by Mikkell Khan
“You don’t have to give me anything,” declined Meriaus.
“It’s something very special,” He handed the young man a sealed envelope. ”Open it.”
Meriaus ripped it open unceremoniously and took out a piece of paper with squiggly lines drawn over what looked like a composition of triangles. He rotated it left and right and tilted his head to make sure he was holding it right side up.
“Very beautiful. Very abstract. Did you draw it?” Meriaus politely asked.
“It’s a map, not a drawing! Do you see the X?”
Meriaus thought for a second and looked at Finn.
“The Egg.”
"Use it. I have a very strong intuition and right now it is telling me you will be needing it in the future.”
“Thank you Abbot Finn,” Meriaus was grateful for this. He was getting assistance in the most peculiar of ways, exactly what he needed for this battle against Gudrunn.
“No, thank you Meriaus,” The Abbot replied, “You have given the people hope where they had none before. And also shown them they can rely on another true leader.”
“I am no leader Abbot.”
“Hmm, perhaps, you, do not think so. But I think your confrontation with this great power will show what kind of man you truly are,” Abbot had high hopes for Meriaus, he knew that since their meetings at the Monastery.
As Meriaus made his way to the door, he turned back to his friend, “Stay safe Abbot, thank you for all the lessons.”
“And the good tea,” The Abbot joked, a light heartedness was sometimes needed in these dark times and it seemed only he could provide it, “Good luck against the Lord."
Meriaus left the Abbot feeling relief that he will be safe for now. The young general had to get to work. He was getting part of his confidence and resilience to overthrow Gudrunn by Paldek. They had agreed to meet again tonight. He got back to his hideout and sat in his chair to wait for his visitor. He had no idea when he would arrive. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
“Meriaus,” came a commanding voice from the mirror. Suddenly, the light in the room became eerily greenish. Meriaus opened his eyes and jumped to his feet when he realized Paldek was calling.
“It is time. I have something which will help you carry out your mission and defeat Gudrunn.”
“I have been waiting for you. I am ready to go as soon as you give me the weapon.”
“It is not that simple as just handing it to you,” Paldek told him.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be.”
“Close your eyes. I will take you to a place where we can meet physically.”
“Why do I have to close my eyes?” Meriaus asked.
“So you don’t feel sick,”
“I prefer to keep my vision if it’s all the same to you.”
“Your choice,” Paldek said and at the exact moment Meriaus felt the room around him blur and the mirror sucked him in with great force. He was flying through...a tunnel? He couldn’t be sure because the scenery around him was a continuous smear of different colors and undeterminable shapes. The journey lasted a few seconds. Meriaus felt the soles of his feet hit a solid surface and collapsed to his knees from the force of the abrupt arrival.
He immediately threw up.
“I warned you,” Paldek confirmed. He looked up and saw a towering figure dressed in a long black robe in front of him. Meriaus stood up and realized Paldek was about 5 feet taller than him. In fact, everything about this mysterious man was bigger.
“What was that?” Meriaus couldn’t help but ask.
“You just traveled hundreds of light years in an instant.”
“Light years?” Meriaus couldn’t understand.
“That is irrelevant to why we are here.”
“Where is the weapon then?” the man asked and looked around. They were standing on a grassy meadow in the middle of nowhere at night. A thin slit of moon was lighting the scene weakly. There was nothing else there. Meriaus had expected some sort of big heavy sword sticking out of a rock like in the legends of heroes or perhaps a big cannon he would have to shoot at Gudrunn.“
“Here it is,” Paldek said and held out a long thin dagger with ceremonial markings on its handle.
“Ah...,” Meriaus exclaimed.
“What?”
“Nothing. I was expecting… something bigger.”
“Don’t be ignorant, mortal!” Paldek’s voice sounded like thunder for a moment. “This is a weapon forged out of Sirius.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Do not interrupt me! Sirius is a material which can only be molded by great magic, its origin is the Prime Galaxy.”
Meriaus took a closer look at the dagger and saw it’s blade was not smooth and sharp, but rather it was a tracery of intricate interweaving forms and lines .
“It’s not that sharp, is it?” he remarked.
“The material drains power,” Paldek explained. A hint of aggravation at Meriaus’ impatience could be felt in his voice. “It must be used in a specific way in order to work right. When the connection between Gudrunn and the strength of Alpha Sinteres is open is when you need to strike.”
“How will I know that it’s open?”
"Do it when he is using his magic.”
Paldek handed the dagger over and said,
“Good luck. We will meet again when the time comes. I am sending you back to your kingdom. Are you going to close your eyes this time?”
“Absolutely,” Meriaus said and braced himself with his eye shut. He felt the force followed by the reassuring solid ground a few seconds later.
When he opened his eyes he was back in his bedroom. He touched his inner coat pocket and felt the magical dagger safely tucked away. Now he had to put his plan into action and lure Gudrunn away from his guards. He knew the lord wouldn’t take them with him up the mountain to get the egg because he would probably want to examine it himself. Meriaus had the element of surprise on his side. He had arranged for Tenaria’s brothers to fake the discovery of the egg in a specific place. Now it was just time to wait.
