neck; she realized
she could not react quickly enough, and braced herself for the blow.
A spear whizzed through the air and pierced the
soldier and pinned him to the door. Then there came several more, and Volusia
turned to see her men rushing up to join her. They attacked the guards in a
rush, and the guards, not knowing what was happening and unprepared, were soon
all killed, spears and swords and maces descending on them in a hail of death.
Volusia looked out with satisfaction to see
that all the men guarding the doors were dead. She turned and spotted the
ancient, huge, golden crank that controlled the opening of the doors.
“THE CRANK!” she yelled.
Volusia ran to the huge crank, reached up, and
with all her might yanked on it—to no avail. It was too heavy for her.
Her men joined in, and together, they all began
to pull on it—and slowly, it began to move.
There came a great creaking noise and slowly,
one foot at a time, Volusia watched with delight as the doors began to open.
First it was but a crack of sunlight, just a few inches wide—but then it widened.
And widened.
Behind her, dozens of Empire soldiers within
the city caught onto her presence and charged to kill her. They were perhaps
thirty yards off and closing in.
But as the doors opened there came a great
shout and Volusia watched with ecstasy as her army flooded in. The Empire
soldiers stopped in their tracks, turned, and ran.
Her army poured into the capital, through doors
that were increasingly widening, and she watched them run by like a stampede of
elephants, right into this ancient city’s sacred streets.
The air was soon filled with the sound of
Empire soldiers and citizens being slaughtered, of their blood filling the
streets, and Volusia threw back her head and roared with laughter.
The capital, finally, was hers.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gwendolyn took a long drink from the sack of water,
this time handed to her by one of the knights, who bent over her, his armor
shining in the sun. He gave her more to drink than those nomads had, and she
drank greedily, gulping until it ran down her cheeks.
Coughing, Gwen sat up for the first time, feeling
energized. She opened her eyes, squinting into the sun, raising one hand, and realized
she was on a boat, a long, narrow boat. On it were a half-dozen of these knights,
accompanying her, and sprawled out were all her men, all spilled out in various
positions of recovery, all being handed sacks of water. They glided calmly on
the bluest waters she’d ever seen, and ever her long trek through the arid
desert, this all felt like a dream.
Gwen was filled with relief to see they were
all alive, all recovering, some of them even eating small morsels of bread. She
looked up to see a knight handing her a piece of bread, and she took a small
bite, she felt her strength returning. The knight, squatting beside her, also
held out a small plate of honey, and as she dipped the bread in the honey and
tasted it, it was the greatest thing she’d ever eaten. She felt her spirits
coming back to her.
Gwen heard whining, and she looked down to see Krohn
curled up in her lap, and she immediately remembered him, feeling guilty. she held
out the rest of her bread to him, and he snatched it up, gulping it down and
whining for more. He licked the honey off her fingers.
Gwen wanted to thank the knight as he got up to
leave, but she was still too exhausted, her throat too parched, for the words
to come out. She wondered if she would ever speak again.
As the knight left and went about attending the
others, Gwen, stroking Krohn’s head, looked out at the vista before her. Gentle
lake breezes caressed her face as they glided through the lake, as big as an
ocean, the boat gently rocking. The knights rowed in harmony, and as they went,
the lake shimmered, the most beautiful color blue she’d ever seen. Even more
shocking was what lay on the horizon: a land overflowing with bounty, a green
so lush it put the waters to
she could not react quickly enough, and braced herself for the blow.
A spear whizzed through the air and pierced the
soldier and pinned him to the door. Then there came several more, and Volusia
turned to see her men rushing up to join her. They attacked the guards in a
rush, and the guards, not knowing what was happening and unprepared, were soon
all killed, spears and swords and maces descending on them in a hail of death.
Volusia looked out with satisfaction to see
that all the men guarding the doors were dead. She turned and spotted the
ancient, huge, golden crank that controlled the opening of the doors.
“THE CRANK!” she yelled.
Volusia ran to the huge crank, reached up, and
with all her might yanked on it—to no avail. It was too heavy for her.
Her men joined in, and together, they all began
to pull on it—and slowly, it began to move.
There came a great creaking noise and slowly,
one foot at a time, Volusia watched with delight as the doors began to open.
First it was but a crack of sunlight, just a few inches wide—but then it widened.
And widened.
Behind her, dozens of Empire soldiers within
the city caught onto her presence and charged to kill her. They were perhaps
thirty yards off and closing in.
But as the doors opened there came a great
shout and Volusia watched with ecstasy as her army flooded in. The Empire
soldiers stopped in their tracks, turned, and ran.
Her army poured into the capital, through doors
that were increasingly widening, and she watched them run by like a stampede of
elephants, right into this ancient city’s sacred streets.
The air was soon filled with the sound of
Empire soldiers and citizens being slaughtered, of their blood filling the
streets, and Volusia threw back her head and roared with laughter.
The capital, finally, was hers.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gwendolyn took a long drink from the sack of water,
this time handed to her by one of the knights, who bent over her, his armor
shining in the sun. He gave her more to drink than those nomads had, and she
drank greedily, gulping until it ran down her cheeks.
Coughing, Gwen sat up for the first time, feeling
energized. She opened her eyes, squinting into the sun, raising one hand, and realized
she was on a boat, a long, narrow boat. On it were a half-dozen of these knights,
accompanying her, and sprawled out were all her men, all spilled out in various
positions of recovery, all being handed sacks of water. They glided calmly on
the bluest waters she’d ever seen, and ever her long trek through the arid
desert, this all felt like a dream.
Gwen was filled with relief to see they were
all alive, all recovering, some of them even eating small morsels of bread. She
looked up to see a knight handing her a piece of bread, and she took a small
bite, she felt her strength returning. The knight, squatting beside her, also
held out a small plate of honey, and as she dipped the bread in the honey and
tasted it, it was the greatest thing she’d ever eaten. She felt her spirits
coming back to her.
Gwen heard whining, and she looked down to see Krohn
curled up in her lap, and she immediately remembered him, feeling guilty. she held
out the rest of her bread to him, and he snatched it up, gulping it down and
whining for more. He licked the honey off her fingers.
Gwen wanted to thank the knight as he got up to
leave, but she was still too exhausted, her throat too parched, for the words
to come out. She wondered if she would ever speak again.
As the knight left and went about attending the
others, Gwen, stroking Krohn’s head, looked out at the vista before her. Gentle
lake breezes caressed her face as they glided through the lake, as big as an
ocean, the boat gently rocking. The knights rowed in harmony, and as they went,
the lake shimmered, the most beautiful color blue she’d ever seen. Even more
shocking was what lay on the horizon: a land overflowing with bounty, a green
so lush it put the waters to
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