into the eyes of the man before him, accepting that there may yet be a chance of his father not being as terrible as he had first thought.
*
Calyx stood beside the Zohr, looking out over a stone seated amphitheatre filled with thousands of fantoms cheering for blood. On the sandy floor of a central arena, several beasts lay dead with their blood surrounding their inferior souls. Three beasts remained standing, prowling in a circle, eyeing up the next attack.
General Mutus approached from behind. He presented himself with a bow of his head. "My Zohr, the princess has been captured. She is being held at the palace."
The Zohr looked around to Mutus and lifted an evil top lip with the thought of the cythereans having a little more leverage over them. "Exactly where I need her to be," he said.
"I want her back," Mutus told him.
The Zohr turned his old neck back to the death match, "In good time," he said. "They will not harm her while we have young Calyx. Their games will only assist us in our struggle."
The battle of beasts continued in the arena stirring excitement from the crowd. A brown, long-furred creature picked up a war hammer that lay buried in the dirt, swinging it down intent on killing a black-skinned, tusked beast. He missed as the black beast twisted away from the strike. The Zohr watched on expressionless. Calyx, had no idea why he had been brought to watch what he saw as the pointless blood sports of the Zohr's pets. Once again he was amazed by the level of excitement the fantoms showed as they cheered on the murderous aggression down in the arena.
Mutus waited for the crowd to quieten. "There is another matter; a boy, the twin brother of the prince. Willow tells me he has been brought here as the protector."
Calyx twisted his head to look at the scowl on Mutus's face, "I don't have a brother!" he stuttered in all sincerity.
"Your father is not as honest as you assume," the Zohr drove into Calyx. He waved Mutus away. "It is of no matter. This boy, whoever he is, will be of no use to the cythereans."
Mutus bowed without a word and left the arena.
The Zohr leant closer to Calyx. "It seems you are no longer of any importance to your father," he said.
"My father will do what is best for our people," said Calyx.
"And that means forgetting about his son?"
"Whatever is necessary," Calyx replied.
"You are obviously not necessary… Not to him," the Zohr snarled, placing a gauntleted forearm around Calyx's shoulders. "But you are to me," he said, with a tone of ugly sweetness.
The brown, long-furred creature knocked down a larger white-coated beast with his war hammer. He lifted the hammer with two strong arms above his head intent on finishing the white thing off and roared with power. He swung the hammer down with speed. The white beast stretched out an arm, grabbing a ring-sword that lay hidden in the sand by his side, moving it in front of him the arms of the brown-haired assassin sliced off and fell to the ground. The dark, tusked animal struck the killer blow from behind, sinking a spiked mace into the skull of the armless beast. The crowd roared with joy as the bloodied brown animal fell heavily to its death.
Calyx looked up to the grey face of the leader beside him. The Zohr's words may have carried some truth. It was possible that his father didn't care about him anymore. Calyx wasn't sure if he'd ever cared about anything else but protecting the stone. Was it true? Did he have a brother that his father had never told him about? It couldn't be. Why would his father do that to him? But then why would his father leave him in this place? Confusion raged in the boy's eyes.
The Zohr looked only at Calyx, watching the fight in the arena through the eyes of ten thousand soldiers. "Mark my words," he said, with a hideous silver stare, "the dark beast will win!"
Calyx looked down to the arena and the battle between dark and light. The black-skinned beast swung his mace, knocking away the ring sword
*
Calyx stood beside the Zohr, looking out over a stone seated amphitheatre filled with thousands of fantoms cheering for blood. On the sandy floor of a central arena, several beasts lay dead with their blood surrounding their inferior souls. Three beasts remained standing, prowling in a circle, eyeing up the next attack.
General Mutus approached from behind. He presented himself with a bow of his head. "My Zohr, the princess has been captured. She is being held at the palace."
The Zohr looked around to Mutus and lifted an evil top lip with the thought of the cythereans having a little more leverage over them. "Exactly where I need her to be," he said.
"I want her back," Mutus told him.
The Zohr turned his old neck back to the death match, "In good time," he said. "They will not harm her while we have young Calyx. Their games will only assist us in our struggle."
The battle of beasts continued in the arena stirring excitement from the crowd. A brown, long-furred creature picked up a war hammer that lay buried in the dirt, swinging it down intent on killing a black-skinned, tusked beast. He missed as the black beast twisted away from the strike. The Zohr watched on expressionless. Calyx, had no idea why he had been brought to watch what he saw as the pointless blood sports of the Zohr's pets. Once again he was amazed by the level of excitement the fantoms showed as they cheered on the murderous aggression down in the arena.
Mutus waited for the crowd to quieten. "There is another matter; a boy, the twin brother of the prince. Willow tells me he has been brought here as the protector."
Calyx twisted his head to look at the scowl on Mutus's face, "I don't have a brother!" he stuttered in all sincerity.
"Your father is not as honest as you assume," the Zohr drove into Calyx. He waved Mutus away. "It is of no matter. This boy, whoever he is, will be of no use to the cythereans."
Mutus bowed without a word and left the arena.
The Zohr leant closer to Calyx. "It seems you are no longer of any importance to your father," he said.
"My father will do what is best for our people," said Calyx.
"And that means forgetting about his son?"
"Whatever is necessary," Calyx replied.
"You are obviously not necessary… Not to him," the Zohr snarled, placing a gauntleted forearm around Calyx's shoulders. "But you are to me," he said, with a tone of ugly sweetness.
The brown, long-furred creature knocked down a larger white-coated beast with his war hammer. He lifted the hammer with two strong arms above his head intent on finishing the white thing off and roared with power. He swung the hammer down with speed. The white beast stretched out an arm, grabbing a ring-sword that lay hidden in the sand by his side, moving it in front of him the arms of the brown-haired assassin sliced off and fell to the ground. The dark, tusked animal struck the killer blow from behind, sinking a spiked mace into the skull of the armless beast. The crowd roared with joy as the bloodied brown animal fell heavily to its death.
Calyx looked up to the grey face of the leader beside him. The Zohr's words may have carried some truth. It was possible that his father didn't care about him anymore. Calyx wasn't sure if he'd ever cared about anything else but protecting the stone. Was it true? Did he have a brother that his father had never told him about? It couldn't be. Why would his father do that to him? But then why would his father leave him in this place? Confusion raged in the boy's eyes.
The Zohr looked only at Calyx, watching the fight in the arena through the eyes of ten thousand soldiers. "Mark my words," he said, with a hideous silver stare, "the dark beast will win!"
Calyx looked down to the arena and the battle between dark and light. The black-skinned beast swung his mace, knocking away the ring sword
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