The Catastrophe of the Emerald Queen (43 page)

Josie looked up, tears burning
her eyes as they stood around her. “Please, just leave me alone,”
she said weakly, holding out one hand, the black nail varnish
chipped on the first two fingers where she’d fallen. They laughed
at her.

She looked up to their ugly,
hateful faces. The circle around her got smaller. She could smell
the beer on their breath.

“
Shouldn’t be
here,” one said raising his fist.

“
Not in our
park,” said another.

“
Weirdo!”

“
Mosher!”

“
FREAK!”

She put her hands over her face
and tried to curl up away from their hate and their beer and their
violence, wishing she was anywhere but here. “Please!” she said
again in a whisper.

As they moved in, laughing
nastily and one drew back his foot to kick her he was suddenly
yanked backwards, vanishing into the darkness of the bushes. The
others looked around in shock. “What the hell…?” The circle broke,
the teenage thugs looked around wildly. The lad emerged again,
trying to get free from something that was holding him.

“
Help me!” he
screamed as he was yanked back briefly and then he seemed to fly
from the bushes and sail over their heads, screaming in fear before
landing with a splash in the ornamental lake in the middle of the
park.

As the lads looked around,
Josie took her hands from her face and looked to where a huge
figure emerged dripping wet, his face hidden in the shadows of a
hooded robe. Next to him was a smaller person, also hooded.

The leaves on the trees rustled
in the wind but then there was silence except for the steady
rain.

The taller figure then spoke
slowly. A deep voice that was edged with menace. “You would attack
a woman? What manner of animals are you?”

The boys simply stared,
dumbstruck at this change in fortune. They glanced to their friend
in the lake, splashing and yelling for help, then back to the
newcomers.

The nearest lad overcame his
fear and sneered back at them. “Think you’re hard do you? No one
messes with the Bury Boys!” He clicked a knife open, the blade
shining wetly in the artificial lights.

His friends regained their
bravado for a moment and sniggered. One said “go on Steve, show
them!”

Steve moved in smiling and the
hooded figures separated. The other lads came at them, fists flying
in wild, erratic curves. As Steve swung his flick knife the tall
man blurred into motion, trapping his arm and throwing Steve over
his shoulder and onto the ground with a crunch. Steve yelled and
dropped the blade. He staggered to his feet but with a shove he was
thrown sprawling onto the tarmac again. Two others tried to jump
the man from behind but his hand darted out, faster than a snake
and caught one by the throat. The lad’s eyes bulged as he was
pulled off the ground, his legs spinning. As the other attempted to
punch the hooded attacker, he kicked out without even looking over
his shoulder. His foot caught the lad in the chest, who flew back
gasping, hitting the metal fence. He span backwards over it and
landed with a sopping thud in the wet earth.

Josie sat up, watching
spellbound at the fight before her. Even though there were so many
of the thugs, they were posing no threat to her saviours. She saw
it as if in slow motion, time blurring as the two strangers
punched, blocked and kicked out at the gang, effortlessly beating
them back.

The smaller figure was facing
three at once. He struck out at the nearest, catching him in the
head, then kicking him hard in the guts and the lad fell. The other
two came to their senses and turned and ran, their trainers
splashing on the wet ground. The hooded figure extended his right
arm and with a click, a block of what appeared to be smooth wood
and bright metal suddenly appeared from his sleeve into his open
palm. As Josie watched mesmerised, the block changed shape.
Warping, twisting and clicking into alignment. A tiny crossbow,
merged with his gloved hand. He reached to his belt and slid a bolt
into the firing groove of the weapon. Dropping to one knee he
whispered a strange few words and the bolt glowed.

“
No way,” he
said quietly as he glared at the retreating figures. The arrow’s
wicked point dripped as he paused to aim.

His partner whirled. “BUE!
NO!!!”

The arm wavered; the figure
cursed then lowered his aim a fraction. He triggered the weapon and
the bolt sang out. As it flew it separated, with a flash of golden
light, into two arrows and with an almost simultaneous thud, landed
in the backsides of the two runners. They sprawled forward,
screaming in pain as they rolled around.

Steve had managed to crawl
towards his knife but as he turned holding it and tried to stand,
the tall man simply kicked him in the hand. The knife span into the
dark shadows and Steve shrieked, clutching his ruined fingers.

Josie looked around, the rain
was heavy and it blurred her vision as the huge figure turned. He
stood over her, green eyes glowing like fires in the depths of his
hood. Gently he reached down and after a pause she took his hand.
Helping her to her feet he asked, “Are you hurt Miss?”

She looked at him, then at
Steve and then to the screaming lads on the ground 30 metres away,
still trying to pull the arrows out. She looked further across to
the lake and the lad who had been thrown there was splashing to the
shore, yelling in fright and clearly having trouble.

For the first time she saw the
huge sword, sheathed on the figure’s back, the hilt shaped like a
kneeling woman with her hands clasped in prayer. His friend
returned to them, his crossbow hidden once more.

She looked from one to the
other and then slowly said, “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

The taller figure nodded.
“Come. Let us escort you to the gates.”

As they walked either side of
her in silence, the rain dripping off their clothes she felt she
was dreaming. She wanted to ask them who they were but couldn’t.
Her voice was stuck in her throat. They were slowly scanning the
area ahead and around as they walked. They passed the ornamental
flower beds and she saw the fountain to her right. When they
reached the gates the shorter figure spoke. “There you are young
Miss, you’ll be safe now. Don’t worry about them; they won’t bother
you or anyone else like that again.”

She looked at them, silhouetted
in the light from the main road opposite the library and finally
asked, “Who are you?”

The same one chuckled and said,
“Friends. Now, please go Miss. You’ll catch a fever in this
rain.”

She walked
over the road to the libray. As she turned they were gone, just the
entrance to Jephson Gardens standing open in the pouring
rain.

As she walked away up the road
the taller figure turned to the other and said, “We need to find
Our Lady.”

The other chuckled and replied.
“Couldn’t she have put the portal nearer to where she lives?”