By Trey’s reckoning it was nearing night. The temperature had slowly been dropping for nearly an hour. There were no windows in the cell the group were being kept in but he could tell that the sun was still out from the light filtering through the gaps in the wood from above.

The mood in the cell was sombre at best. They hadn’t eaten or drank since sun up that morning, their weapons had been confiscated, and they were going to be eaten by a tribe of cannibals. The word unlucky just didn’t quite cut it for the situation.

Other than the thuds from rough skinned feet above and the unintelligible speech of the tribal people, the only other sound was the groan of the wood around them and the constant noise of the sand scraping against the outer walls as the structure pushed through the dry sea.

A new sound echoed into the prison, shattering the uneasy quiet. The three boys looked up, startled. There, stood in-between two of the door’s battered iron bars, was Pux.

“You look like you need a bit of help,” he laughed. He leant casually against the bar, his tiny hand rested lightly upon the pommel of his sword. The weapon was slimmer in design than the usual broad and long swords popular throughout Farava. The Yuxova blade was built to stab more than to slash. The hilt and pommel were polished ivory.

“Pux, thank the Sprites you’re here. Hurry up and get us out of here,” Trey said.

“Quiet!” warned the Yuxova. “Someone’s coming.”

Pux darted behind a bucket as a heavily built man stepped into view. The man had a menacing smile etched onto his ugly face and was licking his lips hungrily. He tapped his crudely made mace onto his hand as he approached the boys. He stopped, pulled out a bulky key, then inserted it into a hole in the cell’s door.

He gave an evil chuckle as he shoved them out of the prison. “What a good day indeed. We will eat well for the first time in weeks,” he said with a greedy smile. His accent was strong, his mouth not quite adapting to the Faravian language.

They were led along the corridors the same way that they had been brought in. As they emerged from the dark under level, the moon greeted them, its full sphere hanging watchfully in the heavens above. Its light cast the surroundings in a mystical silver glow. It gave the gathering of cannibals a spectral appearance. There must have been at least fifty of them.

“We’re almost back to the pit,” announced the skull wearing leader. He spoke in the boys’ own language so they could hear all of the dreaded words he was about to say. “I sent a message forward and an inferno is already ablaze ready for our arrival.” The tribal people all cheered.

“Chief!” called a man from the top of a mast, interrupting the speech. “There’s a Heptalli ship on the horizon. A big one.”

“Oh, this day just keeps getting better,” the leader said with a hungry grin. “Men, the good old Pit’ll have to wait. We’re going hunting!” The surrounding tribal members cheered again, clashing their weapons together as they bayed for blood.

“Full speed straight at them! Soak in the blood of our enemies,” the leader bellowed.

The ship in question came into view after cresting a large dune. It was smaller than the Flesh Eroder’s craft but seemed sturdier built. Its streamlined design looked far closer matched to a real sea faring vessel. It too appeared to have giant wheels to help it through the sand.

A sudden excited hustle began on deck. The boys were tied to the mast with thick rope. One man was left to guard them. He was a large man whose muscles were unnaturally large and his features looked as though they had been sharpened. He held a huge battle axe that looked like it had been stolen from a noble, its black steel etched in silver and gold, while its deadly sharp blades curved elegantly before coming to abruptly brutal points. It looked heavy to even his substantial muscles. The brute sneered at them angrily.

The deck shuddered as a monstrous cannon fired at the Heptalli ship. It boomed like thunder and the crew cheered as they watched the stone sphere hurtle towards its prey. An explosion of sand indicated a miss, but not by far.

“Prepare the Death Riders,” roared a nearby man.

Several thuds reverberated through the ship’s hull. After a second, five small sand vehicles sped into view past the edge of the ship. They were thin, metal constructions with the pilot sat in the middle of them. A large lance like spike reached forwards from the front of the crafts and a triangular blade stuck out at either side. The pilots were no less equipped. Each held a halberd in their hands and seemed to steer the crafts with their legs.

The Heptalli ship released its own fighter craft in defence. The odds seemed against them. They were made from wooden plates and seemed more bulky than their enemy’s counterparts, smaller but less aerodynamic. They did have an outer ring made from metal to aid in attack but their pilots had no visible weapons.

The two forces rapidly reached each other and showed no signs of slowing. At the last available second the Heptalli ships zipped to the side as the enemy ships powered forwards. The ensuing battle was like a deadly dance as the Heptalli wove around the stronger opponents, their speed and manoeuvrability surprising for their size. Offensive capability had obviously been disregarded for an edge in agility. Despite the blocky design, intricate inner mechanics must have been contained within. The plates moved like fishes’ scales, allowing the crafts to flow around the dunes with the grace of dolphins at play.

“There are women and children on that ship,” stated the eagle eyed Billy.

“We have to help them or they won’t stand a chance,” Trey said through clenched teeth.

“We can’t even help ourselves, let alone a whole ship full of people,” replied Billy angrily. He looked at their guard again who was staring hungrily at them. “We won’t even be able to get past this guy, so we can forget trying the rest of the tribe onboard.”

“Maybe if I glare at him and think angry thoughts my will power will kill him,” suggested Zak.

“Good luck with that,” answered Billy sarcastically. Zak glared at the guard with a strained expression on his face as he concentrated on thinking angry thoughts. The guard stood unmoving.

Billy scoffed. “I can’t believe you actually thought that might work you idio-”

The guard dropped to the floor. Blood pooled around his body despite there being no visible wound.

“Ha! See. I’m totally amazing and you thought it was a stupid idea,” laughed Zak. Billy seemed dumbstruck, totally lost for words.

“Now we just need the ropes cutting and we can help,” Trey said into the sudden silence. “Help me try and loosen them.”

“Let me think more angry thoughts at it and then I’ll be the greatest ever,” shouted Zak in a slightly insane voice.

“Or we could just get Pux to cut them once he gets his sword from that man’s spine,” replied Trey as he tried to edge away from Zak. He was not having much luck with it.

“We could do that but I prefer my idea,” pouted Zak.

“Ah, so you noticed me did you, lad?” said Pux as he walked over the guard’s body, wiping crimson blood off of his blade on the man’s shirt. He hopped down and ran over to the ropes which he tried to cut but failed. “It’ll take too long for me to cut it like this. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said as he scurried out of sight.

“How long do you think it’ll take for him to come back?”mused Billy. He looked over to Zak who was still thinking angry thoughts at the rope. He then looked at Trey, and saw nothing. Billy looked all around but couldn’t see any trace of him.

“You can get out anytime now,” said Trey who was sat on a crate near the edge of the ship.

“What? When? How?” Billy stammered. Zak was still staring angrily at the rope, oblivious to everything else around him.

“I used the giant axe that landed near me to cut the ropes,” Trey explained. The mention of the words ‘giant axe’ had snapped Zak out of his angry thoughts and caused him to jump up and charge towards the weapon.

“You won’t even be able to lift it let alone use it, you fool,” scoffed Billy as he collected the ropes for later use.

“Dinner is escaping!” roared a passing by tribal man whose full attention hadn’t been on the battle between the two ships. He dropped the wood he had been carrying and drew his sword with a snarl. Within five seconds about twenty warriors had assembled around the three boys and totally surrounded them.

Previous – Chapter 15. The Sealess Beach.

Next – Chapter 17. Tribal Wars.

Fire!”

The sinister growl echoed around the clearing, spooking the birds from the trees. Before the echoes faded they were replaced by the sharp twang of crossbow bolts.

“Yaweearr!”

For a moment Trey thought it was some random, suicidal attempt of Zak fighting off the projectiles, but when he didn’t feel any pain his brain processed that the sound was too high-pitched to have come from Zak. He opened his eyes. To his surprise, all of the bolts were being carried away by brightly coloured birds. The Forukks themselves were fighting against a tide of the birds that pecked at their eyes and exposed hides.

“Calomahii!” screamed several of the birds in some kind of battlecry.

“Oh sweet. Little men are riding those birds,” called out Zak, pointing excitedly.

Zak was right. Small men about the size of a man’s index finger were riding the birds while shooting little bows at the patches of bare Forukk skin. They wore armour of leaves, shells and bone, and all had tanned skin.

One of the little men manoeuvred his bird around the Forukks and made it hover in front of the three boys. It called out to them in a voice that sounded like the thing had just breathed in a large amount of helium. “

Hey! Big people, run for your lives. We’ll take care of these oversized rats. Get out of here now!”

