A short fable by Nick Ramsey
(C) 2015
Karn and his men had been riding for three days in search of the princess who had disappeared from Vinow. Karn was captain of The King's Guardians and the king had entrusted him with the most important of missions; finding his daughter at all costs.
Karn and his soldiers, Noren, Reed, and Ferret, checked all of the local taverns and hot spots first but she had not been seen nor heard from. Next they checked with Horas, the playground master but he had no information either. Their horses were strong and ready for a great journey and Karn was well aware that great danger was where this may all lead.
The following day they headed out of the Kingdom of Vinow and towards The Dufflands, the only logical direction for the young princess to travel. As they traveled closer to the banks of the Nayan River the air grew colder and the horses began to quiver.
"Easy there." Karn whispered to his steed as the others inspected the trees near the banks.
"Voices." Reed advised as they halted and dismounted. Karn and the others quietly stepped towards the woods believing that the princess may have been abducted by whomever was speaking near the river bank.
"We wait for the sign and then we slaughter The Butterbyes. Then we catch them off guard and eliminate his soldiers." A female voice instructed followed by a putrid laugh. The laugh startled the four horses and they galloped away. Noren tried desperately to chase after them but they were long gone. The commotion that the horses caused alerted the woman to their presence.
"Who goes there?" She shouted as she walked out of the trees with the river to her back. Karn and his men stood motionless. The woman was green skinned with golden hair and four arms. Her teeth were sharp and her eyes were burning of green fire.
"We are of the King's Guardians. We are searching for a lost little girl." Karn volunteered.
The woman sneered at the four guardians as her hair blew in the wind.
"There's no little girl here." She revealed.
Karn stared into her eyes. The four of them had yet to pull a weapon but he feared that was about to change.
"Then we will continue our search." Karn and the others turned to leave.
"Stop!" She ordered. Two bright green lizard men walked out of the woods and stood behind her.
"You heard our plans?" She asked unconcerned with the answer.
Karn tried his best to lie.
"We did not." He said, gripping his mace. "We are searching for a lost little girl. That is our only business here." The woman smiled.
"Destroy them!" She ordered and the lizard men leaped over her and hurled into Reed and Ferret ripping them limb from limb. Karn and Noren attacked one of the lizard men together and killed it as the other faced off with them. Karn smacked it across the face with his mace as its teeth went flying into the air. Noren struck it in the neck but was suddenly taken from behind by the woman and choked violently with two of her hands while she held him with her other two arms. Karn tried to free him but the lizard held him back and broke his left arm. The snapping of the bone took his breath away but he still tried to win. He reached for his twin snake handled dagger that was kept in his belt and lunged it into the lizard's stomach. The red lizard man fell to the ground and bled out as Karn desperately tried to catch his breath.
"Your men are all dead." The woman laughed.
"So are yours." Karn mocked as he tried to forget about his broken arm.
"I can make more. As many creatures as the river will bear I can make a man of. For I am Drielle of The Dark Lands." She boasted as Karn's eyes grew large. He had no idea who this woman was but her power could conquer the kingdom if not the world, if she wasn't stopped. There was now a much more pressing matter than finding the princess. Perhaps if the gods were just the king would understand his choice. He ran towards the woman but she pushed him away throwing him twenty feet high into the air. Karn landed on his back and the air left him for almost a full minute before she was on top of his chest with her hands on his throat, ready to choke him to death. He reached for the dagger once more but she was too strong and his life was fading fast. I have to destroy her for the kingdom he thought as he struggled to pull his right arm up and caught her off guard. The dagger pierced the side of her chest but did not drive deep enough to reach her heart. Her blood covered his face in his last moments as he faded out.
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