by M J Webb
“This must be the place. The spirit’s shield appears to be intact. What now, if we cannot pass through? Unless it is lowered for us, we will be trapped, and it would seem that the Heynai have not yet begun their work?”
Brraall halted the column as they approached the almost invisible partition. He jumped down from his horse and strode purposefully up to it. Taking out his sword, he thrust the tip forward. The jintan steel struck the shield and stopped abruptly, as if it had hit a solid wall of stone. “Raart! You are correct, Verastus. There is no way through for us at present. We halt here, until we are able to continue. We can only hope that they do not take long, for we are too exposed here and vulnerable to attack. Take this time to rest!”
He shouted the last part of his sentence in his own language, speaking to his warriors, before reverting back to English to continue. “…Let us hope also that these wizards know what they are doing. If we are caught here, between this wall and the mountain, in the open with nowhere to run, we will be slaughtered!”
Ben shook his head at the great warrior. “Well, you’re a cheery soul, aren’t ya?” he said, trying to make light of the situation, as was his way. “Chill out a bit. They’ll do their stuff, I’m sure. We’ll be alright, you’ll see.”
Verastus raised an eyebrow at the young boy, surprised to hear such optimism from his new friend. It seemed a little out of character to the Falorian, who had witnessed a fair degree of moaning and discontent from the youngster since they met.
“What?” asked Ben.
“Nothing. I mean nothing by it… Only, did you take a knock on the head at Varriann that I did not see?” Verastus replied, with a faint grin.
Ben saw it immediately and burst into laughter. Within seconds, Verastus had joined him. “Ha ha ha… That’s it! By Jove, I think he’s got it! Finally, you’ve cracked it mate. That was actually funny,” joked the youngster.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Heynai’s cave, the spirits were now in severe strife. Their faces were twisted and contorted and they were in excruciating pain. Even Sereq was shaking now and they were all sweating profusely. He tried and tried to encourage the others to hold on for as long as they possibly could. The Heynai’s leader had no idea what was happening elsewhere, his concentration was employed solely on maintaining the power to the shield and keeping the spell going. But suddenly, from out of nowhere, came a real and vivid sense that he was needed. He could not ignore it no matter how much he wanted to, even though he knew only too well the dangers of tearing himself away from the circle, and breaking his communication with the other spirits at this crucial time.
Despite his enormous fear, that is exactly what he did. The great protective shield shook a little and it looked as though it was going to collapse altogether for a brief moment. But, it soon stabilised and somehow it held firm. ‘Ben!’ Sereq rasped, inside his mind, trying to reach the Keeper’s friend for the very last time.
At the shield, Ben heard the deep, booming voice immediately. ‘Yes? Sereq? What? What is it?’
‘Listen to me and listen well. The time is here. We will do what we can for you. We will attempt to create a hole in the shield large enough for you all to march through. It will not last long and you must not delay. Keep a sharp lookout for the enemy, for King Vantrax will sense the disruption. He will feel it. The sudden loss of energy will not go unnoticed. You may be sure that he will despatch the nearest creatures to destroy you, and they are close.’
‘I understand,’ replied Ben. ‘I won’t let you down. I won’t let Jake down.’
‘Yes, we know,’ answered Sereq. Then, as quickly as his voice had appeared, it was gone. Back in the cave, Sereq rejoined the rest of the Heynai. Without delay, he told the others what they had to do and all four began chanting in unison, by some means managing to block out their incredible pain.
“Kruthenealin mehteus hallathe.
Vrushnien ishquall exellonne.”
The ageless words were repeated over and over again. The more they chanted, the greater the agony they had to endure became. Finally, the spirits were drained of all colour and they were shaking uncontrollably, hardly able to maintain contact with one another. It appeared as though they could not withstand it any longer, that they were all on the verge of collapse.
And then, the pain suddenly stopped!
The Heynai were astounded. To their immense relief and joy, they found that they had a brief respite from the torture, and they sensed immediately that a small tear in the shield had appeared next to Ben.
Taking advantage of the momentary lull, Lapo spoke urgently to Sereq. “We cannot hold on for much longer, old friend. The agony is unbearable. We are beaten.”
“No!” replied Sereq, firmly. “You can and you must!”
“Yes, we know what we have to do. But, what you ask of us is too much, it is impossible!” added Terristor.
“Nothing is impossible!”
“Yaargh! You are!” Rutax cried. His voice was raised but he was not angry. In fact, his face boar a huge smile. “…Over hundreds of years you have demanded standards from us far higher than I ever thought we could achieve. Your expectations have been extreme, madness in fact. And yet, somehow, we have always managed to do what you ask. I am resolved now to see this thing through to the bitter end with you, to outlast you on this, and prove my worth. You shall not see me fall, Sereq!”
The spirit’s leader beamed with pride at hearing the robust challenge from his comrade. He gazed around him and saw that the other spirits suddenly had the same determination burning in their eyes. “So, that is the way of it now, is it? A contest between us all? Yes, very well then. Let us see who is the strongest amongst us. He who is the last to perish will have earned that title. I will meet you all in the afterlife, again. Though, I fear you will all have to wait for me there… At least for a while.”
