Hello,
If you have not read either of the last two posts STOP RIGHT HERE, do not go on, this is part three of a three part story, you need to read the other two parts first. Also, please leave a comment if you read this post, just click on the link that says _ Comments.
Thank you,
Enjoy
"M'lord, an army has sprung up in the wilderness, they have no point of origin, they just appeared a few days ago." said the scout to his king, Iotorth.
"What are they made up of?" asked the king.
"Not men, it appears as though it is an army of demons and monsters. There is a man at its head, but no other person."
"What are they doing?" Iotorth asked further.
"It seems as though they are waiting for something, they have not moved since they appeared. We will report back with any further news." The scout said before bowing and leaving the room. Iotorth turned to gaze out his window, he had been king for sixteen years, never once had he been threatened, but the sudden arrival of an army worried him. He knew his long dead cousin, Octolivius, had been married, but he had heard nothing of child, a child who would have grown up hearing of his father's untimely death in a faraway land where he should have been king, a child who would despise Iotorth.
Iotorth's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door, a new scout entered.
"Sir, Kingston Arley has surfaced again." he said.
"He's not dead yet? Where is he?" Iotorth demanded, his hand at the scout's neck.
"Marching north with an army." came the choked reply. Iotorth released the scout.
"A demon army?" he feverishly inquired.
"No, his army is all the people we've been trying to find all these years. However, it appears as if they are going to meet up with the demon army."
Iotorth cursed hard under his breath, "Alert the general to ready the troops, we sally in an hour."
The scout did as he was bidden lest he be strangled again, while Iotorth hurried to don his armor. Arley's sudden emergence could only mean that he had found Octolivius' son and convinced him to act. A quarter of an hour later Iotorth rode before his army as they departed to meet the army in the wilderness.
* * *
Kingston Arley rode through the masses of resting demons to the only tent erected in the camp, Inger's tent. A great leathery body with a tusked face guarded the entry to the tent.
"Kingston Arley, I expect that you have come to see the lord Inger." Manifeithel said.
"Why, yes… yes I have." Kingston replied.
"Then enter." Manifeithel said as he shifted out of Kingston's way.
Inger sat at a table reading over a map of the surrounding regions and his mother lay resting in the corner.
"Ah, Kingston, you've come." Inger said when he noticed his visitor.
"That big fellow out there, is that Manifeithel? He seems to know my name." Kingston asked.
"He seems to know everyone's name, but yes, that is Manifeithel."
" It seems then that you succeeded," Kingston said, then thought of the other demons, "and then some."
"Yes, I did succeed, but what of you, Kingston?"
"I managed to find a little less than a legion for you."
"Good, thank you Kingston, I …"
"Sir, the enemy has moved out from the castle." Manifeithel cut across, Inger stepped outside, "It is time to lay your plans."
Inger walked off with the great beast, and Emmalynn joined Kingston at the entrance to the tent.
"He's not just a boy anymore, is he, Emmalynn?" Kingston asked.
"No, he's no longer my little boy, he's grown into a man, and he's coming into his father's inheritance. After the battle he won't be mine any longer, he'll belong to Dearst." She said as she watched him consult with Manifeithel.
"Then a small piece of him will belong to you, your part of Dearst." Kingston offered.
"No, I'm not a part of Dearst, I'm barely a part of my father's kingdom as it is. I can't stay here, I'm exhausted, I'll make my final journey across the sea to reside in my homeland, and Inger will rule here." She said pensively.
Kingston did not question her further, he knew she believed what she said to be the right thing to do.
* * *
"Send for the sirens to come up the river here, they know the rest of their work." Iotorth said to his general as the deployed their troops across the field, "The boy, I will take the boy."
* * *
Horns welcomed dawn, and sent the two armies into battle. Inger stayed back to direct his troops from a nearby hilltop.
Iotorth's troops in their shining armor fought desperately against the demons from Annonia, and for a while the battle was evenly matched. It raged for the better part of three hours, the tide tossing any which direction it willed. But, Iotorth had the sirens to end the battle right then and there. Manifeithel did not take part in the battle, he had a more important job to do.
