The Destiny of Amalah (62 page)

‘NO! Garrick cried, as he began shaking his head. ‘It cannot be,’ he whispered, almost choking on his words.

‘It is so,’ Rakan said lightly.

‘Why?’ Garrick shouted as he looked upon his son with a cold rage that surprised himself.

‘Honestly, he was in my way and getting rid of Häkan as well, well that was a bonus,’ Rakan answered, as he glanced at his father and then at the others. ‘I was sure I was going to be elected to the council though,’ Rakan said, his face one of indifference.

‘Who are you?’ Michael asked, his face a mixture of horror and anger at the same time. ‘What kind of monster are you?’

‘A powerful one!’ Rakan snarled. ‘Now Empress, are you sure you don’t want to change your mind about placing me on the council?’

‘You have become an evil and despicable man, who appears to be suffering from delusions of grandeur and delusions in respect of your abilities.’ Amara shouted as she rose to her feet. ‘For as long as I live you will be in the dungeon below the palace; never mind being on the council.’

Rakan, ignoring her again spoke once more: ‘So, you are saying no to me being on the council then? I don’t know why Empress, for there are plenty more council places available,’ Rakan said looking at the four of them who were looking back at him with a mixture of fear and disgust.

Rakan opened the black box that he had now placed on the table and he placed his hand inside it. ‘I mean Galen of Parades will not need his,’ he said, as he pulled out Galen’s cut out heart and placed it on the table in front of everyone.

Garrick was paralysed as he looked on his son and all he could see in that moment was pure evil. Amara screamed in shock and Michael and Thaddeus recoiled in horror at the sight of Galen’s heart before her, but Rakan took no notice of his father or the Empress, and he simply placed his hand in the box and removed another heart.

‘Neither will Wan Ling of Santeb, nor Hannah of Equer,’ he said, as he placed their hearts on the table in a line, again he reached inside and he pulled out another heart. ‘Serge of Lansten shall not be sitting and last –but not least – Femi of Mantor shall not require a seat anymore either.’

Garrick crumpled back in his chair and the three looked aghast at the hearts that were lying before them on the table; they were transfixed, horrified and traumatised at the same time.

‘You are not my son,’ Garrick cried.

‘I am indeed father.’

‘No,’ Garrick cried, as he shook his head in despair. ‘Why Rakan? Why?’ Garrick croaked.

‘Because of her,’ Rakan said, pointing at the Empress. ‘So tell me now Empress, what is your answer?’

‘No,’ she whispered vehemently, as she eyed the hearts and then glared at Rakan.

‘Then die,’ Rakan said, as he quickly brought his hand up and produced a fireball from it and hurled it at Amara.

Amara reacted with god speed and sent it flying back towards Rakan as Michael, Garrick and Thaddeus looked on in amazement, stunned by Rakan’s attack. Rakan dodged the fireball and it barely missed him but it flew past him and hit the wall behind bursting into flames. Amara hesitated for she did not want to attack Garrick’s son but her hesitation was enough time for Rakan to launch another attack; this time, he hurled a fireball from each hand and each of them went flying towards Amara and the others. Amara deflected one and Thaddeus deflected the other but Thaddeus did not see that Rakan was now aiming for him.

Rakan elevated himself into the air and threw down an energy ball that hit Thaddeus directly in the body. Thaddeus went flying across the room before he fell to the ground with a hard thud and began convulsing as the electricity from the energy ball circulated through his body. Amara desperately wanted to turn to Thaddeus but she knew she had to concentrate on Rakan for all of their sakes.

While he was up in the air, Amara engaged her telekinesis and hurled Rakan across the room. Rakan went flying at great speed but he was able to make both of his feet land firmly on the wall; he skilfully used that split second contact to bounce himself off it and somersault with a back flip onto the ground. Once there, he levitated himself up in the air and over the table landing on the other side of it and close to the door.

