Maelstrom

by Ajdin K. Denic

  "Don’t you think we have overdone it slightly?" Kain asked with a chuckle. Kaden shrugged and observed the bear’s reaction.

  "It’s that guy’s fault I had to demonstrate my power. But if I hadn’t, they wouldn’t have taken us seriously. Now they do, so they will listen. After all, they have no idea what we can do to them. Not that I ever would, but still, a show of force is sometimes needed."

  "What the hell? When did it become necessary to show force?" Razor asked. Kaden closed his eyes and sighed.

  "I have no idea what is going on with me. Can you do what you did with Laney?" A moment of silence followed.

  "I can try, but maybe later. I don’t think you want to make any strange movements or say weird things in front of others."

  "Is that your woman?’ Kain interrupted his mental conversation with his soul-bond. Two women appeared on top of the wall. One looked like a female knight from video games, and the other looked like a marksman. The knight put up her hands, and auras of all colours lit up everyone around her.

  The first wore some type of black metal armour that covered most of her body, while the female with the bow was clad in something much lighter as it flew around her in the wind. She took her bow and attached it to some sort of large frame, and slid a massive arrow inside of the contraption. A roar left the bear’s mouth as he jumped off the wall and ran towards them.

  "Are they fucking serious? Didn’t they just see that we can level the whole village if we want to?" Kaden asked in surprise. Kain shrugged as if saying, don’t ask me, I’m not the one who has a death wish. Sighing, he targeted the bow and unleashed [Magic Bolts] which homed in on the massive bow before she could even release the arrow.

  Kain was already halfway towards the incoming bear and was about to clash with him, but thought better of it. Instead, he stepped sideways and knocked him to the ground. With his massive arms, he held the bear down, pressing his knee into Pooky’s back.

  Kaden walked up towards them, towering over his old friend. The bear tried to get loose, but Kain’s firm grasp held him down.

  "How long has it been since I entered that dungeon?" Kaden asked, looking the bear straight in the eyes. He growled in anger and spit two times at his captor.

  "Kaden is dead! How dare you act like him! Just look at you! You’re a monster!" the bear growled in return.

  "How long?" Kaden yelled, showing the bear his flaming hands. "And I’m not dead, how dare you speak such utter nonsense!" Pooky growled in anger, trying get loose one more time. It was futile, however, as Kain was far too strong for him.

  "He has been dead for three years!" Pooky yelled in anger, spitting once more.

  Kaden’s heart skipped a beat, making him stagger backwards as if struck by an arrow. He looked at Pooky, then the walls and finally Laney, the warrior maiden that was taken from him for three long years.

  "Laney," Kaden whispered, dropping his eyes to the ground. "How can I return to her after all this time, looking like this, and ask her to go back to things as they were?" Pooky narrowed his eyes, not quite understanding if this was a ruse, or if it was the truth, but Kain looked up at his new master and gave him a sad smile.

  "Master. If she ever felt something for you, she’ll welcome you back. But if she had been faking it, you will see that for yourself quite easily. Call her. If she takes the risk, she still harbours feelings for you, if not, then forget about her."

  "Let him go, Kain. I doubt he has done anything bad to her or Eliana. And for you, Pooky, tell Laney I'll be waiting here for thirty minutes. If she wants to talk to me again, despite how I look, tell her to come here. If she doesn’t, I'll leave and never come back again. We got a score to settle with Bardos anyway, at least I'll have something to do until I die."

  As soon as Kain let the bear go, he hit the road and ran for his life towards the wall, even forgetting his war hammer.

  "Let us sit, master. We have half an hour of time to kill," Kain said, motioning towards a large boulder. They hadn’t even enough time to sit properly and rest, before a shapely figure jumped off the wall and started running towards them.

  A smile crept up Kaden’s face as the woman made her way towards them. She stopped ten steps shy from the two and studied them carefully. ‘Is that really you?’ she asked hopefully, her voice broken.

  Kaden got off the boulder and walked towards her slowly. "What would you like me to say?" he replied, teasing her.

