The Ninth Prophecy
Counteroffensive

Two days after Yon had made his decision, he was set to leave for Karos. For the first time in the war, he was the one charging. He was accompanied by Hadera and Goras. All Dabors joined the quest. They were eager to set the record straight with Daors and the Koprites. Yon left Geren in Nox, telling him to take care of Faris. Sheda was not with him either. When Faris asked him where Sheda was, Yon told him not to worry. Faris had noticed that Sheda was unusually emotional when she told him to stay put two days earlier, just after the council meeting. That was the last time he saw her. Faris was at the wall. He heard horses coming from behind him, so he turned. It was the layun. He screamed from the wall, alerting the guards and Yon: “The layun…the layun are coming, prepare the archers!”

However, Yon, as well as everyone else, remained still. When the layun casually rode into the city, Faris realized that something he wasn’t aware of was going on. Their leader, the only rider with orange embroidered clothes, shook hands with Yon.

- “What is this, Yon? These men are murderers. They fought against us not ten nights ago!”

- “Relax Faris. I made a gentlemen’s agreement with Le’vath here. They…work for us now, is that so?” The layun commander just nodded. Yon continued: “The layun have proven themselves to be great warriors, and honorable too. When all others entered Nox to kill and pillage, they just left the battlefield. They have shown themselves to be a worthy adversary and an even worthier ally.”

Faris was speechless. Finally, he said: “Well maybe you could pick up some Koprites and argorites on your way too. What a great bunch that would make!”

Yon just smiled. He gathered an army of a couple of thousand men. Leaving the city, the army was given a memorable farewell by the commoners. As Yon’s army entered the northern lands, he was welcomed by three representatives of the northern lords. They welcomed Yon, promising that they would not interfere and that he can be at peace taking the road to Karos. And so it occurred. They passed by the Convergence without any response of the sentries whatsoever. Furthermore, several of the lords joined Yon, expressing their support even more directly.

The news of Yon’s progress reached Karos. When the army approached the city, the gates were closed. Thrax and Daors were standing behind the men at the gates. Three riders approached the gate. They held their swords with their blades pointing downwards, signaling that they were sent to negotiate. One of them was Darion. He spoke on behalf of Yon: “We, the army of the rightful king Yon, the one who has fought and emerged as the victor by fire, water and darkness. We ask that the mighty city of Karos opens its gates and lets us in, so the dispute can be settled through a king’s duel. No citizens shall be harmed. Destiny shall choose the one king for all. What say you?”

- “Send them to hell,” Daors said to Thrax, turning his back on the party. Then, he lifted his hand in attempt to signal the archers to take the three riders down. However, Thrax pulled his arm down, preventing him from giving the order.

- “What are you doing Thrax?” Daors spoke in terror.

- “Their request is legitimate. Nobody else has to die today. Have no worries. If the One favors you, you will emerge victorious on this day.”

- “Are you crazy?!”

- “No, I am not. I don’t want to die either. For the love of The One, they have the banners of the northern lords among them. We are doomed if we fight. You brought this to yourself. You will resolve it today.”

- “So you want to sacrifice me?!” Daors was hysterical.

- “No, I am just giving you a chance to fulfill your destiny.” Thrax then ordered the guards to open the gates, much to Daors’s dismay. Although Daors ordered the guards to do differently, they decided to do as Thrax told them. Daors ran inside the tower. The Karosians watched with trepidation as Yon’s army marched into the city, Yon being at the helm. Thrax bowed his head before him.

- “Where is your king?”

- “He…he is in the tower, preparing for the duel. He will be out soon,” Thrax responded, doubting it himself. However, Daors came out from the tower all dressed up just several moments later. He even put the crown on his head. He wore no armor, but he wore his hunting robe. He refused to greet Yon, but he did address him: “So, you are the challenger. Where do you want to do this?”

- “There is only one place worthy to host the duel - the plateau of the Tower of Five Fires.” The Tower of Five Fires lay against the northern cliff. A steep, narrow staircase lead to the plateau high above any other construction in Karos. It was paved with black marble. Daors and Yon went up the stairs, followed by Thrax, Goras, Ulix, Darion and Hadera. When they reached the plateau, Thyon and Valir, the remaining two prophecizers, were waiting for them, dressed in grey robes. These are to be the witnesses of the destiny fulfilled.

All of a sudden, Sheda appeared behind their backs too. Yon just smiled at her and she smiled back. Hadera turned and gave Sheda a sharp look. Sheda just explained: “Who do you think arranged for those obedient guards to be at the gate?”Hadera shook her hand. As Yon removed his cloak, tension grew. The two men pulled their swords out and stood in the mid circle of the plateau. They seemed to be waiting for a signal. Stone-cold, Thyon spoke: “What are you waiting for? We don’t have the whole day!”

