Deke Brolin Rhol (5 page)

“Come to your senses Roland. You will all die unless you
and your people surrender. Solharn may show mercy and spare your pathetic lives. He still needs some slaves to complete his mission,” Abednego gloated.

“The people of Leal would rather die than conform to the savage rule of Solharn.” 

“Then die you will.” Abednego roared.

The Kaltaures began to ram the door and climb the walls of the temple.
There would only be a few precious minutes to save as many of his people as he could. 

“Q
uickly, quickly down the tunnel,” Roland pleaded.  

Roland knew that there was not enough time to get everyone to safety. The Kaltaures army had been quick in their attack and the door to the temple would soon be breached.

“Jayden, come quickly. You must go and lead our people to the Pegapires. The time which Queen Elissa foretold, has come.” 

“But father
, what of you?”

“Jayden, I have taught you everything I know about Rhol. It is your time
son. You must lead the Lealians. It is your destiny, not mine.” 

With that last bit of advice Roland heard the temple door give way and quickly p
ushed his son down the tunnel.

“Father!
” would be the last word he heard his son speak.

Roland
quickly shut the gateway so the Kaltaures would not discover it.

The vicious assault on the remain
ing Lealians was relentless. The Lealians fought with all their strength but with little weaponry it only delayed the inevitable.

Roland
deliberately positioned himself by the gateway so that when the tusks of the approaching Kaltaures soldier ripped through his body, he would fall in a forward motion covering the gateway and blocking it from Kaltaures eyes.

He lay there for over an hour before he smiled and took his last breath
. The gateway had not been detected, giving the Lealians a chance to live on.

“The Lealian
s are no more. Collect their valuables and report back to me!” Abednego screamed to his troops.

Ω

Abednego was pleased with himself at how easily he had exterminated the Lealians. It had taken less time to kill them than it had to collect their valued possessions. He smiled to himself, greedily looking at his new found riches, which his army had collected and piled before him.

His trance was broken as the
ground beneath him trembled. Startled he looked up to find himself staring into the eyes of Phanthus. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure
, Phanthus?” Abednego snorted. 

“Commander!
” a Kaltaures soldier yelled. 

A sly grin appeared upon the dragon.
“So Abednego, you still waste time over the possessions and baubles of others, instead of concentrating on the task at hand.” 

“I was promised wealth and power when the Dark Angel requested my armies fight by his side and with my task comp
leted, I will reap the benefits,” Abednego chortled. 

“Ah, yes you
r task to eliminate the Lealians. Successful I presume?” 

“Commander!
” a soldier panted while running up behind Abednego. 

“Shut up fool, I am busy!
”

“But Sir,
” the soldier stammered.

“
Silence!” Abednego roared. 

“Since you ask
, Phanthus, yes very successful and with little effort I might add,” Abednego cockily retorted. 

Phanthus
was still holding his coy grin as he turned away to look at the ruins. “Am I to understand that you easily defeated the Lealians, a proud race of ferocious warriors who have fought together for centuries?”

“We took them by surprise. They did not stand …..” Abednego did not finish his sentence. 

“Sir, in the temple,” the trembling soldier tried to explain. 

“Spit it out you fool!”

“Sir, we found a tunnel. Their leader Roland fell on top of it when he died. Sir, we did not see it until we were searching him for valuables,” the soldier stuttered while looking down at his feet. 

Abednego
screamed in anger lopping the soldier’s head off with his sword. 

“After them you idiots!
Send the Ralcriff down the tunnel!” 

While the Kaltaures
troops stumbled around trying to gather themselves, Abednego could hear Phanthus laughing. 

“You are a fool Abednego. Did you even think to count the bodies before gathering their possessions? Perhaps you would have discovered that there were not enough to account for the entire vil
lage. You misjudged the Lealians. By now, if they have not already made it to wherever the tunnel leads, they will certainly be ready for any advance you make. They are masters of weaponry and warfare. You will not find them, and for that you will answer to Solharn.”

With that
, Phanthus roared and flew off. He was quite pleased that he was not the only one who would have to face the wrath of the Dark Angel.

Jayden heard the slam of the door
followed by the sound of a lock snapping shut. Now there was no way to help his father and the Lealians who had been left behind. The thought of how they would meet their end made him cringe. Many, who had chosen to stay back and fight, were his friends. With a heavy heart he walked in silence, leading the survivors down the tunnel that he knew all too well. When the tunnel became damp and drops of water began to fall from the ceiling like rain, he knew they were passing under the River of Juant.

When thick twisting roots almost blocked their passageway he knew they were under the Forests of Selmont. He knew every landmark throughout
the long narrow tunnel for over the years he had been down here many times. His father had insisted that every time they walked it, he call out where he was the moment he was asked. Back then, he had thought it just a game to pass the time of having to walk the tunnel which stretched well over fifty miles. He knew better now. It had been his father’s plan all along to prepare him for this day when he would have to lead his people to the Valley of Aura.

Jayden was young for a Lealian, a mere ninety-eight years old and
now he was the leader of these people whether he was ready or not. His family had ruled their small village for hundreds of years and his father and fathers before him had taught their sons everything they needed to know about warfare, creatures both good and evil, different worlds and most importantly about Rhol itself. 

