The reality of carrying Aaron’s baby had eluded Winter temporarily but being reminded of it gave her pause for concern.
“You are right, but if we don’t do something now, my baby may not be born at all, or even worse, born under the Ravengard rule. Neither option is acceptable.”
“Of course. This is your responsibility, and you must do what you think best. Lead them. I will support you completely.”
“Thank you, Queen Mother.” Winter turned to the waiting crowd of Ravengard and Survivors.
“Well? What are you waiting for? We have a lot of work to do, and our lives depend upon it.”
“Are you Queen Mother now?” a voice from the back called out.
Winter stopped and thought a moment. She looked at kDira. “I am not ready to be Queen Mother. What do they call me?”
kDira stepped next to her daughter. She looked at everyone and saw love and sadness in their faces.
“I am still Queen Mother,” kDira announced, “but for the time being, I would like Winter to take charge until I am thinking clearly again. Her father, Agis, and my friend, Ari… Ari…” kDira drew in a deep breath. “They were my Chiefs of the Guard. Winter, at least until I find a better choice than Heir to the title Queen Mother, will be my Chief of the Guard. Treat her with all the respect you do Agis and Ari.”
“Yes, Queen Mother!” came the unanimous response.
“My Chief of the Guard has given you orders! What are you still standing around for?”
Winter embraced her mother once again.
cHAPTER 31
The trees were whispering secrets only they understood as he walked. He was young. The small twigs and leaves on the path only mildly hurt his feet, but for the moment he realized that it felt good to him. The smell… the smell of moss, and wet leaves, and… pine-scent. Hickoring trees rose proudly into the sky, reaching out their majestic arms to the sun above, keeping much of the sun’s rays for themselves, but letting some filter down to the young man below. He felt good. He felt joy.
The path was a familiar one; one that he walked hundreds of times before. It made its own meandering way through the Kaiba Forest, his home. His friends the trees whispered a welcome as he walked past. Treecats scurried and ran up the mighty Hickoring trees, while other small furry animals sat back at a distance to watch as the human walked by. There was peace in the air.
He looked down at his body; he had no weapons, only the bare necessities, and a bota bag. Lifting and uncapping the bag, he took a swig and was delighted to taste the fresh, cool water from within. He breathed, his lungs rejoicing in the moist, forest air that he longed for.
He wanted to run and get his friends, to let them rejoice in the quiet, peaceful place he had found himself in, but somehow, he knew in his mind that they could not be with him. Not now.
“Father,” a voice came from somewhere ahead. A boy’s voice.
“Who’s there? Who’s out there?”
“Father, it is I,” the young male voice said again. And then ahead of him was a boy, all of eight seasons old. He looked familiar, yet he knew he’d never seen the boy before.
“Who are you? Why do you call me father?”
“Do you not recognize me? I am Isiath.”
“The Isiath I knew was killed years ago. You could not possibly be…”
“I am your son. I was stillborn eight seasons ago, remember? You named me Isiath after your warrior friend.”
“How are you here? What place is this?”
“Don’t you recognize the Kaiba Forest?”
“Of course, but… how are you… here? How can this be?”
Agis was beginning to feel sorrow and joy at the same time. He went down on one knee. “Can I hold you?”
“Of course, father!” the boy said, running to his arms.
Agis broke down in tears, sobbing like a young boy, not realizing how much the loss of his son had meant to him. The embrace of the son he never got to enjoy was more than he could bear. “My boy! My good boy.”
“I wanted to be with you, but it was not meant for us. It’s okay, father, I am here with you now. Come, let us hunt together.” The boy pulled away from Agis and wiped the tears from his father’s cheeks. “Come now. Let’s hunt.”
The man stood up and realized he had a bow and arrow in his hands, as did the boy.
“I know you prefer the sword, but I wanted to show you what a good archer I would have been.”
“Lead the way, Isiath.”
“This way. Look, there is a whole herd of chideer here. Quiet now…”
The man and the boy nocked their arrows and let them fly. The boy had been honest about his abilities; he felled a chideer on his first shot.
“Very good! I sadly missed my shot.”
“That’s okay, father. You have bigger battles to fight. Come, let us get my kill.”
“You certainly are a good shot. Is this your first kill?”
“Yes, it is. Do I get a feast?”
The man realized that he had no one to share the moment with. No one to brag about his son with. No one to attend the feast.
“Father, I am just joking. But this is a nice chideer, isn’t it?”
“Your mother would be so very proud.”
“You really love mum, don’t you?”
“She is what I live for. Lived for.”
“She still needs you, you do realize that, father?”
“She needs a lot of help. She could sure use your expertise right now, Isiath, that is for sure.”
“I can’t go back, but you need to try, father. You need to try to go back and help mum. She needs you.”
“I don’t know how to help her. My leg is… well, useless. I can’t fight; I can’t even lead anymore.”
“Seems to be that because you put up a fight you are here right now. And a great fight it was, father.”
Somehow, without the man noticing, the boy had aged ten years.
