Chapter One

The sky was a deep orange as the twin suns set beyond the horizons of the Celestial Empire. The land was desert and mountainous, the city where we lay our scene was vast and circular. In fact all the homes, schools and businesses were all built in clay brick and were spherical. Within the centre of the city was the Twin Scythe Arena, which was full. No change there.
The crowd, in the arena’s stands, were screaming and screeching out Silentfang’s name over and over again, until it was echoing off the inside of the wild elf’s skull. His silver eyes pierced through the crowd, studying each face in turn. The gentle breeze rustled through his mid length black hair, tied back by a piece of string. His long ears twitched at the tip listening to the odd comments being called out; ’Filthy Elf’, ’Mud Creature’ and ’Go back to your tree!’. Those were just a few, but Silentfang were used to them by now. In the beginning they did hurt, and nearly killed him due to distraction because he had paused to retaliate. Now he knew that it was all for reactions.
The arena smelt of blood and gore of the battles previously. Red stains dyed the yellow sands of the Twin Scythe Arena. The high grey stone walls topped with barbed vine and large eagle-foxes guarding the only could be escape once the iron gates had been slammed and a rough hand of a pig goblin pushed you forward for the audience to jeer, clap and whistle at you.
A roar came from the far end of the arena. Silentfang’s speciality was fighting trolls. Wild elves stand at their tallest at four foot, and Silentfang was the tallest of his kind standing at four foot and nine inches. That was still minute against a eight foot (pissed off) troll with razor sharp claws like a rabid wolf and teeth like a large male hippo. They were fast and extremely strong. They rely mainly on smell and their sense of hearing. Being nocturnal creatures fighting these in the day gave Silentfang the complete advantage but that doesn’t mean that the chance of being splattered wasn’t completely out of the question either.
“Come on, you bastard,” Silentfang muttered pulling his broadsword from its sheath and getting into stance. The beast stumbled out from the darkness of the tunnels and was already confounded by the shear racket of the arena. The iron gates slammed down behind the troll as the creature turned to run back into the safety of the darkness. “No where to run, just you and me!” One second Silentfang was on one side of the arena and in a blink of an eye he was running up the spine of the massive beast. It let out an almighty roar and swung its long arms on to its back forcing Silentfang to jump back down. His broadsword flashed as it sliced into the troll’s shoulder. With a surprised yelp of pain the beast rolled into another attack. Silentfang took a deep breath and dodged as arm after arm came smacking down. The ground was becoming indented making it harder for Silentfang to hop about so he knew he had to end this fast. The troll reared up and gripped its claws together to make a double fist to hammer down on Silentfang but he was too fast. Within a heartbeat, Silentfang launched himself at the troll’s vulnerable throat and slashed, hard. Steaming, hot, green blood plastered him all over as he barrel rolled out of the way of the humungous dead weight that started tilting and falling forward. The whole arena was dead quiet before the clapping and the cheering began. There would be a feast tonight. Silentfang let out a loud sigh as the admiration and shock of the crowd washed over him and he fell to his knees. Two pig goblins came and dragged him out of the arena to clean him. So was the life of a Celestin Gladiator.

Up on a cliff overlooking the beauteous sight of the suns set and the dark yellow sands. The green grass of the cliff were a shocking contrast against the desert back drop. The oasis was a training place for knights, currently it was being used.
“Work harder, Lachandra!” An old woman dressed in full armour tapped the end of a spear hard into ground. She was getting annoyed with her student. Lachandra, the third best Knight in her class, trying to get a foothold on the top of the class in a sparring match. Her hip length auburn hair, currently tied up in a tight bun, was sticking to her face inside her Griffin helmet. She slashed and battered away with her sword and shield. She was also the shortest of her class, only being about five foot tall but her body was not stubby. Her body was graceful and curvaceous, she fought more like a dancer. Her feet seemed to just lightly touch the grass beneath her. She could block and attack all in the same move.
‘She’s slowing down.’ Lachandra’s deep sea blue eyes missed nothing. Never missed that her opponent’s footing was getting weaker, and she was starting to go for blows that used less energy to pull off. In one swift, fluid, motion Lachandra disarmed her opponent and the sword whistled through the air landing neatly blade first in the mound of grass next to their teacher. The look of surprise was split second before she began clapping.
“Well done, Lachandra,” She said, and bowed her head to Lachandra’s opponent who was extremely red in the face from embarrassment, anger and exhaustion. The teacher started to walk away, using the spear as a walking stick. Although the woman was old there seemed to be strength radiating from her. Her murky green eyes could penetrate to your soul, and against her pure white hair she looked like a phantom. “Go and get washed up. There’s going to be another feast tonight, by the sounds of the arena.”

