THE TROJAN THRONE

(THE FALL OF MANKIND)

A MAN WHO STOPPED AT NOTHING TO ACHIEVE HIS GOAL AND A SON WHO STOPPED AT NOTHING TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT!

THE TROJAN THRONE (THE FALL OF MANKIND)

SHEKARI RICHARD

In a time and a world only known to and by that world, a young orphan named Ushbah saved king Boluah of Hormania who was ambushed by twenty three assassins on his way back from Vwoz. This boy though only six years old single handedly and somehow miraculously killed these assassins with a sling shot and twenty four stones. Dazzled by the young man s strength, courage and loyalty, king Boluah who lost fifty guards in the event crowned this young orphan Prince of Hormania for the kings forty wives bore him not a son! As time fold its wings, king Boluah joined his ancestors and as according to his command and will young Prince Ushbah was crowned king of Hormania at the age of thirteen, seven days after king boluah s demise. It took the young king Ushbah sixty seven days to raise six thousand foot soldiers, six thousand naval officers and six thousand archers as well.

With the best commanders in all of the kingdoms, it took king Ushbah only a hundred and fifty nine days and nights to conquer and join together the eight neighboring kingdoms around him without losing a single man in all of the battles. When the young king finally turned eighteen, his new bride went missing four days after their wedding. The following morning, her dead-burnt body was found lying by the city s gate, she was recognized by her crown and bangles both melted to her skin with a message written on a white piece of clothe tied to her wrist. A message from a king, whose kingdom was only two thousand five hundred and fifty five days away from Hormania, a place known as the Tsoran island! Three years later, king Ushbah and Blitmus of Ishmul his right hand man set sail with one third of his best soldiers and commanders and after battling with heavy storm, wind and heavy waves in the sea of Urza, on the two thousandth five hundred and fifty third day they finally arrived their destination two hours after sunset losing only a hundred and seven ships! As king Ushbah sets his foot on the beach of the Tsoran island , the wet sandy beach starts to steam up. He bent and fetched a handful of sand, turned to his men and said if there is any rock that breaths or a wall that moves kill it kill them all!!! like a thousand ants surrounding a dead cockroach, his men took siege of the Tsora, and as ordered by their king the men did what they were good at, and without hesitation they silently and secretly swept everything on their path horses, goats, cows men, women and children! Unknown to the royal family and the noble men, entertainers and guards at the Tsoran palace, a great feast which was held annually was at its climax. The Tsoran palace which is situated at the central heart of the city is now surrounded by thousands of Hormanian soldiers. King Ushbah and Blitmus of Ishmul took five hundred abled soldiers with them and made a furious entrance into the Tsoran palace cutting the heads from the bodies of all that moved and breath. King Jariel of Tsora, his Queen dressed in brown silk material with a golden crown and diamond dangling from her crown which covered her face were both sitted on their throne watching with terror the horrors unleashed by king Ushbah and his men on the Tsoran citizens. A young boy in chains tied to Jariel s throne was also sitted on the ground like a helpless dog, looking hungry and exhausted. As one of Ushbah s men separates the head from its body of the fort to the last Tsoran citizen, King Ushbah removed his royal rope and handed it to Blitmus of Ishmul. king Jariel quickly rushed and fell to his knees at Ushbah s feet crying and begging for mercy. King Ushbah removed the crown on Jariel s head, spat on it and threw it away, pulled out his sword and chopped off king Jariel s head! And without any second thoughts he ordered his men in a rather cold-tone saying rape and kill his queen and the boy! Set the whole place ablaze!! and as he turned to leave the Queen stood to her feet and spoke boldly saying Hormanian, I believe you meant to say kill my child and my..wife?

King Ushbah ordered his men to halt for only but one woman has such a sweet tone, only but one woman dared and ever had the right to call him Hormanian only his dead queen late Queen Ursula.

The bride he was made to believe was dead! But he was confused for the statement was uttered by the Tsoran Queen, late King Jariel s crowned queen whose face was covered by dangling diamonds..his heart grew weary as she continued talking saying Hormanian, you knew me for only three nights, who could believe you d recognize the resonance of my voice after all these years? King Ushbah s tongue was made heavy as he slowly walked towards the Tsoran queen, he lifted his hand to see the face behind the dangling diamonds but the queen took off the crown revealing her face.. Ur Ursula? said king Ushbah as his voice trembled. Blitmus of Ishmul and the rest of the men went down on their knees with their faces towards the floor and left hands on the ground when they realized whom it was. For queen Ursula was a woman their king so greatly loved that he could kill and die for, for there was never a love lost between their king and the female kind until the day he sets his warring eyes on Ursula. King Ushbah only believed in war, expansion of Hormanian territory, annihilation of Hormanian enemies, protection and provision of the best for the citizens of Hormania. Not until the day the beauty on a young Zushian lassie stroke and fondled his heart and soul for when he first sets his eyes on Ursula, he then knew that he is of flesh and blood. Ursula , who happened to be the daughter of a wealthy man from Zush, had everything a man could have ever wanted from a woman for she was such but a heaven born beauty with eyes like the waterfalls of heaven and lips like honey! It was written that king Ushbah inscribed his thoughts and affections on the entrance to his castle the night of their wedding, a short poem to his Queen that says; LET S CELEBRATE OUR LOVE, EVERYDAY YEAH MY LOVE, LET THE BIRDS TELL OUR STORY, LET THE ANGELS WISH THAT THEY WERE YOU AND I! Queen Ursula s parents were accidentally killed during king Ushbah s campaign to take over the peace loving neighboring country of Zush west-bound of Hormania about eleven years ago! I don t understand! said king Ushbah as he stared at the hundreds of corpses in the palace I ve slaughtered hundreds of thousand Tsoran citizens to avenge your dead, my love he added for now he knew the woman standing right before his eyes was but his beloved Ursula in flesh. this is all out of love for me I guess? If and only if you have a heart Hormanian you wouldn t have killed my parents in cold blood during your selfish campaign, like that wasn t enough you took me in as your bride and forced your seed into my womb. You ve totally destroyed my life and happiness and still wanted to enslave me for what, Serve you forever? said Ursula who went on saying so lucky you were Hormanian for if I had wanted I would ve poisoned thee in thy slumber but I wanted more than your dead I wanted the total destruction of Hormania and its allies! I contrived my demise and fled down here and my plans were but working perfectly until until you killed the only man I ve ever loved! she wept heavily lying next to Jariel s headless body and continued saying within these corpses lie the two sons I bore for Jariel, two months from now the Razgigs would ve joined us and together, Hormania and its allies would ve been erased from the face of the world seven years from now! Curse you Hormanian curse you! These words ate Ushbah s heart for his mind was on the hundreds of thousands of innocent Tsorans he

