Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition (7 page)

The king continued to stare into her eyes,
desperately searching for an answer within.

“Arman, why do you speak of this? What's
wrong?” she asked, her furrowed brow revealing her concern.

The king looked away from her gaze and his
eyes danced around the floor as he answered with a strained voice.
“I have to consider all possibilities, and to protect our family. I
just need to know that you would be safe, as I would never take an
attack on any of us lightly. Just promise me, Andrielle— please
allow me this simple request."

“Of course, Arman. I give you my word,” she
replied softly.

He smiled, relaxed his shoulders, and turned
back to the view of the impending storm on the horizon, which
swiftly gained ground like a charging stallion. It was as if some
force dragged the storm forward at an unusually rapid pace.

“I cannot recall much of earlier events
today, and I grow tired. I may be falling ill, as it feels as if a
cloud fills my mind when I try to remember what happened in the
throne room. Tomorrow I shall seek a healer. For today, I suggest
you enjoy a hot bath for the evening, and I shall eagerly await
your return. I need some time alone to regain my thoughts.”

“As you wish, my love,” she replied. She
suddenly
realised she had been digging
her fingernails into her palm and thought,
Maybe he's right
about that bath.

She walked out of the door to the arm of a
servant who waited to escort her to the bathing chambers. Arman
waited patiently until he could no longer hear the sounds of
footsteps down the tower’s stairs, and he gazed further into the
horizon. The flashes of lightning were soon followed by loud,
growling rumbles. With another flash, he swore he saw dark eyes in
the clouds staring back at him. But with the next, they were
gone.

Arman shook his head in confusion and wiped
the sweat from his brow. “I really must be losing my mind,” he
whispered to himself. The cool, moist breeze whipped past his face,
and his long hair fluttered behind his head. He closed his eyes,
took a deep breath and then reopened them with a determined
gaze.

Arman spoke loudly and firmly into the night.
“I
know
you are there. Do you really consider me a fool who
would ignore a warning from my most trusted knight? You know so
little and yet you act as if you have it all figured out. I know
what you seek to gain, but you should know this, young prince—that
you will need to cross swords to take it from me! This day has been
playing on my mind for many years now.” He wrapped his fingers
tightly around the hilt of his gleaming sword, his stance holding
strongly in the winds. “I don’t want to live my life in the fear of
what daggers may be pushed into my back, or spend every waking
moment looking over my shoulder. Do you even
have
the guts
to face me? Or did I create nothing more than a cowardly, spoiled
brat?”

He held his sword firm for a few moments, the
sounds of wind and rumbles in the distance his only answer.

Suddenly a too familiar voice cut through the
cold air. “You
knew
I would wait here? I should have given
you more credit, Father. You believed Vartan and banished him? Why
would you do that? Never mind as you did me a
favour by taking him out of the picture and it just further
proves you are weak and unfit to rule.
You should know that
nothing you say to me will change the fact that you will die here
tonight. Greenhaven
will
be mine, and a new age will begin.
I will rule the city of Greenhaven as their new king!”

The prince walked a few steps around the
turret’s balcony, his sword already drawn and held by his side. By
now, the storm had barrelled down the mountainside and was only
moments away from inundating an unprepared Greenhaven. Arman's face
hardened as he turned purposefully to face Derian and slowly drew
his sword from its scabbard. Its hilt glistened as the moonlight
reflected off the diamonds embedded in its surface. "If you even
have a shred of my courage inside you, stop wasting my time."

The prince screamed as he charged at his
father and attacked him wildly with his sword. Each thrust was
blocked solidly and effortlessly by his father’s blade. The sheer
force of the attack pushed Arman back around the tower balcony as
sparks flew angrily into the air between them, neither sword
finding flesh. Momentarily distanced, they both stared with hatred
and determination into each other’s eyes. Arman spat at the ground
between them. "What did you think would happen? Did you expect me
to just give up?"

Derian stared silently, not moving a
muscle.

