Shardon's Guise

by Stephen Lucas Lacroix

  “We need to do better than this. If we ever want to win this war, we need to start talking to each other, not like this. The secrets have to stop,” Graveloth said.

  “Then let me begin,” Tamiron finally spoke as he clapped his hands together. From behind him, appeared a hooded masked man. Glaivel was stunned by the sudden appearance, along with everyone else.

  “He is what I call, my shadow arm. His name is Vigrid, the head of my East Assassin Core. My personal subterfuge unit,” he said.

  “He was the one who brought me Tamiron’s armor a year ago,” Glaivel was surprised as he pointed out.

  Kaira was now angry at him and slammed her hands on the table. “Are you mocking us, Tamiron? Why would you have your own spy unit? To spy on us? Did you know everything that has happened before a report was even done?”

  “No, it’s not like that, Kaira. I made them originally to make sure that the empire’s elite and inner workings are doing as intended. He was the one who informed me about Menoich’s plans. I was just not aware how far he would really go. After what had happened last year, I gave them a new objective and that is to infiltrate Xerxecian lands as deep as they can, to find out more about our enemy.”

  “Well then, did they find anything?” Kaira questioned him.

  “There is a large colony of slaves of the race of men in the very far east of the continent,” he said as Glaivel was dumbfounded by this. He looked at him and said, “Now is the time to redeem yourself, Prince Glaivel. I will personally give you and Kaira the authority to use the East Assassin Core as you see fit. I cannot do this alone anymore, and so does Evangeline. As Graveloth and Ravaen had said, no more secrets,” he explained.

  Kaira was not amused and immediately stormed out of the tent. He expected this to happen, after all. She had her own unit of assassins and spies. The fact that another kingdom had one was an insult to her own unit — or maybe it was an insult to her. For this, he did not intend so.

  He looked again at Glaivel who was still shocked by the development, “What is your answer, Glaivel?”

  “You make me sick,” Glaivel answered him and immediately walked out of the tent as well.

  He was surprised by what he said, he looked at Sevidon and he said, “He might not show it. But he regrets it till this very day. He’ll come around.”

  “I will facilitate the distribution of the armors and weapons. As of the time being, you three have to work this out,” Graveloth said then looked at him.

  “By the way, did you know why your temple was raided?” he asked.

  “Yes. I talked to the elders of the city before we left and I was told that the Snow Wolf was buried there. He was a hero of my people in the early days,” Graveloth said.

  “A Kra’en hero, no wonder. He could be a symbol of your people,” Sevidon said.

  “Yes. He is indeed. Before the Kra’ens slaughtered my kind. And I’m all that’s left. The last Kra’en’Ur,” Graveloth said as he smirked which silenced them. Graveloth looked at him and saw his disappointment.

  “I’ll try to talk to the others.” Graveloth left the tent.

  All three of them are now left.

  He could feel the tense atmosphere in the air between Evangeline and Sevidon. They won’t even look at each other. He sighed as he did not want to be further divided as it was.

  “Are you alright now, Evangeline?” Tamiron asked.

  “Yes. I’m still recovering my strength. Our battle with the enemy drained me.” Evangeline answered as she sat on a chair with her make shift coat on.

  “Then are you well enough to tell us what you found in that room in Oraz’Kram then, Evangeline?” he suddenly asked.

  Evangeline then turned to Sevidon and took a deep breath, “I never knew it existed in the first place. I heard fables, myths, read legends about it. But the more I encountered it in the Grand Orderian Library, the more I was convinced that it does exist,” she explained.

  “What are you talking about?” Sevidon asked.

  Evangeline then looked Sevidon dead in the eye, “Rigos Ressuria Alor.” Sevidon was still confused. “The Spell of Ressurection,” Evangeline suddenly said and this caught his attention.

  “Impossible. Surely that doesn’t exist. You of all people should be able to tell us that,” Sevidon said, baffled.

  “I had the same reaction as you have, Sevidon. But the room that I destroyed in Oraz’Kram confirmed it. He is indeed planning to use it,” Evangeline said to him.

  “Is he even that powerful to use it?” Sevidon asked.

