Dragons Descended Upon the Wicked (11 page)

“Everything has a reason. Ours is to die fighting beasts and slaves,” said Thomas.

“No,” said Phillip. “I know I said we will die fighting one last time together, but that does not have to be the case. Have you the story of Noth The Beast?”

“No I haven’t,” said Thomas.

“It has long been forgotten,” said Phillip. “Noth fought in the battle of the Hetha. As I’m sure you know, King Tidan declared war on all the Hetha centuries ago. The Hetha then banded up near what is now known as Bounch Hill. Young innocent children stayed in their homes with the elderly while their parents fought a war outside. They were outnumbered but put up a valiant fight. The Hetha were victorious in the first few battles. They yelled triumphantly in the night while fires raged. The stunned King Tidan then called for every soldier to make one last stand against the Hetha. The battle raged on for days. Finally, there were only five left. Young Noth stood at the top of a hill adjacent to the city of Bounch Hill. He let arrows fly, fire rage from his hands, and ice torment those within range. He killed thousands from that hill. King Tidan’s men would come up one by one, then they would come in waves. King Tidan sent half of his entire army to that hill to stop Noth. Those who made it to the top of the hill met his mighty sword. With arrows sticking out of his body from every direction, Noth dropped to his knees. Archers from a distance were the ones who finally stopped him, but not before taking a few thousand lives.”

“That’s insane,” said Thomas. “Is it true?”

“It’s as true as the war itself,” said Phillip. “The tale was passed on by a select few over the ages; only a few living today know of it. When we go out there, Thomas, that does not have to be our end. We can stand as Noth The Beast did and overcome the odds that are stacked against us. We will be in there together, Thomas; that’s an advantage I never had in the Vincot Arena. We are two men who were born in the art of battle. If we work together we can still be victorious.”

“We must be watching each other’s back at all times,” said Thomas. “We start back to back. We communicate. If Vicon sends out soldiers, we scavenge shields and weapons when we can.”

“Yes, that is the right plan of action,” said Phillip. “My strong suit is long sword. I am good with daggers and a bow and arrow as well.”

“I am good with short swords,” said Thomas. “I am descent at everything else.”

“Good,” said Phillip. “They can throw us in these cells and try to break us, but we are stronger than that. When they put us out there we will give them a show to remember.”

They couldn’t tell how time was moving, slowly or quickly. They continued to sit there after their conversation and stare at the dark walls. It was relentless how tired they became. They could only doze off for a few minutes before being woken up by screaming or crying. Someone was walking down the hall. The person was wearing metal boots. They could hear the click and clack of the boots scraping along the hard floor beneath them. The metal boots would move and then stop. The man was stopping at each cell. Thomas and Phillip could see the dark outline of the man.

He stopped about five cells down. He whistled, then waved his hand. Two more metal boots could be heard from the other end of the hall. They were not stopping, though; the click and clack was continuous. Two men ran to the cell and walked in. Thomas and Phillip could hear handcuffs being unlocked. The shadows of the men came out of the cell carrying a dead body. The boots echoed off to the other end of the hall. The dark outline of the first man continued to stop at each cell.

Finally, the man stopped at their cell. He was wearing the gold armor of the king’s men. In one hand he was carrying a wooden bucket. In the other hand he held a small wooden cup. He dipped the cup into the bucket and handed it to Phillip through the metal bars. Water at last. Phillip took in the few gulps of water and handed the cup back. He savored each second. Every last drop of the water felt sensational. His dry mouth was relieved as was his throat. He could feel the water as it trickled into his stomach. It was a moment of pure bliss. Thomas received the same amount on the other side of the cell. He felt the same as Phillip did. The water was uplifting but it was such of a little amount it did nothing to help with their dehydration.

The steel boots continued on to the rest of the cells. Moments passed, then the longing for thirst was back. They heard the clash of two boots running from the end of the hall once again. The ringing of the steel boots got louder and louder. They assumed another dead body was to be carried out. The two men in dark armor stood in front of them. Their helmets had three sharp points at the top of them and their faces were completely covered by the steel.

