Red Serpent: The Falsifier (3 page)

Aidan sealed his mind so the king couldn’t read it. But what if he knew already?

“It is an assassination attempt...isn’t it?” the king asked. His wide mouth broke into a wicked smile, revealing large fangs.

Aidan swallowed his fear and said nothing.

Underneath the hood, the king chuckled softly. The deep demonic laugh echoed across the hall and rang in Aidan’s ears. “Well then, finish me off if you must, young Aidan,” the king said.

“It is not that,” the Rebel said, “I do want diplomatic relations to continue–”

“Useless! Your words are pathetic! Do you think peace can exist after all this? Do you think that the armies will surrender so easily?”

Aidan was taken aback. “Our army will not,” he said, gathering himself. “What we’re fighting for is freedom, for democracy–”

“Democracy!” the king shouted, “You really have no idea what you’re fighting for.”

“Of course I know what I am fighting for.”

As if not listening, the king rose from his throne and with a flick of the wrist, he materialized a sword out of thin air, long with a silver hilt and adorned with onyx and gold.

Aidan stood up and backed away, preparing himself and materializing his own weapon.

The king’s face darkened as he stepped down from the throne.

Aidan moved forward.

The two armies clashed into each other with a mighty force. The impact ruptured bodies and sprayed out blood, creating shockwaves in the ground as human and vampire pushed and shoved. The chaotic battle spread out for miles around.

Suddenly, Adiraan and his men were ambushed by a large number of Rebel battalions that hid beneath the ground. The first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth columns of the vampire army stopped abruptly. A group of fifty thousand Rebels sprang up as the ground cracked open. Vast amounts of lava spewed into the air. Led by Varenkoff, the Rebels flew up and protected the human army with a large energy bubble that deflected most of the enemy attacks. The Rebels that hid amongst their enemy attacked with full force, catching a quarter of the Imperials by surprise. But the enemy was still under the king’s protection, proving all attacks against them ineffective. Aidan had yet to fulfill his mission. The situation worsened when the Imperials resurrected the humans from the dead and turned them into their mindless warrior slaves.

General Howe half-expected this and ordered another full blown attack on the vampires. If they were able to corner them with the help of the Rebels, the enemy would surely surrender until backup arrived.

Varenkoff knew what Howe planned, and followed this strategy. Anaxagoras’s army was trapped but the king’s general immediately called for reinforcements. As they waited, he used his will to control the forces of nature. The ground shook and cracked once more as copious amounts of red hot liquid spurted out. Smoke and steam rose out as lava quickly filled the cracks and burned everything in its path, including the human army.

“Varenkoff!” shouted General Howe. “Do something!” The Rebel general ordered a command to his army and the Rebels levitated the human army into the air and created another powerful protective aura. A translucent blue shield covered them. The Imperial warriors launched energy beams in an attempt to destroy the spherical shield.
This is getting out of hand,
thought John as he looked to Varenkoff.

Varenkoff knew what his comrade was thinking and said, “What would you have us do?”

“There must be some way to stop this!” John said.

The Imperial reinforcements arrived and renewed the attack. Thousands of them flew towards the battle, but before they could get close the Rebels blasted them away with massive energy balls.

Varenkoff flew across the mayhem and punched Adiraan in the chest, knocking him down into the lava. He fell in but flew back up, smiling as his energy shield protected him and radiated a shiny crimson light. The lava, still attached to the shield, dripped off slowly.

Irritated by Adiraan’s taunting smile, Varenkoff concentrated all his strength and energy into his weapon to create an effective blow. The energy around the sword formed slowly as sparks of light surrounded the weapon. The Rebel general dashed at Adiraan but bounced of the reddish energy shield and fell back. Adiraan laughed, his sharp white teeth shining. His long dark red hair blew across his face as the wind from the east moved with raging force. “Look upon your destruction, Varenkoff!” he said as he pointed at the ongoing battle below.

“You’re wrong!” Varenkoff said. “It’s time for Aidan to rule in a new order!” “Aidan is but a child compared to Lord Anaxagoras! No one can replace our king!” Varenkoff darted at Adiraan’s stomach and their haphazard battle continued.

Just beneath them, John Howe and his army were nearing defeat. The general decided to call for reinforcements. He knew of another battalion fighting out in the Gobi Desert, led by General Jarad Hameed. If they were still alive, he could call them to come and help. But would it be too late by then? If they even managed to arrive, would his battalion already be destroyed?
That’ll be a risk we will have to take.
So he did what was necessary and radioed General Hameed.

The battle between Aidan and Anaxagoras grew fiercer. Their swords clashed with a fiery intensity that radiated sparks of hot light. The rapid clanging of metal upon metal resonated throughout the large hall.

Anaxagoras’s skills as a swordsman were the stuff of legend. His flawless reputation remained intact after numerous challenges from knights who were swiftly slain for their audacity. But Aidan too was a master swordsman. He had studied under the king and faced him in sparring matches. But all that was much earlier, before the war.

Once more, their swords collided, creating flashes of energy that blasted them to opposite sides of the room. The only thing on Aidan’s mind now was to destroy Anaxagoras. “You will pay for all the deaths you’ve caused, for all the pain you have brought upon the peoples of Migra and the Earth. I hate what you have done for us. It is a curse.” Aidan stopped and backed off when he was level with the king.

“How can you call this,” Anaxagoras charged up his right hand until energy formed around it, “a curse?” He threw the energy bolt at Aidan. The prophet backed away as the blast flew past his shoulder and hit the wall, which crumbled into pieces. Aidan soared towards the king, but Anaxagoras cast him aside into the debris. Aidan’s body was crushed as it hurtled into the rubble. His head started bleeding but he was still conscious. He glared at the king who landed softly on the ground and walked to him.

