Wandering Wolves

26. The Hero

Did I mention that I've never been on a horse before? Also like to mention the fact that I'm also holding on to a beautiful girls waist. Well more like struggling. Stella and I were catching up to the carriage as fast as this horse would take us. 

"Fire an arrow at their wheel!" Stella yelled.

"I can barely hang on let alone fire an arrow!"

She sighed heavily "Just hang on"

The horse sped up as she slid a little ways off the horse and took a shot with her knife at the wheel. It didn't miss but it didn't stick to it either. I pulled her back up quickly as a rock almost nailed her in the head. 

"Dammit!" She angrily yelled "We need to stop it from reaching the pyramid!"

She's right. If the pharaoh makes it back to the pyramid before the others are done getting everyone out of there, they'll be killed. The carriage took a sharp turn and the pyramid was now straight a head of them. Screw it. I let go of Stella's waist and readied an arrow. A guard leaned out the carriage and fired an arrow just as I did. 

My target hit the carriage wheel, this time successfully causing the wheel to shatter off. However the guards arrow also hit his target. Our horses leg. Stella and I went flying off the horse as it tumbled to the ground. I slid across the dirt and sand ground never feeling this much pain before in my life. My back ached and my legs felt numb. Leaning up on my hands I noticed Stella had just made it to her knees. She was looking at the carriage that had flipped over and rolled into a lot of stalls before finally stopping.

There was a deep laughter as Pharaoh Hamet crawled out from the carriage.

"I have to hand it to you Wolves, you're good at hunting down your target." He took a whip from one of the dead guards. "Unfortunately this is where predator becomes prey. "

He cracked the whip as he drew closer. I saw blood trickle down from his forehead. He approached Stella who was struggling to get up.

"Where's your beloved Kate Oliver now?" He kicked Stella in her gut, she slid across the ground.

 "Wonder what she'll say when two of her crew are killed by me?"

I fired an arrow without really knowing how I managed to get up to my feet. Pain rolled into my side as I let the arrow loose, it missed him completely but now his attention was on me. His whip struck down on my leg pulling my foot off the ground. I felt the wind rush out of me when my back hit the ground. I could feel the warm blood on my leg from the whip.

"Stop it!" I heard Stella scream as she launched a knife at him. It was her last one but with the pain she was in she also missed. I rolled to my side "Run...Stella..."

He cracked the whip again. It struck down but not on Stella. Knightly had took the brunt of the whip across his arm. It was still wrapped around his arm as blood trickled down it. He was holding the whip tightly within his hand.

"Ah, the one who wishes to be Pharaoh has arrived. Too bad you had to have Kate Oliver ruin it for you."

"By the way things are now...I'd say Kate did just fine" he was struggling to hold the whip. 

"Oh really? You have some nerve to think you can just take my throne and change this city."

"This city has to change! All my life I've been trapped here like an animal in a cage. You gave us the prospect of freedom when you gave us the life race. What you failed to mention was that even with a win we'd still be fighting for our lives. No one would ever leave this city under your rule. We'd be stuck trying to survive with a fear of being whipped, fear of being slaves. That's no way to live!"

"So you put your faith in Kate Oliver? The first person to come along and spin you these thoughts of actually becoming Pharaoh. You can't possibly believe she can change all that. You think I'm a monster yet you don't seem to realize what she is."

"It doesn't matter what she is, only who she is! She's the type of person who sees something wrong and can not go on living another day without changing it. As a Pharaoh I'd rather put all my faith in believing in how she lives. I've only met her a short time but we've gotten this far with her. Her crew is amazing and follow her no matter what. That's not a monster, that's someone to respect!"

"It's only going to get you killed boy!"

I noticed more guards were now arriving and more of the citizens as well.

"The world isn't a grand place that needs people like her. It needs people like me who rule under a strict code and keep their citizens in line!"

"That's not what people want!"

"You think you know what people want?"

"And you do? You've only ever wanted what you want! A pompous bastard standing a top his pyramid by himself!"

"I'll teach you not to mess with me, boy!" He snarled out as he tugged on the whip pulling Knightly towards him. Knightly lost his footing, tumbling forward. Hamet drew his sword and to mine and Stella's horror, drove it right threw Knightly. Blood seeped from Knightly's mouth. Hamet removed his sword, kicking Knightly to the ground. 

"Knightly!" Stella scrambled to him, cradling him the best she could. 

I don't know what made me move but I ran to Hamet. My fist punched him as hard as I could before my leg gave out. He spat blood out before kicking me in the gut sending me to the ground again.

"I've had enough of this!" He kicked me again before sheathing his sword. 

"Guards clean this mess up and make sure every citizen is in their home!" He walked into a group of his guards and made it up a few steps of his pyramid before the crowd gasped.

 "Guards! Do as I...."

I turned as best as I could from the pain. Kate had managed to make her way to us. The crowd was letting her through, even the guards were afraid to even react to her. 

She approached Knightly and Stella. Stella looked up at her in tears. I noticed the pool of blood and the fact that Knightly was not moving. Kate gripped her sword in her hand before turning to the Pharaoh. I have never seen her more pissed off.