At The Heart of Tale Kingdoms (COMPLETED)

22.1 NERTI

Nerti moved back, grabbing Kaduri's shirt.

"I think I just came face to face with divine temptation. They are not gods but they are certainly something"

"What? Where?" Kaduri looked around her trying to find the being.

"You didn't see him, the hound-man? He changed completely?" Kaduri was baffled as she looked at her.

"I didn't see anything." Nerti shook her head in disappointment and disbelief. Kaduri and the young emperor followed the Predanx as Nerti stayed back and sneaked away to change into dry clothes. Qix Ix was waiting for her as she emerged from a well-hidden bush.

"Kaduri is half way there, I came back so you don't get lost." Neri thanked the boy who never failed to impress her with his knowledge and manners.

They followed him for a short while to a wide field they had seen from the top of the dusty hill. Xhiav quickly disappeared, ahead of the maze.The space was very far from the river stream and Nerti knew they would have never stumbled upon it on their journey if they kept following the stream.

The three emerged from the trees to a startling scene. The wide ground that was a mile long and wide was clear of trees and only populated with short shrubs and thick green grass.

That day the whole ground was covered the half-men half animal beings who lived in the Mazonic.

Clueless and surprised, they stood where they were until the hound-man appeared again and led them to a large pedestal that rose twenty feet high and had enough space for twenty men to stand comfortably.

The four of them climbed up on crudely curved stairs. As Nerti stood and faced the ground beneath them, the image that met her brought a doubtless silence to her mind.

In front of them were more than ten thousand Predanx. Nerti saw all animal faces merged with the bodies of giant men and women. Some were snakes, foxes and vixens, other were bears, elephants, gazelles, gorillas and baboons, even falcons, tiger, leopards and lions. Above them flew a hundred phoenixes of all colors in the world. It all looked like a painter's fantasy dream.

"Where are they from?" she asked Xhiav.

"Mazonic, around you, you just never saw them."

"But such numbers? How have you always gone unnoticed."

"We were here before any other men came. We know Erdunia." Nerti turned to the sky.

"Why the birds?"

And just as she asked a violent loud thunder drummed above them. Nerti, Kaduri and Qix Ix scrambled to the pebble floor. One of the phoenix had combusted into flames that could have killed five hundred men on land. As the flames subsided and the ashes fell a new bird sprouted like a bud on the ground, took two clumsy steps and rose to the sky. They all stared in bewilderment except Xhiav who looked half amused and half irritated at their reaction.

"These are true phoenixes, they never die." Xhiav snarled or attempted to smile.

"Everything dies." Nerti declared. The hound-man considered her.

"Eventually all will perish, it is true. We all follow you now."

She looked at the disciplined crowd. They all stood in divisions of the shared animal. Their lines were straight and their frames unwavering, staring ahead. None of them moved even when the phoenix had gone up in flames. They had only rearranged themselves to let the ashes fall on free space and never looked at the bird as it rose from the ashes.

Nerti knew her fate was sealed. She bowed before them and the Predanx drummed their feet twice in response.

"Why would they risk their lives? This is not your war?"

"It is more our war than anyone else in Erdunia. The Marhem..." Xhiav paused his eyes narrowed on creatures below, "It doesn't matter. We will end it."

"I haven't thought of this. But wouldn't our presence in Storan be taken as some form of invasion?"

"Storan doesn't have the strength to resist and by the time we are done, no one would have a problem with our visit."

"What about The Stator?"

"He won't be a present issue. Dark child, let us worry about the rest. Just keep your part of the agreement" Nerti exhaled, looking at Qix Ix and Kaduri still staring at the army before them.

"We have a week to prepare, dark child, recall your spells. We march to Storan in a fortnight. Do not dare waver." Nerti drifted her eyes back to the Predanx army, none of them were too young or too old, all were just at the right age, all in perfect formation.

"When the time comes, we will travel in the northern lands of Yth and Exoroch, we prefer to stay out of men's land. But you and your friends will go straight west around the land of Yth-Ird."

"Will it take you longer?" she asked as she noticed the young emperor was staring at her. She had promised him his throne. Now she was diverging to save a cursed land.

"We are fast, you will find us already there." Xhiav must have noticed her staring at Qix Ix for he added.

"It would be wise to leave the boy in Yth-Ird, they will protect him if he shows them the wristlet. Then you can get him when it's all done." Nerti wanted to interrupt by Xhiav stopped her by the wave of his hand.

"The Marhem will be searching for a new host, once freed. You wouldn't want it to be the boy who is the future emperor of Aset. Storan in war is no place to have a child."

"I am not a child. I don't need to be shielded. I want to go with you Nerti. Let me go with you. I don't know anyone in Yth-Ird. Let me stay with you." Qix Ix pleaded as tears glistened in his eyes.

Nerti only stood there, trying to contemplate the best path. She knew Yth-Ird would be the safest choice but the thought of parting with the boy after what he had lived through in the past few days made her falter. Would I be betraying the boy? Are my promises fable?

Nerti couldn't answer the boy, logic and safety mattered more, even when it came like betrayal. Qix Ix ran off in anger. Kaduri offered a tight smile then went down to chase after the young emperor.

"Don't worry dark child. These are the hard lessons he needs to learn as a leader. Delay and detours, understanding and sacrifice." The hound-man's voice was the softest tone she had ever heard. Tears rolled down her eyes. Was she lying to herself? Either way, she didn't want to linger.

"A fortnight." Nerti repeated and left.