Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition (9 page)

“What of Princess Helenia? Was she hurt?”
asked Vartan desperately.

“Helenia… we saved… and the queen… rode out…
Greenhaven… with knights,” said Aidan weakly.

“Oh thank the gods, now drink up and be
still. You will need whatever strength you have left,” said Vartan,
lifting Aidan onto his horse and riding gently back in the
direction he had come.

The inn’s door blasted open with the force of
Vartan’s heavy boot as he clutched Aidan protectively in his arms.
He gently lowered his companion to the floor and yelled,
“Innkeeper, Aidan has been wounded in battle and needs a healer as
soon as you can find one. He will not hold on to this world much
longer."

“The name is Hildar, were you really
that
drunk last night that you don’t remember my name? By
the gods, Vartan, this man is almost at death’s door. I can send a
messenger for a healer on horseback, but the nearest healer won’t
leave her home without the coin to pay for it,” replied the
innkeeper.

Vartan reached into his pack to produce a
large black bag bearing the royal insignia, that rattled loudly,
and dropped a hail of gold coins which landed in a sparkling pile
on the table.

“Hildar, this should cover him for months of
stay with plenty of fresh food and water, and should more than pay
for the healer’s work. Make sure the healer is here swiftly and
that Aidan is treated well, as I shall return to check on him,”
said Vartan, turning to head back out the front door.

“Where are you going, Vartan?” Hildar
asked.

“To find out what happened in Greenhaven and
help any survivors,” Vartan replied, storming out of the inn and
resuming his journey back to the fallen city.

It was almost midday when he reached the
point on the road where he had found Aidan. It wasn’t much longer
before he laid eyes on more of Greenhaven’s inhabitants along the
road, but these poor souls no longer walked among the living.

Vartan covered his nose with his hand in an
effort to eliminate the stench of death. Bodies were scattered all
over the path, and all had fallen in vain as they ran from the
city. Scavenger hawks picked at their dying flesh and scurried away
from Vartan on his approach. The smell of smoke thickened in the
air, almost overwhelming him as he neared the main gates.
Approaching the city, Vartan knew that something was horribly out
of the ordinary. His eyes widened and he was almost deafened by the
near silence from within.

Only the crackling of fires were heard as the
flames danced their way towards the hazy sky. Vartan stopped
momentarily and his eyebrows tightened in confusion as he stared at
the city's famous once golden walls. He could now clearly see why
the city no longer shone in the daylight. Various pieces of human
flesh had been viciously torn from bodies and left to rot on the
city’s walls, bathing them in blood.

Gods only know if they had been torn apart
while they were still breathing or after their deaths,
he
thought.

The wind changed and a horrible smell of
rotten flesh invaded his nostrils, making him gag
uncontrollably.

He dismounted roughly, taking a few staggered
steps onto the lowered gate. With his sword hand at the ready, he
focused and took carefully placed steps forward until he had made
it inside the walls of Greenhaven.

His jaw gaped open as he took in the sight of
what was once the jewel of Marithia and blurted in a loud breath,
"How could this have happened?"

The entire city was in a disastrous state,
and stood in dark contrast to its original renowned beauty. Wooden
homes were partly burnt, and some of them were still engulfed by
the flames. People lay dead in every direction that the eye could
see, and there was not one moving soul in sight.

They cannot stand the daylight, young
knight. For now, we are safe outside the darkness, but their forces
dwell in large numbers deep within the castle walls. I can feel the
power of their dark magic plaguing us, The shadows protect them,
and I would not venture near.

That voice, it sounds like the voice that
spoke to me in the throne room
, he pondered, remembering her
words.

Shadows,
thought Vartan
, like the
shadow demon that killed Finn
.

“Thanks for the warning, but can I see you in
person?” asked Vartan, his voice echoing throughout the city.

A woman laughed mockingly, the echoes of her
dark laughter reverberating throughout the city. Vartan searched
frantically for the source of the voice and found nothing to reveal
her position.

“So, the
poor
little boy who failed
his king has run back when it’s too late? What a pity for you, but
pity is reserved for the weak! Greenhaven is ours now, and your
king is dead, so it is no longer safe for you here. Unless you wish
to consider the alternative of serving Derian and I as your new
rulers of Greenhaven, I’m afraid that you will
not
leave
here alive."

Vartan spat at the ground and screamed,
“What? Serve you and that walking bucket of bile, Derian? Over my
dead body! Show yourself, you cowardly whore! Or are you too afraid
to face only a poor, little boy?”

“Be careful what you wish for,
fool
!
Do you honestly think that
I
am afraid of
you
? Not in
the slightest, and I am so sorry to disappoint your inflamed ego.
Have you not heard that I fear no one? I am Kassina, the greatest
sorceress in all the lands. Do not mistake my courtesy for
kindness, as you will not find a warm bosom here. You are lucky to
be standing outside and not here with me in the darkness for a
proper introduction. However, I do have powers at my disposal that
do not rely on the shadows.
Excelsior!
”

Kassina! She is responsible for shadow
demons, and she is responsible for Finn’s death! She must die
,
thought Vartan.

