Authors: Philip Mcclennan
Auron picked up on Kaltor’s dissatisfaction at the presence of the new guests and tried to lighten the mood as Bremusa approached. “Well, here we all are then, one big happy family.”
Bremusa bowed to Auron. “Master Auron it is always a pleasure.” The women looked at the leader of the serpent men. “Greetings Kaltor, head of the serpent people.” Bremusa looked upon the rest of the serpent men with little feeling.
“And greetings to you Bremusa, leader of the Amazon warriors,” replied Kaltor, sounding even less enthusiastic than Bremusa had been.
Auron glanced over at Rokk. The two felt the awkwardness in the air and decided to act before tensions raised any further.
“Now then Bremusa, let me show you to your place for the ceremony,” said Rokk escorting the Amazons to an area located near the front of the room, where they would be seated during the festivities.
Around an hour had passed and all the guests had gathered in the great throne room inside the palace. They had come from all corners of the Alexandrian realm and were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their king. Within the centre of the guests, who were in the hundreds by number, stood a row of Alexandrian soldiers. They cleared the path from the main doors to the throne at the other side of the room in which the king was to walk. A Guard walked through the doors and blew into a horn. Everyone inside the room fell silent.
The guard began to shout out, “My friends of Alexandria, I give to you, Zeris the King of Alexandria and his daughter Princess Kara.”
The entire room erupted into cheers and applause. Several guards opened the huge doors revealing Zeris and Kara, who entered the room linking each other’s arm. The guards who had made a path to the throne through the crowd gave the king and the princess a guard of honour with their swords and the pair slowly made their way through it. Zeris gave a wave to the crowd, which resulted in a loud cheer. The people had a huge amount of admiration for their king. He wasn’t just their ruler; he was a hero to them. He had treated his people well over the years and they were grateful for it. Kara was a little more nervous than her father who was thoroughly enjoying the praise he was receiving from the crowd. “Give your people a wave my dear. Many of them have travelled a long way to be here,” he whispered into his daughter’s ear.
“Yes father,” replied the princess and the girl waved out to the crowd, which resulted in another loud roar from the people.
After embracing the crowd, the king took his seat on the throne whilst Kara took the seat of high honour by his side. The king raised his right arm, which brought the applause to a halt. Zeris began to give a speech to the guests that had gathered inside the palace. He talked long and hard about those loved ones that had fallen during the Great War, including his own wife, the former Queen of Alexandria, and Kara’s mother, who died during the events of the war.
Sadness began to fill the princesses heart and Kara bowed her head in sorrow as her father talked about her mother.
I shall not cry. I must be strong.
After around half an hour of an emotional speech, Zeris concluded the ceremony by saying: “Thank you, my friends. Thank you for gathering here on this momentous occasion. This day marks the fifteenth year of peace for our great realm. May we have another fifteen years of prosperity!” The king raised his right arm over his heart, covering it with his fist and shouted “To the glory of Alexandria!”
The crowd shouted together, “To the glory of Alexandria!”
Zeris stood up from the throne seat. “Now let us feast for seven days and seven nights! Or as long as you dare to Feast! Let the festivities began!”
The crowd began to cheer. Palace servants brought in food and ale for the guests and they ate until their bellies were full and drunk until their bellies swelled. Many had begun to share jokes and some of them started dancing. The king joined in the festivities and led Kara onto the dance floor. If truth be told, Kara did not feel like dancing but she had to put on a show for the crowd.
I must do my duty for the people,
she told herself.
There were barrels of ale stocked up against the wall and Auron poured beer into a wooden cup from one of them. Bremusa noticed Auron alone by the ale barrels and made her way over to him.
“I would have words with you now Master Auron.” Bremusa had been eager to speak with Auron alone since she had arrived, but the Alexandrian knight had never been on his own up until this point. He had been entertaining the guests, keeping a strong eye on the King, as well as observing all areas of the castle.
“What is it, my lady?”
