Curse of The Seventh Sword: The Gauntlet of Feona (10 page)

“With my life, I will.”  And with those words, the surviving warriors of the two sides clashed one more time.  Davydd and Baximus headed for Sidion but were intercepted by two undertaker class soldiers.  Baximus dispatched of his easily.  Davydd evaded the first downward swipe, his sword ready to block the change in direction to a sideways swipe.  It came as he had expected and he parried it. 
Calm yourself. 
Davydd stopped his backward motion with his right foot landing softly.
Keep your balance.
  He sprung forward a little bit and then danced around a forward thrust by the soldier.  The Angwelethean warrior instantly brought his shield over to his right to protect the expected incoming blow, but Davydd had anticipated that. He swung down low sweeping the soldiers feet off the ground and cutting them at the same time.  As the airborne soldier screamed, Davydd came down with his sword stabbing the soldier through the spine and slamming him to the ground.  The scream was abruptly cut off, followed by deathly silence from the man.  Davydd picked up the soldier’s shield and ran off in the direction of Sidion and Baximus.  Baximus and Sidion continued to attack and counter each other, neither landing any blows nor gaining an advantage for too long.  As Davydd entered the fray, Sidion attempted to catch him with a kick again, but Davydd easily evaded this time.  Sidion twisted his body so that his sword first went in an upward swipe towards Baximus, who dodged, and then into a downward swipe towards Davydd who blocked.  The shield came up next towards Baximus, and he was forced to dodge again.  Sidion jogged away from and around Davydd and launched into a series of thrusting and sideways slashes.  Davydd ducked and weaved around them; similar to the way he had done against Baximus when training. 
Calm yourself. 
Davydd blocked one of Sidion’s sideways slashes with his shield.  Sidion’s sword bounced back and an opening was created.  Davydd launched into his own attacks but Sidion’s experience and battle prowess showed, as he recovered and evaded.  He ducked as Baximus tried to decapitate him from behind and spun away from both Baximus and Davydd.  As he spun he gave up his back to both Davydd and Baximus. 
You showed your back to me. 
Davydd attacked. 

“No
Davydd!”  Baximus screamed as Farok stepped in and took a swing at Davydd’s mid section.  Davydd barely blocked with the shield and was sent careening into the ground.  Sidion had taken the opportunity to survey the battle and realized that his forces were losing, mostly due to the interventions of Matilom, Ergol, Sam and Leo.  He looked over to Farok and Trudor, giving them the signal to retreat. 

“Pull back!  Pull back!”  Trudor yelled as the soldiers began to back off
.  Sidion caught sight of his daughter Vannera, as she ran over to where Davydd had fallen.  Baximus prepared to take advantage of the momentary lapse in concentration, but was stopped by Matilom. 

“Nistam’s already cast his barrier
Baximus.  You know the consequences if you make contact.” Baximus sighed and nodded.

“You should have come back to me daughter.”  Sidion said. 

“But maybe this is for the best.  You are safe where you are.”

“You tried to kill me!!!!!” 
Vannera yelled out, the pain pronounced in her voice.  Sidion wore an expression of anguish on his face.

“Daughter…
  I know what you are thinking, but everything I have done and am doing is for Angweleth.  I’m just happy… you weren’t a casualty the way your mother was.”

He looked at
Davydd. 

“Why do you fight son of
Rikard?”

Davydd
sat up glaring at Sidion.

“Every man deserves a right to live in happiness.  I’ve grown up under your rule and I see
it for what it is.   I fight to stop the end of the world.  An end you seek to bring.”

Sidion shook his head as his soldiers began t
o disappear into a trail of light. 

“You’re wrong boy.  I fight to bring the rebirth of the world.”  And with that, Sidion vanished into a trail of light as well. 

Davydd grimaced in pain

“You’re hurt.” 
Vannera said.

“Me?”
Davydd managed smile. “Right now I’m not… If you let go… well then…”

Vannera laughed.

“How can you joke at a time like this?”

“
People could do with some laughter at a time like this.”  Davydd struggled to his feet, while being helped by Vannera.  He examined her and noticed that she was unhurt. Though her clothes were stained in blood, they weren’t hers. 

