Kingdom of Camelon: Ch2

Chapter 2

Love’s in the Air

         The love elemental Amora had been flying on her griffen Fluffery for three days, heading towards Zocarh.  Fluffery was beginning to feel the evils of the land and desperately wanted to rest.
         “It’s ok baby.  We are almost there.  Just a few more miles and mommy will let you rest all you want.” Amora said sensing that Fluffery was getting tired.
         Amora could see the Black Castle of Zocarh in the distance.  The area around the city was a desolate waste land, with dried up trees covering the dust and dirt of the ground.  The Black Castle absorbed all the light that shone, making it appear as a darkness from which nothing returned.  The castle was made from the volcanic rock that littered the land to the north of Zocarh, at the base of the volcanic mountain.  Amora wondered how any creature, good or evil, could live in such harsh conditions.
         Suddenly a red flare shot up from the tallest tower of the castle.  This was a warning shot, warning Amora that she was getting too close to the city.  Amora wondered if they had received word that she was coming.  Did Karoz forget to tell them?  Amora could now see the city’s defense tower aim their large arrow launchers at her.  She started to feel the heat of nervousness, and sweat began to flow down her face.  The arrows were being cocked back.  All that was needed was for another red warning shot to be fired.  Her heart began to beat faster and faster, threatening to jump out of her body.  Another red flare shot up and Amora blinked her eyes.  All she thought of was the life she had lived and all she loved.  The stuart had warned her that she might die, but she never thought it would be this way.  It seemed like an eternity before she opened up her eyes, surprised that she still had not heard the launchers release their massive arrows.  The flare had exploded and turned green, giving her passage to the city and castle.
         As Amora flew over the houses, she could see the dirty people looking up at her.  Many looked as if they had never taken a bath.  Perhaps they hadn’t.  Water was too precious of a resource to waste on baths in Nolava.
         Fluffery stopped flapping his wings, gliding to the entrance of the castle.  He gave a few powerful beats with his golden wings, hovering, descending slowly to the ground.  Dust clouded Amora’s vision for several seconds. She jumped down, still squinting through the clouds.  A figure she could not fully make out stood in front of her.  The figure, with a wand in hand, shouted “Tera Parajio!”  The dust instantly fell to the ground, exposing the man in front of Amora and the 30 guards that surrounded her with spears at arms.  Amora had to squint her eyes, waiting for her stunning purple eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness.  The man in front of her had long straight brown hair but was bald from the forehead to the crown of the head.  His large pointed nose protruded from a face cut by wrinkles.
         “Hello, miss.  I am Captain Niniar.  I shall escort you to Abaddon momentarily, but first give me any weapons you have.”
         Amora knew that her only line of defense was the elaborate dagger that was tucked in her white boots.  If she wanted to talk to Abaddon she had to give it up.  If worse came to worse she could use her physical strength to defend herself.  Elementals posses the strength of two giants, but rarely use it.
         Handing the dagger to the captain, “This is all I have.  If you don’t believe me then you can go to hell.”
         “Oh, I believe you.  That’s all you elementals carry to protect yourself.  What element are you anyways?”
         “That is for me to know and you to never find out.”
         Amora always got irritated when people asked her what elemental she was.  She got angry not for telling them but for the fact that people knew what she was, they just wanted her to tell them.  It was obvious she was a love elemental, with snow white long hair, pale shiny skin, all white clothing, and violet eyes that caught everyone’s attention.  Her face was perfect, with no flaws at all.  Her clothing was fairly seductive, a skin-tight, low cut top and tight pants, making every man want her. 
         “I am sorry, that was rude of me.  Please follow me.”


