by Darren Lee
The Captain stood and turned to face her. “Yes, my Queen.”
Roxees looked at the Captain and batted her eyes. “This is what true power entails. It matters not how big or sharp your sword is.” Roxees pointed at the Captain momentarily, then curled her fingers just in front of her face. “With a snap of my finger, I could turn you to dust.” The Captain gasped. Roxees smiled and turned away from him. “What would you do with such power?”
The Captain was stricken with fear. He stuttered, “I… I… I….”
“Well, spit it out,” she said. “I won’t kill you…” Roxees looked back to the Captain with a devilish smile. “Depending on your answer.”
The Captain gasped once again. Sweat dripped from his brow despite the chill that remained in the room. “I… I… would use it… to serve you, my Queen.”
Roxees turned to face him. “I’ll hold you to that…”
Roxees fell into a fit of hysterical laughter, clutching her staff with both hands. Roxees’ eyes glowed brightly. The guard took a step back in fear for his life. Roxees jumped into the air as a bright red aura began to glow around her. She twirled her staff and slammed it against the floor. The castle began to shake and the floor split open. A blinding red light emitted from the newly formed fissure. She screamed, causing the light to shimmer. The Captain screamed in terror as he floated into the air, enveloped by the red aura. His screams of terror shifted into those of agonizing pain. Roxees watched while his body was twisted and stretched. His muscles bulged as his stature grew. Pieces of his armor popped away from his body while the fabric of his clothing stretched and tore. The pigment of his skin paled, then darkened to a nearly coal black. The captain’s teeth slowly extended into fangs. His hair then turned to a snowy white, and a dark red light shot from his eyes. The Captain’s screams were now roars.
Roxees grinned at her creation while the fissure closed. The monster floated to the ground as the red aura faded. Roxees breathed heavily for a moment, then approached the reborn Captain. “My very first Enforcer,” she said to herself. The Captain stood still. His heavy breathing could easily be confused with growls. Roxees studied the creature and shook her head in annoyance. “You aren’t as strong as the other Enforcers…” Roxees walked around him. “The Lord Commander is far more powerful than I. Maybe that’s why his creations are so fierce.” Roxees sighed. “However, surely there is enough of you to defeat a boy.” She walked towards her throne. “Who do you serve?”
The new Kynlynn Enforcer turned to Roxees. He growled heavily, then with a deep, monstrous voice, he said, “Queen Roxees.”
Roxees sat upon her throne and smiled. “Excellent.” She pointed to a doorway. “Now, go make yourself scarce. If the others see you… they may get cold feet.” The Enforcer slowly nodded and left the room. Roxees smiled. “Now, for the rest of these pathetic humans.”
Roxees worked tirelessly through the night, transforming each of her guards and soldiers into Dalronian Enforcers. By morning, the town of Allendale was empty of humans. Those who were not transformed were brutally slaughtered or corralled in the dungeon. Dawn shined down on Roxees as she stood upon the bridge leading to her castle. In front of her were nearly eight thousand Enforcers. The horde covered the town and its outskirts. Roxees pointed and shouted, “My legion! I command you to go forth and bring me three thousand humans!” The Enforcers responded with beastly roars. Roxees grinned. “And those I do not require… Slaughter them, consume them, do what you will!”
The Enforcers scattered across the countryside. They moved with ferocity and unending stamina. Before the day’s end they had spread to Riverwood and Abinburrow. True to their queen’s demands, they rounded up some humans. All those who resisted were slaughtered mercilessly. Blood flowed in their wake. Each village in their path was decimated. Limbs and entrails littered the ground. There was no escape.
Chapter 22: Shadows of the Past
While Roxees gave birth to her legion, Lian and his companions began their journey to Shinrok. Starlight lit their path. Kane led the way with Lian and Sarath following closely behind.
Sarath glanced over to Lian. “I’m sorry about your mother.”
Lian slowly nodded. “It’s alright.”
“I just… I can’t help you,” she said while shaking her head. “I can’t go back there. Even if it wasn’t suicidal.”
