“You have more to worry about than just me,” Flar replied.
Suddenly, there was a flaming boulder rocketing toward Marsonee. The archangel pushed Flar away. Marsonee turned and with one powerful stroke, struck the rock with his sword. It split into two pieces. Flar knew this was his opportunity. With a gust of his wings, the fire lord flew forward and swung his flaming sword. Marsonee pivoted back to avoid the blow. However, he was not fast enough. Flar’s blade clipped the bottom of Marsonee’s right wing, setting the feathers on fire.
“Argh!”Marsonee cried out in pain.
He struggled to remain airborne, but with every flap of his wings, the fire only grew. Marsonee knew he would have to land or risk his entire wing being engulfed in flame. Marsonee spiraled downward, a trail of smoke in his wake. He hit the ground hard, dropping his sword and rolling several feet in the dirt. As the archangel rolled, the fire on his wing was slowly extinguished. Marsonee struggled to stand but could not. Flar landed several feet away. His demonic wings folded up on his armored back. Flar began walking toward the wounded archangel.
“You are weak,” Flar admonished. “You are but a shell of your former self.”
Marsonee struggled to crawl toward his sword. With inches to go, he reached out for it. Flar kicked it away with his boot.
“Your time is at an end,” Flar said.
“Even if you destroy me,” Marsonee replied. “There will be others.”
“No,” Flar retorted. “They have resigned themselves to their fate behind the Great Divide.”
Flar raised his flaming sword high over his towering head. With one powerful stroke, the fire lord swung it down toward Marsonee’s head.
Chapter Three
Princess Rainna rested unconscious on the marble floor of the cathedral. Adjusting his robes, Murlox knelt down and stroked her long, dark hair. His body transformed into an ugly, old man.
“Sleep well, my dear princess,” he said. “Your time is passing and soon you will be nothing more than a distant memory.”
Murlox looked over at the Ancient Book resting beside her.
“Why do you not protect her from my evil? Why would you allow her to suffer in this way?” the sorcerer questioned. “Perhaps you have some other grand design that this world cannot know.”
Murlox stood and gazed around the weathered cathedral.
“I remember this place from another time so long ago,” he whispered in sadness. His voice still managed to echo throughout the empty sanctuary. “Back when my faith was as strong as hers. Now you have abandoned her just as once you did me.”
The old Murlox walked over to the broken stone altar. He ran his wrinkled hand across the table. Through the shattered stained glass windows, Murlox could hear the fire boulders smashing against the ground and the sounds of screaming and chaos.
“They once found a peace here,” he said. “Those sad, pathetic people running around like chickens out there. But then, you would no longer hear them. You ceased to listen. It was almost as if you had disappeared. What was I to say to them when they were to come here to me? Flar’s promises were real to them. They were real to me.”
Murlox saw the long spiral staircase located in the corner of the church which led up to the former bell tower. His crooked face smiled.
“There is no power here,” he cackled. “Only my dark magic remains. I must prepare the sacrifice as the Lord Flar has commanded me.”
He turned back to the altar and raised his staff. The staff glowed with dark energy which soon engulfed the broken table. In seconds, the two broken segments of the stone altar rejoined together and vanished. Rainna slowly began to stir with a slight moan. She sat up and balanced herself with one arm while placing her other hand on the side of her face. Murlox quickly returned to his youthful appearance.
“Murlox?” she said, still dazed and confused. “What are you…?”
“Do not try to escape me, princess,” the sorcerer said. He pointed his staff at her. Magical ropes formed and tied around her hands. “We have quite a climb to make together.”
“I will not go with you,” Rainna said. She struggled to sit completely upright. Rainna turned to see the Book lying near her. “The ancient Law will protect me.”
“Will it now?” Murlox boasted.
The Book was suddenly engulfed in a white light and disappeared.
“No,” Rainna gasped in disbelief.
“You have no choice in this matter, my little girl,” Murlox said as he calmly walked down from the altar area. Despite her resistance, Murlox pulled Rainna to her feet. “All is now in place. The final act of this drama is set to begin.”
