Impure: Godslayers

The sea was so calm that it mirrored the clear blue sky. On this peaceful sunny day, it seemed as though the strange ship was sailing in between two skies.

“We are close to the dock ... Finally, I cannot stand another fortnight on this boat,” George moaned.

“I still do not understand why we had to sail around the lands that Shadro lords over. Most of the gods have fallen and we can just face Shadro now,” Lee complained.

“Both of you pay attention,” Osy shouted.

George wiped his mouth and looked up from the barrel of vomit. The other three who were all on deck, took a step backwards in repulsion. George wiped his mouth clean and they had a heated discussion. After several hours of deliberation, the demi-gods seemed to have come to an agreed conclusion.

“So you think this is wise?” Osy asked as he turned back to Avida.

“The people of these lands once worshipped me; I know what lies in their seditious hearts Most of all I know my fath….Drazo very well,” Avida replied.

“So we have an accord?”

“Yes,” George said in a sceptical tone.

“Yes?” Lee asked in confusion.

“I will have to inform Lasters forthwith,” Osy said as he nodded at Avida.

As Osy went below deck, Lee confronted Avida.

“Do not make us regret trusting you, or else I will make sure you suffer,” Lee said as he crossed his arms and walked away.

Avida exhaled apprehensively and leaned back against the ship balustrade, as she looked up at the beautiful sky. Her brows furrowed when she turned her side, only to see George staring right at her.

“So do you miss him?” George asked.

Avida shunned George’s gaze and she looked out at the sea.

“Who?”

“The boy who you moved an entire river for-”

Avida could not help but laugh loudly at George’s retort.

“Yes that one,” George laughed.

The thrill of gossip momentarily ousted his seasickness, as George walked to join Avida at the side of the ship.

“I could not help but notice all of the time you spent alone with him before we left those lands,” George said.

“Oh you could not?” Avida quizzed sarcastically.

“No. I must say I am rather enjoying having a sister,”

Avida raised an eyebrow and quailed as George grabbed her hand.

“I am not your-”

However after catching sight of the elation on George’s face, Avida thought it was best not to dishearten the only person who seemed to have taken a liking to her. Meanwhile, a small wave hit the ship causing it to sway gently.

“I will be -htba-,”

Avida’s face contorted in confusion, for George words were muffled by his mouthful of rising spittle. He ran towards the barrel and dipped his head to vomit.

“We are here,” Lee said.

Avida turned to Lee, who had just thrown a rope to a man on the dock. As a plank was laid, Avida walked down to the dock whilst others stayed on the ship. She was met by a portly man in pristine robes scribbling intently on a scroll.

“Name and purpose here oh and that will be ten gold coins. I will hear no protestation I have had my fill for the month. We lost the war so docking fees rise,” he said with his face buried behind the scroll.

“My name is Avida and I am here to see your King,” Avida said.

The man looked up. His chubby cheeks wobbled in horror as he inhaled deeply. The sight of Avida’s faint gold coloured sclera brought the man to his knees.

“The goddess has returned,”

All dockworkers and traders in earshot burst out in hushed whispers for a moment, before they all bowed low to Avida.

As the chariots riders drove them through the Ellenian villages, the four immortals took the time to survey the countryside. Every so often, they would shout about something in their sights. Despite the fact that their words were completely inaudible in the storm of galloping hooves; Avida was rather shocked by the war torn state of Ellenia. When they finally reached the palace, the four demi-gods dismounted.

“An imbalanced building, with three floors and short walls…some palace,” Lee scoffed in disbelief.

“For someone who has slept on a ship for several weeks, you are rather hard to please,” George commented in a sluggish tone.

Lee snorted and then scowled at George, as he ran his right hand along the corner of the damaged palace wall.

“And I half expected it to be made from clay,” Lee mused as he cleaned the granules of crumbled rock from his palms.

He followed the rest of them as they were led into the palace by a guard. There was a feast in the dimly lit throne room, with rows of attendants sat on tables adjacent to the throne.

“King Ni-”

However, before Avida could complete her statement she was interrupted; not by the King, but by the advisor who stood next to the throne.

“So the prodigal daughter returns,”

Some of the dinner guests laughed, however the King remained stone-faced. Similar to the features of his fellow countrymen, the King had oily hair, and deeply tanned skin. He had a groomed moustache, a goatee and short black hair.

All four demi-gods were confused and looked around the hall. Finally the advisor walked down the stairs towards Avida. He was a hunched-back yet youthful man, and he wore the hooded robes of a priest of Drazo.

