Slayer

  “But what if...What if we actually never do get out of here. What if we do rot and live the rest of our horrible lives”

  “Don’t say that!”

  “But it’s true, Thetra. Brother, I’m sorry but we can’t escape this one. It’s not possible.”

  Thetra sighed. “I’ll find a way. But for now, let us rest, for the afternoon has rolled on to evening.”

  Then they fell asleep in the new country, only to awake and find themselves in the same place.

  LONG TIME, NO SEE

  Two loafs of bread and two glasses of water were on the floor when Thetra woke up. Smart. They do it while Thetra and Arek are asleep so that they couldn’t attack each other.

  “Pssst!” whispered a hushed voice diagonal from Thetra and Arek’s jail cell.

  They both looked over where the voice was and saw Satym.

  “Ah!” said Arek in surprise, jumping back even though Satym was in a separate cell.

  “I can free you, but then you must free me,” said Satym.

  Thetra and Arek looked at each other.

  “Should we?” asked Thetra.

  “I suppose it’s all right. But if she is lying, we kill her,” replied Arek.

  “Aye,” whispered Thetra back. Then in a louder voice, he said to Satym, “We accept your deal, but if you are not speaking the truth, we shall kill you.”

  “Very well.” Then Satym pulled something shiny out of her pocket.

  “What is that?” asked Thetra.

  “I believe it is yours,” she said tossing the round object to Thetra.

  It clanked off a bar on his jail cell, then started spinning on the ground.

  It was a coin.

  Thetra reached down and picked the coin up, the realized it was gold. He knew he was holding something very rare and valuable in his hands.

  “Wait,” said Arek. “Is that the coin that mother and father promised to you, and it would appear to you when needed most?”

  Thetra looked his brother in the eye. “I believe so.”

  “There’s a slot in the door,” said Satym. “Push it in and turn it.”

  Thetra looked at his cell door and discovered that there very well was a slot in the door and he did what Satym told him.

  The door opened, and Thetra and Arek stepped out.

  “Is there not a slot on your door?” asked Arek.

  “No,” responded Satym. “It is only on the big cells like yours.”

  “So how do we get you out?” wondered Thetra.

  “Oh, you can open it from the outside without a key. Just look right next to my cell and you’ll see a button on the wall. Press it.”

  Thetra found the button and pressed it. Satym’s cell door opened and she walked out.

  “That feels nice. Thank you, Thetra and Arek Eouhjasson.” She held out her hand to them.

  Thetra shook it, as did Arek, and the three of them formed a new alliance.

  “Now let’s get out of here,” said Satym, looking around for any guards that may have heard them.

  “Aye. I know where the exit is,” said Arek. They followed him towards the door which Thetra and Arek had entered in handcuffs just the day before. Now they were exiting free.

  Thetra had to steal a horse, for he could not walk with his ankle injury, as he had to hop on one foot out of the jail.

  They strode as far away from the jail south as they could go, then stopped to rest at dawn.

  “So,” started Arek. “How’d you get arrested?”

  “Oh, for all the crimes I did. Stealing, killing, severely injuring…that sort of thing.”

  “Oh? I did not know you do that,” said Thetra, but then he remembered what she did to Therr.

  “You didn’t? Well, now you do.”

  “Now I do,” agreed Thetra.

  “And I know how you went to jail. You said a false name. But why did they to take you to the Mthanl Jail?”

  “Well, we—”

  “We?” said Satym.

  “I did say the false name,” explained Thetra. “But as the guards carried me away Arek said that they couldn’t take me without him coming, so they took him as well.”

  “That makes sense,” said Satym. “A little brotherly love.”

  “Aye,” said Arek.

  “So we were at the Destville Jail, but then when we tried to escape I stabbed the jailer and he dropped the key, but Arek failed to reach it. So we were transported to Mthanl.”

  “The Mthanl Jail is the most powerful prison in Arque. Ruetas is called the Lord of the Prison.”

  “I noted that he smells horrible,” said Arek.

  “But isn’t it weird how they don’t take your weapons?” said Satym to Thetra, completely ignoring Arek.

  “’Tis.”

