Witches Be Crazy, page 27
“No.” Her mother answered for her.
“Even dead ones. At this point I’m not ruling anything out.”
“There was only ever one child.”
“Well this doesn’t make any bloody sense!” Dungar declared, exasperated.
“I share your worry about the genocide, stranger.” Queen Koey acknowledged. “But I cannot hope to defend my kingdom against an unknown threat when I cannot even unify my own citizens.”
“You could start by not having your guards publicly putting revolutionaries to death.” Gilly interjected. “It only serves to rile them even more.”
“What are you talking about?” Koey asked, confused. “I gave no such order.”
“Well your wardens are outside executing revolutionaries as we speak.”
“What?! That is unacceptable!”
Shoving Dungar out of the way, Koey raced out the door and out the hall towards the courtyard, ignoring pleading protests from her mother not to go out there. Dungar, Rose and Gilly chased her down the hallway, through the portrait-lined passages and down the grand staircase until eventually they had followed her all the way out into the town square. The screaming citizens and burning buildings did little to faze Jenair’s queen as she pushed her way through the crowds and knights and onto the stage where the executioner continued to work.
“OH NO!!” Rose screamed as she too made it to the stage, but was held back by guardsmen. Jimminy lay shirtless as ever on the stage, head pinned against a chopping block that was stained with the blood of many before. A hooded man with a large gleaming axe stood next to him, ready to strike.
After grabbing and tossing Rose to the side, Dungar grabbed a fiery market cart and smashed it into the two guardsmen blocking the stage before pushing his way onto it. He nearly made it to the executioner before himself tackled to the ground by more guardsmen who were barely able to keep him pinned.
“Nice of you to show up, mista Dungar!” Jimminy greeted. “It appears you’re here just in the nick of time!”
A scraping sound of a sharpening stone being used by the executioner was heard behind him.
“Erm. Maybe not.”
“Relax, Jimmy.” Dungar insisted, wriggling against the guards. “We’re getting you out of this.”
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” Koey screeched at the guardsmen on the stage as she gestured around. “I demand you put a stop to all this right now! Who authorized you to do this!?”
Ignoring her inquiry, the guard captain instead turned to the enraged crowd. “Your benevolent queen is here, ladies and gentlemen!” He called out as he gestured towards her. “We must all bow before our beloved ruler!” He then ceremoniously knelt before her.
Shocked and appalled, Koey stared out into the crowd as their screams and threats grew even louder. They thought she was responsible for all this, and the guards shifting blame only confirmed their suspicions. Her shouts and gestures of denial were drowned out by the crowd’s yells of protest.
Returning to his feet, the guard captain continued his address. “It is our duty as sworn servants of the crown to inform you that any who oppose the divine regime of Queen Theik will be subject to the highest of punishment!” As he finished he nodded to the executioner who then raised his large diamond axe high over his head.
“Stop this!” Koey shrieked desperately. “I command you!”
Dungar craned his neck upwards at his friend. Jimminy’s familiar cheeky grin was gone, in its place was a look of worry.
“Jimmy …” Dungar breathed between gasps for air as he fruitlessly struggled against the guards. “I … Just, hang in there …”
“I had the time of me life, mate.” Jimminy said softly, a weak forced smile on his face. “And the life of me time.”
Dungar tried to yell, but no sound came out. Rose painfully shrieking “JIMMINY!!!” could be heard from behind him while Koey futilely continued to try and assert her power. However, none of it was to any avail. Words and screams could do nothing to hinder the trajectory of the axe as it swung downward into its target. All sound cut out for a brief moment when the thud was heard.
TWENTY-FOUR
Hitting the Fan
Dungar watched horrified as the disembodied head of Jimminy Appaya sickeningly fell from the block and rolled off the stage. The surprise and fear was still present on his face, though lacking the life and luster usually present in his brown eyes. Members of the crowd screamed and jumped backwards as it came towards them before the angry yells resumed. Then, from somewhere within the mob, the chant began.