Taking the strange little man’s advice they turned and ran through the trees in a direction they hoped was east. The sound of battle slowly faded into the distance as they ran further from the encounter. They could barely breathe from the effort but they continued their sprint, then the sudden lack of ground in front of their feet caused them to skid to a stop.

Billy and Trey both managed to slide to a halt but Zak was still running full pelt while watching the clouds above him. He somehow managed another few feet while running on air before plummeting to the ground below. There was a dull thud.

Trey walked up to the edge and gazed out into a huge expanse of sand as far as his eyes could see. The Amion Desert, known locally as the sands of deliverance. It was a large body of sand that separated Pastrino land from that of Onlasar. Down far below, Zak was embedded in the sand. “Hey Zak, are you okay?” he called down.

“Aaww,” was Zak’s reply.

“Is that a yes or no?” asked Billy in an unconcerned voice. There was silence for a few seconds then Zak managed an answer.

“Wow. That was so fun. Hey, guys help me get back up so I can go again.”

“I’ll take that as a yes he is okay,” Billy sighed.

Trey took a closer look at their surroundings. It was quite a drop from where they were to the sand below but they could make it. Zak had already proven that much. There was also a small path down that ran along the cliff, but a large rock blocked the way. It looked easy enough to climb.

Somewhere there should have been a route known as the Traveller’s Pass, a staircase carved into the cliff which was used by traders. Most bypassed the desert by sailing the River Rike instead. Trey wasn’t sure where this pass was though, and he had the daunting feeling that the Forukks were on their trail again.

“Come on, we’ll take the path,” he told Billy, a nearby howl lending haste to his decision.

It only took a few minutes to reach the boulder. Trey looked back to see the Forukks just emerging from the trees; less in number then when they attacked in the forest. Many of them looked like they had injuries but at this range he couldn’t be sure. He was sure on one thing though, he was not about to wait and look. They both started to climb, finding plenty of gaps to hold onto. Slight tremors passed through the stone, causing the boys to halt at the top.

The Forukks were far too close for comfort. One released a blood-curdling howl that caused the rock to shake more. Then it started to rise. Trey realised too late that they were standing on a stone troll’s shoulders.

Its body cleverly mimicked the rocks of its surrounding area. Its huge arms looked able to crush anything within its grasp. Simple yellow eyes stared dumbly before it. It was clearly aged as its rocky skin was cracked and faded in certain sections. They were rare in these parts but this particular one looked at home in its surroundings and was not happy about being disturbed.

Even the Forukks stopped in near disbelief as the troll took in the situation before it. It didn’t seem to notice Trey and Billy, and even luckier, it looked to have a dislike for the Forukks. It picked up a rock and threw it like a skimming stone at the closest Forukk, taking its head off in a spray of bone and brain. The troll lurched forward, hands clenched.

“Come on, we’ve got to jump,” said Trey.

“No way. That’s the kind of thing Zak would do.”

“Well it’s either that or we just sit here on a troll while it’s attacking a pack of Forukks.”

“I’d rather do that then do something that Zak thought up. He just wouldn’t shut up about it.”

They didn’t have time to argue so Trey grabbed Billy’s arm and jumped. The wind blew through his hair wildly and his eyes watered so all he could see were blurs around him. He was starting to enjoy free fall, until he reached his destination of the ground. The instant he impacted with the earth, everything went black.

* * *

Trey awoke with a violent pain in his neck and Billy and Zak standing over him, arguing as always. Spitting out a mouthful of sand he sat up slowly and looked around. Only two things seemed odd. One was the body of a Forukk sprawled out nearby. The second was the small man standing on Zak’s shoulder.

Trey didn’t want to listen to Billy and Zak argue so he stood up and walked over to the Forukk body. Neither noticed, and considering he was directly below them, it showed their minds weren’t focused.

The body looked like it had been through a lot. Its otherworldly eyes were pecked and swollen, it had a deep claw wound across its chest, and it looked like it had been crushed by the troll. It didn’t have any sword wounds so he presumed it had been thrown off the cliff.

Looking at a bloodied up monster corpse wasn’t Trey’s idea of fun so he walked back over to his companions to inspect the small man, now jumping about on Billy’s head, much to the teen’s agitation.

Zak suddenly realised that Trey wasn’t on the floor anymore and walked over to him asking, “How did you get over there?”

“I walked,” Trey replied simply.

“Well even I could have guessed that, it’s just that you landed head first. I’m surprised you didn’t break your neck.”

“I’m just lucky I guess,” Trey muttered as he soothed his aching neck. He certainly didn’t feel lucky. “Who’s that little man trying to light a campfire on Billy’s head?”

The creature in question was a humanoid about the size of a mouse with plain brown hair, red tinged eyes and slightly pointed ears. His clothes were a mixture of furs and sewn foliage of subtle browns and greens. There was a slight green tinge to his tanned skin.

“He’s trying to do what!” shouted the unsuspecting Billy. “I’ll kill you, you little…”

Billy swatted wildly at his head, missing the miniature man at every opportunity. He merely dodged the first few attacks, jumped onto Billy’s hand, slid down his shirt then, made a leap of faith, somehow gliding towards Zak. Upon closer inspection, Trey noted that he had small webbed sections on his clothes so he could glide. He landed on Zak’s leg and scrambled up onto his shoulder. Billy raised his fists threateningly to the man and stomped towards him.

The little man pulled a sharpened sword from its scabbard and pointed it at Billy. In a high-pitched voice he shouted “I’ll teach you to pick a fight with a Yuxova captain. Bo-bo, attack!”

Out of the sky dived a small blue bird wearing makeshift armour made of nutshells. It swooped down and started to peck at Billy’s face. Unable to swat the bird away he resorted to running around in a circle screaming until the Yuxova called it off.

After everyone had settled down and Bo-bo the bird was happily seated on Billy’s head, Trey decided to get some details on their small guest. “So, little man, who are you?”

The Yuxova suddenly stood up straight and pushed his chest forwards proudly. “I am Captain Puxalotu Wutoxa. I am the lowest Captain of the Forest Guardians.”

“Why did you come to the desert with us, Pux?” Trey asked.

“My name is Puxalotu, long haired human child.”

“Well what’s wrong with Pux?”

“It’s not my name.”

“It’s close enough.”

Puxalotu ignored Trey and answered his other question. “As for why I’m here with you, I am tasked with protecting the forest. Our Lord Prophet remembers stories of the last time those beasts wandered this land. The forests burned, the trees were felled and our men were brutally murdered. I know from the Shadow Walkers that your city, Uraxi, or Pastrino as it’s called in your tongue, has been destroyed. Our forest will be next. You seem to be on a mission against them so I will aid you.”

“We’re not on a mission against them. We’re just trying to get to safety,” Billy blurted out.

“The Lord Prophet said that you were on a quest so you are on a quest.”

“What ever you say Puxy,” Billy replied.

“I said my name is Puxalotu!”

“So? It’s too long. If we need your help quickly we don’t want to be shouting Puxalotu,” argued Billy stubbornly.

“Okay. I’ll make you a deal. You can call me Pux if I can call you shortened versions of your names too.”

“Deal,” chorused Zak and Trey the second the Yuxova soldier had finished speaking.

“Wait a second. That’s not fair. You aren’t calling me Bill,” Billy protested. “Plus those two don’t have shortened versions.”

“Tough, BILL,” goaded Zak, enjoying every second of Billy’s agitation.

“Damn you all,” Billy muttered angrily.

“So we’re agreed,” interrupted Trey to avoid another argument.

“We can call our little friend here Pux on the condition he can call us shortened versions of our names.”

“In other words he calls me Bill,” grunted Billy.

“Exactly,” added Zak happily.

They walked on for a while following Pux’s advice on which was the best path east, Billy and Zak arguing the whole time. Pux was setting up a small tent on Billy’s head and Trey continued reading ‘The Arts of Nimula’ with a running translation from Zak again. Questions about the Yuxova were occasionally asked of Pux which he gladly answered.

The further they walked, the more the heat increased, sapping at their strength and drenching them in sweat. Only Pux had any water while nobody wore suitable clothing to shield against the scorching sun. Conversation died as saliva evaporated from their mouths.

After a while, Zak broke the silence. “This beach sucks. No sea, no food, and no scantily clad women.”

“What beach?” Trey asked, feeling confused.

“This beach,” Zak said as he motioned the desert surrounding them.

