by D. L. Jordan
“Then why did you tell me about Avesia, provide for me, introduce me to the Rulers, and show me the letter of Amenhotep?”
“I am a new servant of Xanire, so I have only been one for several months.” Dean tried to block out Cacellon’s words, not wanting to listen to the disgusting details of his betrayal.
Dean shuddered, balling his hands into fists. He was so infuriated that his fingers were practically sinking into his skin.
“After a while, I went back to my normal life as an Avesian servant, undetected by the Rulers. For all those days when you were in training and I was nowhere to be found within the palace walls, I was here in the old chambers of this country tending to Xanire’s every whim. I first became his ally only a month after your arrival. He persuaded me with promises of great majesty and power. I accepted this because I grew awfully tired of being just the servant of the Rulers, but with your death they will soon find their downfall.”
Dean was speechless. The utter betrayal of Cacellon, mixed with his feelings of losing Magola, was almost too much for him. Swallowing his pain, he looked up at Cacellon with a sense of mercy and shouted, “Cacellon…you had everything you could possibly ever want in Avesia! Please, regain your senses while there’s still time before Xanire destroys you completely! Think about what you’re throwing away! You had an entire civilization that loved you and…”
“That comes with the package of being a servant. Xanire and I will soon have everything
to share.”
“Would you still give all of that up for a master of evil who will only treat you worse than you have already treated yourself? When you treat yourself to evil, it can only destroy you. Evil shares nothing! It only deceives!” Confusion came upon Cacellon’s face as he pondered on Dean’s words.
“Don’t listen to him you fool. Get him!” exclaimed Xanire from the far side of the chamber.
“I’m sorry, Dean, but I have a new master now, and you’re the only thing that stands in the way of us and total domination of Erlon.”
Dread fell across Dean’s face. Not having the scepter worried him terribly. Cacellon gave out an angry, shrill scream and Xanire made his way closer to Dean. Dean stood, his legs trembling and his heart racing as Xanire came towards him with the look of triumph in his menacing eyes. Dean quickly ran to the chamber walls and started to climb the hard rock to reach the scepter.
Xanire still stood where he was. He curled his lips and, as he released them, a huge blizzard of snow hit the single wall Dean was climbing like a cannon. Dean’s fingers began to numb in the cold, causing him to almost slip. He was about to give in to failure and fall off the wall, but he didn’t.
Xanire blew and blew as Dean continued to climb. He was finally at the ledge where the scepter was laying. Dean noticed Cacellon standing to its left. Angrily, Dean pushed Cacellon off the ledge, and when he fell a peach-colored spiral surrounded him as he turned into the phoenix before flying away.
Dean tried to grab the scepter but it fell off the ledge as Xanire’s heavy footsteps came towards him. Dean jumped off the wall, grabbing the scepter as both he and the scepter fell. His heart was sinking more than it had before when he saw the scorpion in the previous chamber. As Dean was falling to the ground, he made the scepter release an amount of air from its diamond tip that pushed against the ground to save him.
Dean landed to the ground softly on his feet. Xanire gave out a huge bellow, loathing the fact that Dean had not crashed to the ground. Now that Dean had the scepter, he and Xanire were both ready to battle. He ran towards Xanire, giving out a battle cry.
After a while, Dean was finally at Xanire’s feet. He jumped and made a valiant effort to slice Xanire open with the tip of the scepter’s diamond triangle, willing it into a sword that could help him thwart the terrible monster. But he was seized by Xanire. The scepter was still clutched in his hands. Xanire pulled Dean up to his face as Xanire’s claws began to puncture into Dean’s sides.
A burning seared into Dean’s sides, held so tightly by Xanire, that Dean gasped, crying out in pain. Xanire delighted in hurting him, while Cacellon was nowhere to be seen. Dean began to realize that his life was coming to an end.
At that moment, an explosion entered the chamber from behind both of them. Rocks, ash, and smoke from the blasted wall of the chamber scattered everywhere. Dean looked towards the exploded wall and out of the shadows of the night appeared the Rulers with a great many Yailonian soldiers behind them. All of them were mounted upon Tigrises that were decorated for war and wearing the palace emblem of Avesia.
