Xerxes by Micheal Achonye

Attack on Vlagsir

I was nine when my parents got killed by the Drakas. I watched my mother get stabbed multiple times until she gave up, while my father got hacked to pieces without mercy.

Up until this day, no other memory seemed to overtake the merciless killings of my parents.

When they grabbed me and I fought, I didn't know what I was fighting for, or why. It didn't seem right to budge or resist. After all, the only people I loved in this world were dead.

"Corporal!" a hoarse voice called out.

That must be Sergeant Fin. His story wasn't better off when compared to mine. He had watched his parents get crucified upside down as a ten year old. It might have been the reason for his exceeding will to kill Drakas, be it man, woman or child.

What was I saying, none of our stories were better. We had all lost something and we had joined the Dark forces to become mercenaries to go up against the Kings army. They deserved it for what they had done to us. For what they would do if they weren't stopp...

"Corporal!" he barked.

"Yes Sergeant!" I quivered. I wished he would leave me alone and go pick on someone else.

He looked furious, good.

It meant that a Draka station was close by.

"Are you deaf, Corporal?"

"No Sergeant!"

"Then why do I have to call on you multiple times as a deer in heat calls upon her mate."

That did not sound right. His voice was beginning to sound a bit off. Like he was itching to fight but wasn't getting the order from the Xaj.

You see, unlike normal armies which had Kings or Princes lead them into battle, we had a Xaj. It was what we called leaders with exemplary magical powers.

She was the direct descendant of the great Pontius, one of the greatest Sorcerer to have ever walked the earth.

He alone was enough to end this war, but sadly just like every other thing which were mortal in this world, he was no god. He was killed in battle and his daughter Petra had to take up the mantle as a Xaj.

"Do I seem like a fly to you?" he rapped on.

Huh, he was still here.

"No Sergeant!"

"Where are your teammates?"

My teammates consisted of two magicians, one special archer and two expert swordsmen.

They had their ways of doing things in battle. They were a different breed from the rest of us. I on the other hand was just a cartographer and a stable boy. I did not have the physical strength or the endurance to go through missions like they did, so I was given the post of a stable boy. I could not argue with the Generals when the verdict was passed, after all, it was better than being in battle and dying from a dragon fire or a magic spell.

"In the stables preparing for battle, Sir!" I blew out.

He didn't look convinced.

"And your squad leader? Has he gone gallivanting with the whores of Svilnea again?"

That I could not answer on the spot. Sergeant Roman had always been one to ease his pain with vanity. Wine, gambling, women, men, battle, rumbles, fights, spars, anything to get his mind off the crazy world he was in. He didn't like to focus on the situation at hand, instead he liked to distract himself before getting into the battlefield. Very sad way to live, but it was not a bad one when you lived in a world where your life could end in a flash during a surprise attack.

Nobody knew much about his history, but it was rumored by the abbots that his wife and son had been burnt alive while he watched in agony and pain at their sheared skin turning black.

Cruel world.

In vengeful spirit, he had joined the Dark force to alleviate his suffering, but it was still not enough. He came alive whenever he had 'fun' or did something no nobleman would do.

Who could blame him? He was trying to ease his pain the best way he could, and as long as he was fighting in battle with no intentions of dying, he was free to gallivant all day if he wanted to.

"I see you know not where the stray has gone. Go to the stables and prepare for battle with the rest."

Giving my best salute, I turned towards the stable but stopped in my tracks when a hand was put on my shoulder.

It was warm.

"Soldier," he said. "This might not be your first battle, but when you're out here, do not drift off. Be on alert always and defend your stations with your life."

He had a murderous look which made him appear more vicious than he already was.

"Also, don't die out here. The Xaj said you were something special, but I can't see anything special about you. You're just a spearman. Keep your head in the game Xerxes, we'll need that big brain of yours when the time for reading maps and counting our horses has come."

With those words of typical Sergeant Fin encouragement he walked off, leaving me in the middle of the busy field to ponder on my life and how this battle was going to be the one which would change my life, for good.

***

"Where have you been?" asked a concerned Trina.

"Sorry, I was cleaning your swords," I hastily apologized, dropping the cart filled with weapons on the ground.

That was Trina, one of the swordsmen in my squad. She was so good with her swords it was almost impossible to tell her hands apart from her blades in battle.

"And it took you over an hour?" Harry chipped in as he caught his bow which I tossed over to him.

Harry, the archer. His targets never left his sight when he got a whiff of them. He had a ninety four percent chance of accuracy in every battle. He was the best archer in the country, only rivaled by the Kings loyal archer, Durk.

"Y'all should let im be. Y'know he likes to think 'bout things that don't really mat-ter. Ain't that right Xerc?" she asked with a hiccup.

The drunk one with the funny accent in the group was Indigo. She was a magician. Not as powerful as a Xaj, but she could hold her own in battle.

"For Gods sake silly, speak your language with great fervor. And you, boy, go fetch me my other sword in the east tent. If you see Queen there, tell her that she should be a darling and get her magical powers over here so we can go over the plan one more time."

Olly. He was the most ruthless warrior on the field, always devising new ways of killing Draka soldiers. No one knew why he was in the Dark force, but it didn't matter. As long as he was on our side, victory was sure.

