Chapter Twenty-One:
The Water’s Rising Past my Knees
Dmitri
Three months passed since the battle, and with everything finally quieting down from the event, life swung back into session. The Cavalry Initiation Ceremony was to take place on January third, and all of us were anxious as can be to see if we passed basic training. From what Zachary said, we seemed to have, but only time would tell. Everything seemed to be going fine, that is, until the morning of my eighteenth birthday. My mind was wrapped around so many things that I had forgotten the time, day, month, so when the door creaked open, I was in for quite the startle. The footsteps of sneaky mice echoed through the room, accompanied by hushed whispers, before a soft poke pressed into my cheek. “Dmitri…? Good morning, sleepyhead?” Gwen cooed, The Cavalry giggling loudly behind her.
I blinked groggily, moaning into the covers. “What’s up?” I yawned against my pillow.
“Wake up cutie pie!” Martha cried.
“Do you know what today is?” Stefan giggled.
“Um…?” I turned my alarm clock, blinking at the date, “November thirteenth?”
“HAPPY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY!” They screamed bloody murder, all jumping onto the bed as I laughed hysterically.
“Hey, hey, you hooligans!”
“Get ready! We have the whole day planned out!” Martha sang.
“Oh come now, it’s just a birthday...?”
“Shower!” Stefan yelled, shoving me backwards off the bed as everyone else laughed at my evil glare. They went to run downstairs as I showered and brushed my teeth, cinching a towel around my waist and walking to my bed to change.
“Hey, you ready?” Gwen called, opening the door and blinking at me.
I raised an eyebrow, pulling my shirt off the hanger. “Um, what’s up?” I laughed as her eyes widened.
“Good lord you are beautiful…” she croaked, which made me laugh hysterically.
“Oh god, here we go!”
She slammed the door shut, wagging her eyebrows to me, “So, how long were you planning on hiding that gorgeous body from me?” She growled as she locked her arms around my waist.
“Until I wanted to show you my arm,” I said with a light shrug.
“Don’t you try and turn this sour!” She yelled, smacking my bare chest as I giggled.
I rolled my eyes deeply, “It’s official; I cannot be close to naked around you.”
“It is quite dangerous,” she made me flush red as she cackled loud in delight. “Oh, before you get dressed!” She took my hands, blushing brightly, “Can you do me one, tiny favor? Can you wear shorter sleeves?” I blinked as she touched my cheek lovingly, “I don’t want you to be ashamed around us. I’ve let you adjust to the idea, but it would make me very happy if you would…?”
“Ok; for you, I will,” I said sweetly.
She kissed me softly, giving me a small hug before smacking her arms to her waist again, “Well! I shall let you finish getting ready!”
“Gee, thanks,” I laughed as she shut the bedroom door. I got underwear on before she threw the door open with a wag of her eyebrows, which made me laugh hysterically as she swore under her breath in defeat. “Ha, ha! No naked Dmitri for you, pervert!” I cheered.
“You’re a brat!” She cried as I laughed harder at her disappointment.
I devilishly locked my arms around her, leaning in close as she flushed pink, “If you’re so curious to see me naked, all you have to do is ask?” I seductively breathed.
“Do not tease me!” She hissed adorably.
“Oh? It’s rather fun, though.”
“Dmitri, I’m warning you…”
I moved my lips to her ear, my heart sputtering as I whispered, “Maybe I’ll let you have a sneak peek…” with a twisted grin.
She, very lightly, punched me in the jaw, in typical Gwen fashion, while I spewed laughter and slid down the wall. “Fuck you, Dmitri!” She bawled as she stormed from the room red as a tomato, which made me howl louder like a total ass.
╬
“Bum, bum, bum! The birthday boy has arrived!” Stefan and Michael screamed, blowing into plastic party horns as I rolled my eyes to the laughing castle staff.
“Would you idiots knock that off?”
“This is a big day for you! We have so much planned! We were thinking on going…?”
“Where are my Cavalry!?” Andrew barked, racing through the foyer in terror.
“Right here, sire!” Michael called as the three of us saluted him automatically.
“Get to the conference room, now!” He snapped.
“Of course,” we said, darting up the steps after him. Our stomachs did summersaults as we took our seats beside the girls, who were shivering themselves with worry. Andrew darted around the room and hit play on the controller, which made our eyes widen. The television screen flashed to life, and a picture of my brother, Riley, was plastered to a news headline.
Prince Riley Alexander Mortimer of The West Kingdom is set to be publicly executed on Friday, November fourteenth, at nine a.m. in the town square. Charges; treason in the highest degree.
