Goldest and the Kingdom of Thorns (6 page)

He past a room whose heat had hit him in the face in the hallway and he looked inside. Hot coals burned throughout, which made the room smoldering hot. Strange, exotic plants were being taken care of in this room by a Monk as if they were of humankind. The cobra lily, English sundew and yellow trumpet were carefully being hand-fed with strange insects.
These
plants must be used in some ground-up way for their special dark rituals, which are unbeknown to us
, Savagio thought to himself with awe. He noticed how excitable the plants would become when a beautiful butterfly was presented to them for their nourishment. The Monk ignored his presence, as if he was not there at all.

“I see you are most kind to these plants,” Savagio remarked to the Monk.

“They are our pets,” the Monk replied without looking up.

Savagio was startled by the remark. “Strange, strange indeed,” he told himself, grimacing.

He approached the main dining hall and saw that it was devoid of people, with empty plates still on the long main table. He left the room and stepped outside, using a back door of the castle. He gazed out at the vast fields, gardens and growth that stood out before him. He quietly watched the Monks performing their outdoor chores for a while. He noticed Theo, Octagon, Imbecile, Alme, Meek, Onion and Xnug tromping through the fields which grew their wheat, oats, barley, beans, spinach and a variety of plant life and herbs. Rows and rows of strange angry herbs stared at him as if he was an intruder. It made him feel uncomfortable. It was as if these numerous varieties of plant life were eyeing him out from head to toe. Some of the herbs looked unfriendly or wicked.
I wonder what they use these for
, Savagio thought to himself. Then he decided that he really did not want to know. It was best that way.

The Monks seemed to be inspecting the condition and growth of the fields. Savagio noticed that Imbecile was constantly tripping over himself, with Onion
always picking him up. He looked over to the far left of the vast fields and saw many more of the Monks tending to their vegetable gardens, which seemed to stretch to infinity. He noticed that there were many rows of spinach and various sorts of beets.

Theo, with a few of the other Monks, made their way down and approached Savagio.

“What is all this variety of bare plant life?” Savagio asked Theo as he pointed to the strange growths to his right.

“Special herbs and other remedial, weedy growths of plants, which are necessary in order to concoct some of our stronger medicines and potions for our rituals as well as for illnesses.”

“I understand growing all this strange substance could be dangerous to one’s own being,” Savagio remarked with intense curiosity.

Octagon cut in, “Only if you do not know how to prepare and use it, then it could be dangerous.”

“M-m-maybe you w-w-would like to s-s-sample s-s-some of our b-b-booberry,” Imbecile stuttered. “I-i-it is t-t-the very b-b-best!”

An angry Theo turned and looked darkly at Imbecile. “Shut up, Imbecile!”

Imbecile cowered under Theo’s dark look and hunched himself over. Onion patted Imbecile on the back to restore the fool’s confidence in himself.

“Let us take our walk out to the fields which holds your interest,” an impatient Theo told Savagio.

Savagio followed Theo and Octagon, with Alme, Meek and Xnug trailing close behind them, while Imbecile and Onion trailed behind them all. They
soon came upon the Monks guarding their thorn fields – Pentangle, Oxon, Ebrix, Sooth, Uhl, Emm, Bean, Radish and Asp. Theo gave Oxon and Ebrix darkish looks as he noticed they were smoking their dark booberry blended with their special herbal mixture for pain. Theo did not mind his Monks smoking the booberry to relieve their own personal pain, but he forbade them to smoke it for pleasure. Theo knew that Oxon and Ebrix were sound physically and mentally at the present time, and that there was no reason for them to be smoking the remedial herbal pain concoction.
I will deal with the both of them later
, an angry Theo thought to himself. We grow our booberry for pain and healing purposes, not to use in expanding or pleasuring our minds, Theo murmured to himself. The pleasure in our minds comes from the enjoyment of reading and studying the books, ancient recipes and scriptures in our vast library.

A flabbergasted Savagio panned the fields of stick figures filled with protruding thorns, which were planted in the ground above their ankles, some to their knees, depending on each stick figure’s height, weight and growth.

