Children of the Cursed

by A E Stanfill

  “You should never talk to a lady in such a manner, especially Ellyn,” Ulrich replied. “If you do so again, I shall punch you even harder. Now apologize.”

  Leon turned to Ellyn, “Sorry Ellyn, I didn't mean anything by my words. I was just trying to lighten the mood.” He frowned.

  “It's fine.” Ellyn smiled happily, “The heat is getting to us all.”

  Leon turned back to face Ulrich, “Happy now?”

  “Yes.”

  Leon shook his head, “I just don't get you sometimes, Ulrich.”

  “Women can make you feel and do some strange things, Leon.” Ulrich laughed. “Someday you will understand that.” He nudged Leon out of the way so that he could walk closer to Ellyn.

  “Fine, stay back here with her,” Leon muttered to himself, walking on ahead with Gawain and Micha.

  “What can we do for you, Leon?” Gawain asked when Leon walked up.

  “Ulrich is back there ignoring me, so I figured I would join the men leading the way,” Leon answered.

  Gawain glanced back briefly at Ulrich, who was trying his best to impress Ellyn, and the sight made him chuckle lightly. “I see what you mean.” He smirked.

  “It's not a laughing matter, Master Gawain.” Leon huffed.

  “Well of course it isn't a laughing matter.” Gawain made his voice sound deeper and more serious to make Leon feel better. “Stay up here with us men.”

  “Thank you, Master Gawain.” Leon appreciated the gesture. “How long until we reach the town of Coalfell?”

  “The town is just over this hill,” Micha answered.

  “Micha?” Leon quietly said.

  “Yes?” Micha responded.

  “I do not like bringing up a sore subject, and I did not get to say this before,” Leon swallowed nervously, as he was afraid that what he wants to say might upset Micha which was not his intent.

  “Go on, young one.” Micha turned to look at Leon, “Say what you must, there is no reason to be afraid to speak.”

  Leon wiped the sweat from his forehead, “I just wanted to say that I am sorry for your loss, I know how it feels to lose a father.”

  “Thank you.” Micha smiled. “All we can do now is make our fathers proud.”

  “Could you please call me by my name? It's Leon, I hate when others call me young one.”

  “As you wish, Leon,” Micha replied. “Ah, we have made it to the top of the hill. Coalfell should be just below us.” Micha looked down to the bottom of the hill, glad that they had made it through the harsh environment. But there wasn't a thriving town of old from his childhood memories; instead, it was a town in complete chaos and ruin. “By the gods, has the impact from the blast truly stretched this far?” He gasped.

  “Even the town of Coalfell has been devastated,” Gawain whispered. “We have to make haste to your kingdom.” This he said making sure that his voice could be heard.

  Leon, though, was hearing something strange, “Wait, did you guys hear that?”

  Gawain and Micha both turned to face Leon, “Hear what?” Gawain asked. “Did you hear anything, Micha?”

  “Didn't hear a thing.” Micha shrugged.

  Again Leon could hear what he made out as screams of terror coming from the town below, this time even louder than before. “There it is again,” he said. This time though, he didn't wait to find out if Gawain or Micha had heard the screams. In an instant he was running down the hillside, nothing was going to get in his way or stop him from finding out what was happening to the people of Coalfell.

  “Wait, Leon! It's too dangerous to go alone!” Micha shouted, running down the hill after him. To his surprise he could not catch up to the boy. He was moving so fast that none had a chance of stopping him from doing something foolish.

  Gawain had to warn Ellyn and Ulrich before he could chase after Leon and Micha. “Ellyn, Ulrich, follow me as quickly as possible, do not ask questions, there is no time for that.” He looked back and shouted before disappearing over the hillside.

  “Come, Ellyn, we have to hurry. Leon must have done something foolish yet again.” Ulrich grabbed Ellyn's hand, pulling her along.

  “Leon! Leon!” Gawain called out once they made it into the town. “Where is that blasted boy?”

  “Sir Gawain, I think we should split up,” Micha suggested. “It would help us cover more ground.”

