by M J Webb
Ben needed to decide quickly, if he was going to help anyone at all!
And that is exactly what he did. Lifting his sword, he prepared to charge into battle once more, knowing only too well that he would probably be killed by the seasoned veterans before he had chance to help anyone. ‘I can’t stand idly by and watch my friends die!’ he told himself.
Just as he was about to run at his chosen adversary, he heard the extraordinary sound of terrified Thargws and Sebantans, roaring and screaming in fear as they realised to their astonishment and horror that they were under attack!
It was coming from far away to his left and he turned immediately to look down the slope. He was amazed to see hundreds of running warriors fleeing for their lives, desperately trying to find some sort of cover. They searched the sky above frantically with their eyes, attempting to spot the creature which was circling overhead, ready to swoop down on them again as it attacked their lines with impunity.
Ben shifted his gaze upwards. He was enthralled and relieved to see that Gellsorr had returned, just as he had promised!
“Yes!!!”
Ben reacted naturally, without thinking, overwhelmed with emotion and responding to the glorious sight like the excited teenager he was. The appearance of the full blown, live dragon, flying and breathing fire from its nostrils, incinerating his enemies below and scaring the others away, was way too much for Ben to take. He erupted into a spontaneous outburst of delight.
“Ha, ha! Go on! Give it to ‘em! Get in my son! ‘Av it! Yeah, get some!” he screamed.
Seconds later, he really began to wish that he hadn’t.
Alerted to the immediate danger by the teenager’s actions, Sawdon and Melissa tried to take evasive action. Gellsorr was flying along the entire length of the battlefield, taking out enemy warriors wherever he could with bursts of flame. He now began using his eyes to launch bolts of white light which turned his targets immediately into solid, black rock. He had identified Sawdon and Melissa around the same time as Ben had seen him and began to shout. He saw that they were duelling with Verastus and Brraall and he realised immediately that his new friends needed his help.
Two bolts of lightning came hurtling down out of the sky, taking only seconds to reach the fearsome warriors. Melissa was not quite quick enough. The light hit her before she had the chance to move and she was turned instantly to black stone. Sawdon however, had a split second longer to react to the second bolt of lightning. He turned with astonishing speed and threw his giant frame out of the way of the intended strike. It missed him only by a matter of inches and scorched the soil.
The Thargw warrior landed awkwardly on his shoulder. He roared in pain but managed to roll over in one movement and evade a second intended strike from the dragon. Gellsorr flew swiftly overhead. He saw that he had missed and immediately tried to turn sharply around to try again. The great Thargw warrior surveyed his options quickly, with the speed of a veteran soldier. He decided that he had no other choice but to withdraw and save what he could of his army. Furious with the sudden reversal in his fortunes, he barked out his orders as he ran. The Sebantans and Thargws retreated in disarray, as quickly as their legs would carry them, deserting the battlefield and leaving the surviving tribesmen to gaze in wonder at the miraculous sight of the dragon who had saved their lives. Sawdon was lost in the crowd. He made for the rise where King Vantrax had been watching the battle. The evil wizard was hiding behind a protective shield he had conjured up with the aid of the reolite stone he wore around his neck.
Brraall, Verastus and Ben congratulated themselves on their remarkable escape. Gellsorr continued harassing the enemy, keeping their warriors away from the surviving tribesmen who now reported back to their leader in droves.
“Quickly! All of you, we have to go! This is our only chance for survival!” cried Verastus. “Follow me!” He made immediately for the trees on the western edge of the field.
“Err… Yeah, okay,” Ben replied, as he joined with the others in trying to keep up with the Falorian. “…But I don’t understand. Why is he on his own? Gellsorr I mean, where are the rest of ‘em?”
“That is a very good question,” said Brraall, as he caught up with the youngster. “There should be many more aiding us from what I have been told, protecting us. It does not bode well. But I tell you, right here and now? I will take a solitary dragon and its fire gladly. I would prefer not to think of what might have happened, if he had not returned when he did.”
