Ch.27 The El-Anash Course

We awoke earlier than before and headed out in the dead of night. The sun was just starting to peak over the land ahead as it was coming from its slumber. Our band of eight trudged across the path that stretched across the land ahead of us. No one spoke as we walked. Hel strode upright near the middle of my brothers and I while Rayr walked between Skelar and his father. With the protection of two full grown werewolves and three Lord's with a Lady to watch over nothing would come to harm us.

My brothers turned to look past me at Lones. I wondered why they gave him such an anxious and worried look for. I turned to Hel who hadn't seen them look back.

"What's with the looks, Toc?"

They looked back at me surprised. I stared at them with no emotion. Toc and Des side glanced one another before turning back to the front.

"Is there something that I should know about?" I pressed at them for some sort of information. Why they were fidgeting with fear and looking back at Lones.

"I do believe that Lones gave them a warning last night." Hel looked back at me.

"What for?"

"To get home." Des spoke up. He looked back at me with hunched shoulders. "He also said that if we were to be taken by the evil you would be the one to deal with us."

"Huh. Did he now?" I turned back to see Lones looking out at the landscapes around us. "Lones…"

He turned back to me and saw my father giving him a slight glare. He swallowed. "I apologize. I won't speak out of term like that. I just thought that they knew too much about us."

"I tell them for a reason. It's a sibling bond." I stopped turning around to look fully at Lones. "I chose to do this and father was aware of it as well. If he didn't know about it then he should step down from being a leader of the Lord's."

He chuckled at my jest. "Sell, I knew of everything."

"Of course you did. You kept in constant contact with Hel."

I turned around and strode past them, down the path that we had been walking all morning. Lones and Rien gave one another a look that they shared often.

"Yes, Lady Ananon. Yes, I did keep in constant contact with Hel." Footsteps told me that they were following me. "If Hel hadn't been there to protect you, defend you in some way you wouldn't be standing here right now. It's why I kept in contact with him so much."

"You could've just told me." I kept my back to them coldly.

"It was a test though. I wasn't sure if you had ability within you or not." Father sighed. "You're going to hold this against me for the rest of my life. I just know it."

"There was a meeting called last night." Hel interrupted to change the subject. "I and Rayr felt an odd energy come from the mountains. Sell led the meeting and deployed Lord Doyle to head up the pass with his group to check it out and return to her afterwards."

Rien looked at Hel before turning back to Lones. "You agree with this decision?"

Lones nodded. "I agree with it. There's not much we can do right now. Besides, Rayr and Hel say it's not ordinary. I agree with sending the Lord and his group up since they live the closest and know the mountain pass by heart."

Rien nodded to himself walking along in silence. "Good work, Sell. I do believe that you'll be a great leader to the Skeletal race when I retire."

Hel side glanced him and then looked to me. This subject about retirement weighed heavily on us all. When father would retire Lones would go with him. Leaving his son to become his successor and I to take the lead role. For some reason the word retirement and my father standing beside it felt weird to me.

I couldn't see my dad giving up what Lady Ananon, him, and Lones had built up ever since they met one another and became the founders of the Skeletal Lords. I looked over to Hel who held my gaze. He could see that I was feeling unsettled. He gave me a reassuring look and nodded his head ever so slightly.

"Dad, when you retire is Rayr going to go along with you?" Skelar asked out of the blue.

Lones looked at his son and chuckled. "no. He's your partner. When I retire I will have no fears left in me for the evil to grasp hold of. If they wish to use me for evil I do hope that you, the younger generation, will take me from that life and place me on my way to our Lady in the sky."

Skelar turned away from his father trying to think over the future prospects. If a Lord stepped down from his position his abilities would more than likely go into a dormant stage. It's why most Lord's stayed within their power just to avoid the prospect of evil attacking them.

"Did anyone get the news?" Lones chimed in after a while of uncomfortable silence.

"The heir rates are going up presently. I'm glad about that." Father said looking back at Lones with a smile. "Sell and Skelar will have to put on a good impression for the young ones when they grow up."

I put my hands in my pockets walking ahead of them in silence. Toc and Des sprinted past me in a hurry all of a sudden.

