Something strange had taken place over the last couple of weeks in
Pomperaque and the rest of Phoride, as well. Under normal
circumstances, something like this happening would have been welcomed
by those at Halls, especially if they were the monastic guards -- the
police force.
Cardinal Hint, who headed the guards, had made a report to Cardinal
Orren, that there has been a steady decrease in crime within Phoride
over the last few weeks. He added a footnote to that by telling Orren
that many of the known criminals had disappeared, not to be found
anywhere in Phoride.
Orren had revealed this observation to Manguino when he went to his
office to tell him that he should start arming himself.
Manguino listened to Orren, even though Orren was beginning to get on
his nerves, and he agreed to prepare himself.
"I wouldn't have to do this if you didn't bring on this craziness!"
the Archbishop said to
Orren, making certain that Orren knew that he would never be forgiven
for his act of disobedience towards him.
"I had considered these criminals some time ago, when the renovations
of the Blue Mansion were taking place, and those men used them. It
strikes me as odd that these criminals have begun to vanish. There
must be a reason for it!"
Orren paced around the office then sat down in the large chair in front
of the ArchBishop's desk, as he spoke. He watched the ArchBishop's
face. It was a as stern and rugged as he once knew it to be and Orren
believed that Manguino had accepted what was happening to Phoride and
himself.
"It's my opinion that we need a show of merciless strength, here in
Phoride, in order to avert internal rebellion." Manguino finally said
to Orren while he stood before him.
Orren looked up at him from the chair and had an expression of deep
thought.
"How do you suggest we do this, Holiness?" Orren inquired. He was
calm and she still respected Manguino, even though the problem between
them was severe a few nights ago.
"Those criminals that have not disappeared; Cardinal Hint's men will
round them up and take them to the square for execution." he answered
Orren.
Orren's expression still showed deep thought and he took a deep breath
and sighed.
"Do you think that executing those criminals is a good idea?"
"I have had enough people executed to be sure that I am doing rightly
with this decision." answered Manguino. "It's too late, anyway, to
turn compassionate!"
Orren thought so, too, and he made a little jerky nod and rose to his
feet.
"I want you to do it, immediately, Cardinal Orren!"
"I had presumed as much, Almighty One!"
Orren exited the office, heading for his own command office near the
defence room.
He dressed in his command uniform and headed for the defence room where
some high cardinals and officers waited for him.
His uniform was impressive and frightening. His helmet was high and
sickle shaped, that went from the front to the back. On the crest of
the helmet, below the sickle, was a small ridge that looked like the
knots of a rope. Sticking out from these knots were many barb-like
pins, about finger length. It looked menacing when it was on his head
and especially when he wore his chromium armour with it.
He stepped into the defence room and stood at the front of the room
beside a large table.
"We have been instructed to take and execute what criminals we can find
and use this act as a show of our strength. The Almighty feels that by
doing this, it will deter any possible rebellion from within the city."
Cardinal Orren stood there, resembling a majestic statue of a demigod,
waiting for the men that he spoke to, to ask him questions. To his
surprise, the men in the room accepted the ArchBishop's suggestion and
so were not opposed to the performance of the order.
"Seeing that there are no questions or statements to be made, we should
go ahead with the order, immediately."
Orren left the room and went up to the cathedral's spire and gazed over
the entire city of Pomperaque, as-well-as some of the surrounding
countryside. The beauty of the panorama before him faded within his
heart. What he observed was no longer that to which he had become
accustomed. Everything looked dark and ominous even with the sun
shining brightly overhead.
Scores of criminals were rounded-up and chained. They were herded,
like cattle to a slaughterhouse, to the town's square. Many of them
guessed what was going to happen but they couldn't believe it, and
yet, there was a remarkable absence of fear within them.
The citizens of Pomperaque were already beginning to gather in the
square. They, too, displayed no great fear. This disturbed Orren to
his very core. He was certain the people would be touched by the
event. There have been countless executions in Phoride, ordered by the
ArchBishop, but always there was some semblance of trial. This time
all the deaths were to be summary but there was no outcry.
The criminals knew that something unpleasant was about to happen. They
realised, immediately, there was no trial. Nevertheless they remained
calm and oddly curious to what was about to happen to them. Not one of
the criminals -- man or woman -- struggled against the monastic guards
who were fastening their arms and legs to the shock wall.
Word had finally reached the Blue Mansion and the hundreds of men
within its underground passages. Everyone had a friend or relative
that was about to be killed. Many felt they could no longer wait with
their new leaders, to prevent the carnage.
Soon, five of them made their way out through the shorter passage, to
the south east, to where the sea coves on Canon's Butte hides the exit.
Mingo, Bix and three other men circled around the butte and through the
back streets on their way to the square. They merged with the crowd
forming there then remained in their one place, watching everything
that was transpiring and waiting for Orren to arrive.
Orren was riding slowly from Halls and could be seen approaching, like
a demon on a cloud,
his armour glinting ominously with every fall of his horse's hooves.
Boyce was told by Cavander that Mingo, Bix and several others had gone
to the square.
"They were afraid for their people, my Lord. They couldn't wait for
you!"