The feasting roundhouse was alive with music, chattering and laughter. There was no one in a twenty mile radius that would miss the feast of the Celestial Empire capital city, Radiance Dunes. Silentfang was in one of the windows watching the festivities like a stalking cat. The odd drunk adolescent with a beyond wasted young woman clinging to what ever she could would shout their slurred thanks and an insult to follow. Most Silentfang would retaliate now was just a short chuckle.
At the other end was Lachandra, dressed in a beautiful, woven with silk thread, deep orange dress with gold trimmings. It had no straps and solid gold kept the dress around her chest. Her auburn hair was down and flowing with desert flowers. Her tiara was clear to see. Lachandra was the daughter to the Emperor Helio. Training in Radiance Dunes to become a Knight was all she ever dreamed of, and being here has never stopped being amazing. Her father was coming here from his seaside abode to check on the development of his daughter’s training.
A dark shadow beckoned Silentfang from behind of the house in sight of his window. Silentfang slipped away, quiet as the breeze, unnoticed into the moonless night.
The festivities would continue with or without him there until the hours of the early morning where people would then stumble home and sleep off the entire day.

Chapter Two

Silentfang sat at a table, at the other end was the dark hooded figure who had beckoned him at feasting roundhouse. A large leather pouch was thrown on to the table. Several gold coins split out, glinting from the candles. The room was dark but there was no hiding the sudden greediness that flashed through the gladiator’s silver eyes. He leant forward onto his elbows, resting his chin on his fingers, his ears turned fully towards the man on the other side of the table like an alert cat.
“So will five thousand gold do the job?” The dark figure’s voice was harsh and raspy. “I want the job done swiftly and professionally,”
“Of course,” Silentfang gave his darkest grin. “It’ll will be done swiftly and professionally, do I get all the money now or after?”
“After of course,” The hooded figure shrugged his shoulders casually, and leant back in his chair. “But if it sweetens the deal, take half now,”
“You really want this done don’t you,” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. A trickle of doubt, or possibly guilt, found itself within the mind of the wild elf. With the money he’d be free, but was this how he wanted to earn his freedom?
“Will you do it?” The figure urged, leaning forward again. “That is more the question here,” He put out a hand for Silentfang to shake. Silentfang hesitated. He stared from the hand to the darkness beneath the hood and back.
“I’ll do it.” Silentfang shook the hand firmly.
“Good.” You could hear the smile in the word. And Silentfang just managed to hide his shiver.

