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The soldier ran out, and then Kenrick ordered one of the servants to fetch his armor and sword. He wanted to be on the field when the last intruder fell!
*****
Terence couldn't believe how lucky they were! It would seem that even when someone inside Castle Generso had noticed the approaching army the hired swords Kenrick had brought with him hadn't hurried and gotten ready. There was almost no one in the castle grounds, and Terence thought that the regular citizens of the fortress would all be in their homes, whether there was a fight going on or not. Who knows what the dastardly mercenaries would do if they were to catch someone outside, unawares?
The wave of soldiers from Dominus swept over the meager defenses Kenrick had put before them! Marcus and his troops had made clear the wall, and now everyone was moving towards the keep.
Suddenly, the sound of arrows flying through the air fills the street. "Ambush!" someone screamed.
*****
How delightful! Kenrick thought. Dominus is here, trying to stop me.
"Kill them all!" the "king" ordered, swatting the back of one of the bowmen before him. "Quickly now!"
The army that was approaching the street scattered as someone, possibly the tall man with the hammer, yelled, "Scatter!" The attack by Kenrick's men had taken some lives, but the soldiers from Dominus had reacted faster than the king had expected. "Find them," he ordered, "Take no prisoners!"
I'm especially looking forward to seeing what Bertha was talking about:).
I know there is a long waiting period between posts, but if you want to catch up you can just go back and read the other posts. If someone else wants to copy and paste each post, that's fine, but I truly do not have the time to do so.
Thank you for saying that! What would the award's title be? Is there a cash prize that goes along with it?!
Book 1: The Power of Rubies
Terence was a miner. His father had been a miner, and his father's father had been a miner. Terence enjoyed being a miner of stone in the small village of Dominus, for it payed the taxes and fed his family. Terence went to the quarry day in and day out with his neighbors, but he did not complain nor was he lazy. Terence was actually working extra hard today, for the anniversary of his joining with his wife was but two days away! Terence smashed the stone as hard as he could, and whenever he uncovered a piece of iron or copper he would place it in the sack he brought with him. The strong man did this everyday, but he was looking especially hard so he could purchase a gift truly worthy of his beautiful wife, Macala. The workday was almost over, and just as the bell rung, signalling to everyone the end of the work week, Terence brought down his hammer on a boulder with great strength. The immense force behind the swing drove the tool through the rock and onto the wall behind it, but instead it bouncing off quite solid rock it went into the wall! When the rubble cleared, it was clear that there was a tunnel leading deeper into the earth, so Terence retrieved his sack, which was far too light in his mind, and cautiously walked in.
The tunnel was lit at random intervals with a red lichen that was growing on the walls, floor, and ceiling. At one point, there was a stretch of rocky ground where there was none of this strange type of plant growing, but he pressed on through the darkness. Soon enough, there was a soft red light ahead. The downward slope had grown increasingly hot as Terence moved deeper, and now the heat had gotten to such an extreme that he thought of taking off his shirt. That thought flew from his head when he reached the end of the tunnel though, for before him was an immense cavern. The whole of the place was like a giant mouth with teethlike spikes descending from the ceiling and climbing towards it from the ground. Every surface of the place was bathed in the light emnating from the red lichen, but at the far end of the cavern there was a pit. The red light only scratched the surface of its depth, and when Terence carefully made his way to it he felt small and weak. Leaning out over the edge, Terence was mindful enough to tie himself to a nearby stalagmite. Suddenly, there was a scream, and dozens of bats poured from the pit. These were large bats for the area, and two or three clung to Terence's clothes. Terence swung his hammer wildly feeling it connect several times, but still the bats attacked! Terence was blinded by the flapping wings and clawing feet, so he stumbled about, still swinging. He brought his foot down hard, but there was nothing but air beneath it! He had reached the pit's edge! Terence shouted out as he slipped over the edge and saw the darkness below him...
Two seconds. Terence experienced for two seconds the feeling of knowing you are about to die before the rope snapped taut ending his fall so suddenly he almost lost his grip on his hammer. That hammer had been passed down from generation to generation, and it meant a great deal to him. That hammer was all he had left of his father and grandfather, so to lose it would be to lose them. The bats swirled around the edge seeming reluctant to follow the battered man down even though he was but 10 feet from the lip. Terence was scratched in a dozen different places, and the side where he had hit the wall of the pit would probably hurt for days. He needed to get back up knowing the rope would not hold him long. Hand over hand, the miner made his way back to the lip of that dreadful hole in the ground. By that time the bats had moved on through the cavern and were most likely making their way through the stone quarry, so Terence brushed himself off and examined the bodies of those bats who had met his hammer. The fur of these strange beasts was red, but it was not from blood. Picking one up, Terence estimated that the strangely colored thing had a wingspan of almost four feet. This was huge in comparison to the bats normally found in this region, and the red fur separated it even further from those regular inhabitants. Terence dropped the corpse, and he started to move away before noticing he was missing something. The sack containing all the iron and copper he had collected that day was nowhere to be found. He remembered laying it down before going over to the edge, but it wasn't by the stalagmite he had tied the rope to. Then it hit him. During his desperate attempts to drive the bats off, Terence must have kicked the sack right over the edge and into the pit. Tears came to his eyes with this knowledge, for without the coins he would have gotten upon trading that ore Terence wouldn't be able to buy his wife a gift! Looking over the edge of the hole, he could see a piece of something shiny perched on a ledge in the wall, but it soon fell out of sight. With a spirit quite beaten, he searched the area around the pit to see if anything had fallen out of the sack before it went over, but there was nothing left. Fearing what was to come, he slowly collected his hammer and started to walk out of the cavern. The poor man could not leave the place though not without searching around for something of value. After what seemed like hours, Terence saw a seemingly half-finished spire in the center of the rocky grounds growing upwards. It had an almost flat surface, and sitting there were ten red, shiny gems.
