Thornblade Chronicles - Volume 1

Chapter 7

 When Eli woke up, all he could see was the sky and the two guards standing at both ends of his body. One guard held both his hands while the other had both his feet with iron grips. His body swung slightly as they walked. Turning his head to the side, Eli saw his friends; most of their eyes were opened too. Worrying about Charles—whose eyes were closed—Eli called out to him.

"Charles, are you okay?" he whispered. When nobody responded, Eli raised his voice. "Charles, please, can you hear me?" his words strung together slightly; Eli's head still hurt from the guard's strike.

"Eli?" Charles mumbled, almost unintelligible. "What is happening?" his voice trailed off as his head fell to the side, his eyes still closed.

"Charles? Stay awake, Charles," Eli's voice filled with more concern. When Charles did not wake up, Eli looked around and found Sarah, who stared at the sky. "Sarah?"

"Eli, I am scared," Sarah muttered, a tear rolling down her cheek. "What will the Lord do to us?"

"I do not know," Eli said with a melancholy tone, watching as they reached the bridge into the kingdom's courtyard. As the guards carried them through the square, Eli heard the citizens converse; they did not seem scared while the guards held him and his friends. He looked around and noticed everyone staring at him, their eyes following his movement. "Please, help us!" Eli called to the people around him. He believed the citizens had enough people to free the guild members from the guards' grasps. Eli looked at his waist and noticed he was missing his sword, only to realize it was strapped to the guard's back; the hilt and the tip of the blade were barely visible.

"Save us from the Lord!" Sarah cried out, failing to shake her body loose from the guards' grasps. The citizens froze; not one person was brave enough to face the captors. Tears silently rolled down Sarah's cheeks as she began to understand the futility of her situation. Within a few minutes, the guards entered the castle.

"You succeeded in the capture. Hah," a low voice chuckled. Eli heard the sound of one man clapping. "What a pleasant surprise," the Dark Lord's voice sent chills down Eli's spine. He turned his head towards the voice and saw the Dark Lord sitting atop his throne. "Drop them," he ordered. The guards promptly let go of the guild members, each landing on their backs with an "oof."

By then, Charles had woken up, though still a little dizzy from the strike. The guild members sat on their knees and faced the Dark Lord. Eli scanned the room silently, noticing the granite-brick walls. Large, circular, grey-stone columns protruded from the ground and into the ceiling; a small, golden ring sat at each column's base and top. A red carpet with cyan decorations reached from the room's entrance to the top of the stairs where the Dark Lord sat. His long, black hair covered his deep red eyes; his skin complexion was not much darker than Eli's. The Dark Lord wore grey armor with yellow accents and a deep blue cloak. The fact that his armor was not purple cemented Eli's beliefs that he had sided with the Dark Lord in the dream. His sheathed sword had a dark aura visibly radiating from it, similar to what Eli had seen emanating from the temple's sentinels.

"What do you want from us?" asked Eli. The Dark Lord smiled at Eli; his red eyes glimmered.

"My, my. Why am I not surprised to see the Bronze Foxes sitting in my castle once again?" asked the Dark Lord. Eli looked at his friends, who stared at the floor. "The guild that never quits. I admire that. Charles, however, I expected more of a fight from you," he laughed. "After all, you are the head of the revolutions, are you not?"

"I am!" replied Charles, confidently, looking up at the ruler. "We will take you out someday," he spat.

"Please, you are of no threat to me. You never have been. If you truly were a threat, you would have evaded capture, or you may have been victorious in a past revolution. Would you not?" the Dark Lord scoffed, crossing his arms. Charles looked down once again and frowned. Eli's gaze was fixated on the Dark Lord. "And to see you have tricked yet another one of my own to fight for you."