  “Well, we better keep on marching, because they obviously know we’re missing, because they would’ve discovered it when they came to feed us and saw our cells empty.”

  “Aye,” said Thetra. “Let us keep on moving south.” Then he hesitated and turned to Satym. “Promise you won’t do anything bad at the army’s camp.”

  “Who’s going to stop me?” she pressed.

  “Me, for I am the new leader of the army.”

  “I thought Mordon would be next in line,” said Satym.

  “Apparently not. Even he wanted me to be leader. But he is the co-leader.”

  “So I just listen to you two.”

  “That’d be nice,” said Thetra. “And Arek. Listen to him. He isn’t exactly co-leader but he’s third in charge.”

  “I understand. Let us go now.”

  With that they kept on walking south, sometimes jogging.

  Along the way, Thetra and Arek updated Satym on what was going on in Destville, including the upcoming battle with Morchad’s Army, Thetra breaking his ankle, the battle with the green and red-armored soldiers, and the Hidden Creature with his Army in the Clouds.

  They arrived a few days later, welcomed with a big cheer of the crowd of the army.

  But when Mordon saw Satym, he grew hot with anger. “Why did you bring her?” he yelled at Thetra, gesturing to Satym.

  “She rescued us,” replied Thetra. “Do not accuse her for anything, for if there is anyone to blamewhich there isn’tit would be me.”

  Mordon calmed down and there was silence for a moment. Then he said, “Very well. Let her stay.”

  “She will help us win the war,” added Arek even when the discussion had passed.

  Mordon turned to Arek. “Oh?”

  “Aye, sir. We told her about the upcoming battle. She is well trained, and if she is fighting with us, we can defeat Morchad’s Army.”

  “Has she agreed to this yet?” wondered Mordon.

  “Well...” Arek hesitated. Satym hadn’t exactly agreed to help them, but he had a rather good feeling that she would. He turned to Satym. “Will you?”

  “Of course,” responded Satym, to Arek relief. “Only if you let me talk to my parents.”

  “You’re parents work for Morchad?” said Thetra.

  “Aye. If you let me talk to them during the battle, I will wipe out every other soldier that serves Evil.”

  “But wouldn’t that include your parents?” asked Mordon.

  “Besides them,” stated Satym.

  “Who would kill them if you don’t?” asked Thetra.

  “Well, I was thinking when I talk to them I would hope to convince them to join this army. They are adequately good fighters.”

  “But can we trust them?” asked Mordon, concerned about who joins and leaves the Good Army.

  “Aye. If they are on the same side as mine, they will obey you,” replied Satym.

  “Swear it,” threatened Arek. “Make an oath. Make an oath that we can trust you and your parents in our army.”

  Satym hesitated. “Do I have to?”

  “Aye. If you break this oath we have the right to kill your mother, father, and you.”

  “Alright. I swear that my parents, Lora
daw and Vertay, and I, Satym Loradawdaughter, will cooperate and obey the laws of this army.”

  There was a silence throughout the Good Army.

  “Alright, then,” said Thetra, breaking the silence. “It looks as if we have a new troop. Let’s get her a personal trainer, shall we? Any volunteers?”

  Surprisingly, everyone except for about five people raised their hand.

  “Oh,” said Thetra in surprise. “I wasn’t...expecting a number so large. Er, how about you? Ayvis?”

  A man that looked about twenty years old stood up and walked over to where Thetra, Arek, Mordon, and Satym were standing.

  “I would be honored,” he said.

  The crowd cheered and chanted his name as if he were a hero.

  “Ayvis! Ayvis! Ayvis! Ayvis!” chanted the army.

  Ayvis smiled and stifled a laugh. “I’m here,” he said shyly.

  Then two fireballs came crashing into the army camp and Valao, Ejarshöh, and Ghuar flew down and fell to the ground, squashing a few troopers.

  BRINGING BACK HISTORY

  “Where were you?” asked Thetra.

  “Hunting,” replied Valao.

  “Were you really?” questioned Thetra, not believing that the three dragons had been gone since he had woken up in the hospital only to be hunting.

