Another drop of sweat ran down Marco’s face as he stoked the furnace. He was working on a beautiful sword that would equip the soldiers that are keeping his people slaves. Marco and his people had been taken from their peaceful city almost three years earlier. The memory of the burning houses and the screams of the women and children were still fresh in his mind. He would never forget and never forgive. His peaceful city, Markoth, had been attacked by the Dark Armies, a very powerful army that seek to conquer the land.
He was awakened from his daydream by the extreme heat beating down on him, hunger and thirst overcoming him. The small, straw roof under which he was working gave little protection from the sun’s extreme heat, which swept over the desert valley mercilessly. Marco looked across the field at the giant wall that was keeping his people from the world. It stood high and protected its city and castle from the enemy. The mighty castle had but one way in and one way out. The wall had towers rising above it and was protected from siege machines by a moat on the other side. Marco had studied the wall every day for three years, and hoped that one day he would be on the other side of it. He wiped his brow with his dirty hand and took a water break to get his mind off of his work. As he was drinking from his bucket and nibbling on his leftover lunch, he heard the crack of a whip in the distance.
He looked out over the field full of slaves, hauling bricks and tilling fields. What a sad sight it was to behold! He found where the sound was coming from as he spotted a man bending over the ground with a very heavy load on his back. He was being beaten with a whip for not walking fast enough. As he looked closer, he realized that the man being beaten was his close friend, Drake. Drake and Marco had been city guards together before they were attacked by the Dark Armies. Marco winced as the overseer brought his whip down onto Drake’s back again. Marco’s anger overflowed as he heard his friend scream. Marco started to sprint toward the overseer with long, powerful strides; this time, the overseer had gone too far. Marco, being 6’ 4” was a very intimidating man, and when the overseer saw Marco charging for him with fire in his eyes, he knew that he was in for it. The overseer looked in terror as Marco made a final lunge toward him with his fists clenched. The overseer flew to the ground as Marco executed a powerful right cross into the man’s jaw. The guards overlooking the field saw all that happened, and, apparently, they did not like what they saw. Five of the guards who where watching the scene ran down the hill and charged at Marco as he was pulling Drake off the ground. Marco saw the guards and knew that he did not have a chance against their armor and swords. Marco put his hands in the air and got on his knees. The guards kicked and beat him until the leader of their unit approached.
“If it isn’t the high and mighty overseer himself,” Marco announced with a smart-alec attitude as he spat at the man’s feet.
“Insolent fool,” the man said, planting his right foot into the face of Marco. “Take this man back to his work and cut his rations in half,” the man said as he turned to his guards. “Make him pay for his foolishness.”
Marco sat staring at the stars later that night. He wondered how his family and friends were doing; he wondered about all the things happening while he was stuck here working for a cruel army. He laid his head down on his small pillow, but something hard was keeping the pillow from submerging into the straw bed. He felt under his pillow and felt something under his blanket. He reached under his blanket and touched something cold and hard. He slowly pulled the object out from under the blanket. It was a sword! Marco marveled at the craftsmanship and the elegant design of the engravings on the steel blade. He stood up and swung the sword around; it was perfect. He hid the sword inside the bed and lay down to sleep.
“Lord, whatever this sword is for, and for whatever reason it came to me, thank You. Please lead me into wise decisions concerning the actions I might take with it. Amen.”
Marco fell into a deep sleep and did not wake until the early morning sunshine. Marco was awakened by the sound of the early morning roundup and roll call. Marco hurried out of bed and went to line up with the rest of the slaves. After the guard had called out countless names, he got no answer from a man named Josiah. The guard called the name once again, but there was no answer.
“Josiah must have crept out during the night; I hope he made it to safety.” Marco was leaping for joy inside of his heart. Another slave had escaped, another worker gone missing, another dilemma for the slave master.
Marco practiced with the sword every second he got. He was slowly getting the hang of wielding a sword once again. One day, Marco was working when he overheard some of the guards talking. They were talking about a feast next week to celebrate another prosperous season.