“Look at me, Father. This is what I would have looked like if I could have grown to warrior age. I would have looked a lot like you.”
“You are a beautiful, strong, young warrior, Isiath. Can’t I just stay here and rest? We can go on another hunt. We will feast, just you and me.”
“It is not time, father. You must go help mum. Be strong for her. Be strong for the Blackhorn.”
The boy was young again. The man fought to hold back more tears as the boy stood up and began walking away into the Kaiba Forest. “I love you, father. Tell mum I love her too.”
The boy was gone.
“I love you too, Isiath.”
“Agis! Agis! Can you hear me?”
Agis fought to focus his eyes, his first instinct was to close them again and return to the Kaiba Forest to look for the son he had never had a chance to really love.
“Agis, you have to wake up.”
“Edu? You’re back…” Agis said, trying to maintain focus.
“Yes, my old friend. You look terrible.”
“Took a little sword damage in the chest area,” Agis said, laughing, and then coughing.
Lucas Brown stepped forward. “Let me look at his wounds. I will try to stop the bleeding.”
“From the looks of things, he’s lost a lot of blood.”
“It doesn’t appear as though his lung has been penetrated. That is just dumb luck there. Quickly, someone fetch the bag I brought back with us. It has some medicines and pain relievers that Agis can really use right now.”
Cayban ran out the door to the pile of goods they had brought back from Santa Paula.
“Do what you can for him, Lucas,” Edu said. “Agis, where is everybody?”
“They were rounded up and taken to the barracks down by the docks. Lucas knows where that is. Ari is dead; Queen Lehentis threw her off the top floor of the Palace.”
Edu grimaced at the thought of Ari dying in such a horrible way. “You guys really got yourself into a mess here, didn’t you?”
“Wait until you meet the Queen
; she’s a real joy to be around. Did you get the magic weapons?”
“Yes, we got them.”
“How many did you bring back?”
“Twelve or so long ones, and some smaller ones,” Tuviast said, pointing to the revolver in the holster at his side.
“That doesn’t sound like nearly enough,” Agis said, wincing in pain from time to time as Lucas poked and prodded his wounds.
“These weapons will make up for the lack of warriors on our side.”
“I hope so. The Ravengard aren’t the brightest, but they do know how to fight.”
“Yes,” Benithan said, “we found that out the hard way. The good news is, the General is dead. We killed him.”
“I killed him,” Edu jumped in, “right before he was about to lop off your heads.”
“But the point is, he’s dead.”
“Can you get me back on my feet again, Lucas?”
“Well, I am not a doctor, but in my professional opinion, I don’t think you will be fighting any battles anytime soon.”
“Nonsense! Just stop the bleeding and get me a sword. I am going to rescue kDira and the tribe if it’s the last thing I do.”
“It just might be the last thing you do,” Edu said, “and if you don’t plan this out well, all might be lost before we even get started. You just rest there for a bit. I want to have a look around. Beni and Cayban, show Omiroe, Acetec, and a few others how to use the new weapons. Tuviast, you come with me.”
“Edu…” Agis said, stopping his friend before Edu reached the door with his son. “I am very glad you are back, my friend.”
“You can’t keep me away from a good war, my friend, you know that. Oh, and if you hear guns going off, you might want to have the rest of the boys grab guns and come running.”
cHAPTER 32
A window above the high beams that held the rafters was the only opening in the barracks allowing the early morning light to come in. The other windows had been boarded up years ago. One of the younger Survivors had been hoisted up into the rafters to look out the window. He signaled that he saw two Ravengard guards outside the door, but no other sign of movement outside.
The morning work shift was about to start, but kDira and her followers remained uncertain if anyone would be let out for the day’s work or not. Weapons had been fashioned from dismantled beds and the other sparse furnishings the barracks had to offer. They hoped that if the Ravengard did come to take workers to the ships or the factory, the Blackhorn could overcome them, take their weapons, and be ready for whatever might come next.
It had been a long, restless night. Everyone had spent most of their time making and perfecting the best weapons they could and discussing what they would do if the guards entered the barracks. A few managed to catch a few minutes sleep, but for kDira, the sight of Ari falling to her death, still fresh in her mind, took away her ability to sleep. She would sleep and cry after the battle is won.
“The shifts are starting to head out,” the young man quietly relayed down from the window above. “No one is coming here yet.”
“Everyone, prepare. Be ready to pounce if they open the doors,” kDira said, just loud enough to be heard inside the barracks, but hopefully not outside the barracks.
“Wait…” the young man announced. “They’re coming: Five warriors, all armed with swords.”
“That’s seven we have to take out. Two at the door plus the five. Be ready.”
The lock on the door clanked, and as the door opened, the guards walked in. The leading guard began to announce what was going to happen when he was suddenly silenced by a metal club to the face. The four that followed behind him soon met a similar fate, then the Blackhorn rushed outside. The two guards that had been positioned outside the door could be seen running toward the army barracks just two buildings down the beach.
“We have to get ready!” kDira called out. “They will alert the army, then we will have more trouble than we can handle. Everyone get back to our building and make ready for battle. Most of us have weapons there. Let’s go!”
