Kingdom Of Demons (4) “ Tell me what you want me to do” he said to the king with a bow. “ Go with Kalavar. He will tell you what you need to know” the king says assuredly. With another bow to the king, Warrick followed the sorcerer through a small doorway behind the throne room. They passed through an eerie-lit corridor leading to another small door. On the other side of the door, was a room of mystical proportion. The walls were full of many books, most of which were full of dust from years of sitting. The room was slightly lighted, as the moon shined through a large window. Large tables in the middle of the room were cluttered with scrolls and more books turned to various pages. Other tables had tubes joined by colored hose and jars of colored powder. On the corner of one of these tables, was a small chest. Warrick watched as Kalavar walked over to the chest and opened it, to a mysterious green light. The light was coming from a stone attached to a small chain. The stone held Warrick in a trance like hold, as the sorcerer placed it on his neck. Much to the young mans surprise; the stone went dull as soon as the sorcerer let it go. “What happened wizard, the glowing has stopped?” Warrick said as the wizard stepped back. As if it would help, Warrick grabbed the stone and started to shake it. “ Let it be boy, the stone is working just fine. It’s adapting to your body as we speak” he explained. “What does it do and how do I use it?” Warrick questions. “ It was a gift from the gods, and holds the fate of humanity. It was given to King Marcus II, to defeat Zuel the father of Krimus. Zuel used the red stone to char the lands, so he might rule a kingdom of lifelessness. When King Marcus II heard of this, he asked the heavens for help to preserve the lands. A winged messenger brought him the green stone, making him swear to use it for only good. The king used it to temporarily neutralize the power of the stone of death, once carried by Zuel. With the stones power gone, Zuel was easily defeated” he explained. “ If the stone is that powerful, why doesn‘t King Marcus do the same?” Warrick asked. “ Obsessed by his new power, the king used it to win a great battle. When the battle was over, the messenger returned and took the stones power. Knowing this day would come; the messenger assured him that its power would return. He said that one day a brave man that’s pure of heart, would emerge and only then would its power be returned. I have seen such a man in my vision. It is you, young Warrick” he says proudly. Surprised and honored by the sudden change in events, Warrick stares at the stone as his thoughts roam. “ But how will I know when to use it?” Warrick asks again. “The stone will let you know. Now off with you. Go rest while the stone gets acquainted” the sorcerer says pushing him out the door. Warrick makes his way back down the corridor and into the throne room. As he notices the king is now gone, he returns to his own room to rest. Chapter Seven In the kingdom of the devil horde, the peasants sit to rest after completing the work on the corridors. Since they arrived, they have worked in shifts round the clock and fed just enough to keep them alive. But, their rest will be short lived as Gordo makes his way to King Krimus. The hell king sits deep in thought, as Gordo enters with the good news. “My lord. The peasants have completed the castle construction” he reports. “ Good Gordo. Now we can concentrate on defeating Castle Brave Rock” he says eagerly. “ That is good sire. The horde grows restless, for it has been a while since they have tasted blood” he says. “Then let’s not disappoint them. Tell them to ready themselves and bring me ten of the humans. For tonight we have a hunt” he says as Gordo leaves with a devilish grin. Gordo takes ten of the best shaped humans and sends them to Krimus, while the others are taken to the dungeons. The dungeons are cold and smell of rotting corpses, but a welcome sight considering the fate of those less fortunate. Gordo returns to find the horde most excited, as they sharpen their axes in anticipation of the hunt. The humans kneel at the kings’ feet, as they shake in fear. Krimus sits staring at them, as the hellhounds growl at their every breath. Fearing they will soon die a horrible death, some begin a silent prayer as the others think of their families. Suddenly their fate is revealed, as the king speaks. “ Peasants of Brave Rock. You have worked well and deserve a reward. But, no reward goes without consequences” he says with evil demeanor. “ You select few have been chosen to participate in a game of death. You will be taken to the castle gate and released as free men. If you make it back to your village, you live. But be warned ,for my demons will follow!” he explains. The thought of being set free gives the peasants new life, as their hearts pump harder and harder. As the men are led to the castle gate, the horde roars in excitement. They snap and growl at one another, as each wants to make the first kill. Upon Gordos return the bloodthirsty beasts are released. After a long run across the lifeless land, the peasants make it to the edge of the woods. Some of them haven’t been out of the castle in years, and the thought of freedom fuels their bodies with energy. Breaking branches and disturbed grass fill the air as their hearts pump harder and their breathing gets deeper. As the kingdom of demons gets further away, the fleeing humans decide to go in separate directions in hopes that some of them may survive. Hearing the sounds of the horde behind them, one of