The Estian Alliance

CHAPTER 11

2nd September - The City of Kerrallux - Eratur - Mynae

Mid afternoon in Kerrallux and the Thargw inhabitants of the city, who would normally be out in force on the many streets and alleyways going about their daily lives, had all shut themselves firmly behind wooden doors. There they remained, safe from harm and away from the two desperate, dangerous fugitives who had so audaciously written themselves into Thargw history books by raiding the Emperor’s palace. The citizens of the great fortress city had barricaded themselves inside their homes on the orders of the Emperor himself, to effectively deny the escapees shelter and a place to hide. Their actions also allowed the thorough house to house search which was underway to proceed unhindered. It had begun at dawn, as soon as the sun had risen in the sky. Hour after hour had passed, hundreds of homes were turned upside down, but they found nothing. The Emperor was furious, the grid was widened, and the search was intensified. Every single warrior who was able to wield a sword now joined in the hunt. The Thargws were busily and frenetically combing every inch of the city looking for any sign of the two intruders, any clue as to their whereabouts, for they were certain they had not escaped and just could not understand how they had evaded capture.

Beneath the heavy rock cover of a nearby drainage ditch, built to remove sewerage and waste from the rows of dwellings and not far from the city centre, Jake and Tien lay in absolute silence. They were listening anxiously to the various noises coming from above. Numerous cries and shouts rang out, the signs of a frantic and exhaustive search taking place all around their position. For the time being though, they were not concerned. The Thargw warriors would not think to search the ditch in which they were concealed, for the weighty stone which covered them was far too heavy to be lifted by anyone who did not possess a similar magic to that of Tien. No one but a wizard would even think to attempt such a feat. Just so long as they remained perfectly quiet, they were safe from harm in their dark, putrid hideaway and they would remain so for as long as they were not heard. They knew from experience that Thargws possessed excellent hearing and had therefore decided to keep conversation to a minimum.

When he felt it was finally safe to talk, Jake whispered to the wizard in a voice as quiet as he could make it. “Phew… Okay, they’ve gone. Look, we can’t stay here all day, we have to get moving. Princess Zephany and the others need our help. Every moment we waste here is…”

“Jake! I am sorry but I know. I agree with you, but what can we do? Even if we do manage to break free of this prison unseen, we would never make it out of the city alive. Do not forget, without Gellsorr, we no longer have any means of returning to Estia,” interrupted Tien.

“Yeah, but I’m not having that. I won’t give up. There has to be a way. It can’t be true,” stated Jake, in a voice that was still hushed but now more forceful. “I refuse to accept that we can’t do anything!”

“Then, what would you have us try, Keeper?”

“Eh? I dunno… Can’t you fly us out of here somehow? You’re supposed to be the wizard. Ain’t you got a spell or two for that?”

“I am afraid not. Flight is one thing I have never aspired to, or needed… Until now. I have never mastered the art for I have not tried.”

“Oh. Thanks for that little gem. Ah well, never mind, just a thought. We’ll have to think of something else then,” said the youngster, bitterly disappointed. “I suppose we could fight our way out?”

“Tah! Even with all your new powers, it would take a whole army of Keepers. There are thousands of them out there.”

“Hmmnn… Yeah, I guess you’re right. It looks like we’re stuck here then? Well, that’s just great, innit? I never thought I would end up dying in a ditch of…”

Jake stopped talking and he suddenly began to snigger. He tried hard to suppress the noise by holding his hands over his mouth, but he failed. “Ha, ha…”

“Shush, Jake! They might hear you,” rasped the wizard, his face blood red with rage all of a sudden. “Be quiet! Quiet I say! Oh for…! And just what the darraiesh are you giggling at anyway? What is so funny, given our plight?”

Jake’s mirth halted just enough for him to speak in-between giggles. “Ha, ha… I’m… I’m supposed to be this big, superhero or summin’, this almighty, all conquering Keeper dude, who’s going to vanquish evil and save everyone. You’ve all been banging on about me and how special I am since the very first time we met. Ha, ha… Well, tell me this, oh great and wise one… Is there anything in the prophecies that covers this? Ha, ha… Do they say by any chance, ‘…The Keeper impressed all he knew, covered in muck, smothered in poo?’ Ha, ha…”

“What? No, of course not! Now, stop being so ridiculous and help me figure out what we are going to do!” huffed Tien. His temper was rising rapidly. He failed to see the humour and he had grown quite angry all of a sudden. Not for the first time, he was intensely disappointed by the immaturity shown by the Keeper, but on this occasion he did not attempt to hide it.

