Zenak (17 page)

When the gates closed, a phenomenon began. The features of the last figure on the last panel of the Gates of Destiny began forming. It was as if an invisible craftsman was at work slowly chiseling the face in it until finally the work revealed the last figure. The figure was the man whom Destiny had chosen to bring this world to an end. It was the strong, fierce face of Zenak.

Chapter 16

The Mukes quickly rolled the wagon, with Zenak still chained to the spokes, to the gates of the palace. They didn't like be­ing inside Mea. The Socians made them feel self-conscious; the Mukes felt the Socians looked upon them in scorn and ridicule. The truth was, however, that the Socians looked at the Mukes out of curiosity. The Socians almost never looked at anything with scorn. Also on this day, to the Mukes' dismay, the giant they had chained to the wagon attracted even more attention that a pack of Mukes in the city. This caused the Mukes much anguish and they wanted to be out of the city as quickly as possible.

The Socians recognized Zenak, and upon recognition lost their bright-eyed look of intelligence. Their voices revealed a mechanical joy that the devil Zenak had been captured and that Vokar could have his revenge. Zenak, as he rolled by, could hear the mumblings and the mutterings of the peo­ple along the sides of the street that he had finally been caught. He was once again astounded at Vokar's power.

At the palace gates the leader of the Mukes said, “We want to—” but he was cut off by one of the palace guards.

***

“Yes, yes, of course, bring in the swine. Then go to the guard room and receive your reward,” the guard said impatiently.

The Mukes rolled Zenak into the courtyard and unchained him. His three-hour journey on the spokes was over. Zenak fell to the ground. His whole body ached as if it had been beaten with a giant club. He painfully wiped the dried blood from his right eye so he could see with both eyes again. He tried getting up, but when he rose the ground spun and he fell back on the marble courtyard. The guards rushed up to Zenak, chained his legs together, and then chained his hands together with the heaviest chains Zenak had ever seen. Then the guards picked Zenak up and carried him into the dungeon. Another guard led the Mukes to the guardhouse and gave them each a gold piece for their reward. The Mukes grabbed their gold and rushed out of the palace and out of the city. All this time Vokar sat in his balcony and watched the scene in the courtyard. He smiled slightly to himself. His final obstacle was out of the way and now he could proceed to conquer the Island.

As Zenak was being carried into the dungeon, he could feel his strength slowly coursing its way back into his powerful body. He could also tell his coordination was coming back because he could focus for the first time in three hours. So by the time the guards had delivered Zenak to his ill-lighted cell, he had regained all his strength and senses. All he felt now was the dull pain all over his body from the terrible ride he had. But this was nothing and he could take an army now, if he had to.

The cell smelled of decaying flesh and Zenak saw, when his eyes became accustomed to the light, the dark, rotting body of a man chained in a similar manner as Zenak. Was this what Vokar had planned for him, a slow death by starvation? Zen­ak stood up and with the limited movement of his legs walked around his cell. The cell was small and the only window was on the door. The rock walls were damp and the acute dampness revealed to Zenak that he was deep in the ground. The walls provided no mode of escape. The door also provided no means of escape. It was not a normal door that sat on hinges. Instead, it slid into place by sliding from one side of the wall into the other. The door would slide at least five feet into the wall from the other side and so it was impossible to break down. The door was also impossible to break through because it was of solid iron three fingers thick. Ze­nak, after studying the door, sat down against the wet stone. He was at a loss as to how he was going to escape. He looked at the dead man and at the holes where there were once eyes, which stared at Zenak as if the dead man was calling for help.

“Don't worry my rotten friend, you shall be avenged,” Zenak said to the corpse. He then sat back and thought quietly on how to get out so he could save his son and his beloved wife, Mara.

In an upper chamber of the palace, Vokar was thinking. His chamber was a very austere, stoic room. It marked a sharp contrast with the rest of the palace. It contained only a stone chair in a corner of the room and the rest was empty. Vokar had no need for material items and his room proved his frugality. The rest of the palace, on the other hand, was elegant. The rugs were richly colored and thick. The walls were covered with priceless paintings, pastoral and heroic. Colored mosaics adorned the massive columns and floors of the palace. The furniture was elaborately designed and made with only the finest materi­als from all the countries of the Island. Everywhere in the palace, except in Vokar's room, a warmth and peacefulness radiated into every person who came in contact with it. Vokar, when he first took over, was going to do away with all the richness in the palace, but decided not to when saw how much Mara loved it. So he decided to keep to his room as much as pos­sible. There he could think and communicate with the forces of evil without being disturbed. His thoughts today were of Zenak and he felt better now that Zenak was locked up. He knew, as did Zenak, the cell was impenetrable and that starvation was the best way to kill his hated enemy. Any other death, such as executing him, was taking a chance that Zenak would escape and destroy all the sinister plans Vokar had for the Island. Vokar smiled to himself; his final enemy was now imprisoned. The world stood at his feet and no obstacles stood in his way.

