They Were Born Upon Ashes (11 page)

Phillip grabbed the pen and hastily signed the paper. He could not help but have a smile on his face as he finished his signature. A whirlpool of emotions flooded Phillip and his thoughts rambled at ludicrous rates.

“If I were a betting man, which I am, then I would bet that your friend Nick Bint played a huge part in your release,” said George Belan. “I liked that boy just a few short weeks ago. And in that short period of time he has become one of the people I hate most in this world. He has not only lost me money by leaving but now he has freed you. And, Phillip, to your surprise and to mine, you have cost me quite a bit of money as well.”

“I am sorry, Game Commissioner,” said Phillip. “Where do I report to?”

“You’ll go to the main gate,” said Master Dekan. “The Refect here will show you the way out. A horse is ready for you to ride to Ralton where the king’s men request your presence. Do or do not, that is your will as a free man. Good day.”

“Thank you, Master Dekan. And by the way, George, if you have not learned yet money and wealth does not equate to happiness. Maybe you could get into better shape, find a woman to love, and start a family. Then you will find happiness. True happiness. Not the false feeling of happiness you thought you acquired when you became rich.”

“Get out of my office, you low life degenerate,” said George.

Phillip turned around and walked away with the Refect. He not only was walking away from his old life, but on that day he was walking away from certain death. It was only a matter of time before he would have fallen in the arena. He was more than grateful for the opportunity to be able to die a free man.

They gave Phillip the gold he had on him when he was arrested and sent him on his way through the gate. He felt like a new man as he walked up the grassy hill and looked out at the beautiful city. He could imagine Nick had felt exactly the same way that he felt in that moment. There was nothing quite like it. The river of emotions that flowed throughout Phillip could not be compared to any event he had ever experienced in the past. It was like he was a man made of gold. He felt as though a blade could not hurt him, no person’s words could hurt him, and no path in life was closed off.

Everything he saw and heard from the hill as he looked at the city was incomparably beautiful to him; the sun’s warmth, the slight breeze, the smell of citrus through the air, the bird’s singing in the distance, the echoes of families walking the streets, and the simple yet elegant liveliness of the city. He took all of the elements in. He felt more alive than he had in years. Life was truly a blessing.

He snickered to himself as he thought how insane he must look. He was still wearing the cloth given to him as an inmate, his hygiene was terrible, and he stood on the hill with a smile perched upon his face.

To his surprise he finally noticed the black stallion a mere fifteen feet from where he was standing. The horse stood on the hill and gnawed at the bundle of hay left for him. His body twitched as he fought off the annoying onslaught of flies attracted to the horse’s stench.

Phillip walked over and pat the horse. He had always felt like he had some sort of surreal connection with horses. For the longest time he had come to grips with the reality that he would never again ride a horse, or even see one for that matter. He hoisted himself onto the horse and rode him into the city.

His first stop with his gold was the nearest clothing and goods store. He picked out a new outfit that he desperately needed in order to be looked at as a normal person. After that he proceeded to stock up on food and water.

He wanted to go to Ralton to meet with the king’s men. He knew that Nick had played a huge part on his release but he still had no clue why he was walking around as a free man. He owed the king’s men and Nick his life.

He had traveled the path from Vincot to Ralton and vice versa numerous times though out his life. He knew it was only a two day ride with a good horse. He got on his horse with all of his necessities, went out the main gate, and headed north. He did not even look back as he rode away; he felt as though Vincot represented a past which he wished to not relive, and Ralton was the hope for a greater future.

Little did he know that Nick and company were on their final day of their trek to Ralton and the unfortunate events that had transpired in the past few days.

Chapter Eight

“Come on, lets go! We’re almost there!” screamed Jeffrey. The thousands of people who marched behind the king’s men were hungry, thirsty, tired, and dirty. The journey to Ralton would finally end on that night. After four days of walking along a dirt road scattered with bumps, dips, rocks, and insects, they were finally close to safety and the beginning of their new lives.

The sun was just starting to set. It had been a day full of patchy clouds in the sky. The orange and red hues of the sunset reflected beautifully on the clouds.

