By Joshua David Ling (Rated PG)
Read more of this story here.
91: Something Familiar
The Guardians and Marlynn
together snuck around
to the side of Stone Mountain
That was the least drowned
In knights under the guidance
Of Brock Townsend,
But even then they knew they’d face some.
And they would not be their friends.
Instead they’d have to take them out,
One by one quietly.
But they could do it all together.
If they treaded lightly.
Cyrus stuck close to William.
The two had much to say.
But William was keeping quiet,
So Cyrus spoke away.
Cyrus: “Will, Did you notice
Eclipse earlier today?
There was something familiar about her.
And I know that sounds cliche.
But I really mean it. Something in her eyes
Is comforting to me.”
William: “I didn’t notice that.
But who knows? There very well could be
A connection somewhere.
But is it important right now?”
Cyrus: “Maybe not right this second.
But it’s important somehow.”
William shrugged and whistled a tune
-
He hadn’t in a long time.
Then a connection to why he whistled it
Rocketed through his mind.
He’d heard Eclipse hum it earlier to herself,
But he’d heard it somewhere before that.
Something sweet from long ago,
before his memories were intact.
He pondered this for a few more steps,
Then they were spotted by someone.
“HALT!”
Came the gruff voice of a man,
It was time to fight or run.
92: A Pleasant Surprise
The air around that Mountain of Stone
Had grown more and more intense.
The Guardians had now been told to halt,
But what added to the suspense,
Was the fact that they knew not who
Was behind the firm command.
They bristled at the lingering threat
Not knowing if they could withstand.
Three faces popped out of the bushes there.
Two of them they never had doubted.
And the leader of three spoke to them.
In a surprised tone said: “Forget-about-it!”
William: “Nick?” Will asked in stunned amazement,
“What are you doing here?”
Nick: “This is a pretty big priority for Mr. H.
You ain’t lookin’ at no sightseers.”
Amira ran forward and hugged him warmly,
And his companion Layla too.
Nick: “May I introduce my other sidekick,
Spicy Mclain to you.”
Spicy was a well-built man.
With red hair and red beard.
He looked young and healthy,
And in many would definitely inspire fear.
But even as strong as Spicy was,
The Guardians hearts were glad,
To see their friends Nick and Layla
Who since the beginning had
Been a help and strength to their fighting cause.
Giving them whatever was of need.
To help them stand together as a group
And to help them all succeed.
Layla: “It’s so very good to see you all.
We were worried we wouldn’t find you.
Fortune is back in town for now too.
And she’s securing the mountain’s view.
Brock’s knights are strong,
But many out of practice.
Her soldiers fight ever so well.
Against Brock’s knights we’ll soon have our footing,
And their tyranny we’ll quell.”
Nick: “But enough of that, your mission was unique.
I only heard part of it.
Please update me where you’re at,”
Cyrus: “You should probably sit.”
William explained how they had found Marlynn
And Amy near the gates of the Park.
How Amy slipped away from them,
When things became quite dark.
And now how they were trying to get her back.
At any cost to them.
And how there was something at the top of the Mountain.
That called to the girl with a voice so grim.
Nick: “Interesting.” Nick admitted to Will.
“Well, you’re the leader of this operation.
We will follow you still.”
William smiled and thought how great,
It was to finally catch a break.
But at the same time he wondered how long,
‘Til Amy the Eclipse was finally gone.
Three persons stronger the group had become.
But something inside him still felt numb.
93: Taking Sweet Time
Up and up Amy did stride,
Seeing none of the beauty around her.
Instead preoccupied with ugliness inside.
Making her completely unsure.
The voices in her head clawed at her brain
Like when Jezebel told her:
“You’re a moth to the flame.”
Diana said: “Don’t fight it.
Your spirit’s fate is thus.”
Mary screamed in her head
And she would not hush.
Belle pleaded with her
To drop where she was.
And Britney wasn’t worried.
She didn’t care too much.
