FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (84 page)

     “
Old
_ it is of this and also
collapsed
, are you
kidding
me
!?
Passageway _ of this was how the assassin gained entry, so obviously it is
not
collapsed, you idiot
!
” expressed Ray in agitated rage.

     “What
?
You mean she came through here
?
Who would have thought
?
” said the incompetent minvian in disbelief.

     Ray shook his own head in disbelief of Minvian Beufall’s incompetence.    

     “Guards _ how many of them did you post at the exit of this secret passageway
?
” he asked.

     “Guards
?
Well, umm… none
!
The exit is well hidden. There was no need to umm… umm… post guards,” answered Minvian Beufall guiltily as the truth finally dawned on him.

     Ray was silent. He was too enraged to say anything.

     “People _ who else of them knew about this passageway
?
” asked Clover, taking over from Ray, who was clearly so disgusted and infuriated that the only thing he could do was to keep silent, lest he casts a Heat Burst at Minvian Beufall.

     “All the guards here, I guess. Maybe the butler and the head chef. But they only knew it existed. They have never been in it,” answered Minvian Beufall.

     “Anyone _ does any else of them know
?
Ask _ has anyone done of this about this passageway
?
” interrogated Clover further.

     “No, no, I do not think so. Though Verbena seemed to find it amusing that such a small castle has an escape passageway,” muttered the minvian, his eyes stared blank momentarily, as if he was in another world.

     “Verbena
?
Royal Secretary Verbena Romar _ of her is whom you mean
?
” said Clover seeking clarification.

     “Royal… yes, Bena, such a lovely girl. Fair, smooth skin. Gentle natured. Such grace and poise. And when she smiles, you know, aaah… when she smiles,” mumbled Minvian Beufall in a daydream state.

    
Pow!
  Minvian Beufall stumbled to the ground, courtesy of Ray’s right fist.

     “Discuss _ you did of this of military secrets to unauthorised people
!?
” accused Ray, furious as ever.

     “Well, no… umm…. I mean, it is just a little secret. I was just trying to impress her when we went out for dinner together. I umm… am not very good with the ladies, so I thought… if I could just say something smart, you know… I mean, come on, normally women do not even look at me, but she… she is special,” confessed Minvian Beufall.

     “Arrest _ do of this to the minvian and keep him in the dungeon for further interrogation,” ordered Ray.

     Several Sollenthars grabbed Minvian Beufall by the arm.

     “What
?
No
!
I did nothing wrong, I think. Why am I being arrested
?
” protested Minvian Beufall in disbelief.

     “Charges _ of these are as follows, one, divulging military secrets to unauthorized personnel; two, criminal negligence during discharge of duties; and finally, three, failure to report breach of operational security,” listed Clover.

     “No
!
I mean, come on. This is ridiculous,” cried out Minvian Beufall as he was being led away.

     Ray punched the wall and shook his head. He just could not belief the level of stupidity that he had just encountered. Clover was a little more understanding, though. Minvian Beufall was a son of a rich merchant who donated generously to the government, and the king saw it fit to reward the minvian’s father by giving the minvian a high rank in the Royal Guards.

     “Think _ do you of this that Royal Secretary Romar is the traitor
?
” asked Clover.

     “Possibility _ there is of this. Position _ she is certainly in of this to access the prince’s travel itinerary. Object _ the cloth-wrapped of this must have been a book that contained the prince’s travel itinerary and other important secrets, which she could have secretly compiled over many months. Deliver _ but there was no way she could have done of this of the book. Found _ the sentries would have done of this of the book if she were to have left the palace with it, for they would have searched her thoroughly. Shadow Deathmerchant Clan _ so it was up to of them to sneak into the palace and smuggle it out. Demon _ but how does of it, that Lord Deathclaw character, ties into the equation
?
” said Ray.

     “Party _ there must be another of him involved, someone or some group that we are not yet aware of,” reasoned Clover.

