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A few hours later Eleyna woke up. The cold cave wall against her neck made her shiver. She rose from her position and looked through the small spy hole. The capital of Tripoli was completely demolished. It was a giant piece of rubble. The hordes of the evil Naeglim creatures that had stood on the field earlier were now invisible and Eleyna decided it would be all right to leave her hideout.
She walked through the ghost ruins of the capital. Tears built up when she saw the scorched and destroyed houses of her past friends. The buzzing sound of flies sucking on the carcasses of human bodies would continue haunting her in her nightmares throughout her life. She hardly believed her eyes. Slain, pierced, destroyed, bloodied bodies covered the city. Men, women and children alike lay everywhere. All dead.
How could anyone do anything like this? Why was there war in the world? Why would anyone wish to kill another creature? Thoughts swirled through her young mind. In a day she had been forced to grow up and take care of herself. No thoughts of unfairness passed through her mind. Only questions of ‘why’. Acceptance had already dawned on her. She inhaled the burnt air. Each death was now graven within her heart and mind as memories.
She realized she had lost her doll when she had run to the cave. Silence screamed in her mind as she felt desolately alone. The last memory of her father was lost now.
She stood on a white rock of what had once been part of the glorious, famous Tripoli wall. Endless fields and pastures filled the landscape as far as the eye could reach. Behind her stood the massive, guarding mountains. Some smoke polluted a path upwards from some farms in the distance of the fields. Naeglim had been let loose. She sighed heavily and then walked down towards the open fields. She did not know where to go, but she felt a guiding hand leading her southwards towards the land of Merceana. She knew about the country from stories and myths but had never been there. Now she had a destination and goal. All that remained was to survive.
As she continued through the rubbles she spotted people. Six youths at about the age of sixteen stood in rags and had been chained together by large, black, metal chains. Eleyna crept silently towards them. She hid behind pieces of rubble only fifteen meters away from them. The Deirm’s powerful voice could easily be heard. At least she thought it was a Deirm. She had heard about them before. Everyone feared the Deirm. The king himself and his strongest men trembled of terror at the name ‘Deirm’. Curiosity called on her to peek. She carefully gazed through a small gap between a few rocks.
The Deirm was clad in a fully black armor with a giant two-handed broadsword on his back. His black cape fluttered slightly from the wind. He had no hair on his head and his black eyes with white pupils seemed more piercing than a human’s. His nose was sharp and quite large, Eleyna thought to herself. He was not very handsome at all. Eleyna knew why they were feared though. The Deirm were stronger than any normal man and they never tired. Their energy was endless. Funneled by the Tempter himself.
She looked at the six youths. They seemed tired, beat, resigned and angry. Hatred, fury and power hunger bulged in their eyes. One girl seemed only tired though. She looked like she had lost all hope and ultimately lost herself too. She had flourishing, black hair running almost as far down to her waist. It looked a bit fluffy and soft Eleyna thought. She could see a slight tear dropping down the girl’s cheek.
“You have been offered positions of great glory and power,” the Deirm snarled. “Lord Beliar has decided that you six shall become his very own apprentices. He will give you riches, glory and powers beyond your imagination if you follow him. You have a choice though. You could either let me take you to him or deny him and die. I of course would be delighted if you choose the second option. Removing your heads would take mere seconds.” The Deirm held out his great sword and pulled his thumb along it. It pleasured him to see the fear in the humans’ eyes. A trickle of his blood now glided down the sword. “I don’t see how he can use six youths like you. But orders are orders. What say you?”
“We will serve Lord Beliar,” said a short haired, blond youth. His eyes glistened like red rubies and Eleyna recognized him. It was Jacinth. The troublesome boy with his two friends had bullied her brother. He had always been mean and scheming. Adrithon had been beaten badly once when he was walking home alone in the evening, having suddenly been attacked by the three in an alley. His eyes had been black for weeks and two ribs had been broken. Their mother had been worried sick.
Eleyna never thought he was this evil though. The six of them had just pledged their souls to Beliar. Beliar! The one who was the reason for the death of their families and the destruction of the capital. It seemed inconceivable.
“Good. Our lord will be pleased.” The chains were quickly removed and then they were given clothes and horses. “We ride to Ashbel.”
Copyright © Danai Gabre, 2008-11-21
Friday, 21 November 2008
Friday, 31 October 2008
The Fall of Tripoli
”Give it back!” the young girl yelled bravely at the half-moon of ten year old boys that surrounded her. She lunged at one of them in an attempt to regain her doll.
Little did they know that soon that ragdoll would be all that remained of the entire city.
As the battle horn echoed for preparation in the city the boys threw up the ragdoll and scattered. The streets in the capital were soon filled with hurrying, panicking and frightened people. Soldiers bid quick farewells to their families and ran to their posts. Mothers ran to find and gather their children.
Amidst the chaos the little girl struggled to grab her precious ragdoll. It was the doll her father had made for her birth. It had been her lifelong companion and it was all she had left of papa. Even though she was eight years old she still loved carrying it around to remind herself of her father.
