CHAPTER 3
The Test
All too soon, it was nearing mid afternoon and Rom knew his time had come to meet Arnor, in combat, in front of the whole community. This was not his choice, but he could do nothing about it and he fervently hoped he would survive the confrontation. Rom could hear the sound of measured footsteps through the wooden door, of a number of unknown persons, who were marching outside along the passageway. The old wooden framed door suddenly sprang open and the small prison cell was filled to capacity with men.
Rom was seized by the nearest guards and propelled out the door with much heaving and grunting from them. He was quickly pushed down the passageway into a side labyrinth, lit by spluttering torches which were attached to the walls. It was not very long before Rom could see sunlight ahead and he soon found himself standing on the periphery of a large arena, open to the skies, with a hot blazing sun beating down on his head.
There was a crowd of people sitting on wooden benches lining the inner circle of the arena. As soon as the people saw Rom, they let out a mighty roar and began to chant, ‘Death to Rom and victory for Arnor,’ over and over again, building themselves into a frenzy of excitement.
Then in the background, there was the sound of a roll of drums, the crowd immediately ceased their chanting and all eyes looked towards the grand archway, decorated with gold and semi precious stones, sparkling in the raw sunlight.
Out strode Juno bedecked in his splendid robes, flanked on either side of him with the best and tallest warriors, their spears held in their right hands, whilst carrying a shield across their chests, gripped by their other hand. A deep throated roar was heard from the crowd and Juno graciously acknowledged the people’s welcome with a wave of his hand. He walked purposely towards the raised platform, quickly mounting the three steps and elegantly sat on his golden throne.
There was another sound of drums and through the main archway marched Arnor, tall, handsome, and muscular, wearing a short tunic, heavy leather sandals and a jewelled sword buckled at his waist. The champion walked slowly towards Juno and lifted his hand in a salute and bowed low in front of him. Then turned towards the crowd acknowledging their adoration as they roared their approval of their hero.
All the time Rom had been left standing on the sidelines flanked on either side by a guard, with two more guards close behind. Rom quietly sized up his opponent to see if he could detect any physical weaknesses in his bearing. Alas, he could see none in Arnor’s appearance, as before him was a picture of a warrior in superb physical condition. Juno sensing the drama of the situation, waved his arm in a down motion for the crowd to be quiet and still. All eyes were on him in a instant, everyone leaning forward straining to catch each word he uttered.
‘Guards bring the prisoner to me immediately,’ commanded Juno. There was a murmur of disapproval from everyone as Rom was marched towards Juno sitting on his throne. ‘Well are you now ready to tell me Brude’s plan to attack this Temple and my people?’ demanded Juno, glaring down at Rom as he stood before him.
There was a further roar and hissing noises from the people. Rom looked straight into Juno’s eyes, ‘I do not know of Brude’s military strategy. He does not confide in me. He doesn’t like me and would like to kill me,’ stated Rom in a loud deep voice.
‘You liar, Rom!’ shouted Juno, who was now really angry. Rom and those nearest to Juno could see red flecks appearing in his eyes and the veins at Juno’s temples and neck were raised and throbbing. Rom feared he would be struck down there and then.
‘This is your last chance, are you going to tell me now or not!’ yelled Juno. Rom slowly shook his head from side to side. ‘Then let the combat begin,’ bellowed Juno, as he flung back his head with rage and slumped his body down on the seat of the throne exhausted.
The primal roaring sound from the crowd was deafening and sustained for a period before they too began to quieten their voices and settle into their seats waiting for the show to begin. The drums started to beat slowly and methodically in the background, adding to the atmosphere of expectation and urgency. Rom’s hands were unbound, and he quickly massaged them to try to prevent further feelings of cramping and pain.
One of the guards came forward, ‘Choose your weapons from here.’ The guard pointed to a nearby pile of varied assortment of swords, daggers, shields etc.
Rom quickly rifled through the weaponry making a mental note of the condition of each. He chose a plain bronze sword, not too heavy to hold in his hand and also selected a long dagger which looked well worn but rapier sharp and he thrust this inside the webbing of his right leg attached to his heavy duty sandals. Then he reached for a shield to give him some protection around the head and chest area. His heart was beating fast and he was breathing deeply as he quickly spun around, to face the enemy.
