"Help! Somebody!" a voice rang out. A young boy ran across the
desert, towards a town. "Help! Help!"
"Don't let him get away!" a gruff voice yelled.
"Alert the town!" another cried. The boy sprinted into town, turned
into an alley. Dead end. He looked back, and saw a few of his pursuers
run by.
"He's gone!" one yelled.
"Fan out!" the gruff voice replied. "We'll make him pay for what he
did." The boy darted out, and collided with another boy about the same
age, knocking them both to the ground.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" he said. The first boy got up and
fled. The second boy picked himself up, and was about to brush himself off
when a large hand grabbed him and lifted him off the ground.
"I've got him!" the voice behind the hand yelled. A few men came
running. "Hey, lemme go!" the boy yelled.
"Not the one that stole from us, but he'll do," the gruff voice said.
"Let's beat him!"
Suddenly the boy lashed out, catching the man that held him off guard. He heard a crack, and was set free. Instead of running, he turned to face the mob. Terrified at what his body had just done, he tried to apologize, but his lips would not move. The nearest man threw a punch. They boy's arm whipped out, deflecting it. His foot lashed out, striking the man beneath the nose. The man reeled back, cursing. "Let's go!" the gruff voice sounded. They ran off. The boy, not knowing why he attacked, sank to his knees, trembling.
"Hey. They're gone." It was the first boy, showing ebullience. "How'd you learn to fight like that?" The second boy could find no answer. The rising sun began to give off its light. Something glimmered. "Hey, what's this you have?" the first boy snatched something off his belt. "A horn, eh? Wow! I've heard of this but never seen one. Cool! It's engraved. It says...Forcena. Did you come from Forcena? Hey! You there?" The second boy slowly rose to his feet. "Yeah," he whispered. "I came from Forcena." "How'd you get here? Where'd you get this?" asked the first boy. The boy from Forcena turned, and their eyes met. "What the-" the first boy said. "You're freaky. But hey, if you don't want to tell me, you can tell my best friend. He'll know what to do." The boy from Forcena nodded. "Duran," he said. "What? Who?" the first boy asked. "I'm Duran." "Oh, OK. I'm Hawk. Mind if I hold this?" He held up the trinket. "No," said Duran. "Ok, follow me!" Hawk loped off.
Duran followed the energetic Hawk. While running, Hawk kept up a constant patter about Navarre and how good it was. "Stop," said Duran. "What? Stop what?" questioned Hawk. "Stop talking." replied Duran.
"Fine, be that way." said Hawk. They ran in silence, both attempting to keep up with the other. Duran had more endurance, but was ill- experienced in traveling the desert sands. Finally, they made it to a clearing surrounded by trees. Hawk looked behind them to make sure no one had followed them. "Stay here," he said to Duran. He disappeared behind a tree, and his shadow betrayed him a kicking motion. A large rock rose up from the ground. Duran walked up to it, inspected it, and turned to see Hawk grinning. Then Duran kicked the rock in the middle. The whole front cracked, sending large amounts of rock tumbling down a steep tunnel. "Whoa!" Hawk yelled. "First, how did you know, second, damn, you're strong!" "First," Duran said, mimicking Hawk's desert tone, "If you though that was disguised, I'll tell you I saw the door. Second, if you can't do that when you're past twelve, you're weak." Hawk looked confused. "I'm 13," he said slowly. "So am I," Duran replied. He was about to enter when Hawk stopped him. "I'd better go first, since they won't hurt me." "You mean, so I don't accidentally beat anyone up," Duran said. "Right." Hawk led the way. "Hey!" Hawk yelled. "Anyone on guard? It's Hawkeye! Hello?" A shadow reached out and stopped him. "Damn, Hawk." It said. "How many times do I need to say this? Prisoners blindfolded and unconscious, or blindfolded and walking in front." "Eagle!" Hawk cried. "So that's what you've been doing!" "A boring job turned interesting with our door being knocked down." Eagle replied. "Eagle! Everything okay?" the voice echoed up the tunnel. "Just our door broken by friendlies," Eagle replied. "Hawk's brought a prisoner!" Duran tensed. "I am no prisoner," he said. "Yeah," Hawk quipped. "He saved me!" "Good grief. From what?" Eagle asked. "Just an angry mob who managed to track me." Hawk said. "Any mob who can track a Navarre isn't a just." Eagle retorted. "Let's go to the castle, I'll let 'ol Peregrine take care of it." "Oh thanks," the voice echoed. "Welcome." Eagle said. They walked a couple meters, and a shadow fell behind Duran. "What the-" Duran whipped around, finally getting used to his body's reactions. "Whoops," the shadow said. "That's Peregrine," Hawk said. "He's a good guard." Duran shrugged and turned back to walking. Eagle stopped and turned. He opened a door, and went inside. Hawk followed. Duran turned, and gasped. A lush oasis lay in the middle of a large town, with an even greater castle in the distance. