The Three Thorns (12 page)

Peter stood his ground, baffled by the villain’s gesture and irritated by the noisy crowd’s ruckus below. Luckily, the audience’s uproar distracted the assassin enough to lean over the rafter and watch the rowing multitude beneath him.

Peter took this opportunity gladly, throwing his dagger-like blade at the assassin as fast as he could. But the weapon proved feeble in its impact, bouncing back off the Inspector’s guise and flying steadily back into Peter’s open hand.

“Much too eager, little cheater,” the false Inspector teased. “It’s never that easy.”

Peter leapt off the balcony and slid down the theater’s remaining side curtain. Dashing halfway toward the front lobby amidst the crammed crowd, the daring boy squeezed through several journalists and theater goers who had spilled out onto the London streets.

“They’re just as powerful here,” Peter said out loud to a little flickering of light that had suddenly appeared from under his sweater. The light was as big as a firefly and rapidly circled the boy a few times then disappeared back into his shirt pocket.

Sebastian didn’t notice the running boy at first until Peter passed the side of the grand building.

“Peter, we made it,” Sebastian called out to the panting boy, holding the keys up high over his head.

Carrying his dinner suit under his other arm, Sebastian led the way through the back alleys and nearby side streets. Running in the middle of the moonlit night, the boys jumped for joy in victory as they crossed the London Bridge.

When they had made their way to the outskirts of the city, Peter told Sebastian of his close encounter and more about who the Inspector was; frightening information that Sebastian felt he was better off not knowing.

“Why did the Inspector let you go?” Sebastian asked.

“It’s not me he wants,” Peter panted. “He’s testing me…to see if the map is a decoy. He mustn’t be sure, or they’d have tracked down the others by now. He wants to know where I’ll lead him next. Now that he’s found you, he’ll follow us to find the others.”

“Then we shouldn’t lead him there, right?” Sebastian asked, jumping onto the first set of closed train tracks that led out of London.

“We’ve no choice. Even if we lead the assassin elsewhere, the police have the map, and so does that orderly from Gatesville. We have to get the others out of Warwickshire as soon as we can,” insisted Peter, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

The journey to Warwickshire wasn’t as fast or easy for them as it had been for Benjamin and Tommy. They frequently sought refuge in different villages, resting in barns and inns where it was safest. The time each dawn approached, they found themselves further away from the city and closer to Jacob O’Malley’s farm. In the morning they would wander through different towns, stealing food from the market place and then later sneaking a ride upon the back of gypsy carriages and farmer trolleys, using the giant haystacks for cover and warmth. The pair journeyed through the great hillsides of England until they reached a train station in the country, one where its tracks led directly north.

***

“Is this Warwickshire?” Sebastian asked. The train station attendant looked hard and curious at the haggard boy.

“Near enough. One stop ahead of you, young Sirs.”

“Thank you.” Sebastian smiled nervously at the gawking attendant and scurried over to Peter on the platform.

“We have to use these tracks. It’s the only way we’ll be sure to stay on course. I can’t afford to get us lost now,” Peter spoke faintly, so that the attendant wouldn’t hear, but it didn’t work.

“You’re not supposed to travel on those tracks by foot, lads. It’s against the law,” the attendant warned, calling back to them. Peter and Sebastian bided their time and sneaked onto the tracks anyway, when the train attendant helped an inquiring elderly lady.

After they had run for almost an hour, Peter and Sebastian inhaled deeply, taking in the beautiful summer scent of the countryside’s nature around them. Sebastian’s blistered feet needed a rest but he wouldn’t show his discomfort.

Peter’s eyes dashed in all directions, feeling a presence of something heading their way; assassins, a mob or a singleton, he couldn’t tell. All they could do now was hope that their own route was enough of a diversion to make it to Benjamin and Tommy before the Inspector or Mr. Jennings would.

Another hour passed before they approached the platform for Warwickshire where Benjamin and Tommy had arrived six months prior. The moss on the tracks had grown over since then and weeds had sprouted through the cobblestone cracks on the platform. It looked like a neglected pit stop. Not much of a platform existed, for most of it had worn away due to bad weather during the winter. The station even lacked an information booth or post, and it appeared that no train station attendant patrolled the area.