“This will be the perfect time for an escape; most of the guards will be attending the feast,” Marco thought to himself. Marco began to spread the word around and before he knew it he had countless numbers of slaves wanting to go with him. Marco observed the slaves, trying to pick out the four that he would take with him. He narrowed the group and by the next week he had four men ready to go with him. Marco picked Jacob and David, both expert swordsman. He also picked Jennifer, an excellent cook and an exceptional bowman, and last but not least, Drake, Marco’s old friend. The group met together when they could, and planned their escape and where they would go when they were free.
The week progressed and Marco found out that the banquet was going to be held the next day. It would start around one o’clock and wouldn’t finish until the next day. The place was so busy that Marco and his team found and took all the supplies they needed without anyone paying attention to them. Marco could not fall asleep that night and spent the time praying on his bed. The next day progressed just as usual until the feast started. The number of guards was cut in half when the feast started, and they took two hour shifts as the day grew. The guards that came back from the feast were more drunk each time, and by sunset, they were on the verge of falling asleep. The team had agreed to meet by Marco’s quarters at nine o’clock sharp, and if they were late, they were to be left behind. The sky was pitching black when the group met. There was an open field of about two hundred between the meeting place and the watchtower which they would have to get past. Marco led the way, and no trouble occurred until they were almost three-quarters of the way to the wall. One of the drowsy guards had seen them out of the corner of his eye and was reaching for his call horn on his belt.
“Shoot!” Marco exclaimed, looking at Jennifer.
Jennifer raised her makeshift bow and readied an arrow. The sound of a twang was heard as the arrow was shot from the bow. The bow found its mark in the heart of the guard, and he dropped dead, silently. Marco nodded to Jennifer and then started out again. The watch tower was overlooking the gate, and more guards were at the entrance than Marco had expected.
“What will we do?” asked Drake, looking at the obstacle.
Marco called for David, the strongest in the group, and handed him a grappling hook with a rope attached. David nodded and took the hook. The group sprinted to the wall while the watchmen were looking away and put their backs against it. David then quickly came off the wall and tossed the grappling hook into one of the notches on the top of it. They quickly scaled the wall using the rope and got to the walkway on top. The wall guards’ conversation was interrupted by the sting of cold steel. Both guards, haven been cut across their chests, dropped to the ground. The tower guard heard the commotion and turned to see what all the ruckus was. The guard spotted the group and sounded an alarm, but it was too late. Marco and them had already dived off the wall and into the moat with a splash, and quickly swam to the other side. Arrows swooshed into the water as the guards tried to shoot the escapes as they swam across the moat. The team reached the other side and sprinted toward the wood line. The news of the escaped slaves reached the king, and he ordered that a search party be dispatched. The escape had just begun.
The group of five escapees ran through the trees, dodging branches and roots; the sound of footsteps and shouts were heard as the search party ran after the group. After about three minutes of running and dodging, Marco came up with a plan. The group spread themselves out and hid under the bushes and sticks and they waited. After about a minute of waiting, the pursuers approached their position. The soldiers passed Marco and his followers and kept walking. There were about twelve soldiers; and Marco thought they could take them. He ordered a pursuit. Marco and his group slowly moved up behind the soldiers as they crept through the brush. Marco saw two soldiers falling slightly behind the others and Marco took the advantage. He and Drake moved a little faster to overtake the guards, and in a couple of seconds, the leaves were stained red with the blood of the two dead soldiers. Marco ordered his men to circle around the search party and distract them from the front while he and Jennifer stayed behind to attack them from behind with her arrows. Jennifer fired an arrow into the head of one of the soldiers, and the rest of the soldiers fell into fear and confusion. As the soldiers were wondering where the arrow had come from, Drake and the other men jumped out in front of the soldiers and attacked. The sound of steel on steel rang through the air as a volley of slashes and stabs were exchanged. David and Drake made quick work of their opponents while Jacob struggled to fight off the two men who were coming after him. Jacob cut one of his attackers down, but in the meantime, the other was making a deadly slash to Jacob’s shoulder. Jennifer saw Jacob’s attacker and fired an arrow, but it was too late, Jacob fell to the ground as the attacker’s sword cut through his shoulder and dug down into his chest. Just as the soldier pulled his sword out of Jacob’s body, he felt the sting of an arrow through the back of his head, and he dropped to the ground, dead.
