by Mark Boutros
‘On your knees,’ Ryza told the Flowfornian.
The Flowfornian wept and dropped to her knees. Ryza turned to the crowd. ‘Keep as a slave or kill?’
The bloodthirsty mob cheered for the kill. Ryza nodded to Death. Death, shoulders slumped, placed his hand on the woman’s head, her eyes dulled and she flopped to the floor.
That’s how easy it was. They stood no chance against that power.
‘It’s too crowded for us to attack,’ Frong said. ‘But a famous warrior once said, if you can’t get to the enemy, bring the enemy to you.’
‘How do we do that?’ Karl asked.
‘I don’t know. That was all I knew of that warrior. She died quite young. Apparently she invited a group of enemies into her home and it didn’t go so well.’
Karl huffed. ‘Brilliant.’
‘Who are you?’ a deep voice said from behind them.
Karl turned to fairy twins holding horns.
‘We’re one of the armies, here to swear allegiance to our new queen,’ Karl said.
Frong nodded. ‘That is indeed correct. We’re just waiting for a good moment to present ourselves.’
‘And which army are you?’ one asked.
‘Umm…’ Karl looked at Frong.
‘We’re from just beyond the north sea,’ he said.
‘Oh, the Lansfor army.’ One of the fairies smiled.
‘Yes. Yes. That’s the one.’ Frong smiled at Karl.
‘Doesn’t exist.’ The smile vanished and the fairies blew their horns.
Unwanted Responsibility
Bar Witch tired of being in the cupboard with Questions and, more annoyingly, a dead Man-Hawk.
She could barely see through the gap in the doors and the stench of death wouldn’t escape fast enough. Over the last sunset it had only worsened.
She’d given most of her seeds to Quizmal to stop him whining and they’d missed two chances to attack a Man-Hawk and escape. They couldn’t afford to miss another.
‘Right. Next time one of those feathered idiots comes through that door, we pounce,’ Bar Witch said.
‘Who will pounce first?’ Questions asked, staring at Quizmal through the gap in the doors.
Bar Witch wondered why people bothered having kids. They just create panic. ‘You go first to throw them off guard. I follow and stick them with the sword.’ She gripped the Man-Hawk’s shazaq.
‘What if there are two of them?’ Questions asked.
‘Well, then the same plan goes, but you take the one that moves closest to the window, and I take the one closest to the door.’ She hoped Questions had no more questions.
‘What if they stand next to each other?’
Bar Witch huffed. ‘Then I’ll take the one furthest, so closest to the opposite wall to here. And you take the one closest. Closest to here.’ That was every scenario. ‘Now let’s keep watch.’ She enjoyed the silence.
‘What if there are three of them?’ Questions asked.
Bar Witch clenched her fists. ’Right. Whatever happens, I’ll go first and tell you what to do.’
Muffled shouting neared the door to the room.
‘What are they saying?’ Questions asked.
‘I don’t know, because you’re talking over them.’
A sword clattered off the stone floor and the door opened. ‘Shush.’ Bar Witch peered towards the door as much as she could. She crouched and pressed a hand against the back of the cupboard to steady herself, ready to leap out. But she recognised the green beast who hugged Quizmal.
‘Quizmal!’ Oaf burst into tears.
Questions burst out of the cupboard, revealing Sabrinia and Marlens in the doorway stood over a Man-Hawk with an arrow in his neck.
‘Questions!’ Oaf pulled her into the hug.
Bar Witch swung her legs out of the cupboard and sat. Tears filled her eyes. Maybe that’s why people had kids. The love outweighed the pain.
‘You crying, Bar Witch?’ Marlens asked and gave her a hug.
‘Just relieved I can get out of here,’ she said. ‘So stuffy.’
Oaf covered Quizmal’s eyes. ‘They’re just having a nap, son.’
‘We need to go.’ Sabrinia poked her head out of the door. ‘It’s clear.’ She turned back to the room.
Marlens pointed outside the room and above Sabrinia. She glanced at Bar Witch.
‘Stop!’ a Man-Hawk said.
Bar Witch swung her legs back into the cupboard and closed it. She peered through the gap.
