Disclaimer: Okay if you really want to read the disclaimer then you can
just go to the first chapter and read it there. Okay, also please go and
read mandycroyance's fanfiction because she won't leave me alone. (Eye
starts to spasm.)
Anyway this is chapter three and I hope you enjoy reading it. Please read and review.
Blades in the Night
*Kari*
I looked from the top of the carriage at the beautiful castle in wonder. It was made from sparkling white stones and tall towers stuck up from each corner. The area around the castle was as beautiful as the castle itself, rolling green hills streched in every direction from the castle, and a winding river passed close by. A small village was on the bank of the river. Fields of wheat made the hills look like a checkerboard. A small orchard of some type of fruit was near the fields.
I could tell that the castle was built for defense as well as beauty. Soldiers with tall pikes patrolled the walkways. A large ballista was on top of each of the towers with a spear-sized arrow already loaded into the big weapon. All of the windows were just slits that arrows could be fired out of.
"Gathis castle." Said Mandy who was sitting beside me.
I looked up at the leading carriage and I could see my brother gazing up at the castle with a look of wonder. He turned around and smiled at me. I smiled back. I was glad that somehow Tai had managed to come after with me.
The two carriages passed through the gates of the castle. In the courtyard two lines of soldiers were on each side of the courtyard. "Soldiers at arms." Said a commanding voice. All of the soldiers pulled their swords in one fluid movement and held them in a salute.
When the carriage stopped I stood and climbed down from the roof. Mandy jumped down off of the driver's seat with the fluid grace of a cat. I opened the door of the carriage and I could see Tai doing the same thing. Takeru and Matt jumped out onto the stones of the courtyard and I could tell that they had been waiting to get out and back onto their feet.
Takeru smiled at me and I smiled back. I closed the door behind them and followed after Takeru as he walked towards where his father had already gotten out of his carriage. Tai was helping Takeru's sister Sora out of the carriage and I could see the smiles on each of their faces. Maybe Sora wasn't the only person that liked someone else.
"It is good to see that you have returned safely your majesty." Said a man walking out from the rest of the soldiers. He looked about twenty and was a good half head taller than even Matt. Sinewy muscles rippled as he walked forward. Long blue hair was caught in a ponytail by a strip of leather and blue eyes held a caring look to them. He was dressed in plate armor with a green cape, sash, and a broad sword was sheathed in a green and golden scabbard at his hip.
"It is good to be back. You may have the men go back to their barracks." Said the king.
"At ease and return to the barracks. You will have an hour of rest before we will go back to drills." Said the general in a commanding voice that was much different than the warm voice he had used with the king. The soldiers sheathed their swords and they filtered out of the courtyard.
A group of people moved out of the castle a started to unhitch the horses from the carriages. "So how did the negotiations go?" Asked the person that I guessed was a general.
"Ryban isn't like his father…" started the king. Both he and the general walked into the castle.
"Who is that?" I asked Takeru.
"That's the general of our armies. General Joe." Said Takeru. "If you want to you can get settled in." I nodded. "Mryran." A small girl that was no more than seven looked over from where she was sitting. She had short brown hair and bright brown eyes. She stood and skipped over happily to Takeru.
"Yes, Pwince Takeru?" Asked Mryran.
"Could you show Kari where she can sleep?" Asked Takeru kneeling down beside the little girl.
"Yes." She said happily.
"Good." Takeru stood and ruffled the girl's hair. I smiled at how well Takeru worked with children. "I need to go and be sure that the horses are stabled well. If I'm not there when you come back you can find me in my room. Just ask anybody where it is."
"Yes, Takeru." I said bowing. Takeru smiled and I realized what I did. I had always had trouble breaking habits.
"Come on wady." Said Mryran grabbing my hand. She started to pull my hand and I turned away from Takeru. I let her pull me through a doorway that led into the inside of the castle. She led me down the hallway and stopped at a door. She reached up to try and get the door handle but couldn't quiet reach it. I reached forward with my other hand and open the door. "Twank you."
She pulled me through the door. We were in a central room with many doors leading somewhere. There was a fireplace with a few pieces of non-burning wood in the grate. A few straight back wicker chairs were around the room and a worn braided rug lay over the stones.
"I twink that this woom is open." Said Mryran walking up to another door. I opened it for us again and we walked in. The room was small but nicely furnished. A single bed was pushed up against the wall, a chest was at the foot of the bed, and a wicker chair. Another braided rug was on the floor.
I walked into the room and looked around. Mryran ran over to my new bed and jumped onto it. "Is this all mine."
"Ywep." She said in her happy voice that never seemed to change. I knelt down beside the chest and opened it. There were several white robes trimmed with green already in the chest, a set of riding leathers, white slippers, and heavy leather boots. "Wady why do you have a D on wour hand."
I ran my other hand over the D lightly. I could remember the day that it had been burned into my flesh and sealed my fate as a slave like it was yesterday. "It means that I'm a slave." I said sadly.
"What's is a sl-sl-slave." Said Mryran stumbling over the new word.
"Don't worry about it." I said closing the chest and sitting on the bed. The little girl crawled onto my lap.
