Marionette

“Daddy?” Naliah spoke softly from the top of the stairs. She had heard glass shatter on floor below her, followed by several thuds. “Daddy, what’s going on?” again she cried.
“R-r-r-run!” Her father’s voice replied from below. Rather than his normal, deep bellowing voice, he sounded weak and out of breath. He continued to gasp for several minutes, until she heard another thud; the panting stopped.
Tears welled up in Naliah’s eyes as the realization of what had happened dawned upon her. Unable to move, she stood, frozen in her spot. Someone had killed her father and was still in their house. Her father was all that she had. Her mother was kidnapped ten years ago, when Naliah was nine. She and her father had lived alone since then, and occasionally struggled without a mother’s help. Now her father was gone also.
She stood mulling over her thoughts until she saw someone at the bottom of the stairs. Naliah knew that this strange man was the one that had killed her father, but he didn’t look like what she expected a killer to look like. He was tall and thin, he was clean and even his clothes were nice looking; a black tuxedo with a fastidious overcoat. The only thing that was abnormal about him was his face. It was that of a puppet rather than a man, a wicked smile eternally carved across his face. Naliah wasn’t sure if it was his actual face or a mask
“Wh-h-h-o are y-y-you?” Naliah inquired. Out of fear, she couldn’t think of anything more than to back up while stuttering a simple question.
“My, my, how you and your father are so much alike; stuttering out of fear, not thinking of how to get to safety! You know, I had expected more of a challenge.” He replied, his voice was higher than most of the men Naliah knew, and sounded much like the way people from the Lake Zamiir region spoke.
By now, Naliah was thinking normally. She reached onto the table next to her and grabbed the Elvin vase that had sat there for twenty years, and threw it as hard as she could at the puppet-man below her. Before she heard the vase shatter, Naliah turned and ran down the hallway behind her. She thought of her options for where to go. To her left, were several bedrooms; in front of her was a large window. If she went into one of the bedrooms, he would likely just break in and kill her anyway. Outside, she had a chance. She continued running, picking up speed and momentum. From behind her, a knife flew over her shoulder, and broke the window.
With a scream, Naliah dove from the second story of her house. She hit the ground hard, but was able to get up and start walking.
“Sorry, puppet.” The strange man hissed as he landed on the ground in front of Naliah. From a sheath hidden under his overcoat, he drew forth an evil looking blade and began to step forward. Naliah stumbled backwards as the strange assassin moved closer. The man let out an evil laugh when he was only a few feet away.
Naliah closed her eyes and prepared for death. To her surprise however, she heard a snarling and growling from behind her. She looked to her left and saw a great, giant wolf that seemed to be guarding her.
“You fool! To defy me will be death.” The assassin screamed before turning around and running off into the forest.
“Good luck surviving the centaurs and canus that patrol the woods.” Naliah sarcastically muttered under her breath. “Wait!” a thought struck her. “Are you a canus?!” She asked, hoping to discover who her rescuer really was. She turned towards where the wolf was, but only saw foot prints. Whatever had saved her was gone now. She then came to the realization that she was alone. She looked around her; she was behind her house, with no one else. Her father lay dead in her house and she felt like there was no possible way for her to return. All she could do was sit, and weep.
“Get ‘cha paper he’ar” The local city crier yelled, his low voice boomed over the squawking of the crows. Maybe Naliah thought this little man will do something kind and help me.
The town crier wasn’t a friendly little being. He was one of the few people in their small town that was part gnome, and part elf. He had large ears, and bright eyes like elves did, but the rest of him was short and squatty and had a broad nose. He was always grouchy and grunted when he spoke; people thought of him as rude, but Naliah thought he was just funny.
She stood up and ran around the house, going to where his voice came from.
“Young lady, you r’all scretched upped!” The stubby little man grunted.
“Sir, sir please help me! Someone has killed my father! It was this weird looking man with the face of a puppet! Please I need help.” Naliah pleaded, but felt at a loss when the town criers face saddened.
Rather than helping, the crier ran off into the town screaming something in the gnome tongue. He had looked like he was going to help until she mentioned the Puppet Man.
“I almost wish he would have killed me too.” Naliah moaned to herself.
“Oh, no child; be glad that you are still okay.” A strange woman said from behind her. Naliah whipped around, startled by the woman’s unsuspected statement. Before Naliah could speak, the woman continued. “No doubt you were saved by a great wolf. The fact that you encountered him and survived is proof of that. Still, you are in grave danger! Don’t question me, just come. In a few moments we won’t be able to talk, so take these clothes and put them on. I know this seems like a bit too much, and you want someone to get your father’s body, but you have to trust me.”
