Kingdoms End
Chapter 22

As the car sped through the streets of Kullup, Marco and Lord Haavik witnessed the mantis men slaughtering innocent Halo-Bir citizens and visitors seeking transport off the planet. The mantis men were not necessarily all over the city, but where they weren’t seen, sights greeted the eyes which proved that they had only recently been there.

“Why would these people do this?” Marco asked. “Perhaps they seek to wipe out all life in Halo-Bir and repopulate it with people of their own race,” Lord Haavik replied. “I was such an idiot to my daughter,” he added, changing the topic. “I just hope she does not run into these strange people before we replace her.” “If she does, at least she has an elf guard blade with her,” Marco stated. “I did not own one of those,” Lord Haavik spoke. “How did she get one?” “She said the Elf lord of Meryn who had been a visitor at your house had found her trying to escape from your premises after you humiliated her in their presence the previous night. He had helped her escape and gave her the blade,” Marco explained. “I cannot blame him,” Greg said in a sad voice. “We will replace her,” Marco reassured him. Greg nodded and kept his eyes forward.

The car went through the open gates of the city and sped along the tarred road leading away from the city. “Get off the road here and head east,” Marco directed and Greg obeyed.

The time now was 09:02 and Lizandra was walking by the side of the tarred road which led from Kullup to the town of Osmo if followed straight and could still bring one to other cities if he/she turned at junctions. She was heading back towards Kullup now. “I must get back to Kullup,” she thought aloud. “Hopefully, Lady Tenna and her family will still be there and will still be willing to take me with them. Lady Meliss might hate me, but better her hatred than the dangers Sir Marco spoke of on these trails.” The morning sun was up and the girl was sweating. There was a whooshing sound from above and suddenly, she heard the sound of something striking the road hard behind her. She turned around and came face-to-face with a mantis man. She knew nothing of the race and the man was not in his second form. She was not sure if to fear him, or be relieved it wasn’t some monster. He was very tall she noted, too tall, but not as tall as she’d expect a giant to be.

“Good morning, sir,” the girl greeted. She had on leather leggings and a knee-length, blue blouse of light material. The man stood still for awhile and Lizandra wondered what would happen next, then he drew a pole from his belt and it generated a battle axe of pink light. Lizandra suddenly felt a little tingle in her right thigh and a blue light stretched out from where the elf guard blade tattoo was on her skin, then it formed a male elf warrior of blue light, the dagger in his hand. The elf warrior was 6ft tall and he attacked the mantis man without any attempt at negotiating. “Run!” the elf of blue light said as he charged at the semi-giant.

Lizandra had never seen the elf guard blade work before and seeing it now, it was magic, powerful magic. The elf had told her to run, he was fighting the tall man now. “Would it not be cowardice to leave him?” she asked herself, then the mantis man transformed, his armoured skin emerging and his mantis blades growing out of his back. Sight of the tall man’s new form was too much for Lizandra. The turned around and fled, going off the tarred road.

The girl turned around and, continuing toward the city of Kullup. She looked back and saw her light elf guardian still battling the tall man. The elf was good, very good; then another mantis man appeared on the horizon to the behind her. “Where do they come from?” she asked herself and as she was looking behind and running forward, she tripped and fell. She scraped her palms in an attempt to soften her fall with her hands. She sat up and looked at her slightly bleeding palms. Tears came to her eyes now and she wiped them with the back of her hands. She got to her feet and her tears were flowing now.

She slung the hand of her travelling bag over her left shoulder and was looked back at her light elf defender. He had moved off the road now and was engaging both mantis men. He’d moved to put himself in the path of the second mantis man who’d been coming for Lizandra. She looked west and was running again, crying as she went. Her bags were slowing her down, but she needed what they contained, then she saw dust up ahead. A vehicle was coming, it as not on the tarred road and was speeding.

Lizandra began running toward the car, waving her arms above her head as she went. The car got closer, she could see that it was a beautiful vehicle, built to be exotic and fast. She stopped running right in the car’s path and kept waving her arms, crying. The vehicle stopped 20ft away from her and two people got out of it. The first person she recognized was her father, Lord Greg Haavik.

“My child!” the lord exclaimed, running toward his daughter, but his daughter, a sheathed sword in his right hand. Lizandra backed away from the oncoming man, so he stopped moving. Greg dropped to his knees immediately. “I am so sorry my child,” he apologised. Lizandra just kept crying. “Lizandra?” called the other person who’d gotten also gotten down from the vehicle and that was when she realized it was Marco.