The sorcerer dragged Princess Rainna over to the staircase.
“Your evil will not prevail here!” she cried out.
“Climb,” Murlox commanded. He pushed her with his staff onto the first step.
“What lies at the top of the tower?” Rainna questioned.
“Your destiny, of course,” Murlox grimaced. He pushed her in the back again.
Reluctantly, Rainna started up the wooden stairs.
~
Demetrius, the crazy, old priest, raced down the narrow streets of Rone. All around him, frightened townspeople were running in panic, dodging flaming fire boulders and trying to find shelter for their children. Demetrius spied a large wooden wagon filled with straw resting against a stone wall. A large crowd had gathered around it. A couple of men were trying to harness horses to the wagon. Demetrius bolted up the wheel and climbed into the wagon. The horses galloped off.
“People of Rone, hear me!” the old priest cried out.
The townspeople ignored him and continued rushing about the square and down the dirty streets.
“People of Rone listen! I beg of you to hear me!” Demetrius called out again. “Your King has delivered you!”
At these words, several members of the crowd stopped to listen. Everyone, including the children, began to gather around the wagon where Demetrius stood.
“Delivered us, you say?” a ragged man shockingly questioned. “He has done no such thing! He has brought fire down from the sky and a demon to our gates! How has our King delivered us?”
“We must plead for mercy from Lord Flar!” a woman, her face caked with dirt, begged to the others. She held a baby in her arms. A little girl, wearing a torn blanket for clothes, stood beside her. “For the sake of our children, we must!”
The other townspeople grumbled their approval and nodded their heads. Demetrius, moved with pity for their ignorance, jumped down from the wagon and approached the little girl. He embraced her.
“And what mercy, I ask of all of you, can you expect to receive from the fire lord?” Demetrius asked. “I ask all of you, what mercy has he brought to you thus far? Your toil and labor, he requires of you. Your harvest, he takes from you. Your homes, he destroys. Your city is now besieged.”
The townspeople once again grumbled in approval. They knew that what the old priest spoke was true.
“Look at yourselves,” Demetrius continued. “Why is it that you choose not to see? Would you trade the souls of your children to the great deceiver? And for what? The Golden Knight has returned to you. The Ancient Book of the Law, the very words of the Prince, has been opened for you. What other signs do you require before you will begin to believe again?”
“What would you expect us to do, Demetrius?” an old man sighed. He wore a dusted, formal garment. “As you know, I was once one of the constables in Rone. These are nothing but a small and helpless people.”
“What I ask is simple,” Demetrius replied. He walked to the center of the crowd and placed his arms on the constable’s shoulders. “Open your hearts again for they have been hardened. Believe in your King. Long have you suffered. Long have you waited. The time for your freedom is now.”
“Show us!” a man called out. “Show us the power of our King!”
“Look then! Look to the skies, you who are faint of heart,” the old priest retorted
. Demetrius pointed upward. “The King has sent his mighty archangel to fight for you.”
The townspeople gazed skyward. They could see Marsonee and Flar battling and trading sword blows. The crowd gasped in amazement at the sight. Suddenly, Flar’s sword struck Marsonee’s wing. Marsonee spiraled to the ground, a trail of smoke behind him. Demetrius buried his head in his hands. The townspeople pointed in horror and fell silent.
“Run! Run for your lives! Save yourselves!” the constable suddenly cried out.
“Wait! Wait! We can look someplace else!” Demetrius pleaded. “The Golden Knight…”
The Golden Knight and Franco somersaulted through the air with a prolonged shout and crashed through the straw roof of one of the nearby houses. In the distance, the demon roared in delight. They stumbled out of the house. The Golden Knight immediately started back up the street. Demetrius raced over to Franco, who was holding his head and leaning against the door. The crowd followed.
“How goes it, my young friend?” the priest asked. “Are you hurt?”
