The Karnov yelped like an injured puppy and kicked its front leg forward, slashing Khyeryn’s chest with its talon. Khye grimaced in pain and pushed the rock deeper into the eye, intending to slay this beast before he died.
Rolling his eyes with contempt at the easily killed Karnovs, Phyllamon sat atop his own, watching. He clapped his hands together and laughed as Khyeryn’s chest was torn open. He now turned his attention to the other, closing in on the boy.
Khyeryn twisted the rock deeper into the beast’s head. It had now stopped kicking and was dead on its feet, for Khyeryn’s entire forearm was pushed through the eye, stabbing the Karnov in the brain. His coat was torn open, so at a glance one might’ve thought it to reveal a white tee shirt underneath. No…it was his flesh, white as the un-fallen snow, for blood hadn’t yet begun pouring from the lacerations. The cold air stung Khyeryn’s wounds as he jerked his arm free of the Karnov’s head only to have it immediately swallowed by the next.
Khyeryn wailed as the beast’s heavy bite crushed every bone in his arm. It lifted him into the air and jerked its head left and right until his arm separated. He was thrown into the air, slightly surpassing the height of the trees and then landing. White with shock, Khyeryn shook violently as the blood ran from his body. Within seconds, he was unconscious.
“Rot in hell!” Phyllamon said with satisfaction, seeing the boy’s lifeless body lay limp in the dirt. However, he was silenced as the surrounding area became cloaked in darkness.
There was a loud shriek that came from something gigantic above, and for a moment Phyllamon thought that the beast from his past had finally come to claim him. However, he was completely unprepared for what he saw when he looked up. It was a gigantic bird (which undoubtedly belonged to the boy, for there were no such winged beasts in these parts).
Jalum swatted the bald man with his wing, throwing him far to the left and face first into a tree.
Phyllamon’s nose caved in, and he lost all of his front teeth. He now shared a similar appearance to his son. Conscious but bleeding profusely, he trudged to the castle.
Upon landing, Jalum buried his beak into the back of Phyllamon’s Karnov. It went straight through the beast and made a deep gouge in the earth. Jalum then hoisted the dead animal in the air and swung it directly at the other who was coming for him, knocking it backwards. Before it was able to right itself, Jalum was upon it. The Karnov hardly had the chance to glance upward before his entire body was split in two by a razor sharp talon. The beast stood idly for a second then each half of him fell in opposite directions. Its innards were spewed in the air with the impact of the ground.
Knowing he had unfinished business here, Jalum glanced back at Phyllamon, who was easy prey at the moment. He decided against it, hoping to get Khyeryn home in time.
With that thought, he went to Khye, scooped him up, and set straight into the air flying faster than any other winged beast was capable.
13
Murlach glared at Sing sprinting down the hallway towards them, noting that behind her, on the floor, something that looked like…(a body?)…was propping open the oak double doors. His instincts told him that mischief was afoot.
“Stop her!” he commanded.
Sing saw two of them step into her path: the four-armed Cyclops and the short stocky thing with bad teeth. Having always been curious as to whether or not her agility and speed could match the brawn of some of these beasts, Sing eagerly charged forward to find out.
If this is the end for me, I’m going to send as many of you to hell as I can! she thought.
The beasts closed in on her. Running with her arm behind her back the entire time, Sing appeared harmless, but by the time she reached the Cyclops blocking her path she proved to be otherwise.
Murlach saw this coming, but Sing was much too quick and agile for him to warn them.
This time, Sing got full extension of her swing, and all twelve inches of blade went through the Cyclops’ neck. While the lifeless body staggered on foot, the head soared through the air, smacking another guard in the face. Sing then grabbed a massive handgun from a holster on the dead Cyclops’ waist, spun around, and fired at the first thing she saw.
Bits of brain, skull, and blood splattered the deep gray walls, sliding down into a puddle. The thing with the bad teeth had its head ventilated. There was no longer a face—just a large hole, ten inches in diameter.
Sing turned and headed for the door, having no idea that she’d just taken vengeance on behalf of Bahzee’s dead friend, Nhad.