His heart skipped a couple beats when he saw the gems. Terence rushed over to scoop the precious items into his hand, and he marveled at their beauty and obvious rarity. He had never seen anything like these crystals. They seemed to glow in the dark just like the lichen that grew here, and up close it was obvious that the bats' fur was the same color as the items Terence now held. "Rubies!", Terence said, and the word spoken aloud gave him chills! Shoving the gems reverently into his pocket, Terence rushed out of the cavern, through the tunnel, and into the stone quarry. It was then that he realized just how long he had been gone, for the stars and moon were shining in the sky! Careful not to alert the town watchmen, Terence made his way through the dirt pathways of Dominus village. Dominus was neither a wealthy or poor community, but having lived there all his life made the Terence proud to be a resident there. Not wanting to wait until morning, the man meandered through the streets towards the local trader's house with a renewed skip in his step. Marcus was a coarse man, but his anger at being awakened flew when he saw that it was Terence who had woken him up! The two had been friends ever since they had met, and though Terence was the more adventurous of the two Marcus had always been willing to go along with whatever seemingly insane idea Terence could come up with! The sleepiness completely disappeared from the scrawny trader's eyes when his friend pulled out the ten items in his pocket, for few of the people in Dominus had ever seen a ruby before let alone hold one in their hands. "Where did you come upon such treasure?!", the amazement obvious in Marcus' voice. Terence then went on to tell his tale, but as he did the expression on his friend's face changed from one of wonder to one of fear. "Cursed these things are! Those bats and the mysterious place they come from are a clear warning of what these rubies will bring!", the stone-faced trader whispered. Terence began to reason with his friend, but Marcus cut him off. "Take them away, or find someone foolish enough to buy them from you! These things have a magic about them that cannot be good! Go! Now!!", shouted Marcus. Terence had never seen his long-time friend like this, and he had certainly never seen him pass up a trade! The deflated man rushed out of the house, and he continued on out of the village and into the forests surrounding it. Terence was close to rage at his friend's suggestion of getting rid of the gems, for if Marcus would not take them no one else in the village would! Without knowing it, the angry miner was making his way to his first gift idea for Macala. During his free time, Terence liked to sculpt, but he had abandoned the sculpture of his wife when he had started really collecting iron and copper from the quarry. Now, with but two days left before the anniversary of his wedding, Terence didn't have the time to complete the piece. A sound to the side alerted him to danger, so Terence turned, hammer ready, to face it. Instead, a voice sounded from the shadows. "Troubled you are Strong Man!", said an old, raspy voice. The family hammer dropped to his side as Terence said, "Bertha! You scared me!". The ancient woman shuffled into the light of the moon. Bertha Crandle had been a resident of Dominus for all of her 87 years, and everyone was convinced that she had been crazy from birth.
Bertha cackled. Then she cackled some more. Terence eyed the strange woman cautiously, for it seemed as if she would never stop laughing at him! Suddenly, Bertha quieted and said, "Yes Strong Man! You are troubled now, and you shall be troubled later...". Terence shook his head in confusion, "By what Bertha?". Bertha's shabby shawl twirled through the air as she turned and started muttering to a tree. Terence was growing tired of this nonsense, and he walked over and was about to tap the woman's shoulder when she turned around, pointing her finger at him! "You've come upon something that will change thy life, but how? Will the things you have in your pocket make you a better man or a monster?!", Bertha's voice grew to a shriek as she ended her little tirade. Terence was confused, for how could Bertha know about the rubies?
Finally dismissing the revelation as mindless ramblings, Terence moved on and away from Dominus' oldest and strangest resident. Bertha shouted out, "You'll find out soon enough Strong Man! You'll see!!". Then she once again turned and began whispering to the tree.
Moving through the forest, Terence was shaken by Bertha's parting remark. Did she really know something of the rubies? What did she mean by "monster"? He didn't have much time to ponder these things when he came upon the clearing that housed the sculpture, and seeing it made Terence even madder! The piece was half-finished, only showing his wife's head and torso. It would have been an excellent gift, but Terence had thought that Macala would appreciate something bought for a change. Every year it seemed like Terence gave his wife a new shelf for her pottery or a hand-made chair for her to sit and watch the sunset in, and she accepted them with all her heart. Terence believed that his wife wanted something else though, for didn't every woman want shiny things? The money he had saved up would have been able to buy her a beautiful gold necklace with emeralds if Terence had gotten that last day of collecting traded, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Terence would have gotten more than enough coins from the rubies if he had just told Marcus he had found them while working in the quarry! The if's rolled around in his head pushing Terence further down the road to rage! It finally became too much for him, so he smashed his hammer down upon the sculpture, screaming all the way! With a crash, both Terence and the sculpted head of his wife tumbled to the ground. There the defeated man lay, sobbing, for he had just made another mistake! Perhaps he could have finished the piece if he had worked hard in the two remaining days before the anniversary! There was another if, so, growling with rage, the miner shot up from the ground tearing the cursed rubies from his pocket as he did so. With a cry of sadness, regret, anger, and pain all shoved together, Terence threw the gems at the now ugly sculpture! There was a red flash of blinding light, and a rush of air blew the man backwards and into a tree, knocking him unconcious.
Terence groggily awoke, and he immediately wanted to go back to the darkness of unconciousness. His head was throbbing with pain, and both his neck and back were stiff from laying on the ground for so long. He had slept long indeed, for the sun was bright. The day was hot, but the tree the man was under provided much cool shade. Birds chirped in the distance, and the babbling of a nearby stream almost had Terence dozing. Then he remembered just how long he had been away from his home, and the prone man shot up from the ground! Walking back to the center of the clearing, Terence went past the completed statue to collect his family hammer..."Wait a second!", Terence said with awe, for there the statue was, unbroken and complete! It was just as Terence had imagined and more, for the statue showed everything about his wife that Terence loved.
How had this happened? The very head of the statue had been torn away from the main body, and even that had been uncomplete! Then he saw them. There on the ground were seven rubies, and Terence wondered where the other three were. He searched around the statue, but the miner found nothing. "They must have been blown away by the wind accompanying that red flash...", Terence said. Knowing that he had to return to his wife and children, he searched the boundary of the clearing, but the puzzled man still could not find those last three gems. Then, as he was walking into the forest towards Dominus, it hit him. The Power of the Rubies was not an evil thing, but it was a blessing! The magic that emnated from the gems was one of completion, and it had worked on the statue! Taking the seven other rubies out of his pocket, Terence marveled at the amazing possibilities. What else could the magic of the precious things affect? Running home, the miner didn't even notice the questioning stares of the guards at the gate, and when someone greeted him if Terence heard it he didn't show it! Seeing his home, the tired man pushed himself harder, and when he saw Macala sitting on the little bench outside he swept her up into his arms! "Where have you been?", his wife asked, but he ignored her, simply enjoying her touch. Their two boys, Talc and Albite, joined the hug asking a million questions. Again the father ignored the words, and soon the family just stood there, quietly loving each other.