Just as they had done with the moon years before, the sirens had to wait for the sun to be in the perfect position to begin singing with out harming their master's men. Two minutes before they were to begin singing the sirens noticed movement in the woods beside the river. Before they could do anything Manifeithel burst out from the trees and set into them.
Iotorth heard the screams of his sirens and hurried to find out what was wrong. He arrived in time to see Manifeithel snap the last one to pieces in his powerful jaws and set off for the battle. Iotorth tried, and failed, to return before the great beast could reach the battlefield, and so he rode down to try to slay the monster.
Inger saw Iotorth's charge, and before his captains could stop him, rode out to meet his father's cousin.
Iotorth spotted Inger and changed his course. They rode at each other and Inger was knocked from his horse by a well-placed blow from Iotorth, who immediately dismounted to fight Inger one on one.
"I expect that you'll want to know why your father's dead before I kill you." Iotorth said to Inger.
"Why?" Inger asked.
"My father had the unfortunate fate of being second born, so I was not in line for the throne. But I looked every day upon the throne your father would some day have, and I began to envy him, when my father died I promised my self that I would sit in the throne someday, what ever it took.
"So first I killed my uncle and framed your father, but I forgot he was away that night. I ensured that piece of evidence was suppressed and he was run out, five years later I was all but sitting in the throne, I controlled your uncle, all that was left was for him to die. When your father returned his brother killed him, then I killed your uncle and proclaimed your father's innocence and set up your uncle as the killer, and justified his killing.
"I have ruled for sixteen years, and I will not let you take it from me, boy, draw your weapon."
Inger drew his sword and did his best to defend himself from the much larger Iotorth. The battle raged around them, slowly turning to Inger's army after Manifeithel's entrance. Iotorth bore down upon Inger relentlessly striking until Inger tired enough to allow his arm to slip, Iotorth took that moment to cleanly sever Inger's arm inches from the shoulder. Inger fell to the ground weaponless and Iotorth stood over him, ready to kill his final rival.
A shot rang out clear above the tumult and the battle halted, all eyes turned to the sound.
Iotorth looked down at the hole through his chest and back up to his shooter, who cocked the hammer on the second barrel of the pistol and cast Iotorth's body into the dirt with a bullet between his eyes.
Emmalynn cast aside the empty pistol and walked up the hill she stood on towards the sea.
The battle ended there, the soldiers surrendered and hailed Inger as king, Manifeithel healed Inger's arm, but it remained a stub. Inger took the throne when they all arrived at the capitol. At his formal coronation Inger called for the body of Iotorth to be entombed with the kings, he ignored all objections holding that Iotorth was still a king and deserved the respect a king demands. Manifeithel swore an eternal oath to serve Inger's bloodline before all, and Inger promised that the demons should be free to roam, so long as they let the people be.
Kingston told Inger not to look for his mother, that she had returned to her home so that he could rule his father's land, he obeyed but he never stopped wondering where she went.
The land prospered under its new king and his bloodline for years to come, and Emmalynn lived out her days in peace alone.
The End
Copyright © 2007-2009 Robert W. A. Nance
All rights reserved
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Part II
First I want to say congratulations to Taylor Swift for winning the Horizon Award. Second if you have not read the previous post STOP RIGHT HERE don't go on until you read the Previous post. Third, I said that this story would be two parts, well, it grew, so this story will go on until it ends (Probably next post).
Enjoy...
"So this was your father's home." said Emmalynn to her son, Inger, as they looked across the barren and desolate land that lay before them. "I pictured a more fertile and beautiful place for some reason."
"It has been over sixteen years since he died, who knows what the king has done to his lands." Inger explained, "It was probably a lot different in his day."
Emmalynn stole one more look at the departing ship that had brought them to the shores of the land where her husband, Octolivius, was born and had died. She hesitated for a moment before starting after Inger into the fire-burnt and bone-strewn land of Dearst.
Three days they wandered around the countryside finding no one alive, but they continued traveling north, towards the capitol.
"You fools, get out of the open." Said a man as Inger passed his hiding place, "Get in here."
