Age Of The Red Demons

The Beginning

Morrys the second was not the type to dance and waggle around problems. He sought for solutions immediately he was faced with a situation.

The king ordered for all his council lords and historians. It was an urgent meeting. A decision had to be met, and that too in due time.

The meeting took place in the throne room where they had met earlier, but this time, his majesty remained on his throne and the lords and historians took their seats in their various positions on the long opposite rows on both sides of the palace.

When all had been seated, the king began, “It may be true that my daughter has released Zathryon and that beast walks on this land as we speak. At that, a solution is what I seek. Does anyone of you wise lords have a proposal as to what can be done before this gets out of hand?"

Lord Roberts spoke first, “Your majesty, the dark spies I sent out to the blind cave are not returned so I have sent more men, but I have a reason to believe that the Red King has begun to strike.”

“No, that cannot be,” General Arthogan said, the first man of the warrior fold of Meredith who had not been in the first meeting. He was not a lord, but a soldier. “He would surely need some time. The four lands are not as they used to be. Back in his days, we were one kingdom but now, borders lie here and there. How can he know where to begin?”

“And you believe the council should gamble on that?” Rivers asked.

“Is there any reason you should not?”

“What is there for him to begin? He is a mad man! He only wants blood!” Lord Rivers argued, “It does not matter to him whose land it is and whose it is not. I think you should stick to making battle plans, general.” Some ministers laughed at this statement.

The king came in here, the issue on ground bred neither laughter nor mockery. “There is a point in both your words, his next action will not be easy to predict”

Sa Greith stood up next, “In all the tales that are being told of the Red King," he began, "his thirst for blood is always emphasized, and only a few know of his true origin, and the reason he became what he became.”

“Oh I do,” replied the king, “He was a bastard son of the king of that time! He thought he had a right to the throne of Albane, such vile thoughts in the mind of a product of filth. He traded his soul for the darkest of arts!”

“Sire, he became what he became because of the one purpose he had. If he has resurrected, then I fear that he will chase after that same purpose where he left off. He would definitely want to reclaim what he believed was his - Albane!”

Greith’s point was becoming clear enough now, Zathryon had traded his soul to the god of demons just so he could usurp the throne from his half-brothers Arther and Arnold. The demons had given him the power to learn magic, dark magic.

He did learn it with the help of his friend Ar Atuz, son of the great wizard Ar Peruz who had declined Zathryon at first.

“I second that your highness,” General Arthogan added, “That would be his grand agenda”.

The king gave it a thought, there was no reason not to believe this assumption. Zathryon would want to pick up where he left off. “If that is the case, then he would go to the old palace. He would not understand that the palace has been empty for decades.”

The old palace was the royal palace of Albane before the seperation, and it was one of those things that fell between the borders of Meredith and Vail, with none having a full claim to it's ownership, thus ababdoned.

“If I may, your grace” Benifer requested, he hadn't spoken a word all night.

“Yes, you may”. The king permitted the primelord.

"I will say that we go back to the ways of the ancient, our golden armor which took us through the thickest of darkness that had plagued us in the past. The precious weapon with which we fought for the most of our history, but which, sadly, has being lost in recent times, but still not out of reach.

I hear that the wizards are now..”

“You will not mention of the wizards!” King Morrys cut the prime lord short, “We do not need them again, not this time and certainly not in the times ahead”. The king beat his chest, “I will not run to those who turned their backs at me. My soldiers will fight and defeat this Zathryon!”

“Your majesty,” Benifer tried to reason, “The war against the Red King is not one to be fought with swords and spears and arrows. Only sorcery could deal with him in the past, and only sorcery can stop him now..”

“Lord Benifer!” the king raised his voice, “I pardon you this time, but you will not mention the wizards in this room again. And no one! Will call anyone a king within my own council. I am king, and I have my crown to prove it!”

Then the king gave his order, “Send men to the old palace, let them wait in hiding till they catch sight of him. Also, let all the people know: Anyone who harbours a stranger in his home shall be treated the same as someone who had plotted treason.”

And so the order was passed, the soldiers kept watch on the old palace day and night, to the suspicions of the Valesh soldiers.

Within the city, curfews were held. Everone - men, women and even children were starting to feel the breeze of change as it blew slowly upon Meredith from over the mountains.

"Momma! What is happening?" A child would ask his mother. "Is it true that demons will come and kill everyone?"

"Do not worry. No such thing will happen. The king will not allow it." If only the speaker believed her own words.

Unrest had begun to rule the land, and the stories began to leave Meredith to the other lands.

But could it be that while all these were going on, the man, the demon, because of whom all uproar had started was there all along? Watching and laughing at the foolery of this generation.