"Otah, wady."
"Now can you show where Prince Takeru's room is?" I asked the little girl.
"Yes." Said the little girl happily, jumping off my lap, and pulling me towards the door.
*Third person at Delfak castle*
Ryban yelled and backhanded the slave that was walking towards him with a tray of food. Both the slave and the tray fell to the ground and the food on the tray spilled to the ground.
"Whip the slave for ruining good food." Yelled Ryban at the soldiers.
"Please, king Ryban." Pleaded the slave.
"Give IT another five lashes for talking out of turn." The soldiers walked forward and dragged the crying slave out of the room. "The rest of you can leave me." The soldiers guarding the doors opened the door and walked out. Ryban waited until he was sure the doors were closed before turning and walking behind his throne. He grabbed the hidden lever behind his throne and pulled it.
There was a slight grating sound and the stones in the floor slid down then to the side. There was a revolving stairway going down into black depths. Ryban walked a few steps down and pulled a torch and striker that was racked on the stairway's wall. He lit the torch and put the striker back. The light of the torch played down the stairway and made the darkness seem darker.
Ryban walked slowly down the steep stairwell, being careful where he put his feet on the wet stairs. After he had gone down several steps the stones above his head grated back into place. Ryban continued to walk down but the torch seemed to cast very little light into blackness that seemed to be to dark.
He arrived at the bottom of the stairs and set the torch into a bracket on the wall. Ryban closed his eyes and concentrated. There was a brief flash of fire and torches set all around the small circular chamber flashed into life. The light showed Ryban's sorcerer's chamber.
A pillow was placed on the stones near the stairs. A circle of power runes took up most of the room. Each of the black runes almost shone with power even though Ryban wasn't using them yet.
Ryban knelt on the pillow and crossed his legs behind him. He placed his hands inches from each other and closed his eyes. He concentrated and a black ball of energy started to build between them. Even the heat from the room added into the ball of energy and Ryban's breath came out in plumes of steam.
"Razar." Whispered Ryban. "Come to me." He yelled throwing the ball of energy into the middle of the circle. It froze in the very center of the circle of runes and the runes started to glow with an evil black energy. The ball of black energy exploded and when the light faded away a large demon stood in the circle of runes.
The demon was twelve feet of concentrated muscle. Two large bat wings that stretched to the sides of the rune circle were perched on his back. Twin eyes glowed red in its large head and a long snout full of razor sharp teeth protruded from its head and two curving horns poked up from a head of course black hair. Long arms that ended in fists full of claws held twin large swords that crackled with energy.
The demon yelled with fury and swung its sword at Ryban's neck. The blade hit something in the air that stopped it an inch from Ryban's face. Black energy flared around the sword and the runes glowed brighter. "I don't like it when you do that." Said Ryban. The runes flared and electricity ran down the length of the blade and into the demon. It didn't yell but it pulled the sword back quickly. "I see you are happy as always, Razar."
"What do you want worm." Said Razar. The demon reached toward the invisible shield that the runes cast. A brief shock forced the demon to pull back.
"I think you forget who is in charge." Said Ryban.
"If it wasn't for the rune barrier you would be dead and your innards would be strewn across the floor." Ryban concentrated and crackling black energy hit the large demon. It stared at Ryban with hatred as energy coursed through its body. "Now kneel." The demon continued to glare at the young king even as it fell to its knees.
"What do you want?" Asked the demon reluctantly.
"Master." Reminded Ryban.
"Massssster."
"One of your blades. Leave it on the ground and you may go back to your world of the damned." The demon's arm trembled as it struggled but it couldn't resist the command of the person who had called it. It roared and threw the sword at Ryban. The sword hit the shield raised by the runes. Black light flashed and the demon was gone.
Ryban let his control over the runes go and stood to his feet. His knees popped as he stood and his muscles felt weak from too much energy usage. He walked forward though and picked up the sword, which lay on the ground. He could feel the evil energy that the black blade held. This would be a good tool to get back at that Gathis king for making him look like an idiot. First he could send in his special forces to say high to the king.
*Kari*
I stood facing Mandy with a wooden wand in the general shape and size of a short sword in a defensive position. Sweat slid down my face. My leathers were damp, and my hair was already plastered to my head even though we had only been sparring for ten minutes. Takeru had decided that it would be best if I could defend myself. I already knew a little from Tai teaching me with a stick but we had never gotten past basic defense before we had gotten caught.
Takeru was sitting on the stairs that led up to the wall walkways with Sora, Tai, and Matt. All of their tunics were damp from sparring and wooden replicas of their weapons rested beside them. They had been sparring, too.
Mandy stepped forward and I lunged forward with my sword. She parried the wooden blade and swung her own back around. I ducked and the wood grazed the top of my head. I jumped back from Mandy, but she came in harder than before. Wood clashed again and again before Mandy caught my sword hand with the flat of her blade. My own wooden sword hit the ground and I stepped back holding my hand.
"Owww." I said rubbing my hurt hand.
"You're getting good really quick." Said Mandy pushing her own damp hair out of her eyes.
