The Destiny of Amalah

by Thandi Ryan

  ‘I know; that is why I came to see you now.’

  ‘You came here – to my house, where Johann lives. Knowing that if he came back he would kill you – why?’

  ‘You know why,’ Luxor said, looking at her lustfully.

  ‘Tell me,’ she said teasingly.

  ‘I want you,’ he said, as he pulled her up towards him and kissed her passionately. ‘I want you now.’

  Maya kissed him back and threw her arms around Luxor and held onto him tightly as they kissed each other with such drive and passion that their bodied hardened as they touched. The two of them removed each other’s clothes quickly and skilfully and fell back onto the bed, where they made love that was full of lust and heat and passion that set them both on fire.

  They rolled around on the bed touching, kissing and holding each other as their bodies entwined and they brought each other great ecstasy time and time again until they were both too tired to go on anymore and when they were done; Maya fell into Luxor’s arms and he held onto her.

  ‘Will you ever return?’

  ‘Yes I will,’ he promised. ‘I do not know when but one day, I will return.’

  ‘I shall miss this,’ she said simply. ‘I shall miss you.’

  ‘You will have Johann,’ he told her.

  ‘Johann does not touch me the way you do, nor does he bring me such pleasure,’ she said wanly.

  Luxor pulled her closer to him and kissed her shoulder and stroked her hair.

  ‘The woman who ignites such passion in me is betrothed to another, a cruel irony if ever there was one,’ he said, as he continued to stroke her hair.

  ‘If this is to be our last time together then make love to me one more time,’ she said longingly. ‘Just one more time,’ she said softly.

  Luxor pulled her even closer towards him and the two of them began kissing again and then they made love for the very last time. When they were done, Luxor kissed her for the longest time before he rose to get dressed. Maya remained on the bed and watched him as he put his clothes back on. When he was dressed, he sat down besides her and stroked her hair and looked into her eyes, smiling at her.

  ‘I do not know when I will return Maya, but there are few things that pains me about leaving this village; one is leaving you, and you not being in my arms anymore. It also pains me that I will not be seeing my brother and sister,’ he said, before he leaned forward and kissed her.

  ‘Everyday without you will pain me Luxor,’ Maya said to him. ‘When Johann is in this bed, I will wish it was you for always.’

  Luxor pulled her towards him and hugged and kissed her one more time before he stood up and made his way to the door. He turned and stared and then winked, before he left her in the room alone again and then he quietly made his way out of the house and onto the street, checking that no one was around before he stepped out.

  He walked back to the house and went straight to his room; Luxor took off his outer clothes and then he lay on the bed and sat thinking for most of the night. He read a little too but when tiredness came over him, he got into bed and fell asleep. He slept soundly and when he awoke, he was ready to start a new day. It took him a few minutes to recall the conversations of yesterday and to remember that he would be leaving tomorrow.

  Luxor rose up in his bed and gathered his thoughts and when he grew tired of contemplating what the future held, he got out of bed and decided that he was going to make the most of his last day in the village. He left the house shortly afterwards and went to buy the final supplies for his journey. Luxor took his time wandering through the village; he took in the small houses and inns, the crisp white snow that covered absolutely everything in the village and he glanced at the people around him – and to him – they all seemed small and insignificant. He could not look at anyone with fondness anymore, as he knew that they had probably wanted him out of the village but had not dared to say it to his face.

  Luxor returned home and spent some time with his siblings; at first they were distraught that their beloved elder brother was leaving them but before long, Luxor cheered them up. They spent the evening talking, laughing and playing games and making up stories until their father told the two young children that it would soon be time to go to bed.

  Luxor hugged his sister and brother one more time and for the rest of the evening that they had left, he spent his time with them, giving them his undivided attention until tiredness took over them and they fell asleep before their bedtime.