Running off to find the east tent was no easy feat. It was hard living in times when war was inevitable. All around the field laid men with weapons getting ready to move out into battle. Most of them would never come back home. Some would come back but would never remain the same. Running past the infirmary was what I hated the most. It had the biggest tent. Of course it should, you only got into the infirmary to get amputated or die. That was how I had lost most of my friends.

Being alone was easier than it seemed, you just didn't need to care. Mina, Hawk, Lan, Bridget, Gop, Ferdinand and Isabel. One by one, I came back with each one dying on my watch. I was the only rookie who survived in every mission miraculously, and now I was alone.

What use was it making friends and families when they would die and leave you behind without a goodbye?

I had lost seven friends in less than four months, I don't think I'll be able to make any new one soon, maybe not ever.

The sky turned grey.

Petra. It was definitely her doing. She was turning the tides in our favour. We fought better in wet conditions, some may say it was our strength.

A dragon flew overhead with its rider struggling to keep it in check as the east tent loomed up in the distance. I slowed down to catch my breath when I heard a chilling sound.

The bell, it had been rung.

No, it can't be!

The last time it was rung was four months ago when I...

I had lost everything that day, I wasn't going to do the same today.

I had to meet up with Queen and regroup with the others.

Increasing my pace, I arrived five minutes later. Would have been easier if I had a horse of my own.

Opening the curtain, I walked into the tent to find it empty. Where was she?

"Rexy?" a voice called from behind catching me off guard.

I turned to see her at the door looking beautiful as ever. She had me startled and it took awhile to regain my composure.

"Lady Queen, Sir Olly requests your presence at the stables!" I bawled with an official tone.

She smiled as she walked past me closing the curtain in the process.

"You don't need to call me 'Lady' Rexy, he's not here y'know," she said falling into the bed.

I relaxed a bit.

"Did you hear the bell?" I frowned, putting myself at ease.

"Yeah, I did, I'm guessing that's why you're here. To help me prepare for battle," she stood from the bed, walking towards me with a sleazy smile on her face.

"I was already on my way before the bell..."

Her lips clashed with mine as her hands clasped my neck. I could not fight her off, I mean, why would I want to do that?

We had been in love with each other since day one, but I was human and she was a descendant of the great magician clan so it was forbidden.

I put my hands on her waist drawing her close to me as we kissed viciously.

I had missed her so badly. She was the only person I could not let go of either to death or to any other magician for any reason. I fought for her and she fought for me. Yes we kept it a secret, but it was better than being sent away from the northern camp to join another encampment.

We stayed still in each others arms breathing hard and wishing this moment would last forever. I wished everyone would leave us alone and let us be with the ones we loved and cherished, but reality had other plans. I had to make the first move or we would be caught.

Call me a coward or whatever, if she was caught with me she would get off with a warning, but I would either be hanged or mercilessly flogged by the stable boys.

"We have to go," I whispered, pulling away from her.

She looked at me with those blue eyes which drove me wild each time.

"Let me get my things," she whispered back, walking away from me to her wardrobe. "I'm also guessing you're here for his sword?" she added.

I nodded.

"You'll find it outside, very close to the well," her voice piqued bitterly, as she scowled while packing her things.

Leaving her to get the sword, I found it exactly where she had said it would be.

The temperature began to get extreme, the sun must be battling against Petra's spells.

The sword had engravings on it. Spells, curses, it didn't matter. They were there to kill Draka soldiers.

A dragon flew lower than usual, but it didn't seem to be one of our native dragons.

Oh no, It was Draka!

They were here already.

The dragon had circled around and started to spill flames from its mouth as it headed for the tent.

Queen!

She was still inside.

I had to do something or it would be too late.

"QUEEN! GET OUT OF THERE!" I screamed, but she could not hear me.

I needed to get her out of that tent.

Running towards the tent at full speed with a fire pouring dragon flying towards me was not on my list of ways to die. I always thought that maybe, just maybe, the King would call off the war and let everyone live in peace, but alas, it would never be so.

It was getting hotter, but I did not care. She was all that mattered to me.

The curtain opened up as I saw her smile and whisper an 'I love you' before being engulfed in flames.

It was over. The last piece of my humanity and peace was gone. I was clearly alone. Queen was gone.

The dragon flew higher up into the sky with its wings blowing out the flames and leaving nothing but ruin in the area. Everything had been burnt to ashes. I fell onto my knees watching the flames rise into the sky. I could hear nothing, I could feel nothing. It was really over.

How could I have let this happen? Maybe if I was born a god or a demon or maybe a human with some kind of power I could have done something but no, I was born human and I was useless.

I could hear the hurried footsteps approaching, and I knew who it was.

"Where is Queen?" his voice quivered in fear.

Hunter, Queens older brother. He wasn't in our crew but he had his gang of elite magicians who used dark powers.

The look on his face was heartbreaking. I could feel the tears roll down my cheek as I could not stop them from flowing.

"I'm so sorry Hunter," my broken voice uttered.

His eyes widened, he did not want to hear the rest of that statement, but he had to.

"Queen is dead."

***

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