Emmalynn and Inger entered into the man's hovel hoping that he might have food and drink to spare because theirs was running low.
"Do you not know that king Iotorth has ordered the outlying lands emptied, if you had been seen by any one but me you would have been shot without question. Who are you?" asked the man.
Emmalynn dared not tell this stranger who she was and hoped that Inger would share her caution. Inger on the other hand felt that this was a person who could be trusted, and though he knew his mother's ever-present fears, he took a first step to fulfill his dreams.
"I am Inger, son of the Lord Octolivius who was killed in this country sixteen years ago." He said as his mother gave a faint whimper and the man fell to his knees.
" I am Kingston Arley," said the man as he got up from his knees, "I knew your father when he was a boy. It has been my hope for years that Octolivius had a son, and today you have made me a very happy man."
"Please Mr. Arley, might you have any food to spare?" asked Emmalynn in a slightly relieved but still cautious voice.
"Yes of course, you may eat, but then we must talk." replied Kingston, who proceeded to lay out dinner for his guests.
After dinner was eaten Kingston took a book from his shelves and laid it on the table.
"This is the only extant volume of the annals of the kingdom in the transition of rulers from Sorachael to Iotorth, it holds the answers you are looking for about you husband's death, I assure you he was an innocent man, the part incriminating Iotorth in his uncle's murder was destroyed before I managed to get this." Kingston said to Emmalynn, who brushed her dirty golden hair out of her weary face as she bent to read the account of Octolivius' death.
"His brother killed him?" asked Emmalynn.
"Yes, Octolivius was accused of murder and his brother, Sorachael, would not give him brotherly trust and belief, and so killed him, but he learned the truth immediately afterwards. Iotorth was your husband's cousin, he killed your husband's father and framed your husband. After many years of planning he killed your husband through Sorachael and then killed Sorachael himself. Iotorth took the kingdom for himself and executed your father as a political enemy."
Emmalynn sat back in her chair and thought for a moment before asking; "What can we do?"
"Ah, that is Inger's job." Said Kingston as he turned to Inger and place his hand on Inger's shoulder, "What say you, Inger, do you wish to free you father's land? Ahh, that is what you came here for, is it not."
"I wish to do whatever I can for the land of my father and its people." said Inger.
" You're a good strong boy, but your strength alone will not save this land, you need an army at the very least, I know of some men who have waited for sixteen years to go to war against the king, I will gather them. You on the other hand have a very important job to do."
"What do I have to do, Mr. Arley?"
"Your father lost the battle after the Sirens turned on him, they were bought off by Iotorth and betrayed your father when he needed them most."
"So I have to buy off the Sirens."
"No chance of that, they're too well guarded. Iotorth has the Sirens, you need something to counter them, something stronger."
"What is stronger than the Sirens?"
"I have heard of only one thing, a creature called Manifeithel, He lives in the bowels of the earth and he could very well destroy the Sirens, or any enemy he is set against."
"What must I do, Mr. Arley?"
"There is a cave about two miles northwest of here, it is said to lead into the far reaches of the earth, you must descend into this cave and search for Manifeithel, and once you have found him bring him with you to the surface as an ally. But, now you must rest."
Inger did as he was bidden and slept as Kingston Arley and Emmalynn talked about the short life of Octolivius.
Kingston Arley's not so gentle hands woke Inger long before the sun began to rise.
"Get up, you must be on your way before the sun rises." Kingston said as he handed Inger a satchel of food and showed Inger and his mother to the door, "Stay hidden, tread lightly, and move quickly. You won't miss the cave."
"Thank you, sir" Inger said to the darkness where Kingston Arley had just been standing.
Emmalynn and Inger flew across the desolate scrub prairie under cover of darkness hardly making a sound. They reached the mouth of the cave as the sun began to rise, lighted a torch and started in.
The torchlight offered little light as they descended into the oppressive darkness. Inger lost track of time in the painful silence but he estimated that they had walked for around three hours when they came upon a small crawlspace that opened into a spacious cavern. The cavern would have been impressively massive if it wasn't full of the biggest creature Inger had ever seen.