  "That it's you!" she yelled, her hands curled into fists.

  He walked towards her and winked. His hands found their way around her waist and pressed her body into his tightly. She winced but stayed quiet, looking him in the eyes.

  "I recognize those eyes," she whispered. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her chin shaking.

  ‘Do you see what he has done to me?’ Kaden whispered, pulling himself back. ‘But we did it. The king really did it. Bardos is mortal.’

  "Fuck Bardos! Never leave me again, you hear? You have no idea what I went through these last three years. I fought monsters, fought Pooky and fought the injustice happening within the town! All because you left me!" she cried out, slamming her fists into his chest. He pressed himself into her again, his cold skin against her warmth.

  "No, my fallen angel. I'll never leave you again, that's a promise. After Bardos is dead, we will be able to make a future for ourselves, here, in this town."

  * * * * *

  "My lord!" A group of lightly armoured soldiers walked into the king’s chambers. "You called for us?" one of them added as he strode forward, right fist over his chest. The man was slender, wearing leather armour and dual daggers at his side, with a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to his back. Leather breeches and wrist guards, along with a bandana, completed his regal yet functional outfit. A slight scar under his right eye was the only thing that distinguished him from his companions.

  "I need information. You will send out groups of scouts in all eight directions, four scouts in each. Six hours in, send back the first scout. After twelve hours have passed, send the second back, and at the eighteen hour mark, the remaining two will return. Get to it, Zelbir," the king ordered. The scout captain bowed deep and withdrew with his companions from the chambers, leaving the king and his generals to their planning.

  "I'll go and send some more people to check out the castle, the civilian population and the soldiers, my lord," Chancellor Balardo said, storming after Zelbir. A group of priestesses, together with Milana, was all that was left besides the king and his generals. The priestesses left right after the chancellor, leaving Milana behind to tend to the king and the generals.

  "Raikou, I have a feeling that something isn’t as it should be," Graldin spoke out after the doors had closed. "I can feel a strong presence of darkness nearby. I can feel it in my bones, and in my blood." Milana nodded as well, looking Graldin in the eyes questioningly. Then, against all odds, she bowed and knelt below Graldin’s feet.

  "My general, I would ask you to forgive me. You are our kingdom’s greatest son, while I'm just a tiny woman being led astray by her feelings, her hatred for someone who hadn’t even wronged her. Please, accept my apologies, so that we can do our best in leading this kingdom."

  Graldin was left speechless together with the rest. The feelings they had been receiving from the head priestess and her words clearly conveyed that she harbored ill will towards him, but now everything had changed to the opposite.

  "I thank you, high priestess. I'm very glad that you feel this way, my lady. We all serve our king and his subjects in our own capacity," Graldin replied after regaining semblance of speech.

  "Please, come by my chambers later on. I'll heal you personally, and maybe talk to you about my late sister, if you don’t mind." Milana left after excusing herself, and so did the other generals. Graldin stayed behind with the king, not wanting to leave him alone as if he would never see him again.

  "My dear Graldin. You have no idea how much this kingdom owes you. But I do, and that's why you will be rew
arded accordingly, my son. Now, if you will, leave this old man to rest his weary bones."

  The general bowed deeply and left the king’s chambers, the bad feeling still present within. After Raikou was sure that no one was in the vicinity, he sat down and took some of his finest hard drink called Pelin, gulping a glass of the dark, thick liquid in one go. "I'll see you soon," he whispered, taking a small knife into his hand. Raikou got up and walked over to the window that looked down upon the castle.

  Villagers scurried around, distributing food and water. Others were busy with repair work. The community would flourish again one day, but not under his rule. Lost in thought, he looked down upon his subjects that he had given so much to all these years.

  * * * * *

  "Milana?" Graldin spoke with a strong voice as he knocked on the head priestess’ chambers. Movement could be heard from within before a voice called out to enter. As he opened the door, his mouth dropped open wide and he rushed forward to the woman. She sat there in a kneeling position, her naked back turned towards the door, all bloody from lacerations inflicted on herself with a whip. Milana turned her head towards him, her face was a mess with her makeup smeared all over her face.