The Man-Hawk walked into the room with its sword to Sabrinia’s neck. ‘You’re all coming with me, or her head comes off.’
The others raised their hands. ‘Whatever you want. Just don’t hurt her,’ Marlens said.
‘Drop your weapons,’ the Man-Hawk said.
Marlens glanced sideways at the cupboard. She dropped her dagger to the floor.
‘Now kick everything into the corner of the room,’ the Man-Hawk said.
Marlens removed her potion belt. She tapped a bottle of black smoke and tossed the belt onto the other weapons in the corner.
Bar Witch was on her own.
A Hope in Hell
Karl, stripped of his armour, bound and on his knees in the middle of the courtyard, faced Ryza and her mob of Man-Hawks and villains from across Hastovia.
Ryza approached Oaf and Quizmal. ‘I want to thank you for bringing me back from the dead. Your reward is that you can die together.’ She pointed to the top of the Lookout Tower at Death. ‘Death! In a moment I’m going to command you to kill these people, and I don’t want you to just touch their heads and dull their eyes. It’s a bit boring. I want to see some slashes with the nails; maybe fly up high with someone then drop them so their bones smash. You know, make it a spectacle. Really show off your power and give it some variety. I have an audience to please.’
The other villains cheered.
Ryza reminded Karl of Arazod, desperate for showmanship, but somehow she was more irritating.
‘Before that, though.’ Ryza stepped towards Karl and grabbed his face. The heat stung his cheeks. ‘I’m going to give Little General Arazod his revenge.’ She turned to Arazod. ‘You can kill this idiot and your wife.’
Karl expected Arazod’s beak to curl into a smirk but it didn’t.
‘Consider this a thank you for your part in this, Little General Arazod,’ Ryza said.
Arnul grabbed Karl and Sabrinia and dragged them to the well. They stood with their backs to it, but Karl expected they’d be in it soon enough. He wondered how many bodies were already down there.
Arazod stood in front of them. Ryza took the Soul Bleeder from Arnul and handed it to Arazod. He turned his axe in his hand and looked at them. ‘I’ve missed my axe.’
‘I can see why,’ Sabrinia said. ‘It can’t talk back to tell you how horrible you are.’
Arazod’s neck feathers twitched.
Karl looked up at the night. Peezant hovered up high.
Arazod glanced at Oaf.
‘Just get it over with,’ Karl told Arazod.
‘I wish we’d left you to die!’ Oaf said.
Sabrinia nudged Karl to look up at the Lookout Tower. Bar Witch poked her head out of the window.
‘Little General Arazod. Get on with it,’ Ryza said.
The Man-Hawks chanted his name.
Arazod stepped towards Karl and Sabrinia. He held his axe against Karl’s neck but hesitated.
Ryza huffed. ‘Arnul, this is boring. Get it done.’
Arnul approached Arazod and held his claw out. ‘Give me the axe.’
A bleating caught everyone’s attention. A bat-sheep with tiny wings shrieked its way down from the Lookout Tower window.
‘What is that?’ Arnul said.
Ryza scowled and shot fire at the creature, reducing it to ash.
‘Little General Arazod?’ Arnul waved his claw to hurry him along.
A horn sounded from beyond the west wall. A Fool emerged on top of the bricks. ‘Attack!’ the
Fool yelled, and Fools flooded over Flowforn’s walls.
Hope flooded Karl’s body. Even if he died, there was hope for the others.
‘Fools? Quick!’ Arnul reached for the Soul Bleeder.
Arazod hacked Arnul’s arm off then slashed his stomach. Arazod threw Arnul towards Karl and Sabrinia.
Sabrinia knocked Arnul into the well.
‘Arazod!’ Ryza yelled.
Marlens called up to the tower. ‘The jar, Bar Witch!’ A jar smashed and black smoke filled the courtyard.
‘Death! Death! Get them all! Kill them!’ Ryza commanded.
Hiding in Plain Sight
Karl crawled and moved his arms around but was completely lost in the black smoke.
‘Sabrinia!’ he yelled, but there was no reply.
The smoke didn’t make Karl cough, which was worse, heightening the blindness, the screams and the slashes. He hoped none of the screams would be from Sabrinia or his friends.
