Chapter 18

The city was coruscating in red flashes of light and blood when the Guards of the empire arrived, led by Malin and Jonathan. The wind was moving in slow waves as if uninterested in joining the conspiracy by fanning the flaming fires. The sky was dulled by the pall of smoke that clouded the sky, preventing the moon from manifesting its ability to reflect the rays of the sun to the surface. The entire roads were tainted in blood, broken limbs, dead bodies or the injured as they tried to drag their sore bodies away. It reeked of blood and sweat, smelt death and sounded as mournful as a graveyard. Commander Ethan had carried his orders to the least detail, forcing people to gather and match to the swearing grounds and killing or badly wounding those who resisted.

The Guards of the empire rode into the city towards the palace with heavy hearts, pity, sympathy and sorrow weighing heavily on them. The beastly treatment of the people by the Dark Army stabbed their hearts with pain. Even Jonathan who was till that morning a member of the Dark Army did not anticipate such cruelty. It was the kind of cruelty that they had to stop. It was the kind of cruelty they had to replicate. This was inhumanity and they had to respond with inhumanity. The Dark Army had proven to be a destruction army, they had to be a destruction army too.

So far, they had received pockets of resistance from the Dark Army soldiers who had barricaded the roads but they had bulldozed their way through with ease, maiming and neutralizing their opponents. But now, each soldier including Jonathan resolved against sparing any enemies. It was going to be blood for blood, an eye for an eye, a life for a life. For whatever it was, everybody was ready to stop the monster and dictator, Prince Mamadu from taking power.

The palace was heavily guarded but also under heavy attack. The Royal Army had sealed the gates from the inside while the Dark Army fought tooth and nail to break in. The Royal Army positioned themselves in strategic places from within the palace and shot arrows at the Dark Army who shielded their arrows away. Other soldiers fought against the Dark Army soldiers who had already gained entry into the palace, trying to protect the empress for her hiding place had been compromised and she had to be moved to another secret room within the palace. Unfortunately, the Royal Army was understaffed and had already received heavy casualties. They couldn't keep out the Dark Army for long and the gates had started showing signs of surrender.

On reaching the palace, Jonathan subdivided his soldiers into five groups of eight soldiers each. He assigned each group to a particular gate of the six gates of the palace while Malin and him took the sixth and the main gate where most of Mamadu's soldiers fought. According to Jonathan, attacking the Dark Army from all the fronts would release the pressure from the Royal Army and secondly, Prince Mamadu had not anticipated any reinforcements for the Royal Army and as such, would be caught off guard. The Guards of the empire were all dressed in the Dark Army attires except for the hats that distinguished them and made them recognise each other. This way, the Dark Army easily mistook them as one of their own.

Malin led the way as they surged forward, slashing through the Dark Army at great speed and precision, his sword scintillating in the air as he cut his way through. Jonathan fought behind him, kicking and ducking and dodging as he stabbed his way through. He knew almost all the soldiers of the Dark Army for he had taken part in training most of them. The Dark Army was caught completely off guard just like Jonathan had planned. Most of them confused Jonathan as their own for Jonathan was the second in command after commander Ethan. The Dark Army hadn't expected a confrontation from outside the palace. When the Royal Army noticed that the Dark Army was under attack, they stopped the arrows and waited by the gates of the palace for their knights in shinning armour.

For Malin however, time was fast running out. It was only three hours to sunrise and he had already used too much energy fighting against the Dark Army. He had to get in and soon. But he couldn't just leave Jonathan and his men at the mercy of the Dark Army. Meanwhile, Jonathan was facing off with Ethan, the commander of the Dark Army and Jonathan's former leader and best friend. They had known each other from childhood, grew up together, went to the same school and joined the Royal Army at the same time. They rose through the ranks of the army together until when they were recruited into the Dark Army and Ethan became the commander while Jonathan remained the head of recruitment, the security chief of the villa and the second in command to Ethan.

"You have chosen the wrong side brother," Ethan told Jonathan as they wrestled each other to the ground, their friendship holding them back from cutting each other into pieces.

"You are wrong Ethan," Jonathan responded, pinning Ethan to the wall while holding him by the neck. "This is not who you are my brother, this is not who we are. We are not bloody murderers Ethan, this madness and cruelty has to stop."

