The Dragon Blade

by P D Atkerson

  "Come on, my lord," Fredrock said, stopping and turning back towards Enrick. "I just saved your life. The least you can do is trust me."

  Fredrock ducked down and moved through the thicket of thorn branches laying before the path he was going to lead them down. The thorns scraped against Enrick's face and arms, as he pushed through after him. Blood ran down the side of his face, from the fresh cut across his cheek.

  "This isn't the way to the Dark Castle," Enrick said, stepping out from the thicket and back out into the open. "I'm sure of it. This just leads to the other side of the mountain..." He glanced around, Fredrock wasn't there. "Fredrock? Where..." Someone grabbed Enrick from behind and shoved a cloth over his face.

  He instantly recognized the potent smell of Glay, a sleeping drug.

  Enrick struggled, but the cloth was pressed harder against his face and he was held tighter. Then, slowly, he slipped into a deep sleep.

  When Enrick returned to consciousness, his back and neck were killing him, and he was unable to see. He felt like someone had been pounding on his stomach, side effects of the stupid drug the person had used on him. He moaned, as his head fell back, hitting against something hard and rough.

  Slowly, like a dark blanket being lifted off his head, the light began to return to his vision, but still everything around him was blurred and off. When his vision finally focused, Enrick found himself in a small clearing, with a thick forest surrounding it.

  He tried to stand, and found that his limbs were numb, he hadn't even noticed until then that he was tied to one of the trees. The ropes digging into his skin, caused a little bit of blood to drip down his arms.

  A shadow fell over him. Enrick guessed it was his attacker. He looked up into a face he recognized.

  His attacker was Fredrock.

  "Hello, Enrick. Glad to see you're finally awake," Fredrock said, kneeling down next to him. There was something different about the way he held himself. Why hadn't he seen it before? Why had he trusted him?! They'd only just met!

  "What the heck is going on here?!" Enrick yelled, yanking against his binds. But with every tug they grew tighter. "What are you doing?"

  "What am I doing? Come on, Enrick. You're smarter than that. I'm doing my job. That's what I'm doing," Fredrock said, calmly standing back up. "What you should be asking, is what you have to do with it."

  Enrick's stomach tightened. "What... What do you want from me?"

  Fredrock whistled, and the two rebels that Enrick had faced not long before, stepped out of the trees and moved towards them. Realization hit him, like a punch in the chest.

  "You're a Rebel too?!" Enrick spat, yanking against the ropes that held him tightly to the tree. His gaze darting around. "You're not going to get anything from me!" He hissed, quickly looking up towards the sky, his heart pounding. "You... you're a... I don't even know what to call you!"

  "Just call me Fredrock," he said, smirking.

  "I'd rather call you the devil!" Enrick hissed back.

  "I'm afraid that title belongs to someone else."

  "Are you sure?" Enrick asked, glaring at him. "It really fits you."

  Fredrock laughed, shaking his head. "You have quite a spirit, Enrick. We'll see how long it lasts. I'm hungry," Fredrock said, snapping his fingers. One of the rebels pulled an apple out of their satchel and tossed it to Fredrock. He watched Enrick, as he bit into the apple.

  "How long has it been since you ate last? A few days, at least," he said, biting into the apple again. A deep red juice dripped down his chin like blood. "I'm sure you're hungry." Fredrock finished the apple and wiped the juice off with his sleeve, then he bent forwards, towards Enrick. "Would you like something?" He asked.

  The thought of eating right then, made Enrick turn green. As long as the Glay was in his system, he wasn't going to be able to eat, or feel like eating. And Fredrock knew that.

  "I'd love something," Enrick said, gritting his teeth. He wasn't going to let this man play with him.

  Fredrock raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

  "Really," Enrick said, dryly.

  One of the rebels stepped forwards and held another apple to Enrick's mouth. He bit into the apple, then spat it back out, at Fredrock's face. "I will not be played with!" He hissed.

  Fredrock wiped the juice off his face and sighed. "You really should have tried to eat it, it's the only thing you're going to get while you're staying with us."

  "Like I'd eat anything you gave me!" Enrick said. "I don't trust you!"

