Fall of Centuria Read online

  A thin, horizontal dark line appeared over the ridge. In moments, it became a thick wavy line. Demons. The guards at the north wall about faced and ran for the great hall. On their way, they warned the townsfolk to go indoors and get any weapons handy or prepare to evacuate. They ran into the great hall and asked the king’s squire to get King Katimi immediately. By this time, King Katimi had finished shopping in the market and was in his private kitchen putting away the fresh produce. The squire hurriedly told King Katimi that the guards needed him right away. King Katimi dropped what he was doing and went swiftly to the great hall where the guards were anxiously waiting.

  Still out of breath, the guards stood in front of King Katimi. He offered them a quick drink and asked them to report. They simultaneously said, “Demons!”

  One of them continued, “Giant worm-like creatures are attacking the walls, and balls of fire are being launched into the baileys as well.”

  The king raised his brow and murmured, “Hmmm.” He ordered his clergy to summon his generals immediately. The reporting guards were told to standby.

  Moments later, the Generals Gathar and Yiorn entered the hall in ivory and silver armor. Although their armor shone, it had seen its days in battle with dents and scratches in places that would have dealt fatal blows to the wearer if not for the armor.

  General Gathar spoke first, “How can we be at your service, Your Majesty?”

  King Katimi repeated the situation that he had just learned.

  Gathar towered over the other general but he did not look down on him. He ran his hand through his graying hair and said, “We must do what we can to hold off the demons.”

  General Yiorn replied, “We do not have many men.” His short beard twitched as he spoke and he adjusted the rare black dragon dagger at his side.

  Gathar responded, “If we can get the clerics to help we may have a chance.” His words were unsettling. The generals found no glory or honor in using magic for war but the demons had pushed them into making no other choice. The demons were powerful beings, and they showed no mercy. Personally, Gathar hated magic and didn’t fully trust anyone who used it.

  King Katimi chimed in, “Do what you must. General Gathar, you have full command of our resources here.” Gathar’s lips tightened. He knew that the king’s statement meant Centuria was in danger of being completely wiped out of existence. King Katimi had never given any army full access to all available resources. “Tell all women and children to stay indoors but prepare to move at a moment’s notice. Warn anyone capable of fighting to arm themselves with whatever can be used as a weapon.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” The two generals answered. The king waved his hand and dismissed them. They exited the great hall and gathered the few warriors remaining within the city’s walls.

  Lining up along the castle walls, armed civilians and experienced warriors shivered. They stared at the approaching dark line. The demons were getting closer and the sounds of demonic grunts mixed with the creaking of catapults that rolled along. A stream line of dirt moved quickly toward the wall. Another worm was coming and Gathar shouted the order, “Prepare to attack!” The ground burst open, and a monstrous brown worm erupted from the hole. It waved back and forth knocking many men off their feet, and then it crashed into what remained of the castle wall. The well-crafted masonry fell and the men scattered. Gathar yelled his next order, “Attack!” Warriors surrounded the monster and swarmed in on it. Armed civilians stood around waiting for their moment to join the battle or flee. Swords and axes left large cuts and green fluid oozed from the wounds. The worm started to falter. It crashed into the castle wall one more time then collapsed. Now, there was a huge opening in the castle’s sturdy outer wall, leaving the inner section of the city open to a full on takeover. The defenders knew they had to guard the opening and they gathered around it forming a human barrier.

  The blurry dark line turned into an army of demons. Crimson eyes stared. Centuria’s citizens heard snorts and grunts arise from the invaders as their line advanced toward the castle.

  The demons approached at an amazingly fast speed and atop the humans in seconds. Sounds of colliding metal filled the air as the humans held their shields up the best they could against the demons’ rage and strength. The demons overpowered the front line within minutes. Catapults continued to launch burning stones into the city. Another worm burst out of the ground. Then it whipped at the warriors madly. Many fell. The first warrior to get struck lost his head and it tumbled, bounced, and disappeared unnoticed into a crowd of battling madness. Gathar called for his men to retreat further into the city. They were no match for the demons and staying in the exposed area of the outer wall gave the demons an advantage nonetheless. He was hoping to buy some time before help arrived. That is, if any help was coming. The humans retreated into the castle walls while getting attacked and mauled from behind. The armed civilians began to lose hope but continued fighting the best they could. Bodies were piling up, and the men found themselves climbing over their comrades trying to escape. A battle cry arose from the demons. It spread quickly throughout their ranks and they suddenly ceased fighting.

  Only for a moment though. Black beasts formed from the burning stones as the round forms arched and twisted in unnatural ways to create the next horror to join the scene. The new creatures, the alamours, were apparitions with wicked grins, claws in place of hands and red eyes like the demons. They incessantly tore through the crowds of people with their claws. Lord, the screaming was everywhere. Some were screams of pain and others from sheer terror. The demons joined their new allies in the slaughter.

