The Bad Seed

by Michael Lackey

  "You will suffer for that, gargantuan!" Rauko' released his blades and charged the giant.

  Dori'naur summoned roots from the ground to entangle the giant's ankles. Shaaux leaped for his throat. As they all converged, Stolos swung his blade in a whirlwind motion, striking all his foes, knocking them all backward.

  Breaking the roots with ease, he leaped for Rauko'. "You are the reason! You took my eyes! Now I will take your miserable existence! I am not mortal, and I easily can end you!"

  With one hand, he pressed the handle of his scythe across the throat of the demon while pounding his other massive fist into the face of Rauko'. Shaaux leapt on his back and gnawed at his neck. Dori'naur gripped his axe, readying for the charge.

  Stolos reached back. "These mangy mutts are getting on my nerves!" He grabbed the hellhound by the nap of the neck, placed the other hand under its throat and used her as a war club to bash at Rauko'. Just as Dori'naur moved in close, he thrust his battle-axe and connected with the giant's back. A massive roar erupted from the watcher as he reared up and swiped at the demon with the hound. "I believe this is yours, Dori'naur!" Stolos pulled the blade from his back and hurled it toward the demon.

  Just before the axe impacted, Dori'naur held up his left arm and his oaken war shield appeared. The axe buried its blade into the shield, the force sent Dori'naur flying back. "Now, where were we?" He turned back to Rauko' who still lay motionless on the ground. "Oh, yes, sending you back to hell where you belong! I may have failed the Gods, but I am still celestial, I can destroy you!"

  As he approached, and leaned down for the killing blow, Rauko' opened his hand to reveal the giant's eyes that he took from him centuries ago. It proved to be just enough of a distraction to allow Rauko' to thrust his blade into the chest of the giant. "You were always looking in the wrong places dear Stolos."

  With a twist of the blade, Rauko' was on his feet. He pulled the blade free, unleashed his second blade on his left hand and slashed upward, leaving a gaping hole in the giant. As the watcher stumbled back to regain his footing, a blade pierced him from the back and out the front of his chest. Dori'naur used Stolos's own war scythe against him.

  "We came for the demigod. As you know, we get we want," Dori'naur told him.

  Rauko' stepped toward the impaled giant, now on his knees, and crossed his blades at his throat, "This is for my children, you are relieved of your position."

  With that he took Stolos's head. A celestial taking the head of a celestial, everlasting death. The massive body fell to the side. Rauko' walked over to the lifeless head, removed the seeing stones and inserted the giant's eyes back into their sockets.

  "Tell Akadius and the others when you see them, we are coming for them. The heavens will belong to Craotonus and the Brethren."

  Dori'naur told Rauko', "We will have the demigod for Craotonus to sacrifice. We will have revenge for your pets."

  Rauko' grabbed his brother around the face with one hand and pulled him close. "They were not my pets you imbecilic bastard! They were my children!"

  The bodies of the hellhounds lay at the feet of their master. With his head bowed, he motioned with his hands and the demon dogs were delivered back to their home in hell. "Rest my children. When we have victory, I will come for you. You will be with me once more."

  With that, they stepped through the entrance and began their search for Gabriel and the other refugees. How would the path affect something that was pure evil?

  28

  They Find the Miscreant

  They had been walking for nearly a full day, or at least what seemed like a full day, with no dangers; none that they could see anyway. As they came upon a tree in the middle of the path, they noticed it had carvings on the trunk, "Turn your people back now King Gabriel and ye all shall live."

  Gabriel glanced at Benzoete. "Who could have put this here? How could anyone know we were coming this way?"

  Benzoete's eyes grew very large, "It is the path! The souls have been watching us. They can see inside us. We must have wipe our hearts of doubt. Trust in your fellow man! If you give into the fear of the whispers, you will forever remain here! MOVE! We must hurry through this part!" The people picked up their pace and sprinted through the winding path.

