The Fallen Kings

by P D Atkerson

  “And how will you do that?” Aroron asked, pushing himself back to his feet. “King Munay’s not going to help, just because he’s an Oddity.”

  For a long second, she just stared at him. “King Munay’s an Oddity?” she whispered, shaking her head. “I didn’t know.”

  “If you didn’t know, then what were you planning?” Aroron asked. “Follow his orders and hope it helped Odditys in the end?”

  “No one gives me orders!” She snapped, gripping the scepter even tighter.

  “Alright.” He said, shaking his head. “But I wouldn’t work with King Munay to save my life, you mad Feeler!”

  “Please, call me Dregana." She said.

  “I don’t think so.” Aroron said, then he spun around and lunged across the deck. He reached for his sword, but it was a waste of time, it was too far. It was still at least five feet from him and there was no way of him getting to it. “Draven!” he spat.

  “Nice try!” she said. “You almost made it.”

  Aroron was really starting to hate this girl, and he didn’t even know her.

  “This has been fun and you seem like a nice enough guy, but its time I finished off the other ship.” Dregana said, standing over him. “There’s nothing an Aleanarien like you can do to stop me.”

  “I’m not just an Aleanarien!” He screamed out in anger and thrust his hand towards his sword. If only he could reach it! He could almost feel the metal in his hand. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Come on! He yelled inside his head, then his eyes flew open again and he turned towards his sword.

  When he did, he saw the dragons on the hilt of his blade came alive and without a sound, they flew up into the sky, carrying his sword with them.

  “This isn’t the end.” Aroron told the young woman. She saw the sword and growled, as she brought her sword around towards Aroron.

  He jumped to his feet and held his hand out, a second later he caught his sword and quickly brought it up, just in time to block the blast from the scepter. The sword deflected the water from the Heart, and threw it back at the girl.

  Dregana was thrown off her feet and went sliding across the deck. With a thud, she hit against the wall of the captain’s quarters and came to a sharp stop. But that didn’t keep her down for long.

  Laughing, she pushed herself back to her feet. “You’re an Oddity? Aren’t you? I should have known, since your friends were.”

  “Well, you didn’t.” Aroron said. “And I won’t let you sink that ship.”

  “It’s a Shenockien ship!” She spat. “It should go to the bottom of the sea.”

  “Just because they don’t like our kind, doesn’t make them bad people.”

  “You trust the Shenockiens? You really shouldn’t.” She whispered, taking a step towards Aroron again. “No Shenockien is your friend, Aroron. They will find out who you are. Given the chance, they will betray you, and leave you with nothing!”

  “Thanks for the warning.” Aroron said, stepping back from her. “I’ll try to remember it.”

  “Oh, I’m not letting you leave.” She said, tapping her scepter against the ground. “Now that I know what you are.” Quickly, she swung it around, this time the water hit Aroron from the back side and threw him forwards and towards Dregana.

  She grabbed him around the neck, her eyes flashed green again.

  “This is where your story ends.” The young woman hissed, throwing him back and against the deck. She brought the scepter around and above Aroron’s chest. “Goodbye.”

  “I don’t think so, you Vreck! Move away from him, you foul blood!” Gana ordered, holding her sword against the young woman, as she edged her way around and towards Aroron.

  "Ah... Lady Knavery." The young woman whispered, turning to face Gana. "I thought I sensed you. Either that, or a rat! If I’d known you were on that ship, I would have sunk it the second I saw it."

  "Speak another word and I will kill you!" Gana hissed, holding her sword up towards the girl again. “You know I’m not bluffing, Feeler! I will kill you without hesitation or regret, unless you let us go.”

  “Fine. Leave, I’ll even let your ship go.” The young woman said, laughing. “But we’ll meet again, and when we do, I’ll ruin your precious life and everything you care about.” With that, she turned and casually walked off.

  Gana looked after her and shook her head. “Come on, we need to get out of here while we still can.” Gana said, holding her hand out to Aroron. “I doubt she'll let us leave that easily.”

