Ekleipsis (17 page)

Jagare searched the eyes of his
brothers, “Be this true dear brothers? Does your allegiance lie
with Desgosto and his railings against me? Or, do you wish to bond
with me this day, to take all of Erde under one kingdom, whereby
you shall be as mighty men over the mere mortals of this
land?!”

A few shouts of agreement were broken
by the words of Desgosto once more. “Ask them not Jagare, for it is
I who condemn you as a mad man. You have yet to be proven worthy to
be king, for it was you who fell in battle by the arrow of the
unknown, which could be a mere peasant girl.”

Jagare recoiled like a
viper. “Hold your tongue Desgosto, lest it be cut from your jaws
this very day. I have power and means at my disposal you know not
of. Do not be as the foolish, who think they are able to speak ill
of king Jagare and live.”

Desgosto’s anger moved him
to further taunt his brother. “I defy this king Jagare that is not,
but remains yet a wounded mind babbling tyrant.”

Pulling his sword from the sheath
along his side, Desgosto spewed, “By all means I challenge you,
dear Jagare, for your portion of Oscuridad and all of
Erde.”

Gasps, even from these giants among
men, could be heard. The seriousness had surpassed the rivalry of
brothers, and had moved to battle of supremacy among men. Pride and
ego pushed all essence of wisdom away, leaving only the desire to
have that which the other wanted: the lust for power, the desire to
be lord over all.

Many men have gone forth
with clouded judgment, by the urges of their lustful hearts, only
to end in despair.

Lifting his arm, as if swatting a fly
with the back of his hand, Jagare exclaimed, “Let it be as you have
said dear Desgosto, I shall miss you.”

As Jagare’s wrist popped
upward, Desgosto flew backwards, knocking over the chair and
slamming against the wall. Jagare moved around the tables toward
Desgosto, “Fear me brothers, but do not defy me. Ye shall receive
that which you are due. Am I not able to give that which I
please?”

No one said a word as
Desgosto appeared to be penned against the wall. He struggled for
breath, as if something was caught in his throat. He fought the
claustrophobic feeling of not being able to move, completely
confined to the position of the wall. Sweat began to pour from his
face as his inner being seemed to pull and tear itself from his
flesh, as he tried to break free of Jagare’s grip. Grunts could be
made out, but his mouth refused to obey the commands of his jumbled
mind. Fear and hatred of Jagare drove Desgosto mad as he could not
act upon either. The Ubils within him cried out in torment, further
adding to Desgosto’s affliction.

Jagare paced within five feet of
Desgosto, staring him in the eyes. “Dear brother Desgosto, I asked
you here for your allegiance, but I feel as though I no longer need
it. You desire not to serve me, so I shall give you over to the
fires of the Dragon. They shall not consume you, but torment you
far beyond time. Ye shall curse my name and I shall not hear it, ye
shall beg for mercy and I shall not give it. Fear it, for it waits
for you! I give you over to the living flames of hell!”

Instantly, Desgosto’s
entire being ignited with invisible flames, with human combustion
which could not be seen with the naked eye. The flames were not
visible, but the heat could be felt and the burning flesh could be
smelt. The brothers watched Desgosto melt before their eyes, as he
screamed out in pain. He begged for mercy where there was none, his
body became charred and lifeless. It was a grotesque sight, far
more horrific than one being burned alive, when much of the sight
is hidden by the flames. These hidden flames, which consumed
Desgosto before their very eyes, bore record to the Gibborims: no
mercy lay in the heart of their brother Jagare.

Jagare turned to the brothers, “Any
other objections dear brothers, or shall we proceed to the
feast?”

Hozekan Warning

The dwarfs, Wiltzer and his
wife Damaris, wasted no time in their journey back to Hozekan.
Their black ponies did not move as swiftly as mustangs or
stallions, but they pressed on to the timbers of the Valtava
Forrest full gust. With new knowledge, considering it but a fuller
understanding of things which were and what was to come, with book
in hand, Wiltzer wished they were already speaking to Emperor Penuh
Harap. Questions of how to present his case and worries of whether
the emperor and the council would heed his warning filled his mind,
as the wind blew hard against his beard.

