by Zel Spasov
“Coward. Can’t you fight with honor?”
“Honor? There is no honor in losing. Everybody fights for themselves.”
Charles jumped forward and tried to grab the knife. Bernard swung the blade at him, cutting his opponent’s hip and then backing away. Despite the pain, “The Rabbit” tried to disarm his enemy once more. Bernard was quicker and cut him again, this time on the arm. Charles's wounds started bleeding. He began to feel nauseated, as he’d never seen so much blood in his life.
“Oh, blood,” he said, then fainted.
While Charles regained consciousness, Lenny clashed with Gèroux. The tall man towered over his opponent, but his sluggish reactions were a weakness, which Bernard exploited skillfully. He avoided the giant’s mighty blow and cut him on the legs and arms, then knocked him down on the ground with a well-timed kick in the knee. With his free hand, he grabbed Cayden and started dragging him to the barricade. But he didn’t get far, as the unrest attracted the other patients who, until now, had been immersed in their activities.
“Hey!” said one of them.
“What is he doing?!” said another one.
The patients attacked Bernard. He took a fist to the face, as he couldn’t properly defend himself while holding onto Cayden. Encouraged by this success, the patients rushed him. The blows came from all directions. Bernard fell to his knees, his attackers kicking him in the back. They were going to kill him in their rage.
On the other side of the canteen, as Charles was coming to, he saw the assault on Bernard and, recognizing the mortal danger he was in, cried out, “Stop it! You’re killing him!”
Although Bernard was their enemy, Charles didn’t want him to die. If they killed him, they wouldn’t be any different from Doctor Dimitriou.
Lenny swatted the patients off Bernard with his big, powerful hands.
“That's enough!” Charles said once more. “We don’t kill! We won’t be like Persephone!”
“The Sloth” helped Bernard get up. Charles ordered the patients to tie him up. They left him sitting in a corner and moved Cayden as far away as possible from him. “The Rabbit” wished Monsieur Gèroux’s brother, Zacharie, would appear from somewhere. He was much more reasonable and would certainly help them.
Charles and Lenny bandaged their wounds with strips of cloth, which they cut off their clothes using Bernard’s knife. Luckily, the cuts weren’t deep; they just looked bad. Charles went over to Cayden and examined him. He wasn’t hurt.
“We don’t have time,” Charles said to him. “We have to act now.”
A sudden twitch of Cayden’s eyelids startled Charles. Was he waking up? Cayden's gaze met his for a moment, after which his eyes quickly lost focus again.
Charles felt that Doctor Dimitriou’s assault was coming. The barricade wasn’t going to last.
If Cayden didn’t wake up soon, they were screwed. His expression was so calm. What peaceful, carefree dreams was he having right now?
***
“We’re all going to die!” Cayden screamed into the wind, whilst barely holding on to his flying lizard, which was taking part in a spectacular, albeit horrifying, aerial battle.
Charles, on his part, was firmly holding on to Cayden. The Sloth and Monsieur Gèroux were somewhere behind them. The wyverns followed the lizards closely, engaging them in a fierce battle. They were big and powerful creatures, faster, stronger, and tougher than the lizards. Still, the reptiles were higher in number and had tricks of their own they used in fighting. Their armor, consisting of metal-like scales, repelled the sharp claws and teeth of the wyverns. The lizards flew in a lounge but quickly dispersed whenever they anticipated an attack. Using their large numbers, they concealed the fugitives, making the task of capturing them even more difficult. Cayden struggled for control over his mount, which decided what to do all on its own most of the time. He held on as tightly as he could, trying to suppress his fear of heights.
“We don’t have time,” Charles said. “We have to act now!”
What did he mean, “act now”? All they could do was hang on and pray that their pursuers left them alone.
The battle of the lizards and the wyverns looked like something out of a masterful painting. The bright membranes of the reptiles glowed with brilliant colors, intertwining with the streaks of white made by the dashing wyverns. The moon, bathing everything in its soft light, provided a magnificent backdrop for this mortal ballet, this murderous waltz, this samba of death. Cayden was so transfixed by the scene that he didn’t notice a wyvern approach them.