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but how did you hide this?" Duran asked, amazed. "Only Navarres know," Eagle replied. "And I bet none of them will tell you." Duran nodded. "Thought so." he said. Eagle turned. "What are we doing again, Hawk? I mean with this guy." Hawk laughed. "Forgot already? We're going to see the King!" Duran flinched. "What is it?" Eagle asked. "Nothing..." Duran replied. "He came from Forcena," Hawk replied. "And given the current events I doubt Duran would appreciate us talking about it. He'll get over it. Oh yeah, look at this." Hawk handed the horn to Eagle. "Damn! This is wicked! Where'd you get it Hawk?" Eagle glowed with enthusiasm. "It's mine." Duran replied. "Alright, let's go." Eagle tossed the horn to Duran and began the long walk to the castle. Neither of the three said anything, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. They reached the castle, and Eagle led the way to the throne room, and Duran, although in a strange atmosphere, felt as if surrounded. Hawk, answering Duran's unasked question, said "Yeah, there's many of us here." They walked up to a large set of doors. "Duran, show Eagle your strength," Hawk said. "As long as I don't get in trouble or get killed," Duran muttered. "Naw, we're all watching," a voice said. Duran, feigning disinterest, stepped closer, and kick the doors. Only there were no doors. Duran yelled "Whoa!" as he fell through. He stumbled into the throne room. "Damn you," he said to Hawk. Recovering his dignity, he looked at his new surroundings. His first through was very, very rich. Everything was heavily embroidered with gold and precious jewels.
Hawk snatched the horn from Duran. "Hey! Stop doing that!" Duran said. Eagle laughed. Hawk threw the horn at the throne, and it was stopped by thin air. "Eagle, Hawk, welcome. I see you brought this?" the horn elevated slightly. "Yes, King Flamekahn," Eagle and Hawk bowed, Duran followed a second later. The King and his guards dropped their illusion. Duran realized that if he had made any aggressive move beforehand, he'd be killed or seriously hurt. "Good," King Flamekahn said. "Your friend here knows he can't fight what he can't see." Duran shook his head. "You can always try," he said. "Spoken like a true Forcena, young one," King Flamekahn said. "So you know what happened?" Duran asked, drawing himself up. "Of course, of course. Kings aren't kingdoms unless they keep up with current events." King Flamekahn replied. "Can you tell me about the Dragon Emperor?" Duran asked. The guards stiffened. "First of all, never speak its name so casually. Got that?" Duran nodded. "Second, you should know that Forcena was the only kingdom to supposedly defeat the Dragon Emperor. Until the battle at Forcena, that is." King Flamekahn paced. "For several centuries, each kingdom in its own ways waged war against the Dragon Clan. For those centuries, no kingdom allied with the other to fight the Dragon Clan. So far, no one has allied for anything." Flamekahn shook his head sadly. "Many kingdoms, that you've never heard of, fell to the unified force of the Dragon Clan. As one, the Clan fought. Divided, we fell. One, by one." King Flamekahn paused, remembering the past.
"You may have learned in training under the late King Richard, that there were six survivors of the Clan wars." Hawk and Eagle fidgeted, but remained silent. "Navarre, the desert kingdom. Altena, the kingdom in the snowlands. Lovely bunch of spellcasters. The Sky Castle Rolante. Home to the amazons. The Beast Kingdom. Holy City Wendel. Now that Forcena is gone, five kingdoms remain. Eight years ago, we stopped fighting the Dragon Clan. Forcena had killed them all off. As you can see, they weren't that successful. The Dragon Emperor lives. That's enough." King Flamekahn sat down. "You will stay here, within the castle, until we figure our what to do with you. One more thing. Never, ever lose this." he tossed the horn to Duran. Eagle and Hawk bowed, clearly their session was over. They exited the room, and began walking down the steps. "Wow," Hawk said. "That was some history class!" Duran shrugged. "Well, lets get to our chamber," Eagle said. "You live in the castle?" Duran asked. "We are royalty, after all." Eagle said. "Royalty on guard duty? Royalty getting chased across the desert by two dozen men?" Duran asked in disbelief. "To rule a kingdom, one must learn the ways of its people." Eagle laughed. "But two dozen? Hawk, you're getting old." Hawk reddened, but said nothing. They walked to the northern point, and after a short maze Eagle opened a door. The door revealed a large room, lined with curved swords, daggers, and assorted small weapons. A few beds sat to one side, and a closet, dresser, and table on the other. The entire room reminded Duran of the desert itself. "We'll sleep here," said Hawk. "Pick a bed, Duran. It'll be yours until we leave or do something." Duran nodded, and lay on the ground. Eagle just grinned and went to bed.