Later that night, after the boys had been put to bed, Terence sat down with Macala and told his tale. She was skeptical at first, but when Terence pulled the seven rubies out of his pocket she just sat there staring. "What do we do now, my love?", Macala whispered, and her husband answered, "Whatever we want! We can use them however we see fit, or we can let them sit in that jar forever."
The next day, a party was held in the clearing that housed the statue of Macala, and many of the the family's friends showed up to congratulate the couple. Everyone was in awe of Terence's gift, and tears were shed when his wife presented her gift to him. It was a beautiful painting of Terence and his hammer set in the stone quarry where he worked. Though the real quarry was mostly the same color, Macala had somehow worked in others that livened the piece up so well. Terence himself was incredibly detailed and the hammer at his side was no less brilliant! "Thank you!", said the man as he kissed his wife. She pulled away and kept Terence at arm's length. "You should know that I love the things you make for me and that I care not whether you craft something for our every anniversary or not!", Macala said. The two shared a laugh, and the laughter spread to all the guests. If only they knew just how much that meant to the couple, and the journey Terence had taken to realize it!
Some info on Dominus: It is located near one of the few kings in the land, Stephen. Being within his borders, Dominus is well protected from raids, and the merchants that come from Stephen's castles always have good items to sell and full purses to empty. The future is bright under their king's watchful eye, and the villagers have even started construction on a wall to better protect them.
While Stephen is a kind and just king, some think that his time is over, and rumors have been spread throughout his lands that a coup may take place. Though he has assured his many citizens that these whispers are false, there may be some truth in the words of those who have seen much if not all of Stephen's lands.
The day after their anniversary, Terence and his wife were sitting on the porch watching the sunset when Marcus came running up to the house. "The King! King Stephen has been murdered! The lands have spiraled into chaos!" Marcus was shaking, and now that they were paying attention the pair could hear shouts and the sounds of hammers. "Come help with the wall. We need you Terence!"
The construction had been slow from the beginning. Why did they have to hurry? There hadn't been an attack on the town for a long time, so the wall was really going to be just for show. Now it was needed, for without King Stephen's army patrolling the countryside looking for bandits and the like a raid could be on its way even now! Terence and Marcus went to work on placing and securing sections of the wall with other townsmen, but everyone could see that the wall was a long way from being complete...
*****
(Two hours earlier)
Stepping out of the Great Hall, King Stephen slumped against the wall, completely worn out. He had just spent almost four hours dealing with nobles wanting more land, diplomats demanding this and that, and the cook asking him what he wanted for dinner! All the tall man wanted to do was rest, so he made his way to his room. He dismissed the servants there because he needed to be alone, and once they had left he sat on the edge of his bed. A short nap then back to work, Stephen thought. The room was slightly too warm, so he got up and opened the window before laying down. The man instantly fell alseep.
Not two minutes after the window was opened, a small man popped his head over the sill. Seeing that the coast was clear, he climbed into the room. Once inside, he tied a rope to the bar holding the curtains up, and he threw the rest of the rope out the window calling down as he did. The man's eyes continually darted back and forth as he made his way around the room taking anything he deemed valuable. Three more men climbed up the rope and into the room. Two were large and muscular. The other was just as tall as the other two, but he had a slighter build. "Wake him" said the tall one, the obvious leader. "What?!" said the small, nervous one, "Why not just stab him in his sleep?" That remark earned him a slap on the back of the head from the leader. The two muscle men chuckled at that, but they stopped when their leader turned to regard them. His black eyes told them in no uncertain terms to shut their mouths. He whirled around to look at the sleeping King his long, black hair flying, and he motioned for the small man to wake Stephen. Rat, that was his nickname, crept over to the bed, shook the sleeping man roughly, and shouted.
Stephen woke with a start, and when he saw the tall man he shouted "You!" The man, called Kenrick, laughed and said "Yes it is I! Now that we have met face to face, I can kill you!" The two men, Chuster and Barthus, lunged at Stephen, grabbing his arms. They dragged the King out of bed and held him as Kenrick drew out a wicked looking dagger. Looking Stephen in the eyes, he thought of how they had once been friends. "Your time is over. The people shall rule now!" Kenrick plunged the dagger into Stephen's chest, and Chuster and Barthus dropped him. "Let us be gone from this foul place" said Kenrick. The four made their way down the rope, Rat's pockets jingling. Just as they dropped to the ground outside the castle walls, shouts of alarm were heard from within. Knowing that Stephen's most trusted advisors and commanders were being murdered even now, Kenrick nodded. "It begins..." he whispered.
*****
(Present)
The sun had set, and the only thing lighting the construction zone was the torches held by the wives of the workers. Much progress had been made, but only half of the wall would be usable in case of an attack.
To everyone's dismay, shouts were heard in the forest, and the glow of many fires was seen in the distance. Men scrambled to and fro not knowing what to do, but Terence made his way home to collect his hammer. He would not be caught unprepared.
Keeping to the alleyways between buildings, Terence took a winding path back to his house. Once there, he told his wife to take the children and hide somewhere. The man knew where she would hide, so if he needed to Terence could quickly go to that place and retrieve his family. Terence hoped he wouldn't have to do that.
Because Terence was the type of man that prepared for the worst, he collected all the valuable things in his house, and he quickly hid them in a secret crawlspace he had had one of his woodcutter friends build with him. Just before he left, Terence went back to the stash, and he reached into the vase holding the rubies. "This place is unknown to many, but I know for sure that no one will take anything on my person!"