“You seem to be fine.  I’m glad.”

“Yes… it’s strange.  The soldiers wouldn’t attack me, even when I attacked them.  They merely defended.”  She paused for a bit.

“It’s almost as if th
ey were ordered not to attack me.  If father wanted me dead, he could have done it now.”

“Maybe you have mistaken your father?” 
Davydd said as he began to walk towards Baximus, Matilom and Ergol. 

“Have I?  I know my fath
er well enough to know he is not without a wicked heart.”

“
Maybe, but it would seem your death is not something he wanted nor was your mother’s.”  It was then Vannera recalled what he had just said.  It hadn’t struck her then but it did now.  
You are safe where you are…I’m just happy… you weren’t a casualty the way your mother was. 
Could the dragol’s attempt to kill her have been an act carried out against her father’s wishes? 

“Where is Segmiatus?” 
Davydd was asking Matilom.

“Where did
Max take him to?” 

“Follow me.”  Matilom said a
s they began to walk through the houses and elevated huts in Wind Haven.  The destruction in the aftermath of the battle was glaringly apparent.  Some houses were riddled with arrows, while others burned as the fires ate away at the wooden structures.  There were bodies strewn everywhere.  A sword had cut some down, while arrows had impaled others.   The soldiers in their wake had cut down men, women and children.  As they walked through the destroyed town, they could hear the cries and wails of the survivors.  Ergol clenched his fist in anger. 

“Matilom… aiding you has cost me dearly…”

Matilom made to speak but was quickly cut off.

“Do not say anything.”  He looked over at
Davydd.

“This is the boy you’ve spoken of for years?  He is hardly ready!”

The group stopped at the bottom of a house that stood on wooden supports and was only accessible by a ladder at the bottom.  As Ergol made to climb, he turned back and looked at Davydd and Matilom. 

“I will help you still.  But in exchange you must promise me that you will fulfill the task at hand and while at it, plunge a sword deep into the heart of that tyrant!!!”  With that said, he began to climb up the
ladder, as the others followed silently.  They got to the top and walked to the inner building through a bridge with high railings on each side. From this vantage point, they could see all of Wind Haven.  It was a breathtaking sight of different shades of brown.  The wooden structures came in different shapes and sizes and heights.  The people of Wind Haven were excellent wood crafters and there was no more apparent example of their ingenuity than in their town itself.  As they walked in to the room, Davydd caught sight of Segmiatus laying on a bed, with Max watching over him.  Davydd ran over to his side and was about to speak but Max motioned for him to be quiet.

“He’s asleep and it’s best to leave him be.” 
Max said in a tone barely louder than a whisper. 

He read
Davydd’s expression and offered a reassuring smile. 

“He will pull through.  He was very lucky to not have suffered a deeper cut.  I suggest leaving him behind as we continue on our journey.  We don’t know when we might be attacked again
and he won’t be ready for a fight in a number of days.  I’m sorry Davydd.”

Leo tapped
Davydd’s shoulder.

“We do what we must.”

Davydd nodded somberly.  “How long will he be like this?”

“I cannot say with certainty.” 
Max replied.  “Only he can determine this.  He lost a lot of blood.  I cleaned and dressed the wound so he should be safe from infection.  But it needs time to heal.”

“So there is…”

“Davydd…”  Matilom stepped in front of him.  “Max has a point.  If we take him along with us like this, then there’s every chance that he will die in the journey.  You must think about that.”

Davydd closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I am thinking about it… but you are only thinking about this quest.”

“The quest is bigger than any one man!”

“That… man is the reason why you still have your
key stone
in this quest!!!  That key stone happens to be me.”  Davydd looked around at everyone.  “All this time, since the beginning of this… this madness, I have had to go through shock after shock and in only a matter of days my life has very nearly been snatched from me on a number of occasions.”  He turned to look at Ergol.  “I am sorry about those you have lost today, but I am not a tool for the victory of mankind.  If I really am the rightful heir to the throne of Angweleth, these are my people too.”  He turned to look at Segmiatus.  “And so is he.  I will not leave him behind.  I have always longed to change things and bring happiness to the people around me.  You don’t have to push me to do it.  I will… with or without your help.  He comes with us.”  Davydd walked up to Ergol and stared directly into the town leader’s eyes.  “And if you too should get a chance, then plunge a sword into the hearts of any that would try to take away your freedom.”  With that, he began to walk away towards the ladder.  Baximus followed him and climbed down after him. 

