The Mission Begins

by Kevin J. Fitzgerald

  From above them, angry caws of the approaching ravens fired at them one by one, like blasts from a Gatling gun. Quickly, Paladin pulled away from Frenjoo and helped Eucon. Following suit, Frenjoo did the same. The three of them—screaming—finally gave a tremendous tug and the pin released. The grating popped open.

  “Now!” Eucon said, casting the pin aside. He pushed the others out of the way and grabbed the loose, hinged grate. He lifted it open, over his head. “Go on!” he yelled at them. “Get in!”

  Paladin and Frenjoo looked at him for only a second.

  From above, the conspiracy of ravens was almost upon them.

  “Get in!” Eucon screamed. “I can’t hold this thing forever!”

  Paladin quickly grabbed Rolo’s limp and waterlogged form. “Frenjoo!” he shouted. “Help me!” Together, the squirrel and the rabbit lifted Rolo up and inside the pipe. Paladin looked at Frenjoo. “You’re next,” he said simply. He could tell the squirrel wanted to speak, but didn’t know what to say. Looking past Paladin to the large raccoon, Frenjoo simply said, “Eucon?”

  “Go on!” the raccoon shouted back. They could hear the strain in his voice.

  In the next instant, Frenjoo was inside the pipe.

  “Okay,” Paladin turned to Eucon.

  “You’re last!” Eucon yelled loudly, without allowing Paladin the opportunity for another word. The squawking of the ravens was loud in their ears now.

  “What about you!” Paladin cried back.

  “Hurry!” Eucon shouted. “I’ve gotta put this pin back in place!”

  “But . . .”

  “Do it!” Eucon screamed.

  Tears of frustration streaming down his face, Paladin scrambled inside the pipe. The grating slammed into place behind him just as he got in. Paladin stood on his hind legs and grabbed the bars. From the other side Eucon worked feverishly to slide the pin back into place, ensuring that no ravens could get in at the others. All at once, two large ravens landed on Eucon’s back and began ripping his fur. Eucon recoiled in pain.

  “Eucon!” Frenjoo yelled. He pushed past Paladin and gripped the grate in both hands. In the next instant, both he and the rabbit were trying their best to box the ravens away from between the bars of the grate. It wasn’t much use.

  Two more of the large birds landed upon the raccoon, tearing and slashing with their beaks.

  Frenjoo cried out and fell back from the mouth of the pipe.

  Eucon screamed, but didn’t let go of the pin. Then, finally, Eucon felt the pin slide into place and he looked up.

  There were no words; there was no time.

  For the briefest moment, Eucon and Paladin’s eyes met. So much was communicated in that stare. They knew that if ever their paths crossed again (and Paladin found himself hoping that they would, under better circumstances) they would be good friends.

  Then, Eucon was gone—splashing away through the cold, shallow water of the stream, followed by a dark shadow of birds.

  Paladin watched him go until the raccoon was little more than a pale shape scrambling up the dark incline of the opposite bank. Most of the approaching ravens shifted their flight and headed for the fleeing raccoon. Others, however, kept coming toward the mouth of the pipe, trying desperately to get in at Paladin and the others.

  “Run, Eucon! Run!” Paladin yelled to the early dawn. His cry was swallowed in beating wings and squawks.

  And in the next moment Eucon and the ravens that followed him were gone, and Paladin saw him no more.

  Then, it was only the angry, screaming, bloodthirsty ravens crowding the mouth of the pipe. Paladin fell back from them and watched in amazement as they tried to get in, his eyes wide, slowly swaying back and forth. There was something hypnotic about the sounds they created. It was close to deafening in the close confines of the sewage pipe—a sound which threatened to drive away even the memory of more pleasant sounds. Paladin found himself fascinated at their determination, their lust for capturing him and his companions. He lay there for some time, exhausted, drifting in and out of a semi-fainting state—for just how long, he didn’t know.

  Behind him Rolo was conscious again, and Frenjoo supported him. The two of them, likewise, could only stare in dumb horror at the narrow escape they had made from the ravens, hoping against all hope that Eucon himself would flee their pursuit.

  It was some time later (and still, the ravens were at the mouth of the pipe) when Paladin turned, and he and Frenjoo helped carry Rolo into the dark recesses of the sewers. Away from the world outside where the sun was just beginning to rise.

  “Go, my friend,” Paladin whispered once more to the darkness, still thinking of Eucon.

  And then, the darkness consumed them.

  §

  “Well, well, well,” the Rat King beamed. His laughter subsided. “What have we here? What business do a rabbit, a squirrel, and a guinea pig have in the Realm of Rats? Tell me, if you can. And make it good! My brothers are hungry.”

  A chorus of snickers and things being whispered in the dark filled the room. From all around yellow eyes glared, long fingers pointed.

  “Business?” Rolo squeaked.

  “We are not conducting any business,” Paladin responded as he stepped forward.

  The Rat King’s gaze shifted to the rabbit. His face was hidden in shadow, but his eyes glistened eagerly in the dark.

  “In fact,” Paladin said, “we have no right to speak of in these parts. We have wandered into your kingdom quite by accident, oh Great Eglon, Lord of the Rats.” Paladin bowed.

  From all around the Worrats jeered. Frenjoo and Rolo huddled together.

  “Silence!” the Rat King exploded.

  Then he leaned forward upon his great throne of refuse and looked at the rabbit suspiciously. Eglon, the Rat King, wanted to know more about his story.