Amara flung two energy balls at him which he dodged and sent one back at her which was his parting shot, before he bolted out of the door, Amara sent the energy ball flying into the burning wall and then she turned to see Garrick and Michael tending to a shaking Thaddeus.

‘Get him out of here,’ she commanded them.

Michael and Garrick picked up Thaddeus and took him out of the burning room and Michael shouted to Amara to follow them. Amara ran to the end of the room and pulled on the long rope that was hanging down from the ceiling; she pulled on it hard and when she did, bells began to ring in the guardroom and in the barracks. The guards came running and within a minute, they were pouring water and dousing the flames with thick fire cloth beaters.

Amara ordered those that were not fighting the fire, to ride out and find Rakan, Waldon, Rufus and Kenaz and arrest them on sight. There were ten guards who were exceptionally quick and they ran back to their rooms picked up their swords and armour and ran to the stables, where their horses were, and rode out to find and catch Rakan and his friends.

Rakan, Rufus, Waldon and Kenaz were well prepared; when Rakan fled the crest room, he ran straight to the courtyard where the three men were waiting for him. He mounted his horse and the four of them rode out of the palace at breakneck speed, ruthlessly despatching of anyone in their way. They cleared the palace and rode eastwards towards Santeb with none of the guard in tow.

The ten guards’ rode out to find Rakan but when they reached the edge of the palace, there was no sign of them; they then had to dismount and track them. They wondered if they would find them, for they knew that the three of them were among the best officers of the guard and could easily cover their tracks. Everything that the guard in pursuit knew: Rakan, Waldon, Kenaz and even Rufus knew, and more.

They tracked them as best they could and as they searched for the men, they were joined by ten more of the guard; which then broke down into groups of five and went in search of the friends. It took them four hours to find Rakan and the others and when they discovered the four men: Rakan, Waldon, Rufus and Kenaz were settling down to eat.

The four men were un-phased by the arrival of the two groups of five, who sounded their horns to alert the others. Rakan, Waldon and Kenaz stood up and drew their swords as the guard approached. The guard stopped short of the four men and the group Captain addressed them:

‘Second Captain Lord, Captains’ Blake and Adeyemi and Rufus Mallory: the Empress commands that you be arrested and returned to the palace. Drop your swords and surrender.’

‘If you want us to go to Amalah City then you are going to have to take us there – by force,’ Rakan told the captain.

‘You are outnumbered. There are four of you and ten of us and another ten are on the way - you cannot escape.’

‘We don’t intend to,’ Waldon said confidently. ‘Well not yet anyway.’

‘Be reasonable men, if you return to Amalah City, I am sure that this can be resolved,’ the Captain countered, as he stalled for time.

‘Why are you sure?’ Rufus asked.

‘Because…’ the captain began, but failed to answer in time.

‘Because you don’t know,’ Rakan said, finishing his sentence.

‘We are not returning to the City captain, so you have two choices; return to Amalah now – or fight to the death.’

‘Then we fight,’ the captain said without hesitation.

The captain and his men dismounted from their horses and drew their swords and charged towards the four men. The friends raised their swords and prepared to fight and as the guard drew near, they all went on the offensive. Waldon and Kenaz fought side by side and as they engaged the guard, they dispatched quickly of any of the guard who came near them.

They fought with their swords, arms, legs and sometimes their heads – which they used to devastating effect. Kenaz would swing his arms into the head and face of the unfortunate guard, sending them sprawling on to the floor to land on their backs. Rakan fought mostly with his sword but he too used his arms and legs and Rufus; sly old Rufus would simply freeze any of the guard who slipped past Rakan, Waldon and Kenaz and then hit them hard just before unfreezing them.