  They could hear things as the path grew darker. Shouts from the back. "No, I had nothing to do with it! It was a lie!" Eduuard, swung wildly around himself, trying to shoo the whispers from his head. "Stop it! You know nothing!" He stopped in his tracks, stood perfectly upright, head tilting to the left. "It was not me. . ." His eyes turned black as night, filled with the darkness from the path, then suddenly disappeared from the man's face. His body fell lifeless to the ground as if his soul was taken.

  "RUN! Faster, empty your minds! Do not listen to the whispers!" Benzoete yelled as loud as he could.

  The people heard the whispers louder now, "You will not survive..."

  "You are not worthy of this..."

  "You have come a long way to die..." The voices rang through their heads trying to get them to doubt.

  As the group ran, Elizabeth stopped. "Why are we here George? Why must we put our children in danger?"

  "No! Do not listen to the voices! Concentrate on me, please," George pleaded with her.

  "We are fighting a battle we cannot win, George. I just want to stop. I feel so tired. Put Launa to bed for me, and call Zachery inside." Elizabeth stared off into the distance, the blackness slowly filling her eyes.

  George placed his hands on her face to get her to look at him. "NO! NO! NO! Stay with me, please! I need you to stay with me! I can't make this journey without you."

  Benzoete grabbed George by the shoulders. "It's too late; they have her. Do not give in, we need you."

  George watched as his wife's body fall to the ground. He draped himself over her and wept. Their daughter, Launa, was frantic with fear.

  "Mother, wake up! Why won't she wake up?" Launa shouted.

  "George! Look into yourself! You have to stay for Launa! Stay for Zachery!" Benzoete pleaded.

  George looked up at his daughter and immediately ran to her. He pulled her toward him and picked the young woman up in his arms, "I will not lose you, too." He ran past Benzoete and headed for the front, passing all the others. Gabriel felt the pain of his dear friend. He had lost his love for only a moment, but he had to watch as Elizabeth was taken from him forever. Gabriel raced to catch up to George to be with his friend.

  As the path narrowed, the voices began to calm.

  "Are we almost out of this wicked place?" asked Antoine.

  Benzoete looked around. "I do not know; we do not have much information on this place. Just stay alert." The wizard slowed to help the others. The people past the old wizard trying to stay on the path.

  Saduj walked slowly passed mumbling something, "Spoiled brat. Not good enough. Took all from me!"

  Benzoete asked the man, "Are you alright, sir?"

  Saduj turned to face him, his eyes darkening. "You poor soul, you almost made it out." It appeared that Saduj was about to lose the battle with the path when they crossed the threshold. Benzoete called for Gabriel and Antoine to join him.

  "What will we do for him? Is he gone from us?" asked Antoine.

  Just as Gabriel came into view, Saduj lunged for him. "You spoiled brat! My father gave all we had for you! It wasn't good enough for the new boy king!"

  Gabriel stopped in his tracks, startled, "Boy king? What is he talking about?"

  Benzoete touched the man's forehead and said some soothing words in Elvish. "Now, Saduj, what is wrong?"

  With his eyes darkening and beginning to fade, Saduj told them the truth. "My father was the greatest bladesmith in the southern realms and was commissioned to make the new boy king the best sword the realms had ever seen."

  Gabriel turned his eyes to Benzoete. "I never received a sword from the southern realms."

  Benzoete laid a hand on the knee of Saduj. "Go on, what happened next?"

  A hard,
cold look came across his face. "Jadory, our leader, had come back to my father with the sword. He said 'Stupid Markel! Your sword shames our realm! The king turned from it, said it was not worthy to be in his kitchen much less on the hip of a king!' My father could not handle the news, it drove him mad. We lost everything when Jadory took the sword and all the coin back for the disgrace. My father began to craft sword after sword, trying to make it perfect, until he took his own life."

  Gabriel now had a scowl on his face. "I now know why I have never heard of this. Jadory James was one of the most dishonest leaders of the free realms. He was removed and stripped of all power and title. He had the bladesmith craft the sword with no intention to honor the payment."

  Saduj rocked back and forth, laughing. "I found him, killed his men and I will kill him, too. I will avenge my father. I will kill the boy king. I will spit on his body as it lay at my feet!"

