The Golden Fountain

by Zuheb Alep

  Clink-clank! A deafeningly loud sound came from above. The ceiling had split into two halves, allowing a wide view of the sky.

  When everyone had boarded, Benjamin followed the soldiers to the seats by the window; then the entire group of zeppelins rose up, their engines burning fuel at an incredibly fast rate. The whole town of Brightlake could be seen, its shabby houses resembling blocks of cubes. Benjamin rubbed his arms to calm himself down.

  “Finally …” he muttered to himself.

  They were going to rescue the children; he and his band were setting out at last to fulfil their promises. Kaileena, Prince Adam, Kevin, Alby and the others … they were all going to be saved today. Benjamin would see them all again. Fear crept into his heart: what if misfortune had already befallen them? He looked down at his long knife and told himself that he would not forgive himself if that had happened. The children had better be unharmed.

  Benjamin looked out of the small window as the town of Brightlake drifted past like a slow turtle, then surveyed the direction in which they were heading: the silver mountains of the Orellion kingdom. They must intend to seek the assistance of the snow cats, as he had heard rumoured.

  “Lower the zeppelin!” said a man at the front.

  Once again, Benjamin felt a great weight pull him upwards. The zeppelin was coming down. He looked out of the window and saw nine others descending from the sky behind. They were landing upon a flat expanse of ice in front of the snow cats’ kingdom. When they’d landed, the ramp opened up and cold air rushed in like a blizzard. Benjamin hid himself behind the men as they walked out onto the frozen lake. The stench of ore and metal forging filled the air. It was bright and the snowy rocks gleamed white in the sunlight.

  Benjamin crouched on the edge of the ramp and watched Sebastian lead out half the soldiers with Jordanna and his colleagues, enjoying the magnificent sight. It was good tactics to exhibit this vast army to King Renzillion.

  In response to this trespass upon their land, the dark cave of the middle mountain now swarmed with snarling hordes of snow cats, their fur rendering them almost invisible against their icy background. There were large tigers, snarling lions and spotted leopards, and even a few cheetahs. At the front was a beast in the form of a lion whose big, bushy mane resembled a crown; this creature stood out from the rest.

  That must be King Renzillion, thought Benjamin.

  The Aradian army and the Orellion clan faced each other and all was silent. Not a word or a growl was heard, only the wind as it whistled past. King Renzillion spoke first.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” he snarled.

  Colonel Rafe, small with blond hair and bulky muscles, stepped forward more bravely than his height might indicate. “My name is Rafe,” he said. “We have come to request your aid.”

  “To what purpose?” growled the Orellion king.

  “My army and I are heading down south to rescue the missing children who have been kidnapped. We think they might have an army there ready to resist us. It would be of great assistance to have your clan on our side.” Rafe spoke in the most courteous manner possible.

  “You are referring to Halamaband behind my kingdom? Explain to me why we should help you in this matter.”

  Before another word could be spoken, a quiet voice interrupted from the crowd of snow cats. “Father, may I speak? This is the man who accompanied me through the Brazilian rainforest to bring back some of our clan from the Afghardan kingdom in the Far North. I have spoken to you of him.”

  This voice sounded much younger. Narrowing his eyes, Benjamin could make out a large snow tiger pawing his way over to Colonel Rafe. “Rafe, my dear friend,” said the big cat. “How do you do?”

  “I’m well, my dear Prince Chamillion.” Colonel Rafe smiled broadly, stroking the warm fur of the youngest in line to the house of Aziz.

  King Renzillion bowed his great head in apology. “Forgive my discourtesy,” he said. “It never occurred to me that you were the one who aided my youngest son on his journey to the Far North. How may I be of service?”

  “King of the house of Aziz of the mighty Orellion clan, what we request is a number of your army to aid us in battle against the child-kidnappers,” Colonel Rafe repeated.

  “We fight only for the Aradian Empire, so I cannot help unless King Baruji has given you a signed document to prove that you are on the same side.”

  “There’s no need for that. We are the army of the Aradian Empire; perhaps I have omitted to mention that.”

