by P. G. Thomas
Lauren screamed her brother’s name, as she looked at the man in purple, adding, “Die, bastard, die!”
“With such power in those words, Mother chose you well. Too bad for you, she means nothing to me, and neither do your words. I am finished for today. The brand needs to heal, so tomorrow we will add more to it. Now you said you had a surprise for me?”
Nodding, the large man went to his bench, retrieving what looked like an oversized metal boot, which had dozens of knobs on it.
“I am not sure I understand, so show me.”
When he moved to Lauren’s feet, even though she was unable to see what was happening, she felt the metal boot encase her left foot. Then, feeling pressure on her little toe, she felt it break, screaming even louder than before.
“Marvelous, my good man, extraordinary, and each one of these knobs are located over a bone?”
The large man nodded.
“Let me try.” Then the man in purple twisted the next knob, then the next, and then the next, snapping three toes in succession. Lauren screamed louder each time, cursing them and their families.
“I assume he was your brother? I only wish he showed this kind of spirit.” He twisted another knob, “It would have been so much fun to have you both side by side, letting you watch while I tortured him, letting him listen to your screams, begging me to stop.” The man in purple started to twist the knob over the thicker bone of the big toe, and with the pressure building, tears flowed down Lauren’s face. When the man in purple stopped struggling, the large man stepped forward, turning the knob easily. Breaking with so much force, she heard it snap before the pain slammed into her brain.
“Will it work on the other foot?”
The big man shook his head from side to side.
“Do you have one for that foot also?”
Going over to the bench, he brought back another metal boot, which was unfinished.
“That is such a shame. Have one of your men start working on it. I would like it finished before the week is over. Maybe before we put it on, we will first let it warm up in the fire, so we can see how good your pain medication is.” The big man smiled, taking the boot back to his bench. When the man in purple walked up beside Lauren, he looked down at her. “Thorn, I think when we are done, once you are broken, we will cut out half of your tongue, so none will be able to understand you. After we chain you by our front door, you will lick the boots clean of all those that come to visit, so they do not soil our fine floors or carpets. Your entire body will be the most beautiful brand, and looking upon you, licking their boots clean, my masterpiece will amaze them. If they ask, we will give them permission to kick you. Some may forget, but we will not punish them, only you.” He looked at the big man, “The bones in the foot are thicker? How much pressure does it take?”
After he moved to the far end of the table, when more bones snapped, Lauren’s screams were becoming less, as her voice became hoarse.
*******
Nur finished her third glass of the hardest alcohol they had, and continuing to rub her head, she passed the bottle to Brook.
Panry was beating the wall, “She kills armies. Why does she not fight back?”
“Mother has provided her with many allies and weapons, but she needs to see them,” advised Nur. “She needs to concentrate on them, and I doubt she can do either right now.” Grabbing her head, when she bit down on her bottom lip, blood trickled down, “They are brutal, savages.”
Panry punched a hole through the wooden wall, “How can I find my Earth Mother?” However, nobody in the room was able to provide the answer he sought.
*******
Having let Lauren rest for about an hour, even though her side felt like it was on fire, the pain from her foot was beyond description, and she could no longer feel the pain in her wrist since there was no room for it.
“I hear she can sing,” he looked at the large silent man, “Can you prepare a concert for my meal? Something soothing with a good beat to it.”
The silent man pointed to Lauren’s right wrist. The bones, being severely broken, had started to protrude through her skin, and her hand was now at a thirty-degree angle to her arm.
“I guess you are right.” The man in purple walked over to the workbench, returning with two large rusty hooks that he handed to the silent man. “Use these.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he took them over to Lauren. Digging them into the top of her shoulder, scraping the bones, he forced it through the muscle, pushing it out the other side, and repeated his actions with the second. As he lowered the chains from the ceiling, several brand-covered slaves entered the room, bringing a table and chair, and another carried a large fan made from Mountain Eagle feathers. When the man in purple sat down, two slaves stepped forward. Removing the purple veil that hid the lower section of his face, they continued to hold it in front of him so that his face remained hidden. After the last had placed a large covered plate on the table, she removed the lid, exposing a large piece of roasted flesh, twelve inches long by eight inches, resting on the plate.
“What is this?” inquired the seated man.
“Elf, master. The cook pulled the last one from the dog cage. He had an idea for a new recipe, which he thought you would enjoy.”
Cutting into the piece of roasted meat, he dipped it into a bowl of sauce, and after tasting it, he put a larger piece into his mouth, which he devoured. “My compliments to the cook. This is even better than those birds. The seasoning is perfect, and that sauce is to die for, well, especially if you ride birds.” He nodded to the silent man.
