The Seven Kings

The Seven Kings   Rheta

Rheta had grown bored of the bickering. Perseus had summoned the Horsemen to the castle before Thanatos had gotten across to all of them. They had been supposedly been patrolling the castle, but Rheta was disgusted it took so long to gather the four of them, especially with what was at stake. She had half expected Perseus to scold them for coming late, as each of them had entered the throne room with a swagger, grinning like the idiots they were. Instead, the King in the Walls smiled like an old fool, acknowledging them with a nod which they returned with a bow. Hercules had been the first to arrive. His massive figure, as tall as Thanatos, but far more muscular, throbbed with every step he took. His bulging muscles extended his veins in a visible pattern across his body, pulsating as he breathed. Rheta wasn't surprised they had nicknamed him 'The Warrior.' His muscles weren't just for show. Anyone who faced him on the battlefield either had to be insane, a Horseman, or Rheta hersel

The Seven Kings   Kareem

Be it his luck or a curse, Kareem was beginning to regret his decision in joining the Riders.He had ridden hard for a day, not stopping once for anything, speeding past countless ruined cities and avoiding traveling demons. The demons he had been unable to avoid paid him no attention, as he was dressed in their armor and sat on top of their horse. He was lucky to be alive.Having left his bag of supplies at the ruins he had escaped from, he had nothing to eat or drink, save the minute supplies Verin had left in a small knapsack strapped to the horse. Kareem knew he was on limited supply, but he couldn't help nearly emptying the bag of water he had found. He wanted to stop for a while and scavenge for food and water, but time was running out. Fast.Kareem had been forced to stop when the horse had come to an abrupt halt, refusing to go any further. Mentally kicking himself, he realized he had thought of the horse as no more than another monster, instead of the living creature it was.

The Seven Kings   Kareem

Kareem did his best to hide his footsteps, walking with extreme care and caution. But the demon who stood by the horses had sharper ears than his comrades."Who goes there?" he called out, peering into the darkness.Kareem was thankful they hadn't bothered carrying torches with them as they hunted for him. If they did, he would have been caught in an instant. He concluded they were either overconfident or underestimating Kareem. Either way, he was going to prove them wrong."Zagan, you fool," Kareem mustered the best commanding voice he could while hoping no other demon was around to hear him and fish him out."Oh, took you long enough," Verin sighed. "Standing here was starting to feel tiring. Have you found the mage?""Not yet," Kareem replied, walking towards Verin. The darkness did well to conceal his appearance. As soon as he got close enough, he would only have seconds to execute his plan.He heard the demon grumble under his breath, cursing after every word. "So why are you bac

The Seven Kings   Kareem

Kareem was afraid to wake up, but he would never wake up again if he didn't.Opening his eyes to darkness, he sat up, grabbing his dull Velonium iron sword. He nearly banged his head against the low cobblestone roof he had slept under, but he remembered on time and lay back, just barely avoiding a concussion. He squeezed out of the small platform he was under and stood up, moving at once.It had been a full fortnight since Kareem had been close to the city. He and his eight-man Rider squad had headed out of Verdack to see if they could find more livestock or anything that would be beneficial to them inside the city. But it hadn't taken up to a week before they had been found by a large demon force and hunted down like dogs who slaughtered them mercilessly.Kareem w

The Seven Kings   Rashim

"A demon within the walls? And a general for that matter? We must prepare for war immediately!""They got in by nothing but sheer luck. Another attack on the city is something we can handle.""We are talking about the full force of the demon army, Thanatos," Rheta sighed. "We only have seven days to prepare for the extinction of our race."Rashim hung behind Rheta, quietly watching the argument between the Amazonian and the Horsemen that stood at the base of the steps to the emerald throne. They had been at it for good over ten minutes, bickering back and forth on whether they should take action or not. Much to Rashim's surprise, the King sat silently, his hand on his chin, weary blue eyes looking on as his generals argued amongst one another.

The Seven Kings   Rashim

Rashim was due a visit to the castle after he had been promoted to the ranks of the Riders. Instead, days before his official visit, wearing clothes that screamed his status among the well-dressed mages around him, Rashim had found himself inside the throne room. Face to face with the king of the city.Rheta had dragged him along her side to serve as a witness to the events that had transpired. He insisted she would not have been doubted, being a trusted woman to the king. Unfortunately for him, the leader of the Amazons was hard-headed. And she also threatened to pull out the sword that had weakened his knees out again.Not having a choice, he followed her, assuring hiding mages they stumbled across the threat had been nullified. In the section of the city right before where the highborn lived, they lived in houses made from

The Seven Kings   Rashim

Without opening his eyes, Rashim knew he had screwed up.It wasn't the irritating cries of the traders who moved from mage to mage, advertising their products and haggling with whoever cared to answer them. Neither was it the steady clomping of hooves from the passing horses, dragging whatever cart or carriage they needed to. It was the burning hot sun that had reached past his drapes and slapped him across the face, leaving his skin reddened. That was how he knew he was in big trouble.He sat up immediately, swinging his legs off his bed. Grabbing the blue pants that hung over his bed, Rashim made his way to the entrance of his hut. While struggling to slip it on, he yanked his white tunic off the wall beside the curtain-covered door. He put it on as fast as he could, swiping his grey cloak off the ground along with his b

The Seven Kings   Rashim

The noise got him off his bed.In the early hours of the day, the city guards would ring the warning bells, alerting the mages within the walls of an imminent raid on their heavily fortified stronghold. Most of the time, it was merely a drill, a ploy from the ruler of the city to keep them constantly on their toes, wary of a sudden attack. The times when it was actually an attack from their oppressors, Rashim would flock towards where the remaining orphans were gathered, and remain locked up with them in a room, awaiting the success or defeat of the warriors that are trained to fend off the invaders. Thankfully, the city had always escaped with a slim victory, leaving the mages shorthanded and in need of supplies in preparation for yet another attack.According to the history books he had managed to get his hands on, and the

The Seven Kings   Prologue

"Incoming!"The sound of an iron battering ram clashing with metal gates followed immediately, forcing the armored men pressing their beaten, sweaty bodies against it backward. The force from the impact sent the ones in front off their feet and down to the ground, but others surged forward, pressing their palms against the surface of the dented gate. The fallen, moaning from their aching shoulders and arms, got back on their two feet and supported those that had taken their places.Above them, atop the city walls, several archers yelled at them encouragingly, while plucking off those holding the large cylinder. The majority of them had flocked towards the gates, ignoring the incoming arrows and stones, focusing their fire on the enemies that were attempting to break down their gates. Although they were under heavy siege, the