by Mario Routi
“But why isn’t the giant monster being affected?” Turgoth asked.
“I don’t know,” Leiko admitted, “but it can’t be a good thing.”
“I’ll fix that!” Bull said, putting his head down and charging into the oncoming waves of Hellhounds, striking them out of the way as he rolled like a steam engine across the battlefield. With a giant leap, he launched himself into the air towards the beast.
“No, Bull! That won’t work,” Leiko shouted after him.
Bull grabbed the neck of the giant creature, the impact of his weight lowering it forcefully to the ground. Pulling his sword from his back strap he brought it down on the creature’s neck. Blood splattered across his face and the severed head hit the ground.
Bull threw his head back triumphantly. “Lord Leiko, my good friend, with all due respect, there’s no creature that can survive its head being chopped off.”
Writhing in fury, the headless body yanked itself back up onto its feet. It swayed for a moment and they could see its pulse thumping hard against its skin. The blood flowing from the wound began to solidify into gelatinous goo and two heads burst through to seal the hole, both roaring with rage, all their eyes glowering down at Bull with seething hatred.
Realising his mistake, Bull began to run and dodge as it swiped at him with both heads, attempting to crush him.
“My apologies, Leiko,” he yelled as he ran and danced between the blows. “How do we kill it?”
“How did you know that cutting its head off wouldn’t work?” Turgoth asked as the onslaught of Hellhounds continued to push them back.
“Hercules fought a creature like this in the past,” Leiko shouted. “These beasts are descendants of the Echidna, the mother of all monsters. You cut off one head and two will grow in its place. It’s all written down in Greek Mythology books. But, although my father didn’t actually kill it, he buried it under a mountainside.”
Felicia tripped and twisted her knee as a Hellhound pinned her to the ground. She cried out in pain as more hounds piled on top.
Rebecca swung around to help push off the relentless force of the Hellhounds, but as she turned, one of them tore the sword from her hand with its teeth. Turgoth leaped forward to grab her hand and pull her free but he was too late and the Titan Slayer clattered to the ground. Rebecca was thrown backwards into the pit of Demons that lay behind the hounds.
“Rebecca!” Turgoth cried out.
She had disappeared from sight beneath the force of the charging pack and Bull was still ducking and diving around the monster’s swinging heads. So busy was he avoiding the weaving heads that he failed to see the mighty claw coming round behind him until it was too late and he was locked in its grip, his arms pinned helplessly to his sides. Doctor Afterland shrank back as he saw the valiant warriors begin to succumb under the sheer power of the horde that surrounded them. Felicia was unable to get back on her feet from beneath the Hounds and Leiko was too busy fighting to stay upright to be able to get to her.
Surveying the scene, Doctor Afterland knew that he might have no choice other than to run out of the Gate and return to the Elysian Fields in order to protect the Flame.
A ripple of demonic laughter echoed across the battlefield and they all looked up to see General Varta standing on a hilltop above the mayhem. A burst of light illuminated the area below them and the ground shuddered. Turgoth looked down to see the Titan Slayer begin to shake and fly on its own volition beneath the legs of the Hellhounds. Another flash of light - so blinding that Turgoth was forced to cover his eyes - exploded around them and they felt a blast of heat pass over them. When Turgoth opened his eyes, he saw the Hellhounds covered in blue flames, writhing for a few agonizing seconds before dropping to the ground. A silence fell over the entire scene as everyone took in what had happened.
Rebecca seized the sword once more and ran at the monster as the Sacred Flame burned all around her. Swinging the sword in a wide arc she cleaved the monster’s hand clean off. Bull pulled himself free from the grip of the giant claw while both heads screamed in pain as the monster turned its attention to its new attacker. Rebecca stood amid the white blue flames, staring directly up into its eyes. She raised a hand towards it.
“Your time is done,” she whispered, no louder than her breath, her hand beckoning it forward.
The creature’s heads dived at her and she moved gracefully between them, avoiding the flashing teeth as she came ever closer to the body. As the nearest head realised where she was heading, it attempted to guard its body by blocking her while the other attacked. The moment it launched itself at her, Rebecca spun to the side and leaped inwards. Her sword dug deep into its chest, piercing through the heart. With an ear-splitting shriek, the monster collapsed onto the ground. Rebecca paused for a second to be sure it was dead and then sat down on a rock to gather her strength.
Turgoth stood rooted to the spot, watching his wife with a mixture of adoration and awe. She had single handedly defeated an army and its leader. The Titan Slayer was truly a weapon to be feared when in her hands.
The others all walked over to her. Leiko helped Felicia, who was still limping from her twisted knee.
“Well done, everyone!” Doctor Afterland said triumphantly.
“We may have survived a terrible battle,” Leiko said, carefully lowering his wife onto the rock beside Rebecca, “but we still haven’t dealt with General Varta.”
“Why do you think he was on the battlefield instead of on his way to take the Flame to the Titans?” Doctor Afterland asked.
“Yes, that is strange,” Turgoth agreed.
“Oh, Dad,” Leylah’s voice made them all turn, “that’s just because he doesn’t have enough to do.”
“Leylah?” Rebecca said. “What the...”