"Take left! I'll take right!"

"Yep!"

We paused to watch them sprint towards two creepers that were wandering about a couple of yards away. The two creepers spotted them and began to run forward on their stubbly four legs. They flashed and exploded, sending Toc and Des flying. They landed heavily on the ground and didn't move or utter a word as bits of debris from the crater that had been made just a few feet in front of them began to fall.

Hel and Rayr strode forward to stand over them. "Fools. We were fine."

The brothers chuckled giving Hel and Rayr a thumbs up. "All the more clear."

"They just like to be blown up, Hel." I said with a giggle. "They like to be blasted up and fly every once in a while."

The young man looked at them and snorted. "Such stupid ideas that Minecraftian's come up with."

Toc raised a brow to his answer and looked over to Des. "I don't think he enjoyed that."

Des face palmed himself. "No duh."

Rayr helped the two boys to their feet before going back to the group. "Next time find more than two."

The brothers thought on that before I intervened. "Absolutely not. I don't care what can explode you higher, you are not to go near the creepers anymore. Mom would kill us if you two were to die."

"It'd be nice though," muttered Rayr.

Lones gave him a quick glare that silenced him. He looked back at my dad seeking forgiveness. "I'm terribly sorry about that."

"It's ok." I said looking to Rayr. "He knows I'll kick his ass in a heart beat."

Rayr's nose twitched at that. "I have no doubt, my Lady."

Hel over looked the words that went back and forth between us. "Sell, don't ask for a fight right now. That also includes you all. We have a destination to get too."

Father agreed with him and began to walk along the path once more. My brothers followed. I turned and strode next to Hel. Skelar noticed Hel place his arm about my shoulders. He hop skipped to walk next to us.

"What's between you and Hel?"

We gave him an odd questioning look. "Huh?"

He pointed to Hel's arm on my shoulders. "Are you two going out?"

Hel didn't understand what he was getting at but I did. "No, Skelar. We aren't going out. We're just good friends."

Skelar smiled at this and took my free hand into his. "Oh cool! Then I can hold your hand and say I'm not your boyfriend but a really good friend?"

"Uhh…" I looked at his hand holding mine. A hand grasped our hands and broke them apart.

"Skelar that's not polite to say to the Lady!" Lones reprimanded the young man giving him a hard look. "Hel is nothing but her body guard. If she wants to go out with you or has a liking to you in some way she'll tell you."

It suddenly dawned on me that I had two people on either side of me that had feelings for me. I shook off Hel's arm and sprinted off ahead of the group. Hel wondered what had just happened and looked to Skelar who shrugged himself. Lones knew exactly what had happened and gave a small chuckle.

"Ah, young love. A rose has thorns among its stem that can prick and make others bleed if one gets too close. The holder of this rose will surely step fourth to pluck the rose from its bush and nestle it somewhere desirable."

Hel and skelar gave him questioning looks on what he had just recited.

"What the hell was that about?"

"Yeah, really. Dad, what the hell?"

"We're there!" cried Rien from the front. His arm pointed to a distant palace that wavered under the heat that came from the sun.

I stood there on the path that went on around and past the desert. "There's no trail to the palace. Why not?"

"It's uncharted. It's how my friend likes to live. If he were to build a path to the palace he'd be asked for property tax and the like." Father said stepping from the path and walking towards the beginning of the desert. "Hurry up now. It'll be dark soon."

I sprinted past them hitting the hot sands. It seeped into my shoes making my feet gritty. I ran towards the palace and stepped onto the first dune. The palace was much bigger than I thought. It was several stories tall and a great distance away still.

I looked back at the group who all were trying to catch up to me. "I'll race you all there! First person who reaches the palace first gets to tackle the course first!"

The group called out running for me. Skelar, Hel, Rayr, Toc, and Des all sprinted to catch up to me. "Wait up! That isn't fair! Sell!"

I leapt off the dune and slid down, more sand entering my shoes. I didn't care now though. The group tumbled down the sand dune behind me as I was just running away from it. I looked back at them laughing as they had all fallen into a great heap. "Looks like I'm going to get there before you all!"

