by S. K. Ng
A familiar-faced female warrior walks hurriedly down the corridors of the palace. Her long blond hair is tied neatly in a bun and her facial expression looks serious and preoccupied. Minvian Serene Genox strides on with majestic confidence. Suddenly her legs lock up and she falls forward with a nasty thud. Then the coldness in her legs confirms her suspicion. Turning around, she stares angrily at the block of ice that has encased her feet. Looking up, she sees her cousin, Master Elementhar Clover Genox, trembling in laughter. Serene pulls out her dagger and with serious effort and severe frustration, starts chipping away the ice around her feet.
“I have not the time for your silly games, Clover. You just wait until I get myself loose, I am going to pull off every strand of your pretty blond hair from your head!” she yells.
“Games _ silly of these, you say? Paid _ I have not done of this enough for what you did to Master Iddell and Lance back at Fort Eastguard, let alone the embarrassment your actions have cost me!” replies Clover just as angrily.
“What I have done!? What I have done!? I did my duty! Unlike somebody, who did not do what she was supposed to do; shied away from duty, honour and our family tradition!” retorts Serene in a furious tone while still violently chipping away at the block of ice.
Clover stands with her arms folded. She gives her cousin a fake, ‘rub it in’ smile.
“Forgot _ I have of this that you are daddy’s little soldier girl. Talk _ you do of this always of duty, honour, family tradition and such, just so that you can make your daddy proud of his little girl. Truth _ of this, is that you are blinded by these sentiments and you do not know your true self, therefore you will never taste true freedom and you are jealous because I have,” Clover points out.
“What care have I of true freedom!? Duty is everything, but that is something a wild animal like yourself cannot understand, can you, Clover!? You made your parents go through night after sleepless night worrying about you. Hiding away with strange people following strange conducts and shunning away society. If this is what you call freedom, I want no part of it!” replies Serene insultingly.
“Animal _ wild of it is not me, but you, who run around bloodthirsty in the wilderness, killing and slaughtering, marking your territory with your sword. Worry _ my parents need not… Argh!” says Clover just before Serene, breaking free of the ice block, charges at her and yanks her hair sharply. Clover’s neat bun becomes undone.
In response, Clover yanks Serene’s hair, causing it to become undone as well. She follows up with a slap across Serene’s face but Serene manages to block. Grabbing Clover’s slapping hand, Serene manages to throw Clover onto the floor. Clover lands with a loud thud, and the shock and pain of the fall temporarily overwhelms her. Serene walks confidently towards Clover and kneels down beside her, but before she can say anything, Clover grabs her hair with both hands and yanks it sideways with a twisting motion. Serene has no choice but to fall and roll in the direction of the twist. Clover rolls on top of Serene and mounts herself atop Serene’s torso, much like how one mounts a horse, and starts slapping Serene in the face. Slamming her fist into the middle of Clover’s chest, Serene manages to distract Clover long enough to slap Clover hard in the face and knocks her off-balance. Then with a tremendous effort, Serene pushes upwards and sideways, and rolls Clover over. Now Serene is on top. Serene manages a hard slap or two before passers by pull her away from Clover and break up the fight. Serene and Clover give each other angered, disgusted stares, and then walk away in different directions.
Master Elementhar Ray Iddell looked up from behind his desk. He could hardly contain his surprise. There she was, reporting to him for the very first time, his military liaison officer, Minvian Serene Genox, hair undone and face badly bruised, standing before him. Without any delay, Ray asked her to sit down and offered her a cup of tea. Seconds later, Master Elementhar Clover Genox walked in, hair undone and face badly bruised as well. Ray asked Clover to sit and offered her tea as well. Ray shook his head slightly, guessing what had happened between the two Genoxes. The Cousins Genox turned their faces away from each other, nostrils flaring and held up high. Then Ray poured himself a cup of tea and all three sipped their tea in silence.
