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Dragonheart: The Return
Chapter 10
Attack in the Night
As Drumstone slept, one of the many guards that were standing guard making sure that no one entered the field that lead to Drumstone stood with his back facing Fern Woods.
Behind him, covered in black clothing from head to toe, crept a killer, skilled and trained to kill. The guard didn't hear the killer who crept quietly towards its target. Not even crunch of a twig was sounded, nor the sound of footsteps.
The guard kept watch over the village, with many other guards scattered around patrolling the line that lead from Drumstone to Fern Woods.
As the guard stood with his back towards the Woods, the killer approached the guard, placed its hand on the guards' mouth, muffling his scream.
The guard tried to break free of his attacker, but a sudden sharp pain dug into his back. His eyes widened as he knew what had happen. His life was taken from him before he could alert anyone. He was pushed to the floor, with his eyes wide open, limb and lifeless.
The killer looked at the body and ducked to the floor to avoid protection. The killer looked around, raised its hand and motioned others to follow.
A group of other black dressed figured emerged from Fern Woods and crept quietly and carefully and calmly along the filed. They saw their targets: the guards. They picked their targets, and one by one each killer took their time in ridding their targets from the earth.
One killer crept up and broke one guard's neck, without the guard so much as giving a grunt.
Another killer slit ones throat, again without any sound coming from the guard.
Another killer came up and stabbed a guard in his back.
Meanwhile, two other guards stood side by side, with their back also facing Fern Woods. One killer sneaked up and snapped a guard's neck.
The remaining guard turned his head to see the killer push the guard who it just killed to the ground.
"Sou-" the killer grabbed his sword and swished it quickly through the air.
A sharp searing pain ran across the guard's chest. He felt all of the wind and air being sucked out of him from the gash wound across his chest. The guard then fell to the floor dead, his eyes wide open.
Mortimer then came walking up the two bodies along with seven other black dressed killers.
Mortimer stood and looked down at the two guards. "Sound the alarm?" he said to the dead guard who nearly alerted others to the killers that were taking out the guards.
Mortimer then turned to look at Drumstone. "There is an Egg that we need to retrieve, it is important that it doesn't get harmed. If anything should happen to it, that person's tongue will be cut out. If the Egg has hatched, kill the being that was hatched from it. No questions asked."
All dressed up men who with him at the time nodded. "On second thought," Mortimer said, "kill everyone in this village, we do not need any witnesses, I don't care how you dispose of these villagers, just do it, then make your way up to the castle. No witnesses remember!"
The dressed up killers nodded and they scattered off to find the Egg, and to kill everyone in the village.
~ ~ ~ Dragon Heart ~ ~ ~
Caleb slept with Drago cuddling himself up to him. Drago snored in a squeaky way. Caleb was a heavy sleeper.
Drago, as he slept startled in his sleep from hearing a slight yelp and a clatter. Caleb didn't stir at all.
Drago, as young as he was, suddenly felt afraid. Something had spooked him. He jumped down off Caleb's bed and began pacing back and forth, jumping up and down and scratching at the wood, yelping.
Drago's yelping woke Caleb up. He yawned heavily as he got up and saw Drago flapping its wing frantically as if he was trying to fly.
"What's the matter boy?" Caleb asked.
Drago yelped more and more, almost as if something scared him.
"Come here, what's the matter?" he asked the Dragon.
Suddenly something inside Caleb made his stomach churn, something was off, he could sense it.
"Stay here Drago, I'll be right back." Caleb said as he left his room. He went into the main part of the home. Everything seemed fine, nothing was disturbed. But he noticed something was off.
He noticed that everything was quiet, far too quiet. Normally at night when he slept, at times he could hear the crickets, or the owls hooting around the village or the grunts of the pigs from nearby homes. But moreover, he couldn't even hear the faint breathing of his parents.
"Something is wrong here." He said quietly to himself.
He looked towards his parents' bedroom, he didn't want to go in but something was pulling him towards his parents' bedroom, like some sort of magnet or force was forcing him to go to his parents' bedroom and check on them.
He gulped as he crossed the main part of his home, he took his time, his hands shaking, his stomach churning, his breathing worsened.
As he neared his parent's room, a foul stench coming from his room ran up his nose. It was a smell that smelt like salt, or copper, with a hint of some sort metal taste to it.
Before he entered into his parents room, he lit himself match and lit a candle to see what he was doing and looking at. His parents' bedroom was dark, and the foul smell still remained.
