The Prophesy: Book 1 - Cave Lupus

 

The passage of the border was a bit slower than expected, and took two days rather than the single day expected by Harold. They also had unexpected company on their way into Sophia, in the form of a column of orcs following the smugglers paths to enter York. The battle, although brief, was fierce. A few elves were killed, and a dozen seriously hurt, but the use of Mitsuko and the healing powers the boys were developing reduced their casualties considerably.

The next hurdle was met on the road about halfway to Sophia. The column was moving north when it met a contingent of troops belonging to archduke Franz. This time, Prince Enron took the lead to have the unit either disband or join under the colours of the king. The situation might have turned a lot more sour hadn't Sitar decided to intervene and use a well-known negotiation technique. The obstinate found his head decorated from ear to ear by a stiletto, a thin needle-like poniard.

"Prince Regent Enron asked you to swear fealty to the Throne of Nature, itself bond to our family, the Wolf Throne. I will take personally any insult to Enron! Let it be known we have enforced the law of the Land with our own swords. Refusal means death, as so many dimwits found out! I shall count to ten, and if, by then the person now in command has not stepped forth, there will rain arrows! One Two Three "

Sitar never did need to reach ten; by five, a tall man walked out of the ranks and offered to negotiate.

"There is nothing to negotiate. You swear fealty to the throne, or else!"

"And what if we attacked?"

"Do not act dumber than you really are. We have outflanked you and are now closing the trap behind your back. Just send a man to verify, and he will see the road to Sophia is closed to your return, unless you come with us!" Enron stated, firmly.

A short verification later, Enron's statement was confirmed. The clear presence of a whole army of wolves on their sides did not go unnoticed by the elves, clearly telling them they were encircled.

"I have to submit to this, but I doubt Archduke Franz of Sophia will appreciate!"

"We told you he is dead, and Germanicus is residing in the Capital, under the supervision of the Queen of the Wolves. Anyways, the Archduchy has been dissolved by order of the King, for treason by its trustee. The new archduchy is now held in trust by Archduke York!"

"I will believe this when I see his head!"

"Sorry, it has been the lunch meal of quite a few ants lately. But we can arrange a meeting with Franz, if you wish?" offered Paschal, pointing to the man with an extra length of steel between his ears, collapsed on his horse. "Even the wolves did not find Franz edible. We had to dispose of his carcass another way. It seems, according to Greywolf, that his body smelled of way too many toxins to be considered carrion. I figure Franz indulged in some rather strange dietary habits, some of which made him unpalatable to canines. I must admit he had a strange smell around him."

"You can say that again, Paschal!" Harp piped up. "We dumped the body in the old latrine, and the rats ran to exit!"

"Oh! That is why there was that column of rodents making a mad dash for the river to take a bath!" Sitar added. "I was wondering why this sudden interest in body cleanliness from the village rodents!"

"At least we can thank Franz for something."

"What is that, Enron?" Dunbar asked, which had a hard time not bursting of laughter.

"We have the cleanliest population of sewer rats in the Kingdom!"

That was too much for Harold, who had been staying behind to see how things were going to proceed. He burst in laughter, soon followed by everyone, including a thunderous howling yapping by the wolves. If anything convinced the elves of Sophia that they were better to accept than fight, it was the volume of howls that came from the forest around them. From that moment on, the new commander accepted and swore fealty to Enron, who stood in place of Samson, the King.

***

The next day progressed without incident, and, by vespers, they were less than five miles from the city. The area contained a lot of roads, villages and other structures, so it was next to impossible to come to the city walls unannounced. And right across the bridges were located two relatively important population centers of Dioniz⁵⁵⁵⁵ ("On naming of places: The spelling of names is arbitrary by definition, and is subject to change over time, so do not panic if they do not match any place on Earth currently!") and Ultrech.

"We need to inform baron Regina of our arrival, he has massed his troops along the eastern side of the road, the wolves tell me. Thee wolves have occupied the strip of land along the river, with the complicity of the farm dogs. We also have another column of wolves converging from the northeast, which is about four times our current numbers of wolves. We occupy the center of a triangle whose apex is Sophia. On our left is Baron Regina, and on our extreme left, between the river and the road, are the wolves that came from the mountains with the baron. On our right is the main wolf pack. By tomorrow morning, we can expect the wolves to occupy both sides of the Eldred River, and to prevent any mobility from the road that follows it east. Dioniz will not be able to bring troops to bear; however, Ultrech is another matter. They have a bridge they can cross, further down the Eldred, and they could come on our backs."

"A very astute analysis of the strategic issues, Enron. Our wolves and dogs have already been alerted to intercept any messenger sent further north to alert other allies of Sophia, namely, Frieburg, Munster and Gdansk," commented Harold.

"I have also asked the dogs to alert us to any sudden increase in military activity along the road leading to the big city further west, downriver, and there are a dozen or so dogs monitoring the bridge for us. Any sudden movement of armed men across the bridge to enter Sophia from Ultrech will be reported."