“Bastos? What are you doing here?” Avida demanded, when she finally recognised the priest.

“My priestly duties have been extended to serve as the divine advisor of the Ellenian King, lest he takes actions that incur the wrath of Drazo once again,” Bastos replied.

“Is he one of Drazo’s priests?” Osy muttered.

“Then what are we waiting for, lets beat him till he talks,” Lee said.

“Till he talks about what, what does a mortal know of the affairs of a god?” George asked monotonously.

“He is a priest,” Lee retorted snappily.

“So?” George asked.

“These must be the so-called god-slayers. They look like sheep in wolves clothing,” Bastos said.

The hall echoed with the laughs and chortles of the dinner guests.

“More like lambs in wolves clothing,”

Osy turned to scowl at the old fat man who had just shouted out from a nearby table. He laughed with a mouthful of food, in spite of the demi-gods’ grimace.

“That is enough, let the feast continue. Please god-slayers join us,” Bastos yelled.

Hesitantly, the four demi-gods took the seats that some servants were ushering them to.

“Well this is obviously a trap,” Lee whispered in Osy’s ear as they sat down.

Avida overheard the whisper and looked at Osy, who in turn gave her an incognito nod.

“I do not know. This is the only King who hates Drazo; I thought we would gain support here,” Avida hissed.

“We do not need support from any mortals let us just go face this Drazo,” Lee retorted stubbornly.

“It is a strange land of which only Avida is familiar with. She is the leader…for now,” Osy sighed admittedly as Avida nodded in gratitude.

Yet before she could speak, Lee exclaimed loudly as he spat out and slammed his goblet back on the table.

“What is that?” Lee snapped.

Several dinner guests began to snigger as Lee pursed his lips and forced air out of his mouth, send saliva splashing on the table.

“Forgive me…wine will simply not do. Bring water…. for the children,” Bastos exclaimed with a wide smile on his dastardly face.

Once more the hall echoed with the laughter and jeers of the inebriated guests.

“We are simply thirsty from the long ride here,” Lee cried in a defeatist tone.

Nevertheless his voice was not heard over the debauchery fuelled laughter of the guests.

“I prefer mead anyway,” George muttered under his breath.

Although exasperated the three demi-gods ignored the sting of their wounded pride, and summarily sated their thirst as soon as the water jugs were brought. Avida however was too curious to drink.

“King Nilas, what has happened to your great country? I have seen nothing but battered shields, burnt farmlands and orphaned children and that was just on the way to your palace,”

Nilas, who had remained still and silent all this while, seemed to be spurred by Avida’s words.

“Because… I trusted a god,” Nilas growled as he stood up.

“Using your tongue to dig your own grave may be a long and arduous task, but it is not an impossible one,” Bastos said smugly as he picked his nails.

With an expression similar to that of a scorned dog with its tail tucked between its legs, the King sat back down. Yet he did not remain silent.

“Angered by the favour that his estranged daughter showed my people, infuriated by our continued failure to match the blood sacrifices of the neighbouring states, enraged at our stalwart triumphs over those armies that he favoured…the god of night and blood; Drazo slayed my wife and captured my son. He promised to spare my son if I would do but two acts as a gesture of respect,”

Avida allowed herself a drink from the wooden goblet in front of her as she listened to the King.

“I allowed the armies of the neighbouring cities, to enter my kingdom. I neither defended my people nor protested as they plundered and pillaged, to the content of their black hearts.”

“And the second?”

As though he was cued, when the words had left Avida’s lips, Lee’s head dropped limply on the table.

“Lee?” Osy called out.

“Are you alright?” George asked.

However as they both leaned over to examine Lee, their movement became sluggish. Avida looked down at her goblet in horror; even now her vision had suddenly become blurry.

“I would say these children could not hold their wine…but they are only drinking water,” Bastos laughed loudly.

“You-”

However before Avida could finish her sentence, her body slumped limply on the table, along with those of the other demi-gods.

The last laughs and echoes filled Avida’s ears as her eyes shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

The blaze of the late afternoon sun stabbed through his pupils like a hot knife. He groaned in agony as his vision slowly came into focus. As he was carried indoors, vague recognition of the palace ceiling filled him with a measure of peace.

“Saturn, my son finally,” Nilas growled in excitement.

He stood up and took his son, who was being carried by two soldiers. As Nilas supported his son, the young man struggled to regain control of his body.

“What am I doing here…how did you get me back?” Saturn groaned as he finally gained a semblance of balance on his wobbly feet.