Naliah was stunned. Even if the woman had been behind her the entire time she pleaded to the crier, she couldn’t have known that much. She wasn’t really sure why, but Naliah felt like this woman was safe. The clothes that she had been handed were nothing more than a silk cloak with a lace wrap that covered her face.
“Hurry child, hurry.” The woman commanded Naliah in hushed tones while looking around her cautiously.
Naliah hastily slipped the robe on over the clothes she already wore, and wrapped the cloth around her face. The strange woman grabbed her arm and began to lead Naliah towards the eastern edge of town, away from where the Puppet Man had ran. Naliah had a hard time keeping up with the woman, and every time Naliah would ask her to either slow down, or ask the woman what her name was, the woman would simply hold up her finger and signal Naliah to be quiet.
After walking past the edge of the town, the two women arrived at the local stable. The horses there were very much superior to those that were common among Naliah’s village. They were well groomed horses, which Naliah never could have afforded. It was much to Naliah’s surprise however, when the mysterious lady drew twenty large gold coins from her purse and bought two of the finest horses they had; two white stallions. Apparently, wherever they were going, they had a pretty long ride ahead of them. Luckily, Naliah’s mother taught her how to ride a horse before she had passed away; Naliah mounted her steed with confidence, and continued to follow the mysterious woman as they set off down the road.
After they had ridden for a while, the mysterious woman spoke. “We should be safe to talk now. In fact, you’re lucky that the town crier was the only gnome in your town. The Puppet Man and his people have long enslaved the gnomes. They were only set free within the last decade. Even so, he did protect the gnomes, and the gnomes stayed loyal to him. Now, whenever something happens that could be a threat to creatures like the Puppet Man, the gnomes send an early warning.”
“What!?” Naliah exclaimed, completely surprised. She had never heard of gnomes being enslaved, not only that, but she had expected the Puppet Man to be nothing more than an elf or human that had trained to be an assassin, but the woman referred to him as a ‘creature’. “What do you mean by ‘enslaved the gnomes’? If this man isn’t human or elf, what is he?”
“All in due time child, all in due time. But for now, why don’t you tell me your name.”
Surprised by the woman’s civility at such a time, Naliah replied cheerfully. “My name is Naliah. What about your name?”
“Oh, my name is not really important right now, but you can simply call me Belgar.” The woman replied.
Now things were starting to get weird. Normally, when someone asked for a name, you gave it to them freely. Not only this, but Belgar was a name from the Lake Zamiir region, the same area she thought the Puppet Man sounded like he came from.
“What about the Puppet Man, what is he?” Naliah continued, hoping to find out more.
“He is one of many dark creatures. There aren’t very many creatures like him, but those that do exist are terribly powerful and dangerous. Not all are exactly like the Puppet Man, as you call him, but they are similar. This creature is the boldest. What I mean is that he is the only one bold enough to make appearances in open places, even in broad daylight! In fact he has shown himself the most and has unfortunately, done the most damage.”
Everything was getting weirder and weirder for Naliah. Belgar didn’t want to say what the monster Puppet Man was, and was pretty elusive herself. Naliah had to find out more information.
“So, where are we going?” She asked.
“We are going to a small settlement just south of here. It is called Domremi. When we get there, I might as well go ahead and tell you, you will be staying with an elderly man named Gepetto. He might seem old, but I would say that he could hold his own against this Puppet Man. He can teach you much, and it would be to your benefit to learn everything that you can from him.” Belgar replied.
By now, Naliah was hopelessly confused, so she stopped asking questions and Naliah and Belgar rode in silence most of the way to Domremi. Occasionally, the mysterious Belgar would point something out or simply hum to herself. After they had been quiet for a while, the day’s events began to replay in Naliah’s mind like a horrible nightmare that she could never forget.. She was travelling with some woman she didn’t know to stay with a man that she didn’t know, because her father’s body lied dead in the floor of her house, because some evil creature had decided to kill. As tears began to flow down Naliah’s cheeks, it began to rain, and Belgar simply looked over and smiled.
It rained and Naliah cried until they reached the small city that they were going to. The rain didn’t bother her, it covered up her tears, and Belgar also seemed to enjoy the rain. It didn’t stop raining when the two women were a few yards outside of Domremi. Naliah could tell that the town was Domremi from the second she saw it. It looked peaceful and calm. Even the houses had a softer look about them.
“You need to ride straight on into the town, and ask anyone for Gepetto. I must be leaving now. Good luck Naliah!” The woman pulled on her reins and turned down a small road that looked as though it went around Domremi. Naliah waved silently, before riding into the town.
As Naliah entered the town, jubilant people smiled and waved from windows and curbs. She stopped her horse and looked around. After a little while, she noticed that a man was approaching her.
