CHAPTER THREE: THE CRYPTS OF BANE

We arrive at The Crypts of Bane, the hell where innocent Neem children are turned into monstrous killers. It is a deserted place surrounded by a dry forest which in the right description is just an extended region of earth on which dry trees, thorns and tare grow.

Just walking across this place would tear one's skin and bathe one's body with a thick black dust that covers the brown earth beneath therefore, we ride our strongest trained horses through it.

At the center of this rough forest is a mighty temple surrounded by little stonewalled habitations where the priests keep the trainees and torture them with harsh conditions until they become beasts!

The Crypts of Bane is indeed a dry nothing that is turned into something by the bloods, cries and deaths of innocent children as they work so hard to become something they are never born to be, destroyers of flesh!

The temple at the center is on an elevated topography hence one would have to climb over hundred steps to get to it's mighty doors. It is where we are raised in the ways of Asure the god of fire. It is in that den of hades that our instructor teaches us all the weapons and ways of war.

However, something is different this time because we hear cries of children and voices screaming, we also see thick black smoke rising from chambers in the temple and a number of dark skin, bared chest soldiers running around in their white stylish skirts and bronze helmets, dragging poor little Neem children on the floor, slaughtering those who cannot fight, killing our priests! Their number is overwhelming but I am not mistaken, they are Egyptians!

Karen's eyes meet mine.

"But Egypt is our Ally!" I lament, pointing at the scene as our horses halt at a considerable distance from the chaos.

"Well, today they are not. I don't know what in the name of the gods is happening here." Karen replies

" ..Only Nebuchadnezzar is smart enough to launch multiple attacks at once. This is not a coincidence, this is a carefully planned strategy to defeat a stronger enemy. They dealt with someone in the inside, someone who knows everything about us in detail..."

"...Razal, it is too late to find out, this battle is already over, we just have to get to the prince before they do!" She says as she conceals her face with our traditional Neem hood, draws her double edged sword and begins to ride into war as I ride closely behind admiring my friend.

Being Neem suits her! She is a typical Neem but I am not, I even question the ways of The Neems and I do not have gray eyes!

I know I am not interested in fighting but I have to fight today as I am sure this war will never be forgotten!

My thoughts are interrupted as an Egyptian soldier sees us approaching and unleashes his spear on my horse and down I go, falling roughly onto the black dust of The Crypts of Bane and without a sword in my hands!

Here is war and this is my first time tasting it.

My first taste of war as a sixteen years old boy and all I can think of at this moment is the Prince of Neem and future King of Assyria as I cough severally from the poison of the black dust which fills my nose!

My vision becomes a bit blurry from the impact of heavy fall but I can see vividly through the cloud of black dust a black Egyptian soldier running towards me with a spear in his hand.

I put in an attempt to stand but my body fails me.

...He thrusts his spear at me with vigor and somehow I manage to hold it by the wooden stalk just before the pointed edge of the spear could get to me and reverse his energy by dragging it towards myself a bit and hitting the stalk hard with my elbow, it breaks and the Egyptian soldier looses footing and falls along as I reverse the direction of the pointed edge of the spear to him as he falls directly on me, the spear piercing into his throat and warm blood spills like bowls of warm water all over my face and body.

I push his body away and stand up staggering a bit with all my face and body covered in fresh Egyptian blood. I gasp for air and I can taste blood in my mouth as I look around for Karen while the world swirls around me.

I have finally become it, an animal! I say in my heart.

I see two more Egyptians approaching me in their white skirts and their straight swords and Karen is still no where to be found!