Jabberwocky (2 page)

The boys picked tangerines all morning, filling the two large bins on the flat cart. As they led the horses toward town they lunched on cornbread and strips of beef, not to mention all the tangerines they cared to eat. As they passed an area thick with low vegetation, they heard sniggering from a copse of scrubby trees. Tjaden continued leading the pair of horses, but Ollie rushed to investigate. He returned a short time later, motioning for Tjaden to follow him.

After setting the wagon brake, Tjaden crept into the brush after Ollie. In a small clearing they saw three young men crouched around a struggling form.

“I say we take off its beak and find out what it sounds like then.”

Tjaden recognized the voice. It was Brune, a boy who always tried to prove his toughness by intimidating people much smaller than himself. Ollie, a year younger than Brune and shorter than most boys his age, was a frequent target.

If that’s Brune then the other two are Buck and Ablon
, thought Tjaden.

One of them said, “No, I say we cut the legs and wings off and use it as a shaggy kickround.”

One of them shifted and Tjaden saw that their captive was a terrified borogove. It was bound with a rope, and a small cord held its beak shut. The creature was not bored and pitiful as borogoves tended to be. This one was terrified and tense. It tried to honk, but couldn’t open its beak to let the sound escape.

The third voice said, “I say we light it on fire and fling it. It’ll be a screaming, flying fireball.”

Tjaden pushed past Ollie into the clearing. “I say you untie it and let it fly away.”

Spinning in surprise, the three moved quickly toward Tjaden and surrounded him, each holding a thick branch. “What are you doing so far mome?” Brune asked, standing too close to Tjaden. His face was wide and had a prominent under bite, like a bulldog. “And without that tweedle Ollie to back you up.”

“He’s no tweedle,” said Tjaden, showing no emotion, “but you are if you think I’ll let you torture that bird.”

Brune stepped even closer. “What did you call me?”

Tjaden stared back, unwilling to engage Brune.

Emboldened by the advantage in numbers, Brune shoved Tjaden, but he still refused to react. Brune’s breathing grew heavier and muscles in his face started to twitch.

“It’s not going to work, Brune,” said Tjaden flatly. Although he wanted to punch Brune, punch all three of them, he maintained control. “Let the bird go and I’ll leave.”

“Why should we? You’re too scared to do anything about it.” Brune bumped Tjaden with his chest.

Tjaden stood his ground and stared back. His calm confidence must have worked because eventually Brune said, “Let it go yourself.”

He strode uffishly away with his silent backup trailing. Without turning around Brune said, “You’re lucky you’ll be fighting in the boys group at the Swap and Spar, or else you’d
have
to fight me.”

Once they were gone Ollie emerged from his hiding place in the underbrush and asked, “Why didn’t you fight them? Even without my help you could…” he paused in thought, “thoroughly thrash those three thugs.”

“’A soldier’s first opponent is himself,” Tjaden quoted. “If he can master himself he cannot be defeated.” His oldest brother was a soldier and this was one of his lines that Tjaden tried to live by.

“I want to be a soldier just as bad as you do,” Ollie said.

Tjaden paused as he untied the frightened borogove, wondering when Ollie had decided that. “Not just a soldier, Ollie. An Elite.” The skinny bird burst out of Tjaden’s hands, honking as it escaped through the thin canopy.

“The point is, the more you fight now the better you’ll be,” Ollie insisted. “Persistent practice produces proficient prowess.”

“Nice one,” Tjaden said insincerely. “How about this one: Start with self-mastery. Swordplay second.”

“No! Horrible!” said Ollie, cringing. They scrambled through the trees to the wagon. “You stick to staves and leave the clever sayings to me.”

“Is that what you were doing in the bushes? Trying to come up with something witty to say to Brune?”

“I was preparing an ambush. If a fight broke out I could’ve taken them by surprise,” Ollie said. “I know you always want to charge ahead, sword a-swingin’, but I prefer to use my brain in a fight.”