  "Well, we found our traitor,” Antoine said. “What do we do with him now?"

  Gabriel stood and looked upon Saduj with pity. "We can do nothing worse than what the path has already done. He is trapped inside his own horror. Will this end his life?"

  Benzoete nodded. "It will, but I do not know when. It seems that since he is not on the darkened path, the soul lingers. I do know it will be pure anguish inside his head until the path takes him."

  "I will not have him suffer," responded Gabriel, pulling out his sword.

  Antoine gripped the king's arm. "This man tried to kill you. He killed good men to try to get to you."

  "I have seen enough suffering to last me for the rest of my days. Go ahead of us, take the arrows. I will not allow him to suffer." The men rose to their feet, gathered the arrows made from the blessed rock, and walked ahead. Gabriel was a just and kind king and although this man harbored ill will toward him, his fate was sealed so Gabriel chose to end his suffering. He carried out the sentence for treason and showed compassion at the same time. Gabriel lifted his blade. "I am sorry. Find peace." The blade sliced cleanly. The man's suffering ended. His lifeless body fell to one side, Gabriel watched his eyes disappear, forever to be a part of the path.

  Gabriel joined the others and took quick inventory of all those that remained. In all, twenty people were lost. To George it was just one. His world had completely been changed and his heart was as heavy as his spirit.

  "I am sorry for this, my friend. She will not die in vain. I promise you this." Gabriel told him.

  "It does not matter now. Whether it is in vain or we prevail in all out glory. Either way, she is lost to me, lost to her children," George sobbed.

  Gabriel weeped with him, "We must fight on. This is bigger than we are, we have to fight for the ones still living."

  George embraced his friend and wiped his tears. "I will fight on. We will bring these demons to their knees and I will be the one to send them back to hell. They will know pain; they will know sorrow. This I promise."

  Benzoete walked up and embraced his grandson, "I am proud of you. You are a true warrior. We will make it through this, and we will see Elizabeth avenged. I have a little payback myself for my mother that has been brewing for three thousand years."

  The group walked in silence for a long while when they saw a bright, sunlit, opening. "We have made it through the path, we have come to the Valley of Ice Shadows," Benzoete sighed with relief.

  Antoine looked ahead, "A very warm place that’s called the Valley of Ice Shadows."

  Elos explained him. "That is just the entrance. We will have to prepare for the valley soon. We will need to take rest before facing the terrors of the Valley of Ice Shadows."

  "Can it be any worse than that damned path?" Gabriel asked.

  "I'm afraid to even speculate what we will face there. The Gods be with us," Benzoete responded.

  29

  Time of the Champion

  Natallia and Zachery had been in Southland, Georgia for over sixteen years. Tradan had embraced his destiny of being the Champion of Light and had progressed in his training. It had been a long time since Natallia, and Zachery had a chance to talk to anyone from their home. Last, they had heard, the refugees were on a journey to the Valley of Ice Shadows to find the Tomb of the Elders in hopes of finding more information on the first War of the Gods and how the first Elders defeated the demons.

  "I've been hearing people talk about these strange folks up in a place called Kittyhawk. These crazy folks think they can make a flying machine. Ain't that crazy talk?" Cassy asked Zachery as they lay on a blanket beside the river.

  "Doesn't sound too crazy to me. What if we could fly? I mean they already have a new railroad that stretched from Atlanta to Florida and all the way through Alabama. Times are changing, Cassy, I hope you can accept change and things you don't understand." He really hoped she could accept it. Soon, he was going to tell her about his home and the perils they faced, his calling as the Dragon Rider, and Tradan being the Champion of Light. He believed the Gods made many worlds, not just Amundiss, and from each world there was a champion. Zachery found it hard to believe that the Gods would put life here with no magic and expect them to survive if the demons were to show up.

  "Well, I'll believe a man can fly when I see them in the air. What has you so sure they can do it?" Zachery looked to the dagger in his boot and was just about to confess his secret when they heard a horse coming up fast.

