Excerpts From The Drakus Cycle - Book 1
The Beginning Of The End #3
`Wake up, Chagrar filth! Get up!' Daen woke up just as the guards heavy foot landed in his stomach. `The king will be pleased. We haven't captured one of your kind in a long time! Get up!' This time the foot was aimed at Daens head. `I'll get up! Just give me a second!' As Daen got up, the guard went on. `Hurry up! King Reylar does not like to be kept waiting!' `Yeah, yeah, whatever!' Daen mumbled. `What did you say, wretched dog!' the guard screamed at him. `Nothing', Daen meekly replied.
`And don't you even think of using your magics, for if you do the guards outside your door will make you so holey that the Creator himself would bow down to you. Do you understand?' `I think so. Magic equals death. Yep, I got it!' Daen said, each word dripping with sarcasm. `Good, because if you even raise your finger without getting permission, you'll find out exactly how comfortable steel in the ribs feels!' the guard snarled. Daen stepped back warily, not sure of the guards sanity, but was stopped by the men behind him.
`Just remember this. Using hand movements with magic is only to make it look more impressive,' Daen informed the guard as he walked past, `and I could kill you and your two cronies before either of you could even think of grabbing your swords, but Reylar interests me. I will follow,' he said matter-of-factly. The guard, clearly shaken, tightened his grip on his sword. `Keep moving! If necessary, I will throw you over my shoulder! MOVE!'
As their quiet little procession moved on, more and more people gathered at their doors, watching this `awful Chagrar mage' get carted to the King. `Filthy dog,' was screamed by some, `evil bastard' by others, but it all meant the same. `At last, the Kings chambers' Daen thought with exasperation. All the taunts and nasty words were having an effect on him. The doors to the Kings chambers could be called nothing less than exquisite. White marble, with intertwined golden falcons spreading from one door to the other, almost seamless.
“Guard Penyr to see the King,' the guard boomed. The door opened a fraction, and a single question was spoken. `Who hath thou brought before the king?' `He is a murderer, and a Chagrar. The king requested to see him, so he has been brought.' `Very well, enter.' The doors swung inwards, only to display a room more magnificent. The white marble walls shone with silver and gold weaves, in patterns too intricate to follow. Reylars bed was big enough for five men, made of a wood so dark and shiny Daen mistook it for stone, which had more cushions that most of the citadel. The floor was covered in a rich burgundy and emerald Uronian carpet, and on the empty parts of the wall, Telmain tapestries were hung, which just added more to the grandeur of the room.
And the King was unexpectedly plain! All he wore was a single white robe, and a small golden circlet embedded with multi-hued gemstones. He was a slightly obese man, quite tall with a hard face and stony eyes to match. Whatever hair he had previously had was all gone now, but that just added to the stoniness of his grey eyes. `Ah, so this is the Chagrar? Tell me guard, what has he done?' Penyr dropped to one knee and said, `My liege, this man has killed twelve of the citadels guards, and injured quite a few more. And it was all in cold blood!'
`Is this true?' Reylar asked Daen. `Did you kill my men in cold blood?' `Nay, your highness.' `Then you did not kill my guards?' `I did not say that, your Highness. I just said that I did not kill them in cold blood,' Daen explained to the King. `So you did kill my guards. May I ask why?' the King inquired. `Sure. I was walking to the Kings Hill Tavern, when a couple of your guards decided that one less Chagrar would be better for the world. All I did was defend myself. What more could I do?'
`I agree with one part of that. Certain brigands of my guards are prejudiced against your kind, as is half the population here. For this simple fact, I will let you go free.' `But…' Penyr interrupted. `Be silent Penyr! Would you dare defy your own king?…..Well?' `Yes, I do dare!' Penyr growled, as he and his two cronies drew their swords. `Daen, prove your story, defend me!' Reylar shouted. `I release you from the laws restraint!' As those words escaped the Kings mouth, Daen felt all constraint disappear. He was free of the law, and in danger.
As he jumped around, fire leapt from the palms of his hands, and through clenched teeth, growled `Who's first?' Penyr's cronies took one look, and tripped over one another in a frantic attempt to reach the door. `Cowards!' Penyr shouted after them. `Looks like I'm the only one man enough for this!' All of a sudden, Penyr leapt forward, sword whistling through the air towards Daen. A fist of Air stuck Penyr straight in the chest, sending him hurtling into the far wall. The spots on Daen's brow flared with annoyance, as he drew deeper on his magic.