  About that time Ellyn and Ulrich walked up, “What did Leon do this time?” He asked.

  “We can discuss that later; right now we need to split up and find him,” Gawain said. “Ulrich. You and Ellyn search one part of the town, while Micha and I search the other.”

  “Whatever old man,” Ulrich said. “Let's go Ellyn, we need to find Leon before he gets himself into more trouble.” He didn't give her time to say a word as he pulled her along.

  Gawain and Micha decided that they could cover more ground if the two of them split up as well. Micha was off closer to the center of Coalfell searching the area, “Leon,” he called out. Searching around what was left of peoples’ homes.

  Micha tried to open up the doors to those houses, but it seemed as though the survivors had barricaded themselves inside. None of the doors would open to any of the huts he searched. “If anyone can hear me, then know that I'm not your enemy, nor am I here to hurt you. I'm just looking for a young boy that has made his way into your town. If you can help me that would be much appreciated.” But he didn't get a response.

  Gawain, on the other hand, found something very interesting in his search of the town. There were soldiers lurking about. What could soldiers be doing here? He thought to himself. “This cannot be a good sign, I must warn the others,” he whispered before sneaking off.

  “Who goes there?” Micha was shocked to hear an unfamiliar voice, and he made sure to turn around slowly to face the unknown person. “Who are you?” Micha was now face to face with a soldier that had a sword pointed right at his chest. It was clear that he was staring into the eyes of the enemy.

  “You are the ones that caused all of this chaos.” Micha couldn't control his anger taking a step closer.

  “If you take another step I will run you through,” the soldier warned.

  Micha stepped closer shouting at the soldier like a madman, “Why? Why sacrifice your own men and other innocent lives just to test a weapon?”

  “What business is it of yours?” The soldier smirked. “Wait a second. That armor you wear, I recognize it. You are second in command of the Knights Of Wespington, this day couldn't have gone any better.”

  While the soldier was too busy gloating Micha made his move, and he kicked the soldier's weapon from his hand. Before the man had time to react, Micha pulled his knife and plunged it straight into his face. A crimson red flowed onto Micha's hand that held the knife, “Die scum! Die!” He screamed out like a wild animal that had just made its kill for the day. His enemy fell to the ground and his body was nothing more than a lifeless shell, while Micha enjoyed every minute of it.

  Moments later Gawain came running up, “I see that you have already run into one of the soldiers that are scouting this town,” he said looking down at the lifeless body.

  Micha raised his head to look at Gawain, “These are the pigs that fired that powerful weapon onto the battlefield, I'm sure of it.” He hissed.

  Gawain ran his fingers through his hair nervously, “If that is the case, it would explain why they are here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Think about it for a second, Micha,” Gawain said. “These soldiers are here to survey the damage. When they're done they will kill and plunder what is left of the towns that have suffered from the blast.”

  “Then we had best find Leon, along with the others.”

  Ellyn was glancing over at Ulrich, smiling every chance that she had, but when Ulrich noticed what she was doing he stopped, “Is something the matter?”

  She looked at him and smiled brightly, “It has been nice holding your hand and walking with you. But do you
think I can have my hand back now?” She giggled. Ulrich found himself lost in her bright green eyes. Ellyn's smile seemed to fill his heart with a warmth that he could not explain. “Hello? Are you paying attention to me, Ulrich?” She smiled and waved her other hand in front of his face. “Can I have my hand back now or not?”

  Ulrich's face turned red, he tried to clear his throat before speaking. “Wha- What were you saying again?” he coughed.

  She held up her hand that he had a tight grip upon, “My hand, can I have it back?” She giggled again.

  Ulrich let go of her hand, his face still as red as ever. “Sorry,” he muttered.

  Before Ellyn or Ulrich could say another word to each other, they were interrupted by a couple of unexpected guests. “Well, well, well. Look at what we have here,” a voice said.

  “Who in the hell are you?” Ulrich grumbled. Being interrupted when he was finally getting time alone with Ellyn didn't sit well with him, even if it was to search for Leon.

  “Do not speak to soldiers of Odrela in such a foul manner boy,” the other warned.