  “You have. Do you bear their coat of arms as proof?”

  “Yes.” Colonel Rafe produced his sword, revealing the coat of arms of the royal house of Baruji etched upon his blade.

  “By the law of the Aradian Empire, we will fight with you,” responded King Renzillion. “It has been a long time since we fought for the Aradian Empire. Your armour has changed so much that we would not have recognised you.”

  He could see that Sebastian was nervous, sweating at the sight of the snarling Orellions. One even sniffed his armpits. It was funny. Jordanna, though, was excited.

  “Come, we will discuss battle strategies inside in the warmth.” King Renzillion beckoned the officers forward and they left.

  Benjamin slouched back to wait, hoping they would hurry.

  *

  An hour passed before Benjamin saw them come out again. The Orellions gleamed in their striking armour, made of stainless steel and iron. As they pawed softly forward on the icy ground, their plates clanged through the air like thunder. Benjamin crept down the ramp to get a better glimpse.

  King Renzillion was still speaking to Colonel Rafe. “We have sent a request to Queen Elliana of the house of Merissé, the bird clan, to aid us also,” he said. “Do not fear, my friend; she will respond. My clan and I will run and meet you on the battlefield. If our hearts beat fast, our blood will rise and increase our strength.”

  Colonel Rafe bowed in farewell and led his soldiers across the icy lake. Benjamin watched as the Orellions departed at incredible speed, running up the mountain in the shape of cheetahs and never missing a slab of rock. The sight of the others approaching alarmed Benjamin and he began to move back, but the ramp was slippery and he went over the side. His head hurt from the fall, but he froze like the snow on his clothes.

  He couldn’t move just yet. Sebastian and the other soldiers were making their way up the ramp, their footsteps marching above him. Benjamin had to stay hidden. How could he have been so stupid? Why hadn’t he been more careful? As soon as the last soldier had boarded, the ramp closed in above him. Benjamin gasped. Surely they couldn’t be going to leave him!

  “No!” he cried. “Wait for me!”

  Suddenly a strong gale knocked him aside. The zeppelin started to fly off, its engines creating a windstorm. Benjamin was stranded there by himself, his hands shielding his tearful eyes. Taking off his helmet, he dropped it on the ground in despair.

  “Now what am I going to do?” he whimpered.

  There was nothing else for it; he had no choice but to run all the way to the battlefield by himself. That would take hours. Why had he been so nosy? Why couldn’t he just have stayed inside and waited with the others? Benjamin called out once more, but his voice wasn’t strong enough to reach them through the cold air. He watched the last of the zeppelins fly out of sight over the silver mountains. It was only when he heard a chilling roar that he realised he was still in Orellion territory. Was it dangerous now that Colonel Rafe wasn’t here to protect him?

  Benjamin slowly turned, his heart pounding. His suspicion was correct; a snow cat was leaping out of the dark cave. Benjamin raised his arm to defend himself but found there was no need, as the approaching Orellion lowered its head and lifted Benjamin onto his large back. The mighty cat was dressed in strong metal armour.

  “I’ll get you there,” he roared to Benjamin.

 
Benjamin saw that the cat’s snowy fur was slashed with thick stripes. He had taken the form of a tiger.

  “Hold on tightly!”

  Benjamin could hardly believe it. He hadn’t been eaten and here he was, riding on a snow cat. He had never done anything like this before. There was something familiar about the voice, too; he recognised it.

  “You’re Prince Chamillion, aren’t you?” he asked. “Thank you.”

  The young Orellion Prince nodded and ran quickly up the mountain. Benjamin wrapped his arms around the cat’s neck. He couldn’t risk falling off.

  “What happened?” asked Prince Chamillion when they reached the mountain peak.

  “I fell off the ramp. They didn’t see me and left me behind,” Benjamin told him as they ran down the mountainside. They were drawing closer to the vast land beyond. “Were you left behind, too?” he asked.

