The Roar of Andora: Book One

Chapter Twenty-Four: Pyrésea's Last Stance

"My Lord! Do not be a fool!"

"And do not question my command!" King Elijah shouted back down at Luvier, the captain of the Pyrésees naval fleet standing at the bottom of the stairwell. Elijah marched up the stairs of the castle then stopped for a moment to examine the siege from out the window and watched as another of his vessels suffered an explosion and caught fire. "Damn it!" Elijah pounded the soft side of his fist against the wall and then stormed up the steps. Barging into his room, Elijah's servant had already laid out the undergarments to the King's armour.

"My Lord..."

"Silence, Alexander." The King struggled to disrobe. "Assist me." Alexander lunged forward to help the King undress. "How is my wife?"

"She threatened to have the guards killed, but, from what I know from the last report, Sonya made it onto the transport safely."

Elijah turned away and grunted, not letting his servant see the relief in his eyes. Throwing back his shoulder beyond his flexibility to hasten the process, he said, "Tell me, man."

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Shut up with the regal formality. We're behind closed doors," Elijah said, pulling off his garments. Alexander shied away from the unabashed nudity of the King.

"Sorry, El."

"Hand me my loin guard," the King commanded. Alexander scurried to retrieve it from the assortment of clothing sprawled over Elijah's bed.

"Tell you, what, my Lo—Elijah?"

"What the fuck did I do to deserve this curse from the Winds? Elijah fastened the cup around his phallus.

With Alexander's assistance, King Elijah got suited in his battle armour and embarked with a brigade of Pyrésea's strongest knights on Pyrésea's swiftest vessel.

To the King's left and right, the Almelkorian invaders swarmed his vessels and he heard the cries of his men as they were outflanked, outnumbered, and slaughtered. The waters of the gulf were cold in the temperature of the late tenth month and many lifeless bodies froze as they drifted against the King's ship.

"Man!" Elijah screamed at Luvier. "Where's the attack being led from?"

"My Lord, we do not know!"

"What do you mean you do not—" A Pyrésees vessel to Elijah's right blew to pieces. "Lead me to their captain's ship!" Elijah hollered and then faced the wind whipping the ship's bow.

"Sir!" Luvier cried and then another vessel exploded. The proximity to the blast rocked Elijah's vessel and threw the men off their feet.

"Turn around! Turn around!" the King commanded. Dashing toward the stern, looking out at the glowing torches of Pyrésea far off on the shore, Elijah saw the dark bodies of enemy soldiers storm the castle grounds. Realizing then that the Almelkorian's had no captain leading the attack, that he and his men were tricked. Elijah lamented over how weak he allowed his military forces to become. "Hurry!" Elijah screamed. "Back to the shore!" Luvier steered the bow around.

The soldiers of 'The Golden Ones,' the Agents of Almelkor, were cunning in their execution of maritime guerrilla warfare. Elijah's father, King Ellis, had been a shrewd and undefeated military captain. Elijah, the King himself, had never gone into battle with an enemy that posed a true threat.