“This. Is. A. Desert,” stated Billy very slowly like he was addressing a small child.

“Shut up BILL,” taunted Zak. “There’s lots of sand so it’s a beach.”

“Look, firstly you can get rock beaches that have no sand, secondly there’s no sea,” argued Billy.

“Fine, it’s a sealess sand beach,” reasoned the other teen.

“That makes no sense,” scoffed Billy.

“Neither does the sign on that ship’s flag,” shrugged Zak.

“What?” said both Trey and Billy in surprise.

They looked towards where Zak was pointing, and sure enough there was a ship. It was actually sailing through the sand. It had a complex wooden structure with giant sails that billowed wildly in the wind, and just like Zak said, it had a flag with some strange symbols. The wood was old and sun bleached while the design of the hull seemed to be a mesh of several styles of seafaring ships. Snarling fangs had been carved into the bow of vessel like the maw of a giant shark.

“I wonder what those symbols mean,” wondered Billy aloud.

Pux squinted up at the cluster of strange shapes. “Hmm. I would say it’s a desert tribe inscription, Flesh Eroders, I believe. It roughly translates to “You can run, but you’ll just die tired,” he explained nonchalantly.

“They sound nice. Let’s hitch a ride,” Zak said with a grin.

“Are you crazy?” roared Billy. “They sound like they’ll kill us in the most painful way imaginable then use whatever remains of us on spare parts for the ship.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” observed Zak excitedly. “They’re about to run us over.”

The ship suddenly increased its speed and made a quick turn until it was pointed directly at the group. Sand flew around it in vast clouds that obscured the cantankerous vessel in a murky veil. Trey could just make out massive wheels under the colossal structure.

“Sprite damn it!” shouted Billy as he leapt from in front of the ship. Trey did the same. Zak just stood there waving at it.

Several spikes were mounted onto the front of the ship at an angle to avoid snapping on dunes, but instead of Zak being impaled on them, he just lifted his foot and stepped up onto the first of the fearsome metal points and began to climb with ease up to the ship’s deck.

As for Billy and Trey, after narrowly avoiding being crushed or impaled by diving to the side, they were caught in huge nets that hung from the ship’s sides like drooped wings. After a futile attempt to untangle themselves, the nets were lifted up onto the deck. Zak was already there, with five swords aimed around his body. Billy and Trey were welcomed similarly after the nets were removed from around them. Pux was nowhere to be seen.

All of the men surrounding them had bald heads and many had disfiguring scars. They all had tattoos depicting death, carnage or general articles of fear like snakes or giant spiders. More than one of them had sharpened their teeth into vicious fangs. They wore a tough, leather like material as clothing, probably from some desert predator, that covered vital areas of the body but left large amounts of tanned skin bare. Each held in his hand a weapon ranging from swords, spears, axes or anything that was heavy and dealt a devastating blow. The men had huge muscles to compensate for the heavy weapons.

Women were also mingled in with the men. They had long, wild hair unlike their male counterparts. They carried weapons too.

The three boys were tied up with thick rope and shoved around as the tribe’s people moved them about, seemingly trying to decide the best course of action. They spoke in a strange, harsh tongue that even Billy, who actually paid attention in language class, couldn’t fully decipher. He caught the odd word or two but not enough to make much sense. Trey was completely at a loss. He regretted ignoring the lessons on desert tribes and their languages now.

A very tall man, dressed like the rest but with the addition of a skull helmet, skull shoulder pads and skull shin pads, walked up to the teens. He must have been high up in their ranks. He also seemed to be able to speak the same language as the boys, although his accent created a harshness to even the softest of words.

“Looks like we’ll be eating well tonight,” he boomed.

The other members of the tribes seemed to understand it as well. They all cheered as Billy, Trey and Zak were led to an under deck cell.

“Nice,” stated Billy, sarcasm dripping from the word.

Previous – Chapter 14. The Road to Abyss.

Next – Chapter 16. Captured.

Pleasant was definitely not the right word to describe Sarah Sted’s journey so far. She and the other captives from Pastrino had been walking non-stop all night and day, and the only food that they had been given were scraps of stale bread which the Forukks wouldn’t eat. If it didn’t drip with blood then they wouldn’t touch it. 

“Time to rest the puss bags,” ordered the lead Forukk, its voice so deep that it was hard to listen to.

“Why?” questioned one of the other officers scathingly, its voice little more than a series of angry grunts. “They can walk for days more before needing a rest.”

“Our lord wants them intact and usable when they arrive,” growled the first. “They will rest for five hours each day, then walk the rest of the day and night.”

Sarah overheard this with dread. Since the attack was in the evening most people were wearing either slippers or no footwear at all. Only a few of the captives had been prepared for travel, and even they were starting to struggle with the blisters. Those without footwear were in constant agony.

Sarah felt so helpless and alone. She had no way to fight back, no friends to talk to, and no way to know if Trey was still alive. He was alive though. She could feel it within her.

Her mind was still in turmoil though. Aside from the pain of witnessing her friends deaths and not knowing where Trey was, she also knew that the Forukks had no use for slaves. Only food. The mention of a lord set her mind racing though. 

Sarah, like the other slaves, gladly welcomed the rest. But none of them could sleep. Most were terrified or brain dead. Those ones had submitted, given up hope. Tomas Aslon certainly had not.

He was the School Master and before that a Pastrinian scout. He was strong and kind, a rare combination in recent times. His bravery and will to fight back was what set him apart from the others. He was soon looked upon as the leader of the brow beaten Pastrinians. The actual lord was nothing more than a grovelling cowered in hard times.

She glanced to the side, spying out the lord amongst the rest of the dejected herd. His fine clothes were torn to rags and his hair was matted with dried blood. His eyes were void and his body shook uncontrollably. Tears stained his face and a constant low moan escaped his lips. He struggled to control his own mind, let alone a city’s population.

Sat beside the lord was an officer from the City Guard, Lieutenant Gapon. The man had several broken bones yet was still able to keep up with the rest of the captives. Sarah was amazed that he could walk at all. Despite how pitiful the lord had become, Gapon stayed at his side and watched over him. The Lieutenant deserved someone better to give his loyalty to.

Disgusted, she turned her attention back to Mr Aslon. He had gathered a crowd around him and addressed them in a confident voice. “The Forukks dislike the light,” he told them. “We outnumber them five to one. If we strike in the daylight, we may stand a chance at victory.”

As he spoke a lone dark figure moved away from the group and towards the Forukk guards.

* * *

The amber flames from a small fire the humans crowded around were nearly dead. A large group had gathered to listen to Mr Aslon’s plan.

“We have a chance of escape. Some of us will die but if we do not take the risk we could be slaves for all of our lives, or worse.” Some nods of agreement appeared as he said this but many had their distaste of the idea clear on their faces.

“We’ll all be killed if we try,” moaned someone in the crowd. Sarah suspected that it was the goldsmith, Beldon Dale.

“I would rather die free than live in chains,” replied Mr Aslon.

More of the assemblage nodded their agreement. Now the majority of the crowd were in his frame of mind. He looked across all the faces in the group, knowing full well that they looked to him to guide them to safety; he also knew he would guide many to their deaths. That was the price of freedom, but it had to be paid.

“So are we decided?” he asked to the entire gathering.

There was a brief pause as the crowd murmured amongst themselves. One arm rose into the air, closely followed by a second and third. Within seconds hundreds of arms reached out towards the sky. Some kept their arms at their side with a disdainful look on their faces. The majority rules.

“Alright. We’ll act at first light. That will give us a full day of sun to make our escape.”

“Where will we go?” asked a voice from the group.

Mr Aslon didn’t answer. In truth he didn’t know what to do or where to go. The crowd was becoming more disheartened by the second. He thought that he had lost their confidence until Sarah Sted stepped forwards to address the congregation.

“We’ll head back to Pastrino, there are weapons there.”

“What! We’re not going back to that death trap. We got massacred last time and we had more men and weren’t fatigued!” shouted Martin Seeda, a tavern landlord.

“True, but we are all awake this time and we would all be prepared. Plus we could send someone to Onlasar to tell them of the threat, maybe move everyone east just to be sure.”

From the back of the crowd a dark figure made its way to the front. It was Mr Xion.

“And who is to lead us in this uphill battle. Our old commander is dead,” he asked.

Mr Aslon stepped forwards. “I shall lead you. I’m a veteran scout who knows a thing or two about battle.”

