Pyrus

by Sean Watman

  And so we began our preparations for the upcoming assault. Leo and Bolt did all of the scouting for possible exit locations while Lyra and I memorized the guard schedule. Every day we went over the plan, just to make sure we didn't forget any critical details. We never did. The morning of the big day, I wake up earlier than everyone to go see the beauty that is the royal palace. It was a pity that I was going to have to blow up a part of it, but that was part of the plan, at least, the part that I discussed with Leo privately. Yesterday's conversation still rang in my head:

  “The only exit point from the king's chambers is through the roof. Unless you feel comfortable in dealing with almost a thousand guards with just your magii, I would suggest that we have a backup plan, just in case.”

  “What exactly did you have in mind?”

  “Have Lyra conjure up a thunderstorm similar to the one that was used in the battle at the crater.” The memory of the battle cloud had remained carved into my mind.

  “We could use that as our escape route if she can lead us through the clouds. If not, then we have no choice but to fight our way out.” I didn't like that option, but I knew it was a last resort. A beam of light from Pyro sneaks through the clouds and shines down upon the castle, making it seem almost a crime to invade it. Scratch that, it was a crime to invade it, and I was completely responsible for whatever was going to happen.

  “We are going to go into action soon.” Leo walks up beside me as he speaks. “I am sorry it had to turn out like this, Jack, I truly am. But the guards will not let him leave the castle unless he is accompanied by his parade of guards, and even then we do not know how many of them we can trust.” I can tell he's trying to comfort and reassure me, but believe me, it doesn't help. I shrug my shoulders, putting the moral objections away until later.

  “Okay, I'm ready now,” I announce. “Let's get back to the camp.” Once we enter the camp, Lyra stands up and gives us a nod. It was time to begin. Before leaving, I grab the last batches of rumbleberries, but the sweet taste was sour in my mouth.

  I began jogging to my place in the mountains where I would await the signal from Lyra to make my move. Once I reach the tiny little crevice Leo had found, I sit down. I know I am too far from the castle for them to notice me, but I'm not taking any chances. From my position, I can see everything that happens behind the castle; all I have to do now is wait.

  The guards change positions every five minutes, moving in an endless circle until they take a rest shift inside the castle. I watched the guards change shifts twice before I heard the scream. I was on my feet and rushing down the mountain seconds after it happened. Constant speed was mandatory, a delay would be fatal. All of the guards were rushing to the front gate to respond to the scream, so no one would notice if two guards were missing when they didn't return from their shifts. When I made it to bottom I begin to charge towards two guards from behind. Grabbing two by the neck, I knock them unconscious before they realized I was there and struggle to carry their bodies back to the safety of the mountains. Lyra was already waiting for me when I had arrived at my stakeout spot.

  “That was a little more difficult than I expected, but I got the soldiers!” I exclaim, my mouth dry from the sprint I had to pull off. I wanted to use magic to help me, but in case we had to fight our way out, I relied on my physical strength alone to drag the bodies back up. Throwing off their armor, I quickly change into a soldier's clothes. They wore a white tunic with chain mail hidden underneath. The helmet is rusted steel, and it reeks of sweat, but it conceals my hair. Picking up the armor, I slide it on. Watching the castle, I wait for Lyra to do the same.

  When we had both changed, we began our descent into the valley. The guards on the other side of the moat pointed at us, and more began to rally. I was instantly on alert—had they recognized that we weren't soldiers, or maybe they had seen me carry the real soldiers up the mountain? The possibilities were endless. As we got closer, I could make out the faces of some of the other guards. Some of them had a red cross engraved onto their breastplates. One of the guards walked forward and spoke to us.

  “Where were you two lackeys? You know the rules; no one is allowed to leave their post during a state of emergency.” My brain quickly translated Pyrian into English, but I stammered in English as I tried to find the right words.

