Warriors of the Heynai

by M J Webb

  Look at us, we are leaders. If we choose to do nothing, if we lie down and let this world crumble into ruins, what kind of example are we setting for our people, for our children? How will they choose to respond each time they are faced with adversity? And what will they become having learnt from us? Surely they deserve better than this? A better future? A better life?

  And yet... I am asking a lot of you all, I know. I recognise that we have not yet earned your trust. It is a huge request to make, the biggest. But I beseech you, I am pleading with you in the strongest possible way, do not abandon all hope today in this chamber! For mark my words, that is what is at stake here. My father and I stand ready at your door right now to help you. Our people will stand shoulder to shoulder with you and we shall not run, we shall not hide. Do not turn us away, you will have need of our help, I promise you. You can not defeat Vantrax alone. All we are asking for here is a little time. This war can be won! It is not too late, it will not be easy, but I tell you it is possible now, I know it. I believe it with all my heart. A young Keeper called Jake has shown me the way and I can never go back, not to the way things were. We are stronger now, we are more determined than ever to carry the day and rid this land of my uncle’s influence. The courage Jake and his friend have shown has inspired our people. It has moved my father to risk everything we have on this last throw of the dice. Please, do not fail him.

  Prince Laertral, we turn to you in our hour of need. We are throwing ourselves upon your mercy. You have to recognise what is at stake here. This is an historic moment which our descendants will recount for many years to come, a once in a lifetime event. It will rank alongside the greatest of our legends and take pride of place in our history books. It will be the source of inspiration for many a King or Queen on the battlefield and in their darkest hour. For the good of your people, for the future of the entire continent of Estia, for all that we hold to be sacred and true... Please??? We need your help. We are looking to you to show us the way. It is time now to be a King!”

  Chapter 15

  Night of 22nd August – Nadjan

  “Whoahha…!”

  Ben Brooker cried out suddenly as the winged horse changed direction in mid flight. He very nearly fell off the stallion for the umpteenth time. He steadied himself by grabbing a fistful of his best friend’s clothes. Jake was once again, rather annoyingly as far as Ben was concerned, proving to be more than equal to this new challenge, just as he had done so far to everything that had been thrown at him. He seemed to be having the ‘time of his life.’

  “Crikey, th- that was close! You nearly had to stop then to land the thing, go back to scrape me off the ground. Oh heck, I can’t look down there, mate. It’s makin’ me queasy.”

  Ben closed his eyes tightly and squeezed Jake as hard as he could, hugging him for all he was worth and holding on for dear life. It was an instant reaction, an automatic response which was completely natural, and it drew an immediate reply.

  “Hey! Steady on Ace, we don’t wanna give the others the wrong idea about us, do we? That’d ruin your chances with the girls back home you keep dreamin’ about,” Jake shouted, over his shoulder. He was trying desperately not to laugh too hard at Ben’s discomfort.

  Suddenly forgetting all about their current situation, Ben immediately lifted his head and opened his eyes. “Oh… So, it’s like that, is it? Too good for me now, are ya? Well, I’ll have you know that you’d be lucky to have me! Though, it’d never happen, you’re not really my type, ya know.”

  “Ha ha… Oh yeah? So what’s your ‘type’ then?” Jake replied.

  Ben did not respond. He remained silent for a short while. He was genuinely lost for words and he did not know how to answer the question. He looked over both of his shoulders at the horses which were carrying Tien and Verastus. The old wizard and the Falorian waved happily at him to show that they were alright, their bodies just about visible in the pale moonlight and silhouetted against the clear night sky behind them.

  “Err… I’m not being funny like, but how do these horses know which way to go?” asked Ben, as he suddenly came up with a great way to change the subject.

  Jake thought about it briefly before replying. “To tell ya the truth pal, I’m not sure. I think it’s the spirits doing it somehow, it has to be. At any rate, it looks like they know what they’re doing. I mean, they don’t seem to be lost, do they?”