  Luxor and his father put the two children to bed and then Luxor retired to his own bed; not wanting to spend any time with his father, who he felt had betrayed him. Luxor spent the night in his room and when he was ready; he got into bed and slept soundly through to the next morning.

  When Luxor awoke, he was immediately alert and he knew what the day ahead held in store for him. He got out of bed and washed and dressed and sat down to a big breakfast with his siblings and father. When he was finished he rose from the table and went back to his room.

  The next day had come quickly for Luxor and when he rose, he continued to prepare for his journey, he found that he was still missing some supplies. He made his way back into the village to gather his remaining things and when he had everything he needed, he set off on the last ever journey, he would make home

  Luxor eventually returned home that morning and when he arrived, he found his younger brother and sister and father in the living room. His siblings ran to him and hugged him and his father looked on as the siblings shared their moments of affection. Luxor looked at his father with a mixture of mockery and sympathy, because Luxor now saw his father as weak, after he had acquiesced to the villagers and he wondered how they could possibly share the same blood. Luxor’s father smiled weakly at his son and Luxor smiled back and nodded his head. He released his brother and sister and knelt down beside them.

  ‘Is it time?’ Luxor’s younger brother asked.

  ‘Yes it is,’ Luxor replied, knowing what his younger brother was asking.

  ‘Don’t leave us,’ Luxor’s younger sister begged.

  ‘I have to,’ Luxor said sadly and softly. ‘I have no choice.’

  ‘I hate them,’ his brother said sulkily.

  ‘Don’t hate them on my account,’ said Luxor.’

  ‘Very well, but I still hate them.’

  ‘Piet!’ Luxor’s father said sternly, scolding the boy.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Do not talk like that and do not talk that way to me.’

  Luxor remained silent, refusing to side with his father; he simply turned to stare at him with that look of mockery that his father hated so, and then he turned back to his brother and sister.

  ‘I will return and when I do, we will remain together for all time.’

  ‘Really?’ Luxor’s sister asked.

  ‘Really,’ Luxor answered.

  ‘Promise,’ Piet said.

  ‘I promise.’

  ‘The two of you look out for each other, do you hear me?’ he said, looking at both of them.

  ‘Yes Luxor,’ they echoed.

  ‘Good. Stick together no matter what and remember what I taught you.’

  ‘Yes Luxor,’ his brother replied.

  ‘I love you, both of you,’ he said to the two children.’

  ‘I love you too,’ they said in unison.

  Luxor rose to his feet and went to gather his belongings; he went to his bedroom and gathered the various sacks and bundles and loaded them onto his broad shoulders. The sacks were heavy but Luxor was strong and so he carried them with greater ease than most would have. He looked around his room for the last time and then turned and left it.

  He walked through the house past his father and his siblings and out into the front yard. He walked through the crisp snow where his horse was tied and he loaded him up. When he had secured his supplies, he turned to face the house and faced his father, brother and sister.

  ‘Well, this must be it,’ he said, eyeing his father.

 
‘Not quite,’ his father replied. ‘I have something for you.’ Luxor’s father stepped forward and walked towards his son.

  ‘What is it?’ Luxor asked curiously.

  ‘A gift – a parting gift, if you will,’ his father said, handing Luxor the long box.

  Luxor opened the box and inside was a beautifully crafted sword that shone under the daylight skies, his eyes widened when he saw it, the sword was much bigger than anything he had ever seen yet it was uniquely elegant.

  ‘Father it is truly splendid,’ Luxor said, as he continued to eye the sword up and down and appraise it. ‘Where did it come from?’

  ‘My father.’

  ‘It looks as though it were made yesterday.’

  ‘That is the beauty of the sword,’ his father replied. ‘That sword has been through a long and bloody war and still it remains the way it is.’

