by Sarah Coley
"Brennus do sit down. You're going to draw attention to our position," Astel pleaded.
Brennus inhaled a large sigh before walking over and siting himself down next to Eleanor.
"Ok Eleanor. Explain Explain Yourself," Astel ordered.
"You've said it yourselves. We can't just walk in to Sleugh’s caves, even in disguise. Not without drawing attention to ourselves, so let’s deliberately draw attention to ourselves. Vincent was sent here with the intention of killing us correct?"
" That is correct," Vincent responded.
"So, what if instead of killing us, he decided to capture us instead. Lure us into a false sense of security, until we’re in a position to have the Goblins do the dirty work. They'll take us directly to Sleugh and the Prince. Then we just have to figure out how to get ourselves out the other side with the Prince, without getting killed."
"And why would I decided to capture you all and not just kill you? You have the head mage with you. It would not be an easy task, and it would waste less time and effort to kill you out right than go to the trouble of capturing you,” Vincent inquired.
"Because you would have learnt knowledge that Astel brought both Owen and I through to this world from Albion, thus fore-filling the prophecy. If Sleugh was to capture and kill us, then both Sleugh and yourself would be in high favour with Balor, and Rogard would be weakened. That's nevermind the fact that if Balor has both the Prince and the head mage as prisoners, the King would have no choice but to surrender."
"You are the warriors from the prophecy?" Vincent asked with surprise.
"It may have not have been the best time to raise this Eleanor, current company considered. He may use this as a bargaining chip, " Astel said.
"I'm counting on it. If we're going to trust each other, then we're going to have to stop keeping secrets," Eleanor declared, “Vincent why are you staring at me, and you can wipe that condescending smile off your face."
Since Eleanor had declared that they came from a different dimension, Vincent had been looking between Eleanor and Owen with a sheer shocked expression for a good five minutes, but suddenly came to his senses.
"I'm sorry. I've heard the story of Merlin and Arthur and that one day someone from Albion would come and restore Rogardium to its glory once more. I’ve heard those stories since I was a boy five hundred years ago. From those stories I always imagined the warriors from Albion would always be someone a little bit more, more." Vincent was smirking openly now.
"I don't believe in your prophecy, but we are all you've got so keep your prejudices to yourself and get on with the job at hand,” Eleanor snapped. She maybe starting to trust Vincent, but his bedside manner left a lot to be desired.
"Yes maam," Vincent declared with an over exaggerated bow.
"Your plan as you put it could work in theory," Vincent said thoughtfully, "I could say that the incident with the Goblins at Brackon was me trying to keep myself in character as your ally. A few dead Goblins won't concern Balor. I will have to 'slip' out of camp when we near the gates to tell them of my plan."
" And how exactly are we supposed to fight Balor and Sleugh, as well as save the Prince if we're prisoners?" Owen asked.
There was silence in the cave as everyone contemplated this answer. All Eleanor could hear was the occasional drip of a distant water source splashing on the cave floor. Eleanor wondered just how far underground they actually where.
So far their goal had been to reach the Prince and save him, but there had never been a discussion as to how this would be achieved.
"Well it can't be Astel because Balor will already know that she's a mage. He'll focus in to stop her magic from working which will render her completely powerless, " Vincent surmised.
"But he won't count on there being two mages, will he?" Astel said with a smile.
Owen turned to look at her with confusion. "You can't possibly expect me to use magic against the biggest evil Rogardium has ever seen. I have no control over this and no training."
Astel looked over a Vincent." Am I correct in assuming that Balor is present in Sleugh’s layer, but at the same time not?"
" How can someone be in two places at the same time?" Brennus interrupted.
" Balor isn't made of solid matter like you or I. He can materialize at will but he is conscious in several places at once. In order to manifest at a location, a beacon if you will, needs to be at the location he is present in," Vincent explained.
"In the case of Sleugh’s layer, there's a green crystal embedded into his throne room that acts as Balor’s Beacon."
" And if we were to disrupt that beacon, then Balor would leave, if only momentarily," Astel concluded.
"I will teach you a simple spell to disrupt that signal which will remove Balor's presence, leaving only Sleugh for us to deal with. Balor cannot act if he can’t see what is going on."
"Which would leave us with Sleugh and his entire army, " Brennus added.
"Goblins try to be independent but they are easily lead and fight often for rank. You kill the King, chaos will ensue and we can slip out," Vincent said.
"So what do you think?" Eleanor asked, "there has to be a consensus or this isn't going to work."
The cave was silent once more as everyone considered their options. It wasn't a plan that Eleanor wanted to follow but she could see no other options. She knew that this was always going to be a dangerous mission, but she hoped Vincent was right about the Goblins loyalties which would give the group a small glimmer of hope.
It was Astel that spoke first. "It was I that placed the pendant in Albion and brought you here, and it was I that took us to Rogard and nearly got you all killed. The Prince is dear to me but so are each one of you. I will gladly join Eleanor in this plan. You have my approval."