  TO BE CONTINUED IN

  PALADIN BOOK 3:

  The Realm of the Rat King

  GLOSSARY OF TERMS

  A Note on the Language:

  I have done my best to accurately present the chendrith slah – or language of the animals – in these stories. It is hardly precise to call it a language, as the chendrith do not communicate with a “language” the way you and I might think of language. They have within their alphabet (if we may call it that) letters known as srabs. These are neither vowels nor consonants. Since these srabs are unknown to us, they cannot be recorded in this account. So, one begins to understand the difficulty in trying to convey their manner of speech; not to mention the subtleties which exist between each of their varying species. The simplest comparison I can make is to that of differing tribal dialects amongst humans, or accents. There is a common tongue with which the chendrith speak. I have done my best to present this as accurately as I can. Below follows a glossary of terms, pronunciations, and loose translations which appear within this – and previous installments – of the Paladin series. For later books, this glossary will continue to be expanded and revised to include additional terms.

  Arjo E’alu – n. /AR-jo-ee-AH-loo/ – long-fabled fields of water; the ocean.

  Cage-box – n. /kāj bäks/ – Paladin’s word for a television set.

  Chendra – n. /SHEN-drah/ – a single woodlander; an animal.

  Chendray – n. /shen-DRAY/ – the woods; forest.

  Chendrith – n. /SHEN-drith/ – woodlanders; all animals living in the forest.

  Chendrith slah – n. / SHEN-drith SLAH/ – the language of the woodlanders.

  Ctiansu – n. /see-AHN-soo/ – cow(s).

  Dupan – n. /DOO-pahn/ – the moon; big night light.

  Dupani – n. /DOO-pahn-EE/ – stars; small night lights.

  Ecah-hah – n. /ekk-ah-HAH/ – (see Loehs-Anneheg) – another name used by some of the chendrith for the evil deep within the woods; the Scientific Improvement Network facility; the elahs world.

  Elahs – n. /EE-loss/ – man (men).

  Elahs slah – n. /EE-loss SLAH/ – man voices; man speech.

&
nbsp; Elahs ichto – n. /EE-loss ICK- tō/ – man sounds.

  Elahs peilo – n. /EE-loss pee-ī-lō/ – man thing.

  Estaclah – n. /EES-tah-klah/ – a closed council of rabbits.

  Firhouse – n. /FER-hous/ – one of the rabbit warennes.

  Forests of Ballivor – n. /Baah-lih-VOOR/ – A specific, fabled forest within the larger chendray.

  Imha Lois – EEM-hah-loy – wood-wise.

  Kebarra – n. /kee-BARR-ahh/ – a great hero of rabbit mythology.

  Lapine – n. /LAY-pine/ – a term used by the chendrith to describe the rabbit society.

  Lhirg Drum –n. / lərk-drəm/ – a church building.

  Loehs-Anneheg – n. /loyt-ah-NESH/ – the most common chendrith name for the evil deep within the woods; the Scientific Improvement Network facility.

  Milpas – n. /mil-POSS/ – rabbit word for brother(s) or comrades.

  Moul Cuilmh – n. /moh-ool QUEEL-chah/ – lit. “the mouth of death.” A term used by some of the chendrith to describe a hidden entrance to the Loehs-Anneheg; a grated sewer-pipe drain.

  Mullingar – n. /məl-in-garr/ – the Mighty Rabbit Hunter of rabbit mythology; a rabbit constellation.

  Nuad – n. /NOO-äd/ – male rabbit.

  Nutook – n. /noo-TOOK/ – female rabbit

  Quijada – /kwee-JAH-dah/ – a name used by the chendrith to reference the sun.

  Rhainmor Dispersions – an historical event in the history of Tanglewood warenne.

  Shehker Plan-aho – n. /sheh-ker plahn-AHH-hoo/ – chendrith term for the earth.

  Shoukaye – /SHOO-kay/ lit. “doing the tell.” An oral recitation of a story, or history.

  Srab – n. /sir-ahb/ – letters in the chendrith language that are neither vowel nor consonant.

  Tanglewood – n. /taNGɡəl-wo͝od/ – one of the rabbit warennes.

  Teinche – n. /TEN-chay) – rabbit title for wise leader (chief rabbit).

  Utergei – n. /OO-ter-gī/ trans. “the body” [NOTE: history is unclear on this term] – a chendrith word/name given and used to describe a specific group of animals meeting in an old church.

  Warenne – n. (Old English) / wawr-uh n/ – a place where rabbits breed or abound.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

  Born in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Kevin J. Fitzgerald began acting and singing at an early age with the “Atlanta Workshop Players.” After winning numerous awards (including the Young Georgia Author’s Award) and a full dance scholarship, Kevin transitioned to writing and directing, where he discovered he possessed a knack for story-telling and bringing a vision to life.

  Kevin has written, produced, and directed dozens of original stage productions, exploring multiple genres, one of which was released as a radio-play. He is a prolific songwriter and has recorded on a professional level in Nashville, TN. and Dublin, Ireland. He has produced three CD’s. His bestselling novel – UnAlive – was released in 2015 to strong reviews and potential film development. He has written and sold multiple screenplays, and published numerous short stories, including The Zombie Race, as part of the award-winning anthology The Gathering Horde (ATZ Publications).

  The Mission Begins marks Kevin’s second release in the epic six-part fantasy/adventure series called Paladin. Part 1, The Evil Within the Woods, released in 2015 to strong reviews.

  Kevin and his family lived in Dublin, Ireland for more than ten years. A gifted communicator, Kevin has been invited to speak at conferences around the world in Spain, Brazil, Scandinavia, South Africa, Hungary, Ukraine, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, England, and the U.S. He and his wife Amanda have four children, Mandy-Gail, Késon, Avin-John, and Éamon. They currently reside in Yuba City, California, where Kevin is Lead Pastor/Teacher of Calvary Chapel Yuba City.

  To Contact Kevin:

  Kevin J. Fitzgerald

  PHONE: (678) 863-6224

  EMAIL: fitzgeraldk@ccbce.com

  FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/KJFWriter

  TWITTER: @KJFWriter