     Both Ray and Clover stood silent for a while in quiet contemplation. They both began to realise that the conspiracy to assassinate Prince Patrum was far more complex than what they had originally thought.

     “Proceed _ we must do of this carefully, for she has the confidence of Prince Patrum and Prime Minister Trex, and there is no direct indication or proof of her treachery so far. Despatch _ I shall send of this to Serene with a message for her and 4
th
and 5
th
Rivers to meet us here. Follow _ I shall instruct Serene and 5
th
River to do of this to the royal secretary from now on and they are to record all her movements and activities, in particular, her activities outside of working hours. Ensure _ I shall remind her to do of this that her subordinates are properly disguised so as to blend in with the background and not to arouse Secretary Romar’s suspicion. Interrogate _ meanwhile, I would like for you to assist me in doing of this to the female assassin when she has recovered enough,” concluded Ray.

     “Understand _ I do of this, master,” acknowledged Clover.

     Ray steps into the chamber once again to re-examine the carnage. His eyes fall on the bodies of the two Sollenthars that Dawn had killed. His heart fills with a mixture of sadness and rage. Crimson liquid stains the blue velvet carpet that he is standing on, the very crimson liquid that had once been the life of two sons, two husbands, two fathers and two loyal comrades in arms. Ray sheds a tear for them, in his heart.

ACCUSATIONS AND CHARGES

     Is this what death feels like
?
There is not a single sight, sound, smell, taste or touch; it is a void
!
Or is it really
?
But there is thought and there is awareness, for I think and I am aware. Is this how I am to stay forever
?

     I remember the sensations, the sight of beauty, the sound of music, the smell of freshness and perfume, the tastes of sweetness and saltiness. I remember the touch of heat and coldness. I remember my childhood and the friends that I had. I remember the mischief that we would get up to in school. I remember it all
!
They play in my mind like a puppy running on a grassy field.

     But ugliness takes over my vision now. The horrible cries of pain and anguish, the smell of rotting corpses on blood-soaked battlefields, the tastes of sourness and bitterness and the sharp pain of blows and cuts, they take over my vision now. I remember the sea of red that is the blood of my comrades and enemies alike. This sickening colour of red
!

     This void, this place that I am in; shall this be my heaven, or shall this be my hell
?
Who decides
?
What decides
?
How does one decide
?
When does one decide
?
Why should one decide
?
But why should one
not
decide
?
Can I let go of who I am, the part of me that is ugly and monstrous; so that I may earn my peace of mind
?
But will I still be me if I do so
?
Who am I
?
Who
am I
?
My memory begins to fade. The beauty and the ugly, both equally fading away. I am forgetting
…
Should I let myself forget, or should I not
?
  But wait, it is slowly coming back again. A sound… It is a sound… yes, the sound of a name… It is a name… It is my name… My name… My name… is…

THORN SAYVION.

     Minvian Thorn Sayvion woke up with a start. Sharp pains in his chest made him cry out in muffled agony. But after a while, the plain colour of white greeted his eyes. The sound of birds chirping gladdened his heart. The fresh smell of flowers lifted his spirit. A slight smile cut across his face as he realised one important fact, that he was still alive
!
But where was he
?
He looked around. His eyes fell upon the emblem on top of the door frame. It was the symbol of the ‘dove and waterfalls’ design of the Kingdom of Free Falls. He was home
!

     A female healer entered the room and sat herself down beside Thorn’s bed. He wanted to talk to her, but she pressed her finger against her lips; asking...,
no
, instructing him to be silent
!
She put the palm of her hand on his forehead, nodded her head in satisfaction and then proceeded to change the bandage on his right forearm. He could see a long deep gash when the bandage was removed. He grimaced a little when the woman applied some dark bluish liquid to the wound. Then she wrapped a new roll of bandage over the wound. Without saying a single word, she got up and left the room.