Tjaden knew there was some truth to what he said, but didn’t admit it. “That’s great. When I’m an Elite and I choose you to be my Fellow, I’ll take comfort in the fact that you’re always thinking. Might not be fighting, but at least you’ll be thinking.”

Their banter was disturbed by someone yelling behind them. They turned to look up the dirt road and saw a petite figure running toward town. It was Lily, Elora’s sister, and she was moving fast.

“Tjaden!” shouted Lily.

“What’s the matter?” he yelled, jogging toward her.

“It’s Elora.”

Tjaden picked up his pace and quickly reached the gasping girl. “Is she alright?” he asked.

“No! She slipped by Twinnig falls, she’s stuck, on a ledge,” Lily said between breaths.

Tjaden started moving uproad, a sick feeling stinging his stomach. “Is she hurt?”

“No she’s just stuck,” Lily blurted in one breath.

Over his shoulder Tjaden shouted, “Ollie, tie the horses then go to the shed and get some rope. Lily, keep running into town and get your brother and dad.”

Practically sprinting the half mile to Twinnig Falls, Tjaden was out of breath by the time he arrived. Though he called for Elora, there was no reply and his stomach sank even further. Rushing to the cliffside, he peered over.

Elora was ten paces below him on a large ledge, thirty paces above the rapidly moving river. She should have seen him, but she wouldn’t look up or answer. Her skin was as pale as the rapids, and her eyes were wide as she stared upstream at the cliff edge.

Even though he knew something was wrong, relief filled him, as it always did when he saw her. His gaze leapt to the spot she was staring at, but he didn’t see anything at first. After concentrating he noticed a slight discoloration, something unnatural in the foliage. Looking closer he saw a figure moving on two legs along the edge of the scrub oak. It was shaped somewhat like a man, but had the legs and hooves of a goat giving it a forward, sprythe appearance. Though he’d never seen one, he recognized the bandersnatch.

Tjaden cast about for a weapon and saw a four foot stick. It wasn’t straight, and was a little too thick, but his choices were limited. Reaching for the weapon, he examined the creature. The bandersnatch was the size of a large man. It was dried alfalfa green and overly muscled. It had claws like a bear and thick spikes lay flat down the center of its spine. Yet, it was not nearly as fearsome as all the stories said. However, in the stories the bandersnatches were always frumious. This one just looked curious.

The beast watched Elora as it moved smoothly to the lip of the cliff. It was on the upper ledge, upstream from where Tjaden stood. He was relieved that a steep incline separated it from the lower ledge where Elora watched, petrified. But the creature was not deterred. It loped down the sheer cliff as easily as a cat climbs a tree, not taking its eyes off of its prey.

Tjaden didn’t hesitate. He swung his legs over the edge and plunged down the incline, landing sprawled on the ledge between Elora and the bandersnatch. The creature paused. It rose sharply and cocked its head, peering at the new target. The bandersnatch made an evil purr as it studied Tjaden.

The beast tensed and in an instant it lunged forward so fast Tjaden barely had time to jut his makeshift staff in front of him like a lance. The bandersnatch covered the distance instantaneously, colliding full force with the outstretched staff. The impact knocked Tjaden backward, bringing him close enough to Elora for her to steady him. If not for the strength from daily work with tools, Tjaden would’ve lost his grip on the weapon.

Elora shrieked, the bandersnatch wailed, but Tjaden was too stunned by the speed of the beast to make a sound. The bandersnatch clutched its wounded chest and as its breathing got faster it seemed to swell in size. A sinister red stain spread from trunk to limbs, accenting the creature’s green skin. The dull eyes flared the color of fresh blood, and the elongated spines on its back protruded menacingly.

So this is what they mean by frumious,
Tjaden thought.

He didn’t wait for the animal’s frenzy to mount further. He lunged forward swinging his club. In one motion the frumious brute crouched and sprung into the air, passing completely over Tjaden. Spinning, Tjaden reflexively raised his staff to defend himself as the monster’s claws swept toward him. The blow was deflected, but the swipe left gouges in his staff.