There was a tall lanky creature standing off to the side. He’d only just understood the situation, as everything unraveled so quickly. He raised his weapon and fired, but it was too late. As a small silver arrow catapulted from the barrel of his weapon, crashing through the stained glass window behind her, Sing was already upon him, swiping at the front of his face. She removed both eyes and then shanked him in the gut with such force that her knife went through the door.
When Sing yanked her knife free, she found Zu sprinting down the hallway toward her. However, feeling the fresh air whistling through the crack of the door relieved her of the desire to stay and fight any longer. Instead of having a go with Zu, Sing tucked the gun in her dress pocket and kicked the door open, bolting outside.
The bodies of three slain beasts dropped behind her. The others, including Murlach, stood dumbfounded.
Surprised at being lucky enough to find transportation at the ready, Sing darted across the terrace and leapt over the ledge onto Felix’s bike. She then quickly powered it up and flew off, jumping the gate. Much to her surprise, she found Phyllamon directly in front of her and not paying attention!
Felix sat horrified, watching the chaotic event. Panicking, he threw the binoculars through the glass.
“Father, look out!”
Phyllamon heard and looked up just in time. Sing was leaning half way off Felix’s bike, swinging a blade at his head. He dropped to the ground.
Dammit! Sing Tzi Yi scolded herself, realizing that she’d only nicked Phyllamon slightly. However, she didn’t dwell on it knowing that she would claim her vengeance later…or someone else would do it for her.
Sing passed through the beastly carnage, briefly getting a whiff of blood in the air as she darted out into the wild. Looking in all directions to be sure that she wasn’t being followed, she glanced upward. For a moment, she could’ve sworn that there was a gigantic bird in the sky! No sooner than this thought entering her mind did the object in the sky disappear from view. She knew that she’d imagined it.
14
Despite the cold wind, trickles of perspiration ran down her forehead. Laughing madly with happiness and relief, she took the bike high into the air and somersaulted over the ocean water. As she descended, the fires from the exhaust pipes hit the water, evoking tidal waves on each side of the bike. Her laughter became cries of exhilaration.
She’d done it.
Not for fourteen years had she inhaled the air of boundaries beyond the castles walls, and what a fragrance it was! Sing took another deep breath then exhaled all of her frustrations and fears of the past. For the first time in over a decade, she relaxed her mind, body, and spirit, not even looking over her shoulder to glance at the prison to which she’d never return. Away she flew into the approaching dusk, the mood and colours of which Sing never had opportunity to experience on the inside. Her crying eyes looked upon the multicoloured hues of the dozing sunlight.
And it was beautiful.
II
Revelation of the Gift
X
An Angry Father; a Great Birthday; and a Letter from Teshunua
1
Zynathian crushed test tubes, flipped tables over, and broke anything else in sight.
“I swear I’ll kill him!”
Lyn Sha was sitting in a far corner, away from her father’s tantrum, letting him vent. He deserved to be angry. Khyeryn tried to calm him.
“Papa…Pop…Daddy!” Khyeryn said, trying
to get through to Zynathian.
He restrained his father from behind, preventing him from damaging his equipment any further. Because of his new arm, Khyeryn’s grip was tight and Zynathian soon gave in, slumping to the floor in fury.
“It’s okay. I’m fine. Lyn’s fine. We’re all fine, and I think she deserves a happier birthday than this,” Khyeryn said, patting his father’s back. “Let’s go eat and give her the best birthday that we can, okay?”
He kissed his father’s cheek.
Zynathian regained his composure and marked Phyllamon’s murder at a later date.
“You’re right.”
2
“Hah! Take that, you runny little snot!” Zynathian laughed as he gave Lyn Sha a full blast of cloud from the Automatic Atmosphere Pistol he was carrying. Khye and Lyn also had one each.
Whenever these play weapons were held outside the window, they sucked a large cloud out of the air, which would serve as ammunition. Depending upon the size of the cloud, they could get anywhere from ten to twenty thousand shots. Sometimes (if filled with moisture) the clouds could give quite a spray. There was also the added bonus of temporarily blinding one’s victim. This was one of Zynathian’s more fun gadgets!