"You worried about Kari taking over your job?" Asked Takeru jokingly.
"Are you kidding. I'll pay her to do it, but the thing is that no one else wants to protect your sorry ass." Said Mandy resting her wooden sword on her shoulder.
"Tai get out here and spar Kistar." Yelled Joe from the other side of the courtyard where a group of soldiers were sparring.
"Yes, sir." Said Tai standing and saluting. He ran over to where the soldiers were sparring and faced up with Kistar. I walked over to the stairs and plopped down tiredly beside Takeru. Mandy walked over as well but she stood beside the stairs. We watched Tai spar for a while with Kistar and he beat the younger soldier black and blue.
*Takeru*
I stared at Kari who was sitting a step underneath me. She didn't notice because she was watching her brother fight. Her light brown hair waved slightly in the light breeze and shined in the bright sunlight. Crimson eyes, that I knew I could sit for hours and just stare into, sparkled with life. Her skin held a golden glow to it that almost seemed to glow even brighter in the sun.
"You know you could ask her to go somewhere you two could be alone." Whispered my brother Matt in my ear. I blushed crimson but managed to get control and force the blush out of my face.
"Why would we want to be alone?" I asked in the same volume as Matt.
"Because you're staring at her like she's the only person in the whole castle. You get any more star struck and the sky is going to fall." Matt whispered back.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I said leaning back on the stair behind me and closing my eyes to show Matt how little I cared.
"Sure you don't. You might want to say something to her soon because she is quite a good catch for one of the soldiers." My eyes snapped open and I sat up straight quickly.
"What!?"
"That's what I thought." Said Matt. "Now the top of the east tower is the best place in the castle to watch a sunset and nobody except for the me, and my dates go up there any more. The guards haven't even been up there in years."
"Fine you win." Matt grinned at me evilly and I leaned forward. My lips were almost touching her ear and I could see her tense up. "Ummm … Kari I know a really good place where we could watch the sunset." My throat was tight and I sent out a silent prayer to anybody listening that she would say yes.
"Sure." Said Kari nodding and standing to her feet. I let out a breath that I didn't even know I had been holding and stood beside her. We both walked past my sister and brother who were grinning at me. I pretended I didn't see them and we walked up to the walkway. Mandy stared to follow us but Matt stopped her before she got up the stairs.
I led Kari to the east tower but she stepped in front of me to open the door into the tower. I had told her since there weren't any slaves in Gathis before her and her brother she didn't have to act like she had with Ryban. All she had to do was help around the castle. She hadn't gotten over old habits yet though.
We walked to the top of the tower and stepped out. They had a clear view of the sun falling below the horizon. The golds, purples, and reds were painted against the sky creating a beautiful view for any that would look. The ballista stood in the center of the tower
My mom loved sunsets when she had been alive. She would always take me out by the river and stare at the sunset with a far off look in her eyes. She would tell me that if I ever needed to remember her just look into the sunset and she would be there. I would always go to the river after my mom died to watch the sunset. Little good that did me after she died.
I wiped away tears that were starting to cloud my vision and turned away from Kari so she couldn't see me about to cry. I walked over to the parapet and leaned against it looking out towards the sunset. Kari walked over beside me and pulled herself up so that she could sit on the parapet and look at me.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Just remembering some old memories about my mom." I said.
"I don't even have any memories of my mom." Said Kari.
"Sorry. I guess I take for granted that I even knew my mom."
"It's okay." Silence fell over the top of the tower. Kari pulled the necklace with the feather on it out of her shirt and held it up. The last fading rays of sunlight hit the feather and it glowed a weak pink. I pulled out my own feather and held it up beside Kari's. Mine glowed a faint gold in response to the sun. Kari let hers fall and jumped down from the parapet.
Her foot must have hit a loose stone or something because she fell towards me. I managed to get my hands up but I wasn't ready for her weight and fell backwards. My back hit the stones and Kari landed on top of me.
"Sorry, Takeru." Said Kari.
"It's okay. I could think of several worse places to be than underneath you." I said trying to put as much suave as possible in it. Kari flushed pink and after a little bit I did, too. "It always sounded better when Matt used lines like that."
Kari laughed and tried to sit up. Our necklaces were twisted together however and she couldn't move very far. The two feathers were touching and they were glowing brighter than they had when the sun had touched them.
I propped myself up on my elbows and mine and Kari's faces were only an inch away from each other. The sun was behind her head and it seemed to give her a halo of golden light behind her. She was so beautiful and it was hard to believe that she was anywhere near me. Before I had even thought about what I was doing I had moved my face forward and our lips had met briefly.
We pulled apart quickly and both of us were blushing deep crimson. Kari reached down and untangled our necklaces then pulled away. She stood up and turned away from me. I sat up and looked down at the ground. I wanted to say that I was sorry for jumping to conclusions but I knew that would be a lie.
"Kari." I said drawing a stiletto still in its sheath out of my boot. "I meant to give you this when we came up here but one thing led to another and I forgot." Kari turned back around and looked at me. Her face had a faint shade of pink to it. I held out the stiletto to her.