  Aroron nodded in agreement, as he grabbed her hand and climbed to his feet. “Yeah, you're probably right. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  They hadn’t gone half way towards their ship, when the ship they were on lurched and nearly threw them off their feet. Aroron grabbed for Gana’s arm and they helped steady each other. They both stopped and looked back towards the stern.

  Standing there, without her hat, her silver hair flowing behind, was Dregana. She smiled at Aroron, as she brought her scepter down again. The ship lurched once more, then like an octopus, the sea water wrapped itself around the ship.

  Aroron instantly knew what was about to happen. “She's separating the ships. We need to move, now!” he yelled, grabbing Gana’s hand, as he pulled her forwards again and towards the mast of the ship. Aroron let go of her hand and began to climb, glancing back to make sure she was behind him.

  The water like octopus tentacles, grabbed around the edge of the ship and began to yank it free from the other ship.

  Grabbing onto the other ship’s mast, Aroron swung himself over and turned back towards Gana. The whole structure groaned under the weight of the water, as it began to break free.

  “Help!” She screamed, reaching out towards him.

  “Gana, hang on!” Aroron yelled. Tightening his legs around the mast, he reached for her hand. He could hear the ropes slipping off the deck, splashing into the water, as the two ships began to tear from each other.

  Soon, Gana would be stuck on the other ship.

  He wasn’t going to let that happen! Quickly, he wrapped a rope around his other hand, let go with his legs and lunged towards Gana.

  Aroron caught hold of her arm and yanked her away from the grip of the other ship, just as they snapped apart. Aroron lost his grip on the mast and they both went flying to the deck below.

  They slammed into the wood, sending a jolt through their bodies and knocking the air out of their lungs. For a long second, they both just lay there, staring up at the sky. Finally, groaning, Aroron pushed himself to his knees and then to his feet.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, helping Gana back to her feet.

  She nodded and ran her hand through her hair. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for saving me, again.”

  Aroron flashed her a smile. “Well, you saved me as well, my lady.” He said, bowing towards her. She laughed and playfully punched him in the arm.

  “Are you alright, Lady Gana?” the captain asked, hurrying over to them. “I saw the whole thing, you’re both lucky to be alive. What were you thinking going over there, my lady?” he asked, grabbing her arm. “Your father would kill me if anything happened to you!”

  “I’m fine, Watermon!” she hissed, pulling away from him. “I’m not a child and I know how to handle myself in the water. My grandparents were Trantons, remember?”

  Before Watermon could respond, one of the sailors came running up to him. “We’re taking on water, captain! Half the starboard side was ripped off when the two ships separated.”

  Watermon sighed and rubbed his beard. “Alright, take it to shore.”

  “But sir,” the first mate said. “We’re near the danger zone, if we run aground now, the ship will be torn apart by the reef.”

  “And if we stay here, we’ll sink to the bottom of the sea.” Watermon growled. “Take us to shore, that’s an order!”

  “Yes, sir.” The first mate saluted, then hurried off, yelling things to the other sailors as he passed.

&nbs
p; Watermon turned back to Gana. “We’d better get ready for impact.”

  Less than ten minutes later, Aroron and Gana stood next to each other, holding tightly to the ropes above them, as they waited to hit the reef. They didn’t have long to wait.

  The bow of the ship slammed into the reef and kept going. As they did, the bottom of the ship was ripped free. It slammed to a stop and they were both thrown forwards and would have hit the deck again, if they hadn’t been holding onto the ropes. The ship had come to such a sharp stop, that when it was over and Aroron looked down at his hands, they were bleeding from where the ropes had cut into them.

  In a matter of minutes, the ship’s crew gathered on the main deck.

  “Be careful when you jump.” Captain Watermon ordered them. “Make sure not to hit the reef, or you’re going to kill yourself and we don’t need that.”

  Aroron swallowed. How could he say it so off handedly? Maybe he’d done this kind of thing before, but Aroron hadn’t and he wasn’t looking forward to it as it was, he didn’t need the captain to warn him he could end up killing himself.