Heading to the wall, Terence saw that the invaders had almost reached it. A small group of townspeople had gathered behind the half finished construction, and they held a mixture of spears, bows, and small swords. Terence wasn't able to see too well with the sky darkening, but he thought that the raiders were better armed. "Terence!" someone shouted. Following the voice, the miner found his best friend, Marcus. The two clasped hands, and they nodded to each other. They both knew that if one died the other would take care of his friend's family in his absence. Terence almost laughed as he thought that, though they accepted the possibility, neither of them actually thought that one of them would die. Marcus, while also being one of the toughest traders in Dominus, was an excellent bowman, and he was one of a small group that had a longbow! Terence had his hammer of course, and everyone knew that he could put it to use both at the Quarry and in the battlefield.
The raiders were close enough for the anxious citizens of Dominus to see the gleam in their dark eyes. Twang! Twang! Two arrows flew from Marcus' bow at what seemed like the same time, and shortly after they had left the string two bandits went down with arrows protruding from their legs. Other villagers followed Marcus' lead, and soon arrows filled the sky!
"Don't take all the fun, Marcus!" shouted Terence as ruffian after ruffian went down. Terence spoke too soon though, for as the words left his mouth a sneaky man jumped over the wall taking advantage of that section's incompleteness. Terence gave a "Hey!" and he swung his hammer in the dark-clothed man's direction. Woof! The hammer, swung at an awkward angle, hit the thief's gut with just enough power to push the air out of his lungs. Terence was quick though, so his next strike came down upon the poor man's head before he could even recover. Not really wanting to kill anyone, the miner made sure his strike only knocked the man unconcious, and that man was the only one to make it to the "wall". The rest were either lying on the ground with arrows sticking out of them, or some had turned tail and run!
"Odd don't you think? So few..." Marcus said as he shuffled over to stand by his friend. Terence nodded...
That's when the first fire started. It dawned on Marcus, and he whispered "Clever scoundrels..." As they were running towards the other end of the village (where the fires were flaring up), Marcus explained to Terence that the first, smaller force they had just faced had been a diversion. Now, the rest of the bandits were coming, and they threw flaming torches over the walls as they rushed to climb over. Arriving early the pair could see that the town faced a great threat. A hundred men in dark clothing ran down the hill that marked the south end of Dominus. Terence thought about it, and he realized there were only 50 or 60 able-bodied men within the village. Against a force of at least one hundred men using supieror weaponry, Dominus was surely doomed.
Terence could see in the eyes of his neighbors, excluding Marcus, that they were on the edge of terror. It would only take one man..."Ahhhhhhhhh!" cried the tavern keeper, Bill. "Run for your lives! Gather your children and wives, and flee to the forest!" he screamed as he started sprinting towards his house, leaving a puddle behind in his wake. Some men looked at their fleeing brother and followed his lead, running away. Others looked to Terence for guidance. He was the best fighter in Dominus, and he had proven his leadership skills in The Battle of Two Rivers two years ago.
"Stand together!" ordered Terence. He sent Marcus to gather the rest of the archers, and the miner told another group to go after those that had fled.
An old man shuffled over to Terence, spear in hand. "Seems to me like you got your numbers wrong, boy." he mumbled. "We're going to be hard pressed to win this one without that damn wall! Do you see those fellas running towards us?" he asked.
Terence didn't say anything because he was thinking hard. Something had been nagging at him from the very start of the battle, but he hadn't been able to put his finger on it. Not until this old man had come over to talk to him. Running past the others, Terence made his way to the wall, if that is what it could be called in the state it was in now. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the seven rubies he had taken from his house. He backed up twenty feet (he remembered what happened with the statue), and threw the gems at the wall!
Everyone stopped. Like before, there was a great blast of air that came from the wall, but Terence had braced himself against the door of a nearby house. Terence stared in wonder as red lights flashed around the base of the half-finished construction. Beams straightened before his eyes, creaking as they did so, and some became stronger, thicker. The lights swirled higher, and, when they reached the top, boards just appeared in place! It was an amazing sight! Popping sounds accompanied the creation of beams and boards. The wind howled as a walkway appeared around the top of the creation, and ladders appeared near Terence. The Wall of Dominus was complete!
Sorta. The seven rubies that Terence threw weren't quite enough to completely finish the wall. The south facing was complete along with half of the East and West facings, but ten seconds is pretty good even for that amount of wall.
The raiders were frozen in place. They were shocked by the very sudden appearance of a wall in front of them! Then, they started shouting. Most cried "Demon-magic!" or "Devil's work!" while some yelled "I'm blind!". One poor man screamed "Run before we're turned into walls too!"
While the raiders were standing still, the men of Dominus were placing ladders against the wall and climbing up. Marcus and his archers went to work shooting arrows at the dumbfounded attackers. That's when the raiders decided to run. Terence ordered some of his men to guard the wall, but he told them not to go after anyone. He told others to get to work completing the rest of the barrier. That would be their only chance in the coming days.
Shortly after Terence had used the rubies, he and Marcus were sitting around a table in Terence's house. "I must apologize for my angry words before, Terence." Marcus said, "If I had known what the rubies could do I wouldn't have said those things!" Terence told him all was forgiven, and they started eating the beef Macala had laid out for the pair.
Even while shoveling food into his mouth, Marcus kept talking about the raid, but Terence wasn't really listening. He was wondering about the rubies. The miner had searched around the completed section of wall, but he hadn't found any rubies laying around. He had asked around thinking someone may have picked them up, but everyone he asked had said no. They could be lying about it though Terence trusted most of them. Some had even offered to help him look for the missing gems! After much thinking, Terence came to the conclusion that completing the wall, even only half of it, had used up the seven rubies he had had.
"How do I get more?" Terence asked aloud, interrupting Marcus in mid-sentence. "Well I don't know. A better question would be how did you get them in the first place!" Marcus answered. Terence nodded eagerly, but soon he was just staring at the hardwood table, thinking.
After eating, Terence went down to the Quarry to search for the tunnel again. He'd covered it up before leaving the workplace last time, and with all the confusion of the last couple of days the miner had forgotten where he had been working when he'd discovered the passageway. After an hour of searching, Terence finally found the tunnel. The red-glowing lichen that adorned the walls, floor and ceiling seemed more comforting than foreboding now.
In the Cavern, Terence inspected the pit, and he thought about his first visit to this place. "What went right?" the miner asked himself. Terence walked all around the stone room, and he even went as far as praying next to the half-column that the rubies had appeared upon. Nothing happened.
