Epic Unearthed Read online

  Chapter XIV

  The Beginning of the End

  Ladonean children play around the docks in Madera, as do other children would throughout the world, ignorant of what is going on in politics and war. Adults are standing in the harbor, watching their emperor mount the ceremonial mammoth prepared for him. The animal has been well trained, kneeling when Melercertis moves toward the beast. The Ladonean Emperor climbs onto the animal, and everyone in the harbor cheers as the mammoth rises to his feet.

  Ryeland is last to exit the Ladonean battlecruiser, and the crowd cheers as he steps onto the dock. The cheering makes him feel welcomed, but does not dispel strangeness of the moment. Four months prior, the crowd would have tried to kill the Atlanteans had they sailed into the harbor. The emotion of the crowd is not what Ryeland expected. He walks purposefully to the nearest patch of ground and removes his shoes, showing he is embracing the soil of the Ladonean Empire.

  Ladonean warriors line the street from the harbor, saluting the Atlanteans as they enter the city. Ryeland cannot shake off his emotional unease, but stands tall. He salutes the Ladonean warriors in their own tradition. Melercetis instructs Ryeland and his generals to mount the mammoths which are waiting for them at the end of the harbor street. The Atlanteans and Ladoneans will ride with each other to display their alliance.

  The Atlanteans follow Melercertis’ orders to avoid confusion in mannerisms. The visitors are afraid of doing something that can be interpreted as indecorous. Melercertis is in his own element and the Atlanteans are on his turf.

  The mammoths bearing the Ladonean Emperor, generals, and advisors parade though the seemingly endless streets of Madera. Melercertis sits erect and looks forward. He must appear strong before his people. The Ladonean Emperor is musing upon the state of his empire, feeling confident about his public, but wondering what is going on with his high officials.

  Ryeland sizes up the warriors he will lead into battle and cannot see a single soldier lacking good discipline. Immediately, the Ladonean warriors salute Ryeland, their new Supreme Commander, in the Atlantean tradition. With this kind of obedience to their empire, he wonders why Melercertis needs Atlantis. The warriors in the city look strong and are uniformed in impeccable military protocol. Ryeland was not expecting to see an army like this. He anticipated an untrained army, unable to defeat the Sabatheans without suffering high casualties.

  Ryeland gazes at the city of Madera, and admires the buildings made of brick. Other structures are made of wood with excellent craftsmanship. The Ladonean capital has lush forests outside its city, and the best craftsmen of the empire live in the capital. The buildings are less impressive than those in Atlantis, but Ryeland can tell the Ladonean engineers invested many man-hours building each structure with minute detail. Each edifice can stand for centuries, barring a natural disaster. The wood’s sealant is a special stain with a high-gloss finish. Atlantis does not have the chemical composition to make this kind of varnish. The Atlantean General muses that the Ladoneans have their own technological advantages. This was nothing he had imagined upon entering the city.

  Atlantean spies did not reveal such details as those Ryeland is witnessing. They only reported the city was well-kept, and their buildings were not like the modern city of Atlantis. The Atlantean spies also reported how substandard the Ladoneans’ cities were in comparison to their own empire. The Atlantean General is not so sure, but he knows the Ladoneans could not have prospered without technology.

  Right now, Ryeland considers asking Aten for a preemptive strike against the Ladonean Empire after the Sabathean Campaign. He knows Ladonea will only grow stronger in the next decade, and the Eastern superpower will never be conquered if Atlantis does not do something quickly. Amid confusion following the Sabathean Campaign, Melercertis’ military will be thinly spread. An Atlantean spearhead through the Eastern Empire will ensure victory.

  Ryeland’s main concern is to make his empire more powerful. His thoughts are constantly on conquest. Nevertheless, he trusts Melercertis as an individual. The Ladonean Emperor has accepted Ryeland into his circle, and the two of them have faith in this new alliance. On the other hand, the word `trust´ could be simply one more word; the Ladonean Empire could still be harboring hatred toward Atlantis from the Great War.

  After thirty minutes of riding the mammoths, the paraded caravan reaches the end of the road. Ryeland is entranced with what is transpiring in his life. By the end of the trip, he remembers only the cheering crowd and the disciplined Ladonean warriors.

  Melercertis and the Atlanteans reach the gates of the Emperor’s palace. Inside, the Atlanteans see a building made of wood from the largest trees in the Ladonean Empire. Such a sight no Atlantean has seen until now. Aten’s spies have never penetrated this far because of the palace’s security. The citadel has four gates and four protective walls. The palace itself is sitting on thirty-two acres. Nearly five-hundred men protect the palace, each of whom has his own quarters. They are the elite warriors of the Ladonean military. The longer a Ladonean is a guard for the emperor, the more tokens he receives throughout a lifetime. If the warrior guards his emperor for ten years, he is rewarded well enough to have a family and not work for the rest his life.

  The Atlanteans and Ladoneans enter the palace garden. The guards salute every step the Atlanteans take toward the palace’s main entrance. Melercertis is still looking straight ahead. In the Ladonean culture, the emperor is treated almost as a god and cannot show emotion publicly.

