by Tom Burton
“Much bigger. Dellmoor was pushed to one side once this was completed. How times change….” Sam said while lost in thoughts of the past.
“I think we should go around,” Aaron suggests, grabbing everyone’s attention.
“If this place is burnt to a crisp, it could fall inward at any point,” Aaron continues. Jaylen immediately responds, “There is no pathway anywhere apart from this one here; if we go around the city, we’ll get lost in the wilderness, so it’s better to go straight through the city.”
“I think I know the way through anyway.” Sam states convincingly, and eventually Aaron agrees though reluctantly. And, the four begin to walk toward and into the dead city.
As the four slowly enter the city, they see the trees growing within the city, greenery covering the base of the walls, and towers half destroyed, blackened, and slowly swaying with the wind. The gates, blasted open, are wider and taller than the ones at Dellmoor. Once again, they stop to ponder the gate, “Ironic…” Sam whispers.
“The wizards gave everything to improve the county, such as building this, but then not only do they tear it apart, but almost the Kingdom with it.”
“What sort of fire can destroy something as big as this city?” Daniel asks openly, earning Sam’s laughter.
“What’s the most dangerous sort of fire?” Sam asks everyone, and before any of them can answer, they hear whistling sounds all around them. They look around but are unable to look past the tree line or within the city. Jaylen then looks up to find a dozen archers drawn at them, positioned on the walls of Meldom. The whistling stops.
“Don’t make any sudden moves,” Jaylen whispers; the three notice Jaylen looking up, and they follow suit. The four stay put. Eventually another dozen men from within Meldom walk out of the gate to meet them. Jaylen moves one step forward, and an archer from the wall fires a warning shot at his feet. Jaylen, along with the other three, lift up their arms in surrender. The dozen men surround the four with spears pointing at them.
“Drop any weapons you have,” announced one of the men. The four slowly drop their weapons without saying a word.
“What is your purpose here?” asks the same man. None of the four speak, until eventually Aaron responds, “We’re just travellers, walking through here is safer than walking around.” One of the men then signals the group to drop their spears, and the archers to drop the bows. The same man searches Jaylen’s sword and looks closely at the hilt. The man smiles to himself and says, “This is Dellmoor gold…is that where you are from?” Jaylen stays silent.
“We’re not from Dellmoor,” Aaron defends.
“We’ve heard that reply before, and then we lost people.” The man aggressively states. He continues to look at the hilt, and looks back at Jaylen.
“Tie them up; George will want to question them.” Before the four can defend themselves, their arms are tied behind their backs and the four are pushed into the burnt city, with arrows aimed at them all the while.
As they are taken deeper into the city, more and more people watch the group. Eventually they stop in the middle of a courtyard, which has knee-length grass. A man approaches them, wearing the same attire as the soldiers surrounding him.
“Who is in charge here?” The man asks; the four remain silent for a while, and eventually Aaron steps forward.
“My name is Aaron Silver, and you are?” Aaron asks.
“I’m George Carrick,” He replies. Jaylen becomes agitated.
“You have attacked a Dellmoor group, thereby breaking the king’s law.” Jaylen aggressively intervenes. George then quickly looks toward Jaylen, and states, “We didn’t attack you, and we’re not within the king’s law here.” George sharply replies. The four look at George confused.
“We’re the Rebellion.” George explains.
“We see that the king is failing us. And we will do everything in our power to support those who need it.” Aaron is stunned at what George is saying; George then looks toward Daniel and Sam.
“And who might you be?” George asks the two curiously.
“He is Sam Woodgard, and I am Daniel Rane.” Daniel introduces himself assertively. George focuses on Daniel.
“Rane?” George repeats. Daniel nods, confused as to why he would focus on his surname, George chuckles.
“Now why would Aaron lead this group, when the former Lord Commander’s son is standing next to him?” George asks rhetorically. Daniel is stunned that George knows the history. Sam and Aaron look toward Daniel.