Terence was growing impatient fast. He angrily kicked stones down into the pit, and the man was startled when a "ruby" bat flew out. The creature didn't bother him though. Giving up, Terence started walking out of the Cavern.
The last echoes of the falling stones in the pit were fading away and Terence was at the exit when he heard it. A deep, resonating voice.
Payment is required,
but it must be rare.
Something that the Earth hath sired...
Terence was terrified at first. Usually it was Bertha who was hearing voices, so the miner feared he may be falling into insanity. Then the voice went on.
The more you give, the more you soon get.
You won't be alone for long,
so do not fret..
The words were finally reaching Terence. He kept listening.
A final warning,
I shall give.
The Gift can bring joy,
but also mourning...
With these last words, the voice faded away, and Terence ran out of the Cavern.
Terence entered his house so quickly he was a blur. "Where did we hide it last?" The miner asked loudly. His family questioned the man of the house, but Terence wasn't listening. He started stomping on the floor boards in random spots, and whenever he heard a hollow spot he would pry the wood up. Each time nothing more than dirt and stone was revealed.
"Where?!" Terence shouted. Macala grabbed her husband by the shoulders. "What? What are you looking for?" The miner calmed down. He took a couple of deep breaths to steady himself. "Our savings. Where are they?"
Terence was making his way back down to the tunnel, and the miner was recalling the look on his wife's face when he had told her what he was going to do. "So you're just going to throw our hard-earned gold away?!" she had screamed. "Are you not thinking?!" The woman had gone on for a while, but after she saw that her husband was going to follow through with his plan anyway she let up. A little.
"Just you wait and see what I bring back!" Terence said, smiling as he made his way down the lichen covered passageway. Terence tested the weight of the rough carrying case. The bag of gold in his hand contained 700 coins (Terence had counted, three times), and this was about 4 or 5 years of slowly saving up. Macala had always wanted to visit The Desert of the Burning Sands, and even though the family knew a landholder there the trip would cost them. I wonder if Roberto would accept rubies... Terence thought.
Standing in the soft red glow of the Cavern near the edge of the Pit, Terence started to have second thoughts. "What if it doesn't work? I'll just be throwing away my wife's dream! But what if it does work...?" Terence was muttering to himself.
Making up his mind, the miner extended his arm out over the pit, bag of dreams in hand, and then...he dropped it!
Terence was getting nervous. It had been at least a minute since the bag of gold, precious gold, had disappeared from sight, falling into the Pit. The man was on the verge of crying when he heard what he assumed was the Voice again. This time, instead of being ominous and foreboding, it was like a heavenly hum. The sound started out low then became higher. Terence must not have heard the noise last time because of the ruby bats attacking him.
As the Voice went on, Terence looked to the half-column in the middle of the Cavern. The miner's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. Red sparks were flying over the rock! Left, right, up, and down the little stars of red light flew, and the sound of bells ringing was heard when they changed directions.
Suddenly, the Voice stopped. There was a bright flash, and when his vision returned Terence saw the rubies. A pile of them! Rushing over to the half-column, the miner began to count.
"65 rubies!" Terence shouted, and then the man started laughing. A deep, rumbling laugh of pure joy! "The things we can do now." Terence said. "And in no time at all!
It took Terence three days to move all of the rubies to his house. Three nights really because that was the only time the man felt it was safe to handle the precious cargo, and even then the danger of being seen was high with the doubled guard and the wall construction. The gems were hidden in the crawl space which, during the day, Terence had made even more secure.
"Ok, so with the 5 that went toward the wall we still have 54!" Macala was happy that her husband had thought of the community first, using rubies to complete the wall construction that had been going at an intense pace.
Terence walked over to the window. "Good. I have a feeling they will come in handy in the coming days. With Stephen gone, these lands are going to start falling apart..."
*****
In his small castle, Kenrick was strategizing and arranging his troops. He spoke to Rat, Chuster, and Barthus. "Everything is falling, just as I expected it would. Stephen has no heir, and all of the great military leaders have been taken care of. Bandits attack market barrows, and thieves steal the Tax Collector's gold. Thugs and ruffians go a-raiding, and smoke is now a regular sight in the sky!" Kenrick looked away from his maps and lists, smiling. "Of course, all of these things are under our control!" The tall man started laughing.
Chuster laughed too, but Kenrick quickly slapped him across the face. "Shut up you fool! This is no time for joviality! We'll give those who have tentatively stepped forward in Stephen's place another week or two of this madness, but then I will come in and 'save' them." Kenrick looked at Rat. "And who would lead better than the one who has stopped the bandits and thieves? Who would be better than the one who killed the thugs and ruffians? Those fools will have no choice, and I will rule!" The laugh that followed was one of pure malice, but it was cut short when Kenrick realized that no one else was laughing. "NOW!" screamed Kenrick. Rat, Chuster, and Barthus began to laugh nervously, and their leader's screams soon drowned out their's.
As the weeks went by, the land that was once ruled by King Stephen slowly fell deeper and deeper into chaos, and through it all Kenrick was watching, waiting for the right moment.
"Many of the villages surrounding Stephen's Castle have fallen." Chuster reported. "Only Dominus remains, actually." Kenrick looked displeased. "Dominus you say? That flea-ridden, shack-filled dump still stands?!" Chuster squirmed. He didn't want to make Kenrick any angrier than he always was, for when the dark man got too angry people tended to die.
Chuster liked to hold little debates in his mind, but thinking was too hard for the simple soldier. He often mumbled while deciding what to do. "Bad news...better not...but...needs to know." Kenrick just stared at Chuster.
After about two minutes of waiting, Kenrick exploded into action. He leapt from his chair and marched over to Chuster. "Stop your gibbering! Tell me why Dominus has not fallen, or I will see you thrown to the dogs!" Trembling, the bodyguard responded. "The raiding parties we have sent there say that the citizens possess magic. The wall that now surrounds the town just...appeared, and tools for defense are always waiting to deter any attackers!"
At this point, Barthus entered the room, and, not thinking, started talking to his friend, Chuster. "Another failed attack on Dominus." the soldier began glumly, and Chuster motioned for him to stop to no avail. "I don't know how they do it!"