Marco came up to her and she didn’t back away. “You said your father was insane, my dear,” he told the child. “He is recovered now and wishes nothing but love for you.” “But he humiliated ne before all those people,” the child said amidst sobs. “My own father said I was no mote than a means to an end.” “I was in darkness, my child,” Lord Haavik spoke. “You cannot imagine what it felt like and I will make sure you never have to suffer like I did. Come home, my firstborn.” Lizandra looked fixedly at her father now. “What did you call me?” she asked. “I heard Queen Zurnich call you by that title severally, then I also heard you tell Linus that it was what everyone called you back at Mareda. They can call you that name all they want, my child, but you will only ever truly be mine and your late mother’s true firstborn,” Lord Haavik explained, tears in his eyes. “My father!” the girl exclaimed, then let her travelling bag fall from her shoulder as she ran towards the kneeling lord.

Lord Haavik caught his daughter in his arms and for the first in a very long time, he felt love for someone. His wife, Merri, was dead, but he had a beautiful daughter to live for now. “You will be my everything now, Lizzy,” he whispered. The girl pulled back so she could look him in the face. “Lizzy,” she said, “only my mother ever called me that,” she said with a smile.” “Then it is only right that the second person to call you by it should be your father,” the lord replied. Both of them were crying and smiling. “I love, Lizzy,” he told her. “I love you, father,” she replied. “Father,” he spoke, “no one ever called me that.” Both of them laughed now.

Marco had tears in his eyes from just watching these two, a blue moved towards Lizandra and entered the side of her right thigh. Everyone noticed the light and the girl had felt it. “The guard is defeated,” Marco and Lord Haavik said in unison. The lord rose to his feet, his child’s hand in one of his own. They saw the two mantis men coming for them now. “They killed my light elf,” Lizandra complained. “It didn’t die, Lizzy,” her father corrected her, “It was defeated and needs to recharge for awhile but then it will be ready to defend you again,” Marco added. Lord Haavik let go pf his daughter’s hand now and raised his left Han to look at the rings on it. His attention was on the one transparent ting there. “Pu emtri,” he chanted and the ring lit up with a dull, yellow glow. “Hold this, Lizzy,” he told her, offering the sword sheath. Lizzy, as her father now called her, held the sheath and he drew the sword from it. It was a beautiful, blue sword, the same one he’d used I defending Lord Berron’s castle at Mareda those many weeks ago.

“No, you and your daughter must flee,” Marco stated. “We are not leaving you,” Lord Haavik argued. “House Haavik breeds no cowards,” Lizzy added. Marco turned to the girl and smiled. “Neither you nor your father is a coward, dear,” he told her. “But if we all fight here, then we all die here and what good would that do anyone?” He looked at the father now. “I disobeyed my sisters and came out here to save your daughter. The child does not have to die. Let not my actions be in vain. Leave Setuh, replace my family and just give them the life you would give your own.” Lord Greg saw the sense in what the younger man said. “I will forever remember you, Marco......” Greg drew out the end, waiting for Marco to complete it. “I have no last name, sir,” Marco informed him, “Me and my people are orphans.” “Then I give you my last name and will do the same to your family, as you have done what only family would do for another,” Lord Haavik stated. “Goodbye, Marco Haavik,” Lizzy said, hugging Marco. “You should go now,” Marco stated. The girl let go and Marco drew his sword. “Have mine,” Lord Haavik told him, offering him his blue blade. “It has been with my family for as long as anyone can recall.” “I could not take away such from your family, sir,” Marco argued. “You are my family now,” the lord told him, then pushed the sword him into Marco’s free hand. Lizzy gave him the sheath.

Lord Haavik took his daughter’s hand and wanted to pull her, but she stoped him. “My travelling bag,” she complained. “We can buy you new things when we return home, Lizzy,” her father stated. “I have important things in there,” she stated, picking up the bag. Lord Haavik collected the bag from her and taking her hand once more, ran toward the car. The mantis men had not been running, thus the great time it took them to get to where Marco stood. “You bloodthirsty monsters!!” Marco yelled, running at them, two swords in his hands.

Greg and his daughter got into the car. Lizzy sat with her bags in her laps, then she took out the gifts from inside her travelling bag and transferred them to her backpack, while her father spun the car around and sped towards Kullup. Lizzy stuck her hard out the window and looked back at Marco who fought the mantis men. She saw him drive the blue blade through one mantis man and the semi -giant fell dead to the floor. Tears came back to her eyes. How someone she’d only met the two nights ago was so willing to give his life for hers.