The next morning...
"Hawk! Wake up old man!" Eagle lifted Hawk and tossed him on the cold ground. "AH! OW! Was that necessary?" Hawk yelled. "Duran's already gone to the throne room, apparently Flamekahn asked him to come early, so yes," Eagle replied. "Damn. What time was he up?" Hawk asked. "Before me, and I bet he woke by himself also." Eagle replied. "Damn, and damn. That is early." Hawk said. Hawk dressed and they went to the throne room. Flamekahn was off his throne, talking to Duran. Hawk heard Flamekahn saying "the horn is imbued with magical powers, namely holy magic. The legends say that when this horn is blown, its sound will give pause to all evil." Duran nodded. "Holy Swordsman Cid used it to turn the tide. After he blew the horn, Forcena gained so much ground that the Emperor's forces had to retreat." King Flamekahn nodded. "Alas, I saw the battle. I even watched you stand there, young one. Such experiences are not good for one so small aged as you." Duran looked like he was going to say something, but he did not. "Never blow this unless you must. If you do not use it properly, its magic will leave the horn and it will be useless. You're also lucky Hawk didn't ruin it." Eagle grinned. "You got that right." King Flamekahn turned. "Eagle, Hawk, I want you to bring Duran to Salamando." This name was familiar, as Hawk paled. "That fiery place?" Hawk asked. "Yes. Eagle, take him to Salamando, and explain the situation. Salamando will know what to do." Eagle saluted. "Yes, King Flamekahn. We will not fail." They turned and left.
Back in their room, Duran was yelling. "Do you think a Forcena swordsman would use a dagger?" Hawk laughed. "What did you two talk about?" Eagle stopped Duran from saying anything, and added his own joke. "Swordsboy, not swordsman." Duran reddened. "Some strong boy," Hawk said. "I'll take that rusty thing," Duran pointed. "Age-old sword. Good choice," Eagle chided. "And I'll beat anyone with it, as long as it doesn't break." Duran replied as he swung the sword skillfully. "Suit yourself," Hawk lifted twelve daggers off the wall, Eagle took seven, but sheathed three curved swords. "Katanas," he said. "Faster than any other sword, quieter than a dagger, but it won't stand metal-to-metal with real swords." Eagle finished suiting up. "And a ninja's type of weapon." Hawk nodded. "Just one of many."
Suddenly the boy lashed out, catching the man that held him off guard. He heard a crack, and was set free. Instead of running, he turned to face the mob. Terrified at what his body had just done, he tried to apologize, but his lips would not move. The nearest man threw a punch. They boy's arm whipped out, deflecting it. His foot lashed out, striking the man beneath the nose. The man reeled back, cursing. "Let's go!" the gruff voice sounded. They ran off. The boy, not knowing why he attacked, sank to his knees, trembling.
"Hey. They're gone." It was the first boy, showing ebullience. "How'd you learn to fight like that?" The second boy could find no answer. The rising sun began to give off its light. Something glimmered. "Hey, what's this you have?" the first boy snatched something off his belt. "A horn, eh? Wow! I've heard of this but never seen one. Cool! It's engraved. It says...Forcena. Did you come from Forcena? Hey! You there?" The second boy slowly rose to his feet. "Yeah," he whispered. "I came from Forcena." "How'd you get here? Where'd you get this?" asked the first boy. The boy from Forcena turned, and their eyes met. "What the-" the first boy said. "You're freaky. But hey, if you don't want to tell me, you can tell my best friend. He'll know what to do." The boy from Forcena nodded. "Duran," he said. "What? Who?" the first boy asked. "I'm Duran." "Oh, OK. I'm Hawk. Mind if I hold this?" He held up the trinket. "No," said Duran. "Ok, follow me!" Hawk loped off.
Duran followed the energetic Hawk. While running, Hawk kept up a constant patter about Navarre and how good it was. "Stop," said Duran. "What? Stop what?" questioned Hawk. "Stop talking." replied Duran.
