Fleas - Songs of the Gnolls I

WHAT MANY HANDS PAINT 9.10

The doors were felled like withered trees, and so they fell, dead oak on cold slab. The white light appeared to be the entrance to the afterlife, and in its center loomed an imposing shadow. A shadow he had seen before, but not like this. The crossbowmen opened fire, but the rain of bolts did not stop him, he continued his wild march, only covering his eyes. In his hand was a flaming sword that heralded the apocalypse. Yolti and the other knights chased the beast like rats cornered by a cat, no, a cougar. Huauau had risen and was looking in all directions for a way to escape.

"Don't even think about it," Dannke told him as he unsheathed his sword, "we all die here. Accept it with dignity."

The taurid easily killed every guard, including Yolti. His wounds, which should have been fatal, were barely more than a paper cut. Dannke stood upright before him. He stood on two steps and could not even reach his chest. The taurid looked at him with the eyes of the grim reaper.

"So this is how it's going to end," he said with surprising calm. "At least I can say I tried."

"First the traitor."

"Huauau? He is hiding behind the throne."

The one called Scourge, not for nothing, glanced furtively at the crystal throne, then his eyes bored into it.

"Don't run away."

Dannke laughed, leaned back on the sword as if it were a cane, and lifted one leg. He swung it back and forth. Sitting too long made it tingle. Meanwhile, he watched with amusement as the traitor tried a thousand tricks to save himself. He said he had a plan, that it was all to ensure their victory, and then he was on his knees begging for his life. Scourge cut off his head without a second thought. Then he turned his attention back to the fleeting emperor.

"Danke!" He heard a familiar voice behind him.

Fleas ran toward him. Scourge looked at the scene in confusion. So did Dannke, for he had not imagined that he would help the invaders.

"Oh, if it isn't my favorite squire. Will you be the one to take my life?"

"No, I'm the one who will save it," he stood in front of him and raised his arms.

"I don't know who you are, but get off."

"This must end now," said Fleas. "The trolls, the gnomes, even the hyaenids agree. They say you are invincible, but this is a battle you will never win. There will always be other humans, and when they are gone, there will be traitors or violent ones until you are the last being on Earth. The hyaenids mistreated me like no one else, treated me like dirt and sold me into slavery. Just like you. But the humans helped me. Not all of them, of course, most of them were abusive, but I learned a lot from them. With mine I had fleas, but with humans I had art, adventures, knowledge, and more. I know it sounds silly, but that's what I think."

Scourge plunged the sword into the ground. The flames went out. For a moment, Dannke thought he would surrender, but the beast bowed its body and said:

"You talk too much."

It lunged forward, leaving scarred hooves on the stone floor. It clenched its right fist. Fleas did not retreat, he was still in front of him. Dannke wanted to push him away, but he could not move, now he was afraid. The giant unleashed his full strength on Fleas' face, so much so that the wind blew Dannke's hair and beard away. Fleas stayed standing, how was that possible? Scourge snorted and stepped back.

"You remind me of Ewik," Scourge looked at Dannke. "You spoke of peace. Is that possible, even after what has happened?"

"I too know war, loss and despair. Until recently I was a bastard with nothing but bitterness. Come, let's drink together and talk of peace."

"Stop," Fleas said and turned around. He held out his hand. "Give it to me."

Dannke smiled nervously.

"What are you talking about?"

"You say you're not a bastard anymore, so why do you act like one? You know what I'm talking about."

Dannke frowned. The sword was still in his hand. He tightened the hilt. Fleas looked at him with determination. For a moment he reminded him of Helibel, for a moment he felt like a bastard. What would she think? He sighed and handed him the shell he kept in a pouch.

"You're right, I don't want to be that Dannke anymore. I have to be better, for the empire."

Fleas took it.

"You must be better for yourself. I have seen the goodness in you, and I believe you can be the emperor the people need."

He threw it down hard. The shell shattered into a thousand pieces. Fleas smiled and looked at them both.

"Now we can talk peace."

Scourge laughed and shook his head. He was full of wounds that spilled blood, and so many other internal wounds that spilled other things, like anger and hatred. No magic or potion could heal the latter.

"You hyaenids really are all crazy. There is no need for words, there is no need for anything but the swaying grass in a field bathed in the golden spring sun."

The smell of blood flooded the room, but something else was present as well. Dannke could feel a kind of music echoing off the walls, a melodious voice that gradually grew louder and louder. It was a song, a very beautiful one. He remembered Huauau's words, he had to cover his ears! Everything went dark. The stiff leather of the gloves became soft cotton, like the foam left by the sea when the waves broke. The coppery smell of blood gave way to the scent of flowers in the most crowded gardens. Had he covered his ears? Was he dead? If so, he wanted to see his mother and tell her some of the nice things his squire had said about him.