Lian looked to her. “Because of the dreams?”
Sarath closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes, the dreams.”
“I have them too,” he said.
Sarath looked to Lian. “Have what?”
Lian slightly smiled. “Nightmares.”
“What of?” she said, looking to the sky. “The valley?” Lian nodded. Sarath glanced at him. “What happened there?”
Lian dropped his head and took a deep breath. “Everyone died, except me.”
Sarath placed her hand on Lian’s shoulder. “That’s awful.” She leaned her head toward him so that he could see her face in the dim light and gave him a slight smile. “I’ll make you a deal. Tell me of your demons, and I’ll tell you of mine.” Lian looked to Sarath, then to the clear sky. He remained silent as they continued walking. Sarath shoved him playfully. “Do we have a deal or not?”
Lian looked at her and couldn’t help but smile. He nodded. “Deal… as long as you go first.”
Sarath’s mouth dropped into an open-mouthed grin. She shoved him again. “Why do I have to go first?”
Lian laughed and pulled her closer to him. “Ladies first.” He looked at her with wide eyes and a smirk. “Your demons are probably believable. Mine sound like actual demons from stories.”
“Mine aren’t far from it,” she said. “But alright. Deal.”
The grassy plains were becoming thin and the ground soft. They were approaching the edge of the desert. “Alright, I’m listening,” he said
Sarath sighed. “I told you my parents willingly gave me to Draken when I was eleven. I didn’t tell you what he did with me.”
Lian looked over to Sarath and shook his head. “A man who takes children from their families couldn’t have done anything remotely good.”
“No,” she said. “Most of the other children he took were worked to death or sold off to slavers.” Sarath looked to Lian and gave him a sarcastic grin. “Not me. I lived in the lap of luxury. Draken gave me to his son, Arthur.”
Lian looked to Sarath with an expression of disgust. “He gave you to his son?”
Sarath nodded. “It sounds just as bad as it really was. I was his pet. Everyone around the castle called me his plaything.” She paused for a moment, reflecting on her time with Arthur. “I don’t know what’s worse, the fact of the things he made me do or the fact that I came to enjoy it.”
“Enjoy what?” he said.
“The sex,” she said. “He forced it on me, even when I was a little girl.” Lian’s eyes widened. He had never imagined something like that would ever be allowed. Sarath lowered her head and chuckled, running a hand across her face. “Shocking, isn’t it? The civilized world taking children as sex slaves. When Arthur would get bored with me, Draken would put me to work in the castle, doing whatever he thought needed to be done.”
Lian was appalled at Sarath’s words. He looked down at her and then held her tighter. “I’m sorry that happened to you. You didn’t deserve it.”
“It’s alright,” she said. “It’s over. They all got what was coming to them.” Sarath paused for a moment and glared at the ground. “Even if that sorceress orchestrated it all.”
Lian looked at Sarath, confused. “What do you mean?”
Sarath shook her head. “Roxees showed up right after that dragon started rampaging through Kynlynn. Draken didn’t care about the people. Just all the resources he was losing. Dead villagers mean no crops or Lynns for him to take.” Sarath looked up to the sky and let out a sigh. “From the very moment she arrived, she had Draken lusting after her. It was obvious, even to me as a little girl.”
L
ian listened closely, now curious about Roxees. “Tell me what happened next.”
“She killed Draken’s advisors,” she said. “Insects ate them from the inside out. She claimed the Elves were behind the dragon and it was magic.” Sarath laughed a bit. “I’m not sure if it was her display of magic that convinced Draken, or her tits. She left very little to the imagination. The years passed, and Arthur was to get married…” Sarath laughed at herself slightly and shook her head. “I was so stupid that I actually thought he would marry me. He was to wed some girl from the town. I contested, and they tossed me in the kitchen to rot while it was all going on.”
“That’s what those men were talking about?” he said.
Sarath nodded. “I killed Arthur…” She dropped her head and covered her face. “And his new wife. He deserved it, but she didn’t.” She looked up to Lian as she wiped away tears of shame. “I had help, though.”