Toc and Des struggled to get up but were trapped beneath Skelar who was stuck under Hel and Hel stuck under Rayr. Hel rose up with a deep growl that came from his chest; Rayr was thrown off him easily. He started to run from the pile but was grabbed by Skelar who was grabbed by Toc and Des. The pile were drug behind the young man as he sprinted across the sand to catch up to me. Rien and Lones stood atop the dune and laughed at the sight.

"Good lord, look at that. He's like a bull that's charging for a red cape." Lones clapped Rien on the back.

"No werewolf can withstand as much weight that he's pulling in human form." Rien grinned to his friend.

"Nope. I'm going to have to agree with you there." Lones replied sliding down the dune. "Shall we catch up?"

Rien slid down after him to leap onto the lower ground. "Lets."

The palace doors opened and a gentleman with curly grey hair and shades over his eyes stepped out. He wore a simple white shirt with white pants. He looked across the dunes wondering where all the shouting was coming from.

"What in the world…?"

He perked an ear to every direction before pin pointing the sound was coming from his right. He turned to see heat waves dancing about in the distance. Was it a mirage? A figure appeared on a distant dune that turned behind to see about something before leaping and sliding down its steep bank and disappearing behind the dunes. The gentleman squinted his eyes and saw more people leap down that same dune after the first person.

"Get back here! That's not fair! You shot ahead of us!"

"Hel, can't you stop her?"

"You fuckers are on my damn leg!"

"We can't traverse the sands without you, Hel!"

"You fools are like a sand sled! The way he's pulling you guys through the sand and all!"

The gentleman chuckled at the taunts. These kids were certainly something and were getting closer too with each passing moment. He snapped his fingers then.

"Ah! Lord Rien and Lord Lones! These must be their heirs! What a lively bunch!" The gentleman said aloud to himself with a laugh. A woman with blond hair and orange eyes joined him then.

"Sir, a Lord is nearby. Radar shows that…" She trailed off when voices reached her ears. "What on earth is that sound? Who's coming?"

The Lord of the sands chuckled turning to her. "An old friend of mine. Lord Rien and Lord Lones. All those voices are the heirs making their way to us."

The two stopped and listened. Apparently there was one girl and all boys. The woman turned to the Lord in question. "Sir, why is there a female amongst the males?"

The Lord turned to her with a smile. "That girl is none other than Lady Sell."

"You mean the same Lady Sell we were told about just a few days ago?" the woman asked in surprise.

The Lord nodded. "Lord Rien's only daughter has taken the place of Lady Ananon."

The woman gasped. "But she's only an heir! How can she succumb to such a high place of honor so quickly?"

The woman watched as the Lord turned away from her to look out at the nearest dunes. The heirs appeared laughing and shouting at one another as the lead heir, Lady Sell, led them all. The one with the biggest grin on her face showed that she liked to have contests with the others. He turned to her with a soft smile. "She might not look it but she's quite strong and talented among the living and the dead."

The group finally caught up to me and amassed into one big ball of flailing body parts as they tumbled down the dune to land right at the Lord's feet. The heirs all tugged and pushed at one another trying to get to their feet but none had any success. They all stopped and looked to the man with a woman next to him.

"Good afternoon, heirs." Lord Doyle said in his most charming voice. "Welcome to the El-Anash course!"

Once all greetings were aside the two Lords stood next to their heirs. Lord Rien stood next to his two eldest sons as I took the end. Lord Lones stood next to Skelar with a hand on his shoulder. Hel and Rayr stood off to the side with their hands in their pockets watching the formalities in check.

"Lord Doyle, I want you to meet my two eldest sons Toc and Des." Rien gestured to the two next to him who nodded to Lord Doyle. "The young lady on the end-"

"Lady Sell. We've heard so much about you, my Lady!" Lord Doyle said with a bow in her direction. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person. I apologize for my absence at the meetings. I've been in hiding for a bit."

I nodded to him in return. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Doyle. I do hope that I can see you soon at our upcoming meeting."

Lord Doyle nodded his head. "I will surely try."