There was Arnor, resplendent in his glittering gold chest armour, with a protective helmet over his head, holding a long oval shaped shield reaching to the ground. He had obviously chosen his weapons from another source. The two men eyed each other from a distance, waiting for the signal from Juno to advance to the middle of the arena.
There was a further roll of the drums and Juno beckoned the two men to go to the centre of the arena. The atmosphere was tense, with everyone concentrating their attention on the two combatants, who were now facing each other a few paces apart. Juno shouted, ‘Start the fighting now!’
A deep throated roar was heard from the crowd, as the two men began to circle each other, looking for an opening to plunge their swords into the body of the other. This manoeuvre continued for a period and the crowd began to grow restless. Some voices were heard to shout, ‘Run your sword through him Arnor, now! Don’t be a coward, Arnor! Kill him! Kill the bastard, Arnor and chop off his head.’
Rom fast realised, that this strategy was not working as he would soon tire himself out and then would become an easy prey. So without losing a second further, he lunged forward with his sword straight at Arnor’s body. There was a loud sound of metal hitting metal as Arnor used his shield to deflect the blow. An audible sigh was heard from the crowd and then there was general cheering and chanting, ‘Arnor, Arnor, Arnor!’ echoing around the arena. Rom was reeling from the clash, just then Arnor used his sword to slash at Rom’s legs. Just in time, Rom saw the sword flashing towards him and he nimbly jumped sideways in time to miss the blow.
Both men were now panting heavily, and sweat was pouring down their faces, bodies and legs as they glared at each other. Rom’s thoughts raced through his head, he must find a weakness in Arnor’s defence.
Without warning Arnor dropped his heavy shield, grasped his sword with both hands and began to slice the air in front of him, left then right. All the time he slowly advanced towards Rom with small but determined steps. Rom was forced to step backwards trying to avoid the flashing sword, as it was whirled in the air by Arnor’s strong arm movements. Several blows from Arnor’s sword hit Rom’s shield sending shock waves up his arm.
With a quick twist sideways, Rom rolled on the ground, dropped his shield and then thrust his sword at a slant upwards towards Arnor’s body. He plunged the tip of the sword into the side of Arnor’s body.
There was a gasping sound from the crowd, as they saw Rom’s blade connect with Arnor’s torso. Arnor reacted to the sword thrust and staggered as Rom withdrew the blade of the weapon from Arnor’s body. Blood poured out of the wound as Arnor dropped his sword and slowly fell to the ground.
The crowd went wild with rage. Their beloved hero was wounded! A chant began to resound from the main body of the mob, ‘Foul, foul, foul play. Death to the enemy. Death to Rom.’
Juno quickly realised, that the crowd would riot, so with a crisp movement of his hand, the drums started to beat very loudly and gradually the crowd quietened. Arnor was carried away on his shield, back through the archway, in order to be treated for his wound. Then Juno stood in front of his throne, ‘Guards bring Rom to me.’
Rom in the meantime had been completely surrounded by guards with their spears raised pointed towards his chest. Still with the bloodied sword in his hand, he faced the circle of armed guards. One of the guards motioned to Rom to throw down his sword on the ground immediately.
Realising the difficulty of his situation, he complied with the order from the guard. Surrounded by guards Rom was marched towards Juno who continued to stand waiting for him.
As Rom approached, Juno was very aware of his perilous position with the crowd. Their hero had been wounded and could die. Juno was not happy with the situation as he had hoped Rom would have been killed by Arnor. If that was so, then the crowd would have been overjoyed. Their hero would have won and his own popularity would have soared.
‘You have placed me in a difficult position,’ Juno said to Rom. ‘You should be dying, not Arnor. What am I to do with you?’
The crowd continued to chant non-stop ‘Death to the enemy. Death to Rom!’ and worked themselves into a frenzy.
‘Guards take him away, I will deal with him later.’ shouted Juno.
