by R. C. Rutter
Gweneviere heard Malcolm’s comment. “Why? They are shiny and new. That should be obvious.”
“No, that is not it at all. Come look.”
Intrigued, Gweneviere joined Malcolm and was dumbfounded. “Eric, Erica, you need to see this.”
The wizard and wizette joined them. Eric rubbed his chin as he spoke “Pacifists perhaps? One would have to know how these soldiers come to be in order to form an opinion. Erica?”
“I have not a clue. Surely nothing can grow down here.” Erica got a smirk on her face as she said “Well, at least the flowers are not pansies.”
The rest took the time to take in the sight of the two soldiers, each holding a flower.
“Malcolm, what do you think? Can you talk to flowers?” Eric was standing near his shoulder as he asked.
Malcolm was surprised at first and thought he was being made fun of but one look at Eric convinced him that the question was serious.
“I don’t know. I guess I have never tried.” Malcolm reached out, touched the flower, and yelled. He pulled back and with his free hand, pushed his hurting hand into his stomach and bent over.
“What is it? Tell me, what do you feel? What did you see?” Eric’s questions were fast and furious.
“Coldness, darkness, like something was obscuring the view, like a veil was pulled over my eyes, then I saw it.”
“Saw what?” This time the question came from Lydia.
“It was him. So close, so scary.”
“Who, Malcolm, who?”
“It was Shabb. He was right on top of the flower. He was attacking the flower.”
Eric shook his head. “No, can’t be” he said as he slumped to the floor mumbling.
“Alright then” came the commanding voice. Robald had walked over and was standing next to Eric attempting to be the voice of authority.
“Eric, you are safe here. Tell me, what are you thinking? What troubles you?”
The wizard looked up at Robald then at the others and lowered his head. “We often say dead or worse. It always sounds so ominous, used to scare people so they behave. I mean, fires the imagination. What could be worse than death?”
“For me personally, it would be losing Lydia again.”
Lydia reached over and punched Robald in the arm. He winked and blew her a kiss.
“No, worse than that, being there but not being there, listening but you cannot listen, moving but you cannot move, watching but you cannot see, thinking but you cannot think. That is worse.”
Eric’s comments were met with stunned silence. Erica finally broke the quietness “Eric, I am sure what you are saying has meaning but I am afraid you have lost the rest of us with your thoughts. Can you…”
Eric waved his hand for her to stop “Yes, yes, of course. It has always been part of our culture to say dead or worse. The meaning of that has been lost a long time ago. I think I have just figured it out. There are many rumors about wolves. With them being so reclusive, one never knows what is truth and what is fiction. The mystery that surrounds them has served them well, keeping people away. No one will ever believe this. There are some who believe that wolves possess two poisons in their bite and they can choose which one to use. The first, and what was thought to be the most common, is poison that enters your body and kills you within days. There is no cure for that but there is magic that can keep you alive as Lydia well knows.”
Eric stood and was now pacing back and forth as he sometimes did when he was deep in thought.
“The second poison turns you into stone. Mind you, this has always been just a theory that we were exposed to during the study of magic. This transformation was always disputed because no one ever produced proof. Until now, that is.”
Gweneviere could not hold her curiosity any longer “So you are saying all these soldiers were put here by wolves? And they are alive?”
“Hmm, alive is such a relative term. What could be worse than death? Being conscious and trapped.”
Eric stopped and looked at everyone. “I think it best we leave this cavern as quick as possible. Remember, don’t touch anything!”
The group started walking ever so gently, being careful not to touch or shake anything. They were about halfway across the floor when they heard yelling. Cerberus had entered the cavern from the other end. His troops were spreading out against the cavern wall and were blocking the exit. There were hundreds of them, possibly even a thousand. It was hard to tell but it was obvious they were severely outnumbered. The view for both sides was partially blocked by many statues.
Robald pushed his way to the front of the group and drew his sword. “This won’t take long; it is time to rid ourselves of Cerberus permanently!” Thorgon was soon at his side, shield up and sword unsheathed. Both of them felt something moving between them and looked down to find Lydia trying to get out front.
“Oh no, not this time my love. You are the reason we are here and if you perish, all of our efforts have been for nothing.”
Lydia wanted to argue but knew that he was right. Robald picked her up and placed her in front of a statue. “You will be safe here, my darling.” He turned and as he did, his sword smacked the side of the statue.
Everyone froze, holding their breath, afraid of what might happen.
Lydia took a small gentle step away from the statue. As she did, the loose jewel hesitated then fell out. She lunged but as fast as she was, it was not quick enough. The jewel bounced on the statue’s knee but did not break and landed on the cavern floor.
