Break

Chapter Two: Leaving the Glazgons Behind

Prince Erebus stared at the border. Glaztek, the most peculiar substance he had ever come into contact with. Its colour was primarily blue, but the green in it was unmistakeable. White lines crackled and jolted across the surface, painful to the eyes if one observed the movement for too long; it reminded him of electricity, which he understood to be some form of human invention used to create light and do some other things with which he was hardly knowledgable. He had always preferred Glazgon powers over human electricity. Clearly, despite his nature so different to that of the typical Glazgon, he had some Glazgon blood running through his veins. A few blemishes across the wall caused a purple colour, which rippled across the surface before disappearing altogether. Its removal was caused by the moving white lines. That was the job of the 'electricity' - clearing the Glaztek of as many flaws and faults as was possible.

"Marr, Erebus, Ambrose braith, Winlock braith, Nyuhh braith, unt larh unt rix, trenth frunt!" He knew the words off by heart, memorised long ago - 'I, Erebus, son of Ambrose, son of Winlock, son of Nyuhh, of the line of kings, demand entry!' They only ever stated the last three rulers. His father, for example, King Ambrose, would mention Winlock, Nyuhh and Pixun. If King Winlock was still around, he would mention Nyuhh, Pixun and Constus. Erebus hadn't met his grandfather Winlock before his death, or had he met any of his father's other predecessors.

The unguarded wall of Glaztek, used to defend the land that belonged exclusively to the Glazgons, seemed to melt away. In some respects, it looked like burning paper. It was as though hot embers were wearing away at the bluish surface of the Glaztek, except the embers were a pale silver-blue colour rather than orange. That was another thing Erebus noted at the back of his head; curiously, Glazgons seemed to despise fire, and he didn't know why. Admittedly, he had thought little of it, considering it to be of minor significance. Erebus had never seen fire before, but he had heard of it. His father shuddered the word. His mother scowled at the mention of it. Perhaps it was fear which inspired such a reaction; he could only speculate.

He didn't hesitate. As soon as the hole in the Glaztek was big enough for him to pass through, he scampered across to the other side. He felt soft grass tickle his scales as he looked back at the land he had spent sixteen long years of his life in. Thick, moist sand led up to the tall walls of his old prison. Veins of hard, black rock with a purple colour filling in the cracks ran through the sand, connecting with the same rock that made up the smooth, polished rock bricks that built up those tall walls. They had been stupid enough to trust him, stupid enough to think a prince who hated his position so much as he did would ever forget that every second he breathed was a second he could be using to escape. The tall walls of the black stone had many easily-accessed doors, made of the only tree that had ever grown in this place centuries ago, a thorny thick-trunked tree. The walk from the stone walls to the massive sphere of Glaztek that encircled the castle even beneath the ground wasn't that long - twenty-five minutes and you would be face-to-face with the Glaztek. One without authority could not even dig beneath to escape, for the Glaztek went through the ground as well.

That was the thing, though.

Erebus had authority. He was the prince of the Glazgon.

A prince no more, Erebus thought. I will face rejection and shame with every corner I turn now, by Glazgons and others. Even the humans will know of my cowardice.

But, for him, it was too late now, for though, if he so chose, he could easily speak the words once more and slip back into the territory, he knew he never would. It was not in his nature. He was hesitant, perhaps, but indecisive? Not when it came to this choice in his life.

This was a big leap for him. And he would do it.

He took one last deep breath, and then he turned away from his homeland as the Glaztek wall built itself back up again, looking towards the field of green grass and the mountains in the distance.

His scales turned smoother and the black colour melted into tan. His figure was earped, from the large, scaly beast into man, or rather, boy. His eye colour was the only thing that stayed the same - bright violet. Thick, black hair sprouted on top of his head, a few stray strands tangled with each other falling into his eyes. Smoothing his hair back, he continued to walk. He knew flying would be a quicker alternative, but it would not necessarily be easier, not for him. He must have been the worst flier in the history of Glazgon royalty, not to mention that someone would probably spot a black, massive, flying reptile if it was soaring through the sky and maybe even blocking the sun out in some places. It wouldn't be his body that would block out the sun, it would be his gigantic wings. It wouldn't be difficult for people to identify him as Prince Erebus if he did go about flying, not with his oddly-shaped birthmark on his stomach. They were meant to indicate the Glazgon's future success - or failure. Erebus' birthmark appears to be some form of hybrid between the two, but it was leaning more towards the failure side in his opinion.

Failure.

Disappointment.

Only what he was accustomed to. Foot in front of foot. He kept moving. He forced himself forwards. He needed to do this, he had to get as far away from the region of the Glazgons as possible before they realised their prince was missing. Quickly. He didn't know how long he had. Although it was not odd for him to leave the walls of black for hours on end, his parents were hardly unintelligent - and then came the issue of Ivianne. Would she tell them? Had she already? It wasn't his brightest move, to tell her of his plans. She had always out her own needs first, and the collapse of the kingdom, which could be caused by his actions, would definitely affect her, the princess of the Glazgons.

Erebus looked up, wondering how far he had come yet. He risked a glance back, his first look towards the kingdom since he had first set out. The sphere of transparent blue Glaztek contained the miniature black walls of the kingdom, the tops of the fortress towering over where he knew the Glazgon subjects dwelled. It looked like a snow globe, minus the snow.

It was tiny.

But it wasn't enough.

A natural-born flyer such as Ivianne could easily catch up to him. He still wondered whose side Ivianne was on. He ended up with the answer he knew was right, and had always been right, and would always be right. She was on her own side, and no one else's. She would do what benefited her. If it meant her unlikely rise to the throne and their parent's deaths, she would do it.

He felt something prick his bare feet, and he brushed off the stones. The grass had begun to lessen her. The ground was tougher, a few saplings sparsely scattered across the vast landscape. He realised the weak sun had begun to grow hotter as morning turned midday, and sweat was forming on his brow. He wondered what time it was. Judging by the slight rumbling noise from his stomach, lunchtime. He planned for the kingdom to be out of sight by mid-afternoon. He didn't want to see it anymore. A forest began in about a kilometre. Fortunately for Erebus, it looked very dense to him. He would have plenty of hiding places.

Hidden away from the world. Hidden with the cobwebs, among the leaves, in the mud. Was this what he wanted? But surely it was better than his preplanned destiny, king of the cruellest of the creatures, vicious and bloodthirsty in everything they did. He wouldn't tolerate being forced into something like that. No. Never.

He was sixteen. That was the big year for all the creatures. Sixteen years since the Hatching. Today was the first day of the rest of his life. It was time.

His time.