Ch. 17
Miggins woke me with a soft tap, much gentler than Dimitrius’s jarring methods. I got dressed in new clothes I found at the foot of my bed: red shirt and pants with a collection of symbols on them, and a rope belt. I wore the boots from Voratiot. Miggins told me the symbols spelled ‘Hurdeen’. I had to take his word for it because there were only six letters.
He took me to a room with other people dressed as I was, all older and meaner looking than me, and left me there. I took a seat at the only empty seat around a circular table. There were six of us. A bearded man across from me started things off.
“We are here to plan for the impending invasion of the Terror Bringers, set to begin in a few hours. It has come to us that you,” he was referring to me, “have suggested using the old Hurdeen castle for our defense, explain.”
“Well,” I started uncertainly, wishing I had come in better prepared, “It would give us the high ground, allow us to shoot down on them from a safe height. Do we have guns?”
“Only the Voratiots have those. We will not use their weapons.”
“Arrows?”
“We have arrows.”
“Get as many as you can and give them to the army. How many are in the army?”
“Three hundred at max.”
“That’s it?”
The bearded man looked confused, “Yes, is that not enough?”
“I don’t know. Do we know how many are in the enemy?”
“Scouts came in this morning seeing about the same.”
“That’s good at least.”
There was a woman next to me, she had a frown that I'm sure had been on her face since birth. She spoke next.
"Once we are in the castle what do we do?"
I had to think about this for a minute, but when I came up with an idea I shared it. "We fight. We go to the very top and start shooting our arrows down on the enemy when they approach."
Whispering broke out. I was worried it was negative, but to my surprise compliments started flying.
"That sounds like a plan."
"Good job, miss."
"You really do have powers."
I was greatly confused. How could anybody think that that was a great plan? If anything it was common sense. There was something strange about these Hurdeen, but what it was still escaped me.
They sent me out with more compliments. In the hall Miggins was waiting, pacing back and forth nervously. He ran straight to me.
"So, how did it go?"
"They thought I was brilliant." I said dully.
"That's great."
The morning was filled with people coming up to me and thanking me for saving them. I would have felt good about it if I had actually done something, but I hadn't, and I felt terrible every time somebody approached me with a smile. Miggins acted as my body guard, pushing people away and making sure the way was clear when we started down a new passageway.
"How is it that everyone knows me already?"
"News travels fast down here, especially about you."
Something other, out of the ordinary, something strange and new. In other words: me. I was a bigger hit here than I ever could be on Earth, my Earth that is. But most of it was a lie, and I was not going to take it one more second. I had to get somewhere private and see if I could contact Poiye. He was a nuisance, but he had answers that nobody else had. I asked Miggins if there was a place that I could go alone and focus my powers. The old man from the council came up at that moment.
"It is time for you to be at the castle, the fighters are ready." He took a glance at Miggins, but looked away quickly as if just remembering something important.
"Actually, I was just about to focus--"
"No time for that."
He ordered Miggins (nicely) to take me to the castle at once. And before I had a chance to figure anything out I was being whisked away somewhere else.
The old Hurdeen castle was a half mile from the underground. It's facade a steel gray, turrets rising above the one hundred foot high ceiling which were already teeming with people at the ready, bows in hand. We entered and were met with even more soldiers milling about trying to find their places. They all wore the same bright red uniform that I did.
The inside of the castle was magnificent even if aged. The floors were stone, tapestries of all sizes and colors hung everywhere one wanted their eyes to go. We climbed the stone steps and were in a long and decorated hallway. I was taken down this hall, up another staircase. This staircase had windows that showed a marvelous view of the forest. And then I was taken down another hall to a set of doors. These led to the roof. There was movement all around from soldiers getting into position. I was led up to the crenellations and peered over the edge. A great field stretched before us, extending to the forest so far away.
Someone came up and handed me a bow. I hadn't realized that I would actually be fighting, so this gesture took me by surprise. "Is this for me?" I asked stupidly. The man nodded and went away. I had never shot an arrow, but how hard could it be? It turns out very hard. I took a few practice shots at the ground. Even from a few feet away I couldn't get the arrowhead to actually hit the stones.
Yelling came from all sides, everyone was pointing at the forest in the distance. I took a look and my breath caught somewhere in my throat. For a second I could not breath, think, or make any movements at all. There, in the distance, was a wave of black. It was on the move, revealing itself from the trees, growing longer and longer until half the field was filled with dark uniforms. Their marching could be heard, hard footfalls on the drying ground resonated into all of our heads, sending our calm courage away, replacing it with only fear and nothing more. The noises of preparation died instantly, silence remained. Everyone to their own minds, their own thoughts of what the following hours could be. I forgot where I was, the rhythmic approaching, the bow in my hand, all fell away till it was only me and the fog of slow moving terror coming straight at me.
