Benard's Revenge

Soon James, Cletus, Varlom and Grant soon caught up with the rest

"Where have you boys been? We have been looking for you." Kinla said as soon as he saw them.

"We saw someone moving so we went to check and guess who we saw." James said.

"Who is that? Don't waste my time."

"Mr Grant Noble my lord."

"You don't mean the great blacksmith James?" He asked as he widened his eyes in excitement.

"You are correct sir, he is the one." As soon as he said that, Grant alighted from the horse and Kinla ran to shake his hands with two hands while smiling widely.

"Kinla the third of Bawsi land sir. It is a pleasure and a privilege to meet you sir." Kinla seemed very excited.

"Grant Noble. It is a pleasure to meet you too and please can you release my hand a little bit." Immediately Kinla released his hand.

"I am a big fan." Kinla whispered into James's ear and suddenly he was drawn back by something and soon he saw a rope holding him by the neck as he struggled to get free.

"Going somewhere?" They heard a voice thunder as Benard emerged with his men and he then turned to look at Kinla and then Grant and he then gave a sinister smile. All the men then drew their swords and James and Cletus covered Grant.

"Kinla and Grant on the same day? Well I guess today is my lucky day then. Am I right Stanley?"

"Of course brother. Fangs has decided to get us what we needed even when we didn't expect it." Stanley said as he gave a loud laugh as he played with his pickaxe.

"Let's get to the killing then." As soon as he said that, he cut off Kinla's left hand and immediately a fight broke out between the Snake soldiers and the men of Bawsi. James and Cletus covered Varlom who was injured and did not make an attempt to leave his side. As the fight progressed, Stanley attacked James and they fought with their swords and when James tried to stab him, he dodged and grabbed his arm and was about to cut it off but James managed to get his arm free from his grip.

"You don't want to end up like Kinla eh?" He asked as he sneered. James then got angry and tried to punch him but he dodged it again and this time punched him on the ribs as he staggered back.

"Thinking you can win this battle is only stupidity. Just give up you little boy." James then picked up a stick and smashed it against his head and immediately proceeded to punching him. While still punching him, he felt Stanley's hand grab his throat and started choking him. Immediately, he stopped punching him and then held his hand to get free but Stanley's grip was firm on his throat.

"You really think you are something eh? I will send you to where the dead dwell." Stanley said while grinning with his bloodied face. James could already feel weak and his life was slowly leaving him as he finally gave up and stopped struggling.

"Let the boy go." As soon as he he heard that, Stanley's hand loosened on his throat. James immediately gasped for breath. Stanley still kept holding on to him.

"What do you mean brother? This is an enemy and he gave me an injury." As he said that, he kicked James on the face and James groaned.

"Come on Stanley this injury is nothing compared to what you have faced in your life. I want to speak with the boy." Benard said as he still held Kinla with a rope and Kinla at this point was helpless and pain was in his eyes. He then looked at James and bowed his head in defeat.

"So I shouldn't kill him or what. Come on brother!"

"You can kill this good for nothing Kinla." He then flung Kinla towards Stanley as though he was a sacrificial lamb and smiled.

"Whatever you say." He then grabbed James and handed him to Benard who held him and immediately he went to Kinla and cut off his right hand and James tried to get free as Kinla screamed out in pain. Benard told him that there was nothing he could do about it and immediately Stanley cut off Kinla's two legs while laughing at him. Stanley then told him to move if he can while enjoying seeing him suffer.

"You barbaric people, you will all pay one day." James said as tears dropped from his eyes and Benard chained his two hands.

"Of course I know that I will pay for this but I think I will enjoy it while it lasts. He said while laughing. Stanley then left to the battlefield to join the fight. Benard then faced the battlefield and pointed to the people who were fighting.

"What is the use of fighting for a lost cause." He said with a smile which James wished he could punch out of his face.

"That is what you think but all I know is that good will always triumph over evil."

"Good triumph over evil? That is a joke son. That is all folktale nonsense because my whole life has been filled with injustice and I would have worked for people who would just let me die for their selfish interests. At least my father's death taught me something." James could see the hatred in his eyes as he looked him straight in the eye and immediately Benard slapped him.

"How dare you look me in the eye! Do you know who I am? What is your name?." He hollered as he grabbed him by the neck but James remained silent.

"Answer me you little boy." He said as he tightened his grip on James's neck.

"My name is James Frank. How do you feel after that huh." Immediately he let go of his neck and put on a face that seemed to be trying to remember something.