“
Davydd…”

“Was Ovar Tardust also a lie?”

“Yes it was.  But it was a necessary one.  My name is Baximus Bastien.”

“Who was Ovar Tardust?”

“He was a young soldier under my command during the great war.  Taking his name, moving to Gor, it was all in order to protect you.”

“I want you to train me.” 

“I already am son…”

“No.  I want you to t
rain me as you would any other soldier.  Train both Segmiatus and myself.  I never want to see those I hold dearly to heart get hurt on my account again.”

Baximus sighed and nodded.

“Alright” He finally said.  “I only hope you are truly ready for this.”

“I am Father… I am.”

The king of Angweleth pushed on the wall located at the north wing of the Castle of Alvo.  The wall became two enormous doors enamored with stained glass and metal decorations that reflected the moonlight in glistening brilliance.  They swung open, creaking as they did. Sidion Vror entered a huge room whose walls were lined with bookshelves as tall as four gigantic men on the magnitude of Ivan the terrible, standing on top of each other.  The room was circular in shape and its walls shot up far above the floor of the room, with the walls angling inwards in a cone like shape, but leaving a smaller circular skylight at the top, which allowed a wash of light to fall straight down unto the large oval table that sat right in the center of the room.  The room was designed to illuminate the table by sun or moonlight, while leaving everything else bathed in relative darkness.  Sidion approached the table at the head of the oval table, drew back his chair, and sat down.  There were eight chairs in total with two at the head and end, and three riding around the bulge of the oval shape on either side.  Six hooded figures were seated on the chairs on the side while Sidion sat at the head and Trudor sat at the end. 

“It seems as though you have run into unexpected pro
blems Sidion.”  One of the hooded figures leaned forward a bit and turned its head in Sidion’s direction.  The wash of moonlight caught its face, revealing scaly skin, thin pupils and an orange colored cornea.  The scales on the skin and the flesh beneath them were a grayish asparagus color.  The creature opened its mouth to speak again.  It had a masculine voice.  “You’ve been away for a few days.”  It continued. 

“I wa
s handling pressing affairs.” 

“What affa
irs?”  The question was asked by a different figure.  The voice was feminine.

“They do not concern you.
  Have you made progress with the other kingdoms?”

“Sidion” called out the first voice.  “Remember your place well.  Remember what could happen to your p
eople if you begin to make… callous decisions.”

“I am well aware
of this…”

“Then you will tell us what we need to know.”  A third whispery voice spoke up.  Sidion chuckled a bit and then burst out into laughter.  He leaned back in his chair and placed his
left hand on his belly as he did so. 

“Have you gone mad from your trip?”  The very first dragol who had spoken said in a slightly raised voice.  Sidion suddenly stopped and glared at him.

“Why are you so interested in this trip of mine?  It is my kingdom to travel in as I wish is it not?”

“Sidion…”

“King Sidion!”  He yelled harshly.  “You speak of consequences.  Remember that your plan is made that much more perilous without my aid.  After all, the length of your presence in my realm is still very brief. You threaten every soul in my kingdom with death, and yet the two souls that mean the most to me… are no more.”  Sidion got up from his chair and walked slowly and deliberately around the table.  The room was dead silent except for the tap of his footsteps on the ground.  He made his way around the oval table and stopped at the chair of the first dragol who had spoken.  Sidion leaned in and rested on the table so that his head was at about the same height as the sitting creature.  He looked around the table at everyone.

“
Do you really think I have that much to lose?”  He finally said.

“Your hatred for the gods is all encompassing.  One decimated kingdom would never satiate it.  I promised you vengeance upon them.  You promised me dominion
over the new beginning.  I will have what is mine and you what is yours, but do not think me a pawn, or else we will have neither… but…”  Sidion glared with a stern face at the dragol he had leaned next to.

“I’ll still be king!”  He finally yelled.  He loo
ked at Trudor and motioned to him.  They both began walking out of the room.

