Guardians of Magessa (The Birthright Chronicles Book 1)

by Peter Last

  “Hail, messenger of the nonexistent god. What message do you have for me today? Or have you come to send a punishment on me for disgracing you yesterday?”

  “The Lord God says, ‘Let my people go,’” Benjamin said, ignoring Heflik’s taunt.

  “I already told you yesterday that I will not let my slaves go. You might as well give up and go away. Or better yet, have your God take his best shot at me.”

  “That is exactly what will happen since you have refused to obey His commands. All of the water in and around the land of Volexa Temp, including its main wells and springs, will turn to blood.” Without saying anything else, Benjamin turned around and left.

  Just as Benjamin had said, all of the water of Volexa Temp turned to blood. Heflik called for all his magicians and wizards, but though they worked night and day to reverse the curse on the water, they could not. After a week, Heflik begged Benjamin to return the water to its former state and promised that he would do as Elohim had commanded; however, once the water was restored, he refused to obey. Another plague was brought on the land of Volexa Temp. This time frogs covered the country. After several days, the frogs miraculously disappeared, and Benjamin approached Heflik again. Heflik again refused to set the Derekites free, and a plague of lice struck the land. Six plagues followed the plague of lice. Flies afflicted the country, the cattle were infected with disease, boils covered every living thing, hail ruined the crops, locusts ate the remaining crops, and darkness covered the land for three days. After each plague, Heflik refused to obey Elohim.

  “Thus says the Lord God of the Derekites, ‘Let My people go,’” Benjamin said to Heflik after the ninth plague had been lifted. Heflik sat on his throne with his face in his hands. He was trying not to show it, but the plagues were wearing him down.

  “Your God still commands me to let his people go?” Heflik asked, raising his head. His voice rose to a shout, “Well, I don’t care what your God says,” he swore. Then he added, “And if I see you again, you will surely die.”

  “You have said it,” Benjamin answered quietly. “You will not see my face again. But the God of the Derekites will send one last plague on you. The angel of the Lord will smite every firstborn in the land, and they will all die.”

  It happened just as Benjamin had said. Every firstborn of every household in Volexa Temp died except for those in the houses of the Derekites. They smeared the blood of a lamb on their doorposts, as Benjamin commanded them, and the angel of death passed over them. The next morning, cries of grief and anger arose from the houses of Volexa Temp as mothers found their children dead in their beds. Heflik himself was not exempt from the curse; his son died at the hand of the angel as well. When he woke to find that his son was indeed dead as Benjamin had said would happen, he sent word to Benjamin, telling him to take the Derekites out of Volexa Temp. Benjamin had spread the word the night before that the Derekites would be leaving, so they were ready to move as soon as they were told by the king to leave.

  Benjamin led them out of Volexa Temp to the south. He was heading to the land that Derek had originally lived in before he moved to Volexa Temp-the land that the Derekites would take back. The whole nation marched out of the city with much singing and rejoicing. Today was the day of their salvation! They were finally free from slavery. But, as Heflik sat sulking in his palace, a thought occurred to him. All of his slaves were leaving; who was going to work his fields and build his buildings? At once he gathered his army and set out after his slaves.

  The sons of Derek were only a few miles from the city when Heflik’s army set out after them. Panic immediately spread through their ranks, and chaos filled the camp. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Benjamin walked out to stand between the army of Heflik and the people of Elohim. He raised his rod and pointed it at the army. Then, pronouncing the curse of Elohim over the enemy, he turned around to again lead the people south. The nation began to crawl forward again, wondering what was going to happen to them. Heflik and his army were steadily gaining ground. However, as they approached the fleeing nation, the ground underneath them became soft and sucked them downward. The wheels of the chariots stuck, so the soldiers leaped out to chase their quarry on foot. The weight of their armor pulled them into the marsh, never to be seen again. The land behind the Derekites continued to turn into marsh until one seventy-five miles of the unstable, swampy soil lay between them and Volexa Temp. This would forever be a barrier that protected them from their enemies to the north.