"This is fine, Harp. Who monitors the city of Sophia?"

"I am doing that with the help of the dogs, dad," replied Sitar. "They are convinced that Franz is coming back with the crown on his head. Maybe we should use this to our advantage?"

"Hey, that isn't a bad idea! Who looks reasonably like Franz in our troops?" Enron enquired.

"The pork roast!" replied Harp.

"Good one, Harp, but I'm serious. If we can get into the town and occupy it before they know what hit them, we'll save a lot of trouble."

"I'm looking at our men via the dogs and wolves eyes, I think I spotted a couple of valid impersonators. Now to see which one has the closest voice to Franz's," remarked Paschal.

"Let me talk to King Samson while you meet these two candidates to a crown," endorsed Harold.

"OK, Dad. Enron, why don't you go with dad to see yours?" Paschal suggested.

Prince Enron and King Harold took a stroll to talk to Samson about their idea.

"Samson, your son Enron has suggested we have an impersonator play the role of King Franz of Sophia so we can enter the city unobstructed. I think it is an excellent idea."

"Yes, I agree. However, if he was to come triumphantly into town, he would wear the Ceremonial Crown, not the one I wear daily. Everyone knows how it looks, and it's in Elvin Woods."

"That may be a problem, Enron."

"Not really, we only need a crown that looks reasonably similar to the true one, and we can do one overnight. I just asked Paschal to join us, he will take from my dad's and my mind the image of the crown and draw it. Knowing Paschal's talent with pencil, I'm sure we will have a good portrait, shortly."

"That's a good idea. Let's see, I cannot possibly forge a crown overnight, I have the horse pack forge of the legion, but it is far from sufficient."

"Who said it needs to be in metal, dad?" Paschal interjected, who had picked up his drawing material and a deerskin parchment on the way. "Wood with a good coat of yellow paint would do as well! The guards at the top of the gate tower won't be able to see the difference."

"OK. I agree. Let's try it. Williams!"

«I was following your conversation from the rear of the column, guys. I need to pick my tools from the horse that is carrying them, while Paschal does his drawings. «

«OK. Sitar, Harp! Have you found our candidates?»

«Yes, dad! By the way, I just sent a wolf post to Regina, telling him to stay put tomorrow, that we will be trying a trick. The wolf should reach him in five minutes.» Sitar replied.

«Good thinking, son. I almost forgot Regina.»

«We are coming with our candidates for the King's ball, dad!» Harp added.

"King's ball?" enquired Samson.

"You are lucky, he didn't think of it in plural, or I would have been worried in your place!" laughed Harold. "You will still have one after that!"

«You are as bad as Harp, Dad!» Sitar exclaimed. «He is thinking of the inaugural dance, which would come with any good crowning.»

«Are you sure?» Harp replied. «I am hungry!»

Shortly thereafter, Paschal was hard at work on doing a drawing of the Ceremonial crown. It took him half an hour, after which, he went with Williams to find proper softwood to sculpt into a crown. As soon as the two left, Sitar and Harp introduced their respective candidate to royalty, and explained to each what was expected.

"What we are looking for is someone that can play the role of door opener for us. You will have to convince the captain of the guard that you are Franz. You will be dressed like he was, and wear a good imitation of the ceremonial crown, now being done by Paschal and Williams." Samson informed them.

"The first criterion is similarity in looks to Franz, thus the choice of you two individuals. But in order to further perfect the illusion, we will pick the one that has the closest voice range to Franz's. Both will learn the role, just in case the one picked up suddenly developed a sore throat, or had a bout of stage freight," completed Enron.

"What about security? I am sure there is a password or some recognition signal. Paranoid Franz wouldn't have left the option of someone impersonating him unanswered."

"That just got you promoted to baronet, young man!" Samson remarked. "Enron, record the name of this gentleman so he gets his patent letters as soon as we are done here."

"Yes dad."

«Mom? Can you ask Germanicus if he knows the recognition signs to enter Sophia?» Paschal asked.

«Yes dear. He just went to bed and was asking about you boys. Wait a minute; I'll go ask him.»

"Telepathy does have its advantages, don't you think, Paschal?" Harold asked.

"Yes dad, it sure does. No wait for replies, instant mood feel and the likes. It is fun to be able to talk to mom from two hundred miles without even having to think about the distance. I sure love telephony, telepathy, and television. We haven't tried telekinesis or teleportation, but it's probably due to lack of a valid occasion to do so. Telemetry sure has helped me establish a coherent map of the kingdom."

"Talking about distance, the ferocity of battles along the northern border seems to be increasing considerably. The wolves are noticing ever more orcs are engaged in the fight, and the crocodiles are streaming in from the west in huge columns," remarked Harp.