Mixed with fears for his
people, he could not hide the thoughts of worry he had for young
Vandor and his companion Kayla. He had seen the Land of the
Seekers, and the evil that now dwelt there within so much death and
destruction. He was most sure the young boy would not find his
grandfather among the living, and how would they escape the grasps
of the Gottlos if by chance they were caught? Turning back, he
could possibly persuade the young pair to refrain from Trachten
altogether, but by doing so would it not leave his own people
awaiting the coming Ekleipsis without warning? Should he save the
two over the lives of an entire race? He knew his duty was to warn
the hidden people of Hozekan, so he prayed no ill would befall the
young couple.

Arriving at the entrance to
Hozekan within the Valtava Forrest, the hearts of the two dwarfs
found both comfort and eagerness to share their new knowledge with
the others. They were met by Paktil and Qwen, the watchmen at the
forefront of Hozekan and first alarm to the people. It was somewhat
easy for a dwarf to recognize a dwarf and very few men had found
their way into such parts, so Paktil and Qwen came forth from their
hiding places to welcome Wiltzer and Damaris home. Showing their
dwarf insignia rings was merely formality more than anything. Each
dwarf was given such a ring made of white gold to be worn on their
left ring finger when they reached the age of sixteen (the age of
adulthood), with the blackened symbol: an upright eclipse of a
stick figure, having a filled in circle for a head, single vertical
line for a body and small horizontal mark for feet, with arms of
arrows pointing east and west.

For fear of alarming all
the souls of Hozekan, Wiltzer and Damaris decided to hold their
tongues till they were able to be granted company with Emperor
Penuh Harap. Informing the watchmen they had something of great
importance to tell the emperor, Paktil went forth to the palace in
the center of Hozekan to inform the council. Qwen questioned
Wiltzer as to the book and sword he carried, but Wiltzer replied
that the emperor must hear of it first. Walking past the enormous
sikwayi
^
, bearing a
large carving of the dwarf emblem matching that of the rings, Qwen
did not question them further.

Standing in front of the
palace, Wiltzer took a moment to enjoy the craftsmanship his father
had once taken part in. Its height was almost equal to that of the
trees of the Valtava Forest, which were the tallest in all of Erde,
and its length equally long. It was completely made from the thick
sikwayi timbers of the forest. Handcrafted engravings of the late
Emperor Oviss, along with dwarf symbols and writings covered it
beautifully. Completely recoated yearly by hand with a special sap
mixture made from the mahla
^
trees, the palace shined brightly with the rays of the sun. So
much so, that when the glaze was fresh, one must almost squint as
they walked by during the day, while even the glow from the light
of the moon upon it could be seen amidst the middle of the village
at night.

Once the council was gathered, Paktil
came forth from the palace entrance informing Wiltzer and Damaris
that the emperor and council would see him. Wiltzer could feel his
stomach tighten and looked at his wife. Damaris gave her husband a
silent gaze of confidence and encouragement with a look of love in
her eyes. Wiltzer took a deep breath and followed Paktil into the
palace to the council chamber room. This was where decisions were
made. To the rise or fall of Hozekan, Wiltzer was there to request
such an action.

Paktil walked Wiltzer and Damaris up
to the large wooden doors of the council chamber room. The dwarf
emblem was boldly engraved upon the door with the following
words:

“
Though short in stature,
all things are within our reach.”

Paktil made motion to
Damaris that she could sit in either of the crimson cushioned
chairs, marvelously handcrafted from stejar
^
wood, set on each side of the chamber entrance.
Damaris took a seat giving her husband a passionate wink with a
smile.