For a moment, Boyce was angered. Lloyd, as well, especially when they
found out that those men had taken with them the new electrophore-laser
weapons, issued to them.
"I suppose this changes our plans somewhat!" Lloyd stated.
"It does but we'll have to go with it, now." Boyce replied as they
made their way to the viewing den. "I sent Cavander to keep them from
using their weapons too soon, in case something goes wrong and helps
Orren's army to prepare itself for our attack. I just pray that he
gets to them quickly."
"That was a wise precaution!" Lloyd praised Boyce's tactical handling
of this little inconvenience.
They entered the viewing den and Boyce opened the cabinet and its
secret space, revealing their treasure of armour and weapons.
They donned their armour and set their weapons in their respective
holsters. Their laser rifles were strapped onto their right legs, the
hand guns on their right hip belts and their sabres were hanging on
their left side. They were ready for battle and they quickly made
their way down tot he rear base of Bimini Hill where Tellis was keeping
watch on the eagles.
Tellis was not surprised with their requests for him to prepare the
birds for immediate flight. He didn't ask any questions or said a
word. He did what he was told and he waited for further orders.
The saddle harnesses were quickly but effectively put on the eagles
and Boyce ordered Tellis to go to the passages and order all those
inside to attack the army and the guards near the centre of the city.
Tellis ran up the hill and into the mansion.
Orren had arrived at the square and he quietly looked at the people
while Cardinal Hint and his police, the monastic Guards, were grouping
the prisoners into fours and lining up two on each side of the shock
wall.
Motorized freight cars moved near to the square and slaves were brought
also, to heave the carcasses of the prisoners into the cars for
shipment to the city incinerators.
Orren straightened up and motioned to the executioners and several
dozen criminals were killed, each group of four being brutally forced
in front of the wall, and attached to it, after seeing their friends
killed. Yet, even with this, the people in the square did not respond
with fear.
Orren motioned again and the executioners stopped. He turned tot he
people and hollered to them.
"It was a divine order ... every criminal should be executed. It's an
example of what will happen to anyone that is disloyal or rebellious to
the ArchBishop's ways." he said to them.
Mingo and Bix had tears in their eyes and the three other men moved to
the back of Orren without being seen.
"Conspiracy and treason will be dealt with harshly, in the same manner
as you all witness here, today. There will be no trials and even those
who are only suspected of wrong doings towards Halls, will be executed."
Rising up behind the Blue Mansion were the two men on their eagles,
riding on the base of the eagles' necks. They circled overhead,
surprisingly unnoticed by those below them, and they were soon joined
by Zoro, circling with them. Boyce was pleased to have Zoro near him,
as luck.
Orren ordered more criminals to be killed and a dozen more men fell
and were thrown into the freight cars as if they were piles of
excrement being shovelled into a pit.
There was aloud cry that came from the midst of the crowd and everyone
turned to it.
"DEATH TO ALL AT HALLS - DAMN THE ARCHBISHOP!!"
The cry was coming from Mingo and he began to fire his
electrophore-laser towards Orren.
Orren was hit a few times but wasn't hurt, the chromium armour
protecting him from the blasts. He was astonished to see that this
man, who he recognized as the thief, Mingo, possessed that kind of
weapon.
Soon, several more blasts were heard and Mingo fell dead, along with
his brother. The others charged Orren, creaming death-cries, but Orren
swung his horse around and brandished his sword at them, cutting them
down, too.
"Get their weapons!" Orren ordered the nearest guard and the guard
fetched them, but when he reached the dead men, there were no weapons
at any one of the five bodies.
"Everyone here will die if those weapons are not recovered!" he
threatened.
Above him was heard a ridiculous cawing and Orren looked up to see
Boyce and Lloyd, in battle dress, gliding down towards him, with that
wretched crow beside them.
Lloyd screamed down to him. "Will you die as easily by my hand, as did
your father?"
Orren's eyes studied the two men's battle garb and he saw Boyce's
feather-like, black onyx epaulettes. His attention, however, quickly
focused upon Lloyd. An instant hatred overtook him at Lloyd's
admission of killing the Cardinal Allen, his father.
"You will die, whoever you are and whatever devil had sent you here!"
"It is obvious that you are a progeny of a whore and a mad dog,
Orren!" Lloyd screamed down at him. "Get on your knees before the
son of Brook Scullion-Blue." Lloyd yelled to him and pointed at
Boyce.
A buzz rang through the crowd but it sounded both panicked and somewhat
pleased. This caught Orren's attention, immediately.
"I kneel to no man!" maintained the Cardinal.
"You do when you kiss the ArchBishop's anus!" Lloyd taunted Orren and
Zoro cawed in a frenzy.
"You will die, scum!" declared the Cardinal.
"We will see, little man -- and my name is Lloyd Bartlett!"
When he heard the name, Orren knew that this was the son of Harvard
Bartlett, and he was indeed the one that killed his father.
Lloyd brought forth the rifle from his leg holster and shot at the
Cardinal, toppling his horse out from under him and sending him into a
pile of corpses heaped beside the shock wall.
