Dragons Descended Upon the Wicked (10 page)

Phillip tried to walk over to his friend but he could not so much as get a foot closer to Thomas without being yanked back by the chains on his handcuffs.

“Thomas, wake up,” said Phillip once again.

Thomas slowly awoke to the unsavory sights around him. He began to panic and breathe heavily as he was experiencing some state of shock or terror.

“Hey, look at me,” said Philip. “It’s me. Phillip. We’re okay. We’re alive.”

“Where...where are we?” asked Thomas.

“I don’t know for sure,” said Phillip. “Some sort of prison. I just don’t know which one.”

Drips of water came from the rocky ceiling. A few torches lit up the long hall that was stretched long and far. The rustling of people was more than Phillip was used to hearing when he was in the cells in Vincot. He imagined there were at least two people in each cell for hundreds of cells. He could make educated guesses of where he and Thomas ended up; he would just rather not imagine it being so.

They sat in the cell for hours. They did not know how long they sat there. It could have been a few hours, it could have been days. There was no concept of time in a cell like that. There were no windows and, oddly enough, there were no guards. No one walked along the halls; there was not even that. He was used to that in the arena but here, there was nothing. It was completely different, but looked similar at the same time.

Phillip used to count in his head how long it took for the guards to do their rounds. There was nothing, only the yelling and crying from cells around them. They did not even hear a normal conversation being spoken. It was an odd place, a disturbing place, and an ominous place.

After a long while the two were finally greeted by someone. It was the last person either of them ever wanted to see. But when they saw him they knew at last where they were.

“It’s nice to meet this close,” said Vicon.

Phillip and Thomas remained silent. They looked out at the hooded man. The dark shadow created by the hood that covered his face was blacker than night. All they did was look at the blackness.

“I’m sorry for this inconvenience,” said Vicon. “I had no problem with your party making their way to Terrel. I had not sent anyone to go and kill the king’s men.”

He burst out in a sinister laugh, as if he was psychotic.

“See, I want the king’s men to suffer,” said Vicon. “I would have killed them a long time ago if I wanted that to happen to them. The first step to suffering is to give them hope. I never ordered those men to go and kill them or kidnap them...whatever it was those men were trying to do. They have been punished, and rightfully so. But now I have to deal with you two. The friends of the king’s men.”

“Do what you will, we won’t talk,” said Thomas.

Vicon laughed mercilessly once again.

“I don’t need you to talk,” said Vicon. “I have eyes and ears everywhere. I know that your people plan to recruit Terrel for an army that will attack mine one day. When that day comes I would already know the time you’d wish to strike down to the last second. I have countless supreme Reza and you have about four. There will be no battle, just suffering.”

Thomas and Phillip remained silent.

“I plan for you two to fight in one glorious battle in front of the glorious crowds of the Genold City Arena,” said Vicon. “A fight to the death between two friends. The one left standing has won his life.”

“We will not fight each other,” said Phillip. “I’d rather slit my throat in front of you and the crowds of the arena before that would happen.”

“I would do the same,” said Thomas.

“Oh, how bold of you two,” said Vicon. “I suspected you would have too much pride. In a few days I am just going to have you fight off beasts and hordes of slaves who will kill for their lives. It will be entertaining. I don’t make my way out to the arena that often. But, for you two, I will gladly make an appearance.”

Vicon laughed as he turned and walked down the dark hallway. His laugh bounced and echoed off of the wall. It was sharp and terrifying to hear.

Thomas and Phillip looked at one another with despair.

“Kill a few of his beasts before we leave this life then?” asked Phillip.

“I suppose so,” said Thomas. “I’m young, I don’t want to die. But this life is cruel, and people younger than me have died. I’ll fight until my last breath out there. I’ll fight once more for my king and my country.”

“And I will do the same,” said Phillip. He smirked just a bit before letting his face fade back into the emptiness. His face expressed his emptiness in that moment.

***

“Esork!” yelled Nick. “Esork! Esork!” Nick stood at the top of a large hill. He looked at the horizon and the skyline for any movement. Esork was nowhere to be found.

When I need you the most, you simply don’t show up
, Nick thought as he looked all around the sky.