I was staring for several minutes, the coming judgment was nearer for some in our ranks then they ever would have thought possible. Then I noticed something odd. The advancing troops stopped. I noticed that the breeze had also stopped. I looked around and to my surprise all of the soldiers around me weren't moving either. I glanced back at the Terror Bringers, wondering what happened when . . .
"Congratulations!"
I jumped straight into the crenellation in front of me. My head hurt real bad, but I managed to look over my shoulder all the same. Mixed in with the stars flashing before my eyes was Poiye. He looked exuberant as a smile was pasted on his face.
"Congratulations on winning the battle, I knew you could do it."
"What are you talking about?" I pointed at the approaching army. "It hasn't even started yet."
"Oh my, I'm afraid I'm too early. Well good luck."
He vanished instantly. The world came back to life and I was left looking at the spot where he had last been, thinking deeply of his power as the archers readied their bows on each side. How could he stop time? It was yet another mystery of the great Poiye. And about him coming early, weird.
I didn't have time to get into too much, the screaming started again, and before I could fully turn around to face the field there was a terrible blast from somewhere below me. The entire castle rumbled. I steadied myself, and then felt another. I got up and shouted to the others.
"Long range cannons! Get yourselves at the ready."
I didn't know who was in charge, but I decided that I should be. Flaming cannonballs flew all around. Some hitting the castle, others were smashing into the ground showering dirt and ashes every which way.
The archers began firing, but their aim was just as bad as mine. Most arrows landed within ten feet of our ground forces who began charging into the fray. I don't know who gave that order, but it was probably the worst thing to do at that moment. Their fighters greatly outnumbered our own, and that was inclu
ding everyone within the walls and on the roof. I shouted for them to come back, but none heard me.
"Stop firing," I ordered the archers, "you're only making it worse."
They did as they were told and looked to me for further instruction.
"If they get closer you can continue, but until then -- don't we have anything long distance?"
"No, ma'am." someone said.
This was more hopeless than I had initially anticipated. I had to leave the roof; no one was going to survive if they kept on with those cannons. They were hitting twice a minute now, and the closer they got the worse it was going to get. The chargers in the field were met with swords and daggers and the occasional mini cannon thing like Angeela had used on the shuirrel. Several of our own had already deserted, I could see them running back to the underground. Others fled back to the castle, and even fewer stayed and fought. I was too afraid to look and see how they were fairing, but I guessed not very well.
I left the roof, heading down the stairs to the first hallway and went looking for the next to have a talk with whoever was in charge of the chargers. My fear left, for now there was just adrenaline, pumping through me. It cleared my eyes to the real world around me, the one of danger and excitement.
The cannon blasts continued, shaking the entire castle each time. Dust fell from cracks in the ceiling, occasionally enough would fall that the corridors were filled with it. I had no idea as to where I was going, I can safely say my mind was elsewhere the first time I went through, so much so that I did not pay attention to the directions.
I stumbled along, lurching forward in surprise every time the walls shook. Nobody was in sight no matter how far I went. I tried some of the doors, hoping that stairs were behind one. For the most part I found bedrooms, some with just a bed, others completely empty. One had a window facing the action. I took a look, and to my horror the ones in black were all over, and some were entering the castle directly below the window. I stepped back, not knowing what to do, but the adrenaline kicked in again and I shot out of the room determined to find someone who could help me find an exit. This was getting nowhere, and if I was correct, everybody would be fleeing.
Two minutes and four cannon blasts later I found the main staircase. Down on the ground floor was where the main battle had moved to. I was very surprised to see that many in red were still fighting, and was saddened to see that many others in red were on the ground. I promised myself that they were just wounded and continued on to find a staircase that would lead me out back. I lingered too long. At the moment that I decided to continue on I was spotted by Seraya, the wife of Caib. We locked eyes, and she ran up the stairs after me. I took off as fast as I could, I knew she was dangerous and I wanted nothing to do with her.
Down one hallway, sprinting down another, up a pair of stairs, and through a door. This one led to a hall of paintings. It was very dark and cold in there. I walked slowly, breathing heavily trying to catch my breath. The door opened behind me and Seraya stepped in. She too walked slowly, but she was not panting. It was too dark for her to see me, but if she listened past the noise from outside she would be able to hear me. I crept backwards, keeping my eyes peeled to where I thought she was. Backing into walls was the least of my concern, even though I managed it several times. She was creeping towards me faster than I could get back. The hall twisted back into the depths of the castle with no way of knowing if there would be a door on the other end.
Suddenly she lunged, grabbing my shirt. I pulled back just as fast and managed to break her hold. I took off back down the hall and exited the room with her still right behind. She yelled a primal screech that went in time with another blast. I was so scared at that point that I did not care where I went or what was to be there when I arrived. The next turn took me to a long hallway with a sagging floor, I tripped half way through and landed on my side, she stopped as well.
"You are the one, you are the one." she said slowly, as if just realizing who I was.