  The Derekites entered the land of Magessa and wiped out all of its inhabitants that did not serve Elohim. Because the elves and ogres of the forest and the orcs in the mountains all served Elohim, they were allowed to stay. After Magessa had been conquered, it was split into three districts called Rampön, Belvárd, and Gatlon. A temple to Elohim was built in the center of the country to remind the people who had brought them out of slavery and who they served.

  ******

  By the time Senndra came back to reality, the temple had vanished from sight. The plains on the ground had been replaced by mountains that were covered with forest. The thick trees masked from view what Senndra knew was there: orc cities. These cities were a somewhat unusual occurrence because many orcs still lived amongst the humans in Magessa. With only a few exceptions, this was something that the elves and ogres of the region would never consider. They traded and interacted with the humans on a regular basis, but they lived entirely separately in their own cities.

  Legend said that orcs were very messy and brutal creatures that looked immensely different from humans. The legends were very wrong. In fact when orcs lived amongst the humans in their cities, they did not draw much attention because of their incredible similarities. They looked almost exactly the same as humans, except their hair was thicker and their bodies were typically more muscular. Due to the similarities of humans and orcs, when individuals of the two races married, their offspring could be mistaken for either race.

  The forest flew underneath Senndra and soon Saddun came into view. It was easy to mistake it for a city because that, in effect, was what it amounted to. The academy was arranged in a very sensible order, not meant for beauty, but efficiency. The dragons circled over a large field in the middle of the campus, and Senndra could see that a large group of cadets was gathered there.

  “It looks like the entire academy turned out to meet us,” she thought. “There’s several thousand of them down there all lined up in nice little rows.”

  The dragons circled lower, and gradually, Senndra was able to make out the features of the people on the ground. She heard a command come from below, and the entire army came to attention as the dragons landed.

  ******

  Josiah stood several paces in front of his soldiers and watched the approaching dragons as they circled toward the parade field. His men were arranged in five groups with the captain of each group standing in front of his squad. All of them were standing ramrod straight, keeping the strictest military bearing. The sun was out again in full brilliance, and Josiah could see sweat on the faces of several of the closer cadets. They had worked until midnight the previous day and had risen at six in the morning to finish their work. They had labored hard, and despite the fact that more tasks had been added, they had finished an hour and a half before lunch. Josiah had allowed them to nap until the noon day meal, staying awake himself so that he could rouse them. Of course he hadn’t stayed up by himself, but had the company of Cirro. Again they fought, and again Cirro beat him.

  The dragons came in toward the field in single file, landing in rows that stretched from one side of the field to the other. There were at least one hundred dragons in the group, each with one rider, and they lined up in five rows. Several of the dragon riders remained aloft on their steeds, and it became evident that they would not stay, but accompany the dragons back to the academy in Belvárd.

  Josiah had seen a dragon each year since he joined the academy, but the sight of the huge beasts still amazed him.
The dragons ranged in size from eighty to one hundred feet long and were every color imaginable, most of the colors being represented by several shades. Their claws and teeth, Josiah knew, were razor sharp and could cut a horse in half with ease. As they stood in rows, with the sun glinting off their scales, they looked intimidating. The riders dismounted, unstrapped their saddle bags, and formed several rows. One of the instructors advanced from the group and approached the grand admiral of Saddun. The two men saluted each other and began to converse in voices that Josiah could not hear. When they finished, they made their way back to the cadets that had just dismounted their dragons, and the grand admiral began to speak. Josiah couldn’t make out any of the words, but he had a good idea of what was being said. It was most likely something to the effect of how glad they were to have visitors and how accommodating the people would be. Finally he finished and made a motion to Josiah. Josiah stayed where he was, and ninety-seven of his soldiers lined up behind him. Since he had gotten stuck with the job of escorting the visiting cadets around the campus, he had decided to make it a one-on-one thing. There was one guide for every visiting cadet, and this guide would show their charge around the campus for the first day.

