Dawn of Man (Thanos Book 1) (8 page)

“Oh, that’s good,” Jedek heard Ahnon say as what looked like glowing, yellow water shot from the hands of the two men. Ahnon waved his hand in front of him as the streams shot toward him. When the glowing stuff hit a shield in front of Ahnon, Jedek saw it wasn’t water, and he didn’t know what it was. The statue behind Ahnon was melting as the liquid stuff went around the small shield spell Ahnon had put in front of him.

“My turn!” Ahnon yelled. Jedek was looking right at him, so he couldn’t deny it as Ahnon bent down and jumped up—up above the massive, melting statue behind them and hovered in the air. “Erumpo muvitas!” Ahnon shouted, and a beam of white light shot from each hand toward the two men.

One managed to get a shield up, but it didn’t do any good. The beam hit each man in the chest, and they exploded with a thunderous detonation shaking the ground, almost making Jedek and Kenna fall. Looking back up, Jedek saw Ahnon flying to his left. Spinning around, he saw Karme fighting two warriors, and two more were lying on the ground, missing arms as Ahnon landed beside her.

Ahnon blocked a swing then ran his sword through the man’s chest. The other warrior started to back away from Karme, and she pulled out a knife. Flicking her wrist, the blade spun through the air, hitting the man in the throat. “Aren’t you going to come out and play?” Jedek heard Ahnon yell and saw him looking at a tree twenty paces away.

Seeming to be enjoying himself, Ahnon moved his sword to his left hand and flicked his wrist, making a wicked-looking blade appear in his hand. Spinning around, Ahnon threw the blade at the top of the tree. Jedek saw a small string from Ahnon’s wrist then realized that string was connected to the blade he had thrown. A man’s scream split the air as a body fell from the tree. He landed on the ground, clutching the knife in his gut.

Ahnon flicked his wrist, and Jedek stared in wonder as the man was pulled across the ground, stopping in front of Ahnon. “That’s mine. Can I have it back?” Ahnon asked and pulled back with his right arm, yanking the blade out. It dangled on a string from Ahnon’s wrist, dripping blood.

Jedek watched as the man put something in his mouth and start shaking. Shaking his head, Ahnon looked at the shaking body. Then, he reached down, grabbing the dangling blade from his right wrist and wiped it on his pants. Then Ahnon flicked his wrist, and the blade disappeared.

Turning around, Ahnon looked at Karme and noticed her left arm had a large burn on it, and she had an arrow through her right leg with the shaft broken off at the skin. She was just staring at the bodies on the ground and breathing heavily. “Karme,” Ahnon called, and she didn’t look up. “Karme!” he shouted, and she did. “It’s okay; the kids are fine,” he told her.

Suddenly, she turned to look at Kenna. Tears sprang to Karme’s eyes. “Oh Gods, I forgot about her!” she screamed, dropping her sword as shame washed over her.

Ahnon walked over to her. “Hey, you protected her. That’s what you’re supposed to do,” he said, grabbing her shoulders.

“Are there any more?” she asked, looking around.

“No. This was one section of kytensa. They train in groups of twenty.” Letting her go, he went to pick up the bottom of his staff and sheathed his sword.

“I did it!” Karme yelled. “I did it!” she yelled louder, looking up at the sky.

“Hey, I took fifteen. You just had to handle five,” Ahnon said then turned around, looking at her.

If she heard him, she didn’t acknowledge it. “I did it! My family is going to be proud of me! I brought them honor! Father, I did it! I did not shame you!” Karme yelled, holding her hands to the sky. “I fought with honor, and my sire is safe. They will be proud of me!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Ahnon walked over and looked into Karme’s eyes, seeing her pride. “Yes, Karme, you protected your sire, fought well, and brought your family honor. They will be proud.”

Tears ran down her face. “That’s what my father asked me to do; bring the family honor. He told me if I shamed the family, my name would be stricken from the family records. But I did it; I brought them honor,” she said with a weary smile.

“He will be proud of you, and so am I,” Ahnon said. “Let’s get the kids out of here and get your wounds taken care of.”

