by Ian Haywood
Dormus and Kitus looked at each other after hearing what Gereziac had said.
“But you chose this method of execution personally, Gereziac!” Kitus pointed out.
Gereziac nodded his head.
“Indeed I did – and from this moment, nobody will die in this manner again!”
And as soon as he finished speaking, Gereziac turned and spoke to Zephal.
“I think it’s time we set on our way, Zephal! We are wasting precious time hanging around here.”
Zephal had heard what he had been waiting for since he had been told that Naomi had disappeared and he had personally felt that they should have started the search for her a lot earlier.
The Disciples of Draig were certainly not people you would want to get on the wrong side of as there were nothing they wouldn’t do to those who crossed them.
And Gereziac of all people knew exactly how evil the man was who they were named after and the longer Naomi remained in their grasp, the more danger she would have to face.
The excitement in the crowd was beginning to die down dramatically as it was now clear that Alana had met her demise and the huge crowd was starting to quickly decrease as people left to return to whatever they were doing, giving the soldiers who had been keeping them at bay a welcoming break.
But that wouldn’t last long as Zephal called upon one of them to join him immediately.
The soldier didn’t hesitate and soon he was receiving orders from Gereziac himself.
“I want you to go straight to the barracks and tell General Barnabus to gather his men together and join me here as soon as possible. Also tell him to bring steeds for both General Zephal and myself – I will explain everything to him when he joins us.”
The soldier nodded his head and made his way without fail towards the barracks.
Gereziac turned to Dormus and Kitus and spoke.
“My remaining Generals will continue to defend both of you and I am entrusting the two of you to continue with the Great Council’s duties until my men and I return with my daughter.”
Zephal felt guilty for losing Naomi to Lucius and he thought that he had finally set things straight when he managed to help her escape from Alana’s hideout, but once again someone took her from him.
He had let Gereziac down a number of times and he had also failed to protect Naomi.
While he was in the mortal world, even though Naomi was Gereziac’s daughter, he found her to be nothing less than a thorn in his side.
Zephal already hated mortals with a vengeance and it seemed that Naomi had spent so much time growing up around them that she had picked up every bad habit that was possible from them.
But something seemed to have changed inside him after he had come back to life on the beach and Naomi was not just his best friend’s daughter – she had become an obsession.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
I found it incredibly difficult to breathe as the smell of smoke became stronger and stronger and I could feel my body begin to weaken due to the fact that the amount of oxygen getting into my body had decreased dramatically.
I began to wheeze and dropped to my knees in front of Mortus and Tanya, but neither of them did anything to help me as I struggled to catch my breath.
Suddenly everything that was in front of me turned to an orangey glow and I struggled to see ahead of me.
But then as quickly as it came, the incredibly pungent smell of smoke began to disperse and I found my breathing slowly begin to return to its natural rhythm.
And my vision was showing signs of improvement too and I was shocked at what sight greeted me.
I saw Zephal standing not too far away from me talking to three other men.
I have to admit that my attitude towards Zephal has changed dramatically since he tried to help me to flee from Alana and Lucius and I had feared that he may have been seriously injured or even worse killed after we had last seen each other.
I had no idea whatsoever who the other three men were that were in deep conversation with him, but I had a feeling that one of them may have been the same man who I had seen bringing Lucius’s life to an end.
I caught a glimpse of a soldier walking towards the men and my vision was blocked again by the orange glow, but it didn’t stop me from listening in on their conversation.
I heard something about two steeds being brought for Zephal and someone else.
I also heard the same voice mention about continuing with some kind of duties until he and his men returned from their mission to find me.
One thing that I have discovered about Zephal since our paths have crossed is the fact that he most definitely does not give up on anything easily and if you are in his bad books, then you should serious look out.
If he is indeed heading this way, Mortus and Tanya are going to be in for one hell of a fight.
Suddenly everything in front of me changed and I found myself looking up at Mortus and Tanya who were both laughing hysterically at my misfortunate position.
Tanya spoke first.
“I would offer to help you up Naomi, but you look so much funnier on all fours – almost like a dog!”
Mortus grinned at what Tanya had said and joined in.
“I on the other hand will not continue to see you struggling on the floor.”
And with that, Mortus grabbed hold of my hair and pulled me up to my feet.
“There’s no need to thank me.” He added as he let go of me and I caught sight of some of my hair falling from the palm of his hand.
The pain to the top of my head was agonizing after what Mortus had just done, but I was not going to give either him or Tanya the satisfaction of seeing how much he had hurt me.
