The tall man paced back and forth in anger. How could all of his spies fail so miserably?!He was the most powerful man in all of Mac, but it seemed unimportant to the dogs that worked for him that he was king. He wanted one small child, but they did not aspire towards the same wish. They wanted what everyone wanted from him- power.
The man threw the table nearest to him against the darkly painted walls. He was in his least favorite place of the citadel. The dungeon held more than just his evil plots to gain but also crazy addle brained fools who had tried and failed miserably to prevent him from obtaining the throne. Their screams of terror were the only satisfying fact of the damp walled up prison.
If he wished to keep the power of the kingdom, he must find the child. Another table smashed into the wall. King Scourge was not a man of patience. To him patience was like holding back the water of the River Kamagith. Even with his magic, he was in the ability to be crushed by a small child, not even a man! The man let a cry of pure rage escape his pale thin lips. King Scourge’s blood red eyes scanned the small room- anything was at his mercy to be thrown against the wall.
Finally, his eyes rested on the small round table that was occupied by a silver ball. It was his eye to the rest of the world. Scourge swept over to the table and sat down in the wooden chair next to it, his frustration meeting the end of the rope with patience. Slowly, the fog lifted from the crystal orb and he managed to see the boy again. His blood ran cold as he survived the boys face, and an immediate superiority leaked into his veins.
Black hair, bright blue eyes, and tall figure, the boy haunted him in his sleep. It was a mere farm boy- nothing of substantial importance. Scourge tried to focus, but the picture slid from his mind like it had so many times before. A bold knock echoed through his chamber.
“WHAT?!” He shrieked in annoyance. The heavy wooden door opened, showing a tall Bas. Behind it, sprawled out on a small bed, laid a short, thin, dark haired woman. Scourges anger curved into blood curling joy.
“Perfect…”He rasped, lips parting into something of a smile.
***
Miles away in the rustic part of Mac, was a boy named Garret. Only 15 years old, he was not considered a man to the village’s eyes, but his older brother, Thomas, was greatly smiled upon. Nevertheless, his small charming ways did not keep the villagers from talking.
“That Doln family- silly folk…Opals head is always in the clouds”
“Their father was the most impolite, good for nothing kind of guy anyway!” though they didn’t know Garrets father was in the first place.
“They don’t belong here!” Thomas once heard an old man cackle. “Opal came in with that Thomas and Garret and begged for us to help!” Once they ambushed them with strong words behind the Doln’s backs. Not even the strong arms of Thomas could hold Garret back. Garret always rolled his eyes and would conspicuously into the room. They would immediately shut up, but the words still stung his heart.
One day, Opal came in hurriedly, beckoning a stranger into the house. Garret was setting the table while Thomas tried his hand at cooking, so when the tall sheepish man entered, Garret went to greet him.
“Hello sir. A friend of Opals?” Garret tried to sound professional. Too bad Thomas didn’t like cooking that much- he came in and saw how Garret had addressed their mother and cuffed him on the back of the head before introducing himself. Then Garret was shushed into the kitchen to prepare the meal.
“Henry- how is everything?” Thomas asked under his breath as he finished the job Garret started.
“Not good Thomas… Echni dous frallin. Mahc samba….” Through the crack in the door, Garret could hear and see the man, Henry, shake his head sadly. What a strange language! Garret thought, tilting his head as if to interpret the bell like glide of the mysterious tongue. As if Thomas and Henry heard him they looked at the door. Thomas looked slightly angry, but Henry only smiled. Garret felt himself grin back and he looked over the man with new interest. He was very tall with brown hair. He almost looked just like Thomas, except the point that Thomas had pale blond hair. Other than that, they seemed very alike…
“Garret is his name?” Henry asked with raised eyebrows. Thomas nodded a wary yes. Henry smiled again in Garrets direction, but it pulled back into a deep frown as Opal entered. Opal was walking more fluidly; she didn’t have the tight strained look Garret greeted in the morning. She is dressed in boy clothes! Garret realized blinking.
“Garret?! Garret, where are you?!” She called out hysterically, dropping a large heavy bag. Garret sauntered out of the kitchen with food.
“It’s ok mom. I’m right here…” He mumbled before setting the food down and brushing his hands. Opal strode over to him and hugged her son, gripping him like she would when he was only a child. She kept her hands on his shoulders, leaned back, and looked at him triumphantly. Garret was a head taller than his mother, so he noticed when her green eyes welled up.
“Ah, mom, don’t cry…” He said, slightly embarrassed that she would cry in front of the guest. She had been doing this lately. Calling his name franticly and then hugging him like he had come back from the dead. She sighed, hugged him one more time and then let go, announcing:
“Your right, your right…. No tears…. Garret, I’m going to be gone for a week or so, and I need you to listen to Thomas. If you have something important to say I want you to ask him a personal question, one he would only know.” Garret blinked in annoyance. There was no point in treating him like a baby. Besides, why would there be another Thomas? Henry walked over and looked the 15 year old boy up and down. Garret noted that this Henry had pale blue eyes, much like his own.