  "I'm not your enemy, Enrick," he said, running his hand through his hair. He let out a long sigh. "I think we could be friends. These men might think things would be better if you were dead, but I don't think so," Fredrock said. "I think you're of more use to us alive."

  "But Captain..." One of the rebels started, stepping forwards.

  "'Captain'?!" Enrick cut in, his body rigid. "You're their Captain, the one they were talking about in the woods? You're a sick monster!" He spat, glaring at him. "You may have fooled me into thinking I could trust you back in the forest, but it won't happen again!" He hissed. "I promise you, when I get free (and I will get free) I'm going to kill you!"

  "I'm not a bad person, Enrick," Fredrock said, holding up his hand. "We're just not on the same side of things, not right now anyway."

  Enrick snorted. "Yeah, that's what my father says too, that he's not a bad person, he just has to do what he does to make sure the kingdom survives."

  "The kingdom won't survive, if he continues to do what he's doing."

  "What do you know of it?" Enrick asked. "As far as I can tell, all you know about is killing and kidnapping people for your own gain."

  "It's not for my gain, it's for the gain of the kingdom, if not the whole realm."

  "You think too much of what you're doing," Enrick hissed.

  "You have no idea what I'm doing or who I am, so how can you know?" Fredrock asked, tilting his head. Enrick fell silent, and before either of them could say more, a boy with slicked back blond hair, stepped into the clearing.

  His cheeks red from running. "Sir, I need to talk to you," he said to Fredrock, through gasps, as he tried in vain to catch his breath. "It has to do with my orders, I'm not sure what I'm to do," he said, holding up a piece of old looking paper. Then he glanced towards Enrick, questions written all over his face. But he didn't say a word to him, or about him.

  Fredrock nodded, then turned back to Enrick. "We'll let you think about what I've said," he said, smirking. "You two, will patrol the forest. Brody and I need to talk, alone."

  The second they vanished into the trees, Enrick began to squirm and twist about, trying in vain to at least loosen the stupid ropes, but they held tight. He growled and hit his head back against the tree trunk. How long were they going to keep him here before they let him go or (more likely) killed him?

  As he sat there, Enrick could feel the energy draining from him. There was little hope for rescue, no one even knew where he was. He doubted anyone even cared. Most of his guards were dead now, and his father wouldn't send his Loyal Warriors out to search for him. He was on his own.

  As he sat there, Enrick's thoughts wandered to the pins in his pocket. Little good the guard's sacrifice had been, Enrick was still going to die. He closed his eyes and fought against the tears that wanted to fill his eyes. He wasn't a child! He wasn't going to cry like a baby!

  He wouldn't give the rebels the satisfaction.

  It was almost an hour later, when Fredrock returned. When he did, he was silent, his face hard, eyes distant. "I may not be like these brutes and want you dead," Fredrock said. "But I will not wait around while your father burns our kingdom to the ground."

  "Did the boy bring bad news?" Enrick asked, pushing out his bottom lip. "I hope it wasn't about your poor mommy."

  "Are you always so stupid?!" Fredrock spat, kicking dirt at Enrick. "Do you think this is all just a game?! This is about real people’s lives."

  Enrick gritted his teeth, his body tensing. "Yo
u mean like my men, the ones you killed without a second thought?!"

  "They chose their side!"

  "Well, that's the same side I have chosen," Enrick whispered.

  "Are you aware that an eighth of Karlay is nothing but ash and embers?" Fredrock asked, crossing his arms. "Soon, it will be all of Karlay. Yet, you don't care."

  "My father isn't the kindest person, but he wouldn't destroy the kingdom," Enrick hissed, his eyes burning into him. "If anyone's going to destroy this kingdom, it's going to be people like you."

  Fredrock squinted at him. "If the time of the Dragon King is coming, he won't have much choice. He will follow his master's bidding."

  "Lies!" Enrick hissed.

  "You're going to get caught in the cross fire, if you aren't careful," he whispered.

  "Why do you care what happens to me?" Enrick hissed. "You're no different from those men of yours. You're all rebels and none of you have souls!"

  "I don't believe you really know what's going on here, or the damage that has already been done by your actions."

