Hiding Royalty

4

*Flashback*

The roar from the battleground could be heard for miles as Liam rode his trusty steed through the dense forest, narrowly missing fallen logs and small bogs. He was a man on a mission, and one that had to be completed within the hour if he was ever to be seen as a loyal and trustworthy knight. His armour was rusted and dirtied from his previous fighting, and he longed to be back on the battlefield fighting the revolutionaries.

But he cast these thoughts to the back of his mind and repeated his strict instructions that he had received from his commander, instructions straight from the King himself.

"Kill the wizard," Liam muttered between his gritted teeth and he clenched his fist at the idea of the pauper wizard.

The wizard had once been a court wizard, said to have been able to perform great miracles for the King and Queen themselves; he had cured their only daughter of a fatal fever and had often protected the King and Queen from immense danger that lurked beyond the palace walls. However one drunken night, the wizard had performed a dark spell on one of the guards he took a particular dislike to, and he could never be trusted again.

Exiled and banished to live in the forest, the wizard became bitter and resentful against the royals, the very people who had sent him away. Through various disguises, he managed to sneak his way back into the kingdom and built up an army of revolutionaries, ready to overthrow the King.

This wizard had become too dangerous, too influential and far too risky to be allowed to carry on living, so Liam had been given the job of silencing the man. Although he was an experienced swordsman and fighter, the idea of confronting the wizard alone made him nervous.

His horse slowed as they came towards a particularly dense part of the forest and Liam was forced to leave his horse and venture out on foot; the forest was an eery quiet, the only noise coming from the rustling of his feet. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he tried to focus on gathering his bearings and trying to see a small, derelict cottage where the wizard was fabled to live.

Suddenly, a small ruin came into his view, rising from the moss covered ground, and Liam tried to regain his composure and confidence. He was going to carry out his King's orders whether it killed him. He was a knight, ready to sacrifice anything if it meant the safety of the people of his kingdom and the safety of his ruler.

"This must be it," Liam breathed out, his breath forming a small fog cloud, reminding him of how cold it was so far away from civilization.

Taking a few strides towards the shack, he strained his ears and tried to listen for any signs that someone was living in the building.

"I knew they'd send someone soon," a voice said sarcastically from behind him, and Liam felt his heart jump into his mouth and fear crept over him, "I knew they'd send one of their minions to get rid of me."

Liam turned around to see an old man standing before him; an unruly beard stuck out prominently from his face and he was smiling slightly, almost as if he found the situation humorous. Liam's hands tickled the sword that was laying impatiently in its scabbard, trying to predict the wizard's next move.

"Sir, you know your time is up. You're a threat to the kingdom, to our society-"

"I am saving our humanity. Are you that blind boy that you are unable to see when you are in a saviour's presence?"

"Sir, I'm going to have to carry out my master's orders. Nothing will stand in my way," Liam said firmly, staring the wizard straight in his eyes, trying to pretend that he wasn't scared or anxious.

"Well then I guess this calls for a dual. If you win, I'll stand down. If I win, I'll take your life," the voice of the wizard boomed throughout the surrounding forest.

Liam was confused as the wizard walked towards him, unsure of what the wizard would do to try and dual him. What use was Liam's weapons against magic?

The wizard let out an unholy roar, the sheer volume of the noise shaking the trees surrounding them, and before Liam's eyes the wizard seemed to convulse and shake.

His limbs grew longer, almost as if his body was being stretched, and fearsome claws protruded from his fingertips. Its skin was a sickly pale colour that almost shone in the dying sun, and with one blink, its eyes transformed into slits with only silver irises shining through.

Liam watched in horror as this creature appeared in front of his eyes, and was unsure of how to react let alone fight it. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, a creature so hideous that it churned Liam's stomach and made him feel nauseous.

Pulling out his sword, the creature almost smirked at him, baring its fangs with confidence. Liam didn't know how he would ever make it out of this fight alive, and almost wished that he had never accepted the mission in the first place.

The Yamach approached him, its claws glinting menacingly, and took the first swipe at Liam's body; its sharp talons snagged his clothing but didn't harm him. The creature merely laughed, sounding as though it was gargling nails.

With the creature distracted by its own inside joke, Liam saw a time to strike. He jabbed his sword into the leg of the beast, but to his dismay this did nothing but cause the Yamach to be more hysterical, laughing harder than before. There seemed to be no way to defeat the beast, and Liam was beginning to panic.

Stabbing the creature again in the other leg, his sword seemed to do no damage; it did however anger the Yamach, and Liam knew that he had awakened the beast. The proud creature roared an almighty roar and swept Liam off his feet, clasping him in its cold and unforgiving claws.

Liam saw his life flash before his eyes, and felt like breaking out into tears. It appeared as though he would face an inevitable death, and no one would ever find his body. Grabbing his dagger from his belt, he almost considered taking his own life to avoid the torture that he knew the Yamach would inflict on him.

But in one bold attempt to keep his life, he threw his dagger with a great force towards the bottom of the creature's stomach; the dagger sliced through the skin and cut the solar plexus in the pit of its stomach. The Yamach yelled out in pain and began to collapse to the floor, still clutching Liam in its hand, unwilling to let the soldier go.

The body of the creature began to shake again, and slowly its limbs retracted and the face of the beast became more human. Liam was let go and fell to the floor painfully, tears falling down his face from both adrenaline and relief. The wizard lay crumpled on the floor, barely breathing and close to death.

"You may have beat me in this battle, but you have not won," the wizard cried out and Liam narrowed his eyes at the man.

"What do you mean old man? And say it fast," Liam barked, feeling both powerful and pitying.

"The spirit of the Yamach is passed down to whoever kills the host body. I killed the man who possessed the spirit years ago, and I became the host body as you will too. You have saved me, death is a better option than holding the spirit of the Yamach..."

"How do I get rid of it?" Liam ran over to shake the body of the wizard frantically, wanting to understand what the wizard was telling him.

"Death."

So this is the story of how Liam became the host body of the Yamach. What will happen now that you know about his secret? Is it a blessing or a curse?

- Ella