They unlocked the cell without saying a word. Both men unlocked the chain that traveled through the bars and stood Thomas and Phillip on their feet. They forcefully walked Thomas and Phillip down the hall the same way the men had come from. The hall was long; it had hundreds of cells, each with at least one person. They looked at the faces of the Paplon and Reza prisoners. All of them spelled out one thing; they had no hope.

At the end of the hall there was an oval desk. They were turned to their right and were in an open spaced room lit by numerous torches. It was a gruesome scene. There were bodies stacked along the walls from the floor to the ceiling. Some died from combat while others died in their cell. The smell was unbearable just as the sight of the dead was. Thomas gagged and held his breath as the two guards walked them through the room.

The guards opened the door at the end and revealed the elevator room. It was time. Phillip knew all too well where the elevator lead. As the door shut behind them they could hear the crowd. The cheering and yelling of thousands of drunk and demented citizens of the Genold City Arena echoed into the room.

Phillip and Thomas walked into the elevator. They stood there with their unquenchable thirst. They stood there with their hunger pulling at their guts. They stood there with tired eyes and achy bones. Nonetheless they still stood there determined as ever because they knew all of their desires could be seized on the sands of the arena.

Footsteps were coming from the end of the hall. A click and clack of steel. The pace was slow. The presence was dark.

“You two are forgetting something,” said a dark and familiar voice.

His feet dragged along the floor of the hall. Vicon arrived with a black hood over his head as always. Phillip and Thomas could not see him smiling but they could feel that he was. He was holding a metal basket filled with some sort of coals that were on fire. In his other hand he held a long steel rod with the letter “G” shaped at the tip of it.

“You’re in my city now,” said Vicon as he scrapped the steel rod against the wall. “You must show it.”

Vicon nodded his head. The two guards forcefully kicked the back of the two men’s knees and dropped them so that their knees were on the ground. They held their arms and necks while standing on their calves. Vicon placed the steel rod into the burning basket of coals.

“Stop; you don’t have to do this,” said Thomas. It was no use, though; Phillip knew that the branding would happen regardless of what they said.

“You are a mad man with nothing but a mad rule,” said Thomas. Their bodies shook out of fear and the anticipation of the pain. Sweat dripped from their heads and their hearts raced out of their chests. They squirmed more with every passing second. Vicon played with the basket of coals in front of the two men. He slowly removed the rod; the letter “G” was now bright red.

Screams echoed through the entire arena and dungeon as Thomas and Phillip received their brands. The letter “G” was forcefully placed upon the their foreheads. The pain was almost unbearable. Vicon let the burning go on for much longer than was necessary.

“Good,” said Vicon as he leaned in to see his work. “Very good. Now go out there and put on a good show. I’ll be watching.”

Vicon walked out from the hall and the elevator started to rise. Phillip and Thomas were lifted to their feet. They were now more determined than ever to kill everything that stood in their path.

CHAPTER NINE

“Where is your dragon?” asked Lord Senvot.

Nick stood facing Lord Senvot as the sun began to set and snow fell heavily. A slight gust of wind was directed at Nick and he squinted, trying to avoid the snow from landing on his eyes.

“Answer me, boy,” said Lord Senvot. “Where is your dragon?”

“All I know is that it’s a dragon you are asking me about,” said Nick. “Like I’ve told you before, he has a mind of his own. He is off doing dragon things, but I know he will return.”

“The agreement was a dragon would protect my city,” said Lord Senvot. “Your camp has been here three days, Jeffrey.”

Jeffrey was facing the other way, minding his own business. He was looking at the camp of his people and ignoring anything Lord Senvot was telling Nick.

“I understand that,” said Jeffrey.

“Turn around and face me. You are in my city...show respect!” said Lord Senvot.

Jeffrey turned around and bowed.

“Forgive me, my lord,” said Jeffrey. “My mind escapes me sometimes. You have some of the finest warriors in the world here in your city now. We can protect your city until the dragons return.”

“‘Dragons return?’” asked Lord Senvot. “‘Dragons,’ as in more than one?”