“There’s no one here,” muttered Sebastian. His voice sounded coarse and groggy, for the air had grown a few degrees cooler now, affecting the boy’s stamina.

Peter hopped a few feet up from the track onto the unstable platform. Sebastian took the privacy of the derelict area to his full advantage and used the nearby gentlemen’s room.

“What are you doing?” Peter demanded.

“I was keeping this good suit for a special occasion. But now that we’ve made it here…I’m going to change out of these horrible rags. Besides, I need to change my shoes most of all. My feet are pounding.”

The moment Sebastian changed, he appeared as though he could pass for a rich child from Oxford. Peter pointed toward the daunting hill. “My friend has a farm only a few miles beyond that hill.”

“You mean we have to climb all the way up there?” Sebastian yawned. His tiredness made him grumpy and unwilling. “You could have told me
before
I changed.”

“It’s not so tough, I’ve done it before,” Peter said encouragingly, tapping the boy forward.

Sebastian made a puppy-dog look with his big sad eyes behind his massive spectacle frames and said pleadingly, “But these shoes are new.”

Onward they climbed for what seemed to be only a few gruelling minutes to the top. To Sebastian’s surprise, the fields behind the hill’s top proved dry and didn’t ruin or stain much of his new attire that he wore proudly. The sumptuous sun-kissed countryside lay before them almost all too opulent to be true. It was a sight Sebastian had only dreamt about when he lived in London’s West End. The scenery even astounded Peter for a brief moment, and then his sight caught something in the near distance.

A lustrous light glistened in the far secluded part of the forest opposite them. Sebastian was first to look up, but he wasn’t the first to detect the sky. Clouds started to thicken and metamorphose into something that appeared quite unnatural, unnaturally fast. A look of fear crawled over Sebastian’s face as they instinctively took off running down the hill and into the open fields.

Peter could still see the radiance of what emerged to be firelight a few miles away from them as he led the way to Jacob’s farmhouse. Mr. Jennings and the police had made their own route toward the farmland from the city.

It was now a matter of which group would reach Jacob first.

It was massive! The luxurious dessert was covered in thick white cream that oozed from the sides of it. Rows of chocolate layers separated each part of the light flaky sponge and candy sprinkles decorated the icing on top with rainbow colors. It was indeed Benjamin’s first ever birthday cake.

Jacob had cooked all day in the kitchen using fresh eggs from the chicken coop, goat milk, and a spare packet of flour.

The evening was bright. Purple clouds covered the skies and dim orange light from the sunset filtered its way through the tall windows in the living room, shining directly onto the birthday cake. Jacob initiated the birthday ritual by lighting the only candle they had on top of the cake.

And then, right at the moment as Benjamin blew out his only candle, a loud banging came upon Jacob’s wooden farmhouse door.

Bang! Bang! BANG!

The sounds of thunderous thumping chilled the boys to the bone. In a few seconds the memories of those Gatesville days came flooding back to Tommy. A rush of blood and adrenaline pumped ceaselessly through Benjamin’s heart.

Jacob let out a long sigh, as if the expectation of this visit had come to pass.

“It’s all right,” he said in his reassuring voice, before he calmly walked down the hallway to open the door and greet whoever was making such a racket. Luther was too busy eating his slice of Benjamin’s birthday cake to notice much of what was going on.

Tommy and Benjamin grew anxious about who it could be loitering outside. Was it someone coming to take them back to Gatesville? Was it the horrible Mr. Jennings? Both worried that they might have been tricked as Jacob’s calm attitude only fuelled their suspicion.

At the same time Jacob opened the door, another boy dashed through the doorway and into Benjamin’s path.

Benjamin braced himself for the head-on collision. Before they knew what had happened, both boys fell to the ground in opposite directions.

“I didn’t expect you to be this keen to meet each other.” Jacob chuckled loudly, offering both boys a hand.

The frail, thin boy wiped the carpet hairs from his suit. Fixing his thick, crooked spectacles onto his nose again, he took Jacob’s offered hand to lift him to his feet. Benjamin took a helping hand from Tommy.

“Watch where you’re running, four eyes,” Tommy scorned.