  "As my father likes to remind me, I am but a child."

  "You give yourself too little credit, Prince Enrick," Fredrock said. "You have as much power over the future of Karlay, as your father."

  "What are you talking about?" Enrick asked. "My father is king, no one can tell him what to do. You're as stupid as you look, if you believe differently!"

  Fredrock laughed. "You and he may believe that to be true. But he's already taking orders, he just doesn't know it. He will continue to do so until his own demise and most likely your own."

  "What do you want from me? I know you didn't just bring me here to chat!"

  "I want one thing from you, Enrick," Fredrock said, taking in a deep breath. "Only one thing, what is the Dark Castle's weakness?"

  That's what he wanted to know? The idiot! "The castle has stood against attacks from the outside for hundreds of years, there isn't a weakness in its design," Enrick said, straining against his binding. "Even if there was, I wouldn't tell you! You will never take the throne away from my father, he will rule the realm and me after him."

  "There has to be a weakness!" Fredrock hissed. "You will stay tied to this tree, without food, until you tell me what it is! If you believe there will be a realm to rule when your father is through, then you're more optimistic than is good for you."

  "You're wasting your time," Enrick whispered, leaning back against the tree. "The Dark Castle is made from Ashstone, it will not fall for thousands of years, if ever."

  Fredrock bent forwards, until his face was just inches from Enrick's. "If the Dark Castle doesn't have any weaknesses, how did it almost fall when your father 'stopped' the unknown attackers from taking control of Karlay?"

  Enrick opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. He didn't know. His father never spoke of that night, or how the attackers had gotten in. Maybe if he survived this, he'd ask him.

  "Untie him," Fredrock ordered, stepping back.

  "Are you letting me go?" Enrick asked, as one of the rebels began to undo the knot that held him to the tree.

  Fredrock laughed. "You really do think I'm an idiot, don't you?" He asked. "I'm not letting you go, I just thought you might want to stand up. I'm not a monster. You'll be allowed to stand for one minute, once a day. But don't try and escape, if you do, we will kill you."

  The days passed by, and Enrick never spoke a word about the Dark Castle, even after the Glay wore off and his stomach gnawed at him. He was never offered food again, only lukewarm water, every now and then. As far as Enrick could tell, it had been more than a week since he'd first been taken and there hadn't been a single sign that his father was looking for him. No surprise there. He was going to die out here, all because he didn't know if the Dark Castle had a weakness.

  But then, one day, things changed.

  The boy (Brody), returned with a letter for Fredrock and whatever it contained, wasn't good.

  Afterwards, Fredrock paced back and forth in front of Enrick. "I'm growing tired of this, Enrick," he whispered, rubbing his head. "And so are my overseers. That's why we're changing our method."

  "What are you going do to me now?" Enrick asked. "Stop feeding me? Oh, wait!"

  "Something a little more extreme. I won't hurt you, but he will," Fredrock whispered, as the rebel who'd slit the guard's throat in front of Enrick, stepped towards the tree, a thin, sharp knife in hand. "He has orders not to kill you, but other than that... well, I guess that's really up to you. Give us what we want, and he won't touch you. Please," he said, his voice softening. "I don't want to have to do this, but I have my own orders to follow."

  Enrick glared at him. "You can follow your orders back to the hole you climbed out of!" He spat. His heart thudded faster and faster, as the rebel moved closer.

  Fredrock sighed, as he stepped back, shaking his head. "I tried to save you some pain, Enrick. But I guess you want to feel the pain." He turned away and nodded towards the rebel. "Alright, get on with it."

  "This is going to be fun," the Rebel whispered, in Enrick's ear.

  Enrick grimaced, as he lifted his head again, spitting blood out of his mouth. Cuts covered his face and arms, none too deep, but they all hurt. Blood dripped down his cheeks, neck and arms.

  "I told you..." Enrick whispered, his head dropping to the side again. He was too tired to even hold it up anymore. "I don't know of any weaknesses, I promise you..."

  "Like we would ever believe a..."

  Fredrock held his hand up and silenced the rebel, as an odd sounding 'hoot' echoed through the trees. "That's Brody. There's someone in the woods," he whispered, glancing around them. "They're here for him."