"Madness?" Ethan asked as he kicked Jonathan between the legs making Jonathan loosen his grip on his neck, bending down in pain. Ethan followed his kick with another blow to Jonathan's cheek as Jonathan reeled to the ground. "You call this madness? Did you forget it was you who convinced me to join the Dark Army? Are you forgetting also that it is you who came up with the plan on how to capture this palace when the Prince and the Prime Minister were still busy scratching their heads.?" Ethan said as he kicked Jonathan in the stomach when Jonathan attempted to rise up, sending him to the ground once again, blood spurting out of his nose.

"You are right," Jonathan replied as he raised his hand as if to tell Ethan to stop hitting him. "I did all those things and more Ethan but it doesn't mean that I have to stick to them. I was wrong my brother and I am sorry to have to tell you this now but...we were wrong." He rose to his feet and stood a few yards from Ethan, still holding his stomach. "There is just not enough time to explain everything to you but please brother, I beg of you, don't do this."

"Are you even listening to yourself Jonathan? Just today morning you were with me in this course and now you are telling to what, abandon ship now? Are you crazy or something?"

"I may have given you the idea of how to capture the palace but you kept me in the dark about your plans. I didn't even know for certain when this was..."

"Is that it Jonathan? You are doing all this because of jealousy? Because I was made the commander and you were not? Is that why you are teaming with that stupid boy?"

"Ethan you are like a brother to me and I don't want this thing to come between us. Please, help us stop the Prince from ruining the empire." Jonathan pleaded, sincerely bothered by having to kill or hurt Ethan, his best friend ever.

"No brother. I can't plan something for years only to back out at the last minute. I'm not like you brother. I've always thought we were the same but today you have proven me wrong. I have sacrificed alot for this mission and I have to see it through. So, soldier, pick a side and take a stand. Are you with me or with that kid?"

"In that case my friend, I'm with the true prince, the boy and if I have to go through you to stop you from ruining the empire then so be it."

"So be it!" Ethan replied as they rammed into each other and wrestled to the ground, Ethan on top. Jonathan kicked him away and when they stood on their feet, they drew out their swords, this time their brotherhood slashed into pieces. Their swords clang as they collided in the air. Ethan cut Jonathan's shoulder and when Jonathan retreated slightly, he kicked him on the chest so hard Jonathan fell on his back. Ethan followed him and sat on his chest, hammering blows to his face. Jonathan struggled and kicked but Ethan was too heavy for him to push away. He managed to get hold of a stone and without thinking, he struck Ethan's head. Ethan screamed in pain as he fell next to Jonathan who managed to pick himself up and revenged against Ethan's blows in equal measure, holding him by his left arm and hammering him repeatedly with his right armed fist until Ethan's nose broke and his front teeth all fell. His hideous face became completely decorated in red blood.

"If only you listened to me," Jonathan said as he stood over him.

"Traitor," Ethan replied as he choked in his own blood, blood drifting through his nose into his mouth. "Damn you... Jonathan... you'll...die in...pa...i...n, you bastar...d. You..." Jonathan slit his throat with his sword, killing him instantly and rescuing him from his misery.

"Rest in peace brother," Jonathan mourned despite being the one to have just killed him.

He loved Ethan as a brother. He just wished there was enough time to explain everything to him. Maybe he could have changed his mind and joined them. But things were happening too fast, too complicatedly fast. There was no time. No time to explain things to his best friend. He may have killed him but in his heart Ethan would forever be. What hurt him the most was that Makiaus had used him to convince Ethan into joining the Dark Army, that the plan of how to capture the palace was actually his and Ethan was just the executioner. He may have hidden the finer details from him for security reasons but the general plan was his. And now he had just killed Ethan for sticking to that plan.

"Jonathan," Malin called out to him as he stood by Ethan's body, drops of tears falling from his eyes onto Ethan's bloodied chest. "We have to go Jonathan," Malin continued. He had immobilized most of the Dark Army soldiers by making them unconscious but their unconsciousness was transient. It wouldn't be long before they could regain their consciousness and Malin wanted all the gates sealed behind them by that time, keeping off all the Dark Army from gaining entrance into the palace.

Three groups of the Guards of the empire had already made their way into the palace through the help of the Royal Army, killing and injuring several soldiers of the Dark Army who found it very hard to distinguish them from one of their owns. But their victories had come at a price for two of them had been killed in the battles and one suffered critical injuries and was at the verge of dying. The two other groups that remained outside were not as lucky as their counterparts. They had faced a much stronger and organised opposition from the rest.

