A KINGDOM OF DEAD HEARTS [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 2: WAR AT OUR SHORE

The coming war was painted on the sky.

Battalions of warriors clad in blood-red cape and face mask made of animal skin almost reached the white sand shores of the kingdom of Halgard. Their battleships had appeared in the horizon, with the banging of the drums could be heard from far away.

The sky was reddish, all what was left of the glorious sun rays that had shone earlier.

The sun had left its throne in the sky, and the night came soon enough. The light of the day had left, the same way the gods had abandoned them. Zeus, Apollo, Hephaestus ... they all had abandoned Halgard. Olympus and its politics had decided that Halgard was alone. That was Halgard's fate.

Alone or not, Halgard had to be ready for war. Their battleships were positioned at strategic distance from the shore, their soldiers stood alert. And of course, elegarii and the well of elegarii were heavily guarded. Their royal treasure. Their reason to be. Their gift.

Wars had come to the shores and mountains of Halgard before to try to bring the kingdom to its knees and rob it of their precious elegarii. Those past enemies had failed, and this time it would not be any different.

King Rovan of Halgard was standing on top of a watch tower, one of the many that were built with equal distance from one another along the bank of the elegarii, the river treasure of the Halgardians. A young man, solid-built, with light blue eyes, strong jaws, and platinum blond silverish hair. His expression was grave as his gaze pierced the river elegarii.

Two other people stood there with him. The one on his right side was also a young man, muscular, tall, at least a head taller than the king, with wavy dark hair to his shoulder, blue eyes, and stubby moustache and beard. A tattoo of a character was set in the middle of his forehead. His captivating blue eyes was cold, sharp in focus, and no emotion could be read there.

The one to the left of the king was an elderly woman – fair complexion, slender, with long grey hair braided to the side, and grey almond-shaped eyes.

All three stared at the river elegarii almost unblinked.

The river flowed calmly as always, not even a single wave was seen.

Orbs of lights of different colours and sizes were seen right underneath the surface of the clear water river, gliding underwater. Some orbs were as small as a coin, some others were as big as a horse carriage's wheel, most other sizes fell in between those. A beautiful sight. It made the river look like it glowed in the dim light of the sunset – glowing river that could be seen from kilometres far. Red, green, yellow, white, orange, purple, blue, golden, silver orbs of lights.

"Elegarii ... Ares, that wretched god of war, is sending his pawns to our land to claim it. And all the other gods have abandoned us!" King Rovan spoke with his head bowed slightly due to the weight of the pressure he felt. The other two were quiet in their agreement to what the King had just said.

From where they stood now, they could hear rumble of water from a massive waterfall. The river elegarii with all its orbs of lights flowed there, to the waterfall. At the waterfall, the light orbs along with the river water would tumble down, but not to another body of water or so like a normal waterfall.

The river elegarii and its orbs of lights would plunge into a well. The well of elegarii.

The elegarii and the well of it that had become the target of Ares, the brutal god of war and son of Zeus, king of Olympus. Thus, the cause of the war that now came to Halgard.

"Xander, the defense has to hold around the palace and the city. It just has to. Halgard has to withstand this war! There is no other way!" the king turned to the man to his right. His anxiety was thick, his eyes stared straight at Xander, his brother.