“Thank you for that Tomas. Guards, he is your rebellion leader.” Mr Xion gave an evil smile as three Forukk guards headed for the front.

The crowd was horror struck. No one dared to move. Mr Aslon knew he stood alone. As the first one drew near he punched its ugly face with all his might, causing the beast to stagger back then fall over a log. Before he could react to the other two he was being held firmly by them in iron grips. Then the first Forukk got back onto its feet and stomped back to him. It raised its fist and was about to strike when Sarah jumped in the way, taking the full brunt of the attack. It was not meant to kill but still sent her flying back. She skidded across the floor, landing in a heap several feet away.

The beast raised its arm again, this time its clawed fingers not clenched. It lunged its talon like hand into Mr Aslon’s chest then withdrew it in a shower of blood holding his heart. Mr Aslon was still alive as he helplessly watched the Forukk eat the organ. As the Forukk took its last bite, Mr Aslon’s entire body went limp.

The Forukks unceremoniously dumped his body in their food store and went back to their duties. Mr Xion accompanied them. Coughing, Sarah struggled to her feet. Around her the crowd was disbanding with downcast eyes. The battle for the people’s will was lost. No one had the courage to fight any more. They all seemed to accept their fate. Not Sarah though. She was not about to give up. Now wasn’t the time though. She would see what her future would hold and she would stand and face it. Her journey would be terrible and her destination would be far worse but what choice did she have? This was only the road to Abyss.

Previous – Chapter 13. Forest Fight.

Next – Chapter 15. The Sealess Beach.

Trey was nice and warm in his comfortable bed and didn’t have a care in the world. He was content in his dream about a huge roast dinner with potatoes, a juicy chunk of chicken breast, stuffing, and Pastrino puddings.

Trey had just finished eating the roast dinner when, out of nowhere, a magnificent quadruple chocolate gateau appeared before him. Even more to his delight, he was still tucked up in his bed while eating this kingly feast. Just as he was about to take a gigantic bite from the gateau, water suddenly gushed in all around him, drowning him. In a flash he had woken up from his feast dream, now he was back in his normal room yet he was still drowning! The last bit of air escaped his lungs.

Trey awoke again, this time into reality. Foul monsters towered over him. He almost had a heart attack until he realised the two ugly creatures looking down on him were Billy and Zak.

“Hey, you’re awake. Took you long enough. We couldn’t get you up so we did what your mum does,” Zak explained while indicating the cup on the floor and Trey’s sodden clothing.

“I hate you guys. I was having an amazing dream about being in my bed, dreaming about having a huge roast dinner and a quadruple chocolate gateau,” Trey said longingly.

Billy frowned. “Who has a dream about being asleep, having another dream?”

“I once had a dream about having a dream about turnips,” replied Zak casually.

Trey shook his head. “That could only happen to you, Zak.”

Billy sighed, ignoring the banter. He still looked miserable. His eyes seemed glazed. He was clearly still worried about his parents. He turned to Zak. “Do you think that your family are all still alive? Except for your Granddad.” He instantly regretted bringing up the old man but Zak seemed nonplussed.

“I don’t have any family left.” Zak shrugged nonchalantly. “My mother died in childbirth and I never knew any of my grandparents except for old man Garvel. As for my father, he hates our heritage and has disowned anything that hints at our roots. That includes Granddad and me. After Mum died he moved away to be where numbers and contracts rule rather than swords,” He suddenly paused a moment, listening. “Did you guys hear that?”

All was silent. Nothing moved. Even the wind became still. Then Trey saw a glint of metal in the distance and knew it wasn’t good.

Trey quietly instructed them what to do. “The Forukks seem to have followed us. Get ready to run.”

No sooner had the words left his lips when a Forukk charged into the clearing. It was not the same as the other Forukks they had seen before. It wasn’t as bulky and its armour seemed thinner, more flexible. In each hand it held small, jagged, sickle like weapons. The other noticeable differences were its feet looked better adjusted to running and its helmet, unlike the bear like helmets the normal Forukks wore, looked more like a dog. Its horns were pointed backwards instead of the forwards pointing ones of the larger beasts that were meant for impaling.

“There’s only one. We can take it easily,” Billy said as he grabbed his bow.

Trey calmed himself enough to analyse the beast before him. Taking what he knew he made a quick assessment. “It must be a scout or a tracker.”

In one fluent motion the Forukk had crossed the gap between them and slashed at Billy. The boy only just managed to defend himself with a hastily drawn dagger. The next second the Forukk had slashed again and this time disarmed Billy. Trey shoved his sword through the beast’s stomach only to anger it. With one swing of its arm Trey was thrown into a nearby tree.

“Why is it always left to me to get us out of tough situations?” Zak muttered before throwing the biggest rock he could carry at the Forukk’s head. The beast somersaulted into the pond. Zak followed it at breakneck speed, jumped into the air, and slashed at it with both of his swords. After flying another few feet he crashed into the centre of the pond.

The Forukk bellowed a thunderous howl then its body fell to pieces and splashed noisily into the water. The clear liquid began to froth and darken around the beast’s body, slowly expanding out to the pond’s edges.

After a frantic swim to the side Zak just managed to climb onto the shore, narrowly escaping the tainted water’s spread.

“Let’s get out of here,” he shouted. The others didn’t need telling twice.

They jogged for a few minutes through densely packed trees without seeing any sign of being followed so slowed to a steady walk. A quick glance at the surrounding area showed no threat so they relaxed slightly, each person busying themselves with their own things.

Trey was reading: ‘The Arts of Nimula’ and understanding very little of it. The few sections not written in Pretita script were cryptic at best. Zak provided a few translations, surprising Trey and Billy with his knowledge. The fact that he could understand the script of the Old Kingdom at all was unusual but his insights into the past was unbelievable. Even the scholars knew little else than the Old Kingdom of Pretitanous was established in the Second age and was eradicated by the Klades.

Billy was cleaning his short sword while Zak was humming a crude sailor tune to himself when not helping Trey. All kept glancing around themselves nervously, eyes and ears peeled for any sign of danger. Enough light seeped through the green canopy above that the path was clear to see. Despite this, the light cast menacing shadows, turning every branch and bush into a daunting villain.

They were all brought back to reality when Billy asked, “How many more do you think are following us?”

They slowed, paranoid eyes scanning every leaf. “Most scouts work in teams. I’d say there is at least one left,” Trey answered. He’d been thinking it through since their encounter.

Zak pointed behind him without looking, a grin on his face. “You could just ask them.”

Trey and Billy looked behind them to where Zak was pointing and immediately wished that they hadn’t. Stood in the branches were more of the scout Forukks. Trey counted five of the beasts. In unison all three boys turned and ran further into the forest.

“We can’t outrun them,” heaved Billy after a few minutes of full out running. Several bloody lines marked his face where branches had sliced at his skin during their dash. Trey and Zak bore similar scratches.

Trey risked a glance behind him. One of the Forukks was running silently just a few feet away, its speed far surpassing that of the teens. It sprang into the air and raised its weapon, preparing to cut Trey down on its decent.

Time seemed to slow down as Trey watched the beast fly towards him. His mind was blank, scraped bare by sheer terror. The trees were just distant blurs seen through the corner of his eyes.

What happened next took his mind several extra seconds to work out. The Forukk gave a howl of triumph as it slashed down at its prey, but at the exact same moment a different howl came from the trees, closely followed by a flash of grey fur.

Instead of the bite of a blade in his back, all Trey felt was a splash of blood slowly soaking into his clothes.

Is that it? Am I dying? Trey thought to himself. He felt confused and didn’t really have a clue what was going on. Running into a low branch somehow cleared his mind.

He wasn’t dying, he wasn’t even hurt. He looked back again to see a wolf with ragged grey fur ripping the throat out of the Forukk. Black blood oozed across its silky coat. For the second time, a wolf had saved his life. Trey silently thanked the Sprites.

“One down four to go,” laughed Zak excitedly.

“That’s still enough to kill us easily,” replied Billy as he released an arrow behind him. It harmlessly hit a branch.

Trey tore at his pocket to remove the book that was nestled within. His shaking fingers managed to free it. “I’ll try to use Nimula. We need that kind of power.” He fumbled clumsily through the old book’s pages as he ran. “Let’s see, this one should do it.” He read a passage, the words meaning nothing to him. The words flowed from his mouth yet felt sharp to his tongue. Strangely, the sounds hurt his throat when he spoke them. Each syllable drew his entire focus without him directing it there. His pulse beat to the tempo of the chant and his blood felt charged with static. He wanted to throw up but his body felt out of his control.

