Defiant Guardians Anthology

by Jacob Peppers

  I turned the corner and gasped. They were gone! There was no possible way they could have made it to the other end of the alley as it was too far. Nor did I think it was possible they could have climbed because the buildings to my right and left were way too high. No, there had to be another way.

  A flicker of light caught my eye. On the ground was a small orb that radiated a wispy blue light. It looked hot to the touch and so when I crouched down to grab it, I tapped at it first. There was no heat. In fact, it was cold.

  I picked up the shining blue orb and was surprised at how light it was. It felt fragile, so much so that I was afraid to clasp my hand too tightly around it. Wanting to see more of the blue, I placed it to my eye. That was when all made sense.

  The alleyway had taken on a blue tint, but that wasn’t the amazing part. To my left, the wall seemed to wiggle like a jelly jiggling in a jar. Cautiously, I walked up to it and touched my palm to it. I drew back my hand and found that it was a bit wet. Feeling courageous, I shoved my whole hand inside. The jelly lasted only a few inches before I felt dryness and open air. I could feel a small cool draft blow over my fingers.

  I pulled the orb from my eye. I considered saying a prayer for the Almighty’s protection, but for the first time in my life I chose not to. I was on my own now.

  I lifted my leg and plunged it into the unknown.

  6

  I was slightly damp when I exited the wall of jelly. I rubbed my eyes. What I was seeing couldn’t have been possible. No. This was the work of the devil! I was sure of it!

  A hand clasped onto my shoulder. I turned, trying to shove it off, but the grip was tight and very strong. The black man’s eyes drilled into my own and I was scared.

  “Welcome, Ira,” said the deep voice, “to Refuge. It is here we do our work. It is here we plan our onslaughts on the devil and his demons, wherever it may be that they show themselves.”

  I looked away from the man and gazed with a parted mouth at the vast new city before me. A city hidden behind a wall. It was dark here too but still so many people were awake and hustling around. Each of them looked very busy and each were walking to different destinations at a fast pace. Some carried papers, others had building material, some were working a forge in the far distance.

  All wore the same clothing. A dark brown robe and matching brown shoes with no socks. That was it. Everyone would have looked the same if it wasn’t for the varying sizes and races. I observed in amazement as dwarves, elves, humans, and some hybrids worked and spoke in harmony with orcs amongst them.

  But how? Last time I checked none of these races got along with one another. Humans stuck with humans. Dwarves stuck with their anvils. And hybrids, well, they mostly kept to themselves in their even smaller communities, not truly accepted by either side of their blood.

  It was truly a beautiful sight.

  “Ira.”

  I shook my head and turned to the man.

  “Have you been listening to me?”

  I shook my head, “No. I’m sorry. It’s just all so-”

  “It is a lot to take in, I’m sure, but please pay attention. My name is Gauss. I’m a friend of your mother’s.”

  “How do you know my mother?” I asked almost immediately. I looked down at his hands and realized that Jonni’s head was not in them. “And where’s Jonni? Where did you put him? Tell me!”

  Gauss put his finger to his mouth, “Shh, quiet, Ira. Do not make a scene here. Your kind isn’t truly accepted here in the Refuge. It took much convincing-”

  “Tell me where he is, damn it!”

  Gauss stared at me a moment before pointing behind me. I turned to see the young girl from before holding Jonni’s naked head. She was standing in front of a dwarf blacksmith’s smelter. She lifted the head over it and let go.

  “No!” I cried. Everyone stopped what they were doing to turn towards me. I took off towards the girl but Gauss’ strong grip grabbed me by the wrist. “Let go of me dammit! Let go!”

  “It needed to be done, Ira,” said Gauss. “Let it go.”

  “No!” I screamed. “I can still get to him!”

  “He’s gone.”

  Hot tears ran down my face. I knew he was gone. Jonni was no longer in this world. His spirit had faded from his body long ago. But was it Jonni’s head I was so distraught about? Or was it that the smelting of his head confirmed that my life had been turned upside down. That I was now in hell, punished for some unknown wrongdoing. Yes, the burning of Jonni’s head was confirmation. My life had ended.

