by Mario Routi
The plan would start with a forceful counterattack by the most highly qualified troops, designed to push the enemy back to the marshes of Domus, where there was no way out apart from returning to Tartarus. The forces of Evil would then be trapped, at which stage a second wave of troops would proceed to occupy the main military targets that the enemy could possibly retreat to. The forces that occupied the escape routes would have one more great mission to accomplish: To prevent any reinforcements from being able to reach the enemy!
The best of the Orizons and the greatest of the Amazons should, no matter what, move in and occupy the most strategic places. They should gather the archers needed to control all the passages.
***
Just before dawn the following day, while the enemy warriors were preparing to launch their attack after a long night of celebrating their impending victory, the Centaurs and the Amazons launched their own counterattack directly on the main front line of the enemy. They swooped across the plain like an avenging tornado, their war cries startling the distracted demons as they tried to work out which direction they should defend first.
Before the forces of Evil had time to even unsheathe their weapons, the Amazons and the Centaurs were among them with their spears and arrows, causing huge damage. Directly on their heels, charged the warriors on horseback, followed by the infantry and the flying Orizons. Behind them came yet another wave, with Sharkans, Porths and Cyclopes destroying any survivors of the initial attacks with knives and clubs in close combat.
The plan had worked. The enemy was taken unawares by an attack that bore no resemblance to any they had ever experienced. This element of surprise resulted in the panic-stricken retreat of the troops as they scrambled to escape their attackers.
Felicia’s troops occupied the main military points, as instructed, while suffering only minimal casualties. Now, there was no way out for the enemy. The only direction for them to go was back into the treacherous marshes, just as Felicia had planned. It looked as if victory for the forces of Good was almost certain.
The Princess, Bull and Leiko fought together at the very head of the attack, each of them running from one place to another to ensure their troops saw that their leaders were fighting alongside with them, and that the enemy troops realised they were facing the greatest fighters ever. The Princess was on Pegasus, while Bull and Leiko rode their horses, spreading panic and death beneath their flailing hooves. Felicia was constantly giving directions and orders, encouraging her soldiers. Whenever she believed it was necessary, she took forces from one side and guided them to another, where reinforcements were needed.
As the hours passed, the elite cadre would meet up in the course of battle, exchanging views and information from different parts of the battlefield, making their estimates, giving orders and setting an example for the troops around them who witnessed the ferocity and courage with which they were fighting.
The enemy combatants were falling in the hundreds, their lines of defense being mercilessly decimated as the forces of Good swept through everything in their path. Nobody had the strength or courage to resist them. The last ragged relics of the formerly mighty forces of Evil staggered back through the marshes to Tartarus.
As the last vestiges of resistance died away, Felicia and Bull galloped back and forth ordering everyone they passed to search for Claudia, dead or alive.
“Bring her directly to me,” Felicia commanded, but the former leader of the Amazons was nowhere to be found.
48
Felicia’s face darkened when she was informed that the leader of the Evil forces had somehow managed to vanish.
“I’m sure she escaped during the commotion of the battle,” she said. “But I’ve known Claudia a long time and she would never just lay down her arms and retreat. She must have another plan in mind.”
“Like what?” Leiko asked.
“I’m afraid that she’s lurking somewhere near Domus, waiting for the chance to steal the Flame and release the Titans. Perhaps the whole battle was no more than a decoy. We can never know what Claudia has in store for us, if she is actually alive and waiting.”
At that moment, a breathless General Hunter rushed in. “Princess, Claudia has killed the guards, grabbed the Flame and is now running towards the Gorgons’ lair! She intends to create some sort of portal by using the Flame in order to go to Tartarus and set the Titans free!”
“I’ll go!” It was Turgoth, who had appeared suddenly, immediately leaping onto Pegasus without waiting for Felicia to answer, and disappearing from their sight.
He arrived seconds later outside the Gorgons’ lair. All was still and silent as he carefully made his way through the entrance, wincing at the unpleasant odour of mould that seeped up from the depths below on slow moving clouds of spores. The dark path he was on split into other smaller paths, making it harder to follow.
He took a deep breath and walked further into the stinking blackness ahead. A terrible coldness seeped into him as he travelled farther from the sun and light. Occasional movements in the stale air brushed against his skin, making even him jump with surprise. Darkness as thick as black fog wrapped itself around him. The walls were no more than damp dirt, the same as the ground that he could feel beneath his feet. The place was one huge catacomb filled with corners, steep grades and slopes.
He crossed several openings. Some were small and forced him to crouch in order to pass through them, while others were high enough to allow a monster entry. His inability to see made the minutes seem like hours. As he stumbled on, he felt invisible hands brushing against his skin, but when he went to grab them there was nothing there. Occasionally, he touched something soft and repulsive before it slid silently from his grasp but he could not see anything in the darkness surrounding him.
“If Claudia has the Sacred Flame in her hands, then she will already be virtually invincible,” he thought, but still, he pressed on because there was now no alternative.