Jake saw it in his eyes immediately. He stopped laughing, calmed himself down and replied. “Alright, alright, keep your hair on. I was only… Ha, ha…” He started laughing again, briefly. “Oops… Sorry. I forgot, you ain’t got no hair, have ya?”

Tien was now at the end of his tether. Harsh words of anger erupted from within before he knew what he was saying. Jake had pushed the right button alright, a button no other Keeper before him had even come close to pushing.

“Raargh! I am blessed by the spirits, ageless, but you two boys will be the death of me! I do not know how you have managed to survive so far in your world, or this, but I will be amazed if you fulfil your destiny. You are…! Tah! I cannot even bring myself to say it!

I used to think your ways, your methods for coping with everything that has happened, were a great asset to us. Now though, now that I am caught up in a real life or death situation…? Yargh! I am befuddled, making no sense! See what you have done? You and your friend have brought me to this! You laugh when you should be shedding tears and sweat. You smile, when you should be shaking in fear. You ridicule everyone and everything, and you just do not seem to care. I will never understand you.”

Jake was shamed by Tien’s short rebuke. As a sudden rush of heat reddened his cheeks, he took a couple of deep breaths and accepted that the wizard had a point; this was not the time perhaps for jokes. “Okay, okay, I’m back with you now. Relax. Kerrallux. Trapped. Thargws all around us. See? I’ve got it. I’m on top of things… Right, here’s the plan. We can’t stay here. Sooner or later they are bound to find us, or we’ll have to leave to find food and water. And anyway, we have no time. Our friends at Te’oull are relying on us. So… We’re gonna make a break for it tonight, as soon as it’s dark. We’ll head for the stables near the palace. They won’t expect us to double back on ourselves, and we can try to get some horses. After that, we’ll just have to revert to plan B, and fight our way out, like Jason Statham or something?”

Jake looked expectantly at Tien, expecting a response. The old wizard said nothing but he was clearly unimpressed, and a little confused. “Well? What d’ya think?”

“Jason Stathe? Who is he? A great warrior from your world? Never mind, I… I think, that the art of planning has perhaps not proven to be where your best talents lie?”

“Ha, ha… Yeah, perhaps not,” Jake answered, chuckling slightly. “I wish Knesh was here. But, at least we’ll be doing something, rather than just sitting around waiting for the end to come?”

“Indeed, Keeper. There is that. You realise though, that this probably means certain death for us both?”

Jake nodded, but he was still smiling. “Yeah… Actually, no. No I don’t. I’m hoping for a bit of that Keeper’s luck we’ve enjoyed so far, that destiny thing everyone keeps talking about. It’s gotten me out of a few tight spots already, maybe it will again? And, he’s an actor, a British one at that.”

“I have no idea what that is, Jake. But, if he inspires you, I will like him. You should know that the spirits are gone. They cannot save us now. Even if they were not otherwise engaged, we are too far away from them to expect any help. We are out of reach of their power.”

“Hmmn… So, what you’re saying is, we’re all alone and facing almost certain annihilation?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The odds of survival are very slim.”

“Oh. Well, that’s alright then. I’m a Keeper. I would have it no other way.”

* * *

As the last remnants of daylight faded, this part of Kerrallux city was strangely silent. The search for the two fugitives continued, but by now it had spread to way past their current location. It was so far away in fact, that it was out of earshot for Jake and Tien. The city streets seemed almost deserted. Warriors had been posted all around by the military commanders, taking up positions at every vital juncture or building. There they stood motionless, straining every sinew to listen for their prey, using their powerful ears to try to detect any movement which might betray their whereabouts.

Jake decided the time was right to move. Tien cast another spell and the huge, bulky stone which had them trapped rose steadily into the air, floating effortlessly upwards until they were able to climb silently out of the ditch and move out of its shadow. As soon as they had, it fell noiselessly back into place.