"Enough!" Kenrick shouted, slamming his fist down onto a table. "I will deal with the fleas of Dominus myself, and when that mud pit excuse for a town has fallen I will rule these lands!" The dark man left the room, leaving Chuster and Barthus looking at each other happily. With Kenrick leading, Dominus would surely come to a quick, bloody end.
Terence walked through Dominus, and everywhere he looked he could see where rubies had helped. Defensive tools were stacked up, ready to use. The original 55 members of the Guard now had better equipment and training, and the total number of Guards had grown to 95 with the additional 40 having less advanced weapons and knowledge. A total of 20 rubies had been given by Terence to aid Dominus, not including the ones spent on the completion of the wall.
The last couple of weeks had gone by in a blur of slashing swords and falling hammers. It seemed as though every day featured a battle, but Dominus always prevailed. During one raid, Marcus had come up with a brilliant tactic. He thought that causing flashing red lights would scare the bandits because they knew that marked the usage of "devil magic", and his plan worked! The next couple of attacks had ended quickly when a small group of villagers had made large red flashes appear in the sky. Everyone had laughed at the sight of grown men running like chickens without heads towards the forest.
Terence reached the gate, where Marcus was keeping watch. "What does the moon show?" he asked. It took Marcus a couple of minutes to reply. "Nothing good. There is always smoke in the sky! It is only a matter of time before the next raid arrives..." Marcus was an excellent fighter, but he, along with all of Dominus, was getting tired. "The only thing we can do is be ready." Terence said. Marcus looked away from his friend. "Are you sure?"
The miner was about to reply, but his friend cut him short. "Look! The light of torches. What did I tell you? Another raid!"
The force that Kenrick had arranged was quite impressive. 150 soldiers marched along after him, and when the lights of Dominus were in sight they let out a great cheer. It wasn't a lively cheer like one would hear at a party though. These men were cheering because they knew there would be killing soon, so their voices reflected that desire.
Terence went back to his house to collect some rubies while Marcus readied the Guard. Of the 95 members, around 40 of them were archers, and these men were stationed on and along the wall. The rest of the soldiers waited behind the wall with ladders. If the wall was about to be taken, the melee soldiers would trade places with their ranged counterparts, and this method had worked very effectively in times past.
"Give me 10." Terence said as he entered his home. Macala hurriedly fetched the rubies and gave them to her husband.
Back at the wall, Terence saw the size of the attacking army and wondered whether or not 10 rubies would be enough! Everything was ready. Everyone was ready, but the troops outside of Dominus stopped as a tall, dark man stepped forward.
"Good people of Dominus!" The man said sarcastically. He had to wait for the laughter of his soldiers to die down before resuming in a more serious tone. "You have avoided destruction long enough, so prepare to fall! Have you anything to say?"
Terence had been whispering to Marcus while the man was speaking, and now he moved forward from the archers. "Kenrick? Is it really you?"
Kenrick jumped a little at the mention of his name. Looking back, he could see the confusion on his troops' faces. "I should have known the last words of Dominus would be the words of a fool! Cha-!"
"It is you!" Terence shouted, interrupting Kenrick. "I can't believe it. Kenrick, the manure hauler's son, has been the one attacking us all along!
The words brought Kenrick back to his childhood in Dominus. He remembered being laughed at because of his ratty clothes. His family hadn't been well-off because of his father's occupation, quite the opposite really. Then, he recalled the day he had left his hometown after murdering his father, who he had blamed for all his troubles. That was the day he had become the man he is now...
Kenrick was brought back from his memories by the sound of laughter. His troops were laughing at him! "Enough!" screamed Kenrick. "CHARGE!"
The attackers didn't move at first, but when their leader struck down the man closest to him they all decided they were better off listening. The army began to march foward.
Terence leaped from the wall, joining the other melee fighters. The archers, along with Marcus, began firing at the approaching army. Enemy bowmen responded, but the bolts and arrows hit the bulwarks of the defenders. Once again, the power of the rubies had saved many lives.
Kenrick watched as his men fell like flies, arrows in their heads, chests, or legs. He moved back from the main group. "To direct them!" he shouted to Chuster and Barthus, who wore questioning looks on their faces. "You two go on." Kenrick was really moving back so he could make a quick getaway if needed, but he didn't think his bodyguards would appreciate hearing that.
The main group of attackers, now only having 110 men within, had reached the walls and were setting up ladders. Marcus and his archers systematically switched places with Terence and the melee fighters. This 55-man team included many spearmen and swordsmen, but a couple of men had halberds. Terence, of course, had his hammer.
The enemy, thinking they would be facing ranged soldiers, sent their melee fighters up the ladders first. These men got quite a surprise when they suddenly found themselves up against men with close-combat weapons! The fighting began with the people of Dominus attaining the upper-hand.
Terence stood right before a ladder, bashing the heads of the grim-faced men as they climbed. The miner wouldn't tire. He was unstoppable! Terence would whack a ruffian then kick the ladder away from the wall, and then he would move on to the next ladder. The others cheered every time a ladder fell on top of an attacker that was either getting ready to mount the ladder or in the process of climbing it!
Eventually, the sheer number of attackers that the Guard faced became too much, and Terence and his fighters had to fall back into the streets.
The Wall of Dominus had been taken, but had the battle cost the attackers too much? Only 70 men of the original 150 remained, and the Guard had only lost 5 men!
The remaining attackers ducked into the houses on either side of the lane and started destroying everything or lighting it on fire. The regular citizens of Dominus had already taken to the hills on the farthest side of Dominus, away from the raiders, so they were safe.
The Guard was also hiding in houses. The troops were waiting for attackers to pass by so they could ambush them! In this way, many of the 70 attackers left in Dominus fell, but some, Kenrick included, got away...
"I do think that, Marcus." Terence said. "And now that we know I think it is our responsibility to stop Kenrick."
Marcus' eyes widened. "How are we supposed to do that?!"
The miner delved into his pocket and fished out the rubies. "With these, anything is possible. Have the Guard start collecting armor and weapons from the dead raiders".
Kenrick had lost a lot of men in the battle with the people of Dominus, but he was glad that most of them were dead. Now he would only have to hunt down a couple dozen people. Kenrick couldn't have anyone knowing of his secret past!