The warrior looked up at the sky and smiled when he saw that the dragon was shadowing their every move, protecting them and securing safe passage to wherever they were going.
“We will head south once we clear the city and the mountains. We will try to break through the Southern Army lines and seek sanctuary there. We cannot go back, or to the north, into the jaws of a waiting army. We have to find a way of helping Jake and the others. King Vantrax’ army here was too strong for us, too large. We only faced a fraction of it and look what happened!”
“Yeah, I know. But Jake!” Ben pleaded. “We’re leaving him aren’t we? Running away! What’s he gonna do without us to help him, eh?”
“I am sorry, Ben. That cannot be helped now. There is nothing more we, or these people, can do. They have given enough!” stated Verastus. “You have to realise that we have been extremely fortunate to survive here today! It is a miracle, and one I am still struggling to believe. But we are not safe yet! We will be pursued, I am certain of it. King Vantrax will send others to hunt us down, Dzorag maybe? As soon as he decides how he is going to deal with Gellsorr. No, we have to go, to stay here a moment longer is to invite the evil one and his followers to complete their victory, by slaying all those who would oppose him. It would mean certain death. I am no coward, Ben, but given the choice, I would rather choose life.”
***
A few hours later, Ben and the survivors of the battle were heading steadily south, having circled around the great city of Dassilliak and broken through the Southern Army lines with the help of Gellsorr. The dragon had flown continuously overhead, clearing their path of warriors with his fire and mere presence, and ensuring that no horsesoldiers or army followed their march. Ben was riding on the back of Verastus’ horse. The stallion had been fetched up from the rear for them by Brraall’s people. The teenager was holding on tightly to the Falorian and resting his weary head upon the giant’s back.
“So, Ben, there is something I have been meaning to ask of you. When we were fighting against the Sebantan and the Thargw, we were losing badly and about to die, but… Though I was fighting for my life, I saw your dilemma; I felt your pain and anguish. You could not stand there and do nothing, could you? I know that you were about to act, to try to do whatever you could to help. Tell me, which one of us did you choose to save?”
Brraall moved his horse a little closer, having suddenly become very interested in the conversation and seeing the faint smile which had developed upon the Falorian’s face.
“Yes, tell us please, we shall not be offended,” the tribal warrior added.
Ben smirked as he lifted his head. He responded in typical fashion. “Oh no! You’re not getting’ me on that one. It’s the oldest trick in the book. It’s like, ‘does my bum look big in this?’, or ‘do you think I’m fat?’, and ‘how old do you think I am?’ There’s no right answer, is there? And what good would it do you to know now anyway?”
His two companions looked confused but Verastus refused to let it go. “Come on, Ben, I would like to know, regardless. Answer my question?”
Ben shook his head a little. He flicked his head and eyes gently upwards in a gesture of submission. “Oh alright. Well, let’s just say that Jake would never have understood, and he would probably have never forgiven me. Not the person he is now at any rate. To put the interests of a friend ahead of those of an entire world is…”
“Ka, I see… Thank you, Ben. I am deeply moved and I do not know what to say,” said Verastus, humbly. “But, are you
not being rather hard on Jake? I think you have him wrong on this occasion. Strange, when he is your greatest friend? You are forgetting all he has done for you, all he has risked. I think…”
“Eh? Oh yeah,” interrupted Ben. He was embarrassed, having suddenly realised what he had said. “I suppose that was complete and utter rubbish, wasn’t it? Yeah well, I’m tired ‘in I? Let’s just forget I said anything, yeah? Pretend it never happened. And… Don’t mention it to Jake?”
Verastus nodded politely. “So be it, my friend. I owe you that much I suppose.”
