The Secret Of The Crystal Skull

by Mallerey Cálgara

  “Sulco, vian kovarda bastardo! Malsupreniru tie kaj alfronti min kiel viro. Eliru, vi bastard!”[57] he shouted several times, but Prince Sulco didn’t appear. Heian invested back into the wall, without an effect. Larger wounds appeared on his arms and legs, and his clothes were torn. His face was injured too, forming fillets of blood that dripped and spattered everywhere. He was upset. Mongho tried to push him away, but Heian’s anger gave him strength to dodge his friend. Then the guards backed away, giving Prince Sulco space to walk, approaching quietly from the other side.

  “My dear brother! I see you tried to make me a visit!” He smiled sarcastically.

  “You bastard!” Enraged, Heian ran to him and got even more hurt.

  “I see you’re angry, brother. This won’t do good for your health...”

  “Get out from behind whatever this is and come face me like a man, you coward!” he barked, drawing his sword.

  “You can’t barely breathe, much less hold a sword.” Sulco laughed wryly. “Don’t make me laugh more, because I’m in pain!”

  Heian took a deep breath, trying to calm down, although he wanted to tear his brother’s head. He was in a disadvantage. Only Mongho was at his side, and even if Sulco’s guards didn’t interfere, he knew he was no match for his brother. He didn’t mastered the sword as well as Sulco. Then he tried to gain time to at least catch his breath.

  “What’s on your head, you bastard? You killed our mother, Mongho’s father, my son and who knows who else. And now you divided the kingdom? Why? Are you mad?” He didn’t take a breath, Heian breath hitched in a sharp, terrified gasp, but his voice didn’t cease altogether.

  “Why? You ask me why?” Sulco’s behavior became more intense. “Our mother didn’t deserve to live. Because of her and that fool wizard I’m not the king!” Sulco looked away for a moment to Mongho, who refused to face him, even feeling a tightness in the chest. Just kept hearing the argument between the brothers. “And it wasn’t me who killed your son, it was you who killed him when you conceived him. I won’t let anything or anyone in my way.” Sulco pointed to the invisible wall. “And this division, as you say, it’s just a matter of time before I take the whole kingdom!”

  “Silentu, stult!”[58] There was nervousness in Heian’s voice. “Do you think I will allow you to do more harm to my family or to my kingdom?!”

  “Your kingdom? Your kingdom?! Neither you nor anyone else has to allow me anything. I’m the rightful king; I’ll assume the throne even if I have to kill everyone and be king of a kingdom of ghosts!” Furious at this moment, Sulco crossed the invisible wall with his hand on his sword pommel, he drew it, and struck a blow to his brother, facing him with a relief and a wild joy, because he was tired of hiding. And before Heian could deviate completely, the blade tip tore the skin of his arm by making spurt. Quickly he drew his sword. When Sulco gave him another blow, the King countered.

  Sparks came out of the swords when the sound of metal crashing against rock filled the air. Within seconds, Mongho had created a stone barrier almost two meters to separate the brothers. If their calculations failed, even for a millisecond, it would be a disaster. The arm of both shivered with the vibration of the blade against the wall, causing a shock in the bones of the hand and arm, driving them back instinctively.

  “You, Sulco, will only hurt Heian over my dead body, and even then, only if it no longer exists. Because, otherwise, I will get up and kill you!” Gasping, Mongho released his anger.

  Prince Sulco lowered his sword and sheathed it, moving away and going beyond his invisible barrier. With a sigh and a glare, even without seeing Mongho, he replied:

  “I see you did your homework, wizard. However, don’t underestimate your enemy. I have a few tricks up on my sleeve!” And before Sulco disappear between the guards, Mongho felt a gust of cold wind whipping his face.

  “We have to go, Heian, now! He’s gone!” Mongho gripped Heian’s arm.

  “But what happened here? How did you make that wall up? And what is that I couldn’t see and didn’t go through?” Still feeling his bones shake, Heian, scared, asked Mongho a lot of questions.

