Chapter 8: Chapter 8
Colter
Kingdom of Howard, Unknown
With a final glance at the sketch, Colter decided to wrap it up. Carefully rolling it up, he placed the piece of art inside an open chest and sealed it with a dull thud. He stared at the closed chest before shaking his head and turning away from it. The silence of the room was eerie, and he decided to get away from it before it drove him mad.
“Look, if I were given a chance, I’ll be more than happy to see you.” A brief pause as he realized he was talking to himself, “Oh great. Now I’m talking to myself. That amber eyed brunette surely got me in a lull here.”
The flickering thoughts of the girl flashed in his thoughts, which worsened his dour mood. With a sigh, he opened the door and stepped out of his room.
“It’d be better if I can see her somewhere that isn’t in my dreams, but then that’d be quite a journey.” Colter muttered to himself as he closed the door behind him. “Who’s to say that she even exists, she might be a figment of my imagination.”
His mood slightly improved when he got outside, the sun was shining brilliantly in the sky, no rain clouds to ruin it. Quite a peaceful sight, Colter smirked to himself basking in the irony of it all. A peaceful day, unless his father once again decided that he was being a pain in everyone’s asses. He was quite the troublemaker indeed, or so the King thought. He spotted the various citizens of the kingdom having a great time. Laughing about, pointing at beautiful things like flowers, trees and animals that may have scampered about. The laughter of children filled the air, followed by the soft thud of their footsteps as they ran around with their friends. Colter made another scan of the sky to make sure those evil looking birds weren’t flying around again.
“Well, maybe those guys were just lost, huh?” Colter muttered, looking around while walking in this perfect day, deciding that those creatures were migratory birds looking for a place to settle in. “Hopefully those guys found a new home.”
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KING DYRON
Kingdom of Havocc, Unknown
Somewhere else, the air was filled with grunts and the sounds of steel colliding against each other. King Dyron watched his allies and minions alike train at their fullest. Striving hard to improve their skills in combat, relishing the thought of finally attacking Howard. Many of these creatures were filled with bruises and welts that came from being struck by their training partners. A cruel method but a necessary one to boost their power to take down the Kingdom of Howard. Dyron raised his hand and throughout the training ground, his voice boomed:
“Hearken unto me, subordinates and allies of my kingdom!”
Everything stopped, a couple of them froze mid swing and stared at their sovereign. In one single sentence, King Dyron had taken their attention and held it completely in his hands. There were no more sounds of training, just a dreadful silence after he spoke.
“It will take some time for us to be ready, a matter of weeks or months, I know not of the specific period. I see in all your eyes the desire, the need to spill blood. To strike a mighty blow against the Kingdom of Howard and let their streets run red. To gore them with spears until their eyes whiten. To slash at their throats and make them realize the gravitas of their folly. I ask nothing more but patience, my loyal servants. The vultures sent there were spotted, and there is a possibility that the forces of Howard could be mobilizing and preparing for war. Their king could be amassing his troops and repel us should we make a move on them. For that, let us give them our silence. Complacency will be their ruin. Let us have them stew in the silence of this illusory peace. They will lower their guards eventually and start going about their normal, trifling lives. Train like your lives depended on it, and it does. Empower yourselves until you are unable to carry your weapon. Until your bones break. Until you can no longer stomach the thought of combat. Strike away at your partners as if they are citizens of Howard themselves. Use all this time we have, to build your strength. When the King of Howard finally decides there is no threat, that the vultures they saw were simply nothing more but a random occurrence…”
King Dyron spread his arms as he trailed off, as if to offer a warm embrace to a friend, a grin plastered against his demonic face. His eyes glittered with pure malice. His charm had enamored the creatures around him, they found themselves smiling with enmity as well.
“Then they shall feel the pure might of our kingdom! Steel will find their flesh, their skins will be flayed, burnt, and ripped apart. We shall show them no quarter: men, women, children and the elderly. They will all feel our wrath! Their tears and blood shall flood the streets, and I will take the head of the one who would call himself king.”
