The Gift of Battle. Morgan Rice

Mardig turned the corner, the soldiers guarding it reverentially bowed, and they turned to open it for him without even asking him why.

      But suddenly, one of them stopped, unexpectedly, and turned to look at him.

      “My lord,” he said, “the King did not make us aware of any visitors this morning.”

      Mardig’s heart started pounding, but he forced himself to appear bold and confident; he turned and stared back at the soldier, a stare of entitlement, until finally he could see the soldier looking unsure of himself.

      “And am I a mere visitor?” Mardig answered coldly, doing his best to seem unafraid.

      The guard slowly backed away quickly and Mardig marched through the open door, the guards closing it behind him.

      Mardig strutted into the room, and as he did, he saw the surprised eyes of his father, who had been standing at the window and looking out looking pensively at his kingdom. He faced him, confused.

      “Mardig,” his father said, “to what do I owe the privilege? I did not summon you. Nor have you bothered to visit me any of these past moons – unless there was something you want.”

      Mardig’s heart slammed in his chest.

      “I’ve not come to ask anything of you, Father,” he replied. “I have come to take.”

      His father looked confused.

      “To take?” he asked.

      “To take what is mine,” Mardig replied.

      Mardig took a few long strides across the chamber, steeling himself, as his father looked back at him, baffled.

      “What is it that is yours?” he asked.

      Mardig felt his palms sweating, the dagger in his hand, and did not know if he could go through with it.

      “Why, the kingdom,” he said.

      Mardig slowly released the dagger in his palm, wanting his father to see it before he stabbed him, wanting his father to see firsthand how much he hated him. He wanted to see his father’s expression of fear, of shock, of rage.

      But as his father looked down, it was not the moment Mardig had expected. He had expected his father to resist, to fight back; but instead he looked up at him with sadness and compassion.

      “My boy,” he said. “You are still my son, despite all, and I love you. I know, deep in your heart, you don’t mean this.”

      Mardig narrowed his eyes, confused.

      “I am sick, my son,” the King continued. “Soon enough, I will be dead. When I am, the Kingdom will pass to your brothers, not you. Even if you were to kill me now, you would gain nothing from it. You would still be third in line. So put down your weapon and embrace me. I still love you, as any father would.”

      Mardig, in a sudden rush of rage, hands shaking, leapt forward and plunged the dagger deep into his father’s heart.

      His father stood there, eyes bulging in disbelief, as Mardig held him tight and looked into his eyes.

      “Your sickness has made you weak, Father,” he said. “Five years ago I could never have done this. And a kingdom does not deserve a weak king. I know you will die soon – but that is not soon enough for me.”

      His father finally collapsed to the floor, motionless.

      Dead.

      Mardig looked down, breathing hard, still in shock at what he had just done. He wiped his hand on his robe, threw down the knife, and it landed with a clang on the floor.

      Mardig scowled down at his father.

      “Don’t you worry about my brothers, Father,” he added. “I have a plan for them, too.”

      Mardig stepped over his father’s corpse, approached the window, and looked down at the capital city below. His city.

      Now it was all his.

      Chapter Fourteen

      Kendrick raised his sword and blocked the blow as a Sand Walker brought its razor-sharp claw down for his face. It stopped it with a clang, sparks flying out, and Kendrick dodged out of the way, as the creature slid its claws down off the blade and swiped for his head.

      Kendrick spun around and slashed, but the creature was surprisingly quick. It backed away, Kendrick’s sword just missing. It then lunged forward, leaping high into the air and coming straight down for Kendrick – and this time, he was prepared. He had underestimated its speed, but would not do so a second time. Kendrick squatted down low and raised his sword high – and he let the beast impale itself, falling right through the blade.

      Kendrick rose to his knees and swung his sword low, slashing off the legs of two Sand Walkers as they came for him. He then turned and thrust his sword backwards, stabbing one in the gut right before it landed on his back.

      The beasts descended on him from all directions, and Kendrick found himself in the midst of a heated battle, Brandt and Atme by his side and Koldo and Ludvig by his other. The five of them instinctually backed up to each other, forming a tight circle, back to back, slashing and jabbing and kicking, keeping the creatures at bay as they watched each other’s backs.

      They fought and fought and fought beneath the blazing suns, with nowhere to retreat to in the vast, open space. Kendrick’s shoulders ached, and he was up to his elbows in blood, exhausted from his long trek, from the endless battle. They had no reserves, and nowhere to go, and they all fought for their lives. The enraged screeches of these beasts filled the air, as they dropped left and right. Kendrick knew that they had to be careful; it was a long trek back, and if any of them were wounded, it would be a dire situation.

      As he fought, in the distance, Kendrick caught a glimpse of the boy, Kaden, and he was relieved to see he was still alive. He struggled, his hands and arms bound behind his back and held back by several creatures. The sight of him motivated Kendrick, reminded him why he had come out here to begin with. He fought furiously, doubling his efforts, trying to cut through all these beasts and make his way to the boy. He did not like the way they were handling him, and he knew he had to reach him before these creatures did anything rash.

      Kendrick groaned in pain as he suddenly felt a slash across his arm. He turned to see a creature swinging again, coming down with his razor-sharp claws, right for his face. He could not react in time, and he braced himself for the blow, expecting it to tear his face in two – when suddenly Brandt lunged forward and pierced the creature through its chest with his sword, saving Kendrick at the last moment.

      At the same time, Atme stepped forward and slashed a creature right before it could sink its fangs into Brandt’s throat.

      Kendrick then spun, slashing two creatures before they descended on Atme.

      Around and around he went, spinning and slashing, fighting each and every creature to the last. The creatures fell at their feet, piling on the sand, and the sand turned red with blood.

      Kendrick spotted, out of the corner of his eye, several creatures grabbing Kaden and beginning to run off with him. Kendrick’s heart pounded; he knew it was a dire situation. If he lost sight of them, they would disappear in the desert and they’d never find Kaden again.

      Kendrick knew he had to make a run for it. He broke free from the fight, elbowing several creatures out of his way, and chased after the boy, leaving the others to fight the creatures. Several creatures pursued him, and Kendrick turned, kicking and slashing to deter them as he went. Kendrick felt himself scratched on all sides, but no matter what, he didn’t stop. He had to reach Kaden in time.

      Kendrick, spotting Kaden, knew he had to stop him; he knew he only had one shot at this.

      Kendrick reached into his waist, grabbed a knife, and threw it. It landed on a creature’s neck, killing it right before it could sink its claws into Kaden’s throat. Kendrick burst through the crowd, closing the gap, running all the way to Kaden and stabbing another right before it could finish him off.

      Kendrick took a defensive position over Kaden, who lay on the ground, bound, as Kendrick