Lyn wiped mist out of her eyes, chasing her father as he wove in and out of the different crevices of the house.
“Oh, Daddy, now you’re gonna’ get it!”
When she was finally upon him, Khyeryn stepped out of the shadows on her left. However, Lyn had been waiting for this and wasn’t fooled. She whirled around with an assassin’s agility, blasting Khyeryn square in the chest.
“Hah hah hah haaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! Take that, you sneaky little dung!”
Lyn Sha turned to run, knowing that Khyeryn would be seeking revenge now. She was right.
“Let’s get her, Dad!”
Lyn Sha fled to the first floor of the house. It was the largest, and they would have more room to fight. She listened as the double-teamers slid down the banister from the second floor. Khyeryn landed with a thud, but Zynathian’s feet touched light as a feather, gliding across the stone floor in stealth mode. Lyn Sha, hidden in a corner, watched her father in awe as he moved about the premises with the grace of a swan.
That’s not fair! He’s too old to move that well! Daddy’s a sneaky little thing! she thought.
Lyn Sha took a deep breath and stepped out into the open to meet them head on. The double-teamers were taken aback at her bravery and caught two blasts in the face each. They knelt over, surprised at Lyn’s accuracy. Now that they were down, Lyn was unloading on them. Within moments, a thick bed of clouds surrounded them.
“All right, all right, all right, sweetie, take it easy on us!” Zynathian said.
“I will not, you dirty cheaters…double-teaming me!”
Lyn Sha was taken by surprise as two large and white, calloused hands flew through the clouds, disarming her.
“Lemme’ go!” Lyn howled, kicking her legs. You guys deserved it!”
Zynathian had wrestled her to the ground, and he and Khyeryn were now tickling her into oblivion. They knew all her spots!
“Dirty cheaters, quit it!” she howled.
Khyeryn pinned her arms to the floor, and Zynathian lifted Lyn Sha’s tee shirt just above the navel, preparing to do the worst—the most ticklish thing in the world. Lyn braced herself and wailed as Zynathian began blowing rough, mustachey kisses on her stomach.
Khyeryn face and ears were the deepest shade of crimson as he held Lyn steady, grinning mischievously at the spectacle. He’d completely forgotten the terrible events of late, snickering as his father made loud, farting noises on Lyn Sha’s stomach.
“Khye, Daddy, you guys quit it! …I swear I’m gonna’ beat both of you to death when I get outta’ this!”
The gaiety of the moment was suddenly interrupted when Lyn Sha sat up. She could’ve sworn she saw something flying back and forth outside the window. She knew it wasn’t Jay, because this creature was too small, and Jalum was out on the deck sleeping anyway (the reunion with a live and healthy Khyeryn had completely worn him out).
Khyeryn glanced over at the window as well. Zynathian stopped the stomach farting.
“What is it, Lyn?” Zynathian asked. Then he and Khye saw what captured her attention.
“Daddy, that’s Jix!” Lyn said.
Jix was a hybrid of Zynathian’s. It had the intelligence of a man; the wings of a large bat; hind legs and feet much like that of Jalum, only smaller; the tail of a horse; and the head, body, and forepaws of a normal housecat. Zynathian created Jix specifically as a means of keeping in contact with Teshunua, because Rhameeryla had no lines.
“Hooray! Teshunua must be back, Dad! Jix has a message on his collar, look!”
Excited, they all ran to the window, letting Jix inside. Zynathian grabbed the tiny scroll of parchment and patted Jix on his head with affection, as the cat-beast settled on the floor. Zynathian quickly noticed Jix’s mood carried a sense of urgency, and an aura of foreboding came with it.
Jix let out a string of longwinded hisses, saying: I have terrible news, but I haven’t the heart to tell the tale. All you need is right there on paper. But you must hurry reading it, Zynathian, as we don’t have much time!
Reading the letter, all the air in Zynathian’s lungs seemed to have been snatched away from him, as he gasped in horror. He then looked to his children.
“Pack some clothes. We need to go!”
