The Fallen Kings

by P D Atkerson

  “By Fray’s advice, we’re going to leave after breakfast.” Enrick told him.

  “Well, then you’d better tell your men to get eating.” Dasety said, picking up his own cloak. “My men are already saddled and ready to go. We can leave at a moment’s notice.”

  Oh! So, that was how he was going to play it.

  “Fine!” Enrick said, turning to leave. “Then we’ll skip breakfast and leave now. That make you happy?” he asked, without waiting for an answer. He wasn’t going to let Dasety’s men show his up! They could miss one meal, people had to do it all the time, all over the realm. “Fray, have someone pack my things, we leave as soon as possible!” he yelled, stepping out of his tent again. “And be quick about it!”

  Frowning, Fray signaled someone to take care of Enrick’s things. “We’re leaving without breakfast?” he asked, turning towards the prince. Fray couldn’t understand! It wasn’t his honor on the line.

  “Yes, do you have a problem with that?” Enrick said, taking a step towards him. “Because, if you have a problem with my orders, maybe you shouldn’t be here!”

  Fray quickly ducked his head. “No, my lord.” He mumbled, moving back from Enrick. “I have no problem.”

  “Good, because if it wasn’t for me, you would still be back at the Dark Castle, guarding some stupid doorway!” Enrick hissed. “Now get out of my face!”

  Shock covering his face, Fray bowed and hurried away.

  As he watched him leave, Enrick felt guilty. It wasn’t Fray’s fault, and he couldn’t let his anger get the better of him. If he’d learned anything from his father, it was to channel that anger to your own advantage.

  Not much later, Prince Enrick’s horse was saddled and his things packed up. Everyone was ready to go, and his horse waited for him with the rest of the warriors when he arrived.

  “My lord.” Fray said, bowing as he handed the reins to Enrick.

  He was glad that warrior seemed to have forgotten about Enrick snapping at him earlier, at least he seemed to act like he did.

  Enrick didn’t want unresolved conflict between him and one of his men, but he didn’t plan on apologizing either. He took the reins, as he looked around him.

  “I thought he said he brought a ‘few’ Loyal Warriors.” Enrick growled, swinging up into the saddle. “This is at least twenty men.”

  “More like thirty.” Fray whispered, as he too looked around them. “Why are they all here?”

  “I have no idea, and I don’t like not knowing.” He said, fixing his riding gloves. He hadn’t seen Dasety since their short talk. Now Enrick was wishing they hadn’t spoken at all. At least then he wouldn’t know Dasety was hiding something from him. “Tell the men to start towards Hatter, and we won’t be stopping until we get there.”

  Fray nodded, then without a word, he pulled his horse away and went to speak with the warriors.

  “You’re over reacting.” Prince Enrick told himself, gripping the reins tighter. He stood up straight and started forwards. It wasn’t much later that another horse drew near to him, this time, it wasn’t one of his own warriors, but a Loyal Warrior. Enrick knew the man’s name.

  He was one of Munay’s most trusted Loyal Warriors (that is after Shon betrayed him).

  “Did Dasety speak to you about the plan?” Loyal Warrior Lart asked, drawing his horse up beside Enrick’s. “I personally think the whole thing is madness.”

  Enrick pulled on the reins sharply, stopping his horse. He turned towards the Loyal Warrior. “What plan?” he asked, fighting the urge to yell at the warrior. Was no one going to be honest with him?! Dasety hadn’t said a word about having a plan.

  “The plan your father sent me with.” Dasety said, throwing a look at Lart as he moved to the other side of Enrick. Quickly, the Loyal Warrior took off and vanished into the group of warriors. “I will deal with him later; he was out of place telling you about it.” Dasety said.

  “Don’t punish him for not knowing the king trusts him, more than he does me!” Enrick growled. “So, are you going to tell me the plan now that I know?”

  Dasety shook his head. “Your father wanted to wait until he was sure we had the Feeler. Without her, it’s a worthless plan anyways.”

  Enrick shook his head at him.