“Incoming!” Charles shouted. Cayden instinctively bent his shoulders low over the lizard’s neck and pushed him down.
The lizard seemed to understand him and leaned to the left, barely dodging the white beast’s attack. Another wyvern caught Monsieur Gèroux's reptile in its sharp claws and sank its teeth into the lizard’s neck. The other dragon lizards came to its aid, but the white beast knocked them out of the sky with a single swing of its muscular tail. Bernard's mount gave out a death yell, its body relaxing into the wyvern’s grip. The white beast released the reptile, and it began falling to the ground. The wyvern’s rider reached out to grab Gèroux, but the wolf evaded his grasp. Bernard and his lizard were caught in a rapid free-fall descent. Cayden made his animal dive down to come to the wolf’s aid, hoping to gather enough speed to catch up with him. Though the view of the ground coming at him at a terrifying speed almost made him faint, Cayden suppressed his fear. Saving Bernard was more important.
Before Cayden could reach the wolf, the wyvern who’d assaulted him earlier crashed into his mount, sinking its claws into its back. Its rider tried to pierce Cayden with his spear, missing only by a centimeter. Cayden swung at the wyvern, cutting his wing. The creature gave out a scream and started falling, dragging the other reptile with it.
The Sloth was also involved in a fight with two wyverns. He managed to fight off one of them; the other swung its tail, breaking the back of his reptile. The Sloth and his mount followed the fate of the bounty hunter.
Caught in a death grip, Cayden’s lizard and the wyvern crashed in the trees below. The collision threw Cayden and Charles off the reptile. Cayden flew through several branches, which slowed down his plunge, and fell onto some grass. Although the collision injured his leg, he would live.
He had fallen on a small meadow by the River Toska, somehow managing to hold on to his sword. Broken branches and torn leaves marked the trajectory of his fall through the trees. Cayden stood up and looked at the sky. The wyverns hovered above. He limped toward the cover of the forest and hid under the dense canopy of the trees.
A wail came from nearby. Afraid that it was Charles, Cayden hobbled in the direction of the sound. A few minutes later, he found the place where his lizard had crashed into the ground. It was badly injured—even its scales couldn’t protect him from a collision this hard. Cayden knelt beside the reptile's head. The animal focused its eyes on him, let out its last breath, and died. Cayden felt sorrow for the creature, a tear appearing in his eye, but restrained himself—the lizard’s death served the greater purpose of killing the Evil. There was no more to it.
Charles appeared from behind a tree. His white coat was dirty, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. Before Cayden could ask him if he’d seen the others, a growl came from the thicket. A moment later, the wyvern that had brought them down from the sky appeared between the two tree trunks. It was bleeding, but still alive. The animal approached Cayden, baring its large, sharp teeth. Even wounded, the white beast was a fearsome adversary. It could tear him into pieces with its strong jaw or break his back with its powerful tail. The creature charged Cayden, who jumped out of its way. The wyvern bit the air where its prey had stood just moments before. Cayden rolled over, then climbed on the back of the injured wyvern and thrust his sword into the white beast's skull. It fell, dead, on the ground.
“That’s exactly what I was going to do, too,” Charles said, coming out of the bush, where he’d hidden w
hen the wyvern appeared.
“We need to find the others,” said Cayden.
“The Sloth, yes,” Charles said. “Gèroux? Not so much. He’s ruthless. Once we get to Agapea, he'll hand us over to the guards.”
The possibility of leaving the wolf here and heading to the city was tempting. Without him, they would be faster, and they wouldn’t have to worry whether or not he’d stab them in the back—literally. Nevertheless, Cayden couldn’t leave the headhunter behind. They needed everyone for the upcoming fight.
“We aren’t abandoning anyone,” he said.
“Yes, that’s the Cayden I remember,” the Rabbit said unhappily. “Always caring about those in need, even if they tried to kill you and your friends and are definitely going to betray you later. I liked you more before you got your memory back.”