“Excuse m’ young lady, but ya’ seem t’ need s’m ‘elp.” He smiled kindly.
“Yes please.” Naliah replied. “Oh, and could you show me where the man, Gepetto, is?”
The man snickered and motioned for Naliah to follow him. She dismounted her horse, and he led her horse by its reigns, and Naliah followed him as he strolled down the street. It wasn’t after very long that they arrived outside of an old house. The roof didn’t slant at harsh angles like those from Naliah’s village, but was curved and came low to the ground.
“You’ve got a visita’ mista’ Gepetto!” The man yelled, and after a couple seconds, an elderly little man appeared in the doorway.
“Ahh, so you must be the young girl that I was told would be coming. You’ve had a rough morning, so why don’t you come in and have a meal.” He gestured for Naliah to come to the door.
“Thank you.” She replied. She was about to start eating breakfast when her father had been attacked that morning. She was definitely hungry and was more than ready to eat. This was only amplified by the smell of a freshly baked ham. As Naliah walked into his house, she knew that the mysterious Belgar was right, Naliah would be safe here.
The little man politely showed Naliah to the table and handed her a plate full of food. Naliah ate and talked to Gepetto. After they ate, Gepetto showed Naliah to the room that she would be staying in. When he opened the door, Naliah was surprised by what she saw. The room was large, and had all the furniture that she could need, but the most surprising thing to Naliah was that the room was definitely very feminine. Gepetto saw the look on her face and chuckled.
“This used to be my daughter’s room.” He smiled as he walked into the room, looking sentimentally at the trinkets that covered the wardrobe. “She moved out a couple years ago. She went to study in the Lake Zamiir region.”
Again, the Lake Zamiir region! I wonder how this is going to play into everything? Naliah thought to herself. She was sure that it wasn’t just a coincidence that all of these people had some connection to Lake Zamiir.
*******
“We must grow faster!” The Puppet Man yelled, anger building. “Now, not only is the girl still living, but the Track have decided to join forces with her! Had your idiot parents been able to take care of those beasts, we wouldn’t have this problem right now! It is time, time for our dream to become a reality. We don’t have to live the way we are. If we can extinguish those few that stand in our way, we can finally be rulers. We will be able to live as royalty, not as scum!”
A cheer of admiration rose from the crowd. Most there were descendents of the original Helia, but there were also many ‘creatures’. Among them were the Huntress, evil witches, many soldiers, several Minotaur, and even a few of the infamous Night Stalkers. Most people looked upon them as evil beings, for they very much were. The Huntress, was known for her brutality against all the Track that she targeted, and wasn’t exactly humane when dealing with people. The witches used black magic and were identified by their use of ceroscopy to spy on enemies, not only that, but witches are tricky. They are stronger than normal people, and depending on if they use white or black magic, bloodthirsty. Night Stalkers were the scariest figures of mythical tales. They were the color of night, and flew over the Kiltar region, looking for victims. The only thing that Night Stalkers fear, are raptor members of the Track.
“We are far more powerful than those sorry excuses for people! Look at us; we are so much better, so much stronger, so much more….” The Puppet Man paused. “We are so much more intelligent than they are. Don’t you see, it is time for them to learn of our superiority?”
The crowd of people cheered ravenously. After their parents, or even themselves, had failed to conquer the Lake Zamiir region a decade ago. Now, a new, mysterious leader has risen among them hoping to lead them to victory.
The Puppet Man turned away from the mass. He wanted nothing more than to finally conquer the southern Zamiir banks, and some day, topple the Belgar Empire. The only thing that the Puppet Man needed was to bring down Brom Belgar’s western militia, and now Naliah.
Why? Does it have to be so? If only we wouldn’t have figured out your powers.
*******
“Thank you Gepetto. It means a lot to have someone to stay with now that my father has died.” Naliah thanked Gepetto sincerely, but couldn’t help from tearing up again.
“Naliah, while you are here, I don’t want you to think about what has happened; it is not good, especially for girls like you to store up your anger. Oh, and one last thing, anything in this house is open for you to use.” Gepetto smiled at her before turning and walking out of the room.
Naliah didn’t feel tired, but as soon as she hit the bed, she fell asleep. She awoke early the next morning to a snapping sound from the backyard. She strolled down the stairs and saw out the window that it was Gepetto out back with a bow and arrow. The snapping that she heard was the arrows hitting the target. Why does he need to be practicing with a bow and arrow? Does he think that he will need to be shooting a bow sometime in the near future? She thought to herself. “It’s probably for the best.” Naliah spoke aloud as she turned and walked back up the stairs to take a shower.
