The Verse of Estoria

Chapter 9

         Broken wood, shards of glass and rocks litter the streets of Belle City. Smoldering white smoke rises from consumed piles of wood and people sort through their debris for personals and food. Sobbing women and children mourn the loss of their homes and family at the sight of lifeless golems amidst the destruction. Although much of the city lies in ruins, the towering walls remain intact. Drake and Kevin climb out the fissure via rope and pat themselves of the dust. Kevin retrieves his white bag and swings it over his shoulder. Drake, lost in thought, tries to make sense of everything thus far.

         Is that place connected to Estoria? Drake thinks, Keeper? Create balance? What does it all mean?

         “Hey,” Kevin says looking at Drake. “You’re not going to find answers just standing there. We have a lead, and we need to look into it.”

         Drake’s head tilts sideways as he gives Kevin a confusing look.

         “We? Don’t tell me you're coming?” Drake asks.

         “Well yeah,” Kevin replies as he turns around and looks up at the blue sky.

         “For the past ten years, I’ve served in the Dalmecian army and worked as a servant in Belle city. Everything I did only served to perpetuate the disasters rather than help them. But what you’re trying to do is actually making a change. That hidden room beneath the city taught me that. That’s why I’ve decided to join you.”

         “Are you sure?” Drake asks as he folds his arms. “Trouble seems to find me everywhere I go. I can’t guarantee your safety.”

         “I’ll be fine,” Kevin says as he pulls out the map hidden in his blue cloak and shakes it. “We need to find this main hub far to the north that contraption spoke about. I think it may be connected with the famine somehow.”

         “But…” Kevin says as he pensively places his finger and thumb on his chin.

         “What?” Drake asks.

         “This map is incorrect,” Kevin says.

         “How?” Drake asks.

         “This map doesn’t have the Grand Desert of Salt on it. All of it seems to be green. And I’ve never heard of the forest of angels before” he continued. “If we are going to find this place, we’re going to need more accurate information.”

         “Well, what do you have in mind?” Drake asks as he feet crunch the glass walking up beside Kevin.

         “I don’t know,” Kevin says. “Like I said before, all I’ve been doing is serving in the army or working as a servant.”

         “There you are.” A haughty feminine voice speaks out from behind Kevin.

         Drake turns around, and an older woman dressed in fancy yet tattered clothing saunters up to the both of them.

         Kevin sighs in annoyance as he closes his eyes and shakes his head.

         “I was beginning to worry I had lost my servant amid all the commotion.” She says.

         “Servant?” Drake asks as he turns his heat towards Kevin.

         “Yes, Mistress Amelia,” Kevin says as he turns around.

         “Well, now that you’re here you can sort through the wreckage and retrieve some of my valuables and food.” She says as she nervously shakes a decorative purple hand fan.

         Kevin remains silent as Drake casts a suspicious glance at him.

         “Well don’t just stand there.” She says pointing her finger at the rubble. “It’s going to get Dark soon.”

         “Were will you go?” Kevin asks.

         “The King's castle is promised to me as Duchess” she replies. “I’ll be staying there until the city is rebuilt. You will assist me as my servant.”

         “But what about the people outside left behind or behind the wall?” Kevin asks pointing beyond the wall in protest.

         “Oh Kevin, we’ve had this discussion before.” The Mistress says as she shakes her head and folds her dusty arms. “You can’t feed everybody. Only through pity, I’ve allowed you to entertain the notion of feeding peons who would eat you instead of appreciating you for feeding them. Lucky for you that hasn’t happened.”

         “That’s beside the point!” Kevin shouts. “If you leave these people, then they’ll die. Why can’t we try to help them instead?”

         “Need I remind you.” The woman sternly responds back. “That the queen shared your desire to aid the people. And all it did was send her to an early grave.”

         Kevin falls silent and turns his head away.

         “Now if you are done dreaming, you will come with me as my servant and aid me there.” She says “You made a pact to serve me, so I see no reason for any objections.”

         Kevin balls his fists in anger and clenches his teeth in indignation as he glowers at the ground. However, Drake steps past Kevin and stands in front of the woman.

         “Oh?” The woman says looking at Drake’s slim but muscular physique. “You’re welcome to join if you like the woman playfully says.”

         “Umm…” Drake says taken aback. “Kevin and I discovered something that might solve the food problem.”

         “Really?” The woman says as she unfolds her arms and placing her cream-skinned hand on her slender hips.

         “You mean to tell me that out of the brightest minds that have tried to solve the food shortages and the failing crops; a couple of lowly serfs can find a solution?”