"Why?"
"There aren't enough good people in the world that you can go around unprotected." She nodded and leaned forward taking the small blade out of my hand. She slid the sheath into her belt.
"Takeru can I ask you a question?"
"You just did but I'll allow you another." She smiled at the small joke.
"Why did you just kiss me?"
"Truthfully I don't know why but it just felt right."
"It did," Said Kari smiling. "But I don't know if I'm ready for anything like that. You understand right?"
"Friends?"
"Friends." She agreed. She held her hand out and I took it. She pulled me to my feet and we both walked to the door leading to the stairs.
*Kari*
I shook my head groggily, trying to clear the cobwebs out of my head that I always had when I woke up. Why had I woken up at all? If anything I liked to sleep for as much as possible. I glanced at the end of the bed where I could see a light pink glow rising from where I had left my necklace.
I slipped out of the bed and shivered as the cool air hit my exposed skin, since I only slept in a thin shift. I rushed down to the end of my bed and grabbed the necklace and the stiletto that Takeru had given me. I shook the sheath off of the small blade as I opened the door.
I sprinted out of the servants' section of the castle and down the hallways towards Takeru's room. My bare feet slapped against the stone floor as I ran. I heard the clash of metal against metal far ahead I sprinted even faster. I turned a corner and saw both Mandy and Takeru fighting two cloaked figures with swords.
Mandy was dressed in full combat gear while Takeru was dressed only in his pants. Blood stained both of their swords and clothes. A figure lay in a pool of blood at Takeru's feet and a figure was entrapped in ice near Mandy.
I barely had time to think about it before my knife drove through flesh and bone. The blade bit deep into the back of the figure's neck and he fell to the ground almost ripping the stiletto out of my grasp. The man still fighting Takeru turned for a second to look at me and Takeru's sword rushed into the space between his defense.
"Bast…" gurgled the man before he fell to the ground with blood pouring out of his chest.
"Sub zero blast." Yelled Mandy. Her sword glowed deep blue and she swung it hard. Wind with ice in it hit the two figures freezing them to the wall and freezing part of the wall itself.
"Where he heck did these guys come from?" Asked Takeru.
"I don't know they just suddenly attacked and I didn't really have time to ask questions after that." Said Mandy.
"What about the rest of the royal family?" I asked.
"I'll go to the king." Said Mandy. "Takeru go to Matt and Kari go to Sora." We all nodded. I reached down and pulled one of the swords out of a figure's grasp. It was a little heavy for me but I would need it. We all sprinted in the direction of the person we needed to protect.
I heard metal against metal again before I saw anything and turned to see Sora fighting off three figures with two more behind them. I could see Tai sprinting down the corridor the other way with weapons in hand. Sora was dressed like me but Tai had his pants on.
Tai threw his spear before he even reached the figures and caught one of the men fighting Sora in the chest, killing him instantly. The two men that weren't fighting Sora moved to intercept us.
I led with my newly acquired sword at the figure's torso and he jumped to the side. H slashed down at my arm and pulled my arm back. He knocked my blade into the stones of the floor however and sparks flew as metal skidded against granite. I slashed up with my stiletto almost as a reflex and the blade ripped through the man's cloak. The tip of the small blade skidded along his ribs, leaving a line of red. He fell forward instead of falling backwards like I thought he would and his weight landed on me. We both fell. I managed to turn my stiletto up and he fell fully upon it.
I lay with the dead man on top of me for a few minutes struggling to push the corpse off of me. Finally the sound of clashing metal died around me and a strong hand pulled the dead man off of me. Tai was standing above me with his short sword stained in blood. Sora was behind him checking the dead men's clothes for anything. Her weapons leaned against the wall in easy reach and blood ran down the steel of her blades as well.
"You okay, Kar?" Asked Tai.
"I think so except I'm soaked with blood." I said gesturing towards my clothes which was soaked with the man's blood.
"As long as you are okay." He said. He turned back to Sora while I sat up. "Anything."
"Just weapons and a little bit of coin." Said Sora.
"Takeru was attacked as well and we split up to see if anyone else had been attacked." I said standing and picking up both my weapons.
"Father." Said Sora. She abandoned her search and picked up her weapons. She turned and ran towards the king's bedchambers. Tai pulled his spear out of the body it was in and ran after her. I was a little slower on my feet but I was soon running after both of them.
In front of the doors to the bedchamber were two dead guards in the green of the Gathis kingdom. Their weapons were covered in blood however and five dead figures lay around them. We ran through the door and all froze at what we saw. The king lay on the ground with his head hanging off of his neck by a mall piece of skin. His broadsword hung weakly in his hand. Four more dead figures lay around the king. Mandy stood staring at the king's body dully. One last figure lay next to her.
We walked towards the dead body and twin streaks of silver ran down her face. We heard footsteps running and then the footsteps skidding to a halt. Takeru and Matt both joined us in staring at the king's body.
"Father." Said Sora weakly.
"Salute arms." Said Mandy. We all raised our weapons in respect to the fallen king.