  “I’ll explain everything on the way, but now let’s go! We have to pass something in these wounds, they are scaring me.” Mongho gave him a little smile, but his voice hardened. “For now, my wall blocked the hallway, but we need to take quick action. If he decides to attack, we’re vulnerable.”

  ◆◆◆

  Heian and Mongho were hurried to the throne room, where queen Driadh was waiting for news, anxiously.

  As soon as she saw them, she got up and ran to hug Heian. She was scared to approach him, however.

  “What happened? Why are you hurt like this?” She ran a hand gently on his arm. Heian’s face was serious, and he was silent. Afflicted, the Queen looked Mongho, hoping he would give her some quick response. Noting her concern, Heian tried to calm her.

  “Don’t worry. It wasn’t so serious.” He held her hands so that Driadh wouldn’t notice the discomfort he felt at her touch. He felt pain, but his pride was even more hurt. He had never suffered an injury like this and worse, caused by his own brother.

  “I’ll send for a healer.”

  “No need, I'm fine.” Heian thought the injury wasn’t serious and didn’t intend to stop to see it. He looked away for Mongho. “I need explanations.”

  “I’ll get water to clean you up. This amount of blood is making me concerned.”

  Driadh hurried off, returning minutes later in the company of her maid. They brought a bowl with warm water, ointments and linen compresses. They put on the table where Heian and Mongho talked, and began to clean Heian’s wound. The Queen applied the ointment and began to compress, compressing it against the wound, temporarily halting the bleeding. Heian would need the healer the sew. Mongho’s explanations left the king increasingly impressed with the powers acquired by his friend, but also worried about what Sulco could do.

  “Did you know about it, Driadh?” Heian interrupted Mongho for a moment, to see that she hadn’t been surprised by the revelations.

  “Yes” she said, without losing focus on what she was doing. “Sulco became a declared enemy and, with the help of magic, he’s even more dangerous.”

  “I know” Heian confirmed with great regret. “I don’t understand yet how he divided the kingdom.”

  “He used the wind magic.” Mongho began to explain. “Creating bursts of fast winds, they become invisible and impassable.”

  “But Sulco went through it without a scratch.”

  “Only the caller can overcome his magic. The same happened with the stone barrier that I raised in the hallway: only I can cross it. So, we don’t take the risk of him undo it and be surprised by an attack inside the castle. But it wouldn’t be very smart of him to attack us there, with so many other easier access.”

  “You can’t undo his magic?”

  “No. It’s a very powerful magic and requires a lot of energy, so, I think he doesn’t intend to attack us now.”

  “But Sulco declared war on the kingdom! Thus, if he wants, he can break the spell at any time! He can attack us while we sleep!”

  “He can.”

  “But this is nonsense!” Heian punched the table.

  “Calm down, Heian” Driadh ask. “We’re all nervous.”

  “I’m sorry” and he sat down.

  “As I said, I don’t believe Sulco want to start a war now, otherwise we wouldn’t be here, talking.” Mongho said. “We would be brandishing our swords and fighting for our lives. However, we can’t stand here with our arms crossed, waiting for him to change his mind.”

  “If this isn’t his intention, then what does he really want?” questioned Heian, also hesitant.

  “He wants to frighten us” suggested Driadh.

  “Or maybe Sulco doen’t have complete knowledge of the magic he used, and therefore, he need time to continue his plan” Mongho said.

  “Well... Whatever is going through his head, I have t
o do something to stop it, but what?” asked Heian. The three exchanged glances. “How could I be so blind as not seeing anything?” he lamented, with a flurry of mixed emotions within. Driadh walked over him and put a hand on his shoulder, consoling him.

  ◆◆◆

  For two hours, they discussed the possible measures to be taken. In the end, Mongho had an idea, the one that perhaps would work: he suggested creating a stone barrier like the one in the hallway, following the wind barrier in all its extension. At one point, the stone barrier follow its own path, circumventing the village and would end on the walls of the castle. At first, Heian hesitated find it a risky plan, because they would be imprisoned. On the other hand, they wouldn’t run the risk of a surprise attack.