“Eleyna!” She recognized her mother’s worried voice.
“Don’t ever do that to me again!” Her mother slapped her half-heartedly and then hugged her tightly.
“What’s happening?” the young girl asked, still gripped tightly in her mother’s loving embrace.
“The city is being attacked. But don’t worry, everything will be fine,” her mother smiled weakly.
The young girl recognized her mother’s tone and instinctively knew that everything was not fine.
“Your brother is at the watchtower already, defending us and the city.”
When they were home her mother immediately began to prepare and discuss with the other women that lived in the longhouse.
Eleyna waited a few moments and then quietly escaped.
She had to help her brother. She would not lose him like she had lost papa.
Outside the noise from people screaming hit her ears. Chaos ruled ruthlessly.
As she ran through the city with her tiny legs she saw a house on fire. A mother was clinging to her son’s lifeless body. The sight was so shocking and she couldn’t fathom how this could have happened. The scenes became gradually worse as she approached the outer wall. People were running everywhere, clutching injured dear ones and trying to protect their homes. The smell of burnt wood and scorched flesh filled the air.
She remembered that her brother was stationed at the second wall.
Another volley of trebuchet boulders struck the city. The stone longhouse behind her was demolished into a pile of rubble with a loud crash. Terrified screams echoed down the streets.
A small stone struck her leg causing her to trip and heavily bruising her bare knees. She felt tears beginning to gather in her eyes from the pain. Soon they were streaming down her cheeks but she continued to run. She heard an even louder crash and knew that the first wall was down.
Hurriedly she climbed up the stairs of the watchtower. The stairs were huge and reached to her knees, but she pressed on, taking each step one by one. Her brother being in danger was the only thought on her mind. She never realized that she too was in great danger.
The orders of a general could be heard loudly and she knew she was near. She saw the shape of her brother. He was wearing the standard Tripoli armour, wielding the typical one-hand sword along with the square shield imprinted with the Tripoli sign, which was three silver, half moon, ring walls with a golden crown just above.
“Adrithon!” she yelled.
Her eyes drifted away and glanced over the wall. Fear gripped her heart. She could hardly believe her small eyes. The entire outer city between the first and second wall was completely destroyed. Flames raged everywhere. She could make out the shapes of the trebuchets on the grassland in front of the city. Hundreds of thousands of Naeglim surrounded them.
She instantly ran to warn her brother. She began to fear for her mother and their home.
Her brother was already fighting against the Naeglim that had climbed onto the second wall.
Eleyna bent and picked up a rock. As her brother blocked a strike from the short, brown skinned Naeglim she used all her strength to throw the rock. It hit the Naeglim’s arm and for a moment it turned its head and glared at the child which had distracted it. That moment was enough for her brother to plunge his sword into its stomach. The Naeglim let out a grunt and then fell to the ground clutching its entrails.
“Eleyna! What are you doing here?”
“I came to help you,” she said proudly, grasping the rock in one hand and her ragdoll in the other.
“Go back home to mum. Tell her that the second gate has been breached. Be careful!”
The little girl’s face was filled with disappointment and she felt ashamed for having disobeyed.
As she was about to climb down the stairs she gave her brother a final glance. Their eyes met and she felt happy as she felt her brother’s forgiving and loving eyes gaze into hers. In the midst of war and death a smile crept up on her face.
Suddenly she saw her brother fall to his knees. A scythed Naeglim sword stuck out of his stomach. A pool of red blood began to gather beneath him.
She screamed. Clutching the ragdoll in one hand she ran to him.
Looking into his eyes she realized that he was dead already. Around her the evil Naeglim creatures were fighting their soldiers. Death was everywhere.
She fled.
Houses burned. Screams echoed. Arrows flew.
She didn’t know what to do. Where could she go? She tried to run home but saw from afar that the house was already on fire. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes became blurry. She ran deeper into the heart of the city where the towering mountain stood behind it defensively. The remembrance of the hideout they had played in as five year olds hit her. She struggled to make her way through the city and chaos, but she managed to find the tiny cave. The hole was extremely small but she was just able to slip through. The cave was dark, a bit cold and smelled enclosed. She made her way through it and climbed upwards to lookout the small hole from where she could almost see the whole city. What had once been the glorious capital of Tripoli was now a ruin in flames. There was nothing she could do. She was scared, cold and alone. It was over. Her brother was dead, and so was her mother most likely. She stared out over the city and the field outside where the enemy still stood in hordes. Her eyes glued to the scene as her mind continued to deny everything that was happening. A deep sigh filled with emotions erupted while the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She shrank down against the cold, cave wall and blackened out.
Copyright © Danai Gabre, 2008-11-01
Little did they know that soon that ragdoll would be all that remained of the entire city.
As the battle horn echoed for preparation in the city the boys threw up the ragdoll and scattered. The streets in the capital were soon filled with hurrying, panicking and frightened people. Soldiers bid quick farewells to their families and ran to their posts. Mothers ran to find and gather their children.
