—”
“Was Ben upset?” Andy questioned.
“No, actually he seemed happy about it. He said he didn’t hurt anymore.”
“So, what’s the big deal, then?”
“She’s changing things. When you mess with the way things work there’re always consequences. It’s a standard cause and effect theory. You of all people should know that.”
OUTCAST MOUNTAINS
Sable carried the sparkler through a winding path. A sign hung crooked. Danger, Do Not Enter. She brushed past cobwebs and took the gravel roadway into a valley. It was the only place in the Muddy Palace Realm where she couldn’t hear the voice. Eyes peeked from the trees. “Where’s Zupo? I need his help!”
Horned war pigs came into the light. “You were banished.”
“I know.” Sable trembled. “But I need Zupo’s help. This sparkler is in bad shape.”
War pigs inched closer.
“What’s changed about you Sable?” A large male asked.
“I’ve realized something,” Sable whispered. “She isn’t our enemy, after all.”
“Are you so sure?”
“Yes, you should take a look around. Things are changing. It’s amazing!”
“A Gadaenite princess was in our valley today.”
“Which one?”
“It was one of the Raven Twins.”
“I don’t know much about them. From what I hear, one is good and the other—not so much.”
“Zupo is still in exile. He’s placed himself there.”
“Does anyone in these mountains know medicine?”
The male pig turned his back to Sable. “You’re banished for helping Queen Mary, remember?”
“I’m not asking to come home.” She knelt before them, “Please, this little bug means something to Tahmi. I think she’d be crushed if she found out no one was willing to help.”
The male war pig dropped his arms in defeat. “I hope this isn’t another one of your schemes.”
“It’s not!” Sable followed close behind. “See, Quella, you’re going to get to watch your sparvae turn into sparklers after all.”
Quella said nothing.
“Quella?” Sable held the sparkler level with her face. “Oh, Quella.”
FUNHOUSE ZONE
Tahmi ran down the purple path. Louie raced after her. “Princess, don’t forget your locket.” He stood in front of her. The gold swung from his robotic fingers. “D-Don’t forg-e-e-e-t.”
“Forget what? Who are these girls, anyway?”
Louie turned, “You forgot. All is lost.” He lowered his head and sped along the purple path. “Forgot—she forgot!”
“Everyone here is insane!” Tahmi tossed her hands.
“I’m not.” Jerry smiled. He stood close. “Are you okay?”
“My mother is a nutcase.” Tahmi grinned. “She sent me to see Lark—who was actually my father—so I could kill him.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, and how did she figure I’d be able to kill him anyway?”
“You got me.” Jerry averted his gaze. “My uncle wants to speak to you. He has Andy.”
Tahmi frowned. “Who is Andy?”
“Please tell me you’re kidding.” He blinked; maybe she’d stay after all. “It doesn’t matter, let’s get going.”
Tahmi followed Jerry down the purple path. Loonies came out of their homes and waved, some cheered. What were they so happy about? She couldn’t keep her mind focused. Why did she have to have such a cruel mother?
Jerry and Tahmi stood in front of an enormous rollercoaster. Fun loonies climbed into buckets and spiraled through the sky. “I’m supposed to get in that?”
“Yeah, it’s awesome.” Jerry grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ve done it a million times.”
“Where do you live, exactly?”
“Ride nine, stop four; that’s my address. Now c’mon.” He hopped into a two-seater and she did the same. “Pull the crank to number nine.”
“Okay.” She tugged on the metal lever. “This is not as easy as it looks.”
“You’re just a big mush.” He leaned across her. “Switch spots with me. If you can’t pick the ride how will you stop the ride?”
When Jerry let go of the crank they somersaulted through the sky then barrel rolled. Tahmi clung to the sides for dear life. Her hair flew in the wind and she wanted nothing more than to get off. “Of all the things you’ve done, this is the scariest?” Jerry threw this head back and let out a hearty laugh.
They spun upside down, “We’re here!” He tugged on the lever. The cart stopped in mid-air. Tahmi fell from her seat.
“I think you stopped too soon!” Her arms and legs flailed. “This is why I hate rollercoasters!”
Jerry soared through the air inches from her. “Turn around or you’ll break your legs when you land.”
She obeyed. There were hundreds of mushroom tops growing larger and larger by the second. “Which one is yours?”
“This one!” He landed on his bottom. Tahmi on her face. She spit mushroom guts from her mouth. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, this is just gross. C’mon, I got a lot of questions for your uncle. I hope he will be able to answer me and not make things even more confusing.” She bent over and pushed the knob. The trap door opened.
“How’d you know where to push?” Jerry asked.
“Because I’ve been in one of these mushroom homes already—at least this one isn’t under water.” She slipped down the tunnel cringing with every squish the mushroom flesh made.
She tumbled through and landed on soft pillows. A boy with spiked hair and freckles lay across a floating bench. Someone snored. Tahmi followed the noise. An old man slept on top of a bookshelf clutching a book.
Jerry smacked into her. “He’s sleeping; figures. Uncle Jon! Tahmi’s here to see you.”
Jon Landers snorted. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Uncle Jon and Tahmi.”
“Finally!” He waved his floating chair towards him. “I wish you hadn’t gallivanted throughout all Gadaie. You should’ve come straight to me.”
“I was told to go see my mother who, by the way, is evil. Why didn’t anyone tell me this about her?”
Andy sat up and rubbed his eyes, “Where have
you been?”
“What’s it to you?” Tahmi snapped. “Who do you think you are, my keeper?”
“I’ve been stuck waiting for you for hours.”
“What for?”
“So we can go home; wherever that is.” Andy seemed lost.
“I am home,” Tahmi said.
“No, you’re not—we’re not.”
“How do I know you?”
Andy shrugged. “The mist clouds our minds. I don’t remember a lot of things.”
Something felt familiar with him.
“Okay, enough with the reunion,” Jon Landers said. “We have much to cover before I send you home.”
“But Uncle!” Jerry protested. “If I knew you planned—”
“What would you have done?”
Jerry turned aside. “You know full well what I would’ve done.”
“How disgraceful!”
“Who am I?” Tahmi trembled. “Please tell me that the queen isn’t my mother and this has all been a big lie.”
“Sorry,” the old man whispered. “She is your mother. But don’t be too hard on her. She means well, in her twisted way.”
“How do you figure?”
“She stopped listening to Mary and even stood up to her knowing that she’d probably be killed.”
“What is it with this Mary person? Why does she want to kill everyone?”
“Ah, the correct question!” Jon Landers handed Tahmi his book. Like the one Andy watched this one too was just a hand painted tin. “Open it up.”
She unlatched the box and bubbles filled the room. “What’s this?”
“The beginning,” Jon Landers answered. “Mary wasn’t always evil. Her intentions were good at first. Catch a bubble. You can see for yourself.”
Tahmi’s hand was covered in bubbles. She saw images of a man in a white lab coat. He held a ten-year boy down and strapped him to a table.
“What’s that man doing?”
Jon hesitated. “He’s experimenting on him.”
The man in the lab coat jabbed the boy with a needle. Tahmi squashed the memory. “I can’t watch this—it’s horrible.”
Lark's End Page 31