There was a moment of confusion as they all gathered their thoughts.
“That’s not Leylah!” Leiko shouted. “It’s General Varta. Grab him!”
Leylah broke out into a run, laughing and carrying the Black Flame in her hand. Rebecca leaped after her but within a few yards she felt the strength drain from her and she slumped down on a rock again. Doctor Afterland caught up with her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“You can’t go too far away from the Flame,” he explained. “The others will need to go back now.”
Rebecca looked back at the others. “What will happen to them?”
“They will cross back through the Gates and return to the Elysian Fields. Even immortals can’t stay in the grounds of Tartarus. They will get the care they need because they are already hurt and unable to continue fighting.”
“We have to get the blade with the Black Flame back from General Varta,” she insisted, “if we are to do anything about Alexander’s condition.”
“What? You mean this little thing?” Leylah taunted them, appearing suddenly beside them.
Rebecca lifted her sword. “I thought you were on your way to deliver the Flame to your masters.”
“Oh, that’s done already, Princess. And so now I’m wondering if Orizon immortality will truly triumph when your friends and family are transported to the Elysian Fields, where my masters will soon be.”
“Why don’t you show me your true face?” Rebecca spat angrily.
“I have no true face of my own,” he smiled sweetly. “Besides, I thought you would be happy to see your beloved daughter!”
Rebecca swung her blade at him but Varta moved easily out of its way with a mocking bow. As she continued waving it at him he glided around her more like they were in a ballroom than on a battlefield. His moves were graceful while Rebecca’s had started to become slow and heavy.
“I have two blades, Princess Rebecca,” he taunted as he danced, pulling them out to show her. “I have the blade with which I stabbed young Alexander and I have the blade that I rammed into your daughter
’s gut. Which of the two would you like?”
One blade was covered in Black Flames and the other in Purple Flames. His taunting fuelled Rebecca’s anger. Rage reinvigorated her efforts and fed her failing strength.
“You sick bastard! Turn Alexander back! What did you do to my daughter?” she yelled.
Varta smiled as he dropped the blade covered in Black Flames. “Maybe nothing at all, maybe something after all. What will you do? What will you know? What I know, my dear Princess, is that you have lost yet another chunk of the Flame. How much more will you be willing to part with? Are you really even worthy of being a Princess?”
Varta was still smiling as he disappeared in the sheet of the Golden Fleece. Rebecca stared at the blade that lay on the ground, feeling the full sting of his carefully aimed words. Not all of the Titans might be free, but within a few centuries they might well be. It was only during her rule though that they had gained a portion of the Flame. The questions swam around inside her head and she started to cry.
“His words only hold meaning if you allow them to,” Doctor Afterland said. “Their venom is only deadly if you feel that they are true. Remember, from the beginning of time the Titans have sought the Flame and it was you who turned their greatest weapon into our greatest ally. We must hurry to help the Gods face the Titans on the battlefield. For the first time in history, you have been given the chance to severely wound a Titan. We must rescue our friends and family from the wrath of the Titans before it is too late.”
Rebecca nodded, acknowledging the truth in his words despite the torrent of emotions swirling uncontrollably inside of her. “You are right,” she said. “I should meditate on these feelings when there is a better time for it. Right now, we must go to the battlefield to rescue our friends.”
52
Utopia
Leylah awoke to find Hercules standing over her, watching her with a grave expression on his face. She felt miserable. Her stomach was throbbing with pain and she felt a burning sensation. Looking down, she saw that Hercules was applying a hot iron rod to her wound.
“Ahhh!” Leylah screamed.
“Oh gods! Hercules exclaimed, dropping the poker onto her skin.
“AHHH!” Leylah screamed even louder.
“Sorry, young Princess,” he said, lifting the poker off and looking embarrassed by his own clumsiness.
“What on Earth did you do that for?” Leylah asked.
“Well, you were near death and I had to do something quickly. I needed to get the wound cauterized, so I used an old mortal method that I remember well. I didn’t expect you to wake up in the middle of it. My apologies.”
“Where is my mum?”
“She went to Tartarus with your father, my son and his wife, Bull and Doctor Afterland. Quite a party.”
Now that she had caught her breath, she realised how remarkably similar Alexander was to his grandfather. The only difference was that Hercules was around twice Alexander’s size. She looked down at her wound and tried to move her body.
“I wouldn’t do that while we’re still flying,” Hercules advised.
Startled, she looked up and noticed that the sky was moving at a rapid pace above them. She relaxed, leaving everything to Hercules and allowing her mind to wander through everything that had happened. She thought of Alexander striking Bitho and then plunging a knife into her over and over. As her memory gradually returned she realised that it must have been General Varta all along.
“Hercules? What do you know of General Varta?” she asked the God.