The time now was 10:30 and Lord Haavik’s car just went through west gates of Kullup. As they entered the city, all was silence. There was blood and corpses everywhere. The mantis men had killed everything. “By the gods!” Lizzy exclaimed. “What happened here, father?” “Those strange men you ran into out there,” Lord Haavik replied. “They were here in Kullup when Marco and I left. I left Bruttites to watch over our vessel and just pray it’s still there when we get back. “Why would any race do something like this?” the girl asked. “They seem to be attempting to eradicate all life here and repopulate it with their people,” he replied. “But can they not share?” “Not everyone enjoys sharing, my darling,” he informed her.

The car made a bend now and entered to the road which ended at the entrance to the terminal. “We are almost there,” Lord Haavik told his daughter. He sped forward and into the terminal. There were some mantis men left and a small cluster of them blocked the archway into the landing bay where the Haavik vessel waited.

“If they cluster the entrance, then our soldiers still stand and our vessel still waits,” Lord Haavik said, smiling broadly. Lizzy placed a hand on his own which held the steering wheel. “I will inform Linus of our arrival.” The lord pushed a button on the dashboard of the car. “Linus, Lizzy and I are on our way to the vessel now,” he spoke. “_By the gods. I am so glad to hear your voice again, Greg,_” came Linus voice from a small speaker in the dashboard. “_You call her Lizzy now?_” “Yes, I call her Lizzy now, she is my daughter,” Greg said, laughing. “Greetings, Master Linus,” Lizzy spoke. “_Firstborn!!! How could you just run away like that?_” “We are approaching the ar heat now, but there seem to be some giants in the way., Linus. We cannot get through.” “_I shall remedy that_” Linus replied. “_Stay back for I am going to blow up one of our vehicles_” he warned.

Lord Haavik stopped the car about three hundred feet away from the cluster. Twelve seconds later, there was a loud explosion and the mantis men were blown away from the archway, the top of which was also destroyed. “Now, we head home,” Lord Haavik spoke, shooting the car forward, but as the smoke cleared, they saw that one mantis man had not been blown away. Rather than stop the car, Lord Haavik accelerated. “Put on your seatbelt, Lizzy,” he said, dragging and locking his own with one hand. Lizzy did as her father said and they sped at the mantis man who turned now and saw them coming.

The mantis man didn’t move or show any sign of fear, he just stood his ground, his mantis-blades pointed upwards. As the car got to the semi-giant, he brought down his mantis blades, stuck them under the vehicle and flipped it sideways. The car made three and a half complete sideways rotations and finally landed on its head.

Lord Haavik undid his seatbelt and fell on his back. He looked up at his child and she was unscathed, but for a little cut at the side of her left brow. “Are you alright, father?” the girl asked and the man laughed. “She asks me if I am alright,” he said, undoing her seatbelt. Lizandra fell on her father. “I cushioned your fall,” he told her and it was her turn to laugh. “We should get out fast,” he spoke next. He tried her door and it opened.

Lord Haavik got out of the car and helped his daughter do the same. She only had her backpack with her now and she quickly put it on her back. The mantis man who had flipped their car still stood in their way. Lord Haavik collected a sword from the back of the car, then he went before the semi-giant. “Let my child pass, she can offer you no worthy competition. Fight me alone,” he challenged. The mantis man actually smiled and pointed his pink light sword to the ground, resting his hands on the butt of it, while his mantis blades were crossed above his head. “She may pass,” the semi-giant spoke.

Lord Haavik took off his transparent ring and slipped it onto his daughter’s left ring finger. “Your mother gave it to me when we loved each other.,” he informed her. “I do not mean to slander her before you, but you need to know this. She was the one who ended our relationship. I believe she discovered she was pregnant and she panicked. I swear that I would have married her, but she kept me away and I do not blame her for she was only scared, just as we both are scared now.” Lizandra nodded her head slowly in understanding. “Find Marco’s family, give them our name and let our family live on through you all,” he told her. “What about you, father?” she asked. “Please go to the vessel, Lizzy.” “No!” the girl argued. “Go child, your father will be with you shortly,” the mantis man told her. “Promise?” she asked him and the man nodded in reply.