“Come Keeper, it is this way,” the wizard stated, heading towards the darkness of a nearby street. Jake followed without a sound. His breathing was short and shallow as they crept stealthily along several side streets. They stayed in the darkness of the shadows wherever they could, sprinting across any open or moonlit areas, like startled rabbits caught in a spotlight and running for their lives. Their luck held. Somehow, they managed to evade detection by the numerous Thargw sentries they passed along the way. At last, they rounded one final corner and there, ahead of them, were the stables. They were next to the Emperor’s palace and they were guarded by two enormous Thargws. A further two warriors could also be seen patrolling up and down the nearby side streets.

“Jake, there are too many of them,” hissed the wizard. “If you attack them now, you will surely alert the whole city. You will draw every Thargw warrior within hearing distance down upon us.”

“Shh! Yes, alright, I know,” whispered the youngster. “But what choice do we have? This is why we came, Tien. Come on, it’s got to be done. I’ll try to be as quiet as possible. You stay over there, in the dark,” he added, pointing to the shadow of a doorway which was opposite the stable doors.

Tien acknowledged the command obediently and Jake crept forward. Silently, he worked his way towards and around the two unsuspecting guards. When he was standing opposite their position, with their bodies perfectly in line, he threw his sword gently up in the air and whispered.

“Bratiq!”

Two fingers on his right hand extended to aim the strike and the sword flew rapidly towards the warriors. The bladed weapon passed straight through their bodies in turn and they fell to the ground. However, Jake’s sword then continued its momentum and lodged deep within the barn’s wooden wall, leaving him totally defenceless. Worse still, the noise the weapon made as it struck the wood alerted the nearby Thargws. The two alarmed warriors immediately charged towards him, roaring ferociously with their swords raised. The secret was out and everyone within miles would now know that the fugitives had been found!

Tien was still concealed in the shadows. He saw what was happening and raced over to free the sword, though he knew he would not be fast enough to retrieve it in time to pass it to Jake before the Thargws attacked. The next few seconds passed in a blur for Jake. He acted without thinking, out of instinct, though it was not his own, and he knew not from where it came.

Having had no previous martial arts training or experience whatsoever, faced by two lethal and armed assailants, Jake suddenly seemed to transform into a Kung Fu legend. His arms and legs moved so fast and his body twisted and contorted so much, that he was able to evade the blades of his attackers and launch numerous strikes upon them. Somehow, the Thargw warriors, who held all the advantages, were made to look like little boys, amateurs who had no right being in his presence. Jake was unscathed and his final two kicks landed squarely on the warrior’s jaws. Both fell to ground and did not get up. They had been struck an extraordinary amount of times in such a short period. Tien was stunned by the awesome display he had just witnessed, his mouth fell wide open as he reached the sword.

“Quick, free it and let’s go!” shouted Jake, a little out of breath but no longer concerned about the need for silence.

Tien cast another spell to ease the weapon out of the wood and then he raced over to the stable doors. Jake soon emerged from within with two stallions. They were just about to mount the horses and make good their escape, when they suddenly heard an almighty commotion; cries and roars, the unmistakeable sounds of swords clinking on armour, lots of warriors converging on their position, racing to do battle!

Thargws suddenly began appearing from all directions. Within seconds, they were faced by a crowd of over fifty angry beasts, and more were appearing with every second that passed. Tien was aghast as he realised that it was over. They had lost. Nothing could be done against such a formidable force. He looked at Jake.

The young Keeper was not afraid. He should have been, he knew that. But he wasn’t. His overriding emotion now was one of intense disappointment, an awful, gut-wrenching feeling that he had failed everyone. ‘I’ve let them all down,’ he thought. ‘They needed a hero, and all they got was me!’

“This is it, Tien,” he said, quietly. “I’m really sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t the Keeper you thought I was. I tried my best, but in the end, I was just a boy.”

Tien shook his head at him and smiled kindly. “No Jake, you are far more than you will ever know. Whether in life or death, you will inspire our people to greater things. You will give them hope, and the courage they need to triumph.”

Jake turned his eyes to the angry mob of bloodthirsty Thargws. “Yeah? Is that so? I don’t mean to disagree with ya… But, tell that to them!”