As he entered his parents' bedroom, he could hear a buzzing sound. The candlelight shined onto the floor and at the base of the bed. Something was dripping onto the floor, and it was red. Caleb raised the candle higher so that he could illuminate the whole room.
The light from the candlelight hit his parents who were in their beds, their eyes wide open and a red patch that covered the entire bed sheet.
Blood was what he could smell, and the buzzing were flies that flew around their lifeless bodies.
Caleb breathed heavily. He was dreaming this, he was sure of it. It was all just a horrible nightmare.
If it was a nightmare, it sure was convincing. He backed away from his parents' bedroom.
He was about to faint from shock when something wrapped itself around Caleb's neck. He felt something sharp point into his back.
"Look what 'ave done to ya family!" said a cold and vicious cockney voice in his ear.
Caleb, without thinking, used his candlelight as a weapon and rammed it into his attacker's face.
"ARRRRGH!" the attacker yelled as the attack clutched his face in pain the attacker pulled off its hood revealing his long sticky hair and grey eyes. Caleb dropped the candle on the floor with it still alight.
Caleb ran to the front door, but his attacker stopped him, a sword in his hand. Caleb backed away behind the table; he grabbed the table and flipped it up towards his attacker, who ducked before having it land on him. The attacker threw the table off of him and back at Caleb who narrowly avoided it from being whacked on the head with it.
In the process a large piece of tablecloth caught fire from the candle that was still alight and slowly started to run up the farthest wall of Caleb's home.
"I'm going to gut you like-" the attacker gasped suddenly, and then he fell to the floor.
Standing in the doorway and over Caleb's attacker was someone Caleb was relieved to see.
"Owen!" he said breathlessly.
"It's a good thing I followed you home lad. Come on we have to go now!"
"YARRRRRGH!"
Owen span around and his own sword clashed with that of another's. An attacker wearing all black clothing pushed Owen back against the furthest wall.
"Caleb, get out of here!" Owen said.
Caleb ran to the front of the house and out of his home, leaving Owen inside.
The fire that was in the house spread up against the wall and across the roof which broke through to the outside.
Owen and the attacker fought with their swords clanging every now and then, grunting with effort trying to overthrow one another.
The attacker somehow managed to disarm Owen leaving him defenceless.
"Not so tough now, are ya?" said the attacker through its hood that overlapped his face.
A creak came from overhead. Owen looked up. A section of a beam that held up the house gave way. The attacker looked up and saw the beam fall towards him.
"ARRRGH!" screamed the attacker as the beam fell on him.
Flames were now spreading over Caleb's home. Owen grabbed his sword and quickly exited the home. He saw Caleb looking at his home go up in smoke.
"Come on!" Owen said.
"No wait, I need to get Drago!" Caleb said running back inside his burning home.
"Caleb, you can't go back in there, the home will collapse!" Owen said to him, but Caleb ignored him. "CALEB!"
Owen looked at the door that was completely covered in flames that were licking the wood of the house that was on fire.
Owen coughed as smoke filled his lungs, his face blackened with soot.
From within the home, Owen heard a thud. "CALEB!"
Caleb came running out of his home, a small fireball chased after him before it disappeared completely. He was carrying Drago in one arm and the book he was reading in the other, luckily it was unharmed.
"Come on!" Owen said.
"Wait what about my parents!" Caleb said looking back at his house.
"There is nothing we can do." Owen said.
"But I should bury them, or do something!"
"The fire will take care of that. Let's go!"
"My parents, my unborn baby sister or brother was in there." Caleb said quietly. He slumped to the floor with grief. He placed Drago on the floor who looked back at him.
"Caleb, we don't have time for this!"
Rather suddenly houses at the far side of Drumstone were ablaze with an orange glow. The tips of the flames peeped over the roofs. Soon cries of help and panic from the villagers were being shouted far and wide.
"Caleb we have to go!" Owen said.
"But my parents-"
"Are dead, accept that! There is nothing more we can do for them!"
Caleb kept his eyes fixed on his home which was now ablaze.
"Caleb, there is nothing left for you here. If you stay here you will surely die." Owen said to him. Nothing seemed to be getting through to Caleb. Shock had overcome him. He wasn't crying which was strange. Then again the sudden death of a loved one does tend to take different forms of sadness and grief.
"Caleb!" Owen smacked him across his face which brought Owen back to his senses. "Snap out of it, boy. We can mourn your parents properly after we have sorted out this situation."
"But where do I go now?" said a breathless Caleb who now close to breaking point.
"Come with me, there is only one safe place I know of, and that's Cardford. We will be safe there for the time being."