killed that night, his hands felt heavy and dirty with the blood of the innocents, for the first time his soul felt unclean. He landed on his knees and in a split of a second he traded his soul to the dark lord and begged his heart be plugged from within him. All of a sudden, he started gasping for air as blood gushed out of his ears, eyes, mouth and nostrils right there king Ushbah vomited his heart on the ground and as Blitmus of Ishmul made an attempt to help the king, a demon half man half snake with a scorpion tail came out of the ground and knocked Blitmus of Ishmul about eighteen feet away from king Ushbah then dove back into the ground. King Ushbah took a deep breath on his knees with his head facing the floor, exhaled his last breath as a man and roared in pain like an old lion as two horns piece through from his forehead, he screamed in agony while his men watched in fear as hair like that of a bear grew out his skin from neck down and on each hand a horn the size of his thumb appeared with smoke coming out of his nose like that of a dragon. Some of his men couldn t stand it so they fled from the palace. Ushbah the beast headed straight towards Queen Ursula and bit a chunk of flesh off her neck, in an instant Ushbah the beast devoured Queen Ursula. He jumped like a lion towards the young boy and as he spread his claws the young boy screamed helplessly saying father please spare me! those words sank into Ushbah the beast like breast milk down an infant s throat which quickly softened his anger. He then lifted his hand and cut the chains that bonded the young boy and Jariel s empty throne go to them boy said Ushbah the beast in a rather horrific tone. The young boy ran to Blitmus of Ishmul and as Ushbah the beast sat on Jariel s throne, the men bowed down to honor Ushbah the beast but he stood to his feet and shouted no! no men, do not do not bow down to to this thing I ve become (angrily staring at his hairy hands) bow down to your new king pointing his finger at the young boy as he continued saying he is but my seed and I can t go back to Hormania like this! Son of Ishmul, teach him all he need to know teach him all that you ve taught me! they all bowed to the new young king Blitmus of Ishmul covered the boy with a thick red royal rope, the one Ushbah the beast wore to Tsora. He then turned and said but my lord, what shall the new king be called? Ushbah the beast took a few steps forward wearing a rather unusual smile saying he shall be addressed as Ushbah king Ushbah the second Blitmus of Ishmul bowed saying it shall but be as you ve commanded my lord! Ushbah the beast told the men to let the people of Hormania know the truth of the events that unfold at Jariel s palace. The men and the new king left Jariel s palace. Ushbah the beast sat on Jariel s throne as smoke puffed out of his nostrils, surrounded by the heads and bodies of the Tsoran citizens and the remaining skeletons of queen Ursula. He roared a roar of ten lions shaking the pillars of Jariel s palace, a circle of fire surrounded the throne as six demons appeared and surround the remains of Ursula s bones .

As the feathers of time weakens, something unusual began to happen. Every day, before sun set, the Tsoran island seemed to shift a hundred and twenty seven days towards the kingdom of Hormania. The island stopped moving at a location that is exactly seven days away from the Horm island but by this time king Ushbah had for long gone conquered all the lands of the continent including the island of Razgigs. Kings and Queens that once ruled these kingdoms were arrested or annihilated if they refuse to surrender peacefully. Hormanian generals were given a kingdom each to rule as governors. King Ushbah ii has grown into a fine young man with a beautiful Zushian Queen just like his father. She had bore him two male children: Ashkan and Boran aged eight and six respectively . From the west, east, north and south king Ushbah ii ruled wisely and prospered in all the lands, some even called him ruler of the kingdoms of the world for Hormania now has no enemy or what so ever. King Ushbah ii was greatly loved and feared with a loyal army hundred times stronger in both size and strength than that of his father Ushbah the beast. Rumor spread like bush fire voraciously through the kingdom as Hormanians discovered how close the Tsoran island has advanced and shifted from its natural location, the rumor was that Ushbah the beast has but came close to watch and protect Hormania from the fangs of its foes! Some fools even say maybe Ushbah the beast is raising an army of darkness to invade Hormania! As the reason to its closeness remained unknown to all. It did bring one advantage to king Ushbah ii, he is now feared more greatly for even the strongest of his warriors dare not defy the kings orders. By this time, Blitmus of Ishmul has gone all grey and bald though he is as he was the senior adviser to the king. Years before Hormanians discovered that the Tsoran island has changed its course, the king had sent many philosophers, scientist, wizards and wise men to secretly investigate the phenomenon. nine bags of gold, two virgins and forty cattle s was promised to whoever could come up with something reasonable but non made it back to give any details. All this was kept secret. As a precaution, the entire army was on alert. The annual festival meant to honor and celebrate the gods was also canceled that year. After the destruction of Tsora unknown to the Hormanians, Ushbah the beast however has been paying constant visits every third hour of the morning spending time with the condemned soul of his queen in the abyss. The sight of her enchanting beauty was now tarnished by the constant burn of sulphur and brimstone which she matched. She was but in constant pain and agony for her suffering and the rest of the condemned souls is what sustains the ruler of such unmentionable and unimaginable place. Queen Ursula s beauty however flourished in the eyes of the now beast-man who slaughtered thousands of souls to avenge her supposed-dead! After countless request by Ushbah the beast to the dark lord on the release and freedom of Ursula s soul so she could come live with him down at Jariel s palace.