As Rom was lead away, some of the people began to realise what was happening and a few leapt to their feet and started running towards Rom and the guards. Seeing this, a number of the guards turned to face the small group of people with their spears at the ready, whilst the rest of the guards hustled Rom through a side entrance and half dragged and pushed him along the tunnel. Rom was soon once again in his prison cell, unceremoniously thrown on the floor and the door slammed shut.
Rom felt as if he had achieved nothing and he was back where he had started, but this time round he had killed the people’s hero, Arnor. All of a sudden he felt completely exhausted in body and mind. He found himself falling in a exhausted sleep, as he lay sprawled out on the prison floor. He felt as though he had been pushed down a long dark tunnel and he heard a voice calling him, ‘Rom, Rom, Rom.’
There in the blur of his mind, he thought he saw a faint figure looking like Aela sitting on a cave floor with her hands outstretched towards him. ‘Come to me Rom, I need you.’ Then his mind went blank and he heard and saw no more.
How long he had been lying there, Rom could not tell as he slowly opened his eyes, taking in his gloomy surroundings. Nearby someone had left an oil lamp with its flickering wick providing some light to the darkened room. Rom’s eyes focused on a round loaf of bread, with what appeared to be a hunk of cheese and a cylinder shaped vessel. Cautiously and wearily Rom moved his arms and legs, then gingerly rolled on his side. His whole body ached, especially the arm that took the major impact from the blows Arnor delivered on Rom’s shield with his sword, during the contest.
Gradually he pushed himself along the floor towards the lamp and food. Grasping the vessel he downed the liquid inside the container in a series of gulps hardly stopping to take a breath. Once Rom’s thirst was slaked, he tore the bread apart, eating the pieces rapidly. He devoured the cheese in an instant and then he raised his body resting his head against the stone wall of the prison, and breathed slowly.
This moment of peace was short-lived as he heard the sound of footsteps outside his prison door. There was a murmur of voices, the door was flung open and in strode two men, they walked towards Rom and dragged him to his feet. His arms were quickly pinned to his sides by these men, before Rom could do anything to protect himself from the onslaught.
In strode Juno, ‘I have decided to spare your life this time. Fortunately for you, Arnor will live. I banish you from my territory forever. If you return again you will surely die a most horrible death that I can devise for you.’
Juno then turned to the guards, ‘Take him to the border of our territory, release him there.’ Then facing Rom he added, ‘I hope the wolves soon track you down and kill you.’
Juno turned on his heels and marched with his retinue down the corridor, leaving Rom and the guards to digest the implications and meaning of the orders. Without wasting anytime, Rom was hustled out of the cell by the guards. In a flash Rom realised that he would soon be on his way to freedom. It was still dark outside the prison complex as Rom was marched along the street and out of the main gates into the forest.
To make sure he did not escape, Rom’s hands were bound together in front of his chest. This time Rom did not mind, as he would soon would be free again, to do what he wanted to do. Whilst he was stumbling along in the dark, his thoughts centred on a plan to rescue Aela from Eena and the Cave people.
Then, there were sounds of a number of feet running in the dark and Rom and his party heard yelling, ‘Stop, stop, Juno has changed his mind, Rom is to be brought back to him and placed in the prison again.’
Rom was totally devastated at this sudden change of events and tried to make a run for it, but he was soon again surrounded by the guards. He yelled in despair, ‘this is a trick and it is not true. Juno gave me a free pardon that I could leave immediately.’
The guards were equally amazed at this sudden change of orders. They stopped and turned towards the person who had claimed the reversal of the orders from Juno. The Head Guard exclaimed, ‘On what authority do you have to order us to bring Rom back to Juno.’
‘I have a written order signed by Juno himself.’ As he spoke he thrust the piece of paper into the hands of the Head Guard.
‘That is not any good for me as I cannot read.’
‘Well that is not my fault,’ retorted the messenger.
There was a heavy silence between the two protagonists as they glared at each other. The Head Guard began to mutter to himself, ‘Okay! Okay!, come on men let us return with our prisoner and hand him over to Juno. As far as I am concerned Juno can do whatever he likes with Rom.’
So with a heavy heart Rom was ordered to turn around and the party retraced their steps back to the Temple of the Sun. Rom was seething with rage at the sudden change of events and vowed he would seek revenge. Everyone was silent in the group as they retraced their steps back to Juno’s palace.
