CHAPTER SIX

Marcus slowed his horse's gallop to a leisurely trot. He had successfully gotten past the tough Austieres guard post, so he saw no need to continue riding at a breakneck speed. He ran his hands through his longish, black hair as he ruminated on the events of the past few days.

He hadn't initially planned to leave Austieres this early, but then there were so many things that he had not planned that had happened. Like his spontaneous rise to prominence at the jousting arena and his meeting of that girl, Helena.

Thinking of Helena, he was beginning to question the wisdom behind his hasty exit of the city. He could at least have waited for her to come as promised or find another way of meeting her outside his castle of residence in order not to attract undue attention. He knew it would have been too risky to stay any longer in the city yet he strongly felt she deserved to be heard out, if not for anything but for that unnervingly enormous feeling of affection he was beginning to have her. He couldn't help feeling he had blown something big.

He turned his mind to the tournament. A lot of people had been surprised by his exploits at the games but he himself had been surprised the most. Admittedly he had never been a weakling. Infact, none of his age mates could stand up to him in combats. But what had happened in his hands at the Castalia colosseum was far beyond his natural capability. Back there it felt like a strange but indubitably strong energy had coursed through his entire system making his strength tripled and his skill quadrupled.

A sudden darkness descended over him snapping him out of his reminiscence. Marcus looked up, half expecting to see dark rain clouds gathering but he was shocked to see that it was a huge creature flying over his head, blocking the sun rays from reaching him.

"Christ," Marcus breathed in amazement as he got a clearer view of the creature. It was quite unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a huge, winged beast with the scary head of a lion and the huge body of an elephant. And it had a very long spiked tail.

In a flash, Marcus remembered that his immediate elder brother Lucas, who had taken a scholarly interest in wild beasts, had told him about a creature like this before. The Negirrel he had called it. It was said to be a terrible killing machine usually sent by powerful sorcerers to eliminate their enemies.

"How will I kill it if I come across one?" a twelve year old Marcus had asked. He had been excited by the thought of facing off with an evil creature. Looking at the real thing now, Marcus felt a lot of things. Excitement was not one of them.

"Oh no. I pray you never come across it. Nobody sees it and lives to tell the tale," Oscar had replied in his charasteristic dreamy way. "It tortures its victim to death. Killing them slowly and of course, painfully."

"So I can't kill it?"

"You can, if you have magic. Being a magical creature, the Negirrel can be easily destroyed by magic."

"But I don't have magic."

"Then you can't kill it."

That conversation had taken place some seven years, but Marcus remembered it vividly as though it was yesterday.

Marcus' hand instinctively hovered around his scabbard as he watched the Negirrel for any attacking movement, but he soon noticed that the negirrel was not interested in him. It was flying far above and in front of him. Marcus concluded that he was not the one it was sent to kill.

The Negirrel soon flew a far distance away from the teenage warrior and just as it was beginning to get out of his sight, it dived downwards, disappearing into a meadow. Marcus instinctively knew the Negirrel had found its target. Someone was in trouble. He had to help.

"You don't have magic. How do you intend to kill the Negirrel? Why would you risk your life for another person? You are not a Knight. Only Knights are compelled to do things like this," A voice sang in his head.

Marcus mentally stilled that voice. He did not have to be a Knight to help someone in danger. He promptly began to canter towards the faraway meadow.

***

Three men rode swiftly across the Weschion plain. One of them, recognisable by his handsome face and blond hair, was Prince Galleine. The other two were Sir Claude the Frank (He was from the land of the franks which today is the modern day France) and Sir Harding. They were fellow knights as well as good friends of the Prince.

Sir Harding cast a long sideways glance in the direction of the Prince and saw him staring straight ahead of him with a forlorn look. He had had the look on his face ever since he got the news of his mistress, Melissa's kidnap. Not even a ransome note from her captors had convinced him to the fact that she was fine, for the meantime at least.

"Sire, you need not brood too much over this issue. Everything will be alright," he adviced the distraught Prince.

"Sir Claude is right," Sir Harding added. "We will soon have her released."

"I am not brooding. Not anymore. I am currently trying to strategise on how to break her out of that rebel stronghold."

"Break?" Sir Claude repeated with raised brow. "Do we need to that? I thought we were going to pay her ransome and secure her release."

Prince Galleine sighed. "I pray it goes that way, but something keeps telling me it won't. They may not want the money. We have to be prepared for all eventualities."

Sir Harding was just about replying when he saw a huge shadow on the grassy land of the plain. He looked up to see a beast, a huge, winged beast hovering over them. It looked poised for an attack and from the look of things the Prince was the prime target.

Sir Harding, known by many for his excellent reflex, swung into action. He quickly leapt off his horse and knocked the unsuspecting prince off his white royal horse. That was a split second before the beast swooped on the exact position where the Prince had been before he was knocked off to safety by Sir Harding.

