Heart of the Wild Part V: The Last Stand
Ruins of old convent Paoay. Photo by Bernard Spragg.
A fantasy serial by Mackenzie Dysinger
Felix, the little brown bat, flew up towards the ceiling spiraling in and out of fallen stone. He sang his rhyme about treasure with glee as he continued down the hallway. Memories of the castle’s past grandeur lay in heaps. Mika and I gingerly stepped over giant picture frames, broken pillars and large chunks of fallen ceiling. Felix warned, in perfect rhyme, that some parts of the Keep were still crumbling.
The hallway stretched on into another and Felix zipped ahead singing, “The jewel at last will be found! The wild stone of renown! The great treasure we seek, so we travel deep through Blackburn Keep!” Besides Felix’s incessant rhymes, the hallway was oddly quiet. Fear still beat in my chest at the thought of Vitus’ army following behind us.
Suddenly the narrow hall gave way to a giant room. The ceilings appeared to once have arched high, reaching up towards the peak of the mountain, while magnificent windows stretched across the entire room. At one point the sun must have illuminated the huge space in a glorious glow. Even now, despite the carnage that blocked the broken windows, the sun still fought to filter light in.
Soft moss and crunchy lichen crept in from every corner, threatening to cover both the entire mountain and the forgotten castle. The room was occupied by a massive dusty skeleton whose remains seemed to be stretching towards the throne at the front of the room. Mika growled at the decaying creature threatening to attack if it made the slightest move. Felix seemed to pay no mind to the beast and flew towards the back of the throne.
“Come, come quick, the Heart of the Wild the Warden let slip!” Mika didn’t move; she kept her eyes on the pile of skeleton bones. I carefully made my way towards the tiny bat when something flew past me--an arrow that narrowly missed its mark. I turned to see Vitus and his renegade spruce racing into the throne room.
The shadow of the dark spruce made war with what little light was left in the room. Fear paralyzed me, as the face of the contorted spruce, Vitus, drew near. Both anger and triumph resided in his eyes, eyes that were as black as night. Pointing in my direction Vitus yelled, but the adrenaline in my head seemed to block out his voice.
Turning back to the bat I watched as his button nose turned white and his face fell. He began tumbling from the sky towards the stone floor--an arrow protruding out of his wings. I could hear Mika barking behind me and felt the ground shake as the spruce charged towards us. Calling my dog, I ran to the spot where the bat had fallen with Mika on my heels. We dove behind the giant throne as a hoard of arrows flew our way.
“Best to give up now, two-legger!” Vitus roared. “There’s not an animal left standing to help.” Cowering behind the throne, my mind frantically searched for an escape. Suddenly I saw something glint in between the crevices of the stone floor. Just out of my reach, tucked between the old stones, lay the great treasure of the Keep. A ruby jewel encased in gold shone like new despite the years since the great fall of Blackburn
“The Heart of the Wild,” I whispered to myself, my eyes struck by its dazzling beauty. The gem was an enchanting piece of wonder that seemed to pulsate with life and a longing to be found. My eyes were fixed on its beauty, unable and unwilling to look elsewhere until the harsh sound of the dark spruce’s maniacal laughter brought me back to reality.
I peered from behind the throne only to realize the room was packed with the vile trees that now stood waiting for Vitus’ command to attack. They did not seem to think that a little girl, her pup and a small bat were any type of threat - and I can’t say I didn’t blame them.
The gem was just beyond my reach, laying between the throne and a decaying window. If I raced toward the ruby, I would have to face the spruce and their arrows, but I had no other options. I clutched my pup's fur in my hands, hoping to find some kind of bravery to borrow from my four-legged friend. Hearing her whimper, I looked down to see black sap oozing out of her shoulder.
My heart dropped and the whole world paused as Mika looked up at me with pain in her brown eyes. Fighting the urge to collapse in sorrow, I quickly pulled my dog, my best friend, tight into my chest. She pressed her nose against my heart before pulling back to give one more bark of defiance. I nodded in agreement. Picking up the brave weary bat, I placed him in my pocket, and grabbing Mika by her collar the three of us stepped towards our last stand together.
If you missed the first four installments of Heart of the Wild, you can catch up here:
Part I: Fall of Blackburn Keep
The next installment will be the finale!