It was sunrise when the unhappy party reached their destination and Rom was once more thrown in prison. This was Rom’s darkest moment in his life, as he now had plenty of time to think about his hopeless situation, whilst lying spreadeagled on the floor of his prison cell. He had hoped to be a free man again, so he could continue on his quest for the possession of the Sacred Sword and be able to rescue Aela as well.
But, here he was a prisoner once more and he was sure that Juno would this time have him killed. In his mind he could visualise he was running through the forest trees, putting as much distance as possible from the guards. He started to imagine in his thoughts what it would be like to be a free man again and he allowed himself to slip into a trance.
He remained in this trance like state, to which to him appeared to be an eternity in time. He relished this feeling, cocooned in the ever encompassing emotion of love and feeling completely physically secure. He was very reluctant to bring himself out of this trance. But this peaceful feeling was slowly fading so he allowed himself to release himself from the trance coming back to this real gritty world. Gradually he woke up to the reality that he was Juno’s prisoner once more, lying on the floor, in a dank prison cell.
Then an absolute incredible situation occurred, when once more the guards returned and hauled Rom up from the floor and propelled him out of the prison door. This time no one spoke a word, as the guards marched Rom down the dark alley, through the main gates and into the forest. Rom did not utter a sound, as he was totally convinced he would be murdered and his body left in the black depth of the forest, for the wolves to devour.
After what seemed an agonising, never-ending time of walking, the guards suddenly stopped in the complete blackness of the sombre forest. Then without speaking, the guards melted away completely into the trees, leaving Rom standing alone, expecting at any second to receive a deadly blow on the head by one of the them, but nothing happened. So Rom fell slowly on his knees and gradually collapsed onto the ground, loudly moaning all the time. Once again total exhaustion took over and Rom lapsed into an exhausted sleep.
Slowly, the sun moved higher on the horizon, Rom gradually opened his eyes as he lay sprawled on the ground. By moving his head from side to side to side he was able to clearly view all around him so that he could now see any animal or human if they tried to sneak up on him.
He heard running water nearby, so he got himself to his feet and wearily made his way towards the sound. Soon he was looking into the clear waters of a sizeable stream and he bent down to slake his thirst. In doing so he misjudged his balance and tumbled in head first, just missing an overhanging branch by the merest of margins.
Down, he sank into the depths of the waters and with a mighty effort he pushed himself back up towards the surface, spluttering and coughing. Once his head was above the surface of the water, Rom felt the cleansing and invigorating affect of the liquid, so he decided to splash around for awhile. Feeling his muscles relax, he tried to float on his back, but his feet were constantly being dragged down by the sheer weight of the heavy sandals that he wore.
He pushed himself towards the embankment and levered his body on dry land again. Taking off his sandals he discovered the long bladed dagger and he began to feel happy again, that he now had a weapon to defend himself, if necessary. Then there was a loud cackling sound close by and Rom looked up to see a dishevelled figure in some kind of filthy robe holding a thick staff in one hand. This apparition was shaking all over, with loud sounds of laughter, coming out of what appeared to be the head.
Rom was mortified and at the same time perplexed at this creature’s strange behaviour. ‘Who are you?’ demanded Rom. ‘What do you find so funny?’
Rom jumped to his feet, flashing his dagger in front of the figure in a menacing fashion.
‘My name is Ette, the old Hag of the forest. Some people are frightened of me and others seek me out to listen to my words of wisdom. Also I use my herbal remedies and magical spells to cure their sickness,’ replied Ette. ‘I can see you have been in a fight of some kind, by the marks on your arms and chest. You must come with me now to my cave and I will cure you,’ commanded Ette.
‘I remember you, Aela and I shared a meal with you a few days ago back at a lake,’ exclaimed Rom.
He was feeling very bad tempered, tired and sorry for himself and couldn’t see the sense in following this strange creature into the depths of the forest. ‘Why should I go with you?’ blurted out Rom.
‘Suit yourself,’ sniffed Ette. She turned her back on Rom and waddled slowly towards a group of nearby trees.
