Alphande'

I had all the prisoners standing in lines as I scanned their faces one by one.

“This is unnecessary.” said Andres as he walked beside me.

“Is it?” I asked after ordering the guard to lift the hood from the chained prisoners’ face. “Not him.” I said moving on to the next one.

“Yes it is.” He still argued. He was thoroughly convinced that the worse was over but I was not that optimistic.

“Something is not right about this set up Andreas; I feel it in my bones. I just can’t fathom why you are so sanguine about our situation.” I was half way through when I pulled back the hood of another prisoner.

“And I do not understand why it is you are not. There is no need for this mass execution.”

I looked at the unmasked man. He wore a half-mocking smile as his blue eyes flashed with deadly fire under his black mane.

“Uncle,” I said. “I knew you would be here.”

“A fact that both satisfies and frightens you I suppose.” He said.

“It was not wise to get yourself placed in this situation, surrounded my thousands of your enemies.”

He laughed. “My enemies your friends, my friends your enemies, there is no real difference. One thing you should know Gareth is that everyone has a price, though some may be hesitant to pay it in the beginning you can always find someone willing to bargain.”

“Take him to the stocks to hang.” I ordered the men accompanying me.

“No, set him free.” said Andreas beside me.

I turned to him in surprise. “Andreas, this is King Asher! We cannot just let him walk.”

“We can and we will. Let him loose.” He ordered his men who were torn between the two opposing commands.

“That won’t be necessary as I am well capable of freeing myself.” He said as he broke the metal shackles linking his wrists together as if they were nothing more than rotting threads. “If anyone is to be arrested it would be you dear nephew.” Andreas nodded his assent. The men were again befuddled as to what was going on and started whispering among themselves.

“Arrest him,” repeated Andres. “He is not Evander, but Gareth of Tel Anir. He killed King Evander in the battle of the Catacombs and took his place among us hoping that he would become king. He is naught but a traitor.” He explained. The soldiers around us seemed shocked but they no longer resisted taking hold of my arms and placing them behind my back.

“What are you doing Andreas? Have them unhand me.” I said.

“I told you before Gareth, I will not help a traitor to take the throne.”

“And you thought helping him would be better?” I said sticking my chin out towards Asher.

“Hardly so,” said Asher. “If you saw the reason he turned his back on you, even you wouldn’t protest.”

“Noräin,” I said suddenly understanding. “What have you done to her?”

“Nothing--- at least not yet.”

“What do you mean not yet? You said once I handed Gareth over you would release her.”

“I did say that, but I didn’t say that I would release her into your custody.”

“What have you done to her?” I said as I lunged at him. He stepped out of the way quickly and more men came to detain me.

“She has indeed made an impression on you Gareth. Why I have hardly seen you this emotional about any woman, furthermore an invalid. Then again the title of princess somehow makes up for it I would imagine. Or probably it is something else? Unlikely though, as from what Bastian said, she was quite sedate. I believe he said she was less lively than a log.”

“What have you done to my daughter?” demanded Andreas.

“She is fine, I suppose. I placed her in the safe arms of her father-in-law Rammon. Then again, she did murder his heir---my mistake.” His smile widened. I saw him flick a finger towards no one in particular. There was a slight shift among his men and Rammon suddenly appeared. Under his iron grip was Noräin. She was gagged and looked slightly shaken but thankfully otherwise unharmed. The knife held at her throat did nothing to ease the tension building up in my gut.

“You bastard!” said Andreas as he grabbed at him, but he was quicker as he swatted away his fist as it was nothing more than an annoyance. Andreas redoubled his effort this time pulling his sword and holding the tip at his neck. Asher didn’t even flinch.

“I would not do that if I were you.” He warned as he flicked his head towards where Noräin stood. Andreas stood down.

“What is it that you want?” I spat.

“What I want?” his eyebrows shot up. “That is an amusing question. There is nothing that you have that I don’t already own boy.”

I bit back the insult that burned the tip of my tongue. “How about a challenge; I win I get her back, you win you get everything, including me and my unwavering obedience.”

“Or I do nothing and gain everything. Don’t think you can bait me Gareth. This war is over. Look around you. I have all of you surrounded. Listen to the cry of your men as my warriors cut them down as if they were nothing but wheat waiting for the reaping. My wolves are now tearing through the necks of the women and children left hidden amongst the four peaks of Sigh.

“Sebán is now under the iron grips of the Verdans,” I tried not to show any sign of betrayal but he must have seen something on my face that made him smile wider. “Ah you thought you had the Verdans in your pocket and that the majority of them were here. I am disappointed that you thought me so simple minded to forget that we are both second born sons and that the magic of the gems affects us both---me more than you since I hold the stones.

“Everything was in my control. You all were nothing more than puppets, but don’t worry Gareth, you won’t have to dance to my tunes for much longer.” He said as he walked away casually.

All the shackles that were binding his men fell and each of them pulled daggers hidden under their dark cloaks. Andreas managed to parry a blow from the soldier closest to him. The two soldiers who were holding me hostage were cut down by knives in their throats. The two would be attacker came at me next but I dodged the first one who swung for my head, kicking him in the thigh. I felt as the bone snapped and he stumbled backwards, howling in pain. I felt the burn of cold steel as a trickle of blood soaked my tunic as the second’s knife slashed along my chest.