A collective sigh released the fear and tension. Lydia took a piece of cloth and picked up the jewel. As she did, cracks began appearing. She rushed to place it back in the statue and as she did, it crumbled.
Lydia let go of the jewel and stepped back as the statue began shaking. Mounds of dust were released and the stone gave way releasing the soldier. He raised his swords ready to strike.
A crackling sound was heard from several of the statues around the group, as each shell shattered. The soldiers raised their swords, ready to strike. In seconds, the entire group was surrounded. The shattering continued in an ever widening circle as the soldiers came alive.
Eric sighed “We were so close.”
Robald lifted his shield to protect Lydia. As he did so what little light there was in the room was reflected. Lydia stood there, lit like a candle. It was then that the first soldier saw her arm, saw her birthmark, and fell to his knees.
Robald saw the opportunity and raised his sword, ready to strike but somehow could not move his arm any further.
“Sorry, physically I have no chance to stop you Robald so this was the only way. I will release you now but don’t harm him.” Erica lowered her wand.
There was Lydia, standing in front of the soldier and he was bowing to her. In a few seconds, the others had lowered their weapons and bowed. The sound of other jewels cracking and falling apart could be heard from the next rows. First a few rows, then more, then it was almost like the sound of thunder as the remaining statues were released from their prison.
Each one, in turn, bowed. They were of all races, shapes, sizes, and colors. The only thing in common was that each one had bite marks on his neck.
Robald was close enough to whisper “See, I told you that you were special!”
Lydia punched him in the arm.
They stood there in silence, not believing what had just happened.
“Your Majesty, what is your command?” The first soldier to come alive had spoken. Lydia was speechless.
“I guess, we need protection, there are enemies here that are trying to kill us.”
Cerberus had been standing mesmerized as he watched the soldiers come alive. He was stunned, having been through this cavern countless times, it never occurred to him that the statues might be alive. Relaxing his grip, he let his sword fall to the ground. It was not the smartest thing he has ever done. The sound reverberated across the cavern and drew the attention of the soldiers. The creature’s eyes opened wid
e.
The soldier remained bowed in front of Lydia. “Yes My Lady, we have but one task, and that is to protect you from all harm. Consider the threat erased.”
As he finished speaking, the soldiers nearest the cavern walls stood and attacked. Most of Cerberus’ army was wiped out in a matter of minutes. The rest withdrew, including the creature, back into the exit with about one hundred soldiers in pursuit.
Gweneviere walked up to Lydia. “Your highness, I am humbled to be in your service. I am your loyal servant and will protect you. It is obvious that you are the chosen one.” Gweneviere was so relieved, bowed, and handed her the locket.
“No, my sister, the throne is ours. We shall meet our father and together we will face the future.”
Lydia grabbed Gweneviere’s hand and both raised their arms. Everyone who was close could see that they both bore the crest of the King. It was of particular interest to the latest soldiers that joined the ranks.
As Gweneviere and Lydia circled to show everyone their arms, their eyes fell on the newest soldiers, the same two who held the flowers. It was only then that Gweneviere recognized them. She squealed.
“Edward! Arthur! Is it really you?”
The two soldiers bowed and did not answer. Gweneviere regained her composure and cleared her throat “I command you to rise and show me your faces.”
Both soldiers reluctantly did as ordered. Gweneviere approached them and looked closely at their faces.
“Edward, Arthur, do you not remember me? We used to play together and get in trouble, although I have to say I was always the innocent one.” Gweneviere giggled.
The soldiers stood there without emotion.
“Where have you been, what have you been doing?”
The soldiers looked at each other. “Waiting here for you, My Lady. We are at your service. Command us at your will.”
“Oh Eric, what is wrong with them?” Gweneviere’s eyes began tearing. “Why can’t they know me? What has happened to them? Can’t you fix it?”
Eric put his arms around her. “My dear, I don’t know. There is much in the world that I cannot explain. Perhaps your father might know. We shall ask him when we finally reach him. Right now, we need to stay focused; there are still many enemies about.”
Gweneviere did not want to hear his answer but she knew he was right. She reluctantly agreed. She started to walk away then abruptly stopped.
“There was one more new soldier. He was tall, young looking, with dark hair and a dark complexion. Where is he? Do I know him?”
The place where the other soldier stood was now empty. He seemed to have vanished into thin air.
* * *
Chapter 24
The Queen heard the commotion and ran to the opening in the wall. She knew that the daughter was close so there was no hesitation on her part. Gaining speed as she entered the cavern, the soldiers were startled by her sudden appearance. Swords were raised as they lunged at her. Casting spell after spell, she succeeded in killing and wounding many. The Royal Army was on her heels and engaging the soldiers in battle.
“RUN” yelled Eric as a bolt of lightning knocked him down. Erica returned fire with her wand and sent the Queen tumbling head over heels. The room erupted in chaos as the two armies met.