  “Not by accident,” growled the prince. “I was ready to go to battle and had even put my armour on, but I was ordered by my elders to stay behind and guard the kingdom. Then I saw that you had been left behind and decided to take you to the battlefield. I want to fight in this war myself. It would be a great honour to be a part of it. No soldier should be left behind and, thanks to you, I now have an excuse to come.” Prince Chamillion rocked Benjamin back and forth as he leapt forward with long strides.

  Benjamin smiled broadly. “Thank fate,” he said. He was enjoying a freedom that he had never before experienced, as if he’d been born and raised in the wild with no one to tell him what to do. Riding on a snow tiger was one of the most unexpected things he had done all week.

  Soon afterwards he saw the zeppelins descend beyond the horizon of the icy rocks, along with the hordes of Orellions who vanished in a blur of speed.

  “The icy rocks!” shouted Benjamin. “We’re nearly there! That’s where Kelindra and Hamish were taken!”

  “Boy, what is your name?”

  “My name is Benjamin. I’m General Sebastian’s brother, but he doesn’t know I’m here with the army.”

  “Benjamin,” chuckled Prince Chamillion. “I shall remember.”

  Chapter 12

  The First Battle

  The sky was dark with cloud, blocking the light from the sun. Everything was quiet and still, the snow thawing a little in the mild heat. Benjamin stood on the hill beyond the icy rocks, nervously dismounting from the Orellion prince. Eight thousand soldiers stood in a long line facing south, and three hundred snow cats stood ready at the front. Benjamin had never seen so many people. They were all ready for battle, but what were they looking at? He couldn’t see anything over the heads of the tall soldiers.

  He looked through the soldiers’ legs for his band or his elder siblings, but there was no sign of them. They were lost or, more accurately, he was. Fortunately, he did eventually spot Sebastian and Jordanna at the front with Supreme Commander Warrick.

  There was no time to lose; he must get to the front. He bade Prince Chamillion farewell and pushed through the soldiers. He was annoyed with himself because he’d left his helmet behind, and tried hard to keep his face hidden. Once he’d broken through the crowd and found a clear spot, he gasped with fear; they were facing another army much larger than his own.

  Large black wolves as big as bears bared yellow teeth that thirsted for blood, and at the rear stood the army of Halamaband, wearing thick black armour which covered their blue suits. Behind them lay the three bridges which spanned the gaping crevasse that led to the O.O.H. buildings. Prince Adam, Kaileena and the others were there, and all Benjamin had to do was to get inside. But how? It was heavily guarded; there was no way through. He tried to think of a way to get in without being noticed, knowing it would take a lot of luck just to get past these enemy soldiers and over the bridges.

  Supreme Commander Warrick’s rough voice could suddenly be heard, loud enough to startle even Benjamin.

  “IF YOU SURRENDER, WE WILL SPARE YOU! RETURN OUR CHILDREN!”

  Benjamin waited to see the response, and it soon came; the soldiers of Halamaband drew out their swords, holding them high in the attacking position.

  They were at war.

  Supreme Commander Warrick drew out his sword in reciprocation, holding it high against the gleaming sun, and the Aradian soldiers followed suit. The unsheathing of all those swords resembled a battle cry of old. Benjamin saw Colonel Rafe riding on the great Orellion king, his long sword blazing brightly as he raised it ready to strike. General Mikael was flying above on one of the foremost balloons, his rifle held under his chin.

  They all seemed ready for battle. The fierce Orellions snarled loudly, poking their heads forwards and breathing heavily like raging bulls. Benjamin sensed their desire to attack in the manner of ferocious lions and tigers. The two armies representing the Aradian empire stood on the verge of the dark and sandy battlefield, but where were the bird clan? Benjamin could see no birds.

  He drew another deep breath and took out his long knife. If anyone looked at him right now, they would see a very determined boy filled with adrenaline.

  “ATTACK!” Sebastian roared loudly as he thrust his sword forward.

  “CHARGE!” Benjamin screamed over the deafening roars of the Orellions. He held his long knife poised to attack.

  The Orellions took the first wave, storming forward with their king in the lead. Sand erupted before their paws, their roars calling to mind the battles of a thousand years. Behind them came their allies, thundering across the plain.