But the seemingly smallest
voice of them all,
Was the voice of herself,
Lost in her mind’s squall.
It was interrupted, of course,
when Brock’s knights advanced.
But their timing was grave,
They didn’t stand a chance.
Brock’s Knight 1: “Hey! You there!
you’re not supposed to be up here.”
Brock’s Knight 2: “Yeah she is, man!
Don’t you remember what we’re
supposed to do if we come across
The one who will
Take her up the mountain,
Her destiny to fulfill?”
The knights grabbed her arms
and she struggled for a moment.
But Jezebel came forth
And then their arms were broken.
She blew them away from her
With magics cold and dark.
And she laughed as they stared at her.
Jezebel: “My bite is worse than my bark.
I’ll get to the top
when I’m good and ready.
These things take time.
Raising a witch is quite unsteady.”
The knights laid there in awe and in pain.
And they had no doubts. This girl was insane.
94: The Ledge
As the Guardians moved forward,
With Nick, Layla, and Spicy,
The spread of Brock’s knights
Became a bit dicey.
It was hard to move far
Without being seen,
So Bobby thought up a plan
He thought was quite keen.
He used his wand of illusions,
To lay down a fog.
A haze that made it hard to see,
And made the trip a slog.
But it protected the Guardians
And their friends from being found.
And so they pressed upward
Trying not to make a sound.
Along the way they disabled
several key knights.
Choking them out
Or simply knocking out their lights.
But as they went further,
They were eventually discovered.
And the voice of Tyson Holmes
Made William shudder.
Tyson was one of Brock’s
Very closest friends,
And William knew he’d fight
Until a bitter end.
Tyson’s voice cut a swath
through the thick mist,
Tyson: “Show yourselves now
And you might just meet my fist
Instead of Gabriel,
My sword at my hip.”
William moved close,
And with a leg-trip
He knocked Tyson to the ground,
But they suddenly flipped
Over the edge
Of the mountain of Stone.
Amira went to scream,
But her lips were sewn
By the hand of Cyrus
over her mouth.
They rushed to the edge,
and below they saw the bout.
On a lower ledge
The two drew their swords.
There was nearly no room to fight.
Cyrus prayed to the Lord.
Cyrus: “God, please don’t let William
Get killed or detected!”
Knox and Gabriel clashed.
Their light glinted and reflected.
95: One Wrong Step
A few fleeting seconds into the fight
Tyson was disarmed.
Will stood over him with his sword pointed at Tyson
But he did not want to do him harm.
Tyson: “You think I’ll keep quiet?
I’ll fight to the end!”
William: “You make one sound,
And your tongue I’ll apprehend.”
Tyson laid still, staring at Will
Not sure of what to do.
But if Will let his guard down for one moment at all,
He knew his death would be due.
He couldn’t drop his sword to choke Tyson out,
Like all the knights he had before.
And the Guardians stood and watched their still forms,
Wondering if they could do more.
Soon before anyone could tell her not to,
Amira shimmied over the rim.
She climbed down with all the grace of a chimp
And had just enough room beside William.
Will kept his eyes on Tyson the whole time
As Amira pressed up against the stone.
She slowly positioned herself behind Tyson
Barely enough room for her skinny bones.
She wrapped her arms around Tyson’s neck,
Like William had shown her before,
And she choked Tyson out in ten seconds flat
And she laid him on the ledge’s floor.
Cyrus smiled quietly and pulled a bit of rope
Out of her long overcoat,
And she threw it down to help her friends up.
Cyrus: “Man, that call was close!”
96: Legend
Up and up Amy trudged,
Her thoughts within her spinning.
She gathered all the strength she had
To try and stop her sinning.
Amy: “I’m not moving another muscle, Jezebel!
This has got to stop!
I’m done being your little puppet-thing!
I want to serve Marlynn’s God!”
For a moment, there was silence inside her mind,
As Jezebel contemplated a response.
An echoey laugh rose from her depths.
