CHAPTER ONE
Tale of the Mountain Lion – The Best Epic Story
“Your wife won’t know you’ll be long gone”, Winchester giggled.
“She’s in labour commander and long gone is a hard thing to believe”, I answered with worry.
He was less concerned even though he tried his best to be.
“A boy in her perhaps”, Zeke intruded our soon-to-be friction.
“Aye! mate”, I threw a pebble down the scary mountain.
I was already overjoyed to get back but little do I know the doom that awaited us.
“What’s the mission”?, the six feet Job growled at Winchester.
“Well! the king wants the fang of a mountain creature”, Winchester stopped at the mouth of the cave.
“A badger!”, Zeke intercepted again.
“I think a wombat”? I smiled but Winchester halted immediately.
“A mountain lion!” he gasped. I was greatly terrified by the look on his face. Never have I seen that look not when we faced the army of Great Vadaak.
It was with great courage I crossed a human skull before me.
“We can’t conclude why he wants it yet but long live the king”, Job foolishly answered.
“Our deaths will mean nothing if nobody makes it back”, I countered. “Therefore let’s think twice before attacking a mountain lion in it’s home.”
Winchester of course didn’t listen,……he never has.
“Be chill”, Zeke tapped my soldier. “Your baby must have been born already.”
I was really nervous especially after he said that. I have always wanted to call my baby boy “Adrian” but my wife surely has other plans.
“What’s that smell”?, I almost threw up in the darkness.
“Rotten blood”, Job cackled.
“That’s scary as hell Job”, Winchester’s voice started to sound like echo.
“Zeke!” I called out suddenly. “How’re you doing mate”?
His reply was rather shabby saying only two words: “I’m weak.”
“Chicken!”, Winchester responded as he struck a match which lit up a thousand candles from where we stood.
“That’s not funny”, Zeke pushed him with brute force. I could see the panic in his eyes certainly caused by the loud bat screeches.
“Enough guys! Let’s fight when we are not food for the mountain lion”, I withheld the commander from drawing his sword.
“I don’t care”, Zeke attempted drawing his.
“You should”, Job’s voice hit us as hard as a low growl. “We are in the cave of the devil.”
“Watch the words you play with”, I walked towards where he squatted.
“I am not joking lad”, he got up with a scowl.
It was there and then, he revealed the disected body of the fifteen year old girl that was declared missing weeks ago.
“Angela”, Zeke opened his mouth in agony.
“That has to be his sister”, Winchester bowed which was a significant respect to the dead.
We all felt that cold shiver down our spine. It was a very red day for us not when this emergency was from the dying king himself. You might call me selfish but I was thinking of my kid rather than Zeke’s dead sister.
“Are we safe”?, I asked Winchester as he examined the body.
“With this amount of blood and forceful bite marks to the neck Caleb”, he turned to me. “Nobody is safe.”
“Shhhh”, Job muttered to us. “It is here.”
“Oh God of my unborn child”, I drew my sword. “Let it be a mountain lion.”
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CHAPTER TWO
A wrestle with the devil
Zeke never left his sister’s side.
Angela was his all in all after their mum died. I could feel that excruciating pain in his tone especially when he lets out her name out of his dried lips.
“Get up”, Winchester sought to pull him by his armour. “We have a threat before us.”
I gulped in saliva as much as I could. This was no drill not when the being before us looked both feminine and masculine. It silently walked towards Zeke commanding the bats to be silent in reverence.
“Who are you”?, I pointed my shiny sword at it.
“Take it off from my sight child lest I tear you in pieces your mates dare not count”, he snarled.
“You!”, Zeke looked up at it. “You did this to her.”
“Yes I did”, it replied with cold calm. “A little injury while she walked the woods and I smelt it a mile away.”
“What are you”?, Winchester approached it with a perception of strength oozing from his grip on the sword.
“I won’t say this again”, the creature looked at us. “Your swords should be far from me or I’ll drink you faster than I drank her.”
“Drink”?, Job stood his ground. “We are here to collect your tooth for our sick king you vile creature and for the murder, you are under arrest in the name of King Witherforth Braham.”
“Witherforth”?, It guffawed. “So the little boy still rules the throne.”
