8

PANGS OF GRIEF

I, FINALLY, REACHED AKKAD, MY HOME, LATER THAT NIGHT. I did not need moonlight to guide me to what was left (besides the moon was hidden by smoke) the still burning, smoking dwellings brought me terribly enough light to see the damage that had beendone.

Men, women, and small children lay cold and dead. They where slaughtered like livestock. Their blood stained the ground. They had no warning of what was to become of them. Not until it was too late. And because of that they were nowdead.

The smell of blood, burninghomes and flesh brought a wave of despair inside me.

I could not bear to look at the bodies of theyoung ones for so long, without feeling like something was slowly killing me inside. I could feel my burden of guilt increase even more then I thought possible.

Thanks to me, they were all dead.

I had caused this massacre.

As I looked around the clearing, feeling these emotions and thinking these thoughts, I could hear a very weak voice, almost a whisper, call my name.

"Ma-Mathayus".

I swung around.

"Karatas!"

I ran to my cousin's, my little brother's, side.

Karatas was wearing the same clothes that I had last saw him in. I was painfully aware of the several arrow shafts that had found purchase in his chest. His pain was written on his young face.

"Mathayus, Lantana she's…" he spoke with great difficulty.

"Karatas calm yourself", I said putting my hand on his shoulder.

"No she's-she's dead" Karatas said sadly. "They… they killed her."

"No..."

A horrible pain grazed my body. I had lost someone who had become my little sister. I could see pain and sadness in Karatas dark eyes. He had loved her, and deeply as well.

"Mathayus… before I die I-I want to… thank you."

"Karatas don't you talk like that", I said gnashing my teeth together. It was all I could do to keep from screaming out my pain.

He was dying. And there was nothing I could do to save him.

"Y-you have become a brother to me, as has Jesup and Rama."

"Karatas don't. You'll- you'll be…"

But I could not finish.

"Mathayus… go to- go to… the… king".

Suddenly his dark eyes glazed over.

I gritted my teeth so hard that it hurt. The pain that I had been trained to bare was nothing compared to the pain that was inside. He was so young, and yet he was gone, like the rest of them. I so wanted to stay by his side,but I knew Ihad to go on. It's what Karatas would of wanted.

"Good-bye, brother", I said taking a shaky breath.

And vary reluctantly I got up and ran to the path to see the king.

---

I ran through several clearings when I suddenly heard voices around the corner of another flaming home.

Survivors? I dared to hope.

I turned around the corner to see several soldiers all of them where observing a cache of jewels, gold, and beautiful weapons that they, no doubt about it, had stolen from the dead bodies of my people. They eyes glinted in dark delight, their bronze swords gleamed with the blood of my tribe, my people.

A murderous rage that I had never known coursed through my blood, through my very core. A fire burned inside my veins.

Damn them! Damn them all!

I wanted them all dead.

I wanted them all to pay for what they had done.

"YOU BASTARDS!" I found my self yelling in a dangerous voice that I had never used before. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

At my voice, they swung around.

"Damn it, I thought we killed them all," said one of the soldiers.

"It appers we haven't justyet," replied another. "KILL HIM!"

I unsheathed my scimitar.Hungry forthis fight.

The first foolish soldier ran at me swinging his fist. I blocked his punch easily and stabbed him in his chest.

I swung around to clash swords with another soldier, I kicked him as hard as I could in the stomach.

"Ooff!" he said as he slumped over in pain.

It was during that moment that he was slumped over I sent my scimitar crashing down upon him. I grabbed a hold of the fallen soldier's bronze sword.

Another stupid bastard ran at me, swinging his bronze sword. I ran forward to meet him. Brandishing both of my weapons. He swung his sword at my neck as fast as he could. But I was faster. I blocked his blow by hitting his bronze sword with my own. At the same time I lunged forward with my scimitar. The blade slidsmoothly into his chest, into his heart.

One down, I thought as I yanked the blade out of him, two to go.

The two soldiers ran at me. Both swinging their swords at my sides. Iblocked their swords with my own. Steel met steel with a loud, CLANG! I kicked the one on the right in the stomach and went at the other spinning my swords at a dizzying speed. The solider stood unsure of what I would do, distracted. It was then I lunged as quick as I could, plunging both blades into his chest.

I turned to face the last one. The last solider looked around. He had to of been my age. He looked at his fallen comrades, unnerved by the fact that blood was spilling out of them like broken wineskins.

He looked at me plainly terrified.

"You're no Akkadian! You're-YOU'RE A DEAMON!" He yelled.

In spite of my self, I laughed.

"That I may be!" I yelled. "Now leave or you'll sufferthe Akkadian'sWrath as well!

The solider ran dropping his bloodied sword. Running as if the deamons of hell where behind him.

Good, I thought. That leaves on less bastard to worry about.

It was then I heard a slight shuffle behind me. I swung around, swords at the ready. Then I saw who it was.

"Rama!" I gasped.

There before me, laying in the sand, was my brother.

I ran to his side.It didn't take long to seen how bruised and bloodied Rama was. There was a line of deep redblood across his rightcheekbone, and a deep gash on his leg. It was a wonder he could walk at all into this clearing.

I opened my mouth to speak when Rama spoke instead.

"I'm alright Mathayus," He said.

I eyed his wounds.

"You don't look alright, brother," I insisted.

Rama gave me a look that would of made anyother man back away in fear of the worst.

"Save your pity, Little Brother," Rama said annoyed.

If this situation hadn't of been so depressing I would of smiled. If Rama was acting like thisthenI knewhe would be fine.

"Have you seen Karatas?" He asked suddenly.

At once I felt my throat tighten at the name of the little brother I never had.I lowered my head finding that Icouldn't say the words. But I didn't have to. My face told Rama what had happened.

"Great Gods," he breathed. "No."

I nodded. Rama looked like he had been punched in the face. For breif moment, we where silent when Karatas' last words echoed faintly in my mind. Mathayus… go to- go to… the… king

"Where's King Urmhet?" I asked urgently.

"He's with Jesup. Their at what's left of the palace," Rama said.

He took a deep breath before he said, "Go to them Mathayus. You're the last of us who can help him."

"The last…" I repeated.

But, that meant that-.

"GO!" Rama yelled. "Protect the King!"

I nodded. I handed my bronze sword to him.

"Take this, you may need it," I ordered.

He nodded and took it from his hands.

I got up.

"I'll be back with help," I told him.

And quickly Isprinted out of the clearing.

---

I ran up the hill that I had just climbed no more than a day before. It was then I beheld the palace.

It was like one of the Demon of Anubis's heavy blows to the gut.

The palace was in shambles, the roof was, somehow, completely torn away. The door was in flames, and the walls where only charred remains of what this place had once been.

"No," I breathed asmy way of life was in flame before my eyes.

I ran to the door, just as a part of the place collapsed, blocking the burning door and my entrance.

I had to get in there, Jesup and My King may need me. That entrance may have been blocked but luckily not all hope was lost. There was another way into the place.

I ran to the far right corner, toa roughclay brick wall that protected the place garden.That would have to do. Isheathing my scimitar, andstarted to climb up.