An Army of Good (3 page)

“What are they going to do?” Grace asked Ice.

“Just watch, Grace, you'll see,” Ice replied.

“Okay Aaron, when you're ready. Hard as you can,” Zavier ordered.

Aaron leaned back, getting himself ready to launch the rock at Christian. Christian went to cover his face with his hands again, but Zavier pulled them away and firmly held them against Christian's side.

“Trust me,” he whispered.

Aaron took a powerful run up, kicking the sand out from under his feet as he propelled himself forward. Then, with all his might and gritting his teeth, he threw the rock at Christian.

Christian screwed his face up in fear as the massive rock hurtled toward him, but the rock didn't hit. It collided with Zavier's invisible barrier, falling to the ground and hitting the sand with a thump.

“Whoa, how'd you do that?” Chris gawped in amazement.

“That's not all. Francis, show them what you can do,” Zavier ordered.

Grace and Ice were seated on a log in front of the unlit beach fire. Francis flapped his tawny wings and perched himself atop Grace's head, then he bobbed himself up and down, up and down. The ground shuddered as if there were a mini earthquake, and Grace, Ice and Francis disappeared.

“Where'd they go, where'd they go?” Chris asked, astonished.

“We didn't go anywhere,” Francis hooted, and then what appeared to be a log and a pile of firewood transformed back into Grace and the two owls.

“Were we invisible?” Grace squealed excitedly.

“Err, yeahh!” Chris responded.

“That's so cool. Show us what you can do, Ice,” Grace asked eagerly, looking into the snowy owl's yellow eyes in wonderment.

“Well now, as you know I am an enchantress, and there are many enchantments that I can perform. Too many to be able to show you all of them; you will get to see a few while you are here though, of that I'm sure.”

“Well, what about you, Chester, what can you do? Show us.”

“I'm just Chester, there's nothing extraordinary about me,” the little robin uttered from within the fire-mound where he was perched.

“Now that's where you are wrong, Chester,” Zavier interrupted, “there is plenty that is special about you. You are loyal, brave and kind, and I wouldn't be the Halfse that I am today without you.”

Chester puffed out his chest with pride, “Aww, stop it, you're making me blush,” he said, as the redness of his feathers glowed richer than ever.

“Now, do you both feel safer knowing that you have us to look after you?” Zavier asked.

“Yeahhh… definitely.” Grace beamed.

“Well yeah, I suppose, but those Nomeds seem mighty powerful too,” Christian said, still feeling very wary of the whole situation.

“Yes Christian, they certainly are, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise, but you must believe me when I say that we will do everything within our power to protect you, and by we, I don't just mean us here, we aren't the only ones that will be looking after you.”

“Who else will be looking after us then?” Christian asked.

“Yeah, who else?” Grace echoed.

Zavier walked back over to the partly-drawn map and picked up the stick.

“Like I said, we are here at Serenity Sunrise Beach, and out there is Serenity Sunrise Ocean.” Zavier lifted the stick and pointed it towards the vast expanse of water. “You have already met some of the beach's and ocean's inhabitants, but you have yet to meet their Berthold, Pelagia. He is the commander of the Water Warriors. He and his Warriors will also be protecting you.”

“We've been here for over a day now. How come we haven't seen any of these Water Warriors? ” Grace asked.

“They reside deep within the ocean. You see, they are at their most powerful when they are within their home, and they will only come ashore in extreme times of need.”

“Well, I thought this was an extreme time of need!” Christian exclaimed.

“Yes it is, but for the moment we are safe and Pelagia and his Warriors have returned to the ocean to regain their strength in preparation for the next battle. They will come ashore when they are needed, don't you worry about that.”

Zavier poked the stick into a section of the dolphin's body.

“This is Maytime Meadow, my home. This is where I live along with the rest of my herd. They will also be helping to keep you safe. Then up here in the north of Liberty,” Zavier said, running a line in the sand up to the dolphin's tail, “is Winter Forest and the east and west Fishtail Mountains.”

“This is my home,” Ice beamed proudly, as she sat on the sand by the section of the map where Zavier had marked Winter Forest.