  “Nah. S’pose not. And we’re making good time as well, they’re really flyin.’ Ha ha… ‘Really flyin’, see what I did there?” he asked, amusing himself once again with his choice of words.

  “Hmmph… Yeah, yeah, you’re a laugh a minute. You should have your own show when we get back home. Now, let’s try to concentrate on what we have to do? Well, we’ve been travelling for hours, we’re all gonna need some rest before we go on I think. Hopefully, we’ll land soon and we can get our heads down.”

  Sure enough, about an hour or so later, the three horses descended through the cool night air and landed on an open field not far from the outskirts of Readal forest. The four weary travellers dismounted, though Ben’s clumsy attempt to get off his horse would probably be better described as a fall. Everyone gathered around Jake to hear his instructions.

  “Okay, look. It’s dark, too dark to go on now, and we all need some sleep. There’s a few hours to go until dawn, so let’s make the most of it. No need for any guard, we should be safe here from attack and it’s a risk worth taking in the circumstances. At first light we’ll go into the forest and see what we’re up against. The horses will be spooked in there I guess, if it’s as bad as you say Tien, and they won’t be much use to us if they are. So, we’ll leave them here and go in on foot.”

  “Very well, as you wish Keeper, you are in command,” answered Verastus dutifully, speaking for them all. They turned obediently and looked around for a suitable place to sleep. All that is, apart from Tien. The old wizard smiled a knowing smile as he lifted his hands and began to chant.

  “Trennlarr sillath vereshque muthnielle.”

  A tent, just large enough to house four people, suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. Ben was just about to comment on how it was sure to be spotted by anyone within miles when it began to fade before his very eyes, until it was completely invisible. The amazed youngster managed just one word as he trudged wearily inside and ‘crashed out’ in the corner.

  “Neat.”

  Morning came far too swiftly for their liking. Ben was in a deep sleep. He found himself awoken by the prodding of a size nine boot, nudging gently at his ribs.

  “Oi! Alright, alright, I’m awake. I’m getting up,” he groaned grumpily, as he stirred and then stretched his aching limbs. His eyelids felt like bricks. It seemed to take an age before he could keep them open. “Oh my…! That sleep must’ve been all of five minutes,” he moaned, once he had recovered himself a little. “Aw… And I was havin’ such a lovely dream. I was shipwrecked on a desert island, surrounded by girls, with only me to keep ‘em company. Some of them were from school, I was…”

  “Nah, sorry mate, we ain’t got time for that now. You can tell me all about it later, I’d like to hear every detail, okay?” interrupted Jake. “Right, let’s go!”

  Readal forest was on a scale larger than anything the boys had ever seen or heard about before. It was larger than even the vast and wondrous Erriard forest in Rhuaddan. Most of the trees in the dense woodland were gigantic, situated unnaturally close together. They almost seemed to be entwined in places. The foliage above and around them was so thick that only small pockets of light managed to shine through here and there. The bright blue, Nadjan sky was hidden almost completely from view.

  The four friends entered the dark, gloomy forest cautiously. Jake led the way. He had not gone far when he decided that he needed light. He asked Ben to take out the box of stones and pass it to him. Jake opened it like before, passing his palm over the crest. The four corner stones lit up dimly. No noise was heard this time but the light they prod
uced was just enough to illuminate the low branches ahead. The centre stone remained dormant and Jake looked disappointingly over at Tien. The wizard simply smiled back at the youngster and shrugged his shoulders.

  Jake ventured further into the forest, following a trail which meandered its way through the thick undergrowth. It was well trodden, perhaps by an animal. Around thirty minutes later, they reached what appeared to be a small clearing. The large open area was definitely manmade, but it seemed to be completely deserted. It was eerily quiet, unnaturally so. Jake led the others onwards nevertheless. They were just nearing the centre of it, when…

  ‘Thwack, thwack… Thwack… Thwack!’