Eleanor nodded and let out a small sigh. One down and three to go.
"I have no idea how I'm going to pull off this spell. I’ve only been in Rogard for a couple of weeks and have absolutely no knowledge of magic, but I've known Eleanor a little longer than all of you and I trust her instincts. I'm in,” Owen concluded.
"Well I've come this far with you all and somehow we're all still alive although how I do not know. I'm in, if not because there's a rather large bounty over my head, but also to make sure you all aren't killed from your own stupidity," Brennus said. He had a mischievous grin on his face as he said the last part.
Eleanor turned to Vincent. "What about you Vincent? This plan can't work without you."
Vincent stood up from the shadows where he had been sat and walked into the light of the fire, looking at each of them in turn. Eleanor knew that any light hurt Vincent’s eyes, and that to do this was causing him considerable discomfort.
"I've been a Dearg for four hundred and eighty years, and I've spent four hundred and eighty years hiding and self-loathing in an attempt to regain my humanity and escape from under the shadow of Balor. Until now I've not been successful. What you're asking, is for me to give up my one chance of redemption and to walk into the clutches of my deranged master. You need to understand that my will power is great, but it might not be enough to fight Balor. Once I'm in his presence, I can't guarantee that I won't turn on all of you because that's what Balor wants me to do. If that does happen, you need to end me. I can't go back to that life now."
"If you go dark side, I'll kill you myself," Eleanor declared. Eleanor knew the darkness he spoke of and knew how hard it can be to bring yourself back from the brink. She would not let her friends die because of Vincent's betrayal if it came to that.
"Thank you," Vincent said with a bow of his head. “There is something else you must consider," Vincent said," Elian has been under Balor’s gaze for almost a week now. Balor does not need sleep and he does not tire. He will break the Prince if not sooner than later. The Prince is strong, but you must be prepared that what you find might not be the same man as you once knew."
"Elian is strong," Astel declared. " He will endure for his people."
"I will not kill the Prince if that is what you are implying," Astel said defensively.
"I will," Brennus declared suddenly, " I'm already a dead man if the King catches me, and I won't let some Prince destroy my homelands. If he needs ending, I will be the one to do it."
"You would betray your own King?" Astel said with tears now forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Every time. I've heard Elian is different to his father and he might be a better King, but that's nothing compared to what will happen if Balor wins.”
Eleanor was aware that Brennus was being deadly serious.
Astel didn't respond to this and withdrew herself into the shadows at the back of the cave. Eleanor could tell Astel was upset, and she hoped that Astel wouldn't stand in the way in the badlands if the worst were to happen.
"Well, we've got a few hours left until nightfall so I suggest everyone gets some rest,” Vincent suddenly declared.
"Wait, what do we do about our fake plan?" Owen suddenly blurted out. Everyone was looking confused by this comment but Eleanor had been working with Owen long enough to know exactly where he was coming from.
"You have a plan I take it?” Eleanor said with a grin.
"Well I'm glad you two seem to understand one another because I certainly don't,” Brennus declared.
Astel chuckled to herself. "What Owen meant was, our plan is to get captured, but we can't make it appear that this is our plan. We need to pretend we had a different plan which failed because we were captured. Is that about right?" Astel asked with a smirk on her face.
"That's what I said,” Owen replied.
"Well, we could kill some Goblins and steal their armour to make it look like we were going to sneak in,” Owen declared. “ It would be enough of a distraction to keep Balor off our scent."
"Well if it's killing Goblins, even if it's only to steal their Armour then I'm in,” Brennus said with a smile.
Chapter 24
Elian was running for his life. Around him was the familiar stone walls of the castles corridors. Flames flickered from the torches lighting his way as he ran, whilst a familiar cold breeze stalked every inch of the castle where a fire wasn't lit. He wasn't sure why or what he was running from, but he just knew that he had to keep running.
He rounded a sharp bend to the right and could see the silhouette of someone ahead of him. A friend, someone he could trust.
As he drew nearer, Astel appeared before him looking as beautiful as ever with her long brown hair and stunning curves beneath her flowing mages gown.
She smiled at him as he approached and held out her hands in embrace. Elian slowed as he approached her, grasping her hands with his and pulling her through a door to the left them. He slammed the door shut to stop the creature that was outside and turned to look at Astel.
They were in his chambers. The four poster bed had been neatly made with the deep red of royalty and his bookshelves were rammed with the latest novels as they had always been. Great tapestries were hung on the walls, and long velvet curtains draped the nearby window where the light of the moon shone through.
One minute Astel was approaching him and the next they were kissing each other deeply. Elian had often dreamt of this moment and savored every second.
Without warning, there was a flash of movement, almost as though if he blinked he might miss it. Astel disappeared from his arms and was staggering backwards holding her chest. She moved like a ghost, appearing in one place only to disappear and then reappear in another.
Elian looked to where Astel was holding her chest and saw blood pooling from beneath her hands. She was hurt and he couldn't understand how. She had been fine a moment before.
