by Jon Kiln
He returned and knocked upon Queen Myriam’s door, promising to listen to all she had to say.
38
Parsival had agreed to lead the elite force that was to venture into Vandemland to help free Queen Myriam. It had been arranged for him to meet with the Lakemen at the border. Jacayb, Qutaybah’s man, had shown him their secret way to get through the border with little danger, and then he had drawn a map of the route to the Akkedis city.
He sat alone now in his small camp, awaiting the arrival of Linz’s tribe. They would only send the best to save their Chief, so he was confident that he would be guiding a group of brave warriors.
Parsival was surprised when Artas had asked him to lead the rescue party, but he had willingly accepted. The Kingdom of Palara had suffered much over the last few years from the usurper Harald. It needed its right and proper Queen returned to the throne.
Whilst he waited he reflected on the moment he and Lady Leonie had attempted to assassinate Duke Harald, the old king’s brother. A failed attempt that almost cost them their lives. Harald had murdered the king, and most of his loyal followers, so he could become Regent. Only Princess Myriam, the rightful heir, was stopping him from becoming a king. Eventually, many other nobles rose against him and he was overthrown and killed in battle, leaving Myriam as Queen.
They had thought their troubles to be ended, at least for a while, but alas not. Again the royal family of Palara were in trouble. He was fond of Queen Myriam and felt she would do much good for the Kingdom.
When she had insisted in participating on a quest to save her grandmother, the Duchess of D’Anjue, who had withstood Harald’s torturers by refusing to reveal Myriam’s whereabouts, he understood her loyalty. At first no one knew what had happened to the Duchess. It was a great relief when they discovered she had been saved by Ghaffar, but it soon became clear that she was not safe.
Recently, Regent Artas had received word that Myriam, her grandmother, Chief Linz of the Lake people and Hendon, a forest dweller, had all become prisoners of the Akkedis. Artas had organized their rescue, immediately, and had tasked Parsival with leading the mission, a role that Artas would have preferred to have taken himself. Alas this could not be though because Myriam had left him in charge as Regent, and that meant he had to stay in the kingdom.
Parsival had become good friends with Artas, and he worried how he would fare in his absence. Knowing that Lady Leonie remained a close adviser, helped. The three of them had become quite a team running the kingdom while Queen Myriam was away. They were all loyal to the Queen and each would give up their lives to save her.
As Parsival sat in the darkness, pondering over his present situation, a large hand grabbed at his mouth and a strong arm around his throat. Believing he had been taken by bandits, he feared he may not be able to do Artas’s work after all, as surely this must mean his death. Bandits on the borders were notoriously evil, killing anyone they could steal from.
Someone kneeled in front of him and spoke, but he could not understand the dialect. He wished he had paid more attention in his younger days in lessons of other languages. Then the male voice spoke in his Queen’s language.
“Are you Parsival?” the voice asked.
He nodded his head, relief flooding his emotions.
“We could not be sure, but we meant no harm,” the lake man said to him, apologetically.
They were well known for their lack of etiquette, having been separate from the rest of Palara for a long time. They still needed much adjustment in their social skills. Though he had met their Chief, Linz, who was much more civilized in his behavior.
“No matter,” Parsival said, rubbing at his throat from the heavy handed soldier who had nearly throttled him. “We must continue our journey immediately, as we need to get through the border by dawn. He knew they would have traveled hard already to have got here so quickly, but it was important that they cover as much ground as possible before they rested.
It was agreed and they set off at once. The lake people were experienced at keeping themselves unseen, in a world that did not even know of their existence. It was Princess Myriam who had discovered them in her travels to escape Duke Harald.
“First we will travel on foot,” Parsival told the leader. “There are camels awaiting us in Vandemland to help us traverse the desert. We need to avoid being followed. To do this we need to blend in and dress as Vandemlanders. I have the funds to purchase the required clothing for your men. Are you agreeable to this?”
“For our Chief, we will do everything for his safety,” the leader replied.
“Good. Then let us get started. We have a long journey ahead and the lives of our leaders may very well depend on our haste.”
39
When Perseus arrived later that night, Hendon took him aside and instructed him on what he needed. Perseus was happy to help in any way he could, as he could see that Ganry was deteriorating every day.
“Hendon, how does Barnaby say this will work?” Myriam asked him, wondering if Barnaby was a figment of Hendon’s imagination.
“It’s a natural predator of the insects that they are using to torture Ganry,” Hendon described. “It will need to be inserted into Ganry’s body and it will attack and kill the kewers. It will not harm Ganry in any way, or so Barnaby promises me.”
“Are you certain about this, Hendon? Placing a live bug into a weakened Ganry, will it be safe?” Myriam questioned him further. She feared for her protector and would not want to do anything that might harm him.
“It is no bigger than my smallest finger nail, so I hardly think it can hurt Ganry any more than he’s already being hurt. The kewers are bigger, from what Perseus tells us. We need to act quickly. Ganry is to swallow the creature, and it spits out a deadly silk at the kewers. Eventually, it will leave the host as it cannot feed in the human body.”