Ron and Jeffrey had also tried to summon their dragons, but they all soon learned that it did not work that way. The dragons would do as they wished. They would make their way back to their dragon born when they felt the need. The king’s men had interrogated the three that worked for the six and found that the most likely place the men in cloaks had taken Thomas and Phillip was the Genold City Arena. That’s where all captives or those who went against the law were thrown in. The three suggested that Vicon did not think of their party highly and that they would all suffer the same fate as normal civilians: a fight in the arena. Nick knew the only way he could help his friends was on the back of Esork. There was dwindling hope around camp for Phillip and Thomas.

The camp continued to march forward on their trek. They were now on their last day, the fifteenth day. They looked ahead just a few short miles at the grand city of Terrel. Although many struggled, everyone was still alive and relatively healthy. After a few final hours of the grueling trek the thousands who marched with the king’s men finally made it to Terrel. Through relentless weather and the odds stacked against them, hope was a foreseeable thing. The king’s men and the Tarrax brothers lead the thousands and were the first to stand at the closed steel gates before them. At the top of the balcony a familiar face had shown itself; it was Lord Senvot.

“Glad to see you all made it here alive,” said Lord Senvot.

“Glad to see you again,” said Andrew.

“Where is Thomas?” asked Lord Senvot.

“He has been taken by our enemy,” said Nick.

“Taken?” asked Lord Senvot. “How could that possibly happen?”

“They took him and another friend by dragon while we dealt with another situation in camp,” said Nick.

“Funny you should mention dragons,” said Lord Senvot. “Where is yours? The one you said would protect my city in exchange for my hospitality?”

“The dragon has a mind of its own,” said Andrew. “If it’s hungry or if it wants to fly freely it can do so.”

“You said you could command the dragon,” said Lord Senvot. “So why should I let all of these people into my city if you aren’t even sure if the dragon’s mind would care to protect us?”

“You’ve seen what can happen when I say a few words to my dragon,” said Nick. “My dragon comes and goes as he pleases, but when I need him most he will show up.”

I can only hope that is true
, thought Nick.

“So I shall let you all in based upon your word?” asked Lord Senvot.

“Remember what Thomas told you before,” said Andrew. “They have three dragons and you have none. Your city is another landmark to conquer on their to do list.”

“By my great kindness...I open my doors to you,” said Lord Senvot. “Head south on Telvat Street. It will take you straight to your camp grounds. I will meet you there soon. Raise the gates!”

Nick looked at Jeffrey.

“That was a close one,” said Jeffrey. “He is oh so kind.”

Nick shrugged his shoulders and waved his hands to signal the people to come into the city. Snow had started to fall from the sky. Dark clouds were forming overhead. They had arrived at the perfect time. A nasty and almighty storm was brewing in the heavens.

The people made their way north through Terrel City. It was as clean and calm as Nick remembered. The thousands of people walking through the streets made the citizens stop what they were doing and look upon them. They looked from the second story windows, from the sides of the street, from the balconies, from anywhere they stood. The citizens of Terrel froze in time and simply looked at the people of Hentrio. The two civilizations had never met one another. They only knew of the negative and oftentimes gruesome tales of their past.

The king’s men lead the thousands with a few mile trek through the massive city to their new camp. There were several dozen cabins that were already built and deserted, meant to share with each other. The people took what they could; they were not picky. They were thankful to have a roof over their heads.

The thousands did not all fit comfortably in what was already provided, so they planned on constructing a few tents on the flat land that were large enough for fire and a fair amount of people. They were near the north east portion of the city. The wall that surrounded the city was only a few hundred feet away from them. It was unlike anything the people of Hentrio had seen before; it made a joke out of the walls they had made for their cities. It towered over the city, as if it were a mile high.

“We must construct a plan to get Phillip and Thomas,” said Nick as he faced the rest of the king’s men.

“You’re not thinking clearly,” said Tyler. “Unless one of your dragons show up there is no plan. There is no way to get back to Genold City in a timely manner, let alone Hentrio.”

Nick was extremely frustrated. He wanted to yell at all of them at the top of his lungs but he held it in. He knew that Tyler was right. He knew that there was no possible way for there to be a rescue mission. He knew his friends were on their own in a hellish place.