  Enrick stared at him. Had someone really come for him? After all this time, he'd given up what little hope he'd had. It was too good to be true.

  "We need to go, now!" Fredrock ordered.

  "Do we take him with us?" The rebel asked, glancing towards Enrick.

  Fredrock shook his head. "No. He's telling the truth, he doesn't know of any weaknesses in the Dark Castle." Finally! Someone believed him! "But let's not make it easy for them."

  With that Fredrock took a piece of Enrick's cloak and shoved it into his mouth, tying it behind his head.

  "We will meet again, Enrick," Fredrock whispered, as he pulled his hood up and slung a satchel over his shoulder. "I hope you are in a better mindset by then." With that, he motioned to the rebels, then they all vanished into the thick trees surrounding him.

  For several minutes, Enrick tried in vain to spit the cloth out of his mouth, so he could cry out for help. But it was tied too tight. He yanked against the ropes and pounded his feet against the ground. Anger and fear pumping through him. What if they didn't hear him? What if they passed him by and he died out here? Alone, cold and starving.

  He was on the verge of tears, when he heard a snapping twig, followed by the sound of footsteps. Heart thudding in his chest, Enrick did his best to scream through the cloth. His throat was sore, and his muscles ached.

  Then he spotted the warrior. At first, he wasn't sure he wasn't seeing things.

  "Over here!" The Warrior yelled, as he hurried into the clearing and took up a position standing guard. Dasety appeared.

  Relief flooded over Dasety's face, the second he spotted Enrick tied to the tree. Quickly, he sheathed his sword and ran over to Enrick. Dasety dropped down behind the tree and began to cut away at the ropes with his knife. A minute later, Enrick fell free from the tree.

  "Dasety, what are you doing here?" Enrick asked, rubbing his wrist. "I... I didn't think anyone would find me, not you of all people!"

  "I wasn't going to give up hope on you," Dasety said.

  Smiling, Enrick pushed himself to his feet and stumbled forwards. Dasety grabbed him, just as he was about to fall. His legs felt foreign to him and he quickly grew dizzy.

  "Alright, careful," Dasety said, wrapping Enrick's arm around his shoulder. "Take it slow. Your father's not going to want u
s to have found you and then have you kill yourself."

  "I'm no fool, I know my father didn't send you," Enrick said, coughing.

  "You must understand, your father's under a lot of pressure, your majesty," Dasety said, holding tightly to Enrick's arm.

  "Yes, from himself!" Enrick spat. "No one's making him plot to take over the realm."

  Dasety sighed. "Let's just drop it, alright? We have a long walk back to the castle and there's something else I must tell you. It's about your mother."

  Chapter 16

  Darkness

  One by one, the stars came out above the Dark Castle, glittering off the water's surface surrounding the castle. But no peace would be found from the stars that night. For though there was no wind and no rain, the storm of death was in the air. Lurking in the darkness.

  Laying on the many blankets placed on her bed for comfort, was Gance, the Pale Queen. Her face whiter than normal and almost lifeless, though she still had breath within her lungs, her dying gray eyes barely opened.

  A physician stood nearby, his face grave and worn. The man's eyes were sunken from lack of sleep. For many weeks the Queen had laid like this, slowly growing worse, the absence of her son hadn't helped.

  Something had changed, overnight, she'd grown much worse. Slowly, edging towards the brink of death.

  Kneeling next to the bed, with his face buried in the soft blankets, was Prince Enrick.

  He sat there, clutching his mother's hand tightly. Knowing there was nothing he could do for her, she was too far gone. He'd barely been home when it happened. If it hadn't been for Dasety...

  Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at his mother. "Please, please don't leave me alone here," Enrick cried, as a tear slowly slid down the side of his face and onto the bed. "I can't... I can't survive being around him without you. I won't survive through winter!"

  "You'll be alright," the queen whispered, lightly squeezing his hand. "Your father is not as bad as he might seem or wishes to be seen. He loves you. I know it. Deep down. One day you will see it too."

  Enrick's face tightened and his eyes hardened. "Yes, deep down, in that cold black Ashstone heart of his!"