  As if Gauss could read my mind, he said, “You can’t go back to the chapel. The old you is gone. Your mother knew this would happen but I doubted she knew it would happen while she was away.”

  I fell to my knees and fell forward resting my hands on the ground. The tears now fell to the dirty grey cobble.

  “Ira, here is your first lesson in demonology. Any person or thing possessed by the devil’s minions can be possessed again but with more ease. Whether they are dead or alive, it makes no difference.” He was quiet for a second before adding, “And each must be dealt with accordingly.”

  His words floated into my head but I wasn’t sure I comprehended them. I’d known Jonni ever since he was born. I was there when his mother first gave birth to him. I was there moments later when she died. I was there when he was sent to the orphanage across the street from the chapel. I was the one who helped feed him.

  And now…

  A small goblin rushed over to me, an old leather strap with measurements etched into it swayed loosely over his neck. He grabbed the measuring tape and started to get the dimensions of my back, arms, and legs.

  “What’s he doing?” I asked Gauss, still looking down at the cobble.

  “You need to be fitted with apprentice armor. Your training starts tomorrow.”

  “What training?”

  The little green skinned tailor made a loud cough to interrupt us. “And what about his, uh, his-”

  “His horns. You can say it, master tailor Prit. He must come to accept what he is.”

  Horns? Did he just say horns?

  My hands shot up to my head. I had forgotten all about the lumps. First, I felt the edge of the bump then the tip and… There wasn’t skin there anymore. No. My fingers were met with a cold and sensationless material.

  To my left was a small rain puddle, the reflection of the moon wiggling from the vibration of nearby foot traffic. I crawled towards it, my heart jumping into my throat.

  No, this can’t be. This is just a nightmare. It isn’t possible. It isn’t-

  The reflection of my head in the water wasn’t clear by any means but I could still see them. Two sharp points as white as an aristocrat’s teeth. They were there, and they were real.

  Strangely, no tears came this time. Just like the moment I had stood to conquer my fear of the red eyed demon in the alleyway, those same apathetic feelings came to me once more and I was calm.

  I moved back onto my feet to stand, just to be shoved back down forcefully by Gauss’ hand.

  “Stay knelt. Our leader approaches.”

  I grunted, still trying to push back with my shoulder against the Rothian’s natural brute strength. Finally, I gave up and stayed put.

  I heard the clip clop of the horse’s hooves before I saw the man who rode on it. He wore the same cloth robe as the others but his was pure black. Come to think of it, Gauss’ robe was also black.

  The leader’s hand was to his head, blocking his face from those who bowed to him. He looked embarrassed.

  “Please, stand. All of you. We only kneel to the Almighty. This is not right,” he said.

  I instantly respected him.

  The leader’s hand moved from his face making it possible to see his eyes. That was when my thoughts towards him changed. I didn’t like him. No. I hated him. I despised him. He needed to be gone. To die. To suffer. He needed to be dealt with here and now.

  Gauss’ strong arm was still on my shoulder pushing m
e down. I pushed this time with a strength that was not my own. I shot up, easily breaking through his fortitude.

  The leader looked at me curiously with those golden eyes. He was a hybrid for sure, I could tell from here. He had dirty blood. I raised my hand towards him and concentrated with all my might. I prayed and begged for the dark father to bring me the power needed to execute this holy man.

  “No!” bellowed Gauss, standing up with crazy agility. He tried to push me from a low stance but I barely budged, my full attention on smiting the light from this world.

  Gauss, realizing it was no use, grabbed the goblin tailor named Prit by both of his wrists and picked him up with ease. He spun the goblin a few times in the air before flinging him in between me and their lousy leader.

  Prit’s eyes bulged as he took the full force of my power, exploding into thousands of red and green goblin bits.

