Lankko looked around him uneasily and stopped briefly when he saw one of the outlaws just behind Wen and Eldion. Then, he continued to sweep his surroundings but without really focusing on anything or anyone before going back to Eldion and walking towards him. Then, with slow seemingly exaggerated movements, Lankko handed to Eldion a pile of clothes which the latter accepted. Lankko mumbled something and Eldion nodded his head. Afterwards, Lankko stepped back and turned to face the center of the ancient courtyard where the stone table and Kora was.
Kora was oblivious to the numerous eyes that had focused on her and Lankko. She moved her head from side to side before sitting on the stone table where she found herself. Lankko picked up Kora who seemed to recognize the man holding her. Lankko stroked Kora’s feathers and the chicken closed its eyes as if enjoying the attention she was receiving. Then, Lankko held Kora under one arm while
Casser looked at Remuel innocently and said, “You know I couldn’t do that to you, my friend. You’ve known me for a long time. We’ve done business for so long that I could not remember the first one.”“It was the ring of Mendor, or rather a bad copy of the ring of Mendor, and I remember how that went,” replied Remuel.“I didn’t know it was just a copy,” Casser tried to explain.“I almost lost a finger because of that,” said Remuel. “Then, there was the ardap stone.”“I remember that. I sold you a real ardap stone at a good price,” said Casser.“Yes. It was real alright, but you forgot to mention o
Iridescent scales reflected the morning sun and a snakelike figure emerged from the darkness of the trees. She shielded her eyes briefly from the sun before slithering and coming to the courtyard where the outlaws were. She stared at the small group of people who stood in front of the tunnel entrance to protect the other outlaws who were trying to escape.Eldion gasped upon seeing Verna emerge from between the trees. Wen bit her lower lip as she tried to think what they should do. She knew that the ancient temple would be overrun by the imperial soldiers, but she did not know that it could happen so soon. Shaan was not with Verna and Wen feared for the worst. Verna’s face looked fierce, but Wen could tell from her sad eyes that there was something immensely wrong.
“No! I have the right to speak just as you do,” continued Casser. “It is a fundamental right given to everyone even non-Sendorrans – to be able to speak freely and to express his or her opinion without fear of reprisal. I am merely expressing our sentiments as a people of Sendorra, as a loyal subject of the Great Terdu himself. Even Jal Dalik would agree with me and would allow me to give voice to my people–““I said, ‘Enough!’” shouted the official angrily as he looked at Casser.“No! I haven’t even started yet. On this abandoned city of our forefathers, we would like to preserve our culture and our heritage. We know that this city was built with the principles of social equ
Eldion glanced sideways across the barrier of bricks and stone from the toppled walls of the ancient city and saw the other outlaws trying to stop the onslaught of soldiers from reaching the entrance to the tunnels. He saw Enzir and Lankko using their power to hurtle bolts of energy to the soldiers which immediately stunned them and they fell unconscious to the ground. Their powers were effective in stopping the soldiers, but without the support of Remuel, Casser and the other outlaws, they would be overrun from the sheer numbers of the imperial soldiers. Remuel and Casser fought side-by-side to the surprise of Eldion after Remuel accused his friend of numerous acts including stealing from him. Perhaps, the presence of the enemy soldiers made them forget the wrongs of each other although Eldion could not tell how long that would last.
Verna snarled and rose to her maximum height before lunging forward towards Enzir. She almost hit the former governor with her clawlike hands, but Enzir was quick to jump backwards while hurtling a bolt of energy towards Verna.The snake creature screeched and was pushed backward by the strength of the energy bolt. She shook her head as if dazed, but otherwise seemed unharmed. She scanned the area for Enzir who was quick to dart away to safety. Verna saw Enzir running towards the crumbling walls of the ancient city and slithered towards him at full speed.The giant reached the first line of outlaws who were throwing rocks at him using slings. The giant shielded his face from the onslaught of falling rocks and then took another step forward. The g
Casser fought the side by side with Remuel and they were able to hold their position against the onslaught of imperial soldiers. Remuel’s remaining outlaws stood their ground, but Casser knew from the sound of their breathing and the way that they held their weapons that they were all exhausted. Casser looked around him and saw the outlaws with their mouths open as they tried to catch their breaths.“I don’t think we can hold on much longer,” said Casser to Remuel who likewise looked around him at the valiant men and women who stayed behind to hold off the attacking imperial soldiers.“We will have to make our escape soon. I ju
The warm gust of wind reached the outlaws who immediately covered their faces with their hands as dust and debris flew all around them. Not a few of them cowered in fear as they saw the strange apparition above them. More than their fear of the giant and the snake creature who they had tried to hold off, the enormous apparition flying over them presented a more immediate danger that portend their imminent defeat and destruction.Much to the outlaws’ surprise the huge bird circled above them twice before dropping to the ground in front of them to face the attacking imperial forces. Casser was surprised at the sight of the giant bird in front of him and involuntarily lowered his jaw in his amazement. Remuel immediately raised a bow and aimed at the giant bird, getting ready to shoot at the first sign of aggression from the towering animal. Then, Remuel felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, urging him to lower his weapon. It was Enzir who had suddenly turned up as if out of n
Eldion found the noise of battle disconcerting and he struggled to keep track of all the movements around him. He could see where his friends were as they fought the increasing number of imperial soldiers that reached them. He fought as hard as he could using a long bamboo pole that Wen was able to find for him. He stayed near Wen and were able to incapacitate the few soldiers that were able to breach the line of outlaws led by Remuel and Casser.Eldion could tell from the flashes of light beyond the line of outlaws that Enzir and Lankko were shooting energy bolts at the soldiers while the deafening screech of the mankora was evidence that the giant bird was fighting the imperial soldiers as well. He took a glance and saw the towering figure of Kora. Aside from growing substantially in size, Eldion was amazed at how her appearance had changed as well. He would not have recognized her had Enzir not pointed at her and told Eldion and Wen that it was Kora, changed by the magic e