  "Zachery! I need you to come with me quickly!" It was Natallia, and she had been crying. "Cassy, I'm sorry, but I need you to go back home for a bit, please. I need to talk to Zachery alone." Cassy kissed Zachery on the cheek and made her way home. They jumped on their horses and raced back to the house.

  "What is wrong, my lady? You are scaring me," Zachery asked.

  "Go upstairs to my room. Benzoete has made contact. He is waiting to talk to you." She told him, trying to fight back her tears.

  The mirror was covered with a sheet so when Zachery walked up to it, he removed the cover to see his father standing alone. "Father, I am so glad to see you! Tell me, how was the Path of a Thousand Eyes? Benzoete said it would be one of your hardest obstacles."

  George lifted his head so Zachery could see his face and see that he had been crying. Eyes red with little bags surrounding the bottom. "Zachery, we made it through the path, most of us did."

  "Most of you? Why are you weeping father? Where are Mother and Launa? Tell me they are alright." Zachery's heart began to race as concern rushed his entire body.

  George remained silent. The burning in his eyes was too much to hold back as hot tears rolled down his dusty cheeks. He sniffed his nose.

  "Tell me they are alright!" Zachery ordered with such a demanding tone, his father jumped and wept uncontrollably.

  George wiped the never-ending tears away from his eyes. "Your mother... I am so sorry; she could not fight the whispers. She was overcome by the fears of the path. I could not save her. Launa is safe, she is resting."

  Zachery felt the rage building up inside him, but he knew he must control his emotions. He ran out of the room past Natallia. Once outside, he fell to his knees and screamed to the Heavens. His hands felt hot as he slammed them to the ground, sending a trail of fire to a nearby tree, setting it ablaze. Natallia wrapped her arms around him, sobbing, telling him everything would be made right. She had heard her parents ripped to shreds by the orcs, she knew what he felt.

  "We will make it through this. We will go back home to our families and we will fight. Save your anger, save your hate, save your emotion for when you are faced with the demons that put them there," she told him.

  Zachery heard her words, knowing that facing the demons was what he held onto. She was right, if not for the demons, he would not be in this strange world, his parents would not have been on this journey, and his mother would still be with him. "We have to get back. Tradan is advanced. I have to see these demons suffer for this." But Tradan was still two years away from full power, Benzoete would not risk bringing them back now, and deep-down Zachery agree
d.

  They went back to the mirror, George told him they were getting ready for the Valley of Ice Shadows, "Remember, you and Prince Tradan hold the fate of not only Amundiss, but Earth as well. If we fail, nothing will stop them from coming there and devouring that planet as well. We will talk when we can, hopefully it will be after we have reached the tomb and we have answers. I love you, my son, I am so proud of you, your mother was proud of you. Always remember that." With that, the mirror faded back to normal.

  Zachery fell to the floor, Natallia tried to help him, but he shrugged her off. "I just need to be alone; I am sorry." He ran from the house, jumped on his horse and rode to the river spot he and Cassy called their own. Zachery sat there while memories flooded his mind. He had almost forgotten her smell of wild lilies; she always had lilies growing around the house. She said the smell of lilies in the summer was like coming home from a long journey. She would never smell them again. How could he go back there with the knowledge that she would not be there waiting for him?

  That was the saddest day of my life. I knew that with me being here for eighteen long years this was a possibility, but I never let that enter my mind. She was my reason. She was why I needed to save my world. Now I needed a new reason.

  At that moment, Cassy rode up to check on him. "Hey, you okay? Your mom said you were pretty upset but wouldn't tell me why."

  "She is not my mother," Zachery mumbled under his breath.

  "What?" Cassy asked as she climbed down from her horse. "What can I do to help?"

  Zachery looked up from his seat on the ground. "Hold me and tell me everything I have done was for good. Tell me there is a reason to go back and save them all. Just hold me and tell me what I need to do."

  Cassy dropped to her knees and grabbed him, wrapping her arms around him, "I will hold you until my arms fall off if need be. Even if you're not making sense. You are my reason for everything, all you need to do is tell me how to help and I will do it."