"What are you doing here?" the creature growled without moving.
"Are you Manifeithel?" asked Inger.
"Do not reply to a question with a question, Inger son of Octolivius." the creature roared, "Again I ask, what are you doing here?"
"I am searching for Manifeithel, and how do you know who I am?" asked Inger
"You have found Manifeithel, and I know your name, not who you are, who you are is yet to be found."
Inger watched as Manifeithel shifted himself to look at the new comers to his cave. The powerful muscles of his body shown in the dim torchlight as did Manifeithel's broad tusked face.
"Why do you seek out Manifeithel, son of Octolivius?" asked Manifeithel as he studied the two faces before him.
"We need your help, we need you to fight for us against my father's cousin and his Sirens." Inger answered.
"And why should I fight for you?"
Inger was at a loss but Emmalynn managed to answer; "Have you ever left this cave? Have you ever felt the sun's warmth or the spray of the sea on your face? Have you ever been free?"
"No."
"Come with us and we can give you freedom, we can let you live a life with pleasure." Emmalynn said.
Manifeithel looked around at the cave that had housed him since creation and let his old desires for freedom come back to him.
"I will go with you, I will fight for you, but first you must fight for me. I cannot go the way you came, there is only one way I can go, but the way is blocked. Tarous the keeper of Annonia holds everything in the bowls of the earth in, and I am now, as I have always been, his prisoner. For me to fight for you, you must get him to let me go." Manifeithel said.
Inger looked at his mother before answering; "We will fight for you, take us to Tarous."
Manifeithel hauled himself up onto his feet and started down a tunnel to Annonia. Along the way Manifeithel called out to unseen creatures who joined the growing procession to Annonia.
"What is this, what is going on here?" bellowed the minotaur, Tarous, as he rushed out of his gatehouse beside the golden fences of Annonia, the gate of the abyss.
"We are going to freedom, foul warden." roared Manifeithel in return.
The procession gathered around Manifeithel's great form and stood defiantly before their jailer, Tarous.
"You will go nowhere, Annonia is unbreakable." Tarous said to the crowd, "Return to your holes and make no more trouble lest I find the need to dispatch you."
"You will let them go free." Inger said as he stepped alone in front of the crowd.
"Who is this boy who dares come and stand alone before Tarous, keeper of Annonia?"
One of the bolder among the crowd attempted to run to Inger's side, but was held back by Manifeithel, who said, "This is the son of Octolivius' test, let him alone."
"I am Inger, and I have set these free, step aside, gatekeeper!"
Tarous was infuriated by the words spoken to him by Inger, and without thinking drew his sword and charged at Inger. Inger deftly sidestepped the attack and delivered a cut across Tarous' back with his own sword.
Manifeithel watched as the duel ensued, contemplating if this boy becoming a man was a person Manifeithel wished to follow.
Shortly after the fight had run ten minutes Inger removed the minotaur's head and the gatekeeper's body fell to the subterranean dust. The crowd gave a cheer as Inger took the keys from Tarous' body and threw open Annonia. They rushed out past Inger and his mother standing at the gate with grateful cheers and finally light spirits.
"Close the gates and lock them behind you." Manifeithel said to Inger, "You have not released everything down there, and most of what's down there needs to stay."
Inger locked the gate and threw down the key.
"Mount up, my liege, you have earned it, and there is quite a ways to go yet." Manifeithel said to Inger who did as he was instructed and mounted Manifeithel with his mother. Once they were secure Manifeithel's powerful limbs drove them to the surface until at last they burst from a cave into the sunshine followed by the army Inger had gathered at Annonia.
"Where to, Inger?" asked Manifeithel.
To Be Continued…
Copyright © 2007-2009 Robert W. A. Nance
All rights reserved
Enjoy...
"So this was your father's home." said Emmalynn to her son, Inger, as they looked across the barren and desolate land that lay before them. "I pictured a more fertile and beautiful place for some reason."
"It has been over sixteen years since he died, who knows what the king has done to his lands." Inger explained, "It was probably a lot different in his day."