"We will need to investigate what is pushing the two southward with such speed. There must be a reason!" Enron noted.

«That reminds me of something, my dear,» Annabelle told them. «Remember these columns of orcs we met before crossing into the Elvin Kingdom? Their movement was southward, too, mostly. The river we were following, that services Riverside, has its origin northwest of the town, and the orcs could well have been coming from further up north, crossing the smaller streams at it source. Then the second attack at Command Rock again found us in a situation where most of the attack force was located northward from our position. It might be a coincidence, but maybe not.»

«And let's not forget the Hunters, dad. They were moving away from us. We assumed they were planning a trap, but the road was in a southwesterly direction. Could it be the crocodiles are on to something we are unaware of?» Sitar added.

«I agree with them, Harold.» Samson said. «Something is up, and we must find out what.»

«OK. As soon as we are done with Sophia, we start investigating the reason for the moves, using the canines.» Harold decided.

«I have news for you. There are three recognition signs that must be given in specific order for the gates to open up.» Annabelle informed them.

«What are they?» Samson asked.

«The first is the raising of the colours, three times, a minute up, a minute down, followed by two minutes up, one minute down, and then three minutes up, and a minute down, finishing by a final raising of the colours to enter town. You are lucky; I packed Sophia's colours in one of the packhorses bundle. Germanicus has seen that ritual enough to be able to describe it faithfully.»

«Ok, next recognition sign?»

«That too is simple. The hunting horns are blown in a specific interval. But this time, the length of the sustained note is twenty, ten and five seconds, separated by five seconds intervals.»

«This time, it's me that thought of bringing the horns with us. I wanted to learn how to play them, but never found the time.» Sitar informed them.

«OK. And what is the last sign?»

«That is the bitch. The thing is, it's a password that changes each time Franz leaves the city.»

The news left the others worried. Without that last item, their plan would fail.

«Let's ask the dogs in Sophia if they know of the password.» Harp suggested.

«Good idea. I just checked with Germanicus, and it seems there are a lot of exchanges between Dioniz, Ultrech, and Sophia. Maybe the dogs under the bridges have heard it, not actually knowing it was what was exchanged. He says the password is the same at every gate.»

«I think we will wait until morning to advance, and see if one or more envoy from either Dioniz or Ultrech lets the password be heard by a dog. Meanwhile Harp, check with the dogs in town if any has some knowledge of the current password.» Harold said.

***

The night was busy for everyone. Harp kept asking the same question to every dog he could identify with some certainty as belonging to the archduke's suite, be they the hunting dogs or the guard dogs, but none seemed to have noticed the current password or if, indeed, there might not be a pattern or a cycle related to some days or time interval.

Paschal and Williams worked until lauds to finish the wooden crown, and then Paschal painted it until it matched with relative fidelity the golden look of the real crown. Red was used to represent the rubies, and blue to represent the sapphires.

"Our only issue is that it will not shine much, contrary to the real crown. Paint will never match the glow of gold, sapphires or rubies. Let's hope the weather is cloudy tomorrow!"

"I know, Paschal. You and Williams did your best under the circumstances. Let's just hope the guards are all near-sighted!"

"I think our man should wear a cloak and a hood over the crown, like he was trying to protect it. It would also present another advantage. The best man is blond, and that is a definite change from the raven-black hair of the archduke."

"Quite true, Sitar, I had thought of finding a way to colour the man's hair black using coal dust, but wearing a cloak and hood will solve the problem, especially if tomorrow is rainy. Make sure the hood is tied tightly below the chin so the wind doesn't blow it off at the most inopportune times."

As prime neared and the false dawn lights shone in the eastern sky, Harp came to Harold.

"I have had no luck with the dogs in town. Most are aware of some sort of ritual but none took note of the words said, since they can't speak. It does make sense. Enron is coming towards us. He and Sitar have been monitoring activity in the other cities across the river. Let's hope he has better news."

"Harold, there is something happening on the Ultrech side of the bridge. The dogs sleeping under the bridge were woken by the noise of the drawbridge being dropped, and report there is someone walking across the bridge on horseback towards Sophia."

"Anything else?"

"The people on each side seem to be exchanging some visual signals using flashing light, well, those in Ultrech are. There is none coming back from Sophia, but it may be due to the fact that their side is in the shadows, as the sun rising in their back."

"Let's integrate the dogs on Sophia's side of the bridge. It would be a disaster to miss the exchange between the messenger and the people on the parapet of Sophia. How many are there?"

"Five adult dogs in all, and 3 pups."

"OK. Enron and I will take the alpha dogs; you three take the others of the band. Williams, you and Dunbar, take the two alphas from the Ultrech and follow the messenger at a safe distance." Harold paused and then sent out a message: «Annabelle, can you take control of the dog nanny on the Ultrech side from where you are?"»

«No problem dear, I already introduced myself to her and she understands the importance of keeping the pups in check while their parents do our bidding. I already have done the same with the dogs on the Sophia side!"»