A massive fireball extended high into the air at the far end of the village.
"I can't." Caleb said to Owen.
"Yes you can." Owen said to him.
"No I ca-"
"Yes you can!" Owen cut across him.
"I ca-"
"Caleb, listen to me, you're a soldier now!" Owen said shouting. "Now pull yourself together and come with me before our attackers find us here!"
Caleb didn't know what to do. He wanted to leave with Owen knowing he was right, but he didn't want to leave his home where his parents were now most probably now ash. He had to choose one. Leave with Owen or stay to meet his death.
It wasn't until Drago began clawing at Caleb. Caleb looked into the Drago's yellow golden eyes. His eyes looked sad, moreover, Drago's eyes told Caleb that he should run and live to fight another day.
Caleb picked up Drago, he took one last look back at his home. He turned to nod at Owen.
"Let's go." Owen said to him.
Caleb, who was carrying Dragon under one arm and the book he managed to save from his burning home under his other arm, followed Owen to the far side of Drumstone and out of the village and made haste towards Cardford.
~ ~ ~ Dragon Heart ~ ~ ~
By now Caleb and Owen and Drago had left the village.
News had reached the castle guards that the village of Drumstone was under stack and men, women and children were all being slaughtered without any hesitation from their attackers.
Garon was hammering on the king's bed door chamber. Without thinking he threw open the door and walked into his room waking him up.
"Your Highness, we are under attack!" he said.
King Axis stirred and woke up rather lazily rubbing his eyes. "Garon, what is going on?" Axis said yawning.
"The Village of Drumstone is under attack!" Garon said quickly.
"What? Who's attacking us? Bandits? Rebels?" asked the King as he got out of his bed and quickly walked over to his window where he could see and ominous orange glow that was making its way towards the castle.
"Dark Knights sir, along with others from Fern Woods!" Garon said.
King Axis looked at Garon, his face filled with worry. "Fern Woods, but they have no reason to attack us." Axis said.
"They heading our way sir, there is no stopping them. They are killing everything in their path, leaving none alive, there are children, men and women all burnt and dead." Garon said afraid. "What shall we do sir?"
King Axis thought for a moment. He came to his decision quickly. "Seal all gates and passageways. Anyone who can deal with a sword or a crossbow, equip them immediately!" Axis said.
"Yes Sire." Garon said bowing.
"And bring my daughter to me!" ordered the king.
~ ~ ~ Dragon Heart ~ ~ ~
Mortimer stood watching the whole of Drumstone burn. He walked smirking at the scene before him.
He saw a woman run away from her attackers only for her to get shot in the back with an arrow and fall down dead.
Mortimer laughed at the woman's feeble attempt to escape.
He even saw a young girl about the age of no more than seven run from an attacker who caught her and stabbed her in the stomach and left her for dead.
Mortimer loved seeing death; it was his way of punishing those who exiled him to Fern Woods. Mortimer was once a proud Knight who worked his way up to become General and leader of an Army. He was good at making quick decisions. He was a master swordsman, he was fast and agile. No man could defeat him. But after being exiled from his own land and forced to live in Fern Woods, he vowed to unleash his wrath on everyone who lived outside Fern Woods. Even being the Head Watcher of Fern Woods meant he at least still had pride in himself.
A killer approached him, his sword dripping with blood.
"We have begun our attack on the castle, no sign of the Egg yet My Lord, nor of the being that may be inside it."
Mortimer sighed. "I want the king alive and unharmed. The same goes for the princess. Anyone else you can kill."
"Yes, My Lord." The killer bowed.
~ ~ ~ Dragon Heart ~ ~ ~
The king was in a meeting with a group of his best knights around a long rectangle table. All of them wore their knight armour and wore a blue cloak with the king's emblem patched on the back. The king's emblem was that of a golden sword.
"We need archers positioned at the tops of each tower and walkway. We need guards stationed at every available entry into the castle that includes side doors leading to the dungeons and any secret passageways. Understood?" All knights nodded in agreement.
The king then sighed. "As effective immediately, I will need three knights who will volunteer to escort my daughter, Princess Freya to safety. Who will go?"
Three knights raised their hands.
"Excellent, it is your mission to protect my daughter at all cost. I shall remain here in the castle."
"Your majesty?" said a knight.
"I mean it, I am staying here, I shall not be remembered as a coward for my actions. If I am to die, I shall die fighting along with you my friends, my Knights…my family."
All knights acknowledged this.
