Chapter Twenty-Six

Rivers of Blood

People who come begging for mercy should be prepared to rub their noses in the dirt

Elisium

The Fifth Loop, Year 491, 5th January (5L/491/1/5)

"Seven years without my bickering wife will be absolute bliss," Ben said to Jonas, his friend, comrade, and one of the four hundred unfortunate men who had been assigned the night watch. Everyone was exhausted after the battle at the riverbanks and the torturous journey on the horrible dirt road and wanted a good night's sleep, but Ben and Jonas's battalion were designated this wretched task.

"But dear Ben, that also means seven years without any..." An arrow pierced Jonas's throat. Before Ben could understand what was happening soldiers started to fall all around him.

A couple of arrows also hit Ben, but his armor protected him from any fatal wounds.. Ben lunged forward to grab the bugle from his friend who was now lying in a pool of his blood. He raised the alarm and heard the same warning sounds from different spots. They were under attack from all sides.

Aden's army had been blocked on a strip of road surrounded by dense forest on both sides. Thick cloud cover overhead meant there was no visibility. Aden's soldiers on night duty had lit up small lamps and had become easy targets for the enemies lurking in the dark.

Henry rushed out of his tent to monitor the situation. His men were shooting into the darkness without much success but their enemies were hitting the targets.

"Switch off the lights, you fools," Henry shouted. "You all are like sitting ducks for target practice."

All the lights were put out and darkness engulfed everything to turn it into an even battlefield. Elisians were still raining arrows but their success rate had dropped and Adeners were now hitting back.

Henry swiftly gathered his commanders. "We split into units of five companies each, and systematically comb the bushes. Shoot to kill. Their little surprise is now over and let's show them their place—under the dirt."

Olivier and Malcolm came out of their tents and joined Henry. "It looks like your generous one-night offer cost us many lives here." Olivier taunted Malcolm.

"I will make them pay dearly for each of my soldiers they have killed." Henry's veins were throbbing, his teeth were bare. He was like a wounded beast ready to rip apart his attacker. "You both, better stay inside the armored trucks. The last thing I want is one of our high-profile ministers getting killed by some stray arrows."

Olivier waved him away. "We can take care of ourselves, you better take care of this situation."

Henry split up his troops and they spread inside the forest. Their eyes got accustomed to the darkness and now they too had cover, much larger numbers, and far better weapons. This wasn't just a fight between two armies, it was a battle between two worlds from two different eras.

Sounds of heavy gunfire echoed around the bushes. Both armies suffered casualties, but soon the guns overshadowed the bows. Tens of bullets followed every single arrow and hunted down the shooter. Mighty slew the weak as futuristic Adeners gunned down Elisians stuck in the past. No one was given a chance to surrender or flee. There was no sympathy or mercy. Just hostility, arrogance—and death.

The battle which had started at midnight continued till dawn. Aden's troops cleared the forest of all the savages. They killed every one of the monsters, except a priced catch, and finally, the sounds of gunfire stopped.

Henry grabbed Nicholas by his collar and spat on his face. "You spiteful monster, I could have easily killed you with your other soldiers, but that would have been a mercy for you. You coward, attacking unsuspecting soldiers at night is disgraceful. This is no bravery."

Nicholas scoffed. His clothes were drenched in blood and there was a bullet wound in his left leg and right shoulder. "And murdering soldiers who have surrendered is filled with honor, right? Attacking an unsuspecting world and its unarmed people is heroic? Whatever you say, a handful of men fighting thousands of soldiers armed with dangerous weapons, with no hope of victory, is the epitome of honor and bravery."

"Ok," Henry smirked. "Now the people of the Ruins will reap the fruits of your valor."

Nicholas lowered his eyes. "Don't harm the common people. They know nothing about this ambush. It was only me and my men who decided to fight, against the wishes of the Council."

Henry punched Nicholas in the face. "Did you seriously think that you could defeat us? I must say, there are better, less painful ways of committing suicide."

Olivier and Malcolm came near Henry. Olivier couldn't take his eyes off Nicholas. "Wow! You look exactly like my eldest son Neil. I assume you must be Orlando's son."

"And you must be the one who killed my father," Nicholas spat back.

Henry and Malcolm threw inquisitive looks at Olivier, but he just shrugged. "Henry, I hear you have some plans for the people of the Ruins?"

Henry nodded. "This stupid attack means they have rejected the peace offer. We cannot just sit here and wait for more such attacks. We have to storm the city and flush these rats out of their burrows. Oh, look there," Henry gestured towards a group of people walking towards them, "here they come begging for mercy."

Matthews, accompanied by some other members of the Council approached Olivier and Henry.