One of the Forukks in a thorn tree suddenly started to look like it was spasming until Trey realised it was supposed to be some kind of very bad dance. Then in a particularly complicated movement it separated its legs too far and fell very painfully on the thorny branch. It gave out a surprising and very uncharacteristic high-pitched scream then gracelessly slid into a thorn bush below him.

Trey’s head started to spin and all he could see were strange images of ancient runes imprinted into his retina. His legs felt like lead so running became almost impossible, but still he ran.

“That spell was so cool,” said Zak. “What was it actually meant to do?”

Between heavy breaths and almost constant panting Trey managed to say “Tried Dangerous Blast… Must have said one above… Dance… Just as good.”

After taking his mind off of running just long enough to speak, Trey lost his balance and crashed to the forest floor. As it was summer there were very few leaves to cushion his fall and the few that there were mostly ended up in his mouth. He spat the leaves out and rolled over to face the sky. Instead of the sky he could only see two Forukks towering over him.

He turned his head a bit more to see Billy and Zak attempt to jump in the air and kick the two Forukks in the head. They landed about three feet away. After a quick recovery they were back up, swords at the ready and preparing to strike.

A brief but intense fight was fought around Trey until the two boys were pinned against a tree. Zak had been holding his own against the Forukk’s savage attacks but had been knocked back after having to jump to Billy’s defence. All seemed lost until Zak managed to distract the beasts momentarily with a rubber duck pulled from one of his pockets. Billy and Zak stabbed their blades into the creatures’ feet.

Both boys used the Forukks’ second of weakness to hack them up, narrowly avoiding hacking each other in the whir of blades.

“Do you think we have time to gather up all this gear?” Zak asked hopefully. He pawed over the corpses’ weapons and armour like a child in a toy shop.

“No,” replied Billy bluntly. He scowled as he tried in vain to wipe the stinging black blood from his skin.

“We don’t have time,” a fully recovered Trey said. “The fight isn’t finished yet.”

The last Forukk emerged from behind a large tree trunk. It gave an angry growl and raised its weapon as it walked towards the boys.

“Ha! It thinks it can win us. It’s three verses one. We’ll hammer it!” Zak started to shout.

Before he had finished his sentence, all around them Forukks started to flood through the trees. Five of the heavier Forukks and six of the scouts came into view. The normal ones were armed with large axes while the scouts had twisted versions of crossbows. They were totally surrounded. There appeared to be no chance of escape. No chance of victory. One of the larger Forukks stepped forward.

“Fire!”

Previous – Chapter 12. Escape.

Next – Chapter 14. The Road to Abyss.

“Their security is too tight; we’ll never get by them,” Billy whispered to the other two boys as they neared the city’s outer wall. He gave a grunt of annoyance then in his anger kicked a stone into the open, almost alerting the Forukk guards to their position.

“We’ve got to think of something,” Trey said calmly.

Zak’s eyes suddenly widened and a grin crept upon his dust-coated face. “No worries. I’ve got our way out.” Without another word he sped off back the way they had come.

Trey and Billy chased after him, not risking shouting to ask him to stop or even where he was going. They ran past the bell tower hill, then almost smashed into Zak when he suddenly stopped. He pointed to a shiny metal ladder that led up to the aqueduct.

“This is our way out,” Zak said happily.

“Really?” inquired Trey.

“Yep.”

Billy assessed the aquatud quickly then nodded. “Okay. Let’s get going. What have we got to lose?” He started to climb the ladder. A Forukk stalked into view, its fangs bared at the teens.

Zak gave a quick laugh then ran off behind a building.

“He betrayed us!” Billy shouted in anger. Hooking his legs around the steps he freed up his arms to use the bow. Awkwardly he nocked an arrow then drew back the string. He fired, the arrow slamming straight into the beast’s snout. It howled in pain. Trey ran to cut it down but Billy beat him to it, a second arrow driving through the monster’s throat.

“Take that you freak!” he jeered.

“Sssshhhh! You’ll get us caught,” Trey hissed. He looked around for Zak but the boy was nowhere to be seen. “Zak was right anyway This will get us from the city. It’ll be a long jump down into the field but I’d say we could make it.”

After climbing the ladder they slowly crawled along the aqueduct, half submerged in freezing water. After a few minutes they noticed that the water was rising and was starting to flow faster. It tugged at them, urging them to slip forwards. It became overpowering.

“This is so cooool!” came an excited shout from behind them.

“Is he insane?” roared Billy.

Trey didn’t have time to answer. A wave of water smashed into him, knocking the breath from his lungs. Zak flew over him on a makeshift wooden surfboard that had once been a door. Trey was just able to grab the end of the board before it zoomed off along the curving pipe. Billy grabbed Trey’s foot.

“I’m been ripped in half,” Trey managed to scream over the roar of the water.

Zak took in their predicament at a glance. He turned around and pulled Trey and Billy onto the plank as if he was on the ground and not hurtling along a high, narrow water passage at a breakneck speed.

Billy glared at him angrily between nervous looks at his own body as he tried to keep his balance. “Why couldn’t you just walk like us?”

“Where would the fun be in that?”

“Just like his granddad,” Trey mumbled to himself.

He looked past Zak out in front to see where they needed to be heading and noticed something that worried him.

“How well do you think this thing can take sharp turns?” Trey bellowed.

“Not good,” replied Zak simply.

Billy was about to add some cynical remark but gravity shut him up. The door hit the corner and exploded, firing pin like splinters everywhere and sending the three teens flying through the sky.

“Woohoo, I can fly!” laughed Zak. “Oh wait, I’m only hurtling towards earth head first.”

Not for the first time in the past day did Trey think he was going to die. His luck held out once again though. He smashed into a haystack. Slowly he poked his head out and was greeted by the heads of Billy and Zak. They shoved themselves out and brushed themselves free of hay.

“Well, that was well placed,” commented Zak. “Who’d have thought that hay would break that kind of fall?”

Billy grumbled to himself between pained gasps. “I’m going to be pulling splinters out of me for days.”

“Look at it this way, we got free acupuncture,” replied Zak happily.

Trey looked around him. They were in a large field filled with nothing except for grass and fluffy white sheep, but there was something wrong. No Forukks were visible nearby but Trey could not shake the feeling.

He walked further into the field and away from the blazing city. Beyond the smoke, Trey could see the assembled Forukk army laid out in the western forests. Clusters of battle still raged around the houses but they were clearly one sided. Biting his lip, he tried to push it from his mind and focus on his immediate surroundings. He continued walking. The other two followed.

“What should we do then? We can’t stay here,” said Billy.

“We’ve got to go to Onlasar like Gramps said.” Zak gave his answer, staring at Billy as though the boy was stupid for having to ask. 

“Onlasar is leagues away! It’s a dangerous journey and there are bound to be wild creatures and Forukks everywhere,” Billy retorted.

“So.”

“So we’ll die.”

“We’ll die if we stay here too. We might as well die on a cool adventure instead of standing around doing nothing.”

While Billy and Zak argued, Trey had continued to look around the field.

“Guys. I think you better stop arguing and run,” he said shakily.

All around them the sheep were starting to shake violently, their skin seemed to crawl and change. Trey watched the closest sheep’s eyes change from little innocent beads to sinister red slits.

“Oh. The mutating sheep. Why should we run from them? They look kinda cute.

“They have tentacles, you weirdo,” screamed Billy.

“So they’re a little different. That doesn’t mean that they don’t belong.”

Billy stared wide-eyed at Zak, clearly unable to comprehend the boy’s mind. “They’re mutating into demented, blood frenzied, demonic sheep before our eyes.”

“Maybe it’s that time in a sheep’s life when their body’s start to change.”

By now the sheep had surrounded them.

“It’s just a thought but maybe we should be running now,” interrupted Trey.

“No way. Look you can pet them,” Zak answered. He reached out his hand and attempted to pet one of the sheep. He suddenly gave a yelp of pain and withdrew his arm lightning fast.

“Agh. It bit me. Wait, I was right! The sheep are finally retaking the world! You said I was crazy!” Zak cackled.

“Um. Zak, I think it has rabies.”

“We’re totally surrounded and they look pretty nasty,” Billy added, nocking an arrow onto his bowstring tensely.