“That is correct,” said Jeffrey. “We have acquired two more dragons since our original agreement was made. Patience, my friend. The dragons will be here and we will all be safe. We have not gone back on our word. I hope you do not plan on going back on yours.”

“You’ve been here for three days,” said Lord Senvot. “You have until the end of the week to prove you have not gone back on your word.”

Lord Senvot turned around and stormed off towards his castle. Ten guards accompanied him and followed their lord.

“Are you worried about what he might do?” asked Nick.

“No, I’m really not,” said Jeffrey. “He needs us as much as we need him right now and he knows that. I want you to help lead training tonight, Nick. I know you are not the best at archery, but you are improving. Leading will help to get your mind off of things.”

“I’ll do that,” said Nick.

All I want to do is save them,
thought Nick.
They need my help. Every second that passes by is another second that could cost them their lives. I have to believe that they are alright...I have to believe that they are still alive.

“Everything will be okay,” said Penny.

Nick was startled and turned around to find his beautiful girlfriend holding a hot cup of tea with a smile on her face.

“How do you know what I was thinking?” asked Nick.

“I didn’t. I just can tell by the look on your face,” said Penny. “I know you want to help Thomas and Phillip. I’m sorry that this happened.”

“I feel like I should have helped them,” said Nick. “I helped clear the camp of the other two archers, but I couldn’t even think about the safety of my friends. When it all happened it happened so fast. The same thing always happens. The worst part is that I keep replaying that moment. If I would’ve looked over at Thomas and Phillip I could’ve spotted the danger and stopped their kidnappers.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” said Penny. “You cannot do everything. No one is capable of that. All you need to do now is focus on the people around you. We are in Terrel. It’s not exactly coined as the safest place to be if you’re from Hentrio. Focus on keeping these people safe, Nick. They need you just as much.”

“I understand,” said Nick. He took the cup of tea and smiled at Penny. There was only so much she could do, but he was thankful for her continuous support. No matter what it was, he knew that Penny would always be wise and caring.

Minutes ticked by and Nick stood by Dani at the back of camp. They had set up hay bails twenty feet away from where they stood. Four hundred archers stood ready with bow and arrows that were supplied by Terrel. Each person held a bow with their support arm and had their bows ready, hanging behind them in a quiver.

“Raise,” said Dani.

She walked down the old farm land and corrected the form of the majority of the soldiers.

“Raise your elbow,” said Dani to a female Reza.

“I am a Reza; I am not meant to be an archer,” said the girl.

“We are all united, we are all archers, and we will do as we are commanded for the better good of the world,” said Dani.

The Reza woman shrugged her shoulders and Dani continued on down the line.

“Raise your arm; you want your eyes to be level with where you release,” Dani said to a Paplon male. “Breathe easy control your breaths, then release.”

Hundreds of archers released their arrows and nearly every arrow missed its mark. Dani kept an eye out for the archers who were consistently missing, those who consistently hitting the target, and those who were improving. Nick walked the front line and helped where he could. He knew the basics of archery but he knew that he was hardly a master at bowmanship. He corrected form when he saw a flaw and Dani appreciated the help. One person commanding four hundred was no easy task.

Jeffrey looked upon the training from a far away building near camp. He was sitting on top of the roof with Ron and Tyler.

Jeffrey looked down at his feet and said, “We need to get better very fast. This is not cutting it.”

“What exactly is your plan?” asked Tyler.

“When the time comes I will tell you all,” said Jeffrey. “For now, we just need to find an elite group of archers in the field of mediocrity I see here.”

“Got it, don’t need to tell me twice,” said Tyler. “Nick is out there looking clueless. I should probably go out and teach him how to teach. But first he has to learn the craft. Yea, I’m going to go out there.”

Tyler jumped down from the roof and started running towards the group of archers.

“What are we to do with the three traitors?” asked Ron.

“We keep them imprisoned,” said Jeffrey.

“By keeping them prisoners we are sacrificing food and water,” said Ron.

“What are you suggesting?” asked Jeffrey.