"OK, gentlemen. All dogs are under control. Annabelle is taking care of the families' nannies, and we all have our assigned target. Let's get focussed. I want to hear him fart!"

"It's a her, by the way, dad."

"Who, Paschal?"

"The messenger sent by Ultrech."

"Oh. OK. I stand corrected. I want to hear her fart!"

«Harold, I have invested the horse that carries the messenger. This will add another set of ears. The nannies know what to do and do not need my supervision.»

«OK, Annabelle. Thanks.»

Everyone was listening to the hoofs resonate on the stone structure of the bridge, as the messenger made her way towards Sophia. It stopped at the fall mark, which indicated the drawbridge's fall limit and called out for the guard.

"Halt! Identify yourself!" hollered the guard, signalling a crossbowman to take aim.

"I am Lady Helene, Archduchess of Ultrech! I need to talk to Baron Stephan!"

"What about?"

"I have vital news on what happened at the Royal Convocation, news that is too critical to be hollered to all winds!"

"Give us the password!"

"You must ask the question first!"

"Quite true, my Lady. What is the seed that opens doors?"

"It is the sesame seed."

"Where does it grow?"

"In dark caves!"

"What is its fertilizer?"

"Gold!"

"You may enter, Lady Helene, Archduchess of Ultrech!" Turning around, the guard ordered the drawbridge dropped, and the barbicans to be raised.

"We have the passwords. Go! Go! Go!" Harold ordered.

Less than a minute after the drawbridge had fallen, the column started its rush towards the eastern drawbridge. At two hundred yards, the column halted and began the ritual of the colours. Everyone was tense as the minutes passed.

"Dad, the archduchess is almost to the palace! Can't we rush things?"

"No, Harp. We are barely finishing the colour ritual, and then there is the ten minute ritual of the horns!"

"Harp, order the horse to eject lady Helene! Now!"

"Done, Sitar. She landed head first in the street sewers. She isn't out of there easily, and I told the horse to run like he had seen a dangerous animal!"

"Good idea! I saw the Lady's flyby from under the balcony towards which she was heading. I've asked the dogs to howl and run after an imaginary animal on a side street. That will give an excuse for the horse's behaviour," confirmed Paschal.

"That ought to give us some time, dad. The men are trying to get her out of the sewer, but she's more slippery than a swine in a mud bath!" Enron commented.

"Given she must weight as much as an armoured man even if she doesn't wear any, according to Felix, the horse, I'm not surprised!" Harp added.

"That is lady Helene, archduchess of Ultrech, for you. I met her once, and she looked like a ceros⁵⁶⁵⁶ ("Ceros : rhinoceros.") ! Harp could take lessons on pigging out on food from her."

"Does she have a horn, like the one we saw when we visited the Royal Zoo?" Harp asked.

"Her nose could effectively compete with their horn, Harp; however hers is uglier, she has one of these huge warts on the top that probably explains why she always seem to step and slip in dog shit. She can't see ahead."

"Forward to the one-hundred yard range!" Harold ordered as the colour ritual came to an end. "Horns! Play!"

The next ten minutes were as tense as the previous ones, with the dogs in town howling to cover the horns at the eastern gate.

"She is still stuck in the sewer dad! However they are getting a stockade and pulleys to get her out of there." A few minutes later, Harp couldn't help himself and burst into an irrepressible bout of laughter.

"What's so funny, son?"

"The stockade they used was rotten or she weights more than Felix said, but whatever the reason, it broke and she fell back in the sewers on her ass, spraying everyone around in the process!"

Everyone that shared his memory of the event couldn't help but laugh.

"OK. One minute to go before the password ritual! Is our man ready?" Harold asked.

"Yes, I will be helping him with his memory, just in case," replied Enron.

"On stage! Be convincing!"

The substitute archduke of Sophia and Enron rode to the drawbridge's stop mark, and Enron called out for the guard, taking the place of Germanicus, which had a similar voice and built.

"Halt! Identify yourself!" hollered the guard, signalling a crossbowman to take aim.

"I am Franz, archduke of Sophia, King of the Elves! Open the gates to your king!"

"Give us the password!"

"You must ask the question first!"

"Quite true, your Highness. What is the seed that opens doors?"

"It is the sesame seed."

"Where does it grow?"

"In dark caves!"

"What is its fertilizer?"

"Gold!"

"You may enter, your Majesty, Archduke of Sophia, King of the Elves!" The guard gave a signal and the drawbridge dropped, followed by the slow raising of the barbicans. As soon as they were up, the column rode in town, heading non-stop for the palace. Minutes were counted, and it would take a good fifteen minutes to navigate to the palace courtyard.

"We must reach the baron before the archduchess, at all costs!" Harold ordered. "Behave like Franz, storm the streets! It's not the time to be delicate!"