He could not be sure how long they would have until the Kaltaures discovered the gateway
. Jayden estimated they would need about a ten hour head start to reach the first depot safely. They had food and weapons stored there in the event something like this happened. More importantly, once they reached the first depot, they could collapse the part of the tunnel in which they already travelled, making it impossible for anyone to pursue them further.

Many may have felt reassured at this prospect
but Jayden’s father had taught him well. He knew that if the Kaltaures discovered the tunnel they would surely send the Ralcriff after them. Ralcriff were particularly vile creatures. Their hair was black as were their eyes. Each Ralcriff had a full mane of poisonous quills capable of killing an inflicted individual within a day. Their teeth were razor sharp. Upper and lower fangs protruded from their steel trap like jaws and when they penetrated a person’s flesh, it made escape from their grasp nearly impossible. Very few had ever escaped a Ralcriff attack and those who had did so at the expense of a limb. They were killing machines bred for the sole purpose of tasting blood.

Ralcriff
used fear as a tactic in their hunt, letting their victims know well in advance that they were coming. Their long ghostly howl was very effective for that. It would pierce your very soul and render the less trained, immobilized in terror. If that wasn’t enough Ralcriff could travel five times faster than the Kaltaures. 

Jayden hoped they wouldn’
t have to worry about the Ralcriff. He could smell the gas seeping through the soil and knew they were passing under the Mourning Sands. They were only about three hours from the depot. Nevertheless, Jayden summoned one of the Lealians to speak with him in private. 

“Oisin, you are by far the fastest Lealian I know. I need you to t
ake two men and get to the Depot. Collect as many weapons as you can carry and return as fast as you can.” 

“Does it have to be men Jayden? Kaelyn is as fast as they come.”

“Anybody, whom you choose Oisin, but make haste.”

Without another word Oisin collected Kaelyn and
a young male named Palvoy and ran toward the depot. 

Jayden could feel someone tugging on his shirt and looked down to see a small boy. “Sir, what is that awful smell? It is horrid.”

Jayden grinned. “It is just the smell of Rhol letting off steam in the form of gas, lad. It will soon pass.”

With that
, the boy grimaced, pinched his nose and stormed back into the crowd of Lealians walking behind him.

Jayden had not told the boy everything, but then even he wasn’t sure whether the smell was what he surmised
it to be; rotting bodies. 

Based on what his father had told him about the Mo
urning Sands, it was certainly possible. They were so named for the lost souls that succumbed to its alluring setting. It was a pure spectacle of nature. Set in between hills of rock and swamps that were unfit for any living soul, the Mourning Sands provided the welcoming illusion of sandy beaches and fresh water along with a single tree for shade. But the beaches were alive. In fact they were not beaches at all but the larvae of an insect known as a Mortynt. What looked like water was simply thick greenish-blue gas. What appeared to be waves rolling up onto the sands were merely thousands of Mortynts scurrying through the gas and back to their waiting place. A living creature entering the Mourning Sands was walking to its death. There was no escape. The Mortynt’s larvae relied on living flesh for their metamorphosis and dead flesh for nourishment. Once you walked over them they entered your body, unnoticed. The further you walked the more you ingested. By the time you made it to the tree, blisters would be forming on your skin and each blister contained the Mortynt’s pupae.

Unable to see or walk
, the unfortunate victims would usually cling to the tree, screaming in agony, before the blisters would begin to burst, producing adult Mortynts. The victims would die shortly after only to have their dead flesh stripped from their bones by the remaining larvae.

It amazed Jayden how something could start life in such a
grotesque way but then finish it in such splendor and beauty, for as adults the Mortynts were stunning to look at and quite harmless. They had six wings, three on either side of their small furry brown bodies. The female’s wings were black in color with a chartreuse dot on the end of each.  The males were covered in every color you could imagine, all in vivid stripes and circles.

Jayden’s thoughts were
interrupted by a faint sound in the distance. He immediately held his arm up signaling the rest of his people to be silent. There it was, a faint but clear ghostly howl coming from down the tunnel and they still had no weapons.

Jayden
immediately began to organize the Lealian’s. They did not have much time. The Ralcriff would be coming from the rear and so he placed the women and children at the front of the lines. All the Lealian men were trained warriors. Jayden placed the youngest males in the middle, for they would have the stamina to fight a long battle should the Ralcriff make it past the rear of the lines. The rear line would be where the eldest Lealians would be placed for they were experienced in all sorts of combat and would have the advantage in close quarters. He positioned himself in front of the elders because he had been taught to lead his people. 

J
ayden turned and spoke. “Lealians, hear me. The Ralcriff are upon us, pick up your pace and listen for my instructions. When I give the word the elders will stop while the women, children and young warriors forge ahead. Young warriors of Leal, should the Ralcriff reach you, know that we did all we could to stop them. It will be up to you to fight for the lives of the women and children.” 

A young warrior named Talen interrupted “Jayden, please reconsider. You have no weapons; the Ralcriff will slaughter you. Let us all join and have the women and children forge on. There is strength in numbers.” 

“Very well spoken Talen, however every fight has a strategy and this is our best given the circumstances. We must have as many survive as possible and if we must die to protect the lifeline of the Lealian’s then so be it. Now let’s move.” 

With that the Lealian
s quickened their pace. They made it about another mile before Jayden heard the howling coming from just around the bend. It was time.  

“Now!”
Jayden yelled.