"Fine, be that way." said Hawk. They ran in silence, both attempting to keep up with the other. Duran had more endurance, but was ill- experienced in traveling the desert sands. Finally, they made it to a clearing surrounded by trees. Hawk looked behind them to make sure no one had followed them. "Stay here," he said to Duran. He disappeared behind a tree, and his shadow betrayed him a kicking motion. A large rock rose up from the ground. Duran walked up to it, inspected it, and turned to see Hawk grinning. Then Duran kicked the rock in the middle. The whole front cracked, sending large amounts of rock tumbling down a steep tunnel. "Whoa!" Hawk yelled. "First, how did you know, second, damn, you're strong!" "First," Duran said, mimicking Hawk's desert tone, "If you though that was disguised, I'll tell you I saw the door. Second, if you can't do that when you're past twelve, you're weak." Hawk looked confused. "I'm 13," he said slowly. "So am I," Duran replied. He was about to enter when Hawk stopped him. "I'd better go first, since they won't hurt me." "You mean, so I don't accidentally beat anyone up," Duran said. "Right." Hawk led the way. "Hey!" Hawk yelled. "Anyone on guard? It's Hawkeye! Hello?" A shadow reached out and stopped him. "Damn, Hawk." It said. "How many times do I need to say this? Prisoners blindfolded and unconscious, or blindfolded and walking in front." "Eagle!" Hawk cried. "So that's what you've been doing!" "A boring job turned interesting with our door being knocked down." Eagle replied. "Eagle! Everything okay?" the voice echoed up the tunnel. "Just our door broken by friendlies," Eagle replied. "Hawk's brought a prisoner!" Duran tensed. "I am no prisoner," he said. "Yeah," Hawk quipped. "He saved me!" "Good grief. From what?" Eagle asked. "Just an angry mob who managed to track me." Hawk said. "Any mob who can track a Navarre isn't a just." Eagle retorted. "Let's go to the castle, I'll let 'ol Peregrine take care of it." "Oh thanks," the voice echoed. "Welcome." Eagle said. They walked a couple meters, and a shadow fell behind Duran. "What the-" Duran whipped around, finally getting used to his body's reactions. "Whoops," the shadow said. "That's Peregrine," Hawk said. "He's a good guard." Duran shrugged and turned back to walking. Eagle stopped and turned. He opened a door, and went inside. Hawk followed. Duran turned, and gasped. A lush oasis lay in the middle of a large town, with an even greater castle in the distance. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but how did you hide this?" Duran asked, amazed. "Only Navarres know," Eagle replied. "And I bet none of them will tell you." Duran nodded. "Thought so." he said. Eagle turned. "What are we doing again, Hawk? I mean with this guy." Hawk laughed. "Forgot already? We're going to see the King!" Duran flinched. "What is it?" Eagle asked. "Nothing..." Duran replied. "He came from Forcena," Hawk replied. "And given the current events I doubt Duran would appreciate us talking about it. He'll get over it. Oh yeah, look at this." Hawk handed the horn to Eagle. "Damn! This is wicked! Where'd you get it Hawk?" Eagle glowed with enthusiasm. "It's mine." Duran replied. "Alright, let's go." Eagle tossed the horn to Duran and began the long walk to the castle. Neither of the three said anything, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. They reached the castle, and Eagle led the way to the throne room, and Duran, although in a strange atmosphere, felt as if surrounded. Hawk, answering Duran's unasked question, said "Yeah, there's many of us here." They walked up to a large set of doors. "Duran, show Eagle your strength," Hawk said. "As long as I don't get in trouble or get killed," Duran muttered. "Naw, we're all watching," a voice said. Duran, feigning disinterest, stepped closer, and kick the doors. Only there were no doors. Duran yelled "Whoa!" as he fell through. He stumbled into the throne room. "Damn you," he said to Hawk. Recovering his dignity, he looked at his new surroundings. His first through was very, very rich. Everything was heavily embroidered with gold and precious jewels.
Hawk snatched the horn from Duran. "Hey! Stop doing that!" Duran said. Eagle laughed. Hawk threw the horn at the throne, and it was stopped by thin air. "Eagle, Hawk, welcome. I see you brought this?" the horn elevated slightly. "Yes, King Flamekahn," Eagle and Hawk bowed, Duran followed a second later. The King and his guards dropped their illusion. Duran realized that if he had made any aggressive move beforehand, he'd be killed or seriously hurt. "Good," King Flamekahn said. "Your friend here knows he can't fight what he can't see." Duran shook his head. "You can always try," he said. "Spoken like a true Forcena, young one," King Flamekahn said. "So you know what happened?" Duran asked, drawing himself up. "Of course, of course. Kings aren't kingdoms unless they keep up with current events." King Flamekahn replied. "Can you tell me about the Dragon Emperor?" Duran asked. The guards stiffened. "First of all, never speak its name so casually. Got that?" Duran nodded. "Second, you should know that Forcena was the only kingdom to supposedly defeat the Dragon Emperor. Until the battle at Forcena, that is." King Flamekahn paced. "For several centuries, each kingdom in its own ways waged war against the Dragon Clan. For those centuries, no kingdom allied with the other to fight the Dragon Clan. So far, no one has allied for anything." Flamekahn shook his head sadly. "Many kingdoms, that you've never heard of, fell to the unified force of the Dragon Clan. As one, the Clan fought. Divided, we fell. One, by one." King Flamekahn paused, remembering the past.