  Ulrich laughed. He could tell that these soldiers were just lower-level officers by the look of the armor they wore. The breastplate of their armor was thin and ragged looking, the helmets on their heads sat on top of their heads not even covering their faces. “You're just lower level clowns that don't deserve to call yourselves soldiers,” he said.

  “What was that you little brat?”

  “Pipe down!” Ulrich snapped.

  Ellyn nudged Ulrich's arm with hers, “What are you doing?” she whispered. “This isn't the time or the place to start a fight.”

  “Why not? Do you think that these men shall let us live?” Ulrich asked. “Can you not see that these men are the enemy?”

  “Whatever do you mean?” Ellyn had a look of confusion on her face; as usual playing dumb was a strong point of hers nowadays.

  “Smart kid,” the other said. “Too smart for your own good, be a good little boy and girl and make this easy on yourselves.”

  Ulrich unsheathed his blade, “I never make things easy for anyone,” he said.

  Both of the soldiers unsheathed their blades too, “This should be easy enough,” one of them joked. “First time we've ever fought a kid though.”

  “It is not going to be as easy as you think,” Ulrich grinned. He looked over at Ellyn with a smile on his face, “Which one of these fools would you like to take on?”

  “I believe I will watch this time,” Ellyn smiled, wanting to see Ulrich's true skills for herself.

  “Suit yourself.” Ulrich turned his attention back on the lower level officers, “Let's get this over with, we're kind of in a hurry.” He lifted his hand and motioned for them to make the first move.

  Darz stood off in the distance keeping an eye on the situation. Any signs of Ulrich being injured, and he would have to spring into action. ‘What is that boy thinking? Does he wish to get himself killed by taking on two enemies at once? If things get out of control I will have to find a way to intervene without being seen, the damn kid is making things difficult for me.’

  “I'm going to enjoy killing you.” One of the soldiers went to attack Ulrich but was stopped by the other man that was with him.

  “Hold on a second, Peter,” he said as he grabbed the other by the arm.

  “Why do you stop me, Simon?” Peter bellowed. “I wish to kill that brat.”

  “Calm yourself, Peter,” Simon demanded. “You don't know what this kid is capable of.”

  “Hey.” Ulrich smirked. “Are we going to get this over with anytime soon?”

  That sent Peter into a blind rage; he pushed Simon out of the way and charged at Ulrich. “Damn fool is going to get himself killed,” Simon whispered to himself. But he didn't feel inclined to give chase, nor did he feel the need to stop Peter from making the mistake of underestimating his opponent. No, instead he stood there and let Peter seal his own fate. Peter lifted his blade at the last second and brought it down towards Ulrich's head, “Enjoy dying by my hands you little brat!” he shouted.

  Ulrich glared at Peter, “You are a fool.” Before the sword even came close, he lunged forward at Peter with unexpected swiftness. And with that Peter never stood a chance. The sharp blade plunged right through the thin breastplate and straight into Peter's chest without him even realizing it until it was too late.

  “Damn it, how did you dodge my attack so quickly?” Peter readied himself again, “No matter, you won't be so lucky a second time.” But he started to stumble as his body began to weaken. Peter felt something warm running down his chest, then blood gurgled up in his mouth. “How? How could I lose to a child?” Were the last words that he uttered before his lifeless body fell to the ground.

  “I did say that I was in a hurry, guess he didn't hear that part,” Ulrich said. Fighting someone at that skill level was all too easy for someone as good as he. “One down and one more to go.” He looked over at Simon with a slight smirk on his face, “You're next.”

  “I do not wish to fight you. Never did.” The man then sheathed his blade back to his side.

  “Do you not wish to avenge your friend?” Ulrich asked with a smile stretched across his face.

  “He was never really my friend in the first place,” Simon responded, he turned to walk away but Ulrich had other plans.

  “Don't think that I am going to simply let you walk away.”

  “If you are smart you will,” Simon responded without even looking back.

  “So you are a coward then,” Ulrich mocked him.

