Lycenea

by Rory D Nelson

  He could go to Merlin, but if he were to inform on himself at this juncture, he would be forgiven; that was a given. But ultimately, he would be removed as a recruit.

  Eventually, he gives up on sleep entirely. He rubs Phates’ muzzle affectionately and she returns the affection, her massive tongue licking his head in one salivating motion. He smiles even as he wipes away the spittle. It seemed she is the only one sympathizes with him; and as comforting as it is, he needs a human ally. Though he suspects that Herod and Chastity are the reason for much of his suffering, perhaps they can help him.

  Chapter 39: Aftermath

  Lieutenant Suri Lancomber had the grave task that would have been assigned to Aramis had he survived the act of subterfuge that had taken the life of the Prince. Even though Suri wasn’t among the party that rendezvoused with Felinius and Jaden, he could nevertheless be vulnerable to the King’s rage, especially since he is a Sandonista and thus an outsider.

  He walks into the King’s Chamber reluctantly. Two of his men have the grim task of carrying the body of the Prince. They exchange nervous glances with each other, hoping the King’s rage will not send them to a similar fate. Aramon paces back and forth continuously.

  Once he turns around to observe Suri’s party, he runs frantically towards his son. “I need to look on my son, so I do.” He approaches the body, bends down on his knee and feels the cold, unresponsive flesh. Tears well up in his eyes and begin to rain down his cheeks. He is powerless to stop them.

  He touches his cheek affectionately. “Sweet boy. I make solemn promise to you; your death will not go unavenged. I will go to the ends of the Earth to seek justice for you.” He rubs his hands over his body and comes across a handwritten note in the pocket of his shirt. Aramon assumes it might be a valuable piece of intelligence about his abductors from his son. Aramon grows hopeful- until he reads it.

  It was not written by his son at all. “I promised you and your son you would be reunited. See that I have kept my promise,” says the hateful note. It is a taunt.

  “Ahh!” bellows Aramon. In one move, he removes his sword from his scabbard and slashes it across his massive oak table, splintering a chunk of wood and knocking several challises tumbling across his marble floor.

  He drops to his knees and screams in a blood curdling, fever pitch. After several minutes, he picks up his sword and takes vicious swings at the table again. Then he throws his sword capriciously and haphazardly, nearly decapitating a man in Suri’s party. If he had waited even a fraction of a second earlier to duck, he would have lost his head.

  “Suri!” yells Aramon.

  Suri steps forward, reluctantly. “Ai, your grace.”

  “You were not in the party that was to rendezvous with my son, were you?”

  He shakes his head. “No, your Grace.”

  Aramon nods woodenly. “That is well. At least you will retain your life.”

  “Ai, your Grace.’’

  “You will raise as many men as it takes and tracks this Felinius and his cohort. You will bring me them alive. Alive! Do you ken?”

  “Ai, your grace. Set watch and warrant it so.”

  “I will put a bounty so high on him that even family if he has one, will be tempted to inform on him. Find them!” He yells.

  Suri nods. “Ai, your grace.”

  (2)

  Felinius downs his coffee, Marley beans, and Pheasant eggs swiftly, while Jaden serves as lookout. In the last four days, they have both barely had any sleep, a condition necessitated by the fact that Aramon has called in his biggest and fastest guns. The first two days on the run, they slept normally and were able to keep a good distance between themselves and their pursuers.

  Unfortunately, Aramon procured Mckennas for his pursuit and they are gaining on them relentlessly. Calling in several hired mercenaries for the task, they were able to travel over eighteen hours a day, working the beasts of burden mercilessly. Their horses are no match. It will only be a matter of time before their large numbers overwhelm them.

  Jaden and Felinius took out at least sixty hired guns, but Aramon had an inexhaustible supply of men, and every time they took time for the killings, another group inched ever closer to them, making an escape even more remote.

  If that weren’t bad enough, they were now clearly in the confines of Orachai territory. Already they had glimpsed signs of their presence. Their own intrusion into their lands would certainly not go unnoticed- if it hadn’t already.

  Felinius and Jaden have a nearly endless supply of ammunition and weaponry in which to use but no one to man it all.