She opened the first drawer in the dresser in her room, looking for clean clothes. Naliah pulled out the first outfit she saw; luckily it was just her size. After she had showered and dressed, she went back downstairs to see if Gepetto was back inside. She found him pacing back and forth in his study, looking at the many books that lined his shelves.
“Good morning, Naliah.” He said cheerily without looking up from the books. “I know you haven’t been here long, but I feel that it is passed time for you to begin learning.”
“I’m sorry Gepetto; I don’t know what you are talking about. What will I be learning?” Naliah inquired, confused at the old man’s statement. At this, Gepetto turned around and looked Naliah in the eyes.
“You, you don’t know your powers?” Gepetto was surprised, but not as surprised as Naliah. “Your powers! Your powers! Did you not find it odd that as you cried, it rained? Or that when you relaxed, the sun came out? No, your mood doesn’t control the weather, but you do! Even when you didn’t know you were doing it, your subconscious was tapping into your power!”
Naliah’s jaw dropped. What he had said completely caught her off guard, but in retrospect, everything he said made perfect sense. As a young girl, thunderstorms were common when she had temper tantrums, and her father tried to do everything he could to keep her happy.
“So, I can control the weather? How is this going to help me, or better yet, how did this even happen?”
“Right now, your power does absolutely nothing for you, but if you learn how to control it, no force under the sun can stop you. How it happened, even I do not know. But it is something you must master.” Gepetto replied gently, causing Naliah to relax.
Gepetto motioned for Naliah to follow him, and walked out of his house. With Naliah close behind, Gepetto walked out into the pasture that bordered the city, and stopped.
“Naliah, it is important now for you to focus. Clear all you thoughts, and focus on one thing, and one thing alone. I want you to focus solely rain.” Gepetto instructed.
Naliah closed her eyes, and thought briefly of the Puppet Man. The mental picture of his face, made her want to learn to use her powers. That way, she could kill him. She cleared his face out of her mind and began to think of rain. In her mind, she heard the sound of rain falling to the ground, she thought of the smell of a freshly fallen rain. She felt a cleansing peace, and then she felt moisture on her skin. When she opened her eyes, she could see rain falling. Next to her, Gepetto smiled happily, and then he instructed her.
“Now, I want you to summon a torrential downpour!”
Naliah closed her eyes again. She let the same feeling come over, but this time, she intensified it. She felt a fury enter her mind, and heard the sound of rain pounding hard against the earth. Upon opening her eyes, Naliah saw that the weather was doing just as she had wanted.
“Using your powers will work the same for every other force of the weather.” Gepetto called over the sound of the rain.
“So, say I wanted to use lightning, I would simply focus on and channel lightning?” Naliah asked with the Puppet Man in mind.
Gepetto laughed. “Naliah, I know what you have in mind. You can’t just go chase after this man because of your personal revenge wants. But to answer your question, yes, all you need to do is focus on lightning, just like you did rain. However, I feel that something like lightning would be much more difficult to summon.”
The next few days went the same as that day had. Naliah and Gepetto would get ready in the mornings, train with Naliah’s powers, and then Naliah spent the rest of the day doing errands around Domremi or Gepetto’s house. In the evenings, after supper, Gepetto would teach Naliah something that he found important that day. After two weeks, Naliah would generate wind, rain, and thunder. She began to learn to shoot a bow and arrow, and was informed on topics that pertained to Gepetto’s daughter. Naliah wasn’t sure how much useful knowledge she was learning, but she was definitely being entertained.
*******
“Hmmm, so she has learned of her powers, has she?” The Puppet Man looked into the fire and pondered what to do, before motioning away the spy that had told her what he had just learned. “Huntress!” The Puppet Man called.
“Yes, leader; what is it?” The Huntress replied.
“I think it might just be time we take care of this little problem with the girl.” The Puppet Man hinted.
“You mean Nali…”
“Yes, that is who. You need to simply sneak into Domremi and take care of her.”
“So, Domremi it is. As long as that old fool Gepetto doesn’t get in the way, I am sure everything will go smoothly.” The Huntress pulled her hood over her head, and turned towards the door.
“Remember, you are the only one that knows my true identity! You are the only person who knows who I am under this mask. It would be better for you to take that secret to the grave than it would for me to know that you gave it to the enemy.” The Puppet Man yelled after their most trusted friend.
*******
Things were going great for Naliah until late one evening when she was doing her errands. She was walking along the street, back to Gepetto’s house, when she was approached by a woman. This woman wasn’t like most members of the community. Most of the women (other than Naliah) were short and plump housewives who wore brown houppelande. This woman was taller than Naliah and very slender, she was built much like Naliah. Her clothes weren’t like anything Naliah had ever seen. Instead of wearing a dress like all women did, this woman wore a two piece outfit of pants and a shirt, with leather gloves. That alone would make her an outcast in their society, but she also wore a cowl that hid most of her face. The two women were walking towards each other, until the bizarre woman stopped.
