Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Morgan in enrage as he gathered his army as he plotted his course towards “Trillen,” he smiles as he remembers the old days. He knows at least there he can have men worthy enough to take for soldiers. Unlike these pathetic fools of Darzzee who crave gold and silver could be driven to revenge if the need was great. Yet very few would accomplish their task.

No. What he needed was men with revenge in their hearts; poisoned so deep it spills with hate. These are the men he needs, these warriors are what he wanted. For they have been fighting for nearly a decade as he laughs crackling, thinking back then how small and how little he was in power compared to now. Yes, these mindless fools were so easy to miss guide just for a taste of power and riches as he watches them just for a taste of it.

“My Lord your horse and knights are ready,” as the servant bows.  Morgan paid him no mind just looked out the window then turn towards the boy sitting in the corner. “Today boy you will see what it is like to lead.”

Jeff's eyes touched the ground then whispers in a soft voice. “Yes, my master.” Morgan's eyebrow raises his eyes burned red, lifts the boys head. “Kneel and repeat it like you mean it,” he said angrily.

Jeff falls slowly on his knees still very weak, but stronger then EJ at the moment. Looks at Morgan and repeats. “Yes, my master!” louder than before.

Morgan pushed him to the ground near to his feet. “Try it again!!!” screaming.

Jeff repeats it louder. “Yes, my master!!!”

Morgan picks the boy up and tossed him back into the chair, slaps him across the face. “Next time you will answer correctly!”

Jeff rubs his face where it hurts and bits his lip. Thinking and hoping the day will come soon when then this monster of a mad man is killed and gone forever. Morgan stares at him as if heard his thoughts and smiles laughing as to mock him. “Its time,” pulling him by the arm almost dragging him without care.

Morgan sets him on a horse chained to the bridle then claps a bracelet around his ankle laughing as Jeff feels it bind him to Morgan. “Yes boy,” as he laughed wickedly. “You can feel it can’t you now, that you are mine. You can not run from it or me like your bothers are for now.  Your flesh and your soul is mine forever, for I will never give you freedom again.”  Morgan laughs wickedly as he pulled down hard on the chains.

Jeff tries to remove it as the pain went through his body. Morgan laughs even harder pulling on the reins, laughing as the pain amused him.  Jeff stops struggling knowing he is beaten for now as he looks upon Morgan with hateful eyes.

Morgan laughs as he felt the boys hate so deep and turned. “Yes boy. Use it, feel its power. Then let it guide you as we seek what has been lost and let it lead you and me to new heights.” Morgan replied as he stands next to his prince with the encampment behind him he opens a gate to Trillen and shouts into the gate as he steps fourth onto the soil. “Your Master and Prince have arrived, prepare all to kneel before them and be counted.”

Jaydan and Aggie raised the dome and the shield around all as promised placing a ward of silence so he could not hear them nor feel them.

Morgan looked about with his eyes at the wasteland of nothing, no trees nor grass or any kind of vegetation. Just rocks and valley hills with nothing upon them except for the blue sky and the surrounding clouds, the air felt clean, cool and crisp. He screams as fire danced in his eyes, then rides hard towards the valley deep within.

Morgan saw the one tree and patch of grass around it. His eyes wild as his anger builds as he got closer, he yells with all his might to shake the planet below them. Yet nothing moved or changed. Morgan screamed taking his black raven rod, planting it hard into the ground around the tree. He again cast death of famine and poison. Again and again each time nothing changes.

Morgan yells for the people of the land and of the dead as it does not come forth. Jeff watches him as he tries to feel something as if EJ and part of his other self were here, but can’t as Morgan tries to meditate looking back into the past. He screams again in rage. Seeing Jaydan and Whitmore’s pointing to the tree as he tries to strike it down with lightning. Morgan yells at his Captions as he picks them up with anger. “Set up camp now!” Throwing them to the ground.

Caption knelt almost crawling. “Master, you didn’t specify we be staying or how long.” He replied shaking as he crawls on his belly.  Morgan turns his eyes hot with anger, taking his staff sears his body while the man screams as he turned into a pile of ash.

Morgan turns hard, his knuckles white as he leaned towards his other Captions, As they spring forward bowing without another word. Slip back to the stronghold gathering supplies while the others set up camp with whatever they can find among them.

Morgan sits on the hill with his Dark Prince beside him as he stares at him, with cold eyes barring down upon him. “Somehow boy, I know you had something to do with this I think,” Morgan replies as he gazed out towards the valley. “You and your friend Jeff and his pals Jaydan, yet it eludes me how he did it when I look at you. Why boy, why?” Morgan screams.

Jeff just gazed out into the distance not saying a word while thinking. Because they walk in the light and we don’t that’s why it eludes you.