***

No food and no water. It felt like days had gone by, possibly a week. Water continued to drip from the ceiling. It was as if the water was mocking Phillip and Thomas. The water dripped a mere ten feet from their cell while they were dehydrated and beyond thirsty. Each wasted drop of water that hit the rocky floor was a stab in the heart. Their chapped, cracked, and burning lips ached for just one tiny drop of water. Their bellies growled at them. The hunger was bearable, unlike the constant longing for water. They were sleep deprived; the most sleep they had gotten was only a few minutes.

“Even in the arena we were allowed to get out of our cells,” said Phillip. “They actually fed us. I never realized how good we had it back then.”

Phillip laughed just a little bit and so did Thomas.

“I doubt I’ll have much energy to fight when he throws us out there,” said Thomas.

“Me neither,” said Phillip. “But that’s just what he wants. He wants us to suffer. Then he wants us to suffer more in front of everyone.”

“What do you know about suffering?” asked a man from the cell across from them. They could not see a man in the dark shadows of the cell. “The mad men ripped my family from me,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re dead...if they’re alive...if they’re alive and suffering as I am...I just don’t know. They took everything from me a while ago. I don’t know how long I’ve been in here. Listening to these mad men cry around me. Waiting for their time to die. They took a rod with the letter, ”G” and they stamped it on my forehead. Just for fun, the mad man decided to brand me twenty more times...I counted. All of this because I refused to let them brand me and my family. Then they killed my good friend in front of me. I don’t even know how the mad men knew I was good friends with him. They’ve shown me toes. I don’t know whose they are. I just want it to stop...I want the voices to stop...the thirst to stop...the hunger to stop...my body is eating itself, can’t you see?”

“The mad men will get what’s coming to them in time,” said Thomas. “I know it as a fact. It doesn’t matter if they kill me or my friend here. It doesn’t matter if they kill you too. Nothing will stop the force that is coming for them. Nothing can stop it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said the man. “It’s all a game to the mad men. They created the game. They can’t lose. They take everything from you. They let you sit in the dark and think about it all...until...until you just can’t take it anymore!”

Silence. It was all too familiar and ever so eerie. The man in the cell had gone back to being silent. Cries and pleading from men and women could be heard echoing down the hall. The silence came in spurts now; the cries for help was the only thing that would disrupt it.

Hours passed and Thomas began scratching the floor beneath him with his fingernails, trying to spell out the word:
persevere
. He did it out of nervousness, anxiety, and boredom.

“What is it that you’re writing there?” asked Phillip.

“It’s the word persevere; can’t you read?”

Phillip laughed and said, “No, I was never fortunate enough to be taught. But that is a good word. A much wiser man than myself used to tell me that perseverance through hardships is what creates a solid character. Your character is like a foundation for a building, he would say; without it there is nothing to build upon.”

“You are quite the wise man yourself,” said Thomas. “Even if you can’t read, it doesn’t matter. I’ve come to learn that formal education only gets you so far. I went to schooling as a young boy. It doesn’t help you make life decisions or win a battle by sword.”

“I’m not wise; wise men don’t make terrible choices,” said Phillip.

“How did you end up in the arena with Nick?” asked Thomas.

“My wife, my little boy, and baby girl were murdered,” said Phillip. “It took me a few weeks to find the men responsible. When I did I made them pay by cut...drop after drop of blood...” Phillip zoned out for a moment, staring at the wall.

“I’m sorry that happened; that is unfathomably terrible,” said Thomas.

“The men responsible didn’t suffer enough,” said Phillip. “When I was arrested by the Refect I understood my fate. I was to die in the arena. For some odd reason I kept fighting. When I was ready to die, something in me kept fighting, I didn’t know the reason behind that. Thomas, I had everything I had ever loved in this world stripped away from me. When I met Nick he reminded me of my son. Nick gave hope to what I had believed to be a hopeless man. Nick kept me going, and I kept him going. When he released me from the arena and asked for my help, everything made sense. I finally understood why I kept fighting. I had the opportunity to do something good for the world I lived in, I had an opportunity to help innocent lives that were being destroyed. Everything falls in place as it should. Do you see what I am saying here?”