The column galloped towards the palace, and made it to its entrance in record time, to the cost of a couple of stragglers that were reduced to bloody pulp by the cavalry's charge.

"Enron, do you know that baron Stephan? Is his title legitimate?"

"Yes I know him from afar; he visited dad a couple of times on official business, but we never actually met. He is much like Franz, he considered me a negligible quantity."

"What are we to expect when we reach the palace?"

"Normally, the baron should be waiting for his liege lord on the steps of the palace, framed by some of the courtesans and a phalange of armed men."

"I see; from close up, our impersonator won't buy us any time. Gentlemen, when we reach the palace, charge right in on horseback. You, use your best 'Franz in command' voice and order the baron to meet us in the throne room! Do not stop under any consideration! I want that baron so taken by surprise he won't have time to think!"

"That would be in Franz' style, you know, Harold! He did that once in dad's palace, and this is one bone of contention between the two you resolved!"

As the cavalry turned into an arched entry to a courtyard, Enron stated, "This is the exercise yard. About a hundred feet from us is the inner courtyard, which is the place where the baron should be waiting for us. Blow the horns so they open the wooden doors to the inner courtyard."

The horns blown, the doors separating the two yards opened. The cavalry headed full gallop towards the stairs and the impersonator yelled:

"Meet me in the throne room, Baron!"

"Yes sire!"

The cavalry came into the palace at a full gallop and headed for the throne room.

"Spread out and take control of every strategic position! Do not let them regroup!" commanded Harold.

"Yes, Legate!" Yamato replied.

The return to the old title took Harold by surprise, but now was not the time to debate things with Yamato. There must be a reason for this, thought Harold.

"Harp, what is happening to the archduchess?"

"She is being stockaded as we speak. They are using ropes, pulleys and construction beams. I just hope they have better twine than they had wood! She is complaining of rope burns, and her dress is torn to shreds. If what I see is true, and I cannot deny dog sight, the worms will suffer a severe case of indigestion due to an over-fat diet when she dies! They better rush it, one of the ropes is showing signs of strain, and could break any time!"

"Dad, the baron is getting close according to a dog. We aren't ready yet!" Paschal informed Harold.

"Get the horses out using the same hallway he is using! That ought to slow him down!"

"The horses are running out at full gallop and heading for the barn, following the lead of your destrier. Already a couple of the baron's men have broken ribs and legs. He had to duck in a side door and one of the dogs managed to be in his way so he fell on his face. The result is a broken nose, and a sorry dog. I told it to come to us as soon as things settled down, since it has problems breathing due to the kick the baron gave it on the side."

"Harold, the elves have taken control of all doors, and dropped all drawbridges, the wolves are reporting."

"Good, Enron. Let the legionnaires walk in at full military charge. Signal baron Regina the road is open and to come in from the south door."

"Done, Harold. The wolf delivered the message just now at my command! They should reach the south gate in ten minutes and spread into the city. I asked that he report to us as soon as the proper dispositions have been taken care of. The wolf that is in charge of his escort will make sure Regina comes to us. The fact that Regina is escorted by about a hundred wolves will create a stir, but when the thousand that will escort dad come into town, it's going to be a shock wave!"

"Greywolf is reporting that our four-legged troops are ready to control the countryside. They have made contact with every farm dog and received allegiance to the Wolf Throne," Paschal added to the reports that were flooding from everywhere. "Greywolf transferred command of the external wolf packs to his Beta, and will personally command Samson's escort into town."

"Fine. Ah, here you are Yamato! What is the situation in the palace?"

"We have taken control of every strategic station. However, I must report that we also found some ugly things in the donjons and oubliettes of the palace; and there is a room where Franz seemed to enjoy some rather fancy activities, of which I will abstain giving any description, Harold. Let us say that some people did not appreciate their last meeting with the butcher."

Taking a sip from his gourd, Yamato resumed his report.

"We also found his study. Amongst other things found there is a list of Franz's allies in his bid for power; and also a call for help from duchies. Maybe Enron could tell us where they are located?"

"Do you have these letters?"

"Yes, Prince Enron. I must warn you, they were addressed to your dad, but the seals were broken, more likely by Franz himself, or on his order. He was well-known to use deniability as a defence tool should things turn sour on him."

"I know the bastard. He is too bad to even rot in hell, if there is such a place."

Enron studied the letters one after the other, giving them to Harold in turn.

"Well, there is one thing that is clear, the calls for help to last fall! And we are right in the middle of summer! That creep has held back strategic information for his own purposes. I am so glad he is dead!"

"I agree, Enron, but where are located Ra. Ka, Ma, Edom, Baal, Aden and Fe? And Alamein and Gdansk?"

"All are the extreme-north duchies of the kingdom, Harold, except for Alamein and Gdansk, which are archduchies and are located on the southern edges of the above-mentioned duchies. They are the first to feel the pressure of whatever is happening up north."

