The Legend of Alexandros: Belen (23 page)

The day went on as usual, and everyone but the lycans kept close. After hours of walking nonstop, they reached a long wooden bridge built over a rapid flowing creek; on the other side was a clearing from the mountains with green pastures on all sides. Alexandros crossed the bridge last and was startled for a moment, stopping completely…he heard the song of the harpy coming from the mountains. He turned to re-cross the bridge, but Valchor grabbed his arm.

“This is a fight no man can win…” said the elf. “Leave it be. We are passed the mountains; they will not follow us from this point.”

“What do you mean, they? I faced only one harpy last night.”

“Yes. The harpy you faced is dead and gone…but what you hear is the song of…her sisters. Are you coming?”

“Of course,” said Alexandors. “I am right behind you…”

CHAPTER XXI

DREAM WALKER

M
onstrous flying vampires landed hard against the crumbling towers of Siruac. They dug their claws deep into the tower stones. Dark clouds covered the sky as rain fell over the withered land. The castle’s walls and rooftops leaked, causing the dungeon to flood. The very tunnel Princess Elora once escaped through was now underwater. The goblins forged shelters to keep away from the pounding rain. They used stones from the castle to build the shelters and remained hidden in them for most days, instead of searching for the staff that Barbarious wanted them to find. During the night, the vampires fed off the goblins, draining them of every ounce of their blood, although the vampires would have preferred a tastier and more rewarding meal, like a delicious mountain troll. William the vampire king remained in the throne room with Barbarious. For two days they tolerated one another, and the tension heightened the longer they remained in the same room—each refused to surrender the king’s throne.

“Your goblin allies are pathetic,” said William. “If not for my help and the strength of my children, the son of Mabruk would surely have burst in here and taken back Siruac. You should be most grateful I decided on assisting you…Barbarious.”

The dark wizard peered out of the shattered balcony window. His cold and haunting demeanor made the bravest of men shiver in fear. A fire-filled rage consumed him as he watched as the goblins sitting idle.

“Zuers!” Barbarious shouted.

Zuers and Jasmine entered the throne room with arrogant strides.

“Why are those lower-being creatures simply resting all throughout the day and not searching for the staff?”

“What would you have me tell them,” Zuers replied.

“I WANT THE STAFF FOUND!…NOW!” Barbarious screamed, shattering the remaining glass in the balcony windows. Rain showered in, and the hazy mist that covered the floor in the throne room slowly seeped out.

“Yes, Barbarious…right away,” Zuers said, bowing his head as he backed out of the throne room. Jasmine left in a different direction, hoping to find the staff herself to prove her true allegiance to Barbarious.

Barbarious created small balls of fire in his hand and hurled them down toward the goblins. The fireballs missed them, but destroyed their shelters.

“If you are done slaughtering your only help, I may have a small suggestion,” said William. “Why not have the King of Siruac tell you? I am more than positive you have already interrogated him for the answer…”

“Indeed.” Barbarious smiled horrendously. “Have the goblins bring me our dear King Vincent…”

The goblins rushed down into what they called the Labor Chamber; where they had forced the resurrected people of Siruac, who were in a zombie-like state. Barbarious had raisen the people from the dead after they had been butchered; the bloodied reanimated corpses slaved away endless searching for the staff, never complaing, never tiring. The goblin in charge of the Chamber jerked the king into the hall and handed him to Zuers.

Once in the throne tower, Zuers forced him to kneel before Barbarious. The king fell to his side. He tried to rise to his feet, but Zuers kicked him over and laughed while doing so. King Vincent reached his hand up trying to grasp what was once his throne, but Zuers simply knocked him back.

“Bring him close…” said Barbarious.

Zuers pushed him close to his master. Barbarious dug his twig-like fingers deep into the former king’s forehead. The dark wizard closed his hollow eyes and could see Vincent rushing through the halls toward his daughter’s room; he saw him leading the princess to the cellar where he placed her into the escape tunnel—then something caught his attention: the key King Vincent had handed to Elora illuminated the vision. The key shone brightly.

Why had he not seen this sooner? Why had he not realized the obvious?

“The staff…it is not in the castle…” Barbarious whispered to Zuers and William. “The key…is the staff.”