"Lord Doyle, this is my son, Skelar." Lones introduced. "He is my only heir right now."

Skelar nodded to Doyle. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Doyle returned the gesture. "It's a pleasure in return."

The woman looked over to the two young gentlemen who stood there with their hands in their pockets. "Oh! Who are you two?"

I turned to Hel and Rayr and almost forgot that they were there. "The one on the left is Hel and the one on the right is Rayr."

"Such short names and odd symbolism means that they come from the woods." Doyle turned from them to Rien. "Am I right?"

"Yes. They are werewolves but Hel is a genetically altered werewolf. I altered him myself in my own lab. He is a body guard to my daughter."

Doyle chuckled at this. "Such an accomplished Lady needs a body guard? Don't be trying to fool me, Lord Rien!"

"He is my body guard, sir." I said staring him right in the eye with seriousness. "We wouldn't lie to you."

Doyle stared at me with questions. "Why do you have a body guard if you're so strong?"

I shook my head to him. "I am far from being strong. I rely very much on Hel and Skelar to back me when I cannot defend myself. I am not so accomplished as an heir and still have a good ways to go."

Doyle looked to my father and burst into laughter. "She's quite modest about herself! Heavens me!"

Hel placed a hand on my shoulder giving me a look that I could only read. It's alright. I nodded to him and patted his hand. Rien left my brothers sides to step in front of Lord Doyle. "Come, Doyle. I and Lones have much to share with you. Ms. Mell, if you would. Take the heirs to the first course."

The woman with the blond hair nodded to the orders. "Certainly, Lord Rien. Come heirs. We shall go have fun while the adults talk!"

We watched her walk away from us off through the doors. I looked to father with a question on my face. He nodded to the doors for me to go on. I turned and did as he said, leading them into the palace. Hel and Rayr shrugged seeing they weren't needed to guard the Lords and walked after us.

As we walked through the palace we all saw that it was huge and very spacious.

"This is awesome!"

"How long did it take Lord Doyle to build this?"

The woman that assisted the Lord giggled. "It took him a few weeks."

"A few weeks? No way!"

"Toc, you wouldn't believe the grand clock was built in two weeks. Even if you worked on it yourself!"

"Toc, Des, no arguing while in a Lord's home!" I snapped back at them before turning back to Ms. Mell. "Tell me, did he get help?"

"Of course." Mell smiled falling in step next to me. "His family and friends helped him build this magnificent place!"

"It's quite detailed. Quite precise too." I looked about as we walked to the first room. "What sort of courses are in here?"

"Ladders, pistons, fence gates, traps, sharks… That just names a few." Mell replied with a smile of excitement. "This place is always being added onto when a new idea for a course comes available."

"Amazing!" gasped Toc. "That's just amazing!"

Hel grinned at the eldest brother's awe and excitement. "I'm sure you'll be too scared to do the course."

Toc and Des whipped their heads at him. "We're doing it! This sort of thing we excel at!"

"That's wonderful!" Mell beamed. "I'll be sure to watch how you do! You might become part of our professional staff!"

I turned to look at them and saw that they were in total shock at the sudden offer that was in their future. "Now they're even more fired up than before."

We reached the room which was barely lit. Mell pressed a button and a block that was glowstone popped out from the wall, illuminating the blocks for us to jump on before going back into the wall.

"Speed jump course!" Toc and Des barked excitedly. "Let's go!"

Mell pressed the button and we watched as they leapt one at a time onto the blocks that were illuminated in a succession by the help of pistons behind the wall. Listening to the sound helped you get the timing down of when to jump but it had to be quick. Each of us slipped near the end though and fell into a pit. Ladders allowed us back to the start where we had to go back through it once more before reaching the end at last. Mell was at the other side when we had all made it across.

There was a tunnel that allowed her to go around the course. We passed through the iron door that shut behind us, locking us from going back.

"Now the course gets much worse. If you slip you won't be returning. Only one person will make it through the course." Mell instructed us all with a grin.

I stared in absolute shock and fear. Were we going to die in the palace? Were our lives in danger? I swallowed looking into Mell's eyes. Something was indeed waiting for us and it wasn't going to be pleasant.