The dark lord finally agreed but on one condition: that six hundred and sixty six thousand souls be sacrificed in the sea of Urza on the sixth day of the sixth month of the that year. Without hesitation, Ushbah the beast agreed to the contract, to help accomplish his mission, the dark lord ordered seven hundred and seventy seven thousand demons to go with Ushbah the beast, the same kinds that appeared the day the Tsoran island was invaded about 9,855 days ago. That same night Ushbah ii was going through some documents up his castle in one of his chambers. As he sipped the wine from a golden cup decorated with red diamonds. A chilled- ghostly voice spoke to him saying it has been twenty seven years yet you ve paid me no visits! though frightened and confused king Ushbah stood to his feet and replied you ve created walls twice the height of my castle and your gates are always locked. How possible is it for me and my family to enter your palace father? Ushbah the beast s red glowing eyes approached Ushbah ii from the darkest side of the castle wall and into the light saying you should be wise enough to know I don t need food, why waste such good food on an old man like me son? Ushbah the beast then wore a smile saying I see, not only have you grown into a find young strong man, the wind has whispered to me that you ve even picked yourself a fine young Zushian wife and that you ve conquered almost all the lands... Like father like son huh? After a long chat, Ushbah the beast waste no time to explain to his son how his mother was suffering in the abyss and how he was able to have found a place in his lost-decayed heart to forgive her and also how the dark lord has agreed to release queen Ursula s soul and on the conditions of the contract which MUST be met before her freedom is granted. Ushbah the beast could tell that his son was not happy with the idea..for as far as king Ushbah ii is concerned no Hormanian shall be sacrificed in fact, king Ushbah ii did not hesitate to let his father know that all he said was but dirt in the gutter. we can sacrifice thy foes my son, I have only but thirty days left. You have no idea how it s like living alone down there said Ushbah the beast I cannot sacrifice my own people to your insolent and unthinkable dreams father besides, we are all but one now and Hormania has no enemy or whatsoever. Isn t this what you ve always wanted father? answered king Ushbah angrily. Ushbah the beast was annoyed by his sons statements, he grew mad and his eyes turned red and he said don t forget I gave you all of this Ushbah, I gave you everything! then he shall cherish and protect it with his life! said Blitmus of Ishmul who interrupted, and on what ground of authority and right have you to interrupt this union descendants of Ishmul ? Ushbah the beast said furiously as he advanced towards Blitmus of Ishmul . on the ground and authority of his king Ushbah ii, crowned king of Hormania! said king Ushbah ii who was now standing between Ushbah the beast and Blitmus of Ishmul.

Blitmus of Ishmul looked at Ushbah the beast straight in the eyes and said brother, I ve fought alongside thee ever since thou was crowned king by my uncle until that fateful night we lost you down at Jariel s palace. You see these things you asked are but pure evil for we are now but one. Your dream has been fulfilled by your son. brother even the mad men that walked the streets of our cities we can t afford to lose king Ushbah ii also added and how sure is he that the dark lord has no other selfish plans on his desk? Angered by the words that came out of their lips, Ushbah the beast lowered his head to the floor and said what I ve given is but mine and can be taken whenever i please! Gather all your finest soldiers and stand guard for on that day I shall build mountains with the skulls of Hormanians which shall be visible from the moon and the sea of Urza shall run thick with the blood of Hormanians! He then jumped out of the window and landed on a giant flying demon and flew into the moon light as they watched him go. That same night, Ushbah the beast went back to Jariel s palace. He gathered the remaining bones of Queen Ursula and with the help of some demons, he arranged her bones according to their position on a platform. the gold on Jariel s throne was casted to form Queen Ursula s body, the gold embedded her bones forming a golden statue. By sunrise, the golden naked statue of Queen Ursula stood at the centre of Jariel s palace. She was shaped in a way that her right hand covered her womanhood, while her left hand covered her breast. Ushbah and all the demons stood admiring the beauty of this statue as if it was the source of life itself. The sight of it made Ushbah the beast inhaled, he touched his chest with his right hand and smiled and as his mind remembered how his son turned him down, his face turned red. Meanwhile, down at the Hormanian headquarters in the capital of Hormania where the king s castle was located. king Ushbah ii and his Queen, Blitmus of Ishmul, all the council men, ambassadors and all the wise men gathered to bring solution to this impending threat posed by Ushbah the beast. I say we sacrifice the Lushkans for they are nothing but a bunch of lazy people with an infertile land and ideas! said the Thoran ambassador hold your tongue or lose it Lukas descendant of Thora! said the Lushkan ambassador. The men rushed each other as though they were animals, the others tried to stop them. king Ushbah ii looked at his Queen who held him firmly as Blitmus of Ishmul stood to his feet, hit a rod hard on the floor and ordered hush yea under the great kings roof! Hush!! he continued by saying why yea act like animals? Have yea not knoweth we are all but brothers in and one now? Whether Lucicilian, Lucidilian, Lushkan, Stushkan or Azerian we are all but one family now and under the sun one we shall remain as Hormanians . The men stopped arguing and as king Ushbah ii stood to his feet all the men went mute. King Ushbah ii took a deep breath and said brothers, this is no time for arguments! It is no time for immature decayed statements or remarks. Make no mistake, this war will affect us all. It will reach the mats of your door steps, so if yea value your lives and the lives of whom you so much cherish let s look for or find a solution to this crux! 666,000 souls is no jest! And I cannot sit and watch this darkness cloud my people my brothers. So I say, I shall but pick my sword tomorrow and one third of the army and if