Now Rom was truly baffled and felt that he had lost the initiative in the exchange of words. Perhaps by following Ette, his thoughts flashed by in a rush in his head, she could lead him to others, who were in a better position to help him.
So, reluctantly, he started to walk behind her into the woods. All the time Rom was feeling very uneasy about this action. It seemed a long time in Rom’s mind, as Rom continued to follow in the footsteps of Ette. But at last their journey appeared to be coming to an end, when he saw a large gaping hole in front of him, an entrance to a cave. Ette beckoned with her hand, for Rom to follow her through the entrance.
Inside Rom could see glistening jagged rocks hanging from the high vaulted ceiling of the cave. There was the dripping sound of water and he could see clear liquid slowly running down the walls of the cave. Ette motioned to Rom to sit on a rocky platform, whilst she disappeared into the darkness at the back of the cave. It was not long before she reappeared, carrying a closely woven basket in her arms full of jars of different shapes and sizes.
Bending forward Ette placed the basket in front of Rom on the ground. ‘Stay very still whilst I have a look at your wounds,’ ordered Ette, peering at Rom’s arms and chest. ‘You have been in a fight and you certainly received a battering. No doubt it is over territory or a woman,’ exclaimed Ette.
Rom was outraged with this comment, quickly replying, ‘Neither. I had no choice, I was forced to fight Juno’s champion Arnor and I won.’
‘Well, well, that is very interesting, Juno will not be happy. He always has to win everything. I am amazed he didn’t kill you on the spot,’ stated Ette.
Rom recounted, still in his dreamlike state, with remarkable detail the contest between Arnor and himself, whilst Ette applied soothing ointments and herbs on Rom’s wounds.
‘I will give you a special drink which will help to restore your energy and general health,’ muttered Ette.
After fiddling around with a couple of bottles of liquid, she poured the mixture into a bowl and motioned Rom to drink it. Gingerly Rom took the bowl out of Ette’s hand and raised it to his lips. He took a cautious sip and much to his surprise the contents tasted sweet. He drank the rest very quickly and experienced a warm feeling as the liquid ran down the back of his throat. There was a soft ringing sound in his ears, then blackness and Rom was fast asleep.
‘Rest, Oh handsome one. You will need all your strength to face the trials ahead,’ said Ette softly.
She placed a large animal fur over Rom and a soft pillow of grass under his head. Then she slowly advanced towards the fireplace, that she had previously placed an orderly pile of cut wood. Expertly she struck a flint stone on the nearby rock and soon had a cheerful fire blazing in the hearth. Every now and again, she glanced towards the spot where Rom was lying, sighed and shook her head. She then contemplated her own thoughts and muttered to herself in low inaudible tones.
The next morning as the sun was rising Rom bid farewell to Ette at the cave entrance feeling energised and rejuvenated from the nights rest and Ette’s expert treatment of his wounds. He assured Ette he knew which direction to take through the forest back to Eena’s Cave to rescue Aela once more from the clutches of Eena and her warriors.
With a cheerful wave of his hand Rom disappeared into the darkness of the forest feeling very pleased with himself, that he was once again in control of the situation. He felt that he would very soon would rescue Aela from Eena and her warriors and they would be free to pursue his quest by stealing the Sacred Sword from the inner sanctuary of the Temple of the Sun.
Aela was more and more frustrated with herself that she was still a prisoner. Eena was determined that Aela could not escape, as she had already lost one important prisoner, with Rom kidnapped by Croan and his men, a couple of days ago.
Eena consulted with her advisers as to what best next to do with Aela. Jah was a grave and careful thinker, of medium build, in his middle years, but also he was very ambitious, he wanted to make his mark in the world. He was the first to speak. ‘In my opinion, I think this strange one should be let free. I can’t see any way she can help us.’
There was a general murmuring of agreement from the other leaders and they all looked towards Eena in order to determine her reaction to this advice. She was not very happy, hearing these words and glared at Jah.
Ardu quickly intervened with soothing tones in his voice, ‘It is good that Jah puts forward this point of view, but we also need to look at the other side of the argument as well,’ stated Ardu, smiling at everyone. ‘No, Aela must stay a captive for the time being. Perhaps what we must do now, is find Rom and bring him back here.’ Everyone nodded their heads in agreement at Ardu’s suggestion.