         “I understand your skepticism,” Drake says as he turns towards Kevin and back at Amelia.
“But you are only losing a servant. If something happens, it won’t affect your status in any way. But if we somehow find a way to solve the problem, I’m sure the King would be pleased and probably hail you as a hero. Maybe even marry you.”

         “Hmm.” The woman says with her finger and her thumb on her chin. “That doesn’t sound bad at all. But I’m not convinced enough. The woman says. This could be merely a ploy to get out of the pact he made with me. How can I be sure you aren’t just lying to me?”

         Drake then reaches into Kevin’s cloak and pulls out the map and hands it to the woman.

         “Here.” Drake says. “this is a map we’ve retrieved from an abandoned ruin underneath this city.”
The woman rolls open the paper and observes the map. Her eyes widen in shock.

         “What?! She says. “This is the map of the old world.”

         “Old world?” Drake asks.

         “I’m talking about the times before the famine,” Amelia says reminiscing of the past. “I remember them fondly when I was a little girl. There were peace and prosperity for everyone. There were no barriers no food shortages no wars…”

         “no need to lie with dirty old men to gain status.” She says lowering her head in guilt.

         Drake and Kevin eye each other taken aback from her last statement.

         The woman sighs in disappointment as she shakes her head. “To think things would turn out so horribly.”

         “Very well,” Amelia says. “I’ll release you from my pact. Just find a way to end all of this.”

         “Is there anything on there you can help us with?” Drake asks. “You seem to know the map better than we do.”

         “Yeah. Kevin says jumping in the conversation.” “Like the forest of angels. You know about that place?”

         “That was a mysterious forest where strange events would occur. Shining white beings would fly through the air and descend into the forest and disappear soon after. The old King gave it its name because of it. Now it’s a wasteland of misery called Fluorescent Thorn.”

         “You’ll know when you arrive.” She continues “If you’re going to go there, I recommend going to Tundra Library. You may find information to aid you in your travels. It's northeast, past the forest of Butterflies about three day’s journeys on foot.”

         “You should also visit Cold Town to the west of there for any supplies.” Amelia continues. “Though I doubt there’s any there.”

         “Thank you, Lady Amelia,” Kevin says we’ll worry about supplies later he says. “Can you do me a favor and help the people outside the walls. Doesn’t have to be much.”

         “I’ll see what I can do,” Amelia says in a humbler tone. “You should go now. I’m sure the king will be here soon.”

         “Let’s go, Drake,” Kevin says looking at his companion. And both leave via the east wall.

###

         Later that day, Ryzor and his twin daughters arrive at the open grassy fields near the towering walls. The horse’s hooves mesh the grass as the scattered refugees all bow before the King and his two daughters. Ryzor’s horse stops a few paces away from the gate and the three leaps off their horses. They start towards the gate.

         “Gatekeeper!” Ryzor shouts in a boisterous tone. “Open the gate. Your King has arrived.”

         No answer.

         Ryzor balls his fists cocks his arm back and punches the large metal gate. A loud crash startles the refugees causing them to step away from the event. The iron gate breaks from its hinges and falls on the ground in a noisy gong.

         Ryzor then proceeds along into the corridor stepping on the prone metal gate with his daughters.
He enters the city and glowers at the vast destruction.

         Scorched homes and barns once filled with grain, lie desolate and burned along with all the supplies for his army. The scorched half of the Dalmecian banner flaps in the wind beside the armless statuette of the king.

         “Wow! They really tore this place down.” Ordenia says aloud.

         “Ordenia!” The other sister says halting her sister’s comments with a finger over her lip.

         A few minutes later, a man in rags, crushing broken window glasses lying on the ground, rushes to the king. The shreds from his royal blue tunic blow in the wind as he falls on his face in sheer distress.

         “Sire, our homes, and livelihood have been completely destroyed by the Alternean golems! Please avenge our suffering and allow me to join your great army to defend our nation’s honor!”

         Ryzor’s brown eyes shift down at the prostrated man with the same glower on his face.

         “Tell me, why do you wish to join my ranks now that your home is destroyed? Ryzor ask. Do you seek revenge or solace under the command of my precious children? When I sent my recruiters through this very city, why didn’t you join my army then?”

         The man quakes in fear and never answers.

         Ryzor kneels and places his large, burly hand over the man’s head.

         “I understand your world has changed for you” Ryzor replied as he squeezes the man’s dome.
The man wails in horror and tries to shake his head free from Ryzor’s crushing grip while using both of his hands to pry the Kings hand from his skull.

         “You don’t want to struggle or suffer for anything. You want a life of simplicity, ease and comfort” the king says as he tightens his grip.

         The poor man’s skull starts to crack under pressure as dark crimson flow from his hairy nostrils.

         “P-Please Sire! F-forgive me!” he screams as more blood ran down his dimples.