At this instant Daors jumped at Yon, cutting his right arm in which he held the shield. Yon responded, pushing Daors away. Then he charged at Daors, pinning him down to the ground. The two practically wrestled, coming to the edge of the plateau. Looking over the edge into the abyss, both stopped and got back up. The fight went on and, at one point, Daors managed to knock Yon’s sword out of his hand and off the plateau. Then he came at Yon, throwing the shield away in order to hold the sword with both hands. He struck Yon on the shield, who then kneeled because of the strength put into the blow. As Daors was pressing down on Yon with his sword, Yon managed to pull a small knife out of a pocket near the ankle and stab Daors just under the ribs. Daors stumbled back, giving Yon a chance to stand up. Unexpectedly, it was Thrax who reacted first, throwing Yon his general’s sword. Yon charged at Daors once more. As the weakened Daors tried to pull back, he fell down. He managed to get back on one knee before Yon tried to strike. Yon tried to give him a blow on the neck but Daors lifted his sword up just few inches before the blade cut through the flesh. Yon pressed his sword with both hands in the horizontal position and Daors struggled to keep it away from his head. Yon then spoke to Daors: “It is over, old man. Your destiny is sealed!”

- “That may be so,” Daors responded in a shivery voice, lastly saying: “But that doesn’t mean I can’t alter your destiny too!” As he said these last words, Daors simply let go if his sword, letting Yon’s blade cut all the way through. Daors just spread his arms and fell back, blood dripping down off the edges of the plateau. Seeing this, the two prophecizers spoke at the same moment: “A willing sacrifice!” Yon turned towards the prophecizers, his mind racing: “Shut up! I killed him! It is not a willing sacrifice!”

As all eyes were on Yon and the prophecizers, Ulix seized the opportunity and ran off. The two prophecizers then simply repeated their statement: “A willing sacrifice it is!” Enraged, Yon charged at the prophecizers, stabbing Thyon in the stomach and pushing Valir off the plateau. Darion, Thrax, Hadera and Goras were shocked. Yon then turned to them, pointing his sword at the dead Daors: “I killed him, did I not? I killed him! I am the undoubted king!”

- “Yes, you are,” Thrax confirmed. As if that was not good enough, Yon furiously turned around and pushed Daors’s body off the plateau, doing the same to Thyon who was still breathing.

- “Where is that traitor Ulix? Where are the Illuminators?!”

- “Let me show you the way,” Thrax offered his assistance. Sheda pulled Yon back. “No, Yon! What are you doing?” Yon just pushed her back and said: “Setting the record straight with the makers of the Septors! I am not going to let them tell their own version of what just happened. Follow me Goras, we have some unsettled business with some of the Karosians.”

- “I most certainly will not! ”

- “What did you say?”

- “You are not being yourself, Yon. We can’t just go around on a killing spree. I will take no part in it!”

- “First of all, I am being myself, the undisputed king of the realm of the straightwalkers executing justice. Second of all, you will accompany me and you will follow. That is an order.”

- “I won’t do it!” Goras stood firm. “Now what? Are you going to kill me and all the Dabors too?”

- “No, I won’t kill you,” Yon said looking towards the Tunnel of Red Rock, from which the clinging noise of tools could be heard. “You don’t have to fight any more. I will just have you utilized for the welfare of the kingdom in some other way.”

* * *

Back in Nox, Faris grew restless, hearing news of constant persecution of his fellow Senicorans. He was sitting in the judgment chamber, bored. Geren was sitting next to him with his legs on the table, sharpening a small branch with his knife. Faris got up: “Let’s go Geren. We are going to Baan Senicore. I am going. You don’t have to go, but I do…and you can’t stop me, do you hear? So, what do you say?!”

- “I thought you would never ask!” Faris was surprised with Geren’s response. “But my brother will punish you for disobeying his order.”

- “He might as well kill me. A marine general away from the sea and without a fleet is like a toothless shark on dry land - useless. Besides, you are a lord too. I have to obey lord’s orders.” The two got up and assembled a troop in record time…or at least what was left of it, since most of the army went away with Yon. They counted on many of the commoners joining them along the way, and so it happened. Within some ten days they managed to reach Baan Senicore, at about the same time Yon had reached Karos. As his small army reached the city, Faris went on to approach the gates without hesitation. Aegor stood up on the wall with his Sciprian personal guard. “What do you want Faris? You are not welcome here anymore!” he spoke from above.

- “I am not so sure that is so, my cousin,” Faris spoke calmly. “Actually, I would say that it is the other way around.”

- “Oh, you would, wouldn’t you? I suppose that you now expect me to open the gates and welcome you in?”

- “Oh, no Aegor; I don’t expect you to open the gates, although it would be the wisest thing to do. I expect the people of Baan Senicore and your guards to do that.”

