Witch Clan: Warriors! - John Stormm (best thriller books to read txt) 📗

cousins perched around him too. Gregory had since become the chieftain of his own clan in all this time, and they had brought sweet pears, edible mushrooms and smoked meat strips.

Johnny didn’t want to think too much about what kind of meat it was. He probably didn’t even have a name for most of the animals found on this world anyway, but it sure was nice finding an old friend. He lapped water out of the hollow, ate pears and fungi as he warmed himself by the fire. Evidently, the piskies had successfully cultivated those pear seeds they left behind for him when they left. It was amazing that they grew and produced fruit in only five years, but then five years, Abred time would be plenty enough to plant an entire orchard and have it grow to maturity. With the help of his piskie friends, it was decided that he would wait until the twilight before dawn and crossover back into Abred again and meet his Grams and everyone there.
How We Say Our Goodbyes

Ambulance attendants picked up the unresponsive leader of the Witch Kids as soldiers ran to and fro searching for any sign of the Grand Wizard, Mordred, his Vizier or the Grand Marshal. Media crews gathered in corners of lobbies and reiterated to the general public the pandemonium they had witnessed and some had even filmed when the Vizier and Grand Marshal called disaster down on themselves and upon the visiting school children by summoning a demon that was alleged to be the very same entity they intended to use to foil the Atlantean Matriarch’s Solstice Ceremony. Speculation had it that Dauntless and Rumsdon’s motives were due to jealousy for being cast aside as MC’s to the ever popular Uncle Milty, who admitted freely to having learned his comedic style from the Atlantean contingent.

Interviews with the children and their schoolmaster, Mr. Gwynn also pointed to treacherous abuses of power by the missing world leaders. Besides the Vizier and the Grand Marshal, for reasons obvious to the media hounds, those missing included the Grand Wizard and the Atlantean boy, Johnny. The Council and Assembly had gathered hurriedly to appoint temporary leadership and to diplomatically assure the Atlanteans that no form of hostage taking by its errant leader-at-large would be condoned and that every effort to obtain his safe return to his grandmother would be made.

For a moment, it had appeared that events would exacerbate the tragedies already suffered when a party of High Sidhe appeared suddenly in the midst of the combined assembly. As tradition demanded, no weapons of any kind were allowed in such meetings. The Sidhe carried none also. They made it clear they were there to parlay with whatever new leadership emerged and make a formal bond of peace. For the benefit of keeping the viewing public from panic and rioting, and for the first time in its history, the combined assemblies allowed the media to cover history in the making. There would still be elements of the populace that would never trust anything promised by the Forest Devils, but the media hounds were already divesting themselves of using such propaganda laden labels. Only time would tell what would come next for the Logrens.

* * *

Emma did her best to hold herself up well for Hector’s funeral. No word had reached her yet on Johnny’s whereabouts, as the Sidhe could not delve very far into Annwn to see him there. It had to be enough that they knew that where ever he was, he was still alive. Her and Little Fox were considering that when they got back, if he didn’t show up right away, they would risk a crossing through the rifts on Cobb’s Hill at night, to try and find him and bring him home.

A place of honor, in a local city park was the place chosen to lay Hex to rest. A huge, polished and hollowed block of red granite that was awaiting a bronze statue of Mordred VII was re-appointed by the Assembly of the Wise to hold Hector’s remains as a true Logren hero for his part in exposing the warlocks’ skullduggery in office. The statue of Mordred was never to be finished. A bronze casting of children, dancing in a circle would be fastened to the top of the giant block in the center of the market district park within sight of Broome Alley. The bronze plaque touting the warlock’s many dubious contributions was removed and fine carving, inlaid with gold leaf of Hector’s vital statistics graced the polished surface. A plaque of his own contribution to Logren history would be added later. Emma and Little Fox gazed for a while at the engraving and decided it needed a single word, carved deep with their own enchanted blades to the epitaph:

Here Lies Hector “Hex” Noggins
Loving Brother, Faithful Friend
Witch Kid
Exactly!
Imbolc 5747 - Yule 12th, 5765

Hector’s remains were lovingly laid to rest in the hollow of the giant block and sealed away from the ravages of time and vandals. Witch kids, past and present filed by, paying Jinx and the gang their respects. Even the market district had closed that day to attend and the park was overwhelmed with white roses. On a modest grandstand, a very mixed array of Logren, Atlantean and Sidhe dignitaries were present to honor the fallen hero. Emma and Little Fox, of course, along with Elder Scylla and Master Sine, who was now the designated ambassador from Gwynydd to Logres and a few members of the Assembly and Council along with Jennifer Noggins and Mr. Gwynn. The new Wiccan House Whip, Rowena Winterwolf gave an inspiring eulogy to those present:

“I have been a witch my entire life,” Rowena said. “And when it came time to register, I was proud to do so. I believed in our government system wholeheartedly and trusted that they would always do what’s right and act in my best interests. Hector Noggins and doubtless many others did not share in that opinion and were ostracized from that system and forced to live in hiding. We do not all believe the same thing, but for all my worldly wisdom, I have to admit that this boy was right to believe as he did and strong enough to resist the overwhelming odds of opinions against him. He did not stand down just because everyone else thought he should. These children with him, when everyone else of us were swayed this way and that, by a contrived public opinion, looked past the façade and charades and into the facts that were there for all of us to see and came to conclusions of their own. How different this all would had been, had we all been thinking and questioning the evidence we were given, instead of accepting that corruptible men and women would always do the right thing and work for that which is in all of our best interests and not spend our lives and taxes to profit the privileged few. Without the sacrifices these children had made, indeed, many of us in the Assembly of the Wise and the Council of Wizards might never have awoken from our long sleep, except to find ourselves the unfortunate victims of a war of our own making.” Every eye in the crowd and those viewing via scrybox watched her in still silence.

“Therefore, it is with the greatest, personal humility that I declare these children to be truly wise and everything a registered witch should be and Hector Noggins a full witch and true hero of Logres. May the government they so rightly spurned, learn the wisdom of their righteous examples and live up to all of our trust!”

The crowd roared its approval wildly and applauded for many minutes until Jennifer “Jinx” Noggins was led up to the microphone by Emma Silverlock and Mr. “Windwalker” Gwynn. The crowd silenced to complete stillness once again in anticipation of what Hector’s twin sister might say.

“There are many questions that face us all,” Jinx said, with a catch in her voice. “We will all have to be wise as the best witches and wizards we might be, to find the answers together. But for the moment at hand, I have only one question to put to you all and I need to hear your answers loud enough so that even Hex might hear them.”

“Which kid is that?” she shouted, pointing to the memorial block.

“EXACTLY!” was the reply that echoed throughout the streets of the Ivory City.

Having hoisted a ladder up the back of Hex’s monument, it was that moment that Cat, Jolt, Dodger, Foggy, Charm and Sylph appeared dancing what was now known throughout Logres as Stormy’s dance on the top of the monument in celebration of the life of their fallen comrade. Kids and adults pushed forward to beat the all too familiar rhythm on the edge of the grandstand with their hands as others in the crowd began their best attempt at dancing as well. The resultant spectacle was nowhere near the quality choreography anyone had witnessed at the Solstice, but the unity of spirit was unparalleled.

A Knight To Remember

Changes came quickly enough in Logres. Mordred never resurfaced in the public spotlight. If he did, it would have been to stand trial for his treachery against his own people and then to those of Gwynydd. Whatever his fate, he was undoubtedly better off missing. The