When the big man undid the bonds on Lauren, her body was too exhausted to move. Racked with pain, her brain trapped in a fog of agony, she never felt the chains attach to the hooks. Until, with one pull, she hung from the ceiling, screaming.
“Let the concert begin, and make her sing loud enough that her friends hear this delicate Thorn. I have so many that want to meet them, and it is a shame they are not here already.”
Even though Lauren heard the whip crack across her back, she barely flinched. Her brain could no longer process all of the pain signals, and when several more attempts failed to make her react, the seated man eating the roasted leg of sky elf pointed to a different whip. Putting down the first, he picked up the second, which was tipped with metal spurs. The man in purple continued to eat his meal, smiling between bites, while she sang her painful song. Several hours later, he stood, applauded, before leaving the room.
*******
Late in the night, when Gingaar came down to the street to get some fresh air, she was still crying and distraught. Ryan went to her, placing his arm around her. The carriage that the Earth Mothers had ridden in that day was in pieces. When Panry had needed a target to vent his frustrations, it was convenient. The Earth Mothers, having heard the noise, watched Panry attack the carriage like it was a mortal enemy, but thoughts of stopping him never entered their minds.
Gingaar hugged Ryan, “I think that Earth Mother sleeps now.”
When Panry overheard her words, there was anger in his voice, “What do you mean?”
“The torture stops. I do not feel any Earth Bonds or Curses, but she lives. Panry, the pain is great.”
Nur, who had been sleeping on the couch, came out to join them still carrying a bottle in her hand. She looked at Ryan, “It helps with the pain.”
“What are these curses Gingaar speaks of?” asked Ryan.
“Mother is power. Power has no understanding of right or wrong. An Earth Bond is power used to do good. Twist that power, making it flow away from good, it will do as commanded. There is no difference to it between right or wrong, good or bad. It only seeks to serve. Panry, we need to rescue her, or stop her before she does the unthinkable.”
Screaming to the skies, Panry stormed away.
“What do you mean, Earth Mother?”
“Ryan, she is Earth Mother, and should she call upon the power, it will come. It will listen to her words, fulfilling her
commands.”
“What’s the worse she can do?”
“Of that I will never speak, but imagine the worst thing you can, and then multiply it by the largest number you know, not once but thrice. It is at that point that the worse begins, and I have no idea on where it could end. This is a dark day for all, my friend, as the enemy holds the most powerful weapon to walk the lands, and if they break her, all is lost.”
Ryan was wiping away tears, “If they don’t break her? Lauren is strong. She won’t give in to them.”
“Then they will kill her, as they cannot take the chance that she recovers, seeking vengeance.”
[Critical failure. Process corrupt. Safeties offline. Re-engage. No Response. Emotional conflict. Stabilize. No effect. Offense engaged. Disengage. Defense Engaged. Repeat disengage. Abilities enhanced. Shut down. No response. Adaptations selected. Implemented. Abort. Abort. Abort.] As Ryan walked with purpose towards Panry, his skin hardened, his arm transformed, his voice was large, filled with rage. “You bastard, you were supposed to protect her. I love her, you bastard. If she dies…”
After Panry had drawn his sword, the two met with explosive force, being like two trains on the same track, but both going in the wrong direction. Ryan, not thinking straight, was pure raw hurt emotion. While Panry shared similar, he was Earth Guard, and none were better with a sword than he was, yet he was tired of beating up on hitching rails and carriages. Sparks flew when Panry attacked Ryan, but while his shirt and pants were torn to shreds, no blood flowed from the angry granite warrior. Panry blocked every attack that Ryan threw at him; he had to. While he knew it was impossible to kill him, he hoped Ryan could maintain this fight for hours, as Panry had much to vent. Knowing that Ryan was not thinking straight, he also realized if he connected once with his sword arm, not only could it injure him, it would kill him, but he refused to let that happen. With his purpose being unfulfilled, he needed to clear his head, and for Panry, violence always worked best.
Without realizing it, the fight seemed to slow, as they began to circle each other, forgetting what they were doing, and falling to their knees, they fell asleep.
When Nur stopped playing her flute, she called to the Earth Mother’s Earth Guard. “Take Panry and hide him somewhere. When he is secure, send Careel back here.”
[….Systems online. Disengage implementations. Analyze.] As Ryan’s sword turned back into his arm, his granite skin reverted to normal. Nur called her Earth Guard, “Take him to his room, securing him to his bed. I will give him some berries to make him sleep.” The Earth Guards were hesitating to move, “NOW!” They rushed forward, doing as instructed.