“Burn the witch whore. Burn the witch whore! BURN THE WITCH WHORE!”
It spread quickly through their ranks until the whole horde had taken up the mantra. The guardsmen shot each other worried looks as the swarm’s vitality began to remerge, stronger than ever.
None of these events had registered to Dungar yet. All of his attention was focused on one thing, and one thing alone. For the second time in just a few days he had watched his best friend die right in front of him. But this time it was different. This time it was intentional, this time it could have been prevented, and this time there were blameworthy individuals.
The first stage of grief was entirely non-existent to the blacksmith as the situation sunk in. The surge of adrenaline that now coursed through his body was wholly derived from him skipping straight to the second stage of unbridled rage. Seemingly effortlessly, he threw the two guardsmen from his back before driving his elbow right between the executioner mask’s eyeholes, snatching his gleaming diamond axe, and burying it deep into the chest cavity of the guard captain.
The mass chanting of the crowd continued to reverberate off the stone walls of the buildings surrounding the square as the rioters redoubled their efforts to attack the queen. The guards also seemed to put up very little of a fight as the radicals steadily began to filter through their blockade. Fortunately, Gilly was one of the first onto the stage. With one of her hands she was pulling Rose while the other reached out and grasped the wrist of Queen Koey as she attempted to pull them both to safety.
After grabbing the executioner and throwing him to the mercy of the crowd to buy time, Dungar retrieved his hammers from the ground and brought up the rear all the while viciously pummeling any protester or guardsman that came within his reach. He didn’t know which side to be on, he didn’t care to consider which side to be on. He just knew he was mad and someone was going to get hurt.
With a mob of enraged civilians hot on their heels, the fleeing foursome raced back to the castle, abandoning any bags they were carrying. When they reached the entranceway, Gilly shoulder checked the doors open and ushered everyone inside before slamming them behind her and jamming her sword between the handles. Immediately the door began to pound and rattle from the outside, but the affixed sword held firm.
Safe for the moment, she slumped against the wall to catch her breath. Rose did the same, sobbing between her labored breaths. Tears in her eyes and hands shaking, she addressed nobody in particular.
“Oh my god … They killed Jimmy …”
“Those bastards!” Koey yelled, pacing back and forth. “This is treason! How dare they sell out their queen! And for what?! And wait, did you tell them I was a witch?”
The sound of rock being smashed drew the attention of the girls who looked over to see Dungar bashing chunks out of one of the marble columns with his hammer.
“Hey!!” Koey yelled at him. “Those are hand chiseled and hundreds of years old!”
“Do I look like I give a damn?!” He yelled back.
“Everybody calm down!” Gilly called to the group, kneeling next to Rose and trying to console her. “None of us told anyone out there about any accusations of witchcraft. And we are still in danger so we need to find another way out.”
“There’s only three doors to the castle unless you count the one to the courtyard.” Koey offered. “But the rioters are probably on their way to the other two doors by now, and the courtyard is surrounded by twenty foot high walls.”
“There’s a panic room with an escape route hidden in the dungeons.” Rose quietly informed them from her spot on the floor.
“How could you possibly know that?” The queen demanded.
“It doesn’t matter.” Gilly interjected. “She probably read it somewhere. If you want to live, m’lady, then I suggest we get going.”
She pulled Rose to her feet then motioned for Koey to lead them to the dungeons. Dungar, body on autopilot while his mind was elsewhere, followed suit. He had no idea how to go about anything anymore. It was difficult enough to choose a course of action before the events of the town square. He still wasn’t sure what to make of Queen Koey and as such did not want her to escape. However, there was no visible reason that she was anything but a mere victim of circumstances. If she truly was the conniving villain from Stranger’s story then surely she wouldn’t be in the position she’s in. There were too many variables to be sure.
No one spoke as the group wound their way down staircases deeper into the bowels of the castle. Torches lined the walls and the smell of mildew hung in the air as they made their way down the narrow stone hallway into the dungeons. Once they encountered the cells, Koey slowed to a stop and turned back to Rose.