For his troubles, the Knight took the full impact of the beast's blow. He sailed in the air for a few moments and crashed to the ground in sheer pain.

Sir Claude promptly jumped down from his own horse and quickly stood between Prince Galleine and the beast. He would rather die than stand by and watch this beast devour the Prince.

The beast charged, baring a deadly looking fang as it raced towards the fallen Prince and the Knight who was shielding him with his body. Sir Claude did a feint and then plunged his sword into the spot where he felt the heart of the onrushing beast should be.

The beast did not tarry a moment because the sword did not cause it any harm. It was the sword, instead, that came to harm as it promptly broke into pieces. The beast then proceeded to deliver a ferocious kick on the bewildered knight. He somersaulted in the air and then landed on the floor with his back.

The beast stood there watching as the three knights scrambled to their feets inspite of the pains they felt and milled together for a possible counterattack. For some odd reasons it did attack them, yet.

"Do you think we can kill this beast? It just broke my sword to fragments." Sir Claude whined to his companions.

"I saw it too. What do we do?" Sir Harding asked. "Do we run?"

"No," The Prince refused to buy the idea. "We are Knights. We don't flee from anything."

The beast was moving again. It was inching towards the Knights slowly.

"On me. Phalanx formation," The Prince yelled his orders at the other knights. Hell, he yelled as if they were thousand of miles away. They complied immediately.

The beast charged at them again and something in its movement this time suggested that it was going for the kill. The Knights waited with bated breaths.


To be continued. . .

Great story... Really feels lyk I'm watching a movie.

nick16:
hmmm. I luv your work jor. *thumbs up*

Thank you sir.

Oluwafunmilayo95:
Great story... Really feels lyk I'm watching a movie.

Thanks ma. It's nice to have you here.

buccal:
Following. welldone

Thanks sir.

Vantee! You're the man. Nice work.

iphex:
Vantee! You're the man. Nice work.

Thanks boss.

it's VAN's story when you can view the actions from the write-up.
.........nice 1 bro........




---------I doff my hat-----------

And the boss is bck...thanks for the updates,feeling it

Easy4reel:
it's VAN's story when you can view the actions from the write-up.
.........nice 1 bro........




---------I doff my hat-----------

Thanks bro.

haydot95:
And the boss is bck...thanks for the updates,feeling it

You are welcome sir.

Coughs

Ghen ghen...

ojingbe:
Coughs

Is anything wrong sir?

stuff46:
Ghen ghen...

Lol.

dis 1 na merlin perfidy season 1
i sure say craig self no dey change clothes

E b like say the boss wan update,I don catch am

And this is what i call TALENT. Vantee, you are good joor[b][/b]

wen shld we be expecting d update

e don hapun!.nice update anyway.keep up d gud work bro.nd still on top i dey follow u mata

olarafiat:
dis 1 na merlin perfidy season 1
i sure say craig self no dey change clothes

Lol. Craig dey change clothes o. Although he wears the same uniform to work everyday sha.

haydot95:
E b like say the boss wan update,I don catch am

I wanted to, but I ran out of battery. Updating very soon.

mindful06:
wen shld we be expecting d update

It's coming soon.

BabieGhagha:
e don hapun!.nice update anyway.keep up d gud work bro.nd still on top i dey follow u mata

I dey always feel your comments. You are mouthed jor.

mariemummy:
And this is what i call TALENT. Vantee, you are good joor[b][/b]

Thanks ma'am.

CHAPTER SIX (continued).

Crazy as it sounds, the Knights waited there against a creature they knew nothing of how to kill. They knew what their staying could translate to. Yet they chose to stand their ground and obey the Knights code. What chivalry!

Presently, the beast stopped its charge at the knights. And it began to move slowly around them, as it did that it seemed to be exuding its bestial strength and waving their helplessness in their face.

"Don't be fooled, it will launch another attack on us soon. Switch to flat formation, now!" The Prince ordered again. The Knights quickly rushed to his sides with Sir Claude taking the right and Sir Harding the left.

Just like the Prince said, the beast attacked again and this time it had its eye firmly planted on the Prince. The Knights held their shields out in front of them as a sort of protective cover but it was utterly useless against the monstrous creature as it flung its sturdy self at the Knights causing them to scatter in all directions like chaff in the wind.

The Prince was the first to rise again, not because he was the strongest but because he had been the least hit when the beast hurled itself at them. The two other knights had simultaneously stepped forward in the last moment to receive the brunt of the blow. It was the best they could do to protect the Prince from harm.

The beast snarled menacingly at the unsettled Prince standing in front of it. The Prince did not need to be told that he was no match for this monster. Even more, his energy was fast sapping. His head was spinning crazily and darkness was eating in the corners of his eyes. He knew he would need a miracle to overcome this beast.