“This is starting to remind me of that time I wrestled bears in the traveling circus,” Franco remarked. “But do not worry, preacher, I think we got that thing distracted now. I can tell he is getting tired from throwing half the city around. We got this.”
“Tell me, my son,” Demetrius whispered into Franco’s ear, “did you ever manage to beat one of those big furry bears?”
Suddenly, a flaming house flew over their heads and crashed into the ground several hundred feet away. The demon roared. The townspeople bolted in panic.
“Not a great time for me to answer that question,” Franco remarked. He started back up the street. Franco turned back to the old priest. “But do not worry. I am telling you. We got this.”
Demetrius looked around and saw that the townspeople had dispersed and melted away. All that remained was a little ten-year-old boy with no shoes, ragged clothes, and a dirty face.
“I must take some time and work on my sermons,” the old priest sighed. “Are you all that remains?”
“I will fight for you,” the young boy sheepishly said, “and for the King.”
Demetrius smiled and hobbled over to the boy. He knelt down and touched his cheek.
“If only your elders held just a portion of your faith, my child,” Demetrius remarked. “What mountains they would have moved. Come. Let me get you to safety.”
The priest led the child around a corner. A mother let out a gasp and raced out from one of the houses. She scooped the little boy up in her arms and embraced him.
“Thank you, father,” she said as tears began to form in her eyes. “We thought we had lost him.”
From the houses and out of the alleys, the men of Rone began to appear again. They walked out into the streets carrying pitchforks and wooden clubs. A handful of the men carried swords and primitive shields. A few wore chain mail armor. They were led by the old constable.
“We are not cowards. We will fight for our families and for this city,” the constable said. “We will fight for our King. We ask only that you lead the way.”
Demetrius smiled and rolled up his sleeves. “Follow me then,” he replied.
~
Murlox pushed open the bell tower door with his staff and shoved Rainna outside onto the platform. The cathedral ramparts towered hundreds of feet over the city. Rainna could see the demon smashing through Rone, fire shooting from its hideous mouth. She watched the flaming boulders raining down from the sky onto the helpless people below. She saw the Golden Knight.
“What has Flar done?” she gasped.
“You are witnessing the fate of all those who would oppose the Lord Flar. It is Armageddon for this place,” Murlox replied. “But do not worry for them, princess. For you shall not survive to see their destruction.”
Overhead, dark clouds began to form and swirl. Lightning crackled across the sky. Thunder crashed. On the tower platform, the stone altar, originally in the church sanctuary, suddenly materialized before Murlox and Rainna.
“Lie down on it,” the sorcerer commanded.
“No,” Rainna replied. “I will not.”
“You are defiant even until the very end,” Murlox said. “Be it as you wish, princess.”
Murlox twirled his fingers before Rainna’s face. She let out a gasp as her green eyes glazed over white. Princess Rainna slumped into Murlox’s arms.
“You have no power without the Ancient Book,” the sorcerer grinned. He placed her on the altar. Murlox slowly transformed back into his older, uglier form. Carefully, the old sorcerer tied her hands and feet to the stone table. “You have no purpose, my sweet Rainna.”
Murlox slowly hobbled over to the edge of the tower ramparts. He could see Flar’s mighty army displayed on the plains outside of the city.
“My magic would not have her sleep long,” he whispered. “Once she has awakened, I shall be able to begin.”
Murlox turned back toward Rainna. Suddenly, there was a flash of white light which temporarily blinded him. As his vision returned, the old sorcerer could see the Ancient Book had appeared and was lying next to the sleeping princess.
Chapter Four
Franco cautiously crept unnoticed across the castle wall. The demon roared in front of him, beating its chest. Franco crouched down behind a pile of rocks.
“Now how do I get that things attention?” Franco whispered under his breath. He looked around the ramparts and noticed some square stones lying nearby. “Look at that. Those will do nicely.”
Franco crawled over to the stones and gathered them. He shuffled along the wall and was able to get close to the back of the demon. He slowly rose and began throwing the square stones. They bounced harmlessly off the monster’s hairy back.