The four had nearly defeated the guard when the reinforcements arrived; the four remained engaged in the fight as the guard dismounted and joined in. Fists flew, swords clashed and bodies fell and flew along the grass but in the end – the four friends were the only ones standing. Some of the guard were dead and the rest were badly injured. They all lay on the ground, moaning and groaning in agony and wondering what Rakan and the others were going to do to them, but the four friends did nothing; they simply mounted their horses and rode away eastwards. None of the guard was fit enough to ride after them and they could only watch from the ground as they rode away.

It was a while later before some of the guard arrived and when they found their fallen guardsmen they began to tend to the guards that were injured and organise the dead. They looked for signs of Rakan and the others but they were long gone and so, they headed back to Amalah City.

When they arrived back at the palace the staff and guard came out to help with the sick and the dead. The sick were taken inside and Dariel tended to them with the help of another healer. The Empress, Michael, Garrick, Thaddeus, Ellora and Kalon, along with the remaining members of the council, did all they could to tend to the sick and make arrangements for the dead and the dying.

When they had done all they could do, Amara called them to a meeting along with the group captains, who had pursued Rakan and friends. Garrick went to Häkan and when he got there, he relieved the guard men on duty and told them to report back to him in six hours. Garrick knocked and entered Häkan’s room and found him sitting at the desk reading a book.

‘Garrick, it is good to see you.’

‘And it is good to see you too Häkan, although I wish it were under better circumstances.’

‘What happened?’

‘Before I tell you, I want you to tell me honestly, how are you?’

‘Honestly, I am better than I was. That is all I can say. I still do not remember what really happened, but I think now, at least, I can bear to hear the truth whatever it is.’

‘Well my friend I have to tell you that today has been a bad day indeed but first of all let me tell you that you did not kill Raynor.

‘You know this?’

‘Yes.’

‘How?’

‘Rakan, Rakan killed Raynor to remove him and you from your seats in the council.’

‘It cannot be true.’

‘I wish it were not.’

‘He killed Raynor for his seat?’ Häkan asked incredulously.

‘Yes he did and he had help from Waldon, Kenaz and Rufus too.’

‘No!’

‘Yes,’ Garrick said, looking his friend in the eye and grasping his shoulder before he spoke. ‘They killed Galen...’

‘No,’ Häkan gasped.

‘And Wan Ling, Hannah, Serge and Femi.’

‘Dear god no,’ Häkan said, as the full horror dawned on him and the tears ran down his face. ‘All of them?’ he choked.

‘Yes all of them,’ Garrick said quite distraught himself.

‘I am at a loss,’ Häkan said simply.

‘As am I, as is Kalon. Kalon is clearly devastated, for he and Rakan were the closest of brothers’

‘Of course you are Garrick; I know I would be too,’ Häkan said, as he stood up and placed his hand on his shoulder. ‘Whatever you need Garrick I am here.’

‘Thank you,’ Garrick said.

‘Not at all.’

‘There is another reason I came. Rakan, Waldon Kenaz and Rufus fled Amalah city. Some of the guard went after them but they were defeated eight are dead and twelve injured, five of them seriously so. Rakan and the others are now nowhere to be seen. All the guard are at the palace now.’

‘I did not think the picture could get any worse.’

‘Neither did I but today things are getting worse by the minute.’

‘Garrick I….’

‘Häkan, I came because I need you back as guard commander. Can you come back now? I know what you have been through.’

‘Which is nothing compared to what you have been through!’

‘Still, I do not under estimate what happened to you, but are you strong enough to come back to the guard?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good – can you come now? There will be a meeting shortly.’

‘Of course,’ Häkan said walking towards the door, the two men walked out of it and headed towards the meeting.

At the same time, on the outskirts of Amalah: Rakan, Rufus, Waldon and Kenaz were coming to the end of the dense forest that separated Amalah from the east. Rakan and Rufus performed a spell and weeds and roots began to grow until their exit was blocked. The weeds and roots continued to grow all through the forest, making it impenetrable to enter. They rode hard until they reached the mountains that would take them to Santeb and when they were on the top looking down at the world Rakan performed another spell.