  After finishing his breakfast, Jaden questions Felinius about the note he left for Aramon. Felinius tells him about it and smiles in proud derision. Jaden returns his smirk with a baleful glare. He sighs and looks off into the distance, desperately, as if the answer to their salvation awaited. “I wish your death wish had not included me, Sai. You have fucked us both beyond reckoning. You do know that?”

  “Would have amounted to the same, regardless,” notes Felinius.

  Jaden shakes his head in contempt. “There is nothing to remedy our situation now. And If you were hoping to avoid the pursuers in Orachai lands, I believe you were mistaken. Two inexperienced trackers have fallen prey to our traps from the West, but the trackers from the east were much too savvy for such a hasty ploy.”

  Felinius nods. “No time for elaborate traps now.”

  “Ai. There are too many of them. Not the least of our problems is the fact that the Orachai will be on our trail as well. What would you do about such an eventuality? At this juncture, we must assume that-”

  Felinius cuts him off. “I am counting on the Orachai to do what they will do, which is to guard their lands with all the ruthlessness and efficiency they can muster. You ken?”

  “And how is this to help us in our cause?” asks Jaden.

  “Perhaps a hard clusterfuck is what we need. Perhaps we can go out unnoticed in the melee. You ken?” He then snickers.

  “Would say you are mad. That is what I ken. You are a trig one indeed.”

  “Have you not survived so far, Sai?”

  “Ai. Barely but true.”

  “You have little to set faith in. You ken?”

  “Ai,” says Jaden reluctantly. “It has to be enough, so it will. Set the path and watch me follow- to hell or a temporary reprieve. Come what may.”

  Chapter 40: Clusterfuck

  At least forty are still left in their party, fourteen seasoned trackers and ten sharp-shooters, with a string of deadly kills under their belt. The inexperienced and adrenaline-fueled soldiers plunge recklessly ahead, falling prey to the deadly traps Felinius and Jaden set. The first man falls headfirst into the pit, landing on two sharp sticks, which pierce his gut, emitting a spray of gushing blood. He sputters desperately and chokes on his own blood, which suffocates him.

  The second man is not so lucky. He had been pierced in the side by a sharp stick and twists his ankle unnaturally, rendering him immobile. He cries out as blood seeps from his wound in a moderate amount and electric torrents of pain from his ankle elicit an incessant and high-pitched mewling.

  Four other over-zealous soldiers fall prey to the trap as well. Felinius takes the diversion as a chance to emerge from his hiding place behind a large mulberry bush. He emerges in a breakneck, reckless fashion, with his guns blazing preternaturally fast. He fires consecutive rounds, hitting two soldiers in the head, emitting a spray of crimson and their brains out of the back of their skulls.

  The other men return fire, but Felinius is too swift. They are unable to line up a shot effectively. Several come precariously close to hitting him. One penetrates the bush only inches from his head.

  With his long rifle, Jaden fires from a large cypress tree, elevated high above the forest floor and properly obscured in a thicket of branches and leaves. His careful and deliberate aim finds its mark. One of the men who had retaliated against Felinius falls to the ground as a thirty caliber slug penetrat
es through his neck, splattering gore and severed arteries, drenching the nearby ground in blood and nearly decapitating him. Blood gushes unabated from his neck in crimson spurts. He twitches spasmodically for several seconds and is silent. Another soldier tries to return fire on Jaden, but is gunned down by Felinius.

  In a span of less than thirty seconds, they had managed to subdue nearly eighteen soldiers. Unfortunately, it is only a fraction of the men who are closing in on them. Jaden climbs down the tree desperately and jumps the last fifteen feet onto the soft bark pan, landing lithely on his feet. He takes off with Felinius.

  They run past a large stump. Near it is positioned a small post, holding numerous arrows in place. Felinius swings on the post with his sword, breaking the seal and releasing the arrows. They fly out, creating a swooshing sound as they do so. They are stretched to go as far away as two kilometers, so when they find their marks in less than one hundred yards, they hit them with reckless force. Some of the arrows only hit trees, burying the arrows up to halfway mark.