"I guess you must be Matthews, the one who fooled his lookalike Andrews and shot him in the back. I think your answer to our truce offer was pretty obvious after what this dumb-head," Henry said kicking Nicholas in the gut, "and his men did yesternight. So why are you here?"

"What they did was on their own. Believe me, our Council had no hand in that."

"My dear Matthews, so nice to see you." Olivier, who was standing behind a few soldiers, stepped forward.

Matthews's face turned red. All other Elisians glared at Olivier as well. "So you have brought all these men here. How dare you put a foot in our world after what you did last time?"

Olivier smiled. "I always do things people least expect me to do. However, you people always do the most foolish things—like attacking us in the middle of the night and pissing off our army."

"We have already told you that we didn't attack. Nicholas and his men acted on their own."

Olivier kept a straight face and looked Matthews in the eye. "This is a very shoddy attempt at covering up your failure. First, you attack us, and when your ambush fails you disavow your martyrs and put blame on their heads. I expected better from a person who claims to be as good as Andrews, but again, you Tenebrians are treacherous monsters hiding behind our innocent faces. Owe up to your mistakes and then beg for mercy. Maybe we can then think of some workable solution."

"You venomous snake! Shut your mouth and stop spreading your poison here. This is a matter of hundreds of thousands of lives."

"Mind your tongue when speaking to our HighMinister," Henry said pointing his finger at Matthews.

"Your HighMinister is a bloody murderer," Matthews shot back. "And the only thing stopping me from chopping off his head is the fact that we have come here seeking peace. The demon who killed his own friends and tens of others in cold blood can only spread darkness, and nothing else."

Henry again cast a questioning glance at Olivier, however, he looked as calm as a tranquil lake. "Throwing baseless allegations at me will not help your cause. People who come begging for mercy should rub their noses in the ground rather than slinging mud at their masters."

"So you call yourselves our masters now?" Matthews asked.

"I am just making you aware of your precarious situation. Masters or not, the fate of your whole world is in our hands. We can take our vengeance for the cowardly attack of the last night, but if you want to avoid that then drop down on your knees and bow your heads. Only after that, Henry will listen to any of your requests."

Henry instantly approved Olivier's idea. "Bow your heads if you don't want it getting chopped off."

"We have come seeking peace," Matthews said shaking his head, "but that doesn't mean we will endure humiliation."

Henry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, then endure death."

In a single swift motion, Henry aimed his gun at Matthews and shot him at point-blank range.

"This one is for my father," Henry said pointing to Matthews's lifeless body, "whom you murdered here."

The remaining members of the Council of Ruins stepped back, quivering. One of them started vomiting.

"I am waiting for all of you to kneel and bow. And I won't take no for an answer. "

Any hope of a respectful peace agreement was blown away with Matthews's head. Any will to put up a fight drained away with his blood. They dropped down to their knees and bowed their heads. The exploitation of Elisium had officially begun.

Henry clapped, slow loud claps that felt like hammer blows. "This looks so much better. Now go and tell your folks to evacuate this city before nightfall. We will enter the Ruins after sunset and we don't want to see any of you pests inside our new home."

"There are hundreds of thousands of people in the Ruins, how will they evacuate in a few hours?" Glenn asked.

"You should have thought that before attacking us. Scamper back and make sure that your people move out before the deadline. You don't want to give thousands of angry and tired soldiers a chance to lay hands on your women."

Glenn opened his mouth to say something but Henry cut him short. "Any more talks and you will start losing hours. Get moving, and let me take care of this stingy insect," Henry added punching Nicholas again.

"Take him to the Ruins, and do with him what I told you to do," Henry ordered one of his lieutenants.

***

A company of soldiers dragged Nicholas near the gateway of the Ruins. They pinned him to a palm trunk and started driving nails into his hands and legs. One of the soldiers then took out a lash and whipped him. His blood-curdling shrieks echoing around the Ruins were enough to tell its residents that there was no point resisting their heartless invaders.

People saw these gruesome scenes and hurried back to their homes. They had little time left to pack their things and start a seemingly endless journey into everlasting misery.

***

The sun began the downward journey from its peak and the people of the Ruins started their journey into an irreversible downfall. The exodus began as a trickle around noon but turned into a chaotic frenzy when the sunset came closer. Helpless men carried with them whatever they could, alongside dejected women and clueless children. There was very little time to wrap up their houses, and none to think about their future.

Rains lashed out in full fury. Maybe the skies were weeping for Elisians, or maybe just making life more miserable for them. The army of Aden had lined up outside the Ruins, alongside the exit route, ready to tackle anyone who tried anything silly.

Comprehensive victories bring outrageous arrogance. Aden's soldiers believed that Elisians deserved this treatment because they had attacked them in the dark of the night. However, they quite easily ignored the fact that they were invading a helpless world and it was not the other way around.