The weather was a rare sight to see when Lachandra finally woke up the next morning. Rain lashed against her round stain glass window. She could hear children screaming and laughing outside, and although she had a hangover, she smiled.
“Your Ladyship?” A small pixie woman peered around the door. “Are you ready to dress?”
Lachandra nodded and five other pixies fluttered into the room. They carried her clothes gently and flew about her. Three were putting her clothes on her, the other three were sorting out her long auburn hair. When they had finished they place a silver tiara upon her head. The tiara was exquisite, silver vines of ivy entwined round themselves with ruby roses blooming through. “We have finished Lady Lachandra, would you like to come with us to see His Majesty?”
“Yes,” The six pixies fluttered around her in a formation. The dust that naturally sparkled scattered all around her. When a princess marries there would be at least fifty pixies scattering their sparkling wing dust. it’s a beautiful sight to see. When you come across a pixie nest, gold miners usually found fool’s gold because the dust had accumulated over thousands of years.
The king’s chamber was big and there three main large windows. One was to capture of the light of the dawn suns, the middle to capture the blinding light of the midday suns, and the final to capture the dimming suns of the dusk. In the middle of all these windows was her father’s throne, embellished in gold and sunstones.
“Be gone,” Lachandra ordered and the pixies flew away.
“Lachandra?” An old, raspy voice called from the bed chamber. She wandered through. She looked up slowly and her heart broke at the sight of her father. His hair was pure white and falling out in places. His eyes were milky, fully blind now, his body was skeletal.
“I’m here, my father,” She said loudly, doing her best to hide the sadness in her tone. “How do you fare?”
“Not as well as you, my daughter,” The old king smiled in her direction. “Closer, my little one, so I may feel your face and ‘see you’,”
Lachandra did as she was asked and knelt by the side of the king’s bed. “I’m here, my father,”
His hands, though she could feel the bones, were soft as they travelled about her face. First he followed the heart shape of her face, following her hair line and her chin. They giggled together when he tickled her ears. He felt the shape of her nose, her eyebrows and the shape of her eyes.
“What colour are your eyes?” He rasped.
“Deep blue,” She smiled, he felt her cheeks rise and smiled too. “Like mother’s,”
“And your hair colour, my daughter,”
“Auburn,” Lachandra caught her reflection in her father’s golden shield hanging on the wall. “Like the redwood bark,”
“Just like mine when I was young,” He became sad and moved his hands away from his daughter’s face.
“Father, you haven’t done all that bad for a man who has reached the age of a hundred and ten, and been through twelve wars,”
“Might as well have been twelve thousand wars,” Her father snapped for a moment then turned sad again. “They never leave me alone. I could still wield a sword and shield even though I’m blind. My body will never forget the dynamics of fighting. My mind will never forget the horrors of killing,” The King suddenly started coughing. Loud, harsh hacks. Every one cut deeper into Lachandra’s heart, it was she could do was grip her frail father’s hand and pat his bony back. When the coughing finally calmed down, he spoke again. This time very quietly. “And before you are my age you will have seen wars too,”
“I’m not scared, my father,” Lachandra became very red in the face, probably from fighting tears, and gripped her father’s hand again.
“I know,” He sighed. He patted her neck and cheek. “Now go now please, my daughter, I maybe blind, despite it raining, but I can still sense where the suns are. Its time for your lessons.”
“Yes, my father,” She kissed him gently on the forehead before getting up to leave. “Fare well.” She said as she left the chambers.

“Where’d you disappear to last night?” A massive, muscular black man, with bronze armlets and dark brown leather trousers, came up beside Silentfang, who was punching a punch bag.
“Got bored,” Silentfang coolly replied, not missing a hit he glanced at the man’s back. “You got lucky?” His back was covered in scratches.
“Yeah,” He grinned, flexing as he picked up a pair of dumbbells. “Who could resist Jelani?”
“Anyone with taste,” Silentfang bantered with a devilish grin.
Jelani nearly dropped a dumbbell but then chuckled and shook his head. “Careful, wild elf,” Jelani mocked seriousness. “I may ask you to spar me,”
“Bring it,” Silentfang laughed heartily. “You need to lose a few pounds, you almost look like a 6 foot pig goblin,”
“Oh you asked for it now, Silver,” He chuckled, unsheathing his curved blade. Silentfang gave another one of his grins and unsheathed his own broadsword.
They stood there in their stances, sometimes feigning movement and making each other flinch. Jelani stood in a back stance with his sword high above his head. Silentfang stood feet apart with his sword out in front of him. Suddenly Jelani gave out a loud war cry and leapt forward at Silentfang. Silentfang dodged and blocked the attack.
They fought for a while. Countering and blocking blows. They swore, snickered and taunted each other. Silentfang finished it gracefully. Leaping high into the air he round house kicked Jelani in the face, landing softly on the sandy ground next to his stunned friend.
“I swear to the twin suns,” Jelani gasped as he sat up. “What’s the scoring now?”
“Fourteen to me, ten to you and about five draws,” Silentfang chortled.
“Fighting liopards are easier than fighting you,”
“I get a better fight from a fully grown troll,”
“I’d get you for that but I’m fucking knackered now,” The pair of them laughed, and started to leave the training arena. “Let’s go and get something to eat.”

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Texte: Rebekah Povey
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 11.05.2012

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To my little boy, Love you forever xxx