“Dear little Naliah,” She began. “I am afraid that I can’t let you interfere any longer. Your presence will only slow down our plan.” The mysterious woman brandished a dagger.
“Who are you?” Naliah snapped, dropping her bag and turning into a fighting stance.
“Oh, if only you were wise enough.” The mysterious woman replied before lunging at Naliah.
Naliah side stepped, and let her assailant land next to her. Naliah jabbed the woman hard in the ribs, but to no avail. This woman was strong and tough. Naliah’s hardest punch didn’t faze her.
“Sorry, sweetheart!” The woman mockingly sneered.
The woman moved swiftly, every time that Naliah tried to make a move, the woman was a step ahead of her. She was playing cat and mouse more than she was actually trying to kill Naliah. Naliah knew however, that this tantalizing game would only last so long before the woman got bored and tried to kill her.
“Help!” Naliah screamed, hoping for someone to come to her rescue. Unfortunately, most of the town was already beginning to shut down, and people were ready to stay in for the night, it was likely that no one would here her call. The woman was getting bored, and Naliah was about to give up hope. For several minutes, the woman kept Naliah from running, but now she was ready to kill.
She kicked Naliah hard in the stomach, knocking her back into a tree. With her left hand, the assailant pinned Naliah, then with the dagger in her right hand, the woman thrust her arm forward, ready to stab Naliah. Naliah closed her eyes and braced for the pain. To her surprise however, Naliah heard the woman grunt, and she released Naliah and stumbled back. Naliah looked at her and realized that there was an arrow stuck in the woman’s leg. Naliah looked over her shoulder and saw Gepetto a far way back. The woman grabbed the arrow and pulled it out of her leg. She brandished another dagger and was about to go in for a final strike, and unfortunately for Naliah, Gepetto was too far off to be able to save Naliah.
Lightning! Naliah thought. So far, she had only been able to summon wind and rain, with a little thunder. This time though, she needed lightning.
Adrenaline built up in her body; she felt her power pulsing. The attacker stepped back and gawked at Naliah, stunned by what she saw. A few moments later, the sound of thunder shook the ground, and the mysterious woman lie dead.
“Naliah! Naliah, are you okay?!” She heard Gepetto calling behind her. She turned around and realized that she was several feet off the ground, but as the adrenaline left her body, she lowered back to the earth.
“Gepetto, how did I just do that, and what is happening?” Naliah asked, scared and confused. She had just killed someone, and yet she felt no sorrow.
“Come on Naliah, I need you to get back to my house instantly. Bruce,” Gepetto began to call to a man who had seen what had happened. “I need you to get this body out of here before people see it, we can’t let terror fill Domremi.”
Gepetto grabbed Naliah by the arm and led her back to the house.
“Naliah, you are more powerful than I had thought.” Gepetto smiled.
“What is happening? Why did that woman attack me? I have never done anything to her.”
“The world is full of evil people who will do anything to get themselves ahead. That woman worked for the Puppet Man. But here is something you need to consider. He sent that woman to kill you, because he recognizes that you are a threat. He is scared! The coward is scared!” Gepetto began to pace back and forth, obviously joyous. Naliah laughed, but still felt horrible. The fact that this woman had just attacked Naliah, and was killed, made him happy.
“Gepetto, please, this isn’t funny! I don’t know what is going on. A woman just tried to kill me!”
“Oh, child, don’t worry about this.” Gepetto tried his best to comfort Naliah.
“Oh my goodness, I was just attacked by an assassin, whom I had to kill! How is that okay?” Naliah was beginning to get angry, but then realized something. “You are just a crazy old man. At least I have a psycho to help me.” She joked.
“There is still much about me that you don’t know!” He chuckled.
The rest of the evening Gepetto kept Naliah inside. He handed her several books that he said could be useful to her. Naliah wasn’t exactly a big fan of reading, and got bored quickly. After a few moments, she began to talk to Gepetto.
“So, I hear a lot about your daughter. Who is she? I mean, what does she do?”
Gepetto grinned before replying. “My daughter moved into the Zamiir region almost fifteen years ago. She trained for several years before moving there, as a swordswoman. She was quite talented, and wanted to go and train with the elite forces of the of the Belgar empire. You see, I am quite close to the king there, and he informed me that he was looking to start a special group that protected the king, and would love to have a trusted swordswoman on his side. So I sent her down there to learn.”