“Well, Garret, I must say that you look very much like your father.” Garret’s eyes immediately widened.
“You knew my dad?” He asked his gaze hopeful, yet unbelieving.
“Oh yes….yes, I knew your father very well. I’m sorry to say that he isn’t that brave. In fact, he more of a frightened mouse than a mouse it’s self….” Garrets face turned cold.
“You must be mistaken, sir. My father is very brave. He…. He’s….” Garret looked for the right word. “He is more like the lion that scared the mouse.” Henry chuckled deeply, head thrown back and everything. Even Thomas smiled. Opal, however, joined Garrets scowl. She didn’t share his opinion.
“Oh, stop teasing him. Poor boy grew up without a father so he might as well imagine him….no matter how far that imagination stretches.” She gave a pointed look at Henry and Thomas, so she missed Garrets hurt expression.
“We have to leave now…. Be good! I love you!” Opal said to each of her boys before leaving the house and riding off with Henry. Garret brushed his dark hair from obscuring his eyesight. Thomas and Garret sat down at the table and started a meal of soup.
Their meal was silent except for the usual chatter of the weather until Garret asked:
"Do you know where mum went then?" Thomas shook his head in answer as he slurped up the rest of his soup.
"Nope. Sorry Garret. I just wish she'd take me on one of those damn adventures as well though. Hanging around here-"
"And babysitting me...." Garret muttered under his breath.
"isn't much fun." Thomas finished, obviously lost in thought.
"I wish we could've gone too." Garret said to break the silence. "Even if she thinks bringing little trinkets back is as good as the adventure, I'd like to see some of those places as well. Pixie Forest, Runner's Keep, or even the Sarangio Desert. I hate being stuck here."
Thomas looked at Garret momentarily after his younger brothers short outburst before sighing and saying:
"One day Garret. One day." With that he stood up and took his bowl of soup to the kitchen sink. Garret did the same until the conversation finally became loose and easy, leading them to talk about a young pretty maiden girl at the village.
"Whatdya think of her Thomas?" Garret asked with a mixture of curiosity and mischievousness.
“Well….. I don’t know….” Thomas nudged his brother playfully.
“C’mon, tell me! What does she look like in your eyes?”
Garret sucked in breath and let it out slowly.
“You won’t tell?”
“Not a soul.”
“Fine.” Garret bit his lip, smiling all the same. “Her brown curls change color in the fire light- golden yellow and then…. Whoosh! Back to the dark brown! Her eyes are mysterious enough to reflect the stars and large enough to mirror the sky. I swear they sparkle when she laughs. Her face is smooth- not one freckle!” He said, thinking of his own sun burnt face in dismay. “She smiles at every boy, teasing them and leading them on only to break their hearts later… someone might think her compassion as cold as ice, but when you become her friend…” Garret sighed, thinking of his luck on being the girl’s friend. “Well, she’s actually quite amazing…”
“And this came from a brother who can barley read.” Thomas said in awe. Garret scowled deeply and smacked his sibling with a wet hand.
“How do you see her then?” Thomas’s eyes quickly flashed away, as if he knew the stubborn edge in his brother’s voice.
“To admit? She’s very beautiful. She looks like spring after a long winter. But you are right. Her heart is as black as a pit and her kindness matches that of a Lummer.” Garret snorted and rolled his eyes.
“A Lummer? Are you kidding me?! She’s more like a Bas!” Garret explained, referring to the King’s ‘soldiers.’ Thomas chuckled for a moment and dried the last dish, slipping it into the small cupboard. The Bas were slaves to Scourges command. They toiled through any public tasks that may get in the way of his personal ones. They wore long, black, tattered cloaks. They had neither mercy nor regret. Typically, none would leave their sights alive. The black hoods covered their face- no one knew what they looked like. Their blood red eyes put you into a deep sleep, or a spell. Once you might awake, you would spill all of your secretes involuntarily. Then you would have to endure a long painful death.
“Maybe not that bad…. But I think that the Bas would run in fright from the likes of her!” Garret snickered in appreciation to Thomas’s humor. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. One, two, three times it knocked. It was very late, allowing Garret to give Thomas a confused look. Thomas shrugged.
“I don’t know who it could be….” Thomas rolled his white sleeves up, trying to look slightly intimidating.
Thomas strode over to the hand carved oak tree door and creaked it open cautiously.
“Hello Thomas…” Was all Garret heard before his brother was ripped out of the house. Garret bolted towards the open door and he was pulled roughly out of the house. His knees skidded on the gravel road as he came to a stop. Garret looked up to see who the culprit was, and found four Bas eyeing him with deep displeasure.
“Kill the blond, but take the smaller one as a hostage.” The middle one lazily rasped. The other three pulled out long, blood stained swords and looked eagerly at Thomas, as if they would enjoy the kill.