Shrieks came from above; the Man-Hawks must have been waiting to swoop in for the kill.
Karl crawled and his hand touched something fleshy. He groaned and crawled away from the sounds of steel clashing but a hand grabbed his ankle and he kicked out.
‘Get off!’ He drove his foot back.
‘Stop Karl! It’s me,’ Frong said. ‘Hold my ankle and follow.’
Karl turned and followed him. They crawled through a doorway and stayed low.
A Man-Hawk dropped and faced them. It opened its beak to shriek but a spear pierced its face.
Red flame burned through black smoke outside their hiding place. Screams echoed down the fire-covered alley.
Ryza probably burned her allies but didn’t care.
‘Stay quiet,’ Frong said, their faces pressed to the wooden floor.
A black, ripped cloak stroked the pebbles outside. Steel boots turned and the toes pointed towards Karl and Frong.
‘Death!’ Ryza said. ‘Are they dead?’
The feet vanished and appeared in front of Frong and Karl’s faces. Karl trembled. One touch and he’d be dead.
Frong gripped Karl’s wrist.
‘No,’ Death said. ‘Even I cannot see through this smoke.’ Death placed Karl’s shield, a shazaq and Frong’s spear in front of them, and then disappeared.
Karl and Frong looked at each other.
‘Are you ready?’ Frong said.
Karl nodded.
‘For Larnela,’ Frong said.
‘For Sags. And all of us,’ Karl replied.
They grabbed their weapons, got to their feet and ran through the smoke, adding their screams to the fight.
A Crumbling Kingdom
Bar Witch struggled down the steps of the Lookout Tower, her energy sapped from creating the bat-sheep.
Her chest throbbed and she could barely carry the sword and everyone else’s weapons. She ignored the battle grunts and approached the exit to the courtyard.
Smoke filled the tower. Bar Witch retreated and peered outside a window. About ten feet beneath her was a cart covered in straw.
‘Physical exertion… Just what I need.’ She threw Sabrinia’s bow and arrows onto the cart, followed by Marlens’ potions.
She leapt out of the window and crashed onto the straw. It didn’t offer the padding she’d hoped for and the air left her lungs.
A flame from above ignited the alley and the heat stuck to her. She climbed to her feet and stumbled away. Flames flickered on debris.
She made her way to the wall that ran along the edge of the courtyard towards the tavern.
A Fool fell out of the smoke and stumbled onto its back.
A Man-Hawk followed and raised its sword to strike. The Fool blocked and sprung to its feet, but then a Cyclops woman leapt out of the smoke and squeezed the life out of the Fool.
The Man-Hawk and Cyclops woman turned to Bar Witch.
She barely had the strength to fight. She raised a sword and an arrow and dropped the other weapons. ‘I know I’m dead, but I’m taking one of you with me. You can decide between you who that is or we could just get on with it.’
Her enemies charged.
Bar Witch drew her blade back, ready to swing. She hoped someone would free the Flowfornians from the tavern. ‘Good luck to the rest of you.’
The Man-Hawk raised its sword but a dagger stuck into the side of its chest and it collapsed.
The Cyclops punched Bar Witch down and she rolled away from its stomp. The woman growing out of the beast’s neck spat at Bar Witch and the Cyclops raised its fist but a shazaq pierced the beast’s ribs and it fell.
Sabrinia dropped the sword.
Marlens stood above Bar Witch and extended a hand. Bar Witch pulled herself up.
Sabrinia took her bow and arrows. ‘Thanks, Bar Witch.’
Marlens strapped her potion belt back on. ‘Let’s get to the gardens to get a bigger picture.’
‘I have some idiots to check on first,’ Bar Witch said. ‘Good luck.’
She entered the tavern and opened the secret room. The relief on the faces of those she’d helped made her oddly proud.
‘Right,’ she said. ‘There’s a battle out there and it’s a bit all over the place. So it’s up to you. Outside the walls there are trees marked with circles that lead to a cart of supplies. You can run off and live in hiding, or stay and fight for your home.’
More people than she’d hoped ran off. ‘Typical.’
‘I’ll help,’ the annoying girl said.
Bar Witch smiled. She took the hair of the wizard-lizard, placed the abandoned baby on some straw and felt an emptiness about Hargon.