“From who?” he said.
“Roxees,” she said. “She came to me in the kitchen. Said she understood what I was going through and how wrong Arthur was. She gave me the idea to kill him. She used her magic and turned me invisible.”
Lian’s brow rose slightly. “Invisible?”
“I didn’t believe it at first,” she said. “But the soldiers couldn’t see me. I went to Arthur’s chamber and waited. I caught them off guard.” Sarath bit her lip and took a deep breath. “I slit that poor girl’s throat… then… then…” Sarath trembled at her own words.
Lian squeezed her side. “You don’t have to continue.”
Sarath pulled away from him. “A deal is a deal. I’ve lied to you once. I’m better than that…” Sarath paused and smiled slightly at Lian. “Well, I’m not, but I want to be.” She took another deep breath. “I cut his heart out. Then, the guards burst in the room. It was death by their hand or by my own, so I jumped from Arthur’s tower. I should have died, but I somehow lived.”
Lian shook his head. “How?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I remember crashing into the water below and then I woke up with the healer in Riverwood. He said he had found me on the river bank and thought I was dead, but I wasn’t… so he tossed me in his cart and hauled me back to his place.” Sarath pulled her hair up and showed Lian a scar that ran from just behind her ear to the top of her skull. “I did wind up with this nasty thing. He asked who I was, and I told him my name but that I couldn’t remember anything else. No one ever came looking, so they must have thought I was dead.”
Lian pulled her close and smiled. “I’m glad you survived.”
“Me too,” she said, returning his smile. “That’s not the end of it, though. Six months later, the dragon killed the King. Draken summoned the Lord of Riverwood and the Countess of Abinburrow to decide the new ruler of Kynlynn. Something happened, and Draken’s wife murdered them. He had to execute her.”
Lian looked at Sarath in disbelief. “His wife murdered them?”
“She did,” she said. “I heard she went mad because she could no longer have children. Right after that, he took Roxees as his queen. No surprise there. And with Arthur out of the way, there was no one to contest her right to the throne when the dragon killed Draken that very night.” Sarath shook her head. “I know she plotted to get rid of Arthur… but Draken’s wife’s madness, and Draken eaten on the night of their wedding? It’s just so… convenient.”
Lian stopped in his tracks. Kane turned to look at him. Lian looked at Sarath sternly. “What is it?” she asked. Lian remained silent, but she put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. “Lian, what is it?”
Lian gritted his teeth. “It is convenient. Too convenient.”
“What do you mean?” she said. “Do you know something I don’t?”
Lian turned and crossed his arms, shaking his head. He walked a short distance away. “It makes so much sense now. She knew where I was. She sent the soldiers to attack us. She has been trailing me from the start.” Lian snarled and clenched his fists. “But why? Why go through the trouble of taking over a kingdom and having them attack me? And how can she look human?”
Sarath stared at Lian with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”
Lian turned to her. “What I’m about to tell you… you may not believe. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t lived it.”
She approached Lian and took his hands, looking into his eyes earnestly. “I’ll believe you. I’ve no reason not to.”
Lian nodded and began his story. He started with his life in the village. Then, he told her of the Dalronians’ appearance. With a heavy heart, Lian then told her of his time with the Elves, and of his mother. He closed with the revelation of his abilities, what he must do, and Elintae’s cryptic instructions to find Sarath.
Sarath listened closely, not sure if she was feeling shock or disbelief. The sun was beginning to rise. Before them was the sight of rolling sand dunes as far as they could see.
Sarath pulled away from Lian and stared at him. She laughed a bit to herself in disbelief. “You’re telling me there are demon-like monsters from another world waiting to destroy us…” Sarath turned from Lian and paced around the area. “And you’re the descendant of some god-touched hero that saved the world a thousand years ago…” Sarath took a deep breath and turned to face Lian. “That there is an entire civilization of Elves that live in secret… That a god led you to me and told you that I would lead you to where I killed someone, and there you would find the one who is responsible for your mother’s death?” Sarath fell back into the sand, looking up at the barely visible stars.