  Four speeding arrows suddenly hit the ground right in front of their feet, kicking up small puffs of dust and stopping them in their tracks. The arrows were only a matter of inches from their toes. They all remained still, certain that the next move they made would be their last. It was immediately apparent to all four, even to the sometimes slow off the mark Ben, that the ‘warnings’ they had just been given were well aimed shots from experienced archers, concealed bowmen who could easily have killed them, archers they could not see, and archers who now had them completely at their mercy!

  For a very brief moment Jake considered using his sphere, but he could see no target to aim at. He decided against it. A short period of uneasy silence followed, Jake looked at the others in turn, but no one seemed to know what to do. He decided that he had to take the initiative.

  “Err… Hello? We…” he called out into the darkness.

  ‘Thwack… Thwack, thwack… Thwack!’

  Another succession of four more well aimed arrows shot out of the darkness and landed right next to their previous counterparts, with unnerving accuracy and at tremendous velocity, leaving Jake in absolutely no doubt at all that this was now a time for listening, rather than talking. Then, after a few seconds, a deep, hostile growl of a voice bellowed out from somewhere within the tree canopy above them.

  “Trresssh bollarr bishtall, valaq umannarr?”

  Ben and Verastus immediately looked towards Tien, expecting the old man to respond for them all to the ancient dialect. But, to their complete astonishment, it was Jake who shouted out a confident reply.

  “Treeyash villeerr muushteen ella, ballaarr Hey’n gereshdall.”

  “Krmmnn… Very good, Keeper,” acknowledged Tien.

  “What? What was good? What did you say?” Ben whispered nervously.

  “I just told them that we mean them no harm, and that we come with the spirits’ blessing.”

  “Oh, okay. Good.”

  It brought no response from their captors however. The forest fell silent again and no one seemed to know what to make of it.

  “Huh! Doesn’t seem to have worked, does it?” began Ben. “Maybe you should’ve…”

  Then, all of a sudden, an awful sound like an owl being strangled echoed loudly throughout the forest. Within seconds, what seemed like an entire tribe of fearsome looking, native warriors descended upon them from every conceivable angle. Their faces and bodies were daubed in a variety of different markings. They carried all manner of weaponry, which they had obviously taken off their previous victims, bows and arrows, swords and spears, and they were now pointing directly at the heads of the four companions, from all sides and from only yards away. Anger and hostility was burning in the warrior’s eyes. They all seemed to be waiting only for the order to kill!

  “Oh yeah, nice one Jake, you silver tongued devil you,” hissed Ben, through teeth that were chattering so violently he thought they were going to break. His whole body was shaking with fear.

  Then, the front ranks of ‘savages’ parted and a huge, colossus of a man pushed his way through to the front to confront Jake. He looked like something out of ancient mythology, a fearsome, battle hardened warrior whose entire body was adorned with painted markings and bore the scars of many fights. He strode up to the teenager and towered over him in a deliberate attempt to intimidate the youngster. But Jake was once again amazed to find that he was feeling completely calm. He should have grown used to it by now, he felt absolutely no fear, he was not scared in the slightest and it just was not right.

  ‘This is all too weird,’ he thought. ‘I should be peeing myself.’

  He was just about to talk in the ancient dialect again, to try to explain everything as best he could, when the warrior before him suddenly spoke.

  “Who are you? What do you know of the Heynai? You say you have their blessing, then why have you come here?” he demanded. To everyone’s astonishment he was talking in perfect English! Jake was completely dumbfounded.

  “Err… You speak… How? That is, I was led to believe that you couldn’t. How do you speak our…?”

  The tribal leader moved aggressively towards Jake, stopping the young boy before he could ask any further questions. His chest was now pushing into the Keeper’s face.

  “All is not what it seems to be in these trees. You must answer all of my questions before I answer any of yours. But, answer them well, we do not like strangers here, and you have already lived a lot longer than most that enter Readal! Speak now, if you want to live!”