Morgan raised his hand about to wipe off the smile off his face then listened closely. As if a trickle of a soft dark soul still remains. Looking down seeing a Darzzee laying against a rock with five old wizards. Morgan slowly lifted his head noticing him then laughed. “Well, well, isn’t this nice.” Morgan laughed. “Looks like you have been doing a little scouting of your own,” Morgan replied.

Gartooth nods then try to bow due to his injury from falling off the rock. The Wizards were hoping it would have killed him as they watched him fall from the rock above. Now seeing Morgan made their day even more rewarding. Gartooth tries to smile. “Yes, master it is me,” as he sighs.

“Looks like you brought some companions with you.”

Gartooth snarled. “More like ankle biters. Slow useless to me so far.” 

“Then kill them…if they trouble you so,” he replied as he admires them for a moment.

“I would and it would bring me great pleasure I am sure, but alas I need them for the time being.” Gartooth breathed gaining a better posture as he kneels before Morgan.

“So why are you here then besides messing with my plans on this planet Gartooth?” Morgan anger boils slowly.

 

“To kill Jaydan,” he replied. 

Morgan laughed. “So what makes you think he still here old friend?” Staring him down.

Gartooth looked straight at him. “Because I saw him and I know where he is as I wait for him, so I may get my chance for revenge.”

Morgan's eyes went wild as he looks at Gartooth. Gartooth grins, “and what will give me in return for all this if formation?” Morgan reached fourth grabbing his scrawny neck. Gartooth struggles a little. “Kill me now. It makes no differences for I have nothing to go back to and you will not have the information in which I hold.”  He replied as his words are strangled as Morgan cuts of his air.

Morgan peers into his heart and his mind and sees that he is telling the truth, then tossed him back hard. “What do you want? Gold, silver, jewels, what?”

Gartooth muddles in his mind then gazed upon Morgan for a long minute. “No these things, I can get on my own. What I want is power,” as Gartooth eyes lit up thinking what he could do with it, what he could buy with it.

Morgan laughed. “Yes, yes, of course, my friend, in due time. Now tell me what you have and I will bestow on what you wish.” Gartooth slowly begins his tale as he followed Jaydan for quite some time.

Morgan nods then looked at the spot of the tree. His lips curled into a grin and more so when he finds who else among the party. His senses were right they were here and still are. Yet I can not sense them now. “Are you sure?” Morgan asks as he looks once more where the town used to be. 

Gartooth nods and so did the wizards in hopes of sparing there lives a little bit longer. “You have done well my old friend so I will aid you with a little power,” Morgan picked up a rock then placed it into Gartooth hand.

The rock turned black as night with a silver chain. “This will protect you from the light as you work in the shadow. The light will not touch you as long as you wear it. You will feel the presence of dark souls, allowing you to see their minds and heart of evil when you wear it. Take it off or give it away or sell it becomes useless. Because.”  Morgan took Gartooth hand with a sharp knife dripping his blood on the stone, “it is now part of you and will only work for you.”

Gartooth puts the stone around his neck then looks at Morgan seeing his black festering heart and the wizards that are with him, he smiles, “thank you, master.” Yet when he looked at the Dark Prince he sees nothing as if something or someone is blocking it, yet is strange considering Morgan has never looked himself on the boy as Gartooth has or has he. Gartooth wonders as he looked between them.

Jeff's eyes made contact with his yelling. “What else you do want you worm?” Kicking Gartooth away from him which in turn makes Morgan turn and look at the boy and laugh.

Morgan’s camp was nearly set up with nice cushion and bedding with fine drapery as the campfire cooks began the meal for the day. Captions setting up posting station as they set up a regiment to scan the area.

Morgan stared at the tree for hours upon hours waiting and listening for anything. Yet not one sound was heard. No matter how hard he tried to kill neither the tree nor the grass around it. It was if it was mocking him and has seen this tree several times now.

Everywhere the Whitmore’s went the was vegetation had returned he could not kill it. Morgan looks towards the mountains where LAkainan’s lived at one time. Still has high hopes these people are still here and at war and he just has not found them as of yet. Yet he could not sense the anger or poison on this planet when it should be reeking from it, from Acklrin beasts themselves alone.

“My lord the first report has come back.” The Caption dropped his eyes waiting for him to kill him for giving him more bad news. Morgan reads it then tosses it away without care than once more looks at the boy sat chained to a pole like a common dog. Jeff lowers his eyes at the ground as he looks elsewhere. Morgan snaps at him. “I bet you find this funny boy?” Kicking the dirt at him, Jeff doesn’t move.

Morgan watched the sun go down the hills and Morgan still sits there under the tree waiting with each report same as the last. Nothing but dirt and rocks no signs of life. Nightfall came with some wind and clear sky, still, Morgan waited by the tree looking out at nothing as his men train and go through their paces. Morgan waits, wondering if Gartooth saw anything at all as he sits by the tree. Yet he senses that he was telling the truth and he himself saw a brief pattern as the tree formed with the Whitmore’s. “I must put an end to this.” Looking at the boy all curled up asleep by the pole.