  The others that find flesh penetrate the soldiers, impaling them, expelling partial entrails and devastating their internal organs. Several men choke on their own blood and fail to expel air from their lungs as their devastated internal organs expire. They suffocate in agonizing, nearly silent gasps.

  Felinius and Jaden continue their run through the dense forest until they emerge into a clearing. They dive down behind a small razzleberry patch to obscure themselves. As they dive down, they hear the unmistakable sound of the Long Rifle, a weapon of choice among the Orachai.

  They begin to hear other men cry out- but not from their doing.

  Jaden looks at Felinius curiously.

  Felinius nods. “Ai.” His expression is solemn but reveals little of what he is thinking.

  “What should we do?”

  Felinius shakes his head. “We wait. We are in their midst and at their mercy.”

  Several loud, cacophonous shots ring out, followed by the piercing wails of men’s agonizing cries. They wait for the relentless plodding of time. In addition to gunshots, they also hear several loud ‘swooshing’ sounds. They look up and see the source as several long arrows slice menacingly through the forest, hitting their targets with deadly accuracy.

  So far their presence had been observed indirectly, but now Jaden and Felinius hear a large trampling of the forest floor, by heavy-footed yet quick creatures. It is the Orachai. Unlike humans, they have an excellent sense of smell and they can both detect the large, bristly creatures conducting a search through smell.

  Jaden looks uneasily at Felinius, who raises his hand and then brings it down slowly in a calm down, wait and see gesture. “We wait,” says Felinius. “It is impossible to outrun them.”

  Several large footfalls stop abruptly in front of the Razzleberry patch they hid behind. “We know you are there. Come out!” says a creature in an impossibly gruff timbre. His cadence is authoritative.

  Felinius nods at Jaden. “Do as he states. We have no choice.”

  “What will they do?”

  Felinius shakes his head. “I don’t know. They don’t take kindly to intruders. You ken?”

  Jaden forces himself to swallow and walks out, with his hands up. As he walks out of the Razzleberry patch and around the corner, he feels as if he has stepped into another world of giants. They are large, bristly creatures with massive proportions, legs as thick as tree posts and arms thick with hair and musculature. Their faces, even with large muzzles like dogs, are capable of very humanlike expressions and they do not look happy.

  Felinius closely follows behind. The leader speaks up, a creature who towers over most of the other soldiers. To Jaden, he looks to be nearly ten feet tall and massive proportions to match. He looks impatient and angry, perhaps on the edge of volatility. Jaden is more than intimidated. “Who amongst you is leader?” He asks.

  “I would be he,” says Felinius. “And this is my partner, Jaden.”

  The large brute seems to scrutinize Felinius and only gives Jaden a cursory nod. “You are both intruding onto our lands.”

  Felinius nods. “Ai. I cry your pardon, Sai, a necessary move to throw off our pursuers, your sworn enemy.”

  “Which is not to imply that you are among friends, Sai. You are not out of harm’s way. We know you are not among those we slaughtered. That is a given.”

  Felinius shakes his head. “No, Sai.”

  “State name, leader or see blade through the skull.”

  “I am Felinius Balcut, sent by Herod Antipaz.”

  “Herod Antipaz?” asks the leader. “Ai. We know him well, Felinius Sai. And we are familiar with you as well. Tell me, is it true? Did you kill Aramon’s son?” He looks at Felinius with the same look of menace and irritation. His expression is deadpan and his intent is inscrutable.

  Felinius nods. “Ai. Tis true, Sai. Or if you would prefer me to call you by your given rank?”

  He nods enthusiastically. “Ai. I would prefer such. I am Captain Lucidius. You may address me as Captain.”

  Felinius nods. “Ai, Captain.”

  Lucidius walks around, ostensibly scrutinizing the pair further. “You are both scrawny twigs, even for humans, but we admire your battle skill nonetheless. I would ken, that your employer is very serious about an alliance with Orachai if he has gone to such pains to take out Aramon’s son. It appears we are in league with each other.” Jaden emits a long sigh that had been building in him for some time. He nearly swoons.