“We absolutely have to put a stop to this,” Cerelia snapped, “I don’t know how, and quite frankly I don’t care how, but it must be stopped.”
“Obviously a trap,” Zachary pointed out, “He’s trying to draw our Cavalry to The West.”
“What a coincidence it’s the day after Dmitri turns eighteen…” Stefan hissed.
“I can easily take a team out there, Andrew. It may be tough, but I have a few men in mind who I think can handle it…?” Zachary tried.
Everyone jumped wildly as the sound of wood shattering erupted through the room. Angry puffs of air slithered from my nose, and my eyes were wide with pure rage. My shaking hand was clutching broken scraps of wood from the table I had bust through, which made my comrades blink in shock at me. “He certainly knows which of my buttons to press…!” I growled through clenched teeth, so murderously angry that it was making me dizzy.
“How long do you think he’s been planning this?” Ramah asked.
“Since the first battle. God, how could I have been so blind… He brought the fight to the castle because he knew I was too young to leave the grounds. It was a big fucking test, and I fell for it like a moron!” I yelled, slamming my fist into the broken table.
“Regardless of his intentions, I do not want you in The West yet. You are far from ready to handle that kind of environment…!?”
“What did you hire us for, then?” Stefan asked abruptly, which made Andrew choke up on his words, “You said our job was to help win the war. I hate to break it to you, but we can’t do that sitting around the castle. If Riley is valuable to the cause, then we should definitely go after him, your majesty.”
“Would you be able to stomach Alexei killing him?” Martha added for further effect.
“No, of course not!” Andrew barked back.
“Then we depart for The West immediately,” I snarled.
“I need to get them provisional licenses to fight in another country?” Zachary tried.
“We can get those in just a few hours; the applications were sent out a month or so ago, and if I call The Committee, they can forward it through faster for us?” Ramah added before laying a hand on Andrew’s arm, “Andrew, The West are going to expect us to bring in our best soldiers, and if we do, they will die in a much bloodier battle. The Cavalry have proved their skills vastly and can clean this mess up without tons of our men dying.”
“I…? Fine…” Andrew hissed evilly, “You are to retrieve Riley and get your asses back here unharmed. I do not want any of you picking a fight with Alexei under any circumstance, do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” we all replied robotically.
“Get ready; meet at the entrance in fifteen.” I snapped to The Cavalries, who saluted me and darted downstairs. I turned to Andrew as they left, my face dead, “The likelihood of one of us being captured is extremely high, so be prepared.”
“Do not say that, ever. All of you are very important to us, and we want you all to be safe. It would absolutely crush us if something happened to you…” Cerelia whispered.
“He’s doing this on purpose to try and get me out of the castle. I respect his plan, especially because it definitely is working, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what I'm about to walk into. If anything, let’s see if we can get information off him while he skins us alive...”
“Stop talking like that!” Andrew tried.
“Joshua wants to get me out into The West again, you and I both know that. I don’t know how things will go, but, just have my back if I get my ass kicked.” I paused in the doorway, turning back to him with murderous eyes, “No matter what, do not negotiate anything with them, Andrew. This kingdom, and all of its citizens, are to be protected no matter the cost.” he blinked, then bowed his head in shame as I closed the door behind me and prepared for departure.
╬
We stopped at the borders between the North and West at dusk, where we numbly slid off our horses and set up camp. The trip out there was dead quiet, and I honestly appreciated it. I had to form a plan to make sure the others got home safe, and my brain was racing a thousand miles a minute as it tried to conjure one. Stefan got the fire going while the girls set out sleeping bags, and Michael fed the horses. I boiled water and set up our ration packs, whistling a soft tune as I did to drown out my anxious thoughts. Mid way through the last pack, my own, I stumbled and sliced myself with my knife, which made me blink as blood poured down my hand. I stared at it with a blank expression, and though the natural instinct was to bandage the wound, my body was frozen. Gwen gasped when she turned and saw this, and darted over to shake me in horror. “Hey, Dmitri?! You’re kind of bleeding?!” She snapped, making everyone else turn to yelp at me.
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“Dude, wake up!” Michael yelled; I blinked wildly before I calmly grabbed a bandage. The two glanced to one another nervously as I slowly snapped the pocket knife shut, staring at the puddle of blood underneath me.
“Hey, are you ok?” Stefan asked, patting my back as I gazed into the flames wordlessly. “Come now, we just got you to come around, and now you’re not talking again?” He joked, which did make me flash a small smirk.
