Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 75

The Final Battle

in a commanding gesture of unspeakable evil. “Kill
him!”
The minions lumbered forth to do their master’s
bidding. They were clearly no students of either gardening or martial arts, or they would have chosen a
different fate. Spruce Tree sent the first one to his final
reward with one sweep of his lowest bough.

By K. M. Herkes

On his way to victory, the hero had waded through
hordes of faceless minions, and danced through the
booby-trapped halls of the arch-villain’s stronghold
without a single misstep. He even passed like a ghost
through the command centre where flunkies monitored
the progress of their master’s fiendish plans. Now,
at last, he stood on the threshold of his archenemy’s
inner sanctum.
Hinges wailed as he pushed the door open.

His exultant cry of “Bonsai!” shook dust from the
rafters.
The second minion, clearly cut from a more intellectual cloth than his companion, hesitate B