The bread bun was stale. Spots of fungus were growing all around it. Thorn Sayvion examined it briefly, and then gobbled it down without hesitation. Under normal circumstances, he would have rejected such food, for it would have given him diarrhoea, but these were not normal circumstances and his stomach had adapted to the bad food. His hair had become long and messy. His face was blackened, hollow and skinny. Cuts and congealed blood were a normal feature of his body. The crack of a whip on the cold stony floor signalled that breakfast was over. Cupping some water from the same stone water trough that they had used for washing up, he quenched the thirst in his dry throat. The outside sky was still dark except with a small yellow-orange tinge on the horizon. Step after lifeless step, he headed out to the mine.
What day was it? What date was it? Thorn could not tell. There was no real notion of time here except for the difference between day and night. Yesterday looked the same as today which would then look the same as tomorrow. This was what he felt. Free Falls, Fort Eastguard, and Eastgush Village, he could hardly remember any of these places. Only the image of Caramel remained in his mind. Caramel Verance, whom Thorn had vowed to protect, and had failed miserably to do so. With cold familiarity, Thorn picked up a pickaxe and started smashing away at the walls of the mine.
A fat Serpentian overseer walked by. Then he stood for a while and watched Thorn work.
“I like you, slave. You work good! Not weak and feeble like the others,” said a fat Serpentian overseer.
“I live to serve the Kingdom of Serpentia,” replied Thorn hollowly.
This was not true, of course. It was just a line slaves were trained to utter to make things slightly more pleasing to the Serpentian overseers. Neither Thorn nor the Serpentian overseer had any doubt as to the artificiality of this line.
“I heard that you were a soldier. But you deserted your post. Are you a coward?” asked the Serpentian overseer.
“Yes, Fightlord Forktongue. I am but a coward, in the humble service of the Kingdom of Serpentia,” said Thorn meaninglessly while smashing parts of the mine wall to bits.
“Yes, you are. And don’t forget that, slave! You are a cowardly slave in my prison-mine and you will work and work and work to make me rich, do you understand!?” said Fightlord Forktongue as he slapped Thorn hard at the back of the head, knocking Thorn slightly off-balance.
Fightlord Forktongue laughed as Thorn stumbled forward slightly and then he walked away. This was now the daily ritual for him and Thorn. The Serpentian overseer was under the impression that an occasional insult coupled with physical abuse would break his slaves’ spirit, thereby preventing them from thinking of escape.
Think, Thorn Sayvion! Think! You are a warrior of the Kingdom of Free Falls. You must think! Slowly, Thorn pulled his mind back from drifting off. He analysed the layout of the mine. The entrance of the mine was in a deep wide pit. The prison where the slaves were kept was at ground level and to the south of this pit. Slaves walked down into this pit via a winding pathway cut out off the earth. There were watch towers around the pit. About a thousand paces to the north was a small lake from which the prison sourced its water. Thorn knew about this as he was occasionally tasked with collecting water from it, which he and his fellow slaves did under heavy guard by filling large wooden barrels loaded onto a horse-driven cart. All around them was the wide, slightly undulating grassland.
Thorn had initially thought of overpowering the overseers on the way down into the pit, or while in the mine itself; and then making a run for freedom. But then he had ruled these out because he realised that the guards in the watch towers would shoot him down before he could even get 100 paces away. He had to think of another idea. He refused to give up on the idea of escaping.
Day in and day out Thorn slaved away at the priso
n-mine, smashing away chunks of rock and watching his fellow slaves drop dead, one by one. Since his arrival, Thorn had refrained from speaking to any of the other prisoners on a personal level. He had wanted to be detached from them. If he had found a way to escape and had many ‘friends’, it would be difficult for him to decline them the chance to escape with him. The opportunity for escape from this place was rare and its execution would be difficult. If and when the opportunity should arise, he would have to move secretly and speedily to seize it; and this would be impossible to do if he had to ‘drag’ his ‘friends’ along.