“Former Lord Commander?” Aaron asks Daniel.
“I was going to tell you, I swear.” Daniel whispers to him, but Aaron looks away, shaking his head in annoyance.
“The big secret…I’m surprised your mother kept the name.” George says.
“Follow me.” George demands, and the guards push the four in George’s direction.
Located at the center of the burnt city, the four, still with their hands tied, follow George down an underground entrance, enforced only by wooden poles on either side.
“What’s your end game?” Jaylen asks.
“More and more people are coming every day,” George explains.
“Eventually we will have an army, and we can overthrow the corrupt family you bow down to.” Jaylen then starts to get aggressive.
“You’re willing to tear the country you love so dearly?” Jaylen asks angrily.
“We’re not tearing it apart…we’re freeing it,” George calmly responds.
“How have you not been caught yet?” Aaron attempts to interrogate.
“Hardly any Royal Soldiers ever come through here,” George explains.
“And if they do, we either let them go around, or we capture them.”
“To do what?” Daniel asks.
“Conversion…or execution.” George states in a nonchalant manner. He lifts his arm to present to the four other men in Royal armor, hanging from the metal bars with nooses around their necks. Jaylen expresses anger, while Aaron, Daniel, and Sam close their eyes and look away. The guards throw them into steel cells.
“Make your choice men.” George instructs them,
“And make it quick,” he says in a demanding tone.
Later in the day, the four are resting in a steel prison cell, their weapons taken off them by the guards who are protecting the cell door. Jaylen approaches the bars.
“Cowards!” Jaylen barks, but is met with no response from the guards facing away from them. Jaylen then kicks the bars in frustration.
“That won’t help us!” Daniel tells Jaylen, and eventually Jaylen moves away from the bars and sits with the others, leaning against the cell’s stone wall. Aaron then looks over to Daniel, “How long have you known?” Aaron asks.
“Jaylen told me the day we left the Capital,” Daniel responds.
“Why did he tell you?” Aaron asks him, but Jaylen overhears and chooses to respond.
“Because none of us knew if we were going to make it back; he had a right to know.”
“Who was he?” Aaron asks.
“His name was Karl Rane…Lucy Rane is Daniel’s mother.” Jaylen starts explaining.
“Lord Commander Rane was travelling through the North, back to his wife, after receiving the word from the Capital regarding their new-born child. When he got to the Dock town, they suffered a staggering defeat at the hands of an unknown force. He sacrificed his own life to rescue his wife and son.” Daniel gazes at the floor, lost in deep thought. Everyone chooses to remain quiet, pondering at the new revelation.
Hours later, as the sun begins to set, George approaches the cell. Jaylen shoots up and yells, holding the bars in anger.
“You set this up, didn’t you?” George is confused, but Jaylen continues, “You created a story in the North to unnerve the Capital, destroy its harmony in order to sweep in, and take power for yourse
lf, and if anyone from Dellmoor went North, you kill them, leaving Dellmoor to further believe this story!” After a moments silence, George asks, “And what story am I creating?” Before Jaylen responds, Aaron looks toward the two and orders, “Jaylen, don’t!” Jaylen then frustratingly turns away and walks back to the others, while George just looks angrily at Jaylen, and states, “Aaron, I think we need a talk…” The Rebel Guard opens the cell door for Aaron, who gets up and slowly walks out, with the others looking nervous. As the two walk away from the cells, “Why has Aaron not told them our purpose yet?” Jaylen asks.
“The less people know, the better.” Daniel replies immediately, and Sam nods his head in agreement.
“If the whole country finds about this, there will be panic.” Daniel continues. Jaylen seems to agree with their argument.