“It matters not, what matters is that you are back safe,” Nilas replied.

“What about mother?”

The silence of his father and failure to meet his gaze brought Saturn out of his daze.

“Your father failed to do what was necessary to appease the god, Drazo and it cost your mother her life. Luckily for you with my counsel, he captured the demi-gods and offered them in exchange for your life. You are most fortunate,” Bastos purred.

“My child I had no choice,” Nilas said as he hugged his son.

Saturn’s face contorted with utter confusion, but it quickly morphed to an expression of bitter disgust as he pulled himself free of his father’s embrace. Similar to a lion or a wolf, he had the kind of beauty that was only evinced through his ferocity. This was because, despite his masculine stature which was that of a man in his early twenties, Saturn had a face without blemish and very effeminate features. His shoulders were rather broad, and he had oily black hair which was tied back in a short ponytail.

“We Ellenians have only given the god of night and blood his due, we have never bowed or scraped to him. We have never truly worshipped. And now when the prophesied god-slayers finally arrive you betray them?” Saturn snapped.

“Blasphemy! Guards take him to his room,” Bastos ordered.

“Do not lay a hand on my son,” Nilas growled.

He pushed back the two guards who had just grabbed his son.

“What would mother say?” Saturn chastised as he in turn pushed his father.

“Unless her corpse can form words; then your mother will have nothing to say on the matter,” Bastos sneered.

“Will you let him speak like that of my mother?” Saturn screamed at his father.

“Things are different now,” Nilas sighed

Despite his superior size and status, King Nilas was rendered helpless against the will of the hunchbacked slithery sycophant. Saturn laughed brusquely as he shook his head and walked to the throne. He picked up the bow and a quiver full of arrows that lay by it.

“What are you doing?” Nilas said as he grabbed his son, who was stomping past him.

“I am going to salvage what little honour is left in my bloodline,” Saturn snapped as he yanked his arm free.

“You are a great hunter… but not a warrior. Besides, you cannot hope to match a god,”

“Those are the god-slayers father, the foretold saviours of mortals. If there was ever a reason to die, it would be to ensure that they live,” Saturn stated tearfully.

Wiping the angry tears from his cheek, Saturn stormed past his father.

“You have lost your mind….captains stop him,” Bastos ordered.

Two Ellenian soldiers, who had been quietly watching at the side of the hall, drew their swords and sprinted towards Saturn.

However, Nilas pushed past his guards and swiftly ran to his son’s aid. He delivered two simultaneous and merciless blows to the soldiers sending the pair of them to the ground. With bloody faces, they looked up in shock as Nilas unsheathed his sword. Yet the soldiers dared not raise arms against their King.

“Yes father,” Saturn said with a smirk.

“Silence you boy-lover, you are as much a heretic as your mother. You deserve to die for turning the great god Drazo against your people,” Nilas spat.

Bastos smirked as King Nilas reprimanded his son. So elated and satisfied was Bastos that a thought did not cross his mind when the King began to cut into his own shoulder.

“Captains, you will give my son command of all your men. Am I clear?” Nilas commanded as he cut another wound into his shoulder.

The Captains nodded as they both returned to their feet.

“What is the meaning of this?” Bastos asked impertinently.

Saturn was equally stunned as he looked at the deep wounds on his father’s shoulder.

“Logical Denial. If the god-slayers fall and my son should follow, my Captains and I shall contend to Drazo that we were ambushed by him and these renegade soldiers. We barely escaped with our lives,” Nilas stated.

The captains nodded in agreement, spurred more by their sense of duty than their ability to grasp any understanding of their King’s ploy. Meanwhile Saturn’s eyes welled up with tears once more, for he did understand.

“This is the only way I can restore my reputation, for we Ellenians are of a high warrior class. This is the only way I can protect my people from further suffering at the hands of a ruthless god. This is the only way I can regain the respect of my son, thereby honouring the memory of his mother,”

Saturn sniffed loudly and shook his father’s hand tearfully.

“I cannot let this happen, I shall tell our god the truth,” Bastos yelled in protestation.

On hearing these words, Saturn turned to Bastos, who had just stomped down the stairs to confront the King.

“Tell me Bastos, how will you form words about your death at the hands of my heretic son,”

Bastos opened his mouth to give another one of his witty responses, only to pause when his mind fully conceptualised what his ears had heard. With fearful tears drowning his eyes, Bastos began to step away from King Nilas, who was cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward. Saturn smiled with bitter satisfaction, as the hunchback priest squealed with the dread of a pig in a slaughterhouse.