“Look who’s talking,” Sebastian replied, after staring at Tommy’s odd set of pupils.

“Someone else is here to see you, boys,” Jacob interrupted.

As Jacob slowly took a step aside from the front doorway a figure stood in front of Tommy, casting a shadow over his already startled face.

“Better late than never,” Tommy snapped.

“Tommy Joel and Benjamin Brannon, meet Sebastian Cain,” Peter announced.

Without hesitation Benjamin put out his hand to greet Sebastian and was met with the same enthusiasm. Tommy wasn’t as friendly to Sebastian, or as willing to make a new friend as Benjamin.

“Boys,
this
is the third person I was talking about,” Jacob smiled.

“So,
he
is why you left us on the train,” Benjamin muttered to Peter.

A sudden roar of thunder outside interrupted their brief reunion. The sky had darkened and the feeling of an undeniable evil presence quickly swept over the farmland, causing Benjamin to shudder.

“They’re coming,” Peter gasped.

“Who, Jennings?” Benjamin cried.

“Something much worse,” Peter replied.

Tommy sniggered. “What could be worse than that old crab?”

“Jacob, I need the gate key,” Peter insisted as Jacob nodded back.

“Benjamin, help me,” Jacob called as he led the way into the living room and hurried past the window. With one mighty boot, he kicked open a large oak chest that lay beside the fireplace and took heavy weapons out of it.

“Keep close, can you do that?” Jacob asked anxiously, handing Benjamin some equipment to carry.

“Yes,” Benjamin squeaked fearfully.

Tugging Benjamin by the other arm, they ran back across the living room to the hallway when the window unexpectedly smashed inwardly toward them, accompanied by a huge gust of wind that blew Benjamin’s cake into numerous bits.

Benjamin closed his eyes and held onto Jacob, digging his small fingernails into the back of the man’s hand in fear for his life.

“Hurry, here they come,” Peter called.

“Here, take the gate key and get them home,” Jacob said, handing Peter a small pouch of seed and a crystal ball ornament as the group raced out of the doorway.

“They’ve tracked us down, already?” Sebastian added, terrified at the thought of his guardians appearing at any moment.

“What are you talking about, four eyes?” Tommy retorted, poking Sebastian’s shoulder in an attempt to derive answers from him.

Instead of backing down, Sebastian bravely pushed Tommy back a few steps ignoring the sinister storm brewing above them.

Benjamin gave Jacob a look of dread once they heard the animal cries reach the stable fences. The neighing sounds of distress sent Benjamin running toward several stable doors.

“You hear that? It’s Poppy! I have to get her,” Benjamin cried, dodging Peter and Jacob’s grasp for him while he bolted past them.

“No! Benjamin, wait!” Jacob commanded.

In anxious precision, Benjamin shot over the fence the moment several horses came charging out from their stable doors. He tried to grab hold of the reigns of his horse, but Poppy was too fast and too frightened to yield. She continued racing behind her herd and galloped into the dark countryside.

“Poppy!” Benjamin called, cupping his hands in one last attempt to retrieve his friend.

Thunder roared across the entire farmland. The beautiful summer’s evening sky had turned as black as coal and brought with it a deathly smell. Tommy thought he was about to faint with nausea. Evil approached.

Sebastian covered his nose while he and Peter fought hard against the forceful winds that blew ruthlessly against them. Luckily, Sebastian was light enough for Peter to help pull into the barnyard. Jacob struggled to carry the heavy equipment on his shoulder while he helped pull Benjamin against the wind and away from the fleeing team of horses.

When Tommy regained his senses, he gazed over at Jacob and Benjamin struggling against the winds and noticed Jacob observing the skies, toward dark clouds that revealed horrible shapes.

Tommy watched the clouds appear to change into shapes more horrifying than mere objects. Leaves and dust kicked up from the ground beneath him. His eyes widened in horror the moment he realized what he had set his sight upon.

Faces! Dark, disfigured, distorted, evil-looking faces stared down from the black heavens. Clouds grinned at Tommy and Jacob. Their mouths twisted and their eyes squinted. In the far distance, deep inside the orifices of the cloud storms, two black figures slowly emerged, as if dispatched from the jaws of hell.