“Not here, these walls have ears, as do the guests,” replied the Amazon.
“I must remain here my lady. I have to keep an eye on proceedings.”
“For what? The king is well guarded, as you can plainly see.”
Auron glanced around the room. Guards were posted in all corners of the feast. “Fine follow me.”
The two of them left the throne room and walked along an empty hallway in the palace. Bremusa and Auron walked for a few minutes. Auron noticed that the amazon leader seemed a little on edge.
“I have thought long and hard on whether I should bring you this news,” said Bremusa.
Auron was confused by the woman’s words. In all the years he’d known her, he had never seen Bremusa nervous or afraid of anything. “What is it?” asked the knight, whose curiosity was beginning to build.
“We’ve found him,” she said.
“Who?”
“The war traitor.”
Auron stopped in his tracks. His face became very narrow and serious. “That’s not possible,” he said, refusing to let himself believe her words.
It cannot be, he died…at my own hand.
“It is true Auron.”
Auron shook his head, refusing to even consider the possibility that there might be some truth in what Bremusa was saying.
“Word has reached me that the forsaken Alexandrian warrior now roams within the depths of the cruised Dark Forest of the Underworld.”
“It cannot be for you see, I killed him myself.” Auron was now starting to get a little angry with Bremusa. “I don’t know what games you seek to play but…”
The amazon interrupted Auron. “It is no game Auron, the word around Dead End Keep is that he kills all that enter the forest. Few ever get out of there alive. The entire Underworld realm fears that forest because of him.”
Auron began to laugh, “Dead End Keep?” he said between fits of laughter.
Dead End Keep was an inn that lay within the Wilderness. The Wilderness was the area of the world, which separated the realms of Alexandria and Underworld from each other. The area was cast in fading sunlight, making it a kind of neutral zone for people of both realms. Neither realm had an advantage when it came to battle within the wilderness as the area had both sun and darkness within it. The darkness empowered the Underworld natives whilst the sunlight gave strength to the Alexandrians, but in this area of faded sun, their advantage was negated. It was for this reason that few ever visited these parts, and even fewer ever visited the Dead End Keep, which was the only inn located within the wastelands of the Wilderness. The inn attracted all kinds of low-life and scum from both realms. Mainly drifters and loners stayed at the inn and these folk were not exactly the must trustworthy of types.
This was the cause of Auron’s laughter upon hearing Bremusa say that her knowledge of the Alexandria war traitor came from this particular inn. “The residents of that inn are scoundrels and thieves. I didn’t take you for someone who trusted the words of scoundrels and thieves Bremusa.”
“I don’t, but I trust the words of my own Amazon’s. Several of them had an encounter with a strange creature in the forest. Only one came back alive. They had no idea of what it was that attacked them until they made it to Deep End Keep.”
Bremusa sounded sincere in her words, which Auron wasn’t altogether pleased about. Bremusa told Auron what she had learned about the mysterious figure that lay within the cursed Dark Forest. He was known as the Dark Archer and was a former knight of Alexandria. It was said that this man was responsible for the start of the Great War that resulted in the death of millions and which would end with the merging of both the Underworld and Alexandrian realms. Legend had it that this man betrayed the Alexandrians during the war and became an informer for the Underworld. Auron listened to the words of Bremusa and an inner rage filled his soul. If what the woman was saying was true, then Auron had some unfinished business from long ago. Auron had fought with this man during the Great War all those years ago.
The Dark Archer once went by another name during those times, the name Vincent Xavier. He was a man Auron once considered a friend, and a good friend at that. When he found out of his betrayal, the two fought to the death in the depths of the hell realm, where Trenkenth had watched the pair face off in one final battle. Auron thought he had killed the traitor but if what Bermusa was saying was true, then he had to finish what he started all those years ago.
I will kill you, Xavier. If you truly still live then I will kill you
.
Bermusa said that Trekenth had damned the traitor after his defeat. “It is said he put a curse over the man’s body as punishment for his part in the Great War. He is no longer human, but a fierce creature of the night, a creature of death.”