there be a man among thee that fear not nothing come with us, that mad man need be stopped. For nine days from now only the gods know what shall become of us! We shall take the fight to Jariel s palace before the sixth day of this month! So I ask are you with me? all the men stood to their feet and yelled yeah!!! as some yell long live king Ushbah ii long live Hormania! their courage put a soft smile on the kings heart but his Queen angrily walked out. Queen Sheila, king Ushbah s one and only crowned queen was filled with sadness over her husband s decision to lead the army against Ushbah the beast and his army of darkness. As the king entered her room, she was already wearing a black clothe which signifies mourning for dead of a loved one. why are you dressed like this my Queen? asked king Ushbah ii. maybe it s because your queen knows what you stand to face at Jariel s palace you are a leader, a ruler and a king why not send forth your army, send your finest commanders! Stay home my king she answered now looking straight into his eyes! King Ushbah then answered, what if our children are among the marked souls my Queen? What If you my love is is it not worth trading the sweet honeys in the sky for it? I am doing this for us, for the kingdom! the Queen had no choice but to let things be as tears rolled down her eyes. The next day, exactly eight days before the sixth day of the sixth month of the two thousandth and sixth year, queen Sheila, her two sons, Blitmus of Ishmul, and the citizens of Hormania stood by the port and watched as king Ushbah ii, 280,000 foot soldiers, 250,000 archers, 256,000 naval officers set sail to Jariel s palace which was now only seven days away, Hormanians watched as the soldiers disappeared into the horizon in their fleet of ships. These are all of the finest soldiers. However, king Ushbah ii secretly ordered and wrote a decree that his Queen be crown ruler of Hormania until her first son reaches thirty for another disturbing news has reached the king s ears that the offspring which Ushbah the beast and queen Ursula shall conceive shall wage war on humanity bringing an end to the entire human race for what Ursula will bear is not Ushbah the beasts seed but the dark lords ! all this came from the lips of a madman who always sit by the city s gate, who found an old scroll in the woods. Which tells of a story of a man king who once walked the earth. The warning came late and was not even taken seriously for it came from a mad sense! All this was secret and was kept so! Three nights ahead sat a beast, a beast without a heart so obsessed with the unification of his dead-condemned queen, and in a ship leading about 1,964 ships stood a king, a king so determined and full of courage and love to protect his people. A king determined to send 777,000 demons back into the abyss! The young king Ushbah ii knew the beast was but aware of their coming so he ordered his men to stay armed and ready. Two nights to their destination, the beast ordered about 60,000 demons into the sea of Urza to stop them and about 717,000 to guard the beach of Tsora.

King Ushbah ii and his army had enough food that could sustain them, for they dare not feed on what the sea of Urza provided for all were but dead and floating. The whole sea was but smelling and cause sickness to the weak soldiers who couldn t bear it. A soldier up the mast in one of the ships yelled fog! Fog!! Fog ahead!!! as the others looked further, and as the vision got clear what the men saw was no fog at all but the 60,000 demons sent to stop them. 10,000 demons emerged from the sea as 20,000 descent from the sky, 30,000 more approaching. A fierce fight broke out between the soldiers and these demons. As the soldiers relied on their swords, spears and arrows and on each other, these demons attacked with their chest piecing armored fist. Totally destroying the flesh and blood that they came in contact with and their tails were but lethal, a sting rendered its victim helpless. Both sides however were losing, though the soldiers fought bravely. King Ushbah ii tied a rope to his foot and the ship, which he jumped up and on these demons, killing them as he jumped from one to the other bravely. The fight lasted for twenty hours and two and ended with the whole demons dead, 498,000 Hormanian soldiers dead, 840 ships destroyed, 168,000 soldiers wounded suffering from the fatal stings of these soul-devouring demons. On the sixth day of the sixth month, the men finally arrived their destination. By this time, 142,000 of the wounded soldiers have but died, and their dead bodies were all thrown into the sea of Urza. King Ushbah ii survived the attack and had sustained no injury of any kind for he too fought bravely. The men loaded their weapons as they stept on the beach of Tsora, they formed seven lines and matched straight to Jariel s palace. King Ushbah ii himself lead the army in front. The men were all looking tired and exhausted, but the consciousness of the fact that they have a world to safe from the jaws of the beast, the little strength in them could keep them on the battle field for an hour or so. One of the commanders rode on his horse towards the king saying my king, this men are exhausted, I think we should find a place and camp for a day or so. They need to rest! Mind you, your father is before he could utter more king Ushbah ii shouted at him saying he is not my father for an enemy to Hormania and the world at large is an enemy to me. And secondly commander, say more and your head shall be served to your children after this war, so hush! My father died 27 years ago on this island-I m here to destroy what became of his body and put his soul to rest as they rode towards the gates of Jariel s palace. On their arrival, the sight of 717,000 demons guarding Jariel s palace gates sent a cold-fluid down their spine. 300,000 winged demons flying and 417,000 more on ground. But as soldiers, an order was issued and the men readily obeyed and formed two lines battle formation. As they face gate to Jariel s palace, the king delivered a short speech saying we ve lost friends, brothers, fathers and even sons in the past few days at the sea of Urza. Let s make them proud join me, let s put a smile on the face of the world by throwing this coward-beast and his army back to where they came from! he raised his sword and said men, are you with me? Till dead! For Hormania, for the world! as he rode towards the palace gate and the men followed him screaming Hormania! the demons too charged, roared and let out a sharp sound that sent the men falling for their ears could not bear the sound thus killing 26,000 soldiers. King Ushbah ii fell off his horse and covered his ears.