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         It had been three days since Mr. Razi had been brutally murdered by a werewolf.  Wilner hadn’t come out of his room since the murder, wondering if he could have done something to save Mr. Razi.  He could only look at the letter and repeat Mr.Razis’ words.
         “What the hell does this stupid letter say?!  What language is this?”
         The letter was written in old elvish.  Wilner had never seen elvish before, so he had no idea how to read it.  He finally got fed up with just staring at the letter and went to his godmother for help.
         “Well it’s good to see you my boy.  I was seriously beginning to believe you would never come out of your room.  Could I make you something?”  Angy said, happy to see Wilner was out of his room.
         “No thanks Angy.  I have a question.”
         “I may have an answer.”
         “Have you ever seen this language before?”  Wilner handed Angy the letter.  At the site of the letters on the page, she dropped her cup of tea on the floor.  It had been 37 years since she last had seen those characters on the paper.
         “My Lord, where did you get this?”  Angy’s voice was trembling.
         “Mr. Razi gave it to me before he died.  Why?”
         “That looks just like the letter your godfather had.”
         “So this is old elvish.  Can you read it?”  Wilner had excitement in his voice.
         “No, but I believe your godfather has something in his study that may help you.”
         “That room hasn’t been opened in 2 years.  Besides it’s locked and there’s no way in.  I’ve tried every spell I know to open that door.  It also has a curse on it.  I could tell because with every spell I used a green light formed around the door.”
         “Have you tried the key?”  Angy questioned.
         “What key?  If I had known about a key I would have used it by now.”  Wilner began to get agitated.
         “Not all keys look the same.”  Angy said while pointing to Wilner’s chest.
         “What?  My necklace?”  Wilner said puzzled.
         “No, the medallion.  That was your godfather’s spare key.  He always was afraid he would lose his and forget where the spare was.  He gave it to you to always remind him where the spare was.”
         “Why didn’t he ever tell me this?”
         “Because he believed that when the time was right you would find out what the medallion would be for.”
         “Well, I guess I’ll go to his study to look for some help.” 
         Wilner walked to the large oak door that separated him from his godfather’s study.  The handle was intricately decorated with dragons, all with their claws holding the door.  Just below it was a depression in the shape of Wilner’s medallion.  He took off his necklace and placed the medallion into place.  The sound of metal clanking and wheels moving emitted from the door.  Suddenly the door swung outward, knocking Wilner to the floor.  Wilner slowly got up and could not believe what he saw.  He had never seen anything like it.   


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It had only been a minute since Amora and the captain had left Fluffery when they could hear him screaming.  They turned around, only to see the griffin on its hind legs trying to claw down the men with spears around it.  Amora immediately ran to the Fluffery screaming in horror “STOP!”.  Niniar knew he had to do something.  He ran after Amora and when he got close enough he shot with his wand the closest guard to him.  The blast hit the guard in the back making him go limp and fall to the floor.
         “If anyone harms this lady’s griffin I will personally rip your arm off and beat you with it until you die.”  Niniar was not kidding.  All the guards put down their spears and stepped back from the griffin.  Amora ran to the griffin and put her hands on its head, stroking it to calm it down.
         “It’s ok now baby.  The horrible mean men won’t get you now.  Ssshhh…it’s ok.  Mommy won’t let anything happen to you.”  Amora turned her head to Niniar.
         “Is there any safe place my baby can go and rest?”
         “Yes there is.”  Niniar pointed to a short guard who looked scared beyond belief.