Zavier poked the stick in the dolphin's east tail fin. “These are the East Fishtail Mountains where the Berthold Aurora can be found.”

“Is Aurora an owl like Ice?” Grace asked.

“No, not an owl, a leopard and a Meh-Teh”

“What's a Meh-Teh?” Grace and Christian asked together, wide-eyed with curiosity.

“Well, a Meh-Teh's a kind of snow creature; I think you call them Big Foot, Abominable Snowman or Yeti in the Human world.”

“A girl Yeti, I bet she's pretty!” Christian sniggered.

“She's one of the most beautiful creatures you'll ever meet,'” Zavier snapped, raising one eyebrow at Christian.

“And here in the West Fishtail Mountains lives the Berthold Takoda. And before you ask, no, he is not an owl, he is a very large wolf. So you see the realm is full of many good creatures and powerful Berthold, and they will all be joining forces to ensure your safety while you are here.”

“So how long will we be here? And what exactly is it that you need us to do?” Grace asked.

“I'm afraid I don't know the answer to either question yet, Grace. I'm going to return to the meadow tomorrow. I'll speak with the Great Prophet, and I should have the answers to your questions when I return.”

* * *

That night the ocean sparkled. Its still water glowed a beautiful rich turquoise, decorated by the luminous starfish that dappled its bed. On-shore, the beach poppies slowly unfurled their petals one by one, releasing the Fire Fairies into the night sky. The fairies brought the deadness of the firewood to life as they flickered over it, and while Grace and Christian sat on logs toasting marshmallows in the fire, the Fire Fairies entertained them by dancing blissfully within the quivering flames.

Zavier had galloped to the meadow as soon as dawn had broken, taking the little bunny Benjamin with him. He'd delivered Benjamin safely back to his family and was now standing proudly before the Great Prophet. A gentle breeze blew a curtain of the weeping willow's thin, wispy branches over him. The leaves brushed daintily against his silver-grey coat, and the Great Prophet prepared to whisper.

“We have the Human child and her friend, a boy of the same age. They are safe and well. Jazmine is looking after them at the beach house,” Zavier said.

The branches' delicate leaves caressed Zavier's body and the Great Prophet began to speak softly to him.

“The girl child's presence is strong, there have been many whispers since her arrival; she is definitely of great importance to us. The Nomeds have been lying low ever since she entered the realm. They have sensed that she is a great threat to them, and they have therefore kept themselves concealed within the swamp. We must not get complacent at their absence though, for a great battle has been foreseen, a battle bigger than any ever encountered in the history of Liberty. The Nomeds will be preparing for war and we must do the same. Zavier, you must prepare an army… an army of good.”

“I hear you, Great Prophet, but I fear the children are too weak to withstand such a war.”

“Fear not, Zavier, and never underestimate the power of good. The prophecy confirms that kind Humans are the key to victory; we must find more of them to join our army. The children will be able to advise us on which Humans to select. But Zavier, this prophecy also came with a warning; the children are immature, and with such immaturity comes ignorance. They may not always make the right decisions, and of this we must be extremely cautious.”

“Thank you, Great Prophet. I shall return to the beach and inform the children of all that you have said, and then together we will start the selection process.”

“Zavier, there is one more thing that you are probably not aware of.”

“What's that?” Zavier asked curiously, looking up into the weeping willow's leafy canopy.

“Each Berthold will be given the ability to share their power with one other that is not born of this realm. Zavier, you must select one Human each for the Berthold to share their power with. The Humans will not be accustomed to possessing such great powers. You must therefore select them very carefully and train them to use their gift appropriately. Only when you are certain that they have full control of this gift can the battle commence.”

“Thank you, Great Prophet. I will ensure that all selections are made wisely,” Zavier said, backing out of the tree.

The branches slipped over his head like a veil as they whispered, “Train them well, Zavier, for a poorly trained army may as well fight alongside the enemy.”

* * *

Zavier stood quietly beside the meadow pond processing everything that the Great Prophet had said to him.
A battle bigger than any seen before, a war, children, an army of good, selections, powers, preparation, training…
the words whizzed around in his mind like a swarm of angry bees. He shook his mane, freeing his thoughts of the fretful buzzing, held his head high, then turned and trotted assertively toward his herd, who were grazing in the north of the meadow. The herd immediately stopped feeding when they saw him approaching.