Jah was relieved that the focus of attention has been momentarily taken off him and his verbal outburst. He made a mental note that next time, if he was in similar situation he would remain silent, but make sure he looked very grave and wise in his general demeanour.
Ardu turned to Eena, ‘I have an idea. I remember Rom saying he had been journeying to the Temple of the Sun, to snatch the Sacred Sword from under Juno’s nose and take it back to his people who live near the Temple of the Moon. That is very likely where he has been taken by Juno’s guards and we must follow him there. Eena, organise your best warriors and send them to rescue Rom from Juno and bring him back here!’ stated Ardu in even tones.
‘You are so clever Ardu.’
Eena jumped to her feet and clapped her hands, ‘Summon our best warriors immediately, so they can follow our scouts to the Temple of the Sun. They must bring back Rom instantly, there is not a moment to lose.’
Quickly, Eena’s orders were carried out and very soon the warriors headed by Ardu were on their way, making quick progress through the forest. They continued their silent walk through the trees for the rest of the day and by sunset they reached the end of the forest.
Before them, was the mighty Temple of the Sun, with its huge monolithic stones reaching towards the heavens. As the sun sunk slowly down the horizon, directly behind the stones, Ardu and his warriors stared in wonderment at the awesome presence of the huge Temple, surrounded by a thick high wooden wall.
For a second or so they were overcome with the power of the rays of the sun lighting up the Temple before it disappeared behind the horizon. So, each man in unison looked to the heavens for the comforting sight of the moon, their Moon Goddess Athunor, but she was nowhere to be seen. A little sigh and a shudder was heard through the group of men.
Then Ardu was the first to recover from the spell, ‘Lie down men, as we need to take in the surroundings and work out our strategy.’
They instantly obeyed their leader’s command and lay flat on the ground. By now the Temple was lit by flaring torches and Ardu and his men could see the sentries placed at regular intervals around this side of the Temple.
Ardu quickly assumed that there would be the same number of guards situated on the other side of the complex. ‘You, Rah and Eno, sneak around the other side to see how many guards are stationed there and report back to me. Also find a gate in the wall where we can gain entry to the Temple.’
Both men scurried off to obey the orders as quickly as possible. Unfortunately Rah, who was well over six foot tall, and who was not so nimble on his feet, lumbered slowly and noisily after Eno. He was a giant of a man, with massive shoulders, huge torso and legs as well as large feet. Rah was slow to think but once he understood a situation or an order from his superiors he never forgot.
‘Come on Rah, follow me,’ Eno whispered impatiently and beckoned Rah to follow him.
They carefully worked their way around the other side of the wall and took note of the number of guards and where they were positioned along the fortified wall. Very soon they were back to report their findings to Ardu about the large number of guards situated around the fortifications.
The news was not good for Ardu, as there were so many guards surrounding the complex and they were so few in number. But he realised they had the element of surprise as their advantage and Ardu concentrated his thoughts on this fact, as he planned his next move.
‘I know what we can do. Firstly we need to overpower a couple of the guards, take their clothes and helmets and then sneak through the gate in the wall in disguise, so we can gain access to the Temple,’ exclaimed Ardu.
Everyone thought this was a good idea, as nobody could think of any other plan.
Quickly Ardu chose his men and they fell in line with each other, without making a sound. They then took up strategic positions, to wait for the changing of the guard at the nearest gate. Very soon there was a regular sound of marching footsteps and around the corner of the wall appeared a number of guards carrying spears and shields. With a slick action, the guards were relieved and the old guards marched off.
Immediately they were set upon by Ardu’s men, and expertly disposed of with daggers thrust into their hearts. There was a quick change of clothes and very soon the new contingent of guards were lined up in formation with Ardu at the head of the group. Around the corner they marched quickly through the gate along the main road, towards another group of guards who were situated at the front entrance of the Temple.
Ardu saluted the officer briskly, ‘I have come to relieve you and your men of guard duties,’ stated Ardu.