         “You…take this griffin to the stable and make sure it gets water and food.  If anything happens to it, I’ll feed you to the dragons.  Got it?” 
         Petrified the guard said, “Ya…ya…yes, sir.”
         “My lady, please come with me.  I promise nothing will happen to your griffin.”  Niniar motioned with his hand to follow him.
         They walked through various gloomy hallways until they reached two large redwood doors.  Before Niniar opened the doors, Amora whispered,
         “I really appreciate what you did back there.  It was very kind…in a strange way.”
         Amora could always feel when a man wanted her, but from Niniar she felt a different aura.  It was actual love, not lust she felt from him.  It was the first man she ever felt that from.  She was also feeling a strange attraction to Niniar.
         “I was just helping a beautiful lady.” 
         Niniar could actually see rosy color in Amora’s cheeks.  He opened the massive door and showed Amora in.  The room was enormous.  The ceiling was over 75 feet tall with three silver chandeliers dangling from it.  Long windows covered both walls, depicting scenes from some sort of battle.  The floor was made of white granite, the center covered with a long red carpet that led to five stairs and a large wooden arm chair at the top.  In the chair sat a man with a golden crown on his head.  “This must be Abaddon.”  Amora thought.  Niniar walked in front of her and said,
         “My Lord, the messenger from Camelon has arrived.”
         Abaddon starred at Amora, chuckling at her sight.
         “So Barmond sent me a love elemental.  How nice.  So I guess I can’t kill you as I had hoped on doing.  Oh well.  So what is it that the ruler of the great Kingdom of Camelon wants from me, ruler of such a barren and desolate land?”  Abaddon had sarcasm in his voice.
         “My Stuart has asked for your help on a situation.  He wishes to know if you know anything about the werewolves that have crossed over into our kingdom.”
         “Well, I have heard of such rumors but I have nothing to do with it, if that’s what you mean.  Why would I do such things?”
         “Well, do you know who could be doing this?”
         A minotaur walked up next to Abaddon and said without realizing Amora’s presence,
         “My Lord, the trolls gave us their answer.  They will join in on your plan and the werewolves have told me that they have killed the last member of the          group.  They also killed everyone in the town Fairfield.”
         Abaddon rubbed his head, trying to suppress his rage.
         “Larsin, why don’t you say hello to our guest from Camelon?”  Abaddon spoke with his teeth closed and rage in his voice.
         Larsin turned to look at Amora, who had tears coming down her face.  She couldn’t believe that the werewolves had killed everyone in a whole city.  All those innocent people.
         Great embarrassment filled Larsin and he knelt down next to Abaddon and asked for forgiveness.
         “I’m so sorry sir.  I did not mean to do that.  I apologize a thousand times.”
         “It’s ok.  I guess I just have to kill our guest.  Change of plans sweet heart.”
         Abaddon pulled a dagger out from the chair and threw it at Amora.  At that very moment Niniar pointed his wand at Amora and yelled a spell “Deflectos Bariom”.  The dagger crashed against a blue shield that had formed in front of Amora.  The dagger ricocheted back and hit Larsin in the leg.  Larsin blurted out a deep yell.
         “What is the meaning of this Captain Niniar?”  Abaddon was very puzzled.
         “My Lord, I do not believe it is a good idea to kill her.  I believe we should just keep her captive for now and use her against Camelon when the time is right.”
         “That’s a good idea.  Take her to the dungeon and make her feel at home.”
         Niniar gently grabbed Amora’s arm and directed her to the door.  After they left the room Niniar let go of Amora and said, “I’m sorry for that.  Don’t worry, you’re not going to the dungeon.  I’ll make sure you leave this place safely.”
         “Thank you so much.”  She turned towards him and kissed him on the lips.  This action stunned Niniar for a second, but he quickly composed himself and led Amora out of the castle.