Jeff was not yet asleep as he watched Morgan with one eye open for in his mind he was searching for a pattern which Morgan saw then smiles. Seeing Glen sitting beside him, Glen tapped Jeff on the shoulder as a quick burst of light bursts in the sky above them. Morgan turns towards the mountains just for an instant then looks at boy summons his black raven rod standing by the boy.

Glen and Jeff sat on a hill of green grass looking over the valley with his arms around him. “Jeff I know its tough being something your not and don’t want to be and Morgan is beating you down daily. Because you are not willing to become what you are destined to become. Yet if you don’t the link in the chain will be broken and things won’t happen the way they're supposed to. You must try harder…

I will forgive you, for it is not your choice that you do these things for your heart is pure. This is one of the reason’s why people like me placed the bond on you and your charge. For his life and yours are two souls that give more and shine the brightest among the stars yet are alone…. In time I promise you…You will be at peace and he will have his choice wish for filled. But now it is time for you to become Morgan’s Prince. Morgan has given you the power now use it, break your chains and stand alone. He can not take from you what I have given you, for I have given what you need for the journey.” Glen slowly nods with a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Go in peace my son.”

Jeff wakes seeing Morgan standing over him like a worm crawling in the dirt. Jeff sits up and stares hard as he lets the anger fill him. Jeff quickly stood picking up the chains with his bare hands then breaks them. Then pulled the pole out of the ground swings it hard as he drives it hard into one of Dark Knights taking up his sword as the knight head rolls to the ground in a pile of ashes...

Morgan watched completely stunned as Jeff looked down at the bracelet on his ankle then laughed loud enough to shake the very ground. Jeff taking his finger and casting a simple spell slips it off putting it on another soldier as he screams back at Morgan. “I am not your slave Morgan. I am Prince…. your prince and will be treated as so. Not as a common animal or pack donkey.

"If you want to know where my brothers are? Jeff smiled “I’ll tell you… They are all dead every one of them, that’s why you can’t find them. The only ones alive are the Whitmore’s and that witch who killed my brothers, Jaydan and Nathaniel. Everyone else I could care less about so stops bothering me about it because I do not know anything more about it.” Jeff stood his distance between them. 

“Oh yes, about Jeff. I have no idea where he is or even cares. Not my problem if I do see him alive I would like to kill him personally.” Jeff stands even closer to Morgan in a heated rage. “My name is EJ… Not boy you can call me Prince EJ, but “Never boy!” Excuse me I’m hungry and I’m tired it’s already been a long day.” Jeff stomping off as he headed towards the tents shouting for food, kicking stools and throwing things off the table as he glared at his soldiers with hard cold eyes. For once Morgan bit his tongue as he went into his tent keeping a very close eye on the boy. 

Jeff was laughing inside as he watched the camp hop around him at a slights twitch. They were on pins and needles. Jeff slept well that night under the stars for the first time in ages as he placed his own ward around him, wondering how he knew how to do it? And protective shield like an old pro. Strange must be something the master did Jeff figures. Morgan was shocked as well as he sat by the tree with a book of shadow magic trying to figure out how this is possible and what went wrong.

Now not many would be so daring to kill a prince especially Morgan’s Dark Prince as he slept out among the stars. With Morgan mind busy and totally consumed. Gartooth just could not let it rest as he bore down on the boy and his master. The greed for power and was too enticing and this boy was in the way of what should be his. Gartooth and his wizards crawling along the cliffs like a snake then under the tents of the sleeping camp.

Gartooth counts the guards and their paces then send the wizards in one by one under the tents slowly cutting throats so to make no sound. Until they reached the boy prince asleep Gartooth looked about one more time at Morgan under the tree as he nodded half asleep then smiles as he lets out a loud snore. Gartooth slowly approached the boy and raised the knife to plunge into his chest.

The boy wakes then smiles at Gartooth as he slowly drops the knife as it bounced off the shield. Gartooth gasp as Jeff garbs Gartooth by his neck and waves his finger at him in front of his face silently.  Jeff’s looks over at Morgan sleeping by the tree then cast warding spell around Gartooth and five wizards. “Now my dear friends,” Jeff said towering over them. “It seems me and you have a problem.”

Gartooth swallowed hard looking deep into the boy's eyes than seeing something as Jeff quickly waved “bye, bye.”

Glen on the other side of the corridor holding the door open as Gartooth and his five wizards come out as the little gate closed. Jeff sighs pulling the covers back over his shoulders looks over at Morgan smiles as he snores underneath the tree. When he could have had a nice comfy bed inside the tent, he chose sleep against a hard trunk of a tree. “Oh well.” Jeff sighs as he falls back to sleep replacing the wards around him.