9789186993092

Sara Andersson

First is rage

Sara Andersson

First is rage

Utgiven av Skolbörsen Förlag 2012 www.skolborsen.com

ISBN 978-91-86993-09-2 Omslag, grafisk form och sättning: Lars Arvidsson Foto: Helle Gry Modell: Maria Amanda Schaub © Sara Andersson 2012

I Am Rage - Introductions need not to be in order! Quite the opposite, I’ve heard a lot about you, Mato.

The female commander Shaio said with a bit of excitement in her voice as she paced up and down in front of her captive.

A forced grin appeared on Mato’s face right before the sharp pain he felt on his right side made him grit instead. The soldiers on each of his side stepped a bit closer to ensure that Mato stayed in a sitting position on his knees. Mato’s mind was tormented and all he could think about was to ease the pain, bruised and bleeding from several places all over his body. He wasn’t in any situation to tend to his wounds though since his hands were tied tight behinds his back.

- There are victims in every war, Mato, the commander continued. Tell me, who was your victims? Did they all burn as your town stood in flames? Or, perhaps, did you not stop your power after seeing almost everyone dying? Did you in fact, perhaps even... enjoy it?

As the commander sprouted the last words a smile spread across her face and her red eyes began to glow like fire.

- Now, now. Don’t be shy Mato. This has happened to all of us, you just need to give it a bit of... time. The commander took a dagger off a satin pillow from one of her close servants and then stepped up in front of Mato.

- Claude suam oram! Mato screamed furiously at her spitting saliva mixed with blood at her face.

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The commander closed her eyes annoyed as she felt the body fluid land on her face; she then opened them staring once again at Mato.

- Oh? You wish me to be quiet. That’s not a problem; I just have this small matter to tend to before I leave.

Quickly leaning down the commander forced the dagger into Mato’s ribcage and whispered into his left ear while he was taking his last breaths.

- Te amittere, you lose.

As Mato coughed up more blood it dripped down on the side of his mouth. The commander pulled the dagger out in a single move from his ribcage and took two steps back to observe him. As the blood from the dagger touched her hand her hair turned colour from white to red.

Commander Shaio felt Mato’s presence diminish and as his body fell to the ground streams of tears filled with blood flowed down her cheeks, her eyes was once again green.

- Commander! There have been several sites around the local town a few miles away. People are gathering into a flock, these people are dead people commander!

The soldier had come on his horse carrying a scroll only to just now catch his breath as he jumped down and handed Shaio the scroll. The twilight sky lit up as lightning increased in numbers and in pace. Shaio took the scroll and forced open the seal but as the rain came pouring down heavy ink began to vanish. Shaio could only manage to read one word before throwing it down onto the ground: ”Run”. Without hesitation

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Shaio walked past the soldier and mounted his horse.

- This is no place to neither hide nor stay! Gather your men and prepare yourself, your doom might just be knocking on the door.

Shaio took the strap and pointed the horse in that direction from which it had come. As the horse began to increase its speed Shaio reached down into her left boot and pulled out a small dagger. She then forced it into the horse’s hip, granting it even more speed as desperation crept upon the steed. While pulling out the small dagger it made a deep cut into her hand, the blood reached the wound on the horse and forced the horse to neigh with pain. The veins inside the horse became more visibly red even through the thick brown skin. Blood started to come out from the muzzle, mouth and eyes of the horse.

Riding closer to the lightning, the sound became deafening. The sound of hooves heavily forcing forward disappeared and the screams of thousands of men dying in battle all vanished. Yet all the years of seeing men killing each other and all the gore that came with it, could not prepare for what was at hand.

It was as the soldier had explained, dead humans raised and gathered into a flock. Town’s people and soldiers alike raised by sorcery to once again fight on the field. Their eyes glowing empty and their arms hanging like that of a puppet without any muscles controlling them.

Shaio suddenly came to an abrupt stop as the horse could no longer go on. It fell on its side and Shaio had to push herself backwards to free her leg from under the horse. Twisting her face in pain she tried to stand

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up on both of her legs. The horse lifted it’s head in one last desperate attempt to survive but all in vain, the horse bled to death where it laid.

- Sorcerer, show yourself! Shaio screamed towards the broken stone walls surrounding the town in front of her.

- Now, now. Shaio is it? Weren’t you the one to say all you had to do was to give it... time?

Floating above the stone wall a man surrounded by blue mist addressed her.

- You are clearly a necromancer! Give this up; this is not your fight. Leave!

- Leave? But I’m having so much fun.

The man took his right hand in front of him and as his eyes began to glow his palm became filled of that of blue flames.

- You see my dear, we of pure magic, could no longer sit on the side and watch as you humans kept on fighting each other. There’s so much going to waste!

The necromancer made small gestures with his right hand pointing at the army he had created from the dead below him. He smiled a bit but became more annoyed as he continued.

- Besides, isn’t it unfair that you of noble blood bred from the mouth of anguish itself should fight on one side? Who are you to decide which of these... pathetic creatures should prevail?

Filled with disgust the necromancer spat on the ground as he looked at Shaio.

- Let me claim that which is mine and I’ll return. I just have this small matter to tend to before I leave.

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He raised his hand up in the air and began to smother the fire in his palm. Shaio began to roll her eyes backwards as a sharp pain spread in her skull. Forced down on her knees she grabbed the sides of her head and screamed with agony.

- Your rage ends at this moment, te amittere.

As the pain increased inside Shaio’s skull her hair turned white once more. The necromancer observed surprised as he was about to extinguish his blue flame completely. Shaio lost her conscious and her arms fell down onto her sides. As her essence slowly faded her eyes began to glow.

- Excellent. You’ll make a fine part of my army, no doubt about that, the necromancer assured.

There was a ghastly silence surrounding the now empty battlefield. The sky became clear and revealed its darkness. One single lightning reached down and struck Shaio. The energy made the necromancer’s blue flame expand inside his palm and almost burned his dark skin. Shocked the necromancer dispelled his magic.

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Utgiven av Skolbörsen Förlag 2012 www.skolborsen.com

ISBN 978-91-86993-09-2 Omslag, grafisk form och sättning: Lars Arvidsson Foto: Helle Gry Modell: Maria Amanda Schaub © Sara Andersson 2012