  “Ladies first.” Aroron said, helping her up onto the railing. She looked back at him, then, without hesitating, Gana leapt from the ship and into the crystal blue water below.

  “This has to be easier than jumping a hundred feet into icy black water.” Aroron mumbled to himself, as he pulled himself onto the railing. He took in a deep breath and jumped.

  Soaked from head to toe in salty sea water, Aroron dropped down on the sand next to Lady Gana and sighed, laying back. “Well, that was interesting.”

  Gana looked at him and laughed. “That's one way of putting it. I guess.”

  “Why did she call you ‘Lady Knavery’?” Aroron asked, shoving himself back into a sitting position. He wasn’t sure where it had come from, but he wanted to know. Something about it had seemed… strange.

  Gana shrugged as she continued to stare out at the sea. “I don’t know.” She whispered. “Why’d she tell you not to trust Shenockiens?”

  Aroron’s mouth went dry and his shoulders drooped. “There’s something I didn’t tell you when we met in the Winter Pass.”

  “What?” She asked, frowning at him.

  Don’t trust them. A voice whispered to Aroron. He swallowed. “I was running from King Munay, that’s why I was there.”

  “You were running from King Munay? Why?”

  “Let’s just say, I wouldn’t do something he wanted me to.”

  Gana frowned sadly. “Did he try to force you into his army?” she asked.

  Aroron nodded. “Something like that.”

  “Where are you going to go now? I mean, since Hatter’s gone.” Lady Gana asked, wrapping her arms around her legs. “You have to go somewhere; you can’t stay on this beach forever.”

  “Oh? Really? I had no idea.” Aroron laughed. “I know, but I have no idea where I will go. I’ve really got no place to go. I can’t go back to Karlay and I’ve never been anywhere else. I guess I’ll just pick a place and stay there.”

  “Come back to Shey,” Gana said, grabbing his arm. “Maybe I could talk to the king about you and find a place in the Palace.”

  “I don’t want charity, Gana.” Aroron said, placing his hand on hers. “I’ve made it this far on my own.”

  “Alright, I won’t say anything to the king, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come to Shey. Does it?” she asked. “The rest of the survivors from Hatter are going to Shey, if your friends are still alive, they’ll probably be there.”

  Aroron eyed her. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Yes, the king’s guards would have heard about the fire and will take the survivors to Shey, until they can rebuild the city or move into others.”

  Sighing, Aroron nodded. “Alright, I’ll go with you, but I don’t know how long I’ll stay there.”

  Gana cried out and threw her arms around his neck. “You won’t regret this!”

  Aroron laughed, and hugged her back, then he quickly pulled away and cleared his throat. “We’d better join the rest of the group.” He mumbled, shoving himself to his feet.

  Chapter 12

  Shey and Epherny

  Second in the world by size, Shey was comparable to none for its untamed beauty. From its spiraling towers, to the flowing river weaving through the lower town.

  As Aroron and the rest of the Shenockiens crested over the hill near the city, the whole of it nearly covered the landscape in front of them. Stretching from the east to the west and far beyond sight.

  Made of yellow stones, the city's outer wall looked like a golden crown, as the sun slid below the horizon. The arches of the crown were the city's tall watch towers. Nothing but a stone path led to the city's gate, which hung open, calling for them to enter.

  But there, standing in the middle of the desert, the sun was so hot, you could almost hear the sand sizzling. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Aroron followed the rest of the group, as they started their descent towards the city.

  As they drew nearer to Shey, Aroron lifted up his gaze and looked closely at the city. The stone walls looked almost like gold, if just a little less shiny. Firelight shown through the thin cuts in the walls where the torches hung. Their light flickered every now and then, as the guards passed by.

  Huge statues stood at both sides of the gate, like giant guards protecting the city from invaders. They looked old, yet they still shimmered like new. It was then Aroron noticed the men in golden armor, standing along the top of the wall.