Looking down at his hands, a dagger had appeared and was covered in dripping wet blood. The realization that it was him that had killed her sent Elian into a fit of despair. How could he do this, he loved Astel deeply and would never hurt her. It didn't make any sense.
Elian dropped the dagger to the floor and took a step back. As he did so, the walls of the castle fell away into darkness as though they melted and shifted until he found himself in the throne room with his father.
His father was lounging in his over sized throne starring at Elian with disapproving glare. There was nothing new about that look. Elian had seen it a hundred times before. Him and his father had very different views on how Rogardium should be run and often clashed.
"How could you Elian? You've let the kingdom down and me, your Father and King. You were responsible for the villages to the North and you're responsible for letting the Goblins hordes through into our land. Maybe you're not fit to be King. Maybe you're not fit to be my son."
Elian was taken aback. How could his father have so little faith in him. Elian had done everything he could to save Rogardium.
"Father, I did everything I could but we were out numbered. Maybe with more men and resources, we could mount a campaign to the North."
"No! I've had enough of your weakness. You are my heir and the future of this land. You must learn to stand on your own feet and do what is necessary to see that Rogardium survives. For too long you've been coddled. You've lived a sheltered opulent life, never having to fight for anything or make difficult choices. Well make this choice son,” The King had a maddening glare in his eyes. "For your failure you get a choice. You can save the mages life, or your first in command Ethan's life. One will live and one will die. Chose now or they both perish."
Elian was filled with fury. How could his father say such a thing. The madness that had been bubbling in his father all these years had clearly taken root. Elian would not bow down to this insanity. He would not be responsible for the deaths of Astel or Ethan.
"Please Father, you're not talking sense. Killing Astel and Ethan would be unwise. We need all the man power we can get right now."
The king shook his head in disgust. "See, even now you are showing sympathy and compassion. It is utter childishness. To be King, you need to make tough choices and if that means the death of your loved ones as punishment for your lack of leadership then so be it. How many men have died because of your inability to make the right decisions. Because of you insolence, the executions of both will take place at dawn.” The King turned to his right and spoke to a guard that had emerged from the shadows behind his throne. “Take my son to his quarters and ensure he does not leave."
Another of the Kings guards appeared on the other side of the throne, both fully armed with their swords drawn. Elian fell into a fit of full fury and drew his sword.
The two knights charged at him, but Elian being the better swords man, diverted blow after blow, quickly slicing the first knights leg before impaling the second knight with the tip of his sword.
Elian looked at the two men now on the ground and checked around for more reinforcements but there were none. It was just between Elian and his Father now.
The King stood quickly from his thrown and tried to make a run for it, dashing across the open space between Elian and the throne room door, but Elian shot across the space between them, holding his sword to the Kings neck. The King stopped moving and looked at his son.
"What are you waiting for son. Are you too much of a coward to kill me. If you don't your friends will die. Who will you let live. Your friends or your Father?"
"Why are you acting like this Father,” Elian asked with a tear in his eye. "We've not always seen eye to eye but you've never been unnecessarily cruel and callous."
"It's a simple choice my son. Will you chose blood or the lives of commoners."
"Please father, don't make me chose?" Elian begged with tears flowing freely down his face.
"You're nothing but a coward. You are not my son," the King shrieked and drew a dagger above his head ready to strike.
Elian acted instinctively and with a cry of rage, rammed his sword through his fathers neck.
Elian let out a heart wrenching sob. What had he done.
Just as he was about to kneel down next to the corpse of his father and look at the monstrous act he had just committed, the ground melted and shifted again until he was stood in a large field.
There was a light mist slithering across the ground and the air had a chill that would cut through to the bone. All around Elian, he could see the dead and the dying of his own men as though a large battle had taken place. His battle. The one that was supposed to save Rogardium and now all of his men were dead.
Elian realised that this wasn't the first time he had seen this scene. It must be a premonition of the future. His future where he was doomed to fail.
Realising his defeat, Elian did the only thing he could do in the eyes of complete destruction. He picked up his blooded sword and turned it in on himself. He would rather die than see his own people fall because of his bad choices. His mistakes.
Just as he was about to launch himself upon his sword like the Kings of old, he saw someone walking towards him. This had never happened before.
Elian stood from his knelt position and squinted through the twilight sun to see who it was.
A woman approached who was shorter than him and wore a basic tunic in green. She had a sword at her side and a glowing emerald pendant around her neck. Her hair was long and blond, and she had the look of confusion on her face.
" Where the hell am I?" She asked mostly to herself. Elian realised that she had not yet seen him.
"Who are you? I've not seen you before?" Elian asked, grateful for the company of another living soul.
" Who am I? Who are you?" She asked defensively.
"My name is Prince Elian of Rogardium, or at least it was before I destroyed everything," Elian replied as the grief threatened to spill from his very being.
"You're Prince Elian? We've been looking for you. Where are you? we're coming to find you!" The lady said with enthusiasm.