“Wounds?” she said. She looked down and noticed the burn on her arm and cuts on her chest then saw the arrow in her thigh. “How did that happen?” she asked, touching her leg. When her fingers brushed the broken shaft sticking out of her leg, realization set in as she screamed and fell down.

“Karme, I’m not carrying you, so quit playing, and get up.” He turned and walked over to the kids. Stopping beside the sphere, he reached up, pulling the torso off the top. He looked at Jedek. “Sire, I’m so glad you listened to me.”

Trembling, “Ahnon, that was a battle!” Jedek yelled with excitement, amazement, and a little fear.

“No, just a little skirmish,” Ahnon answered.

Glancing around nervously, Jedek was suddenly worried. “Is it over?” he asked.

“For now,” Ahnon told him. “Soldiers are coming through the garden. Stay there for a second longer; I want to make sure they’re ours,” Ahnon said, looking behind them and past the remains of the melted statue.

“Ahnon, how come I can push through the shield but Kenna can’t?” Jedek asked.

Ahnon looked down and noticed Kenna had her arms wrapped around Jedek. “We are bonded, so my spells are part of you,” Ahnon said, pushing his hand through the shield. “When you get older and use magic, it will be the same for me,” he said as Karme hobbled over behind him.

“Soldiers are coming,” she told him.

“I know, about a hundred,” he said, looking up.

“If they aren’t palace guards, I’m getting in there with the kids.”

Ahnon slowly rotated his head, not believing Karme had said that. When his gaze reached her face, she had a grin from ear to ear. “I’m throwing you in front of the soldiers,” Ahnon told her with his face breaking into a grin.

“That’s fine. I’ll take care of my five,” she said then looked down at Kenna. “Kenna, we did it,” she said, smiling, and Kenna looked up at her.

“I won’t ever miss another meeting my daddy tells me I have to be at,” Kenna wailed with tears running down her face.

“Kenna baby, these men didn’t attack us for that,” Karme said, reaching out to Kenna, and her hand hit the shield. She looked up at Ahnon. “Can you make it go away?” she asked.

“Yes, but let’s just be sure these are friends. I really don’t want to just have to throw another one up,” he said, watching the path behind them.

“Only regular troops make that much noise,” Karme said, looking back.

“Look at who just became an expert,” Ahnon said as he elbowed Karme. She wanted to hit him for making her put weight on her wounded leg, but she knew she would never be able to repay the debt she owed him.

“I owe you everything, Ahnon.” She hobbled, trying not to stand on her right leg.

“No, you don’t. You kept your head,” he told her, finally seeing the palace guards moving at them in formation.

“No, I didn’t. I panicked and could’ve lost my sire and my family’s honor.”

Ahnon grabbed her burned arm and pulled her to him. Karme fought the pain as he leaned down to her face. “No, you didn’t panic. You told your sire to stay near mine, knowing you stood a good chance in dying. You put your sire before yourself,” he whispered harshly at her, not wanting the kids to hear. “Don’t ever say something like that again in front of your sire or I’ll kill you myself.”

Seeing the anger and disappointment, “I’m sorry,” she said, looking down as he let her arm go.

Ahnon ignored her and moved away from the shield as the guards got closer. “I’m the sho-ka to the crown prince. If you’ve come to die, then I can help you!” he yelled, and the mass of men stopped twenty yards away. One of the men separated from the pack and moved forward.

“Ahnon, we heard the fight outside the garden and tried to get in, but a magic wall in the air kept us out,” the man said.

Satisfied this was the palace guard, Ahnon looked at the man’s rank. “Okay, Captain. I want an escort out of here.” He noticed one of the troops leaning down to touch one of the dead bodies. “Don’t!” Ahnon yelled, but the soldier touched the arm of the kytensa and yanked his hand back. The soldier dropped his spear and tried wiping his hand off, but the burning just became worse. Letting out a scream, the man fell and started going into convulsions and foaming at the mouth.

“Don’t touch the bodies; the clothes are laced in poison!” Ahnon yelled. Then he looked at the captain. “Burn them in place, and don’t get in the smoke,” he said. “After you escort us to the castle of course.”

Two soldiers helped Karme, and they didn’t complain since she was attractive even with her wounds. Ahnon dropped the shield around the kids, and Jedek moved behind him with Kenna still holding his hand.