“Hey, ugly!” Franco yelled out. “Look over here, you monster!”
The demon turned with a roar.
“Now! Now!” Franco yelled, frantically waving his arms over his head. He looked down from the castle wall. Franco did not see the Golden Knight anywhere. He lowered his arms. “Oh no, not this again.”
The demon roared and pounded its fists against its chest again. Its mouth began to glow with a fiery red mist.
“Oh, no. No, no, no!” Franco shouted. He took off running down the castle parapet. A ball of fire shot from the demon’s mouth, exploding just feet away from Franco. Tiny pieces of flame and stone showered down on him.
“This is not good,” he muttered. “Not good at all.”
Franco started running. The demon’s clawed hand crashed into the castle wall. The wall shook and began to crack under Franco’s feet.
“This is going to hurt,” Franco whispered.
The wall collapsed, sending Franco plummeting to the ground in a cloud of dust and stone. He painfully crawled out of the rubble and debris, propping himself up against a large rock. Franco rubbed his head and tried to collect his senses. A large shadow fell over him. Franco slowly looked up. The demon reached down with its clawed hand and wrapped it around him. It raised Franco off the ground and let out a roar. The demon opened its mouth. There were sharp fangs and fire.
“I think this thing is really going to try to eat me,” Franco observed as he struggled against its iron grip. “I could use a little help here.”
Franco glanced around, looking for any way he might escape. Marsonee fell from the sky in a trail of smoke. He crashed to the ground, landing out of sight from Franco. Flar slowly descended behind him. Franco gasped.
“I do not think this is going exactly as we planned,” he said. “And I was just starting to believe…”
Suddenly, three golden arrows flew through the air and struck the demon’s arm. The monster cried out in pain. Franco looked down. There on the ground, the Golden Knight stood. The Golden Knight raised his bow. The weapon was shiny gold and could hold three arrows at one time. He fired. The arrows hit the demon’s hand. The monster dropped Franco. He fell with a shout.
“Wings,” the Golden Knight commanded as
the bow disappeared. There was a sparkling of the air behind the Golden Knight. A pair of white, angelic wings materialized on his back. He rose off the ground and quickly accelerated. The Golden Knight grabbed the falling Franco.
“A bow and arrows? Wings,” Franco exclaimed. “Where are you getting these things?”
“I ask the King for them,” the Golden Knight replied. “And He strengthens me so that I may do His will.”
They circled around the demon and landed behind the creature. The Golden Knight drew his sword. The demon clutched its wounded hand.
“It is confused. You hurt it,” Franco observed. “Now may be our chance.”
The Golden Knight rocketed up into the sky. As the demon turned, the Golden Knight embedded his sword into the monster’s chest with one thrust. The demon let loose a demonic roar and collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust and smoke. The body burst into flames and disintegrated into a pile of black ash. A gust of wind blew the ashes away.
“Now that is not very fair,” Franco remarked. “I was planning to get that thing mounted on my wall.”
“We must move quickly,” the Golden Knight said. He placed his sword in its sheath. “I fear our fighting this demon has only been a diversion for Murlox’s true mission.”
“Wait. Who is Murlox?” Franco gasped. “A diversion? For what? No offense, chief, but I thought fighting that thing was awful hard.”
“There is little time to explain,” the Golden Knight replied. “Murlox is a dark sorcerer. He had the demon lead us away from the cathedral so Princess Rainna and the Ancient Book would be left unprotected. He seeks to destroy the princess. We must get there to help her.”
“How come I do not know any of these things?” Franco exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
“Another signal?” the Golden Knight said.
“So now you get it,” Franco said with a smile.
“Let us get to the cathedral.”
Franco grabbed the Golden Knight’s arm.
“Marsonee was wounded,” Franco said. “I saw him fall from the sky. I think he landed not far from the town square. Flar was right behind him.”
“He is my friend,” the Golden Knight said. “I cannot leave him. But the Keeper must be defended at all costs.”
“The Keeper? I thought we were talking about Princess Rainna?” Franco remarked.