CHAPTER 49 – BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Mitakahn walked down long narrow stairs, beautifully sculpted architecture covered by darkness. It led to the room with his friends trapped in waiting. He opened the door and when he lifted the stone slab into position, another door opened on the other side of the room.

“Convenient, we spend all this time searching for a door, and right when the blessed prince returns to us… two doors open with the ease of his bidding,” scoffed Bridger.

Outside the other door was solid blue sky. They were already almost halfway down the mountain. The troop walked out onto a hidden trail that they could not see before. Orion ran ahead to scout.

“We are back on the eastern side of the mountains,” said Excelsior.

“So Mitakahn tell us what happened while we were waiting for you in the basement,” said Anilithion.

“Well…it was a lot to take in. There was a lone statue in there and then I talked with the um… the goddess-”

“The goddess!”

“What!?”

“From the Carbon Terra?”

“That witch thing?”

“I kid you not! It was the Goddess Epiphany that came out of the Carbon Terra last night. When she came to her senses, she fled to the temple and told me about everything in that room, including the FireSword. I’ve never felt like I did in her presence before. It was as if I was…a better version of myself, like she brought out the best in me. After meeting her, I have this urge to be a better person, the person that she sees in me. I know it sounds crazy, but the things she said to me-” Mitakahn interrupted himself before he could go on.

“Well! What did she say?” asked Tron.

“She said a lot of things. She told me my dreams were real, and that my kingdom was in grave danger. But, she made it sound much worse than I had expected. Judging by her tone… I don’t think it’s just going to be Port Caliber. I think the entire kingdom is in danger.”

“What did she say about the sword?” said Excelsior.

“She told me the story of Patronalus in new detail. Epiphany said that he hid the weapon back on earth when he went to the heavens. Some place ‘blatant yet subtle’.”

“Did she say where?” asked Bridger.

“Mount Fire!” blurted out Humbler.

“Exactly. That is where we must go. But she did not say what to do once we got there,” further explained Mitakahn, “It is up to us to figure that part out.”

“In summation” said Tron, “She told you that you were right about the attack on your nation and the FireSword, but she didn’t have the FireSword for you or tell you how to get it? Just where it is…”

“Yes, that’s about right,” said Mitakahn.

“Now what?”

Now…” Mitakahn froze in his head. He could no longer weigh the lives of his kin and family against racing for an emblazon sword.

“We should make for my city as fast we can,” insisted Bridger.

“We must get back to the road, and go from there,” said Excelsior.

“The trail back to the road takes us too far out of the way south. We should just cut through the borderlands,” said Mitakahn.

“You are…exiled…Mitakahn,” said Tron rashly, “Don’t you remember your kingdom’s boundaries?”

“My kingdom… yes that’s right, my kingdom… It’s the blood of the Arkenoir family that founded this kingdom, their roots run deep through the soil of the Pride. No man can stop me from walking upon my home…No man…”

“Now you’re talking like a true MagnaThoran prince, Mitakahn!” said Bridger.

“Mitakahn, don’t be crazy. You know the level of your national security!” said Anilithion.

Mitakahn stopped and looked at him.

“He’s right. There is no doubt you are at the top of the border watch list.” Tron stood behind Anilithion, just as Bridger stood behind Mitakahn. Tron pleaded, “Warlord Cassius is still after us. It’s too risky.”

Mitakahn looked around at his friends. “We shall be quick,” he walked around his cousin Anilithion, “We shall practice our stealth training.” Mitakahn continued by Tron, “and it will be as if we were never here.”

“Mitakahn you are cheating, the gods knew you were exiled just as they know when the port will be attacked. This is a test. Trust me like we trusted you at the doors of the temple…” Excelsior pleaded, but Mitakahn did not care, he ran ahead, passing up paths back to the Epitaph Road and going down a trail towards Silona City, the southernmost metropolis in the Serengeti.

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Mitakahn turned back, “We just take this and go off-track before the city limits. We run along the border unseen, and we hit the road, maybe get a day’s jump on our quest.”

“If it’s possible we can get a word on whether the kingdom has been attacked yet.” Bridger made Mitakahn realize.

“That’s right!”

“Why would you encourage him?” Excelsior said aside to Bridger. “This is not the way.”

“You don’t know that.” Bridger went on, “Nobody knows if they’re still persecuting him or have completely forgotten about it. Maybe in the time he’s left Axion has returned and taken the throne…even dropped the charges.”