Vokar's reverie was suddenly interrupted by the slamming of his chamber door. He looked up and saw Mara standing against the door. She was breathing heavily and her face was contorted with rage.

“You have the bastard,” Mara screamed at Vokar. “I have just been told. Why was I not told sooner?”

“Yes, he's locked in the lower cell of the dungeon. There is no way out. He'll starve,” Vokar said.” I didn't tell you be­cause I didn't think about it.”

“I want him dead now,” Mara said vindictively. “I want his head brought to me. I want to tear his headless body to pieces with my own hands. I don't want him to die a slow death by star­vation. I want blood, blood, blood, blood!”

Then Mara fell to the ground crying and tearing at her hair. Vokar looked at her with compassion. He loved Mara and wanted to satisfy her every desire, but he felt safe with Zenak locked up. He was in a bind that he found revolting.

“There is only one way I will bring him up,” Vokar said.

“What!” Mara demanded. Her cheeks were stained with tears.

“I will bring him up only if the last face on the Gates of Destiny is faceless,” Vokar said. Vokar knew that if the figure was faceless that Zenak was not threat, but if Zenak's face was on it then the dungeon was the only safe place to keep Zenak. “Guard,” Vokar called. A guard dressed in the green warrior outfit of Soci rushed in the doorway. “Run to the gates and tell me what you see on the last panel.”

The guard bowed to Vokar and rushed out to go to the gates. Vokar rose from his chair and walked to Mara. He walked lightly, as if his feet never touched the ground.

“Mara,” he said quietly, “if Zenak's face is on the gates he will have to stay in the cell. Only if he stays in the cell will I be sure that he will die. But if his face is not on the gates, I will give you the axman's ax and let you personally chop off Zenak's head.

Mara smiled slightly at Vokar as she looked sheepishly at him. “That dog could not be the end of the world,” she said confi­dently.

“I hope not,” Vokar said.

Vokar lifted Mara and then for the first time in weeks he took her into his arms and held her tightly. She snuggled close to him like a child holding a father.

“I love you,” Mara said to Vokar.

“And I love you,” Vokar replied. “Don't worry if Zenak has to stay in the cell. I will prepare a platform at the window so you may sit and watch Zenak in his final death throes of hunger.”

Mara said nothing; she just squeezed Vokar a little tighter.

This somewhat warped intimate scene was abruptly broken when the guard that Vokar had sent to the gates rushed in the door. He stood just inside the door and was panting heavily from the exer­tion of running to the gates and back.

“What did you see?” Vokar asked.

The guard caught his breath and replied, “I saw you, Your Excellency, and next to you I saw your queen with the child in her arms and behind the three of you—” the guard stopped for he knew the consequences of the last panel on the gate.

“Well, what did you see?” Vokar impatiently demanded.

“I saw Zenak,” the guard said flatly.

Vokar let go of Mara and went back to his chamber. Mara fell back to her knees. She was sobbing.

“I have conquered the cosmic forces of the universe,” Vokar said vacantly. “I am going to control the Island. I always had an idea that the last figure was Zenak. That is why I put him where he is. Destiny should not beat me. How could she? Ze­nak is locked away for good. Mara, my dear, I'm afraid the price you must pay to be queen of the Island is that Zenak must remain where he is and let him die of hunger.”

Mara looked at Vokar blankly. She slowly rose and left the room. She was muttering as she walked out the room. Vokar no­ticed that her gait was less lively than it ever had been.

“She is taking this hard,” Vokar said to himself, “but when the gold and jewels from all parts of the Island start pour­ing in, she will feel better.”

Vokar dismissed the guard and went out to the balcony. He had more powers yet to consume.

Far below in the dungeon Zenak was lying down. This was the only position that he felt reasonably comfortable. There was nowhere to sit and leaning against the rough, wet, sharp-edged stone walls was uncomfortable. Staring at the ceiling, he had pondered his situation for hours, but he had not come up with a solution to his problem.