Dyron snorted and spat into the ground in disgust of the monarch he had just mentioned, “I will tear the crown he wears upon his head and with it, his kingdom. We will stand on top of the ruins of what was once the Howard dynasty and rule it. Do you hear me, my loyal creatures? They will all fall to us, and we will rule over what is left!”
The speech had riled them all up, frenzy filled the air as they shouted and screamed with glee. Their bloodlust had been awakened, amidst this macabre group, there he stood, grinning in triumph as he managed to give heart, albeit an evil one, to his warriors. King Dyron stands triumphant.
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KING MALIK HOWARD
Kingdom of Howard, Unknown
The days passed, turning into weeks, and then into months. Peace had settled into the kingdom, there were no disturbances. There was nothing. The evil creatures seen never returned. No sighting of them has been confirmed, but in his hearts of hearts, King Malik knew something felt off. This is the reason he was on his way towards the Deity Flora. She was a creature of power in the kingdom, she commands respect from everybody, an aura of awe and allure. Her knowledge of the events all over the kingdom is indomitable. She sees into the future, and armed with the knowledge of the future, King Malik could prevent catastrophes from happening.
“But knowing what could potentially happen can be mentally draining” Malik muttered as he walked towards Flora’s dwelling. “Ah, now I’m talking to myself. I’m starting to sound like Julian”
He stopped at the door. It was an ornate one trimmed with gold and embedded with glorious jewels. With a gigantic effort, he pushed at the door and saw a figure standing in the middle of the room, her eyes pierced into his very existence as she smiled.
“I knew you would come, King Howard.” Deity Flora murmured as she continued her penetrating gaze.
“Is this something you foresaw, Deity Flora?” Malik asked, basking in her glorious presence.
The oracle smiled playfully at him, “I heard your footsteps actually” pointing at her ears, “That crown must be heavy for you to have such tremendous footfalls.”
The king chuckled at her attempt at humor, “Surely you know why I am here right now.”
“I do not need to be a mind reader, Lord Howard. Anyone could predict your purpose of being here.” She gestured for him to come closer, and the king complied.
“Peer into the future for me, I need to know what is going to happen to the kingdom” Malik almost pleaded, yet he managed to maintain the regalia of his tone.
“Certainly, your majesty. Let me peer into the depths of the future and find out if your building paranoia is of consequence.” The deity closed her eyes and as she did, the king felt a wave flow throughout the room. A shimmering warmth that embraced him as the oracle looked towards the future. There was no emotion on her face, no strain as she stared into the abyss.
Seconds passed, fear slowly crept into the king, “Surely it wouldn’t take this long to stare at a peaceful future?” he thought to himself. Without warning, the shimmering aura around them vanished without a sound and the deity opened her eyes.
“Your majesty, peace will reign in the kingdom. Do not be alarmed, I saw no evil creeping towards Howard. Let your worries rest for now. The visions of chaos and darkness have passed into nonbeing. It disappeared from my sight; thus, it will not come to be. For now.”
Her announcement brought mixed emotions to the king, but the thought of an indefinite peace relieved his fears.
“Lady Flora, I thank you for looking towards the future for me. It seems my fears were unwarranted. I shall do my best to maintain the peace we have earned. Let me know if you need anything from me, I shall have it sent to you immediately.” Malik bowed lightly before turning around when her soft voice reached his ears:
“Please, listen to my parting words.” The king froze and stared at her from the corners of his eyes, “But I see someone returning to the kingdom. He may be returning soon. I advise you to keep your eyes open for this person’s return”
“You speak vaguely, Flora. Will this ‘someone’ pose a threat or endanger my kingdom?” There was a hint of steel in his voice, as he racked his brain to think of who it could be.
“No. But this one will bring about great change to the Kingdom of Howard.” Her parting words reaffirmed the worries he had going in.
“Then let us keep an eye on that horizon” he said and left the oracle.