“Every month she writes to me, and tells me of how everything is there. As it turns out, she has become a very accomplished soldier. She even uncovered the Puppet Man’s plans to conquer our area. Without the espionage that she did, we wouldn’t have had any warning of the evil one’s plans. Many more would have died had our forces not had the warning.”
“Forces?” Naliah inquired, hoping to discover what Gepetto was talking about.
“Yes, because our lands aren’t under the control of any particular kingdom, we don’t have an army to protect us. So, we established a small militia to protect our people. Most don’t know about it because most people think that we are perfectly safe, and don’t have a need for an army. They would see our army and get worried. War and armies generally go hand in hand, you know. But, that is enough about me. So, tell me about yourself. Is there anything interesting about you, or in your family history?”
“I wish!” Naliah chuckled. “The only thing interesting in a good way is that I can control the weather. My mother was kidnapped ten years ago. I don’t remember much about it. Actually, I don’t even remember it at all. Everything from those days is blurry in my memory. As you know, my father was murdered not so long ago. As for my family history, it is nothing spectacular. I come from a long line of nobodies. Most families have at least one ancestor who did something important, but not mine.”
“I have a feeling that you are very important, Naliah.”
“Thanks Gepetto, but it takes more than a ‘special power’ to make someone important or special even. I might do something once, but I will never go down in history as someone of importance.” Naliah was convinced that she would never really amount to much, just like everyone else in her family.
For several weeks, Gepetto kept Naliah close by his side. He told her that he might have once been an elite warrior, but he didn’t want to not be able to help Naliah if she got attacked again. He told many fascinating stories from when he was a younger man, and his days in the great army of the lands west of their region. After several of his detailed stories, Naliah learned a lot about the brutality of war and the strategy behind a winning battle. Gepetto even began to teach her how to wield a sword, but Naliah was far better with a bow and arrow.
It was one evening, almost two months after the assassin attack, which Naliah and Gepetto were working on swordsmanship in Gepetto’s living room. Naliah could brandish her powers very easily, and more complex feats of her power she could now accomplish. If that wasn’t enough, she had become pretty good with a bow. Gepetto told her that in the Western region she would be known as a ‘master’ with a bow, and the only ranking higher was ‘royalty’.
“Good Naliah, good, now, parry!” Gepetto instructed as he carefully jabbed his sword forward.
Naliah parried quickly and tried to thrust her sword towards Gepetto, only to be deflected. Gepetto may have been old, but he was definitely still quick.
At that moment, a man burst through the door. He was large and burly, with a scar on his cheek.
“Gepetto, it’s time!” The man yelled as he entered the room.
“Brom, are you sure? The puppet’s hunter just attacked Naliah. How can it be this early?” Gepetto questioned, the joy leaving his eyes.
“Yes! Their army has already begun to come together. I have started assembling the troops; we plan on meeting his forces at Kiltar Pass, near the Ruins of Shadow.” The man, Brom stated.
“Thank you General Belgar.” Gepetto replied.
“Wait; did you say ‘Belgar’?” Naliah inquired.
“Ahh, young Naliah! I see that you have grown in your powers since I last saw you.” He began. “I know that you may think you have never seen me, but after your father was killed, I was the woman that brought you here to Domremi.”
Naliah looked blankly at Brom Belgar, stunned and confused at what he said. She was brought to Domremi by a woman that looked like a gypsy, not a man.
“You see,” he continued. “I am what is known as a mage; meaning that I use magic. I had thought that after a man had just killed your father, I might be intimidating. To solve this problem, I used my magic to cloak myself to look like a woman. I had thought that a woman would be much less scary than some strange man.”
“Well, thank you for bringing me here. Anyway, did you say that you were going to stop the Puppet Man?” Naliah continued to ask questions.
“Naliah, you just learned how to summon lightning. I don’t think that you are ready to go to battle.” This time, it was Gepetto talking.
“If you don’t trust my powers, then give me a bow and arrow!” Revenge was on Naliah’s mind. “This man killed my father; I am going to do everything that I can to stop him!”
“If you must come, take this bow.” Brom Belgar smiled, pulling out a bow from under his desk. “It was mine. It was rewarded to me by the great emperor Sha’mina. Every arrow that you shoot will vanquish darkness! It is known as the Bow of Light, and no weapon is better at exorcising evil creatures.”
“Thank you.” Naliah accepted the bow with a smile, and then went to get the arrows she had been given by Gepetto.
“Come, we must move with haste, if we are to make it in time!” Brom Belgar turned and left the house.
Naliah followed close in his wake, her quiver strapped over her shoulder, and the Bow of Light in her hand. She had expected to find a horse waiting outside the door, but instead found a hippogriff. Naliah had only heard of hippogriffs in stories of mythology, and had heard that they were real, but had never figured that she would see one in real life.