Oxon ignored Theo’s dark, disturbed look and walked boldly up to him. “Our army has been standing quietly, waiting patiently for their time to be uprooted tonight.”

All noticed the incredulous look on Savagio’s face.

“This,
this
is what I am to train to be warriors?” a bewildered Savagio asked.

“What else did you expect from the Kingdom of Thorns?” Theo replied dryly.

Meek was annoyed by Savagio’s reaction and used
his mind and words to bend Savagio closer to them. “Savagio, if you think this is too much of a challenge for you, then we shall seek the assistance of another warrior like yourself to train our army.”

Now Savagio was angry. “There is no challenge that I cannot handle! When will they be ready?”

“First light tomorrow morning!” an excited Oxon exclaimed.

“I will be ready for them. I wish to go back to my room and be alone tonight. The hour is late already. I will turn in early,” Savagio told them coldly.

With those final words, Savagio turned and headed back to the Thorn Castle. “I have mixed emotions about this,” Savagio quietly told himself.

Theo turned to one of his most trusted Monks. “Alme, please escort him back. We do not wish him to wander into our certain, so-called vengeful herbs.”

Alme, understanding Theo’s spoken words, immediately followed close behind Savagio. Alme, too, did not want their vengeful herbal gardens to harm Savagio, who would be a stranger to those gardens. That could be quite disastrous to their cause, and negate the reason for him being here.

Theo then turned to Imbecile. “Go with them, and fix Savagio a meal that will make him sleep deeply tonight.”

“Y-y-yes, Brother.” Imbecile bowed in respect to Theo, turned and left them.

“I shall go with him, Theo. He needs someone to pick him up when he stumbles. And I shall make sure that Savagio’s meal is prepared with worthiness,” a smiling Onion told Theo.

“Throw together our nutritious mushrooms in hot cream with our special blackened herbs. That will surely make him more than drowsy tonight,” Meek suggested to Onion.

Theo smiled to himself, knowing that Onion was careful to frame his words well, not really wanting him to know that the real reason behind his words was to help the unsteady Imbecile. After Onion left them, Theo turned to Meek and told him, “Those were well-spoken words to our warrior, Meek. You made him feel that he might not be capable of handling the given situation.”

Meek snickered while feeling exultant that Theo had complimented his spoken words. Most Monks in the castle wanted to be noticed and complimented by Theo. They felt it was a special honor to be complimented by their leader. All wanted to be favored in some way, no matter how little.

Octagon, who had remained quiet, stepped forward. “Savagio is not to be mocked in any way. He is smarter than my Brothers believe him to be.”

“He most certainly thinks like a warrior. They are only wise in battle – and that is all,” Theo remarked to all.

“Do not underestimate Savagio,” Octagon boldly told him.

Theo raised his eyebrows at Octagon. “It is I who have nothing to fear, Brother.”

Octagon looked darkly at Theo. Ebrix thought it not wise for Octagon to challenge Theo with words and cut in. “I shall take some of our Brothers and prepare our army’s bath for tonight.”

Still looking at Octagon, Theo told Ebrix, “Make sure no ingredients are omitted. It could turn into a catastrophic nightmare.”

Theo turned and left with Meek following him. Meek took a second look back at Octagon and then continued on his way.
Be careful, my Brother, Theo knows you are strong in character – and that knowledge is fearful to him
, Meek thought quietly to himself.

Ushi and Goldest rode into the Kingdom of Marble. Niciu’s hooves clanked loudly on the marble floor. Goldest and Ushi marveled at the whole kingdom, which was a gorgeous marble with various colors of the spectrum running through it. No dirt or dust could be seen anywhere. Ushi noticed that the air was cooler here than in other kingdoms. Ushi reined in Niciu as his eyes panned the marble hills which laid before them.

“I never would have believed something like this could exist within a kingdom!” Ushi exclaimed with awe.

Clank! Clank! Came the sound from Nicius’s hooves as he walked upon a monstrous, beauteous chessboard of marble implanted in the valley floor. Ushi was thunderstruck and exclaimed, “Where are the players!” Goldest croaked her giggles, as she seemed to be giggling about everything as of late. If she wasn’t giggling, then she was hiccupping.