Chapter 5

When they entered the great hall, the kids were swept up by parents, and Karme hobbled over to a table as a healer went to look at her wounds. Theobald moved to Ahnon as Ahnon kept his eyes on Jedek. “We heard the fight here in the hall from the garden, two leagues away,” Theobald said, impressed.

With a slight shrug, “Any attacks here?” Ahnon asked, thinking he hadn’t done anything to impress anyone.

“None, and we swept the castle,” he replied.

Ahnon looked at Theobald. “I really think they were after the princess.”

“She’s the fifth child in line and the third princess in the Honch line,” Theobald said.

“I know her lineage.” Ahnon gave him a rash look. “It’s just the way they attacked. If they had been after Jedek, they would’ve attacked sooner, but I think they were following the princess. When Karme and the princess didn’t leave, they just attacked us.”

“Why didn’t they just attack her before they reached you?” he asked Ahnon.

“Some were still coming over the wall. One of them tore open a pouch of kesptal, and that’s what tipped me off,” Ahnon admitted.

“Kesptal doesn’t have a smell.”

“Yes, it does. I can smell it a mile away,” Ahnon said as the king walked over, carrying Jedek in one arm.

“Ahnon, words can’t tell you how grateful I am,” he said, reaching out with his other arm and engulfing him in a hug. Ahnon was a big man, but next to the king, he looked and felt really small, something Ahnon didn’t like.

“Your majesty, I have to say Jedek made me proud. He listened, stayed put, and helped guard the princess,” Ahnon said.

Vilarius looked at his son, releasing Ahnon. “You listened and guarded the princess, son. I’m so proud of you.” He wrapped his arm around Jedek, squeezing him tight.

“I didn’t do anything, Dad, but stay in the shield and hold Kenna’s hand,” Jedek managed to get out as his dad squeezed the air from his body.

The king held him up. “You stayed strong and listened while protecting the princess.”

“Princess?” Jedek asked, finally hearing the word.

“The princess you were supposed to meet at the noon bell,” his dad said, grinning.

Jedek looked at the floor. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, Father, and don’t be mad at Ahnon. It was my decision not to come.”

“Son, you make me even more proud now. You take responsibility for your choice and don’t place blame anywhere else,” Vilarius said as he pulled Jedek into his chest, once again squeezing the air out of him.

Unable to take it any longer, Jedek grunted, “Dad, I can’t breathe.”

The king set Jedek on his feet. “Sorry, son, but I’m very proud of you today.” Jedek just grinned up at his dad then looked at Ahnon, who grinned and winked at him.

Shouting from across the hall pulled Jedek’s attention away with the others. A fat, balding man was standing over Karme, yelling at her. “How can you protect my daughter, sho-ka? Look at you!” he screamed.

“Your highness, I fought the attackers off, and the princess is safe,” Karme said, looking up at the man.

Vilarius strode over. “Kyros, Karme did her duty, and you yell at her for it?” he bellowed.

Kyros turned around and faced the oncoming walking mountain. “Vilarius, look at her. If more would’ve attacked, she would’ve died, and they would’ve gotten my daughter,” he said.

Vilarius stopped and looked down at the Honch king. “If they would have attacked with dragons, they could’ve taken out most of the castle. You can’t look at it that way, Kyros. She fought and did her duty protecting her sire!” he shouted.

“You’re right, but Karme can’t protect Kenna now. Look at her,” Kyros said, motioning toward Kenna.

Ahnon walked over and stood beside Vilarius. “Your majesty, I have a solution,” he said.

“I’m listening,” Vilarius said, still looking at Kyros.

“I will provide a temporary sho-ka as Karme heals.”

Vilarius spun around, shocked at the statement. “You going to pull one out of your pocket?” he asked.

“No, your majesty. I’m going to make one,” Ahnon said, motioning a guard over. Ahnon whispered in the guard’s ear. When he finished, the guard dropped his spear and took off running. Ahnon looked at the king. “The problem will be solved in an hour, my lord,” he said as the healer had Karme carried off.

“I like the sound of that. Let’s eat in the meantime,” the king said, and the crowd moved to the tables. Ahnon stood behind Jedek as the crowd sat down. Behind every royal member, a sho-ka stood, except Kenna, who was sitting beside Jedek.