“Sorry, I'm just…?”
“You haven’t been home in years, and you’re nervous, right? We figured, so...!” Martha smacked a small cupcake down before me as Michael blew a streamer.
“Happy birthday!” They all cried, laughing, as Gwen lit the candle for me. “Come on, make a wish?” She said with a warm smile.
I continued gawking at the party before slowly blowing out the little flame. They all cheered and clapped, laughing to themselves as I blandly stared before my present. Suddenly, a broken hiccup escaped me, and I began to choke on sobs as tears swept down my cheeks. “Oh, honey! What’s wrong?!” Martha cried.
I brought an arm up and buried my face into my sleeve, hiccupping the smallest and most pathetic whimpers, “N-Nothing... I’m very grateful, for the cupcake…” I stammered.
Everyone frowned before throwing their arms around me, giggling as I hiccuped my own laugh. “What are friends for, if we can’t make you smile?” Gwen asked as I touched our noses over Michael’s shoulder with a thankful smile.
“We’re going to be ok, kid, so try not to worry. You got us now, and we won’t let anything happen to you. It’s going to be all right.” Stefan said sincerely, though his eyes were betraying his kind words and revealing how deeply he did not believe himself.
╬
The morning of the fourteenth welcomed us with a chilling breeze, cloudy skies, and an unbearably awkward silence. The Cavalry packed their sleeping bags and waited for my call, watching as I fastened my own bag to Archimedes with shaking hands. “We have less than two hours before Riley is executed…” I began stiffly, “Which means we need to create a distraction. Michael, I want you to focus on cutting Riley free. Once he’s down, Stefan and Martha will go in after him. Gwen and Michael, hold off the guards long enough for them to bring him to safety.”
“And what of you?” Martha snapped.
“I’ll be holding off Alexei and Joshua…” I whispered unsurely, “Who regardless of what Andrew thinks… are going to be pretty upset with our presence.”
“You’re lack of confidence terrifies me,” Gwen admitted.
“Be happy I'm hiding my true fear,” I grumbled, mounting my horse and clicking. The Cavalries swallowed in horror but followed me down the pathway and into The West. We reached the giant castle walls, which stood like a barbed wire fence to a prison. The townspeople moped about, all looking as miserable and defeated as a war-torn country would. They all were required to attend the public execution, and most were sobbing in fear that Riley would be leaving them this day. As we rode into the main streets, our green uniforms glistening in the murky light, the citizens of my beloved country breathed gasps, as if the life had returned to their souls.
They recognized me automatically at the head of the line, and a few even fell to their knees and began thanking God for my return. I tried to force them smiles, but they could see I was here on serious business, and our heartwarming reunions would have to wait. We weaved our way down the streets of the decaying city until we found a place to hide our horses, then pulled capes around ourselves and moved into the crowds. Michael tailed me, one hand on his knives, while the other three stood six feet away across the crowded square.
Just before the castle gates, Alexei had a gibbet set up, a true torture device that hadn’t been used in our kingdom for years. It was obvious he truly meant business, and seeing the device made Michael swear softly. “I wasn’t expecting something so complex. I can cut him down by the rope, but it will be hard to get him out of there after they chain him up.”
“Luckily for us, the device only has one lock that holds the prisoner in place. If you can jimmy that, it will release him completely, and assuming he hasn’t been beaten senseless, we may be able to get him off the stage. Once we enter the crowd, it’ll be difficult to differentiate who he is when the chaos begins.” I added.
“You’re banking a lot on luck being on our side?”
“It’s my only plan at the moment.” I whispered, which made him swallow loudly before turning his attention to the stage.
A set of trumpets blared the king’s march grandly before the castle doors opened, and his majesty, king of the assholes, appeared. He wore a custom king’s suit and his father’s crown, which sat on his champagne hair like an omen of death. At his side was a woman around thirty, who had orange hair and eyes. She wore a queen’s gown and crown, and held hands with a small boy who resembled she and Alexei to a T. “He has a kid?” Michael growled to me in shock.
“First I’ve heard about it myself. I didn’t even know he was married?” I admitted.
“He’s, what, five?”
“More or less. He must have conceived him just before I left.”
“Doesn’t this make things interesting…?” He hissed as the sound of chains broke the air. Maxwell and Walter morosely drug their prisoner into the morning light, which made gasps echo through the crowd. During the few months since the meeting, they had violently tortured and starved Riley. He was so thin that his skin looked like paper, and his bones were ready to shatter like glass at a single mishandled touch. His entire body was covered in lashes and bruises, some old, some fresh. He looked absolutely defeated, and beyond ready to die.