James made his way into the dining room where the graduation was being held. The people at the facility had converted it into a ballroom. Curtains had been put up to cover the walls and tables had been set up in several corners packed with food and beverages. The centre of the room had been converted into a large dance floor and people were already dancing and enjoying themselves. Above the dance floor, was a huge glass roof from which dark skies lighten by stars was visible. A waiter walked over to James when he first entered the room. He was carrying a plate with several glasses of champagne on it and offered one to the young man. James gladly accepted the waiter’s offer and politely thanked him for it. He took a sip of champagne and advanced further into the ballroom.
James looked around the ballroom for Chad. He wanted them to celebrate their graduation to the government organisation together. After all the two had been through a lot together, they were more like brothers now than friends. Growing up in Bel Grave orphanage had made them especially close and he couldn’t wait to see him.
We’ve finally made it.
So he looked around but he couldn’t see him anywhere. In fact, James hardly recognized anyone in the room. Everyone looked so different dressed up in suits. The girls especially looked nothing like they usually did. Many of them were wearing long dresses showing plenty of skin, which left little to the imagination. James wasn’t complaining about that, though.
Finally, James spotted a couple of familiar faces in the twins, Jade and Rachel. The two seemed excited to see him and rushed over when they spotted him approaching.
“Hi girls,” said James, finally glad to see someone he actually knew.
“Hi James!” the twins replied together. They seemed overly excited to see him
“Have you seen Chad around?” asked Jade.
“I’ve been looking for him, I haven’t found him yet.”
The two girls gave a disappointed look and started to walk away, without even saying goodbye.
“Maybe he’s outside?” said one of the girls as they walked off.
James looked a little bewildered. “Nice talking to you too!” he said sarcastically in their direction, but they were now too far away to hear.
“Hey man,” said a familiar Texan accent from over James’ shoulder.
James turned around and predictably enough, their stood Cody. Unlike everyone else, Cody wasn’t wearing a tie and his hair was quite messy, similar to that of somebody who had just gotten out of bed.
“Nice to see you dressed for the occasion,” James said with a smile on his face.
“I’m going for the trendy look, you know?” Cody really didn’t have a clue when it came to fashion sense, but he liked to try and be different from everyone else. Being one of the smallest men in height in the whole training camp, he always tried different things in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. Many times this often backfired on him, but James was fond of him anyhow. He really was a likeable kind of guy.
The two talked for a while and took station in a corner of the room as they observed the dancing. They drank several glasses of champagne and reminisced about the memories they had of their time at the training complex. James’ full attention was suddenly taken from Cody to a girl that walked down the steps of a balcony that led into the ballroom.
After talking to himself for a few moments, Cody realised James wasn’t listening anymore. He too turned around to see what was going on. “Wow…”
“I know,” agreed James.
They were referring to Sergeant Cooper’s daughter, who walked slowly down a large staircase in the centre of the ballroom. She wore a long white dress, which perfectly showed off her beautiful, slender figure. Stacey Cooper’s long dark hair fell down to her shoulders and it sparkled in the lighting. She had a small white flower in her hair, which completed her look. James and Cody stood in admiration as she descended the steps. The girl looked around at the people dancing whilst she walked. As she reached around mid-way down the stairway she spotted James.
Cody nudged James in excitement. “Hey she’s looking at you man!”
“No, she can’t be.” Then he took a closer look.
Is she?
He thought, as his eyes met hers.
“She’s coming over here!” said Cody, who now sounded like a little giddy boy.
Stacey walked over to the pair and took a close took at James, leaning forward slightly as she observed his face. “You know you’re the second best-looking guy I’ve seen since I arrived here!”
James was stunned by her words and began to blush a little. Cody, knowing he was no longer needed, quietly slipped away leaving just James and Stacey standing in the corner. A slightly flustered James tried to make conversation with the beautiful young girl he now found himself alone with.