“Well, Vokar,” Zenak yelled toward the ceiling of his cell, “it appears you have won, but I cannot believe that I was brought all this way through all kinds of obstacles so I can rot in a cell. No Vokar, I will get out somehow.” Then he quieted down and talked to himself:
How I'll get out of here is beyond me
.

Little did Zenak know that his problem was being solved in Mara's room hundreds of feet above him. Mara was on her bed. She was completely naked and had her firm thighs spread apart so that a young Socian maiden could satisfy her mistress's sexual desires. Mara talked part­ly to the girl and partly to herself about the plans. “Well, Lika, Vokar, my great man, is afraid of Zenak, he will not kill Zenak the way I want him killed.” Mara stopped for a moment as a great physical surge ran up Mara's spine. Then she spoke again, “I will kill Zenak myself. Am I not the queen? The guards will follow my orders and tonight I shall kill Zenak. I, too, can defy the Gates in a more exciting manner than that that wimpy wizard.” Mara grabbed the girl by the hair and pul­led her up. The girl was frightened. “I will,” Mara continued, looking at the girl, “take Zenak from his cell and take him to the axman's chamber. I will tell him that we are escaping. You, Lika, will have ten guards in the chamber waiting for us. One of the guards will hit Zenak over the head with a club. You decide which guard will do that. Then we will chain him to the chopping block. Oh, yes, Lika, bring the prince. I want to see Zenak suffer even more. I have begun hating the prince. He looks more like his father everyday.”

Mara pushed Lika's head back and she lay back on the pillow. She smiled as she anticipated the death of her husband.

Chapter 17

The halls that wound into the depths of the dungeon were dark and damp. The cold stone steps of the narrow hallway, with the dried blood that covered them, bespoke of the deaths of many enemies that had tried to take over Soci. Mara walked quickly down the hallway carrying a flickering torch. Her light blue robe and white boots contrasted sharply to the hallway and anyone seeing her there would have wondered what such a lovely woman was doing in such a miserable place. The light from the torch bounced off the wet walls causing the walls to twinkle like the sky and reflect Mara's angelic face in every dewdrop. But the angelic look was only skin deep for as she came closer to Zenak's cell, she could see his head in her hands. She could feel his warm blood oozing all over her warm body as she tore him open with her nails. A surge of her unending needs passed through her body as she thought of her body pulsating on top of Zenak's corpse. The thought of this caused her to quicken her pace through the tunnel-like halls to Zenak's cell.

When Mara reached Zenak's cell she peered through the small window in the door and saw Zenak. He was sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head resting on his knees. His eyes were shut.

“My King,” Mara called out.

Zenak opened his eyes and looked around.

“My King, over here at the door,” Mara said. Her voice was sincere and loving.

Zenak rose as quickly as his chains would allow and hobbled over to the window. “Mara!” he exclaimed. All of a sudden Zenak felt a great weight taken off his shoulders. Sunlight had once again entered his thunderous life.

“Zenak, my love,” Mara answered back, she put her hand through the window and Zenak reached up and held it.

Zenak tried to speak again but a lump in his throat held the words down. All he could do was look at the lovely face of his wife.

And Mara stared back at Zenak lovingly. Little did Zenak know her true feelings. Little did Zenak know that his wife wanted him dead.

“I have the key to the cell,” she said, “but you will have to push hard so you can slide the door open.”

“Of course,” Zenak said,” unlock the door and I will slide it open in no time.”

Mara fumbled with the keys for a moment, but finally found the key to open the door. As soon as she unlocked it, Zenak put his back into sliding the heavy iron door open. It was slow work, though, because there were no grips on his side and he was chained, but within minutes the door was open and an impatient Mara was inside the cell. She jumped on Zenak and began kissing him all over. Zenak was amused and returned her kisses.

“Here, let me down,” Mara said as she climbed out of his arms, “I'll get these chains off of you.” She took the keys that she had and unlocked the locks that held the chains on Zenak.

When Zenak was released and the chains littered the floor, Zenak again grabbed Mara and began kissing her face. She once again responded with equal enthusiasm, then she playfully pushed him back and said, “Come, we have no time to lose, my lady-in-wait­ing has the prince at an escape point.”

“I can't leave yet,” Zenak argued as he pulled Mara toward him. “I must kill Vokar for what he has done to you.”

“Oh yes, of course,” Mara answered, “but you must get the prince and me to safety. You can't realize how much I defy Vokar and what fear I have for the safety of our child. Please come back for your revenge. Just get us to safety, please.” Mara's pleadings were very convincing and because of her supposed sin­cerity, Zenak decided that it was best to get Mara and his son to safety.