  Lucidius smiles and then pats them on the back affectionately. It was supposed to be an affectionate pat, but the Orachai’s strength is extreme and they both nearly topple over from the small pat.

  “We are well met, Captain. And we say thankee for help in dispatching our common enemy,” says Felinius in relief.

  Lucidius dismissed the act with a casual wave of his hand. “Ai. It was nothing. We were within our rights. Your intrusion of a minor offense is easily forgotten. We can take you up as far as the Terraban Territories to the North. After that, you are on your own.”

  Felinius and Jaden nod. “Ai, Captain. Will more than suffice. Gratitude and we say thankee.”

  (2)

  Though the climate is temperate, Tumerius had been sweating relentlessly since being ushered into King Silvio’s castle, a massively, ostentatious and heavily fortified structure, which had served its purpose well for nearly a century, having survived several attacks from other Orachai Tribes. It was beyond bulletproof, having been reinforced with steel throughout its foundation and walls. Even seismic activity that had leveled other structures in the last fifty years, proved impervious to the structure.

  For Silvio, it epitomized the crowning achievements of the Caspian Empire. There were several humans living among the Orachai-tradesmen, dignitaries and of course slaves. Indeed, part of the thriving economy in Swalgarth depended on slave labor.

  At a time when most human races were phasing out slave labor and learning to live without it, the Orachai would never condescend to forego such a practice, especially since it is the backbone of their economy. Most races of Orachai tolerated humans, while the Caspian Empire embraced the assimilation of humans- so far as it served their purpose.

  Tenerius wipes the sweat from his brow slowly, hoping not to induce alarm in his escort. The King is revered among the Orachai but detested among the humans. He is rumored to procrastinate over important matters, being indecisive when a decision is important. And yet, he is known to be capricious at times and even brazen when provoked. If you were a human and forced to deal with him, you had no choice; you had to tread carefully. To do so otherwise, would be at your own peril.

  Temerius’ escort, Menaphestes, motions to him to stop before the King. He bows before King Silvio. Menaphestes addresses the King. “Your grace, I present to you Temerius Ridclaff of the Gilleon Empire, who is in the employ of Herod Antipaz.

  “The same Gilleon Empire that killed my General Battius and his first Lieutenant Brometheus?” a
sks Silvio, contentiously.

  Temerius nods. “Ai, your Grace. An unfortunate set of circumstances and the fault of the Brotherhood, the same Brotherhood which Councilman Herod Antipaz wishes to distance himself from. I have sent papers of a proposed alliance.”

  King Silvio dismisses it with a wave of his clawed hand. “I have seen such papers.” His face remains inscrutable. Temerius can’t tell if he is pleased or angry. He only knows his life hangs precariously in the balance and he is powerless to affect the outcome. While Temerius is well-schooled in the art of negotiating with humans, the Orachai is a difficult race to predict. He could at his discretionary whim, choose to kill him.

  “I would have an addendum to the proposal you have presented me,” demands Sylvio.

  Tenerius nods. “Ai. Well within your Kingly rights, your Grace. What may I ask is such addendum?”

  “That you bring me the head of the men who have perpetrated such crimes against my country.”

  “Ai, your Grace.”

  Sylvio steps off his throne. Despite his massive size, he is graceful and lithe. “It would appear Herod Antipaz is quite serious about an alliance with my people if he has taken out the son of my mortal enemy, Felipides. I stand impressed. A feat not easily achieved. I will sign the agreement and have my scribe draw up the addendum, which you shall have in two days. Until then, you may stay as a guest in the castle and enjoy our comforts.”

  Temerius emits a dramatic sigh of relief. He bows. “Gratitude your Grace. My master will be pleased.”

  Chapter 41: Expulsion Imminent

  The envoy had arrived more swiftly than Germanicus had anticipated. He sighs with a weighted heart. The boy had promise. Merlin had petitioned the King on Dante’s behalf and Menelaeus had come through. Germanicus would never have agreed to the envoy if he had not known him. He is Barnabeus and his reputation is beyond reproach and question. Germanicus had known the man when he was a recruit and he had lasted several years. He was considered a strong candidate for knighthood and had lost his place to only one other recruit-himself.