The Scarlet Scepter

Chapter Twenty-four (Revised)

The sun was on the horizon, but it didn't blind us as Cyrus and I fell out of nowhere. "Hold on!" he shouted. Soldiers were screaming everywhere. He took his dagger and plunged it to a large branch extending upward. The branch stopped growing and then an invisible force pulled us to the ground.

"I'm fine," I said before he could even ask. The Scepter changed into a sword. The scene was just as before we left. Branches and roots with pointed ends sprouted from the soil and surrounded the panicked soldiers. Cyrus and I started slashing, dodging and rolling. I stopped when I saw something.

"Wait!" Someone was caught up in a tangle of vines, and he looked familiar.

"Kill him!" someone shouted as he ran past me.

"No!" I yelled. I tackled Jabal down, making him lose his balance and we both rolled in the dirt.

"What are you doing? He is the enemy!"

"No! Not like this!"

There was a loud grunting sound. I looked up as the rays of the sun illuminated everything. All the branches extended upward and the roots sank to the earth. Everybody got ready to attack, and I prepared myself as well. The branches started sticking to one another and formed trunks, and leaves began to form.

"The trees are reappearing!" The ground trembled as more and more trees appeared. After several minutes, it stopped, and we were standing in a dark forest.

"Your Majesty!" someone yelled. A group of Eirene soldiers approached us. I cut the vines that held Altair.

"Your Highness," that infuriating voice said, "if you only allowed me to finish him—"

"Jabal! My daughter is right. Enough bloodshed," said a booming voice from behind me. I turned and saw Arioch, Cyrus and others coming toward us. The Eirene soldiers poised to defend but the soldier in front of them who must be their general held his hand up.

"Lucius," Arioch said in a rather friendly tone.

"King Arioch," the soldier nodded.

Arioch knelt down beside Altair, who was whimpering and staring at us with a blank look. "Altair?"

"Who is Altair? Who are you?"

I heard gasps behind me. Lucius went down on his knees.

"My king, I am your servant Lucius."

The king's face was still blank. He turned to Arioch.

"My name is Arioch," he said gently.

"Who?"

"Do you know who you are?"

"Who . . . I am?" He must be joking, but the innocence in his voice was evident.

"What is the meaning of this? Stop this pretense!" Jabal demanded.

"Silence!" Arioch put his hand on Altair's shoulder. "Your name is Altair. You are the king of Eirene." Altair only looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"Your Majesty, surely you must see--"

Arioch shot the old man a dangerous look. He better keep his mouth shut this time. "Go, Lucius, take your king." Lucius stiffened. "We will not attack. Take him and care for him."

The soldiers stepped forward and helped Altair to his feet.

"Thank you," Lucius said. He gave us one look of respect and then went along with his comrades.

He is lucky that his punishment only cost him his memory.

"What?"

Everyone turned and looked at me. "What is it?"