  The grand admiral said some more things that Josiah couldn’t hear, and a girl detached herself from the group of cadets and made her way toward the group of guides. It was decided beforehand that Josiah was to escort the first cadet called, so he went out to meet her.

  “My name is Josiah Pondran,” Josiah said and extended his hand.

  “Senndra Felling,” the girl responded and shook his hand.

  “Let me get those,” Josiah said, gesturing to Senndra’s saddle bags. She relinquished them gratefully, and the two cadets left the parade field. In silence, Josiah led Senndra across the campus toward an antiquated dorm that was reserved for visitors. He pushed open the door and allowed her to enter a hall on the first floor. The two cadets walked about halfway down the hall before stopping in front of a door labeled with the number twenty-three. Josiah fished a key out of his pocket and handed it to Senndra. She unlocked the door and entered the room, gasping at the sight of it. Despite the fact that the room was small, it was one of the most luxurious rooms in the entire academy. It had carpet instead of the standard hardwood floors of the barracks, wood paneling instead of rough boards for walls, and even its own bathroom. Josiah slipped past Senndra and dropped her bags over the back of a chair. Then he retreated from the room and sat out in the hall, waiting for his charge to emerge. As he waited, other guides and their cadets entered the dorm. Each of them followed the same procedure as Josiah, showing the cadets their rooms and then waiting outside. Cirro entered with a young man in tow, and Josiah looked up to see what he looked like. From his first glance, Josiah was shocked. The cadet had red eyes.

  “Pretty strange, huh?” Cirro commented when his charge entered his room and closed the door. “The eyes really unnerved me at first, but he’s a great guy. I think I’m going to enjoy showing him around.”

  “Lucky you,” Josiah responded. “I got stuck with a girl that is a little too…” he searched for a word, “…feminine for my taste.”

  The cadet with the red eyes emerged from his room, and Cirro led him out of the dorm. The two chatted about what they were going to see next, and Josiah wished that he had gotten someone like the red-eyed cadet.

  The door behind Josiah opened, and he jumped to his feet. Senndra had changed from her bulky flying clothes and now wore the uniform of the cadets of the Academy of Belvárd. Her hair hung down past her shoulders, and Josiah thought she looked very pretty. He suddenly decided that maybe he didn’t mind having a feminine charge.

  “Well, what would you like to see first?” he asked when he had found his voice.

  “I don’t know,” Senndra answered. “You know the place better than me. Why don’t you take me somewhere interesting?”

  “You like history?” Josiah asked. “We have a museum that is dedicated to the war against Molkekk, curse his name.”

  “I think I might like that,” Senndra answered. “Let’s go see that.”

  Senndra followed Josiah out of the dorm and down a path that was lined on both sides by trees that had been perfectly arranged and trimmed less than twenty-four hours before. The path led to a fancy building that was surrounded by a twelve foot stone wall. Josiah escorted Senndra to the gate of the wall, and they entered the museum. The interior of the building was dim, and Josiah was forced to blink several times to allow his eyes to adjust. When he was able to see, he led Senndra down row after row of relics. The shelves and display cases held armor, scrolls, books, weapons, banners, and many other artifacts that had been used in the war against the dark lord, Molkekk.

  It took the two cadets several hours to work their way through the entire museum, but they finally found themselves at the end. Only one more door was left to open, and in an attempt to surprise his guest, Josiah opened it with a quick movement. Behind the door was another dim room that was lit by periodic torches. Against the far wall, in a sort of shrine, was a set of armor with a banner above it.

  “And this,” Josiah said with as much flourish as he could muster, “is the armor of none other than the elvin magician that confined the spirit of Molkekk to his tower in Volexa Temp. Above the armor is the banner of Magessa. It is a tribute to the fact that he is one of the last elves who willingly lived among humans in this country.”

  “You don’t mean…” Senndra stopped short and floundered for words. “Are you saying that this is the armor of the elf Jothnial?” she finally asked.

  “Yes, I’m glad you know his name,” Josiah said. “Few in this country do, despite what he did.”