"You may have learned in training under the late King Richard, that there were six survivors of the Clan wars." Hawk and Eagle fidgeted, but remained silent. "Navarre, the desert kingdom. Altena, the kingdom in the snowlands. Lovely bunch of spellcasters. The Sky Castle Rolante. Home to the amazons. The Beast Kingdom. Holy City Wendel. Now that Forcena is gone, five kingdoms remain. Eight years ago, we stopped fighting the Dragon Clan. Forcena had killed them all off. As you can see, they weren't that successful. The Dragon Emperor lives. That's enough." King Flamekahn sat down. "You will stay here, within the castle, until we figure our what to do with you. One more thing. Never, ever lose this." he tossed the horn to Duran. Eagle and Hawk bowed, clearly their session was over. They exited the room, and began walking down the steps. "Wow," Hawk said. "That was some history class!" Duran shrugged. "Well, lets get to our chamber," Eagle said. "You live in the castle?" Duran asked. "We are royalty, after all." Eagle said. "Royalty on guard duty? Royalty getting chased across the desert by two dozen men?" Duran asked in disbelief. "To rule a kingdom, one must learn the ways of its people." Eagle laughed. "But two dozen? Hawk, you're getting old." Hawk reddened, but said nothing. They walked to the northern point, and after a short maze Eagle opened a door. The door revealed a large room, lined with curved swords, daggers, and assorted small weapons. A few beds sat to one side, and a closet, dresser, and table on the other. The entire room reminded Duran of the desert itself. "We'll sleep here," said Hawk. "Pick a bed, Duran. It'll be yours until we leave or do something." Duran nodded, and lay on the ground. Eagle just grinned and went to bed.
The next morning...
"Hawk! Wake up old man!" Eagle lifted Hawk and tossed him on the cold ground. "AH! OW! Was that necessary?" Hawk yelled. "Duran's already gone to the throne room, apparently Flamekahn asked him to come early, so yes," Eagle replied. "Damn. What time was he up?" Hawk asked. "Before me, and I bet he woke by himself also." Eagle replied. "Damn, and damn. That is early." Hawk said. Hawk dressed and they went to the throne room. Flamekahn was off his throne, talking to Duran. Hawk heard Flamekahn saying "the horn is imbued with magical powers, namely holy magic. The legends say that when this horn is blown, its sound will give pause to all evil." Duran nodded. "Holy Swordsman Cid used it to turn the tide. After he blew the horn, Forcena gained so much ground that the Emperor's forces had to retreat." King Flamekahn nodded. "Alas, I saw the battle. I even watched you stand there, young one. Such experiences are not good for one so small aged as you." Duran looked like he was going to say something, but he did not. "Never blow this unless you must. If you do not use it properly, its magic will leave the horn and it will be useless. You're also lucky Hawk didn't ruin it." Eagle grinned. "You got that right." King Flamekahn turned. "Eagle, Hawk, I want you to bring Duran to Salamando." This name was familiar, as Hawk paled. "That fiery place?" Hawk asked. "Yes. Eagle, take him to Salamando, and explain the situation. Salamando will know what to do." Eagle saluted. "Yes, King Flamekahn. We will not fail." They turned and left.
Back in their room, Duran was yelling. "Do you think a Forcena swordsman would use a dagger?" Hawk laughed. "What did you two talk about?" Eagle stopped Duran from saying anything, and added his own joke. "Swordsboy, not swordsman." Duran reddened. "Some strong boy," Hawk said. "I'll take that rusty thing," Duran pointed. "Age-old sword. Good choice," Eagle chided. "And I'll beat anyone with it, as long as it doesn't break." Duran replied as he swung the sword skillfully. "Suit yourself," Hawk lifted twelve daggers off the wall, Eagle took seven, but sheathed three curved swords. "Katanas," he said. "Faster than any other sword, quieter than a dagger, but it won't stand metal-to-metal with real swords." Eagle finished suiting up. "And a ninja's type of weapon." Hawk nodded. "Just one of many."