The Fox of Wales

Chapter 12

"Bring forth the King!" The Oracle screamed as his army surrounded the Castle. "If he is wise , he shall listen to me!"

There was a silence among the crowd as they waited to condemn the accused. Of what he was truly wrong of, many of the men did not know. They followed orders and that was it. There hands were stained with the blood of the free. But said blood was not enough. Only the blood of one truly guilty in their own minds would quench their thirst.

"Bring him out! Bring him out!" The shouting of the drones grew louder and louder. The dinner bell had rung. The limp body was dragged through the archway. The Castle swayed in the distance. Blood was running down his dry lips. The King himself trembled as the wind blew through his tattered wings.

"It is warm! Bring me water!" The Oracle yelled. His servants were off in a flash.

"Your estate is quite beautiful, King!" A hint of sarcasm could be heard in the golden voice.

The King could barely speak. The warriors hit him over and over. 

"Where is the girl? I would very much like to speak with her. Stand aside now! Let me through." 

The King's head hit the ground and his crown rolled on the ground, denting itself upon the gravel. The Oracle scooped up the crown in his hands and laughed loudly.

"The symbol of my victory. When the girl's memory is wiped, I shall take you and the treacherous Fox and toss you into the void. It's where you traitors belong!" 

"The only traitor here is you, coward!" The Fox and the rest of group dodged the falling debris and entered the courtyard. 

"The Fox! Arrest him and get that girl!" The Oracle screamed as the water was brought forth in a a massive bowl. "I am hot! Pour it over my head!" 

The water flowed over the giant head of the tortoise. He wiped his hands on a towel brought forth by a servant. 

"Let the void take them! Let the void take them! The crowd erupted into a frenzy of curses and taunts. 

"I am the King! These maggots have all followed this false king and now they have brought death to us all!" 

"You've brought it here yourself! This land has been tainted by your very presence! Why don't you crawl back into the snake-pit you come from?"

"I'm  afraid there isn't even enough time for me to make it there! Listen!" The land in the distance was crumbling and falling away, as if hell itself was coming to the surface. A bright light broke through the dirt. 

"Forget wiping the girl's memory. I tried to be nice to her and offer her a way back to her world!"

"You were going to turn her into a mindless drone, just like your other followers. Do you not see your error? You are leading all of these people to their doom! The Void has come to take you and they are trapped!" The King's son had stepped up next to the Fox. 

"They are protected by their belief! There belief in a new kingdom is why they stand firm." 

"A kingdom that burns and destroys everything in it's path? These people has been wallowing in their own filth for long enough. Their belief has led them to neglect themselves. That is the difference between your kingdom and this one. We live! We support and share with one another. Your followers sit and wait. The wait for a leader that does nothing but sit on his fat backside!" 

Throw them in the void! The Void! The Void! 

Warriors began surrounding our heroes. The Mountains in the distance crumbled and collapsed, as if pulled by a massive hand. 

"Your eyes are blind to the truth. Now each of you will experience first-hand, the sufferings of the dead. Those who do not believe are taken! Taken like the trash they are!" 

The Oracle looked as though he had taken in too much wine. His eyes bulged out of his head and his hands swung wildly. That crown wasn't just a symbol for his power. It was all he had left. The very foundation of his world had fallen away and the brief thought flashed that his doom was near. His hold over the people, which had been essential, was suddenly gone. The ground allowed steam to smoke through the cracks and a canyon appeared. The wind was fierce and painful against even the toughest fur.  Animals began to panic. 

"You will save us right?" A warrior asked him. 

"Remain at your post! Don't you move a muscle or I will have you shot and sacrificed first! Do you hear me?" 

"What will you do? You must hurry! We will all....." 

"Do you doubt me too, you filthy pig? Fine, you shall be the example! Grab him men!" 

The objector was brought to his knees. After being scolded and whipped a few times for good measure, he was dragged to the edge of the cliff that was now forming.

"Whom do you serve?" The Oracle asked.

"The Truth. I always will serve the Truth." The warrior now saw with his own eyes. All his life he had seen the world through the lenses of another person. Now that he mind was freed, he turned and looked back at our heroes.

"Don't worry friends! You shall find me soon."

"To the Void with him!" The Oracle yelled.

The fall was short. A small earthquake shook the already loose foundations of the cliff.

"You see? Now he will be forever lost!" The Oracle looked wildly about him as if he sensed even more traitors around him.

"He shall be saved. You shall be punished for your many crimes." The Eagle was struggling to pull himself to his feet. He looked like a rag doll that had be used one too many times. His beak was cracked. Fathers hung on only by threads. But even in this state, he shone brighter than the idol before him. Even the warriors had to hide their eyes. Never before had they seen the light before. 

"Why is that fool still standing? Grab him!" The Oracle's madness had reached it's peak. Seeing the void did not sway his words, nor did the raising of spears to his side. 

"We have had enough of your madness!  Our kids have not eaten well for weeks! I sit in my own filth and watch my body blend with the ground!" 

"He's right! He's right!"

The Oracles own General had seen the growing tension. The light had cleared his mind, as if he know knew the sufferings of his own people. 

"We could have lived here in comfort, feasting and smoking,  and caring for one another as we rightfully should!"

"You think this man would give you all of that? He is nothing but false! I have given you all the protection and good health you could ever want!"

"Do I look like a healthy animal? DO I? Going to your fancy show-room and hearing your golden voice didn't solve my problems! I waiting for a savior and I didn't get one listening to you!" As the General spoke, he pulled at his rags. The dust upon his arms crumbled away, as if it was his own skin. 

The Castle crumbled and shook. The foundations had fallen long ago and some force unknown to them kept them in the balance. The Eagle looked to the sky as if he knew the unavoidable truth.  He knew that the Oracles rein was over, forever.