***
King Vantrax was now wading through the devastation wrought by his army, the remnants of the great city of Dassilliak. He was stepping over debris and bodies, surveying his conquest with contented eyes in the company of his Thargw commander and the last remaining graxoth and sraine, happy in the knowledge that he had just made history. The spoils of war were few. Vast areas of the city lay in ruins or were ablaze. But, the immense fortress built into the mountain, the jewel in the Perosyan crown, considered by all on Estia to be impregnable, had been taken for the very first time in its existence! It was a source of great pride and satisfaction to the evil wizard. His warriors celebrated and rejoiced in the glory and honour of their phenomenal achievement.
Sawdon had reported to the King whilst he was still on the slopes of the battlefield, outside the city wall. He had informed him of the fight waged against Brraall’s people, and of the dragon’s unexpected and decisive intervention. The mighty Thargw warrior knew that he had very narrowly avoided death. However, the thought of failure outweighed any sense of relief. He was incandescent with rage as he explained how his enemy had managed to escape, at the very moment of their annihilation.
The evil wizard had been furious also, incensed in fact, but at that time he did not yet possess the full facts. The situation was unclear. He believed that the battle for the city itself had still to be won. Because of this, he took the immediate decision to allow Brraall’s small and inconsequential force to escape without pursuit, believing that he could easily deal with them at a later date, and that the sacking of the city was his primary objective. He had therefore despatched all of his available forces to the battle still being waged inside the great wall.
The fighting was over now and King Vantrax was able to go forward and take control of his conquest. After walking through the scenes of battle, receiving reports on the fight from his captains, he finally approached the ruined entrance to the cave. He was told there of the Keeper’s extraordinary deeds and subsequent escape.
The young boy from Lichfield who had thwarted his plans so often now that he had quickly become his nemesis, had somehow managed to ensure the ongoing survival of not one, but two, armies! He had secured a victory of sorts from almost certain disaster. Enemy forces which were numerous and contained many skilled and experienced warriors, though bloodied and beaten at present, lived to fight again, to oppose the wizard’s plans to conquer the entire continent. Perhaps worst of all, Jake had escaped with the box of stones, the one weapon King Vantrax coveted above all else, and the flame of hope which was fuelling the Estian people’s resistance.
He could see with his own eyes that the Keeper’s powers were growing. And yet, he knew that the box had not been used in anger? As he considered it briefly, he realised that the capture of the young Keeper and his box of stones was the key to everything!
‘Raar! If he ever manages to use those stones as they were meant to be used… I will be powerless to…’
The evil wizard launched into a fit of rage the likes of which had never been seen before on his world. He ranted and raved, screamed and roared for several minutes, until finally he had to sit down, having expended so much energy in losing complete control of his emotions that he almost collapsed. He sat on a rock and buried his head in his hands, as he bemoaned his fortunes.
“Yaarrggghh!!! No!!! Why? Why do the Gods conspire against me so? Why do they take such delight in torturing me? These cursed fools enjoy far too much protection and luck! They evade me time and time again! It is not the way of things. Well, no more. It ends here, do you hear me?” he screamed, rising wearily to his feet. He shook his fist in rage at the sky above.
“You will not be able to watch over them forever! They are running out of ground in which to hide, heading for the last remaining corners of this continent. They will soon have their backs to the sea! I will chase them, hound them. I will destroy them! I will not stop what has begun, the end is in sight. This battle is nothing compared to the fury I am going to unleash. Mark my words, they will…!”
King Vantrax stopped talking all of a sudden. A dull thud had sounded from the direction of the cave entrance, catching his attention immediately. He turned to face the rubble and watched with intense curiosity as Sawdon drew his sword and ventured forward to check it out, his ears pricked up and his nostrils flared as he sensed immediate danger.
Suddenly, a black, gauntleted fist smashed powerfully through the rocks, sending dirt and stones flying in every direction. It was accompanied by an almighty roar. A roar which was full of fury and an overwhelming desire for vengeance!
Everyone instinctively ducked to avoid being hit by the flying debris. Everyone except for Sawdon and King Vantrax. They both stood their ground defiantly.
When the danger had passed, Sawdon went to check on his master’s welfare. The evil wizard was unharmed, his mood had lightened in an instant, and he was now smiling broadly.
