CHAPTER 3
It had been days after his dismissal as a member of Rynntopian Council. It had been far too long to bare the burden of failure.
But now he would change all that. Twitching his long ears to get a better hearing on the conversation between the Trian guards, Luanda crouches lower behind the foliage, tucking his cat-like tail underneath him.
"...So when did Lord Darken say this 'Miracle' was going to take place? It isn't everyday that you see a miracle being preformed."
The taller guard scratches his helmet and shrugs.
" He said that, " the guard chuckles, " And I quote ' The Miracle will appear when the two moons dance side by side.' I haven't a clue what he means though. Darken has always been funny in the head. All War Mages are!"
As the two guards laugh in chorus with each other, a third guard appears from within the Kingdom gates.
" Hey you two, this is no time for friendly chats, you're supposed to be on duty you know!"
The smaller guard waves his hands in defence.
" We weren't having a chat sir, we were merely discussing what Lord Darken told us at the weekly briefing!"
The third guard relaxes.
"Oh, you mean that weird talk about dancing moons? What the hell was all that about?"
" Yeah, exactly what I said!"
All three guards laugh together.
A concerned frown forms on Luanda's forehead. This 'Miracle' seemed wrong, especially if it concerned matters with the Mystic Moon...
" Hey! What are you doing here?!"
Luanda spins round suddenly, realising he had been discovered. Looming over him, a tall well-armoured man with an unsheathed sword in his right hand, demands an answer to his question. Failing on giving him one, Luanda is wrenched from his hiding place and is thrown at the feet of the three socialising guards.
"You call yourselves Trian guards? A land dragon could sneak by you while playing a flute!"
The three guards look in total astonishment at the cowering beastman, and back up to their general.
" Wow, um, how did he get there?" The small guard bumbles.
" Don't give me that, you incompetent fools! Take this beastman into custody and search the area for more spies!"
" Yes, General Lord Darken sir!!"
Swiftly the taller guard pulls Luanda to his feet and escorts him into the castle grounds, heading straight for the dungeons...
**************************************
The courtroom is full to the brim with flickering shadows made by the candles decorating the stone walls. Chained to the floor in front of him, Luanda could just barely lift his head to see the judges on the towering platform above him.
The whispers from his captors that sit in chairs circling him, fade softly to silence as a door at the back of the platform opens and a young man enters, a crown placed upon his maroon-hair covered head. The man smoothly goes to sit on his thrown that overlooks Luanda and leans over to briefly talk with Lord Darken sitting next to him. As soon as he finishes talking with his General Mage, King Tristen leans back into his golden chair with a smile.
" It is cruel irony that brings you before me today beastman. Today you will pay for insulting me so harshly at Rynntopia's Temple of Council."
King Tristen ushers for a guard behind his thrown to hand him a scroll. Calmly, the young King unravels the parchment and briefly glances over it before handing it to Darken, who in turn reads it and stands up.
" From now on boy, you will speak nothing but the truth."
Luanda looks up to the Mage and nods, a pang of anger rushing through his body.
" I will speak the truth, Lord."
Lord Darken nods and rolls up the scroll and clutches it in his hand.
" Beastman, what is your name?"
Through gritting teeth, Luanda answers slowly.
" I am Luanda Trull born of the last cheetah clan, adopted son of Head Elder Council of Rynntopia."
Darken nods and begins to pace up and down the platform in thought.
" And tell me Luanda, is it true that you where found, by me, spying on the castle guards this very night?"
Breathing heavily with rage, Luanda nods his head.
" Yes I was."
" And that you heard specific details on confidential plans?"
"Yes..."
Lord Darken nods and turns to King Tristen.
" Your highness, may I ask what happened the last time you met with this beastman?"
Tristen smiles and sits up straight in his chair to address the courtiers and nobles seated around the room.
" The beastman that you see before you insulted me at the Council in Rynntopia, when I went to seek peace between our country and theirs."
Tristen turns to face Luanda, a look of revenge in his eyes.
