“He speaks the truth,” Elder hastened to say. “The only reason I came is because my friend needed me. Otherwise, I am just fine being a simple scholar. I have no aspirations to go into battle for the sake of fighting.”
“These facts should be able to ease your troubled minds. Just stick with one another. I can’t stress that enough.”
The group nodded here and there. James clutched the hilt of his sword with determination. He had something to prove, not just to Arimus and the proctors, but his team as well. He had to prove that he was needed.
The troop marched on, cautious and anxious, constantly aware of their surroundings, struggling to be absolutely silent. It didn’t take long to notice the radiating green glow in front of them, just beyond the trees. Knowing instantly that it was the stone, the troop slowed their march, as if delaying a trip to the gallows.
Achan looked behind him at his team, saw the sweat pouring from their faces, the downcast stares, the shuffling of their feet, and laughed within himself. He knew it was not the animals they would have to worry about. He had talked about them thoroughly with Elder. None would prove a threat. It was what would happen after the stone was switched. That was the problem. He didn’t know exactly what happened for sure, but he had heard the rumors, and that was enough.
Achan sighed.
“They Say the Sage,”Achan began singing as loud and heartfelt as he could, startling his colleagues and awakening the forest around them.
“With one swing, can level…an entire tree…
But what, I ask, does it compare….to the might of the Infantry!!
The Cry of our swords…collectively!!
Swarming the cowards…our enemy!
They Say the Sage…with their honor and might…have no fear…
Oh, how they fight…
The Earth cowers…under their weight
But no Sage could…begin to take…
The POWER! Of the Infantry!
Hear their roar…oh, how they sing!
When they join…hilt to hand…
Come my brother, be a man.
Join our cause, the Infantry!
What is mine, is yours to keep.
We are one, and we are strong,
With one war-cry, our enemy gone!”
Achan began repeating his created song with conviction and power. James could feel Achan’s love for the infantry, even from where he stood in the back, and it brought up within him an urge to fight the fear that tried to quench his spirit, and to join Achan in song. Like all the troops before him, he began listening even more intently, word for word, learning little by little the song that began to bring them together as one. The animals scurried away, at least those that weren’t engulfed in the glow of the stone. And the troop began to laugh as they saw the animals run. Squirrels and birds, chipmunks, and deer, running or flying away in fear.
Nothing intimidating.
Nothing to even cause an inkling of fear in the hearts of the recruits.
James was shocked. Was the whole point of the test simply to scare recruits about the unknown? To cause most to quit after talk of death and eternal damnation? Was Elder in on it too? Did he tell that story to cause them to give up and turn back?
Achan couldn’t be in on it. His love for his team and his determination to keep going forward was evidence enough. He wanted them to succeed. Still, even with his heart-felt song bellowing through the foliage, James felt a twinge of shame. He was not yet convinced that being a part of the infantry was better than being a Sage. Even if a Sage was a loner, and even if they were only tools of the King, couldn’t they accomplish more than the infantry? He couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe there was more to Achan’s disdain for Sages than simple logic. Maybe something had happened to him that had taken away his faith in them.
Maybe.
“I had a feeling about this,” London exclaimed, “that there was nothing to worry about. I knew it. Elder, you had me going with that story of yours. It was crazy to begin with, and I almost believed it!”
London laughed as Elder cleared his throat.
“I wasn’t lying.”
“Oh, just let it go already, man. Seriously.”
Achan ignored them as he pushed away the last set of branches, to see the stone they had come for. Sitting on top of a marble surface, it emitted a beam of light that stretched beyond the sky into the green haze, as if trying to cut through it. Achan examined it closely, as it felt warm even from a distance. The song had stopped. No one said a word as he inspected it for signs of danger.
“All we have to do is switch it. Right?” Rahima spoke up, eager to leave. It was too quiet.
“Shush,” Achan said quickly as everyone huddled around to see. Achan noticed the eerie silence immediately. “Someone watch our back, please.”
James obediently turned around to face their trodden path. To his surprise, many of the animals had doubled back and come close to see the stone. James hissed at a few of them, but they didn’t budge. Achan tapped the stone with his index finger. Seeing that nothing happened to it after careful inspection, he clutched the stone with both hands and lifted it off the pedestal. It was surprisingly light, and Elder quickly put the replacement in its stead. It didn’t glow as brightly as the one they had just taken, but it did emit a low light from deep within its core, as if a sole candle was lit in a gigantic room of darkness. Alicia put the stone in the bag she was carrying, as she was the one of the few people who actually had extra room. Achan sighed as they surveyed the area. Nothing happened.
“Is that it?” London asked. Larry repeated London’s question and got no answer as Achan made a motion for everyone to be quiet. Everyone stood still, but it appeared they were in the clear.
“Well, I guess that’s it,” Chrillian replied. “Let’s head back!”
The group began to celebrate a little. James looked for the animals and saw that they had shrunk back into the forest. He glanced toward Achan who noticed the same thing.
“Everyone stay alert! Maintain!” he yelled as they all calmed down. “I need you to look around the shrine. There’s got to be a sign or something, to let us know where we are.”
“I see what you mean,” Elder nodded.