Orren got to his feet and ordered the guards to shoot them down but,
Boyce took his eagle and flew to the east, over the butte.
It was a godsend to Boyce that the armies of the alignment had reached
the Joenine Forest.
The commotion had drawn curious eyes from those religious citizens of
Gothal. Lilith had a perfect view of the assembling army and she
finally caught sight of who she knew to be her beloved husband, with
Zoro still by his side.
Boyce landed and arranged for a short aerial battle to divert the
monastic force's attention from the army that would charge into the
city by surprise.
There was only some dozen eagles for this stage of the attack. The
scores of eagles that were to fight were scheduled as the second wave
that were to arrive tomorrow, but at least the cavalry was only an
hour away.
Boyce hoped that Halls wouldn't know what hit them even considering the
strange forewarning that they had for the invasion.
While Boyce was quickly taking charge of the operations from the
Joenine Forest, Lloyd had flown across the open ocean to find the
Bestenese navy. Before long he found them. The fleet was amassing
several kilometres to the south east of the Phoridene cost.
He landed on the flag ship and let the fleet commander know that they
could make their way to Phoride, for a landing and their attack.
He soon made his way back to Pomperaque.
By this time, one of the high cardinals suggested to the ArchBishop
that Lloyd had not flown out to sea for no reason and that there was
probably an armada out there, somewhere.
With this suggestion, Orren was ordered t secure the coastline and he
had one man placed every twenty meters on the southern shore.
If any kind of attack was to come from the sea, these soldiers would
sink the modes of transportation, while still in the deep, annihilating
the enemy.
Boyce was flying back towards the city as the sun began to make its way
towards the far horizon.
Lloyd flew back to Halls and fought, from the air, with a few of the
monastic guards that were there, keeping the ArchBishop safe.
Manguino was watching the entire show but he felt no real emotion for
either side.
Cardinal Orren had come back to Halls after the two men flew off. He
watched the battle
with Manguino and he was frustrated and furious.
"Look at those stupid fools!" he said to Manguino about his own
guards. "They don't know what to do but die like rats in a burning
pit."
"I do not worry. We will be victorious here, as always!" said
Manguino, actually believing it. "I will give each of my men some of
my godly power and I will fight through them!"
"You do that -- but meanwhile I have to find some way to destroy their
birds. Now their cavalry has come in. We have to regroup without
their aerial observation of it." huffed the cardinal.
"Why don't we just shoot the birds? That shouldn't be too difficult!"
Manguino suggested.
"Our weapons don't have the range to shoot the birds that high up!"
He sat down for a moment and removed his great helmet and ran his
fingers though his sweaty hair.
Manguino went to his desk and opened a side of it revealing a hidden
recess. He took off a couple support bolts, a huge cross bow, similar
to those that Boyce and Lloyd possessed.
He took it to the window and aimed at Lloyd's eagle as he soared by,
and he shot the longest and thickest arrow, right at the bird.
The arrow pierced its way right though the bird and it convulsed in
mid-air, and began to fall.
Lloyd was caught by surprise for a moment but he glided the bird to the
road leading up to Halls.
He jumped off the great bird before the bird buried itself into the
soft earth at the road side and he ran for cover as the guards, station
above upon the quadrangle wall, shot down at him.
Boyce swooped down from above and wiped out the men from the wall and
Zoro cawed in victory, directed at Lloyd.
He and Boyce waved back to one another and Lloyd ran to the centre of
town, followed by Boyce, above him. By this time the great mass of the
people that congregated down in the square were embroiled in the
battle. Few were fighting on the side of Halls and the square was
quickly secured.
Orren sent several of Hint's men, mounted on horses, to pursue Boyce.
Each of them carried a cross bow and they road headlong towards the
town, after Boyce.
The entire city was nightmarish in appearance. Like an abstract
picture, a foggy dream, it was dark out but parts of the horizon was
purple and orange colour, and it looked like it was aflame with yellow
and blood red.
The entire sky was filled with birds, most of them white in colour and
they shimmered when their flapping wings caught the remaining twilight
and hurled it back towards Phoride, and Pomperaque.
Boyce flew by a tall building and set down on the flat roof of another
nearby. He looked over the ghastly empty city and announced his mind
to it.
"PHORIDENES! Come out and fight for peace! Come out and fight for the
memory of your beloved Brook Scullion-Blue! Come out and fight, for me
-- his son!"
He took off from the roof top and quickly rose and swung around the
tall building again.
Lloyd watched him from an alley near the square and he also saw the
horsemen with the cross bows.
They dismounted and took a circular position, facing outward and
upward. They raised their cross bows into the air and waited for Boyce
to get closer.
Lloyd took aim with his electrophore and shot them but before they
fell dead, two of the men let go with their arrows and their arrows
found their mark.
Boyce's eagle writhed in pain and heaved in the air and Boyce could not
control it. The bird collided with the tall building nearby and threw
Boyce over the rock railing of the building's main balcony.
Lloyd watched it all and soon became extremely worried when Boyce
didn't show himself, and there was the Cardinal Orren riding to the
square with five other men, their own electrophores blazing their trail.