“I don’t care about the wolf,” Cayden said. “He’s a tool we’ll use against the Evil. That’s all.”
Charles looked at him as if he couldn’t recognize him. Cayden guessed that wasn't what he’d expected to hear. The Rabbit’s opinion of him didn’t matter—only winning the final battle did.
There was a rustling noise, after which the Sloth came out of the thicket. He greeted them with a calm and enigmatic smile, as if nothing had happened.
“Well, we’re all here. We can go,” Charles said.
“We aren’t leaving anyone behind,” Cayden said. The Rabbit’s ears drooped.
They looked for a while but didn’t find any traces of the wolf. Orienting themselves in the thick undergrowth was almost impossible in the darkness of the night. They had to rely only on their blind luck to locate Bernard.
Finally, they heard someone curse nearby. They followed the sound of the swearing and found Monsieur Gèroux yelling at his dead lizard. Somehow, the wounded wolf was still standing on his feet.
“Useless reptile!” he said. “Is that all it takes for you to surrender?! A broken spine?!”
“I would show a little gratitude if I were you,” Cayden said. “We’re all alive thanks to the lizards. And thanks to Varvara, who sacrificed herself for us.”
“I know, I was there, remember?” said Bernard with viciousness in his voice. “I fought too. But did anyone thank me?”
“Now’s not the time to congratulate ourselves on a job well done,” said Cayden. “We still need to reach Agapea and defeat the Red Evil.”
Bernard furrowed his brow. “Did he hit his head somewhere? What is he talking about?”
“He is called Cayden Starosta, and he’s the real king of Agapea!” Charles replied proudly.
“Never heard of him. So what? You want to fight some... Red Evil?”
“The Red Evil,” Cayden said. “It controls Agapea and Queen Mira. The upcoming war is Its fault. We must defeat it, otherwise we’ll all perish.”
“Ha!” exclaimed Bernard. “Old wives’ tales! You'll have to make up a better story than that to fool me.”
“We’re not making it up,” Charles said. “We saw It with our own eyes. We have witnessed the destruction it’s capable of. Nobody is safe until we defeat it.”
“So you want to go back to Agapea,” said Gèroux. “That makes things easier, because I'm headed there as well.”
“Whatever plans you have for us, forget them,” Cayden said. “We’re helping you by not leaving you alone in the woods.”
“You think I need you?” said Bernard. His face twisted with pain; he put one hand on his hip and fell to his knees.
“No, you’re right, you’re absolutely fine on your own,” Cayden said and helped him stand up. “We have the best chance of surviving if we work together. That’s the only thing that matters right now.”
The wolf’s endurance surprised Cayden. Although his posture was upright, his eyes betrayed his pain. Only thanks to his iron will was he able to stand on his feet.
“All right,” said Bernard through gritted teeth. “We'll go together to Agapea. Once we reach the city walls, you become criminals again.”
“Agreed,” Cayden said.
“Are we really going to take this psychopath with us?” Charles said.
“We aren’t leaving him here,” Cayden said.
“I wouldn’t trust me in your place,” said Gèroux. “But in this case, I agree. It’s safer to move together. Especially with him on our side.” The wolf pointed at the Sloth.
Charles jumped to his friend, putting his paw on him.
“He's on our side, not yours.” The Rabbit’s ears were tilted back. “We’re saving your life by not leaving you here. Again.” He pulled the Sloth. “Let's go.”
Cayden felt he could trust Bernard. The wolf was clear in his intentions. He wouldn’t turn against them before they reached the city gates. In his injured state, he was unable to fight against three opponents simultaneously, and he knew that.
With every step they took toward the city, the thumping inside Cayden’s head grew stronger. The warmth emanating from the ruby increased—its power was palpable now. Even though the thought of facing the Evil scared Cayden to the bone, he was determined to defeat It. Mira’s life depended on him.
***
Back in Agapea, Captain Zacharie Gèroux awoke in complete darkness. Little by little, his memories came back—scouring the city for the badgers, entering the warehouse by the river, and the following ambush...