  Luxor picked up the sword, it was heavy but he handled it well and because of his size, the sword fitted him perfectly. He swung the sword expertly and gracefully and he watched as the blade glided though the air and sliced though the atmosphere. Luxor brought the sword to a halt and placed the tip in the palm of his left hand, he held the sword in both palms and then grabbed the hilt once again before he ran his hand down the blade barely touching the edges; he smiled as he felt the cold metal slide along his hand and when he finished his appraisal, he brought the sword back down to his side.

  ‘It’s a truly splendid sword father: why are you giving it to me?’

  ‘I do not know where you will go, or how far you will venture Luxor, but I know that of you are to make it out there alone; you will need a sword of this quality.’

  ‘Thank you father,’ Luxor said, with real gratitude and appreciation.

  In that moment, Luxor forgot that his father was turning him away and that he had bowed to the villagers demand and was exiling him – his eldest son. In that moment, he appreciated the thought, the gesture and the splendour of the sword that his father had given him.

  ‘It is the least I can do,’ his father replied.

  ‘Yes, it is,’ Luxor said acidly, remembering all too suddenly what his father had done – was doing.

  ‘I hope you return soon Luxor and I hope you return a wise and mature young man.’

  ‘I will return,’ Luxor said emphatically. ‘I do not know when, but I know I will return here one day, of that you can be sure.’

  Luxor looked at his father long and hard and his father looked at him back before he took hold of his son and embraced him; Luxor patted his father a few times before he extricated himself from the embrace. He stepped back and took his own sword out of its holster and put the sword his father had given him into it. He held his old sword in his hand for a few seconds and then secured it to his horse.

  ‘Two swords?’ his father said questioningly.

  ‘Beyond this village I do not know what lies ahead of me,’ Luxor replied.

  Luxor turned to his two siblings who had been standing close to him all morning and hugged them once again, saying goodbye as he held them. He released his now tearful siblings and climbed onto his horse; where he waved to his siblings and father and they waved back and the two children shouted their tearful goodbyes as Luxor began to ride away.

  As Luxor left the house and made his way out of the village, the people had turned out to see him leave and as they filled onto the street, they booed and jeered at him; some threw bread and old food at him, while others cursed at him for the wrongs he had committed against them.

  He was tempted to dismount his horse and fight them but there were far too many; he was also tempted to use his powers but he did not want to be bound forever by the elders and so he rode through the village, amidst the boos, jeers and tossed food and he simply smiled at the people who had turned out to see him off in this way and sometimes, he tossed the food back – never missing his target.

  ‘I will return,’ he vowed to himself. ‘And when I return, each and each and everyone in this village will be sorry,’ he promised himself.

  ‘Yes, I will return and very soon,’ Luxor in the present said to himself as he thought back to those last moments in Parades. “I shall return to reap vengeance on you all but let us get Equer out of the way first,” he thought, smiling to himself.

  Luxor had almost come full circle; he had left Parades to go to Lansten and from there, he had travelled clockwise, meeting Rakan and the others in Basimine and now he was in Equer, there was only Parades and Amalah left to take. Luxor smiled knowingly to himself and he looked at the five men he had befriended.

  “No one would take away his power now,” he thought to himself, satisfied it was here to stay and that his new friends would ensure that.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Rakan asked Luxor.

  ‘Yes, I am,’ Luxor replied slowly and happily.

  The six men returned to their caves and they prepared to leave. They put on their full battle dress and armed themselves and then packed the bare essentials that they would need, before they donned the black cloaks that Maddox had given to them. They stamped out the small fires that had been keeping their caves warm and alight and then took one last look around the place that they had inhabited, for what seemed like an eon.

  They left their caves and came into the dark night, where they stood on top of the mountain and next to each other, each one of them ready to do battle. Rakan stood tall, wearing black boots, black trousers and black upper clothing. He wore black body armour that covered his chest and back and his cloak was open and flowed behind him. He was armed with the sword and dagger that Garrick and the others had given him before he had set out on his travels all those years ago. He also carried a barbarian dagger that was placed on the other side of his waist.