A few days later, all of the men from the Dominus attack were dead, and Kenrick was busy gathering more troops. He didn't have to look far. There would always be more scoundrels in the world, creeping in the slime of the alleyways...
*****
Terence had gathered the whole village, and he was speaking from on top of the wall. "Kenrick must be stopped! If we don't act quickly, he could take the late King's castle, and from there he will have too large of an advantage. The Guard only has 90 men, and that won't be enough. But with the weapons and armor taken from the attackers we can equip 120!"
A whispering grew within the crowd until one man spoke up. "We don't have 120 able-bodied men, Terence!"
The miner withdrew the rubies from his pocket. "With these, it doesn't matter whether you are a man or a woman. I'm sure we have 30 brave women in Dominus!"
Most of the females that were at the gathering looked at each other with unease, but suddenly some cheered. Terence sighed with relief. "It's a start." He said quietly.
"Another one?!" Terence asked as Marcus dropped a jingling bag on the table in the miner's home. "Yes. The people of Dominus have really answered your call!" Marcus replied. Terence had used up the rest of his rubies on training and, after the weapons from the attack had all been taken, arming 50 women, so he had asked the citizens to spare as much gold and other valuables as they could. The miner hadn't told them what these items would be used for, but he had assured them that they would be put to good use. Now, Terence had received two bags full of gold coins, jewelry, silverwear, and other valuable items from the 245 people that resided in Dominus!
Marcus, who knew the whole story around the rubies, asked how Terence was going to smuggle all the "offerings" to the Ruby Pit. "Well you're going to help me, of course!" The large man replied, laughing. "And this time we keep the bags the stuff is in. I'm thinking we're going to need them to carry all the rubies."
*****
Unknown to the people of Dominus, Kenrick's plans were being seen through. The dark man had split his forces, and while most of them kept looting and pillaging a sizeable group of elite fighters, along with Kenrick himself, began to "save" the villages and tax collectors, against all odds. "Those fools!" Kenrick squealed as another party of villagers left his castle, leaving a feast on his table. "Oh the irony!"
Kenrick had eaten his fill, and now he sat at a desk writing a letter to the people of the late King Stephen's castle.
"Dear Grovelling Peasants." He said as he wrote the words, but then he crumpled up that piece of paper. "No no no! Not yet".
Terence and Marcus climbed out of the Quarry. The pair had quietly gotten out of Dominus with the two bags of valuables, and they had quickly ventured into the secret Quarry tunnel, thrown the goods into the Ruby Pit, and collected the 100 rubies the offering had garnered.
"Look!" Marcus said. "Bertha!" Terence and his friend had clearly been seen by the elderly woman. She was walking towards them.
Bertha stopped very close to the miner. She straightened her back and went up on the tips of her toes so she was nose to nose with Terence. "Who are you?" Bertha said at length. Terence was appalled by the woman's breath, so he tried to back up. Bertha grabbed his vest though, holding him close. She was surprisingly strong for her age.
"Bertha, you know who I am!" Terence said. "It's me, Terence." Bertha finally backed off, and she began looking Terence up and down. "Terence? Hmm...You don't seem like the Terence I've known all my life. Where's your hammer, Strong Man?"
The miner handed the bag of rubies to Marcus so he could reach the now-famous weapon that was on his back. "Here it is, Bertha! Now do you know it's me?"
Bertha coughed and spit before responding. "You look like the Strong Man, and you speak like him. Something has changed though..."
Terence was again tiring of the woman. "What has changed?"
The elder turned and shuffled away, but before she was out of earshot she said. "You'll see."
*****
The hastily appointed council sat at a long, raised table in front of Kenrick. The people of Castle Generso, the late King Stephen's former home, had received Kenrick's letter, and they had formed the council to decide if the dark man was worthy to rule or not.
The five old men that made up the council had questioned Kenrick at length. They asked about his past, which he lied about. When asked about the bandits and raiders, he had told them of how he and his vastly outnumbered army were working hard to keep the lands safe, a half-truth.
Now the men were debating amongst themselves, and Kenrick was getting impatient. He really didn't care what the council decided. The five guards behind the members were part of his "little army", and these soldiers would make sure Kenrick got his way.
Kenrick, dressed in some of King Stephen's clothes, reverently lowered himself onto the throne. "Ahhh. Finally!" he sighed. "Now, to business."
The dark man ordered the guards to clean up the throne room. The smell of the dead councilmen was already pungent. "And make sure no one leaves this castle!" he added as an afterthought. "Not until they've been...informed."
As the guards begun to do as they were told, Kenrick laughed. The echoes of this evil sound caused the people of Castle Generso to shiver, and they would have ran for their lives if they knew what was coming for them.
*****
"We're ready." Marcus said as he and Terence stood on the wall looking at the 140 people standing before them. This was the Guard! Well-equipped and well-trained. Men and women ready to fight for the safety of their homes.
Terence nodded. "Yes, we are."
Just as the miner was about to order the Guard to move out, a lone rider galloped through the gates into Dominus. The man was wounded, an arrow in his back. He was obviously dying.
Terence and Marcus ran over to the gathering that had formed around the man after he had fallen from his horse. "Get back! Give him room!" Marcus shouted.
"Where did you come from, good sir? What happened?" Marcus asked. The dying man slowly turned his head to look at Terence's friend. His breathing was fast and shallow. Blood still poured from the arrow wound, and the broken shaft of the projectile stuck out, a nauseating sight.
The rider sputtered and coughed. "Ken...rick. Castle...Gener...so."
The pair's eyes widened. "Kenrick has taken the stronghold!" The Guard gasped, and some cried out in pain and anger, thinking they were defeated. All was lost.
They buried the lone rider at a very quiet, honorable spot in the Dominus Graveyard. The citizens had tried their best to make him comfortable in the end, for by bringing them the news of Kenrick's ascent to the throne he had become not only a hero but one of their neighbors.
Terence greeted the line of mourners as it marched back towards the village. "I know it sounds as if all is lost, but we must not give up! We have come so far, so we must see this through!"
The tavernkeeper, Bill, spoke up. "You tried your best, Terence. We all think this, but we just weren't fast enough. How are we going to take on Kenrick's forces when he has Generso?"
"It's not too late!" Terence shouted. "If we move quickly, we just might make it to Generso before the bulk of Kenrick's forces arrive. All we have to do is take out the leader! You saw this when Kenrick came to Dominus."
