Phoenix Rising: Chapter 17 Part One

The shells fell for what seemed like ages. James was forced to sit in a small crater, huddled against the howling shells and calls of his bodyguards trying to keep together and avoid the shells. Were they Jouran? Alversian? He couldn’t tell. It was chaos.1

One of his escorts was blown, yelling, through the air by a nearby shell blast. He hit a tree nearby with a thud and the yelling stopped. He slid to the ground as mud from a nearby impact piled into Krystal and James’ hole.2

James suddenly realised that Krystal was holding on to him for dear life. It was like a passionate hug and, blushing, he wrapped his arms around her and placed his head against hers.3

Where were the rest of the escort? He couldn’t tell. They could all be dead for what he knew. They certainly wouldn’t find him here.4

Then the noise suddenly stopped and silence returned to the forest. James remained where he was for another while, afraid of the bombardment starting up again.5

It didn’t, and so he crawled from his hole with Krystal at his side to survey the damage.6

Although vast craters littered the forest at various intervals and many trees had been torn from the ground, there seemed to be no damage to the truck.7

The rest of the Escort started to emerge, shivering from a combination of shock and the cold. There were only five of them standing around the truck, James, Krystal, Jennifer, Skyler, Kartosh and Ithlius. There was no movement from any of the others.8

“Where are they?” Skyler asked, a note rising in her voice.9

“Dead,” Krystal was blunt but tears were starting to fall from her face, “They’re all dead.”10

“Not…not…Terri? NO!” James burst out from beside Krystal and tore into the forest, closely followed by the others.11

The trees rushed past him as he ran. Branches flicked his face playfully as he ran through the thickets and tree roots. He leapt over the shattered trees and cratered ground. He was running faster than he had ever run in his life. His sides ached, he was finding it hard to breath, his throat was bone dry and his legs felt like jelly. But he kept going, driven all the way by the image of his old classmate.12

Then he felt someone pull on his jacket and force backwards. The force of the jerk lifted him from his feet and he hit the ground hard. Then he heard Krystal’s voice,13

“Well done, Kartosh. Hold him there. We need to get him back to the truck now! It’s not safe here, the People’s Army might start shelling again.”14

“No! I need to find Terri! She might be out there!” James gasped, struggling against the Xiscapian’s vice-like grip.15

“My Lord,” Krystal’s voice was hard but at the same time, sensitive, “You must accept she is gone. Most of us are gone.” Her voice broke as she realised just how many of the escort were gone. Where there had previously been a dozen, there were now just five.16

James’ head dropped and he could feel the tears building up, he didn’t care anymore. What was the point? What was the point of all this? They had marched across a barren desert and through a bombardment and for what? How was he going to be any different to the Jourans? How would he be any different to Lord Michael?17

When he looked at Krystal, tears had broken from his eyes and were running down his face, “Let’s go” He said miserably.18

He turned his back on everything that had gone before. It was done. That was the end of it. The James that attended school and played games after lessons was gone. In his place was a cold, hard murderer. A Prince. A boy destined to rule over a Kingdom yet he would to be prepared to sacrifice everything and everyone he held dear to achieve it.19

The trip through the woods was silent as each agent contemplated their losses during the short campaign through the desert and forest.20

Twelve had gone in, a dozen of the bravest and brightest the organisation could offer, now only five came out, each exhausted and with morale at it’s lowest point yet. The age range of the ShaCo killed had varied greatly, but all were still teenagers and none deserved to die. Terri had been sixteen when her life was taken away in that bombardment. By Alversian guns, Krystal had told him the Alversian Army fired shells into the DMZ at random, which was returned by the Jouran Army at various intervals.21

James stared grimly out the back of the truck, watching the desert that had claimed so many of his bodyguards and friends. That was in the past. He had a people to liberate and a country to free. He swore on the bodies of those that had died that he would do it. For them, for Terri.22

Ashmed had also survived and he was now sitting the front of the cab with Krystal and James. Soon, however, they arrived at a large bustling market town. It seemed to be market day and the roads were packed with people moving between stalls. Some were carrying large packets, others were carrying small children. James could not fail to notice the atmosphere of fear in the town. There was the normal loud bustle but it dropped to perfect silence as the truck rolled into the main street. Only after a few moments did the populace begin to barter nervously again.23