  Benjamin tried to keep up with the soldiers, but they were too fast. It didn’t matter. He kept his senses intact and held out his knife. Where his companions were he didn’t know but hoped he would bump into them soon. He didn’t want to fight without them, but right now he was all alone.

  Closer and closer came the wolves, and Benjamin would have fallen back at the horrifying sight but his brave heart yearned for his friends and siblings, and that kept him going.

  Then the Orellions clashed with the wolves; teeth bared and jaws gnashing, they fought brutally with their devastating paws. It was hard to tell which of the creatures was more frightening. There was a loud bang as the Aradian soldiers rammed themselves against the soldiers of Halamaband, their clashing swords and shattering shields resembling the sound of a thunderstorm.

  The first battle had begun.

  Benjamin held out his long knife to defend himself. He heard war cries and the screams of people in their death throes, but it wasn’t until he saw what lay before his feet that he truly understood the meaning of death: a couple of Aradian soldiers dropped to the ground, their blood streaming across the dark sands. Benjamin had never seen death before. Knowing that your life could end at any moment was terrifying. He might die in two minutes, or in five. Was this how he would leave this world, on the battlefield?

  Dark clouds of dust erupted into the air. What were they? Benjamin realised that the soldiers of Halamaband were disappearing into swirls of smoke whenever a sword struck them. The question really was: who were they? They were surely not human. Benjamin looked around, hoping to see his band so they could rescue the children together.

  “Benjamin, where have you been?”

  He recognised that voice and spun around, his heart skipping a beat. It was Musab, and both Amberina and Ruby stood behind him. Benjamin was relieved and happy to see them.

  “I got left behind,” he told them.

  “Benjamin, where’s your helmet?” gasped Ruby. “What if Sebastian or Jordanna sees you?”

  Benjamin said nothing as the danger to his family suddenly struck him. Amidst the battle, he had forgotten about them. He surveyed his band and realised that Edgar, Herman and Nadine were missing. Where were they? His head buzzed with worry. He dearly hoped that they hadn’t ended up like the soldiers he had seen fall.

  “Are we going to rescue the children?” asked Musab.

  Benjam
in still said nothing but scoured the whole battlefield with his eyes. His family had to be here somewhere. Then he found them.

  A little further down, his elder siblings were battling against the soldiers of Halamaband. Edgar stood close to Sebastian, looking out for him, and Nadine fought beside Jordanna, protecting her from any harm. Their disguises were intact, preventing Sebastian or Jordanna from finding out who they were. This way and that their swords flew, and Nadine held her rifle high, shooting with deadly accuracy. Her sharp eyes were an asset to her in the battle. Their fight seemed to continue for aeons.

  The only person that wasn’t there was Herman. He was nowhere in sight.

  While Sebastian fought, Edgar kept quiet, not wanting his voice to be recognised. He also noticed Herman’s absence and told Nadine. It was clear he liked this battle less and less each minute and would prefer to be anywhere else, but he had to make sure everyone was okay. Swords and shields clashed in mid-air and the dark sand danced around them, hardly masking the smell of blood. The Orellions continuously roared as they fought the gnashing wolves, and all Benjamin could see were tall legs moving about in a mob. The battle was on a huge scale, with thousands and thousands of soldiers. Benjamin grabbed a helmet from the ground to wear as a disguise and looked for a clear path to the three bridges. He remembered Edgar’s words: ignore the fighting and rescue the children.

  Suddenly there was a cheer from the enemy, distracting Benjamin from his task. A loud horn was making a fearsome sound, and soaring above the three bridges flew a black shape – a portal-hole of some sort – growing wider and wider. The clouds darkened.

  Benjamin looked up in dread.

  “What’s that black thing?” Musab asked him. “This doesn’t look good.”

  The soldiers of Halamaband cheered once more as more of their colleagues came pouring out of the black shape. The reinforcements for Halamaband were clad in dark blue armour and armed with swords, shields, hammers and rifles. They slammed onto the ground with their heavy feet before storming across the battlefield to aid their troops. More came and then more.