the men makes the fatal error of looking back. The sight of the approaching beasts distracts him, as his feet get tangled in the tall grass. Landing hard on the ground, the peasant finds himself facing in the direction of the approaching threat. As the horde closes in on him, he sees that their spooky white eyes are encircled in red and their faces are filled with spiteful rage. Hateful growls can be heard all around him, as he covers his ears and curls in a ball of fear. Several of them pass him by and for an instant he feels that he might be spared. He slowly uncurls himself, as the screams grow fainter. Lifting his head up above the grass, he sees them disappear up ahead. Rising to his feet, the man gives a sigh of relief. He celebrates by bending forward and grabbing his grass stained knees to catch his breath. He straightens his body to hot breath on his neck complimented by a low growl. He slowly turns around to see an open mouth of teeth before all goes black. The others are fairing no better, as the creatures close in. Soon screams can be heard in different areas in the woods. One of the fleeing peasants finds his feet blindly guiding his body. His head pivots frantically from left to right, as he starts to hear them from behind. Just when he feels like he can’t run anymore, a pain in his heart tells him he has come to a sudden stop. He looks down to find himself speared by a fallen tree and blood running from his chest. The last two of the group run by him as he thanks god for a quick death before going limp. They get only a hundred yards past him, before they find themselves surrounded by the hungry horde. Now standing back to back the men are helpless against their numbers. The demons toy with them a minute, like children playing with their food. The men slowly disappear into a wall of black, as their meat is ripped from their bones. One by one the beasts raise there head to roar in the victory of a triumphant hunt. With all of the peasants dead, the horde settles down for a quick meal. Back at the castle a winged demon brings news from Castle Brave Rock. The flapping of large wings is silenced, as he glides to the castle entrance and disappears into the corridors. He makes his way to the throne room of the hell king and with a short bow gives his report. “Lord Krimus, I bring news from the land of humans. Seems they’ve found interest in the cave of the dragon and the knights will leave for there at first light.” “At last my moment has arrived. With the knights gone, the castle will be most vulnerable” the king says pleasingly. “ Prepare the horde Gordo. For soon you will storm the castle and bring me the princess” he adds with a grin. With that, the demons leave Krimus to ponder his thoughts, as his plan of revenge begins. Chapter Eight The sun starts to rise and Castle Brave Rock gets very busy, as the men get ready to embark on their adventure. The wagons are loaded with supplies, as the knights check their armor and weapons. Warrick arrives to find that the knights and others are all but ready to go. He mounts his horse to a familiar voice from the front of the group. “ So blacksmith, I see you decided to join us after all. And just when I was starting to worry that you wouldn‘t show” Sir William says sarcastically. “ You worry about the wrong person Sir William. And although I’m flattered that you missed me, I have to say you’re not my type” he says as the men begin to laugh. Angered by the laughter, Sir William digs his heels into the side of his horse and the quest begins. Ever so deeper into the woods, the men slowly press on. They have now traveled for hours and have seen no sign of the horde or anything else of a threat. Titus entertains some of them with stories of battles fought long ago. The men listen a bit and soon start telling their own tales of bravery. One story is just as impressive as the next, as the woods start getting dark from the night. Before it gets to dark, they decide to stop in a small clearing. The horses are secured and the men start unpacking some of the supplies. After a quick meal, they settle on logs around a large fire as more stories are told. Some of the tales are rather funny, as the men roar in laughter. Leaving the men to amuse one another, Sir William gets up to answer natures call. He walks several yards away and soon finds a spot to empty his bladder. When he finishes he takes a moment to fix himself, when he hears a noise from behind. He turns around to find himself quickly pinned against the tree by a U- shaped spear. Standing in front of him is a hairy creature with a large head that resembles that of a huge ram. The creature is large and strong, as it presses the spear against his adams apple. Not able to go for his sword, he can just stand there as the creature speaks. “ You trespass in the land of the Ram Beasts. Any last words before you die” the creature asks. “Yeah, your head will make a nice trophy” William replies as he removes his dagger and lodges it deep into the beasts heart. The beast screams in pain as Sir William frees himself from the tree. He draws his sword and slices the ram beast in two with a quick swipe. It falls to the ground motionless, as he thinks of the others. Around the fire, the men continue to laugh at one another. The tales seem to get more far fetched, as the night goes on. But suddenly the tale telling comes to an end, as the stone around Warricks neck begins to glow. “ Warrick your stone” Titus tells him. Warrick looks down to see that the stone is glowing brighter and brighter. “ What does it mean