The sun had settled down beneath the horizon. It had not rained this night and for this Thorn was grateful. The chill of the stone floor was biting into his slightly frail, dwindling body. His eyes were dark and sunken. His hands were blistered. His torso had begun to hollow and his ribs were surfacing. His legs were stiff and cramped. He knew that he had to escape soon. He had to do it before his strength left him, and before his hope abandoned him. He did not even know if Caramel was still alive. Could he save her before her Serpentian captors got bored with her and set upon her a cold, horrible fate from which there was no return?
Thorn lay still on the stony prison floor. His mind was abuzz with difficult questions and wild ideas. If he had managed to escape, how would he survive? Which way would he go and how would he hide to avoid recapture? He would definitely need food, medicine and more importantly, water. Weapon was the only consideration that he did not worry about. He could easily overpower a Serpentian and seize his weapon or he could make a crude one using stone and wood. He began to organise his ideas. He did not set them in sequence, as in what to do first, second or third; but rather, he catalogued them according to potential situations, as in if he saw this then he would do a certain thing or if he saw that then he would do something else. He required a loose, flexible and adaptive plan. Overwhelmed by extreme exhaustion, Thorn finally tuned off his mind and surrendered himself to a night of short, cold and dreamless sleep.
The 1st Morning of Fourth Month of Wet Season saw a parade of 314 soldiers standing at attention in the city square in the middle of Fallsene. The crowd that surrounded the square were in the thousands. Minvian Ray Iddell of the Royal Elementhar Pond stood forward of the formation of soldiers. Minvian Clover Genox stood to his left side. Minvian Serene Genox stood to her cousin’s left. Convian Rod Sayson stood to Serene’s left. Together, they formed a short line in front of five columns of soldiers. Facing this formation was a sheltered dais. The formation bowed in salute when King Fulmar Patrum, Queen Rose Soll Patrum and Prince Eagle Patrum arrived and stepped onto the dais. The crowd cheered and called out repeatedly ‘Long Live the King!’ in unison.
The queen and the prince took to their seats at the back of the dais. The king stepped forward to the front and centre of the dais and stood before several cone-shaped objects.
“Citizens of Free Falls, long have this kingdom been plagued by demon attacks. Long have we been living in fear and constant harassment by these fiendish beings. Long have we suffered the loss of friends and relatives to death of the most horrible kind! For many generations the kings of Free Falls have struggled with this problem and met with little success. But here, today, kind citizens; I show you hope! Today, kind citizens; I show you safety, security and a way to fight back! Today, kind citizens, I present you the pioneer group of soldiers who will be trained in the ways of the Elementhars! Today, kind citizens, with great honour and pride, I present you… the Royal Elementhar Pond!” said King Fulmar Patrum.
The crowd erupted into joyous cheer. Lance, seated in a tent by the side of the square which also sheltered Prime Minister Trex, the Council of Ministers and the Provincial and Oceanic Guard Commanders, was overwhelmed by the loud reaction and covered his ears. Spirit, seated next to Lance, looked around curiously and wagged his tail.
King Patrum waited for the crowd to settle down. Then he continued with his speech.
“Citizens of Free Falls, the Royal Elementhar Pond will be trained and led by Master Elementhar Ray Iddell. Elementhar Iddell is a highly experienced and well-trained Elementhar. His has mastered two of the five elements of Elemental Sorcery. He has a lifetime’s worth of experience hunting demons. He has travelled the entire realm of Farhayven. He brings with him a fresh perspective, deep knowledge and valuable experience. Assisting him will be Master Elementhar Clover Genox. Elementhar Genox also masters two of the five elements of Elemental Sorcery. She is wide-read and rich with insightful knowledge and creative ideas. She also hails from a long line of patriots and I am sure, the reputation of the Genoxes speak for themselves! Also assisting Elementhar Iddell is another patriotic Genox, Minvian Serene Genox! Minvian Genox is a battle-proven officer and her recent, exemplary defence of Fort Eastguard reflects accurately on her military skills and bravery! Also assisting Elementhar Iddell is Convian Rod Sayson, who brings with him decades of military experience and knowledge! Kind citizens, I assure you that in due time, the presence of demons in our beloved kingdom will be a matter of history. Kind citizens, I assure you that in due time, demons would fear the name of the Kingdom of Free Falls, would shiver at the mere presence of our citizens for the fear of retaliation and that demonkind will be as extinct as the giant lizards that had once roamed our lands!” said the king.