Panry woke several hours later, unhurt, knowing that Ryan would also be free of injury, and he accepted the quick update from Erust. After leaving Pintar’s Inn, he walked down to the statue of Alron, and kneeling in front of it, he began praying to Mother. “She tries to protect us, but it is not her call. Mother, guide me. I have a purpose. I need to save Earth Mother, but I need to know where she is.”
The moon traveled across the sky, playing hide and seek behind the clouds, as Panry continued his prayers and curses. Even though some were silent, others were not. When the town watch heard the angry ones, like most of Alron, they found him in front of the statue, staying to make sure none approached too close.
Chapter 22
The man in purple looked at the stack of dead midlander slaves. “Spread the rest of the slaves out. Let us see how far her range is.”
*******
As the first sun chased the night back, Lauren felt the first hot iron strike the canvas and screamed. “Good morning, Thorn, such a lovely voice. Maybe, when we get you back to the Royal House, we will use your pretty voice to signal the new day for all. The art looks even better than I imagined. Well, it looks better than your foot, and we have so much still to do. Later I will get a mirror to show you my masterpiece.” Then the man in purple went back to work.
*******
Nur found Panry in front of the statue, “She lives, and the torture continues.”
When Panry looked up, there was a fire burning in his eyes. “Mother, I Invoke you, NOW! DO YOU HEAR ME, I INVOKE YOU. ANSWER ME. Make my Earth Mother call to me. She shall not call on her own. I promised my life to save those that serve you, so let me fulfill my obligation.”
Nur fell to her knees, grabbing her head, and around them, several citizens also stumbled. “She loses concentration, brother. Her Curses lack direction. That which should never happen, Panry, it is going to happen. The black-clad will invade a land of the dead. DO SOMETHING!”
Fighting through the anger, he cleared his mind, “MOTHER, when you first formed the Earth Guard, they had one request. You granted it, but nobody has ever called to it. We trusted you, but grant it to us you did. You never though that any would demand such. TODAY I BREAK THAT SEAL. MOTHER, I COMMAND YOU, MAKE HER CALL ME.” Panry fell to his knees, his voice, but a whisper. “You cannot refuse my request.”
As Nur attempted to stand, pushing herself through the pain, she was shocked at Panry’s command to Mother, being unable to comprehend the words she had heard.
When first created, the Earth Guard had agreed to protect and serve those selected by Mother, doing all that was possible to fulfill their oath. One of the very first Earth Guards to accept the call was Moonshadow; the first in a long line of Earth Guards that Panry was proud to serve. There are times when everything possible is still not enough, and his great forefather had realized that. The thought of Mother being the only one to know what was going to happen failed to win the confidence of the new recruits. They all trusted her, but trust was a hard currency. It could comfort you, but not warm a cold body. It could guide you, but not fill an empty belly. The first Moonshadow had spoken the words; ‘If the need is ever great, we can command Mother.’
Mother issued two commands: one to silence Panry, one to Lauren.
“Panry, save me.”
Hearing the Earth Bond, feeling the pain, he raced to the post office in search of fast horses, and his Earth Guard followed close behind. As Nur stumbled to her feet, her Earth Guard raced to her, helping her to stand, and then they all gave chase.
Panry came charging at him, “I need the fast horses now!”
Pintar knew better than to deny him, “You are lucky since it is their day off. All six are here.” After fumbling with the keys to the lock box, he extracted five pins and five platinum rings, which Panry distributed to the Earth Guards, and in seconds, five large stallions appeared, snorting, waiting for their commands. They quickly raised the stirrups on the large beasts, and taking to the saddle, they dug their heels into the magical mounts. While they should have slowed down racing through the town, they never did. Before the night ended, they would be on the other side of the pass, and after that, all they had was the direction that they felt, but it was enough.
When Nur entered the front door of Laurens house, Brook looked at her, “Earth Mother issued an Earth Bond for help?”
“No, Panry commanded Mother. She kept her promise, and Panry rides to the rescue.”
“Should we send more, our Earth Guards?” asked Brook.
“They ride the fast horses, so they’ll never catch up.” Then Nur poured them both a drink, as it would be a liquid breakfast and likely the same for lunch. With the Earth Bonds and Curses intensifying, both were cringing in pain.
Brook accepted her drink, “Will Panry make it in time?”
“If there is somebody who thinks they can stop him, they have never met the force called Panry Moonshadow.”
“The seal he broke and commanded Mother?” asked Brook.
Nur drained her glass, “Yes.”
Brook poured the last of the bottle into the empty glasses, “It is not legend. Mother answered to another?”
“Yes,” replied Nur, as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the wave of pain that washed over her.
When it was gone, Brook asked, “What other legends shall we s
ee birthed?”
Nur reached for a fresh bottle, not wanting to think about such possibilities.