Tjaden used the momentum of the blow to spin around and swing his weapon like an axe. The bandersnatch was caught off guard and the blow struck it on the shoulder. It howled and Tjaden again took the offensive. The beast continued to swell with rage under the intense attack. Tjaden attempted blow after blow, but the bandersnatch moved too quickly for him to do any serious damage. It was waiting as it dodged, the malevolent purr interspersed with threatening snarls.

Between strikes, the bandersnatch dove at Tjaden’s legs and they both sprawled toward the lip of the ledge. The staff skidded away from Tjaden as he slammed into the rocky ground. Landing on his back beneath the monster he instinctively grabbed its leathery head. As Tjaden tried to wrench the head from its shoulders, the creature slashed his arms with razor claws.

The combination of blood and intense pain made Tjaden’s stomach lurch. His arms began to lose strength and his grip weakened in the slick blood. He was about to lose his grip when he saw Elora looming behind the bandersnatch. The staff was raised high above her head.

With a spark of fire in her dark brown eyes that matched the maleficent glow in the bandersnatch’s, she struck the monster squarely in the back. Tjaden heard a sound like dry limbs snapping as two of its spiny protrusions were crushed.

Its red eyes flared and it reared back, freeing its head from Tjaden’s grasp. It continued slashing and Tjaden could scarcely hold his arms up to protect his head and body. Elora’s assault wasn’t enough to divert the beast’s attention.

She swung again, this time connecting with the creature’s head exactly where a human’s ear would be. Blood gushed from the wound. It howled and sprung to its feet turning instantly to face Elora.

Tjaden was wounded but free, but the bandersnatch’s attention was back on Elora. From his position on the ground he kicked at the bandersnatch’s legs, but it was too strong to care. Elora held the staff, but Tjaden knew she couldn’t fend off the beast.

He scrambled to a crouch, ready to tackle the bandersnatch, when he heard a low whistle followed by a
phwap.
Tjaden was surprised to see an arrow protruding from the creature’s midsection.

As it glanced down at the lodged projectile another arrow phwapped into its right shoulder. Covered in red rage, the frumious bandersnatch bellowed and retreated. It sprinted up the steep slope, angling away from Tjaden’s father, and disappeared into the trees.

Without thinking Tjaden rose and pursued it, but didn’t have a chance of climbing the sheer cliff. Next to his father at the top of the ridge, stood a stunned Ollie.

Before Elora reached him, Tjaden had a moment to feel embarrassed about needing help. He had a chance to save Elora’s life, but had failed. Someone else had come to her rescue.

The moment of regret was interrupted as Elora encircled him in a tight embrace. She clung to him and buried her face in his shoulder. The battle and the pain were momentarily forgotten. He’d never held a girl so closely, much less this particular girl. Though almost too exhausted to stand, he held her trembling body until she noticed the blood seeping through their clothes, and pulled back to look at him.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

“No, but you are,” Elora replied, helping him to the ground. Her hands quivered as she examined his wounds, but even though she was shaken up, her words were steady. “The blood’s flowing, not spurting. You’re lucky.” Despite the menace they had faced, he did feel lucky to be there with her.

The gashes were on the outside of his forearms, so no major vessels had been cut, but blood flowed steadily from many of the wounds. After wiping excess blood with her blouse, she tore strips from his linen shirt and wrapped his arms to staunch the bleeding. Only after the third layer did the blood stop seeping through the bandages. Through it all, Elora kept her composure.

More than ever, Tjaden was smitten.

His father lowered a rope and Tjaden tied it around Elora’s waist and legs, trying not to wince with each motion of his arms. After she was raised, the rope was lowered again and he secured himself. Once he reached safety, his father embraced him for the first time in years. Tjaden felt his father’s heart racing.

“What are you doing here, Father?”

“I passed Lily on the road. She told me Elora was in trouble so I ran.” Tjaden had never been so grateful for his father’s habit of carrying his bow whenever he was mome.

After making sure the two were able to make the trip, they started home. Tjaden put one arm around Elora, and his father nocked an arrow, staying on guard for the frumious beast.