  It was very obvious. He just didn’t have the heart to tell Sevidon. The enemy was clearly more powerful than Evangeline. Even he himself had a hard time trying to believe in something he knew only the almighty Twin Gods and Yor’Jod could until now.

  Sevidon stood up. He could see in Sevidon’s face that he did not believe any of it. But with the kind of power the enemy had just demonstrated in front of them, he could not help but wonder if they were up against something even greater than the Gods and Animos.

  “This is all too much,” Sevidon said.

  “Do not tell this to the others,” Tamiron suddenly said to him.

  “Why? Are we keeping secrets again? Didn’t you hear what Ravaen and the others just said?” Sevidon argued.

  “What do you think they will do? We are divided now.”

  “Because of you two!” Sevidon cut him off. “It is because of these secrets. The secret missions, the secret units, and now this? They have to know, and you know it, Tamiron,”

  He gently stood up. “As the United Commander, I order you not to divulge any information about what we had just talked about in this tent. It will stay here with us,” he ordered Sevidon.

  “You dare order me? I am having second thoughts now on who actually is in command of these forces,” he fired back and then took a glance on Evangeline.

  “Believe me, Sevidon. I wouldn’t have it at any other way. But we simply have no choice. I don’t have any choice. We need to preserve the little trust that we have now in order for the United Forces to work. Do as I say,” Tamiron pleaded.

  Sevidon was not happy with this. He thought of this as an insult. He knew as he had been his teacher for a long time. Sevidon just looked at him and there in Sevidon’s eyes, the feeling of resentment.

  “Your Grace,” Sevidon suddenly said and without saying anymore, he left.

  He sighed as his head dropped. He was not happy with what he did just now either. He swallowed hard as he sat back down on his chair and tapped his fingers on the table that was between him, and Evangeline.

  “Do you know who he is?” he suddenly asked.

  A heavy sigh was all that Evangeline could muster. She fixed her sitting as her eyes began to water, “Yes.”

  He stopped his fingers as he saw in Evangeline’s face, the face he recognized with himself, the face of defeat.

  “Is it an Orderian?” he asked again and Evangeline slowly nodded to him. He sighed as he looked up in defeat as well.

  An orderian stronger than her would be trouble. No, words were now beyond the threat the enemy they faced.

  “Tell me, how everything will happen then.”

  They spent all their time in the tent for a couple of hours after their arguments. He ordered the guard to gather the commanders along with the main commanders of each armies. Evangeline just looked at him and stood far, then she vanished as if the work was done.

  They were gathered immediately at the center of the camp. A makeshift stage was made for him. He stood tall above the commanders – above Sevidon, Glaivel, Kaira, Ravaen and Graveloth.

  “Respective Commanders of the United Unibeltrasian Forces, I know you may all have been wondering why there’s no High Eagle Commander nor Prince Aderon amongst you. I will tell you straight right now, King Aeros of the High Kingdom has pulled out from the United Forces.” A loud murmur then started from the crowd as the main commanders were silent. He hushed all of them as he raised his hand.
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  “But no matter, this will not deter us from securing a victory that is promised. This will not deter us from securing our objective, an objective that in the past was only the goal of the empire, but now of all of us. I know I have no right to say to you what I am saying right now, after I have killed my own people,” as he looked at his iron hands, “but this war, will end that. I became a puppet to the real enemy that started all of this chaos. Well I say, no more!” he shouted and the crowd started to cheer.

  “No more blood will be spilled after this war. No more widows crying over their husbands dying in the field of battle. No more waiting for an enemy beyond the horizon. We will take that fight to the horizon. To Quenttrax!” the men began to shout and chant his name.

  “No, it is not my name you should be shouting! You should be chanting and shouting the names of the people most important to you! You are not doing this for me, not for your kingdoms, no! You are doing this for every single life that resides in our precious continent of Arumar! You are doing this for Unibeltrasia! For the entirety of our races and the lives our walls, our shields, our arrows and even our swords were built to protect! We will mobilize and march directly to Quenttrax, and strike the enemy at its very heart! To end it once and for all! Soldiers — no, people of Unibeltrasia and our continent of Arumar, the final victory is at hand!”