         “Fear not, dear one,” Ryzor said in a callous tone, “I will give you the rest you seek.”

         After a loud crack, the king releases his head, and his limp body thumps to the ground. When the deed was done, Ryzor turns to his two daughters.

         He holds out his bloody hand and motions for his shocked daughters to come closer.

         “Smell” he orders.

         The two girls cautiously approach their father, bend down, place their slender noses close to his right hand and inhale the sharp copper scent that made them pull away coughing and gagging.

         “That’s the smell of a coward!” he snaps, “Remember it well, for if I smell that stench on any of you, you shall share this man’s fate.”

         Both girls gulped in unison as a great fear came over them.

         “Yes, F-father” they reply in unison while nodding their heads.

         Ryzor wipes his hand clean with his cape and walks towards the center of town. He bypasses all the destruction, ignores the dead civilians and pushes away the survivors as they tried to salvage from the devastation.

         He stops at the fissure Drake and Kevin surveyed earlier. Ryzor squats down with his elbows on his knees, shifts his head to get a better view and observes the darkness.

         “Hmph.” Ryzor sounds as he stands back to his feet.

         He leaps down the opening and slams on the metal floor in a loud gong. The stale air dominates the air, but Ryzor’s nose detects a faint musk left behind by the previous visitors. Darkness surrounded him as he shifts his brown eyes from left to right.

         “And let there be light,” Ryzor says as he writes ILLUMINATE with his finger in white letters.
Numerous rays from the verse lit the entire room in white fluorescent light. He locates the terminal and the verse plate in the center of the room. His ironclad boots clank against the floor as he saunters towards the device.

         “What is this contraption?” Ryzor says walking by the curved terminal with its many dusty dials and buttons as he slides his hand on the council.

         He takes a deep breath, turns around and circles the metal plate stand trying to figure out what it is. He grabs the sides of the mechanism and tries to shake its firm placement.

         “Strange.” He says releasing the metal plate. He stands and thinks for a few moments as he stares at the flat board.

         “Let’s find out who’s been in this place,” Ryzor says as he writes SHADOWSPEAK in the air in black letters. Streams of black mist start pour from every shadow of the room and float towards the verse like snakes. A hissing noise, similar to sand, dominate the room as black streams curve, slither through the air, and coalesce into ball energy in Ryzor’s palm.

         The black swirling energy solidifies into a black glass orb small enough to fit into the palm of Ryzor’s hand. Placing the orb to his ear, Ryzor hears faint whispers emanating from the orb. He places the orb into his chest armor and walks off. A snap of his fingers puts out the ILLUMINATE verse and returns everything to its darkened state.

###

         As the sun falls into the horizon, a cold wailing wind rustles the grass. The sparse clouds reveal a myriad of sparkling stars in the velvet sky. Crickets chirp and the shining fire bees answer with a display of speckled lights at the rustling forest line Drake, and Kevin approaches. A cool breeze sends a chill up Drake’s spine, and he caresses his rough, bumpy skin. Dry lips blow warm breath into the cup of his hands and rub them together to keep warm. Seemingly unfazed by the cold weather, Kevin examines the map he acquired from the old facility.

         “Man, it's cold,” Drake says shivering. “Aren’t you cold?”

         “No,” Kevin says as their feet mesh the grass while walking. “You’ve been living near the desert most of your life while I’ve been living in this weather far to the east.”

         Kevin sighs as he rolls the map and places it into his blue cloak.

         “You might want to find something to warm you up.” Kevin continues. “It’s only going to get worse from here.”

         “What?!” Drake says as he snaps his head at Kevin. “Oh, hell no! Why didn’t you tell me?”

         “Well, I thought you knew,” Kevin replies.

         “No,” Drake says fed up with the cold weather. He turns around and tries to head back to Belle City.

         “Okay okay, hold on,” Kevin says halting Drake in his tracks.

         “What?” Drake asks glowering at Kevin.

         Kevin removes the bag off his shoulders, reaches inside with his long arm, pulls out another blue hooded cloak and tosses it to Drake.

         “It’s not much, but it should help,” Kevin says.

         Drake snatches the somewhat thick fabric and quickly places it on his body. The cloak fits a little tight, but he eagerly welcomes it. The smoky aroma overwhelms his nose as it was taken from a burning building, but Drake passes it off as a familiar odor.

         “Thanks,” Drake says as he rubs the smooth cotton fabric on his arms.

         “No problem,” Kevin says as he hoists the bag back over his shoulder.

         Then the two of them continue walking towards the forest.

         “So,” Drake says curiously looking at Kevin. “You made a pact with that woman?”