"Frank, I think I have heard that name before in my time at Warfleck academy. Don't tell me you are the son of..." He said while thinking.

"Dominic Frank?" He said while putting on a bored face.

"Yes! You got it. He was my junior colleague back then in Warfleck academy. He was a really brave boy and I admire him. Now I see the resemblance between you two. I hope he is not dead yet?"

"I don't know yet. We got seperated during your attack on Chanchan." He said putting emphasis on "seperated" while wondering why he was asking him about his father's welfare.

"Well that is fun and you have been surviving on your own but I hope you know that you won't last long on your own you will need some backing." He said while this time looking James straight in the eye.

"I have my friends I don't need anymore backing and you will go down one day." James said with a determined face.

"Look at your friends falling before my men. Are these the friends you will rely on to survive in the desert or to defeat me and my army." He then pointed at the battlefield and James saw many of the Bawsi men falling before the Snake soldiers.

"What is the use of fighting for a lost cause. Why don't you become a Snake soldier and I will guarantee security for you and your friends. I believe that you have the potential to become a great warrior. Join me and you will fufil your destiny rather than being with these people who won't improve you and you will just end up being a warrior who died for a group of people who don't even care. Or don't you know that you are working for the interest of the rich and powerful?" At this point, the offer seemed tempting and he saw that truly the war against the Snake army was being lost and his friends could get killed. He thought about joining them to protect his friends and probably finding out some secrets of the Snake army.

"No I will not join you Benard, I will never become a Snake soldier. I will rather die than join you to terrorize people." James at this point was determined to die than to join the Snake army and he was ready for the worst.

"Well you are really stubborn and brave my boy I like that." He then leaned towards him and smiled and James then spat on his face and turned away.

"You insult me James. I hate insults you should know that." Benard then brought out a piece of cloth and cleaned the saliva from his face.

"I don't care anymore you can do your worst Benard." James then looked him in the eye.

"Just like your father you are one brave young man I like that. Killing you will be of no use. See you in the next 10 years." James kept staring at Benard who went to Kinla's corpse and spat on it and he then left for the battlefield.

"Come back you animal, come back and finish what you started!" James shouted after Benard who just continued to walk and soon disappeared into the commotion in the battlefield. James was just left with chains on his hands under the hot sun. He then crawled towards Kinla's corpse and started crying. He didn't notice when Grant came and tapped him. James then looked up and saw Grant looking at him with pity.

"It is okay my son, Kinla has gone to a better place I believe. We just have to move on from this and go ahead." He said as he released James from his chains.

"He didn't deserve to die like this Grant he didn't deserve this." He said as he pointed at Kinla's corpse while he was shedding tears.

"I believe that Benard will pay for this one day and his payment will be woeful. Dry your tears my son the gods will avenge his death." He then brought out a piece of cloth and dried his tears and took him away.

"Is Cletus okay." James asked while Grant was carrying Kinla's body on his shoulder while they moved towards a cave.

"He is okay James, he is waiting for us in the cave." He replied. James was relieved to hear that his best friend was safe and sound. As soon as he got there, he was shocked to see Cletus putting his hand over his eye and blood dripping. He then saw Varlom bringing ointment from the bag and saw a Snake soldier lying dead beside them.

"Cletus! What happened to you brother? What happened to you?" He said as he ran to his side and when Cletus revealed his right eye what he saw was devastating. He saw a knife stuck in his eye and blood everywhere around that area.

"He was stabbed on the eye by this Snake soldier while fighting him. The Snake soldier attacked us in this cave. Varlom said as he removed the knife from his eye which made him to scream out in pain and James had to hold him and he then applied ointment on his eyes which made him to run mad with pain and Varlom took a piece of cloth and prepared to wrap his right eye with it once the ointment stopped the bleeding.

"Many of the Bawsi men have joined the Snake army and that is why the battle did not last long. Many of them surrendered." Grant told him as they kept applying more ointment.

"Those cowards have made the wrong choice. The people they joined killed their leader in a brutal manner." He then pointed at Kinla's body and Varlom shook his head.

"I left the battlefield before Benard found me and would start using me to manufacture weapons for him. I am sure that he is still looking for me." Grant said as he brought out a black eye patch and handed it to Varlom who had put the cloth over Cletus's eye to reduce the bleeding. After a few hours, he put the eye patch over his eyes when he had stopped bleeding.

The three of them then went through the valley of hurk so as to not to be seen by the snake army after they had buried Kinla. The valley of hurk was a place known for its dangerous animals but they were willing to take the risk.