Cave Of Forlorn

by R. C. Rutter

  The King resisted.

  “NOW!” the voice yelled as the pain intensified. “OPEN YOUR EYES!”

  He slowly opened them and was blinded by the bright light. He tried to raise his hand but realized that he was still bound by the chains. Blinking his eyelids, he became adjusted to the light of the room.

  “There now, that’s better.” The demon was less than a foot away from his face. “So you really can do it, can’t you? Let’s have no more traveling around, shall we? After all, we can’t have you going about making a mess of things now, can we?”

  The King looked at all of the demons. He did not have the strength to take them on. Not now. Before he could have, but at that time he was blind to their actions.

  He gazed at each one, trying to remember their names but could not. By his count, two were missing including the youngest one.

  “Where is your youngest brother?” asked the King. He did so telepathically since his mouth was taped shut. The demons were making sure that he could not utter a curse or spell.

  “SILENCE!” yelled the demon in front of his face. “Where is your daughter?”

  “I am confused” was the reply from the King. “First you demand silence then you ask me a question.”

  The pain shot through the King’s body like an arrow. “Do not mock me, you insolent swine. Just tell me where your daughter is and the pain will go away.”

  “Your timing is impeccable. I was just about to find out when you summoned me back here. Two more minutes and would have had a good idea of her location. Tell me, do you always plan out things this way or did I just catch you on a bad day?”

  The King squirmed as he reacted to the pain. This time it was more intense.

  “Ah, this is hopeless.” The demon addressed the guards. “Make sure he keeps his eyes closed for not longer than five minutes at a time. Slap him, throw water on him, and poke him, whatever you need to do.”

  The demon was met by the wide open eyes of the guards. It was obvious they were scared of what the King might do to them.

  “He is bound, cannot speak, nor move his hands. He is no threat to you. The only magic he can do is to leave his body and even then, he can only watch. He cannot use magic from a distance.”

  The demon walked towards the door not bothering to check to see if the others were following him.

  The two guards stood motionless taking in the silence of the room. All that could be heard was the breathing sound of the King.

  “Right you are then. You heard the demon. If the King closes his eyes, you are to poke him” said the first guard.

  “Really?” exclaimed the second guard. “You heard that? Interesting. Not what I heard. The demon said if the King falls asleep you are to slap him and scream in his ear.” The second nodded his head as if to reinforce the point.

  “No, you’ve got it all wrong. The demon gave the order that if the King falls asleep, you are to step on his foot, pull his ear, and turn around three times.”

  “No, you need to have your ears checked. The….”

  The guards were interrupted by a loud banging on the door and a very deep voice. “Knock it off you two or I will personally hang the lot of you.”

  The guards looked at one another and made a few gestures towards the door.

  * * *

  Arthur and Edward had sneaked their way to the edge of the woods in anticipation of the Queen and soldiers soon passing by.

  Edward prodded Arthur “What is your plan?” he whispered.

  Arthur hesitated. “To tell you the truth, I really don’t have one. I was hoping the knapsack would give us an idea.”

  Edward reached out from under the Ciendor Cloak and grabbed the knapsack. “The knapsack has been spot on but I doubt it would have anything that could handle a Queen with magical powers.”

  “Dunno, but worth taking a look. Worst case scenario is that we stay here quietly until they pass by then make a run for it. I think we have done enough damage. After all, we did succeed in slowing down an army of 5,000.” Arthur smiled. “You know, that is quite impressive.”

  “Yeah, we did do that, didn’t we?” Edward was full of pride.

  The kitten hissed which was not unusual. Arthur looked down to make sure he was rubbing the kitten properly. He liked to be petted a certain way and if you rubbed his fur backwards, he would hiss and let you know that he was displeased.

  This was different.

  The hiss was followed by a low growl.

  Arthur and Edward looked at the kitten and then at each other. They expected to see the kitten upright, hair on end, ready to pounce.

  Instead, the kitten was crouched low with his tail flat on the ground. Whatever was scaring him had the boys petrified. They had never seen him like this.

  “Quick, open the knapsack and reach in” ordered Edward.

  Arthur thrust his hand in and extracted two flowers, handing one to Edward.

  The force was strong that pushed both of them to the ground and held them there. Neither Arthur nor Edward could move a muscle. All they could do was lay there listening to the heavy breathing and feel the hot breath on their faces.

  The bite was quick and expertly placed. Each of them felt the teeth meet flesh as they were bit on the neck. They could feel the hot poison race through their bodies. Then it got cold, very cold.

  Edward and Arthur lost consciousness.

