“It is the scourge of this land!” he added angrily.
“Well what is it?” added Talon.
Zalon shook his head making Talon realise that he really had a dislike to this.
“It was discovered by the wizards after the great wars, it was said to be a cure for the people who were weakened by the wars and the plagues.”
“A medicine?” Talon interrupted.
“It’s no medicine that’s what they said but now everyone uses it, the King gives it out and has it grown in the east in vast fields.”
“Is it like Lurchon?”
“It is Lurchon, only here in Zachania it is called Zac, Lurchon is outlawed by the Empire anyone caught with it is put to death but here everyone uses it.”
“I saw people smoking it in taverns, in strange pipes turning people into fools”
“Don’t ever touch it Talon it turns strong men into weak men and weak men into fools, outlawing it in Kratos is one law from the Empire I agree with, I am not a lover of laws or ways of controlling people but we should do the same here.”
“Maybe we can.” Talon suddenly said.
“What do you mean?”
“Rid Zachania of Zac.” replied Talon thinking out loud.
“How can this be done?” answered Zalon fearing the enormity of what his Grandson was saying.
“I am not sure at the moment but I have a feeling this Zac is connected with the wizards of Zanlia, the wizards who betrayed us.”
The two men both fell into silence.
“It was the wizards who began giving the people Zac.”
“Is that coincidence or do they want strong men weak” replied Talon.
“What are you thinking?”
“Burn the crops!”
“Do you know what kind of trouble this would cause Grandson?”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
“Trouble.”
“No outrage, I want the whole of Zachania discussing this, then when we are brought before them we will produce the scroll of Apollo and reveal the treachery of these wizards.”
Zalon clapped his hands showing his pleasure.
“Talon you’re a genius, you are already thinking as a leader of men.”
“That’s what we need.”
“What men.”
“Yes good ones, loyal men.”
Zalon nodded before replying.
“I am in front of you Grandson I have already been thinking of this and I have ten good strong gladiators chosen, they are loyal men full of Zachanian pride and they will follow you if you show them that you can lead.”
“Then call a gathering Grandfather.”
“Tomorrow night you will meet these men, some of them have already seen you training and have been impressed with your strengths, they have been asking me who you are.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That you’re my Grandson.”
Chapter 13
Talon was feeling a little nervous as he waited, the sun had just set and it had been a blistering hot day under the Zachanian sun. In the distance Talon could hear the storm clouds approaching as they did most evenings but tonight’s clouds cracked with ominous doom where he found himself thinking or hoping that this was not an omen.
Talon reached for the Zachanian war suit that his Grandfather had given him earlier, suggesting that it would be a good idea to wear it when he met the men. Talon slowly dressed himself in the suit. The suit was made mainly of leather with re-enforced leather on the shoulders arms and torso giving the suit a padded out effect yet it was very light for how it looked.
Talon just had time to inspect himself in the mirror when the door opened and in came his Grandfather followed by the ten chosen gladiators, the men followed Zalon in and straight away noticed Talon dressed in warrior attire.
“What’s this?” one of them asked Zalon.
Zalon held up his hand telling him to wait as he pulled up a chair and stood upon it.
“My friends, I have known you all for a long time and I know each one of you is deeply proud of Zachania, this is why I have asked you here to listen to what I and my Grandson has to say” Zalon then stood down from the chair and ushered Talon to come forward, Talon nodded at his Grandfather and stood beside him.
“Gladiators I have only known some of you for a very short time but my Grandfather tells me you are all proud men, that is good and it is your pride that I now appeal to, what I am about to ask you will change all of your lives.”
“It will change all Zachanian lives” Zalon suddenly interrupted proudly.
Talon checked that his Grandfather had finished speaking before re-addressing the men.
“A time of great change is upon us……no longer can we be imprisoned in our own land, I am here to show you how we can fight.”
Talon was suddenly interrupted by one of the gladiators stepping forward.
“No man here hates the Empire more than me, my ancestors were tortured and killed but what can we do, we are just twelve men.”
Zalon then jumped forward meeting the man head on.
“Once this thing is started it will gather such momentum that the people will join us in droves, this meeting was called because every journey has to start with a first step, this meeting is that step, we have a plan and we are ready to begin.”
The room then fell into silence as the gladiators thought about what they had just heard until Graval, Zalon’s finest gladiator and closest friend broke the silence.
“My ancestors have slept in their graves without revenge for too long, I will listen to this plan of yours Zalon and then I will join you and your Grandson.” when Graval finished he walked over and stood beside Talon and his Grandfather where he turned facing the other gladiators.
The other men looked at each other until four of them did the same and stood beside Graval.
“I hear what you are saying but what will the counsel say?” said one of the five remaining gladiators.
“The council will listen to us whe…” Zalon was interrupted by Talon before he could finish who stepped forward and raised his voice.
“Where is your pride? Your ancestors fought and died by the side of Apollo, they died in their thousands on the battlefields of Zanlia.”
Talons Grandfather raised his voice and began to quote from memory a passage from the book of Apollo ‘The ZARZAR’ an ancient book scribed just after the Great War by Zachanian warriors who personally fought with Apollo.