He hacked at my face again. I managed to get a hold of his arm and twisted it until his shoulder popped out of its socket. I took the knife from him and thrust it under his chin, gutting him.

Noräin was being pulled away by Rammon. She was lashing and writhing, but her efforts looked insignificant against his massive strength. He wouldn’t kill her yet. For the loss of an heir, Rammon had planned a death that would be preceded by hours of torture.

The king too was still in the melee, carving a path of dead soldiers as he made his exit.

I was being faced with two choices. I could try to save Noräin or tackle the king. I was about to go after Noräin when I saw that Andreas was already trailing behind Rammon.

I would leave him to it, as I had a fight to pick with my uncle. If I he lived, Noräin and the Nuwanhe will be dead anyways.

I sprinted towards him slicing through the heads of two of his men. I could feel along with the anger, the power of the gems coursing through every vein. My senses were attuned to every detail and my limbs seemed to fizzle with extra energy fuelled by rage. I grabbed the sword from one of the fallen soldiers in a swift sleek movement which almost seemed not to happen.

His back was turned, but when I struck, it was steel against steel. Our eyes locked momentarily, his swimming with fiendish mirth as he mocked my efforts. I snarled as I pulled away and redoubled the speed of my attacks and tried combinations that increased in complexity. He parried each blow with ease.

“I am disappointed Gareth, even with extra power this is all you can manage.” He said as he deflected another swipe I made at his shin.

“Arghhh!”I charged forward aiming for his side. The force of our swords meeting sent shockwaves up our arms. I saw the look of surprise on his face. The shock lasted only a fraction of a second as the mocking smile returned.

“Now that is more like it.” He smiled seemingly satisfied that he was going to get the fight that he wanted.

He brushed my sword aside and then he maintained a stance as if summing me up and devising the best way to attack. We stood for a moment trying to read each other. I moved first going for his head. He ducked just in time but the edge of my sword sliced off the very tips of his mane that was swaying about his head.

He did not hesitate with the answering jab at my left side which I parried away with my sword. We struck at each other faster and faster as the steel met steel at blurring speeds. Beads of sweat started to trickle down my face but my arms never seemed to tire. The winner would be the one with the greater endurance.

I was younger and swifter, but Asher was a better swordsman. Speed was on my side and I could see that he was really being pressed as he had to pull out some of his trickiest combinations to stop me from getting ahead.

My arms were beginning to feel heavy, but I could tell that his were as well. It seemed that none of us would ever get the best of the other, until I slashed at his thigh and his block faltered slightly. I knew immediately that his reserve of energy was tapping out.

I swung my sword at his other leg this time much harder and again I could feel a small give. This gave me the boost I needed to press him backward. Several people were in our way but avoided us as we moved through the crowd.

I could feel him weakening slowly and finally the tip of my sword cut through the fine mail protecting his torso. He touched flank surprised and he looked at his hand. There was no blood on it but I must have at least grazed skin from the look of absolute rage that rode his face.

“Enough,” he said and he looked to his left. “Rammon!” he shouted at the hulking Láetian king. “Kill her!” the Láetian king was too far away to hear him, but somehow he seemed to.

Rammon was still fighting Andreas, with Noräin still tethered to his side. He was a better warrior than Andreas, but she was probably the reason their fight lasted this long as he she reduced his mobility. I could see that he also used her as human shield between himself Andreas.

He looked up briefly from his fight, obviously hearing Asher. A scowl appeared on his bearded face as he parried Andreas’ blow with a side movement and in the same breath plunged his sword into Noräin’s torso.

My heart stopped. The world slowed down as I watched her fall. The veil she wore fell off. Her eyes though blind found mine within the thick crowd. She hit the ground and didn’t move.

“Noräin, no!” I whispered as I watched my life mate-to-be leave me forever. Unfettered by Noräin’s weight, Rammon launched a full scale attack on Andreas. He was doing well but he was no match for Rammon, who used his bulking weight to knock his sword from his hand and then unzip his head from the rest of his body.

I stopped fighting as I no longer had a reason to. I felt as a sword pierced my side. It burned as it went through my flesh. Warm blood spilled out and soaking my shirt. The sudden shock caused me to tear my eyes from Noräin’s limp body and back to him.

“I control them all,” he said. “These people think they fight for themselves but are only bending to my will. You had the option of remaining faithful to me and prosper, but instead you chose to betray me. And for that you will die.”

He raised his sword once more to deliver the death blow. I decided that I would show no fear in my defeat as I watched him without cowering.

For some reason he stopped. His eyes bulging. I couldn’t understand what had happened until he turned around. From his back there were two arrows sticking out. He staggered backwards, and then looked at me.

“It cannot be,” he said. Another arrow planted itself between his eyes and then he fell before me, dead, mouth agape and eyes staring into nothingness.

My eyes riveted from Asher’s body and then upwards to see who it was that had taken his life. A lone figure stood out among the others. His neck length hair was like a carpet of gold that crowned a magnificent face that held silent rage beneath a mask of calm.

The wind played with his robe and the sun bathed him in shimmering light. He slowly lowered his arrow and walked towards me.

“I must be dead.” I coughed, clutching my side as I did. I was losing blood at a torrential rate and the loss must have made me delirious.

“You aren’t dead, at least not yet brother.”

My eyes glazed over. Too much had happened today, between Noräin’s death, the Nuwanhe defeat and now this. It was just too much. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. I silently slunk into a world of darkness