These demons approached the men furiously and the men watched the great number of these demons falling on the them like swamps of bees both from above and on the ground, no one needed to tell them it was over...for them. The king Ushbah s attention however was on the men, he watched as his men screamed helplessly. But as these demons reached a clashing point with the men, the demons disappeared leaving but dust and ash which poured like desert dust on the men. The powder caused no harm on the men and as the men discovered that the demons have disappeared, the men screamed triumphantly saying cowards! and as they helped and dust each other up, the gates of Jariel s palace finally opened on its own. The king ordered the commanders and the soldiers to stay outside the gate as he prepared to enter Jariel s palace alone. I cannot let that happened my king! said the commandant. But the look on the king Ushbah s eyes scared him and he begged for mercy as the king entered Jariel s palace. It was dusk , and as king Ushbah ii made his entrance into the palace, he noticed a rather strange looking creature like a lion with seven heads, two wings and a tail like that of a scorpion tied to one of the fallen pillars and on the other side was another beast, the same giant beast Ushbah the beast rode off when he paid him a visit that night. These creatures did not make any attempt to attack king Ushbah ii though he cautiously made his way through and into the palace. it is said that good things come to those who have the heart to patiently wait, you see my kind who have no heart on the other hand beget a better advantage over thee my son! said Ushbah the beast who was standing about five feet away from king Ushbah ii, the golden statue of queen Ursula was no longer in the palace. I m not your son you beast! Said king Ushbah ii who held his sword firm as he advanced towards Ushbah the beast . Ushbah the beast then replied I m a no good book keeper but I would like to believe you ve lost 498,000 men down at the sea of Urza, the 142,000 wounded ones Later died as 26,000 also joined their ancestors outside the gates? King Ushbah ii paused and asked and what does your spoken rotten words imply? Ushbah the beast smiled saying poor little one, a good father would ve taught his son simple math s! Son, I can t thank you enough for I asked for 666,000 souls and you brought them right to my door step, you can take the rest back home for they serve no purpose! By the time king Ushbah ii had realized how true these statements were, he angrily lifted his sword and as he advance towards Ushbah the beast a soft voice cried out behind Ushbah the beast saying brother, is that you? king Ushbah ii stopped then stared at Ushbah the beast who gently gave way as Queen Ursula came through holding a new born baby in her arms smiling, she was looking as beautiful as the first day Ushbah the beast sets his warring eyes on her thirty four years ago. he is just like you when you were born! she said as she approached king Ushbah ii with the baby. Frozen and confused, king Ushbah ii noticed a tail on her and also she was but naked with hair covering her breast but in an instance the baby jumped off her hands, grab hold of her jaws and separated her head from her body as though it was a lion that attacked a sheep.

Her body first went to its knees then fell flat on the floor, the baby landed on its feet smiling. Ushbah the beast let out a deadly roar and as he approached the baby, the infant in a split of a second snatched king Ushbah s sword and divided the beast into two from head to toe. The baby then turned and jumped on king Ushbah ii, gripped Ushbah s left hand. King Ushbah ii screamed helplessly for he could feel his blood draining and moving towards his hand, the baby held tight king Ushbah s hand as it threw and swung king Ushbah from left to right like a grown man fighting a two year old. The blood and strength of king Ushbah ii seemed to be moving from his body through his hand and into the baby. The excruciating pain has but made dead a better path for king Ushbah ii at that moment for it was like been pieced with a red hot spear through the heart. He screamed helplessly like a deaf dog as he fell to the ground. While passing through such agony, helpless king Ushbah ii watched as his young-tiny but superb enemy transformed into a full grown adult and not only that, the man standing in front of king Ushbah ii was looking just like him, an exact mirror image of king Ushbah ii. Like an identical twin to king Ushbah ii, But king Ushbah ii however has lost his looks, for now he realized he has shrunk with little or no blood or flesh. Only his skin was attached to his bones with a reddish hair on his head. He was a sight of a horrible ninety year old man who had spent thirty days and nights without food nor water. He watched as the son of the dark lord admired his new looks I feel like a new born king now, my name shall but be Ushbah the new born king of Hormania! said the man staring at King Ushbah ii, he bent down as he continued saying you are but a nephew to me, you see you are but a tool created by my father for your father was a product of my father s seed and a condemned soul of a woman name jezebel, he was conceived in the abyss and thrown down to earth to set the course of this great war!. Channeled through him for the freedom of both mankind and the entire souls of men trapped in the abyss with my father. many a times have we tried all but failed until now. Thanks to your father who was made to believe he was an orphan, saving king Boluah earn him rights to the throne of Hormania! Everything worked according to plan, so why don t you go rest and let the professionals finish the job, the writer of this great tale need be sure what he engrave on the pages of Ishmul come to pass! so it is true? said helpless king Ushbah ii as he continued saying I was told of a book, a book a mad man found. The book tells of man-God who walked the earth, a man known as the messiah, Christ that once lived among men to redeem them thousands of years ago. It also, tells of a man-devil who shall walk the earth from the abyss. The son to the ruler of the dark kingdom-the antichrist- I thought it was all but tales as he coughed blood painfully. The new born king of Hormania stood to his feet saying allow me to enlighten thee: see, you, your islands and all your people are in a place the outside world called THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE. The outside world can t reach here and you can t reach there. But I, I shall open the portals that locked thee here in and with my 777 billion soldiers from the abyss and the 8 million soldiers from your kingdom I shall wage a war on the outside world a war never spoken nor heard of. And all this is in preparation for another great war in the heavens. A war never imagined by men