“Why, the players must be most handsome, themselves, belonging to this exquisite structure,” Ushi stated. They moved onwards, assuming the recherche’ pieces belonging to this marble chessboard came out and displayed themselves only at certain times of the day or night to make their moves.

They rode upon a lake with marble floor – the
water being like glass. Multicolored glass fish were swimming in the clear lake. A gorgeous waterfall cascaded down the colorful marble staircase into the lake. Ushi spied a marble cave, which looked inviting to him, around the east end of the lake.

“That cave looks like a good place to make sleep for the night. The comforting sound of the waterfall would make us drift into sleep much quicker,” Ushi remarked.

Ushi headed Niciu toward the cave, with their packhorse following close behind. He dismounted and prepared the horses for the night. Goldest jumped off Niciu’s rear end and into the clear lake with the colorful glass fish.
Those are the most strangest things I have ever seen
, Goldest thought to herself with a chuckle. She floated on her back as she kicked her legs at the glass fish surrounding her. Not knowing what she was, their curiosity soon left them with her kicking and splashing. She continued to giggle and croak as she took delight in the clear, cool water.

“Ahhh,” she croaked, as she laid her head back and took in the last of the warmth from the sun’s rays.

Ushi’s eyes panned the area and noticed that there were no trees or bushes to build a fire with. Even the colorful flowers which grew around the lake were made of glass. “No fire for warmth tonight,” Ushi stated mildly as he sighed. “And no fragrance, either. Just clean, crisp, cool marble.”

Night came fast upon them. The cave was dark and became colder as the night grew deeper and deeper. Ushi wrapped his rug tightly around himself, trying to keep warm. Goldest chuckled and croaked inside her blanket, knowing Ushi was having a difficult time
sleeping on top of the hard, cold marble. Ushi heard Goldest’s muted chuckling.

“This was not a very brilliant idea, Goldest. The marble may be quite beautiful to look at, but it is too cold and hard!”

“I never realized there would be nothing here to make a fire with to warm you. I am so sorry, Ushi.”

“Sorry does not mean anything right now,” Ushi told her dryly. His tired body lay there, trying desperately to get some sleep for the long ride tomorrow. At times, he could hear Goldest’s spontaneous giggling inside her blanket at intervals during the night. His last thought before he finally drifted off to sleep was that Goldest could be a real snoot when she wanted to be.

In the meantime, as the night became deeper and deeper, the Monks were tending to large black cauldrons of nefarious, boiling concoctions set outside their thorn fields. Many fires were built and already ablaze. Warmth filled the fields from these many fires – the cool air being sent away. The Monks had graced themselves in their ceremonial, woolen white-hooded robes with their red aprons wrapped around themselves, which completed their full costume look. White sandals made from the bark of birch trees were worn instead of their usual, darker sandals made from the bark of their thorn trees. Censers filled with burning frankincense were lit to remove the unwanted influences of the menacing, dark shadows which filled the night air and brought on the nightmares which crept into the souls of the sleepers. The full moon gave the scene an eerie, frightening atmosphere.

Ebrix and Meek walked up to Theo and bowed in respect to him. “All ingredients have been simmered and are ready to bath in,” Ebrix informed Theo. He looked at Meek for confirmation. “The pots are ready, Brother,” Meek confirmed.

Theo stood out before the fields of thorns and raised his arms and voice for all to hear. The ceremonial Monks in their garb looked like pieces that belonged on a chessboard.

“It is time, our warriors, for you to uproot yourselves and step into the steaming baths of vitalism, to make strong your form and give you the breath of life to fight for our kingdom! You have been planted, grown and cared for by the most deadliest, unearthly concoctions pounded out by us Brothers, and then boiled by us to feed to your roots,” Theo bellowed out. Theo turned and looked at a solemn Octagon for a few seconds. Then he looked at the Olympian Moon’s position within the darkened sky, which was filled with smoke from the burning frankincense – burned against the unwanted dark shadows to prevent them wreaking havoc on their new growth of army.