End Note: That was the third chapter. I'm going to be going off onto some more of my other stories so it might be a few weeks before chapter four is out. Be patient with me because I'll finish this.
Anyway this is chapter three and I hope you enjoy reading it. Please read and review.
Blades in the Night
*Kari*
I looked from the top of the carriage at the beautiful castle in wonder. It was made from sparkling white stones and tall towers stuck up from each corner. The area around the castle was as beautiful as the castle itself, rolling green hills streched in every direction from the castle, and a winding river passed close by. A small village was on the bank of the river. Fields of wheat made the hills look like a checkerboard. A small orchard of some type of fruit was near the fields.
I could tell that the castle was built for defense as well as beauty. Soldiers with tall pikes patrolled the walkways. A large ballista was on top of each of the towers with a spear-sized arrow already loaded into the big weapon. All of the windows were just slits that arrows could be fired out of.
"Gathis castle." Said Mandy who was sitting beside me.
I looked up at the leading carriage and I could see my brother gazing up at the castle with a look of wonder. He turned around and smiled at me. I smiled back. I was glad that somehow Tai had managed to come after with me.
The two carriages passed through the gates of the castle. In the courtyard two lines of soldiers were on each side of the courtyard. "Soldiers at arms." Said a commanding voice. All of the soldiers pulled their swords in one fluid movement and held them in a salute.
When the carriage stopped I stood and climbed down from the roof. Mandy jumped down off of the driver's seat with the fluid grace of a cat. I opened the door of the carriage and I could see Tai doing the same thing. Takeru and Matt jumped out onto the stones of the courtyard and I could tell that they had been waiting to get out and back onto their feet.
Takeru smiled at me and I smiled back. I closed the door behind them and followed after Takeru as he walked towards where his father had already gotten out of his carriage. Tai was helping Takeru's sister Sora out of the carriage and I could see the smiles on each of their faces. Maybe Sora wasn't the only person that liked someone else.
"It is good to see that you have returned safely your majesty." Said a man walking out from the rest of the soldiers. He looked about twenty and was a good half head taller than even Matt. Sinewy muscles rippled as he walked forward. Long blue hair was caught in a ponytail by a strip of leather and blue eyes held a caring look to them. He was dressed in plate armor with a green cape, sash, and a broad sword was sheathed in a green and golden scabbard at his hip.
"It is good to be back. You may have the men go back to their barracks." Said the king.
"At ease and return to the barracks. You will have an hour of rest before we will go back to drills." Said the general in a commanding voice that was much different than the warm voice he had used with the king. The soldiers sheathed their swords and they filtered out of the courtyard.
A group of people moved out of the castle a started to unhitch the horses from the carriages. "So how did the negotiations go?" Asked the person that I guessed was a general.
"Ryban isn't like his father…" started the king. Both he and the general walked into the castle.
"Who is that?" I asked Takeru.
"That's the general of our armies. General Joe." Said Takeru. "If you want to you can get settled in." I nodded. "Mryran." A small girl that was no more than seven looked over from where she was sitting. She had short brown hair and bright brown eyes. She stood and skipped over happily to Takeru.
"Yes, Pwince Takeru?" Asked Mryran.
"Could you show Kari where she can sleep?" Asked Takeru kneeling down beside the little girl.
"Yes." She said happily.
"Good." Takeru stood and ruffled the girl's hair. I smiled at how well Takeru worked with children. "I need to go and be sure that the horses are stabled well. If I'm not there when you come back you can find me in my room. Just ask anybody where it is."
"Yes, Takeru." I said bowing. Takeru smiled and I realized what I did. I had always had trouble breaking habits.
"Come on wady." Said Mryran grabbing my hand. She started to pull my hand and I turned away from Takeru. I let her pull me through a doorway that led into the inside of the castle. She led me down the hallway and stopped at a door. She reached up to try and get the door handle but couldn't quiet reach it. I reached forward with my other hand and open the door. "Twank you."
She pulled me through the door. We were in a central room with many doors leading somewhere. There was a fireplace with a few pieces of non-burning wood in the grate. A few straight back wicker chairs were around the room and a worn braided rug lay over the stones.
"I twink that this woom is open." Said Mryran walking up to another door. I opened it for us again and we walked in. The room was small but nicely furnished. A single bed was pushed up against the wall, a chest was at the foot of the bed, and a wicker chair. Another braided rug was on the floor.
I walked into the room and looked around. Mryran ran over to my new bed and jumped onto it. "Is this all mine."
"Ywep." She said in her happy voice that never seemed to change. I knelt down beside the chest and opened it. There were several white robes trimmed with green already in the chest, a set of riding leathers, white slippers, and heavy leather boots. "Wady why do you have a D on wour hand."
I ran my other hand over the D lightly. I could remember the day that it had been burned into my flesh and sealed my fate as a slave like it was yesterday. "It means that I'm a slave." I said sadly.
"What's is a sl-sl-slave." Said Mryran stumbling over the new word.
"Don't worry about it." I said closing the chest and sitting on the bed. The little girl crawled onto my lap.
"Otah, wady."
"Now can you show where Prince Takeru's room is?" I asked the little girl.