  Inside the last wall, servants run to Melercertis. Ryeland can tell that the people that serve him have yearned for his return. The Ladonean Emperor talks to them one by one as he steps inside the palace. The façade of sternness he wore parading through the capital has softened. The Atlanteans feel they can relax somewhat. Even though Melercertis is an emperor, his leadership skills toward his servants are surprising because he treats them like family.

  The Atlanteans and Ladoneans enter the main banquet hall of the palace, where the servants will present a feast. They have cooked their emperor’s favorite foods, as well as Atlantean cuisine, which consist of less spicy food than their new ally’s. Thousands of candles light the room. The hall is made of mud brick and is very cool for this time of year. Approximately thirty servants, many of whom are beautiful young women, wait hand and foot on their guests from the peninsula.

  The Ladonean Emperor seems embarrassed as he begins the meal with a toast, saying, “I had many volunteers serve you this afternoon. I hope you don’t mind. I told my council this kind of show would not be appropriate, but even an emperor has to do what the majority of the Senate suggests. After the discussion, I thought about it a bit more and I wanted to showcase the beauty of our land.”

  Ryeland is sitting down and says to Melercertis, “We thank you for your hospitality.”

  Melercertis looks at Ryeland and replies directly, “I need your help, Ryeland.”

  As Ryeland is served being by one lovely young lady, he says, “What you ask me will be done.”

  The Ladonean Emperor pauses for a moment, and says, “I fear that you will not want this assignment. Let’s just say I have a little concern with my men, and you are the only person who can solve my dilemma.”

  Ryeland looks puzzled and replies, “If I am not mistaken, I am here for that.”

  Melercertis says, “In my empire, I have good warriors. They believe they are capable of leading the attack against the Sabathean Empire without your assistance. At the same time, your warriors are feeling the same way. There is a childish contention between our two militaries. Each thinks their fighting skills are better than the others’. My warriors have trained for war all their lives, but they must learn to listen. I want you to spar against my best warrior to prove your standing. The only way they will respect and listen to you is if you beat them at their own game. I saw you fight in the stadium. You are good, as are my warriors. My best general Tito wants to face you, Ryeland. Tito is unbeaten in combat, and a feared
fighter throughout my empire. If you beat him quickly, my generals will look to you as a leader.”

  Ryeland drinks from his cup and says, “Give me a few days to regroup my thoughts and to get situated in my new environment. The third day, I will spar against your best warrior.”

  Melercertis replies in relief, “I will inform Tito that he will have his chance. Following the fight, I will assemble my Military Council to finalize plans. I hope for the sake of our alliance that you win. I wish I could stage this, but Tito is an honorable man and my best fighter. I cannot dishonor his intentions.”

  The next two days, Ryeland use his advisors and generals to prepare for the sparring match. The Atlantean General practices diligently the first day for eight hours, and the next day for another four. Later on the second day, he stands alone, imagining attacks and counterattacks. Ryeland remembers his match with the grandmaster at the sparring games, but knows how Atlanteans fight. He has no idea how the Ladoneans swordfight.

  The night before the match, Ryeland’s generals gather at his room in the palace. They know the future alliance rests squarely on their commander’s shoulders. Acteon is Ryeland’s highest-ranking general; twenty-seven years of age, tall, and athletically built. He has been under Ryeland’s command for three years.

  Acteon asks, “How can Melercertis ask this of you?”

  Ryeland responds, “He is testing me, wanting reassurance that I am the one for the task. Understanding I am out of my element, Melercertis must know if I can handle pressure of the unknown. These men are no different than we are. Atlanteans would have done the same thing if the situation were reversed. It’s like a pack of wolves that must fight until they have one leader. I have no choice.”

  Acteon proudly says, “Let me fight Tito first. Then you can see how he fights.”

  Ryeland stops Acteon and replies, “Melercertis said that Tito is an honorable man. I also must be one. If you fight first, that will give me the advantage. I don’t know how the Ladoneans fight, but maybe this is what Melercertis wants to see. He may want to judge how each empire’s warriors can fight man to man.”

  Acteon pushes a little more and says, “Maybe Melercertis wants to see if you will go blindly into a battle. You and I both learned from military school that a fighter must know his opponent first before he can be conquered.”

  Ryeland nods his head and says, “You are right. I will discuss what you have said with Melercertis.”

  Acteon says, “If you take untried Ladonean warriors into battle, the casualties could be high because of your misjudgment. I think this is a test. Melercertis will respect you more if you make me fight first or make up new rules before you fight. Let’s say that the best Ladonean warriors fight our best warriors. There must be more Ladoneans who want to meet us on the sparring field. If you see how they use their swords, you will better comprehend how to fight Tito. This alliance comes down to your winning.”

  Ryeland responds, “I agree with you. I will go to Melercertis and ask that his best warriors to come forward, then we will fight one on one. Hopefully, Tito and I will fight last.”

  Ryeland hurries to Melercertis, requesting that the sparring match be conducted in accordance to Acteon’s advisement. The Ladonean Emperor is at the end of his day, and the last of his council has just left. Besides talking with the Atlanteans, Melercertis has been contending with the politics of his own empire. Because of a very taxing day, the Ladonean Emperor is tired and agrees to the new terms of the sparring match. After a brief discussion, the Atlantean General slips quietly from the Emperor’s chamber.