“Amazing little creatures aren’t they.” Ravage was fascinated by how strange and bizarre some insects were and how perfectly adapted they were to live in their chosen environments.
Patsy cupped her hands under a trickle of water, sampling a large mouthful. The freshness and purity of the water made her feel as though she was drinking from the very heart of the world.
“What do we have here,” Ajaxon knelt over a large clump of mushrooms, “Patsy bring the torch over here for a moment,” He broke a stalk away from the clump to inspect it.
“What if it’s poisonous?” Ravage said as Ajaxon went to bite into it.
“There’s an old saying about mushrooms, if it’s yellow and white you’re mostly alright but if it’s red then you’re dead.” He bit into it with a satisfying nod, “these are good, here try one.”
The cavern had been a good respite for the trio. The soft light of the glow worms had a calming effect on them which helped to ease the growing anxiety in their minds from the terrors of the caves. Ajaxon filled a pouch with the mushrooms and topped up their water bottles. Nourished and rested they were ready to continue.
As they travelled deeper into the cave the ground became more uneven and soon they found themselves climbing over large stone embankments and squeezing through tight gaps in the rocks. It was tiresome labour. Patsy sat on a rock ledge to catch her breath and take a sip of water. Ajaxon stood beside her; she passed the bottle to him.
With skilful footwork Ravage slid down an embankment. She turned around and saw Patsy resting on the ledge with Ajaxon beside her. With immense speed a hideous pale centipede twisted its body down and seized Ajaxon with long frightening legs. As it lifted him into the air it began to viciously bite at his torso with its poisonous mandibles. The poison was so noxious that Ajaxon was immediately paralysed, his face contorted in pain as spittle formed at the corners of his mouth. With great haste Ravage began climbing the embankment. Patsy drew her sword but the giant centipede had disappeared dragging Ajaxon’s body into a dark narrow tunnel on the ceiling.
There was a hiss and the sound of clawing feet as another giant centipede rushed towards Patsy. It was such a grotesquely horrendous creature that Patsy was momentarily frozen with fear. She regained her senses as the abominable centipede lunged at her and brought her sword up to defend herself from its attack. The blade pierced into the creature’s face; the momentum of its body knocking her to the ground. Blood and gore dripped from the wound as clawing and screaming the centipede tried to bite Patsy with its poisonous mandibles.
Ravage tried to push the creature off Patsy as she struggled desperately beneath it. The centipede’s hulking mass was too heavy, its stance to strong. Ferociously she hacked at the monsters long legs and repulsive body with her sword. Its armoured carapace was impenetrable so she targeted the undefended flesh between its segments causing devastating wounds to its body until finally the hideous creature gave up its attack and fled back into the darkness.
A tremendous roar shook the cave as a rhythmic pounding began making the small stones upon the ground tremble and bounce around. Ravage grabbed hold of Patsy and slid down the embankment. The cave continued on down a passage to the left but to the right was a vast chasm. Patsy was shaken up, the centipede’s blood stained across her armour. Ravage seized the flaming torch from her and peered down into the dark abyss of the chasm and to her horror she met the glowing red eyes of a horrible beast climbing its way up the chasm wall towards them, its giant hands carving deep rents in the stone. As it held her gaze it roared all the more terrible and increased the speed of its ascent.
With no time to waste Ravage took Patsy by the hand and led her running deeper into the cave system. After a few moments Patsy regained her senses and side by side they raced along the tunnels until to their despair the path ended opening up into a large chamber with a step and rocky incline. It was a difficult descent and all the while they could hear the massive beast crashing through the tunnel quickly catching up to them.
They were half way down the treacherous slope when the beast entered the chamber. Ravage could not see its full form through the darkness but its red eyes were glaring down at her from above. Enraged it began to smash stalagmites and large stones as it coursed its way towards them. Frantically Ravage and Patsy jumped and dove over all obstacles and leapt over steep ledges regardless of whatever bruises or injuries they’d receive in their desperate attempt to flee the dreadful beast bearing down upon them.
At the bottom of the chamber there was a small hole in the rock wall where a shallow stream passed through. It was only just barely wide enough for them to escape through. Ravage pushed Patsy through first then once on the other side she reached back to grab her friend’s hands and pull her to safety just in time as the beast extended its massive arms to grasp Ravage.
There was no sanctuary for them. The rock wall was only a few inches thick and already cracks were forming along it as the powerful beast pounded against it with incredible strength. When they turned to continue their retreat they realised they had stumbled into a crystal chamber.
The magnificent crystal formations were beautifully spectacular. Pillars of flawless crystal spanned the entire length of the chamber, the girls were in awe of the reflections and colours created by the flaming torch. Ravage so desperately wanted to stay and explore every inch of the chamber, it was just so amazing but as the wall began to crumble she knew she must flee and did so with great regret.
There was a gaping hole in the roof of the chamber which had collapsed long ago. The two girls climbed the debris into a tunnel and with a final mournful glance back left the crystal chamber never to return.
They were panting hard as they ran. In the wind of their momentum the torchlight was barely able to stay lit. It threw off scarce light and often the girls would crash into walls or collide with stones and low hanging arches unable to see the obstacles ahead of them until they were right on top of them. Bruised and bleeding they kept running; the sound of their pursuer had not abated.