“I’ll find the relic you crave so much.  Left behind by of all people, a man you hate, a man who killed three of your siblings.”  Sidion turned around at the door to face the six
hooded dragol who sat still at the table.

“Tell your Omni Principal that he has nothing to worry about.”

“We will be sure to…Sidion.  Though I doubt that there is nothing to worry about, considering that the
relic
King Rikard left behind is still out there.  Do not fail human.  If you do, death to you and your people will be the least of your concerns.”  The dragols stood up.

“I will let you know when we have made considerable progress with the other kingdoms.” 
The first dragol to speak said with an air of finality.

And with that, they vanished instantly.

“Come Trudor.  We have some work to do.”  Sidion pushed through the huge doors and stepped out of the room, walking briskly as Trudor kept pace behind him.

“Your
highness was it wise to provoke them so?”  Trudor asked.

“Sometimes, brash moves need to be taken as well.”

“Your highness you withheld the truth about Rikard Miljorn’s heir.  They could be of use in ridding yourself of that threat.”

“They would also rid this world of
my daughter along with him.  They already tried once.  I will not set them upon her again.”  King Sidion stopped and slammed his hand on the side of one of the cylindrical columns that lined the bridge way leading to the north wing of the palace.

“
Foolish girl!  She should have known her place.”  He breathed in deeply and briefly closed his eyes as he recollected himself.  “Right now Trudor, the safest place for her to be, is with him.”

“Your highness…”  Trudor trailed off. 

“What is it?”  Sidion asked.

“
Well… you say it as though you believe that the boy’s silly quest will succeed.”

Sidion turned and stared at Trudor briefly.  His gaze shifted towards the expanse of buildings that fell away with the receding slope, beyond the compound of his castle.  The
moonlight had turned a black night bluish. 

“Let us focus on what must be done.  Trudor
give Nistam instructions to speak to
him
about the gauntlet.  Find out if he knows anything and listen well for what you might hear.  I need to make preparations in turn.  Report back to me all you find discover.”

“Your highness”
Trudor bowed respectfully, and walked off briskly, leaving King Sidion to his thoughts.

Six portals opened and through them, raced six winged figures, soaring in the night sky, which had a purplish hue and cast a light of similar color on the land below.  The land was carved up into large and deep crevices such that whole men could fall in between them to their deaths.  But men were not the beings that existed in this realm.  Yellow flames welled up from the crevices licking the surface of the terrain and charring it black.  Spiked crystalline tree like structures with thorns instead of leaves could be seen scattered across the land below.  They sparkled in the purplish hue that draped the entire environment.  Voices could be heard from the crevices and activity seen.  The six dragol flapped their wings occasionally and soared along through the night sky. 

“Why didn’t you rip his spine out Balek?” 
The dragol with the feminine voice asked.  “A mere human should never be allowed to speak to us that way!”

“Calm yourself
Viritania.  We still need Sidion and his loyal dogs.  Omni has made it clear we are not to kill him.  His personal greed for power will keep him under our control.”

“I believe he knows we are responsible for his daughter’s death.”

“His daughter is not dead, though he does know that we attacked her, the same as he knows we brought his wife to her end.  They left us no choice.  Human females are even more unpredictable than their male counterparts.”

“She’s not dead?”

“When he leaned next to me, I caught the scent of her life energy.  He was drenched in it.  No corpse could give off such a scent.  However, that is the least of my concerns.” 

The six dragol banked left in their flight and approached a massive structure in the distance.  It seemed as though the terrain had collected upon itself and built up into this enormous wide and ta
ll tower that reached into the clouds above.  The features were very similar to the rest of the terrain, with glowing flickering lights from flames burning within the structure.  All around it were flat rectangular protrusions, which jutted out underneath large rectangular openings.  Other circular openings released plumes of smoke into the air constantly.  The six dragol pulled in their wings and dropped altitude, extending them again and flapping to land softly on one of the rectangular protrusions. 

“Wh
at are you talking about Balek?”  Viritania asked, as she along with the other dragol retracted their wings into their back.  The wings became stub protrusions on each shoulder.  Their tails swayed slowly back and forth as they walked towards the open rectangular window. 