  When Ulrich called Simon a coward it made something change in him. His posture was different as he stood up straight and proud like a true soldier would, not slump over like he was doing at first. When he spoke his voice was darker, and had more of an edge to it. “I do not wish to fight you, child, those were not my orders.” Simon turned to face Ulrich but this time his eyes were cold and soulless. So much so that it sent fear through Ellyn's body, because with that she knew that the man wasn't to be trifled with.

  Ellyn took Ulrich's hand in hers, “Let's be on our way, Ulrich. Remember, we still have to find Leon,” she whispered to him. Ulrich went to take a few more steps closer towards Simon's direction when Ellyn jumped in front of him, lifting his chin to where his eyes met hers. “Please sheath your blade and let us be on our way, do it for me,” she pleaded. “Please, for me.” There was one thing that Ulrich could not resist no matter how hard he fought it, and it was his feelings for Ellyn. And he promised to never do anything that may upset her ever again.

  “I shall do as you ask of me.” He sheathed his blade just to make her happy.

  “Thank you, Ulrich,” Ellyn smiled nervously.

  Ulrich sighed, turning his attention back to Simon. “As for you, you can take your leave now. Next we meet, we shall finish what was started here.”

  “That we will, that we will,” Simon ominously agreed as he walked away. ‘Something about that man is familiar to me.’, Darz turned to walk away, seeing how the boy was safe from harm for the time being.

  “I can hear some kind of commotion!” Micha shouted. A second or so later Micha found Leon. He was covered in blood and looked as though he had been in a hard-fought battle. But what really caught Micha's eye was all the dead soldiers laying before the feet of the young boy. “Sir Gawain! I have found the boy!”

  Gawain came running around the corner, and as soon as he caught a glimpse of Leon and the dead soldiers at his feet, he stopped dead in his tracks. “By the gods, what has happened here?” he gasped. Ellyn and Ulrich appeared from the shadows but stopped just before they reached Leon.

  “It would seem that he cleared the town of the soldiers single-handed.” Ulrich was somewhat amused that Leon could accomplish such a feat on his own. “Here I was hoping to have a little more fun myself.”

  “This is no time to jest, Ulrich,” Gawain scolded before turning his attention towards Leon, “Leon?” He hesitantly took a few steps clos
er.

  Leon raised his head looking at Gawain, “You seem to be hesitating, are you afraid of me Master Gawain?”

  “No,” Gawain shook his head. “If I was afraid of you, you would know it.”

  Leon smiled. “There is no need for anyone to be afraid of me.”

  Gawain took another step closer, “What happened here?”

  “I heard someone cry out for help, that's why I ran off ahead of the group. When I got here these soldiers were trying to hurt innocent women and children. I tried to stop them and they turned their blades upon me,” Leon paused momentarily.

  “And?”

  “I had no choice but to dispose of them, in fact, it was necessary,” Leon cracked a cold smile.

  “Did anything else happen?” Gawain asked, trying to hide his nervousness, “Nothing out of the ordinary?”

  Leon sheathed his blade, “Nothing that I can recall. Why?”

  “No reason.”

  “These are highly trained soldiers,” Micha interrupted. “How could you take them out with such ease as you say?”

  “Look at the armor they wear.” Leon pointed at the bodies that lay on the ground. “Would high-level soldiers wear what these men have on?”

  “What are you getting at?” Micha replied.

  “If you would pay attention, you would know that by looking at the armor these men are clearly lower level officers. Or just men for hire,” Ulrich interrupted.

  “Just like the men we ran into,” Ellyn said.

  “Right.” Ulrich nodded.

  “That doesn't make sense.” Micha frowned, “The men Sir Gawain and I faced were true soldiers of the enemy.”

  “Which means these men are hired hands, since most of the real soldiers died on the battlefield.” Leon guessed.

  “It would explain their lack of experience,” Ulrich said.

  “We can figure the rest of this out later,” interrupted Gawain. “Right now we need to find the survivors. It would be unwise to allow them to stay in this town as is. Also, there is a horse trough a ways back. Find it and clean yourself up, Leon. The townspeople will not trust in us if you walk around like that.”