king Ushbah coughed helplessly and unable to move a limb he did the only thing he could though which was to talk saying why? the new born king smiled as he put on king Ushbah s helmet saying all my father wanted was what was rightfully his and also the freedom to all souls! king Ushbah ii coughed again and said you mean the right to disobey He that created thy father? I see you and your father are trying to fight the only greater force that brought forth all that there is on earth, the very creator that made and order things to be! the new born king then replied you see dear nephew, there are things far more bigger and heavier your human mind cannot conceive. You are as helpless as I shall make all of mankind. Their souls shall be prepared to fight the great war, the greatest war for freedom to free all creatures both on earth, hell and in the heavens! king Ushbah ii coughed again saying but I wasn t told of any chapter in the book that says you shall win the war, my dear uncle? As he laughed and coughed. The new born king got mad so he bent and gripped his ribs saying yes! yes!! in that book we ll lose the battle in that book the so-called good side shall win! But in our book my book? we have won already! See the difference? he then pushed king Ushbah ii off and added you re but an old wrinkled dying dog nephew and when you take your last breath your soul shall join my army and fight for the good course. so why don t you save it, you might need it! To watch me take a triumphant step out of this place the then new king picked a sword, wore king Ushbah s rope and left him lying naked on the floor. The new king then walked out as he whistled, king Ushbah watched as the new king rode on the lion beast with seven eagle heads and made his way out of Jariel s palace dragging the half body of Ushbah the beast on the ground. As he passed the gates, the gates closed. As the Hormanian soldiers saw the new king riding on the lion beast, at first they were all scared but as he threw the half body of Ushbah the beast towards them he shouted victory to Hormania! Victory to mankind!! the men yelled and shouted victory with joy for whom they thought was riding the lion beast was king Ushbah ii. The new king then said men, I have some good news, because I have slain the beast I am now in total control of his army. No foe of any kind dare frown at us again! the men yelled hail king Ushbah! Hail king Ushbah!!! as the new king smiled nodding his head slowly! Without hesitation, the new king and his men set sail home to Hormania. Unknown to these men, whom they believed was their king was but an imposter. They even sang songs for one of the soldiers composed a ballad, a short song that tells of the battle at Jariel s palace and it says THE BEAST CAME WITH HORNS, A BODY LIKE THAT OF A BEAR AND AS STRONG AS A LION. WITH COUNTLESS DEMONS BUT OUR BELOVED KING KING USHBAH, THE DEFENDER OF HORMANIA FOUGHT THEM WITH HIS BARE HANDS AND SENT THEM BACK INTO THE ABYSS! HAIL USHBAH THE KING ! HAIL THE NEW BORN KING OF HORMANIA THE DEFENDER OF HORMANIAN!

As the men departed from the Tsoran island, the island disappeared and moved back to its natural location. One day, one day in the near future, the new king shall gather the Hormanians, lie to them of an impending danger and threat on the peaceful kingdom of Hormania. He shall tell them that the seven continents of the outside world and its inhabitants are planning to attack Hormania and that the only way to stop them is to take the war to their door step, for he shall open the portal and with his 777million demons and 8 million Hormanians, he shall wage war on the outside world. He shall tell them of how advance the outside world has become, he shall tell them that the outside world has a weapon which is as strong as the power of the sun which they are planning to use to destroy all of Hormania. Hormanians shall believe him, Hormanians shall fight alongside him, men, women and children shall obey him for this is the prophecy from the book the holy book of ANUQI written by the new born king himself for the condemned soul to the condemned soul

TO BE CONTINUED

THE TROJAN THRONE ( PART 2) THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF MANKIND

It has been four years after the battle of Ushbah for that is what the Hormanians call it. Queen Sheila by this time has given birth to the third prince of Hormania whom they named Ishmul after late Blitmus descendant of Ishmul. Blitmus of Ishmul died in his sleep the very night the men returned back from Tsora, some say he died of heart attack others say he was so excited over their victory in the battle of Ushbah little did the people of Hormania know that Blitmus of Ishmul sensed something was not right the very time he took his first sight at the new king as he rode off the lion beast the night they returned from the battle of Ushbah. The new king who could read the heart of every mortal knew that Blitmus of Ishmul need be taken care of so he ordered six demons that same night. The demons attacked Blitmus of Ishmul in his sleep, blocking all the seven holes in his body, the moment he gave up the ghost, they laid him back calmly as though he died in his slumber. The next day, Hormanians mourned the dead of Blitmus of Ishmul for he was also fondly loved by the people, he was the only one the kings that ruled found to trust, his decisions and judgements were as just as a snake that bit the farmer cause the farmer stept on its tail! The soldier who wrote the ballad of Ushbah was made and promoted senior advisor to the king that same day. His name was victor, victor the Ecrivian for he was from Ecrivia a city north bound of the great city of Hormania. The new king in all these years proved to be kind hearted to his people, he lowered taxes to almost one Ushq per annum. Ushq is the Hormanian legal bill of tender now made of silver, The highest been a thousand Ushq! four years ago, they used to pay thirty thousand Ushq. Wages were also increased, soldiers now benefit thrice what they used to earn, new quarters were also build for them in and outside the city price of food was lowered . Two years ago, the new king told Hormanian women that their men shall farm no more and he did not break his promise for he summoned and ordered 300,000 winged demons to work in their farms every season which as time passed, all the people of Hormania got used to. The reason to this however was to deceive Hormanians to get used to these demons and think they were for good so that when the time for the great battle comes, they shall ride as one to fight the battle between Hormanians and the people of the outside world.

On the eve of the last day of that year, Ashkan the crowned prince of Hormania fell ill that morning and died at sunset. He has grown into a fine young man, he was a sight of his father but with a more better good looking-manly structure. The next day, his mother Queen Sheila wept so bad that her tears went dry. After his burial that night all her pains and worries were gone for the new king slept with her, he touched all the parts of her body all places that brings bliss to a married woman. He made love to her throughout that night, that night, even the guards, housemaids and servants could hear her voice as she screamed Ushbah s name. the next morning she told the new king that she had noticed that ever since his return from the Battle of Ushbah, his performance as a man has but gone high. She even said he is now a hundred times better than before. Again that morning, he made love to her.