That miracle happened in the most unexpected fashion as a young man came out of the blue to intercept the beast's run. The young man pushed the beast very hard and it surprisingly flipped over like a tossed coin. The Prince saw all that through his increasingly blurry vision and he wondered if it was for real or just an hallucination.

The beast roared angrily and began to run towards the young man with the sole aim of tearing him apart. The young man did not flinch. He just trained hard on the beast and then he threw the long spear in his hands at it.

Simply put, it was a throw of throws. A perfect throw. The spear sank in the beast's left eye causing it to howl in pain.

Marcus, the young man, held his breath in anticipation. The spear he had just thrown was the only weapon on him. He had left all the other arms on his horse's back. He feared another attack from the Negirrel.

In the moment that followed, Marcus' fear was allayed as the Negirrel stopped its roaring and wing flapping and promptly flew out of the meadow.

Marcus could not believe his eyes. He had just defeated a Negirrel.

"Whoooooooa! I did it," Marcus screamed as he punched the air in ecstasy.

Just then, he remembered something that made him cut his jubilations short. The Prince!

He rushed to where the Prince lay writhing in pain admist occasional moans.

"Sire, are you okay?"

"I will be fine. Just get me to Malzene's place," The Prince breathed and then lapsed into unconsciousness.

Marcus checked on the other two knights and he found out they were knocked out cold just like the Prince. Which means he had three unconscious men on his hands. Could things get any worse?

***

"How is he?" Marcus asked the bald, squat nosed man whose name was Malzene D' Aubriere as soon as he came out of his consulting room.

Marcus had heard numerous stories about this man who had defied the King's orders and had chosen to remain infidel to christianity and he had to admit that he secretly admired the man's loyalty to his gods and his abhorrence of the King's authority.

"By Vespers tomorrow, he will be strong enough to continue his search for his mistress," Malzene replied cooly.

"And his companions?"

"They will be fine too."

"Am I free to go my way then?"

"Certainly," Malzene affirmed. "But I need to discuss some things with you before you leave."

Marcus sensed trouble but there was hardly any other thing he could do than to hear the man out.

"Stopping a Negirrel without magic is totally unheard of. How on earth did you do it?"

"I. . . er. . I don't know. I just had an impulse and I acted on it," Marcus replied, hoping he had not revealed too much.


"Impulse indeed," Malzene mused. "I think I know the exact kind of impulse that can thwart a Negirrel."

"Where were you coming from before you saw the it?" Malzene pressed on.

This time, Marcus saw a need to withold the truth. "I was coming from Austieres. I was there to watch the tournament." The lie came off glibly. Marcus hoped it was convincing enough.

Malzene threw his head backwards in a long, hearty laugh. "I see you are not the trusting type. That is not very good. As for me, I don't need people to tell me the truth. I can always see things for myself."

"You are Marcus Elymus Di Santo from the southern prairie province of the empire. You are a few weeks past your nineteenth birthday. You are the third squire to a certain Austierean Knight Sir Maxime. Your Knight lord came down with typhus and you stole out of his presence with his armour and weapons to participate in the tournament in his name. You tied with Sir Millicent for the most outstanding performer spot. Is it not so?"

Marcus was too dumbstruck to give any response.


"I have seen the future of this Kingdom," Malzene continued when Marcus did not give a reply. "And, I'm afraid, it looks bleak without you."

"Me? What has the future of this great Kingdom got to do with a commoner like me?"

"What do you know? There are so many things about yourself that you haven't the slight idea of," Malzene intimated. "I am telling you this so as to prepare your mind for greatness. I have seen so many things about the future kingdom. Some good, others not so good. But they all point to one thing, the fate of the Kingdom, whether it will stand united as it is now or it will crumble into a thousand fragments as it might very soon, rests in your hands."

Marcus shook his head vigorously. "No. I don't believe this."

Malzene smiled expansively. "You don't have to believe it now. When some of these things start happening, you will be convinced beyond doubts. It is your destiny. A man cannot alter his destiny. When he thinks he is changing a part of his destiny, he is actually fulfilling another part of it."

"And one thing, that wave of energy that always strengthen you. Learn to embrace and use it more often. It is one of those things that will lead you to greatness."

"Oh. And another thing. The Negirrel will return for another attack, not on the prince this time but on you. It will be far stronger than it was the last time. Be prepared and ensure . . ."

Marcus stopped listening altogether. He just stood there, perplexed beyond words.

THE END OF CHAPTER SIX..

VanTee20:


I dey always feel your comments. You are mouthed jor.

lol.gbayi!!!

Baba, I dey follow you o

You have a very amazing sense of description. Guy you are just too good..

You are doing a good job...keep it up

Great story! Really great n interesting..
Btw, nuffn shud happen to d Prince but I think Marcus is gonna help him. And Melissa shud be safe.

Nice work vantee2.

Shld I say the prince has found a new squire/personal bodyguard?

Kennybix:
Baba, I dey follow you o

Thanks boss.