A strong gust of wind extinguished the torch, it carried with it the warmth of daylight and up ahead the darkness was receding. Their pace quickened now that they were in the final stretch and within moments they found themselves basking in sunlight.
The view that greeted them was both astonishing and terrifying for they found themselves perched on the side of a sheer cliff face in a ravine with a strong flowing river below.
“We have to jump!” Patsy took Ravage by the arm knowing she was terrified of large bodies of water, “you can do this.”
“No, I can’t.” It was over a two hundred foot drop to the river below. Ravage could see dark shadows moving below the surface, “I can’t do it Patsy.” The fear was in her eyes.
Without hesitation Patsy seized Ravage and leapt over the ledge. Ravage screamed as their momentum increased and the surging river below came ever closer.
Chapter 19
Leaning against the balcony Jonathon basked in the morning sun as it warmed his skin. Waves were crashing upon the stony shore as the swell was beginning to rise; the sweetness of the ocean breeze helping to calm his troubled mind. His back was to the ocean as he looked out across the massive expanse of sandstone structures that formed the harbour city of Leesa. For eons the great city had laid in desolate ruin, not a single Engalian king throughout all those long years had a care to rebuild the city for it was too colossal an endeavour. They remembered not the beauty of the city, its grandness and splendour nor the cities infamous history or the reason for its destruction. They knew it only as a ruin and left it to be claimed by monsters and foulness.
No longer was Leesa a ruin. With a great host of men Lord Brackish rebuilt the great city and with the masterful skill of his craftsman enhanced the cities beauty tenfold of its former glory. With the buildings, towers and infrastructure of the city complete the craftsman laboured now on the aesthetics. Beautiful gardens were constructed and planted bringing life and warmth to the
sandstone. Astounding statues, pillars and fountains were being sculptured as well as a magnificent shrine to Fe’anorr, the great phoenix god.
It wasn’t the magnificence of the city that brought Jonathon to the high balcony. He stared out at the road and the surrounding landscape, a deep longing aching in his heart.
“The day has finally arrived,” Brackish joined Jonathon on the balcony, his long hair flowing over his shoulders.
“It has,” his smile was lacking enthusiasm, “they haven’t returned.”
“If I know Akella, and I do, then she’s dragged her sister out on some crazy adventure with Melody,” He slapped Jonathon on the shoulder, “you needn’t worry about them.”
“I’ve been having strange dreams lately, I feel like Crystal needs me and the fact that they haven’t returned when they said they would,” he looked at Brackish with great foreboding, “I think something’s happened to her.”
“You just miss her is all, and you can probably sense that she misses you too. There’s no way Akella would let anything happen to her. You have to remember that this is the last time they’ll be out together before you get married and after that everything will change so stop worrying and let them enjoy their time together.” He placed his hands on the railing, the breeze coursing through his hair. It had been a long and hard road restoring Leesa and now his plans were finally coming into fruition.
“I thought you wanted Akella with us when we met with the four kings?”
“I would have liked to but- she has a habit of doing her own thing.”
“You’re too lenient with her,” all the other captains obeyed Brackish’s commands and were scolded if they did not, all except Akella.
“Akella is a free bird.” Out of all his captains Brackish held her in the highest respect, she was an enigma and he had no will to burden her with the chains of responsibility which is why out of all the captains she is the only one that didn’t have a battalion of soldiers under her command. “Peace and idleness doesn’t suite her, nor does diplomacy, she’s a warrior. While the other captains were forging names for themselves Pyrelle she was in Ruscarne fighting bandits, defending villages from shorku and slaying demons. She is always pushing her limits to become stronger so I allow her the freedom to do that.”
“I guess you’re right,” Jonathon took a deep breath and stared out across the landscape, “I still can’t shake this feeling though.”
“You don’t have to join me if you’d rather go out and search for Crystal.”
Akella was one of the most powerful warriors Jonathon knew and Crystal possessed great strength of her own, they’d be safe together, he had to banish the negative thoughts from his mind. Perhaps the bad dreams were just his longing for her, worry and anxiety were emotions Jonathon wasn’t use to having. With Leesa complete it was time for the surangi to make their mark on Sapphiron. Brackish was going to meet and forge alliances with the king of each of the four ruling empires and Jonathon wanted to be right there by his side. “No, you’re right I shouldn’t worry so much and I have been looking forward to this,” his mind was made up, “we have royalty waiting for us.”
All the preparations had been made. Brackish and Jonathon rode out of Leesa with an entourage of twenty arcane knights each dressed in fine garments with minimal armour. The horses too were adorned in dignified finery and at the rear of the procession was a decorated wagon being pulled by six resplendent black stallions.
Their first destination was the castle of Floreska, capital of Engalia. Leesa was after all in Engalian land so having an audience with King Balester first seemed the most appropriate. Brackish was unsure how the king was going to respond to him claiming Leesa as his own and establishing land in the name of the surangi, the alliance Brackish wished to forge would only make Engalia a stronger and more prosperous empire and so hoped the king would overlook the intrusion.
