Mars Underneath The Sceptre of Eternity

The King of Mars

Deoes liked the smell of his new clothes; green check full sleeved shirt and black loose trouser; his new dark brown boot and black socks also smelt afresh. Abjurenos had bought a few sets of new clothes for him and his mother; he forbade them not to wear cloaks or reveal their identities. His mother had folded his old cloak into an iron chest and told him that on tomorrow they were leaving Arfaza. Though he did not like the idea of leaving his friends and the town; but he knew that evil King's men are hunting for them.

Life in the little inn was completely different from the palace life; here his mother called him Denvor and projected Abjurenos as his father. The innkeeper had an extended family. The man had a twelve year old son and some nephew and nieces of his age. They became good friends of Deoes. He had never played in open space, especially on the streets. He liked their games; they did not play with toy swords or spears; they did not pretend to be warlords or Eagle Guards; but they play hide and seeks, they play many other games unknown to him.

Everyday early in the morning, his mother woke up and started her daily chores along with the innkeeper's wife. He never knew that his mother cooked so well that the innkeeper's sale had gone up within two days. Yes, they had already spent here more than a week. Though Abjurenos initially planned for a short stay and he liked to gather King's forces for their cause by helping him to suppress the thrall rebellion; but it did not happen according to his plan. The thrall rebellion was not an easy thing to suppress; the city's economy came to a halt. Abjurenos also tried to get a ship and convinced a sailor named Drekstar for that, but on the scheduled date they found that the voyage was cancelled due to lack of thralls.

Abjurenos too could not manage to leave Arfaza for the capital city of Grand Messitia; the Transport House could not provide horses for his travel, because thralls were deceiving travellers into various deathtraps; so, travel was no more secured. King's soldiers were patrolling across the city and arresting remaining thralls innocents or guilt alike; putting them into death publicly by hanging or beheading in the Black Square. It was a horrific scene; thousands of heads were hanging from iron rods as a show of punishment; but the rebellion did not die out. Deoes once went to the Black Square with Abjurenos; he told Deoes that 'beheading is the only punishment a rebel and a usurper actually deserve'; he should learn and remember. Deoes had to give the same punishment to Ergonn, the Evil King.

Though little Deoes remained silent; he never imagined his uncle Ergonn as an Evil King; the man was very much fond of him. His father too liked Ergonn and he wanted to make him one of the Eagle Guard; but uncle Ergonn had only one problem. He was too soft to thralls and treated them as his own men. His grandmother Zealeoness always detested Ergonn and called him evil or alien; dark blood hybrid and many other things. However, he could understand that things had been changed; Ergonn was no more his uncle, but the King of Terra Aquillaan who addressed himself as the King of Mars. Today's thrall rebellion was his plot; if he did not free thralls of Terra Aquillaan from slavery, others could not dare to dream of freedom. So; Ergonn too deserved punishment like beheading or public hanging.

It was the Fourth Day of the week; Abjurenos was as usual helping the innkeeper in managing accounts; Deoes's mother was chopping vegetables and the innkeeper's wife was giving instruction and some time talking about town gossip. Thrall rebellion was the only news item among men, but women manage to find out other topics like neighbours' household intrigues and illicit love affairs. Deoes thought their gossip was much better than the horrific description of thrall rebellion and mass massacre.

Gilley; one of the innkeeper's niece called him to play with them; Gilley was a four year old girl with curly black hairs, rounded chubby face with small black eyes and small ears was the youngest in the group. She was one of the best friends of Deoes. He asked the girl, "What type of game we are going to play?"

"Just racing up to the Gate of Wonder with Kalley and Kame"; she replied. Kalley and Kame were two red haired twins, daughter and son of the innkeeper's own younger brother. Kame was the boy who was few minutes younger than his sister Kalley. Both were seven years old and pretended to be the monitors of the group. Those twins had same look and same short hairs and both of them wears trousers and shirts; so, it was difficult to distinguish the brother and sister separately. Both of them could run very fast.

"Well, let's go." Deoes wanted to tell Abjurenos, but Gilley hardly gave him time. "They are going now."

They sneaked pass the cash counter, avoiding Abjurenos's eyes; Kalley and Kame were waiting outside; "So, our little cousin and her friend also want to come?"

"Yes; we can run faster than you too." Deoes said.

"Really Eagle Boy? I knew eagles can fly, but you can run too, Denvor?" One of them mocked.

"Let's see." Deoes said.

"Run." Kalley and Kames shouted together.

All four of them started running through the narrow alleys; Gilley was initially with him; but very soon, the plump girl slowed down. Deoes did not like to lose the race; he was a prince and his father always told him that a prince, especially an heir could not afford to lose a single game; otherwise his opponents might be considered as stronger and more competent than him. So, he was trying hard to follow Kalley and Kames; but very soon he realised that he had lost his way within the alleys.

He stopped and looked around; the alley was full of meat shops. Arfaza city was famous for its domesticated animals; so, various types of meats were selling. Suddenly, Deoes heard, clanging of metals and looked around. Some soldiers with purple robes, chainmail, grey breeches, metal boots, carrying spiked clubs, and iron rods were coming; behind them at least twenty thralls were parading in chains. They were all draped in black ratty robes; only their black eyes and reddish faces were visible through the hoods. Some soldiers at the back of the procession were lashing those thralls mercilessly on their backs. Those thralls were gravely injured, but neither crying nor begging mercies; they were uttering something in their own languages and some of them were chanting it in Neo-Martes language. "Mars is for the children of Mars; Red planet is for Red people; Earthmen and their descendants leave the planet; leave the planet." Others said in chorus, "Leave the Planet, Leave the Planet."

"Where are they going?" Deoes asked a meat seller. The muscular man with bald head looked at him thoughtfully; "Black Square, boy." He smiled by revealing his teeth, he had few golden teeth as well. The man had bare upper chest and a red cloth for his lower part. He had various horrific tattoos on his hands; Deoes imagined him as a demon.

Deoes thought he should follow the procession rather than loitering here and there. He should see again how to punish rebels and traitors. He followed the procession along with other men.

The Black Square was situated outside Port Arfaza; it was a raised black stone platform in an open field; the platform had ten block stones and ten gallows. At least twenty people could be killed at one time. The procession had exactly twenty thralls; they were forced to climb up the platform. A soldier dressed in purple cloaks; and grey breeches asked to remove old bodies; his colleagues helped him.

Another soldier forced the thralls to put their heads on the block stones and in the gallows. Men around the Black Square were cheering. Those thralls were about to die, but they were still chanting their slogan. Deoes was waiting for the final moment; suddenly, a large violet cloud appeared in the sky and covered the sun; few hooded figures jumped from the cloud and started fighting with soldiers. All of them had Eagle emblems on their robes; Deoes realised that it was the emblem of the Karzond dynasty. All of those hooded men had bones in their hands, they conjured some spells and easily defeated the soldiers. One of the hooded fighters pointed his bone-wand towards the gallows and conjured a pink light. The gallows and shackles disappeared from their hands. He saw a flash of blue light in front of his eyes and heard some men were chanting in shrill voices; "The King of Mars; The King of Mars." He lost his sense.

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