As though it had angered the gods, Greenhaven
was suddenly engulfed by the storm. Sharp crashes of thunder and
vicious arcs of lightning erupted all around the city as its people
ran to shelter. Sounds of panic rose around them. Water fell
heavily from the skies and their skins were blasted with tiny
shards of ice, and the clouds blotted out the moon, casting the
city into darkness.

A flash of lightning revealed Derian’s second
attack as he sprang off the turret wall to bring his sword
plummeting down. Arman dropped to one knee, held his blade flat
with two hands and thrust upwards to deflect the blow. Derian was
sent reeling. As both men neared exhaustion, a bolt of lightning
struck the wall between them and knocked them roughly onto their
backs.

“Did you really think it would be
that
easy to just take the throne? You stupid child!” Arman cried.

The king struggled to his feet and again
steadied his sword, lunging forward with all his strength to meet
his son's weakly held weapon. Derian growled with annoyance and
swung his sword as hard as he could in a circular motion over his
head. Arman quickly stepped aside to avoid the blow and responded
by smashing his fist into Derian’s nose, temporarily blinding him
as his eyes filled with tears. Arman used the element of surprise
to his advantage and thrust his sword with both hands to land deep
into Derian’s stomach.

“It ends here,” said the king.

Another flash of lightning revealed blood,
splattered onto the ground from Derian’s wound. The blood had begun
to curdle, and eat its way into the stone’s surface. The dark sound
of laughter suddenly erupted from Derian’s lips. “You foolish old
man! I am immortal,” he spat with a blood-soaked mouth.

Arman's eyes widened as he laid his eyes on
his son’s true form. With another flash of lightning, he saw the
bite marks on the prince’s pale neck. The scars of his visit to the
sorceress’s tower were now clear as daylight on his skin. With
fangs that gleamed in the torchlight, grey skin, claws and eyes
which shone crimson red… he knew that he had misjudged Derian
completely. As Derian had only suffered a stomach wound, Arman knew
that he was still in grave danger. Vampires can only be killed by a
wound through the heart, being burned to death or beheading.

“Kassina turned you into a vampire? By the
gods, what did you offer her in return?” asked the king.

With a swift motion, Derian grabbed his
father’s sword by the hilt and ripped it out of his own chest with
another explosion of blood. He then swung the blade around with
unnatural speed and sank it deep into Arman’s heart. It was as if
the preceding fight had been but a simple game to the young
prince.

“Allow me to correct your aim, father.
This
is where the heart is,” he growled. Congealed blood
mixed with acidic saliva splattered onto his father’s face, and
burned deep into the king’s flesh. Arman dropped to his knees and
brought his shaking hands to his chest. They were immediately
drenched with steaming hot blood. As his vision blurred, he felt
his heart give up the fight, his face hitting the cold stone floor
of the turret. His last breath escaped his body as the life
disappeared from him.

The bedchamber door suddenly burst open and
armed guards flooded the room with swords drawn, followed closely
by the queen.

“Something is wrong. The king is in danger
and we must find him immediately!” she ordered.

Aidan and Stenwulf stayed close to her side
as the rest of the guards spread out inside the room and made their
way to the balcony. Stenwulf said, “Arman’s protection orders are
immediately underway as a precaution, my Queen."

A guard stepped out to the balcony and a
moment later yelled, “We are too late—the king has been slain!” He
turned his vision to the other side of the balcony and screamed,
“Vampire!” as another flash of lightning revealed Derian still
dressed in his royal clothes. “It’s the prince!” began the guard.
“The traitor must di—”

His next words were cut off by the sound of
choking as an icy-cold blade ran through his throat. Derian pointed
towards Andrielle and yelled, “Leave now, Mother, or you will die!
With Father’s death, you are no longer Queen of Greenhaven.” He
picked up the dead guard’s sword from the floor and threw it
through the air to land deep in Stenwulf’s skull, sending his
lifeless body flying into the cold stone wall.

“My Queen, we must get you to safety—now!”
shouted Aidan.