         “Yeah,” Kevin says with a look of shame on his face. “It was a moment of weakness. I hadn’t eaten anything in weeks, so I snuck in Belle City to steal some food and got caught. The price for stealing food when there’s a shortage is death. So, I begged Amelia to spare me.”

         “And?” Drake asks.

         “She agreed. Kevin says “only if I’d….”

         “Become her personal slave.” Drake finishes.

         “Yeah,” Kevin says.

         “How was it like working for her?” Drake asks.

         “She’s an entitled slave driver who used rations as a means of punishment.” Kevin answers. “I never really liked her. But she did allow me to help the people outside the city. so, I guess she gets a little credit for trying to care.”

         “Did she……?” Drake’s words fade as he couldn’t finish his question.

         “What?” Kevin asks pondering.

         Then, he takes note of Drake’s silence along with a half-smile.

         Kevin stops and faces Drake with a frown.

         “NO.” He protests, “NO! NO! NO! There’s no way I’d stoop that low. Why would you even think that?”

         “Well…” Drake asks. “You did hear what she had to do to obtain her status. Old habits die hard. At least that’s what my Grandma told me. She even made me uncomfortable with the way she looked at me, so I was just curious.”

         “Well perish the thought,” Kevin says pointing his finger in Drake’s face. “Because I didn’t do anything with her. Okay? ANYTHING!”

         “Okay,” Drake says as he throws his hands up.

         An awkward silence fell between the two as they near the forest.

         “But she did try, didn’t she?” Drake asks.

         “All the time,” Kevin replies as he walks ahead shaking his head.

         Drake and Kevin broke out in laughter as they entered the butterfly forest.

         Numerous light-green glowing insects and lizards give the forest floor its hue as butterflies dance through the redwood. Their small wings glow while they flutter through the bushes. The distant echoing hoots combined with the chirps gives the forest a majestic yet peaceful aura.

         A butterfly lands on Drake’s shoulder with iridescent yellow wings and color shifting antenna.
Drake’s eyes, admiring its beauty, canvas the entire forest while Kevin rests against a nearby tree. However, a deep growl of the stomach interrupts Drake’s gaze.

         “Ughh!” Kevin groans as he places his hand on his stomach, “haven’t had any food since yesterday.”

         “Don’t you have any in the bag?” Drake asks.

         “It’s just medical supplies,” Kevin says. “All of the food has been destroyed when the golems attack the city.”

         “Well, what about the insects?” Drake asks, pointing to the many insects in the forest, “We can at least eat them.”

         “We can’t,” Kevin says shaking his head while wincing from hunger pains, “All the insects here are poisonous. You’ll die if you eat them.”

         Drake sighs as he lowers his arms to his side.

         Then a faint smell catches Drakes nose.

         A hiss comes from Drake’s nose as he inhales the fresh forest air mixed with faint hickory that makes Drake’s hungry feet move involuntarily.

         “What are you doing?” Kevin asks.

         Driven by hunger, he ignores Kevin and continues following the scent.

         “Seriously?!” his companion scoffs as he shakes his head and starts following.

         Drake sniffs the air following the delicious scent, and Kevin rushes up behind him.

         “Drake where are you going?” Kevin asks, “This is not the way to the Library.”

         “I smell something,” Drake says.

         “Smell what!?” Kevin replies. “I don’t smell anything.”

         The two treks through the greenish hued woods passing numerous insects along the way. The walk past bushels, duck beneath low hanging tree branches and push aside man-heightened twigs.

         A burning light appears to them in the distance as they push aside a tall branch. Drake looks at Kevin and smiles.

         “How did you…...?” Kevin says.

         “Don’t worry about that.” Drake says “there’s bound to be food there. Let’s check it out.”

         “Alright let’s go,” Kevin replies.

         The crackling sounds of a burning firepit greeted the two as they arrived at a clearing in the forest. Moths dance around the flames and fall to the ground as three giant smoldering hogs rest on three separate staves.

         “Whoa!” Drake says gazing at the large rack of meat before him with his almond eyes reflecting the blazing flames.

         “Well, what are we waiting for?” Kevin hungrily says as he rushes towards the pit-fire. However, a small rope snags his right foot, and various metal pots and pans rattled.

         The alarm halts the two as snarling creatures’ whips around them in a circle.

         “We're surrounded,” Kevin says as he tries to make out the shadowy figures running through the darkness.

         The bright light from the fire dampen their night vision and hides the creatures despite the green hue.

         “Alright,” Drake says as he holds out his hand and tries to write FANE in the air.

         However, nothing happen.

         “What!?” Drake says as he eyes widen in shock.

         Suddenly, Drake feels a cold, blunt object strike the back of his head, and everything goes black.