“Let's go then,” Zenak said as he pulled Mara out of the cell.

Zenak led the way up the hallway, and when they got to a fork in the corridor Zenak headed up the corridor he remembered coming down. Mara stopped him.

“No, this way,” she said as she pulled him to the op­posite corridor.

“No, Mara, this is the way out,” Zenak said confidently.

“Yes, but this is the way to our son,” Mara answered.

Zenak grunted and followed Mara at a quickened pace through this unknown hallway. There was a door at the end and when Zenak saw it he slowed down and stepped lightly to it.

“Shh,” Mara whispered to Zenak, “there may be guards in this room.”

She opened the door slowly. Light from torches in the room shot through the slight opening in the door.

“I'll go first,” Zenak said.

“No, if there are guards in there, they will not harm me,” Mara said. “They think I am Vokar's woman.”

This aroused Zenak's anger. He hated the thought that anyone thought Mara was Vokar's woman. It was as if she was some cheap concubine. He almost crashed through the door before Mara but then he decided that it would probably be best, for his fami­ly's sake, to let Mara enter first. Mara walked in slowly and looked around. Then she came back to the door and opened it wide.

“It's all clear,” she said.

Zenak smiled and confidently strode into the room. He saw his son in the arms of Lika and started to rush over to him. Before he took a step a guard moved in from behind the door and clubbed Zenak in the head. For a moment Zenak stood straight, but he fell forward as everything around him went black. The other guards rushed out from behind the room's curtains and stood over Zenak.

Mara walked over to the unconscious giant and stared at him. She began laughing madly and uproariously. She laughed so hard that she fell to the ground in pain. The soldiers did nothing except watch their queen writhe from laughter. Then she stopped laughing and gave the guards a sharp command.

“Chain him to the chopping block.”

The guards dragged Zenak to the block and chained him by his ankles and wrists. Then Mara took the prince from Lika, stepped in front of Zenak, and waited for her husband to come to.

Zenak regained consciousness slowly. His head felt as if a great weight were resting on it. It was more and more difficult to come out unconsciousness from a blow to the head each time he was revived. The first thing he saw when his vision returned was Mara holding the baby. He smiled at the sight.

“What happened?” he asked. No one answered the question.

“Well, fool, you've finally awakened,” Mara said to Zenak.

Zenak shook his head for he was sure he heard wrong.

“What?” he asked quizzically. Then he tried to get up but to his chagrin he found himself chained down. “What is this, my love?”

“Your love?” Mara asked. “Your love? I have never loved you. I have hated you always. Ever since the day you exiled my father and forced me to be your bride I have hated you.”

“I never forced you,” Zenak said slowly.

“And what would have happened to me if I had not married you? I would have been exiled and I would have been forced to leave my true love,” Mara said.

“Who is that?” Zenak asked as he subtly pulled at the chains.

“Vokar,” Mara answered.

Zenak went limp at the answer. His whole world crashed about him and all purpose for living was lost.

“He has mesmerized you,” Zenak said searching for a ration­ale.

Mara laughed out loud and said, “No, it's just that I love a powerful man. Vokar shall own the world and I shall share it with him.”

“Was not Deparne enough?” Zenak asked coldly.

“Deparne was stifling,” Mara answered.

Zenak then looked at his son and his purpose for living was once again revived.

“Well then free me and my son. We shall go our way and I will not fight for you. I will do nothing,” Zenak said. The sound of defeat was in his voice. Never in his life had he felt so defeated.

“He is not your son,” Mara said. “He is only my son.”

“He is my son also,” Zenak said exasperated.

“No, you bastard, no,” Mara yelled. Her eyes were ablaze. Insanity was obvious. “He is not yours He is only mine, only mine!”

“He is ours,” Zenak said softly. “Come with me so we may both take care of him.”

“Ours? He is part of you?” She held the boy up and looked at him. Her hands were trembling and her mouth was frothing. “Which part is yours? Which part?” She put the boy back in her arms and held him tightly. Zenak looked at her compassionately. He was still pulling on the chains. The guards did not even look at Zenak; they were too taken by the scene Mara played.

She continued, “He laughs a lot and is a happy child. He has no evil in him. He is not at all like Vokar or me. He does look like me in the face, though. But he has your heart,” Mara pointed at Zenak. “Yes, he has your heart and that's the part you will get.”

Zenak yelled, “No!” and started pulling at the chains as hard as he could. No one tried to stop him.

