chapter 12:The supernatural

It was nightfall by the time Orvae and Merab arrived at the thorn bushes leading to the Braunian castle at the edge of Deiamy. Orvae crouched silently and urged Merab to do the same.

Just about a week earlier, he and Bravae had crawled up the same bushes on their way to steal the gold.

"I know a way in, but I don't know if you might like it," Orvae told Merab.

"What do you mean by I might like it?" Merab replied to him.

"Well, we go in through there," Orvae said, pointing at the large moat surrounding the castle.

"You mean we should get into the water?"

"Yes. We get into the water and we swim to the other side where there is a large excrement pipe. We can crawl in through there," Orvae said.

"Eww, that's absolutely filthy," Merab said, disgusted by Orvae's suggestion.

"Well, I don't see any other way through. Or you can use your magic powers and just run through an entire army of Braunians."

"My magic won't last that long. I would get exhausted," Merab said.

"Then I suggest we follow my idea," Orvae said to her.

"No, I have a better plan. Let's approach using the back end of the castle. I can see an open window over there," she said.

Orvae sighed before saying, "Let's go do whatever you say."

So they both crawled around the thorn bush into the edge of the forest surrounding the castle until they got to the back end of the castle, where there was an open window in the lower section about 20 feet high.

"So how do we get in now, princess?" Orvae asked.

"Be patient. I've got this covered," Merab said.

Merab walked to where some forest vines were and grabbed hold of them. She then closed her eyes and muttered some words. After which, the vines sprung to life. She directed them toward the window. The vines stretched upward and wrapped themselves around the window sill, before stretching back down to the ground to form a very steep bridge from which they could climb.

"Hmm, magic is truly wonderful. Why has it been kept a secret from me all of my life?" Orvae said, shaking his head.

"We don't have time. Quickly, let's go," Merab said, climbing up the vines.

So quickly, yet cautiously, they made their way up the vines. When they got to the top, thankfully, the hallway was empty.

"I can feel his energy more intensely now. He's upstairs, but he's very distressed. I can feel a great disturbance in his spirit," Merab said.

"What about my grandad?"

"I don't know. I've never met him before, so I haven't had a chance to lock on to his spirit, and I don't have any of his possessions to track him with. But it's safe to say that he will be kept in the same place that Bravae was kept in."

"Then let's go get them," Orvae said eagerly.

Meanwhile, Bravae was up in the tower, breathing heavily and bleeding from both his sides. This was the third round of torture. He felt as though his ribs and jaw were now broken. He could hardly speak or even breathe properly.

"That's enough for now. You may leave now. I'll call you when I need you," Sir Brian said to Sir Rami.

Rami put down his instruments and wiped his blood-stained hands on a draped sash on the wall before walking out.

"So, Bravae son of Okevae, are you ready to tell me about the uprising, its members, and how you stole the gold?"

"I've told you, I'm just a farmer. We only took that gold because we were poor and needed the money. The soldiers tracked us down and almost caught us. We had to dump the gold in the forest just to escape," Bravae managed to say in a very pleading voice.

"Hmm, so you finally admit you stole the gold. Who helped you do it?"

"It was just me and a friend of mine. Nobody else knew we were going to do it."

"And what happened that night?" he continued.

"Nothing, sir. We just managed to escape into Deiamy."

"Something else happened that night, my friend. Out of the 35 soldiers that went into the forest that day to retrieve the gold, only one came back alive, and the story he told is a lot different from what you're saying."

"I don't know anything about that, sir. I'm telling you the truth," Bravae said.

Sir Brian sighed before spreading his legs and relaxing his posture on the chair.

"You know, long ago there was once a great war in Ortovy. It was the Braunian army against the Norean army. Now, of course, the Braunian army had the advantage because we had guns and we could kill from range, whereas the Noreans relied on swords, arrows, and other primitive weapons. The battle would have been an easy one, like other conquests—except it wasn't. The Noreans put up an incredible fight. Legend has it that they even had the supernatural amongst them—a great warrior who would leap up in the air and attack entire brigades of Braunian soldiers. He was completely invulnerable to bullets. They say when he destroyed a Braunian camp, he burnt the bodies of the soldiers to ashes, leading everyone to call him the Bringer of Ash. My people call him Calen the Black Swordsman, but I believe the Noreans called him Toro Amaniwen."

Sir Brian paused before sitting up straighter.

Now Bravae could truly appreciate the figure of the man in front of him. Not only was he big, but his body also looked hard as well, like a man who had fought many battles.

"You see, after many months of fighting, the Braunians won—but barely. Calen dealt severe blows, but in the end, he couldn't stop the conquest. He disappeared. The legend says that he promised to return with a sword as black as his armor, to lead an army of warriors just like him. Well, that was a long time ago—longer than you and I have been alive. And if Calen is a mortal, he would be long dead. And that is what I've believed since I heard the story. Wouldn't you agree, Bravae?"

"Yes, most probably," Bravae said.

"But the past few days have changed my mind a bit. You see, the soldier who survived reported seeing something supernatural—a great warrior made of fire wielding a large sword and descending upon them mercilessly, burning them to ash and killing soldiers all the while being completely invulnerable to bullets. I would not have believed it myself if I didn't go to the site and see the remains of soldiers burned to ash. And the forest floor scorched."

He paused before dragging his chair forward until he was very close to Bravae.

He leaned forward and said, "Where is Toro Amaniwen?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about, sir."

Sir Brian shook his head before getting up and walking to the door.

"We are going to be here for a long time," he said before slamming the door shut.