lad?” Gregory asks. “ I don’t know. It hasn’t glowed since the sorcerer gave it to me” he replies. Warrick holds the stone, as it continues its mystifying glow. But soon there is no time for discussion, as the woods open up with cries of anger. The men look around and almost smile at the approaching threat. Springing to their feet, they draw their swords as the battle begins. Warricks sight is cloudy for a second, as a vision from the stone guides his attention to one of the creatures coming from behind. With the stones mystical power, he can now clearly see the approaching danger. In the vision, he sees a large hairy creature running towards him with a spear. Without even looking around, he draws his sword and lunges it passed his side and buries it into the beasts stomach. But as soon as that one falls, another approaches him as he spins around and slices it’s head from it’s body. Soon all of the men are challenged by the ram beasts, as they come from all directions. In the middle of the action, Titus swings his large ax slicing at the creatures one by one. He soon finds himself covered in their blood, as he cuts through them like a knife through butter. Warrick takes a moment to admire his skill, before he sees Sir William join the fight. The knight runs towards one of them with his sword at his side and then amputates its arm below the shoulder with a powerful swing. The beast roars in pain before being silenced by another blow across its chest. But, even before that one hits the ground, William is smothered by three more, as they take him to the ground. He looks up at their snarling faces, as he feels a spear cut through his shoulder. The pain is almost unbearable as the beast pulls it out and aims at his head. Just as it lunges downward, it stops as a sword bursts through its heart. Wasting no time with the other two, Sir William bats their spears away and springs to his feet. One of them grabs his wounded shoulder as he screams in pain. He takes the dagger he used in the woods and slashes its throat open. The creature gurgles in blood and then falls to the ground. But as he turns for the other he finds it already dead. It lies on the ground with a large cut across its gut to expose its intestines. He quickly looks around to see who helped him, when he hears a scream from behind. He looks up to find one of the new men being torn to shreds by the beasts. Titus and the others come to his aid. But as the men easily defeat them, they find it to late. They stare at the mans mangled body and take a moment to mourn him. With the ram beasts defeated, the men take a moment to regroup. They suffered only three losses and consider it a victory. But soon find themselves with little time to celebrate. Still charged by the thrill of battle, the men decide to break camp and move on. Putting the battlefield behind them, they leave the carnage to be cleaned up by the creatures of the forest. As they move on at a steady pace, Sir William rides along side his old friend. “ Thank you Sir Gregory” he says with a gratifying look. “ Thank me for what, William?” he asks puzzled. “ Back there against those beasts. I surely would have not made it out alive if you hadn’t helped” he admits. “Perhaps you’re right. But you thank the wrong person” he says looking at Warrick. “ The blacksmith?” William says. “ Aye. His sword has improved amazingly. Like him or not William, he is the reason you speak to me now” Gregory informs him. “ It’s not that I don’t like him Sir Gregory. He’s an outsider. And you know how I feel about that.” “ Aye, that I do. I have the scar of an arrow to prove it” Gregory reminds him. William remembers the arrow that Gregory took for him. He also remembers how they became good friends afterwards. “ I guess I’ve been a bit of a thorn to the lad” William says regrettably. “ Then go talk to our young friend” Gregory says with a smile. But his smile is short lived as they notice a disturbance up in front. William kicks his horse and rides ahead. When he gets to the front of the group, he notices that the men's horses are very nervous. The horses almost seem to be backing up, as if spooked by something. William helps the men quiet them down, as Gregory and Warrick arrive. “ Something has them spooked” one of the men says looking around the woods. “ Aye, It’s the swamp of death” William says as he too looks around. “ It is said to be the home of the Blood Hive” Sir Gregory adds. “ What is this Blood Hive?” Warrick asks. “ A deadly band of blood thirsty beasts with large fangs. I hear that they can suck a man dry in seconds. It is said, that some of them can even fly. We must leave here William” Gregory says with concern. But before another word is uttered, a scream can be heard in the distance. All the men turn ,to see a large creature on top of one of the men in the back. William breaks from the group and with a deadly sword strike, cuts the thing in half. Warrick and the others are soon by his side. Together they look in horror, as the mans skin is now wrapped closely around his bones. Just as Gregory reported, in a matter of seconds, the thing had sucked the blood from his body. The thing laid there in a pool of blood. Much of which belonged to their dead friend. As William kicked the thing over, the men saw the fangs that Gregory spoke of. They were about eighteen inches long, with razor sharp tips. The fangs were very deadly looking and dripped the mans last few drops of blood. It’s eyes were like that of a serpent, which was surrounded by a slender head covered with short hair. It’s arms and legs were