  Chapter 16

  23rd August - Nadjan

  King Vantrax had endured a terrible night. His entire body was aching and his head was pounding. He had tossed and turned for hours and managed to gain little or no sleep. It seemed to him as if the night would never end, and the daylight would never come. His mind was plagued by a million and one questions, problems for which he had no answers. Chief amongst his concerns was the thought of the possible escape of his enemies. This unthinkable scenario just would not go away. Despite their awesome reputation, he was not convinced that the creatures he had despatched to assassinate Zephany and Jake, would be successful. The tiny doubts which began at the start of the night had grown as the hours passed by and now nothing, not even the thought of the massed ranks of the Thargws and Falorian legions which now formed part of the mightiest army ever known, could assuage his fears.

  It was almost dawn, the morning sun was about to appear on the horizon and King Vantrax was in a foul mood. He was impatient and he wanted to get moving.

  “Nytig!!!” he yelled furiously at the top of his voice, as he rose grumpily from his bed.

  “Y-yes sire?” came a sleepy reply.

  “Fetch me my sword and armour. Wake Sawdon and the rest of the camp. We march immediately, we have no time to waste. I want to catch these cursed rebels before they reach my Southern Army and have the chance to enter Dassilliak. We are more than enough to defeat them now. Run you fool, run!” he growled angrily. Nytig rushed as fast as his deformed body would allow and within minutes, Sawdon appeared at the King’s tent.

  “Kah, finally! Good. We have been far too slow in pursuing these rebels, Sawdon. We have allowed them too much time to escape us. But now, now that we have doubled our strength, we are strong enough to crush them and kill them all, are we not?”

  “Yes my Lord,” the Thargw answered eagerly, delighted to see that his master meant business and was at last ‘talking his language.’

  “Very well then, strike the camp at once, we march as soon as we are ready. I have a very strange feeling, Sawdon. It is a tiny, irritating thought in the back of my mind, a shudder in my spine that will not go away. Things do not appear to be going as planned. I do not like all this uncertainty; I want to deal with facts from here on. The sooner we catch and defeat my brother and his rebels, the better. Go!”

  Sawdon nodded obediently and immediately left the tent to give his orders to the waiting commanders. All through that morning and well into the afternoon the great army marched at an astonishing pace, through the rugged countryside and the mighty Sekanin forest. By late afternoon, they were almost through the huge expanse of trees and into open country again, when Sawdon thought he heard a faint noise being carried on the soft breeze.

  “Halt!” he shouted loudly, stopping the advancing army in it
s tracks. He strained his far superior ears to listen, as everyone in the columns tried to remain as quiet as possible. It suddenly became eerily quiet and all eyes turned to the Thargw Gerada.

  “What is it?” asked King Vantrax, after a few seconds with no reaction from his warrior. The experienced Thargw soldier did not respond. Then, he heard the sound again and he turned around in his saddle to search the sky above them, looking through the gaps in the trees overhead.

  “There!” he shouted, pointing up at a small spec far away in the distance. “It is a graxoth and it is coming this way.”

  King Vantrax’ heart sank immediately as he realised the creature was alone, convinced that this unexpected and unwanted sight could mean only one thing; failure. The graxoth somehow managed to drop its sraine and fly down between the gaps in the trees, to land before the King. It reported to the evil wizard immediately. King Vantrax used the power of his mind to communicate with the creature from the underworld in the ancient tongue of his forefathers. Several minutes of silence followed as the story was relayed.

  “Raarr!!!” the King eventually screamed in rage. Those closest to him jumped with fright and their horses reared.

  “What is it?” asked Sawdon calmly, the Thargw warrior being the only one present who had not reacted to the King’s cry.

  “That boy, the Keeper, he has killed my beasts! Of those that were summoned and sent after the Princess, these two are all that remain!”

  “Krmmn... Impressive,” stated Sawdon, surprised by such an astonishing feat.