The course they mapped out to reach Floreska was not a straight one for Brackish wished to travel the countryside so he could visit as many small towns and villages as possible. He was eager to learn about the land and its people for when the alliance was struck the citizens of Engalia would be both his allies and friends.
The situation in Engalia was not as it appeared. Brackish was shocked and appalled to discover that such a beautiful and fertile land was plagued by villainy and corruption. Remote towns were lawless and ruled by gangs of cruel mercenaries and bandits. The people suffered great hardships and poverty; some peasants lived in absolute destitution. They endured great misery and lived with the constant fear of death or worse. There was no justification for the horrible lifestyle the people had to endure; it was pure negligence from the empire in forsaking them to suffer at the hands of petty men. Brackish was outraged, what king would allow his people to live with such misery and not raise a hand to help them.
With wrath and steel the arcane knights slaughtered all those who sought to oppress the weak. The body count they amassed was frightening; burying the masses of corpses in unmarked graves.
There were several chests of silver coins in the wagon and with humble generosity Brackish spread them out amongst the villagers and peasants so they could buy themselves food, clothing and shelter. In a mere week he had shown the people of Engalia greater kindness and empathy than any of their kings had done for centuries. Word quickly began to spread about the great Lord Brackish who vanquished the wicked and brought salvation to those who had been downcast; a new hero of the people was born.
When finally Brackish and his knights reached the castle of Floreska his name and deeds were already well renowned, an envoy of royal ambassadors greeted them at the castle gates to escort inside the kingdoms capital.
“Lord Brackish it is such an honour to welcome you and your distinguished knights to our kingdom,” the queen curtsied ever so elegantly, her beautiful flowing dress swirling about her jewel encrusted boots. The queen’s face was gorgeous beyond measure, her golden crown sparkling above her brow.
“The honour is mine,” he bowed, “this is my captain Jonathon.”
“A pleasure,” the queen extended her hand and Jonathon kissed it lightly then stepped behind his lord.
“The king is making preparations to meet you in the throne room shortly, might I ask you to join me in the garden briefly so that we might speak awhile,” her smile was courteous.
“I would be delighted to accompany you your grace.”
“General Haycox will escort your knights inside, a special reception has been prepared to entertain them until his royal highness is ready to meet his honoured guests.”
The general wore impressive armour of polished steel with a dignified orange cape denoting his high position within the court. “Gentlemen if you would follow me this way please.” Led by the General, Jonathon and the arcane knights made their way through the grand majestic castle.
The royal gardens were the epitome of lavishness, their beauty astonishing. All manner of wondrous and exotic plants filled the gardens; flourishing in amazing colours. Exquisite fountains and ponds blessed the gardens with an aura of insightful tranquillity and in the very centre of it all stood a spectacular pillar of green titanite crystal that reflected the sun creating beautiful rays of colourful light.
“This is a stunning garden,” Brackish sat beside the queen on an extravagantly carved stone bench.
“I spend a lot of time in the gardens, thinking about the future of our kingdom, pondering life’s many questions.” she sat enjoying the sun.
“Do you spend much time thinking about the townships that live in squalor?”
A dragon fly landed on a lily pad, it took its fill of water then returned to its adventure amongst the luscious plants.
“That was not a very courteous question.”
“It might not have been courteous, but it’s an honest one, surely as the queen you are aware that the people of your kingdom are suffering?”
“A peasants life is a difficult one, not everyone can be blessed with
good fortune and wealth.”
A peasant’s life; is that how she saw the people that were under her care, as lowly peasants. With a snort of derision Brackish arose from the bench. “No, not everyone can gain wealth, but I do believe the people should be able to live in peace without the fear that bandits are going to smash their door down in the middle of the night and murder their family.”
“Bandits?” she held her hand to her mouth and giggled softly, “Lord Brackish there are laws here that prevent that sort of thing from happening.”
“Laws only work when they are enforced and from what I’ve seen of your kingdom, clearly, they are not.”
Rising from the bench the queen picked a long stemmed flower, savouring its sweet fragrance. “So Lord Brackish I hear you’re from a small island in the south, is that true?”
“It is, Pyrelle Island.”
The queen had no wish to discuss any matters concerning Engalia instead probing Brackish about life on Pyrelle. Her inquiries were superficial asking about the weather, the type of clothing the women wore and what breed of animals they liked to keep as pets. She spoke at length and often answered her own questions as though she were speaking to herself. Brackish began to grow nauseous from her incessant chatting. When he felt as though he could take no more a messenger arrived to inform them that the king was ready for his guests.
Banners and flags of the many noble houses of Engalia lined the walls of the throne room. Aristocrats and high born lords and ladies stood patiently waiting for their sovereign. Brackish was ushered to the front of the throne room and when all were assembled the king’s guard entered escorting the king and queen to their royal thrones. King Balester was a tall man and well built. His hair was cropped short and his beard was neatly trimmed in a dignified manner, the crown upon his brow was set with many sparkling diamonds. Once seated upon their thrones the royal courtier stepped forward to announce their foreign guest.
Born of the Phoenix Page 16