It looked impossible to find a way out from the centre of the sheep. They had survived the attack from the fearsome Forukks only to be eaten by sheep. An idea suddenly popped into Zak’s head.

“Let’s grab one of them, climb onto its back and ride into the woods to safety,” he said with a triumphant look on his face.

Billy was about to shout but after a second thought he decided on sarcasm instead. “Let me get this straight. You want to ride away from the evil sheep, on an evil sheep? That’ll really work.”

“I know. It’s an amazing idea that can’t fail,” grinned Zak.

Billy turned to Trey and raised his arms with incredulity. “Come on Trey, tell him that it’s insane.”

“We don’t have much choice,” replied Trey.

“Surely you’re not planning to listen to him?” the other teen pleaded.

“Sorry Billy. Zak lead the way,” Trey answered with a resigned sigh.

“Sweet!” Zak said with a smirk. Without a second glance at either Billy or Trey, he jumped onto the closest sheep’s back, used two of its tentacles as a seatbelt and tapped its side with his feet to make it run. It shot off, speeding through the masses of mutant sheep.

“You’re going the wrong way Zak. Onlasar is the other way,” Trey called over to him as he picked out his own sheep.

“I knew that,” Zak called back. “Just warming up.”

Trey jumped onto the sheep next to him, narrowly avoiding being bitten, and started to head towards the forest at the end of the field. Billy ran as fast as he could then made a huge leap to grab onto Trey’s sheep. He only just managed to grab its tail, causing it to release a blood-curdling scream and run faster.

Zak was closest to the forest by pure suicidal speed when the skin on his sheep started to bubble and slush. He carried on riding. The sheep exploded with a pop. Zak was sent flying through the air in a wave of purple gore then landed hard in a puddle of green and purple goo.

“Nice,” he said as he wiped himself down.

He looked over to where Trey was and laughed. Trailing along behind him was Billy holding the sheep’s tail for dear life. Just behind Billy was a horde of the sheep, attempting to bite at his feet as he thrashed around. Then, as Zak had anticipated, Trey’s mount exploded too, sending Billy screaming into a tree. At this point Zak was rolling across the floor, unable to breathe properly through laughter.

Trey opened his eyes only to discover he was surrounded by the killer sheep. Great. Eaten by sheep. Real good way to go. He thought sarcastically to himself. He opened his mouth to call for help when the remaining sheep blew up all around him. Gooey sheep guts flew into his open mouth.

After throwing up a few times, Trey staggered over to where Zak was rolling around. He was about to lie down and rest when he heard a roar from nearby. His eyes darted to the city and saw in horror that ten of the Forukks were heading towards them.

Zak couldn’t stop himself from laughing even when Trey told him about the Forukks. Trey didn’t want to wait for the monsters to catch up so he grabbed Zak’s arm and dragged him into the woods, only stopping to grab Billy’s leg as well since the boy was currently unconscious.

After struggling through the forest for a few minutes he risked looking back. Nothing was following them. He then looked at Billy who was still unconscious. His gaze then fell onto Zak, who he only now realised, had stopped laughing. He had his head rested on his arms and his legs crossed. He was asleep.

There was a moment of anger, then a smile crept onto Trey’s face. They needed a safe place to hide and he knew exactly where he wanted to go. He walked on, dragging the other two after him as the sky darkened around him until he found what he was looking for: water.

Trey had been here many times throughout his life. It was a small spring fed by a thin fresh water stream. It was a tranquil glade where Trey liked to go when the city life became too much. Just for tonight, they were safe.

The first thing Trey did was to take a small cup from his travel bag. He was going to take a leaf from his mother’s book. He looked out across the top of the trees, back towards the city and saw the moon illuminating the night’s sky around it. A silky reflection sat on the water giving the illusion of two moons. He slowly lowered the cup into the stream and watched as the sparkling silver water flowed into the container.

The moonlight gave everything a strange glow. Everything looked so peaceful; it was hard to believe that only an hour ago the city he had lived in all his life had been destroyed. His hands shook and his mind raced but a heavy weariness had settled over every inch of him.

Trey smiled sadly to himself then let the water trickle back into the stream. He wouldn’t wake them, not yet. He needed some well-earned sleep first. At first he had thought that he would find no rest, but once he had sat leant against a tree he closed his eyes and instantly his mind drifted off into the strange world of dreams.

It was all he could do not to dwell on his mother’s fate though; doubt and fears were always lurking just below his surface thoughts. Nightmares plagued his dreams until even his mind could no longer muster the strength to conjure up any more horrors.

Previous – Chapter 11. The White Walls Fall.

Next – Chapter 13. Forest Fight.

The world was enveloped in eternal darkness. No sound, no light, nothing. Only cold and a numb pain existed. Blurry shapes started to appear through the black wall. Bright orange penetrated the jet like air. Eyelids closed from stinging tears. Glare from the light showed through the lids, imprinted into the retina. The mind started to slip away into nothingness.

A fierce roar punctured the deathly silence. The roaring attacked confused ears. The coldness started to recede, replaced by pain. Warmth bathed the skin. It intensified. Warmth became burning. A flood of memories forced the mind back to where it belonged. All became clear.

Trey staggered to his feet with the aid of a nearby bar, burning his hand in the process. He was surrounded by flame and rubble. He had been in here training with Billy and the old man, Mr Malma. Then the roof had exploded and everything had disappeared.

He looked to the centre of the room where a glowing rock lay in a crater. He looked up and thought that somehow the roof was still intact before he realised that it was a cloud of dust obscuring the sky.

Thoughts started to race through his head. Where was Billy? What had happened and where was the way out? He tried to call out but just inhaled smoke and doubled over coughing. He recovered and stumbled forwards in an attempt to find something helpful.

The ground shook again as thunderous noise pounded Trey’s ears. More rocks fell from the above but the quake did little else but unbalance Trey. As he staggered, his feet became caught up in some wire and he fell helplessly to the ground.

“Ouch,” came a mumble from beneath him.

“Billy, you’re alright!” Trey shouted with newfound strength.

“I would be if you got off of me,” mumbled the teen.

“Sorry.” Trey scrambled back to his feet then helped Billy stand.

A gravely cough echoed from nearby. “Have you two finished with the pleasantries yet or are you just going to stand there while I slowly burn to death. Hurry up and help me!” growled a harsh voice.

They followed the voice until they found Mr Malma, half covered in a burning weapon rack. They dug through the rubble, picking the best equipment to take with them as they freed the man. Trey slid two swords through his belt while Billy grabbed a short sword and bow that had miraculously survived the flame.

“What the-” Trey withdrew his hands from the debris suddenly. His hands were covered in crimson blood. He looked to where his hands had been and saw that Mr Malma’s left arm was soaked in a puddle of blood. Trey struggled to lift a large axe off the man to reveal the axe had almost amputated his arm.

Although Garvel had almost been hit by a flaming rock, crushed under a pile of weapons, and had his arm nearly cut off, he vigorously climbed to his feet and grabbed the axe from Trey with his good arm. He didn’t lose balance even when more boulders crashed into the city above them.

“Damn. The way out’s blocked. We’re stuck here unless any of you have a smart idea,” the old man hissed as he tried to bandage his arm using the shreds of his shirt. Trey and Billy offered no response.

Garvel scanned the room then pushed his way through the wreckage to a small wooden case that had skidded away from the debris of an oak cabinet. Fishing a key out of his pocket he fumbled the lock open and grabbed the single leather-bound book that had been encased within. He leafed through the yellowed pages with deft finger movements until he found what he sought. His eyes darted across the page several times then he snapped the book shut with a smile and slid it into an inner pocket of his tattered coat.

Pointing the axe at the blocked tunnel, he began to mutter strange words under his breath. The words grew in volume and tempo, then with a final shouted word, a wave of blood red energy raged from the axe and into the wall of rocks. The rocks started to melt and crack under the heat then exploded with a crash that equalled everything going on above. Stone shards tore through the cave and blew a fresh cloud of dust into the chamber. The force of the explosion knocked Trey and Billy flat onto the floor. Garvel stood his ground, batting away any projectiles with quick flicks of the axe. The man offered a grunt of satisfaction as the dust cleared enough to see that the tunnel had been cleared enough to pass through. He swayed where he stood and spat out blood but didn’t wait a moment to rest.

“Are any of you hurt?” he asked to the two prone teens.

“I can’t move my legs,” moaned Billy.

“You’ll be fine, just walk it off,” snapped Garvel.