The man I had looked up to my entire life was finally broken, and all he wished for was for this nightmare to end. I had to hold back my emotions as they fastened the full body device around him, then slid the noose around his neck. Riley looked out over the crowd with a dignified expression, proving he was proud to die for the cause he was accused for.
Alexei walked to the front of the stage and procured a microphone, his eyes as lifeless as the sky above. “I did not think this day would have to come, but here we are…” he began coldly, “Today, I am forced to take the life of a comrade I had hoped would be by my side forever. Riley Mortimer stands before you all today as a traitor; five years ago, he helped our kingdom’s number one enemy escape, which has cost hundreds of lives to be wasted. Though I cannot restore your family members to you, I can bring you justice for his crimes.”
“He puts on quite the show, eh?” Martha scoffed, making me shrug slightly.
“Justice?!” A voice called, which made everyone turn in horror to the woman who spoke out, “Justice for what?! No one would have died had you not brought this country to war, you selfish pig! Now you’re going to take away our last hope of freedom!? Rot in hell, you bloody bastard!” she wailed with all of her might.
The crowd gasped in horror, but Alexei simply smiled, “I'm so sorry you feel that way.” His guards converged on her, which made her husband cry out and dash to her safety.
The Cavalries and I bowed our heads in shame as they dragged them both out of line and to the castle, where they surely wouldn’t live to see the next hour. “Now, anymore distractions?” Joshua asked. No one breathed a word, allowing him turn to Riley, “Any last words?”
Riley slowly lifted his head, revealing his hollow and sunken in face, “I can’t wait until we meet at the gates of hell, Joshua. I will make sure you are tortured properly for what you have done to my country,” he hissed.
Joshua titled his chin up, smiling darkly, “I accept that challenge. For now, keep your head high; it surely would be a shame if you died with such a sourpuss.” Alexei turned away slightly, with, surprisingly, remorse plastered across his entire expression. Joshua took hold of the lever, eyed Alexei to make sure he wouldn’t interfere, and clicked the opening gage. Riley looked up to the sky as a single tear ran down his cheeks and began to mouth a soft prayer to himself. Alexei’s wife pulled their child into her arms, and told him not to look as his father hid his face in his wife’s shoulder. The boy was weeping morosely for his uncle but knew damn well not to defy Joshua.
Joshua went to yank the lever just as Michael’s knife whistled through the air. It snapped through the noose around Riley’s neck, making him fall limp to the ground. His eyes widened in shock as Alexei and his court yelped in anger and surprise. I nodded to The Cavalries, who returned the gesture before we darted through the crowd. Joshua whipped towards the crowd, fuming an unholy rage as he tried to decipher who the accomplice was. “Who dare defy me…?!”
“Big talk coming from a small fish!” I called, which made him pause and turn slowly in horror to me. I put my hands on my hips and smiled darkly, “Did you really think I would let you get away with this, you pretentious little snot!”
Alexei was absolutely stunned.
He looked as if someone had shoved a hot iron right into his spine, and actually quivered slightly to see me amongst the crowd. His shock turned to terror, and he stared directly at me, as if he were internally screaming at me. He looked to Riley once, but in the end could not avert his eyes from me. The way he was staring at me should have made the next events obvious. He was warning me, and all I did was ignore his warning. “Dmitri, my pet; my, how dashing have you become? A visit just after your birthday of all days!” Joshua called, opening his arms with that big, devilish smile.
“You know damn well why I am here, Joshua. Give me Riley, and your court will live.” I growled demonically. Alexei’s guards went to rush for me, but Joshua held a hand up, interested to see where this would go.
“He is none of your concern…” he coldly said.
“As soon as you take him into custody he is.”
“Get the hell out of this kingdom!” He snapped.
“I will take my leave in stride, as soon as you deliver him to me.”
“And how do you propose to obtain him?”
“I have my ways. I wouldn’t have come here if I wasn’t confident in my comrades abilities. Now, please, make this easy for everyone and give up?” I snarled.
He sighed, crossing his arms, “Unfortunately for myself, I sent most of my soldiers out to bombard The South,” he snapped his fingers, and about a hundred men appeared, “But, I always have backups.”
“Don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.” I tried to deter him.
“It only became difficult when you showed up.”
“Then let’s bargain, shall we. What do you want for him?”
“Hmm... How about, you?” He asked, pointing to me with a sinister smile. Riley shook his head in horror, tears racing down his face as I ground my teeth in worry.