Jezebel: “Your destiny is ensconced.
There is no way out, small one,
Though you fight with all your might,
I will be back to Harbingella tonight.”
Amy’s mind thrashed at the sound of the name,
And the others screamed in her ears.
Things like: “No! It may never be!”, “Stop this right now!”,
And Amy’s eyes streamed hot tears.
Jezebel: “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know what will happen.
Well let me put your mind at ease.
I have a legend, it has my form in it.
It’s somewhat like a disease.
When people touch my legendary anklet
They turn into me.
All other personalities are cast out.
And then you will be free.”
Amy: “Where will I be if not in my body?”
Jezebel: “Who said this was yours to start with?
Couldn’t it be Diana’s? Mary’s? Or Belle’s?
Or Britney’s if you think about it?
You are nothing more than a quirk in a body
Designed to house what is me.
You are not a person; you do not have a soul.
Please, stop your foolish trickery.
you’re only fooling yourself if you think
That that Freakshow could ever love you.
You’re nothing but dust. I am a legend.
And I live forever anew.”
Amy screamed and tried to fight
But Jezebel once more overtook,
The control of their body from Amy’s grasp
And pressed to the Mountain’s overlook.
97: An Untimely Surprise
As the Guardians moved along,
Progress was being made.
Brock’s Knights were befuddled by Phantasma’s fog,
And the illusion games he played.
Nick Tracer: “We’re making good time.”
Nick remarked as he checked his phone’s homescreen.
“And I got a text from Fortune.
She’s made progress with her team.
She says she hasn’t seen Brock yet, though.”
William: “He must be somewhere near us.
And if he is near, the best knights are.
Caution is now a must.”
Bobby: “Come on, glass-is-half-empty!
What could go wrong? We’re almost up the trail.”
But as they spoke, Cyrus cringed,
As it began to hail.
Bobby: “Ow! What is wrong with you?”
Cyrus: “I can’t hold it back!”
Bobby shielded himself
from the oncoming attack.
Golf-ball sized hail pelted the mountain.
And the Guardians couldn’t help from sounding
Their displeasure to Cyrus Jones,
And as the fog dissipated,
A horn was blown.
The hunting horn of Brock’s Knights
Was deep and bellowing.
And they saw Brock and his knights running to meet them,
Their fear continued developing.
Cyrus: “I’m sorry, Will!”
Will: “It’s not your fault.
Everybody hold this ground!”
William unsheathed Calvin and Knox.
William: “We are NOT going down!”
98: Hold The Pass
The knights charged over the hill.
Cyrus redirected the hail.
The knights were pelted from every angle
And Amira aided the gale.
Copying Cyrus’ power,
The Blessed Twin rained down as well,
Creating the gathering storm in tandem,
As clouds began to swell.
Bobby tried to concentrate.
But his focus had been shaken loose.
So Layla gave him two butterfly knives
With which to deal out abuse.
Nick called Fortune to their aid
But it’d be a few minutes at least.
There was no more hiding,
No more choking people out,
The tension ever increased.
Will was first to lead the clash,
Followed by Layla with scimitar in hand.
After came Bobby with butterfly knives
Then Nick with a sonic cannon.
Spicy was a sight to behold,
His energy peaking with fire.
For he fought the knights with his bare hands
And confidence he inspired.
Nick’s cannon did wonders pushing the knights back,
And they all worked together, holding the small pass.
But numbers grew heavy. More than ten to one.
And if Fortune didn’t come soon,
Their hopes would just might be gone.
99: Broken Brothers
William and Brock were soon paired up,
As the fight continued to rage.
Calvin and Knox against Gideon the axe
Their war was continually waged.
But soon their scuffling spilled away from the pack
And Brock stood away for respite.
William pleaded with his former sword-brother.
William: “Brock, you must quit this!”
Brock: “You have no idea what we’re being paid
And how many people we’re aiding.”
William: “Yet you stand against your brother!”