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         News of the murders at Fairfield swept through Camelot like wild fire.  People began to buy all the silver arrows they could find in desperation. Some bought books that contained spells on how to kill werewolves.  It was complete pandemonium; the city was on the verge of total collapse.
         Barmond’s stress level was to its max.  He ordered a 24/7 watch for the werewolves and for any thieves that might take advantage of chaos.  Barmond had made many public speeches assuring people that they were safe, but the people just wouldn’t listen.  If Abaddon was behind his, Barmond would send the military to get rid of him once and for all. 
         “Sir, we have not received word from Amora.  I know it’s too soon, but still she always sends a message.” Martimir said, Barmond’s right hand man.
         With a worried look Barmond asked,
         “Has there been word of the werewolf clan anywhere else?”
         “No sir, but I’m sure Karoz will find them.”
         “I only hope so.  I want this chaos to end.  I hate this life.”


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    Wilner’s eyes widened with joy as he saw the skeleton of a giant dragon.
Its bone white color glistened as it reflected the light from the tall stained glass windows. Millions of books filled the enormous shelves on the walls. The shelves continued up all the way to the ceiling, which was hard to see due to how high it was and to sunlight that flooded the room. A mammoth table with vials, flasks, scales, papers, and other tools littered the top. A ladder with wheels leaned up against the shelves, climbing to the tops of the shelves.
    “This is impossible. How could the room be so tall? There must be some sort of enchantment”
    Wilner had heard of such things from Mr. Razi. Buildings that seemed too small and cramped to be in, when entered were some of the largest and tallest rooms in the world.
      Wilner staggered to the table, still awestruck by sheer size of the room. Dust covered everything on the table, making it hard to read any of the papers. He slowly picked up the paper closet to the edge, trying not to disturb the other papers. The paper had the same characters as that of his letter. After studying it, he put it back and began to search the millions of books on the shelves to see of he could find a translator. While looking at titles like “Alchemist Guide, Dragonology, Shrubbery of Magic, and History of Camelon” he found a folded up map of all of Camelon. He opened it up and looked at its intricate penmanship. He saw the city of Camelot and instantly remembered that he had to go to Camelot to give the letter to the Stuart. He folded the map back up and shoved it into his back pocket. He kept climbing till he reached the top. There he found, in between “Faith” and “Hope”, a book that immediately caught his eye. It looked just like the book his godmother had described to him. As he went to grab the book to see if the letter was still inside, he suddenly started to remember something his godfather had told him when he was a small child
    “Everything has a purpose. The rain falls to feed tree, the bees sting to protect their nest, and people die to give room for others to take their place. When I die you will take my place in this world. You will own all that is mine to help this world become a better place. But always remember, the book of life has many pages, but only seventy-seven count.”
    “Holy Crap!!!” blasted from below.
  Wilner was thrown back to the present, loosing his grip on the ladder. As he fell, he tried to grab the bookshelf to regain his balance, but missed the shelf and grabbed his godfathers book. He plummeted toward the ground, screaming, trying to remember all the levitating spells he knew. Only if he remember what Mr. Razi would say when he wanted to levitate. All Wilner’s racing mind could remember was one lousy spell. Hoping it was the right one Wilner shouted
      “Bahin Rapedin!”
  Wilner increased in velocity, falling three times faster than before. Wilner then realized it was the spell to make thing fall faster. At this speed Wilner would sustain tremendous damage, more than likely he would die. He whizzed by the dragon skeleton, barely missing its sharp wing edge.
      “Momentos Parerdium!!!”
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As Abaddon looked over the balcony onto the front yard of the castle, he felt this funny feeling at the bottom of his gut. Had he made the right decision in letting Niniar take the love elemental to the dungeon? Love elementals were known for seducing men to get out of situations. Maybe he should have sent some guards with Niniar.
    “My Lord, I do not trust Niniar. I stopped trusting him after the murder of Greg.” Larsin said still in pain from the dagger wound he sustained earlier.
      “Niniar will do as he has been told. Besides what is he going to do? If he lets the elemental go, he knows he will be put to death.”
  Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Abaddon saw two figures walking up to a griffen. One of the figures was in a brown cloak, but the other looked very familiar. It was a little too far to make out who it was. Then he realized who the two figures were.
      “STOP THOSE TWO CRIMINALS!!!” Abaddon’s voice reverberated down to the guards in the yard.

  With lighting speed Amora jumped on to Fluffery, taking her brown cloak off. All the guards began to run in her direction, spears and swords ready for the kill. Niniar knew Amora could never get out of the city without his help. Being the captain of the guards, he knew every weapons device used to stop fleeing criminals. If he helped her escape he would be put to death, if he didn’t help her, he still would be put to death for helping her get this far. He had nothing to lose, either way he was going to die. He turned around and threw his wand to her.
    “ I’ll help you get into the air, after that fly north, as soon as you see the large tower yell “Avis Introchmint” while pointing the wand at the tower. That should disable all defenses and give you enough time to escape.”
    “What about you, they’re going to kill you” Amora said realizing that Niniar was sacrificing himself for her.
    “I can handle myself. Now go, fly!”
  A sword from behind came down to strike him, but he thrusted his sword backwards into to the guard, still facing Amora.
      “Go. Now!”
  Amora pulled on Fluffery’s feathers, launching her into the air, as the griffen beat his powerful wings. As she lifted up she saw Niniar taking out every guard that came to him. Niniar was an excellent swordsman, even able to deflect arrows that were shot at him with his rapier. Amora reached the level of the castle where Abaddon was. She could see the burning rage in his eyes.
    “Kill him!” Abaddon screamed in fury.
Fifty archers turned their arrows in Niniar’s direction. In a quick decision, Amora directed Fluffery to fly up to the archers, which were on the level just below Abaddon. Fluffery knew what he was supposed to do. He flew parallel to the archers a stuck his talons out. The claws slashed into the arms of every archer as the griffen passed by. Archer after archer fell to the floor with agonizing pain rushing through their mangled arm. Their bones shattered on impact as the powerful talons of the griffen hit their arm.
      Amora knew Niniar was going to die if she didn’t save him. She tugged on Fluffery’s feathers again, making him dive bomb towards Niniar. Guards trying to kill him surrounded Niniar. Out of nowhere a black arrow hurled towards Niniar’s heart. He tried to block it but was too slow and deflected it up, hitting him just below the collar. A burning sensation jetted into his arm, paralyzing it. He looked up towards the castle and saw Larsin holding his bow, staring at him. Niniar started to loose his vision, blackness consuming his sight. He felt himself drifting away…