Lizandra dragged her father down and kisses his forehead, then ran past the mantis man. The mantis man and Lord Haavik watched Lizandra until she was in Linus’ arms. The mantis man raised his sword and his mantis blades uncrossed themselves. “Thank you,” Lord Haavik told the mantis man. “We are no monsters,” the semi-giant replied. “We either take this world or our people die.” “Now, we fight?” Lord Haavik asked. “I gave my word to your daughter and my people keep their word,” the man replied. “Though I did not give my word that I would let any others live or that I would let that vessel leave the ground,” he added, looking behind. “Then I must stop you,” Greg stated, swinging his sword at the man.

Lizandra heard the fighting and turned around to replace her father fighting the mantis man. “He gave his word!” she screamed and wanted to run back to the scene of the fight, but Linus grabbed her from behind and carried her up the ramp. She struggled against him, she was a child, then she realised that the soldiers around them were Bruttites, her family’s over-loyal fighters. “I command you all to hold down Master Linus,” she said and the bruttites immediately moved to do as ordered.

Once Linus was held down, Lizzy turned back and saw her father looking at her. The mantis man wasn’t attacking her father. “Go!” Lord Haavik yelled to her. “Not without you!!” she yelled back. “He will keep his word to do me no harm, but hs intends to kill the others and stop the vessel from leaving!” Greg yelled at his child. “His fellows come already!” as he said that he pointed at two mantis men running towards him from behind. “They made us no promise, Lizzy. They will kill is both!” “I am not leaving without you!” the girl yelled again, crying. She turned to a Bruttite. “Tell the pilots this vessel does not move unless I say so,” she told him. The bruttite bowed and left to do as ordered.

She heard sword clangs again and turned to replace her father fighting three mantis men now. He had his back to her and was keeping them from coming into the landing bay. He was a very gold fighter. Faced with six blades and still he stood his ground. He got in many cuts and stabs and would have killed all three mantis men if they weren’t so invincible. He couldn’t even break their skin. “Go, Lizzy!!!” he yelled without looking back. “No!!!” the girl yelled.

Lord Haavik knew his child would not leave without him and that if he tries running to the vessel, the tall men would beat him to it, thus he did the only thing he knew would save his daughter, he gave his life for hers. He turned to face the girl, spread his arms and let his sword fall from his hand. “I lobe you,” he mouthed, then the mantis blade burst out from his chest, but it didn’t belong to the mantis man who’d given his word. That mantis man had stood by his word to the end.

Lizzy screamed like a wild animal, while Linus yelled at the Bruttites, “You swore to Lord Haavik to protect his daughter. Now move this vessel!!” The door began rising shut and the vessel began lifting off the floor. Lizandra watched her father’s body get tossed to the ground and two of the three mantis men ran toward the vessel, then the door shut.

The vessel lifted fast, before the mantis men could get go it. Lizandra put her back against a wall and pressed to her lips, the ring her father had given her, all she had left of him and her mother. She wept profusely and the message their engineer brought to them only made things worse.

The engineer entered the hangar where Lizandra sat crying. “Lady Haavik, I bring bad news,” he said with s bow. “Then we will hear nothing of it,” Linus replied. “Say it!” Lizzy barked, countering Linus’ order. “Our planet, Huberg has been overrun by these strange people also and so have Manroh and Voon. Guurjey is the only safe haven now.” “What about my stepfather and siblings and Queen Zurnich and her family?” Lizzy asked. “We have no word of them and only very few vessels left Huberg after the invaders arrived,” the engineer replied. “We assume them all dead until it is proven otherwise,” he added.

“I am all alone,” Lizandra spoke he gently. “No you are not, firstborn,” Linus countered her. “You have the Bruttites. You have me. You family has investments on Guurjey. You even own a manor in the capital city of a Queendom there named Amneh, alongside three other cities, their business capital, Zerba, included.” “I am all alone,” Lizandra repeated, her tears starting afresh. Linus went and sat by the girl. He held her close and she wept with her head against his chest.

Linus looked up at the engineer. “Tell the navigator, we go to the capital city of the Queendom, Amneh,” he ordered. “Yes, sir,” the engineer replied, then turned and left. Lizzy raised her head and looked at Linus ′ face. “When we get to Guurjey, I want you to replace the ladies who had been with man that led my father to me,” she spoke. “As you wish, firstborn,“Linus replied with a smile. “My parents used to called me Lizzy,” the girl said, bursting into fresh tears at the end of the sentence.