CHAPTER 8
Damas studied the outskirts of the palace. The bustling market place in Eternos City didn't distract him in the slightest as people bumped into and shuffled passed him. He had a score to settle and he meant to settle it.
He pulled his cloak tighter to his chest as what appeared to be six royal guardsmen, marched by. He turned back to the gates of the palace.
"Six guards at the back gate, eight at the front," he thought.
Damas frowned. The odds were that there were many more inside. Even with his great skills, he wouldn't be able to take them all on by himself.
He studied the structure some more. His best bet would be to wait until nightfall and get in undetected. Sneak into the palace and wait. Create a diversion, attack Randor and leave in midst of the ensuing chaos. It was simple, but effective.
He could attack the coward Randor as he slept but his taste for vengeance called for an open attack. He wanted this King to beg for his life.
He rubbed his chin.
"Yes," he thought to himself. "Nightfall."
He started to walk away when he heard a soft feline cry behind him. Damas stopped and rolled his eyes. He turned to see the blasted green tiger seated at his feet.
"Stop following me," he growled softly. A woman who passed him giggled at the grown man talking to an animal. Damas glared at her and she turned and walked away quickly.
He started to walk away again but the tiger followed. The fact that this animal was sticking to him like glue bothered him but not as much as something else.
Normally, he would have speared the animal, taken its pelt as a trophy and feasted on the meat, but not this time. He didn't know why, but the idea of killing the animal not only didn't appeal to him, it sickened him with guilt.
He could feel in his very soul that he didn't want to hurt the animal. It saved his life and for the first time in his life, he was grateful; a new feeling for the General who was known by reputation to show no mercy.
He felt strange about it, but in the end, he figured he would save his energy for Randor.
Damas sighed and started back for his camp. "Come on then," he conceded to the animal.
As he walked, he decided that he would take the cat back to Etheria with him. If nothing else, maybe Catra could make the animal more fierce with some training.
"It wouldn't do for me to have a 'cringer' for a companion," he thought to himself.
He studied the city and as he did something inside of him twitched. He couldn't exactly pinpoint it but he had the strangest feeling about the market.
He looked at the palace, the surrounding grounds and the people. And that same feeling inside him twitched again.
He stared at the palace and his stomach turned.
It was like deja-vu and it nagged him.
He reached up and clutched his stomach. Despite eating some fish from the stream that morning, he still felt sick and his head spun a bit more now than it had earlier. He decided when he returned to camp, he would sleep for a bit and then awaken long enough to take care of some details of the Grayskull attack before his siege on the palace.
He had it all planned out and he wasn't about to be slowed down by some nagging illness.
The sudden loud humming sound in his ears was another story, though.
Damas clamped his hands over his ears and gritted his teeth in pain. The sound was loud, piercing and reverberating throughout his entire body. With tears of pain forming in his eyes he looked around and noticed no one else seem to be affected by this.
Except the tiger who had its head buried under its paws.
The world started spinning as the humming got louder and louder. The bustling market went on completely unaffected. Damas clamped his eyes shut.
"They don't hear it," he concluded to himself. "But why do I hear it? Why does 'cringer' hear it?"
The pain became consuming. He tried to control it, tried using every tactic he had been taught but found it was beyond him. He fell to his knees and let out a deafening roar.
"What is going on??" his mind screamed. "What trickery is this!?"
The market around him stopped and he could barely hear people asking him if he needed help. Wrenching one hand free from his head he thrusted his fist against the ground as if the mere thought of beating the dirt would stop the pain and the sound in his head.
The tiger's helpless yowling was as loud as his.
Through the tears of pain he looked around to see people in the crowd staring at him. He felt himself slowly giving into unconsciousness as the pain seized the rest of his body.
"No!" he yelled aloud although he was talking to himself. "I can't allow this!"
He tried to stand back up but he tripped over the unconscious feline below him. The pain must have gotten to the animal. Determined to conquer what he determined must be magic working against him, he struggled to walk away, pushing himself through concerned citizens and onlookers.
Finally, what felt like a surge of powerful energy, passed through him shaking his very core. He fell to his hands and knees. As he started to black out, he heard a very distinct female voice in his head.