"It seems that Franz responded favourably to Alamein and Gdansk and sent troops there?"

"Oh, they are allied with Franz. I am sure if we look into the papers Yamato found, we will find these two names on the allied list of Sophia."

"Indeed, Prince. Here is the list: Dioniz, Frieburg, Gdansk, Munster, Vicksburg, Ultrech were favourable to Franz. Strangely, all are now, technically, back under direct Royal control, because their head of state rolled during the fealty swearing-in."

"Should we wait to let dad into town?"

"The situation is under control, prince Enron. However, I would appreciate additional wolves. Dogs are nice, but they aren't feared."

After taking a breath, Enron said, "Done, Greywolf is sending five hundred wolves in to help the dogs patrol the streets. They will join the elves and your legionnaires in patrolling the seediest parts of town, mostly near the port. I have ordered that Franz's colours stay on the walls, so that Dioniz and Ultrech are not made openly aware of our taking control of Sophia."

"Yamato, one thing I want is that the cavalry centurie be ready to charge across the bridge into Ultrech," ordered Harold. "Enron, we also must take the city in Dioniz as soon as possible, preferably at the same time we take whatever that city is named we are dealing with in Ultrech."

"Oh, I totally forgot to tell you their name did I? The city in Ultrech is called Hamburg, and the one in Dioniz is Loren. Please remind me when I forget to update you on our geography."

"I thought the main town gave the name to the region it controlled?"

"Not so, Yamato, not so. In some cases, the name comes from what it produces; other times, it's the founder of the duchy or archduchy, and, quite often, it's a reminiscence of the origins of the people that compose or used to compose the population in the area. Time has pushed in the vapours of memory the true origins of many of us, but yet, sometimes, they keep a common bond."

"Dad, we must deal with the baron, he has had his nose fixed by the castle healer and is coming to the throne hall," Paschal informed them.

"OK. I will deal with him. Enron? Stay back. I doubt he will be impressed with you any more than Franz. I don't have time to be finicky. Either it goes well or he ends up short of a head."

***

The baron walked in the courtroom and looked around.

"Where is Franz?"

"Dead. I am Wolf King Harold, and behind me is Prince Regent Enron of Nature's Throne. Who are you?"

"Dead? But I saw him come in here!"

"You see ghosts now? I'll ask you one more time, who are you?"

"I am baron Stephan of Sophia, commander of the Castle in absence of his legitimate owner."

"Well, baron, the legitimate owner is back, but is temporarily busy taking dispositions as to the management of his new holdings."

"But you just said Franz is dead! It doesn't make sense!"

"Who said it doesn't? He is arranging for his new holdings in the deepest pits of Hell. As for the new holder, here he comes."

In walked Archduke Volant of York, escorted by four black wolves, a decade of legionnaires, and the same number of elves carrying short bows and staff.

"Baron Stephan of Sophia, may I present to you your new liege lord, Archduke Volant of York, which replaces Franz of Sophia as trustee of this land?"

"How can that be? He is the new owner? I would prefer be dead than serve under his command!"

"That can be arranged!" replied the archduke, walking towards them taking out his sword. "May I, your Majesty? You deprived me the pleasure of disposing of Franz, I owe you the same service by protecting your famed blade from that villain's blood!"

"Certainly, archduke. By the way, as King of Canines, I reserve second blade to your disposal. Kicking that poor dog because you weren't looking where you were going in the first place was like kicking one of my subjects! Sitar, where is it so I can heal the dog?"

"I sent a legionnaire to pick it up, it was unable to come her on its own, dad."

"Good, Archduke Volant, would you mind waiting for the dog to be healed so it can enjoy the show in comfort?"

"Certainly, Your Majesty. There, there, do not despair; you will not have long to wait before joining Franz in hell, baron. And count your virtues, you will witness a miracle this day!"

At this moment, four legionnaires came in, holding a blanket by each corner as a palanquin, carrying a male dog.

"Put him there, on the stage."

"Yes, Legate."

"Come here, baron. It's time for you to see what the archduke was talking about."

Harold took Mitsuko out and waited for the weary baron to step on to his side.

"Do not fear, you are reserved for the archduke, and I will never deprive one of my sworn vassals of his just vengeance. Now, watch!"

Harold set the blade on the dog gently on its side, eliciting a whimper of pain. "Do not fear, my friend, the pain will be gone shortly." Taking a breath Harold ordered, in a resonating voice, "Mitsuko, heal this dog, inside and out, and bring him back to his youthful best!"

The blade emitted a deep emerald green light for a few minutes. When the light show ended, there was a magnificent tan dog with lustrous hair, bright deep chocolate brown eyes, and a superb muscular body.

«So, how are you feeling, my friend?»

«I have never felt so good, my lord! What will happen to that two-legged which kicked me so badly?»

«He will be killed by the new owner of this place, I suspect.»