  Gathar called out to his men, “Save the women and the children. Get them away from the city and take them to Salidon. Make haste!” His wife Angela would be included in their number. Being first in the initial attack he was now the last to retreat, spinning around in circles to defend himself as he barked orders and moved from the battle. He watched his men charge into homes and lead families out as he continued to hold off the demons and alamours. A foul creature with crooked teeth and death’s stench was after Gathar. It leaped through the battling armies and struck him in the back. Gathar stumbled forward but did not fall. He was too well trained and experienced in the skills of fighting to allow a simple, childlike aggressive attack throw him off his feet. Quickly, he spun around, held up his sword and stopped the second blow from landing. The demon howled in rage and continued to stay on the offensive. Gathar had to step on his own men to avoid being struck again. He pitied their souls and asked for forgiveness when he felt lifeless limbs under his feet as he stepped on their corpses.

  He heard a woman shriek, “My boy! My boy! Someone find my boy! He is young. He is scared.” Gathar immediately thought of his own wife and family as he looked around. The woman was being led out of a house by a Centurian warrior and pushed away from battle. Gathar took his sword and swiped through the aggressive demon attacking him. Blood sprayed his face and it began to burn. He wiped it away on his sleeve and the armor disintegrated. The melting stopped once the armor was gone.

  The woman’s cry for help echoed in his mind. Gathar ran into the nearest home and quickly searched. Nobody. Then he ran back into battle and thought for a moment. Where could a young boy be in all this chaos? The church. The boy may have gone to the church for safety. He fought his way through three more demons while Yiorn and his men continued to hold them back.

  Yiorn fought valiantly and his men followed. They had an unmatched endless courage and have never lost a battle. Their commander always led them to victory. Until now.

  The men held back the demons so the women and children could be led out through the other side of the city. They knew it meant certain death to continue fighting but they fought bravely regardless. Yiorn had chosen good men and women to be his warriors, and he trained them well. Several of his warriors noticed General Gathar working his way into a church. They kept the area clear of demons while Gathar was inside. He came back out the front entrance lea
ding a small boy. Several demons tried to push their way through but Yiorn’s warriors stopped them. Gathar respectfully nodded with approval to Yiorn’s brave warriors as a sign of gratitude, then set off to get the boy away from the havoc.

  General Gathar ran with the boy at full speed toward the rear of the city and to the escape route specifically created for a time such as this. The boy could not keep up a fast pace so Gathar ran back and picked him up. The houses, the market, the animal shelters, the flowers, and the castle became a blur. Sounds of fighting faded as they distanced themselves from the battle. Gathar’s arms began to ache. He pulled the boy closer to his body and pushed through the feelings of his muscles begging for him to stop.

  The warriors opened a clear path for Gathar and the boy as they became surrounded. They continued fighting the demons one by one until some licking flames came from an alamour and swallowed them all. The demons along with the warriors perished instantly in the fiery madness.

  General Yiorn sent out one last battle cry to his warriors before a giant demon used its body to crush him. He was trapped by the weight of the monster. His lungs deflated as the beast pressed harder against his chest. His breaths became rapid and shallow, and he could no longer scream out orders to his army. The beast looked down at him with its sharp teeth grinding. Then, with one quick blow, it smashed Yiorn’s head into the hard ground.

  The boy cried in Gathar’s ears. He was terrified by the vicious beings tearing apart his home. They had escaped Centuria and made their way to catch up to the other evacuees. Gathar saw a few of his warriors leading the group. He made eye contact, gave them a look of approval and said nothing. He was aware that the warriors did not want to retreat as they had. They were courageous warriors and believed in fighting to the end. Yet, they had orders to protect the women and children. So, they followed his lead. Gathar found Angela and reassured her that they would get through this and he would be with her again in Salidon.

  As the group further distanced themselves from the city, the sound of battle faded. A few demons had followed but were quickly slain. Gathar looked back at the castle and could see that only one blue flag out of four had been changed to a red one. The blue flags were flown during peacetime and the red flags during war. The attack happened so fast that even the flag-bearers didn’t have time to react.

  Gathar searched the crowd of refugees for the boy’s mother. He tried to remember what she had looked like. “Did she have brown hair or was it blonde? Was it curly or straight? Was she tall or was she short?” he thought. The only thing he could remember was the sound of her voice calling for help. They dipped through the crowd and excused themselves as they passed clusters of people. After a long search, they found her near the front of the group next to the warriors that pulled her from the city. The boy pointed at her and squirmed as he called out, “Mother!” She turned around and looked at them with tear-filled eyes. She let out a huge sigh of relief, gave her best smile to hide the nearly unbearable sadness she felt over the past few hours, and ran to her son. Gathar let the boy down, and he was quickly picked back up by his mother who thanked him deeply.

  He politely bowed to the lady. Then he joined his warriors leading the group.

  “It is getting close to nightfall and we still have yet to pass through the forest.” Gathar said to his men.

  “Yes, sir. I know this path very well and it would be best if we begin our descent into the woods now.” a bruised warrior responded, “It will give us better coverage in case the demons are in pursuit. The dangers within the forest are less threatening than the demons, sir.”

  “A good point you make, Leonard. Let everyone know that our plan is to enter the woods before nightfall. We will take a short break at the edge of the forest. If anyone objects let them know the risk is worth it.”