"The three who have elected to escort my daughter to safety, I want you to go immediately to the monastery of Cardford. Brother Hansen of the monastery will know what to do from then on. You will then take orders from Brother Hansen, no questions asked. Now move it! Get everything ready quickly!"
All Knights bowed and went to their duties. The three knights who volunteered to go escort the princess made their way to the stables ready to leave with the princess.
After all knights left, Freya came into the chamber wearing baggy clothes.
"Father!" she called running up to Axis.
"Freya." Her father took her in her arms. "There isn't time to explain. I have arranged for a trio of knights along with Garon to assist you to Cardford. From there a Friar called Brother Hansen will tell you exactly what to do."
"I don't understand?" Freya asked looking into her father's bright blue eyes.
"The Castle is under attack from those who live in Fern Woods. For what reason is unknown. But you must leave."
"You're coming with me aren't you?" Freya asked her father.
King Axis turned away from her father and bowed his head. A long sigh came from him. "No."
Freya's eyes widened.
"I am not coming with you."
"What? No, you have to come!" Freya said to her father.
"I can't, I have to stay here." Said the king. "It is my duty to protect the people, to protect this land."
"But it is your duty to protect me!" said Freya.
"Listen to me." The king said resting his hands on her shoulders. "You look just like your mother. When she died giving birth to you, I vowed to protect the only thing that I cared about in this world. And that's you. You are more valuable alive than dead."
"But I can't go." Freya said tears now beginning to run down her face.
"If this castle falls, someone needs to warn others."
"Then get someone else to do it!" Freya said.
"Freya!" Axis said not even so much as putting up a fight or giving into his daughters pleas. "Someone needs to be a leader, a ruler, a guide for others around this kingdom, you can do that."
"I'm only sixteen Dad. I can't run a kingdom or a land on my own." Freya pointed out.
The doors to the chamber burst open and Garon came running into the chamber out of breath.
"They have breached the courtyard. They will reach this chamber in mere minutes!"
"Freya, please go, I am staying here–"
"To die!" Freya said cutting across her father. "I won't go, I am not leaving you!"
Axis looked over her shoulder and nodded slightly at Garon who nodded back at him.
"Freya, I am most likely to die here." Frey sobbed as her father said this. "Remember what I said to you when you were little."
"Whenever I am sad always look to the stars and you will be there." Freya said repeating what her father said to her when she was just seven years old.
"Always look to the stars Freya, always. Now, I regret on doing this to you," Axis kissed his daughter on her forehead, "goodbye, my beautiful daughter."
"What?"
Garon placed a white handkerchief over Freya's mouth and nose, muffling her screams. Freya struggled slightly until her eyelids fell over her eyes, she was out cold. Garon held her in his arms.
"Look after her, Garon." Axis said.
"I will your Highness; I will do whatever means possible there is to protect her. Magic included." Garon said to the king.
"Understood." The king nodded.
"I just hope her clothing will hide her from rebels and such and take her as a poor village person." Garon said picking Freya up and carrying up her in his arms.
"You suggested that she dress in poor people's clothes?" Axis asked Garon. Garon nodded. "That's genius of you. Farewell Garon, you have been the best advisor one could offer."
"Farewell your Majesty, it has been an honour serving by your side." Garon bowed at his king one last time.
"Bow no longer, friend. You are free." Axis said.
The sounds of men shouting alerted Axis and Garon.
"Go! Before they reach the chamber." King Axis said.
With that final parting, Garon carried Frey down to the stables, while King Axis stayed and awaited his fate.
~ ~ ~ Dragon Heart ~ ~ ~
Garon carried Princess Freya into the stables, where the knights, all dressed in their knightly armour equipped with swords and crossbows alike for protection. They had saddled up a cart and horse ready to leave.
"Get her on the cart, we must leave now!" Garon said. The knights helped him put the princess delicately onto the cart. Garon sat in the front of the cart whilst the three knights mounted themselves on their own horses and set off into the night.
They left the castle via the back entrance of the stables and instantly made their way towards Cardford.
They made their way upon a hill which overlooked Drumstone with the Castle based directly at the bottom of the hill.
Smoke was raising high into the air, with the screams of villagers still trying to leave and escape.
"Garon, we should make haste!" one of the knights said.
Garon looked back at the princess to see if she was okay. "Yes, lets."
A/N: Well here is Chapter 10, sorry again for the late upload, but I have been busy trying to get a Lit Agency to help publish a novel I have written. But no luck at this moment but I am keeping strong.
Anway, Reviews would be nice.
SoulVirus