The Prime Minister, Makiaus, who until now was the leader of the Royal Army, fought alongside the Dark Army on these two fronts while the prince watched from within the palace, some of his soldiers with whom he had gained entry into the palace standing next to him while others guarded the gate from the inside. Of sixteen men, seven had already succumbed to their deaths while three had received serious injuries, forcing the remaining six to join forces and fight together, the injured ones faking their deaths to avoid being completely slain. The prince, after sensing victory on this front, left with his men to hunt the empress down, leaving the Prime Minister and the Dark Army to finish off the remaining soldiers of the Guards of the empire.

However, when Makiaus realized that Prince Mamadu had left, he turned against the Dark Army to the surprise of both the Dark Army and the Guards of the empire. Together with the remaining six, the Prime Minister was able to force their way into the palace and sealed the gate, preventing the entry of Dark Army into the palace. The Guards of the empire turned against the Prime Minister once they were safely inside the palace, calling him a traitorous trickster who might have only helped them in order to slay them in the presence of the prince to prove his heroism to the prince.

"No guys. I know I'm the last person you want to trust right now but... Look, I helped the prince because I believed in a course but now it's clear to me how wrong I was. This may sound like madness but I just want to stop the Prince just as much as you do. I ..."

"Stop this melodrama Makiaus," a soldier retorted angrily. "We know who you are. A traitor. You have betrayed the Emperor by plotting his ouster with his younger brother and now you are telling us you want to betray your new master too? Damn! You are a huge junk of waste. Do you even have humanity, or a heart? Do you even have brains Makiaus?"

"Like I said," Makiaus replied, sensing the soldiers were more than willing to cut him into two. "I don't expect you to understand but please believe me when I say I want to stop Prince Mamadu just as much as you do. Maybe even more."

"Then you have a funny way of showing it serpent," retorted the short handsome soldier. "You just helped his army kill seven of our brothers, SEVEN. And look at this one here," he pointed at a soldier whose right leg had been completely cut off from the thigh. "He has been reduced to a one legged piece of shit who can do nothing but...," his voice thinned into silence, trembling with emotions.

Just then, the Emperor and some of the soldiers of his Royal Army emerged. The Emperor was dressed in his royal army suits, a sword and a shield in his hands, ready for battle. The soldiers bowed before the Emperor who had almost ordered his soldiers to attack had he not seen the Prime Minister.

"Prime Minister," the Emperor called out. "What are you doing here with these traitors?"

"Sorry sire but you have the details twisted," the handsome soldier responded. This was war and in war there is no courtesy, so he thought. "We are the friends and he is the enemy, the traitor."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" the Emperor asked, his eyes glaring with anger.

"It's not nonsense My Lord. Confirm the truth if you want sire, by asking your beloved Prime Minister whether he is an allie or a foe."

"How dare you talk about the Prime..." the Emperor thundered as he roared forward like an angry lion, his sword aimed at the stomach of the handsome soldier. The Prime Minister put his body between the soldier and the sword, blocking the sword before it could reach the soldier's stomach. He looked at the Emperor directly in the eye, remorse in his gaze. The Emperor's sword cut through him like a razor through a cotton, the serrated edges slicing through his stomach through to his back. But the Prime Minister showed no pain, no hurt, no fright, no fear. Just regret. The Emperor looked back at him, dumbstruck.

"I'm sorry My Lord," Makiaus murmured, "please forgive me my friend." Tears lined Makiaus's face as the pain of betrayal gripped his heart tenaciously.

"What have you done Makiaus, why did you block my path?" the befuddled Emperor asked his dying Prime Minister and best friend.

"I could not let you kill the soldier My Lord. He is innocent. What he said is true,"

"No, Makiaus. It can't be. You are the Prime Minister, my number one allie. You cannot betray me. You cannot be a traitor."

"Unfortunately, I did betray you My Lord. I betrayed you so badly My Lord, please forgive me," he answered between sobs.

