[Prologue]    [Chapter 1]   [Chapter 2]    [Chapter 3]    [Chapter 4]    [Chapter 5]    [Chapter 6]    [Chapter 7]    [Chapter 8]    [Chapter 10]    [Chapter 11]    [Chapter 12]    [Chapter 13]    [Chapter 14]    [Chapter 15]    [Chapter 16]    [Chapter 17]    [Chapter 18]    [Chapter 19]    [Chapter 20]    [Chapter 21]    [Chapter 22]    [Chapter 23]    [Chapter 24]    [Chapter 25]    [Chapter 26]    [Chapter 27]    [Chapter 28]    [Chapter 29]    [Chapter 30]    [Epilogue]
   

Chapter 9

Zana stood in front of the window thoughtfully, everything seemed to be going wrong for the Catlans and the allied forces were mainly doing nothing but standing around waiting for good news or orders. Some soldiers were starting to irritate others. Zana watched the tiny outbreak of Catlans.
    “If they’re pretty much beaten, why do they try and fight back?” thought Zana.
    He turned to his right, spread his wings and flew through the door and the many rooms behind it. There were only Catlan servants and slaves about. All the guards had run outside in an attempt to defend their territory, so Zana flew easily without any worry. Then he slowed down as he heard a voice.
    “We should get out  of here while we can, we can go back to the faithful and gracious Catlan city which protects us so loyally. We can live out our gifted and blessed days in our rightful homeland.” The man’s voice carried on like this.
Zana landed and walked to a switch on the wall. It said 'Lock’.
    He was about to press it, but sighed. “We’ve got too many prisoners as it is. It’s just the soldiers we want.” “Get out now, while you still can!”
    The Catlans inside jumped. They quickly hurried out, many giving him angry looks.

    “I suppose you don’t know the rules of the Rakto style fight?” asked the spiky-haired Catlan. Jaron stiffly shook his head. “Thought not, once again the inferiority of the Tyrons will lose the battle. The reason why I told you to place your weapons on the side behind me is that I must prevent you from reaching them. You must do the same to me. When we reach our weapons we can use any or all of them and I will then defeat you by death.”
    “Man I can’t wait to kill him,” Jaron angrily thought. “The show off!”
    “Ingree, what’s wrong?” asked Kayla. Everyone looked at him, he was tensed and worried.
    “We’re beaten,” he explained. “We should leave while we can.”
    “Our guards are unstoppable, we can spare a few minutes!”
    “You can stay if you want fool, I and anyone else who wants to are leaving,” Ingree announced. He ran out of the room.
    “Coward!” Kayla shouted after her husband. Dira then calmly walked to and sat in her Dad’s place. Most of the servants were starting to leave.
    “Valkan!” Dira called to the spike-head. “Don’t worry about the lack of audience, this is history in the making. You will kill the avenger whose parents you also killed.” Jaron felt his face go really hot with anger. Valkan smiled.
    “Assume cross-position,” Kayla called. Jaron and Valkan put their right  forearms together in an ‘x’ position. “Fight!”
    Jaron’s arm ducked under Valkan’s arm in a flash and kicked Valkan’s side. He tried pushing Jaron but he spun behind Valkan’s back and then held Valkan’s arms in a cross. Valkan panted a bit and eyed his weapons in front of him. He kicked Jaron’s shin and then was punched in the neck. Jaron slammed Valkan to the floor and hurried to the side with his weapons. He sheathed his Air Blade and picked up his phaser with a grin.
    While Jaron was standing next to them, Valkan jumped up and ran for his weapons. Jaron fired the phaser at Valkan’s feet a few times until he fell over. Jaron strode over to him-off guard.
    “Not so big now are ya bigshot?” Jaron called. “Mr Bozo with the wins, Master Egomaniac! Emperor I-kill-anyone-I-see!”
    “Got to teach him a lesson of respect!” Valkan thought angrily.
    Valkan kicked Jaron in the stomach and rolled over. He slowly stood up, confident, as Jaron looked him up and down. They  were then out of control. They hit and blocked each other with a series of punches and kicks. Soon, they were in the middle of the arena and Valkan gave Jaron a hard push who had to fly in the air to stop himself from hitting the side. While Jaron was getting himself back together, Valkan seized his chance to run to the side and pick up his daggers.
    “Who’s gonna stop me with these now?” Valkan asked the staring Jaron. “You?” Valkan laughed. “I don’t think so.” Then he threw one.
    Jaron dodged the first dagger. The Catlan then threw 5 more daggers in all sorts of directions, each one dodged by Jaron, except one that landed in his thigh. Valkan finally threw his last  dagger which cut Jaron’s left wing. The Tyron fell and collapsed with the pain, blood was on his wing.
    Valkan very slowly walked up to the panting Jaron, hardly making any sound. Jaron then reached for his opponent’s ankle and tripped him up, then hastily flew up while grabbing Valkan’s arm with him. Valkan looked around him, he was dangling high in the air and being held by the Tyron ruler-to-be.
Jaron dropped his phaser and punched Valkan in the shoulder with his free hand. After about 15 punches to the shoulder and plenty of shocked Catlans in the audience, Valkan was kicked in the stomach and dropped.
    Jaron flew down and landed on higher ground (off the fighting ring) so in front of him were the servants, Valkan and the Catlan Royal Family left behind. His wing hurt quite badly from the dagger in it. He took out his Air Blade and made the wind come out in such a huge force that everybody was thrown against the wall, Valkan was flying before he crashed into Kayla and Dira. Jaron was almost knocked over but he was still standing, then he saw a small net thrown into the air. He stopped the wind power, grinning at the Catlan pile on his throne. Nets were thrown over all the Catlans, though one servant got out.
    “Well well,” Zana quickly said as he came through the hidden back door. “Looks like all the cats are tied up.” Jaron started to walk over to the throne.
    “One day we will dominate this country and live our Golden Age legacy again!” Kayla growled.
    Zana looked at her, hard. Then he took out his ‘forever dagger’ and-to Jaron’s horror-stabbed Kayla. Zana took out the bloody dagger with anger, then turned to Jaron. Zana looked like he had fire in his eyes, Jaron looked confused and almost as if he would cry.
    “Mother’s dead Rida! KILL THEM!!!” Dira shouted.
    Rida came in the way Ingree had left the room, but looking hypnotized and seemed like a little boy. He carried a knife. Jaron limped quickly over to him and just by squeezing his brother’s wrist, the knife dropped. Rida was shaking and scared.
    “Rida” whispered Jaron.