Arrogance leads to contempt. Soldiers hurled insults and abuses at these poor families when they passed them. Elisians quietly suffered this humiliation under the overwhelming shadows of guns.

Contempt triggers chaos. Victory got into the heads of a few soldiers and they started touching women in the wrong places. Things took a nasty turn when a soldier groped a young lady from Richard's family—and the whole hell broke loose.

Already enraged by the murders of Richard, Kane, and many other family members, every man of Richard's extended family charged at Aden's soldiers. They retaliated and opened fire. When other Elisians saw their fellow men getting slaughtered their emotions just boiled over. Brains froze, anguished hearts took over, and any semblance of sense was thrown into the sea.

There was utter pandemonium. Men tried to grab Aden's soldiers, whereas women and children ran here and there, not knowing what to do. Aden's soldiers felt the sea of humanity trying to drown them and tried to stay afloat. They just kept firing to disperse the waves not knowing whether their bullets hit an old lady or a helpless child. They fired at anyone and everyone. Blood flowed. Bodies piled up.

The people of Ruins gave up the fight the moment they saw the shower of bullets. They just tried to shield their loved ones from the line of fire. Demons from hell surrounded them from every side and wherever they ran, their bullets followed them. Loud bangs of gunshots drowned their cries for help and turned them into screams of agony.

***

Officers watched like silent spectators as their soldiers wreaked havoc but some consciences rose above these clouds of frenzy. Desmond couldn't stand this carnage and gathered his Lieutenants. "We signed up on this mission to protect our world, not to slaughter innocent people. We are no murderers and we need to stop this madness. Go and rein in your men. Tell them to stop."

Gradually the firing stopped, but only after thousands of dead bodies were littered across the fields outside the Ruins. Children outnumbered men and women—how were they supposed to outrun bullets on their little legs? Some desperate mothers had tried to shield their children but those cruel bullets went through their bodies to hit their children.

Desmond took some of his officers into the field to survey the situation. His eyes fell on the body of a young girl, not more than five years of age, clutching a small wooden toy close to her chest while her face was ripped apart. He threw up. He had seen deaths but this was something beyond description. This was a gruesome bloodbath. Those responsible for this must be punished. He was one of the perpetrators and was ready for any sort of redemption.

Desmond looked skywards. The thunderstorm gave way to a crimson dusk sky as nature paid tribute to all those who lost their lives. The blood of thousands of innocent people mixed with rainwater and formed Rivers of Blood. The sky and the earth both wept with bloody tears.

***

Some demons were least bothered by the loss of thousands of lives.

"I assume most had left the city before this massacre. A few thousand might still be there. We enter the Ruins just as planned and as a gesture of goodwill, we give the remaining people a further deadline for exiting." Henry described his next plan of action to Olivier and Malcom.

"How many got killed?" Malcolm asked.

"You don't want me to count them. Do you? Does it make any difference whether they are five thousand or ten or twenty? It is better for us if that final count remains unknown because no one is going to like that figure. Our king didn't want blood to be spilled and we have overseen a bloodbath. Now let's take control of the city and turn it into our fortress before these worms try anything else and get done with this nightmare."

"What started this massacre?"

"How would I know? Someone started firing from one side and it spread like wildfire."

Olivier was flying above the seventh sky. Things couldn't have gone better for him. He had expertly fanned the fire burning inside Henry and he went on a rampage. He slaughtered unarmed soldiers, killed Matthews, and his troops massacred thousands. Olivier wanted to dance but the time to celebrate hadn't arrived yet. This was the time to start the next stage of his plan. Operation scapegoat.

"You are not sure how this started, but I am pretty sure how this stopped. And you did nothing until your deputy intervened and salvaged the situation, although a little too late."

Henry clenched his fists, and his jaw tightened. "Are you implying that all this happened because of me?"

"I am just stating the fact that you lost control over your troops. You should have stopped this madness."

"I did my best," Henry shot back.

"Your best didn't quite meet the requirements of a capable army general. Now just make sure that the city is taken over in an organized manner without any further fiasco."

"Yes, HighMinister, as you wish," Henry replied through clenched teeth and stormed out of the tent.

***

Armored vehicles of Aden's army entered the deserted streets of the Ruins a couple of hours after sunset. Those who couldn't leave because of the massacre and were stuck in the city chose to hide behind the closed doors of their houses.

Aden's soldiers marched into the streets and announced that the remaining people could leave before dawn without any consequences. Aden's troops moved from street to street, evacuating people from their houses and peacefully escorting them out of the city. Eventually, people realized that these looters would not kill them if they quietly exited the Ruins.

The Ruins was empty well before dawn without any further untoward incidents. People just wanted to get as far away as they could from these demons from hell. The bustling city turned into a ghost town. Adeners had sucked the life out of Elisium's beating heart.