The officer in charge was secretly very pleased to go, as he had arranged to meet his sweetheart as soon as he had finished his duties. He did not question the fact that he did not know this officer and these men. The change was completed in a few seconds and everyone was in place.
‘So far so good. Our next move is to get inside the Temple complex and find Rom and the Sacred Sword,’ whispered Ardu.
Beckoning the men to follow him, Ardu and his men slipped into the Temple and soon they found themselves in the inner sanctum, where glittering before them and suspended in mid air was the Sacred Sword.
‘Scout around men you two of my men, Rom must be nearby in a prison cell,’ ordered Ardu. ‘Now how to get the Sacred Sword down quietly? Jah come here, and you Tui get on his shoulders so you are closer to the Sword.’
Soon Tui was standing on Jah’s shoulders, and with outstretched arms he reached towards the Sword. He grasped the hilt in his hands, with one almighty movement he pulled it in a downwards motion. Tui broke the chain holding the Sacred Sword which was attached to the ceiling. He lost his balance off Jah’s shoulders and came tumbling down onto the marble flagstones beneath them. Both men ended up on top of each other, loudly cursing in gruff voices at each other.
‘Quiet you fools, do you want to bring the rest of the guards to find us?’ growled Ardu.
Picking up the Sacred Sword he thrust it into his belt. ‘Come follow me,’ yelled Ardu as he strode down a nearby passage at rapid speed, with his men closely following behind him.
He suddenly turned right, then a sharp left, running all the time in front of his men. Just ahead was a huge iron studded door blocking their pathway. How to get through this barrier, Ardu wondered to himself.
Suddenly the door was thrust open and in charged a number of armed men. There were a clash of swords and shields, as the men collided with each other. Within seconds the fight was over, with many bodies lying on the ground in disarray. Alas, Tui lay prostate on the paved stones, his body lying very still.
‘Look to him men, to see whether he is still breathing.’ said Ardu angrily gritting his teeth.
‘He is dead,’ said Jah quietly and slowly. A loud sigh was heard amongst the men, as they stared at the prostate figure at their feet.
‘Men, we must move on to find Rom. We will come for Tui’s body on our return,’ shouted Ardu, as he rushed through the door, holding his sword up high, he then ran down the passageway. The rest of the men followed him without a word, but with a heavy heart, that they had to leave their dead comrade behind.
By now they had descended downwards into a cave lit by spluttering lamps arranged around the wall. Which way to go was Ardu’s thought, that went racing through his mind, as he first looked left and then right, all the time feeling very much like a trapped animal. He quickly decided to go through the middle entrance and his men followed him.
Very soon they came across a small cave where, in the centre, was a rough hewn table and chairs arranged around it. No one was there and all was quiet and still. They noticed that there were doors leading off this room in different directions, each with a huge iron lock attached. But where were the keys? Then they heard shuffling footsteps coming from behind one of the doors. Without hesitation all of the men ducked into the nearest passageway, which was dark and unlit.
Into the main room came a heavily built man dressed in coarse tunic and leggings, muttering to himself and generally cursing under his breath. Around his waist was a thick leather belt and dangling rather noisily were a number of large keys.
Only waiting for a few seconds to make sure no one was with him, Ardu leapt forward and placed one arm around the man’s neck and with the other arm he unsheathed his dagger and plunged it into the man’s chest. The figure fell backwards towards Ardu, who slowly let go, as the body slumped onto the floor.
Quickly Ardu grabbed the bunch of keys and started trying each lock, in turn until there was a click and one of the doors swung open. There, near the back wall through the light of the lamp, Ardu saw an empty cell but Rom was nowhere to be seen.
With two swift movements, Ardu strode across the floor, looking left and then right but Rom was nowhere in sight.
‘Someone has been here before us and taken Rom away. We must go quickly before we are discovered by other guards,’ urged Ardu. ‘Men there is no time to loose We must get out of here before we are discovered,’ spluttered Ardu. ‘Come with me if you value your life. You will be handsomely rewarded,’ yelled Ardu over his shoulder, as he rushed along the passageway.