" And isn't it true beast, that you called me evil? That you compared Tria with the cursed and extinct Zyboch Empire??"
The whispers that follow King Tristen's accusing words boom in Luanda's ears. They pulse like sound waves, magnifying his rage until it becomes too unbearable.
" WHAT YOU PLAN IS PURE EVIL!"
The room goes suddenly silent.
" What I plan for my country is none of your business and not yours to judge." Tristen says sitting back into his thrown.
" However Luanda, your actions are being judge in this very room."
Like a sudden gust of cold wind, Luanda's anger is quickly replaced with fear.
" What do you mean?"
" He means, that the fact you come from Rynntopia, the very country who refused to side with us, and was found spying on our soldiers, doesn't baud well for you." Lord Darken says solemnly to the beastman.
Luanda pulls at his chains.
" That has nothing to do..."
" AND," Darken continues, "the fact that you are a member of the Council, the very people who refused us, makes us believe negative action is being taken against us by Rynntopia!"
Luanda freezes with shock.
" Luanda, you are indeed a fool. For now you have condemned the fate of your beloved country!"
Luanda's senses come back to him in a sudden rush of desperate emotions.
" YOU CANNOT ATTACK RYNNTOPIA, SHE HAS NO DEFENCES!! RYNNTOPIA IS A PASSIVE COUNTRY!!"
Ignoring his cries and pleads, with one wave of his hand, King Tristen commands the guards to throw him back into his dungeon cell.
Luanda refuses to budge and is dragged towards he door.
" IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RYNNTOPIA, I AM NO LONGER WITH THE COUNCIL!! SPARE THEM!!!!!!"
Vexed by Luanda's resisting cries, a guard takes the back of his sword and thrusts a clean blow to Luanda's skull with its hilt, rendering him unconscious.
Darken watches the limp body of the beastman being dragged away and turns to his King.
" It is a good time to prepare the Mystic Machine for transportation, my King. Shall I give the orders?"
King Tristen nods, getting up from his seat.
It had been days after his dismissal as a member of Rynntopian Council. It had been far too long to bare the burden of failure.
But now he would change all that. Twitching his long ears to get a better hearing on the conversation between the Trian guards, Luanda crouches lower behind the foliage, tucking his cat-like tail underneath him.
"...So when did Lord Darken say this 'Miracle' was going to take place? It isn't everyday that you see a miracle being preformed."
The taller guard scratches his helmet and shrugs.
" He said that, " the guard chuckles, " And I quote ' The Miracle will appear when the two moons dance side by side.' I haven't a clue what he means though. Darken has always been funny in the head. All War Mages are!"
As the two guards laugh in chorus with each other, a third guard appears from within the Kingdom gates.
" Hey you two, this is no time for friendly chats, you're supposed to be on duty you know!"
The smaller guard waves his hands in defence.
" We weren't having a chat sir, we were merely discussing what Lord Darken told us at the weekly briefing!"
The third guard relaxes.
"Oh, you mean that weird talk about dancing moons? What the hell was all that about?"
" Yeah, exactly what I said!"
All three guards laugh together.
A concerned frown forms on Luanda's forehead. This 'Miracle' seemed wrong, especially if it concerned matters with the Mystic Moon...
" Hey! What are you doing here?!"
Luanda spins round suddenly, realising he had been discovered. Looming over him, a tall well-armoured man with an unsheathed sword in his right hand, demands an answer to his question. Failing on giving him one, Luanda is wrenched from his hiding place and is thrown at the feet of the three socialising guards.
"You call yourselves Trian guards? A land dragon could sneak by you while playing a flute!"
The three guards look in total astonishment at the cowering beastman, and back up to their general.
" Wow, um, how did he get there?" The small guard bumbles.
" Don't give me that, you incompetent fools! Take this beastman into custody and search the area for more spies!"
" Yes, General Lord Darken sir!!"
Swiftly the taller guard pulls Luanda to his feet and escorts him into the castle grounds, heading straight for the dungeons...