  “We … we saw two people observing the castle, so we went to go investigate. By the time we reached their encampment in the mountains, they had already dispersed.” Look down! Leo hisses at me. You are one of the lower ranked soldiers: do not make eye contact with a superior unless you wish to challenge him. My eyes instantly shift from his gaze to the floor. I can feel his eyes burning into my scalp.

  “Carry on,” he replies, his eyes still looking at me suspiciously. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he stops me. “You have the rest shift next. Proceed to the castle and do not dally.” I nod quickly, my eyes still glued to his feet. Keeping my eyes on the floor, I proceed across the wooden bridge, into the castle of the king. I know I shouldn't feel bad about kidnapping the king; it's for the good of the country, after all. But I still feel like a criminal.

  I had never been inside of a castle before. There were stained glass windows all along the sides, while a staircase led straight up to the second floor. The smell of chicken came from a room on the left, so I assumed that was the kitchen. Guards patrolled everywhere, even inside. Lyra and I walk down the halls, admiring the suits of armor and the paintings that litter the walls. The sound of weapons clashing makes my hair stand on its edge, but it was only two soldiers having a sparring match. These guards are well prepared and trained, I note. Definitely well prepared.

  We climb the stairs towards the chambers of the king. I had to stop and ask for directions twice on the second floor—the guards stared after me as I walked past with confused looks on their faces, but they said nothing. I was always on alert, waiting for someone to point and shout: “They aren't with us! Seize them!” But they never did. Our disguises and plan were foolproof.

  We finally found the old oak doors that were the entrance to the king's chambers. Once again, there were two or three guards stationed outside of the doors, protecting the chambers. Lying that we had some urgent business to speak with the king about, I tried to enter the door. One guard passed his sword over the door, preventing me from entering.

  “Under what grounds do you seek to speak with his majesty?” he asked curiously.

  “There has been word of the location of the rogue magician who broke the seal. We were dispatched by the Shinso to locate and attempt to capture this person. Most of our troop was wiped out however, and the Shinso are nowhere to be found.” The guard looked shock as I spoke, and he wordlessly removed his sword from my way. It took a lot of energy to hide the smile on my face. We were in.

  Chapter 25: The Ending

  The doors close behind us upon entering, and the first thing I notice about this place is the size. This room itself was almost as big as the hallway. Red cloths hang from the banisters and the marble walls.

  “If you have come to kill me, then I am afraid you are too late. I died long ago, when my son was taken from me and the Shinso overthrew my rule.” My brain needed a second to translate the Pyrian. A short man with red skin approaches us from the shadows, a dagger clutched in his trembling right hand. He looked like an aged version of Gron. The only difference was that his hair was black and a golden crown lay on top of his head.

  “I am Jack, and this is my companion, Lyra.” She nods at her introduction. “We aren't here to kill you.” He looks at me puzzled. I slap my head, realizing that I was speaking in English. I quickly translate what I had previously said, and his eyes light up in recognition, but then darken again just as quickly.

  “I do not care what your names are. You are intruding upon my chambers. The Shinso did not need to send a polite assassin; you will die just like the others.” Realizing the situation I am in, I quickly take a few steps back. This man is crazy. Well,
he's not crazy, I thought. He's just paranoid from all of the attempted murders that he has had to foil. Think, Jack, think!

  “The Shinso are dead.” That makes him drop his guard almost immediately. He was stunned. His eyes became dead. There was no activity. I actually had to wave my hand to make sure he hadn't died. The motion of my hand brought him back to reality, and he lunged almost instinctively towards me. The dagger goes right through my hand and almost pierces through my clothing. I let out a scream of pain as the dagger swiftly pulls back. Lyra was already about to release Bolt, and Leo was so ticked that he insisted on letting him free so he could eat the king.

  “Any more attempts at foolery you would like to try before your demise?” Sol's eyes widened with insanity as he licked his lips.

  “As a matter of fact,” I began. The king looked ready to kill me for speaking back to him. His whole body quivered in anticipation. “We met your son,” I continued. Once again, the king dropped his guard. This time I didn't go over to see if he was alive, I had learned my lesson. He began to tremble with rage as he yelled at me. Tears were flowing down his wrinkled face as he fell to his knees.