  So, Dasety had turned on him too? Fine! It didn’t matter to him anyways. He didn’t need friends. If he wanted to keep this plan to himself, well, that was fine with Enrick. “I will see you in Hatter, Dasety.” He said, prodding the horse forwards.

  * * *

  Burning embers still smoldered across the valley where the village once was.

  Fog clung to the air, giving an eerie feel to the place. The fog swirled around Aroron and the Elouns' legs as they moved forwards, the burnt ground crunching under their feet.

  Above the fog, they could still see the charred skeletons of the buildings that had once stood in that place. Homes, shops and shed, burned alike. Nothing was left of the place.

  “What happened here?” Lilay asked, looking around at the wreckage that days before had been a thriving village, filled with hundreds of people.

  Aroron knelt down and picked a piece of coal off the ground. “This is the work of King Munay alright.” He mumbled, rubbing the coal through his fingers. As the ash blew into the air, he could smell the lingering scent of the Devil’s Tongue. “This would be the smoke you saw back in Glunot, Lilay.” He said, standing as he brushed his hand off. “Here’s the village I told you was burning, or what’s left of it.”

  “So, what now?” Slanslot asked, looking up towards the sky. “Where’d they go? They’re obviously not here anymore.”

  “Thanks for that helpful information,” Aroron said, crossing his arms as he eyed Slanslot. “You tell us where they went, that’s the only reason you’re here. Remember?”

  “You’re right.” He said, shrugging. “I forgot, I know how to use my gift, unlike other people I know.” Slanslot knelt down and placed his hand onto the horse prints. He closed his eyes, and Aroron could clearly hear his breathing growing deeper. At the same time, he stiffened and he moaned.

  When he opened his eyes again, he looked sick.

  Quickly turning away from Aroron and Lilay, Slanslot stood up. “They went that way.” He said, pointing with his free hand, as he covered his mouth with his hand. He moaned again and bent over.

  “Are you okay?” Lilay asked, stepping towards him.

  “I’m fine!” He growled, turning away from her. “Now, just drop it, will you? And back off!”

  “What’s in that direction?” Lilay asked, turning towards Aroron. He could see that she was fighting back tears. “I’ve never been good with directions.”

  “Hatter.” Slanslot said, without turning towards them. “It’s a city on the edge of the sea. My… father took me there once.”

  “Hatter.” Aroron repeated. What would they want in Hatter? He wondered. As far as he knew, it was only one of many villages along the trade route and it wasn’t just a little jot from there. It was a few days ride over rough terrain and whoever burned the village down had several days on them. What’s their plan and what do they want?

  “Is it very far?” Lilay asked, whining. “My feet are killing me.”

  “It’s not close, if that’s what you’re hoping for.” Slanslot said, turning towards her. “It’s farther than the city is from here. You’d be better off going back, than forwards.”

  When he said this, Lilay looked like she was going to cry.

  “Do you guys want to go back to your city?” Aroron asked, biting his lip. Mentally he hoped they went back to Glunot. He didn’t want to go all the way to Hatter with them. “Because, I can go on the rest of the way on my own.”

  “The High Elder told us we weren’t to leave your side.” Lilay said, pushing her white hair back, standing up a little taller. “It was an order, which we can’t disobey. So… no, we won’t be going back to the city.”

  “That means we’re not going anywhere.” S
lanslot said, moving to stand next to her. “Nice try, though.”

  Great. Aroron thought, letting out a sigh. He was never going to get rid of them. They were like unwanted puppies, following him around.

  “Well then, we’d better get going.” Aroron said.

  With the two of them, it was going to take a very long time to get to Hatter. Hopefully they’d make it in time to stop Munay from whatever he was planning, though he had a bad feeling they weren’t going to be able to.

  “Over the mountain or around it?” he asked them. “It’s your choice.” Both ways ended up taking about the same amount of time and he didn’t feel in the mood to choose. “So, what will it be?”

  “What about the tunnels?” Lilay asked Slanslot. “Wouldn’t they cut down the time quite a bit?”

  “Yeah, they…” He cut himself short, and turned pale. Slanslot and Lilay exchanged a glance and they both looked guilty.