Time passed, four hundred days and nights have passed after the dead of the young prince when one night something like a falling star descent on the sea of Urza, few Hormanians saw it and ignored it. Then about seven nights later, news of death far and near came to the ears of the palace. Therefore, the new king set up a committee and paid them a hundred and fifty thousand Ushq each to investigate the cause of these disturbing news. Fifty thousand and five Ushq was given to all that lost their children whether male or female and as the parents accepted the payment, the souls of their children moved to the abyss and await the day of days. All this the people lacked the eyes to see. However, the disease spread like fire. Great physicians, scientist, doctors, witches and wizards and magicians were assigned and paid a thousand and two after every two nights to lay out a solution or cure to this illness. All proved futile! Until one night, eight fishermen caught in their net a big metal, so unusual and aliened in their eyes. The news reached the palace and the new king ordered the metal be examined. All those assigned to run the test died two nights after their contact with the object! The new king ordered the object be transported to the Horm island, an island only a sunrise and sunset from the ports of Hormania. Seven hundred and four physicians were sent to examine again the alien object but only four returned alive and they too died at the port of Hormania on their arrival. When the new king saw all that happened, all of Hormanian councilmen and wise men were summoned. The new king then told the men that the alien object is not of their world that it is from an outside world. A world so advanced in knowledge, weapon making and population seeking to destroy all of Hormania in order to take its territory to put its own already corrupt people.

All this he said was imparted to him in a dream by the gods. And that if they don t act fast, they shall all be at the mercy of death. so to prove he was not telling bed stories he then said the gods have given a final solution and remedy to the alien object. That seven virgins be sacrificed at the sea of Urza three nights from now. Because of that which bewildered them all, they did as he said without hesitation and all of a sudden peace and tranquility rained on Hormanians for no news of death was heard again. This also made them to strongly believe in the new king. Some even believe he was a god himself. In a world far-far but not away, a world Hormanians know not of its existence. A world truly so advanced in technology, knowledge, science and populated with men so obsessed with money, hatred, envy and jealousy. A world of freedom, unjust, a world filled with corrupt men, evil and all sorts of wickedness lay two countries in conflict. One on the east and one by the west. The year was 2011 and the conflict was calmed, three months ago, one of these countries fired a weapon known as the nuclear bomb to the territory of the other, but it missed and fell elsewhere and was never seen to those of that world. This was the same weapon the new king ordered his winged demons to change its course and place it on Hormanian path which they did, this is thus same alien object that terrorized Hormanians causing the untimely exit of souls from the body of their love ones. All of this no Hormanian knew for it was far beyond their understanding and consciousness. Now, back in Hormania that same time, the new king and Victor the Ecrivian and all the councilmen have finally agreed that the weapon is of the outside world and thrown into Hormania to destroy them. the men agreed to find a way to defend Hormania from the danger that befell it. One of the men stood to his feet saying Brothers, I understand and agreed with your proposal but my question is, how do we face such great, powerful and advanced race? Look at what we have and if it s true what the king says which we all believe it is, how do we defend ourselves and our lands from an enemy we know not of and battle tactics? Let s not forget how many lives were lost at the battle of Ushbah and as accordance to our king, may he reign forever, he said that this advanced world we intend to face in battle have but seven continents and if one, my brothers one! If just one of their arrows could kill thousands of our children, what would three, four or forty do to us when fired in our direction? all the men lacked what to say for there lay a cup full of truth in the man s statements. These statements however pinched the new king s heart but he remained calmed as though he reasoned with the man.

The new king then stood to his feet as the men go mute, he then walked towards the western window of the hall, he stared at the setting sun and bent his head downwards then all of a sudden the whole of Hormania went dark for the sun had suddenly disappeared. Then in an instance, his garment turned white as snow and same as his eyes, he levitated and turned towards the men as his hair stood straight covered by a ray of light, he spoke in ten tongues at the same time saying we the gods that helped Ushbah defeat the beast at Jariel s and with the demons under the kings command and all of Hormanian soldiers shall fight the outside world and because we, the gods are with thee, the battle has already been won by Hormania. Just have faith and do as the king says, for he alone and only he can and shall open the portal and passage to the outside world and the sons and daughters of Hormania shall rage havoc on the enemies of Hormania ! then the light disappeared as the new king fell to the floor, his guards rushed and held him, the new king acted as though he knew not what happened, so he asked the men what happened and they explained and narrated all that unfolded to his ears. This news spread in all of Hormania that the gods have shown themselves and have spoken through the king. When the message reached the ears of every soldier and rest of the citizens of Hormania, courage filled their hearts for the tidings was like honey on the tongue of a bear, all then began to prepare for the war. This was how it started: Two demons were assigned to every house in all the cities and villages of Hormania, a special clothe which was made from a silver- like material found in the foot of a volcano in Ecrivia was knitted and was to be used as uniform for the war. This special clothe was designed to protect and prevent the Hormanians that shall ride on the winged demons, for when these demons scream, they scream out ball of fire and can direct it on a any target whether stationary or moving and with superb accuracy, this ball of fire when fired can completely destroy any flesh like a molten magma poured on a dry leaf. About three million young Hormanians joined the army in a month both male and female, all below the ages of eighteen, about a million plus adults too have enlisted making a total of eight million riders. All these riders underwent a month s training in and around the army training ground, they were trained on how to handle the demons, how to dodge incoming objects and how to make a winged demon spit two fire balls at once.