Whilst Daen turned to face Penyr again, the guard slipped a dagger out of his boot and flung it at Daen. Just as it reached him, it turned to dust, and Penyr saw the look on Daen's face, and started to laugh manically. Rage boiled in Daen, as he screamed out `Do you know what it is like to be rendered limb from limb Penyr?' `No!' Penyr yelled! `You do now!' The air solidified around Penyrs arms and slowly pulled away. `Don't kill me! Please! I beg you!' Penyr screamed. `The penalty for treason is death!' Daen yelled back, `You didn't give any of your victims a choice, did you? So now, you will feel pain for all the pain you have caused!' Penyrs skin started to break, and between his screams, the sound of flesh tearing and blood flowing filled the chamber. Then there was silence. Penyrs contorted body was lying in a pool of blood, with his arms and legs sprawled across the white marble floor. With a regretful sigh, Daen collapsed to his knees, holding his head in his hands. After a minute or two, the silence was broken.
`Daen, are you alright?' Reylar inquired. `Yes, your Highness, I suppose I am alright. But the taking of a life is never done easy. I regret what happened.' `It was necessary!' the King exclaimed. `It was either him or us, and you chose wisely.' `But I should have thought of another way to do it though,' Daen glumly replied. `Your Highness, if you will excuse me, I have to go meet up with my friend down in the Outer city, and she is probably worrying about me. I am late, after all.' `By all means, go, and also remember that if you even need something, just ask me. Saving a kings life doesn't happen very often!' the King exclaimed. `Farewell, your Highness,' Daen said, bowing as he turned.
As Daen started for the door, Reylar turned on his servants. `Why are you called servants, if you don't serve? Clean this mess up! And get me my breakfast! I'm wasting away here!' As the servants got to work, Reylar remembered what he had to do today. `Damn, all those papers to sign' he muttered irritably to himself. `Why me?' As he headed to his office, he whispered, `Good luck Daen, with whatever you are doing' and, ever so slowly, walked through the double-arched doors of his office.
`Is that all that happened?' Cara asked Daen, her curiosity growing by the minute. `Yeah, that's about it' Daen answered. `Are you sure you didn't leave anything out?' 'Yes! I'm sure,' he replied, laughing, `Now grab your stuff, we're leaving now.' As Daen and Cara left the building, the night went silent. `All right, what now?' Daen muttered to himself. Out of nowhere, lightning came hurtling out of the sky, exploding the pavement right in front of the two. `Damn! Cara, get out of sight! Quickly!' Daen's last word was punctuated by another lightning strike, this time hitting a building overhead, sending stone falling to the pavement. `Where are you?' he thought to himself.
`Daen, on the roof, to your right!' Cara screamed to him. Fire leapt from Daens hands as he jumped around, and a balls of flame leapt towards the beast in a rapid volley. Just as they reached the beast, they stopped, and flew away in all directions. `Damn! Not a bloody Fraen!' he angrily muttered. A stray flame passed over his shoulder, and he littered the sky with lightning. An ungodly shriek erupted from the sky as the lightning met its mark, and the Fraen crashed into the pavement, a hundred yards away from Cara.
`Cara! Stay back! These things are just as deadly on the ground as they are in the air!' `Well get rid of it!' Cara shrieked as the Fraen slowly got up. `I have to remember the words! Keep him distracted!' Daen yelled to her. `What can I do? Throw bloody stones at him?' `Use your bow! Slow him down!' Daen yelled as he struggled to remember the words to the spell. Minutes later, he yelled out, `Got it!' and the Fraen turned mid stride, and slowly advanced on him. `Time to go back from where you came from!' Daen screamed at it. `Aylanar Alarishu!' As the last of the words were spoken, a fiery hole appeared behind the Fraen, and as it got dragged through, it screamed at them, `We will find you, you can't…..escape…..us!' `Not in my lifetime!' Daen yelled as it disappeared .
`Daen, are you hurt?' Cara asked, worried that he might be injured. `Just a few bruises, my horse has given me worse!' Daen exclaimed. `Nice little fight though. Anyhow, let's go! They must be getting pretty worried in Melantor, considering we were supposed to be there last week!' `No thanks to you and your little escapade in the Citadel.' Cara pointed out, blaming him. `Okay, okay, I get the point! Lets go!' As they rode through the gates, Daen looked back on the majestic looking citadel of Tel Rhiad. `It's a pity we can't stay longer. I kind of liked that town.' Daen concentrated on the road once more, and he and Cara rode off.
`At this pace, we should get there in about three days, give or take a night,' Cara told Daen. `Back in no time!' `Good! I can't wait to meet up with the rest of the bunch, it's been awful without them!' Daen exclaimed. `So being with me is awful is it?' Cara said to Daen, with a big grin on her face. `No, no! Not at all…' Daen stammered as she giggled. `Only joking Daen' she tells him with a wink, `Now all we have to hope for is good weather!'