  “’They’d what?” Aroron asked, looking from one to the other. “What’s wrong with you two?”

  “It was all my doing, but we really shouldn’t have said anything about them.” Lilay said, closing her eyes. “We swore we’d never speak a word of it to anyone outside of the Council.”

  “Well, it’s too late for that isn’t it?” Aroron said, crossing his arms as he eyed the two of them. “Now, what are they, and why are they so special? I’m not going to forget about it, so you might as well tell me.”

  “Alright.” Slanslot mumbled, dropping his gaze to the ground. He shuffled his feet and sighed. “During the Great War, a few of the kingdoms… well… they worked together to dig tunnels under the main land.”

  “It made it easier for the royal families to travel from one kingdom to another." Lilay said. “And…”

  “And one leads to the valley Hatter rests in.” Slanslot finished for her.

  Aroron wasn’t sure if he believed them or not. Tunnels no one had found over hundreds of years? It didn’t sound likely to him. But if there was a chance…? “And do you know how to get to this tunnel?” he asked, breaking out of his thoughts. He looked up at them and noticed Lilay was grinning. “What?”

  Slanslot rolled his eyes. “One of the entrances is hidden in this side of the mountain.” He said, dryly. “Lilay’s smiling, because one of the ways to unlock it, is with the Dragon Blade.”

  “Interesting.” Aroron said, rubbing his chin. “How do we get to the entrance?”

  “We have to wait until night.”

  Well, that was just great! “And if you’re wrong? Or they’re gone?” Aroron asked. “What then? We’ll have wasted a day for nothing.”

  “I think it’s worth the risk!” Slanslot said, glaring at Aroron. “They’ll still be there. The Drinens built them to last.”

  “The Drinens? Are you kidding me?! They hardly ever come out of their mountain and you want me to believe they helped build these tunnels?”

  “I don’t care if you believe it or not!” Slanslot hissed. “I’m going to go find a place to rest, while we wait until night. You can do whatever you want!” With that, he turned and left in a huff.

  Lilay flashed Aroron a smile. “Come on, just trust us.”

  Aroron sighed and shook his head. “Fine.”

  Chapter 6

  Tunnel

  Maybe the Elouns were right, maybe there was a tunnel that would lead them straight to Hatter. Then again, maybe there wasn’t. All Aroron could do till night came, was hope there was, then he’d find out. If there wasn’t, there was no use even going to Hatter.

  Only time would decide which would be the outcome.

  The three of them found a dry clearing where they could sit down and rest. When they did, the sun was already starting to slide towards the horizon and the sky was growing dark. They didn’t have long to wait.

  Leaning back against one of the trees in the little grove, Aroron tapped his fingers against his knees, looking over at Lilay and Slanslot, who sat next to each other whispering.

  He waited a minute, then cleared his throat. “So… what was the Great War like?” he asked, scooting his legs up against his chest and wrapped his arms around them. A chill working its way up his back.

  “What do you mean?” Lilay asked, frowning as she tightened her cloak around her shoulder, turning towards him.

  “Well, I’ve heard stories.” Aroron said, shrugging. “But that’s all they are. I just thought since you guys were there, you’d know what really happened during that time. Don’t you?”

  The two Elouns looked at each other and grew solemn.

  Lilay dropped her gaze and stared at the ground for a moment, before speaking. “It was a… a dark time. I was just a little girl when it started.” She whispered, rubbing her neck. Her eyes filling with tears. “But I still remember it clearly.” She said, her voice breaking.

  "Back then, the realm was not divided by river, mountains or trees.” Slanslot continued for her. “It was one Kingdom and one people, ruled by the Creator." he said, his voice staying low as he looked from Lilay to Aroron. "But the people were ungrateful, and too blind to see what they had. They wanted more than that which they were given and they didn’t want the Creator to rule over them any longer. He wouldn’t force himself upon them, so they began to rebel.”