  “Yes, sir.” Leonard gathered a few more warriors and went through the crowd telling everyone the plan. Gathar remained in the front and kept his eyes open for any more demons stalking them.

  They finished crossing the grasslands and were at the edge of the forest where they took a short rest. Gathar repeated to the group, “Although nightfall is near, we will enter the forest now and make camp. We will have patrol take shifts that way everyone can get some rest. Leonard, lead the way.”

  Leonard went to the front of the group and led the way into the forest. The huge trees made a canopy over the forest floor. The darkness inside gave the appearance as if the night had come early. Their boots slid in the soft and giving soil surrounded by thick shrubbery and moss. Everyone fell silent. They even held back their sobs so they could hear well. Occasionally, a branch would fall or creak, and hundreds of women and children flinched at every noise. They knew that other than bears, wolves, and spiders there lived a species of human-like lizards, known as lagartos, in the forest. Tales have been told about their cunning ability to blend in with the trees. Very few humans had actually ever seen one and lived to tell about it. They questioned the idea that the lagartos were more merciful than the demons.

  When they were deep into the forest, Leonard spoke, “We are near the campsite.” Moments later there was a clearing in the ground cover. A pit had been dug out for fires, and it hadn’t been used for quite a while. It was one of the rare cool nights in the middle of summer.

  Gathar asked a few warriors, “Will you gather some wood for a small fire?” The warriors took a while to find dry wood since the ground was damp and full of life. Gathar used some dry twigs to get the fire started in the pit. He sat down by the fire and poked at it with a long stick to keep it burning. The refugees and warriors joined him. He took a survey of their number and realized, for the first time, that there weren’t many men, except for the warriors, in the group. Simon and Drake stared back at him. Many of the men stayed back to defend against the demons. A great heartache sank in for retreating. Then he noticed that King Katimi, the most important man he was sworn to protect, was not with them.

  Chapter Three

  Not far from Centuria, at the demon’s fortress, a human negotiated with the monsters. King Katimi moved his hands as he spoke to Nisgi, leader of the demon army. He was very animated when he told him, “You now have Centuria. Will you spare my life?”

  Nisgi chuckled. “Centuria is ours but many of your people had fled. You did not hold up your end of the deal. We will take from you what you humans find so precious.” He held up his hand, palm facing the king, and chanted. A purple glow illuminated down his arm and through his fingers. Then it reached out for the king. King Katimi’s eyes widened from the shock and they changed color. They became a brilliant red, his body tensed and his skin wrinkled rapidly, and soon became black. King Katimi turned into a demon. “Your new form is magnificent.” Nisgi clenched his fist. “Embrace it. Enjoy it.”

  Katimi tried to speak but his tongue only allowed him to snarl.

  Nisgi once again said, “Magnificent!” Katimi’s morphed form moved wildly throughout the chamber. No longer a king but now a demon, he was furious. He tried to beg to be changed back but only more growling escaped. His body stiffened more and became hot. Nisgi said, “Follow me, my little pawn.” Involuntarily, Katimi’s body followed the command. His legs were no longer in his control, and they led him out of the room with Nisgi.

  They walked into a darker chamber of the fortress. There was one small torch in the corner barely lighting a path down a stairwell. They crossed the shadows and took the steps down. The stairs spiraled. After every full turn there was another torch of different color lighting the way. Each torch gave off an essence, and the path became colder as they descended. Then they could hear the rattling of chains as they entered a chamber lit by green torches. There were beasts of all different shapes and sizes in cages. All were black, except for the one in chains. Wex. It had human flesh but was ten times the size of any person. Across each joint laid rippled muscles that tore through the skin. The face was deformed, and its jaw was harnessed shut. Even as a demon, Katimi was terrified of the crea
ture that let out a muffled roar and rattled the chains again. Each time, it seemed as if the wall holding the chains shook along with them. Katimi’s legs continued to walk under Nisgi’s control. They led him into a cage of his own, and Nisgi locked it.

  “You will be of use to us soon enough,” Nisgi said before disappearing into the winding staircase.

  Upon returning to his throne, a messenger charged in toward him. “Great Nisgi, the humans have taken control of Aldor.” He snarled a few times and continued, “They had warlocks with their armies. Our forces were no match for the spells they knew. It was dark magic, no doubt, yet they seemed to be wielding it well and to their advantage.”

  “Indeed.” Nisgi responded as if he expected the news. The messenger looked at him with a question.

  “We have no demons left at the fortress, Great Nisgi.”

  “The arrival of our true master is near. We will take it back once again.” The messenger wanted to question his master but knew better. If he questioned Nisgi’s statements he would be locked up with the others in the dungeon, or worse, slaughtered by a means that sent chills throughout his body just thinking about it. “Once Lord Emalf reaches us from the skies we will have an army strong enough to overtake this world. He has promised us all of Palatovia if we help him find a few ancient artifacts and overcome the humans.”

  The messenger shivered at the mere mention of the name Lord Emalf. It’s been heard that anywhere he travels life on that planet gets cursed and turns on itself, soon becoming dry and extinct.