The Mask wearer

17 THE BATTLE

Led by their lord Junos, the Knights of Equilibrium reached Bratel-la-Grande just before sunrise. The night had been long and sleepless for the men of Berrion. Heavy clouds hung in the sky. The pale light of dawn tarnished the landscape around the capital. The sinister atmosphere filled the knights with anxiety. Even Junos looked gloomy and he had lost any trace of his good humor.

From the top of the highest tower in the castle, Karmakas rejoiced when he saw the Berrion army take position in the fields. The sorcerer stroked the head of his basilisk tenderly. The creature had hatched the day before. Now, Karmakas put it down in a gold cage at his feet.

“Be patient, little one, ssss, my little treasure,” he said with affection. “It will soon, ssss, be your turn to act.”

The sorcerer raised his arm. He concentrated and repeated a magic formula in an ancient dialect. In the fields, the knights saw a black cloud rise above the city.

“Stay on your horses and get ready to flee quickly,” Junos shouted to his men. “If Amos is right, we’ll easily win this first encounter.”

Karmakas continued his incantation. A strong wind rose over Bratel-la-Grande and pushed the dark cloud toward the army. Suddenly, midway between the walls of the city and the spot where the Berrion men were, the cloud exploded in a deafening thunder. Hundreds of asps and cobras fell from the sky like a rain of swarming and slimy pieces of rope. The horses reared up and several knights were about to run off.

“Keep your position! Keep your position!” Junos shouted as he galloped in front of his men.

The army remained in place as the snakes crawled toward them upon touching the ground. They moved through the high grass in the fields like an ocean wave coming quickly to shore.

“Prepare the cages!” Junos ordered.

Every knight reached for the cage doors containing the starving mongooses. The snakes were arriving rapidly and were now only a few yards away from the horses. From the top of his perch, Karmakas looked at the sight with glee. He sniggered and rubbed his hands, sure that his snakes would quickly destroy these conceited humans.

“Free the mongooses!” Junos shouted when the time was right.

The doors of four hundred cages, containing one or two mongooses each, opened in unison. Seven hundred and seventy-seven small mammals that had been starved for days pounced onto the reptiles. The knights bolted away at full gallop. Being more agile than the snakes, the mongooses were jumping through the air, avoiding the fangs of their enemies and inflicting them with deadly wounds at each attack. As quick as lightning, their paws immobilized the cobras on the ground, while their strong teeth crushed the cobras’ heads. The mongooses caught the asps by their tail and twirled them in the air. Dizzy, the small snakes lost their reflexes, which allowed the mongooses to pin them to the ground and inflict a deadly bite. Although superior in number, the reptiles were completely overwhelmed. There was no escape, no place to hide.

The battle lasted hardly ten minutes. About twenty mongooses lost their lives. Around the surviving ones, thousands of snakes lay lifeless in the grass. The mongooses began to feast under Karmakas’s eyes.

The sorcerer seethed with rage. He stamped his feet, howling insults in his naga language and shaking his head in disbelief. How had the Berrion army known that he was going to send a cloud of snakes to rain over them? He had used this magic trick often, and few had ever managed to survive! As he looked at the unscathed men of Berrion, who were returning to their position in the fields, he smiled a tight smile.

“You’ve now, ssss, met your end!” he shouted.

Karmakas opened the cage of the basilisk and took the horrible creature in his hands.

“Go and shred, ssss, this band of buffoons!” Karmakas ordered it.

Amos and Medusa were hiding in the tall grass, not far from the walls of Bratel-la-Grande. From this strategic spot, the mask wearer could easily see the city gates through a telescope. He was happy with what the mongooses had accomplished and waited confidently for the rest to unfold. He knew that Karmakas would be enraged and would unleash his basilisk. Amos had his rooster on his knees and was ready for the next round.

He had evaluated the situation and sent his orders to Junos in a sphere of wind. Suddenly the gates of the city opened. The basilisk-the size of a large hen-came out. He was exactly as described in the book that Amos had read: His body was snakelike, but he had the head of a rooster and the beak of a vulture. He walked on two thin, featherless legs much like those of a chicken.

Amos and Medusa blocked their ears with a thick paste made of ferns. Then Amos uttered a few words that the wind carried away to Junos.

“Stop your ears!” Junos shouted to his men.

Wasting no time, all the knights blocked their ears with the fern paste. So far everything was going according to plan. Nothing had been left to chance. But when the basilisk took flight, Amos was stunned to see the creature’s body grow tenfold. He then saw the basilisk open its beak. Right away Amos understood that the beast was shrieking out its paralyzing cry. Medusa grabbed the telescope from Amos and confirmed that the soldiers did not seem to have suffered. Only the horses were motionless.