The soldiers, including the Rulers, were dressed in golden armor and helmets and carried weapons such as spears, axes, bows and arrows, and swords. Queen Lila, Queen Anarkali, King Salim, King Berthold, Queen Clotilda, Emperor Hanab Pakal, Empress Ix Chel, and Empress Xian were settled at different parts of the front line with the soldiers while Emperor Yang was in the front leading them all. The Yailonian archers were the very back line of the army. Dean saw this, and with the utmost shock, he saw a certain stern looking man beside Queen Anarkali. It had seemed that Madu’s allegiance was to Dean after all. He turned, feeling immediately relieved at the sight of them all.
“To battle!” shouted Emperor Yang zealously, riding on the back of Albrecht the Tigris.
The Rulers led the Yailonian army into the chamber in a glorious stampede towards Xanire.
Xanire looked on, surprised at the loyalty of the Avesians. He summoned, with his free hand, a black ash that nearly covered the chamber. Dean still struggled in his fist.
The army of Yailonian soldiers stopped and observed what was happening. The ash spread and spread throughout the chamber and then stopped. A dead silence covered the huge chamber. For a long while, the Yailonian army and Dean anxiously waited to see what was about to take place. Finally, Dean saw many hands reach out of the ash, suspecting that they were human. But he soon discovered that his assumption was wrong as he saw that the hands were furry with claws.
Dean was disgusted as he watched the arms attached to the hands start to rise out of the ash like the undead from their graves. The Zaives had finally risen and were ready to fight the Yailonians. They were suited in white armor and carried the same weapons as their opponents and their number matched the number of the Yailonian soldiers.
The Zaive general, three times the size of his allies, stood at the front. He raised his head to Xanire, anxious for a command from his master. Dean watched the Zaive army but did not fear for the Yailonians. He knew that they would triumph against them.
“You all must fight! Go after them and bring them all to their defeat!” shouted Xanire from above them. The Zaives did as they were commanded and ran to battle with a mind- numbing cry. The Avesians never swayed in their battle stance, continuing their initiative.
The Yailonians collided with the Zaives. An epic battle had commenced.
The Yailonian archers together launched their arrows at the Zaive army. The command of General Yang sounded throughout the battle arena.
The arrows made an impact, but not great enough to take out the number of Zaives they had intended. The archers of the Zaives mimicked the actions of the Yailonian archers and took
out many of the Yailonian soldiers. The wide Yailonian archer line still maintained their form, even though soldiers had fallen.
The Yailonian soldiers, including the Rulers, were all together in a violent battle against the fighting Zaives.
Queen Lila used her sword from the throne room and plunged it through another Zaive.
She pulled it out and it fell to the ground in agony, disappearing into a black dust. The battle continued as Dean still struggled with Xanire. During the battle, a Yailonian archer had not followed orders. He had escaped from the line and into the battle. He was confronted with the Zaive general. The Zaive knocked the soldier off his Tigris and began clawing at him while his Tigris flew away in distress.
Clotilda rode by him on a Tigris and destroyed the Zaive with an a
xe that had fallen from another Zaive warrior’s hand. The Zaive general then disappeared into a black dust.
Queen Anarkali was a gentle person. She didn’t do so well in fast-paced action. She heard a deep yell from her right and saw General Yang having trouble with a Zaive warrior.
Yang was on the ground, helpless without his trusty inherited Chang’anian axe. Ix Chel charged towards them out of fear for her friend the emperor. The Zaive crept in closer as she ran. She took an arrow and threw it through its arm from afar without using a bow.
“Thanks for that, my friend!” Yang said as Ix Chel helped him from the ground.
“You’re welcome!” she responded, panting. Yang saw his axe beneath the foot of a Zaive swordsman. He shoved the creature to the ground and picked up the axe. He started fighting in the battle once again and seemed to be enjoying it. A great many of the Yailonian army was fighting a number of the Zaives in midair on their Tigrises while their opponents used their bat- like wings.