“How can I walk it of if I can’t move my legs? Idiot,” Billy muttered as Trey stood up.

“What was that you said?” growled the man, raising his axe menacingly with his good arm. He held it firmly in one hand, its obvious weight affecting him little.

“Nothing sir,” Billy answered, quickly pulling himself to his feet.

“I thought not,” Garvel grumbled.

Trey was looking at the man in amazement. “What was that? How could you create so much power with words?”

Garvel gave Trey an appraising look before speaking. “It was Nimula. I can’t explain it now but suffice to say it takes the user’s inner power and will and converts it into a physical force. I’ll explain everything that I can when we’re safe.”

No light was needed as fires burned all around them and the roof in sections had collapsed. They struggled through the maze of flame towards the ladder. The part of the wall with the ladder on had been wrecked, but that didn’t matter because a slope of large rocks led up in its place.

After climbing up the rocks they reached what used to be Mr Malma’s house. Now all that remained of it was one battered wall. The rest of where the house had once stood was just a graveyard of rocks and fragments of old possessions. Much of the city looked similar through the clouds of smoke.

Mr Malma spent no time to dwell on his annihilated home. He clambered up the remnants of his wall, spitting blood from his mouth half way up. He picked up some discarded cloth and tied it around his injured arm like a sling, improving upon the job that he had managed with the shirt. When he had reached the top he signalled for the boys to join him.

Once on top of the wall they could just see above the surrounding rubble. Bits of the city were still intact around the craters of destruction. Smoke and flames reached up toward the heavens like the Abyss itself was attempting to consume the sky. Groups of the monstrous Forukks that Trey had seen that morning roamed the streets, killing and burning as they went. The bell tower stood like a guardian giant in the centre of the chaos. Hope still remained.

“Damn! Things are happening quicker than I ever thought. Come on. We’ll head to the tower. If we can find enough people along the way we can mount a defence. Our people have stopped these foul beasts at that tower before, we can do it again,” the man said as he jumped from the wall.

“You mean we’re being attacked by a whole army of those Forukks?” Trey asked, eyes darting around the rubble for signs of any Forukks in the immediate vicinity.

“Yes,” Garvel replied while running off towards the tower. “And we don’t have much time so hurry.”

* * *

It had been a relatively uneventful trek through the city and up to the bell tower for Trey. Only a single Forukk had encountered them but Garvel Malma had taken off its head with one powerful swing of his axe.

As they reached the tower they had yet to find any living people to join them. There were dead dotted around the streets but they had seen many more men, women and children being led out of the city in chains. They didn’t look injured but they could not save them. There were just too many Forukks. 

Trey started up the main hill to the tower and his home ahead of Billy and Mr Malma. He hid behind a barrel and waited for the others to catch up. Fear coursed through him. Where was his mother? Was she alright? Was she still alive? He pushed those thoughts from his head.

The buildings were all in a sorry state, each bearing an assortment of smashed windows, broken panels and destroyed possessions. The Sted household had not escaped the destruction. It looked as though a tornado had passed through its innards, everything that Trey had ever known littering the ground in a carpet of shattered humanity.

Just as he was about to move forward, the door to his house opened and his mother was led out by a group of six Forruks. They pushed her forward, prodding her with blades to encourage greater speed. Billy managed to hold Trey back just long enough for three of the six Forukks to walk out of sight before Trey broke free of his grasp. Garvel realised too late what Trey was doing. He could do nothing to stop him in time.

Trey had lost his temper for the first real time in his life. His teeth were bared and his emerald eyes burned with a raging inferno that threatened to consume all. He ran forward roaring, his weapons held high. Without any thought for his own safety he attempted to attack all three at once until Mr Malma and Billy took two from his hands.

The Forukk Trey was left with had a large blood-stained scythe made from blackened steel. It swung for his head but Trey darted under its thick bowed legs and lunged his first sword into the creature’s neck then ducked again as the beast spun around.

“That’s for hurting my mum!” Trey growled savagely. He then charged forwards again, sidestepped a downwards hack from the scythe and stuck his second sword through the Forukks armpit and into its heart. He withdrew his blade in a shower of black blood. The creature laughed cruelly in its deep, warped voice.

“No heart,” muttered Trey. Realisation of the Forukk’s strength was beginning to sink in.

Trey tried to run, throwing his sword at the Forukk’s horned head but it merely bounced off its helmet with a clang. The beast charged at him and looked about to kill a now defenceless Trey when he shot out his right arm, his hand out straight. His fingers penetrated the creature’s eye. Within a second his hand up to his wrist was submerged into its skull. Its brain was punctured by his fingertips, invoking the creature into spasms.

Trey slowly withdrew his arm. The blood was burning his skin and smelled sickening but he tried to ignore it. “That’s what you get when you mess with my family!” He wiped his goo stained arm onto the Forukk.

He turned to look how everyone else was faring and saw that Billy was in real trouble. He was laid on the floor totally disarmed, with the Forukk about to chop down with its duel axes. Trey was too far away to do anything to help. So was Garvel, who had just reduced his foe to a ragged corpse. All hope for Billy seemed to be lost.

“Sweet!” called an ecstatic voice from above them. A shadow, black against the grey sky, flew over Trey’s head, then landed silently to the ground next to Billy. It was Zak Malma. In his hands were two sleek swords that shone in the light of the flames. The way that he held them suggested he knew how to use them.

The Forukk stood frozen like a horror painting for a few seconds then its head slowly slid off of its shoulders and onto Billy. The body then fell harmlessly on its back.

“Hey everybody,” Zak shouted casually. He was wearing a shirt with one long sleeve, the other short, a pair of long shorts that reached halfway down his shins, multicoloured socks and sandals. A small rucksack was present upon his back.

“You could have helped me sooner you know,” Billy said shakily.

“No. I wanted the prize for best entrance. Plus its fun watching you struggle.”

“I hate you,” said Billy coldly.

“Cool. Oh hey Granddad,” Zak waved to Garvel as though they had just passed each other in a park.

“He’s your grandfather?” gawked Billy incredulously. He turned back to Garvel. “Wait, so when you said your grandson saw the riot, you meant Zak? The very person who escalated it!”

“I prefer the term ‘enlivened’,” injected Zak with a shrug.

“Typical,” grunted the man while wiping his axe clean of tar like blood. “Life’s not a game, Zak. It’s too dangerous to take so lightly. Power means nothing without the will to use it constructively. Never forget that, boy.”

An arrow whistled from a nearby rooftop. It seemed to travel in slow motion as the group watched it spin through the air, terror palpable as they tried to move. It passed through Garvel’s head like cloth, his back having been to the sniper. He dropped to his knees heavily, then managed to mutter some harsh sounding words in a tongue that Trey didn’t recognise. A bright green lightning bolt crackled through the air and hit the Forukk archer on the roof. The entire building exploded.

He collapsed fully to the floor, panting heavily. Blood streamed down his face, soaking the earth around him. The ragged hole in the back of his head spewed blood. It passed straight through his skull to where his left eye had once been. Now it was nothing but a bloody mess. He held out a trembling hand towards Zak. His grandson held it. 

“Zak, go into my coat and take the book from in there,” he croaked, defiance strong in his fading voice. “There is a bag of Vim too. Leave the city to the east and go to Onlasar. Get help,” he rasped weakly. The usual gruffness was gone.

“Okay,” Zak answered slowly. He fumbled with the man’s coat then took out the small, dark crimson leather book that Gavel had taken from his sanctuary. Golden letters embroidered onto the cover read: ‘The Arts of Nimula.’ The teen transferred it and a small bag of the silver coins to the rucksack on his back.

“You know that it is a tome of power but what it has taught you so far is nothing. Keep it safe and learn what you can from it. Those words might be all that keeps you from death,” Garvel rasped.

More Forukks rounded the corner, a dozen of them roughly. They howled and charged toward the humans. Trey was frozen in terror. Billy shot an arrow that lodged itself into one’s knee causing it to topple. Zak readied his blades.

“Get out of here!” roared Garvel. Power suddenly flooded back into his words, all weakness seemingly gone. “Run and don’t look back! Go!”