  Standing tall next to Rakan, was Waldon and next to him, stood Kenaz. The two men both wore black boots that were knee length; they wore black battle skirts and body armour that had metal splint greaves all the way though. They wore protective bands around their wrists and elbows and they were each armed with a sword and dagger and a battle-axe; they too wore their cloaks hanging behind them.

  Luxor stood next to Kenaz and he, like Rakan, dressed in all black; which was a stark contrast to his long blonde hair that shone, even at night. Luxor carried his mighty sword that he had received in Parades, as well as a dagger and crossbow and he wore his cloak like the others.

  Rufus stood next to Luxor and he wore dark civilian clothing, he wore his cloak closed and it covered him from the neck down. Last but by no means least stood Bryce; he wore much of the battle armour that those in Santeb wore. His body armour was silver and black but the shoulders protruded out quite far; he was armed with a sword, dagger and mace and he wore his cloak open and behind him.

  Rakan had given word to the captains to be in attendance and the six Azari men waited on the mountain top for them to arrive. A short while passed and the captains began to arrive. They acknowledged all six men and waited patiently but anxiously for their orders. When all of the captains were stood before Rakan, Rakan stepped forward and addressed them.

  ‘Captains’, tonight we take Equer. Have the men ready and we shall meet again in the golden field,’ Rakan told them.

  The captains looked at Rakan and replied uniformly: ‘Yes sir.’

  The captains left the six men and descended down the mountain to carry out their orders. The captains went in search of their Lieutenants and sergeants and gave them their orders before they went and prepared themselves.

  Within the hour, both mountains that housed the soldiers were empty and every single soldier and sorcerer was stood in the snow-covered field as Rakan had ordered. The soldiers were in formation and stood to attention in silence as they waited for their leaders to appear and the sorcerers stood behind them and they were equally as silent.

  Every single soldier was now ready and dressed for battle; they all wore: black sabatons, kneepads and arm pads that had metal splint greaves running through them. Like Waldon and Kenaz
they wore battle skirts and body armour and were armed to the teeth. Every single soldier carried a sword and dagger and in addition, they carried either a battle-axe, or a mace or a bow and arrow.

  The six Azari looked down from above and when they saw that all of the soldiers and sorcerers were present, ready and waiting for them, they descended from the mountain and reached the soldiers and sorcerers who were still standing in silence waiting for them in minutes.

  The six Azari stood directly opposite the soldiers and sorcerers, and Rakan stepped forwards from the others; breaking rank as he left them. He began talking in a raised and powerful voice that carried through the air and every single person present could hear him.

  ‘Soldiers, sorcerers, men and women, tonight we take Equer,.’ he told them. ‘And two nights from now, this nation will fall.’

  He was about to go on but the soldiers’ let out loud roars and cheers and stamped their feet. Rakan smiled and turned to his friends and smiled at them before he turned back to face those who were before him. He raised his hands and lowered them repeatedly, signifying that he wanted silence once again. The soldiers complied and the night fell silent once again before Rakan continued.

  ‘When Equer has fallen, we will go onto Parades and meet our brothers and sisters there; Parades will fall quickly and Lansten will fall at the same time – then – we take Amalah and the world will be ours,’ Rakan said, as he raised his voice even more at the end.

  Once again the soldiers cheered loudly and Rakan nodded his head and smiled in approval before he stepped back and fell into line with the other five. Waldon and Kenaz then stepped forward and Kenaz spoke first; he too had a powerful voice and each and every soldier and sorcerer listened to what he had to say.

  ‘We will be victorious,’ he said forcefully. ‘We will take Equer, Parades and Lansten,’ he told them with same force and conviction. ‘It will not be easy – the opposite in fact. It will be long and bloody and hard. Some of us will die and some of us will not see this through to the end but we shall be victorious. You have shown what you can do and you make us proud, continue to do so and before long we will be celebrating in Amalah and like Rakan says – the world will be ours,’ Kenaz said, finishing off his speech.