DETAIL
1104 Words
-Talk to me! – The Argantean King barked as soon as he yanked the door open, revealing his naked figure to the man standing behind it.
-S-Sir – The crimson-attired soldier awkwardly mumbled as he immediately averted his sight from the pale naked torso of the monarch and pointedly ignored the presence of his female peer inside the chamber – We've got news, the intruders are here.
-Here where? I want every little detail! – Ghroghl demanded to know impatiently, reaching for his wrinkled trousers, and swiftly putting them on, while he wandered restlessly around the room, grabbing his weapons.
-They're hiding at Nadhei's coast and preparing to attack, according to the girl – The warrior sternly informed him.
-Which girl? – Jashka abruptly intervened, and the emissary noticed with surprise that the female soldier was already completely dressed and fully armed, before the woman stormed out of the room without waiting for a reply, followed closely behind by the blond man.
The pale teenager was kneeling shakily in front of a nonplussed Ahau, who looked cautiously at her from up his former throne when the Argantean regent and his bodyguard loudly entered the hall.
-What is this? – Ghroghl inquired in his thick accent, nodding at the stranger prostrated on the floor and flanked by a pair of Crimson guards, then staring expectantly at the old man – Who is that?
-She says her name is Giankha – The ex-ruler hesitantly explained, giving him the most contemptuous of looks, making obvious the disdain he felt towards the visitor – One of our soldiers found her at the beach half-dead earlier this morning and mistook her for one of your girls.
-Naturally – The foreign monarch grunted with annoyance –Why would I expect anything different from your racist men?
-That was only his first impression – The Lowlander dryly responded – But that soon changed when he noticed that her Argantean was not as fluent as he had anticipated, and after having some trouble communicating with her, she finally was able to tell him that she was with Ulgiak's crew… And that she had escaped.
-Is that sooo? What a convenient thing to say! – Ghroghl chanted in a suspicious tone, stomping his feet towards the terrified looking prisoner, and switching to his mother tongue while delicately pulling her chin up – But how do I know that Ulgiak isn't the one behind this supposed escape of yours, trying to set us up?
-You can’t, Sir, but that is the truth – The woman bluntly replied, staring defiantly into his clear eyes and holding the king’s penetrating sight.
- All right… Giankha – The monarch finally announced in a merry voice, letting her face go – You get one shot to convince us… So, better make it count.
-First, I need to know that you will protect my mother and get her safely off that monster’s claws when the time comes – The girl pleaded intently – That’s all I want.
-That’s funny – The Argantean scoffed – You seem to think that you are in a position to make demands here… That is definitely not the case, sweetie. Either you give us something worth reconsidering your presence in this room, or you die.
-I’m Alhona's daughter – Giankha proclaimed, letting the phrase linger in the air between them and the meaning sink into his head – The woman because of whom Ulgiak is the revered leader that he is today.
-Oh, do you mean the wacko cultist that infected everyone with the stupid idea that Uligak was a savior and made them kill thousands in his name! – Ghroghl sarcastically corrected her – How is that supposed to matter to me in any way?
-She is just sick – Giankha protested ardently, uselessly fighting against her restraints – She needs help!
-And I can tell! – The monarch scoffed, rolling his eyes – The woman is clearly not right in the head! But then again, how is that relevant? Or why should I care about her?
-Because people still trust her and whatever she says! – The girl cried out passionately – If you don’t want an unnecessary slaughter, she is the key to ending this with the minimum bloodshed!
-I can’t trust a lunatic – The ruler dismissively chuckled – Besides, a little bloodshed is inevitable every now and then.
-She is not a lunatic! – The youngster cried out – And I promise you I can handle her! We just need to trap him before it is too late!
-How did you escape? – Ghroghl wondered aloud with curiosity. Suddenly changing the subject and looking intently at her.
-He makes us scout the terrain in pairs – She began recounting – I located a cliff with a hidden cave behind a massive cascade and kept the discovery to myself. Later that day, as we were heading back to the campsite, my partner said that she was going to pee, and I saw my chance was there.
Giankha shook her head with a bitter smirk, sadly recalling the moment with a hint of regret.
-She heard me scream in terror. So, she thought I had slipped and fallen into the sea from that deadly height – She contritely continued to say - I listened to her panicked voice, desperately sobbing and yelling my name through the uproar of the water curtain while I cowered behind it for what seemed like hours, until she finally gave up and went looking for help.
-So, now they all think you are dead, is that what you’re saying? – Ghroghl deduced, tilting his head with narrowed eyes at her – According to your story, Ulgiak has no idea of your betrayal yet.
-He doesn’t – Giankha nodded at him unenthusiastically – And I’m not proud of traumatizing my poor innocent friend, but I knew it was the only way.
-Why? – The Argantean ruler asked, staring at her with a bit of amusement and a lot of genuine interest.
-Because I didn’t have the guts to kill him myself in the end – She mumbled in shame – So, instead, I feigned my death.
-Don’t you see it, Whitey boy! – Ahau unexpectedly chimed in a rough, but clearly enough spoken Argantean to make Ghroghl give him an unintentional appreciation grin – That girl wants us to take care of the problem for her. So, the question here is, are we?
-Maybe – Ghroghl playfully pondered, raising a heedful eyebrow at him – But we ought to corroborate that ludicrous story she told us first.
- Writer