Theo spoke to the Olympian Moon. “Hear my words, Moon. Shine your moonbeams down amongst our thorns. Make them feel welcomed with your solace of light in their new life. Moon, we need wind to carry this mystical green soil, blended with our cryptic black magic, concocted from the earth, to our thorns. Be kind to our thorns and sprinkle your moondust upon our thorns for a higher, more advanced stage of development and success in their new life.”

Theo, enshrouded with deep psychosomatic concentration, then put his head down and waited for them to start, the players ready to play with each in position.

After several seconds, the wind rose quietly. Then it became more powerful. Thunder started to pound lightly, then became more deafening as the lightning turned harsh and vicious. The hostile midnight sky came fiercely alive in answer to Theo’s spoken words. The Moon had granted Theo’s psychic wishfulness out of respect for these ancient Monks and Shamans who had helped so many throughout the centuries past.

Imbecile became too excited at what was about to happen and started to hyperventilate. Onion had to gently pat him on the back to still him.

Theo looked at a subdued Octagon and nodded his head to him to began the strange ritual. An obedient Octagon opened a pouch into the air, letting its green soil contents with blackened ingredients carry into the wind. The mystic concoction aroused the seedlings from the deep, dark unreality into the reality of breathing life. The earth came to life, and it rumbled and shook as the seedlings rose up from the ground and uprooted themselves. Mustering all their strength to pull their ankles and feet from the mucky ground, which held them down tightly, they broke free from restraint.

Fear rose inside Imbecile against the creatures of the night, so frightening were they. Before Imbecile stood the knotty branches of all sizes and shapes with thick, ugly protruding thorns. They moved roughly, with
stiffness in them. Imbecile’s fear of them made him hide inside his hood. Onion’s telepathic mind read the fear in the shaking Imbecile. He knew snowdrops of thought would remove his fear of the creatures, so great was it.
What terrifying beings we have grown and created
! a sober Onion thought to himself.

Octagon looked out at the scary, perplexed creatures and whispered quietly to himself, “This scene is alarming. What manner of man have we created here?”

Meek was aghast at what he saw, and he too had to pull himself together. Even Alme, who feared nothing, was frightened at what he saw. He wondered if other Monks were as overly anxious as he was.

Pentangle, Ebrix, Xnug, Oxon, Sooth, Uhl, Emm and Radish, with other lesser Monks, helped direct the thorns into the steaming baths. They walked roughly and haphazardly in a single file line towards these boiling pots filled with their mystical bath of livingness. The living waters contained herbs of white oak bark, white pine bark, witchgrass, fireweed, witch hazel and oils of frankincense and myrrh, with the oil of carnations added as a last ingredient for healing. Each thorn figure eagerly stepped inside and slid underwater, rose up slowly, then stepped out more vigorously than they had stepped in – their bark taking on a more deeper, darker color from the oils used. The steam caressed their bark and felt good to them. The mystical living waters had granted them more flexibility. They now walked more upright with a little bit more strength and firmness after their hot, erotic bath. The impenetrable dirt mixture from around their feet and ankles was forever washed away. The Thorn Army
gathered information as they were granted strong form and life. They were grown and cultivated by the Monks only to listen and obey; no tongue was given to them for speech. The essence of their very bark conformed to the highest command of obedience.

Theo, with some of the other Monks, watched with interest and pride at their Thorn Army that they had planted and grown themselves.

“Who would have ever believed we could have grown and cultivated an army such as ours?” Meek asked with amazement.

Theo chuckled. “The sacred mushrooms performed well with our own daring, cryptic ingredients.”

“The poppies! Yes, I do believe the poppies mixed with the sacred mushrooms helped immensely with our endeavor,” Meek remarked anxiously.

“It is not over yet, Brothers. Savagio is our next ingredient,” Alme reminded his Brothers.

Octagon frowned at Alme’s spoken words. A strange feeling crept over Octagon as if he felt as though he was being watched. He looked at the tower window where Savagio’s quarters were. As far away as he was, he felt Savagio’s eyes upon him.