It was clear for all to see that I was a prisoner of Mortus and Tanya, but the thought crossed my mind once again as to why I have not been placed in any kind of restraints since I had broken free from the ropes that bound me to the wooden beam above my head earlier.
And I wasn’t going to foolishly bring that subject up with either of them because I preferred to be free so I could defend myself if any of them tried to harm me in any way.
One thing that I had noticed though since the smell of smoke disappeared was the fact that the whole of my body was experiencing signs of what could only be described as bad sunburn.
And the nasty chants that I had heard aimed towards Alana had now completely died out in my head.
It is now blatantly clear that I had just witnessed Alana’s death and at various points through it, experienced exactly what Alana was going through herself.
The sensations in my body of being burnt and the strong smell of smoke accompanied by an orangey glow signified that Alana had burnt to death.
I even felt her last moments of life as she struggled for breath while being engulfed in flames.
It must have been an awful way to end your life.
And judging by the amount of people I heard shouting threats to her, her death must have happened very publicly.
While I reflected on what had happened to Alana, Mortus had turned his attention towards Tanya.
“Have we received any news of the two Disciples who disappeared while fending off Zephal?”
Tanya shook her head.
“The others have no idea what happened to them.” Tanya answered, “They didn’t hang around – they had the girl and wanted to bring her here immediately.”
“So you’re telling me that they may have perished?” Mortus questioned, his voice changing to a more authoritive tone.
I interrupted the conversation to break the bad news to Mortus.
“I was there and I saw your people fall off the rock with Zephal directly onto the beach below where Lucius and Alana were standing with a few of their soldiers. Now, I’m no expert, but I am guessing that their outcome may not have been the most favourable!”
Mortus grabbed hold of Tanya’s wrist and pulled her aside.
“How come in order to find out what happened to my own men, I have to
ask a total stranger for the answer?” he snapped.
Tanya remained silent, fearing that she may say the wrong thing and set Mortus off in a rage.
But I was enjoying what trouble I had caused and I continued to stir the pot further.
“I’m sure Alana would not have been too happy when she discovered that your two men had played a part in stealing me from her!”
Mortus once again snapped at Tanya.
“The girl speaks sense, which is more than I can say about you! If they were captured along with Zephal, then firstly, Alana would immediately work out that it was us who took the girl from her even if our men refused to speak due to the tattoos that they possess and secondly, if Zephal was by some miracle, to make it out of Alana’s hideout alive, then our secret existence would be compromised! The Disciples have only flourished because everyone thought that they had dwindled away after being banished to the mortal world, but the moment Gereziac and his men find out that the Disciples have managed to make their way into the immortal world, then the element of surprise that the Disciples worked hard for will be destroyed in seconds.”
“But Alana knew of us!” Tanya replied.
“And she has already been dealt with by me!” Mortus added. “There is no way that she would tell anyone of the Disciples existence for she knows what I would have in store for her if she did dare to open her mouth!”
I laughed because Mortus and Tanya had no idea what was about to happen.
Mortus let go of Tanya and started to walk towards me.
“You think that all of this is funny, do you?” he growled as he came nearer. “Maybe we should remove the niceties and show you how our prisoners really get treated while they are here. I hope you enjoy torture. I personally find that there is nothing better than the sound of someone screaming as their body is put through the worst pain imaginable.”
Tanya looked across and joined in.
“She’s not laughing now, Mortus.”
I looked back at her and calmly responded.
“But I will be laughing when Zephal, Gereziac and the others pay you a visit very soon.”
Tanya knew that I was serious and all the colour drained from her face as she realized what was to come.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
It wasn’t that long before General Barnabus appeared on the steps of the Great Chambers and he immediately caught the attention of Zephal, who interrupted Gereziac’s conversation with Dormus and Kitus.
“Gereziac,” Zephal spoke quietly, “it looks like our men are ready.”
“Then we must leave without fail.” Gereziac replied.
Dormus suddenly spoke.
“Then we bid you a safe return.”
Zephal nodded his head to the Elders and headed towards a patiently waiting Barnabus at the top of the steps and as he reached his comrade, he noticed that Gereziac hadn’t joined him.
He looked back and was surprised to see Gereziac standing at the bottom of the steps looking back towards the burning pyre.
Zephal expected Gereziac’s momentary pause to quickly come to an end, but his friend’s gaze remained fixed on the flames that were still dancing strongly on the burning wood.