Thought returned to Trey in a rush of consciousness. Garvel locked eyes with him and the teen nodded. He turned, grabbing Billy and Zak as he ran. Reluctantly they followed although Zak needed dragging to leave his grandfather. Looking back they saw Garvel rise to his feet. Balls of fire shot from his hands, engulfing Forukks like tinder. He hooked his foot around his discarded axe and flicked it up, catching it with a bloody hand. He cast a final look back at the teens before rushing forward to meet the monsters. He swung, cutting the first clean in half. A blade wedged itself in his side. The axe severed an arm then parried an attack but another sword stabbed into his back. Mumbling words between mouthfuls of blood, his body began to glow. The Forukks howled and tried to run but it was too late. White flames exploded from the old man’s body, consuming everything in sight.

Zak looked ready to turn back but managed to control himself. Anger played across his features. Trey could feel tears welling up in his eyes. Cursing loudly he continued to run, not wanting to look back any more. They had to stop after a while, their breath coming in ragged gasps.

Trying to focus on the task ahead they quickly grabbed some supplies from the surrounding houses and made the decision to follow Garvel’s advice and set off for Onlasar. Zak was deathly quiet at first but after a while it was as though he had pushed everything that he had seen from his mind. He sounded boisterous as usual but Trey could detect conflicting emotions playing out in his sky blue eyes.

They cautiously began to make their way through the city towards the eastern farmland that was the easiest path away from Pastrino. Billy made a detour past his house but it, like every other, was empty. They were all submerged in their own thoughts of what had happened and what was to come; each knowing that life would never be the same again.

Billy broke the silence. “Do you think my parents are okay?” He spoke in barely more than a whisper.

“Sure they are. They’d have gone to my mum and helped her so they would have been captured just before her,” Trey reassured him.

“I guess so,” Billy sighed worriedly.

Had they turned down the next alleyway instead of taking the main road they would have discovered their fate.

Previous – Chapter 9. Shattered Lives.

Next – Chapter 11. The White Walls Fall.

Sarah Sted had forsaken her daily work after hearing of Trey’s encounter with a monster. Instead she decided to vent her anger and fear on the homemade punching bag in the back garden. Every few minutes she would stop to see if Trey had returned from Garvel’s house. She felt as if she was trapped inside a complicated maze within her own head. She had only once been as confused and angry as she was now and that was when her husband had left her just before Trey had been born.

Without warning, her pupils suddenly dilated and her mind went blank. She couldn’t see what was around her; instead she could see an army of black clad warriors and huge war machines. The image changed to a city in flames with dead and imprisoned people all around her.

Her pupils returned to normal like a tensed elastic band being released. Sarah remained standing but swayed slightly with dizziness. She slumped down against the wall waiting for the spiralling to stop, then pushing the dizziness from her head, she stood back up.

The ground jolted suddenly, knocking her to the floor and taking her breath away. A second later a thunderous boom seemed to physically hit her. She stood up a second time and ran into the house and up the stairs. She looked out over the city and saw a great cloud of smoke covering a small section of houses. This time she saw what happened. A meteor like object hurtled into another part of the city followed by the earthquake and thunderous crash. She peered through the smoke and displaced dust just in time to see a fearsome army emerging from the dense trees just beyond the wall to the west. Visible through the trees were large wooden constructs that continued to hurl rocks at the city.

Her vision had been right. Such things ran in her family but she had never known it to predict anything more than unexpected guests or the occasional death. She braced herself for what she knew would come next. She could have given up. She knew they were after slaves not deaths, but rebellion had risen within her.

Sarah crossed the hall into Trey’s room and took his training sword then got a long knife from the kitchen and securely fastened both together. Screams could be heard now. Sarah hurried into some clothes she thought would be well suited to combat and long journeys.

She decided on a pair of thick trousers, a tank top, then a layered jacket made from leather and a fine cotton inner layer. From an old draw she got some good resistant boots from her days as a crosscountry messenger, then tied Trey’s archery bracers over her arms. As an afterthought she tied her hair into a ponytail.

She rushed out of the house to be greeted by a huge monster, just like the one Trey had described, ripping off her neighbour’s front door. Mrs Basek had made such a fuss to get the most expensive front door and now it was in chunks on the floor.

After a moment of uncontrollable fear Sarah decided what to do. Recklessness ran in her family too. She charged forwards and rammed her blade through the creature’s neck. It turned around and punched her. She hit the floor several foot from where she had been standing. The beast stalked toward her and raised its battle-axe to strike. Sarah closed her eyes as she struggled to move.

A twang sound filled the air. She looked up to see an arrow embedded into the thing’s head through the eye slots in its armour. It fell backwards to the ground with a metallic thud. 

“You should look after yourself better. You’ll be no use to anyone dead.”

Sarah smiled shakily as she stood up. The arrow had come from the archery instructor, Mr Delb, Billy’s father. He was a muscular man with neat, light brown hair and a handsome face who favoured loose clothes that allowed plenty freedom of movement. His wife, Laura, was with him too. She was a petite woman, lean but well toned with shoulder length blonde hair. She too wore loose, layered clothing where she could hide several throwing knives. She had been a circus performer for a while and was a master of blade throwing.

“Nice to see that you’re still okay, Sarah. I almost didn’t recognise you in your ‘battle gear’,” Mr Delb said sarcastically. Despite his tone his eyes spoke of intense worry as they darted in all directions. There was already another arrow nocked on his bowstring.

“It’s good to see you too Brian,” she replied with relief. “And it’s very nice to see you Laura. I need intellectual conversation that your husband can’t provide,” she joked half-heartedly.

“I know. You should try living with him,” grinned Laura edgily. A knife was held at the ready in each of her hands and her eyes were as restless as her husband’s. “Have you seen Billy?”

“Not since this morning,” Sarah answered. “He and Trey were going to visit Garvel.”

“They should be safe then. Garvel won’t let any harm befall them. We should probably head towards the east wall, gathering as many people as we can then hit these beasts were it hurts,” announced Brian, instantly taking control of the situation.

“Okay,” Sarah and Laura agreed as one. Laura fidgeted nervously. “But what are they? Why are they here?”

“I don’t know,” Sarah admitted slowly. “Whatever they are though, we can’t let them win.”

They headed down the back streets toward the eastern wall. Although they couldn’t see anybody, the screams echoed throughout the city. Those that they did spot were surrounded by too many of the monsters to even try and engage. They decided to take the small alleyways to the wall rather than risking the main paths where they could easily be spotted.

Mr Delb scanned the area around them. “Come on. We should try another route. The streets are too narrow and twisty here. It’s too easy to get ambushed. Damn! Too late.”

One of the monsters stepped around the corner and blocked the way forwards. They turned to retreat only to be confronted by another beast. Mr Delb fired the arrow he had kept on his bow as both the monsters charged forwards. The arrow struck an unguarded shoulder joint but the beast barely flinched. He released two more in one shot. One ricocheted from its armour; the other penetrated its red eye.

Meanwhile Sarah sprinted to meet the second monster in a reckless frontal assault. A dagger sped past Sarah and into the creature’s wrist, making it suddenly drop its axe. Sarah dealt the finishing blow, thrusting her blade through its ugly face. Its body fell to the ground then she turned in time to see Brian running for his life from the now angry remaining monster.

“You’re meant to be the archery master yet we poor young women can take down a wild beast while you run away,” mocked Laura.

“I’m not done yet,” called Mr Delb, turning around and slamming an arrow up the beast’s noise then slitting its throat with a knife provided by Laura.

Brian grunted, motioning the women down the street. “We’ve wasted too much time here. We need to get moving.”

The words did not get a chance to be finished. Yet another of the demonic beings jumped from the roof above. It landed on top of Mr Delb and there was a sickening crunch. His legs buckled beneath him and broke in several places. A black spike was stuck deep into his spine.

“Brian!” screamed Laura frantically. She ran towards him screaming in despair. Sarah tried to grab her and pull her back but Laura was too fast and too crazed. The beast hacked her down without emotion. Her lifeless body fell onto that of her beloved husband and their blood mingled together and streamed down the slope of the path.

Sarah ran. Blind panic flooded her brain while shock numbed her entire body as she fled back to the hilltop. Tears streamed down her face and her ragged breath came in strangled sobs. She cowered in her back garden amongst the overgrown rose bushes. It wasn’t long until a group of the foul beasts found her as they tore the street apart in their search for survivors. She had no resistance left in her, managing little more than a feeble slap as one of the brutes yanked her to her feet. Roughly, they pushed her forward.

“Goodbye Trey. Stay safe. I love you,” she sobbed to herself.

Previous – Chapter 8. Plans.

Next – Chapter 10. Evil Attacks.