A troubled Savagio stood gazing out from his open tower window. He had prepared himself for first light, when the moon would still be up, watching as the sun peeped slowly. He stood leaning up against the sill, his long white lounging robe falling to the floor. His massive, handsome chest lay wide open as he felt the wind touch his skin with light stroking, as if it did not want to offend this handsome warrior. He gazed out the tower window at the fields of thorns. He saw
steam rising due to all the boiling, simmering pots. The thunder was terrifying, and the harsh platinum lightning was blinding to one’s eyes. The rain did not weep, but kept its tears to itself. He was most amazed at how gentle and kind the wind was to his skin, even though the night was cruel with its thunder and lightning. He smiled as he thought how it seemed the wind was trying to make love to him, or perhaps lure him into his bed to sleep. Maybe it was the hot soup and golden bread the Monks had fed him for dinner. The creamy soup was heavy with mushrooms and beef stock, and some strange herbs – the herbs being unknown to him. His head reeled for a while, as if he needed to lie down. But he was not ready for rest, yet. Cones of passionflower incense, for sleep and soothing troubles, burned throughout his room, trying to induce him to sleep, and to sleep peacefully. He realized the Monks knew about the troubled folds of his heart.
I must not think of her
, he thought to himself as he brushed the memory and smell of her away. His mind immediately made an effort to forget her.

Strange, how there is no rain with this violent force of nature unfolding before my very own eyes
, he thought to himself. He watched as the steam got heavier, as if it was enshrouding the fields so that he could not be made aware as to what was taking place out there. He knew the Monks were performing a cryptic ritual which no others were permitted to watch. He strained his eyes and thought he could see the tall, muscular Octagon. His skin prickled and a creepy sensation crawled up his back.

“Strange people, these Monks be. I feel uneasy at what
is about to come forward. I shall have to be observant, watch my own back – no thoughts of her must shadow my mind and hinder my own self being at this given time,” Savagio whispered to himself in deep thought.

The wind turned more savage and started to howl, but still no downpour came. The hidden fear of nature was releasing itself, but Savagio knew there would be no weeping of the rain tonight – no puddles would appear on the ground tomorrow.

“The rain will only put the fires out that they have all built to warm the fields and whatever is simmering out there,” Savagio summed up to himself. “So, it is true. These Monks are powerful and can cultivate power if they want to. And I believe that tonight they have accomplished what they had set out to do.”

At those spoken words, the moondust fell from the moon and enveloped the thorns. The cryptic ritual was completed. A groggy Savagio staggered to his bed and fell upon it. He immediately lost himself in a deep slumber, and slept the sleep of the dead that night.

In the meantime, while Ushi tossed and turned and tried to sleep on the cold marble floor of the cave, with Goldest giggling all night, and while Savagio contemplated about the eeriness of the scene outside his open castle window, the Tooth Fairy Princess, in deep distressful thought, sat at her long table in the main dining hall of the castle, toying with her potato and radish soup. Her dinner of stuffed chicken lay untouched, and had grown cold. Goldest’s two pastel snake buddies, Meta and Methna, peeped into the room
and saw the lonely princess. A single tear feel from her eye into her soup. The two sad snakes slithered up to her and with their large, dark green eyes looked up at her. The princess felt their presence in the room and looked down at them. She sighed heavily.
Do not give me those sad, sad eyes
, the princess thought to herself, with emotional exhaustion.

“Sorry, no more of your games tonight – or any other night,” she told them with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Meta and Methna whimpered. They missed their playful little friend and wanted her to come back. They blamed the princess for letting Ushi go, because he had taken Goldest with him. They had wanted to go with her, but she told them that they could not. They were to stay here and keep an eye on the princess, and if Savagio should return, to cause havoc with him and the princess. The princess was in their safekeeping – keeping her away from Savagio, with whatever means were deemed necessary. Those were Goldest’s orders to her two buddies, whom she had befriended and whom she’d molded into her two most trusted companions. She had enlisted them with just cause to keep Savagio away from the princess until Ushi and she returned. The princess belonged to Ushi and not to Savagio. She had stressed that fact to her two buddies before she had left. Meta and Methna had pledged their loyalty to the golden frog.