Zephal didn’t want to waste any more valuable time waiting for Gereziac and he headed down towards his friend in order to get him to move faster.
And as he reached Gereziac’s side, Zephal noticed an expression of sadness in his friend’s eyes, accompanied by what looked like a tear starting to run down his cheek.
“Gereziac,” Zephal spoke, “are you okay?”
Just those few words from Zephal broke Gereziac’s gaze and he turned to answer.
“I am fine.”
Zephal nodded, wanting to find out what the reason was for Gereziac’s strange reaction, but he knew that there was a far more important matter to be dealing with right now.
But one thing was evidently clear.
Gereziac’s behaviour seemed to have changed since Alana’s execution took place.
Gereziac started to walk up the steps and Zephal followed, still limping from the injuries that he had sustained back at Alana’s secret hideout.
Gereziac was aware of this and whispered to Zephal.
“I am certainly not the one that you should be worrying about. Are you sure that you are truly fit and able to join me on this mission? I could do with someone like you keeping watch back here. But as always, I leave the choice to you.”
“You know that I am a soldier and always will be, Gereziac. Do you think I’m going to let my oldest friend go into battle without me and miss out on the fun?”
Gereziac put a friendly hand on Gereziac’s shoulder.
“Then, it will be an honour to have you by my side.”
“Besides, someone has to make sure that you don’t get yourself into too much trouble!” Zephal joked.
Gereziac laughed.
“As if you never get into some scrapes yourself, Zephal! I don’t know how many times I have saved your skin!”
“Then this is my chance to return the favour!”
General Barnabus bowed his head as soon as Gereziac reached him and spoke.
“The men are prepared for your orders, Gereziac and your horses await.”
“Well done, Barnabus. This will be an incredibly important mission for us all. Your men will leave here as soldiers, but they will return as heroes.”
Gereziac knew deep down that there were bound to be casualties, but he didn’t want to say anything to any of his men so that morale would remain high.
Barnabus turned and nodded his head towards the open door to indicate to one of his soldiers that they were ready to leave and he informed Gereziac of this.
“I am glad that the crowd has dispersed, Gereziac as it leaves us with a clear path towards the city gates. My men are about to join us any moment now from the west entrance and they’re all anxious to spill our enemy’s blood – when my men are like this, it is wise for everyone to keep out of their way!”
Zephal spoke.
“The crowds returned to their homes as soon as all the excitement was over. If every one of them could fight as well as they chant then you and I would be redundant, Barnabus!”
Barnabus laughed at what Zephal had said.
“The only time I will ever be made redundant from this army is when I am killed in battle!”
“That’s the spirit!” Zephal joked, “But if that day was to come then I want to assure you that I will personally take care of your beautiful wife – it’s time that she changed to a real man!”
Barnabus did not have time to respond as the air echoed to the sound of horses and in seconds, Barnabus’s men came into view and assembled symmetrically in the square patiently waiting for Barnabus, Zephal and Gereziac to join them.
Barnabus was the first to move and the other two followed him.
As soon as he reached his men, one of the soldiers handed Barnabus his helmet and he put it on his head before climbing onto his horse.
There were two horses at the front of the procession without riders on them – obviously the ones that had been chosen for Gereziac and Zephal.
As they walked towards their steeds, Gereziac and Zephal were also handed their helmets.
Zephal went to put his on, but was suddenly stopped from doing so by Gereziac.
“Zephal,” Gereziac whispered, “when the Disciples of Draig attacked you at Alana’s hideout, which direction did they head off with my daughter?”
“In all honesty, I couldn’t tell you.” Zephal replied, “I know they dragged her up the rocks, but they disappeared from view after that. But there are only two directions that they could have possibly gone from there.”
Gereziac nodded his head.
“Well, we travelled from the west and we certainly didn’t catch sight of them. So, the only other option that they had was to head northwards.”
“Which in all honesty comes as no shock to any of us as the Northlands is where Mortus and the Black Kni
ghts are based! It’s totally logical that the Disciples would chose there to hideout.” Zephal replied.
Everyone waited with baited breath for Gereziac and Zephal to get onto their horses so they could all set on their way - instead of hanging around the square where some of the people had noticed their presence and were starting to regather.
Barnabus kept his men stationary as Gereziac finally put his helmet on his head and Zephal soon followed.
In one swift move, Gereziac got onto the back of his horse, but it took Zephal a little more time due to the pain that he was experiencing from his injuries.
Barnabus looked across at Gereziac, waiting for him to give his orders.
In a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, Gereziac called out.