  I took to my knees willingly this time, my head aching from all the stamina I had just used. Gauss turned to me. He pulled back a fist and punched me straight in the nose.

  Darkness followed.

  7

  I opened my eyes slowly, coming out of a dreamless sleep. I tried to move my arms but they wouldn’t budge from my body. I could feel the roughness of a rope that had been tied tightly around my waist and keeping my hands by my side. I tried wiggling my legs but they too had been bound.

  Feeling the claustrophobia start to kick in, I tried to scream but it was muffled by a cloth that had been stuffed into my mouth. I tried to push it out with my tongue but found that it too was held inside my lips by yet another rope tied around my head.

  The side of my cheek was wet. Wherever I was, it was damp and cold. Something scuttled in the corner making me jump. Tendrils of fear crept into me as I started to tremble. A drop of water sounded off every ten seconds or so in the corner. I could hear some creature lapping at it and was afraid that it may decide to come nibble on my toes, so I curled my legs back towards me.

  I laid there in silence, a slight buzzing noise becoming not only apparent, but annoying. The buzzing grew louder with each passing second. It was driving me insane. Nothing I could do made it stop. I tried to wiggle free from my bindings but doing so made me breathe heavier which pushed my skin harder against the rope.

  The buzzing was so loud now that it was hurting my ears. I screamed into the cloth in my mouth but still, the buzzing persisted.

  “This is how we treat those who have slain our own.”

  The words of Gauss came unexpectedly. I did not jump because I was already convulsing on the ground, my heart pounding and sweat trickling down my face.

  The buzzing stopped.

  “You killed a very fine goblin yesterday. He’d been with us for twenty years making sure all of our men and women wore our wardrobes well and comfortably. It was a shame to see him go.”

  I tried answering him but the cloth in my mouth made it impossible. I heard creaking from where Gauss had been speaking as he made his way over to me. I heard him unsheathe his blade and felt the cold steel of it press against my cheek as he sliced the rope.

  I spat the rag out, gagging as I did so. My tongue and mouth were so dry. I was dying of thirst.

  “I didn’t kill him,” I said, my voice raspy from lack of water. “You did.”

  A hard slap licked my cheek. The force of the blow was so strong that I spun half a circle. The pain brought burning tears from my eyes.

  Still, Gauss spoke calmly. “It was not I that killed this fine goblin. It was you. You tried to kill our leader Nawgheed. All of us in Refuge have taken a vow to give our lives up for this man.” There was a moment of silence as Gauss sniffed a bit. Was he crying? “Pritt would have done the same if he had known what was to come from you. That, and if he’d been strong enough to lift me.”

  “And what about you?” I asked him.

  “What about me?”

  “Why wasn’t it you who jumped out in front? Why didn’t you sacrifice yourself?”

  Gauss’ normal apathetic face gave away a tiny bit of hurt. It was obvious he had been asking himself this question.

  “I have a purpose that needs to be fulfilled before my life can come to an end.”

  I scoffed at this. “I know why you really didn’t do it. You’re a coward! You’re a disgusting maggot eating coward!” These words were not mine but flowed so freely from my lips. It felt good to have them out in the air. “Yes, you never liked Pritt! You always thought his work was meaningless to the Refuge. Yes, you find that all jobs are meaningless if they don’t revolve around physical action!”

  Gauss did not slap me this time but kicked me hard in the ribs. A loud crack echoed through the cold dungeon as at least one of them broke. I couldn’t breathe as intense sharp pains vibrated through my body. I turned onto my back, writhing upwards which made the pain so much worse. I collapsed and heaved, my lungs finding that they could no longer take in a full swallow of air.

  “Before my work can even start, we must tame your darker half.”

  He waited for me to calm down, to allow the pain to dull to a minimum. This seemed to take hours but was mere moments, and ultimately the pain would stay for days before receding a little more.

  I opened my mouth and spoke hoarsely. “What… do you mean?”

  Gauss knelt beside me, his toes directly in front of my face. Gently, he started to stroke my hair which was very bizarre after he had just kicked a few of my ribs in half. I tried to shake his hand off me, yet he continued.