He was tied up tightly so he couldn’t move. Moreover, dozens of glowing eyes surrounded him in the darkness. Jean the Frog was sitting on top of him, holding a knife in one of his webbed hands, staring at him with a look that said, “If you move, I’ll cut you.” They were in a narrow tunnel somewhere underground. There were almost no sources of light, as the badgers didn’t need them. Their eyesight was terrible, but they had excellent hearing and sense of smell.
The badgers were carrying him somewhere, probably to interrogate him, Zacharie assumed. He knew the procedure—as the Captain of the Guard, he often had to question criminals. They were going to extract from him whatever information they could about the palace's defenses and any possible weaknesses. The structural integrity of the castle was weakened after the last attack by Windhaven, and there were still many open holes in the walls of the palace. The preparations for the war hadn't given them time to set up adequate protection. Captain Gèroux had no doubt that the badgers would torture him until he told them everything—he was extremely familiar with the defensive measures of the palace. But every member of the city guard was trained to withstand torture. He was ready to give his life, but not to give them the information.
They entered a large, dimly lit room. At the other end of the chamber, an old badger was sitting in a wooden chair. He was so old he smelled like dirt. Or maybe that was because underground, everything smelled like dirt.
The badgers brought another chair, which they placed in front of the living fossil. Jean hopped off Zacharie and onto the ground, still pointing the knife toward the wolf. The badgers left Captain Gèroux in the chair and stepped aside. Three badgers, whom he recognized, stood before him.
“You’re about to talk to the oldest badger in the world,” Peter said.
“He carries the wisdom of our species. He has seen and heard things that none of us can imagine,” said Gregor.
“Listen carefully to what he is going to tell you,” said Theodor. “It is a matter of life and death.”
Their tone wasn’t threatening, but rather matter of fact. The captain wasn’t prepared for this development of events. Instead of torturing him, they wanted him to talk to an old, kooky badger. Was it a trick?
The elder was sitting motionless, staring at the wolf with milky white eyes. Maybe he croaked, thought Zacharie.
Finally, the badger moved. Captain Gèroux observed him carefully as the elder leaned forward in his chair and sniffed the air. He made a munching sound with his mouth several times and then said, “I sense you've brought me another lost lamb.”
“Not a lamb, a wolf,” said Zacharie.
The badger
laughed hysterically. The captain didn’t see what was so funny.
“Lamb, wolf,” said the badger. “What is the difference?”
“I'm Captain Gèroux, Captain of the Guard...”
“Stop it; that’s not what I’m asking. Don’t play dumb.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Nothing. What do you want from us?”
“To give yourselves up to the city guard to be judged according to your crimes.”
“And what about your Master’s crimes?”
“King Fraud is the legitimate ruler of Agapea, and I am his faithful servant,” said Gèroux automatically, but the words sounded fake. Even he didn’t believe them.
“They've brainwashed you well,” the old man said.
“What do you mean?”
“I'm not talking about Fraud, boy. Your true master is Something much worse than the impostor sitting on the throne. It seized power after the disappearance of King Cayden Starosta. It’s pulling the strings from behind the stage.”
Captain Gèroux barely remembered King Starosta. He’d joined the city guard around the time when Cayden had become king. He had never met him personally, because at the time he was just a regular guard. Then Starosta had betrayed the kingdom and deserted it. King Fraud had taken his place as the legitimate ruler of Agapea, and Cayden's wife, Mira Starosta, had fled the city out of shame, after which she had become the ruler of Windhaven. Now she wanted to see Agapea destroyed.
“What are you talking about, old man?” the captain asked.
“They’ve hypnotized you, boy,” the old man said. “Your memories of the events surrounding King Starosta's disappearance have been altered. Moreover, the Red Evil has hidden its presence in your mind. You and the citizens of Agapea are blind to it.”
The Red Evil? Though he had never heard the name before, some Presence in the Captain responded to the words. Zacharie shifted in his chair. The badger smiled.
“It doesn’t like to be called by its name. It prefers to remain hidden in the shadows. There, the Red Evil feels safest.”