  “My son was killed long ago. Do not lie to me, you wretched cur! I will have you killed if you even mention his name. My son meant everything to me. They took away not only my throne, but my pride, my joy! After me, the lineage of kings will perish!” He was a wreck. I fall onto both of my knees and look at him the way Leo looked at me the time I had broken down. I placed my hands on his shoulders and he gazes up at me..

  “Flayre was my mentor,” I speak calmly. Lyra couldn't help me on this, so I had to trust myself and hope that I could convince him to spare us. “I am now the Kreydur of Pyrus. I have returned the land back to its original state with his help. It hurts losing someone that you care about—believe me, I know. But we need you, as the king, to assume the true throne of Pyrus. It's what your son would have wanted, and it's the only way to truly honor his name.” He looks at me for a second and then laughs right in my face.

  “If my son was alive, then where is he now? Show me my son, and I will believe your words.”

  “Flayre is dead,” I reply emotionlessly. He looks at me again, and now I begin to think that telling him so much only made it worse. It was like losing his son for the second time.

  “And how did he die this time?” he asked me coldly. I knew he didn't believe a word I was saying, but the only thing I could do now was be honest. And if that does not work, then we can always knock him out and abduct him by force, Leo reminded me. That is a last resort! I reply sharply. There is always a way to convince someone; you just need to know how.

  “He died while protecting the Magician's Core against another Kreydur. After saving himself from death the first time, he had weakened himself to the point that he could only use magic when it was absolutely necessary, and training me only weakened him further. I was pursuing the Shinso at the time and was too late to save him.” Sol looked at me curiously. I think he began to believe me, but only because I had revealed so many of the secrets of Pyrus. His vision became distant again, and I glance at Lyra staring at the entrance. Both of us felt the urge to get out of here. This was taking way too long, and it wouldn't be long before the guards discovered we weren't who we said we were.

  As if in response to my negative thought, there was a loud banging on the doors. Lyra motioned to summon Bolt but remembered what she needed to do and stopped.

  “Alright, Sol, you can either come with us willingly to the true palace or we will have to take you by force. Either way, you are coming with us, so hurry up and decide!” He nodded his head, but continued to stare into the distance, completely unaware of the sound of the banging. The bang became a crash as the doors were knocked off of their hinges. I have to admit I was impressed; it's not every day that you get to see a battering ram as big as the one the four guards were using. It was dropped with a loud thunk as they began to draw their swords.

  “Lyra, take him and move!” She looks confused that I'm not going with them. “I'll hold them off! Don't worry about me; I'll be right behind you! Move!” She hesitates. I look away from her, knowing she'll see right through the lie. She raises her right arm and summons a thundercloud. A black puffball begins to materialize in the center of the room, and she runs over to me, grabs Sol by the arm, and drags him through it.

  You know you will have to keep that promise, Leo nags at me. I smile, forgetting that he can't see it. “It's very rare that I lie about these kinds of things, Leo—even you know that. Kreysire!” Skipping through the animal stage, I swing the cloth box as it appears. The flames engulf everything around us, igniting the room and making it seem like a giant fireball. All the guards charged at me, and were defeated by a three-sixty spinning slash. The cloud disappears, and I realize just how much trouble I'm in.

  It looks like we are going to have to fight our way out, Leo says. “A thousand against one isn't very good odds,” I reply dryly. “Then again, a Kreydur against a thousand men should be about even.” More soldiers enter the burning room, and the battle continues.

  Lyra dragged the king through the charcoal plains. She kept staring back at the castle, waiting for him to rejoin them. She knew that she should have been there with him, but he had promised to catch up to them, and she bound him to his word.

  “Where is the castle?” she asks him for the second time. He looks strange now. His once young features aged as he exited the palace. He constantly zoned out, making it hard for him to walk on his own. He begins to speak in Pyrian, but without Jack there is no way for her to understand what he is saying. He points to the west, and uses three fingers to try and tell her.