* * *
Back at the shield, the haziness suddenly cleared and everyone knew immediately that the barrier had been breached, creating a sizeable gap through which they could march to safety. The columns of tribal warriors began to move off immediately. At precisely the same time however, far away on the road to Te’oull, King Vantrax suddenly felt another razor sharp pain in his chest. Then, he turned a ghostly shade of white in an instant, as the air was sucked out of his lungs with such speed and ferocity that they felt like they were ablaze. Seconds later, he was left gasping violently for oxygen to replace that he had lost, desperately trying to catch his breath as his vital organs refused to work for a terrifying moment or two.
The evil wizard had left Dassilliak with Melissa and the warriors of his Personal Guard some time before. He was now well on his way to an encounter with the Estian Alliance at Te’oull. When the phenomenal pain struck him however, he dismounted quickly and as best he could, throwing himself from his horse as if he had been struck by a Falorian spear. He stopped at the side of the track, doubled over and fighting frantically for his life.
“Sire!” shouted Melissa, as she rushed to his side. She looked all around them for any sign of attack, but she could see nothing. “What ails you? No wounds I can see. Is it another of the enemy’s spells?”
Vantrax was still struggling hard to breathe. But, after a short while, he was finally able to force his words out between gasps. “Yes… the ba… barrier is… down!”
“What??!! But this is excellent news. Where?” asked Melissa, excitedly.
“Near the… m-mountains… to the north of the city. The boy who came… to this land with the Keeper… is being granted safe passage through. He and the force with him… aim to join the rebels.”
“I see. Then, we must prevent them at all cost!”
“Yes, agreed,” stated the wizard, beginning to recover. “I am well ahead of you there. Stand back. Away I said, give me some room,” he ordered.
Vantrax closed his eyes to concentrate and held out his hands. Silence reigned for several seconds as he tried his hardest to communicate with those of his
raised beasts who were closest to Te’oull. Eventually, his thoughts reached the leader of the Lords of Srenul and he instructed him to immediately despatch the revalkas. The terrifying beasts were sent without delay to intercept the fleeing column before the shield closed once more. They were also instructed to break through to the city if they could. Once there, they were ordered to attack anyone they found, to leave no survivors.
* * *
It was going to take some considerable time for the long columns of weary warriors to pass through the opening in the shield. Ben, Brraall and Verastus remained behind at the breach, there to ensure the safety of their warriors and to keep a sharp lookout for any enemy creatures. They were also going to ensure the hole was closed behind them, once they were all safely on the other side.
Just as the end of the columns were in sight however, Verastus suddenly screamed out at the top of his voice and pointed up at the eastern sky. His superior eyesight had spotted danger. “Aghrast! They are here! Quickly!”
He barked his orders at the top of his voice, encouraging the warriors on the northern side of the barrier to hurry, in no uncertain terms. Though they could not understand a word he was saying, the tribesmen charged through the gap as fast as they could, whilst Verastus, Ben and the rest watched anxiously as the dots ahead of them increased in number and size. They grew larger and larger until finally, the flying beasts were almost upon them.
“It’s no use, they’re not gonna make it in time!” screamed Ben, looking at the last of the tribal warriors who had yet to make it through the shield. “Come on, we have to do something to help them!”
“Raar! No! Stay where you are! What can we do against such a force?” snapped Brraall, consumed completely by anger and frustration. “We are caught in the open, just as I feared! We must get to the other side of the shield before it closes. Only once there can we make our stand, for if the spirits close it now, we will all be killed!”
“But… They are your men! We can’t leave them here to die!” Ben yelled, his emotions once again getting the better of him.
“We have no choice!” cried the huge warrior, barely able to contain himself. “My heart crumbles to dust at the very thought of it. I am dying inside, can you not see? Yes, they are mine, but they will understand the choice I face. We have to survive. We have to…”
“He is right, Ben!” interrupted Verastus. “No more words. Come, we have to go right now!”
Ben was crying openly. He was ashamed of himself, and he was terrified. It felt to him as if this decision was betraying everything he believed in, everything he was. And yet, he knew that he had to go. So, he ran. He ran faster than he had ever run before.
The three companions sprinted through the opening but, once they knew they were on the other side of the breach, they stopped. They each turned around and tried to encourage as many of the others through as they could, before the fast approaching beasts of King Vantrax were able to attack. But, almost immediately, the hole before them vanished and the shield was reformed. It was as solid as it had ever been.
Almost three hundred of Brraall’s warriors were now trapped on the wrong side of the wall. To their utter dismay and horror, they were now completely at the mercy of the attacking revalkas! Brraall was mortified. He approached the Heynai’s barrier and placed his hand upon it. One of his most trusted and loyal warriors was the closest to him. He could just make him out through the haze and the tears that had formed in his eyes. The warrior approached Brraall quickly and placed his own hand next to that of his leader. He smiled gently and nodded his head in a last sign of respect, an honourable farewell. A solitary tear rolled down Brraall’s cheek, for no words would come to him. Then, the friend he had known since childhood drew his sword, turned around, and joined the hopeless fight against the ferocious beasts.