The crowd went wild again. Many were clapping hands. Some shouted out ‘finally!’ and ‘it was about time!’
King Patrum looked directly at the formation in front of him.
“My dear soldiers! Brave men and women of Free Falls, loyal patriots and honourable defenders who stand before me right now; it is not necessary for me to remind you of your duties to the kingdom, your responsibility to protect your society, the requirement to strive for success and the need to loathe the consequences of failure. It is not necessary for me to remind you of the difficult and vital task that lies ahead of you, or that the kingdom’s hopes and expectations rest on your shoulders. It is not necessary at all, for I know that you are fully aware of these things; and that you will rise to this challenge nobly and bravely; and with full and complete conviction. Warriors of Free Falls, I salute you!” said King Patrum as he bowed in salute and the formation almost instantaneously bowed lower to return the king’s salute.
The crowd broke into thunderous applause. Tears streamed down the proud Genoxes cheeks. The banners and flags of Free Falls furled and swayed with the blowing of the strong midday wind and cotton-white clouds sheltered the Fallsians below from the hot sun above.
Two days later, Elementhar training started for Minvian Serene Genox. She found the training to be strange. She was used to sit-ups, push-ups, running, climbing and jumping over obstacles and all manner of tough physical activities; but to sit stationary, silent, calm and tranquil; this was unthinkable! To search for energy within her body, to make contact with a force from deep within her soul, this type of training was so unfamiliar that it intimidated her! But she gritted her teeth and tried her best. The other soldiers of the Royal Elementhar Pond felt the same way as she did.
What came after the meditation session was even more foreign to them. Energy Discharge Practices were extremely scary but exciting in a certain way. To see flames erupting from their fingertips was very unsettling to them, but at the same time, felt empowering. Serene’s fingertips felt hot and raw. No doubt she had accidentally singed them a few times.
After an hour’s practice, Serene felt disorientated. Her body wobbled and she dropped to one knee. Her vision blurred. There was a low rumbling sound. She thought that she was exhausted and was about to faint, but when she looked around, she saw many others on their knees as well. Then it became apparent to her. It was another earthquake. It was the second earthquake this season. This was very unusual. Looking at Ray’s facial expression, she suspected that Ray felt the same way as well. There were some murmured words between Ray and Clover, but Serene could not make out what was said between them. Finally, Ray ended the training session and all the new
novices rushed to the water filled wooden pails nearby and immersed their fingertips into them.
Spirit the White Wolf looks on. He gives a slight wag of his tail, apparently pleased with the progress of the 300 odd new members of his now very large pack. And as Ray pats Spirit on the head and looks at his new students, he realises that despite being cousins, Clover and Serene have not spoken to each other for the past two days. Ray senses a great animosity between the two and wonders what the issue really is between the Cousins Genox.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE COUSINS GENOX
It is the 4th Dawn of Third Month of Dry Season in the Year 1176 of the Known Era. A woman’s scream pervades the air. In a small, hastily setup tent on a small field of clover plants, great beads of sweat drenches the minvian-ranked soldier who is her husband. His wife is in the process of giving birth at this large roadside clearing in the middle of Windswept Forest. After many long, intense moments, a baby’s cry fills the air.
A young convian-ranked soldier delivered the pot of freshly boiled water to the tent. The minvian took the pot from his second-in-command and gave him a blank stare. The convian returned an equally blanked stare.
“Minvian Genox, I need the water, sir!” said the amateur midwife, who was actually an exevian who went through two childbirths herself.