James looked at the various buildings surrounding the truck. They were mostly two-story houses or shops, built from a pale material that gently reflected the sun’s light into the centre of the street, making it gleam. The large square windows were mostly barricaded with wooden shutters and more than one had bullets embedded in the walls.24

James sighed and shook his head as he saw the state of his people. They were fearful of another crackdown and that seemed to be the reason they were scuttling nervously from cover to cover, as if under fire.25

“Stop,” It was Krystal, who was tucking a compact sword into her belt and loading a handgun, “We get out here. Jennifer, take the weapons on to the rendezvous zone. Hannah, you’re with me and James”26

“What?” James was confused by the reference to a ‘Hannah’ and the fact she had called him James. Something she hadn’t done since the days when they were in Baxtor High all those months ago, “What did you call me?”27

“James. It’s isn’t safe to call you Prince in this place. Azawakh Spies are everywhere. We’re heading into their home turf now. So be vigilant. My name is Abi Lockhart and…”28

As they jumped out of the truck Cab, Skyler was already standing by a nearby house,29

“…you will refer to her as Hannah Seraph. Understand?”30

“Uh…yeah?” James nodded uncertainly as Ashmed took over the truck and started to back it slowly out of the main street.31

The trio of ShaCo were swallowed up by the crowd as they pressed deeper and deeper into the market. James had no idea who or what they were looking for, instead he kept his eyes on the roofs and the faces of each passing Danaversian, fearing any one could be an Azawakh Agent. His dealings with them in the past had not gone well. Then Skyler in front nudged her pocket slightly, it was their covert symbol to stop.32

James halted dead in his tracks and scanned ahead fearfully. They seemed to have been brought to a rather ruined tavern, on one of the smaller side streets. Unlike the other buildings, this one looked almost derelict and the most repugnant smell seemed to be emanating from within the broken door.33

Krystal, also known as Abi, turned to James and gave a mysterious grin. “In we go” was all she said as she plunged into the depths of the tavern. As Skyler was behind him, indicating that he should follow, James sighed, pinched his nose and followed her into the darkness.34

Inside, there was little light by which to see. A lone florescent tube swung from the roof, flickering wildly. James could faintly see a line of men at the bar, each was smoking heavily and had at least three empty glasses in front of them. A rusty jukebox on the corner coughed out some old song that James couldn’t even recognise. The stench of vomit and tobacco was overpowering as James could feel his own stomach twisting.35

Then Skyler directed him towards a large painting of a wreaked fishing boat, marooned on the shore. It was massive, stretching from the floor nearly to the ceiling. It was wide enough for all three ShaCo to stand side by side within it’s frame. It bore a combination of battle scars from a variety of bar fights. Some of which Krystal admitted to have started some she didn’t. As they moved through the filth to reach the painting, James noticed Krystal catch one of the Bartender’s eye. He gave a small nod and turned to do something under the counter.36

James watched in surprise as the vast painting swung out on one of it’s hinges, revealing two men on the inside. One looked not that much older than James, while the other had to be in his early seventies. Both carried modern Jouran machine guns and were clothed in a sort of uniform. They looked unshaven, exhausted and nervous. Krystal showed her allegiance by putting her hands up in a symbol of goodwill. The elder guard nodded and indicated for the three to enter.37

James was, at first, anxious about entering the room. However, he concluded he had two fine bodyguards and that the other guards looked as though they couldn’t handle themselves. They were farmers to him, not soldiers. Despite this, he began to dread that these were the calibre of men he would have to try and liberate his country with. Farmers with machine guns against professional infantry with tanks, artillery, jets, attack helicopters AND machine guns. All of a sudden, the prospect of freedom looked further away than ever.38

While all this was happening, the men in and around the bar did not look up from their drinks. James suspected they probably saw it dozens of times a day. Some of them might even be guards.39

Inside the painting, the room was cramped at best. In one corner of the dangerously derelict compartment was a radio, stuck on a small table and transmitting in what seemed like Morse code. The rest of the floor was dominated by a massive desk, behind which a very old and grizzled man sat.40