Chapter 7
“Grandfather? Are you not afraid of the uprising getting to you?” Amadalia asked him when they had finished their practice.
Meriaus’ forces were relentless, and they were testing Gudrunn’s patience. His major concern was that Paldek had not been in communication with him for the past few months. Was he aware of the situation and letting Gudrunn deal with it? Or was there something more sinister afoot? This notion did make him fearful, as Paldek knew secrets to ending one of his own. However, it did not make the sorcerer lose focus.
“I am not afraid of anything. Understand that very well, Amadalia. Not anything, not anyone. And neither should you. Forget any fear- people like you and me, wield power which exceeds anything else on this planet.”
The young girl had become her grandfather’s protege much quicker than the two had expected. Their lessons were kept a secret to secure the line of Architect’s descendants- that was her purpose.
Amadalia was already freely using the Enixar’s power and wielding magic without difficulty. She could manipulate matter and energy without exerting hardly any effort.
“Same time tomorrow?”
“My Lord!” Svenvard knocked at the door and called him with urgency in his voice.
“Come in!”
The servant bowed and said hastily, “They found it! In a cave near the top! It is waiting for you to pick it up. All search groups have been brought down from the mountain.”
Gudrunn smiled at the news and said,
“Excellent. I am leaving immediately.”
“Should I prepare the horses?”
“No, I will be traveling by myself, alternatively so to say. You may follow after.”
“Very well, my Lord. We will send the royal guard after you’ve left… just in case.” Svenvard bowed and left the room.
“I am coming with you!” the young girl excitedly said.
“Y
ou are staying here. You are too valuable. There has been a lot of dissatisfaction among the people. You stay here in case anything happens to me.”
Amadalia laughed out loud but Gudrunn’s stern look made her freeze.
“I apologize my Lord.”
“Feeling arrogant? Do as I say! Once we have the Dragonette egg we will have less to worry about. It will do what my incompetent family couldn’t.”
“Of course, my lord.”
“Keep practicing while I am away.”
Before Gudrunn left he had a brief thought. One he felt the need to express to Amadalia before he departed, “A future Queen should always be her best at everything she does.”
Amadalia smiled at the notion and bid him farewell,
“Thank you Grandfather, I will not disappoint you.”
When Meriaus had arrived on site of the enormous base camp at the foot of the mountain he realized things had gotten much worse than he thought. People were forced to live in deplorable conditions, kept away from their homes and loved ones under threat of death.
It was time to stop this once and for all. The uprising Meriaus had ignited was doing its job and Gudrunn’s army was constantly having to fight in different places. The Lord’s forces were spread too thin and his soldiers were quickly losing numbers.
The only thing left to do was to get Gudrunn himself. As soon as Gudrunn was informed about the fake discovery, he would come for it as soon as possible. Meriaus waited nervously in the cave for him. He felt as if he had swallowed a red-hot led ball and it was burning a hole in his stomach. Gudrunn was not going down easily. But the dagger… Meriaus hoped Paldek hadn’t exaggerated it’s magical properties. Any moment now Gudrunn would come and from that moment on… there was no guarantee of anything. Meriaus was not afraid of dying but he was terrified of what would happen if he failed to stop the Lord. A failed assassination attempt would multiply his cruelty and possibly create greater paranoia in the dictator’s mind. Surely he would lash out at his subjects. And the rebellion may cease out of fear of his retaliation. Meriaus now knew that failure was not an option. He had to see this through, even if it cost him his own life.
Randor and David worked tirelessly pickaxing away at the rubble before them. Although the soldiers at the base of the mountain were few in numbers, they knew that the Lord’s wrath would be horrifying to bear so they did not even attempt to escape.
Suddenly, Randor saw a caped man to the top of the hill entering the cave. He seemed up to no good. The young boy curiously kept his eyes focused on him.
Suddenly, the man turned to watch him, sensing he was discovered. It was Meriaus, the leader of the rebellion.
The young boy opened his mouth in shock, and Meriaus responded by putting his finger to his lips to request his silence, and gave him a quick nod when he complied. He turned and disappeared into the cave.
Soon after he saw another cloaked figure hurriedly entering the cave.
And then, all worked stopped for a moment as the guard’s signaled the presence of their King Gudrunn and his escort. He greeted his townsmen and his guards before continuing his journey alone up the mountain.
“Father…” Randor said while getting back to his work.
“Yes son?” David answered quizzically, what could his young boy want to know? Is this nightmare going to end soon? When will we get to rest? He didn’t know what he could say to make his pain any easier.
“I think all this is going to end soon,” he affirmed. And his father looked at him as if the work his driven him mad or made him depressed. He was now hoping that his son said something saner like one of his previous assumptions.
“Why do you say that?”
“There is a man up there,” He did not want to reveal his identity, “and I think he’s going to need our help,” Randor dropped his tools.
Randor began walking toward the mountain with courage his father had never seen before.
Soon he got the attention of the guards, “You there. Stop!”