  “You, Ira, are the son of an incubus. The devil himself.” Swiftly, he grabbed a lock of my black hair and yanked it out as hard as he could. It was so fast that I didn’t even have time to cry out. Warm tears filled the corners of my eyes.

  He held the hair in front of my face.

  “Look at this,” he commanded.

  Gauss, with his other hand, reached back into a pouch on his hip and withdrew a small orb much like the blue one he had left for me back in the alleyway. Except this one radiated white and sloshed half-empty of water. He placed both the lock of hair and white orb into one palm and crushed them both.

  I could hear the sound of something sizzling in his hand as white smoke filtered through his fingers. He opened his palm and revealed to me that my hair was convulsing left and right on its own and acted as though it was an egg frying on a pan.

  “Holy water,” Gauss said.

  “That doesn’t prove anything!” I screamed. I tried to turn and kick at the man for even suggesting something so heinous. So sacrilegious. But my ribs refused me the pleasure.

  “Parts of you have taken on the devil’s traits,” the man continued. “Your hair and right hand, for example, are demonic. Cursed by the devil’s blood.”

  We stared at each other a moment before I chuckled. Then, I full on burst out laughing, forgetting the horrible pain in my side for a moment. It was more of a maniacal laughter, true, but it felt so good. This big man was obviously just some insane magician of sorcery and I… well what was I? A prisoner? Had he been the one to create all these illusions in my life as of late? Yes, that could explain it! Or… was I the one going crazy?

  “I don’t believe you,” I finally said, the fire in my side now reawakened from the fit of laughter.

  “We will see,” Gauss said, turning from me and walking to a far side bench. He sat there and stared back at me.

  “And how will we see?”

  “By starving and beating you,” Gauss answered, nonchalantly as if it was common knowledge.

  “What?”

  “By starving and beating you,” he repeated.

  “No,” I said, turning my head from him. “I don’t believe you.”

  Over my shoulder, I heard him whisper, “We will see.”

  8

  I couldn’t tell what was worse, the ache of my healing ribs or the starvation. Never before had I been so hungry. Sure, there were the normal stages of hunger that most had gone through. You desire just a bite, a little nibble. Then, you
start to crave a meal, your stomach gurgles a bit. If still not satiated, you started turning all of your thoughts and decisions towards finding a way to feed yourself. A natural fight or flight response.

  And then comes the eye of the storm. The moment when you are past hunger but know it lurks behind the corner. Then, it hits you. You start to shake and your mind will not leave the thought of food. These heathens stopped this process, however, by feeding me sweet juice soaked in a sponge. Gauss had held it to my mouth by the use of his sword, the sponge sticking to the end of it.

  But I drank. I felt like an animal but I did drink it. I wanted to live.

  The sweetness of the juice took away the shakes but did not cure the hunger. After the fourth day, the feeling ceased altogether. I was feeling good by then, my mind in a state of euphoria. I could see things, bright and vibrant things floating around me. Sometimes I thought I could even feel them brush against my skin.

  The only time I was reminded of my hunger was when the friendly cell rat scuttled home. My body, much like a praying mantis would do, lunged at the thing. My physical self did this without any conscious thought. It was trying to keep me alive even though the bright things told me I was just fine. My talks with them had led me to believe that they were quite persuasive. Sometimes even funny.

  And every day was the same. I sat with my back to the cold wall, staring up at Gauss who sat on his bench across the dark room staring back at me. I tried my best to see how many blinks I could count but would get distracted with the floating things. I would curse myself for losing the game but still, I doubted he blinked more than fifty times a day.

  But what was a day? To me, I stopped the day when I fell asleep. When I awoke, that was a new day. But Gauss was always there. Awake when I was awake. Who was the true demon here?

  Once and only once did I break the silence. I asked him why they just didn’t kill me. Gauss had answered instantly with a voice that was not affected in the slightest by the silence. It was still strong and deep.