Ben grabbed the speedster’s fist as it was an inch away from his head. The deserter’s grip looked loose, but Leo felt like his fingers were being crushed. Leo tried to pull free, but he was unsuccessful. Manden’s face turned slowly towards Leo, and although the man’s eyes weren’t visible, his gaze was still burning through his long bangs. It was the gaze of a true killer, a man who wouldn’t hesitate when it came time to take his opponent’s life.
Ben picked up Leo, by the arm he was still grasping, and threw him across the pit. Leo flew, with no control, into the pit’s wall, landing with a brutal thwunk. He felt like he had just been hit by a shuttlecraft. His breath had left him—and Leo gasped for air, trying to regain his composure. Once again, air filled his lungs and he let out a moan of pain. He quickly got back to his feet—entering a defensive stance, predicting that Ben would be coming in for the final blow.
However, as Leo returned to his feet, he was surprised to see that Manden hadn’t moved. The twig of a man remained in the same place…still motionless. Leo realized his foolishness. He had underestimated Ben because of the man’s appearance, but this was no ordinary evolved. His opponent clearly had enhanced strength, and that was one of the most dangerous abilities an evolved could have. One misstep on Leo’s part, could result with the royal deserter’s fist through his chest. Leo was determined not to make the same mistake twice. He had to step back and come up with a plan. Luckily, the speedster had all the time he needed, while Ben remained still. That was Leo’s one major advantage…Manden was underestimating him as well. After all, Leo was not only an evolved with speed on his side. He was also an intellect, and with enough time, he could easily generate a plan of attack.
With both participants standing still, the crowd became restless.
“Do something damn it!” yelled one guard.
“Kill him already, you freak!” yelled another.
Leo tuned their obnoxious voices out of his mind. For the first time in a very long time, he was completely focused. He weighed all his options and tried to figure out a way he could get the advantage on his opponent. He played every scenario out in his mind, and he was close to a final plan, but there was still one factor he couldn’t account for. Finally, he decided to do what his father had always taught him, when his planning failed. Improvise.
“That was quite a throw—really caught me off-guard,” said Leo, hoping for some sort of reaction from his opponent.
Ben remained completely still.
“Too bad you’re not stronger, otherwise you could have ended the match right there.”
“The match will end when I want it to end.”
Finally! Thought Leo. He got something out of him. However, Ben’s statement, while boastful in nature, didn’t give much away. Even though this was the first time Leo heard the strange man’s voice, it was just as emotionless and hard to read as the man’s appearance.
“Yeah, it seems I underestimated you. I assumed someone of your physique would only be an intellect. I never expected you to have enhanced strength.”
Then it happened—the opening Leo had been looking for. Ben’s mouth had twitched at the sound of intellect, showing his contempt for the word. Leo had found his opponent’s weakness…which meant that his plan was ready.
“But now I realize that you’re just an overconfident idiot.” Leo made a meal out of the last word.
Ben twitched even more. “What did you call me?”
“I called you an idiot…cause compared to an intellect like myself, that’s all you are.”
“Do NOT call me that…”
“Well I suppose I could call you a grunt. You see that’s what we intellects like to call people who aren’t smart enough to do anything. Yeah…I suppose that could work. Which do you prefer, idiot or grunt?”
“STOP IT!”
Ben was fuming. His fists were clenched and his veins were starting to pulsate, nearly breaking the skin.
“I’m sorry—did I offend you? Or are you frustrated because I talked too fast for you to understand?”
“I SAID STOP IT!” Ben screamed.
The skinny man charged at Leo. His fists were raised, and he was running at full speed. He was in a blind fury, and was only focused on smashing Leo’s face, to stop the speedster’s taunting. He was putting all his power into a single punch, and it was aimed right at Leo’s head.
And this was exactly what Leo wanted.
It happened in an instant. As Ben reached his opponent, with his fist an inch away from the speedster’s face, Leo used his speed to side step out of the way. Then, using his speed and Ben’s momentum against him, Leo grabbed a hold of the royal deserter and guided him face-first into the concrete wall of the pit. Ben’s head imploded, like a piece of fruit on impact, spraying Leo with the man’s blood.
The speedster stepped back and surveyed the murder he had just committed. He wanted desperately to justify what he had done, but nothing could settle his conscience. His hands began to shake, and all at once, the images of Len and the royal guard filled his mind. Every murder he had committed had a reason for happening, but they were all starting to pile up on him—crushing his conscious with the weight of them all. Especially because he had just killed Ben Manden…for sport. Yes, it was true that if he didn’t kill the royal deserter the man would have taken Leo’s life, but Ben didn’t want to kill Leo either. They were both being used as play-things by the warden and his guards…
That was quite evident to Leo, as he looked into the crowd. He may have been disgusted with himself for what he did, but the crowd loved it. They cheered and roared at the sight of Ben’s mangled head. They laughed as his body gave its final twitches, before becoming completely still. They cheered and praised Leo the Butcher as if he were a hero. Except Leo didn’t feel like a hero at all. He felt like an absolute monster.