The Blackhorn and the Survivors all began a mad dash to get back to the Blackhorn complex. They were driven by the need to regroup, fortify, and rearm themselves. Twice along the way they met an armed Ravengard, who was quickly put down by a metal pipe to the head before he could pull his sword.
Edu and Tuviast hadn’t gotten very far outside of the Blackhorn barracks when they heard a large mob stampeding toward them. As they rounded the corner, Edu thought for a moment he was going to be trampled and to his relief he realized it was his Blackhorn friends coming his way. When kDira saw who was before them, she stopped.
“Edu! So glad you came back to us! Is that one of the weapons?”
“Yes, it is. The boys rounded up some nice ones.”
“They are back already? Tuviast, how can this be?”
“We found some not that far from here, about five hours away.”
“Wonderful! Let’s get back in our building and get ready for battle. The Ravengard are surely mobilizing against us as we speak.”
“Yes, Queen Mother.”
“We also need to rescue Agis from the Queen. He may not have long to live with her.”
“Agis is with us. He fought his way free of them and made his way back to your chambers but was injured badly in the process. He is still alive and talking though.”
“Come on! I need to see him.”
“Where are those guards with my male?” the Queen called out, though there was nobody else there to hear her tantrums. “This is getting ridiculous!”
It was then that she heard the commotion coming from outside; the sounds of hundreds of feet running across the paved ground, thundering like a herd of chideer passing through the streets. She rushed to the balcony in time to see the last of the Blackhorn group round the end of the building and head toward their own.
“Where is my army?” she yelled from the tenth floor. “Where is my army!”
Several moments later she could see her army running from the area of the barracks and heading out across the front of the Crowne Palace.
“They went that way, you imbeciles!” she said, pointing to the Blackhorn living complex. “Get them and kill them all!”
The Queen left the balcony and started down the stairs. Several floors down she found blood everywhere, two dead Ravengard warriors, and an ominous symbol written on the wall in blood.
“They will pay for this treachery!” the Queen yelled in anger. She continued down the stairs, only to be stopped one floor down by four Ravengard warriors.
“My Queen,” one of them said, obviously winded from running up the stairs, “you must return to your chambers for your own protection. We believe the newcomers are preparing for battle. Though we easily outnumber them, you should still take every precaution.”
The Queen’s temper was steeping, but she realized she would not be going into battle herself, she could watch it unfold from above. “One of you… I want the word out that I will deal with kDira myself. I want her alive and kneeling before me, begging for her life, before I cut off her head myself.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
“Agis! Are you okay?” kDira said, planting herself down on the floor next to her injured mate.
“He’s resting,” Lucas said. “He has lost a lot of blood. I gave him some painkillers and something to fight infection, but it’s up to him now. He is a very strong man, but he has been through a lot.”
Winter, Charlomine, and Star all gathered around their father. Star wept quietly as Charlomine embraced her from behind.
“Be strong, girls. Father needs us to be strong.”
“kDira, the Ravengard are rushing the complex!” one of the Survivors yelled from the hall.
“Everyone, ready the weapons you have and prepare for battle, for the Blackhorn!”
“Yes, Queen Mother!”
“Charlomine, Star, you go into your room and lock the door!”
Without a word, t
he two turned and went into their room, but seconds later they stepped back out, armed with their own bows and arrows. The battle cries of the Ravengard grew louder as the war grew ever closer.
“No!” kDira said to her young daughters. “You cannot fight this battle. You must stay safe!”
“This is our battle too, mum. If we lose this battle, we are dead anyway. We must fight!”
kDira decided that the girls were right, and though she didn’t want to see her brave young girls go into battle, there was really no choice.
“Time to try out the new weapons, krebs!” Edu said. He, Lucas and the younger Blackhorn, as well as several others each took a gun and made their way to either end of the complex to protect the entrances.
“Winter, you’re still here?”
“I will fight alongside the Queen Mother,” Winter said, handing kDira a sword. “I think we need to pay the Queen in the Palace a visit.”
“Lucas, take care of Agis.”
“Of course, Queen Mother.”
cHAPTER 33
For the first time in over a century, the sound of gunfire erupted on the west coast of what used to be the United States as several semi-automatic weapons were pressed into service in a war with the Ravengard. Far outnumbering the Blackhorn wielding the firearms, the Ravengard pushed on toward the complex, releasing arrows into the air to cover the advancing foot soldiers. As Ravengard after Ravengard fell to the unseen bullets, those behind them pressed onward.
“We cannot reload fast enough to hold them off,” Cayban cried. “What are we going to do?”
“Keep shooting until you can no longer,” Edu said, “then use your small gun. Then after that, go hand to hand. We must put a stop to them!”
The report of all the guns being fired in rapid succession provided plenty of cover for kDira and Winter to sneak around the back and make their way into the Palace of the Crowne. Upon entering the ground floor, they were met by two Ravengard warriors, swords drawn, ready for battle.
The kDira's World Anthology Page 60