  "Come in," she said, half aware of what she was doing. Getting up, her dress fell to the ground, uncovering her naked beauty before his eyes. He wasn’t sure of what to do, should he stay there, or run off? But when he looked at her face, he saw her sister. A gut-wrenching pain shot through his chest as he breathed heavily, his heart constricting within his chest.

  "Milena," he whispered.

  "Yes, call me whatever you want, my champion!" Milana replied, striding forward to him on shaky legs. "What? Don’t you want me? Your one and only love?" she asked. Graldin, unsure of what to do, stepped forward and put his large arms around her. Milana’s chest pressed into his, and all that separated their skin was a very thin piece of clothing.

  "What… are we doing here?"

  "Take me," she whispered. "My body is the spitting image of my sister’s, even the scar. Our breasts are the same, our weight is the same and our colour is the same. Take me and think of her, do with me what you please." It was as if she had cast a spell upon him. His body moved on its own and took the woman in his arms. He walked her over to the private bathing area and sat her down in the basin, stripping both of their clothes.

  "I'll tend to your wounds, head priestess. Please don’t scream, as it will hurt a lot."

  She fell unconscious into his arms, as the pain finally did her in. The spell seemed to be partially broken, but he did not want to leave her alone in this state. While laying her on the bed in her sleeping chambers, he kissed her forehead and sat down in the chair adjacent to the bed. His eyes greedily took in all she had to offer. He licked his lips.

  "Do you like what you see?" a voice spoke in his mind. He looked around, but no one was there, and she seemed to be out of it.

  "Who’s there? Show yourself," the big man said, standing up and grabbing the sword he always had beside him when his halberd was resting.

  "Have you already forgotten about me?" the voice spoke again. "It’s alright, I forgive you. After all, you are just human, right? Enjoy her while you can, for I'll have my time with you, Graldin," the voice said, fading with a chuckle.

  * * * * *

  The king came to sometime later, finding himself still staring through the window, the sun long since gone. It was as if he snapped out of a long trance. He looked down at his hand, still holding the knife.

  "I need to get this off of me," he said with a sad smile and took a deep breath, first casting a spell on himself. After a short chant, a bubble appeared around his skin. It took him several minutes and tries to get the armour off, but in the end he finally succeeded. His skin was pitch-black in places and rotting, a black puss crawled out of the wounds. With a sigh, he sat down in the throne, drinking another glass of Pelin.

  The sun was barely visible in the distance as he sighed one last time. The knife found its way into his wrist, and cut it open without any hesitation. Blood gushed from his flesh, dizzying him momentarily, and eventually forced the knife to drop with a clang to the stone floor. It took him only a few moments to fade into the nothingness, the blood mostly drained from his body. With the blood, a curse put on him long ago disappeared as well. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear a voice laughing out, mocking him.

  "Fuck you, Bardos. Today, I reunite with my family!"

  END OF BOOK ONE

  If you made it this far, I would humbly ask you to leave a review, be it positive or negative. It really means a lot to us authors than any of you can imagine. It helps us get more exposure, tells us if you liked it or not and a dozen other things. So please, if you had the time to read these 90+K words on which I have spent a lot of work on, show me your support!

  About the Author

  Ajdin K. Denic has been writing for a number of years, but never published anything until the year of 2018. The first million words were practice and experimentation. He is now ready to tackle the world with his GameLit and LitRPG books.

  He hails from the often cold, often very hot Bosnia Hercegovina, where he lives with his wife and daughters (5 and 1). Works fulltime in a furniture/electronics store, often more than he should, which detracts him often from self-imposed deadlines.

  He enjoys reading SF and Fantasy most, listens to trance and metal music from where he draws inspiration to write. Often is criticized for having MC's who go against the ordinary, not saving the damsel in distress, accidentally starving the kitten and the like.

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