    “After searching through the city, it’s found that the youngest Tyron is just 18 years old but the oldest Tyron’s 59,” the newsreader reported. “General Kanto-Lee tells us that the Catlan prisoners will be taken to the coastal village prison. Also, Queen Pella is proud to announce that once the injured Tyrons are better, they can help with the building work in their towns and cities. Work to rebuild houses, apartment buildings and hospitals in Sherran will start tomorrow…”
    Jaron switched off the television screen, he was sitting on the end of Rida’s bed. Jaron looked at his sleeping brother, who had wires stuck on his head and a tube injected to his arm. There was also a panel above his head.
    “Come on Rida, inside that head of yours are precious memories of our parents. Tell me, then I ‘d know how they’d’ve treated me.” Jaron sighed noticing that the brainwave monitor was only showing little squiggles.
    “You do realise the treatment might not work,” said Loria from the door. She then walked in.
    “It’s got to.” Jaron looked up at Loria. She sat down on his left  and put her arm around his shoulders.
    “You can’t stay up all night,” she told her boyfriend. “It’s late, everybody’s tired and not all the Catlans are running away.” There was a silence.
    “Go on without me,” he finally said. Jaron looked back at Rida.
    Loria started going out of the room when Jaron happened to look up and see the monitor showing waves. “Loria he’s dreaming.”

    “What’s left to take back are Wavetown, Mountain City, Electro City, Reed towers, Blue Quirra town and Shobese Fortress,” Jaron told Zana and the other non-Tyron generals.
    “We’ll assemble teams for Wavetown and Blue-Quirra town immediately sir,” said one of the generals. Jaron nodded and all of them except Zana left the room.
    Zana raised an eyebrow. “We covered a lot of ground this week. Finding this easy?” he asked.
    “Well, the more orders I give out the higher the confidence,” answered Jaron.
    “Then again,” said Loria, sitting next to the King, “he’s seen my Dad do it zillions of times.” Jaron looked at her.
    “I’m putting together Taklans for raiding Electro City, that place is worth millions.” Zana’s eyebrows went up. “Wanna come?”
    “Why not,” answered Jaron. “Let’s be in action one more time before I’m crowned.”
    Zana looked at Loria. She grinned and said: “I’m there.”
    Zana was just going when Rida flew through the doorway furthest away and landed in front of the throne. “Like the palace Loria?” Rida asked.
    “Well it’s weird,” said Loria. “There’re only 3 main corridors on each level and all the big rooms are joined up.”
    Rida shrugged. “Well I like it.” … “By the way, just thought I’d tell you, Kane went back.”
    “What?” Loria asked in surprise. “To Telleria? Didn’t anybody know?”
    “No, not even Pella,” told Rida.
    “Then...I’d better be going too.”
    Jaron and Zana looked at her as she walked out of the room by the nearest doorway, then Jaron asked: “How long will you be?”
    Loria stopped walking and turned back to look at him. She blinked and said: “Not sure.” She carried on walking out of the room.
    Zana turned to look back at the young Tyron king. “On a different note, Rida seems to be doing well after just 1 week.”
    “He reads a lot,” answered Jaron, then Zana went out of the room as well.
    Jaron sat back on his throne and looked in front of him. “He looks sad,” thought Rida. “I don’t like people sad.” “What are you going to do to this room, Jaron? Now that the arena’s gone, the floor looks bare.”
    Jaron stood up and crossed his arms. “I ordered a huge rug and some gold drapes to hang down from the ceiling.” He walked down the few steps in front of the throne.
    “You’re going to say a speech,” said Rida.
    Jaron stopped walking in surprise, then looked directly at his brother. “How did you know?”
    “Whenever you’re about to make a speech or somethin’, you always walk with your arms crossed,” Rida said simply.
    Jaron smiled in laughter and shook his head. He walked towards his older brother. “I’m goin’ to tell all the Tyrons that we have to work together, to rebuild our towns and cities.” He stopped in front of Rida.
    “Can I help with the work?” asked Rida.
    Jaron shrugged. “Sure.” There was a silence. “You’ll find a book in your room.” Then Jaron walked out of the Throne Room.
    Rida went and sat down on one of the steps. He looked around.
    “This is where the raid happened, 19 years ago,” Rida thought. He started to remember what happened and heard the sounds of screaming and shooting, he could see the looks on faces of Tyrons no longer living-including his parents. “I didn’t know what was going on, but Valkan really did scare me.
    “In the first week of the Catlan rule, we were put in a room, as if it was a cell. I still tried to play. When Zana came back from taking Jaron to Kane’s palace, he was thrown in with us. After a week, we were all taken out and they questioned us about another baby. So they found out about Jaron and made me and Zana watch my parents... Then me and the other kids were taken to the room where...” Rida shivered. He was close to crying.

©Ruth Amy Louise Hüneke 2008