“Hippogriffs are faster than horses and more powerful than lions!” Brom exclaimed. “I’m afraid that I only have one though, so it looks like you are going to have to ride with me.”
“What about Gepetto?” Naliah asked.
“He has aged past his prime. He no longer enters the battlefield, except in certain circumstances.” He replied.
Brom mounted the beautiful creature and helped Naliah up. Once the two were in the air, travel was smooth. They flew over Domremi, and moved quickly over the several miles that spanned the gap between Domremi and Kiltar. Naliah and Brom landed in Kiltar, where many soldiers were beginning to group together. Brom hopped off the hippogriff first, and then helped down Naliah.
“You need armor.” Brom said to Naliah as they strolled past several groups of soldiers. “Luckily, we have just what you need.”
Brom led Naliah into a small building, where two women sat inside.
“Naliah, these are my armor experts.” Brom introduced Naliah to the women. “They will suite you up with everything that you need.”
For several minutes, the two older women questioned Naliah about her power, and what all she planned on doing. They weren’t pleasant women like those of Domremi, but they were very intelligent and new exactly how to best suite Naliah. By the time Naliah exited the building, she was completely armored. The women had decided that because she was a mage and an archer, her hands were important. She wore light gauntlets that came up almost to her elbows. Her fingers were completely exposed and free. To protect her chest and abdomen, she wore a chain mail breastplate that was adorned by silver pauldrons. She didn’t have any special armor for her legs, just a skirt that allowed her to move freely and quickly. Over her shoulders, she still had her quiver of arrows, and cradled her bow in her hand.
Brom was waiting outside for Naliah.
“You remind me so much of Gepetto’s daughter. The only difference is that she used a sword.”
“When does this battle start? I am as ready as I am ever going to be.” Naliah was ready to settle her score with the Puppet Man.
“We are rallying the last of the troops now, and then we move into Kiltar pass.” Brom replied.
The troops were assembled into their different platoons. The only soldiers that were not ranked into the groups were Brom, Naliah, and several other leading generals. From Kiltar, into the Kiltar pass, the army walked in formation. As they approached, they could see that their entry to the pass was not a favorable one. The opposing army had the height advantage, and more natural barriers.
“Sir!” One of the infantry rode up to Brom and the generals. “We have no tactical advantages. If we charge in there, it is as good as suicide! What if we wait in Kiltar, and let them make the move against us? Then we would have a chance.”
“What about the people of Kiltar though? While we were there, they seemed scared to see us coming down the streets.” Naliah butted in, concerned.
“Look, young lady, war is a man’s business. Sometimes, you simply have to take chances. So, unless you can come up with a better strategy, I would advise you to stay back.” One of the generals smirked.
“Your pride shows your insolence!” Naliah started. “As a matter of fact, I could come up with a better strategy. I say, get our archers where if the wind was in our favor, they would be most effective. I’ll use my powers to change the direction of the wind, sending the arrows exactly where they need to go. Then I will use my powers to distract the remaining enemies to the left flank, while the main group charges up the right. Finally, after we have wiped out most of the other army, our entire army punches through the last of their soldiers, giving us the victory.”
The generals all stared blankly at Naliah. None of them had expected for the young, pretty girl to come up with a strategy that just might win the battle. It was a great plan that definitely increased their chances of winning. Naliah was confident that her plan was good, but still worried if her plan would work, or if she was leading these men to their death.
“My people and I are enemies of the Puppet Man also.” They heard an unknown voice from behind the generals and Naliah.
Upon turning, they saw a man that was slightly shorter than Naliah, but thin and muscular. His most peculiar feature was that he had a tail like a wolf.
“So, a few weeks ago I save you, and now you devise a plan to stop our enemy. I am impressed.” He chuckled while looking at Naliah.
So, you’re the wolf! Naliah thought to herself.
“Thank you, Mr. umm….” She began.
“You couldn’t call me by my real name unless you spoke the beast tongue. So, you can call me Kane.”
“Well, thank you Mr. Kane. How many men do you have?” Naliah was hoping for a large number.
“Men, I have none; wolves, lions, and falcons however I have a legion with me. The Track people always move in large numbers when hunting a common enemy.”
Not Canus then, but Track. Something else I have to add to my list allies. Naliah reflected on the moment the great wolf had saved her.
“After you direct the arrows where they need to go, my falcons will follow. They might be of the bird species, but don’t underestimate them. They are fast and strong; more than a match for any of the Puppet Man’s peons.”