Then Mara took off her robe. Her voluptuous body was a wonder to all the guards. “Get me my dagger, Lika,” she com­manded,

“No!” Zenak yelled again and he could feel the chains slowly coming free.

Lika brought the dagger to Mara and Mara pushed Lika on her knees so Lika could service her. Zenak stopped shaking, looked at what was happening, and was disgusted. Mara then took the dagger and put it to the child's breast. She was panting heavily from the expertise of Lika's tongue,

“Here is your part, Zenak,” Mara said as she jabbed the sharp dagger into the baby's breast.

Zenak screamed and pulled on his chains as hard as he could. Mara removed the small pulsating heart from the baby and threw it into Zenak's face.

“There is your part,” Mara said. Then she started laugh­ing. The blood from the child poured down the front of her body, drenching Lika.

Then there were four snaps almost simultaneously and Zenak was free. Before anyone knew what happened Zenak leaped straight for Mara. The first person Zenak came in contact with was Lika. She never felt a thing, as Zenak snapped her neck with one of his powerful hands. Then Zenak grabbed Mara; the dead baby fell from her hands. She started screaming, but it was too late. Zenak lifted her above his head and bent her backwards until her head touched her heels. She was screaming, now not from fear, but in total pain. Another snap, not the snap of a broken chain, but the snap of a backbone cracking. The sound resounded throughout the room. This happened in such a short time that the guards still hadn't reacted and before they could, Zenak had dumped Mara on the ground and was upon them. The first three men died without fighting. Zenak took them down with his fists. Then he took a sword and lit into the rest of the soldiers like a thousand razors slashing. Heads were flying and the blood from headless and armless men ran thick and red. Some of the men died with their skulls cleaved to their teeth. The brains oozed out of the skulls like lava out of a vol­cano. Others died with their bowels all over or with their arms on the other side of the chamber. Nothing could stop the havoc Zenak was wreaking and not until the last man was dead did Zenak stop. When the fighting was over Zenak dropped the point of his sword and looked around him. He was up to his ankles in blood and pieces of brain and muscle hung all over his muscular body. He looked at Mara. Her face was half submerged in blood but he could see the look of pain and horror written on her face. It seemed as if her scream of pain still reverberated in the room. Zenak did not feel bad about her death. He now knew that the love he once had for her had turned into hate.

All he could care about was his lost son. He looked at his son, his arms bobbed a bit in the great puddle of blood in which he lay.

“My little prince,” Zenak said. He walked to the child and picked him up. He held him tightly and the tears poured down from his eyes onto the bloody baby. “Don't worry my child. You will be avenged,” he said to the baby. Then he re­membered the young woman of the woods, “You too will be avenged.” He put the baby on the chopping block and walked out of the chamber. He never looked back.

As he climbed the inky corridor out of the dungeon toward the courtyard, Zenak thought only of his child. His tears ran pro­fusely down his face and great chest. He held his sword tightly and could almost feel Vokar's head beneath it.

“Vokar, you shall die,” Zenak screamed out loud.

When he reached the door to the palace courtyard, he found it locked. This presented no problem and like a bull, he butted the door off the hinges and strode into the early morning. He was stained all over his body from blood and sweat. The sunlight in the early morning made him glisten like a bronze demon from Varsoula. He stopped just outside the door and gazed about the courtyard. No one was around and it seemed no one knew of his escape. He was glad for he was determined to find Vokar. However, he had no idea where his enemy's room was.

He rested a moment in the sun and thought out a plan.

While Zenak was resting, his great personality responded to the atmosphere and shook Vokar up. In his contemplation, Vokar could read from the air any change in power. Zenak gener­ated great power and consequently generated the air about him. So like waves from a pebble that has been dropped into a pond, Zenak's waves reached Vokar's mind. Vokar jumped from his chair and ran to his balcony. He saw Zenak far below him standing in the court­yard near the dungeon door. Vokar panicked. He ran into the hall­way outside his room and called the captain of the guards. The captain of the guards was ordered to stay near Vokar at all times.

“Yes, My King.” the captain said as he rushed up to Vokar.

“Take all of the guards of the palace and place them at every entrance to the palace. Zenak has escaped and he must not get in,” Vokar said.

“Where is he?” the guard said viciously. He had been well mesmerized.

“Out in the courtyard, but don't go out there unless I order you, you have a better chance of killing him at a close quarters than out in the open,” Vokar said. “Besides, I have plans for him.”

“It will be done,” the captain said and within moments the guards were deployed and standing in their position.