“Ready yourself for war Zachanian’s, be ready, be strong, for the time of my return will come when we will unleash a wrath that no army can withstand.”
“The dying words of Apollo.” Graval said solemnly.
“Zalon, Apollo has not returned.” added one of the five men.
“Show them Talon.” Zalon said pushing Talon’s arm.
“Behold the sword of Apollo!” Talon said revealing his sword and holding it above his head
The men stared at the sword with amazement and disbelief as the room fell into silence
“APOLLO HAS RETURNED!……HE HAS RETURNED IN ME…..NOW WHO JOINS ME!” Talon shouted.
One of the five men suddenly dropped to his knees.
“The Zararhakzar!” he said before rising to walk towards Talon where he kissed him on the cheek.
“Who is with me?” Talon again asked now for all the men to join him.
Talon then asked the men to offer him their hands where he cut each man’s hand with the sword of Apollo.
“Now Zachanian’s your blood is on Apollo’s sword, you must each swear that your loyalty and honour is to our ancestors and this campaign.”
Each man then touched the sword and swore an oath leaving Talon who let his Grandfather hold the sword as he did also, there was now an air of excitement in the room as each man congratulated each other as if they were already hero’s, Graval was the first to break the silence realising the enormity that they had just sworn to.
“So where do we begin?” he
asked through gritted teeth.
Talon turned and then out of nowhere asked Graval to kneel, Graval paused feeling slightly embarrassed as the other men looked on warily, Zalon looked anxiously at his Grandson wondering if his Grandson knew that to ask a gladiator to kneel was the greatest insult anyone could say to him. There was an air of silence as Graval looked at his fellow fighting men before reluctantly kneeling before Talon, which seemed to annoy his fellow gladiators.
“I will begin Graval by rewarding your loyalty, you will be my second in command behind my Grandfather, will you rise and join by my side, if I fall then you will carry the sword of Apollo.” as Talon finished he tapped Graval on each shoulder as if knighting him.
Suddenly the atmosphere in the room relaxed as Graval got back to his feet.
“Our first battle will be on the fields of Zac, we must rid Zachania of this scourge, tomorrow the field’s burn!” Talon added which caused the men to cheer.
The men stayed and talked for a while and were then told to meet at Zalon’s home at dawn, they all left except for Graval who joined Talon and his Grandfather in Zalon’s home, Graval was sitting admiring Talon’s sword as Zalon busied himself heating some milk by the fire.
“Here’s to the beginning.” Zalon said when he poured out three cups of the milk.
“The beginning.” both Talon and Graval replied.
The full moon shone brightly on the cool Zachanian night lighting up the roofs of Zachra and reflecting off of the marbled roof of the King’s Palace.
Inside the Palace sat a young man in his twenties sitting at his desk with his head buried deeply in his book. The man was only interrupted when another man entered the room and called out his name.
“Prince Arun.”
The Prince stood up from his desk and hurriedly walked over to greet the man
“My loyal friend Pelkan.”
Pelkan was dressed in merchant’s garments and his long hair and beard was left unkempt, as the Prince embraced him Pelkan realised the state he was in and felt embarrassed about touching the Prince. Pelkan then took a step back and held out his hands as he spoke.
“My Lord I apologise for my appearance but I have news that I feel is of the utmost importance and I did not want it delayed by my cleaning and changing.”
Prince Arun nodded accepting his apology before ushering him off to a secluded part of the room.
“Tell me Pelkan what of Zanlia?” the Prince asked speaking in a low voice.
“I barely escaped my Lord, Zanlia is under martial law, and the Empire is everywhere.”
Prince Arun looked alarmed.
“So my fears are coming to bare truth.” he said slightly sighing.
“Your fears are not unfounded, the Empire’s presence has increased tenfold in the last few months and their soldiers are grouping along Death Valley in vast numbers, I fear that an invasion into Zachania is now inevitable.”
“Do we have any proof Pelkan?”
“Sire is the gathering of thousands of soldiers on our border not proof enough.”
“What of our friends in Zanlia.”
“Gone sire, like I said Zanlia is like a prison.”
“The King must listen now Pelkan, this build-up of soldiers on our border can only mean they will attack.”
Both men rubbed their faces and fidgeted as the Prince suddenly turned looking very serious. Prince Arun was one of those men who always looked serious, behind his blue eyes it always looked as if his mind was busy calculating situation.
The Prince was a keen an able scholar and thought and acted way in advance of twenty-eight years of age, as he pushed his hand through his blond hair and fidgeted again with his blond moustache one could be mistaken by his youth but his eyes showed as he turned coldly to Pelkan that he was a very serious and accomplished man.
“We must inform the council immediately!” he said which was just as much an order for Pelkan as it was an answer.
Strong and honourable men represented the royal Zachanian counsel from long distinguished Zachanian families. At the head was Prince Arun and its other members were the heads of the five ruling houses, each house was dedicated to the book of ZARZAR and Apollo’s teachings and they were extremely proud of their family’s history.