CHAPTER SIX
D iandra had left her village as soon as she was able, with only enough time for a final goodbye to her fellow Egons. She hugged each one of them tightly and wished them well during her journey. She hoped she would see them all again soon, but she had no way of knowing how long her quest was going to take. Each Egon, in turn, gave her wishes of safety in her travels, and they all told her how she would be missed—even Allee, which made Diandra laugh. The woman had always resented and disapproved of “Diandra the Rebel”, so to have the elder give her blessing and well wishes felt strange. Lastly, Diandra had told her pupils, Filix and Julia, that they had to continue their training on their own. The two of them cried in her arms, not able to fully understand why she was leaving. After all, no one in their village had left for that long in over a hundred years.
Diandra had embraced them both, with all the love she had, and asked them with sincerity and confidence, “Can you two take care of my plants, while I’m away?”
“Us?” asked Julia, hesitantly.
“Of course, you,” said Diandra, “I need people I can trust to look after them—and I can’t think of anyone who I trust more than you two.”
The children looked at each other, not knowing what to say. To show their love and gratitude, they jumped on Diandra, and held onto her so tight, that she thought for a second she may have to make her journey with them attached to her. Luckily, their parents had come to Diandra’s aid, and pried them off her. She gave them each a kiss on the cheek, smiled and waved to her entire village before heading south.
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On her last night in the Hidden Mountains, she came upon the last mountain she would have to cross—Mount Axjads, not the largest mountain in the world, but one of the most difficult to climb. Diandra had contemplated going around the mountain, but she knew that the time on her journey was limited. She had to find the dark-haired man soon, and she had already spent two weeks trailing through the wilderness thus far. She had promised the Elders and Navon that she was up for the challenge, and she refused to let them down. However, even though she was in a rush, she still had to be smart, so she de
cided to make her camp for the night at the foot of the mountain. She would traverse it in the morning.
That night, as she lay in the grass, she heard the sounds of the wilderness around her. Ravens and owls called out to each other, and the wild beasts howled in the moonlight. Diandra closed her eyes and let herself join their energy. She expanded her consciousness to the breeze drifting lazily throughout the forest, which led her past the ravens and the owls, getting ready for their evening hunts. She felt the presence of small rabbits and squirrels, hiding in their burrowed homes for the night.
Diandra allowed the energy of the wind to lead her mind into a small valley where she saw a family of gippies. The small woodland creatures ran back and forth in the grass, playing in the moonlight. After a while, they stopped running and looked into the sky with their big, loving eyes.
She felt as though the little creatures were looking at her, as her consciousness passed over them with the energy of the wind. Then the gippies began to sing, and Diandra’s heart melted. The gippies’ songs were one of the rarest things a person could hear in AzzaNation. The creatures remained hidden throughout the day and only came out to play and dance at night, and even if you managed to see one, hearing them sing was next to impossible. The creatures were so timid that even if they smelled something out of the ordinary, they would run into hiding. Only when they were completely at ease and truly happy would the gippies allow themselves to sing out into the moonlight. The Egon smiled inside her mind and followed her energy back through the woods until she returned to her own body.
She opened her eyes slowly, and was surprised at the sight in front of her. In the wooded area, just before Mount Axjads, next to her meditating body lay a massive grey and brown furred mountain wolf. The beast locked eyes with her as she awoke from her trance. Diandra knew how dangerous mountain wolves were, and the Egons had always been warned to never engage with one. Unlike the forest wolves, their mountain cousins traveled alone, and they were three times the size of a forest wolf. The mountain wolves were rarely seen in AzzaNation because they never ventured away from the mountains unless they needed to hunt for food.
Diandra reached out with her mind to connect with the beast’s energy. She wanted to know if this animal had intentions of eating her, or if he was just curious—wanting to know more about the strange person sitting at the foot of his mountain. She connected with its feelings and was relieved that it was absent of hostility. In fact, it felt completely at ease in Diandra’s presence. She smiled at the beast and raised her hand slowly towards its head. The mountain wolf looked at her hand and gestured towards it approvingly with its head. She followed the beast’s lead and continued to move toward it with her hand extended, until she reached the soft fur of the wolf’s head. It accepted her touch and began to nuzzle her hand. She began petting the wolf, scratching behind his ears and under his chin. The beast groaned with pleasure until she eventually stopped.
She smiled at the large wolf and laid down beside him. A moment later, she felt the beast’s head in her lap, as it began to fall asleep. Diandra couldn’t explain what had just transpired between her and the mountain wolf, but she decided to accept it, and she fell asleep with the massive beast snuggled up next to her.
When Diandra awoke the next morning, the mountain wolf was still beside her, and it looked lovingly into her eyes. She got up, took out some food from her pouch, and threw a few pieces to the wolf. He caught the food in the air as she threw them, and he ate them graciously. She ate a few berries and a piece of dried meat for herself and began her trek up Mount Axjads. The mountain wolf followed behind her, and stayed with her each day and night for her entire journey through the mountain. She appreciated the company and noticed that throughout the entire climb, they never encountered another creature. She figured that the other beasts were all scared of her new friend, and she didn’t blame them. The mountain wolf could rip a Larion jungle cat in half if it wanted to. But with Diandra, the wolf was gentle and calm, and the beast made it his mission to get his new friend safely across his mountain.