In midair, a Zaive spearman destroyed the Tigris of a soldier. The animal fell to the ground on top of another Yailonian soldier. The Zaive spearman grabbed the neck of the soldier and started choking him. The soldier struggled helplessly with the Zaive, gasping for air.
The memory of the soldier’s fallen creature came to his mind and he was so infuriated by the slaying of his Tigris that he also grabbed the neck of the Zaive holding him. A dagger that was owned by a Zaive warrior was knocked out of its hand and miraculously soared into the Zaive’s back, causing him to let go of the Yailonian soldier’s neck and fall to the ground.
The soldier fell beside his fallen Tigris coughing and gasping for air. The soldier stroked his own neck, relieved that he was now free from the clutches of death. The soldier then took the spear that was in his opponent’s hand and ran it through the Zaive, causing it to vanish into dust
Madu was in the middle of fighting a Zaive that was holding an axe. The Zaive knocked Madu in the air to another side of the chamber. He landed, breaking his ankle. The Zaive that pushed him flew over to where he was but could not find him due to the number of other fighters. Madu didn’t waste any time searching for any fallen weapon.
The Zaive warrior spotted him. Madu looked back and still continued to crawl. He found a sword that lay beside a Yailonian soldier. The Zaive warrior crept in closer as Madu struggled to retrieve the sword from its place. The Zaive was finally at Madu and reached for his leg.
The Zaive clutched Madu’s leg and threw him into another Zaive before he could reach the sword. Madu fell into unconsciousness as the Zaive warrior ran away to begin another fight.
The battle was far from over. Many of the Yailonian soldiers were still fighting with all their strength and so were the Zaives. It was a battle of strength and will, and the side with the most of these two attributes would succeed. Cacellon appeared once again and soared around the
chamber, finally perching himself on the ledge where he was once before. He looked on at Xanire and the battle in silence.
Dean still struggled with Xanire as the battle continued. Remembering that he was wearing the Morph-belt, he transformed into a Cramkee-- a small creature that lived in the jungles of Avesia.
Dean fell from Xanire’s fist due to his small stature. The scepter was once again away from Dean’s now tiny hands. Xanire abruptly caught him, throwing him up into the air before he hit the rock wall. The scepter fell to the ground with a solid clunk. Dean fell, wailing in agony as he changed back into himself. He felt his heart jump up to his throat as he hit the ground.
Xanire stomped over to where Dean was lying on the ground. The scepter was on Dean’s left side. He saw the bottom of the scepter turn from dull to pointed and sharp like the blade of a sword. Dean picked up the scepter and with anger seething from every pore, stabbed Xanire.
Xanire wailed in pain and fell, landing on top of several of the fighting Zaives.
Dean pulled out the Tassidain from the bottom of his pocket and teleported to the bottom of Xanire’s neck. He could see that Xanire’s eyes were closed when he arrived to his forehead and limped over to its center. Dean then took the bottom of the scepter and pointed it at Xanire, realizing that his sense of power was between his eyebrows.
As Dean stood, he thought about Pharaoh Amenhotep and how his death occurred. He also thought about the people of Avesia and just how the foundation of their once peaceful island began, how the course of their lives was tragically changed by Xanire’s abrupt use of sudden power, and how his terror will never leave their minds. With those thoughts circling in his head, Dean then realized what had to be done.
“If you destroy me,” said Xanire weakly, his eyes opening, “I will take everything with me into the depths of the abyss.”
Dean could not believe what he was told. If he were to destroy Xanire, he would lose everything. If he didn’t destroy Xanire, he would allow him to continue his evil throughout Erlon for all time. Finally, with indignation in his heart, Dean forcefully plunged the bottom of the scepter into the center of Xanire’s power between the eyebrows.
A shrill sound from Xanire filled the huge chamber. Moments later, the body of Xanire disappeared into a simple mound of dust. A cold wind blew away the dust into the still night air, yet the battle between the Zaives and the Yailonians carried on.