She leaned over to Jedek. “Thank you for today.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he said.

“Are you kidding? I got to run on water!” Kenna exclaimed, smiling.

Jedek smiled. “That is fun, isn’t it?” he said, grinning, as Ahnon reached over and brushed Jedek’s shoulder. Jedek looked down at his shoulder. “Why are you brushing dirt off me? Am I filthy?”

“Thought I saw a bug,” Ahnon said seriously.

“Ahnon, quit it,” Jedek pleaded.

“I didn’t see a bug on him,” Kenna said, looking at Jedek’s shoulder as Ahnon pulled something off her shoulder. “I have a bug on me?” she asked with alarm.

“No, a worm,” Ahnon said, and Kenna whipped her head up, looking at him. Then she slowly started to blush, looking back at the table. Ahnon chuckled at the two as they looked down at their plates, picking at the food.

The group was still eating when the guard returned with a man following him. He was short and stocky with close-cropped, black hair and dressed in light gray clothes. A katana was slung across his back. “Here is the man that came, sho-ka,” the guard said, saluted, and left.

“Michi, come here, please,” Ahnon said, and the man walked over. “Michi, what would you give to have your family become part of the royal line of Nazar?” Ahnon asked.

Michi took a step back, and his eyes got very wide. “My lord, I would give anything I have or will ever have to bring that much honor to my family, but not even you can grant that,” he said.

“You are wrong there, Michi. I’m still a crown prince of the ruling family of Nazar. An outside family has not been promoted to royal status in over two hundred years, but would you be willing to take the burden of the royal family?”

Michi dropped to his knees. “My lord, if such a thing were possible, we would gladly take the honor no matter the cost,” he vowed.

“Would you be ready to become a sho-ka and accept the duties right now?”

“With all my heart, my lord. My family would rejoice for hundreds of years to come.”

Ahnon pulled out his sword and tapped Michi on the shoulder. “Let all here witness I, Ahnon of Nazar, declare Michi’s immediate family part of the royal house. They will help govern the realm and show the honor of giving up their first-born from this day forward to honor the treaty of Antlas,” Ahnon said then sheathed his sword. “I will draw up the documents tonight and will send word to Nazar with the consulate here in Gratu,” Ahnon told Michi.

Vilarius stood and walked over to Ahnon. “I have the Grand Mage of Gratu using the wind to talk to the Grand Mage of Nazar. I need to tell them what happened here, but I can add this as well,” he said, looking at Michi.

Slowly standing, “My family are just rice farmers,” he said, fighting tears.

“Not anymore, Michi. They will be set up over a province and help rule the realm,” Ahnon said.

“Where is my sire so I may begin?” Michi asked.

Ahnon pointed at Kenna. “You sire is the betrothed to my sire. Her sho-ka was wounded today and will be out for some time. You will take her place until she can continue her task.”

“I swear on my life no harm will befall her while there is breath in my body,” Michi said, moving behind Kenna.

Ahnon nodded, turning around behind Jedek. “You heard of the attack then?” Ahnon asked Michi.

“Yes, my lord. A group of forty kytensa hit our false safe house in the city at the tolling of the noon bell,” Michi answered.

“It’s Ahnon now, Michi, not ‘my lord.’ You are part of the royal family; we are kin,” Ahnon reminded him. “Did they find the real house?”

“No, my—” Michi stopped. “No, Ahnon, but we did attack them. I know you didn’t give permission, but I take that kind of thing personally and accept full responsibility. I mean, you just can’t let total strangers attack your false safe house without confronting them. Others would think the bhari were getting soft.”

“You really shouldn’t have done that,” Ahnon said glumly. “How many did we lose?”

“Two, Ahnon, with three more wounded,” Michi replied.

“What?” Ahnon yelled.

“I’m sorry, Ahnon, but they were good,” Michi replied, sorry he upset Ahnon in his first hour of being in the royal family.

“Only two?” Ahnon yelled.

Michi just stared at him, not sure what to say. Finally getting the nerve, he said, “Yes, Ahnon, but did you want us to sacrifice more?”

“Michi, I’m surprised that as many of you survived a fight with them,” Ahnon said, filling Michi with relief.