“Jacob!” Marco yelled as he stabbed his attacker in the gut and quickly ran over to him.
Drake and Jacob killed the remaining soldiers and also went to tend to Jacob. Jacob’s breathing wasshallow and his face was turning white as more blood gushed out of his wound.
“There’s nothing we can do,” said Jennifer, whispering to Marco. “The cut is too deep; I’m surprised he is not dead already.”
Jacob died from blood loss just before the morning sun shone over the tree tops. Marco buried him and the rest of the dead soldiers.
“We have suffered a great loss, but we must move on; more soldiers will come looking for us, and we can’t be sitting here, crying, when they come,” Marco announced as he shouldered his pack. “The nearest city is about four miles away; we must make it there by sundown, and if not, we will have to move past it. We cannot be in a city in daylight; the Dark Armies will be looking for us.”
They reached the city just before sunrise. They stood on a mountain overlooking the city and looked down into it. The city was protected by a stone wall that stood 30 feet above the ground. The sky was a glowing purple and orange color as the sun set over the city. The remaining light shone through the streets and over the towers. A nice breeze was blowing over the valley and made the scene even more beautiful. The sun gradually fell and was overtaken by the houses and towers that swarmed the city. Bright lights were lit in the city as darkness overcame the valley and the beautiful scene fell into darkness.
The group hid their weapons and pulled cloaks over their faces as they walked into the light of the town. They walked through the gate casually and the cozy feeling they had when they looked down upon the city, disappeared. An uncomfortable feeling immediately overcame Marco as they walked through the city. The alleys were filled with drunks and shady characters. Marco lead his followers to a house in one of the more run down parts of the city and knocked on the door.
“Yes, what can I do for you?” asked a man in his thirties.
“It’s me, Marco, is this Paul?” Marco asked as he smiled at the man.
“Marco! It’s good to see you again,” said Paul, an old friend of Marco’s.
Paul had escaped from Markoth just before it was attacked and had come here to get a job. Marco explained his situation to Paul, and what they needed. Paul talked about a group of men that hid in the Dark Woods. They were a group that fought against the Dark Armies. Marco made a plan to meet up with the group and see if they would help him in his cause. Paul blessed Marco and his friends and sent them on their way with provisions that would last for a while. Marco and his team traveled day and night until they reached the Dark Woods. They entered the woods and just started to walk straight. After walking for a couple of minutes, David saw a trap in the middle of the area. He walked towards it when he heard a creak. A rope snapped and a giant net came out of the ground and trapped Marco and his team. A group of men walked out of the shadows and approached Marco.
“Who are you and what is your purpose here?” asked one of the men.
“We are enemies of the Dark Armies and wish to find help with the rebellion group that lives in these woods,” Marco answered. The strangers talked among themselves and then cut Marco and his friends out of the net and led them deeper into the woods. Marco was lead into a giant cave that was hidden deep in the trees. The smell of roasting meat filled the air as they entered the cave. Men were sitting around eating and drinking. Fires were scattered through the cave and lots of weapons and armor covered the walls. Horses were kept in the far corner of the cave in a small stable. Marco was led deep into the cave and to a small entrance in the cave wall. They entered the small room to see a man sitting at a table eating dinner.
“Sir.” One of the guards saluted. “We found this one and three others wandering around the woods. This man wanted to talk to you.”
“Thank you,” the man repeated. “Let us talk.”
The guards walked out and left Marco standing in the room with chains around his arms.
“I am Sir Luke, leader of this company of men,” Luke said as he walked over to Marco.
“I would shake your hand, but I can’t,” replied Marco in a funny manner.