“Hey Zavier, how are things at the beach?” Lettitia asked, her fair mane flowing behind her as she strode toward him.

“Good, thank you. The children have settled in well. The boy child, Christian, has become very close friends with Mateo, he seems to be just as at home in the ocean as you are, Lettitia.”

“Aww, the ocean. I miss the ocean,” Lettitia said dreamily, imagining the cool water on her skin and the warmth of the sun on her face. “Hey, can I come back to Serenity with you? I take it you are going back?” she asked.

“Yes, of course you can, but first I must speak with the herd. Attention everyone!” he commanded.

The horses whinnied and shuffled as they gathered around their Berthold to hear what he had to say.

“I have just spoken with the Great Prophet and I am afraid this peaceful spell of Nomed inactivity isn't going to last. A great battle has been foreseen and we must prepare an army to fight in it. The Great Prophet has advised that more Humans should be gathered from the Human world. They are to join with us, to help us win this war.”

“More Humans!” Bethany and Lu Lu, the rabbit sisters, gasped, having hopped through the meadow flowers to find out what was going on.

“I'm going to return to Serenity today, and then tomorrow, we shall begin the collection… the gathering of Humans. Ezekiel, as the fastest in the herd I set you the task of returning to the north to collect Takoda and Aurora. They are awaiting our summons and should be easy to locate. Once you have found them, bring them back with you and join us at the beach.”

“I'm going with him,” Hazel stated, not wanting Ezekiel to travel alone.

“No Hazel, I'll be quicker on my own. Wait here, I'll be back before you know it,” Ezekiel said.

“Okay, but please be careful,” Hazel said, with tears forming puddles in her warm eyes. She remembered the last time that Ezekiel had left her, only to return with huge lacerations down his back. Wounds that had been inflicted during his run-in with the savage Nomed named Fala.

“I'll be fine, don't you worry about me,” he reassured her. “I'll set off now, and meet you back at the beach house around this time tomorrow.” Ezekiel wasted no time and galloped off through the meadow grass toward Winter Forest.

“Hazel, April and Tobias, the Humans are going to need training for this war. I would like you to accompany me back to Serenity where you can assist me with this task,” Zavier said.

“Yeah, of course,” Tobias, the young pinto, stated calmly. Despite feeling very proud, he didn't want to show his overwhelming excitement at being asked to assist with such a grown-up and important matter, so he acted as if it were a normal occurrence, but really, inside his mind he was screaming ‘
AWESOME
!' at the top of his voice.

* * *

Zavier and the selected Halfses began the journey back to Serenity Sunrise Beach. As they trotted around the east side of the pond, and approached the bank of poppies that bordered the meadow grass and the sand of the beach, Zavier became aware of some movement. Something was springing in and out of the long grass. It was Preble, the jumping meadow mouse, his long, kangaroo-like hind limbs propelling him into the air, while his delicate little forelimbs waved frantically, trying to get Zavier's attention.

Zavier lowered his head into the meadow grass so that Preble could jump on in order to speak into his ear. The little mouse hopped onto Zavier's velvety nose, scurried up the length of his face to the top of his head and grasped hold of his ear rim, popping the whole of his tiny mouse head inside.

“Hey, Zavier!” he bellowed into the cave-like canal. “The dragonflies tell me that you're going to be gathering more Humans. They say there's a great battle coming, is that right?”

“I'm afraid so, Preble, but don't worry. When the war is upon us we shall be ready and, for now at least, the Nomeds are inactive, giving us the perfect opportunity to prepare ourselves and also allowing us time to safely bring more Humans into Liberty.”

“Well, good luck and let me know if there's anything that I can help you with, won't you?” the mouse said. Then he let go of Zavier's ear and sprang into the air, landing in the centre of a fluffy dandelion seed-head. Hundreds of cottony seed-umbrellas were sent parachuting into the air, floating gently all around him.

“I will. Thanks, Preble,” Zavier replied,
and as for luck, we are going to need plenty of that!
he thought to himself, as the tiny mouse waved him a fond farewell through the hazy flurry of seed.