XI
Murlach’s Reprimand
1
After trudging through the garden for what seemed an eternity, Phyllamon had finally made his way back to the castle. He shoved open the doors and collapsed. Murlach and Felix were soon at his side.
“Must get them…tonight…they will paaaaay!” he said.
Blood streamed from Phyllamon’s nose. Much like Felix’s, it had been completely crushed, as were his lips, gums, and top and bottom front teeth. Also, his head was bleeding badly, because the tip was missing. The two strands of white hair that no one but he could see had now been scalped. As blood ran down his head in thick streams, Phyllamon forced himself to remain conscious.
Murlach leaned over him. He was hesitant, having no idea how to break the news. “Uh…”
“Out with it!” Phyllamon snapped, spraying blood spittle everywhere.
Murlach, being flustered and irrational, relayed the information in as tactless a manner as possible.
“Your wife is bleeding to death, Sire. Sing slashed her throat, then diced two guards with the same large dagger and blew the head off another…that’s why the hall is such a mess, your Highness. I’m afraid we were not well equipped to deal with a servant of…samurai skill level! Perhaps if we were more informed of her abilities, she wouldn’t have gotten away…”
Phyllamon’s eyes widened.
“…Um, er…though Helena was on her last breath when I saw her, I remain quite hopeful, as she wasn’t quite dead…yet. We can always hope for a miracle. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pray,” Murlach said nervously, knowing damn well that he didn’t believe in God.
However, he forgot one small detail and turned around.
“We haven’t yet dispatched a search party for Sing. Things being what they are at the moment, I deemed it not too high a priority…the girl will surely die on her own anyway,” he lied. Murlach knew that anyone capable of such an escape was a survivor. He began to back away, lest he’d be throttled.
Phyllamon growled, his brow arching at both ends. He climbed from the floor and grabbed Murlach by the collar, pulling him so close that their faces were touching and his broken nose ached. Blood splattered on Murlach’s face as he spoke.
“It’s obvious that she’s headed to Rhameeryla, you fool! Or have you learned nothing from recent events? Bring me more soldiers and some morphine for my pain. We leave once my nose has been set!”
Phyllamon limped down the corridor, turned right at the stairs and headed to the infirmary. Felix, Mu
rlach, and the remaining soldiers watched Phyllamon leave a trail of blood on the floor.
Murlach turned to Felix. “You’d better go rest up, boy…you’re not well yourself, are you?”
Felix nodded and left.
Embarrassed and irritated at Phyllamon’s rebuff, Murlach glanced at the others.
“Well, what are you idiots waiting for? Round up some servants and clean the blasted hallway!” He clapped his hands, as if to say “NOW!”
2
Felix slowly wandered down the hallway, rethinking the incidents of the day.
Bahzee, you little whore, you’ll be sorry you didn’t give up those panties like a good little girl today! The nerve of you…no woman refuses Felix or Phyllamon Xyecah! And to make matters worse, you actually hit me…not once…not twice…but over and over again! You broke the rules, my sweet little whore, and now you must pay the price! My father is bringing all of hell’s fury with him to your town!
On the way to his chamber, Felix stroked his neck, feeling the bruise marks Bahzee gave while choking him. Then he came to a dead stop, recalling something that was totally absurd. He dwelt on it a mere second before dismissing the idea, as he had been hit far too many times to be remotely coherent at that particular moment.
Upon entering his bedroom, Felix shook his head at his ridiculous imagination. For a brief moment he could have sworn that he recalled Bahzee throttling him, midair!
XII
The Fight at Rhameeryla
1
Rue, a sixty-year-old woman, hastily loaded explosive laser shells into her blaster. Having been trained by Asha, she was able to control such an intimidating weapon, even at her age. There were straps, which wrapped around her middle, and a shoulder pad that clipped near the end of her collarbone. Also, the weapon employed clever hydraulics that enabled the gun to support itself and defy gravity, making it light as a feather. (This latter invention was something that Asha designed with her late husband.) The body of the gun covered Rue’s entire arm, while a handle bar with a rubber grip and trigger rested within.
The Gift of Volkeye Page 12