‘I’ll be back for you, little Alf.’
She closed the secret door and entered the battle.
Perilous Plan
Oaf followed Arazod through the alleys. Although Arazod helped them, Oaf wanted to tear Arazod’s arms off and whack him across the face with them.
Oaf squeezed Questions’ and Quizmal’s hands, worried Arazod could betray them and hand them over to Man-Hawks at any moment.
Arazod pointed to the back wall of the castle. ‘Find a way out over there and keep going—’ he wheezed. ‘She won’t be able to see you under the trees but that won’t stop her burning everything.’
Oaf stared at him, confused by everything.
‘Why did you save us?’ Questions asked.
Arazod scratched his neck feathers and looked at Oaf. ‘I… I don’t know. But get your child somewhere safe.’
‘I need to go back to help the others,’ Oaf said.
Arazod shook his head. ‘It won’t work. She’s a god now. She can’t be killed by normal weapons or us—’ he wheezed. ‘So the best thing to do is to run and keep running.’
Oaf’s body tensed. Karl’s plan was doomed. ‘Questions, you take Quizmal. I need to stop Karl.’
She grabbed his arm. ‘What do you mean?’
‘No time to explain.’ Oaf pulled free and ran towards the battle. Arazod and Oaf’s family called out to stop Oaf but he had to keep going.
The Hopelessness Scale
The smoke cleared in the courtyard and the screams faded as the dead outnumbered the living. Karl blocked a sword and stabbed a Man-Hawk.
Death drove his nails into the chest of a Fool and then another. They didn’t writhe or groan; their eyes simply turned greyer than their skin and they died.
A fireball whizzed past Karl and annihilated a Fool.
Ryza hovered above and fired more balls of death.
Karl rolled away from the heat.
One arrow hit Ryza in the ribs, then another.
Sabrinia and Marlens attacked from the garden entrance.
Ryza was unfazed. She pulled the arrows out of her body and sent a fireball towards Marlens and Sabrinia.
Karl stood below Ryza. ‘Come and fight me. Prove you’re the warrior you act like.’
She chuckled. ‘Why should I waste my time with you?’ She aimed her gauntlet and Karl’s life flashed before his eyes in the fir
e forming around Ryza’s fist.
An arrow exploded against her hand, knocking the gauntlet onto the pebbles and covering the air in smoke.
Marlens held a potion jar in her hand and Sabrinia celebrated next to her.
Karl readied his shazaq and waited for Ryza to fall out of the sky, but she flew down and slashed at Karl with her bladed wings, grazing his neck.
How did she survive that?
She flew at him again and sliced his ear.
She landed in front of him and swung the Grave Blade.
Karl lifted his shield but the impact shocked his forearm.
More arrows hit Ryza but hung off her body.
She swung again and again and Karl hid behind his shield. Karl had hoped to be more of a match but he couldn’t mount an offence. Ryza was more powerful than before.
Oaf entered the courtyard. ‘Karl! No!’ He ran towards Karl.
‘It’s fine, Oaf!’ he said.
Karl deflected a downward strike, knocking Ryza’s blade to the side. He drew the shazaq back but couldn’t thrust it forwards. The Grave Blade was wedged in his chest. He dropped his sword and his body lightened.
A grin stretched across Ryza’s beak.
Oaf stopped.
‘Karl!’ Sabrinia yelled.
Marlens held Sabrinia back from charging at Ryza.
Karl tried to fight the agony but it flooded through him. He used all he had to smile at Ryza. ‘I like how close we are.’
She twisted her sword. The smaller blades ripped Karl’s insides.
Frong wedged his spear into Ryza’s side, but it barely sunk in. ‘How?’
Ryza turned to him and smirked. ‘I’m a god now.’ She elbowed him in the mouth, yanked the spear out and tossed it away.
Karl’s fading heart tightened. The plan was meaningless. He looked at Sabrinia, grabbed a dagger from his belt and wedged it into Ryza’s neck, but it snapped an inch into her skin.
She placed her talons against his chest. As she did with Sags, she kicked Karl off her sword as if he were an obstruction.
Karl flopped onto his back and stared at the stars.