“Don’t forget this, oh wise king. I know your secret,” Aidan said.

The king halted. “No one can destroy me!”

“You will surely die.” He said. “For he is coming. The Falsifier is born!”

“What did you say?” Anaxagoras’s voice faltered for a moment.

Aidan laughed at the sudden weakness he saw in the king. He saw the end coming but was no longer afraid to die. In his mind’s eye he saw the savior of the humans and the vampires alike. Now he was ready to accept his death.

With one swift move, the king slashed his chest open. “I will be ready.” The king turned around, leaving his enemy to die and disappeared into a mist.

“You will be sorry,” Aidan’s breath heaved. Blood surged out his mouth.

“Aidan!” Nikolas rushed into the throne room, having defeated the guards in order to get in. He embraced Aidan clutching his hand. “Where is he?”

Aidan spoke with a deep rasp, “I don’t know.”

“We’ve lost! It’s the end for us now.” Nikolas cried as blood flowed down his cheeks.

“No!” Aidan said, “It isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning.” He breathed out his last and smiled as he entered the eternal.

Alex inspected himself in the mirror. The reflection showed a young man with wavy jet-black hair and a pale clean-shaven face. His eyes were dark brown and his nose was thin and majestic, which suited his long face. He had the air of an emperor about him like that of Bonaparte or Nero, two of his favorite leaders he studied about when he majored in Political Science at the Regnum University.

In his left ear he wore a tiny hearing aid, which despite being the latest technology did not make a massive difference. Four years ago he had been left practically deaf in his left ear after a sporting accident. Whilst scoring a touchdown for his college football team he had been crushed by the opposition. In the chaos someone had accidentally trampled on the side of his head, perforating his eardrum. The doctor had told him that his hearing would never fully return and it remained a cause of constant discomfort to him.

He stood six feet tall with an athletic body. Whether walking, sitting, or just plain standing, Alex possessed an authoritative physical presence. That might have been expected, perhaps, since he was the nephew of the most powerful man in all of Regnum, General John Howe the Head of the Council.

The Council of Regnum was an oligarchy that consisted of six leaders, each representing the six inhabited continents of the Earth as it was before the Third World War of 2112 AD. Above them was John Howe, the Executive Leader. Under the Council were three other governmental bodies: the Senate (consisting of one hundred and forty four people), the Judiciary or the Supreme Court (consisting of six Justices), and the Municipal Board (consisting of six Officials) which overlooked the day to day objectives, public safety, health and other aspects of the society of Regnum. Alex knew he would inherit the leadership of the Regnum, even though it wasn’t allowed legally. But his uncle always hoped he would be elected to the Leader’s Chair.

The twenty one year old fixed his silk tie and readjusted his black suit jacket. He turned around and sighed. He unbuttoned his coat and sat down on the chair nearby, nervous because it was his graduation day and he was the valedictorian. But there was something else that had been bothering him for a long time. Everyone’s parents were going to be there but his.

Of course everyone knew that as well. Alex had never met his father and knew nothing about him, and his mother had died during childbirth. Whatever memories he had of her had long since faded with his infancy. He thought of her now, hoping beyond belief that he might one day see her again. Maybe then he would discover all the truth his uncle seemed to be hiding.

Any time Alex asked about his father or the other side of his family, John’s face would darken and his brow would furrow even more than it did when he was deep in thought at the council. Whenever he asked these kinds of questions, Alex could see a hint of nostalgia in John’s glinting eyes. Alex imagined that his uncle thought of the glories won in the War for Existence. A bittersweet expression would dominate John’s face as he talked about the old days, before the War, when there was peace. Of course Alex already knew what his uncle spoke of during these wistful speeches. He had studied it in-depth as a thesis for his degree in Political Science, on the Comparative Studies of Wars and Their Corresponding Leaders. The content of his thesis spanned all the way from ancient prehistoric myths through the revolutions and to the Four Great World Wars. It also covered a detailed history of the recent war, its causes, the Rebellion, the Last Battle, and the aftermath.

What he and everybody else knew was that after the crushing defeat at the Battle of Antarctica, the humans were forced to retreat when General Jarad Hameed’s army arrived too late. By the time they got there, the vampires were on the offensive with a larger number of forces than ever. The Rebels, those vampires who were against the Imperial Regime, were too few to hold the enemy off. By the time the secondin-command of the Rebellion arrived, General Nikolas Gareng, most of the human and Rebel Armies had perished. King Anaxagoras had won the war and the humans were to be exiled forever. The Rebels were taken as prisoners of war and their fates were to be decided by the Monarchy.

Two weeks later, a meeting took place between John and Anaxagoras’s vizier, Erik III, a duke of the imperial nobility of the vampires. It was decided that a treaty should be signed in New York, where the long-forgotten UN headquarters once stood. The humans had no choice but to agree to the exile. They were to build a spherical space station called the Regnum, the largest in history with a huge glass encasing and spanning a diameter of 5042 miles. It was to orbit the Earth and was to be at all times between the Earth and its natural moon. The vampires thought this would be the best way of containing the humans. They would be so close to home yet still unable to fight or reestablish another army. As the old saying went,
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

During the peace meeting, General Howe spoke up for the Rebels in the great hall of the newly renovated building that stood in the place of the UN headquarters. Before the meeting, he spoke in private with Erik and suggested that the Rebels be allowed to live with the humans on the Regnum. After much consideration, Erik refused. He had other things in mind. John remained adamant and made a motion in the public gathering stating that the Rebels should be able to co-exist with the humans in the Regnum. Two of the seven council members agreed, while twenty percent of the Imperial Council agreed. But the rest of the Council Members, led by General Hameed, refused.