The rally cry from Jeffrey helped the pack pick up their step. There was nothing stopping them now.

Nick walked with Penny all day. He naturally ignored his new comrades in favor of spending every ounce of quality time he had with the woman he loved.

He took that opportunity of being alone with Penny to talk and express himself. There were only a few people in the world who he trusted. In fact, at that point in his life he trusted no one more than he trusted Penny.

He looked at her as her skin glowed from the sunset and said, “I don’t really know who I am anymore.”

“What do you mean?” asked Penny.

“The arena changed me. I don’t know if you can tell. But it changed me in good ways and in bad ways as well.”

“Of course, I could tell,” said Penny. “But I don’t love you any less. Each day that passes by I become more in love with you.”

“See, I enjoyed parts of the arena. When I discovered I was a Hetha the crowd loved me. They called me Bezat. I felt incredibly powerful and as though no opponent who stepped foot in the arena could match me. I enjoyed killing the person in front of me and the roar of the crowd when I came out the victor. The feeling was intoxicating and I simply wanted more. I feel like a monster now that I reflect back on how I was in the arena.”

“You are not a monster,” said Penny. “Nick, you are the most kind hearted, honest man, and you are beautiful on the inside and outside. The governing bodies of Hentrio put you in that arena. You had no choice but to kill or be killed. But at the end of the day it’s normal to enjoy power. It’s normal to want to be the best at what you do. Nick, you were put in that situation and you simply reacted the same as anyone else who would in your shoes.”

“I just can’t get over the fact that I enjoyed the fight. I would stay up at night and not be able to sleep because the excitement was so great. I might have been better off dying before I became a Hetha. That way I wouldn’t have to live with this guilt.”

“Don’t you ever say that,” said Penny. “You’ve been through a lot, sure, but that should never make you contemplate whether you should be alive now or die in the past. People look up to you for who you are and what you represent. I love you and those around you will begin to love you as well. Like I said before, you did what you had to do. Even if you enjoyed it a bit, that does not, nor will it ever, make you a monster.”

Penny leaned in and kissed Nick. They held hands and continued walking with their tired legs.

The sun began to set and Penny began to talk to a family that walked past her. Her face glowed in excitement as she hugged every member of the family. She introduced Nick to the family that took her in on the fateful night of the king’s death. Penny explained to Nick that without their unwavering kindness and hospitality she might have ended up in a disastrous situation.

Nick met Claire, Hudson, Robert, and Tina. He thanked them for their kindness and expressed his love for Penny before them. It was a calm and loving moment that the family had not seen in days since before the king’s death.

Nick and Penny made their way to the front of the pack to be closer to the king’s men.

“Just over the hill over there? Is that right?” asked Tyler.

“Your memory serves you for once,” said Ron. “Ralton is indeed over the hill in front of us.”

The king’s men and the Tarrax brothers looked at the dirt hill just a few hundred feet in front of them. Ralton represented so much for the entire group. In the days to come the men and woman would regroup and situate themselves in one way or another within its walls. The northeast area of Ralton would be ideal as it had patches of barren land where the thousands could set up shelter. Jeffrey had mentioned a plan to begin to recruit an army of capable men and woman who would be willing to fight for the late King Dedan Hudson. They needed time to build a significant army that could stand a chance to defeat the six and their ever growing army of supreme Rezas.

The crew made use of their last efforts to walk up the steep slope. They did not lead the pack but instead they helped anybody who was in need. The elderly, the sick, and the young children would need a hand getting up the hill. The king’s men, Nick, as well as the healthy men and woman did everything they could to help those in need around them.

Finally, all members had made it over the hill. Nick was the last to join the king’s men on the top of the hill. They stood there silently and stiff like a statue. As Nick made it to the top of the hill and looked down upon the city, he understood why they did not move.

It was an inexplicably painful sight to behold. A third of the city was on fire. Two dragons flew over the city and a third was perched upon a tall building.

“The dragons...” whispered Nick.

“I need every man and every woman who can fight with me now!” said Jeffrey.

Hoards of people moved closer to the king’s men and separated themselves from their loved ones.