“He’s stretching his legs,” his father pleaded as he went after him. “It’s no worries, I’ll go get him.”
“Fine! Don’t linger for too long, you saw the Lord is here. No need for him to be pissed at all of us,” the guard shrugged off.
Even the guards reached a point of not caring anymore, their Lord had them digging and searching while everyone was starving or being picked off due to the rebellion.
What did it matter at this point?
David finally caught up with Randor and stopped him in his tracks. He leaned down to his son’s eye level and questioned softly, “Why do you think this man can help us Randor? It's a big risk.”
With big hopeful eyes, he replied, “You have to trust me, father. I’ve seen it in my dreams, I think we have a chance.”
He hid near the exit where he had a clear view of the path. The cavern was no bigger than a room in the palace. Tenaria’s brothers had set up a replica of what they imagined a Dragonette egg looked like at the back of the cave.
He looked out of the cave and saw a hooded figure climbing up the hill. He couldn’t make out who was wearing the cloak but he assumed it was Lord Gudrunn.
He got up and gripped the concealed dagger’s handle firmly.
The approaching figure stopped a couple of feet after the entrance and took the hood off. It was Tenaria. Meriaus stepped out of his hidden place and blurted,
“What are you doing here? I told you I have to be alone.”
“You are so polite. Why is it better for you to be alone? I can help!”
“The more people- the more things that can go wrong. I have a plan and, I am sorry, but there is no room in it to protect you.”
“Wait, you have this whole situation wrong. I am here to protect you. Should you need it of course,” she said and went inside the cave without paying much attention to Meriaus’ attempts to block her path.
She hid in the back behind an impressively sized stalactite.
“Do you honestly think that Lord Gudrunn, wielder of Celestial magic and unimaginable power would be deceived by your hide and seek strategy?” he asked her, but not with a mocking tone but rather a concern for the woman’s safety.
“You are right,” she stepped out of her hiding spot and lit up a wigar nonchalantly. Meriaus had to admit this woman had nerves of steel.
“I didn’t mean for you to get comfortable. I meant you should leg it down the mountain before he shows up.”
“Meriaus, stop pestering me. I am not going anywhere and you are aggravating me. What’s the point in arguing? Focus on the task at hand. Did you get it?” she asked quietly with excitement.
Meriaus opened his coat to reveal the dagger waiting in its place patiently.
“Interesting…” she whispered.
“Someone’s coming! Hide!” he hissed and pulled her behind a big rock formation.
It was the Lord. They both could feel their hearts beating like crazy as they watched him enter the cave slowly and look around. He didn’t notice them and Meriaus felt that had something to do with Paldek’s help. The Lord went further into the cave towards the back.
Tenaria whispered to Meriaus,
“What are you waiting for? Stick the dagger in the bastard’s neck while his back is turned.”
“Shut up and get out of here!”
“Give it to me, I will do it!” she grabbed the dagger from Meriaus’ pocket, gripped it tightly and walked quietly after Gudrunn who was hunched over the counterfeit egg. He was completely engulfed in the moment.
“No, wait, Tenaria,” Meriaus tried to whisper and shout at the same time. He crept up and grabbed her firmly by the arm. “You’ll get us killed!” he chided through clenched teeth.
“We’ll miss our chance!” she pulled away with all her force and with a few more steps she was standing over Gudrunn holding the dagger with both hands above his neck. Just as Meriaus was about to grab her she sunk the blade in the Lord’s flesh as hard as she could.
&nb
sp; The Lord screamed in pain and slowly stood up. Tenaria and Meriaus backed away. Blood was running down his back and shoulders dressing him in a crimson mantle. He was breathing slowly and deeply. His head was down and his back was still turned to his assailant. It made for an absolutely terrifying scene. The sound of him breathing was accompanied by a distinct growl which seemed to get louder and more furious.
“Tenaria, what have you done!”
“Are you mad?! I did what needed to be done? Why are you acting crazy?”
“Run!” Meriaus shouted as he pulled her towards the exit.
They bolted and made it out of the cave. But there was nowhere to go. Even if they weren’t miles above sea level there would still be nowhere to hide from the impending fury which was bubbling away in the cave.
“The dagger has to be used while he is doing magic! Otherwise- nothing!”
“Oh my god…”
Suddenly, an enormous burst of bright green flames filled the entire opening of the cave. A figure walked through the flames and out on the ridge. In front of the pair’s eyes, Gudrunn’s body grew twice as huge. His hands morphed into claws with ten inch long nails on each finger. He raised his head and they saw his pupils were gone- the eyes were milky white. With no other option, Tenaria and Meriaus drew their swords.
Gudrunn reached for the dagger and pulled it out of his neck. Without looking at it, blinded by his fury, he flung it to the side and the weapon bounced around on the stones falling a couple of feet beneath where he was standing.
“Get the dagger, I’ll distract him!” Meriaus said to Tenaria.
She started climbing down to retrieve the weapon.
“How exactly am I going to do that, is the question,” Meriaus grabbed his sword with both hands and braced himself.