«So be it, my lord. He has killed enough of us for his enjoyment.»

«Please sit to my right, between me and this young pup, whose name you probably do not know yet. He is named Enron.»

«Will he be the new master of this place?»

«No, the alpha male of the pack is the one holding the metal tooth, known as a sword to the two-legged animals, which will now dispose of the beta male known as baron Stephan.»

«What happened to the previous alpha, my lord?»

«I killed him some time ago.»

«Then why aren't you the alpha? This is the way of the canines!»

«I am human too, my friend, and yes I am alpha of the canines, and also alpha of the humans and elfs, and, from what my pups tell me, I am also alpha of the equines. I am alpha for all the canines, wolves, foxes, dogs, and coyotes. I am also the alpha of all the elf packs that fall under me; and his is one of those. He is alpha of this pack, but he recognizes subservience to me. Does this clarify things to you? I have simplified considerably, because pack structure in the two-legged is a lot more complicated than in our canine society.»

«This is indeed a heavy load, full of responsibilities. How may I enter to your services?»

«You have done so already. By doing the bidding of one of my pups and making that one fall, you have helped us. But if you wish to do more, I shall ask that one of my pups introduce you to Greywolf, the captain of the Wolf Guard.»

«Please! I want to leave this place, and be at your service!»

«I have heard your plea.» Harp replied, «Sit and wait with us, Greywolf will be here later today with another alpha subservient to my dad.»

"Let the fight begin!" ordered Harold, as he backed away from the baron, weary that the unscrupulous man might try taking him hostage.

The baron took his sword out and a poniard as shield, as did the archduke.

"Shouldn't there be a circle of Judgement?" asked the baron.

"The judgement has been rendered, and the sentence is death. This is an execution!" replied, coldly, Harold.

The battle engaged with utmost ferocity, as blades collided with each other, poniard against poniard, sword against sword, poniard against sword. Sparks flew, steel cried as it rubbed against steel, wailed as it bent on the impacts of other blades.

"Isn't this a beautiful sabre dance, dad? Look at how elegant the archduke is!"

"Harp, I know you love to gut people, but this isn't a simple play you know, well at least for most. But yes, Volant fights well, albeit a lot more slowly than we do."

"I notice the baron is a pitiful swordsman. He has already made a good dozen mistakes that have left him open to a killing blow from the archduke." Sitar commented.

"I know. I think Volant wants to show the man who is the real master of this trade between him and the baron."

"I wonder why Volant is taking so much time to dispose of this dung?" Paschal wondered.

"I can answer that. I suspect he is waiting for the archduchess to appear and see the final few passes before getting rid of garbage."

"I think you are right, Enron. Where is the walking sewer?"

"Legate, she is being escorted to the palace, on foot, leaving a trail of excrements behind her. I ordered her stripped, and bucketed in cold water before she enters the outer portico of the outer yard. I doubt the archduke would appreciate that the floors of his new castle be made slippery by a walking pigsty."

"Yamato, it's the third time I have been called legate today. I am wondering why?"

"There is a simple reason for this. You are our commander in chief at war, and that makes you the Legate of the legions first and foremost in the eyes of the legions. At war, you are Legate first, King second. A king is a political figure; a legate is a military one."

"Oh. Now I understand. What do you make of this nice show?"

"Volant is good, but he would benefit from our training, Legate. As for the baron, he will need to train in the use of pitchforks and shovels more than in the use of swords."

"Pitchforks and shovels?" Enron asked.

"Oh, yes, it's an old, outdated concept, Enron. There was a religion that claimed the damned souls were sent to a place called Hell, where they were first burned and as they got promoted, they would first go to shovelling coal to keep the fires burning, than, an eternity later, to the pitchforks used to shovel the damned souls into the fire pits. I wonder why they never realized they were already living in hell."

"And people believed in that?"

"You have no idea, Enron!" replied, laughing, Harold. "Religions are powerful tools of power. They had a sophisticated structure of Heaven and Hell, whereby if you did what the churches asked, you went to Heaven, and if you did not, you went to Hell. Some churches promised virgins to the martyrs in Heaven, some sold indulgences, to compensate for sins, or took gifts of money, gold, land or even other humans as payment to open the Pearly Gates that were supposed to lead to Heaven."

"This is ridiculous! No one can verify what happens after death!"

"The most ridiculous is that, assuming there is an after-life, a God, a Heaven, and a gate-keeper, this would make God into one of the worst prostitutes of all times, as He would sell his Grace like a whore on a street corner. And consider this. The book that claimed there were seventy-two virgins awaiting the martyr was written in a script that did not have vowels. By pure luck, virgin⁵⁷⁵⁷ ("<img src=\"chapters\/arab1.png\" alt=\"arab 1\" width=\"17\" height=\"12\" \/> ") and fruit⁵⁸⁵⁸ ("<img src=\"chapters\/arab2.png\" alt=\"arab 2\" width=\"13\" height=\"10\" \/> ") have the same consonants in that language! Can you imagine the martyr's deception when he shows up in Heaven to be met by a plate of seventy-two fruits! What a letdown! To complicate things a bit more, fruit, virgin, and prepubescent boys⁵⁹⁵⁹ ("<img src=\"chapters\/arab3.png\" alt=\"arab 3\" width=\"13\" height=\"16\" \/>") all share the same consonants! What a shock for the bloody bloke to be met with a bunch of cute boy asses!"