     A minvian-ranked Provincial Guard entered the room. He walked up to Thorn and smiled kindly.

     “Name and rank, soldier
!?
” he demanded.

     “Minvian Thorn Sayvion, 1
st
Pond, One, 3
rd
Ocean,” replied Thorn.

     “I am Minvian Cluster Prodence, commander of 2
nd
Pond, Three, 3
rd
Ocean. How is it, Minvian Sayvion, that you ended up being here
?
” asked the Provincial Guard.

     “I was taken prisoner during the Serpentian raid many months ago. I escaped and made my way back to the border. The last thing that I remember was that I falling into an icy cold river. Where... where is this place
?
” said Thorn.

     “You are in Garrison Crystalflow, minvian. This is our infirmary. Several days ago, some of the villagers who lived on the outskirts of town found you washed up by the riverbank. They brought you here. 1
st
Pond, 1
st
Lake, you said
?
Fort Eastguard
?
” said Minvian Prodence.

     “Affirmative, minvian,” replied Thorn.

     ‘I shall be sending a despatch to ocean headquarters. They should be sending someone to debrief you in a few days time. Meanwhile, you just try to relax. Our healer is well experienced in the art of healing. And you are free to leave the infirmary when she judges that you are fit, but you
are not
to leave the garrison. The exevian will arrange quarters for you. Our western parapets have a good view of Crystalflow. Minvian, welcome home,” explained Minvian Prodence.

     “Thank you, I am glad to be home,” expressed Thorn.

     Minvian Prodence left the infirmary. Thorn got up from his bed and went to look out the nearest window. The familiar sight of soldiers marching, training and busy moving around performing chores proved comforting. He was home
! HE WAS HOME!

     Thorn had not forgotten about Caramel Verance, though. He was determined to go back for her, and for the others who were still enslaved at the metal ore mine. He swore that he would go back for all of them. But first, he needed to recover his strength and spirit. Then he needed to get permission to organise a rescue party in order to execute what was called a ‘Liberation Raid’.

     Novice Elementhar Lance Arman sat silently at the rear of the classroom while the teacher in front continued teaching Fallsian History. He was not absorbing any of the information that was being disseminated. He was uncomfortable. He was in a foreign environment. But he knew that he would have to adapt sooner or later. Ray had explained to him the importance of education. He had said that it was not just about getting a qualification so that one would have a high-paying job, but more importantly, it was about developing intelligence so that one knew how to think and make good decisions throughout one’s life. Based on the Cousins Genox’s recommendation, Ray had enrolled Lance into Fallsene Brightshield Educational.

     Getting into Fallsene Brightshield would normally be difficult, if not impossible, for someone like Lance. But with recommendations from Recavian Hammer Genox, Orgavian Castle Genox and most of all, Prince Eagle Patrum himself, Lance’s place in Fallsene Brightshield was guaranteed. But it still did not make it any easier for this simple farm boy to sit amongst the children of high ranking military officials. Perhaps it was because of this that he subconsciously chose to be seated in the back of the classroom, so that he could be unnoticeable. At this moment, Spirit the White Wolf strolled into the classroom and sat on an empty seat next to Lance, which Lance had prepared for him.

     The teacher stopped her lesson and gave Lance an infuriated stare.

     “Lance, why is that beast in my classroom
?
” she asked.

     “Beast
_
Spirit is
not
one of this, but a loyal friend instead; please respect his rights
!
” answered Lance.

     “What manner of madness
!?
Animals do not have rights
!
” objected the teacher disbelievingly.

