by Mark Omodia
Chapter 7
Ransom
We left at first light the next day. A handful of Morflon, among whom were Ozin, Azadus' wife, Euphina and her children all bade farewell. Everyone's eyes were filled with tears, including Azadus. My selfless act seemed to have perplexed him. Lila had been told that I was going home. She was crying.
'Who would take care of your corn now?' she asked.
'You take care of them for me', I replied. 'You will watch them grow tall and produce more... You do that for me okay?'
'I want to go with you', she said.
I smiled but deep inside I was sad for she didn't know my fate; neither did I.
'I will miss you', she continued.
'I will miss you too', I said trying to hold back my tears as I embraced her.
'Will you come and visit us sometime?' She asked.
'I might even come with some of my people', I replied. 'You just make sure you take care of the corn. I am going to prepare a nice meal with it when I get back.'
'Be strong for your family', I told a teary eyed Gaiel before we hugged. 'Try not to get into trouble.'
'I am sorry we have to part this way', Euphina told me.
'All will be well', Ozin said to me.
I nodded my head.
We had an emotional farewell. I took one last glance at everyone before Azadus and I departed. It was at that moment that the tears which I tried so hard to hold back finally burst out.
It took several days through the route we took before we got to the fortress. I was filled with awe as I got into the fortress for I beheld their architectural marvels right from the fence of the fortress to the king's palace. It was in sharp contrast to where the Morflon stayed. I could easily see why they considered themselves superior to the Morflon. They were more advanced. While we were before the king's court, I could not help but notice the sharp contrast between the scruffy Azadus and the groomed Morrs whose clothes were bathed in sweet fragrance. Once again another set of creatures were completely astonished by my presence. The King was excited but he composed himself.
'Your highness' Azadus said. 'The alien is here as you requested.'
King Sett looked at me in curiosity. He got up from his seat and took two steps forward.
'He is a human', Azadus said. 'His name is Eric.'
'You are welcome Eric', King Sett said. 'Come forward Eric.'
'Not so fast', Azadus said, scowling as he held me back. 'We had an agreement; the human for Morriah, and I do not see him anywhere.'
The soldiers in the court had their hands on their swords, ready to draw on command.
'Let the human come forward!' King Sett demanded.
'Release Morriah first', Azadus retorted.
'You do not give orders around here!' Egon bawled, scowling.
'But I have something you want', Azadus said. 'If you do not release Morriah right now I will snap his neck!'
'I see you have trust issues', King Sett said. 'Go ahead. Snap his neck. But be sure to snap yours as well because there is no way you will leave this room alive. And think about it, coming all this way with the human only to snap his neck? If you do so, I will not only slay you; I will have Morriah killed in three different ways!'
All was silent. Azadus trembled inside. He felt defeated. Obviously, the odds were against him.
'How do I know you would release Morriah once I let Eric go?' he asked.
'I am afraid you have to rely on fate', King Sett said.
Azadus let me go. King Sett beckoned on me to come forward. Everyone watched as I walked slowly towards King Sett.
'You are such a creature to behold', King Sett said.
I could feel his eyes move all over me as he examined me.
'Once again I welcome you to the Morr fortress, the most magnificent place in the entire forest', he continued. 'I assure you, you will have a wonderful time here.'
King Sett beckoned on the servants to come and take me to my room. I was shocked. He said they should bathe me and cloth me with the finest robes and ornaments. I was confused. A while back, I thought he wanted to kill me; now he was giving me royal treatment? Was I being fattened before slaughter? This was too good to be true.
Azadus watched as I was led away. He was worried King Sett would not keep his bargain. He looked around to see if orders were given to release Morriah. When he noticed nothing was happening, he asked; 'What about Morriah?'
King Sett smiled. By then he was sure I was gone.
'Elder Azadus', King Sett said. 'You betrayed someone who put his trust in you. You are a disgrace to your kind.'
'What do you mean?' Azadus asked sheepishly. 'The human came on his own accord... anyway; you said you would release Morriah... where is he now?'
'I said I might release your brother!' King Sett interrupted Azadus. 'I didn't say I will. It was just for consideration.'
'Are you double crossing me?' Azadus asked furiously.
'I will only allow you walk out of here alive because you delivered the human to me', King Sett said. 'But do not test my patience Morflon! Now leave!'