Just then an arm shot underneath his abdomen and another around his back, giving him support. Although he felt the darkness submerging him, he turned his face to meet a pair of sparkling, yet concerned green eyes.
The eyes, as it turns out, were attached to a very attractive face.
Damas nodded and started to slip into his fatigue.
"What's wrong?" the woman demanded sternly. "Tell me what's happened."
Then he heard the first woman's voice in his head again. As the humming faded with his consciousness, he looked at his latest rescuer with teary, bloodshot blue eyes and frowned.
"Birth…….birthright?" Damas stammered right before he passed out.
The woman tightened her grip on the General as his body went limp in her arms. She felt around his jugular for a pulse. When she found one, she breathed a sigh of relief. She examined the man's physical appearance. He didn't seem to have any outward injuries. His chest rose and fell steadily with each breath he took.
She stared a little too long at his face though, taking in his rugged yet handsome features. Without really thinking about it, she ran a finger along his jawbone.
"Lt. Teela what should we do with him?" asked one of the guard standing behind her.
Teela blushed as she realized others were probably watching her and she went back into business mode.
"We take him to the infirmary, solider," she barked. "He's obviously injured, he needs medical attention."
The guard just stared at her, which pushed a button in her that she didn't like to have pushed.
"Now!" she ordered.
The solider and three others lifted Damas up and started walking away. Teela turned to see the sleeping tiger on the ground. She shook her head.
"Someone grab the cat too," she ordered, not really believing why she was. "Maybe the animal can provide us with some answers as well."
Two other soldiers scowled and picked up the large animal. Teela heard one of them mutter something under his breath and she was sure it was about her. Despite her instincts, she ignored him and followed as her unit carried the unconscious man into the palace.
Again, she let her eyes wander over his form and that's when she noticed the red bat-like symbol on his garment. She narrowed her eyes thinking she had seen that symbol before, but could not figure out where.
Without thinking, and later she herself would wonder why she had done it, she reached over and pulled his cloak over the symbol.
"Who are you?" she thought to herself.
They group passed a dark corner of the market as they walked through the gates into the palace.
A pair of flickering, mystical green eyes watched every move they made.
Damas studied the outskirts of the palace. The bustling market place in Eternos City didn't distract him in the slightest as people bumped into and shuffled passed him. He had a score to settle and he meant to settle it.
He pulled his cloak tighter to his chest as what appeared to be six royal guardsmen, marched by. He turned back to the gates of the palace.
"Six guards at the back gate, eight at the front," he thought.
Damas frowned. The odds were that there were many more inside. Even with his great skills, he wouldn't be able to take them all on by himself.
He studied the structure some more. His best bet would be to wait until nightfall and get in undetected. Sneak into the palace and wait. Create a diversion, attack Randor and leave in midst of the ensuing chaos. It was simple, but effective.
He could attack the coward Randor as he slept but his taste for vengeance called for an open attack. He wanted this King to beg for his life.
He rubbed his chin.
"Yes," he thought to himself. "Nightfall."
He started to walk away when he heard a soft feline cry behind him. Damas stopped and rolled his eyes. He turned to see the blasted green tiger seated at his feet.
"Stop following me," he growled softly. A woman who passed him giggled at the grown man talking to an animal. Damas glared at her and she turned and walked away quickly.
He started to walk away again but the tiger followed. The fact that this animal was sticking to him like glue bothered him but not as much as something else.
Normally, he would have speared the animal, taken its pelt as a trophy and feasted on the meat, but not this time. He didn't know why, but the idea of killing the animal not only didn't appeal to him, it sickened him with guilt.
He could feel in his very soul that he didn't want to hurt the animal. It saved his life and for the first time in his life, he was grateful; a new feeling for the General who was known by reputation to show no mercy.
He felt strange about it, but in the end, he figured he would save his energy for Randor.
Damas sighed and started back for his camp. "Come on then," he conceded to the animal.
As he walked, he decided that he would take the cat back to Etheria with him. If nothing else, maybe Catra could make the animal more fierce with some training.
"It wouldn't do for me to have a 'cringer' for a companion," he thought to himself.
He studied the city and as he did something inside of him twitched. He couldn't exactly pinpoint it but he had the strangest feeling about the market.