William jumped back evading-
Brock’s axe Gideon as their fighting recommenced.
Brock: “Master Dodd wanted this!
Your words are all an offense!”
William dropped his swords
and switched to his greatsword, Cromwell.
Then he entered another state
And let out a battle yell.
This ferocious fight thundered on
For who knew how very long?
But no amount of armed combat
Could heal these brothers, wronged.
100: The Tide Turns
As numbers began to increase,
Amira grew ever mindful,
That these Knights of Brock were biding their time.
And even seemed somewhat spiteful.
They knew they had the numbers,
And that they were going to win.
So Amira started looking around,
For ways that she could begin-
To change the tide of this little skirmish,
And then she found the one.
A Knight about a hundred feet from her,
Who could seemingly disarm everyone.
He was incredibly good at the little trick,
He seemed to have practiced a lot.
Just a little flick of his wrist,
And his opponent was suddenly lost.
Amira drew near to him,
And brushed her hand across his back.
She copied this simple ability or talent,
And began to pick up the slack.
She picked up a rapier,
That was lying on the ground,
And she began to disarm the knights,
Not just throwing the weapons to the ground,
But off the ledge of the mountain,
All the way to the earth.
And slowly the Knight’s attitude changed,
As they saw Amira’s worth.
Soon, Brock’s knights were worried,
And panic began to grip,
Then Cyrus’ hail subsided,
But she managed to slip
One last lightning bolt in for good measure.
The Knights cowered back in fear.
Some retreated, some surrendered,
And the sound of it reached Brock’s ear.
Brock: “You cowards!” He screamed,
“Stand up and fight!”
William: “It’s over, Brock. We have won.”
Brock: “You think you are right!”
Brock charged William,
and William stepped aside,
And Brock’s end came
Due to his pride.
For Will was standing
Too close to the side,
Brock plummeted below,
And when he hit ground,
He died.
William stared down,
His heart broken in two.
His old rival he’d prayed so much for,
The one that had been there through-
The thick and the thin until Master Dodd turned,
William stood there mesmerized,
His heart within him burned.
Amira came next to him,
And put her hand on his arm,
Feeling exactly how he felt,
All his cause for alarm.
William: “We need to set up camp.
Amira, the sun sets very soon.”
Amira: “We will find Amy, Will.
Trust God will care for her by moon.”
101: Stone Mountain’s Secret
Amy screamed, her body clawed forward.
The hail had battered her body.
Blood and bruises covered her,
And her clothes were now quite shoddy.
Though Cyrus didn’t mean to at all,
The hail had done it’s worst on her.
Amy cried within herself,
Tired of fighting to be pure.
She tried to speak,
And Jezebel let her.
The words spilling out clumsily:
Amy: “Stop, please. We can’t go on.
Can’t you see we’re weary?”
Jezebel laughed as madness twitched
The ends of her mouth to a smile.
Jezebel: “Just a couple more steps, my dear.”
She replied with much guile.
Just then they reached the very top,
That flat and stoney surface.
It looked desolate to Amy’s eyes,
She still did not see it’s purpose.
Jezebel took her to one side,
And swung down into a small chasm.
There was no way one could ever see it,
But that wasn’t hard to fathom.
There were many blind spots around the mountain of stone,
But this one had a secret to hide.
For Amy’s body wasn’t just standing in a chasm.
No, it was standing inside.
Amy: “It’s hollow? It’s hollow?!”
Amy exclaimed, as Jezebel ran her hand along a wall,
Jezebel: “Don’t worry, no one will find us now.
My legend is just down this hall.
And when we take it, and strap it on,
Everything you are, will finally be gone.”
Amy was silent as Jezebel marched,
Mocking Mary with a song.
The one that William had hummed earlier,
But with new words, as they walked along.
Jezebel: “O’er the hills and through the pain,
Where I will be Witch-Queen again,
I command and this body obeys,
Over the hills and gone always!”
LogoSophia Magazine 