  “It's about three days west from here?” He nods silently, struggling to stand. She releases her grip and helps him up as they begin the trek through the ash covered landscape.

  “Maybe this wasn't the best idea.” I pant as I block the swords and spears coming at me. Every time I beat one wave of soldiers, a new one would come and take its place. It was endless. The only good thing was that I was out of the king's chambers and back in the main hall. Actually, I think it was a bad thing. We have no other choice but to fight our way out, unless you prefer to swim in lava, Leo says through the blocks and the collisions. Foolishly, I charge at a stained glass window in the main hall and forcefully hurl my body into it. Shards are scattered everywhere as I make contact. That was a possibility I did not consider, Leo replies, impressed. I stagger to my feet and glance at the boiling lava that was the moat of the castle. The ditch was very wide, but I may be able to make it with a magii-enhanced jump.

  Do not even think about it! Leo says once my thoughts began to rack together. You have already used enough magii in defeating over five hundred guards. Your magii chambers cannot take much more of this.

  “Surprisingly, I feel fine,” I reply. I was being dead honest too. “You did say that I had to use as much excess magii as possible, right?” I could tell he was still unconvinced. “It's either I use a little here, or I use a lot while fighting the other half of the guards.” When faced with choices like that, who couldn't agree with me? Taking a few steps forward to gauge my jumping distance, the dirt crumbles under my foot and I struggle to keep my balance.

  Do you still not want to fight the guards? Leo asks me. “It's better to keep lives than take them away,” I reply. It was true. What I had done to Ivan sickened me to the point that I didn't want to fight again, but for some reason, I always have to. Could nothing be solved with words? Thinking more about it, I could have probably prevented this entire journey by just talking to Fred. Instead, I am stuck struggling for survival above a burning pit of death. Turning behind me, I notice the guards have gotten out spears, each one ready to poke me into the ditch.

  “Well, I have no choice now!” I yell out to Leo, and without taking a running start, I make my leap towards the other side. I just end up going upwards though, no forward motion involved. Waving my arms like a bird, I attempt to push
myself centimeter by centimeter towards the other side. I wasn't falling yet, so I knew that I had some time. You know you could just use me as a jetpack. Leo reminds me once I start to fall. Talk about embarrassing. I have to slap myself on the forehead later for not thinking of that. Pointing towards the castle, I release every amount of magii I have in my body.

  The flame propels me like a rocket towards heaven knows where. I just hope that I'm going in the general direction of Lyra and the king; otherwise, it will be hell to try and find them, even when traveling via Leo airlines. “Do you think they went this way?” I shout out to him. I have no idea, he replies. Off into the great unknown, or at least until my magii runs out. Have you ever sped through something so fast that you couldn't see anything? Imagine that, but with bright lights surrounding you.

  I think we need a new plan! My mind was already looking for a way out without stopping abruptly. We have no other choice, Leo intrudes. The less time we spend flying around, the more time we can focus on rejoining the others. Everything he says makes sense, but there was the key element of pain that I was worried about. Well, we always need a constant flow of magii, so what if I steadily decrease the flame size until I can properly land? My plan shows promise, but it was still in the “what if” stage. I could totally screw this up and kill myself.

  Closing my eyes and concentrating, my mind begins to picture a tap. I almost laugh at how nostalgic my strategy was, but it would wreck my concentration. My hand slowly twists the knob on the sink. My breathing is deep, controlled. I hear the flames around me begin to fade, but due to the volcanoes, I think it may just be me zoning everything out. It was now or never. I had no idea where I was; if I had slowed down enough; even my height was a mystery. My mind faltered, and the tap was jerked closed. I fall, rapidly towards the ground only to land on my butt. So much for drama, Leo says, aware of my relief. You were only a few centimeters off of the ground. I release him into his physical form, tired of him picking up my thoughts all of the time. It was cool, don't get me wrong, but I felt like he knew me better than I knew myself sometimes—and that wasn't cool.