“The gauntlet of Feona is not the only relic
Rikard Miljorn left behind…  For unless he lives, the other life energy I sensed off of Sidion Vror was of Miljorn origin.”

“Then we must hurry to Omni.”  One of the other dragol said as he
walked faster ahead of Balek and Viritania. “No wonder he was not forth coming about his whereabouts.  His daughter is with a Miljorn descendant.”

They stepped inside the structure and made their way past other dragol patrolling the interior structure, standing guard, or engaged in other activities. 
The interior of the largely cylindrical structure was divided into different levels with ringed platforms defining each level.  These platforms started from the edge of the interior wall all the way to close to the center before stopping.  Therefore, there was a hole in the center of the structure created by the ringed platforms aligned on top of each other.   At the very center of the structure, was a massive metallic sphere with many shifting plates and pieces representing the land masses of Terrianus.  A number of dragol walked around the sphere, monitoring it and then manipulating machinery that inscribed letters in a language unknown to any human, unto steel slabs. These slabs were then carried off by other dragol.  The six dragol made their way through co-joined rooms that led to other rooms through open doorways with no doors hinged to the walls.  The last room opened up to a large set of steps that led to an open roof area.  When the dragol got to the top, there was one more awaiting them.  He was a bit larger than the other six and stood with his bat like wings – they all had bat like wings – extended as he watched the terrain extend away from the building.  “You’ve come back.”  The large dragol turned around.  As he did, the other dragol bowed and dropped to a single knee. 

“So, what progress have you made?”

“Our seeds are slowly getting closer to their targets.  Once they have come within striking distance, they will not fail and the humans will watch as their world collapses around them.”

“What about Sidion?  Has he come any closer to locating the gauntlet of Feona?”

The six knelt silently for a while, not speaking.  The larger dragol stepped forward a step or two.

“Do you not here me speak
?!”

“He is searching as we speak… Omni…”  Balek said finally.

“Are the words you utter lies or truth.”

“They are nothing but the truth.”

“Then why do you hesitate?”

“Sidion… I believe he’s trying to keep a secret from us.  I picked up life energy from hi
m during the meeting.  It was Miljorn life energy.”

“What? Can you be sure?”

“I fought alongside you Omni, when three of our siblings were killed.  I’ll never forget that life energy.”

“Omni” Said Viritania “Do we place a seed on him as well?”

The dragol put his hands behind his back and paced back and forth for a bit in deep thought.  Finally he came to a stop in front of the other six dragol.

“No.  There would not be enough time.  Besides, those who have surrounded him will surely see through that.   Balek can you trace his life energy?”

“Yes.”

“Then I shall unleas
h you upon them.  You have half a moon in the human world.  Take whomever you need.”

Balek smiled menacingly.

“The blenders will do just fine.”

The sword raced across the air in a sideways swoop.  Its blade glistened reflecting the sun rays that struck its smooth surface back skywards.  In that instant, it looked like a blade of light sweeping gracefully through.  Strands of brown hair were sliced off as the sword continued on its arching sweep.  Davydd took a quick step back, finding his balance and blocking the follow up sideways slash of Baximus Bastien.  Baximus stepped back and evaded Davydd’s counter sideway strike by stepping to his left while parrying Davydd’s sword blow with his sword.   He then shifted his weight towards Davydd, swinging his sword downwards in a fast and hard motion.  Again, Davydd stopped the attack with his sword and pushed back up on Baximus’s sword, while sweeping his right foot to take Baximus’s feet from under him.  Baximus jumped to evade the tackle, but was caught in the mid-section by Davydd, who had pivoted on the right foot and slammed his left foot like a sledge hammer into Baximus.  Davydd’s back hit the floor and almost instantly he shot up from it and sprang to his feet, evading another head decapitating blow by arching backwards.  He and Baximus clashed swords repeatedly, blocking and weaving and countering attacks.  Davydd launched into a series of thrusting lunges at Baximus, who managed to slam down his sword on Davydd’s, thus breaking one of the thrusting attacks.  He then twisted Davydd’s right arm clockwise, forcing Davydd to pivot around.  Baximus then locked Davydd’s arm behind his back in a vice like grip, and rested his sword right below Davydd’s jaw.