Paktil opened the chamber
door revealing the six members sitting on the far side of the
table. The table had the appearance of an enormous polished sikwayi
tree trunk, cut squarely across the top, twelve foot long. Smoothly
rounded underneath, it stood on four legs, each the size of a
dwarf’s thigh. Among the council, from Wiltzer’s left to right,
were as follows: Cohart, Fiken, Guesald, Imbol, Wedgmark, and the
eldest Falinn Viden. Wiltzer knew of them all, though not
personally.

Emperor Penuh Harap sat behind the
council, upon a slightly elevated platform, in a chair made of
thick sikwayi. Deep purple shawls, with gold trim and tassels,
flowed from each arm of the chair and covered the chair from head
to foot. They matched the emperor’s purple royal robe, lined with
three inch gold strips around the hems and down the front and back,
flowing from the ring around the collar. He also wore a golden
crown, handed down from Emperor Oviss, which had been said to have
come from Signum in Erde.

A single chair, matching the two at
the entrance, awaited Wiltzer across the table from the onlookers.
It was a far twenty feet to walk. As he stepped, he could hear the
light sounds of the creaking wood beneath his feet. He stopped
before the chair, bowed and waited for the emperor to
speak.

“Welcome, Wiltzer,” warmed
Emperor Penuh Harap. “Paktil has told us that you have certain
information that you feel is most important to the council and I.
Please be seated and share with us this news,” the emperor spoke
softly with open arms.

Wiltzer placed the sword, now wrapped
in cloth, and the book on the table in front of the seat he took.
Pulling closer to the table, a slight skidding sound was made, but
no one seemed to notice. All eyes were fixed upon his countenance
and awaiting his words.

Wiltzer began, softly speaking, “Dear
emperor and Council of Hozekan, please pardon me tongue, for I am
not much of a speaker.” Not a face changed emotion so he continued,
“Me wife and I have been to Trachten and I fear what we have
seen.”

Wiltzer continued to tell
them of the things which he had seen in Trachten and his fear that
Hozekan may no longer be safe. They all listened intently to what
was said. Wiltzer stopped short of telling of Vandor, Kayla, and
the book he now had, for he wondered if any believed him thus
far.

Cohart, the youngest and newest
member, was first to reply. “Dear Wiltzer, have you yet another
witness to these accounts? For the law states ‘let therefore the
truth of any matter be established by the observance of two or more
witnesses. Else, let it be examined by the council that it may be
judged righteously.’”

In Hozekan, a female
dwarf’s word was not regarded as highly as a male’s, even in some
cases of defense and prosecution. Thus was why Wiltzer had entered
while Damaris waited for him seated without. Since his inheritance
of emperor, Penuh Harap had thought to change such a law, but he
knew such matters must be handled delicately. One could not change
all things overnight and expect to remain well-liked and respected.
For this cause, he intended to have Damaris speak if need be, after
the council had heard Wiltzer.

“Cohart, bid this dwarf his
time, for it is the council in which he has brought forth this
matter,” claimed the emperor.

“Yes, dear council, me wife
is a witness, and I have these two items which bare record of that
which I tell.” Wiltzer unclothed the sword, “This sword bares
record of the man who gave himself to free me wife and me from the
flying beast and evil doers in Trachten. I have reason to believe
his name was MaZak, also known as The Bladesman. One who served as
one of the Sealed for many years under a righteous King Salvare,
who was slain, yet lives again, and of whom those in Erde await his
return that the Darkness may be cast out forever.”

“How can you be certain of
such? Who is this King Salvare of who you speak? We have never
heard one of such name nor do we know of any such righteous king,
but that one whom was slain in the history before Hozekan,” claimed
Wedgmark.

“Can you not see, as I have told you
the truth in what I have spoken, it but tells of the same story of
that which Emperor Oviss and the council had written in the Legend
of Pre-Hozekan?” pleaded Wiltzer.

“That could be any man’s
sword, and this King Salvare of which you speak could be but one
who wishes to claim all of Erde as his own; including our beloved
Hozekan,” added Guesald.