Eventually, a faint glow penetrated the darkness and he found himself being led by the maze into a large circular cave. A silent, frozen army of stalagmites and stalactites surrounded him and as his eyes accustomed themselves to the gloom, he realised that Claudia was standing among them, as still as a rock.
“Turgoth!” she growled. “At last! Now, you will know what terror really feels like. The Sacred Flame of the White Sun is mine now and once I have dealt with you, I will be giving the Titans back their freedom, as this had always been my plan.”
Turgoth realised that the flickering light in the room was emanating from the Flame that she held captive in her hand like a trophy.
“The Titans will betray you,” he said calmly. “All they want is to kill the Gods and destroy all of their worlds.”
“It is you who have betrayed me!” she screamed, the rush of her foul breath making the Flame dance. “And now you shall die!”
“Give up, Claudia,” he commanded. “You stand no chance!”
She laughed sarcastically, genuinely amused that even a King should think he could defeat the powers of the Flame.
“It’s too late for your bravado now,” she roared. “It is you who doesn’t stand a chance against me. I possess the Flame of the White Sun and I can easily defeat you and all the others! I am so looking forward to the moment when I will strangle your sweet, precious Rebecca’s neck with my own hands and feel her life drain away.”
Turgoth let out a bellow of rage and threw himself at her, unable to control his temper a moment longer. With a twisted smile of triumph, she stepped to one side with such speed that he hurtled past her, propelled by the terrible animal force of his own anger into a jagged stalactite behind her, thus cutting himself on the sharp spikes of the rock.
Her derisive laugh rang in his ears and he heard the sound of her unsheathing her sword, feeling it enter his shoulder before he felt the pain. Dazed from his injuries,
he forced himself to roll out of the way before she brought the sword down again to deliver her final blow. It struck the rock with a jarring clang that shook her to the core, forcing her to lose her grip on the Flame for a second. As the Flame fell to the floor, the shadows of the cave danced into different shapes and, for a moment, Claudia was confused. Turgoth leaped quickly from one stalactite to another as she desperately stooped and grabbed back her fallen prize.
Drawing his sword despite the pain, he attacked her as she was bent over with a ferocity that had never been seen before, not even in the kingdom of the wild animals. He jumped on her and, with one blow, he nailed his sword into her right arm and then into the left, so that she dropped both her sword and the Flame.
Claudia recoiled in shock, allowing the King another second in which to gather his power to deliver one more mighty blow - this time, ripping open her belly. Despite the damage he had inflicted, she drew back, seeming to rise to double her previous height before launching herself at him once more, coming down like a fire breathing dragon. Turgoth thrust his sword upward into her exposed throat.
With a blood-chilling scream, she fell on top of him with her whole weight, pinning him to the ground and tearing into him with her teeth and claws like a wild cat destroying its prey, her black blood mixing with the red that flowed from his wounds. Holding the Flame had given her even more strength and stamina than she had had as a mere demon leader. With her weight still on top of him, he felt his own strength ebbing beneath the demonic force of her attack as she tore into his flesh, biting off great chunks.
When she felt him losing his strength beneath her onslaught, she seized the opportunity to climb off him and grab the Flame once more, mustering all her remaining strength for the task of liberating the Titans. From where he lay on the ground, panting for breath, Turgoth could do nothing but watch as she turned towards the depths of the maze and hobbled away to open the secret portal. But suddenly, she began to stumble, knocking the Flame against the walls and making it dance and gutter, its light illuminating the terrible wounds that had been inflicted on her in the fight.
Mustering the last of his own strength, the King pulled himself up onto his feet and gave chase. She was slowing down, her legs giving way beneath her and was on the verge of dropping the Flame when he finally managed to catch up and grab it from her. He could immediately feel the power of the Flame seeping back into him, as surely as he could see the strength seeping out of Claudia, as she crumpled in front of him.
“The power of the White Sun is now back in our hands,” he cried. “Return to Hell, where you came from!”
Lifting his sword with the renewed strength of the Flame within him, he brought it down on her already wounded neck and severed her head completely, falling back against the wall and panting as he watched her shrink to a pile of ashes and vanish at his feet.
49
Felicia and Leiko arrived at the Gorgons’ lair just as a battered-looking Turgoth stumbled out of the labyrinth holding the Flame that he had plotted and fought to take possession of for so long.
The three of them stood for a moment, staring at one another, taking in the enormity of what had just happened and the scale of the catastrophe that had just been averted. Without a word, Turgoth stepped forward and handed the Flame to Felicia.
“Thank you,” she said, as she took it from him. “Are you alright?”
“For now,” he replied. “The Flame has helped to mend my wounds.”
“And Claudia?” she asked.
“Gone forever,” he said.
“We are all grateful to you, King Turgoth,” she said. “Let us go back to Utopia. Bull has gathered everyone, including all of your people. There is something that must be done.”