He was short and bulky, with short, thinning grey hair. He wore a uniform like his two guards and seemed to be reading a report of some kind. Directly behind his desk was a large map, onto which were various pins and notes making small comments about the terrain, the population, supplies or even military units.41

He glanced up as Krystal, Skyler and James entered the room, running over each one with cold, unfriendly eyes. Krystal ignored him and stepped forward42

“Damien! Long time no see” She said by way of greeting.43

The man simply grunted and indicated that she should sit down. As soon as she had complied, he began a long monologue44

“My Comrades to the north have been virtually destroyed. The Jourans now maintain strong garrisons in all outlying fortresses. They have begun to call in air strikes against hard-to-reach villages. Our supply routes have been cut off. Recruitment has dried up and our losses increase by the day. How are you going to solve that?”45

Krystal took a few moments to digest the information, Damien impatiently went back to his report, only glancing up as Krystal spoke46

“What about the Danaversian Army?” She asked47

“Doing as it’s told of course,” Damien replied, “Desertion levels are falling again because Lord Mickey will shoot the families of anyone who does run. They maintain the garrisons here, here and here. Including this town”48

“I see, so if we could persuade the Danaversian Army to launch a coup d’etat what would the result be?”49

“The Jourans would be unable to supply their garrisons or reinforce their main troops but I doubt the class-traitors of the Army will do that” Damien spat on the floor near his desk. James wrinkled his nose slightly, “So, what’s this great plan you were so eager to tell me about last time?”50

“Damien McKay, I give to you,” Krystal turned and pointed at James, “Prince James of Danaversia, the last heir to the throne of this nation and the only one who can regain our country’s freedom”51

“Prince? No. The Royal Family were massacred, all those years ago by the Jouran Army. This is a lie, a trick to deceive the people and cheat them from their true freedom”52

James was stunned, Damien didn’t believe her. Instead of the grand reaction he had expected, Damien just looked down at his report again.53

Krystal seemed equally as stunned;54

“I can assure you this is no trick. In keeping with Danaversian tradition, the King sent his eldest son into exile, only to return when the throne became vacant. Stop me if this is wrong but I though the throne was vacant now?”55

“The royal family are an instrument of the bourgeois elite designed to keep the people suppressed and under control so they can be exploited,” Damien’s voice was rising and his temper was running low. His report sat on the desk, forgotten,56

“When the Imperialists invaded, it was not the Capitalists who tried to repel them, it was not the Army, and it certainly was not the King! It was the people in the fields and in the factories who raised their weapons against the enemy! The common man, we fight now for a society of equality, one where there are no classes and no profit. Your mighty Prince does not fit into this picture at all, He is nothing more than a puppet of the Middle and Upper classes trying to suppress the common man. So kindly take your puppet and leave my establishment!”57

Krystal stood up quickly, taking the two guard in the room by surprise. Although James could feel her anger radiating from where he was standing, she simply turned and headed back out of the painting once it had been opened.58

Relieved to be back in the sunlight and fresh air of the main street outside, James couldn’t help but feel disappointed,59

“The Communists won’t help us?”60

Krystal snorted in response61

“Commissar Damien McKay is merely one man amongst a dozen Soviet leaders. If we can get to their main headquarters in the mountains, we may still be able to convince them”62

James shook his head in defeat, “What’s the point? You heard Damien, surely his opinion is the general Communist opinion?”63

“Yeah, but Damien likes to add his own twist to things. What he wants most of all is to put his own scrawny ass on the throne in Barracudan, so just ignore him for now and focus on our main mission. We need to get to the communists”64

As they pushed through the crowd, James found himself staring at the various peoples within the mass. Old woman carrying rags in small baskets. Or men in smart business suits trying to keep clean as they picked through the peasants. Then he spotted two Policemen in the crowd, both were wearing short maroon uniforms and kepi caps. They were reading a newspaper and James continued to stare. Then one looked up and caught his stare. James quickly looked at his feet.65

Too late. When he looked up again, he saw the Officer pointing James out to his colleague. James tried to hide amongst the bustling people, but the Police continued to mutter darkly. Then he heard the pop of gunfire.