Tyler saw it first, after only a moment of searching. He gave a cry of surprise and all swarmed to look at what he was pointing at. Standing just amongst a few bushes, barely noticeable, stood a worn and rusted sign that read, “Here lies the Prattle Kingdom’s border. Crossing is at your own risk.” The pedestal itself was just inside the Allayan border.
“You don’t think…” James considered, “that there are people from another Kingdom around, do you?”
“Possibly,” Achan replied. “Langorans to be exact.”
“Are they serious?”
“In general, no, but if what I’ve heard is true, we should get out of here as fast as we can. I know for a fact that Langorans will not stray into open Allayan territory.”
Achan checked to make sure that the stone they had placed on the marble surface was secure, and then he began to run. The troop followed suit, sensing the anxiety in their leader. Achan kept the pace at a jog so he could speak of his concerns to his team.
“The Langorans are a lazy bunch, sitting around all day, eating and drinking. That’s all they do. However, one can’t discount the fact that—like all of the Kingdoms—they have uncanny abilities at their disposal. One of them being that they have superhuman strength that lies dormant within them. Strength they can release at any time. It lasts for only minutes, but the results are disastrous. The longer they literally lie dormant, or the more they simply sleep and do nothing but sit around, the more powerful their strength is when it’s released.”
“But if they’re so lazy, why would they come after us now?” a recruit asked.
“It’s not the Langoran citizens I’m worried about. It’s the POW’s.”
“POW’s?”
“I’ve heard rumors that there are prisoners of wa
r deep under the ground of the stone we just switched, secured by a lever that the stone rests on. When the stone is lifted, the lever is released until another stone is put back in its place. I tried replacing it quickly in case the rumors were true, but I don’t know. I hear that for every second the lever is released, one Langoran’s chains are loosed.”
“How long did it take you to get the stone in place,” James asked nervously.
“Five seconds,” Achan said, “which is long enough. I’m just a little worried because I figure, if these Langorans have been in a prison for so long, provided this is one of the shrines in which the stone has not been replaced recently…that means they’ve had plenty of time to store up energy, and honestly, if they have all that pent up strength ready to be released, who better to let it out on than some Allayans? The ones who put you there in the first place.”
That sunk in as the troop picked up the pace. James looked behind him only for a moment. Seeing nothing suspicious, he kept his gaze forward, concentrating on the trail.
“We keep moving until we get out of the forest. No breaks,” Achan muttered. Kyran’s words echoed through James’ mind. The words that James had referred to once as Kyran’s prophecy.
Few survive this exam.
Chapter 9 - Prattle and Allay
The chains simply fell off. As if they had never been fastened. One after the other his fellow jailers gained their apparent freedom…until the sixth in line. His chains remained. The Langoran wasted no time in trying to loose his fellow brothers, but to no effect. He grunted in anger and gave them a solemn stare. The prisoner bowed his head in shame, understanding what it meant. The rest of his brethren would stay as prisoners.
His brother tried to mutter a word of encouragement but no ears were listening. The Langoran scratched his head, bald now from years of neglect. His skin was pale and smooth to the eye, chiseled and hard to the touch. Despite years of sitting, his muscles rippled larger than ever before. His pent up energy was giving him strength beyond what he’d ever seen in the Kingdom. Surely the Allayans knew better than to let a Langoran lie dormant? Didn’t they? Well, it didn’t matter in the end.
Their idiocy would be their folly, their demise, their death…and his revenge. He glanced throughout the room at the other so-called “monsters” around him, his fellow Langorans, who were never thought to be considered human by the Allayans. In their laziness, they had given up speaking a long time ago, refusing to mull over different interpretations of words and struggling to find meaning. For messages that were important enough to spend the energy on conveying, a few grunts and hand motions had been sufficient. The other Langorans were like him—hairless and about to explode due to the size of their muscles—shared his disgust for the Allayans. They didn’t mind if they were still prisoners. They would be avenged.
The Langoran pounded his chest once, signifying he would lead the hunt. The four that were also freed nodded in agreement and turned toward the wooden door that led to the outside. The Langoran hit it with a palm, and the door crumbled, shattering to splinters. The others chuckled as they struggled through the small frame. The leading Langoran began his ascent when he heard a clearing of the throat behind him. A strange gesture for his people. It was a miracle at all that he remembered its significance. He turned around to see someone who was not of his kind.
Small in frame and height, this man still had his hair. Pitch black long hair that came down to his shoulders. A disgustingly bony figure that tried to peek through his baggy clothes, showing that he at one time had more meat on him. He was barefoot and clutched his arms, trying to fight the chilly air that interrupted their usually humid atmosphere. The Langoran stepped forward as the man smirked in response.
“Ah yes, to you I am ugly, but as they say, beauty is only skin deep. I have a lot more to offer you than what meets the eye, my friend.”
The Langoran grunted in response. He understood this talkative man, yet he was also annoyed at the extremity of his speech.