Amos concentrated on creating a sphere of communication in his right hand. Then he raised his other hand and made the wind blow in the direction of the basilisk. The hideous bird-creature flapped its wings furiously to reach the knights. But the wind was too strong and the basilisk was hardly advancing. Amos had to maintain his focus to command the wind. He had trained a good deal before leaving Berrion, but this exercise always quickly drained him of energy. The intense attention it required gave him horrible headaches.

The basilisk kept making huge efforts to move forward, but Amos was putting a difficult obstacle in front of it. The mask wearer was sweating heavily. He had to wait for the right moment-for his rooster to crow-his right hand firmly holding the sphere of communication, his left hand still raised. He felt his legs weakening. The rooster was at his side, unconcerned. Amos was gradually losing his grip on the wind, and the basilisk was gaining ground. To delay the flying creature, Junos signaled for a volley of arrows to be unleashed. They rained down on the basilisk, causing the beast to falter slightly.

Karmakas gnashed his teeth, his lips foaming, as he looked upon the scene. He couldn’t understand why the wind had picked up and how the knights were still able to move. A second volley of arrows took off. The basilisk was wounded in the thigh. Strangely enough, this seemed to increase its strength tenfold. It used all its energy to fight the wind and was getting closer to the Berrion army.

At last, Amos’s rooster let out a loud cock-a-doodle-doo. Warned by Medusa, who had unblocked her ears, Amos turned around and imprisoned the animal’s song in a sphere of wind. At that precise moment, he lost his focus and the wind stopped blowing. The basilisk surged headfirst toward the knights. His stare burned their hair and beards, as well as the manes and tails of the horses. Exhausted, Amos managed to launch his sphere in the basilisk’s direction.

“Catch this, I have a message for you!” he shouted.

What followed brought two large tears of rage to Karmakas’s eyes. The rooster’s song, locked in the ball of air, reached the basilisk and filtered into its ears. It was the only one to hear the rooster’s song-and it exploded in midflight, a few yards from Junos. Shouts of victory rose from the army of knights. They unblocked their ears and congratulated each other. There were a lot of handshakes and embraces. Amos had time to smile slightly before he passed out, drained by his efforts.

When Amos regained consciousness, Medusa was by his side. He had been taken to a temporary shelter and the young gorgon was watching over him.

“What happened? Where am I?” he asked.

“You’re awake at last! You’ve been asleep for two days!” Medusa answered.

Amos sat up, totally horrified. “Two days! I’ve been asleep for two days?”

“Yes,” the gorgon said. “But don’t worry, the knights have everything under control-for now.”

“Tell me what happened. Tell me everything.”

“We took control of the situation,” Medusa began. “After the basilisk died, Karmakas sent dozens of pythons and boas down the walls of Bratel-la-Grande. They were huge and strong, with bodies as thick as tree trunks. But the knights felt confident and were motivated by their two previous victories, so they attacked the snakes. It was a tough fight and several knights were wounded. But Junos shouted orders and himself killed at least a dozen of the beasts with his sword. Thanks to him, we won the battle. A while later, a slight earthquake shook the castle of Bratel-la-Grande. Nobody knows why or how this happened.”

“But what’s going on now?” Amos asked, alarmed.

“The knights worked tirelessly. They dug trenches, put up wood fences, lit fires that burn night and day, and patrol outside the city relentlessly. Their shield-mirrors are directed toward the city constantly, and the gorgons don’t dare to look outside the walls. Karmakas is no doubt planning another attack against Junos and his men. The knights are very tired, and some fell asleep during their watch. It’s impossible to take the city: its walls are too high. The gorgons send arrows on everything that moves. It would be suicidal to try to approach the city, and it isn’t feasible to smash down the huge gates. Junos does not know what to do anymore. He’s waiting impatiently for you to wake up and devise a new attack strategy.”

“Very well,” Amos said. “Unlike the knights, I am well rested. And I have a plan. Tell me where Junos is and let’s finish this battle.”

Karmakas had gone back to his laboratory totally bewildered. For the first time in his life, he had lost three consecutive battles. It was unheard of for a sorcerer as powerful as he was. He felt ashamed and dishonored. In his rage, he hit the table in front of him with his fist. It took him a while to notice that the walls of the room had changed. Skulls, femurs, and tibias decorated his laboratory now. In an instant, he knew that Seth had left his world to come and talk to him. Slowly he turned around and saw his master’s golden throne behind him. The snake-god, comfortably seated, was looking at him with scorn.

“How dare you treat me this way!” Seth bellowed as he crossed his legs. “I offer you a rooster’s egg, and first you allow the egg to be stolen by the Knights of Light. Then, after years of searching for it, you recover my precious gift and you lose the hatched basilisk in the most miserable way. How can I continue to trust you and show you my goodwill?”