When the dark wizard opened his hollow black eyes, he saw Zuers and William standing behind King Vincent—and he saw Alexandros, who appeared confused peered to the side and standing behind Barbarious the oracle. She floated around everyone only being seen by Alexandros. The oracle slowly conjured up the image of the small key Princess Elora wore around her neck. Then as sudden as the oracle appeared she was gone.

“
TAKE HIM NOW!
” cried Barbarious. Barbarious pulled his skeletal fingers from the king’s mind and jumped up—but Alexandros was gone, and nowhere to be found.

“What are you speaking about? Take whom?” asked William. “There is no one but the three of us in this room.”

“The son of Mabruk…” said Barbarious. “He was standing in this very room!” Barbarious said. “…and has heard everything…”

Alexandros jolted awake. He sat confused and baffled for a brief moment. As everyone slept by the campfire, he noticed Elora’s key Barbarious had seen in the mind of King Vincent.

“Where did you get this key?” asked Alexandros, gently waking the princess.

“My father…he told me to hold onto it…”

“May I see it for a moment, princess?”

“Yes, I suppose you may. It is just a key; I am not even sure to what it is for.” The princess slowly pulled the silver chain with the key from her neck and handed it to Alexandros.

He shook the wizard awake from his sleep. Alistair jolted awake and glanced at Alexandros. Alexandros pulled him to his feet.

“We have done it!” Alexandros said with excitement.

“Done what?” Alistair replied very much confused as Alexandros handed him the key.

“What on earth is…oh now I remember I transformed my staff into a…”

Shockwaves interrupted Alistair as they ran through the wizard’s body; thunder ripped through the sky and powerful winds surrounded him. He illuminated in blinding white rays of light.

Alexandros smiled for the first time in months.

“We have found your staff…”

CHAPTER XXII

PREPARATIONS

S
IRUAC

“T
he boy was in the castle…yet how could it be?”

M Barbarious whispered to himself as he paced the throne room. “And most certainly has with him the staff!”

“I am sure he does,” said the vampire king. “If you say he heard you, but with no Alistair to hand the key to, the key will be powerless.”

“He has a magical being traveling with him…that I am sure of…”

“You are not certain?”

“I was blasted from the centaur caves too quickly to see which wizard dare use his inferior powers against me. My mentor…Alistair…has been in self-isolation for about three hundred years. I doubt he would make a foolish, cowardly appearance now.”

The vampire king laughed. “Gather your most powerful minions, station them, and have them secure the castle. Because I will tell you this…wizard: I can feel it in my cold dead heart…Alistair is with him.”

“…Zuers, prepare those pathetic goblins,” Barbarious ordered. “And have the vampires patrol the night skies…tell them they can have the others, but leave Alistair and the son of Mabruk to me…once I am done with them then they can feast on their flesh…”

“Magnificent…” said William. His eyes turned fiery red; his fangs extracted. He left the throne room with Zuers, leaving Barbarious alone.

“Where are you, son of Mabruk…?” Barbarious glared at the land from over the balcony. “…You cannot be far… where are you…?”

Siruac Alexandros peered quietly over a small ridge across the drained river of Siruac. He watched the goblin horde hide in their stone-made shelters and the vampires fly around the throne tower. He could also see the wizard Barbarious looking over his kingdom of death and misery. Alexandros backed away almost spider-like and retreated into the forest. He made his way down an isolated path to a large cave, where the others waited.

The lycans anxiously wanted to charge in and destroy all that roamed through the halls of Siruac, but Alistair, now armed with staff in hand, forbade them to leave the cave. The staff was almost taller than the wizard; it was transparent white with a pentagram at the tip.

Alexandros sat quietly in the cave and poked at the dirt with his sword. He did not speak nor wanted to; his mind was in a place that could easily frighten the weak of heart. Just looking at Barbarious had made him sick to his stomach, never had he wanted to kill anything—or anyone—so badly than the disgusting goblin king, but that did not seem to be enough. He wanted everyone and everything responsible for his parents’ death had to die. None of the others dared approach him.

“What do you want to do when all the ends?” asked Valchor, practicing his defense tactics. “I say we go for a drink. I have not had a tasty drink since I was forced to join all of you.”

“A drink sounds rather blissful,” said Bixbin. “Ale is the grand choice.”

“Ale is for the beings that cannot afford better. You must try the elven wine now that my friend is drink made for the best of warriors…”

“Well then, I must have a cup full…or three!” Bixbin laughed.

“That is exactly what I am going to do; I am going to fight, win, and then drink until I fall over.”