An Army of Good by K.D. Faerydae Page A

it okay if I use your loo before I head off, Fred? I’ve a long journey ahead of me.”
    â€œOf course ya can. I’ll show ya were it is.”
    The ponies shuffled around inside the horse lorry. One of them hung its head over the stable type door at the rear and whinnied.
    â€œEmit ot tae,” Adramalech sniggered, then he and the juvenile Nomed sprang down from the tree, ran across the farmyard, and leaped inside the lorry.
    The ponies neighed and screamed, kicking out ferociously at the Nomeds. The spaniel jumped up at the lorry, barking frantically.
    â€œBilly! Billy! Get away from there, you’re upsetting the ponies!” the farmer yelled angrily at the boisterous dog, as he and the lorry driver returned.
    The lorry driver lifted the rear ramp, completely closing up the back of the lorry. Then he slid the bolt across, unknowingly sealing the ponies inside with the Nomeds, sentencing them to an earlier than expected death.
    â€œI’m real sorry about that. I dunno what’s gotten into Billy, he’s usually real good around the nags.”
    â€œNo worries, I’m sure the ponies will settle down once we hit the road. Well, they’d better do, I can’t be putting up with that racket and thrashing around while I’m driving.”
    The lorry clattered over the cattle grid on its way out of the farm before turning into Honeypot Lane. Although it had reduced significantly, the thrashing of the ponies continued, and as the lorry bore left around the corner, a liquid substance began to pour out from the bottom left corner. The lorry continued on its journey up the winding lane, leaving behind it a twisting trail of blood.

    * * *
    The drive was to be a long one, and the thrashing noises from within the back of the lorry were to continue. The driver would find the journey tedious, and would care very little for his cargo, only occasionally opening the hatch to refill the hay and water containers; a journey where his gaze would sometimes be met by that of a wild and furious pony eye glaring back at him through the small hatch. A journey where the heartless driver would not once fully open the door to check on his load and would think to himself,
What does it matter if they’re not fed and watered properly, they’re going to die anyway, and I’m still getting paid either way.

*Liberty Realm*

CHAPTER 9

    ACCEPTANCE

    The Darlings had spent the last twenty-four hours getting to know their new friends at the beach house. They had familiarised themselves with their magical surroundings and were thoroughly enjoying the peacefulness of Serenity Sunrise Beach. Zavier and Evan were drawing maps in the sand. Zavier had redrawn the map of Liberty for Evan to study. Evan had etched out a map of Witern Wood Village, and was now poking the stick into the sand, marking out where Grace’s Grandad Arthur, Nanny Lizzy and Christian’s parents lived as they had been chosen to be the next Humans collected. Dan and Harry were sunbathing on the beach, both of them determined to return home with wicked tans. Unfortunately, Harry hadn’t noticed Leah grapple her way out of his short’s pocket and crawl onto his back. She lay in his mid-lumbar groove and spread out her leaf in order to absorb the sun’s nutritious rays, remaining there just long enough to create an impressive leaf-shaped white mark.
    Jazmine and Mary had hit it off instantly. They were sitting together on the veranda, sipping homemade lemonade and chatting.
    â€œIt’s so beautiful here,” Mary sighed. “I could just sit and look out over the ocean for hours. It’s mesmerising, isn’t it? I get a really calm feeling whenever I’m close to the sea. If I’m ever a bit low, I love to visit the seaside, it always makes me feel so much better. But here, the feeling is different, it’s much more intense. If you told me that I was in heaven, I think I might actually believe