Aaron is taken to a courtyard filled with rubble. Aaron notices that there are archers on the wall surrounding the courtyard, all of them drawn and aimed at Aaron. George, by his side, asks, “So Aaron, why should I not order my men to fire and tell them to slaughter your friends?” Aaron nervously responds, “Because Rebellions are based on protecting those who need it most, not to slaughter them unarmed. I come from the West, just like you. I’m sure we can settle our differences rather than create further divisions.” George takes a moment to assess his answer, and then draws a smile. George lifts his arm, signaling the arches to drop their aims.
“So what are you doing here, Aaron?” George asks, but Aaron elects to change the subject.
“How many people are garrisoned here?” He asks, but George does take note of the change of subject.
“There are around 150 of us here now, but more and more people come here every day, looking for the justice they deserve!” George answers, but Aaron disagrees.
“Is a civil war really what you want? Thousands of people dead, their blood on your hands, families torn apart, villages burnt to ash, is that really what you want?” Aaron asks.“I am not forcing them into anything!” George argues, he continues aggressively.
“They come here out of their free will to support our cause, because freedom is always worth fighting for.” Aaron responds in silence.
“I’m going to make you an offer…” George says, grabbing Aaron’s full attention.
“I will grant you full pardons for your crimes against the Rebellion, if you inform me of your true purpose of coming through this city?” Aaron takes a moment to think about the offer he has been given.
“No” Aaron replies sternly. George’s faint smile immediately drops, and he suddenly punches Aaron in the jaw, forcing him to the floor, immediately the archers on the wall draw their arrows, aiming at Aaron. George then grabs Aaron, and drags him across the courtyard floor.
Back in the prison cells, Jaylen, Daniel, and Sam continue to sit on the muddy floor, remaining silent, something they have done since Aaron left. Suddenly, they see George dragging Aaron across the floor; Aaron trying to stand, but failing to do so. The three in the prison cell stand, and Daniel rushes to the prison bars, deeply concerned as to what has been said. The guard opens the prison door, and George throws Aaron into the cell.
“Aaron has kindly made the decision for you…your executions will begin at first light!” George orders, he then storms out of the cells; Sam and Daniel suddenly turned scared at this realization.
“George, please, don’t do this!” Aaron pleads, but receives no response from George, who continues walking away. Aaron then smacks the floor in frustration. Sam holds his hands at the back of his head, clearly in shock.
“What happened?” Daniel asks Aaron, who eventually gets up and leans up against the stone wall of cell.
“They wanted to know our plans…I respectfully declined.”
“Why?!” Jaylen asks.
“Because this would accelerate a civil war, especially if they think the king is in denial. I will not start something like that so unnecessarily.” Aaron responds, but Jaylen remains unconvinced.
“And here we are, paying the ultimate price…,” Jaylen comments, turning his head away from Aaron.
Night gathers, and the four remain in the cell, all scattered: Daniel and Aaron are up against the stone wall, Jaylen is leaning on the prison bars, and Sam is lying down, contemplating what will happen to them all next morning. Suddenly, they hear a horn being blown at the surface of Meldom. This grabs the attention of everyone in the prison cell, all now standing, looking toward the entrance of the tunnel. A guard stationed on top shouts, “Gather the men, hurry!” George then runs past the prison cells. Another soldier from the surface approaches George and states, “We’ve received reports of a fire nearby, some villages trapped, they request our aid.” “Leave a garrison here, and send everyone else to the fire!” George responds. The soldier immediately runs toward the surface, with George following quickly behind him along with the prison guards. On the surface, the men gather the weapons, as the horn continues to blow. Everyone else watches on from the prison cell.
“Is this coming from Redlock?” Jaylen asks Aaron. Aaron looks back at Jaylen for a moment.
“I don’t know…but the longer this goes on, the closer we are to war,” Aaron responds, with the others accepting the harsh truth.
After an hour, Aaron, Daniel, Jaylen, and Sam receive no further word from George and his men, and Jaylen is growing impatient.
“There’s no one guarding us, and our execution is hours away, why are we not at least trying to escape?” Jayson aggressively asks.
“And who would plan our grand escape?” Daniel asks sarcastically, which is met by an aggressive look from Jaylen.