"This is fraud raised to an art! No one can verify that what is sold even exists! And not a single customer can come back to complain that he did not get what he paid for!"

"Yes, the moralists are the most fraudulent; this is a well-known fact of life: the most virulent preachers were the most sinful individuals before they discovered faith. A convert is a more dangerous individual than a long-lasting believer. They believe that by forcing conversions and their view of morals on others, by paving the way to Hell for others, they will smooth their way to Heaven."

"Dad, the sewer is entering the palace ground, and even the dogs are puking at her looks. May I suggest she at least drapes her ugliness in a brown wool robe? Virgin white doesn't seem too fitting!"

"Paschal, wait for her to get showered first! I don't want the wool to shrink on her enough to be moulding her abundant shape!"

"All right, all right! Terminus? Can you see that she gets a cassock or something of the sort? Any tent vast enough to hide the Oliphant⁶⁰⁶⁰ ("Oliphant: Elephant.") that is coming in would do good!"

Terminus took off on a run, and managed to get a bed sheet of thick wool to the archduchess, who was furious at the treatment.

"The archduke will hear of this, I swear," she yelled at Terminus.

He did not bother replying, wrapping the acrimonious bitch in the double-width bed sheet as soon as the showering was done.

"I must get to the baron as fast as I can! Lead the way!"

Terminus turned on himself and took on a trot, not bothering to check if the whale could keep up with him.

Walking in the courtroom, Terminus hollered "The Archduchess Helene of Ultrech!"

The archduchess walked towards the noise of the fight, as the observers parted to let her pass. Getting to the fighting men she stopped to consider what she was saying before talking.

"Baron Stephen, stop playing! I have news of the most vital importance to tell you! There is a commoner claiming kinghood that has killed Franz and my husband! At least he got rid of the two obstacles to our marriage, Stephen, but I heard he is coming this way leading an army! Get the defences ready!"

"That news is cold, lady Helene. I am the commoner king, and your lover is presently facing execution for high treason!"

"I will not let some wild grown crowned head do my lover in!" said Helene, as she charged the archduke in order to disarm him. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the archduchess stepped in the way of the baron's blade, which was furiously trying to use the distraction to his advantage. The baron's blade found its mark and cut the archduchess' carotid as he tried to reach Volant with what he thought was an unstoppable thrust.

"One swine down, to you, baron!" exclaimed Volant, as he spread his legs wide and reached the baron from the underside of the chin, entering six inches of steel in his brain.

"Remove the corpses and have the floor cleansed. Volant, no time to lose, take two thousand elves and charge into Dioniz before they realize what is up! Yamato! Take the cavalry and take Hamburg. Has Loren dropped its drawbridge?"

"Yes, it did dad. The wolves on the parapet have seen it fall and those under the bridge have heard it fall."

"Fine, Volant you cross into Loren first, under the colour of the ex-archduke. Your looks may differ, but they certainly do not differ as much as a charging legion! Chances are the guards on the other side will think you are reinforcements for them. When you are in, blow your horns, so that the legions can hear you across the river. That will be the signal for them to charge on horseback. Full charge, Yamato, and take control of that drawbridge and barbicans! Another two thousand elves should follow you right out and catch up with you shortly after. Our fifth column of dogs is ready to help. About a hundred have taken position near the controls of the drawbridge and barbicans to interfere with the guards, in each city. Do not manage your efforts to help our four-legged allies. They are my subjects as much as any of you!"

"Yes Legate!" Yamato answered, taking off on a run for the stables.

«Greywolf! I need a thousand wolves to support the elves in Loren, and five hundred in Hamburg.»

«At your command, King Harold. The other two-legged I am to protect is getting impatient, as well as that guy that keeps trying to read my mind and influence my thoughts, Marlin I think you called him once.»

«Do not worry, I will deal with both.»

Focalizing first on King Samson, Harold entered in contact, «My friend, be patient, we are almost done here. We are finishing the clean up. Our only big piece of crap left is what appears to be a temple of the crocodiles. We will reserve them for your pleasure, Samson.»

Focussing on Marlin, Harold sent a short, icy message. «Keep bugging Greywolf, and I will authorize him a free meal on your carcass, is this clear? And yes, I heard your reply, and felt your fear. I might even enjoy being the one taking the first bite of your over-fat ham if you ever try to influence my subjects again!»