"Yes." Said the little girl happily, jumping off my lap, and pulling me towards the door.
*Third person at Delfak castle*
Ryban yelled and backhanded the slave that was walking towards him with a tray of food. Both the slave and the tray fell to the ground and the food on the tray spilled to the ground.
"Whip the slave for ruining good food." Yelled Ryban at the soldiers.
"Please, king Ryban." Pleaded the slave.
"Give IT another five lashes for talking out of turn." The soldiers walked forward and dragged the crying slave out of the room. "The rest of you can leave me." The soldiers guarding the doors opened the door and walked out. Ryban waited until he was sure the doors were closed before turning and walking behind his throne. He grabbed the hidden lever behind his throne and pulled it.
There was a slight grating sound and the stones in the floor slid down then to the side. There was a revolving stairway going down into black depths. Ryban walked a few steps down and pulled a torch and striker that was racked on the stairway's wall. He lit the torch and put the striker back. The light of the torch played down the stairway and made the darkness seem darker.
Ryban walked slowly down the steep stairwell, being careful where he put his feet on the wet stairs. After he had gone down several steps the stones above his head grated back into place. Ryban continued to walk down but the torch seemed to cast very little light into blackness that seemed to be to dark.
He arrived at the bottom of the stairs and set the torch into a bracket on the wall. Ryban closed his eyes and concentrated. There was a brief flash of fire and torches set all around the small circular chamber flashed into life. The light showed Ryban's sorcerer's chamber.
A pillow was placed on the stones near the stairs. A circle of power runes took up most of the room. Each of the black runes almost shone with power even though Ryban wasn't using them yet.
Ryban knelt on the pillow and crossed his legs behind him. He placed his hands inches from each other and closed his eyes. He concentrated and a black ball of energy started to build between them. Even the heat from the room added into the ball of energy and Ryban's breath came out in plumes of steam.
"Razar." Whispered Ryban. "Come to me." He yelled throwing the ball of energy into the middle of the circle. It froze in the very center of the circle of runes and the runes started to glow with an evil black energy. The ball of black energy exploded and when the light faded away a large demon stood in the circle of runes.
The demon was twelve feet of concentrated muscle. Two large bat wings that stretched to the sides of the rune circle were perched on his back. Twin eyes glowed red in its large head and a long snout full of razor sharp teeth protruded from its head and two curving horns poked up from a head of course black hair. Long arms that ended in fists full of claws held twin large swords that crackled with energy.
The demon yelled with fury and swung its sword at Ryban's neck. The blade hit something in the air that stopped it an inch from Ryban's face. Black energy flared around the sword and the runes glowed brighter. "I don't like it when you do that." Said Ryban. The runes flared and electricity ran down the length of the blade and into the demon. It didn't yell but it pulled the sword back quickly. "I see you are happy as always, Razar."
"What do you want worm." Said Razar. The demon reached toward the invisible shield that the runes cast. A brief shock forced the demon to pull back.
"I think you forget who is in charge." Said Ryban.
"If it wasn't for the rune barrier you would be dead and your innards would be strewn across the floor." Ryban concentrated and crackling black energy hit the large demon. It stared at Ryban with hatred as energy coursed through its body. "Now kneel." The demon continued to glare at the young king even as it fell to its knees.
"What do you want?" Asked the demon reluctantly.
"Master." Reminded Ryban.
"Massssster."
"One of your blades. Leave it on the ground and you may go back to your world of the damned." The demon's arm trembled as it struggled but it couldn't resist the command of the person who had called it. It roared and threw the sword at Ryban. The sword hit the shield raised by the runes. Black light flashed and the demon was gone.
Ryban let his control over the runes go and stood to his feet. His knees popped as he stood and his muscles felt weak from too much energy usage. He walked forward though and picked up the sword, which lay on the ground. He could feel the evil energy that the black blade held. This would be a good tool to get back at that Gathis king for making him look like an idiot. First he could send in his special forces to say high to the king.
*Kari*
I stood facing Mandy with a wooden wand in the general shape and size of a short sword in a defensive position. Sweat slid down my face. My leathers were damp, and my hair was already plastered to my head even though we had only been sparring for ten minutes. Takeru had decided that it would be best if I could defend myself. I already knew a little from Tai teaching me with a stick but we had never gotten past basic defense before we had gotten caught.
Takeru was sitting on the stairs that led up to the wall walkways with Sora, Tai, and Matt. All of their tunics were damp from sparring and wooden replicas of their weapons rested beside them. They had been sparring, too.
Mandy stepped forward and I lunged forward with my sword. She parried the wooden blade and swung her own back around. I ducked and the wood grazed the top of my head. I jumped back from Mandy, but she came in harder than before. Wood clashed again and again before Mandy caught my sword hand with the flat of her blade. My own wooden sword hit the ground and I stepped back holding my hand.
"Owww." I said rubbing my hurt hand.
"You're getting good really quick." Said Mandy pushing her own damp hair out of her eyes.
"You worried about Kari taking over your job?" Asked Takeru jokingly.