Ben wanted desperately to say something, to comfort the tribal leader somehow. He could see for himself how much the warrior was hurting, he could feel his agony, and it hurt as much as anything had ever hurt the youngster, to watch such a man brought to such despair. But, he knew that nothing he could say or do would help.
Nevertheless, Ben needed Brraall to understand just how he felt. “I… I’m so sorry, Brraall,” he began, placing his hand up on the warrior’s shoulder. “This is the worst day of my life. I don’t know what to say… I’m sorry that we ever got you into this mess.”
The veteran warrior watched agonisingly as his tribesmen died one by one. They were torn apart by the revalkas, who launched a succession of devastating, vicious attacks. Before long, they were all dead. Not a single warrior survived the onslaught.
Brraall turned to Ben, wiped his cheek with his hand and looked the youngster firmly in the eye, gripped now by a fierce determination and thirst for revenge. “You did not ‘get us’ into anything, Ben. I led my people to this place. It was I who chose to follow the teachings of our forefathers, to follow the Keeper. It is me who will be judged by history in the fullness of time, not you. The blame and guilt lie with me. And I will carry them with me forever, unto death. Now, let us complete our journey and join our friends. Many more of us will die before this war is won, I fear. Once the wall that divides us is down, we will all have to face our demons, and conquer our worst fears. I at least head to Te’oull in the knowledge that I have just met with mine.”
Verastus joined his friends. “Then, there are at least two of us in this new army of ours who shall not fear death, my friend. Too much has happened to us in the past weeks and years for that. My own life, the things I thought were important, seem so insignificant now, almost like petty squabbles which are best vanquished from my mind. A life is such a small thing to give when the stakes are so high. If I am destined to die at Te’oull, I will meet my end bravely, I know I shall. And I promise you this, my friend; I will avenge the deaths of your warriors by aiding the Keeper to the best of my ability. When the time comes, I will take as many of the enemy with me to the afterlife as I can!”
He offered his hand to Brraall in a very human gesture of friendship, something he had only recently learned from Jake and Ben. Eventually, Brraall realised what was required and shook his hand. Ben immediately placed his own, much smaller hand upon them both. He choked back his tears as he spoke.
“You know, I know I’m only a kid, but… I used to take everything I had for granted when I was at home. To be honest, and you probably won’t believe this, I was a tiny bit immature. A bit of a pain really. I was always feeling sorry for myself, wanting what others had, what with the way my dad was an’ all… Anyway, what I mean to say is…”
Ben was trying his hardest to speak like an adult, and succeeding, even though his age meant that he was still considered a child. But, emotion overcame him and he broke down in tears again, unable to finish his sentence.
Verastus placed a reassuring hand around his shoulder and led him away. “It is alright Ben, no need to go on. We know.”
Chapter 10
2nd September - The City of Te’oull - Siatol
The Heynai’s protective shield was now restored and holding firm, for the time being. Behind it, throngs of deadly, merciless beasts were waiting impatiently to begin their attack upon the walled city. They would soon be joined by the combined forces of the wizard King’s Northern and Southern armies, led by the most feared warrior in Estian history, the mighty Thargw, Sawdon. And not long afterwards, King Vantrax himself would add to their numbers, bringing with him the Sebantan Princess, Melissa, and the elite troops of his Personal Guard. The stage was almost set for the ultimate battle between good and evil on Estia. This was the long awaited climax of a thousand year war, and it was shaping up to be a fight which would eclipse all others. Estia’s very own version of Armageddon was coming to Te’oull.
Inside the city itself, a lone sentry who was guarding one of the gates in the northern section of the wall suddenly cried out loud, as he spied Ben and his force of tribesmen approaching his position. His excited yell brought warriors runnin
g to him from all directions. Everyone it seemed rushed to greet the new arrivals at the wall, all except for Princess Zephany and her perpetual shadow, Lord Caro. The two seasoned combatants remained where they were, in the square.
“Srr… Shall we not go with the others to see our friends?” asked Caro, when it became clear that Zephany was not going to follow.
Princess Zephany shook her head slowly in reply. “No, I need a minute or two, please. That is not too much to ask, is it? I tell you, Caro, I have never appreciated silence so much as I do right now. It is bliss. Let the others greet them, they will arrive with us soon enough.”
The young royal suddenly and unexpectedly dropped to her knees. Bowing her head slightly, she whispered a short but sincere prayer of gratitude, whilst Caro watched over her. Several minutes after she had finished and regained her feet, Ben, Brraall and Verastus joined them in the square. The intrepid group of heroes were surrounded by an excited crowd of onlookers who had followed the column all the way from the wall. At first, the leaders struggled to make themselves heard over the noise, but Caro’s patience ran out quickly and he held up his hand to silence the crowd.