  “Are you sure you can do something so big?” doubted Heian. Mongho was silent, feeling his pride hurt with that question. If Sulco, who was no wizard, accomplished the feat, why didn’t he would get?

  “I’m pretty sure” he answered.

  “Guards!” he called Heian, with an animated glow illuminating his face. The two guards posted outside the room rushed. “Gather some soldiers in the courtyard. I must go to the city to make a statement to the villagers.”

  “As you wish, Your Majesty!” The guards left in such a hurry as they entered.

  Fifteen minutes passed; Heian, Mongho and soldiers galloped under a lot of tension. At the village entrance, the thunder of hooves even more scared people, which immediately gave way to them. After getting down from their horses, the royal entourage had difficulty reaching the square, because of the large number of people gathered there. When Heian finally took the podium, he found that the problem was bigger than he thought. It was a real chaos.

  On all sides, there were people injured because they tried, repeatedly, go through the wind barrier. Desperate and unable to take any action, they saw his possessions and imprisoned family members on the other side. Some wept and others ran aimlessly, screaming for help when they saw the soldiers of Prince Sulco approaching the barrier and pushing his comrades violently. Then the soldiers were keeping guard everywhere, pushing away, brutality, who dared to approach.

  The owners of shops and bodegas have closed their doors. The houses that weren’t affected by the division were kept closed, following its resident’s confusion through gaps in windows. Everyone feared a invasion by prince Sulco. At the time, it wasn’t possible to know which side of the fence there were more people.

  The king, nervous and frantic, with Mongho, sought to gather the villagers among the hustle and bustle, to explain what was happening and what are the steps they would take.

  “Civitanoj de Heilland, auxskultu miajn vortojn!”[59] Heian shouted, but his voice was just another one that joined the turmoil. “Bonvolu, aliĝi min por ke ni povas lukti la mallumo kiu falis sur nia amata regno!”[60] - Greater hubbub formed. Some villagers, outraged, still trying to overcome the barrier at all costs. When the Heian’s guards intervened, preventing them, everyone started pushing and fighting. “Bonvolu, bonvolu, trankviligi!”[61] the king yelled, concerned about the direction that the situation was taking, but they still didn’t pay attention to him.

  Then, Mongho, impatiently, frowned, clasped both hands in front of him, palming them while whispering an incantation in the language of wizards. When he finish saying the spell, a huge explosion with small fires, accounting for more than staging danger, came up to his left. This could momentarily stop the confusion, calling everyone’s attention to the platform. As scared as the villagers, Heian looked at Mongho wide-eyed, he caught by surprise with the initiative of the magician. He cleaned his throat, trying to disguise the fright, and took advantage of that everyone was now silent, their eyes directed at them. He said:

  “Citizens of Heilland, listen! We are here to help!” Slowly, people began to move closer to listen. “Our kingdom was divided...”

  “We will all die!” Someone shouted in the crowd, interrupting him.

  “Silence!” ordered the king. “My brother divided our kingdom! Through magic, he created a wind barrier which cann’t be undone by our wizard.” he puts a hand on Mongho’s shoulder, which puffed his chest. “However, we find an alternative to assure the safety of all who are on this side of the wind barrier. We’ll create our own barrier, which will prevent us to suffer an unexpected attack.”

  “But how to fight against prince Sulco’s power, if even the magician can’t?” A female voice stood out in the crowd.

  “How will he create such a barrier in such a short time?” questioned the other, increasing the buzz.

  “And our family and belongings that are on the other side? What happen to them?” Another voice in the back started again the mess. Many voices stood out in the crowd, and Heian raised his hands for silence.

  “Silence! Listen!” This time it was Heian who looked at Mongho, which, as if reading his mind, Mongho created another explosion, which silenced everyone.

