Gatekeepers Book 1: Darkness

Poseidon and Damrabe

"What are you, a child?" Poseidon hissed at the trapped Brock, who struggled in vain to escape from his watery prison. Poseidon was wielding a more ornate version of the usual guard's two-handed spear, and the gold tip came out to three points, like a trident. The shaft was blue, and the butt end of the lance had a golden dragon head tipping it, its mouth open in mid-roar.

"You really must have meat for brains if you thought that behavior was going to fly with me as the prison warden."

Brock's attempts to break free from the water orb gradually grew feeble, and then they stopped altogether as he grew still, apparently unconscious. Poseidon released his spell at that point, and Brock fell to the ground, out cold. Seconds later, the water from Poseidon's spell fell right on top of him, causing Brock to wake up, sputtering and coughing. After spitting up some water, he looked around and noticed Poseidon floating above him, giving him a cold glare. Brock's complexion paled instantly.

Poseidon didn't even give Brock a chance to make excuses. He turned his attention to a pair of guards posted close by. "One of you, take this orc and put him in solitary confinement for forty-eight hours," he ordered. "Maybe that'll teach him to shape up. The other, go to the castle and get the word out that I require Damrabe's presence as soon as possible. I don't care what excuse he gives you; I need him here now to heal Draycos. I could hear ribs cracking all the way from my office."

The pair of guards saluted, and as one flew off to the castle, the other pointed the butt end of his lance at Brock. The dragon head on the end opened its mouth, and a silver chain shot forth from its maw, quickly wrapping itself around Brock, restraining him. Without missing a beat, the dragon guardsman unfurled his wings and took off with Brock in tow.

Poseidon returned his attention to Draycos, who was on his knees, attempted to get back on his feet, despite the fact that he was still spitting blood. Poseidon tsked, and held a finger in front of his snout. A small bubble formed on the tip of his claw, and he sent it off with a gentle blow. Floating lazily through the air, the bubble eventually drew close to Draycos and settled on the back of his neck before popping with an unusually loud sound. Draycos slumped to the ground, out like a light. Poseidon approached the unconscious boy and carefully scooped him up into his hands before taking off, heading back to his office. Once inside, he used his tail to open a barred prison cell door placed in the wall next to the fireplace. The purpose of the prison cell inside his office was for keeping a very close eye on convicts who were suspected of being involved in unusual crimes, so it was more of a detaining cell than an actual prison cell. He put his hands through the door and gently laid Draycos on the bed inside. After that he sat at his desk and waited, doodling on some spare parchment. Roughly thirty minutes passed before there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," Poseidon ordered. The door cracked opened, and one of the guards from earlier stuck his head inside the office.

"Sir, I just returned from the castle. I arrived just as King Theravor, Reothad, and Damrabe returned from their trip, so I was able to bring Damrabe back with me." The door fully opened, revealing Damrabe towering over the guard from behind, a stiff expression on his face. Damrabe was now wearing a brown leather sash diagonally across his chest, from his right shoulder to his upper left thigh, and there were test tubes stuck into slots cut into the sash. Some of the test tubes were filled with what appeared to be blood. The guard stepped out of the way, allowing Damrabe to enter the office.

"Good work," Poseidon told the guard. "You may go now. Take the rest of your day off; I'll get someone else to fill in for you."

The guard bowed deeply, grateful. "Thank you, sir," he said. "Have a good day." With another bow, the guard backed out of the office and closed the door, leaving the grandfather and grandson alone in the office. Silence filled the room while Poseidon stared at Damrabe, who was less than pleased, not looking his grandfather in the eye.