Azadus tried to put up a fight, but he was out numbered. He rained curses as he was bundled out of the palace. He was dumped outside the fortress. He knelt on the ground and began to weep. He was bruised and covered in dirt. What would he tell his tribe? He was confused and above all, he was ashamed. He just knelt there in desolation.
While Azadus was broody, the Morrs gloated in triumph. King Sett hosted a banquet later in the evening and he invited a select few from the Morr aristocracy. This was to be my welcome party. The banquet hall, like the rest of the palace, was beautifully decorated. The banquet table was long to accommodate all guests and it was covered with white table cloth embroidered with gold. The king sat at one end of the table and I was to seat at the other end. He and all the guests had arrived and they waited for me whilst being serenaded by the melody of harps. The room was abuzz as they were all chatting. Sitting beside the king on either side were the prince at his left and the queen at his right. Sitting beside the queen was her elder brother Oldric. Oldric was the general of the Morr army, and as always he was dressed in his official attire; bronze body armour and a black cape. His helmet, which had a black crest, was held by one of the servants as Oldric could not wear it while he was at table.
Egon was having a conversation with his father.
'I was impressed earlier today father', he said. 'I never saw that coming!'
'I am glad you were impressed', King Sett said. 'I told you I knew exactly what I was doing. Those Morflon... they had the guts to waltz into the fortress and make such demands!'
'They got what they deserved', Egon said as he and King Sett began to laugh.
'Inferior creatures', King Sett added.
'However father', Egon said when they stopped laughing. 'I fail to see why you have taken interest in this human.'
King Sett was not pleased with that statement.
'When you become a leader', King Sett replied. 'There are certain things you cannot take for granted. One day you will understand.'
'Your highness' Oldric chipped in much to the disappointment of Egon who was not fond of him. 'I have no problem with you bringing the human here. I think we might benefit from a friendly relationship with his kind.'
King Sett was happy to hear that. He smiled at Egon and said; 'Exactly my point; finally, someone who understands.'
'What makes you think we need such a relationship?' Egon asked. 'I mean for all we know he could even be a spy and yet we are according him such a magnificent banquet. Why go through all this trouble.'
'We have been through this before', King Sett said, obviously disappointed that his son failed to reason with him.
'We are the most dominant creatures in the forest', Egon said. 'We do not need all these shenanigans.'
'Diplomacy is always better than war', Oldric said.
'You are a soldier', Egon sneered. 'You are not well versed in regal matters. This is the ki
ng's palace not some chaotic battlefield. Here sane and superior minds prevail. Leave political issues to the royals and stick to your fighting.'
'Egon!' King Sett said. 'You must not be so rude! You do realize he is your mother's elder brother.'
'Step mother', Egon said. 'She is not my mother. She is just a cheap replacement.'
All parties affected by his statement were silent. Nyra was sad. Tears quickly filled her eyes. Oldric held her hand to comfort her.
'I see you want to spoil this evening', King Sett said. 'You must apologize to her immediately.'
'I only spoke the truth', Egon replied rather calmly.
'You dare disobey me?' King Sett asked. He was furious. Egon was silent. He just gave a sheepish smile.
Every tension amongst them disappeared when I walked in. I was introduced to the crowd by the royal announcer. I could not help but look around in astonishment. The room was amazing. There were paintings everywhere. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling. I was so carried away I didn't remember I was before the Morrs. It was only as I nearly missed a step that I came back to the hall. All the Morrs had stood up. They only sat after I and the king had sat. They made a toast to me and merriment began. As usual, meat was the main course.
While we dined, King Sett asked me; 'I am sure you like this treatment Eric. I assure you this is much better than whatever the Morflon can offer.'
Indeed it was. For the first time in several months I smelt good. My skin was radiant again and my hair was well oiled. They even wanted to shave my hair and my beard but I refused. I was clothed in a Morr gown, from one of the finest of tunics and adorned with priceless jewelry. This was one lifestyle I could easily adapt to without thinking twice. I liked the new me, but I was not going to tell him that. My conscience would kill me if I did. It was not that I did not appreciate. It was just that I missed the Morflon and I felt indebted to them. They had become my family. The Alpha tribe had become my home. And it didn't matter how they treated me or what they gave me, there was no place like home.
The harps kept playing while we made merry. One thing though was still on my mind; what was their plan? What was all this leading to?