  “Thank you!” Heian said. “I think my brother has gone mad, declaring war to the kingdom. He aims to become the king of Heilland and will do by force, so we have to prepare for the worst. We have a great ally, with greater powers than his: our wizard, Mongho. He’ll create a barrier around the entire village, which may not be exceeded by Sulco and his guards. Thus, we will be saved.” He paused to observe the reaction in the eyes of the listeners, as they discussed with each other. “The belongings and family, for now, we can’t do anything, but I assure you, I’ll think of a way to get them back!” More confident, he continued. “For those who are against us: we will not tolerate any enemy here. Our strength, if necessary, will be shown with magic and sword!” He raised his hands in the midst of the euphoria of most screams. “Heilland cxiam rezistas!”[62]

  Some weren’t very satisfied with the answers given, but understood that there was nothing that could be done at that time, unless the barrier. Mongho came down and the crowd joined him, to hear the instructions about what would have to do while he was in charge of the most difficult task.

  ◆◆◆

  Given the basic information to all, Mongho walked away. The time was pressing. Only Heian and two guards accompanied him out of town, to where it began the slope of the castle. The wizard chose a strategic place, away from the prying eyes of the villagers, where Prince Sulco and his guards couldn’t see it.

  Upon arriving, he got apart from his companions, walking over to a pile of large stones. Before, we had a brief conversation with Heian, who spent a few important guidelines if his plan went wrong.

  He needed to concentrate. He removed from his clothing to crystal ball and placed it on one of the stones. He was silent for a few seconds, with his eyes closed. His lips moved quickly but didn’t emit any sound. Then came a sudden flash of crystal ball, ascended into the sky and disappeared with the same speed. Once the wizard opened his eyes, a great shaking came from the ground. He continued moving his lips, muttering words that no one understood. He raised his arms slowly forward and spread his hands, causing the tremors to increase. As his hands moved away from each other, a gigantic wall began to sprout from the ground. Followed along the wind barrier through the city, going up to the castle walls.

  Despite knowing what would happen, there was no way the villagers didn’t get frightened and be amazed by the huge stone wall that was growing before their eyes. The wall was seen with the same surprise the soldiers and residents of the city on the other side.

  The rock wall rose steep, so thick and high that seemed insurmountable. With more than forty feet tall, stood out among the nearby trees.

  When it finally closed near the walls of castle garden, Mongho was exhausted and felling pain on all parts of his body.

  He turned to Heian, but before he could say something, he fainted and fell on the ground.

  Heian ran to him, and saw that he was fine, just asleep. He picked up the crystal ball, while the guards carried the wizard. Immediately, they went to the castle.

  CHAPTER XII

  “Bo
nvenon al la mondo, mia amiko!”[63] Heian smiled, after entering Mongho’s room and see him with his eyes open.

  “What a headache!”

  “No wonder.”

  “How do I look?! Can you notice anything different about me? Do I look normal? He smiled a little.

  “Normal, you have never been. Taking the stench that oozes from you, your appearance is normal.”

  “That doesn’t count” replied Mongho, relieved.

  “You did a great job, my friend. The wall is really a fortress. Thank you for saving our kingdom!”

  “We’re safe for now. But what happened after I fainted? Prince Sulco tried to overtake it?” Mongho was leaving the bed.

  “No, he didn’t tried. It’s been five days since the wall was build. It’s too much quiet and that worries me. The villagers followed your instructions and built the gate. I reinforced the guard at the site, and I was waiting for you to wake up to accompany me on a visit to neighboring kingdoms. I need to communicate to them what is happening in Heilland, and ask for support if Sulco really declare the war.”

  “What about the crystal ball?”

  “Don’t worry, it’s well guarded. I ask the servants to prepare a bath and a hearty meal for you. You need to replenish your energy before we left.”

  “We can’t waste time, we don’t know what he might be plotting now” Mongho said, already standing up.

  “I agree, but at least take a shower and eat a meal. You should eat well, we don’t know what we’ll find along the way.”