“General Varta had already existed long ago, when I was only a demi-god, like my son Leiko is now, and I was still living on Earth. Back then he was a vile, cruel man who only found pleasure in bringing down peaceful kingdoms. As punishment, Hades removed his face, thinking that it would be an eternal hell for him. However, the Titans saw the opportunity to strike a deal with Varta and sent an agent into Hades’ Well of Death. They offered Varta the ability to change into anyone he desired and mirror their exact being. Varta seized the opportunity because he knew that working for the Titans meant he could continue doing what he had always done on Earth - wiping out the most peaceful kingdoms in existence. I was the one who brought him down into the Well of Death. I found him aboard the Argo and I remembered stories of him from the kingdoms he had tried to destroy which I had ultimately helped to save. When I saw that he was doing the same to the Argonauts, I decided that he should not live to see another kingdom fall. Bringing a living person to the Well of Death, however, can be tricky sometimes.”
“I’ve heard they can get out because they’re not dead,” Leylah said. “In order to reside in the Well of Death you need to be dead to begin with or else the conditions for its existence will not have been met and your existence creates a loophole. Is that right?”
“That’s why you’re the Oracle!” Hercules laughed. “It is my fault that Varta was able to escape. If I had killed him when I had the chance, then Hades would not have chosen to remove his face. That loophole has now allowed the Titans to bring back the Sceptomorphs, the Persian Immortals and General Varta, one of the vilest men ever to exist, to lead them.”
“Where are we going?” Leylah asked after a few moments.
“Utopia, of course. Where else?”
“But why did I have to come with you? Couldn’t I have stayed in the Gods’ Palace?” Leylah asked.
“You need to protect the Kingdom. Since Alexander is still a diamond statue and everyone else is in Tartarus, you need to be there to help your people inside the fortress.”
“Me? But I would have liked to have seen my parents and friends come back from Tartarus in one piece.”
“I’m afraid that, as a Princess, you cannot always do as you may wish,” Hercules said. “I’m sure it would be nice to be there to greet them as they emerge safely from Tartarus, but you must come back to the Land of the White Sun and Utopia with me. It is time for you to lead your people, little one. You are the reigning Princess of Utopia until your mother returns. Your people will depend on your strategy and you will get a taste of what it’s like to lead a Kingdom.”
They landed on the rooftop of the fortress headquarters.
“But Hercules,” Leylah protested, “I’m not ready for this.”
Hercules ignored her plea and put his strong hand on her shoulders. “It was my pleasure to escort you, my dear. As you know, I can’t interfere in your battles and I have to leave. You, Princess Leylah, daughter of Princess Rebecca and King Turgoth, must now go meet the enemy.”
He vanished in a flash of lightning.
***
Leylah stepped off the chariot and onto the Orizon headquarters. She could hear the enemy soldiers below forcing their way into the fortress and those inside fighting to repel them. Nemesis came running up with a frantic look on her normally serene face.
“Where’s Princess Rebecca? We have an urgent situation here!”
“My mother is in Tartarus,” Leylah replied calmly. “I have been chosen to act in her place.”
Nemesis froze for a moment in shock and then seemed to take stock of the situation before her, determined to stop herself from panicking. “The general condition is worsening, Princess. We’re still under siege. The Demonic army has sent huge numbers of flying Demons to attack us and there aren’t enough Amazon archers to cover the whole sky.” She paused for a second as if plucking up the courage to say something else. “Do you think you have the battle expertise to fill your mother’s shoes?”
“I will need all the help I can get, Nemesis,” Leylah said quietly. “I’m counting on your assistance. I may be inexperienced, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t spent months studying strategies and battle tactics. I have also been trained by many of the greatest warriors of all time, including yourself. I may not be the best person for the job, but the best person for
the job is currently in the middle of fighting with the hellish forces of Tartarus and possibly the Titans. So, I would ask you to have faith in my abilities and to give me your support.”
Nemesis smiled. “Spoken like a true strategist, Princess. Our reinforcements have arrived from Ator, Thunder and even CyPor, but not yet from Earth. They seem to be busy down there at this point, fighting against the Sartani and trying to prevent a new World War from breaking out. However, we hope they, too, will soon be able to join us. All reinforcements, however, will have to get through the army amassed outside the wall. The main entrance is covered, but aerial attack defense is beginning to struggle. The greatest problem is here at the main headquarters building. It is filled with Demons and we only have a few fighters here. What do you suggest we do?”
Leylah looked down at the ground in deep thought for a few minutes before raising her eyes back up to Nemesis.
“Send Orizons and Sharkans to reinforce the Amazons. Many of them are nearly as good with the bow and arrow as any Amazon,” she said. “How many pathways are there to the second floor?”
“There are only two doorways, but in the main hall there are many windows that the Demons can use to force their way through.”
“What about through the library?”
“Too dangerous. The books are flammable and we don’t want to risk getting trapped in there. How about the armory room? We have a small force and there isn’t anything flammable there.”
“We cannot risk the Demonic army getting in,” Leylah replied. “We’ll go in from the main entryway. Then even if the enemy advances, hardly any of them will make it through.”
“You are as decisive as your mother,” Nemesis smiled, obviously relieved. “I will gather the archers from the roof while you assemble some forces from the ground battle in the main hall. We will try to cover you as you transport the wounded into the room, although you may be able to get in without any more casualties.”
The two of them ran to the rope that led up the wall and, as they climbed, the archers held their own as valiantly as they could but the demonic forces inched closer by the minute.