  The men kept shouting. He then pulled out his mace and it glowed of blue as his Tamiron stone glowed of green, “I promise you, our victory to end all of this! To victory!” he shouted and his mace and stone glowed more intense as the men began to chant the names of their loved ones even louder.

  He looked at all of them, all of the soldiers united at one front. With one goal, they set their sights, to the heart of the enemy.

  EVANGELINE APPEARED from her teleport orb and she appeared to on a huge ship with its sails fully deployed. The ship was already a mile away from the mainland.

  “We are all set, your Highness. We are heading south as you commanded,” the captain of the ship approached her.

  “Good. Then we are ready then,” she said as she dropped her makeshift coat and walked towards the very front of the ship.

  She took in a deep breath and the wind began to spin around her. She then opened her eyes as it glowed of blue. She extended both arms with palms facing each direction as they glowed of pink and red. She hovered in the air as the wind began to pick up and the ship rocked by the sudden strong waves.

  She took another breath and spun her arms to meet to her center and then a blue orb appeared on her right palm, then she gently pushed it forward.

  The waves began to calm but somehow the ship shook terribly until it slowly stopped. The horizon in front of them rose as the ship moved along. Behind them, the same thing happened. She then slowly landed back to the ship, that seemed to be unaffected by the reality bend she had casted and continued on to sail south.

  “Where are we headed, your Grace,” the shaky captain asked.

  “To Orod’s Island,” she replied. After that, she took a deep breath, for after this, everything will change, for the better.

  End of chapter XXI

  Epilogue

  Deep within the territory of Xerxecia, in the damned continent of Shardon, laid its ancient capital, Quenttrax. Littered by the memories of history, time had taken its toll on the city. For thousands of years, Xerxecians lived in the desolate city without any bearing. Only a promise that one day they would storm the bountiful west as decreed by their ancient king.

  It did however come, from the leadership of an enemy shrouded in mysteries.

  In the heart of the city stood in its crumbling glory, the Ancient Palace where light burned as bright as it could shine in a city shrouded of darkness.

  Inside the ruined Palace of Old, in the middle of what used to be the throne room were indecipherable writings and symbols on the stone floor. A large circle glowed which contained seven smaller ones that were connected by lines of more symbols from a language unknown to the world. A larger circled was wrapped around all it, making up a huge seven-sided figure.

  The doors of the ruined room creaked as they opened slowly, and all that could be heard were the snickering Xerxecians that surrounded a cloaked person.

  “Leave,” he commanded them and so they went and doors closed once more.

  He looked around the room and walked towards the heptagon. The torches lit up in pairs as with every step he took. In the dim light, he looked again at the walls that were scribbled with the same symbols and language as were on the floor.

  He stopped inches from the heptagon and it began to glow slowly bright purple. He walked towards the center of the heptagon now and looked around him once more. He then waved his hands from back to front and then seven huge teleport orbs appeared just above the seven circles. As the orbs disappeared into thin air, the caskets he got from the raids he had done in Arumar dropped upright to the floor. With another wave of his hand, the caskets hovered in the air as they faced him.

  He gave the caskets one more look and then, he slapped the floor with his palm. The violet light intensified, heading straight to the caskets. As if hit by lightning, the caskets shook intensely from the power of the circles beneath them. The purple light turned red as they were wrapped in a sheet of unknown magic.

  The heptagon began to pulsate from the center to the seven ovals and the center circle, where the enemy was, began to be enclosed in a transparent pillar of violet and red light.

  He removed his cloak, revealing the man behind the shroud. He was covered in tattoos with what appeared to be Orderian symbols. He stretched out his hands upward and hovered in mid-air with his legs crossed. From his mouth echoed chants of unknown words then he opened his eyes that glowed of red as though the light came from within him.

  “At last,” he said as he raised his arms and purple lights ran through his veins along with red static. He began to breath deeper as his face was slowly revealed with a grin of malice. “My mission is almost complete.” He opened his eyes that now glow of red and it slowly shrank within its lid. His blood-red pupils then turned violet. He opened his mouth and a purple smoke emerged from it.

  “I will be the one to end all of these thousand years of mistake. I, Marius, will end it all.”

  End of book II

  DEAR READER,

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  Stephen Lucas Lacroix