***
Jake and Princess Zephany were riding south at the rear of a long, extended column of Estians and rebels. Ahead of them, stretching as far as the eye could see, were the exhausted and demoralised survivors of the battle of Dassilliak; the remnants of two vast armies, as well as the terrified civilian population of the conquered city. The young Keeper was more tired now than he had ever been. But, he could not rest or sleep, for he knew that they had to keep moving. Besides, his mind was filled with far too many worries and concerns for sleep. A thousand thoughts were running through his head, and most of them seemed to be centring around the same nagging doubt; ‘Did I do enough?’
‘It shouldn’t be like this! I was meant to save these people, but look at us now! We have become fugitives, fleeing with our tails between our legs, having been soundly beaten! What went wrong? Time, that’s what! Why oh why did I sleep on that mountain for so long? Why didn’t I get here in time to give these people what they needed? To defend them! All those warriors who died, it’s all my fault. I should have…’
Princess Zephany noticed that Jake had fallen silent. She saw the look upon his face and she became increasingly concerned. Finally, she decided that she had to say something.
“It is not your fault you know, Jake. You did everything you could. You saved us all, surely you know that? We would all have perished in that city if it were not for you, every single one of us. My uncle would have taken no prisoners here, I am sure of it. The odds were stacked far too heavily in his favour for us to win this battle. Think on it for a moment; warriors that could not be killed, in such vast numbers, trained and experienced killers? And those assassins of his; the sraine and the graxoth. Not to mention those mounted beasts you described. It is a miracle that any of us survived and live to tell the tale.”
Jake smiled gratefully. He appreciated what Zephany was trying to do, there was logic in everything she said, but still he felt like he had let everyone down. The feeling was not going to go away.
“Yes, I s’pose so. I know you’re right, Princess. But I’m the Keeper! That’s supposed to mean something, isn’t it? I am supposed to…”
“Protect!” snapped the Estian leader, all of a sudden losing her patience with him as her fatigue caught up with her. She did not want to get drawn into a long and pointless conversation. “That is what a Keeper does. You are supposed to protect those stones and use them to defend us if you can. Listen to me, Jake. Throughout everything, that is exactly what you have done! Can you not see? Ev
en with the stones not working, not yet fixed, you have managed to keep alive our hope of defeating our enemies and saved our people from certain death. Because of you, the plans of my uncle have been thwarted and we have the chance to fight on, to rise from the fires once more!”
“The world we know will come to the very brink of destruction…”
“What? What did you say?” asked Zephany, having not quite heard Jake’s mumbling. The young Keeper had blurted out a thought quietly, as soon as it had entered his head.
“Err… Nothing,” he replied, shaking his head slightly to clear his mind, as he was prone to do from time to time. “It’s just something Tien said to us when we first met. He told us what would happen, he knew it. He said those very words to me and Ben when we... Hang on! He knew it all, didn’t he?”
Jake looked further along the column, staring at the old wizard, who was riding happily besides Lord Castrad and Queen Bressial as if he were on a gentle ride in his homeland and hadn’t a care in the world.
“...He knew full well that the spirits would leave me, that I’d be left alone at the very moment I needed their help, that I would almost die on that mountain, and in that cave! Oh you little…!” he fumed.
“What? What Jake?”
The teenager stared directly into Princess Zephany’s beautiful eyes. They were sparkling brightly and they were full of sympathy and understanding.
“Do you believe in fate, Princess? That some things in life are just meant to be? That they were always going to happen no matter what you did, and that they cannot be avoided?”
“Yes, I suppose I do. I have to. As hard as my life has been, I have to believe that it is all for a purpose, that someone somewhere has plans for me, and my struggles are preparing me for whatever they are. The alternative is far too cruel to contemplate.”
“Then, let me ask you this; would you say that we are now on the very brink of destruction, as Tien predicted? Have we suffered enough? Or do you think there are more surprises in store for us?”
