Battle for Peruna by Josiah Boss (beach books .TXT) 📖

disappeared. Only, the scream had turned to sobbing. Then everything faded from his view and everything became completely silent.
Suddenly, he realized it. It was quiet; not a sound, even the bell had stopped ringing. A low humming filled the air, seeming to come from everywhere at once. It steadily grew louder and wrapped around Zeb like a blanket. He saw the witch's face change from panic to utter terror.
He felt the atmosphere changing from an empty dead one to one filled with life and sparking with high-voltage electricity.
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When the quaking stopped, they found themselves in a black place. Skye whimpered, and Fletch, annoyed, glared in the direction her whimpering had come from.
“Shut up!” he grouched. “It's bad enough without you having to make it worse.”
“Fletch, leave her,” came Chance's voice from his right. “She's scared out of her wits, like you'd be if you were her age.”
Fletch grumbled, but remained quiet.
Suddenly a low humming filled the air. Fletch felt like there was a battle going on inside of him. Part of him was very annoyed at his sister, but some other part of him was trying to soothe everything away. He finally let go and felt peace like he'd never experienced wash over him.
“Wow,” breathed Garth. “I've never felt anything like it in my entire life.” Agreement came quickly from the others.
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The sky was jet black, and a storm raged around the centaurs as they pushed on and on, anxious to put as much mileage as possible between them and Mardoc. Rain drove down at a hard slant, stinging their faces, and cutting visibility to almost nothing. The trees bent, nearing forty-five degree angles to the ground under the harsh wind. A loud snap was heard, and a tree crashed over right beside them. Garnock finally called a rest under a patch of trees that served as a fair rain guard.
With the roar of the storm somewhat cut off, he could hear some of the children whimpering, while the older ones glanced at each other in fright.
“Is everybody here?” He had to shout to be heard above the wind. He got positive feed-back. “We'll take a break here, but we need to keep moving.”
Tace and Atherton stepped forward to join him. “Have you seen Zebulon?” asked Tace.
Garnock stared at him and blinked. “You mean, he's not here?” Tace and Atherton nodded. “Are Aubin and Skandar here?” They both nodded again. Suddenly, the vision came to him. He saw again Zeb standing on the mountain side with a regiment of strange centaurs. “He'll be fine,” he assured them. “He knows what he's doing, but for now we'd better keep moving.”
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As Zebulon stood there, he felt joy consume his whole being. Suddenly, the humming changed in pitch. It was no longer low, but had risen to a higher pitch. Then just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. He saw that the Witch had gotten control of herself and was now just standing there—waiting.
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After the humming stopped, they didn't feel the need to go anywhere.
Garth looked up. “Are those what I think they are?” he asked the others. The others looked up instantly.
“Well,” said Skandar, “I don't know if I'm seeing what you're seeing, but those look like stars to me.”
“Yeah,” said Garth, “familiar stars, too. See, over there's Zalyndra and over there's...” He went on pointing out and naming all the stars he knew. Suddenly, he stopped. “Wait a minute. This is a Perunian sky.”
“So,” said Chance.
“So, if this is Peruna—where is it?”
“Don't ask me.” As they stared at the stars, they noticed that the stars seemed to be fading. It seemed to be getting light around them. They glanced at each other and were surprised to be able to see each other.
Suddenly, Garth said, “Look!” Everyone turned to see where he was pointing. Off in the distance, they could see the outline of mountains rising high in the sky. A warm breeze blew in their faces from the direction of the mountains. As it grew lighter, they were able to see that they were standing in a meadow bordered on all sides by forests. The meadow itself was huge; stretching at least a hundred fifty acres at it's widest and at least twice that long.
“Hey, Fletch, did you notice that--” he stopped short as he turned and stared at him.
“What's up?” Fletch asked looking down. “Are my shoes...” his voice trailed off when he saw that he, as well as the others, except for Skandar, were once again centaurs. Skandar sat astride a large horse that made Skandar able to see eye to eye with Fletch.
Just then the most beautiful music that any of them had ever heard filled the air, and as they watched in awe, things started to happen.
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Garnock and his generals stopped atop a large hill overlooking the valley many miles below them. Suddenly, a lightning bolt lit up the hill top above them. It revealed a human whose skin was hanging from him like rags; his body broken and beaten, nailed to a scraggly tree that had all but two of its limbs chopped off. He threw back his head, and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Then his body shuddered, and his body flopped forward on his chest. Then just like that, the light evaporated.
The centaurs stood there dumbly, not wanting to believe what they had just seen. A second bolt revealed the same ghostly picture, and they turned away. Suddenly a voice thundered through the air. “Head to the mountains.”
They looked at each other. They had always been taught to never go into the mountains because dangerous things awaited them there. They heard the voice again before getting the others and turning their journey southward to the foreboding mountains.