Karmakas lowered his head and begged for his master’s mercy. “I am, ssss, sorry. I underestimated my, ssss, enemies. I thought that-”

“You thought!” Seth thundered, making the earth quake. “A plague on you! Either win this war or I’ll crush you, you stinking reptile! Now go and show me that you’re worthy of my godly power and of my trust!”

The whole castle shook and cracks appeared in the foundation. Then the walls of bones vanished into thin air, and Seth’s temple disappeared, replaced by Karmakas’s laboratory. The sorcerer fell to the ground, his head in his hands, trembling with anxiety and rage. After a few seconds, he tried to gather himself. He rushed to his book of magic and started to study some powerful spells. For a long time, he stayed locked in his laboratory.

While Amos and Junos were establishing a plan to take back the city, Medusa went in secret to visit Beorf. He was a pitiful sight. The young gorgon caressed his head tenderly.

“You’ll soon be free, Beorf,” she whispered in his ears. “I know that you can hear me. Your body is now of stone, but your soul is still here, hoping and waiting to be delivered. I’ve come to see you for the last time. You’re the first and only friend I’ve ever had. I’ll never see you again, but you’ll be in my heart forever. Keep the sight of my eyes in your memory. You’re the only person who’s admired them. Thank you for your friendship and your kindness. Thank you for believing in me. I’ll show you that I was worthy of your honesty and of your feelings. Good-bye, my friend.”

Medusa kissed Beorf on the cheek and left the cavern, totally distressed by this final visit.

The gorgon returned to the camp as the knights were preparing to enter the city. Night was about to fall and the army had to act swiftly. No one had noticed Medusa’s absence. She saw that the men of Berrion were not wearing their armor. In secret, they had made life-size figures from branches and mud, and had dispersed them around the city. These strange scarecrows were attired in the knights’ armor, helmets, and boots. From a distance, they looked like real humans. Only their stillness seemed a little odd, but one would have to watch them for a long while to understand the trickery.

Leading his warriors, Amos headed for the tunnel through which he had followed Beorf. The knights proceeded after him in tight order, with a torch ready to be lit tucked into their belts, a sword in one hand and a shiny shield in the other. Every shield had been modified. Thanks to leather strips, the knights were now able to carry them on their backs, a little like a tortoise shell. The entire army managed to go through the tunnel unnoticed and crawled over the ground to hide inside the city walls.

“I’ll go to the castle with Medusa now,” Amos said to Junos. “She’ll take me to the sorcerer. Wait till you hear from me. I’ll tell you when to attack.”

Solemnly, Junos shook his friend’s hand.

“At your disposal, Mask Wearer! Good luck, Amos! I think that Crivannia would be happy with her choice if she could see the way you’re leading this fight.”

“Thank you, Junos.” Amos smiled. “See you soon.”

Medusa entered the castle with Amos by her side. He was wearing a bag over his head, and his hands were tied behind his back. The young gorgon was pulling him behind her with a rope. She pretended to limp and was using the ivory trident as a cane. She easily passed in front of the gorgons keeping guard and went before Karmakas.

“I’ve captured the mask wearer, master,” she said. “I bring him to you in person.”

Abruptly, the sorcerer asked, “Why did you not turn him to stone, ssss, as I asked, ssss, you to do?”

“His powers are huge, Father, and he is resistant to my magic,” she answered, lowering her head.

Karmakas approached Amos and pulled the bag off his head. When he saw his face, he burst out laughing.

“This is who you, ssss, captured? This is a mere boy, ssss, who dares to stand up to me?” He shook his head. “Well, come here, ssss, and watch what is going, ssss, to happen to your army!”

Medusa stood aside while Karmakas pushed Amos toward a balcony at the top of the highest tower of the castle.

“Look at my power, ssss, and watch your men die!”

The sorcerer lifted his arms and muttered a magic formula. From the fields surrounding the city, a thick yellow and green smoke rose. All around, and for perhaps half a mile, an opaque cloud covered the land and part of the forest.

“Whoever breathes this, ssss, air will die poisoned, ssss. Your knights will not, ssss, resist for long.”

“My men are indestructible, Karmakas,” Amos answered calmly. “In fact, they’re still standing!”

The mask wearer focused hard, and by his sheer will made the wind rise. It slowly pushed away the thick cloud, and the sorcerer could see that, in the distance, all the knights still remained standing. They had not budged. The poison had had no effect on them.

“Who are you, ssss, young human?” the sorcerer asked, trying to keep his composure. “Who sent you, ssss, and how can you counter the effects of, ssss, my magic?”

“I am Amos Daragon, your worst nightmare!” Amos answered with a ferocious smile.