Felicia rode Pegasus on the ground, holding the Flame aloft as the others trotted behind. When they eventually entered the amphitheatre, they found everyone gathered and waiting, a huge crowd with all eyes staring at Felicia, with the Flame in her hands and Turgoth riding beside her.
“Please join me, King Turgoth,” Felicia said so that the whole crowd could hear and he followed her to the Wise Tree. Absolute silence had fallen over the whole amphitheatre as everyone waited to hear what would come next.
“Thank you all for waiting,” Felicia said to the crowd, still holding the Sacred Flame high for all to see.
“There’s been too much bloodshed!” she continued. “It began thousands of years ago because we squabbled and allowed jealousy, envy and evil to take root, until eventually they became our masters. We often do wrong without being aware of it. We let other sentiments overshadow love, which is always the most precious thing of all and the source of our happiness.
“As of today, the whole Land of the White Sun will be ruled only by love. It is within our power to achieve this and the Flame will always be here to help us put it into practice. The clash of arms will never again be heard here in Utopia among creatures of the Land of the White Sun.
“The mythical Gods have forgiven all our mistakes and have united us once more. The fair wind of reconciliation is blowing over us. Making up with an enemy is even more important than acquiring new friends. We are all children of the Great Creator and have the same rights.
“So, from this day forward, the Flame, which remains safe thanks to all of you, will be shared by all the inhabitants of the Land. When Sharkan children are born, we will give them the Flame and they will decide whether they want to receive it again at the age of eighteen - just like the Orizons.”
Felicia gestured at Turgoth, who looked deeply touched as he raised his arm to hold the Flame with her, both of them returning it to its resting place.
Everyone broke into spontaneous cheers of joy. How they celebrated! There were hugs and kisses and wild dancing. Ten days ago, they had been killing one another and a few hours before, they had come together to fight the real Evil as a united force, side by side. Now they were joined as one big family, as they were always meant to be.
50
Two Weeks Later
Rebecca’s eyes finally flickered open as Turgoth sat by the side of her bed, his hand covering hers. The smile that she gave him was just the first stage of her return to strength and he did not leave the hospital again until he was certain that she had fully recovered. And only then did Turgoth request to see Julius and Adrianna. They invited him out to their house.
“I wanted to see you both because I need to talk to you about something very serious,” he said once they were all sitting together.
“What is it, King Turgoth?” Julius asked.
“It’s something personal,” he said. “You already know of my feelings for Rebecca. I am now here to formally ask for your permission and blessing to marry her.”
Neither of them seemed remotely surprised and, from the way they exchanged looks, Turgoth guessed they had already prepared themselves for just this conversation.
“Rebecca is still very young,” Julius said. “She’ll soon be nineteen, but she’s already mature enough to make her own decisions, Turgoth. As for us, we couldn’t ask for a better man for our daughter to spend eternity with.”
They all hugged happily and Turgoth - feeling thousands of years younger - immediately went to see Rebecca and asked for her hand in marriage, a request she gladly consented to. It seemed to both of them like it was no more than the natural course for them. In a way, they had no choice other than to follow the destiny that had been mapped out for them, and that knowledge made both of them indescribably happy.
***
The marriage took place in the great amphitheatre and the whole of Utopia was there to celebrate with them and to watch as Doctor Afterland and Princess Felicia performed the beautiful ceremony. Rebecca was glowing and Turgoth looked as magnificent as a King should. Rebecca’s parents and grandparents all stood together, filled with pride and happy that, not only had Rebecc
a been restored to them, but that she now seemed destined to happiness for all eternity.
When the ceremony ended, Princess Felicia stepped up onto the stage and requested silence from the crowd. All eyes turned to her and waited to hear what she had to say to them.
“People of Utopia, I am addressing you as your Princess for the last time.”
A gasp of puzzled astonishment rippled through the crowd as everyone’s attention remained fixed on her.
“Taking the opportunity presented by today’s beautiful gathering,” she said, speaking slowly in order to choose her words carefully, “there are some announcements to be made and I am going to ask Doctor Afterland to make them right now.”
She stepped aside and the Doctor took her place with a respectful bow.
“People of Utopia,” he boomed. “I have a message for you from the Gods and from Lord Life: As of this day, Leiko, son of Hercules is the new Lord of the Land of the White Sun and Princess Felicia, our new Lady. They have decided to retire from Utopia. They shall go and live in Lord Life’s house, which has been rebuilt for them. They will welcome the new Orizons after their basic training, just as Lord Life and Lady Danae did before them. And, of course, they will always be here during the Flame Ceremony. The new Leader of Utopia, as of today, is King Turgoth and the new Princess is his wife, Rebecca Newton, who will also be joining Bull and myself whenever a new Orizon is born, in order to give them the Flame. That is all I have to say to you.”
There was a moment of stillness as everyone in the amphitheatre took in what they had just been told before erupting as one into a deafening roar of cheers for their new Lord and Lady and their new King and Princess.
“Congratulations!” Bull said to the astonished Rebecca. “I am so proud of you. You deserved that.”