  “Yes!” exclaimed Valao, yet Thetra still knew his dragon couldn’t be telling the truth.

  But he let the matter go.

  “I heard you got arrested,” said Ghuar. “For speaking…a false name.”

  “Aye. And I strongly loathe Bewaldt for that. I did not deserve to be put in jail for that.”

  “And her?” said Valao, gesturing to Satym. “Why is she here?”

  “She agreed to help us win the battle.” Thetra assumed Valao already knew about the upcoming battle with Morchad’s army, and he was correct.

  “Good, because we need all the help we can get,” said Ejarshöh. “This—he gestured to the crowd of the army—is most definitely not enough to battle Morchad’s army.”

  “I agree,” said Valao. “We will need recruits. Strong ones.”

  Then a soldier of the name Juleau came rushing through the crowd. He was one of the army’s spies, obviously returning from Stankl Maobn.

  “Leader! Leader!” he shouted. “I have important news from Morchad’s Army.”

  “Share it,” ordered Thetra in a direct tone. “What have you discovered?”

  “Morchad is…making a new creature.”

  “What kind? Is it big? Is it tough to defeat? Give me details!”

  “It’s a golem.”

  There were gasps from the crowd, and people whispered and muttered to each other, “Golems? They haven’t been around since a thousand years ago!”

  “Alright, alright!” shouted Thetra, calming the crowd. “It’s alright. We can defeat the golems if we can get more soldiers. Jeleau, do have an idea of how many golems Evil is creating?”

  “A whole army of them.”

  “What?! A whole army…” Thetra was speechless. Golems were the toughest, mightiest creatures in the country, and the army had to fight a whole army of them? This was impossible. No man can defeat a golem. It takes about a hundred men to defeat only one golem.

  “How are we going to do this?” wondered Mordon, looking at Thetra.

  “We have no choice but to fight them, for this is our land! Not Morchad’s!”

  “Our land!” repeated the army. “Ours!”

  “And now we not only have to fight Morchad’s Army,” said Satym, “but golems as well! This is not possible.”

  “We shall not flee!” shouted Ghuar. “We shall stay here and fight like real men and dragons!”

  “Aye!” roared the crowd.

  “We shall start training immediately if we are to win this battle!” ordered Thetra. “Every man and woman is required to have one sword, axe, and any other weapon that would help us defeat Morchad’s Army!”

  “Yes, sir!” yelled all of the blacksmiths, prepared to start making swords.

  “We must do this,” said Thetra to Valao. “If we don’t then this whole population dies, including us. We can fend off Morchad’s Army, but it’s the golems I’m worried about. How will we do this, Valao?”

  “I do not know, human. I can defeat golems, though.”

  Thetra snapped his fingers as if remembering something, which he had. “Of course! The dragons! How could I not have thought of that before! Valao, Ejarshöh, Ghuar, do you know of any dragons that could help us?”

  Valao and Ejarshöh both shook their heads, as Thetra expected, but Ghuar said, “Yes, King Thetra. I know of many that you may call upon as you wish and they shall come to your aid immediately.”

  “How may I call them?” asked Thetra.

  “We must communicate somehow...I need something that is all black,” responded Ghuar.

  Thetra looked around the camp. “I will go inside and fetch one,” he said.

  He entered his quarters and grabbed a piece of iron that he had found on his way to the Good Army after Eouhja and Uvorc had been killed. It had seemed like it might have been of some use before, and it was now.

  The journey to Destville seemed like years ago to Thetra.

  He sat there, thinking about the trip to Destville. He remembered how it had surprised him and Arek at how short a time it had taken.

  Then he remembered his task, and exited his quarters and gave the scrap of iron to Ghuar.

  “Thank you, King Thetra. Now I will ask my ten friends to help us in the attack.”

  “Ten?” said Thetra in surprise. He was only expecting three, yet there were ten. He was more happy than when he had learned that the dragons could help them win the battle.

  “Yes, King Thetra. The first I will call is Olorgan.” Ghuar touched the center of the iron plate and said, “Communicate to Olorgan Hunjansson.”

  The iron plate transformed into an image that showed a young pale blue dragon, who Thetra assumed was Olorgan.