The five Zachanian families were all loyal to the King but they were responsible to themselves, they all commanded their own armies and each family’s heritage was well-documented going back hundreds of years back to the wars against the Degrain’s and the Empire.
From the town of Zachra there were two families, the Tanaga’s headed by Sol Tanaga and the house of Heikan which was ruled by Bolsan Heikan. Then there was the house of Korvak from the town of Zafra headed by Kaan Korvak, and from the town of Zabac came the house of Zargar led by Makros Zargar and then the house Krazmos was from the northern town Kan ruled by Bokli Krazmos.
The counsel was centuries old where each family had always had a representative and they followed a strict code from the teachings of Apollo that instructed them to be ready for a time when Zachania would revenge itself.
Prince Arun sent his envoys to the relevant towns to inform the heads of the council to report to Zachra for an urgent meeting of the counsel before making his way to his father’s bedroom, as the Prince entered the King’s room he witnessed the same scene he saw almost every evening. The King had collapsed by the side of the bed and as usual the room stank of smoked Zac, the Prince picked up his father and put him safely in bed.
“Father Will you not stop taking Zac?” the Prince sighed in a caring tone.
The King just gave his son an intoxicated smile as the Prince placed a pillow under his head and kissed him goodnight.
As Arun left his father’s bedroom and began making his way down the corridor to his own room he bumped into his sister, the Princess Su-Maria Von Koh-Sumai who was commonly known as the most beautiful women in all of Zachania, her long blonde hair perfectly complemented her stunning large green eyes and she had a smile that could melt even the strongest warriors heart.
Arun smiled broadly, it had been a long day and the sight of his sister put him at ease.
“My beautiful sister.” the Prince said greeting her with a hug.
“Stop it Arun.” she replied embarrassed at his compliment.
“How was your day sister?”
“I have been weaving cloth for a dress that I am making, how was your day.”
Arun shrugged.
“It was ok.”
“What is wrong Arun?” asked the Princess sensing something in her brother’s demeanour.
“Nothing darling, get some rest.”
“Is it father Arun? Has he been taking Zac Again?”
Prince Arun kind of shrugged before trying to reassure his sister everything was fine,
“Do not worry my dear, go to bed; I’m just tired that’s all.”
As dawn broke over Zachra there was a slight chill in the air from a mist that had come down from the mountains and engulfed the town.
Out of this mist rode twelve men on horseback, it was Talon and his men on their way to burn the fields of Zac, and the look on their faces was a mixture of seriousness and excitement.
The men rode furiously for a whole day until just before nightfall when they reached the first fields of Zac, they dismounted their horses and gathered around Talon who in turn was studying the fields, and he picked up some soil and then threw it away before turning towards his men.
“This day will be written in history, this day begins the salvation of Zachania. I want you all to savour this very moment for it bonds us together, hold your heads up high for it is us twelve men, us brave twelve men who begins the battle we have waited centuries to begin.”
Talon then pulled some torches from the bags on his horse and lit one, the men also had torches and they lit theirs off Talons torch, Talon then began to burn the Zac followed by the other men and soon the whole field was ablaze as far as the eyes could see. For miles the fields burned s
ending smoke high into the sky, farmers and merchants ran to try and put out the fires but no matter how much they tried the fields still burned and by morning the Zachania’s crops of Zac had been destroyed.
The same night back in Zachra the council was having their meeting totally unaware of Talon’s actions on the fields of Zac. All the rulers of the families were present; some were keen to hear what Prince Arun’s, General Pelkan had to say, while some were slightly annoyed at the inconvenience of being called out urgently.
Once the usual greetings were made General Pelkan took to his feet.
“I have just returned from Zanlia and the news is grave, the town is gripped in terror and the Empire is now present in vast numbers, every night people are being killed and tortured though no one seem to know why, but I have news which is more alarming gentlemen, the Empire have now amassed over fifty thousand soldiers on the border of Death Valley”
The Prince suddenly interrupted Pelkan.
“We must prepare for war; there can be only one meaning for this build-up of soldiers that they are going to attack!”
The first member of the council to answer was Bolson Heikan from the house of Heikan
“Prince Arun this is monumental news indeed and it cannot be taken in vain, I have over two hundred thousand warriors who are ready to fight but apart from the build-up of the Empires military there is no sign, the ancient scriptures tell us of Apollo’s return and of the Zararhakzar leading us to battle but listen my brothers, the sky is silent we have no sign.”
“Heikan’s right we must wait for the prophecy.” added Sol Tanaga.
Prince Arun rose to his feet looking frustrated and anxious.
“How much longer do you want to wait? I hear you speak of the Zararhakzar but we will soon be attacked, the Empire will soon be upon us, I say we attack them before we lose the element of surprise.”
“What does the King say” Heikan asked quietly.
“My father has not been told yet.”
“Arun we cannot make a decision until the King permits it.” added Heikan.
“The King is not well” Arun replied rather recklessly.
“The King is never well, you know my Prince that we cannot go into war unless the King orders it.” added Kaan Korvak very sternly banging his hand on the table to emphasise his point.
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