After a long couple of days, Diandra reached the bottom of Mount Axjads and looked out into the horizon. She could see the end of the forest—her forest. In that moment, part of her wanted to run back to her village and never leave again, but the rest of her, the curious and defiant part of her, was excited to see more of AzzaNation. She looked back out at the horizon and saw a city just outside the tree line. And a few miles beyond the city, Diandra saw sand. She gazed at the Singh Desert as it stretched on for what seemed like an eternity. That was where she had to go—her only instructions were to travel south past the mountains and into the desert, and eventually she will come upon a dark-haired man in trouble. She knew that the words were vague and cryptic, but she still had to trust in her elders. So, continuing with confidence, she kept moving down the rest of the mountain and through the woods until she reached its edge. Before her stood a city, bigger than anything she had ever seen before. Her village with its modest size was nothing in comparison. The buildings were so much taller, and she could hear the noise of the city, even from the edge of the forest.
Diandra took a deep breath and started walking forward, until she heard whimpering coming from behind her. She turned around and saw the mountain wolf staring at her with sadness in its eyes. She walked back to him and began petting his head. The wolf licked her hand and nuzzled it.
“It’s okay my friend, I’ll be alright,” said Diandra, “Thank you for taking me across your mountain…I wish I could stay, but I have to go now.”
The mountain wolf looked like a pup as it stared at her, its eyes filled with tenderness and care. Diandra smiled down at the beast. She could never repay him for his kindness and protection, but she had to keep going. She turned back towards the city and started walking towards it. As she reached the entrance to the city, she looked back at the trees and saw that the mountain wolf was gone. She assumed that he went back to his mountain, back to his life of solitude, and it pained Diandra to know that such a gentle beast chose to live such a lonely life.
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The city was named New Valley. It was a typical city hub in AzzaNation. Tall metal buildings where the royals and well-off lived—taking over a small section. Meanwhile, the rest of the city was laden with cheap, run-down homes. The poor, homeless and dying made up the majority of the city—living in small homes made from whatever material they could find. Many people used wood to make their residence, others used clay, while the truly unfortunate were forced to sleep in the street.
Diandra walked through the town carefully. She had to be prepared for anything, and more than that—she had to make sure that nobody discovered that she was an Egon. If it ever got back to King Grindaull that a member of her tribe broke their ancient treaty—his wrath would be swift and merciless.
Luckily, she knew how to hide her identity. Her dark blue cloak covered her arms and neck, and she wore black gloves to cover the tattoos on her hands. As she entered New Valley, Diandra passed by a few royal soldiers, dressed in their dark grey armor, who were talking and periodically surveying the crowd in the streets. She kept her head down and avoided their gaze. The soldiers glanced across the crowd, as she walked by, but they didn’t pay her any special attention. She was successful in looking poor and unassuming, so the guards quickly lost interest with her and went back to their conversation. Eventually, she made her way to an Inn on the south side of the city—and walked in to rent a room for the night.
The Inn’s lobby was just a small bar. Three tables occupied the room, but only one had anyone at it. A group of five men were sitting together drinking and playing some sort of gambling game. Diandra didn’t recognize the game, but she saw that it involved round cards and a set of dice. She decided to ignore the gambling for now and made her way to the bar, where a large dark-skinned man with yellow eyes stood behind a counter.
“What can ah’ get ya miss?”
“Well, I was wonde
ring if you had any rooms for the night?” asked Diandra.
The man looked at her and smiled, “Ah’ have a few rooms…it’ll cost ya though.”
Diandra rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few copper coins that the elders had given her. Not knowing how much she needed, or how this ‘currency exchange’ was supposed to work (a concept that annoyed and confused her) she placed a handful on the table and looked up at the bartender, with a smile. The man looked at the coins, and laughed.
“Ha! Ya can’t be serious little girl. What the hell am ah’ supposed to do with these?”
“Aren’t they good? I was told that they were.”
“Holy Kahl little girl, where the hell have ya been livin? Sure, they were good a hundred years ago, but nobody would want copper coins now a’ days unless they were dumber than a bag of hammers!” He looked her up and down and laughed again. “Ya shouldn’t a’ run a’ way from home little girl. Whatever beatin your daddy gave you will be nothin compared to New Valley…Let me guess. Ya thought the city would be better than whatever crap village or farm ya came from? Well ah’ got news for ya, girl…this city is gonna eat ya alive.”
Diandra resisted the urge to put the oaf in his place. She didn’t know that the Egon’s old currency was useless. It had been a little more than a century since her people had been a part of AzzaNation’s trade network, and clearly, many things had changed since then. She had to find out all she could, but she still had to play it smart…she didn’t want to reveal too much about herself to this man.
The Chronicles of AzzaNation: Dawn of a New Age Page 10