In the next three days, the Ruins was systematically turned into an army fortress. All the entry points of the city were sealed. Different companies were allotted different neighborhoods to look after. Higher-ranked officials moved from house to house to select the one that best suited their needs.

While soldiers of Aden settled in their new homes, hundreds of thousands of residents of the Ruins were left without shelter. While Adeners celebrated their victory with sumptuous feasts, Elisians mourned their dead on empty stomachs. As the victors enjoyed the bounties of war, the vanquished despaired over their losses.

Light and darkness, both reside within. Humans fear the unknown but they are even more terrified of their own vicious shadows. When the identicals met, that fear of confronting their inner demons, their sinister selves, resulted in a terrible conflict. Their light fought their darkness, and in trying to vanquish those dark knights, some of them embraced a bigger evil. That metaphorical blurred line was now vivid. The divide between good and evil, light and dark, was distinct. The identicals were no more the same. The Supremes were right, the identicals should have never met.

***

Olivier ordered his troops to excavate the Star-Rocks and push as many as they could into the whirlpool before it disappeared. Once the city was secured and Star-Rock transfer had begun he invited Malcom for dinner to celebrate their victory. He had chosen Nicholas's house, one of the largest in the Ruins, as his official residence.

Malcolm greeted his host with a warm smile. "Finally, this is our last day in this wretched world. Tomorrow we will be back in Aden. I must say this mission has been a great success."

"Yes, it went much better than I had planned," Olivier replied, leading his guest to a large dining table. "That fool Henry's bloodlust made our job easier. But we must revise our stories again and again. There should be no loopholes. We must convince the council that we both advised Henry against the bloodshed, but on the king's specific instructions, he annihilated anything that came between him and the rocks. It is going to be the two of us against Henry."

"What about Desmond?"

Olivier raised his right eyebrow. "He doesn't know much and I know how to take care of him. He won't bother us."

"In case, the Council takes Henry's statement seriously what should we do then?"

"Henry is bad with words. His statements won't stand a chance against ours. We have many witnesses on our side. Henry ordered the killing of those unarmed soldiers in front of our whole army. During the ambush, he ordered our soldiers to shoot to kill. He publicly shot Matthews and crucified Nicholas. We can also subtly suggest that he did nothing to prevent the Rivers of Blood. Henry is absolutely screwed."

"It seems like you have a strong case against him."

Olivier's pulse was racing. The more he went over his plans the more foolproof it looked. "Samuel made Henry chief of the army and ordered me, in front of everyone, to let him have a final say in matters relating to the army. Henry is doomed and he will take Samuel down with him. Samuel also went against the Council and used the Right of the King, so he has to take the fall for this disastrous mission."

A triumphant smile spread across Malcolm's face. "If everything falls in place, Samuel will be in prison by the end of this month and you will be sitting on the golden throne of Aden."

"And you will be my HighMinister. Our generations will rule both these worlds."

"It is just a matter of days now."

"Yes, but the next few days are going to be the most important ones of our lives. Once we imprison Samuel we will have to get that amulet from him. We don't want him to use its powers against us. Then we will have to gradually weed out his whole family. His children, his brother, his nephews, and his loyal cousins. People's minds will keep flocking towards the line of true kings if they stay amongst us."

A guard appeared at the door and announced the arrival of Desmond. Olivier was expecting him.

"Desmond, great to see you. Tomorrow is the last day of the Crossing and some of us will have to return to Aden. Honestly, I am impressed by your dedication and temperament. Yesterday you took control of a shambolic situation in a most efficient manner and I want to reward you for that."

"I was just doing my duty, Sir," Desmond replied with a glint in his eyes.

"Yes but others failed to do so. To applaud your service and selfless attitude I have decided to appoint you as the HighCommander of Elisium base. You will stay here and command our troops for the next decade. I am sure you will accept this honor and continue to serve Aden with pride and dignity?"

Desmond bowed his head. "It will be a great honor, HighMinister. I am always ready to serve Aden and its king whenever and wherever they require my services. By the way, to celebrate our victory I had brought one of the delicacies of this world for you." Desmond offered them a plate of sucipops, a famous local savory made out of fresh cream. "Let us enjoy this moment."

Olivier and Malcolm took the sweets and they melted in their mouth.

Olivier licked his lips. "Wow! Finally, I found something exclusive in this world."

Desmond was smiling from ear to ear. "Happy to be at your service, HighMinister."

"Thank God this idiot has taken the bait and I don't have to use force to sew his lips," Olivier said to himself. "He is cherishing his appointment as HighCommander. The lure of power and position can fool anyone. Now he will be stuck in this world for the whole decade and won't be able to harm our cause. This turned out to be a masterstroke."

Someone in that room had been fooled—but it wasn't Desmond.