Emmalynn stole one more look at the departing ship that had brought them to the shores of the land where her husband, Octolivius, was born and had died. She hesitated for a moment before starting after Inger into the fire-burnt and bone-strewn land of Dearst.
Three days they wandered around the countryside finding no one alive, but they continued traveling north, towards the capitol.
"You fools, get out of the open." Said a man as Inger passed his hiding place, "Get in here."
Emmalynn and Inger entered into the man's hovel hoping that he might have food and drink to spare because theirs was running low.
"Do you not know that king Iotorth has ordered the outlying lands emptied, if you had been seen by any one but me you would have been shot without question. Who are you?" asked the man.
Emmalynn dared not tell this stranger who she was and hoped that Inger would share her caution. Inger on the other hand felt that this was a person who could be trusted, and though he knew his mother's ever-present fears, he took a first step to fulfill his dreams.
"I am Inger, son of the Lord Octolivius who was killed in this country sixteen years ago." He said as his mother gave a faint whimper and the man fell to his knees.
" I am Kingston Arley," said the man as he got up from his knees, "I knew your father when he was a boy. It has been my hope for years that Octolivius had a son, and today you have made me a very happy man."
"Please Mr. Arley, might you have any food to spare?" asked Emmalynn in a slightly relieved but still cautious voice.
"Yes of course, you may eat, but then we must talk." replied Kingston, who proceeded to lay out dinner for his guests.
After dinner was eaten Kingston took a book from his shelves and laid it on the table.
"This is the only extant volume of the annals of the kingdom in the transition of rulers from Sorachael to Iotorth, it holds the answers you are looking for about you husband's death, I assure you he was an innocent man, the part incriminating Iotorth in his uncle's murder was destroyed before I managed to get this." Kingston said to Emmalynn, who brushed her dirty golden hair out of her weary face as she bent to read the account of Octolivius' death.
"His brother killed him?" asked Emmalynn.
"Yes, Octolivius was accused of murder and his brother, Sorachael, would not give him brotherly trust and belief, and so killed him, but he learned the truth immediately afterwards. Iotorth was your husband's cousin, he killed your husband's father and framed your husband. After many years of planning he killed your husband through Sorachael and then killed Sorachael himself. Iotorth took the kingdom for himself and executed your father as a political enemy."
Emmalynn sat back in her chair and thought for a moment before asking; "What can we do?"
"Ah, that is Inger's job." Said Kingston as he turned to Inger and place his hand on Inger's shoulder, "What say you, Inger, do you wish to free you father's land? Ahh, that is what you came here for, is it not."
"I wish to do whatever I can for the land of my father and its people." said Inger.
" You're a good strong boy, but your strength alone will not save this land, you need an army at the very least, I know of some men who have waited for sixteen years to go to war against the king, I will gather them. You on the other hand have a very important job to do."
"What do I have to do, Mr. Arley?"
"Your father lost the battle after the Sirens turned on him, they were bought off by Iotorth and betrayed your father when he needed them most."
"So I have to buy off the Sirens."
"No chance of that, they're too well guarded. Iotorth has the Sirens, you need something to counter them, something stronger."
"What is stronger than the Sirens?"
"I have heard of only one thing, a creature called Manifeithel, He lives in the bowels of the earth and he could very well destroy the Sirens, or any enemy he is set against."
"What must I do, Mr. Arley?"
"There is a cave about two miles northwest of here, it is said to lead into the far reaches of the earth, you must descend into this cave and search for Manifeithel, and once you have found him bring him with you to the surface as an ally. But, now you must rest."
Inger did as he was bidden and slept as Kingston Arley and Emmalynn talked about the short life of Octolivius.
Kingston Arley's not so gentle hands woke Inger long before the sun began to rise.
"Get up, you must be on your way before the sun rises." Kingston said as he handed Inger a satchel of food and showed Inger and his mother to the door, "Stay hidden, tread lightly, and move quickly. You won't miss the cave."
"Thank you, sir" Inger said to the darkness where Kingston Arley had just been standing.
Emmalynn and Inger flew across the desolate scrub prairie under cover of darkness hardly making a sound. They reached the mouth of the cave as the sun began to rise, lighted a torch and started in.