The miner's words were definitely having an effect. The crowd was stirring, regaining its spirit. The women were especially vocal.
"I'm not going to stand by while a manure hauler is on the throne!"
"It's our duty as citizens of Dominus! We fight or we die!"
"I really want to use this sword! Come on, people!"
Bill looked at his wife, for she was the one who had shouted this last line. The tavernkeeper shrugged. "It's decided then. We fight."
A great cheer went out of Dominus that day. Some say that it caused Kenrick to quake when its echoes reached Castle Generso, and those people would be correct.
It was early in the morning when Terence kissed his wife good-bye and hugged his sons. "Make sure your mother doesn't come after me!" Terence joked. He wasn't really worried that Macala would do such a thing, and when tears came to the woman's eyes Terence went back and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his shoulder, and he whispered calming words in her ear. She looked up at him. "Just come back. Make sure you come back..." Terence stared first at her, then at his two sons, and then back into his wife's eyes. "I promise that you will see me again. I will come back to you."
He met up with Marcus on his way to the gate. "Do you really think we can do this?" The trader asked. Terence looked at his friend and nodded. "I do. I know we can." Marcus was quiet then, thinking. No doubt he was running various scenarios through his mind, but Terence wasn't focused on that stuff. He knew that the people of Dominus had inner strength that Kenrick and his men did not, and this gave them a huge advantage in Terence's mind.
200 people were assembled at the gate. 140 were armed with the best equipment rubies could provide, and these people were members of the Guard. 60 older men, former woodcutters and quarry men, had gathered old tools and some leather armor, and these elders probably shouldn't go along with the Guard to battle Kenrick's men. They weren't going to stand by with the women and children though. Terence really hadn't said anything to this group, but he thought they'd be OK as long as he kept them near the back.
"Move out!" Terence shouted, and the small army marched through the gate and onwards towards Castle Generso on a well-worn trade route. The miner would lead everyone off of this path before a final straight stretch near the fortress. Then, through the woods they would go, and hopefully, if they were quiet and careful, the soldiers of Dominus would have the element of surprise on their side...
**5 hours later**
Castle Generso was a stronghold indeed. High, stone walls rose up in front of the people of Dominus, who were hiding in the woods not 100 yards away from the gate. This defensive feature was even more imposing than the walls, for it had redstone on top. In the distance, the keep stood like a giant, watching them.
Luckily, the army hadn't been heard or spotted. Terence could see a couple of men walking the walls, but they weren't on high alert. He turned to his soldiers. "OK, I want fifty men on each flank. Forty of them will be in the siege tower while ten men will be pushing or pulling it. These soldiers will have mantlets. After you reach the wall, go up the tower and follow the others. The rest of us will take on the gate. That's one-hundred men. We have two iron rams, and each ram will be held by ten men. Each ram-holder will be accompanied by a soldier with a mantlet. The last sixty men," Terence looked at the elderly group. "Will follow behind as fast as they can."
Terence asked if everyone was ready, and they all nodded. "Alright, let's go". Bill the bartender drew in a large breath, and Terence, knowing what was about to happen, slapped his hand over his neighbor's mouth. "No," the miner whispered, "Quietly! We go as quietly as we can, but when we're spotted, raise hell!"
The gathered troops punched their fists into the air, a silent cheer. Then, they began to move forward. The siege towers rumbled forward, and the men holding the iron rams couldn't help grunting every once in a while. Those things were heavy. Both types of siege tools had been expensive as well. Terence only had 10 rubies left. Ironic, he thought. The miner couldn't finish the thought though, for a shout of "Intruders!" snapped him back to reality. His army had been discovered!
Terence raised his famous hammer and shouted, "Charge!"
And then the soldiers began pushing the siege towers and getting the rams to the gates as fast as they could, not caring about how much noise they made. Each and every man and woman was shouting, screaming in defiance of Kenrick's rule.
Looking around, Terence saw arrows appearing on mantlets and in the ground. THUMP-"Ah!" One of the older men had been hit! The miner scolded himself for not thinking to give them protection against bowmen, but he had to focus on keeping alive himself! They were almost at the wall!
The siege towers smashed into the wall, and the first crashes of an iron ram hitting a castle gate sounded. With each successive hit, the people of Dominus let out another cheer! Terence looked over and saw Marcus climbing into and up a siege tower. His people were on the wall, fighting!
"Come on!" The miner shouted, relieving one of the soldiers working a ram. "These gates are almost finished!" BOOM...BOOM...CRASH! The way into the castle grounds was clear!"We're under attack, lord!" cried a soldier that had just burst into the throne room. Kenrick, who was at a window watching the fight, turned and looked at the man. "Oh really," the dark man said sarcastically, "We're under attack? How could I know? Get out, you fool!"
The soldier ran out, and then Kenrick ordered one of the servants to fetch his armor and sword. He wanted to be on the field when the last intruder fell!
*****
Terence couldn't believe how lucky they were! It would seem that even when someone inside Castle Generso had noticed the approaching army the hired swords Kenrick had brought with him hadn't hurried and gotten ready. There was almost no one in the castle grounds, and Terence thought that the regular citizens of the fortress would all be in their homes, whether there was a fight going on or not. Who knows what the dastardly mercenaries would do if they were to catch someone outside, unawares?
The wave of soldiers from Dominus swept over the meager defenses Kenrick had put before them! Marcus and his troops had made clear the wall, and now everyone was moving towards the keep.
Suddenly, the sound of arrows flying through the air fills the street. "Ambush!" someone screamed.
*****
How delightful! Kenrick thought. Dominus is here, trying to stop me.
"Kill them all!" the "king" ordered, swatting the back of one of the bowmen before him. "Quickly now!"
The army that was approaching the street scattered as someone, possibly the tall man with the hammer, yelled, "Scatter!" The attack by Kenrick's men had taken some lives, but the soldiers from Dominus had reacted faster than the king had expected. "Find them," he ordered, "Take no prisoners!"
Being an author myself, i know how hard it can be to write a story.
But you have done an excellent job, and now i really, really, really want to know what happens next.
~Space~
I posted twice to bump the thread, are you accusing me of hacking your account?