The Emperor's face enlarged with shock and bewilderment. How could Makiaus have betrayed him? No. This made no sense. Maybe the soldiers had boxed him into admitting to something he never did. The Emperor looked at Makiaus's face and eyes, still holding on to the sword that he had unintentionally dug into his stomach. There, in the eyes of his best friend upon which the curtains of life were falling, was the truth, undisputable truth. In his eyes the truth of his confession was written with the seal of honesty, the blueprints of sincere regret, the mark of true confession. And the Emperor saw it all, read it all, believed it all.

"How could you?" he asked, his voice husked. "How could you Makiaus?" He looked hard at him, his hand on the sword shaking. "I trusted you like a brother, I made you Lord over my people, I made you the prince you were not, the hero you were not. I ... I trusted you Makiaus, how could you?" He screamed as he plunged the sword deeper until the handle reached Makiaus' stomach and twisted, cutting the stomach into two. Makiaus fell to his knees, groaning soundlessly as he fell into his death, his intestines having parted ways with his stomach.

The Royal soldiers and the Guards of the empire stood straight at attention when the Emperor rose up, looking at them questioningly. The three hurt soldiers moved not a single finger, not a single bone. It was better to be hurt but dead. All of them feared what the Emperor's next actions would be considering his wrath and the massive emotional disturbance he had just displayed. Both the hurt and the unhurt soldiers bowed their heads, the hurt from where they sat, the unhurt from where they stood at attention when the the Emperor turned towards them having made completely sure that Makiaus was dead, very dead.

"Who are you?" the Emperor asked them sternly, his face rigid with anger.

"We are your reinforcements My Lord," the handsome soldier who was still alive as a result of the Prime Minister's sacrifice replied. "We are here to fight for the Emperor My Lord."

"And how did you know the Prime Minister is a traitor? Were you working for or with him?"

"No sire. We were neither working for nor with him. We are here on the request of two people, a soldier who used to be a loyal member of Prince Mamadu's Dark Army called Jonathan and his young friend called Malin."

"Malin?"

"Yes sire." The soldier explained everything to the Emperor including how they had formerly rebelled against Prince Mamadu and his Dark Army. He told the Emperor of how the prime minister used to recruit people from the Royal Army into the Dark Army and the techniques he had used to lure such people. The Emperor, after hearing all that he had to say and knowing their mission within the palace, thanked them for their bravery and for choosing to stand by the empire. He led them to the Royal Army chambers in the palace where he had intended to assimilate them into his army. When they got in however, they found Jonathan addressing the Royal Army, giving them instructions on how best to defend the palace against the attacks from outside. Malin was standing just a few feet from Jonathan, listening to the detailed and almost foolproof plan Jonathan had.

All the soldiers saluted and stood at attention when the Emperor entered the room, all except Jonathan and Malin who had given their backs to the door and only saw the Emperor once he had fully entered the room. The Emperor motioned for Jonathan to proceed when Jonathan paused, pointing at his watch to indicate time was of essence and it was fast running out.

But before Jonathan could restart explaining how to counter the dark army since he knew it very well, a commotion was heard emerging from the secret room where the empress had been secured. The Emperor, knowing more than anyone what was at stake, quickly rushed out of the room toward the secret room. Despite having gained entrance into the palace early enough, Prince Mamadu had tried all his best to avoid a confrontation with the Emperor. While still the Emperor, no magic or power could defeat Micaleaon. Mamadu wanted to use the one thing he could not fight against, the empress.

The Royal guards who had secured the empress were all lain in a line in the hallway that led to the secret room, all their throats slit, blood still oozing out as they struggled like chickens whose heads hadn't been completely cut. The door to the room was completely broken and thrown to the floor, the room thoroughly rummaged and the empress forcefully taken, her necklace lying on the floor. A piece of her dress was found at the hinges of the door, indicating she had been forcefully dragged out and her clothe was torn.

"Damn you! Damn you Mamadu!" the Emperor cursed as he kicked the wall and punched it as if it was the wall's fault Mamadu had taken the empress. Turning to his soldiers, "look for her, look for them and if you can, bring them to me. I'm going to teach that bastard a bitter lesson he'll wish he was a mortal," he said as he ordered his soldiers to get out and search for the empress and Prince Mamadu.

The Royal Army searched through one set of chambers, the Guards of the empire led by Jonathan through another set of chambers while Malin took another route, alone. The injured soldiers were taken to a hospital within the palace for treatment. The Emperor and three soldiers waited for the news of the searches in the courtroom, his anger sending quivers all over the entire palace.