**************************************
The courtroom is full to the brim with flickering shadows made by the candles decorating the stone walls. Chained to the floor in front of him, Luanda could just barely lift his head to see the judges on the towering platform above him.
The whispers from his captors that sit in chairs circling him, fade softly to silence as a door at the back of the platform opens and a young man enters, a crown placed upon his maroon-hair covered head. The man smoothly goes to sit on his thrown that overlooks Luanda and leans over to briefly talk with Lord Darken sitting next to him. As soon as he finishes talking with his General Mage, King Tristen leans back into his golden chair with a smile.
" It is cruel irony that brings you before me today beastman. Today you will pay for insulting me so harshly at Rynntopia's Temple of Council."
King Tristen ushers for a guard behind his thrown to hand him a scroll. Calmly, the young King unravels the parchment and briefly glances over it before handing it to Darken, who in turn reads it and stands up.
" From now on boy, you will speak nothing but the truth."
Luanda looks up to the Mage and nods, a pang of anger rushing through his body.
" I will speak the truth, Lord."
Lord Darken nods and rolls up the scroll and clutches it in his hand.
" Beastman, what is your name?"
Through gritting teeth, Luanda answers slowly.
" I am Luanda Trull born of the last cheetah clan, adopted son of Head Elder Council of Rynntopia."
Darken nods and begins to pace up and down the platform in thought.
" And tell me Luanda, is it true that you where found, by me, spying on the castle guards this very night?"
Breathing heavily with rage, Luanda nods his head.
" Yes I was."
" And that you heard specific details on confidential plans?"
"Yes..."
Lord Darken nods and turns to King Tristen.
" Your highness, may I ask what happened the last time you met with this beastman?"
Tristen smiles and sits up straight in his chair to address the courtiers and nobles seated around the room.
" The beastman that you see before you insulted me at the Council in Rynntopia, when I went to seek peace between our country and theirs."
Tristen turns to face Luanda, a look of revenge in his eyes.
" And isn't it true beast, that you called me evil? That you compared Tria with the cursed and extinct Zyboch Empire??"
The whispers that follow King Tristen's accusing words boom in Luanda's ears. They pulse like sound waves, magnifying his rage until it becomes too unbearable.
" WHAT YOU PLAN IS PURE EVIL!"
The room goes suddenly silent.
" What I plan for my country is none of your business and not yours to judge." Tristen says sitting back into his thrown.
" However Luanda, your actions are being judge in this very room."
Like a sudden gust of cold wind, Luanda's anger is quickly replaced with fear.
" What do you mean?"
" He means, that the fact you come from Rynntopia, the very country who refused to side with us, and was found spying on our soldiers, doesn't baud well for you." Lord Darken says solemnly to the beastman.
Luanda pulls at his chains.
" That has nothing to do..."
" AND," Darken continues, "the fact that you are a member of the Council, the very people who refused us, makes us believe negative action is being taken against us by Rynntopia!"
Luanda freezes with shock.
" Luanda, you are indeed a fool. For now you have condemned the fate of your beloved country!"
Luanda's senses come back to him in a sudden rush of desperate emotions.
" YOU CANNOT ATTACK RYNNTOPIA, SHE HAS NO DEFENCES!! RYNNTOPIA IS A PASSIVE COUNTRY!!"
Ignoring his cries and pleads, with one wave of his hand, King Tristen commands the guards to throw him back into his dungeon cell.
Luanda refuses to budge and is dragged towards he door.
" IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RYNNTOPIA, I AM NO LONGER WITH THE COUNCIL!! SPARE THEM!!!!!!"
Vexed by Luanda's resisting cries, a guard takes the back of his sword and thrusts a clean blow to Luanda's skull with its hilt, rendering him unconscious.
Darken watches the limp body of the beastman being dragged away and turns to his King.
" It is a good time to prepare the Mystic Machine for transportation, my King. Shall I give the orders?"
King Tristen nods, getting up from his seat.