Amidst the chaos the little girl struggled to grab her precious ragdoll. It was the doll her father had made for her birth. It had been her lifelong companion and it was all she had left of papa. Even though she was eight years old she still loved carrying it around to remind herself of her father.
“Eleyna!” She recognized her mother’s worried voice.
“Don’t ever do that to me again!” Her mother slapped her half-heartedly and then hugged her tightly.
“What’s happening?” the young girl asked, still gripped tightly in her mother’s loving embrace.
“The city is being attacked. But don’t worry, everything will be fine,” her mother smiled weakly.
The young girl recognized her mother’s tone and instinctively knew that everything was not fine.
“Your brother is at the watchtower already, defending us and the city.”
When they were home her mother immediately began to prepare and discuss with the other women that lived in the longhouse.
Eleyna waited a few moments and then quietly escaped.
She had to help her brother. She would not lose him like she had lost papa.
Outside the noise from people screaming hit her ears. Chaos ruled ruthlessly.
As she ran through the city with her tiny legs she saw a house on fire. A mother was clinging to her son’s lifeless body. The sight was so shocking and she couldn’t fathom how this could have happened. The scenes became gradually worse as she approached the outer wall. People were running everywhere, clutching injured dear ones and trying to protect their homes. The smell of burnt wood and scorched flesh filled the air.
She remembered that her brother was stationed at the second wall.
Another volley of trebuchet boulders struck the city. The stone longhouse behind her was demolished into a pile of rubble with a loud crash. Terrified screams echoed down the streets.
A small stone struck her leg causing her to trip and heavily bruising her bare knees. She felt tears beginning to gather in her eyes from the pain. Soon they were streaming down her cheeks but she continued to run. She heard an even louder crash and knew that the first wall was down.
Hurriedly she climbed up the stairs of the watchtower. The stairs were huge and reached to her knees, but she pressed on, taking each step one by one. Her brother being in danger was the only thought on her mind. She never realized that she too was in great danger.
The orders of a general could be heard loudly and she knew she was near. She saw the shape of her brother. He was wearing the standard Tripoli armour, wielding the typical one-hand sword along with the square shield imprinted with the Tripoli sign, which was three silver, half moon, ring walls with a golden crown just above.
“Adrithon!” she yelled.
Her eyes drifted away and glanced over the wall. Fear gripped her heart. She could hardly believe her small eyes. The entire outer city between the first and second wall was completely destroyed. Flames raged everywhere. She could make out the shapes of the trebuchets on the grassland in front of the city. Hundreds of thousands of Naeglim surrounded them.
She instantly ran to warn her brother. She began to fear for her mother and their home.
Her brother was already fighting against the Naeglim that had climbed onto the second wall.
Eleyna bent and picked up a rock. As her brother blocked a strike from the short, brown skinned Naeglim she used all her strength to throw the rock. It hit the Naeglim’s arm and for a moment it turned its head and glared at the child which had distracted it. That moment was enough for her brother to plunge his sword into its stomach. The Naeglim let out a grunt and then fell to the ground clutching its entrails.
“Eleyna! What are you doing here?”
“I came to help you,” she said proudly, grasping the rock in one hand and her ragdoll in the other.
“Go back home to mum. Tell her that the second gate has been breached. Be careful!”
The little girl’s face was filled with disappointment and she felt ashamed for having disobeyed.
As she was about to climb down the stairs she gave her brother a final glance. Their eyes met and she felt happy as she felt her brother’s forgiving and loving eyes gaze into hers. In the midst of war and death a smile crept up on her face.
Suddenly she saw her brother fall to his knees. A scythed Naeglim sword stuck out of his stomach. A pool of red blood began to gather beneath him.
She screamed. Clutching the ragdoll in one hand she ran to him.
Looking into his eyes she realized that he was dead already. Around her the evil Naeglim creatures were fighting their soldiers. Death was everywhere.
She fled.
Houses burned. Screams echoed. Arrows flew.
She didn’t know what to do. Where could she go? She tried to run home but saw from afar that the house was already on fire. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes became blurry. She ran deeper into the heart of the city where the towering mountain stood behind it defensively. The remembrance of the hideout they had played in as five year olds hit her. She struggled to make her way through the city and chaos, but she managed to find the tiny cave. The hole was extremely small but she was just able to slip through. The cave was dark, a bit cold and smelled enclosed. She made her way through it and climbed upwards to lookout the small hole from where she could almost see the whole city. What had once been the glorious capital of Tripoli was now a ruin in flames. There was nothing she could do. She was scared, cold and alone. It was over. Her brother was dead, and so was her mother most likely. She stared out over the city and the field outside where the enemy still stood in hordes. Her eyes glued to the scene as her mind continued to deny everything that was happening. A deep sigh filled with emotions erupted while the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She shrank down against the cold, cave wall and blackened out.
Copyright © Danai Gabre, 2008-11-01
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