"Are you kidding. I'll pay her to do it, but the thing is that no one else wants to protect your sorry ass." Said Mandy resting her wooden sword on her shoulder.
"Tai get out here and spar Kistar." Yelled Joe from the other side of the courtyard where a group of soldiers were sparring.
"Yes, sir." Said Tai standing and saluting. He ran over to where the soldiers were sparring and faced up with Kistar. I walked over to the stairs and plopped down tiredly beside Takeru. Mandy walked over as well but she stood beside the stairs. We watched Tai spar for a while with Kistar and he beat the younger soldier black and blue.
*Takeru*
I stared at Kari who was sitting a step underneath me. She didn't notice because she was watching her brother fight. Her light brown hair waved slightly in the light breeze and shined in the bright sunlight. Crimson eyes, that I knew I could sit for hours and just stare into, sparkled with life. Her skin held a golden glow to it that almost seemed to glow even brighter in the sun.
"You know you could ask her to go somewhere you two could be alone." Whispered my brother Matt in my ear. I blushed crimson but managed to get control and force the blush out of my face.
"Why would we want to be alone?" I asked in the same volume as Matt.
"Because you're staring at her like she's the only person in the whole castle. You get any more star struck and the sky is going to fall." Matt whispered back.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I said leaning back on the stair behind me and closing my eyes to show Matt how little I cared.
"Sure you don't. You might want to say something to her soon because she is quite a good catch for one of the soldiers." My eyes snapped open and I sat up straight quickly.
"What!?"
"That's what I thought." Said Matt. "Now the top of the east tower is the best place in the castle to watch a sunset and nobody except for the me, and my dates go up there any more. The guards haven't even been up there in years."
"Fine you win." Matt grinned at me evilly and I leaned forward. My lips were almost touching her ear and I could see her tense up. "Ummm … Kari I know a really good place where we could watch the sunset." My throat was tight and I sent out a silent prayer to anybody listening that she would say yes.
"Sure." Said Kari nodding and standing to her feet. I let out a breath that I didn't even know I had been holding and stood beside her. We both walked past my sister and brother who were grinning at me. I pretended I didn't see them and we walked up to the walkway. Mandy stared to follow us but Matt stopped her before she got up the stairs.
I led Kari to the east tower but she stepped in front of me to open the door into the tower. I had told her since there weren't any slaves in Gathis before her and her brother she didn't have to act like she had with Ryban. All she had to do was help around the castle. She hadn't gotten over old habits yet though.
We walked to the top of the tower and stepped out. They had a clear view of the sun falling below the horizon. The golds, purples, and reds were painted against the sky creating a beautiful view for any that would look. The ballista stood in the center of the tower
My mom loved sunsets when she had been alive. She would always take me out by the river and stare at the sunset with a far off look in her eyes. She would tell me that if I ever needed to remember her just look into the sunset and she would be there. I would always go to the river after my mom died to watch the sunset. Little good that did me after she died.
I wiped away tears that were starting to cloud my vision and turned away from Kari so she couldn't see me about to cry. I walked over to the parapet and leaned against it looking out towards the sunset. Kari walked over beside me and pulled herself up so that she could sit on the parapet and look at me.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Just remembering some old memories about my mom." I said.
"I don't even have any memories of my mom." Said Kari.
"Sorry. I guess I take for granted that I even knew my mom."
"It's okay." Silence fell over the top of the tower. Kari pulled the necklace with the feather on it out of her shirt and held it up. The last fading rays of sunlight hit the feather and it glowed a weak pink. I pulled out my own feather and held it up beside Kari's. Mine glowed a faint gold in response to the sun. Kari let hers fall and jumped down from the parapet.
Her foot must have hit a loose stone or something because she fell towards me. I managed to get my hands up but I wasn't ready for her weight and fell backwards. My back hit the stones and Kari landed on top of me.
"Sorry, Takeru." Said Kari.
"It's okay. I could think of several worse places to be than underneath you." I said trying to put as much suave as possible in it. Kari flushed pink and after a little bit I did, too. "It always sounded better when Matt used lines like that."
Kari laughed and tried to sit up. Our necklaces were twisted together however and she couldn't move very far. The two feathers were touching and they were glowing brighter than they had when the sun had touched them.
I propped myself up on my elbows and mine and Kari's faces were only an inch away from each other. The sun was behind her head and it seemed to give her a halo of golden light behind her. She was so beautiful and it was hard to believe that she was anywhere near me. Before I had even thought about what I was doing I had moved my face forward and our lips had met briefly.
We pulled apart quickly and both of us were blushing deep crimson. Kari reached down and untangled our necklaces then pulled away. She stood up and turned away from me. I sat up and looked down at the ground. I wanted to say that I was sorry for jumping to conclusions but I knew that would be a lie.
"Kari." I said drawing a stiletto still in its sheath out of my boot. "I meant to give you this when we came up here but one thing led to another and I forgot." Kari turned back around and looked at me. Her face had a faint shade of pink to it. I held out the stiletto to her.
"Why?"