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Morning dawned bright and clear as Garnock stepped out of his tent. He walked the short distance to a clearing from which he could overlook the whole of Peruna. They were halfway up the mountains and nearing Zebulon's house. He turned and went up the trail. He was surprised to see Zeb's door unlocked, but nobody was home.
On the table was a paper, rolled up and tied with a leather thong, addressed to him. Slowly he unrolled it and read it aloud.
If we fail to meet again down here, my brother
There's something that I want you all to know.
If I leave before the next of our meetings,
I'll be living where the sacred flowers grow.
Garnock smiled to himself. Zeb always had been the poetic one of the generals; he always had some witty poem to say for just about everything. Although just recently he had stopped being so poetic, ever since the war had started. There was more written on the paper. It appeared to be directions on how to find him. That is so Zebulon, thought Garnock.
You can find me there in that wonderful city.
I'll be singing', shouting' with that glorious band.
And I'll walk beside that wonderful river.
I'll be seeing' all the sights on the golden strand
With my Lord and King, I'll live forever in that country.
Hallelujah! I'll be living' in my heavenly home.
If we fail to meet again down here, my brother,
I'll be waiting, watching for you yonder in my new home.
“What's up?” Garnock jumped and turned to see Atherton, Tace, and Aubin enter the room.
“Something weird's going on,” said Tace.
“Oh yeah? How come?”
“Well...this morning when Skylar came out of his tent; he wasn't a centaur anymore. He was a human.”
“What?” asked Garnock incredulously.
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Nikkelon glanced behind him down the trail. He had been taking a walk with Natelin and Gardenia, but they were being to slow for him, so he had raced on ahead and had now found a dead rat lying on the trail.
He grinned to himself as he picked it up by the tail and held it up to inspect it better. He glanced behind him again and then pulled out his dagger and swiftly cut some hairs from his tail. He tied them together then tied one end to the rat's neck. He heard the girls coming so he dropped the rat on one side of the road and hid on the opposite side of the road.
He saw them come around the bend laughing and talking about the flowers, birds, trees, and who knew what else. As they came closer, he tightened the string. As they came even with him, he pulled the rat across their path. They both screamed and grabbed each other as the rat disappeared in the underbrush.
A commotion behind them caused them to turn around just in time to see Nikkelon burst out the underbrush behind them and take off for camp. Realization struck both girls.
“Nikkelon!” bellowed Natelin as she and Gardenia took off in pursuit.
Nikkelon heard the footsteps pounding behind him as he raced along ducking tree branches and jumping fallen logs. As he swept out onto the level ground by the camp, he felt four arms clamp around him and flip him forwards heels over head, after he was down, the pounding began. He covered his head with his arms to keep off the blows.
“All right, guys!” he finally said, sat up, and with his arms sent them sprawling. They came back at him. “All right, if it's a fight you want—I'll give you a fight.” With that he threw both girls into headlock and reared up holding them both, kicking and squirming off the ground. He then flipped them over his shoulders and carried them off to camp, where he plopped them down unceremoniously.
“Nikkelon!” Natelin glared at him. “That is no way to treat girls. Little girls-maybe; sixteen year old girls, definitely not!” She got up and dusted herself off, then pulled Gardenia to her feet. “You'll be seeing more of us,” she threatened as they both glared at him and stalked off in a huff.
That evening he couldn't find his journal anywhere. He searched high and low for it, 'til it finally dawned on him. The girls probably had it! And all his secret private thoughts were in there!
“Mom!” he yelled, “the girls took my journal!”
“Now, now,” soothed Shiloh coming upon the scene. “I'm sure it's around here somewhere.” A snicker was heard from the girls' corner of the tent.
“See!” he said. “They're probably sitting there reading it!” He rushed over to the girls' curtained off corner. “Give me my journal right now, or I'll...I'll...I'll tear down the curtains and come in there and take it!”
“Don't you dare!” threatened Natelin.
“I will dare. Furthermore, if you don't give it, then some very unfortunate things will happen to you guys.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, really!”
“Oh, well, fine then.” His journal was shoved underneath the curtain. “We didn't read any of it. We just wanted to give you a scare.”
Nikkelon humphed and went over to his bed, where he lay down, took out his pencil, and started writing.
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As the sun rose above the treetops, they started investigating with Garth leading the way. They struck off through the forest in a north easterly direction. Around mid-morning they topped a hill and saw the forest spread out below them like a map. To their right lay a fortress.
It was a huge castle surrounded by a mote. A rotting, ivy-covered drawbridge lay across the moat. The walls were also covered by ivy.
“It looks kinda like our castle,” said Garth, “except that you could fit about two or three of ours in this one.”
“Hey!” exclaimed Fletcher, as if suddenly struck with an idea. “Why don't we clean it up on the outside? You know, make it look nicer.”
They all agreed and within