Perseus left immediately to try and obtain the worm that Hendon had described, leaving the others to discuss their own plan of action.
“We cannot hold off Ghaffar any longer,” Myriam said. “Yesterday, I agreed to allow the food in and asked for one more day of rest. Today, when I met with him, I had to agree that all could go back to normal so long as you and Linz can stay in the room that adjoins mine, where Ganry stayed. I feel so much safer knowing we can all contact each other. Though it may all be in vain. The Lizard Empress is determined to drain us dry.”
The Duchess came to Myriam’s side and hugged her. “My dear, you are doing all that you can, and your delaying tactics will prove useful. They will be here soon, I know it.”
“Grandmother, I appreciate your optimism, but how can Qutaybah infiltrate an entire city of Akkedis? It would take a large army, and that would need the permission of the King of Vandemland. I doubt even he would allow a whole race to be attacked.”
“The King of Vandemland is a fool,” Duchess D’Anjue announced. “If he were to find out that you were prisoner here, he would probably invade your kingdom while you were away. All he cares about are his taxes, and I would imagine that Empress Gishja pays more than her fair share. The King of Vandemland would not wish to antagonize her for fear of losing income.”
Linz had said very little throughout the lock-in. He felt that the last blood collecting session had made him very weary. His body would not take many more sessions, but he did not wish to tell anyone as they had their own worries. He was sad for his people, as this would mean they would have lost two chief’s, very close together.
They had gained so much with Queen Myriam. Their own land, freedom to show themselves and feel safe. Yet, that could all be taken away if she were to die here. Feeling so useless that he could not save her, he felt shame at his weakness.
How could he return to his people and take his rightful place as a chief? He was never strong enough for that role. With his friend, Wyatt, by his side, he had felt capable, but since his death he felt lost and alone. The sad loss of his trainer and friend had been hard to accept, and now he felt that deat
h might be a welcome end.
“You must have faith,” he heard Hendon say to him, as if he was reading his mind. “Linz, you must believe that we are going to get away from this place.”
“I would like to believe that I played a part in our rescue, but this will not be,” Linz replied, feeling utterly miserable. “I don’t even fear those ugly creatures any more. Let the Rooggaru take me, I will injure it as it finishes me off.”
The adjoining door squeaked as it opened, and surprisingly, Perseus entered the room. Linz rose in greeting, but his weakened legs buckled under the strain and he almost collapsed to the floor. Hendon was soon at hand and helped his friend to sit back down.
“You do well to rest, for now, young Chief,” Perseus said, approaching him. “Soon your strength will return and you will have your revenge on the Akkedis.”
Linz doubted such words. “I will die in this place,” he said to Perseus.
“No, Chief Linz, you will not.” Perseus gave him soothing words. “You only need to be strong for a little while longer, trust me.”
“Linz is not himself,” Myriam explained to Perseus. “I think we are all weakening, and the thought of Ganry leaving us unprotected gives us nothing but sadness.”
“Perseus,” Hendon said, “you have returned quicker than I expected. Have you located the creature?”
“I have it here.” Perseus took a small wooden box from his pocket and passed it to Hendon.
Hendon carefully opened the box and peered inside. There was a small white worm curling up at the bottom of the box, trying to avoid the light. It was mostly white, but its back glinted with a hint of grey. It looked too small to do anything any harm.
“You’re never going to put that inside of Ganry?” Myriam gasped, looking at the slimy worm over Hendon’s shoulder.
“This will save him, Barnaby assures me. Besides,” Hendon continued, pessimistically, “what other choices do we have?”
He handed the box back to Perseus. Perseus took the box and looked at Hendon with misgivings.
“Have faith,” Hendon said, hoping that Perseus would not let him down. “Ganry must swallow it as it needs to get into his system. Promise me you will deliver it to him, and stress the urgency?”
Perseus nodded his head and left the room, leaving the party to watch after him and wonder how this would all end.
40
When Sampson returned from the city of the Suggizon, he came with a troop of thirty soldiers. These were fine men and women, well trained in the art of combat. Qutaybah’s confidence rose as he studied them. They were all fine Suggizon specimens and appeared strong and healthy.
“If this is an example of your nation, then you are ready to face the world head on and take your rightful place back in society,” Qutaybah said to Sampson.
“Thank you, we are indeed ready to take our rightful place back again. We are a good and gentle people, but we will act with the utmost violence against those who would mean us harm. We learned much from our previous encounter with the Akkedis. Though our leaders do not condone the annihilation of the lizards, they are prepared to help save your allies. I am instructed only to take control of the mines but to spare the Akkedis, banish them if necessary, or offer them work. We are not prepared to commit genocide and annihilate another race. We have come too close to that ourselves.”
Qutaybah bowed his head in respect. He could understand why the Suggizon felt this way, but Qutaybah did not agree. The Empress of the Akkedis had made a mistake in threatening those that were close to him, a mistake she would soon regret. Long enough had the Akkedis owned the gem mines and become a greedy people. It was time to share out their spoils and for them to find another land to live in. Despite Sampson’s desire, he would see that the Akkedis Empress would die, and that the Akkedis people were driven out.