“I agree with Bridger,” Humbler chimed in.

Everyone then looked at Kunezar, the only one not to express his opinion yet. He looked back at them all. At first, he thought he did not have to answer. He even tried looking at Orion to pass the attention to the pup, but Orion just stared back at Kunezar with his head cocked like he was also waiting for him to take a stance.

“Well, Kones?”

Kunezar answered, “…It is only a problem if we get caught.”

Humbler, Bridger, and Mitakahn took that as siding with them, while Anilithion, Tron, and Excelsior saw it as Kunezar claiming indifference.

Mitakahn and Bridger formed the two leads as they came down off the mountaintop. “It’s just a league or two until the border. I know of a blind spot in the patrol,” Mitakahn whispered, “The meadows turn too close to the edge of the mountains creating a docile canyon of jagged rock. Yet somehow, giant mother oak trees stand through the rocky soil and make it impossible to fortify or patrol, a realm of ancient uninhabitable earth. I never thought I would be on this side of the mountain. We can cut through right there, look.”

“Are you sure, Mitakahn?” Excelsior said in an ill-advising manner.

They continued behind him. Excelsior signaled to Orion, and he ran ahead. Excelsior pulled in front of Mitakahn, and they sunk the prince back to the center of the group. They surrounded him and entered the scattered canyons of the Serengeti southern reaches. Bridger ran up ahead while Humbler and Tron, the two tallest of the company, took lead, as they all weaved throughout the enormous evergreen trees.

Tron whispered to Humbler, “We are now entering into the realm of the Pride.”

Mitakahn was officially breaking the law. There was no sign of any guards or border battalions or anyone for that matter. Orion came back from ahead of them and ran over to Excelsior.

The pup wrapped around behind Excelsior and nervously rubbed his head into his master’s chest. Bridger looked over to Excelsior consulting the canine scout. Excelsior saw it on Orion’s face. They both knew… something was wrong. Mitakahn was in severe danger. A branch released from up above.

Bridger, Mitakahn, and Excelsior looked up. A bird flew above them in the dull sky. Orion slightly whined and the giant tree branch bent unnaturally.

“MITAKAHN!” Excelsior screamed as he tried to save his friend.

There was nothing to see in the trees. All that could be heard was the snap of a bow releasing its arrow. The arrow soared down from the tree and hit Mitakahn in the back of the shoulder as Excelsior pulled him down, narrowly missing his heart. Bridger turned and released his own arrow. The body fell from the heights of the canyon’s canopy and hit the floor behind them. Orion took off after it. Mitakahn was down. Bridger put his ear to his mouth and looked up at the rest of them, “He’s not breathing…”

Excelsior got back up and punched Bridger in the face. Tackling him and crying out, “This is your fault!”

Tron got beside Mitakahn and turned him over along with Anilithion and Humbler to examine the arrow.

“Excelsior, enough!” Yelled Kunezar pulling him away, as the hot-headed Canine knight tried to hit Prince Bridger again.

“The arrow is poison-tipped,” said Tron.

Excelsior froze in his stance and ran back over to them.

Bridger rubbed his face and said, “We have to get it out before the venom sets in.”

Tron held Mitakahn on his side along with Anilithion, Humbler, and Kunezar, as Excelsior broke the tail of the arrow off, took a deep breath, and pushed the arrow all the way through Mitakahn’s torso, breaking the skin of his chest. He pulled the arrow out from the other side. They expected a scream. They wanted one. Mitakahn remained limp. Tron reacted, no longer willing to sit idly by and watch the prince die. He made a fist and pounded Mitakahn’s chest trying to get him up. It was no use.

“Wait! WAIT!” Excelsior demanded.

They all picked Mitakahn up and Excelsior squeezed the wound. Blood and the poisonous concoction dripped out of Mitakahn.

Kunezar looked around and started panicking.

“What’s wrong?” yelled Bridger.

“Orion should have been back by now…” Kunezar stood up and brandished his sword.

They lost their grip of Mitakahn’s body, and it collapsed back to the ground.

“Did we get it all out?”

“We’re losing him!”

“He needs my people’s medicine.”

“Compis Falls is too far away.”

“Get up! It’s not over!”

From all around the company, in the crooked canyons and ancient evergreens a border battalion dropped in on them. Over twenty golden syndicate mercenaries, disguised as Lion Nation border patrol, engaged the company to ensure that there would be no witnesses to the assassination of Prince Mitakahn.

A growl from the shadows!

END OF PART THREE