Chapter 3 of The Thunder Gauntlet

Chapter 3

The rain slid down the window. The window was old yet strong as is the wood surrounding it. Everything here was dark and brown. My bed was creaky, bouncy and I’m sure it could break if I hit it hard enough. Here there is no electricity.

I could hear the general, with his metal toed boots, stomping around upstairs. The wood bent and quivered in each of his steps. Just like Clarence. Some day he’ll get blinded by rage and crush someone else with his boots.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK... The very house shook. There wasn’t a sound. If a pin dropped it would be deafening. “At dinner time, you mocked me and you said these words ‘Can’t wait until a flamestrike lands on his head’ do you want to be like Clarence?”

I faintly heard a few sobs from across the hall. I could imagine her shaking with absolute fear. Thinking of every action he might do to you. Not again. Please.

“Tell me. Will you fight me to the death?” A moan of despair came out
“All...All right,”
“SO OPEN THE DOOR!”

From here his voice sounded like thunder. I kept quiet hoping that he won’t do anything to me as well. Jesse gave a whimper and he led her out. I could see outside. I didn’t want to but my gaze was locked. They stood apart from each other about twenty paces away.

Jesse shook violently and took out her tome. I doubt she could even read with the tears in her eyes. He stood still, staring at her. His pupils were blacker than the night yet I could see nothing. A pure sociopath. And he’s supposed to be our leader.

The mud squelched when he walked one step at a time. Jesse fell to her knees, crying. He was now looking down at her. “Please...” she moaned. His foot raised back and the metal toed boot slammed into her nose.

She screamed. Slowly he raised his foot again, and then forced it onto her ribs. Obviously broken. She roared in agony and he left her out in the muck. In spring all that would be left would be a rotting corpse.

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I woke up the next day with the same nightmare; Being stomped to death by him. I’m sure everyone else had it as well. I got dressed in my brown robes. They draped down my shins. A heavy hood, that was way too big, weighed me down. Breakfast time.

I shambled over to the main hall. This house was very small: a kitchen, bedrooms and a dining hall. But we daren’t complain. At first we had twenty five people ready to fight with Steam Od sadly though now we only have twenty. And we haven’t even gone out to war yet.

We got our rations: Potatoes, carrots and a steak smaller than a light bulb. Eating, he looked outside and started giving us info about the nearly starting war. “The ground is still mush. Marble would be insane to do the invasion now. So we must prepare for them to cross,”

Of course Marble would strike when both empire’s are at a disadvantage because oh death? That won’t work because you have the Dial Aegis. My anger had to be directed to them or else. My food was stale, normal and plain.

I got up when finished and walked to the line outside. My leather boots sank into the mucky land. Well I guess it’s more like mush, like a really bad potato. “All right soldiers we can now train,” butter flies flew in my stomach.

The general got Rel to hammer down the dummy. Like always. I find it strange though why she’s the one to do all of the dirty work. By the end of the day she become’s nothing but sweat and dirt.

“Melissa you first,” he shouted at me. Putting the spine of it onto my palm I flipped it open. I memerized the untranslatable symbols then I closed my eyes, focusing and  closing my eyes I put my right hand, touched the pages and I lifted it up.

A ball of ice appeared from the pages and into my hand. Slowly I raised it up and threw it at the dummy. The “Cystal Lead” stuck onto the dummy’s face. Harder and faster. I launch a barrage of ice at the dummy.

The others did the same. He told us to go for a long walk and talk tatics about the war, until sunset. Without him of course, why would he want to do anything with us? Lazy murder.

We wouldn’t and couldn’t argue. It’s all because of Marble. I would still be in my farm, working hard and living the life. I’ve always imagined a world a world where mages just stayed underground. I’d have a farm, maybe even a family. Who did start this war? 

Well it hasn’t started yet but was it Marble or Steam Od that had jealously and greed. Steam Od wants the Dial Aegis so people can’t die and Marble wants the incredible technology Steam, the mechanical dragon, keeps producing.

Or was it the people who created the Dial Aegis, Steam and of course the Armour. It terrify’s me that someone, anyone, can find even a piece of the Armour and kill a nation. Like what if a schoolboy finds the Thunder Gauntlet? And puts it on? Gold, pure gold. If I see a child with a piece of the Armour then I’ll drink a whole bottle of Whisky in a minute.

Walking in this area was painful. It took twice as much energy just to lift your foot out of the muck. I dread of the thought of this becoming my home. It might as well be. “Feed your anger until you become a killing machine,” that’s what he says anyway. Is that what I should do? No Papa always says that killing in wars was terrible and the people trying to stop it were good. Is that what I’m doing?

An hour later the sun decided to send rays of burning light into out dark, brown robes. It was like being in a microwave. Suddenly someone in front of me fell over. Everyone stopped walking and gazed at her. I licked my lips in anticipation. Slowly she opened her pouch to her left and...the tomes inside were fine.

Everyone sighed in relief and helped her back up. The magical books inside our pouches are more valuable than our lives. Because he will kill us if even it was scratched. Later on we encountered a hill. Now even more exhausted we climbed up the hill.

The muck seemed to end all of a sudden. Green fields spread out as far as the eye could see. Sadly though, people weren’t enjoying it. No one came here unless it was for war. The white kingdom of Marble was standing tall over the grassy plains while to the left the tail of the dragon Steam.

I could see no reason of the people of Marble would go here of all places to start their assault. The mucky terrain would hinder their movement and there’s even a fortress in the valley nearby. And that valley is the only way to Steam Od.

It was here he told us to sit down and talk about tactics for the war. This was my favourite part of war. No fighting, crawling, running, crying and dying. Just chatting. And that’s just fun. “Alright everyone! Take out your maps and I’ll ask each of you to explain why Marble would attack here,” said Pearl.

Once we have set up Pearl starts “So my theory is that Marble would want to surprise Steam Od by attacking here. Yet Steam Od knows perfectly well that they will attack here,”

I raise my hand. “Yes Melissa?”

“What if we’re getting the wrong information?” if I asked this to the general then he’ll kill me but thankfully he wasn’t around and Pearl was very nice.

“That’s a good thought yet I doubt that Scale would give us false info,”
“But what if he’s just getting the wrong information? What if Marble knew about Scale’s powers and prepared in advance?”

“Why, did you just call me by name?” his voice was like a serpents. Scale had the power to teleport. I can teleport too but reading a page takes too long so that’s why he only learnt that page. He nows nothing of other spells, just the ability to faze out of exsitance to another place. A Selective, that’s what he is.

I was thinking of none of this at the time. I opened my mouth but no words came out. Scale’s blue professor suit looked strange with his smile and crooked nose. “Did you hear me? I don’t like people talking behind my back. You understand don’t you?”

I finally wotked up the corage to speak. “Please don’t...t-tell him,” He licked his lips and adjusted his glasses.

“Don’t worry. You should trust me if you want help,” with that he disappeared.