  Shabb pulled back his head and howled. Two more had tried to challenge him to a battle of intelligence and cunning. Two more had paid the price. Knowing the grief that these two gave the Royal Army, Shabb decided not to kill them. They were worthwhile adversaries but they were not evil. Instead he used a different poison as he had other plans for them.

  Shabb pulled the cloak off the two lifeless bodies and watched as they vaporized. The kitten felt the cloak moving, grabbed on, and stayed with it. He did his best to remain hidden.

  Shabb sniffed the air, searching for any more threats. Finding none, he turned his gaze to the Queen, who nodded her head. Shabb then sauntered off and disappeared into the woods following the scent of Sacco and Vincente.

  * * *

  “Michael?” The Queen had frozen in step and it almost seemed like she had a tear in her eye as she looked at the figure in the chariot.

  “Hello Isadora, it has been way too long. I trust all is well with you?” Michael had stopped his chariot and was standing there with his brown curly hair blowing in the wind.

  Isadora always thought he was the best looking of the bunch and he always had a kind heart, unlike his brothers who did nothing but compete with each other for whatever prize there was, no matter how trivial.

  “You know, it is dangerous for you to be here little brother. Do the rest know where you are?”

  “Certainly it is dangerous. No, they know not of my deed. I am tired of the bloodshed; I am tired of the drama, manipulation, and leading by fear.”

  “Why have you come? To change my mind?”

  “No. Only you can change your mind. I come only with a favor to ask. When I was very young, you always protected me, kept me out of trouble, and saw that I was treated fairly by the siblings.”

  “I can still protect you. Your brothers dare not attack me. We have not fought in years and the last time, it was not pleasant for them. Yes, they are strong but when it comes to fighting for what they believe is their cause, they fold under pressure. They can easily control the weak but have not the fortitude to tempt someone with strength. You know as well as I do that they will start to fight, then as soon as they realize they cannot win, they will disappear.”

  “Alas, sister, I must belabor the point. The Royal Army was on its way to attack the Cave of Forlorn. That was under explicit instructions of our brothers. They knew you were there and still they advanced. I think they might be over their fear of you.”

  “That saddens me so. Still, they have no more army, or rather, not much left of an army. Most of their troops are with me, under my protection.”

&
nbsp; “And what of the girl? Have you found her?”

  “No, not yet, I was hoping to as she would make a fine bargaining chip. Her life for me and my kingdom left in peace.”

  “Do you trust them to honor that agreement?”

  “They would have to.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because I would insist that as a token of goodwill that you would be given to me. They would dare not attack for fear that you would be harmed. You know as well as I do that the death of any one of you harms and weakens all of you. You would be my guarantee.”

  “And what if I refused?” Michael said sternly.

  The Queen grinned and laughed “Like that would actually be an option? Come now, your brothers have an agenda, have worked for many years to get to this point, and just when they are on the cusp of success, you challenge their authority?”

  Michael was getting defiant. “I am free to do whatever I want. No man, no brother, not even you, has any authority over me. I came here on my own, without permission because I don’t need any.”

  “Well Michael, you are wasting your time. It is good to see you and I wish it was under better circumstances, but I did not start this war. All I wanted was to be left in peace in my own kingdom. But no, they had to undermine me, to challenge me, to back me into a corner.”

  “Can you blame them? You were always held in the highest regard by our father. Not only that, but you managed to get your own kingdom before any of the brothers did.”

  “Ah, so now we have it. It is the whole firstborn son thing where the son gets everything and the rest of us wait for scraps.”

  “That has been the way of our people for centuries and has served us well.”

  “Of course, as long as you were male and firstborn. I am as qualified as any of you are, in fact, in some areas I even excel.”

  “I am not here to debate with you. I am here so this tragedy can be avoided.”

  “You are wasting your time. It is not I who is upsetting the balance.”

  “Really? You actually believe that? Wow. It is amazing how comfortable you are at lying.”

  The Queen glared at Michael. “You will not speak to me in such manner! Do NOT forget your place!”

  “I came here out of respect for you. The respect I had for you as a child. You always did the right thing, you always protected me. Something changed along the way. I know not what it is but it must have been catastrophic.”

  The Queen’s face was flushed with hurt and anger.

  Michael continued “Tell me sister, what drove you to this? What evil permeated you so much that you killed the only man who loved you unconditionally?”

  The Queen was really pissed “How DARE you judge me! You don’t know what you are talking about! You were too young and too naive. This conversation is over. Go back to your brothers and tell them if they dare attack, I will slaughter them all.” The Queen turned her back and stood there. She refused to look upon Michael again.

  Michael reached for the reins and lifted them. He was about signal the horses to move when a perplexed look came upon his face. With his right hand, he let go of the rope and reached for his wand.