The torchlight offered little light as they descended into the oppressive darkness. Inger lost track of time in the painful silence but he estimated that they had walked for around three hours when they came upon a small crawlspace that opened into a spacious cavern. The cavern would have been impressively massive if it wasn't full of the biggest creature Inger had ever seen.
"What are you doing here?" the creature growled without moving.
"Are you Manifeithel?" asked Inger.
"Do not reply to a question with a question, Inger son of Octolivius." the creature roared, "Again I ask, what are you doing here?"
"I am searching for Manifeithel, and how do you know who I am?" asked Inger
"You have found Manifeithel, and I know your name, not who you are, who you are is yet to be found."
Inger watched as Manifeithel shifted himself to look at the new comers to his cave. The powerful muscles of his body shown in the dim torchlight as did Manifeithel's broad tusked face.
"Why do you seek out Manifeithel, son of Octolivius?" asked Manifeithel as he studied the two faces before him.
"We need your help, we need you to fight for us against my father's cousin and his Sirens." Inger answered.
"And why should I fight for you?"
Inger was at a loss but Emmalynn managed to answer; "Have you ever left this cave? Have you ever felt the sun's warmth or the spray of the sea on your face? Have you ever been free?"
"No."
"Come with us and we can give you freedom, we can let you live a life with pleasure." Emmalynn said.
Manifeithel looked around at the cave that had housed him since creation and let his old desires for freedom come back to him.
"I will go with you, I will fight for you, but first you must fight for me. I cannot go the way you came, there is only one way I can go, but the way is blocked. Tarous the keeper of Annonia holds everything in the bowls of the earth in, and I am now, as I have always been, his prisoner. For me to fight for you, you must get him to let me go." Manifeithel said.
Inger looked at his mother before answering; "We will fight for you, take us to Tarous."
Manifeithel hauled himself up onto his feet and started down a tunnel to Annonia. Along the way Manifeithel called out to unseen creatures who joined the growing procession to Annonia.
"What is this, what is going on here?" bellowed the minotaur, Tarous, as he rushed out of his gatehouse beside the golden fences of Annonia, the gate of the abyss.
"We are going to freedom, foul warden." roared Manifeithel in return.
The procession gathered around Manifeithel's great form and stood defiantly before their jailer, Tarous.
"You will go nowhere, Annonia is unbreakable." Tarous said to the crowd, "Return to your holes and make no more trouble lest I find the need to dispatch you."
"You will let them go free." Inger said as he stepped alone in front of the crowd.
"Who is this boy who dares come and stand alone before Tarous, keeper of Annonia?"
One of the bolder among the crowd attempted to run to Inger's side, but was held back by Manifeithel, who said, "This is the son of Octolivius' test, let him alone."
"I am Inger, and I have set these free, step aside, gatekeeper!"
Tarous was infuriated by the words spoken to him by Inger, and without thinking drew his sword and charged at Inger. Inger deftly sidestepped the attack and delivered a cut across Tarous' back with his own sword.
Manifeithel watched as the duel ensued, contemplating if this boy becoming a man was a person Manifeithel wished to follow.
Shortly after the fight had run ten minutes Inger removed the minotaur's head and the gatekeeper's body fell to the subterranean dust. The crowd gave a cheer as Inger took the keys from Tarous' body and threw open Annonia. They rushed out past Inger and his mother standing at the gate with grateful cheers and finally light spirits.
"Close the gates and lock them behind you." Manifeithel said to Inger, "You have not released everything down there, and most of what's down there needs to stay."
Inger locked the gate and threw down the key.
"Mount up, my liege, you have earned it, and there is quite a ways to go yet." Manifeithel said to Inger who did as he was instructed and mounted Manifeithel with his mother. Once they were secure Manifeithel's powerful limbs drove them to the surface until at last they burst from a cave into the sunshine followed by the army Inger had gathered at Annonia.
"Where to, Inger?" asked Manifeithel.
To Be Continued…
Copyright © 2007-2009 Robert W. A. Nance
All rights reserved
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