He felt a gentle rumble beneath his feet, and
the ground began to shake. He drew his sword and tried to keep his
balance as the ground began to shake viciously.

Vartan, you must listen to me if you want to
survive an encounter with Kassina. No matter what you do, don’t
stop running!

Heeding Nymira’s words, he ran as fast as his
legs would carry him, quickly sheathing his sword as he headed
towards cover.

Kassina's voice taunted, "Not so tough now,
are you?"

The ground exploded violently into the air
wherever he stood, chunks of earth and stone flying in all
directions.

Duck!

Vartan leapt forward into a roll and watched
shards of wood shrieking through the air barely a foot above his
head. Quickly regaining his footing, he resumed his sprint.

Turn left, now!

Turning sharply, he ran through the gaps
between the houses.

She will have trouble seeing you in those
spaces.

The explosions suddenly stopped, as only
dusty winds swept past his face. Vartan coughed up the dust that
had filled his lungs.

“You obviously aren’t quite as stupid as you
look, young knight. It’s not too late for you to change your mind,
you know. We could use someone of your talents in our ranks."

Vartan shook off the layer of dirt on his
clothing and marched out from his cover.

What are you doing? Stay in cover!

“You pathetic fiend. You have terrible aim
for someone with such a famed reputation. Sorceress?
Please
,
you’re more akin to a little girl playing with fire. Tell me, have
you lost your touch in your old age? Why don’t you come out and get
a tan, I’m sure it’ll help you brighten up that horrible mood of
yours."

Taunting the queen of the underworld is not
a good idea.

“You egotistical little
insect
, how
dare you insult me? I will crush your bones into dust where you
stand!
Cave canem, te necet lingendo
!” she yelled, the fury
in her voice sending shivers up his spine.

Vartan looked around like a startled tiger.
Feeling and hearing nothing, his pounding heartbeat filled his
ears. Keeping his sword drawn as he peeked around the corner of a
house, he found nothing but air and dust.

“Did you forget how to cast your spells?” he
asked.

As Vartan began to relax his body and return
the tip of his sword to its sheath, he saw it. Barreling around the
corner of the farthest house at the other end of the street was a
giant three-headed wolf, drooling acidic saliva on the ground as it
ran. It had dark grey fur and glowing red eyes, and stormed towards
him at a frightening speed.

Be careful, this is a creature summoned from
the underworld.

“By the gods!” he proclaimed, swallowing
hard. He stood still and held his sword up high. The blade
reflected light throughout the city from the sun. The beast leapt
high into the air to pounce on Vartan; he dropped backward onto the
ground and placed the sword’s hilt vertically, like a spear.

Two heads cried out in pain as the third was
impaled, and blood burst in all directions. Its gigantic body
tumbled violently along the ground to crash harshly into the city
walls. Its middle head hung dead on the wolf’s body as it regained
its composure and circled Vartan warily. One of the heads bit deep
into the bleeding flesh and ripped the dead head out from its body
before returning its attention to Vartan.

Immense pearly white fangs glistened, and
giant slimy drops of drool splashed onto the ground beside him,
steam rising from the burning acid. Its growl was so powerful that
the air in Vartan’s lungs shook from it, along with his vision. He
watched the hilt of his buried sword poking out of the beast,
desperately looking for an opportunity to retrieve it.

Vartan stood helpless as he realised that he
had left his bow and arrows on his horse.
This is it
, he
thought,
here is where I will die.

He closed his eyes and prepared to feel the
sharp pain of the giant jaws tearing him apart limb from limb.

I cannot allow you to die, Vartan. The time
has come for dragons to be seen again.

Invisibly, Nymira leapt down from the eastern
wall. Her heavy body connected with the ground like a shockwave.
The wolf whimpered and looked around in confusion. Vartan lost his
balance and fell backwards, landing solidly on his side, screaming
out in pain as his damaged ribs held most of his weight.

As he caught his breath and struggled back to
his feet, it happened.

Scale by scale, her shiny, purplish body was
revealed. She was directly beside him, facing down the wolf that
was now dwarfed by the dragon’s size.

“
What
? This can’t be happening! What
kind of magic is this?” cried Kassina, her voice tearing through
the city.

“This is no magic,
sorceress
. I will
not let you harm him!” replied Nymira.

Nymira took a deep breath and roared as she
breathed out dragons breath which engulfed the wolf, setting it
alight. The stench of burning flesh invaded the air. The wolf
howled and shrieked as it burned alive. It ran towards Vartan in a
desperate attempt to end the knight’s life. Nymira opened up her
tail, and four razor-sharp spikes flexed open as she swung them
hard into the path of the burning wolf.

With a sickening crash, the tail and wolf met
with full force, sending the flaming beast flying back into the
city’s walls. The power of the blow shook the ground and dislodged
Vartan’s sword from the dead head, sending it spinning wildly into
the air. The conjured beast crumpled in a burning heap,
defeated.

Curl into a ball and cover your face,
Vartan, now!

Vartan quickly followed her instructions.
With a slick metallic thud, his sword landed deep into the ground
beside his right ear.

“Thank you great dragon,” said Vartan,
quickly returning his sword to its sheath.