From the crowd, a set of knives shot out from our small group, striking three men in the forehead. They gasped and smacked to the ground, the knives crunching through their skulls at the impact and making Alexei jump. Michael stood straight, smiling wickedly as I chuckled. “I see Andrew was right about you…” I whispered, drawing my sword, “We do not leave without Riley!” I snapped, darting at Joshua.
Thunder crashed through the muggy sky as Joshua threw a sword up, throwing back my swings. The crowd was dispersed by about twenty soldiers, while the rest of the eighty converged on The North Cavalry. To my surprise, though, they morphed into true monsters of war. Michael had traded his knives for a sword and was tearing through body after body. Martha and Stefan were bulldozing their way through the crowd towards Riley, who was wiggling himself closer to try and help make it easier for them. Gwen was keeping Michael safe from the oncoming slaughter, though she kept glancing over to make sure I was still alive.
Meanwhile, Joshua and I were dueling powerfully on the steps of the castle, our swords sparking from the strength we were exerting. We were drenched from the downpour above, but that didn’t slow our movements whatsoever. Collin ushered Alexei’s little family inside, his eyes like daggers as he watched the fight go down. Alexei kept twisting to try and come forward, but in the end lost the battle. “Why does he mean so much to you, huh!?” Joshua snapped, slamming his sword into me again.
I shoved him back, kicking him in the gut as hard as I could to make him fold slightly. “He’s my brother! Why wouldn’t I go after him!?” I yelled back.
He dodged me fast, but eventually got a swing in. I smacked back hard, wheezing in pain before darting to retrieve my weapon in time to catch his blade just inches from my face. “You’re a little pain in the ass, you know that? I come to find you’ve been slumming it up with your uncles this whole time? You’re much more dangerous than I thought, chap!”
“This is only the beginning of the nightmare you’ve created for yourself…!” I snarled, slamming my sword into his arm. He screamed out once, shooting me the eyes of the devil himself before slashing his sword over and over at me. “You’re throwing a tantrum because you can’t hook a leash on me anymore, and it’s pathetic. Killing my brother just to draw me out? How simple minded are you, Joshua!?” I called over the raging storm.
He laughed, his eyes burning with fire, “I got you to come here, didn’t I! You’re an immature child who is blinded by revenge and anger, and it will be your demise!”
“Don’t call the kettle black!” I barked back. Joshua could see the fear in my eyes, and knew he was winning. I tried to hide it, but the more powerful his swings became, the more terror rocked through my bones. His training had always been enough to make us equals, but whatever he had been doing since I left made him stronger than ever before. He whipped his weapon as if it weighed nothing, with soulless eyes that never showed his true emotion. He was a living, breathing monster, and he was right; I was, currently, no match for him.
A short second later, it finally happened.
I went to swing, but he dodged skillfully and shoved his blade handle against my stomach, sending me flying back into the concrete wall. I tried to bounce back, but a group of ten or more soldiers converged on me, including his last two remaining Cavalry. I tried to find some kind of opening, but there were too many arms and far too much rain clouding my vision. They succeeded in binding my wrists before throwing my across the ground, where I spun out and bounced to Joshua’s feet. His eyes burned with victory, and he walked over with a demonic smile. “You know, Dmitri…” he started, slamming his foot down on my stomach, “I think a tradeoff is a fine idea. They can have Riley, but I’ll be taking you as collateral. You and I certainly have a lot of catching up to do, and plenty of time to do it.”
“Like hell!” I hacked.
“Says the boy underneath my foot,” he barked, snapping his fingers. His men overtook me, and ripped me up by my hair. I lifelessly flopped forward, my heart sputtering a thousand beats a minute in pure fear. Stefan stood a few feet away in horror, trying to think of a way out of this. Michael joined him, and both prepared to shoot forward, but my voice made them pause.
“You need to get out of here, now!” I yelled over the crashing thunder.
“Absolutely not!” Stefan cried, slicing another soldier’s throat.
“DO NOT GET YOURSELF KILLED FOR ME!” I screamed bloody murder as a fist cracked against my face.
“I AM NOT LEAVING YOU…!?” He bawled back, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Let the others go; I have the one I want.” Joshua said softly, grabbing my hair and ripping me up so I was forced to look him in the eye. His soldiers moved to push The Cavalry out of the kingdom, and as much as they fought, they knew this was a losing battle. Joshua tilted my chin up, his eyes sparkling with pure evil, “You’re going to be my first step in winning the war on this country, my little pet. Welcome home: I’ve surely missed you.” He chuckled before slamming his sword end into my head.