“As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, I am not a Langoran. You would be correct. I am actually a Prattlian. One of those mouthy types that rattle off about nothing, except, I am not like my acquaintances. I allowed myself to get captured with you and yours in order to gain something. I knew the Allayans could be arrogant enough to overlook me, especially that Kyran, as he is so sure he never makes a mistake. However, this is a blunder that may haunt him forever. I knew that you Langorans in particular were guards of the border, forced to move around a lot so you were particularly skinny at the time you were caught. That was the best time for me to get captured with your group. I would hardly pass for the brutes you are now. It was hard enough building my figure to the point I could blend in with you as you were back then. I shudder at the thought, but I digress. A habit of my people we will not soon expel. What is your name?”
The Langoran closed his eyes, trying to find the effort it took to speak. It had been so long.
“Keel,” he half said, half groaned.
“Keel. My name is Alexander. Nice to meet you. Now while I am hardly the type to insult someone of your stature, I must say that it would be in your best interest to take me along. I know you are strong of body, but not of mind. If you do what I say, I guarantee that I will bring you to victory and we will find a way for all of your people to be free.”
Keel nodded his head down in a violent manner.
“Excellent. Now, first we have to assess what we’re up against. I heard some talking while we were down here and it sounded like children, but we have to make sure. You and your group should give chase, but when you come upon them, have only one engage. You and the others stay back until further notice, understood?”
Keel grunted something inaudible and picked up Alexander with one sweep of his arm. He placed him on his shoulder which was a staggering nine feet off the ground. Alexander had to practically jump on Keel’s back as he slammed through the frame, unlike his colleagues who had squeezed through. Outside, with a few grunts and points toward Alexander, the plan was made. Alexander sat on his new bodyguard with a devilish grin.
“Now, let us see how an Allayan handles the mind of a Prattlian.”
***
“I am getting really tired,” Elder gasped from the back of the formation. “How long has it been?”
“About a half hour or so,” Achan panted through the sweat that blinded him. “Alright, everyone stop for now.”
The troop ceased their running and practically fell over in a stupor, panting and gasping for air.
“We’ll rest for five minutes, and then we have to keep on moving,” Achan stated.
“Can I ask you something, Achan?” James inquired as Achan wiped his brow.
“What is it?”
“Can a Sage defeat a Langoran?”
Achan rolled his eyes.
“Yes, I’m sure one could.”
“Then if the infantry is so great and so much better than a Sage, why are we running?”
Everyone listened in after that comment.
“It would be different if we had battle experience, but we don’t. It’s better to retreat for now.”
“What kind of infantry is only good at retreating? Don’t we have to fight to gain experience?”
“Better to fight in a controlled environment back home, where even if an accident happened and we die, we could still go to Paradise. Here, if we fight a Langoran who wants our very blood, and die, we go to Oblivion. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Would you run away if you were King?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Hey! Hey!” Elder said, stepping between them. “No time for arguing. Our five minutes is basically up. I feel better now and I was last in line, so we should be able to resume now.”
Achan glared suspiciously at James who stood his ground, staring deep into Achan’s eyes.
“When we get back, we’ll discuss what you’re really trying to say,” Achan said, turning his back, and beginning
to run. The others ran past James who stood with Elder.
“Are youtryingto get me on bad terms with him?” Elder exclaimed. “Don’t tell him I told you about his feelings for Catherine!”
“Why not? I want to hear it from his own mouth.”
“James, you can’t just challenge anyone who has an interest in Catherine. You’re not her boyfriend. Besides, it’s about what she wants, and what she would want right now is for all of us to make it out of this forest alive, so let’s go!”
“You’re right, Elder, as always.”
Elder and James began running to catch up with the rest of the troop. It didn’t take them long. They had only jogged a handful of steps when they saw Achan and the others up ahead, standing motionless and shaking as a gigantic monster stepped onto the path. He was tall. Too tall to be from Allay. His hairless pale skin shone even in the dull forest light. His muscles rippled every second or so, as if he were flexing each one on his body at the same time, but James knew it had to be from the built up energy that was surging inside of him, involuntarily making him stronger. The monster balled up a fist, about a foot in length, and pounded his chest ferociously. The booming thud sent sonic booms throughout the forest. Achan and the others covered their ears from the crippling sound. The monster laughed from deep within his stomach and took a step forward, his foot sinking deep into the forest soil. His shirt and pants, made to stretch, were struggling not to snap from his inhuman body mass. The others backed up, but Achan stood vigilant.
“You’re a Langoran, aren’t you?”
The monster answered with a slap across Achan’s face.
James could hear a crack come from Achan’s body as he flew to the side of the trail. He crumpled into a lifeless ball when he hit the ground. The monster scanned the crowd for a moment, looking for the stone that had been taken. Seeing Alicia clutching to it as if it were her life, the monster’s half-shut eyes lit up and he stampeded toward her. Larry was the first one in the way. Frozen in terror, he could only remain stationary as the monster slammed into him. Larry went limp and didn’t get back up. Tyler tried to slice the monster’s thick hide with his sword, but the blade barely produced a paper cut. The monster reared and back-handed him while continuing to make his way to Alicia. Tyler flew to the side and hit a tree with a loud thud. James and Elder could only watch as the monster grabbed Alicia’s sides with two hands and began to squeeze. Her cries woke them out of their daze.
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 18