- “Oh, really? Why would you expect something like that?”

- “Well, because just right about at this moment, my soldiers should be taking your Sciprian and Barantham flags down around the city and approaching the gates…”

Aegor turned around instantly, and sure enough - all around Baan Senicore the flags were being taken down with numerous voices mixing up in the air. Aegor didn’t understand what was going on. “But…how?”

- “You ask how! Well, my traitorous son of a bitch of a cousin, that’s a funny story. Our friend, your right-hand assistant - Rhyius, he seems to have cherished some rather positive emotions towards my brother and me. You see, when we were younger, Yon and I used to spend summers here, even before our father was dethroned. Do you remember how Rhyius would sometimes take us for a walk at the walls, leaving you behind? You used to be so angry when he would do that! Well you see, those walks were not for no reason. You see, he would show us these escape routes which lead through small tunnels under the walls. Then he would take us all the way through to the other side to show us where we should go if we ever were forced to leave through these exits. I remember that at the time we begged Rhyius to let us take you along. We felt bad for you. I’m so glad that the old fox never complied! Those tunnels are a convenient way of getting out of the city, but it is a nice way to get in unnoticed just as well. It was just a matter of replaceing someone who would open the gate on the other side, inside the city, and Rhyius was more than willing to help. As we drew your attention to the gates here, most of my men entered the city with the help of Rhyius.”

- “You deceitful son of a bitch,” Aegor commented, covering his side with his cloak, as if it could hide him from the crowd which was closing in.

- “How many Sciprians do you have left - ten, twenty, fifty…? Not too many I would say, not many enough. Now I expect your guards to serve you to us so that they wouldn’t be served along with you.”

The guards looked at each other and a moment later turned their crossbows towards Aegor. Aegor looked at them, looking over the wall once again: “You bastard! I was supposed to be the lord of Baan Senicore. Me! I was the eldest of the Kulins and you just pushed me aside, like I wasn’t there! You were given the city instead of me, the rightful heir. Both Daors and you are just sons of bitches. I will get my revenge, even if it is from the grave!”

- “That would be a tough thing to do,” Faris replied, as the gates were being slowly opened.

As Faris rode in, the crowd had already dragged Aegor down, throwing him before Faris’s feet. Faris looked down on him and spoke: “Aegor Kulin, of the long vine of the Kulin lords, you will be punished for your crimes as the Laws of War proscribe. You betrayed your vine and the king; you have taken that which is not yours to be; you have been an unjust ruler doing harm to your subjects; you have killed without trial and without fault; I invoke all present to witness that this is so!”

The crowd shouted ay in one breath. “Aegor, for all that you have done as it has been said, I sentence you to death! The verdict will be imposed by your own blood.” Aegor tried to stand up and extended his hand towards Faris, as if wanting to apologize: “Faris, I n…”

Before he could finish, Faris swiftly pulled out his sword, striking Aegor on the neck. He fell on the ground and his body twitched a few times, before it relaxed completely. Faris stared down at the motionless body of his cousin: “Because you are sentenced in shame, you have no right to the final word.”

The crowd shouted and cursed. They were now to turn their anger against the four Sciprians, Aegor’s guards, but they went silent and stopped when Faris spoke: “You four of the traitor’s guards, you will take his body and bury it unmarked in the woods, as the law says should be done with traitors and murderers. Then you will return to serve your six-moon sentence for aiding the traitor in the dungeon of Baan Senicore. If you don’t return, you will be hunted down and killed. Do you understand?” The four beat-up, scared Sciprians nodded affirmatively, dragging Aegor’s body out, while the commoners spat at it and kicked it around.

Rhyius came from behind Faris’s back and tapped him on the shoulder. Faris turned around and hugged him: “You know Rhyius, when I heard you worked for him I thought you were the biggest asshole in the world. Needless to say that you have completely redeemed yourself!” The two laughed. Rhyius then asked Faris if he was staying to rule the city. - “No, my friend, I will leave for Nox as soon as tomorrow. The city will be run by Geren and you. I will go to welcome Yon back.”

- “Which flags are we to erect?”

- “What kind of a question is that?! Erect the flag of the House of Kulins and that of the kingdom with my brother’s personal emblem stitched at the royal position, in the upper right corner.”

- “All right, I just wanted to ask.”

- “Why would you ask that, Rhyius?”

- “Nothing, nothing…I always ask to check, you know. The flag symbolizes the ruler, it has to be defined precisely how it is to look. I just wanted to check. ”

- “Well, the king is Yon - hopefully the only one by now - and you are to serve under his reign. The matter is settled.”

Yon on one end and Faris on the other end of the realm were both celebrating their victories - one in Karos, the other in Baan Senicore. The mood was somewhat different at the two places, where in Baan Senicore the celebration was much more joyous, sincere, unburdened.