“We fought hard, Ahnon, and I’m certain they were the kytensa we’ve heard rumors about.”

“Oh, they were, and I really thought they would be stronger than that. Over half of each twenty-man section can use magic. In the bhari, it’s barely a third, and the bhari rarely operate in groups.”

“Ahnon, all thirty of your bhari can use magic,” Michi said.

“I only picked you, Michi. You picked the others,” Ahnon reminded him.

Michi smiled. “Well, I like having the best, so I found them.”

“You didn’t have a problem dealing with them?” Ahnon asked.

“At first, we did not expect them to use our fighting tactics, but we spar with each other all the time, so that didn’t help them. I am sorry to tell you we sort of destroyed a large warehouse and part of another one along with a section of the dock. The city guards are going to be looking real hard for us,” Michi replied, remorseful. “We really tried to be quiet, but the spells they were casting were pretty demanding, so we had to use more direct spells. Several thousand people in that district of town took off running, yelling the world was ending with all the noise.”

King Vilarius slapped the table hard, almost scaring the life out of a few people in the hall, and started laughing. “Michi, don’t worry about the guards. You know the man who runs the place,” the king said, winking at him.

Theobald smiled at Michi. “Ahnon really can’t say much about noise because we heard Ahnon here, and he was in the garden.”

“That’s a long way away,” Michi said in awe.

“Yes, I know, it but I was a little pressed taking my fifteen while Karme took her five,” Ahnon complained.

“You took fifteen, and she took five by herself?” Michi asked, shocked.

“Yes, they saw me as the major threat.”

“Ahnon, I was at the academy with Karme, and granted, her sword play is top-notch, but her magic…”

Kyros slammed his fist on the table and jumped up. “You mean I have an incompetent sho-ka guarding my daughter!” he screamed.

Michi jumped back and was fixing to reply when Ahnon grabbed his arm. “You can’t say anything. That’s your sire’s father,” he said, and Michi nodded. Kyros grinned upon hearing that. “But I can say something,” Ahnon said, looking at Kyros, and the smile fell off. “If I hear you degrade one more sho-ka for doing their duty and performing superbly, I’m coming over there and putting my fist through your face,” Ahnon warned.

Kyros’ sho-ka moved next to his sire, and Ahnon shook his head. “Honorable. Stupid, but honorable,” Ahnon said, looking at the sho-ka. The sho-ka glared at Ahnon. “Don’t do it,” Ahnon warned, and the sho-ka moved his hand. “I mean it; don’t do it.”

The sho-ka reached for spell components as Ahnon punched out in the air with his right arm, palm open. “Pupugi!” Ahnon yelled. The sho-ka was ten paces away from Ahnon, but the amplified force of the punch transferred to the sho-ka, hitting him in the chest. The man flew through the air, landing twenty feet away, unconscious.

Narrowing his eyes, Ahnon looked at Kyros. “You have really irritated me today,” Ahnon said, pointing his palm at him. Ahnon turned his palm to the ceiling and lifted his hand above his head. Kyros let out a scream as he shot out of his chair, rising toward the ceiling. Just before Kyros hit the ceiling fifty feet up, Ahnon closed his hand, and Kyros stopped rising. “I’m pretty sure you can see I’m not in a good mood today!” Ahnon yelled so Kyros could hear him. “I hear someone complain when others do their duty, and that person can’t even defend themself. Then to top it off, I learned girls have bugs and boys have worms!” Ahnon yelled. Jedek and Kenna dropped their heads to the table.

“You can imagine my surprise about that. I mean, I’m a boy, and I didn’t know I had worms,” Ahnon said, looking up at Kyros. “When I bring you down, if you complain about anything at all, I’ll put you back up there for a year.”

“I promise! Please get me down!” Kyros screeched. Ahnon lowered his hand, lowering Kyros back to his chair.

“Say anything to the sho-kas guarding your house, and l will offer a reward for your head equal in the weight of gold to all bhari,” Ahnon told him. “Your sho-ka won’t be able to stop them all, and Nazar only has to supply one. Lose that one, and you’re on your own,” Ahnon reminded him. Kyros just nodded his head really fast, making all three of his chins jiggle.