Dean looked on at the battle, surprised that the Zaives did not disappear. The Zaives in the chamber were quiet and still. They narrowed their eyes towards Dean, scowling as their mouths dripped with saliva and a thirst for blood. They all ran towards him, angry like a stampede of wild animals.
Dean stood petrified with his legs trembling, the scepter still tightly clutched in his hand. He hoped for any assistance from the Yailonians and the Rulers. The Yailonians charged towards the Zaives, destroying a great many of them as they came closer towards him. But the number of the Zaives was still too many.
The Zaives were finally closer to Dean. A Zaive warrior jumped on top of Dean and knocked him to the ground. Dean still held on to the scepter. The Zaive raised his sword. Dean held back the Zaive’s hand as it was bringing the sword down toward him. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before he no longer had the strength to hold back the Zaive.
He raised the scepter.
A swirling chain of green, white, blue, and red colors arose from the scepter’s white diamond. The Zaive dropped its sword and was knocked backwards into one of the rock walls of the chamber, causing it to turn into dust.
The other Zaives tried to fight Dean as the Rulers and the Yailonians remained to destroy some of the Zaives. Dean swung the scepter, knowing that this was how he was going to defeat them.
The Zaives were all knocked away and thrown against the walls of the chamber. The long chain of colors acted as a whip of death that worked to his benefit. After the last Zaive had fallen, the Yailonians, the Rulers, and Dean claimed the victory.
A fallen Zaive had awoken, picking up a bow and an arrow. It was planning to attack Dean from behind, but it was struck with a spear. Dean turned around after hearing the Zaive yell in pain. The Zaive, breathing its last breath, turned and injured the soldier in the side with a small knife. The Yailonian soldier gasped in pain.
Dean saw the soldier that destroyed the last Zaive and his stomach dropped. He could see that the one who saved him was not a Yailonian soldier but Madu. Dean walked up to Madu as the Yailonians watched silently. Madu then collapsed to the ground. Dean held Madu in his arms as he gasped for air, trying to speak. He couldn’t believe that Madu was going to die right there in his arms. Even though Dean had hated him before, nothing could possibly have brought them closer together at that moment.
“When it is time…rule well, young one.” Madu’s final words were spoken as he passed away. Everyone in the room hung their heads in silence to honor his memory.
White shadows began to race out of the chamber through the hole in the wall that the Yailonians and the Rulers had entered through before. Everyone gazed at the shadows as
they left the chamber, mesmerized by each one because of their mysterious and enchanting beauty.
It seemed to Dean that the souls in The Pool of The Forgotten were set free. Dean was ecstatic beyond words. This was because Magola’s body reappeared and was filled with life once again. Dean was happy to see her. The soldiers and the Rulers were too busy congratulating each other to notice Magola’s miraculous revival. SaRee, Magola’s small pet, happily crept out of a large crack in one of the rock walls. Magola arose from the chamber floor and ran to Dean with an anxious look. She hugged Dean, grateful to be alive. He was surprised, yet her face gave out the sentiment of being victorious. The scepter was still placed in his hands. His palms were damp from holding it for so long.
“I am terribly sorry for the way I treated you, and all you had to endure with Xanire,” Magola began. “I feel I deserve to remain in the pool. I just wanted to thank you for releasing me.”
“Releasing you?” Dean asked.
“Yes, when Xanire’s ball of flying rock murdered me my soul fled to the bowels of The Pool of The Forgotten, and I lingered there with the others in misery. Do you remember what I told you about the final defeat of Xanire?”
“Yes,” Dean replied.
“Since you placed the scepter within his source of power, the giant scorpion that we faced disappeared and was relieved of its duties. All of the souls were set free to rest into The Undying Lands above…but I chose to stay and linger in these sacred mountains.”
“What? You’re choosing to stay here? Why?” Dean said, disappointed.
“Some things, Dean, are better left unsaid. Maybe one day I will tell you. Always remember that you’ll have an ally here in the shadows of these mountains.”
