My 8 E-books written over the years by Alina Udrea - HTML preview

Chapter 8: Disappointment

Ivory was watching his army bring down the city gates of

Dustwither. He was grinning so wildly that all his gross yellow teeth were seen. Half an hour later the gates were down and so was the smirk on his face when he saw it: the city was deserted, not a soul in sight.

⦁ What the hell is this? He screamed so loud that even the undead stopped to watch him. His voice seemed unearthly. Nobody answered him though as his army was brainless and untouched by his disappointment. He wanted a war, a battle to be remembered but instead he got it all free: Dustwither was his without the epic battle he had been expecting and so Loyalis was his. After the initial shock of finding a deserted place he thought maybe it was even better this way. It didn’t matter, he would have his epic battle, he would attack Donn next because that is were they

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must have fled. But not yet, first he would sit on the throne of Loyalis, on Mean’s throne. He could attack Donn tomorrow. With these thoughts on his mind, Ivory walked proudly among his undead army. He entered the castle, Mean and Bratty’s castle. It was his castle now, all his. He walked from chamber to chamber examining everything. He had to admit at least to himself that the castle was looking gorgeous, nice and clean and beautifully decorated. So the more he thought about it the more he was glad the battle had been avoided and the castle remained untouched. Way better than if it had been destroyed during the battle. Then he would have had to rebuild it from rubble. But he wasn’t in the mood to celebrate such a victory as it didn’t feel like one.

Ivory was tired even if his army didn’t have any feelings at all, he needed rest. He was human. So he went to sleep with a sour taste in his mouth while his undead army was waiting outside the castle for his next command.

It was a terrifying sight to behold: an undead army filling the

whole city of Dustwither, a city which had been filled just two days ago with happy people, people who had just got their hopes up for a better life back under Mean and Bratty’s rule. Now nothing reminded of them, of their lives; everything was so spooky now. As far as the eyes could see there were just these unholy creatures, these abominations.

Meanwhile the people of Dustwither were led by the two hundred

soldiers under the command of a young general, Lucas. Lucas was young but brave and he loved his job. He loved the feel of a sword in his hands especially as he knew it was used for a just cause, to serve and protect the remaining people of Dustwither and of Loyalis as the others from the other smaller towns had been wiped out by the undead. So he felt it was his sacred duty to save these people. They were all relying on him which made it a bit stressful but even so he worked just as well under stressful conditions as he did in normal conditions.

Next in rank among the soldiers was officer Potz. It was his

nickname as nobody knew his real name. He too was young and brave and ambitious. He liked his military career and was hoping that maybe one day he too would be made a general, just as Lucas.

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Lucas and Potz were both respected and loved among the soldiers as well as among the people of Loyalis. In spite of their young age they had both proven themselves many times on the battlefield which had earned them their ranks and the respect they were enjoying.

They all entered the western woods and headed for the maze of

caves which were supposed to shelter them from the undead. By nightfall they saw the caves and entered carefully, Lucas and Potz ahead, making sure it was safe. Some of the people had torches to light the way while the soldiers, with their weapons ready to be drawn, were making sure there were no dangers inside.

The inside of the cave was dark and dank. It was a large cave

which led to a maze of tunnels. Lucas and Potz decided it was best to put sentinels at the entrances of the tunnels and stay in this cave for shelter. They feared that if they ventured through the maze of tunnels they might get lost or even worse, some of them might stray from the rest. So it was best if they all stayed in the first cave with the sentinels guarding the tunnel entrances. This way if something came from there they would be warned and if something came from the woods they would see for themselves.

Everyone was tired so besides from the sentinels, 5 more

soldiers stood watch while the rest laid down to get some rest. Soon everybody started snoring as they were fast asleep. After midnight even the sentinels dozed off while on guard. Then the 5 soldiers who were supposed to stay on watch duty also snoozed off one by one. So there was practically nobody awake to warn the rest in case of any peril. This is how nobody noticed the thin shadows creeping in the darkness.

The 10 sentinels who were asleep on duty fell to the ground one

after the other, dead almost at the same time. They had their throats slit in a swift movement. One of the 5 watchmen heard a thud and woke up just in time to give the alarm as he saw some creatures that looked like a combination of lizards and men as they were killing the sentinels. Lucas and Potz were already up and armed. Then the rest of the soldiers woke and armed themselves, ready to defend the people who had entrusted them with their lives.

⦁ What in heaven’s name are these creatures? Asked Lucas as he had

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never seen anything like it.

⦁ Lizard men, answered Potz with certainty in his voice. ⦁ How do you know, Potz? Asked Lucas while still agape in wonder. ⦁ I have fought such creatures a few years ago… or rather watched them kill my mates as I was too young to defend them. I tried to fight them off but in the end I had to run to save my life. I am so ashamed but this is the truth.

⦁ Oh, Potz, said Lucas trying to make his friend feel better, it wasn’t your fault. You are still very young so a few years ago when you say you first saw these creatures you were just a boy. You couldn’t have fought them. It was the wisest thing you could have done at that time and under those circumstances. But you know what? Here is your chance to avenge your mates. So what do you say, Potz? Kill these bastard lizard men? Now you can save these people, Potz, and have your revenge.

⦁ Yes, you are right. There is no use in crying over spilled milk. What’s done is done and cannot be changed.

⦁ Nope, but we can change the fate of these innocent people of Dustwither. Their fates haven’t been sealed yet, added Lucas full of wisdom although he was pretty young himself. But he had lead a rough life which had hardened him.

⦁ You know Lucas, your words mean a lot to me. Ok, let’s kill these things! And Potz cried a fierce battle cry which made the lizard men be afraid for a split second.

Then the battle started. The people of Dustwither all gathered in a corner of the cave as they weren’t fighters, they were peasants who had only worked the land their entire lives. The soldiers on the other hand were already engaged in battle, Lucas and Potz at their lead.

The lizard men were armed with long spears while the soldiers

had swords and shields. And also a few archers. The lizard men had the advantage of surprise but the soldiers were also well trained and quickly made up for their initial drawback of having been taken like from a pot.

The battle was fierce, blood was everywhere from both sides. The

pressure on the minds of the soldiers was huge as they weren’t only

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defending their own lives but they were also defending the last people of Loyalis. It was the nation’s future at stake, they had to be victorious.

Lucas and Potz were fighting back to back, protecting one

another. They were glad that the lizard men were not attacking the peasants and were only attacking them and the soldiers. The peasants weren’t seen as threats so the lizard men reckoned to deal with the soldiers first and afterwards deal with the peasants. Everyone fought his best but in the end there were only a few of the soldiers still alive and of course Lucas and Potz. But the lizard men had all been killed. The people of Loyalis were safe at least for now.