At the first the experience was unconventional but with time, all learnt perfectly. Some even better than their trainers! They were also trained on how to open and close a valve which lay behind the head of a winged demon, this valve when open can make a loud disturbing whistle through a demon s mouth, this sound can however totally destroy the ear drums of its enemy, no rider shall carry a weapon. The demons are their weapon and the uniform which was as light as a feather but stronger than steal shall protect them from both heat and sound during battle. A month to the great battle, all the riders were given a winged demon each to go home with, all this was to make both the rider and the ridden enough time to acquaint with each other. Hormanians were made to believe that if they did not strike first, the inhabitants of the seven continent of the outside world can destroy them all and in one day. So they were told and ordered not to take in prisoners and not to show mercy to both the young and old of the inhabitants of the outside world. They were taught that the best form of defense is to strike the enemy first and hard. It was decreed that victor the Ecrivian ruled Hormania until the new king returned. Non and non of all the sons and daughters of Hormania were aware of what the new king was up to, not a single soul was aware of the treacherous plans that lay in his heart. So they all did as told. One of his first plan after they take over the outside world, was that all demons shall turn and devour their riders then they shall ride back to Hormania and destroy all that is left, non detest humans like the winged demons. All this, the Hormanians knoweth not of. All in his plans, the demons shall devour all but spare Prince Ishmul, who shall hold the throne of prince hood in all the earth after the battle, for the new king has but other great plans and that is to dethrone his own father the dark lord when all is done. With billions of demons under his command and control and millions of condemned souls at his feet, he believed he shall be powerful and strong enough to dethrone his father, the dark lord.

All was but going according to plan when until four days to the day of days. The new king was admiring his face in front of a mirror in one of his secret chambers up the castle, he then sensed an object fast approaching him from behind he quickly dodged fast as though he stopped time, a very sharp golden spear hit and smashed the mirror to pieces. He turned angrily like a lion but the sight of what he saw punctured a sharp fear in his evil heart, he moved back against the wall panting, what he saw an image, an image of a man standing looking just like him wearing the same clothe as him only that this man s garment was too bright, it was so bright that it almost blind him. He screamed and yelled what form of magic is this and what are thee? the light suddenly softened and now he was able to open his eyes and behold, stood king Ushbah ii looking as young as the day he arrived Tsora years ago. you d probably think I missed! said king Ushbah ii who advanced towards the new king. impossible! answered the new king who just realized that the very man standing in front of him was none other than the man he left helplessly at Jariel s palace few years ago he continued by saying no, you are dead! For no mortal can survive what I did to you! King Ushbah ii smiled and said this, I strongly agree with thee. But you see, you made a slight miscalculation. leaving me there alive and with all the things you ve said made me realized how true the stories in the book is, so let s say I stopped breathing like a helpless dog and used the last breath in my decayed lungs to pray, ask for forgiveness from the most high and accept his son as the one and only savior. And Like I said; you made a slight miscalculation my dear uncle! the new king then rushed him but the light came back shining brighter than ever before. King Ushbah ii then gripped the new king by the ribs, the new king screamed in pain and agony like a helpless puppy saying who are you, what have you become? as he covered his eyes to protect it from burning. Then king Ushbah ii answered saying it has nothing to do with who I am, what you should be asking is who is it that is in me? So, I ve come to warn you, stop, for the good lord says thou shall not succeed. For what shall come over thee that day shall totally quench thee says the lord! after making these statements, he flung the new king off the wall then added I am but one of the millions thou shall face when the time comes, so go home for even thy father shall be captured like a rat! I have surrender to a force far more greater than thee and thy father put together! Abandon thy mission, flee home to where thou cometh from!

As the new king landed, he started laughing saying so, it is all about the greater force huh? if I win and I shall win! you shall bow to me for then i shall be the greatest of all among all the great forces! king Ushbah ii overheard footsteps of guards coming he then disappeared right before the new king s eyes, the golden spear too disappeared. The men broke open the door to the chamber and behold, the new king lying helplessly on the floor. They helped him up as queen Sheila walked in, she asked him what happened and he lied to them that he was trying out a new magic given to him by the gods and it bounced on the wall and hit him. That morning of the day of days, all the demons and their riders were all ready in all of Hormania. the new king sitted on his throne, touched his chest and there, the fresh wounds from the burns he received as king Ushbah ii gripped him was still there. He squeaked. Too many things passed through his mind, as every hour passed he grew more with anger and as the sun took its final dive into the mountains on the west, he sent for Victor the Ecrivian. And as the descendant of Ecrivia arrived, the new king ordered the signal be sent across all the lands in all of Hormania and without hesitation, 600,000 winged demons have passed the message for they move with such great speed, they can move twice the speed of light. All of Hormania was ready as the whole land went mute and quiet as the surface of the moon. But in the heart of the new king, doubt began to cloud his mind, he quickly ignored it and summoned his lion beast He then walked outside the palace and rode on it. He ordered the riders to stay on the ground and wait for his signal which they did as he ascent on the lion beast. When he reached the center between the sky and the earth, he transformed into a burning blue flame while the lion beast transformed into a red flame. He looked down upon the entire kingdom of Hormania and smiled, smoke came from his nostrils, he then thundered down to all of Hormania saying this night marks the night, the beginning of the end of man! he then point his finger at the heavens and enchanted words their ears have never heard before, then all of a sudden a loud sound was heard as the sky opens, finally the portal was opened. When they saw this, all of Hormania shouted his name. but something unusual appeared and seemed to be coming through the portal. Hormanians watched as the brightest light of all lights made its way down through the portal, this bright light was accompanied by other smaller bright lights. The sight of which left the mouths of all the Hormanians wide open.

As the new king saw this, he knew it was trouble. All the demons on the ground became confused, the demons shook off their riders and fled away, Hormanians could not understand why this was happening and as the new king saw this, he got angry and ascent more with speed but he slowed to a halt when he noticed as one of the smallest of all the lights made its way down towards him. And as soon as the light touched him, the flame on his body quench immediately, the light grew and swallowed the lion beast and turned it to ashes, the new king however descent screaming helplessly to the earth like a meteor and as he landed on the ground, the impact dug a huge crater leaving him in the middle. He squeaked in agony for all his bones were shattered to pieces. Another tiny light among the lights made its way down into the crater. No one knew what happened then but a loud cry was heard. The tiny light then ascent back to the sky to the other lights. Hormanians watched as all the lights moved back into the portal and finally, the portal closed. All this happened on the twelveth hour of the twelveth month of the twelveth year as accordance with the time of the outside world!

THE END