The plan was finalized. The soldiers moved in position, and the opposing army was visible in the Kiltar Pass. With Naliah and Kane leading the men, they commenced attack. Naliah (by means of the adrenaline of battle pulsing through her body) summoned the perfect wind with ease. The archers took aim and unleashed two waves of arrows. They hit their marks, taking out many of the Puppet’s soldiers. The arrows were then followed by a group of hawks. They (like Kane) were larger and more powerful than their common counterparts.
Now, Naliah was up. She sprinted toward the pass, her bow and quiver strapped tightly to her back. As she got closer to the enemy army, she realized that very few of the Puppet Man’s soldiers were human. There were monsters and witches, along with gnomes and few creatures that looked like people, but had no expression on their faces, or life in their bodies. Several men rushed at her, only to be stopped by a volley of lightning bolts. Somehow, she used her power to almost fly through the air, spinning and unleashing a large amount of lightning. Naliah took out many of the opposing soldiers and brought a lot of attention to her instead of the regular cavalry and infantry that began to work their way up the right side of the pass. She worked her way up the left side of the pass, following her plan with precision. As the bulk of the enemies shifted left to stop Naliah, the main group of soldiers, along with lions and wolves, came up on the right side, wiping out most of the opposing army.
Those that remained alive turned and retreated into the Ruins of the Shadow. The soldiers let out a cheer of victory. But as they did, Kane ran up to Naliah.
“We can’t let him get away. My largest of Hawks is going to pick you up and carry you back to where the retreating army is going. That is where the Puppet Man will be. We must stop him! I will meet you there.”
At this, Kane morphed into his wolf form. Naliah saw that this was for sure the wolf that had saved her the night her father had died. From behind her, Naliah heard a screech, and was picked up by a large bird. Luckily, the bird was large enough that it could hold Naliah in his talons without hurting her. From the air, Naliah saw her mark. The hawk came down, and set Naliah down a little ways from the Puppet Man.
Naliah instantly grabbed her bow and drew back an arrow.
“Oh, are you going to do that? Naliah, you wouldn’t want to harm your father would you?”
From behind the smiling Puppet Man, Naliah’s father appeared. His skin had lost his color, and was a dull grey. His face was cut and bruised, and he looked like one of the creatures that Naliah had seen when racing up the hill. The only real difference was that his face looked like that of her father.
“You see Naliah, when I kill someone; I can trap them here on this world and bend them to my every whim.” The evil Puppet Man motioned towards Naliah’s father.
Naliah began to lower her bow, when she remembered Brom’s words, ‘Every arrow you shoot will vanquish the darkness.’ She drew her bow back again, and let an arrow fly. The arrow wasn’t aimed at the Puppet Man, but at her father. Upon hitting him, there was a flash of light and her father dropped to his knees.
“Thank you, Naliah. You have freed me. I am so proud.” He gasped before falling to the ground.
“Well, you were able to free your father from my curse, but can you shoot your mother, who is under no curse.” As he said this, his voice got higher. He reached his gloved hand towards his face, and pulled off his mask. The face was one that Naliah had seen many times before; her mother’s.
“You are lucky that Brom has been watching you! You see, that wise old fool had sensed something ten years ago when I had tried to kill you the first time. I had just learned of your powers, and my lead witches scryed into the future and sensed that you would be a problem. So, I had no choice but to kill you. Brom Belgar used his magic to stop me and then made you forget about what had happened. Had he not intervened, you would be dead, and I would already have conquered this region! Now it is time for me to finish what I had started ten years ago.”
She drew out her sword and ran at Naliah. She was almost upon the perplexed Naliah when Kane leapt over her head, meeting Naliah’s mother. Naliah knew what was happening, so she turned and walked away, to the top of the pass, and looked out over the land. She had gone from a helpless damsel, to the savior of her people. She no longer had a mother, or father, but what she did have was something greater. Naliah had just become a hero. Her name would go down in history as the first woman to ever save a nation. By the time the next kingdom rose, Naliah would be a name that inspired and empowered all her knew her tale. She was a hero.







EPILOGUE
The region in which Naliah lived had been at peace for several years now. She decided to leave Domremi and her village, and her painful memories behind. Naliah had moved into the eastern area of the Belgar Empire. There, she lived like royalty. The people revered her as a great and powerful woman. Every time something began to disturb the peace, Naliah would intervene and put a stop to it immediately.
“It’s hard to think that it has already been two years since the Battle of Kiltar. Our region is finally at peace now. All thanks to you.” Her husband smiled, putting his arms around her.
“You had a big part in that Kane.” She smiled back.
“Mommy! Daddy! There’s a group of pirates that just came to shore!” A little voice informed the two.
Naliah grabbed her armor, and Kane shifted into his wolf form.
“Just another day as the happy couple.” Naliah smiled as she looked lovingly at her husband, and then, they were off.