The volume of metal striking metal was overwhelming and the smell of sweat and fear filled the cavern. It became impossible to talk and be heard. As soon as one soldier fell from either side, another was there to take its place.
Magic became useless. It was impossible to aim accurately. Any spell cast would strike soldiers from both sides. Lydia, Gweneviere, Seth, and Malcolm were pushed together as Eric, Robald, Thorgon, and Erica surrounded them facing outwards. They fought bravely and any Royal Army soldier who dared attack was either stabbed, knocked unconscious, or thrown out of the way.
As more of the Royal Army soldiers entered the cavern, it became harder and harder to move and it was difficult to tell which side was winning. Swords and shields were clanging as blows were exchanged. Screams and cries for help were constant. Eric knew they needed help; there were just too many enemy soldiers.
It felt like time stood still as shield met sword, sword met shield, and arrows flew through the air. This went on for hours.
Eric had a plan. He just needed to find the right moment. Grabbing a nearby soldier, he yelled into his ear. The soldier shook his head. Eric tried again but was met with the same response. This time he turned to Lydia and asked her to tell the soldier to listen to him. She readily gave the command and told the soldier to watch the wizard.
Eric counted “One, two, and three.”
When he finished his count, every soldier loyal to Lydia crouched at the same time leaving the Royal Army soldiers standing. Eric lifted his staff with both hands and then slammed it into the ground. A wave of energy shot out knocking over everyone and everything in its path. As soon as the wave passed, the soldiers leapt back up and attacked the Royal Army.
That was enough to turn the tide as the Royal Army began retreating into the cave opening. The Queen was yelling for her soldiers to stand fast but they were not listening. She raised her wand to cast a spell and her arm froze in mid-air. She looked and realized that both Eric and Erica were pointing their wands at her. She knew she could not take on both of them at the same time so she began backing up and looking for a chance to escape. She made her way back to the entrance and as soon as she was through it, she waved her hands collapsing the entrance and trapping them all inside including many of her soldiers.
The fighting subsided as the Royal Army soldiers fought to the death, or were easily captured as most gave up once the Queen left. Robald turned around to check on Lydia and the others. He screamed.
Thorgon turned to look and saw that Seth and Malcolm were unconscious on the cavern floor. Gweneviere and Lydia were nowhere to be found. Robald frantically looked to his left and right, searching everywhere. He began calling their names but heard no response.
“STAND BACK” yelled Eric as his staff slammed the ground. The red flare flew from the top, hesitated, and then flew off in the direction that they entered from. At the cavern entrance, it sparked until it was glowing brightly. There was enough light now for all of them to see Lydia and Gweneviere walking through the opaque entrance followed by a tall man with dark hair and a dark complexion.
Robald ran as fast as he could. At first he tried avoiding the dead and wounded but it was taking too much time so he just ran not caring what or who he stepped on. Several soldiers made the mistake of being in his path and were quickly and forcibly knocked out of the way.
He was almost at the entrance when he heard a loud grinding sound. His expression grew alarmed as he realized the wall was collapsing and closing fast. Robald lunged forward raising his sword and shield, ready to fight. The opening was getting smaller by the second but he knew he could make it. Tilting forward and lowering his head, he pushed himself harder. All he was concentrating on was to get through the opening. Just another second or two was all he needed when he felt his feet slip, the floor was slick with sweat and blood. He looked up and was just a few feet away when the entrance sealed itself. Standing up and thrusting himself forward, he slammed into the wall of rocks but it did not move. The boom reverberated through the cavern as Robald crashed again and again into the wall of solid rock.
Both entrances to the cavern were now sealed off trapping everyone inside.
* * *
“You so disappoint me!” said Queen Isadora as she slumped against the wall. “We should have easily killed them all, except for the girl of course.”
Her troops was scattered through several caves attempting to recover. Triage had been set up to tend to the wounded. The Queen was waiting to hear the casualty report. Spies had been sent to find out the location of the daughter.
“You do realize that if we loose the daughter, we loose all bargaining leverage” she said aloud.
Wisps of smoke reached her nostrils. Fires were
started so boiling water could be used to treat the wounded.
A soldier was waiting to be acknowledged so he could relay a message. He knew it did not matter how important his message was. As with all royalty, you only spoke when you were spoken to, so he waited.
“You! What do you want?”
“My Lady, I have news. Both entrances to the cavern have been sealed off. It is believed that the wizard, wizette, and the daughter are inside. It is estimated that eight hundred of their soldiers survived the attack.”
“Can they escape? Is there no secret tunnel?”
“If there is, My Queen, only Cerberus would know of its existence and he is nowhere to be found.”