He looked upon the thirty Suggizon that would be following his lead, and he felt good that his force was made up of different races. Yesterday, Jacayb had sent word that he had arrived at the agreed meeting point with one hundred Palarian soldiers, and another fifty Lakemen had joined him there.
The Akkedis would have more in numbers, but Qutaybah would have the element of surprise and well trained elite fighters. His spies had told him that the Akkedis soldiers were demoralized and unprepared to fight. Much discontent was in the Akkedis camp with many turning to drink and drugs and no order whatsoever. All of this was an advantage to Qutaybah and his force. Of course the death of the Empress was of the utmost importance, but all he could do was pray that Perseus could succeed with the task set before him.
The next day saw Qutaybah leaving behind the small village and taking his army across the desert. For now, they would be safe, as the this part of Vandemland was uninhabitable. Soon they would come across areas where the nomadic tribes wandered. He was not concerned about them. He was friendly with most of their leaders, but they needed to stay away from the cities and any area that the King’s army patrolled.
Should the King discover Qutaybah’s plans, he would not be pleased. Yet once victory was achieved, the King would care little on who ruled the mines, so long as the taxes were paid as usual.
***
Parsival had found his way to the meeting point using the map that was provided by Jacayb. Once there, they laid low for a while, waiting the arrival of the mercenaries. He did not have long to wait and soon Jacayb arrived with his men.
Jacayb led them to a set of caves, and here they would hide until the arrival of Qutaybah. There were food supplies aplenty, already stored within the chambers of this subterranean system. Plus an underground river that helped with the bathing of soldiers.
“Will we be traveling a long way once the rest of the army arrives?” Parsival was curious how far they had to go to get to this elusive lizard city.
“Some will travel within the tunnels, and some will go in the secret entrance, but all will arrive at the underground city ready for battle,” Jacayb explained. “We will keep the camels herded here for when we are done.”
The news of an underground city surprised Parsival, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He kept his thoughts to himself. He did not wish the men to be openly discussing the inevitable battle. They were presently enjoying the rest and relaxation after days of hard trekking. The fighting would be here all too soon, so it was good that they had other things to occupy their minds.
41
Perseus had freed Ganry from his shackles as he had done every day since they had been captured, but it helped less and less. The muscular warrior was truly exhausted from his daily torture of those insects that drained him.
Perseus looked forward to receiving the sign that his master was close and he could kill the Akkedis Empress, exacting his revenge on these lizards. Ghaffar would be one of the first to die. He would take great pleasure in this, for all the pain he had caused, not only for Ganry, but for the Queen and her family. Qutaybah had stressed to him that not only was he to kill the Lizard Empress, but he was also there to protect the Duchess and her family.
Perseus liked his master. He was fair and treated him with respect. He knew that though there was personal gain for Qutaybah in this, it was also for the benefit of the Suggizon nation, to help them progress in a world that had given them up for dead.
He put Ganry’s head on his lap and slowly fed him water.
“Come, my friend, it is nearly over and I need your strength once more,” Perseus said.
“You mean I’m nearly dead?” Ganry managed to grumble, in a deep hoarse voice. “Hah. If you think I’m helping you when I’m a ghost, you can think again, you snake slithering, sneaky…” his words were interrupted as his body was wracked with a deep chesty coughing. Blood spots appeared on the hand that he covered his mouth with.
“Save your strength.” Perseus ignored Ganry’s insults. “Hendon has sent you a life saving gift.” He opened up his hand to show Ganry a strange creature that scuttled about on his palm.
“And
what do I do with that, eat it?” Ganry meant his words as a joke, but one look at Perseus’s face told him that was exactly what he had to do.
“Are you mad, Perseus? Do I not suffer enough with the creatures that odious little man puts into my body, you want me to take another? Please, just leave me to die.”
“I need you, Ganry, and your Queen needs you. Once we are free of this place then you are welcome to die as you wish. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and take this creature. This is not going to be easy, but you must swallow it with this water.”
Ganry waved his had in one movement, indicating this was all nonsense. “What manner of magic is this meant to be then?” he asked, with no faith whatsoever in Hendon’s gift.
“Hendon assures me that this creature will kill the insects that Ghaffar tortures you with. You must trust me, and trust Hendon. Your Queen commands it of you.”
“My daughter was just as bossy as Myriam, do you know that?” Ganry was feverish and probably hallucinating. “These women, they tell us what to do our whole lives, as sisters and daughters, as mothers and as wives.”
“Put this on your tongue,” Perseus instructed the rambling warrior. “Now swallow a whole cup of water to wash it down,” he said, tipping the clay cup between Ganry’s lips. “Is it gone yet?”
“Is what gone?” Ganry questioned, unsure where he was as he sweated hot and shivered cold. These days he could not remember very much. He seemed to think his daughter was in danger but he could not remember why.
Perseus put Ganry back into his shackles so he hung from the cave wall. Putting himself back into his own chains, just in time, he heard the lock turning and in walked Ghaffar.