He grabbed Andrielle by the hand and ran down
the turret stairs. They heard the bedchamber door slam shut with a
violent shudder. The remaining guards swarmed like bees onto
Derian, fighting with all their strength to allow their queen
enough time to escape.

The booming voice of Derian echoed behind
them as the vampire prince screamed into the night, “Army of
Darkness, hear my call. Greenhaven is ours and with the king’s
death, it shall fall!”

The ground rumbled beneath the escape party’s
feet and they shared uneasy glances.

"For the queen!" they cried. The sounds of
the desperate fighting could be heard echoing down the
stairwell.

“Arman, my
poor
Arman! My own son is a
filthy vampire, and the beast killed his own father. Why didn’t he
listen to Vartan’s words?
Why
?” wept Andrielle as she was
pulled further down the stairs by Aidan’s strong hands.

“Quickly, my Queen, you have to escape the
city—it isn't safe for you here anymore. With the king dead, your
life is in danger,” said Aidan.

They finally reached the bottom of the turret
after what felt like an eternity. She was greeted with Helenia,
another guard, and four knights donning their armour and drawing
swords. They were surrounded by two more groups of guards, each man
holding a brightly lit torch above his shield as if to ward off the
darkness of the evil that had invaded Greenhaven.

Helenia stared at her mother with tearful
eyes and cried, "Tell me it isn't true! Is father dead by Derian's
hand?”

The queen looked at her daughter wordlessly
and Helenia began to sob quietly.

Aidan looked Andrielle in the eyes and spoke
firmly. “My Queen, everything has been carried out as per King
Arman’s commands. Helenia, your horses, and your elven armour have
been readied for you. The remaining knights will accompany you on
your journey. May the gods protect you all."

The entire city had descended deep into chaos
with devastation in every direction. Houses burned bright like lit
candlesticks in the night. The remaining guards fought with honour
to defend Greenhaven against the invasion of the Forces of
Darkness, but new shadow demons spawned continuously from the
freshly dead to reinforce the Dark Army’s ranks.

The queen's voice broke as she cried, “My
people are dying. We have to save them!"

Aidan put his hands on her shoulders and
addressed her directly. “We are under strict instructions to ensure
your safety, and I have no choice but to respect King Arman’s
orders. We are overwhelmed, and it is only a matter of time before
we can no longer guarantee your life. With all due respect, my
Queen, put on your armour and ride out of the city as fast and hard
as you can, before I drag you out of here myself. I don't want to
desert my men. We will hold them back for as long as we can, and
will fight to our very last breath. A messenger has already been
dispatched to warn the elves of your journey. There is no time to
waste—now go!”

A loud shudder reverberated through the city
as the main drawbridge was lowered viciously and slammed into the
ground, the force of it sending huge chunks of earth crashing into
the flowing river below it. Andrielle was quickly aided into her
reserve armour and onto her waiting horse before turning to address
the guards. “Brave men of Greenhaven, we thank you from the bottom
of our hearts. If the city is beyond all hope, and you can make it
out with your lives, find your way to the Elven Woods, where you
are all welcome to find a new home with us. There is no shame in
saving your lives."

Aidan raised his sword in the air and they
all shouted together, “Long live the Queen!”

Andrielle and Helenia turned and rode hard
through the main gates, and Aidan returned his attention to the
guards under his command. “We know what we have to do here tonight.
The city is not lost until we say it is. For the memory of our King
Arman!” he yelled.

Aidan raised his sword high in the air as the
roar of the guards momentarily drowned out the horrific screams
from the city. The gathering shapes of shadow demons could be seen
with each bolt of lightning as they took formation at the other end
of the city, and they began to move slowly towards Greenhaven’s
final line of defense.

As an almost blinding flash of lightning
struck the earth near the shadow demons, she finally arrived in
Greenhaven. Her form slowly revealed itself through the dispersing
smoke, and Kassina stood with small bolts of lightning coruscating
into the ground from her fingertips. Her dark laugh echoed eerily
throughout the entire city. “My sweet Derian, we’ve done it!
Greenhaven, their shining jewel, is ours for the taking.”