     “Wrong _ you are of this, madam. Rights _ of this, animals have aplenty, more so in the case of my friend Spirit; and since you are ignorant, I shall name them for you. Rights _ the
first
of these is that since animals breathe, eat, drink, defecate, and sense hot, cold, pleasure and pain just like we do and are living beings just like us, and because the basic right of all living being is to live, therefore we must acknowledge and respect the fact that animals have the right to live, just like how we acknowledge and respect the right of any human to live; the
second
is that since animals have feelings and emotions just as humans do, in such terms they should be treated like how we treat our fellow humans; the
third
is that animals are much more loyal  and trustworthy than any human can possibly be, therefore this nobility of their character must be respected; the
fourth
is that in accordance with the doctrine of the Receivers  of Truth,
all
animals were either humans who had made grave mistakes in their past lives or are souls from lower forms in transit to being born as humans so they are basically human beings and should be treated almost as such; the
fifth
is that my friend Spirit has saved countless human lives through demon-hunting and also through the locating of survivors in disaster-hit areas, as such, he should be treated like a hero, not like a pest,” Lance pointed out in a firm, matter-of-factly voice.

     The teacher shook her head. Nothing of what Lance said had made any sense to her. But truly, she was ignorant.

     “What
?
Feelings, emotions, doctrines of the Receivers of Truth, Nonsense, Lance
!
We are humans, and they are animals, that is it
!
” she ridiculed.

     “Wrong _ you are of this, they are animals and we are just slightly more advanced animals, madam
!
” insisted Lance.

     “The boy is right, Mrs. Narmin,” said a highly ranked and well decorated soldier as he stepped into the classroom.

     “Orgavian Castle Genox, we are honoured by your presence. But what do you mean when you say that the boy is right
?
” asked the teacher.

     “Exactly what I said, Mrs. Narmin. That wolf there helped to save several lives during the relief efforts when Southgust Town was flooded by a broken dam about a month ago. He should be treated like a hero. Anyway, I am here to apologise. My youngest son, Iron, here, is late for your class and I am here to explain the reason why,” said Orgavian Genox.

     At that instant, a 13-year old boy entered the classroom, bowed to the teacher and went straight to his seat.

     “Oh, no matter, orgavian
!
I am sure it was a sound reason,” said Mrs. Narmin.

     “But I feel compelled to explain anyway. Since I was going to attend a meeting at Palace Liberty today, I thought that I would give my son Iron a ride as well. Normally my servant would be the one responsible to transport him here. However, the army carriage that was sent for me broke down on the way here and it took a long time to get it fixed, hence our late arrival, so once again Mrs. Narmin, I apologise,” explained Orgavian Genox.

     “Well then, orgavian; if it eases your conscience, I accept your explanation and apology,” said Mrs. Narmin.

     “Thank you, Mrs. Narmin. I shall disrupt your class no further. Good day
!
” said the orgavian as he bowed, and in receiving Mrs. Narmin’s acknowledging bow; turned around and left the classroom.

     Mrs. Narmin continued on with her lessons, ignoring the presence of Spirit the White Wolf. Lance tried to focus on the lesson, but his mind kept drifting away. Iron Genox, who sat next to Lance, stood his book up to cover his face.

     “Lance, how is the investigation going
?
Who is trying to kill Prince Patrum
?
” he asked in a whisper.

     “Tell _ I cannot do of this to you,” answered Lance quietly.

     “Come on, Lance. We are friends, are we
not?
You have got to tell me
!
My sister, Serene, does not tell me anything. It is always ‘operational secret’ with her. Frankly, I am beginning to hate those words
!
” pleaded Iron in desperation.

     “Tell _ I cannot do of this to you either, because, well, it is an operational secret, is it not
?
” explained Lance.

     Iron gave Lance an angry look from behind his book.

     “Does not matter, then. I shall just go and ask cousin Clover,” said Iron to himself.

     “Tell _ she will not do of this to you either,” said Lance.

     “Oh, let me guess… operational secret
!?
” said Iron sarcastically.

     “Yes,” confirmed Lance.

     “Damn, how am I to grow up and become a great warrior and to carry on the great Genox legacy when every corner I go I get operational secret shoved in my face
!
” said Iron in frustration, just a little bit too loudly.