“Little boy”?, I pondered. “Who are you”?
“I am definitely not Dracula”, it displayed his thin sharp fangs. “I am what you might refer to as a vampire,….a prime.”
“I don’t care what you are”, Zeke picked up his sword with his mind already made up.
“You will”, he responded as within a flash he grabbed the poor lad. I almost shat myself watching some sharp claws pull out his spinal cord.
“Pathetic”, it said as suddenly our gaze met.
“I am Thymyr, a (he) not an (it)”, he displayed his long snake-like tongue.
“Does he read minds too”?, I shifted back.
“Certainly”, Winchester replied. “But I don’t care.”
“You should”, Thymyr glanced lazily at him. “I have been here for ages son! cursed with a form that five generations dread when the sun goes down. How dare you all stand before me raising your swords with utter disrespect”?
“We will have your head, you foul beast”, Job gnarled.
“I think you’re mistaking”, the creature heaved. “Men are still dependent on their strength, one that will crumble before my legion.”
“What legion”?, I secretly grabbed a candle from the thousands that surrounded us.
“Long ago”, he continued. “I helped build your kingdom alongside your ancestors….ones that were subservient to my master, Rokanak. It was with great delight that in return you offered us the most beautiful of your virgins. We were happy and so was the kingdom not until you all welcomed the demons known to hunt us like jackals.”
“Who were they”, I muttered.
“The ones who bow to the curse of the moon,……lycans”, he gnashed his teeth
“He meant werewolves”, Winchester gently took the burning candle from my hand.
“They hunted us and chased us down, killing my master with not more than a slit at the throat. How pathetic!”
“Indeed”, Job held his sword firmly. “So where are your legion”?
“Oh”, the vampire turned his back on us. “The rituals couldn’t keep me locked up…..not forever because I am Thymyr, firstborn of five primes.”
“And”?, Winchester approached him.
“And everyone in your kingdom will die by my hand”, he salivated.
“Job”, I roared.
He quickly grabbed Thymyr by his claws watching as Winchester punched the candle into his mouth. I came up from the rear with my sword slicing him in two.
“That is for Zeke”, I almost cried out those words.
“Funny!”, a guttural voice came up from behind us.
I was almost gasping for air as Thymyr sat close to the fire whilst watching us burn a shadow puppet of his.
“What a performance”, he clapped.
“Now it’s my turn”, he smirked.
Suddenly the bats continued their screechings as all the candles went off in a flash. I swore his eyes were like bright torches, ones that transformed his skin as he grew taller with height reaching almost Job’s.
“Blood” he encircled us leaving flashes of his smile and sharpened claws.
“I’m taking that tooth”, I shut my eyes in rage. “And I’m seeing my baby.”
“Lies”, I heard the whispers echo. “No one is getting out alive.”
“I will”, I boldly replied as the vampire tossed me to the edge of the cave. Job went into beast mode immediately allowing me to quickly scurry down the mountain.
“The tooth”?, Winchester yelled to me.
I was too afraid to run back not when my commander screamed in untold horror.
“Winchester”, I called out. “Job! Are you there”?
For a minute there was the cold silence as neither of them replied. The wind swept my hair revealing ome minor injuries I have incured from that toss but I couldn’t care less.
“Take the tooth to the king”, Winchester suddenly grabbed my shoulder. I puked on myself seeing just a hand and a leg.
“Don’t insult me soldier”, he fell on my knees. “In the name of Witherforth Braham, I commit my virtuous works, for you Caleb Princewill are knighted commanded in my stead.”
“No Winchester”, I puked some more. “Let’s go home!”
“Take this band”, he untied it from his only arm. “It’s a proof that I placed you in my calling. Only you know what we saw! Tell them all.”
“I will”, I held his head hoping he don’t fall off the mountain but it was better than what trailed up behind him.
“The head of your friend”, Thymyr licked his bloodstained hands. “His blood is the most rich I’ve had in years.”
“I’ll rather die than let you end the kingdom.”
“So be it”, he answered as he sought to grab me with lightning speed but I threw myself off the mountain hoping I don’t die before the end of this secret war.
CONTINUE THE STORY HERE – MONARCHY OF BLOOD CHAPTER 3