There was a medley of figures groaning, huffing and puffing as well as cursing out loudly as they pushed and jostled each other in their haste to escape from the scene. They were determined that they were not going to miss out on their dreams of riches. Soon they came up against another large wooden door and with a mighty heave from the shoulders of a couple of the men, the door was thrust open and they were once more in the main courtyard of the Temple.
‘We must leave this place now, before anyone knows we have been here,’ whispered Ardu, panting all the time, whilst desperately trying to gain his breath.
He stopped in his tracks, bending his head over his body, in order to take in great gulps of air into his lungs. The rest of the group did the same, all breathing quickly and heaving together. After a short period their breathing became more even and regular and without a word they all fell in line behind Ardu, as they made their way along the back corridors of the Temple.
Before they knew it, they were outside the Temple walls and were able to make their way into the dark primeval forest.
‘Dam, dam’ cursed Ardu. ‘We must find Rom and take him back a prisoner to Eena. But how?’
Then they came onto a clearing and Ardu called a halt and indicated for everyone to sit down in a circle, with their weapons at the ready.
‘We shall have a short rest men, then we must travel very quickly through the forest back to our territory to report back to Eena and the council without Rom as our prize,’ exclaimed Ardu.
All eyes were on Ardu, who was very miffed at this turn of events. He regretted his statement of a rich reward for his men, so early in the events that had followed, without capturing Rom again.
‘Come men we must go now so we will be on our way.’ Ardu ordered rather loftily.
The party set off through the forest at a rapid pace, every now and again, one of them, looked back to see at regular intervals if, anyone was following them.
As time passed the men grew weary and started cursing under their breaths, especially as their limbs began aching, with the relentless fast pace that Ardu had set. Ardu was beside himself with frustration that he did not have Rom a prisoner. What was going to be Eena’s reaction when he returned empty handed without Rom? Then he suddenly heard the sound of a twig being snapped somewhere nearby to where he were standing. There must be someone lurking nearby in the forest thought Ardu and placing his index finger to his lips for silence he motioned for a couple of his men to creep behind the tree where they heard sound.
There was a loud scuffle and a few curses coming from that direction. Then as they appeared from behind the tree, between the two soldiers there was a dark figure furiously struggling to escape their clutches.
As they came closer Ardu could recognise the face of Rom and he leapt forward and grabbed some of Rom’s clothing on his chest and stuck his head close to Rom’s face.
‘Well, look what we have here, our hero has fallen into our trap. Got you at last and this time you are not going to give me the slip. Men, tie this man up immediately and make sure the knots are very tight. We are now truly triumphant. Eena will so be pleased.’
The rest of the party started to cheer loudly as they glared and hissed at Rom and thrust their fists in Rom’s face.
‘We should kill him now, Ardu, after all the trouble he has caused us,’ shouted one of the soldiers.
‘No, at this stage he is more useful alive rather than dead,’ exclaimed Ardu.
With renewed energy the party began to walk through the forest singing a victory song, with Rom positioned in the middle of the scrum.
Soon they were in familiar territory, they recognised a stream, a rock shape, a tree and other well known features. With a victory cry the men ran towards, the huge rock cave, which was their home. Their loved ones came out to greet them, as everyone was overjoyed they were home, safely at long last. In the midst of the wild greetings Rom tried to slip back into the dark forest again unnoticed.
‘Not so fast my friend’ whispered Ardu in Rom’s ear, ‘I am taking you straight to Eena now.’
Rom was standing before Eena and the Council with Ardu positioned triumphantly behind him.
‘Well we meet again,’ said Eena rather testily. ‘You have caused us a lot of worry and problems after you disappeared. But now you are returned to us again.’
Turning to Ardu, Eena happily exclaimed. ‘You are our hero, the man of the hour. You and your men will be handsomely rewarded. Guards, take Rom away and place him in the dungeons for the time being. Ardu, come with me and tell me in great detail, how you and your men fared in Juno’s territory and brought Rom back to us. Bring the Sacred Sword with you. I and the Council must decide what to do with it and how to use it to our best advantage in our war with Juno.’
As Rom was led away, all he could think about was, that he was back where he had been only a few days ago. He was no further advanced in his quest to have in his possession the Sacred Sword and to discover the power it held within its shimmering blade and bejewelled hilt.