“Alright we’re in the dungeons. Where is this panic room you speak of?”
“Er …” Rose mumbled, trying to remember. “For times of crisis when danger is great, the king had issued a crucial mandate, to always keep cell number twenty eight, completely free of any inmate.”
Her three companions all stared at her curiously.
“What? It was a children’s book …”
“We’re trusting our lives to information from a children’s book …” The exasperated queen sighed.
“It’ll work!” She insisted, making her way deeper into the dungeon. “Where is cell twenty eight?”
“It’s farther in the back, close to the … oh no.”
“What … ?”
“That’s the cell where we keep the marbalt.”
Rose stopped mid step then looked at Gilly worryingly. Gilly returned the same look back at her before glancing back towards Koey, hoping she was wrong. Koey couldn’t decide which one of the sisters to look at so she just grimaced, hoping one of them would come up with an idea. Then, simultaneously, all three women turned to Dungar who hadn’t even been paying attention.
“… What’s going on?”
“You’re going to need those.” Koey informed him matter-of-factly, pointing to an armor rack. On the top shelf was a regular town guard’s helmet, but on the middle shelf was a pair of thick steel gauntlets with large, pronounced knuckles that had to be several inches thick.
“What are those for?” He asked tentatively as the each girl handed him a piece of equipment.
“You’ll see.” Rose informed him uneasily.
Mildly worried, Dungar allowed himself to be guided down the hallway and to the left. Many of the cells were empty, but occasional inmates would clang against the bars or shout obscenities at them. He couldn’t help but wonder how long some of them had been there for, and how many, if any, were given to Herrow for her blood sports. However, he didn’t have long for such thoughts because his attention was immediately grabbed when the party came to a halt in front of what one could only assume was cell number twenty eight.
“What in the bloody blazes is that thing!?!” He demanded alarmedly.
“That’s a marbalt.” Rose informed him nonchalantly.
At a glance, the creature in the cell appeared to be nothing more than a bizarre statue. Until it moved. It was roughly the same height as Dungar, and walked bipedally. However, that was where any similarities ended. What he could only assume was the head of the creature was a perfect cube that had no facial features whatsoever, but rather six completely smooth sides. The body of the creature had a more weathered texture to it, and appeared to be slightly porous, but was solid rock nonetheless. Four stony arms protruded from the torso, each with a massive four-fingered hand on the end and every bit as smooth as the cubical head. It walked slightly hunched over, occasionally grabbing at the bars and walls, but as soon as the group appeared it stopped any activity and turned to face them.
“Sorry.” Dungar apologized to the girls. “I have a rule. I don’t fight anything without a face.”
“In the event we survive this, I will see to it that your courage is adequately compensated!” Koey offered. “I’ll even grant you honorary knight status.”
“Look, ‘princess,’ ‘queen,’ ‘whatever,’ I haven’t even decided whether or not I’m going to kill you!”
“Please, mister Dungar!” Rose urged as she looked up at him with the same puppy dog eyes she gave the guards. “You’re our only hope!”
“Put that face away, dammit. It doesn’t work.”
“Look, Dungar,” Gilly interjected. “We have nothing to bribe you with. But we’re trapped in this castle and sooner or later we are going to be found. We may not have been considered enemies of the revolution before, but now that we are harboring the queen I can assure you they will not grant us a warm welcome. This cell is our only escape. Now if you don’t have it in you to confront the creature, then give me the gauntlets.”
Dungar growled to himself after she finished speaking. Like it or not, she was right. Someone had to go in there, and whether it was due to being inspired by her, or for the sake of spiting her, he wasn’t letting Gilly go in instead of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Just open the bloody door already …”
Wordlessly, Koey produced a key on a necklace and unlocked the cell door. After the blacksmith walked inside, she closed it behind him.
“I am sorry, brave sir.” She informed him regretfully. “But for the sake of our safety I need to lock this behind you.”