  “Well I should certainly hope that I know his name,” Senndra retorted. “After all, he was my father.”

  Josiah’s mouth dropped open and he turned to look at Senndra. He carefully scanned her from head to foot before turning to the portrait of Jothnial.

  “You can’t be his daughter,” he stammered. “You don’t look anything like him. Besides,” he added with another glance at Senndra, “you aren’t even an elf.”

  “Be that as it may,” Senndra said with a shrug. “I am still legally his daughter. Of course I don’t resemble him. He rescued me on one of his missions when I was still a baby, and he brought me up as his own.”

  “I’m sorry for showing you this,” Josiah said after a short silence. “I guess seeing it probably stirs up memories that aren’t too pleasant.”

  “On the contrary, thank you,” Senndra replied. “This brings back all kinds of memories, some bad, but many more good. Also, it is nice to see the tribute that was made to him.”

  “Oh yes, he was a great warrior,” Josiah said quickly. “But even greater than his ability to fight was his faith in Elohim. Because of it, he was able to be a much better magician than many others.”

  A bell sounded outside.

  “That would be the dinner bell, right?” Senndra asked. She turned away from the armor and left the room. “It sounds exactly like the bell at my academy. And dinner couldn’t come at a better time. I’m starved.”

  Three

  Josiah lay on his bed, his sheets at the foot, having fallen off as he thrashed in his sleep. The nightmare that he was experiencing plagued him greatly, and he longed only for consciousness; but it would not come. In his dream, he stood on the northern wall of Saddun. Before him stretched a host of dwarves, too many to count, and they were sieging the wall. He had a bow in his hand, and he loosed scores of arrows at the enemy until he had exhausted his supply. He turned to throwing javelins but in no time the dwarves were placing ladders against the wall. Josiah drew his sword and raced down the wall to where he saw a dwarf scaling it. He knew that he could never defeat the entire host of dwarves, but he would die trying.

  A hand reached out and shook Josiah from his sleep. He jerked to consciousness and reached for his weapons, but he did not have them. It took him a second to realize where he was an
d recognize the person who had awakened him as an officer. He swung his feet over the side of his bed and stretched before standing.

  “Sir,” the officer said with urgency in his voice. “The grand admiral requests your presence immediately.”

  “The grand admiral?” Josiah asked. Sleep still clouded his mind, and he wondered if he had heard correctly. “What on earth would he want with me at this hour?” he said while stifling a yawn.

  “I do not know, sir,” the officer said. “I was only instructed by my superior to escort you to a meeting with the grand admiral.”

  The officer seemed worried, so Josiah threw on his uniform and followed him out of the barracks. They crossed the campus, and Josiah in his half-awake state could barely discern that they were headed to the largest building in the area, the headquarters of all the important officers of the academy. They passed through the doorway after the officer had given a password to the guard stationed there and walked quickly down several halls, up a flight of stairs, and finally to a room at the end of a hall. The officer pushed open the door, announced Josiah, and left.

  Josiah found himself in the room with six other men. Four of them he recognized as his fellow commanders, one he saw was the grand admiral, and the other was the general of the academy. They were surrounding a desk, but turned as Josiah entered the room. Josiah crossed the room to the desk and saw that a map of Magessa and the surrounding areas was lying there alongside a map of the city.

  “Now that you’re all here, I will begin,” the grand admiral said. His audience of six looked at him as he took a position at the bottom of the maps. “Approximately twenty minutes ago, a soldier entered the city. No one knew who he was or what business he had outside of Magessa, but he insisted that he had news for me, so I was awakened. He told me that his name was Tarlex and that he had one purpose: to inform me that an army of dwarves, while still quite a distance from the city, was approaching and would be here by sunrise. I asked him how he knew this, and he answered that he himself had seen the dwarves and had perceived that they were ready for war and heading in this direction. I immediately sent out scouts to confirm the report and bring information on the size of the force. When I turned back to question Tarlex, he had vanished. I commenced a search for him, but so far it has turned up empty.