of medium size, but very strong. Instead of fingers it had talons, to hold it’s prey tight. It’s feet had five long toes consisting of three in the front and two in the back. They also had long talons, which made them perfect for snatching victims and carrying them off in mid flight. It’s mid-section was large and rounded for storing several gallons of blood. It had large retractable wings on it’s back, which come unfolded from Williams strike. As the men looked at the creature, the hair stood up on the back of their necks at the mere thought of falling victim to one of them. But as their minds were filled with horrid thoughts, their eyes were distracted as Warrick’s stone glowed once more. “ What is that glow?” William asked. “It’s the stone the sorcerer gave me. It started glowing back there when the Ram Beasts attacked. If it’s any indication of things to come, I fear we’re about to have company” he says looking around. Just as he finished speaking, the swamp come alive with more of the blood-suckers. They threatened both from the air and from hiding spots in the forest. Two of the men were quickly taken by the flying creatures, as the beasts fought in the air over which one would have them for dinner. The men screamed in pain, as the things dug their long talons deep into their skin. High in the air the men were ripped apart, as the others fought below. On the ground, the men fought one after the other. The earth beneath their feet soon turned to blood-stained mud, as the men lacerated the creatures blood sacs. As Warricks sword was knocked from his hand, he found himself holding one of the blood suckers off by it’s fangs. The creature dug its talons deep into his shoulders, as it tried to pull him closer. Just as its fangs got close to his chest, the hungry beast was slashed in half. Warrick was still holding its upper half as he looked up to see Sir William standing in front of him. “ Now we’re even blacksmith. So drop that thing and rejoin the fight!” Then the knight surprised him with a smile, before returning to the battle. Warrick found his sword just in time. As he turned to join the fight, he found himself threatened by three of the blood suckers. The color red splattered everywhere as he ruptured their blood swollen bellies. When the third one fell, he quickly noticed that Titus was in trouble. In each of his strong hands he held one of the creatures off. Without hesitation Warrick slung his sword through the air, as the mighty Titus was taken to the ground by the threat. The sword whistled in the air as it cut straight through the blood beast. The creatures blood covered Titus, as he found his ax and split the second in half. Blood ran down his face as he stood up and thanked Warrick with a wave of his ax. He picked up Warrick’s sword and threw it back to him. Just as the lad caught it, a bright light covered the battlefield. The men shielded their eyes, as it was to bright for man or beast to see. Frightened by the bright light, the hive quickly retreated from the fight. The men were relieved to see the creatures disappear back into the woods. Although the men were holding their own, they were quickly tiring from the hives numbers. They all took a moment to catch their breath and wipe the blood from their faces, when the source of the light crossed all their minds. “ They will be back when they realize that they are no longer in danger” a voice rang out. The men turned in unison to find Kalavar the sorcerer standing among them with his power staff. “ Thank you sorcerer. Your timing is impeccable” replied Sir William. “ I come to check on your progress and to bring a message from the king. He has sent messengers to our allied kingdoms asking for reinforcements for the battle against King Krimus. Now hurry on your way and I will hold the hive off till you clear the woods” the sorcerer says with urgency. “ You can assure the king that we will arrive with the metal soon, Kalavar!” William shouts as he and the men mount their horses. As they started to ride away, Warrick approached the sorcerer. His head was full of questions about the stones power. But as if the sorcerer was reading his mind, Warrick was interrupted before he could utter the first word. “ I feel the stones power growing in you young Warrick. By now you have started to feel it too. Listen to it Warrick. Let it guide you. Now go and join the others. For the hive returns!” he demands. The sorcerer’s words were discreet but somewhat comforting. Although Warrick still had many unanswered questions, he somehow knew that he would have his answers soon enough. As he rode off to catch the others, a confident smile crossed his face. He was indeed feeling the stones power grow inside of him. And soon that power would exceed his wildest dreams. Chapter Nine With Sir William and the others riding toward the dragon cave and Kalavar distracting the Blood Hive, Castle Brave Rock sat unaware of the nearby danger. By order of King Krimus, the horde slowly closed in on the castle. They wasted no time taking out the king’s lookouts, as Gordo made his way to the bedroom of the princess. As she lay asleep in her chambers, the demon approached her bedside. As he stood over her, she awoke to a horrific sight. But before she could scream, a strange dust filled the air and she quickly fell back into a deep sleep. He easily placed her over his shoulder and escaped back out the window to the ground below. As he straddled her over his horse, he took one last look at the castle and they were off into the night.
Copyright © 2003 Robert E Tadlock |