Lian walked over to Sarath and looked down at her. “That’s… fairly accurate.”
Sarath just looked at Lian and shook her head. She rose up and looked to Kane. He merely nodded. Sarath stared off into the distance. “Either you’re completely insane or we’re all…” Sarath looked to Lian. “She can’t be one of them? Can she? The timing is right… she showed up just after you said they appeared.”
Lian slowly nodded. “I think she might be… but you said she looked human. These things might have used to be human. They certainly don’t look human now.”
Sarath looked up at Lian, then took a deep breath and looked away. “Why do I feel like I just got caught up in some suicidal quest to save the world?”
Lian clinched his first. “When I see her…”
Sarath blinked her eyes. “Who, Roxees? Yeah, I’d like to kill her too…”
Lian shook his head. “No, Elintae. She didn’t have to involve you!” Lian gritted his teeth. “I could have gone straight to Allendale and killed her.”
Sarath stood and walked to Lian. “Well, if I ever see this ‘goddess’, I’ll ask her why myself.” Sarath studied Lian’s body closely. “Show me.”
Lian knitted his eyebrows together, speechless for a moment. “Show you?
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “I’ve seen Roxees. Show me these abilities. It’s the only way I’ll believe that you could have just gone and killed her.”
Lian quickly shook his head. “That’s not a good idea.”
Sarath raised her eyebrows while she placed her hands on her hips. “And why not, exactly?”
Lian let out a sigh. “I can, transform. I guess that’s what you’d call it… But I don’t know if I can fully control it.” He closed his eyes and turned his head. “I’m afraid I might hurt you.”
Sarath smiled and placed her finger on his chest. “Aww, that’s sweet… But I don’t think you’ll hurt me.” Lian looked down at her finger, then to her face. Sarath turned and walked a few paces from him. “If what you say is true, if you don’t learn to use your abilities, we’ll all die.” She turned back towards him and smirked. “Besides, you aren’t that mean. I’ve been through worse.”
Lian sighed and reached to draw the sword. “You asked for this.”
Sarath watched Lian closely. “I did.”
Lian gripped the hilt tightly while he drew the sword, glaring toward Sarath. “Step back, please.”
Sarath nodded and stepped away. “I can do that.”
Lian closed his eyes tightly. He felt the surge of power within him. Then, he opened his eyes and screamed. Sand blew from the ground around him. Sarath quickly turned her head and stumbled backward. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open as she looked at Lian. He stood before her with sand swirling around him. His hair fluttered lightly. She looked into his eyes to see the bright glow of the red specks and then down to the glowing crimson blade.
She trembled heavily. “Lian… What is this?”
Lian remained silent and looked at Sarath with cold, hard eyes.
Sarath closed her eyes, shook her head, and shouted, “Lian, answer me!”
Lian answered, his voice slightly deeper. “You wanted to see.”
Sarath opened her eyes and gazed at Lian within the vortex of sand. “I can feel my whole body trembling. I can feel your power. If I didn’t trust you… I’d be terrified.”
Kane and Lian both looked at Sarath, confused. “You can feel me?”
Sarath nodded. “I think. Your power. It’s as if I can feel it in the air, all around me.” Sarath bit her lip and looked up to the sky. “You’re not lying… That means I have to help you.”
“I won’t make you,” he said. “But if you do… I will protect you with everything I am.”
Sarath looked at Lian and felt comfort in his words. The trembling stopped, and she felt warmth within her soul. Lian sheathed his sword while the glow faded from his eyes. Sarath ran to Lian and embraced him, causing him to gasp in shock. Sarath squeezed him tightly, and he wrapped his arms around her.
Sarath buried her head into his chest. “I’ll hold you to that…”
“I promise,” he said.
Sarath looked up into his eyes. She moved her arms up and around his neck. Lian slowly leaned in toward her, closing his eyes. Sarath closed hers as well and pushed herself closer to him. Their lips locked in a passionate kiss.