“Why do you seek me and my army?” asked Luke as he led Marco to the table and sat him down.
Marco started talking about his past and the attack on the city. He talked about his escape and how he got here and also answered many questions that Luke asked him.
“This is all very interesting,” said Luke as he stroked his beard. “I will bring the matter up with my counsel, and we will have an answer in the morning.”
“Thank you, sir. I really appreciate it,” Marco said, looking at Luke.
Luke called the guards in and they unchained Marco and led him to where his friends were. They were eating and drinking and having a good time with the rest of Luke’s men. Marco joined in the fun and ate and drank also. After many hours of fun, Marco and his drunk friends were led to some beds. Marco fell asleep and slept well that night. The next morning, Marco woke up earlier than his friends and he joined the men for some breakfast. As Marco was eating, Luke came up behind him and asked him to follow. Luke led Marco back to Luke’s room and they sat down together.
“After much thought, the counsel has agreed to help you win back your people,” Luke looking at Marco. “We will head out at noon and approach the slave fields at dawn.”
“Thank you so much,” Marco said with a smile on his face.
Marco left the room and told the good news to his team. The cave was busy that morning as everyone readied for the attack. Luke’s attacking army was about 250 men. 120 of those troops were cavalry and the rest were spearmen, bowmen, and swordsmen. The army left the woods at noon and marched full speed until they reached their destination. The tree line that surrounded the wall was perfect cover as the army crept closer and closer to the wall. As they were discussing what to do, a wagon convoy came down the road. The soldiers got into position and ambushed the convoy. Dark soldiers were protecting the convoy, but their few numbers stood no chance against the rebels. Some of the men hid in the wagons and others put on the dark soldiers’ uniforms to disguise themselves. The convoy started out again but this time, it was full of rebels. The convoy approached the drawbridge and stopped. The guards on the wall saw the delayed convoy and quickly opened the gate and lowered the drawbridge. The convoy entered the castle and the gates closed behind it.
Marco was one of the disguised men in the dark armor. He walked alongside the convoy. The wagon train was stopped when they were all inside the wall, and soldiers started to inspect the cargo.
“Hey!” shouted one of the guards as he lifted up the cloth in one of the wagons. “There’s a...” The sound of a sword slashing through flesh was heard as a rebel jumped out of the cloth. Marco yelled as he whipped out his sword. He charged at the nearest guard and slashed him across the chest. The rebels jumped out of the wagons and started to attack the wall guards. The sound of steel on steel rang through the air as the fighting started to get more intense. Some of the rebels ran for the gate house and started to open the gate. As the gate was opening, a trumpet was sounded from one of the gate guards. Marco ran over to him and made a cut through his neck, but it was too late. The faint sound of shouts started to come from the castle and all the lights in the area were turned on. Marco cut down the last of the guards and then called the troops together. They regrouped and started to make their way toward the castle. Luke and the rest of his army saw that the gate was open and ordered an attack. The rebel army ran out of the woods, crossed the drawbridge, and advanced under the gate. There were about five-hundred yards of fields between the wall and the castle. The rebels charged for the castle and were met by the defenders, who were trying to counterattack the attackers. The two armies met in the middle of the field and the real fighting began. Marco ran off towards the slave quarters and was not seen for some time. The rebels fought valiantly against the Dark Army, but it was not enough. The Dark Army had more troops and they were more experienced. Just as Luke thought the battle was lost, the sound of many footsteps came from behind them. Marco was leading an army of slaves armed with hoes, pitchforks, axes, and some swords. Luke rallied his men and they once again advanced on the Dark Armies. The Dark Armies were no match for the army that more than doubled their size, and they were soon defeated. The rebels continued to advance toward the castle. They quickly broke through the castle’s defenses and took the city over.
After days of rebuilding, Luke handed the castle over to Marco. Marco gladly took the position of authority. Marco’s victory crippled the Dark Army. The castle stood as a beacon of hope, and it let the people of Desrot know that there is still a fighting chance and that one day, Desrot will be free again.