“Grab a weapon from the carriage to my left if you do not have one already!” said Jeffrey.

A line formed at the back of the carriage. Dani and Reed jumped in the back of the carriage to gather up every steel weapon available. Ron stood at the opening of the carriage and handed a weapon to those who were in line.

“There are thousands upon thousands of innocent people in that city,” said Jeffrey. “Dragons are beasts that no man, woman, or child should ever face. Our objective is not to go to battle with a dragon. We will be decimated. Instead, our objective is to gather up as many people as we can and take them to a safe point. That safe point is going to be the edge of the north bend which is about half a mile north in the crack between the two mountains over there.” He pointed in the direction to show his small army the crack in the mountain.

Nick looked at Penny and said, “Stay. Take care of the others. I’ll be with you shortly.”

Nick kissed her and joined the king’s men at the front of the huddled crowd.

“If you come face to face with a dragon, aim at his face with whatever you have and pray for the best,” said Andrew.

“Let’s go!” said Jeffrey.

The king’s men lead the pack with a sprint towards the city. The dragons flew over the city, spewing fire in every direction except downwards at the city.

The men in gold had their weapons out and the men and women behind them had theirs as well. The Rezas prepared their hands and the Paplon held their choice of steel firmly in their grip.

As they got closer to the gate, a dragon circling high in the sky came plummeting down from the heavens. It flapped its massive wings and its feet dug into the top of the gate.

The king’s men halted their run and stood still, out in the open, and vulnerable to an attack from the dragon.

The dragon stood fifty feet tall. Its wing span was thirty feet when it was completely stretched. Its scales were black and its eyes were even blacker. On each wing there were three sharp tooth looking tips that were evenly spaced. It had massive, muscular arms and equally massive legs. Its hands and feet were similar to what claws looked like. Its nails alone could rip a person to shreds. Its tail made up about a third of its total length. It waved side to side and at the end of the tail was a triangle shaped tip.

The only soul in that entire group who had seen a dragon was Nick. He had not known that the dragons he saw would come to Ralton.

The dragon leaned downwards. Its nostrils flared and its mouth opened up to show all of its massive razor sharp teeth.

“You are not welcome here,” said a dark booming voice coming from the direction of the dragon.

As the dragon moved its head lower a dark figure was revealed sitting on top of the dragon. He wore a black hooded robe and wielded an elegant steel long sword. He pulled down his black hood to reveal his face. Nick immediately recognized the bald Reza, with his sunken eyes, and bright yellow teeth; it was Vicon.

“The city has already been taken and is under my command,” said Vicon.

Jeffrey stepped forward and started walking up to the gate. One by one the king’s men followed in his footsteps. The small army they lead had no choice but to walk closer to the dragon.

“Fitoro!” yelled Vicon.

The dragon perched his head downwards, opened its mouth, and let out a giant breath of fire. The fire spread thoughout the dirt road and dry grass. The king’s men stopped in their tracks; Jeffrey did not.

“How many innocent lives have you taken, Vicon?” asked Jeffrey.

Jeffrey used his magic to send ice towards the flames. He created a path through the flames so that he could be at the foot of the closed metal gate.

“Fitoro,” yelled Vicon once again.

The dragon spewed fire just a few feet in front of Jeffrey. The flames from the throat of the dragon were devastatingly larger and more powerful than the small magical attack Rezas could produce.

Jeffrey stood at the foot of the flames.

“One more step and I’ll command my dragon to kill you,” said Vicon.

“Let the people who do not wish to be a part of your rule be free from this city,” said Jeffrey.

“I am a fair leader,” said Vicon. “I have already offered and explained the options they have. They were not too thrilled to find that they would be considered enemies of Hentrio if they decided to leave my city. You might encounter a few stragglers but I don’t assume too many people want to be outside in the cold winter months coming soon. A place where food is scarce, the temperature is terribly cold, and safety is never guaranteed. I’ll give you all the option now to change your minds and come live in the free world of Hentrio. Otherwise, you will all be branded as enemies of Hentrio. Be a good leader, Jeffrey, and pass this information on to your band of weak minded people. The clock is ticking.”