“Very well, ssss, we’ll see what your knights can do, ssss, against this!”

Karmakas asked Medusa to keep an eye on the prisoner and left the room. Then he ordered the gorgons to gather in front of the great city gates. Amos lost no time in creating a sphere and sent a message to Junos.

“I believe Karmakas is preparing an attack. Get ready!”

In the gray shadows of sunset, Junos could see the gorgons band together in front of the city gates. On his command, the knights moved forward noiselessly among the ruins of houses and streets filled with debris, and formed a semicircle around the snake-haired women. None were to escape. The men of Berrion were tired and tense, but they knew that if they won this battle, they would be able to sleep before heading home.

Karmakas forced his way through his gorgons. “Now, ssss, go and annihilate this, ssss, miserable army!” he ordered. “Open the portcullis!”

Before anyone had time to activate the mechanism to open the portcullis, Junos shouted, “The torches!”

Almost four hundred torches were lit at the same time. The gorgons cried out in surprise and Karmakas ordered them to attack the intruders. Walking backward, the knights advanced toward the female warriors. Shield-mirrors were attached to their backs, allowing them to raise their torches with their right hand to give light. In their left hands, the men of Berrion held small pocket mirrors that helped to guide them along. Junos was the only one unable to find his.

Dozens of gorgons saw their reflection and howled with pain. Their insides were torn apart before they turned to dust. Surrounded, the snake-haired women tried to flee and opened the portcullis. Fifty-some knights were waiting for them on the other side with gleaming shields. This final blow struck down a good number of gorgons. And around Karmakas, one gorgon after another fell. The knights kept closing in, ensuring that all the gorgons were doomed. Meanwhile, Karmakas transformed himself into a giant rattlesnake and slithered out. He made his way to the tower of the castle. Furious, he repeated incessantly, “I’m going to kill you, Mask Wearer! Death unto you!”

From the top of the tower, Amos and Medusa watched the collapse of the gorgons.

“Thank you, Medusa,” Amos said. “You have helped to save hundreds of human lives. Now this town can be reborn.”

“I must tell you something important, Amos,” she answered. “There is only one way to bring our friend back to life. You know what I mean as well as I do.”

“I know what you’re going to say, Medusa, and I’ll never force you to look at your reflection,” Amos said as the young gorgon moved away from him. Her hands were shaking and her legs seemed unsteady. “There must be another way to give Beorf his life back. Together, we’ll find it.”

“I know what I’m saying, Amos. And I know also that you’d never force me to do something against my will. You’d never sacrifice me to save your friend. Even though we’ve spent only this short time together, we’ve grown attached to each other. And you, Beorf, and I would make an unbeatable team. But it is not possible. I understand that true friendship can mean sacrificing oneself to save someone else. This is what Beorf taught me when he looked at my eyes. He could easily have killed me with a blow of his paw and his powerful claws. But because he was my friend, he didn’t do it. Even after my disloyalty, he remained true to himself, true to his feelings for me. With you, too, I’ve known friendship. This is a beautiful quality in humans. Now it’s my turn to show some humanity. Tell Beorf that I will always remember him, even in my death.”

Medusa then took Junos’s small pocket mirror out of her bag. She had taken it from him before the battle. Amos leaped forward to stop the young gorgon. It was too late. She had seen her reflection.

“It’s true, Beorf, I really do have beautiful eyes!” Medusa whispered before crumbling to dust.

At that moment, a rattlesnake appeared through the slightly opened door and rushed over to Amos. On impulse Amos grabbed his trident, barely avoiding the reptile’s gigantic fangs. Again the snake attacked. Amos rolled to the ground on his side, freeing himself from the sorcerer.

Amos looked at his trident. “If you really can do extraordinary things, now is the time to prove it!” he said.

Amos threw his weapon with force at the snake. The trident penetrated the body of his enemy, but only slightly. A layer of scales protected Karmakas.

“Do you believe, ssss, that you can fight me with, ssss, that twig? I am going to swallow you in one bite!”

As Karmakas lunged, he suddenly grew faint. The trident, still implanted in his flesh, was now shining with a pale blue light. Karmakas threw up some salt water. Then Amos saw something fantastic happen. The trident was slowly driven into the snake’s body. The floor of the room turned to liquid and the walls began to ooze. Cascades of water poured down from the ceiling. Two mermaids emerged from the sodden floor and grabbed hold of Karmakas. They wrapped him in a net of seaweed, totally oblivious to Amos, who stood by, not understanding what was happening. The mermaids pulled the big snake through the floor and vanished as quickly as they had appeared. The water evaporated. In the blink of an eye, the room took on its usual appearance. Except for a broken mirror on the floor.