  The guards were almost invisible in the gold of the statues and the sand walls. As he drew nearer, he realized not many people seemed to enter from this side of the city and the guards noted them.

  The sound of their boots echoed around them, as the guards quickly made their descent towards the bottom of the wall. Their golden armor glittered in the sun, as they streamed out of the towers and onto the road before them.

  Like a barrier across the road, the guards interlocked with shields and stood still, watching as their group drew nearer. They drew their swords and held them high, a second later they split and one man stepped through.

  As the man walked towards Aroron and the rest of the group, the guards moved back to cover the hole.

  “Captain Watermon? What brings you back so soon, sir?” the man asked, saluting to Watermon as he came to stand in front of him. “We weren’t expecting you back for a few months.”

  “I must speak to the king, about what happened to Hatter.” Watermon said. “Is he in Shey at the moment?”

  “Yes, he is.” The guard said. “But we’ve already heard about what happened and have sent soldiers to gather the survivors.”

  “That’s good, but that’s not all I wish to speak to the king about.” Watermon said. “And the Lady Gana, I’m sure, is tired and wishes to rest. So, if you will, please take us to the palace, without hesitation.”

  “Captain Watermon’s right, I am tired.” Gana said, stepping forwards. “I would like to go home.”

  “My lady.” The guard said, quickly bowing towards her. “You were not expected, but I’m sure you’ll be welcomed gladly.” He said, quickly glancing around. “Come, let us go to the palace.”

  The guard turned around and hurried towards the line of guards. He motioned to them and they fell back and out of the way.

  As they moved closer to the city, Aroron found himself dropping to the back of the group. He wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to come here in the first place. He felt so out of place.

  Once inside the city, the road in front of him broke off in several directions. One went straight, one went to the left and another to the right. Aroron noticed the roads weren't made of stone, but instead, plain sand that had been pounded hard over the years. Was everything made of sand here? It sure looked like it.

  Aroron looked down the street and suddenly felt very small. There had to be thousands and thousands of people inside the city's walls! Knowing if he stood there staring, he'd draw attentio
n to himself, he started forwards down the street in front of him.

  The likelihood that he’d ever find Lilay or Slanslot in this place, (if they ever came) would be unlikely. They’d be lost in the mix of people and he’d never see them again. But wasn’t that true for everyone he’d ever known? He doubted he’d see any of them again. From his uncle, Lord Trot (who was most likely dead because of him), to all the Elouns back in Glunot.

  Shey was not like anything he’d ever seen before.

  On both sides of the street stood short buildings, with round roofs. Brightly colored banners hung from the windows, whipping in the wind. Everywhere he turned, clotheslines hung over the streets, more bright fabric clinging to them.

  It would be so easy to get lost here! With so many streets, that all looked the same. Each and every way looked just like the other ones. It wasn’t until that moment Aroron realized he’d stopped walking.

  “Are you alright?” Gana asked, dropping back beside him.

  He looked at her and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just looking around. Man! This place is a little overwhelming.”

  “I guess it might be. I grew up here, and you get used to it." Gana said, shrugging. “Come on, we’d better hurry to catch up with the rest of the group.”

  “I think I’ll separate here.” Aroron said, dropping his gaze. “It’s for the best.”

  “What?!” Gana cried. “Please, just come visit the palace, meet everyone, then you can go.”

  “Castles and palaces aren’t really my thing, my lady.” Aroron said. “And I don’t really get along with most nobles, just look at me! I’m not the same kind of person as I’m sure fill those halls.”

  “But…” She started, he quickly cut her off.

  “I’m sorry, my lady, but I really can’t.” Aroron said, taking a step back. “I doubt they’d care to meet me anyways.”

  “That’s not true!” Gana said, grabbing his hand. “I’m sure they’ll love to meet you and become as quick of friends as we have.”

  Aroron laughed. “That’s kind of you to say, but I don’t think so. It’s been an honor knowing you this short time, my lady, and I will always think of you fondly.” Aroron said, bowing to her. “Goodbye.”