  “Soon, everyone started fighting among themselves, over almost any little thing. It grew worse, until bloody battles broke out all over the realm.” Lilay whispered, fighting back tears. “It was horrid! Hundreds died before it was over, and a great darkness fell over the land. It was like nothing anyone had ever felt before." She said, turning towards the sun as it slid behind the horizon. “It was like an unending dusk, with no hope for a sunrise.”

  “And out of that darkness another ruler rose up and put a claim upon the crown.” Slanslot continued again. “They called him Luse.”

  “He promised to bring peace,” Lilay whispered. “But all he brought was more division upon the realm. Between those who would follow him, and those who still trusted in the Creator to rule over them.”

  “That’s when the Great War ensued and after that the realm was divided into the different kingdoms.” Slanslot said. “Glunot, Shenock, Zilla, Tranton, Drinadad and Karlay. Oh, and Debel, though they were a sibling to Karlay and barely considered a kingdom.”

  “It wasn’t long after that, they started to call him 'Luse the Destroyer'.” Lilay scoffed. “It fit him well!”

  “Luse?” Aroron mumbled. Where had he heard that name before? It nagged at the edge of his mind, but he couldn’t quite place it.

  They sat in silence, all wrapped up in their own thoughts.

  “The moon’s out.” Slanslot said, shoving himself to his feet as he looked up towards the sky, breaking everyone out of their thoughts. “We should get moving.” He said.

  Aroron watched as he offered his hand to Lilay and helped her up, and Aroron smiled to himself. She brushed off her clothing and turned towards Aroron, the moonlight playing off her white hair. “Are you ready?” she asked him.

  Aroron nodded as he climbed to his feet. “Where to now?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  “We’ve got to find the stones, near the lake.” Lilay said, fighting back a yawn. They needed to get going, if they wanted to make it to Hatter before one of them fell asleep. Aroron could feel himself slipping into drowsiness.

  “What stones are you talking about?” Aroron asked, shivering, as a breeze blew against him. Now that night had arrived, the air had cooled off. It wasn’t as cold as Glunot, but it was still chilly.

  “The ones that will lead us to the tunnels, of course.” Slanslot said, snorting as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe it was to him, but it wasn’t to Aroron and probably every other normal person.

  Stones? That’s what they’d been waiting for? Rocks that were going to lead them to the tunnels? What had he gotten himself into? Maybe the Elouns were crazy!

  “And why are we looking for rocks?” Aroron asked. It sounded stu
pid to him.

  Lilay laughed and shook her head. “We’re not just looking for ‘rocks’. We’re looking for special stones that were placed upon the path towards the entrance to the tunnels. They’re there to help us find the entrance. I’ve been there before.”

  Aroron slowly nodded. “Okay…” It still sounded a little crazy, but it was better than just looking for random rocks next to a mountain, which had to have thousands of them. “If we're looking for a certain rock, what do they look like?”

  Lilay was about to answer him, when they both heard a yell. “I found one!” Slanslot called, not far from where Lilay and Aroron stood talking.

  “Well, that didn’t take long.” Lilay said, turning towards where Slanslot’s voice had come from. “Come on, you can see one for yourself.” She said, motioning for Aroron to follow her.

  Checking to make sure they hadn’t left anything, he hurried after her.

  They hadn’t gone far, when Aroron spotted Slanslot heading back towards them. But Lily didn’t see him, and they ran right into each other.

  “Sorry.” He mumbled, stepping back as he ducked his head. “I didn’t see you in the darkness.”

  “It’s fine.” Lilay said, waving him off. “So, where is the stone?” she asked, glancing back towards Aroron. “I can’t wait to see it!” She was a little too giddy over looking at a rock. “I haven’t seen one since I was just a small child.”

  Aroron thought about asking her how young that meant she really was, but he didn’t have a chance.

  “This way.” Slanslot said, pointing back in the direction he’d just come from. “It looks a lot different from when I saw them last time.” He called over his shoulder, as he turned to go back through the trees. “But I guess that’s to be expected. The realm seems to be a completely different place from what it once was.”

  Lilay and Aroron stayed close behind him and to each other, as they went deeper into the mountain. The moon was bright, but still they could easily lose track of each other.

  Lucky, they didn’t have to go far to find the stones.