“Everyone be quiet!” she said, hushing the group. “My prince, if you have something to say that may help us, there’s nothing more important than that.” He looked up from his boots at the strange centaur girl with her big ears and horns and woolen white hair to see two big blue eyes encouraging him to speak again.

  “I was thinking that…?”

  “Go on…go ahead. You can do it.” She told him with half a smile to help him along. “Your opinion matters as much as anyone else here.”

  “I was wondering…” he paused. “Siouxsie’s lightning can only find things that have metal in them….but the monsters are only made of ice. What if we took something metal….like coins… and stuck them to the monsters…”

  “How would the coins stick to the ice?” asked Morell. Prince Damron stooped low to dig through his pack. He pitched belongings and food aside before reaching into the bottom and pulling out a bright red and green gumfruit.

  “With these! The liquid center will stick to anything correct? If we each break one open, put a coin inside then stick the fruit to the monster, then Siouxsie’s lightning can seek it out.” The other members stood in silence as the words hit home. Hoxley appeared stunned at the revelation of what it could mean. She blinked twice to shake herself free of the surprise before looking to the witches.

  “Would…would that work?” she asked them. Even the witches exchanged flabbergasted expressions before a wide grin spread across Ignatius’ face.

  “Yes! I think that would work indeed! Well done, your highness!” the witch ruffled the boys’ hair and slapped him between the shoulder blades. “That’s a truly a stroke of genius! Listen up, everybody! The prince has delivered us a masterful plan but we must first carry it out! Dig through your packs, hurry! Hurry! We need enough gumfruit and coins to mark the beasts so that Siouxsie’s magic can strike them! Everyone rifled through their packs in search of their fruits as Robert reached within the folds of his cloak and produced a handful of coins which he held out for everyone to take.

  “How does this work?” asked Morell

  “The gum inside oxygenates very quickly so we must be swift. We must approach the beasts, open the fruit, thrust the coin inside then stick the fruit to them. They should adhere instantly! Once they’re all marked, Siouxsie can send the final bolt to finish them off!”

  “But that will mean we’ll have to approach each of them.” said Hoxley.

  “Then we must move swiftly,” added Idris. They’re almost on top of us!”

  “Agreed!” nodded Ignatius. “Quickly, then, quickly! Robert, take your broom! Fly, now!” The companions split up With Hoxley, Robert and Morell jumping from the crest to rush the beasts to the east. Prince Damron stepped of the crest to the west with Ignatius and Idris behind him.

  Lastly, standing lone with the wind whipping her black cloak, Siouxsie closed her eyes to concentrate on the feat she must perform. Static in the air made her long black hair frizz in all directions as she watched her friends and companions assault the coming elementals. Her heart ached for them as she saw brave souls dodging and evading the sharp claws time and again to deliver what she hoped would be the key to their enemy’s undoing. She turned to eye her brother flitting about an ice creature that stomped and roared. Hoxley met her opponent head on; masterfully sliding beneath the fiend’s horizontal swipe before slicing her fruit, inserting the coin, and smashing it against the elemental’s backside where it stayed. Not far away, Robert flew circles around his before dropping in behind it, slicing his fruit, inserting the coin and planting it against its underside. Before it could react, he was already airborne and distracting the one Morell charged, his mace swinging wildly over his head. War lust moved him swiftly.

  But where Hoxley had evaded her foe’s first strike, Morell met the huge claw head on, striking the oversized hand with his lythiuum mace. The beast’s limb shattered into a thousand pieces. Cubes and shards of ice flying everywhere. And as fast as the eye could follow, the mace split the air again to bash its leg. Ice exploded again, causing it to not only topple, but slip and fall sideways off the mountain entirely!

  “Huzzah!” Siouxsie shouted from her lookout spot, her raised broom tip shimmering in the morning sun. “Huzzah, Morell!” Hoxley galloped like the wind to collect the boy, scooping him up and saddling him upon her back as she ran. The beasts of the east were tended to. All that remained were those to the west.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  In the heart of battle, Ignatius dodged and dove to keep clear of the frosty claws. Time and again the swinging razors threatened to cut him down. The witch moved fast to complete his task. When the fiend twisted its body to strike again, he rushed it to slide between its legs and plant the coin-laden fruit upon its underside before slipping out the back. To his right, the prince ducked and evaded his enemy in the same manner. Prince Damron dove out of the path of one strike only to stop another with his magic shield before driving the edge of the shield into the monster’s hand, splintering the fingers. The boy attacked with such ferocity that an outsider might have mistaken him for a hardened veteran. Once underneath and past it, he sliced the gumfruit, inserted the coin, and smashed it wholly against the back of the fiend.

  Lower on the slope, Idris confronted the final giant Morell had crippled by taking one of its legs. Despite having lost a limb, it continued to crawl and claw at the man with ceaseless tenacity.

  “Back, you wretch!” He cursed the beast. “I’ve come to put you down for good!” The ice elemental crawled on its stomach, shifting its massive girth one arm length at a time. Its icy scythes cut gouges into everything it laid its touch upon trying to get at him. Once within striking range, the thing swiped, narrowly missing him. Idris’ hastily closed the distance between the two to leap upon the elementals back, slice the fruit, add the coin and affix it out of reach between the shoulders. The frosty fingers slashed and flailed to end him. He jumped down and was racing back to safety when he saw the prince lose his footing and fall into the snow and go sprawling at the feet of his adversary. The boy was pushing himself up when the monster raised its claw high in the air to bring it down upon him. The man stopped short with horror as he pointed toward the danger and yelled a warning:

  “My king, look out!”

  Prince Damron turned in time to see the mighty claw cutting the air. Lying on his back, the prince pulled his legs behind shield above to stop the icy claws from impaling him. Half the frozen daggers fractured against the lythiuum plate. Still hungry for blood, it raised the gargantuan hand a second time. Prince Damron jumped to his feet and waited for the second swing. When it was almost upon him, he swung the shield as hard as he dared to drive the edge against the monster’s hand. The ice burst to bits, showering him with slushy chunks. The beast roared in anguish. That was when Prince Damron turned to Idris to thank him for the warning. But for what he beheld sneaking up on his man, he had to call a warning of his own.

  “Idris! run! behind you!”

  Despite his warning, the man didn’t have time enough to elude the claw swinging from behind. As he attempted to leap away, the handful of scythes raked the man across the back. Idris gave only a pitiful yelp as he was thrown to the ground.

  “Idris!” cried Prince Damron, as he and Ignatius sprinted to his aid.

  “Back, you perversion of nature!” The witch cursed at the elemental as he scooped up the man from the snow. “Run, your highness!” he yelled. “Back to the crest! Hurry! They’re almost upon us!” The two rushed the hill, ducking between the legs of the last titan standing between them and the aid they desperately needed. Atop the hill, Hoxley and the others anxiously awaited their return. Behind her, Robert continued to launch salvo after salvo of white-hot magic at the foes creeping up from behind.

  “Tinder and Cinder!” Robert shouted, his eyes glowing beneath the shadow of his pointed hat. “Burn, you freaks! Return to your evil master!”

  “Here they come, Siouxsie!” said Hoxley. Inside Siouxsie’s head her thoughts raced a hundred a second. The mantra she repeated to herself kept the frantic bundle of nerves in her stomach from making her sick.