“The bars on these cells are rotting, with enough force, they’ll break,” Jaylen points out.
“And how do we propose we get out of Meldom? George had mentioned that there is a garrison here…” Sam states. Jaylen then takes a moment and looks at the floor; he then looks at Aaron.
“We’ll have to kill them…” Jaylen tentatively suggests. The others look toward him stunned.
“We are not killing anyone!” Aaron barks; Sam nods his head in agreement.
“If Mutaro is back, amassing a large army, just like we suspect, then we will need every man we can find, we don’t just kill them because we can.” Sam argues.
“It’s not about ‘because we can’, it’s because we need to!” Jaylen responds. Daniel sides with Jaylen.
“I’m sorry, Aaron, I don’t like it either, but we have to at least try and escape.” Daniel says reluctantly.
“Is there another way?” Jaylen asks Aaron and Sam, but is met with silence. Jaylen then turns and starts to break the bars.
After a few moments, the bars begin to break. Daniel joins Jaylen in breaking the bars, much to Aaron’s disapproval, and eventually, enough of the bars are broken so that they can get through. As the four get through, Jaylen puts his index finger to his lips, signifying everyone to keep silent. They crouch forward to the surface, and eventually find one of the guards who stayed behind, guarding the entrance of the tunnel. Jaylen then approaches the guard, and viciously breaks his neck. Sam is forced to look away, and Aaron gives a disapproving look to Jaylen; Jaylen ignores. Daniel then approaches Jaylen,
“We need to get to the armory; we’ll never make it with no weapons.” Jaylen nods in agreement.
“Where is the armory?” Daniel asks. They all look toward Sam, who rolls his eyes and signals the other three to follow him. Jaylen then unsheathes and takes the dead guard’s sword along the way.
They see two soldiers protecting the armory, but with no wall or door. Sam and Jaylen can see all their equipment located behind the soldiers, scattered on the floor. Jaylen looks around for any other soldiers, but doesn’t spot any; he then aggressively unsheathes his sword, and enters the soldier’s line of sight.
“You shouldn’t be here!” One the guard’s shouts, with both unshe
athing their swords.
“Unlucky for you, I am…” Jaylen responds, he then quickly disarms them both, but then kills them immediately, plunging his sword through one soldier’s stomach, and striking through the other soldier’s chest. Both soldiers drop to the floor. Sam, who watches the whole scene, whistles Aaron and Daniel over. As the four enter the armory, Aaron continues to show his disapproval.
“You didn’t have to kill them,” Aaron tells Jaylen,
“We need to get to Redlock, Aaron; no war is history is squeaky clean.” Jaylen responds to Aaron, who begins to contemplate what Jaylen is saying.
Once they have all their equipment back, they begin to go back through the courtyard. They notice the gateway on the opposite side and begin to run. They are met with four soldiers, who see them coming, and they all draw out their swords.
“Get back to your cell, no one has to die.” One of the soldiers warns. Jaylen looks toward Sam and bobs his head backward; Sam then takes a few steps back. Jaylen then looks toward Aaron.
“Conviction Aaron, we need you now.” Jaylen shouts. Aaron nods and draws out his sword, along with Jaylen and Daniel, and the three charge at the guards. Jaylen takes on two of the soldiers, while Aaron and Daniel are against one soldier each. Jaylen easily finishes the two soldiers he is up against. Daniel eventually disposes of his soldier, with some help from Jaylen, who swipes his sword across the soldier’s stomach. Aaron successfully disarms the soldier and puts him on the floor. Before Aaron can finish him off, the soldier begins to beg.
“No! Please, I have a family, I won’t tell anyone I swear!” Jaylen looks on. Aaron pauses with his sword pressed against the soldier’s chest, but eventually, Aaron ignores his pleas and puts the sword through his chest, the soldier squeals before he dies. Aaron then looks over to Jaylen, who nods in approval.