The Nisse, the Cat, and the Apple Tree Part 9

Hades gave him a wink.

Christian pulled his sword free, moving to dash at the Troll, but Persephone landed in front of him, stopping him dead in his track. She stood between him and the Troll. Her claws were out, almost singing in the light like the sword in his hands. She hissed at the Troll turning to face Christian. “Get the star,” she said in a voice darker than the devil’s laughter. “I’ll handle him.”

The Troll roared with laughter. “I will make you pay for last time, kitten.”

Christian didn’t wait to see what happen, rushing for the star in the tree as the Troll ordered his army to attack him. Soon, he was beheading goblin after goblin. He kicked their bodies out of his way, trying to be back the flood. It almost felt as if he was trying to cut and kick the ocean with each passing wave, but there wasn’t an endless amount of water. 

A few of the goblins went to for the star now resting against the roots. The tree moved and hissed as if a thunderstorm was about to overtake the hills. Christian tossed his sword cutting off the claws of the goblin holding the glowing start.

He punched the one next to his crying friend tossing him back into a pile of more monsters. He picked up his sword spinning to cut off the head of the handless goblin, and faced the waved of snarling monsters; pass them all, he could see Persephone battling the Troll but couldn’t tell who was winning.

He picked up the star as it seems to sight in his hand. It almost felt happy to be next to him. He glances down the hill to the house and the small farm, unsure if he could reach the house in time. He looked back at the horde, knowing it would be a battle the whole way back to the house.

Persephone flew over his head, landing against the tree and dropping to the ground. Her fur was cloaked in blood, making Christian move closer to her. He kneeled, still seeing her side rise and fall, but her eyes were closed, and she was losing a lot of blood. 

“Your kitten didn’t do too well,” the Troll said, but his body was equally wounded from the fight. He stood with a great effect not to crumble to his knees. “I will eat you whole and then kill her.”

“I fear you will not,” Christian growled, looking up to the blue sky. He started to whisper a prayer to the angels hoping his friend Mrs. Rimmer heard the words. Please, he said with the Troll rushing him, please, I beg you to send some help to save this child, Mighty Lord.  

Seconds before the Troll came crashing into Christian; everything went white. The blinding pain stuck his eyes, tossing him backward against the tree. He hit the wood harder than he had ever been tossed before. He slid down beside his friend with his body tasting the heat of something powerful. 

He slowly opens his eyes to see the Troll's burning body and hearing the thunder roll down the hill. All of the goblins in the army beside him were burnt to ashes, and those who lived were running away from the tree. 

Christian slowly stood up, trying to shake the pain from his bones and keeping the star's whole. He picked up his head, sword and ordered, “Persephone, get up. We have to get back. Persephone.”

He spun around, seeing the still body of his friend. He sat down on the ground, looking at the black cat hoping the tears falling from his eyes were from the lightning bolt's shock and not her death. 

He sat there for a while too long and then got to his feet. “I’ll come back for you,” he said. “I’ll come back and bury you right.”

Christian turned running at full speed back to the house with the star under his arm. He got to the house somewhere around three in the morning. He was exhausted almost to the point of death. When he got on the other side of the fence line, his feet gave out, and he went crashing to the smooth grass. He grunted from the agony needling into his bones but kept crawling towards the house. 

“I can’t stop,” he told himself. “I can’t give up.”

His eyes begged him to close them. They wanted nothing than to sleep. He wanted nothing more than being shipped off into the dream world, but he couldn’t let Thanatos take him yet to the other side. He had to keep moving; he had to get to her.

His body gave out, and he fell face first into the grass. “I must ---”

“All is well,” a delicate voice whispered from the night. The words made Christian open his eyes against all the weariness of his soul, and there standing before him was an obsidian cat with sky blue eyes. It sat there, smiling down at him, eyeing the star. 

“Who are you?” Christian asked.

“I am Hades,” the cat said softly. “I was going to meet my wife here, but �" “

“She is on top of the hill,” Christian said, unable to move but still trying to reach out for the star. 

“I know,” Hades said, strolling over to the star. “You did well, little Nisse, and my wife so does love this child.” He picked up the star winking at Christian before dashing to the house. Christian closed his eyes, hoping and praying all was well.

Hours or days later, Christian came to in his bed hidden his trees. His boots still own, and his sword against the door. He sat up with all the pain from adventure, grunting as he made his way over to his window. There outside in the yard of the house was the little girl playing in the sun’s heat while her cat, Persephone, sat on the deck watching her, and under the deck looking right at him was the eyes of Hades. He winked at Christian and then was gone from his sight.              

Author's Note

If you had made it this far, then I appreciate it, and before you start to tear my work apart (which doesn’t bother me too much), let me explain something. The most common critique I see is about my spelling and grammar. It is an understandable critique, and I do not blame you for pointing it out. After all, spelling and grammar are the tools in which we use to craft our work, like a paintbrush or a chisel. The artist must know how to use these tools well, but like an artist who has a tremble in their hand's somethings will never be perfect.
My tremble in my hand is caused by my dyslexia. It is something, no matter how much I learn, study, or works on, it will never go away. It is the reason you will find a good bit of spelling and grammar mistakes in my work. I ask you to keep this fact when you are about to write your critique.
Also, I feel the need to point this out, this website is like a journal for me. A messy journal I used to work out problems in my stories or to simply warm up before digging into my novels. I do not hire an editor for the work here. I do not spend hours and days pouring over these stories to make them perfect, that energy is saved for the project I plan on taking to market. Everything on this website is my world-building exercise or sketches for other projects.
I do hope you enjoy my work, but this website is not a publishing house for me, and it shouldn’t be for you either. Something to keep in mind as you write your critique.