I slid backwards along the floor, trying to get as far away as possible. But she did not come after me now; she simply stood there looking at me. Her face showed a thirst for my blood, she wanted me dead, but she was going to take her time about it. She began to take small steps toward me, the floor sagging and squeaking the whole time.
"Don't fear me; I am only the start of your terror. Today we take Hurdeen, tomorrow we start on Earth. What do you think; do you think it will be as fast? I know you don't have any powers, every one of us knows now. But don't worry, soon it will all end, and you can sleep for all time."
She licked her lips in a demented sort of way as her eyes grew with wonder at something that was beyond my comprehension. The space closed in between us, and I knew that the next few seconds were going to decide everything. There was nothing I could do and in turn there was no way I could think. What happened next happened so fast that I still look back to figure out what happened.
Seraya lunged at me from several feet away. I threw myself back as far as I could, trying desperately to get away from her clutches. At that moment a maelstrom of noise and earth shattering collisions blew apart the wall as stone and wood flew everywhere. The floor gave way and I pushed myself further back to keep from falling in the new formed hole. My ears rang from the explosion as I stood; blood filled my mouth from where I bit my tongue. My arms had blood on them, but I did not feel any pain. I looked in the hole to see massive stones from the wall. Something red caught my eye but I quickly looked away upon seeing the tangled mess of hair that was half covering it.
I slowly took myself away from the scene, away from the image that would haunt me forever. The castle was quiet now, or maybe it had been quiet for a while, I wasn't sure. I lost track of time. It could have been hours that I just wandered through trying to find my way out. The next thing I knew I was climbing out a hole into the warm sun, not caring who saw me or what they would do. It was the back of the castle that I had stumbled out of. At first I didn't see anybody, but then a familiar face was running toward me.
"Bessie, how are you, I haven't seen you, I thought . . ."
"I'm fine." I mumbled.
"We can't go back to the underground, they've taken it."
"What?" I wasn't fully aware of what he was saying. "That was the whole point of going to the castle, to lead them away from there."
"They followed the deserters. I got out when I could. The whole city is being taken. The leaders have most of the troops; they are in the forest deciding what the next plan is."
"Why aren't they helping?"
"They make plans, they don't fight."
"We have to get them to fight."
"First we need to get you to the front entrance, that's where the healers are."
"All the fighting moved to the underground?"
"Yes, it's dreadful."
There was so little sense in this world that I went along to the healers without a fight. They looked me over, cleaned me off, and gave me water. It helped immensely, and I was thinking clearly in no time. Once better I headed straight for the trees, planning to have a talk with the leaders. Nobody stopped me along the way, though Miggins tagged along, making sure I didn't get into trouble. We found them in a circle near the edge of trees. They were apparently happy to see me.
"Bessie, so good of you to join us, we are making plans for the rest of the day, please share your thoughts." One of them said.
Something was wrong, they seemed to calm, too carefree. "Aren't you at all worried that your home is being destroyed?"
"What? Oh, yes it’s terrible."
"Your families are in there."
"That's why we are planning."
They were being peculiar. Their lack of care brought back the idea that there was something not right about the Hurdeen. Every one of them I met had something about them that I could not place, but it was not until right there in the woods that I had my first notion that
something was horrifically wrong with them. They didn't care, it's not that they didn't want to, it’s that they couldn't. There was no urgency, no real panic at all in their beings.
I backed away from them; they stared at me and continued on with their planning as if they did not see me. I put my back to a nearby tree and listened in. At first it was basic planning, calling for simple actions such as fighting back and escaping. But then they grew in their fervor, emotion set in, and they talked of their own invasion. One person even mentioned that the council wanted them to invade if they won the battle at the castle.
"That's it." Someone said.
"We take all of our troops and invade them, its genius." Another agreed.
"Begin immediately, no time to lose. The faster we destroy their city, the faster we can save our own."
Was it that I was listening for the first time, or that they just change face so abruptly. "You can't do that." I called out. "You should save as many as you can here first."
They ignored me this time.
"Outward to Voratiot!" One yelled.
There was a call from the soldiers who were beyond the trees a little away. They stood and began their trek to Voratiot just like that.
"Wait!" I screamed.
"There's no point, they won't listen." Miggins said.
"Why not? They can't do what they are planning. Too many will die here, and too many will die in Voratiot if they ever even make it that far."
"They have already decided, it will happen."
"What is wrong with you? What is wrong with all of you? Does no one here care what happens to their own people, or to anyone else? This is the most disgusting place I have ever seen, and I only now realized it. I have been going around here for days and days and I finally see behind the curtain. There is nothing worth living for here if this is how society acts."
"Is it different in your world?" He asked.
"Yes, some places . . . most places. I want to go back and be done with it here, there's no reason for me to be here. You brought me here to stop an invasion and now just as easily they are going to go start one. I have to get out of here."
I ran from him, into the depths of the trees and the brush.