  “Hello, Olorgan,” said Ghuar.

  The face looked up and broke out in delight. “Ghuar! My friend! I thought you had forgotten about me!”

  “I’ve known you since you were three months old,” replied Ghuar. “How could I forget about you. Look, you’ve grown! How old are you now? Twenty?”

  “I am twenty-three,” responded Olorgan. “Where are you, Ghuar?”

  “Destville. I need your help. Can you come here in two months and three weeks? We need your help, for Morchad’s Army is attacking the Good Army with a whole army of golems, and dragons are on top of golems in the food chain, as you know, so we can destroy both the army of golems and Morchad’s men.”

  Olorgan was speechless. “Ghuar...How can you be saying this? I thought you had to serve Youtren, who despised the Good Army.”

  “Thetra, here” Ghuar twisted the iron plate so that Olorgan could view Thetra“has murdered Youtren, setting me free,” said Ghuar. “And so I decided to help him and join the Good Army. He is also the leader of our army.”

  “He is? What happened to Therr? As far as my knowledge knows, Therr would never step down.”

  “Therr was killed by a magical alien that served Ailog, the magical alien president,” explained Ghuar.

  “And did you say Morchad is training golems?” asked Olorgan, confused.

  “Aye. A whole army of them,” said Ghuar.

  “Then I will help you, for I love tearing the meat out of golems, even though I have never been alive to see one.”

  “Thank you, Olorgan,” said Ghuar, and Olorgan’s image dissolved.

  Ghuar did this again nine times with the same stylehim talking to his friend after they hadn’t talked in years, and then he finally asked them and they agreed. The army now had thirteen dragons and 150 men.

  “Now we need to recruit more troops,” said Thetra, walking with Ghuar back to Mordon’s quarters to tell him of the news.

  “Aye. We only have 150 soldiers now, and now th
at the golem problem is taken care of” began Ghuar.

  “The golem problem is not taken care of!” argued Thetra. “We only have thirteen dragons! I agree, that is improvement, but not enough. Morchad is training most likely about a hundred golems and yet we have thirteen dragons. Each dragon will most likely be able to defeat four golems before they...before they are killed themsElves. And that would mean that the dragons would only kill fifty-two golems.

  Thetra could tell from the expression on the dragon’s face that he was thinking hard. Finally, he said, “Well then I guess we do need both more dragons and men.”

  “Thank you, Ghuar,” said Thetra, glad that it felt like he was leader and not Ghuar.

  “But we must do it quickly, for we have no time to waste. How long till the Evil Army arrives?”

  “I believe the exact time is about two months, three weeks, and six days according to our latest spy reports,” responded Thetra.

  “Alright, then,” said Ghuar. “Where shall we go to recruit?”

  “We shall send troops to all of the cities in Arque and hope they return alive, and not taken prisoner. We must take all ages except for toddlers,” replied Thetra, being specific. “But we mustn’t send any dragons recruiting men, for that will frighten them and they will refuse.”

  “Shall the soldiers in each city demand for them to come or give them a choice?”

  “They must demand, for we need everyone we can get. If we give them a choice they will most likely reject.”

  “What about the toddlers? They parents will be going into the war, and there’s no one to watch them or keep them alive.”

  Thetra thought about it, then said, “We will start a nursery for the toddlers. Their parents or guardians may visit them once a day in a break they have from their training.”

  “Alright. And how will us dragons recruit other dragons?”

  “I can’t think of any other dragons in Arque. Therefore, all the dragons must go to Lake Dalfnok and hatch all the eggs.”

  “Will we crack them open with our claws?” wondered Ghuar.

  “Aye. There is no other way in this situation. You must open but not destroy the eggs.”

  “I understand our mission,” responded Ghuar.

  THE DARK DESTROYERS

  The dragons left the following day on their quest, and Ghuar told his friends to meet them at the lake.

  Thetra was one of sixty-nine that stayed back while the other soldiers went to recruit from the cities. He decided that Morchad’s Army may come early, and although they would only have sixty-nine soldiers and no dragons to fight, they would at least go down fighting.