"There aren't enough good people in the world that you can go around unprotected." She nodded and leaned forward taking the small blade out of my hand. She slid the sheath into her belt.
"Takeru can I ask you a question?"
"You just did but I'll allow you another." She smiled at the small joke.
"Why did you just kiss me?"
"Truthfully I don't know why but it just felt right."
"It did," Said Kari smiling. "But I don't know if I'm ready for anything like that. You understand right?"
"Friends?"
"Friends." She agreed. She held her hand out and I took it. She pulled me to my feet and we both walked to the door leading to the stairs.
*Kari*
I shook my head groggily, trying to clear the cobwebs out of my head that I always had when I woke up. Why had I woken up at all? If anything I liked to sleep for as much as possible. I glanced at the end of the bed where I could see a light pink glow rising from where I had left my necklace.
I slipped out of the bed and shivered as the cool air hit my exposed skin, since I only slept in a thin shift. I rushed down to the end of my bed and grabbed the necklace and the stiletto that Takeru had given me. I shook the sheath off of the small blade as I opened the door.
I sprinted out of the servants' section of the castle and down the hallways towards Takeru's room. My bare feet slapped against the stone floor as I ran. I heard the clash of metal against metal far ahead I sprinted even faster. I turned a corner and saw both Mandy and Takeru fighting two cloaked figures with swords.
Mandy was dressed in full combat gear while Takeru was dressed only in his pants. Blood stained both of their swords and clothes. A figure lay in a pool of blood at Takeru's feet and a figure was entrapped in ice near Mandy.
I barely had time to think about it before my knife drove through flesh and bone. The blade bit deep into the back of the figure's neck and he fell to the ground almost ripping the stiletto out of my grasp. The man still fighting Takeru turned for a second to look at me and Takeru's sword rushed into the space between his defense.
"Bast…" gurgled the man before he fell to the ground with blood pouring out of his chest.
"Sub zero blast." Yelled Mandy. Her sword glowed deep blue and she swung it hard. Wind with ice in it hit the two figures freezing them to the wall and freezing part of the wall itself.
"Where he heck did these guys come from?" Asked Takeru.
"I don't know they just suddenly attacked and I didn't really have time to ask questions after that." Said Mandy.
"What about the rest of the royal family?" I asked.
"I'll go to the king." Said Mandy. "Takeru go to Matt and Kari go to Sora." We all nodded. I reached down and pulled one of the swords out of a figure's grasp. It was a little heavy for me but I would need it. We all sprinted in the direction of the person we needed to protect.
I heard metal against metal again before I saw anything and turned to see Sora fighting off three figures with two more behind them. I could see Tai sprinting down the corridor the other way with weapons in hand. Sora was dressed like me but Tai had his pants on.
Tai threw his spear before he even reached the figures and caught one of the men fighting Sora in the chest, killing him instantly. The two men that weren't fighting Sora moved to intercept us.
I led with my newly acquired sword at the figure's torso and he jumped to the side. H slashed down at my arm and pulled my arm back. He knocked my blade into the stones of the floor however and sparks flew as metal skidded against granite. I slashed up with my stiletto almost as a reflex and the blade ripped through the man's cloak. The tip of the small blade skidded along his ribs, leaving a line of red. He fell forward instead of falling backwards like I thought he would and his weight landed on me. We both fell. I managed to turn my stiletto up and he fell fully upon it.
I lay with the dead man on top of me for a few minutes struggling to push the corpse off of me. Finally the sound of clashing metal died around me and a strong hand pulled the dead man off of me. Tai was standing above me with his short sword stained in blood. Sora was behind him checking the dead men's clothes for anything. Her weapons leaned against the wall in easy reach and blood ran down the steel of her blades as well.
"You okay, Kar?" Asked Tai.
"I think so except I'm soaked with blood." I said gesturing towards my clothes which was soaked with the man's blood.
"As long as you are okay." He said. He turned back to Sora while I sat up. "Anything."
"Just weapons and a little bit of coin." Said Sora.
"Takeru was attacked as well and we split up to see if anyone else had been attacked." I said standing and picking up both my weapons.
"Father." Said Sora. She abandoned her search and picked up her weapons. She turned and ran towards the king's bedchambers. Tai pulled his spear out of the body it was in and ran after her. I was a little slower on my feet but I was soon running after both of them.
In front of the doors to the bedchamber were two dead guards in the green of the Gathis kingdom. Their weapons were covered in blood however and five dead figures lay around them. We ran through the door and all froze at what we saw. The king lay on the ground with his head hanging off of his neck by a mall piece of skin. His broadsword hung weakly in his hand. Four more dead figures lay around the king. Mandy stood staring at the king's body dully. One last figure lay next to her.
We walked towards the dead body and twin streaks of silver ran down her face. We heard footsteps running and then the footsteps skidding to a halt. Takeru and Matt both joined us in staring at the king's body.
"Father." Said Sora weakly.
"Salute arms." Said Mandy. We all raised our weapons in respect to the fallen king.
End Note: That was the third chapter. I'm going to be going off onto some more of my other stories so it might be a few weeks before chapter four is out. Be patient with me because I'll finish this.