He sighed. It made sense, but still didn’t bode well for him.
“That was really brave of you to offer to go in his place.” Dungar overheard Rose quietly say to Gilly.
“Not really.” Her sister responded. “I just knew there was no way he’d let himself be showed up by a woman.”
Once he entered its domain, the marbalt stood up straight and spread its arms almost in a wrestling stance, continuing to face him as he slowly circled it. He couldn’t be sure due to its lack of facial features, but he was pretty sure the creature was sizing him up.
Hoping to catch it off guard, he reared back and threw his iron hammer directly at its head. Almost lazily, the creature deftly caught the hammer. It examined the tool for a moment before its face split in half and ate it whole. Dungar stared at the creature, mouth agape, before turning back to the women.
“Try not to hit it in the face!” Rose called to him. “Its jaws can crush steel!”
“Where am I supposed to hit it then?!”
“Focus on the torso!” She pointed to her midsection. “It’s hollow and comprised of a more brittle mineral than the head and limbs!”
He turned away from her back to the marbalt. The torso did appear to be more weathered looking, and after seeing a solid iron hammer crushed so easily he didn’t feel comfortable putting his fists anywhere near the creature’s block of a head.
Heart beginning to beat faster, and breaths becoming more frequent, Dungar slowly inched towards his opponent with his hands at the ready. The marbalt’s arms swung ominously back and forth seemingly ready to strike at a moment’s notice. The cold, faceless head eerily watched him as he stepped side to side, psyching himself up to strike.
“Just do it …” He grunted to himself. “Just do it …”
Bending his knees and leaning forward, Dungar threw a jab towards the dead center of the marbalt’s torso. Two stony arms immediately swung forward and deflected his arm while another gave him a hard slap to the side of his helmet. A loud clang rang out in the cell causing the spectators to grimace and the blacksmith to stagger sideways, ears ringing. Once he regained his footing, he returned a blind wild haymaker to the side of his opponent’s square head. The blow did negligible damage, but sufficiently upset the marbalt’s balance giving Dungar enough time to regain his equilibrium.
Once he was righted, he once again went for the punch to the midsection. And once again found his arm deftly deflected and a loud bang inches away from his right ear. Every reach of his within the creature’s range was fruitless; there were simply too many arms to contend with. Having only two of his own, even fake swings weren’t enough of a distraction to create a suitable opening.
Soon the heavy iron gauntlets began to weigh on his arms. His swings became even slower and more sluggish than before. He may as well have been moving in slow motion for how easily his opponent could counter his shots.
“Mister Dungar!” Rose hissed to him, touching his shoulder through the bars. “Have you ever read the Chronicles of Gundar Stoneslayer?”
“Of course I haven—” Dungar began. “Wait, who?”
“Gundar Stoneslayer! He was a famous marbalt boxer. When I first heard your name I thought you were him because your names are kinda similar. Anyway, in this book it is said—”
After hearing the name Gundar Stoneslayer, anything else Rose had to say did not reach the blacksmith. He never knew much about his father’s past, never really cared either. However, he did always wonder how the man managed to own such a large building and well equipped smithy. Gundar Loloth was the most hardened man he had ever known, his handshake was so firm it killed a guy once, he wouldn’t be surprised if the man did used to kill these beasts for sport. If that was indeed the case, then he wasn’t going to let himself be beaten down by one.
“… and then after he did that apparently it would leave their defenses open enough to strike.” Rose finished. “Did you get all that? Did it help?”
“Sure.”
With gritted teeth and cracked knuckles, Dungar approached the marbalt once more. He opened with a fake left jab. The creature took the bait and went for the counter swing. He then reared back for a right cross. He then stopped short once more as he watched another wild counter swing drift through the air. Knowing it was coming, he then ducked under the inevitable slap that had gotten him so many times before. Now was his time to strike. With a deep breath, he lunged forward to drive an uppercut into his opponent’s chest. However once again he found his arm swatted away and another slap colliding with his head.