  The Queen turned around when the soldiers began yelling and she saw Michael with the raised wand. She was reaching for her own wand when Michael screamed. Shabb and Michael tumbled to the ground. Shabb recognized Michael from the river when he bit him then. This time he would make sure the kill was clean.

  The Queen threw a spell at Shabb which sent him tumbling. Michael was now free of the wolf and bleeding from the neck. “No, no, no, little brother.” Tears were flowing freely down Isadora’s face. “Why did you come here? Why? Why? Why?”

  Michael’s body grew stiff as the last breath left his body, and then his body disappeared. The silence was deafening as they tried to understand what just happened.

  The Queen gasped and looked at Shabb “You didn’t! Tell me you didn’t! Death would be better than that. You know he will be there for eternity. Why did you do that?”

  Shabb could not answer. He was motionless on the ground after receiving the brunt of the spell.

  * * *

  Eric was saddened. “I am not surprised but wish it were not so.” He glanced at the group nearest him. “Shabb’s loyalties have always been suspect. I have known that and many of you have probably guessed that too. Still, he does have his uses and it is easy to overlook the potential for problems when he is so good at what he does.”

  Eric let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped. “I must speak with Erica in private. Excuse me!”

  Eric did not wait for an answer and left the group in search of Erica. He found her standing over a pot of stew, waving her wand, and watching the stirring spoon.

  “Erica, I have come….”

  “Yes, I know, Shabb again.”

  “What shall we do? I searched and cannot find him so we know he is not close, probably outside of the cave. If so, who is he with and what is he doing?”

  “Don’t know, and frankly at this point, I don’t care. He has served his purpose, helped us get to this point. What damage could be possibly do?”

  Eric stroked his beard and contemplated the future. “Not much I imagine. His power is no match for all of us, he is a great hunter but we have Lydia, Robald, and Thorgon.”

  “Oh snap!” responded Erica. “He does know about the sisters. That could complicate things quite a bit.”

  Eric grimaced. “Best be moving along now. We have got to get the girls to the castle. No time to waste.”

  “What shall we do with Cerberus? He will slow us down considerably.”

  “We can’t trust him, can’t leave him here, can’t take him with us, I don’t have a clue.”

  “Might have to take him along until we get out of the cave. He has no power now and won’t until we release him. If we release him at the exit, he will be no threat.”

  “It is agreed then, we take him with us. Don’t like it but I don’t see any other choice. Alright, I shall alert the others. We leave now!”

  Eric raised his staff and a bright light appeared catching everyone by surprise. “Sorry to be so dramatic but I need your undivided attention. It has come to our attention that we are in grave danger.”

  Thorgon let out a hearty laugh and said “Danger? Just what exactly have we been through until now? Not exactly a nice walk in the forest catching butterflies now, has it?”

  “True, my friend, true.” Eric lowered his hand and staff and motioned for everyone to come closer. “It seems Shabb has disappeared. We know not where he is nor what he is doing, or who he is with. We can only assume the worst.”

  Erica cleared her throat which was the signal that she wanted to speak. “We shall leave immediately. Consider this a race to the castle. We will be traveling light and stopping only when absolutely necessary. For obvious reasons, Eric will lead the way and I shall bring up the rear.”

  There were a few snickers from the group.

  “Any uncalled for comments about my rear will be dealt with quickly.” Erica glared at all of them then burst out laughing which lifted the mood considerably.

  “Behind my lead will be Samuel and Bartholomew who shall be providing guidance to the exit. Lydia and Gweneviere will be in the middle flanked by Robald and Thorgon. It goes without saying that we must protect the girls at all costs. If it means giving up our lives, so be it.”

  Lydia walked and stood next to Eric. “My sister and I can not thank you enough for all that you have already done for us. Each one of you has contributed and provided a necessary part to our journey. I assure you, the Kingdom is grateful as are Gweneviere and I. As princesses, we call upon you, our most loyal subjects, to uphold the values, protection, and quality of life that we all cherish. May we all arrive safely.”

  Eric opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Thorgon “ALRIGHT, PACK UP, MOVE OUT. NOW!!!!!!”

  Eric opened his eyes wide at the large physique and booming voice of Thorgon and shook his
head.

  In a few minutes they were ready. Eric took the lead, following the path back to the false wall where they had first entered the realm of Queen Isadora. Everyone was a little on edge but they really did not think about being in any danger until they went through the magical wall.

  Eric was leading the way on the well worn path and did not ask Samuel or Bartholomew for guidance until he came to a fork in the path. Both of them pointed to the left fork. Without asking, they said that the right fork leads to the pit. Eric eagerly took the correct path having no interest in finding out if anything or anyone had escaped from the pit.