He looked at the palace, the surrounding grounds and the people. And that same feeling inside him twitched again.
He stared at the palace and his stomach turned.
It was like deja-vu and it nagged him.
He reached up and clutched his stomach. Despite eating some fish from the stream that morning, he still felt sick and his head spun a bit more now than it had earlier. He decided when he returned to camp, he would sleep for a bit and then awaken long enough to take care of some details of the Grayskull attack before his siege on the palace.
He had it all planned out and he wasn't about to be slowed down by some nagging illness.
The sudden loud humming sound in his ears was another story, though.
Damas clamped his hands over his ears and gritted his teeth in pain. The sound was loud, piercing and reverberating throughout his entire body. With tears of pain forming in his eyes he looked around and noticed no one else seem to be affected by this.
Except the tiger who had its head buried under its paws.
The world started spinning as the humming got louder and louder. The bustling market went on completely unaffected. Damas clamped his eyes shut.
"They don't hear it," he concluded to himself. "But why do I hear it? Why does 'cringer' hear it?"
The pain became consuming. He tried to control it, tried using every tactic he had been taught but found it was beyond him. He fell to his knees and let out a deafening roar.
"What is going on??" his mind screamed. "What trickery is this!?"
The market around him stopped and he could barely hear people asking him if he needed help. Wrenching one hand free from his head he thrusted his fist against the ground as if the mere thought of beating the dirt would stop the pain and the sound in his head.
The tiger's helpless yowling was as loud as his.
Through the tears of pain he looked around to see people in the crowd staring at him. He felt himself slowly giving into unconsciousness as the pain seized the rest of his body.
"No!" he yelled aloud although he was talking to himself. "I can't allow this!"
He tried to stand back up but he tripped over the unconscious feline below him. The pain must have gotten to the animal. Determined to conquer what he determined must be magic working against him, he struggled to walk away, pushing himself through concerned citizens and onlookers.
Finally, what felt like a surge of powerful energy, passed through him shaking his very core. He fell to his hands and knees. As he started to black out, he heard a very distinct female voice in his head.
Just then an arm shot underneath his abdomen and another around his back, giving him support. Although he felt the darkness submerging him, he turned his face to meet a pair of sparkling, yet concerned green eyes.
The eyes, as it turns out, were attached to a very attractive face.
Damas nodded and started to slip into his fatigue.
"What's wrong?" the woman demanded sternly. "Tell me what's happened."
Then he heard the first woman's voice in his head again. As the humming faded with his consciousness, he looked at his latest rescuer with teary, bloodshot blue eyes and frowned.
"Birth…….birthright?" Damas stammered right before he passed out.
The woman tightened her grip on the General as his body went limp in her arms. She felt around his jugular for a pulse. When she found one, she breathed a sigh of relief. She examined the man's physical appearance. He didn't seem to have any outward injuries. His chest rose and fell steadily with each breath he took.
She stared a little too long at his face though, taking in his rugged yet handsome features. Without really thinking about it, she ran a finger along his jawbone.
"Lt. Teela what should we do with him?" asked one of the guard standing behind her.
Teela blushed as she realized others were probably watching her and she went back into business mode.
"We take him to the infirmary, solider," she barked. "He's obviously injured, he needs medical attention."
The guard just stared at her, which pushed a button in her that she didn't like to have pushed.
"Now!" she ordered.
The solider and three others lifted Damas up and started walking away. Teela turned to see the sleeping tiger on the ground. She shook her head.
"Someone grab the cat too," she ordered, not really believing why she was. "Maybe the animal can provide us with some answers as well."
Two other soldiers scowled and picked up the large animal. Teela heard one of them mutter something under his breath and she was sure it was about her. Despite her instincts, she ignored him and followed as her unit carried the unconscious man into the palace.
Again, she let her eyes wander over his form and that's when she noticed the red bat-like symbol on his garment. She narrowed her eyes thinking she had seen that symbol before, but could not figure out where.
Without thinking, and later she herself would wonder why she had done it, she reached over and pulled his cloak over the symbol.
"Who are you?" she thought to herself.
They group passed a dark corner of the market as they walked through the gates into the palace.
A pair of flickering, mystical green eyes watched every move they made.