Error Nemore (The Woods of Deception)
Romanic Planet
7,000,000,000 BC
Drazen laid on the tree stump and looked around. He saw nothing but fear and pain among his fellow soldiers. Jule had lost his sword arm and was gradually bleeding to his death. Grindr had been lying unconsciously for hours, no one knew if he was dead or alive. Even the beast, Bonzo was sitting quietly on the ground. Bonzo who stroke fear into the heart of other soldiers was just starring at his sword. Das was still in shocked.
It was their second day in Error Nemore, The Woods Of Deception. They had spent only a day and their spirits were already crushed. Drazen bowed his head and cursed himself. If only he hadn’t been stubborn. He had been asked to take more soldiers along but he refused. He was Captain of the First Guard, he could handle anything. Well, even if he could handle anything, the others clearly couldn’t.
“Come now, don’t be too hard on yourself.” Salima’s voice floated into his head.
He turned away. Now was not the time for soothing words. He had put his soldiers in grave danger and he had to get them out.
“And how do you plan to do that?” Salima asked, floating to his other side.
He turned and stared into the black night. It was not entirely black though; little rays of moonlight escaped through the dense leaves of the tall trees and lighted some spot. He felt something staring at him. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. It wasn’t there. “Maybe I’m too tired.” He muttered to himself.
“Or maybe something is actually out there and you need to get up.”
“There is nothing there,” he screamed. He felt others look at him and he cursed. He had forgotten he was the only one who could see and hear Salima. To the others, she was dead. Dead. How he hated that word.
Das looked at Drazen and wondered what to make of the happenings in the past few hours. After the encounter with the witch, Drazen had been acting strangely. Actually, since his wife died, he had been acting strangely. There was a time he claimed Salima still spoke to him. That was a long time though. But looking at him, he wondered if the sayings were true. Did Drazen actually hear voices? Was Drazen going mad? Drazen was the leader of the expedition. If he expressed incapacity in making sound judgements, he could put all of them in trouble.
Das sighed. Already, Drazen had put them all in trouble. King Saul had asked that they travelled with more soldiers. Drazen refused. Who could blame him? He never believed that the Women of Endor had evil powers until the girl had attacked and then her mother. He looked at Jule and shook his head. He knew Jule’s wife. Grindr on the other hand had a child coming on the way and he was missing an arm.
“He’s worried about you, you know.” Salima whispered into Drazen’s head. Drazen had sensed Das’ lingering gaze on him and wondered what Das thought of the whole situation. Did he still have faith in him? “Do you even have faith in yourself?” Drazen asked himself.
“I have faith in you Drazen. But if you don’t get up, it’s not going to do you any good.” Salima prodded.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked disinterested.
“I want you to finish this mission and return home.” came the reply.
“What home? There’s…”
“Shhh.” Salima stopped him as she floated away. It was then Drazen saw it again. The eye was starring right at him. But why did Salima leave? She was a powerful witch when she was alive; and now in death, she is supposed to be even more powerful. Unless… No, he didn’t want to think it. If he met any force more powerful than Salima, he was already dead.
Drazen noticed that the woods were getting brighter. He looked up. It was becoming a full moon. He turned at once to the direction when he had saw the eye and drew his bloodsword. Bronzo drew his sword too. Grindr began to fumble with his sword with his left hand while Das watched, wondering if Drazen was hallucinating as he couldn’t see anything. As the moon grew brighter, the eye grew dimmer until Drazen could not see it any more.
“In the name of King Saul, Emperor of the Romanic Planet, who goes there?” Drazen demanded, bloodsword in hand, trying to sound brave.
“It is I, King Saul, Emperor of the Romanic Planet.” came the reply.
“Was this a joke?” Drazen asked himself.
In an instant, Drazen felt someone grab and run. He found himself on the ground far from his soldiers. Before his eyes, a flash came from the moon and vaporised his men. Drazen screamed.
“Hush now. They were never going to make it out of here anyway. It is who they want.” came the voice behind him as rough hands clasped his mouth.
He felt… hoofs? He turned to see a weird creature. It had the body of an animal with a human body.
Drazen jerked instantly and stretched out his right hand. He saw the hilt of his bloodsword blaze red and he ran over to it. He was about to pick it up when he head someone step on the blade. It was the weird creature and it had one of his legs on his sword.
“Who are you?” He asked, feeling the fear gradually creeping in.
“I am Drazen, son of the High Commander and Capitan of the First Guard.” came the reply.
“What? Is this some kind of joke?”
“Dear old Drazen. You never learn.” With that the creature suddenly became still, then came alive and ran into the woods.
“It’s me dearest.” Voices floated into his head
“Salima? Why…?”
“Why what? Why did I save you? I knew you weren’t going to sense the Mariji. You were too distracted. But the centaur did.”
“The what?”
“The centaur. The creature that saved you. I had to borrow his body for a while.”
“...and my fellow soldiers?”
“They were never going to make it out of here alive.”
“You don’t know that. By the seven rivers of Romanic, what have you done?”
“I saved you. And if you don’t get moving, it is going to be for nothing.”
“For nothing? You killed them for nothing.”
“Point of correction Drazen, I didn’t kill anyone. Miraji did. She is the last of the Women of Endor on our planet. And if you don’t kill her tonight, she is going to take her revenge on the planet before returning to her home planet.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I am a witch!”
“You’re a dead witch!”
Silence. Drazen immediately regretted his words. “Salima! Salima!” He cried out as he picked up his bloodsword and began to run. “Salima! Salima, I’m sorry as he turned to the direction from which the centaur had sprang from.
Just as he crossed the area when he had been standing, he smelt the burning flesh of his fellow soldiers and knelt down crying.
“By the seven rivers, what have I done?” He muttered to himself amidst tears. It was then he sense the presence of someone close back. He could sense the evil and anger and knew it was Mariji. He didn’t care anymore. What right did he have to live when others were dead. He had marched them to their death. And now he had lost Salima. What else was there to live for? His life was finished. If Mariji didn’t kill him, he would kill himself.
Mariji looked at the warrior and smiled. Here was the legendary Drazen whose future they had gazed upon. He was the one that would birth and train the warrior that would destroy her planet and she had a chance to end it all. She felt his broken spirit and decided to materialise into a living form. Normally, she would remain in her ghost mode. In her ghost mode, Drazen’s Bloodsword would have no effect on her that way. She walked closer and stretched out her talons. This will be sweet.
Mariji laid her hands on Drazen’s head and caressed his purple hair. She now understood why Salima wouldn't leave him alone. Even in his broken state, he was a beauty to behold. Too bad, he couldn't exist as a spirit. Salima would have loved the company.
“Drazen! Drazen! You are son of the High Commander and Capitan of the First Guard. You are the father of the one true warrior that would liberate the Romanic planet and fight evil. You are the gift of the force. You cannot die! You cannot die! You cannot die!”
In that moment, Drazen’s sword hand swished upwards. The knell rent the air and Drazen almost went mad. The bright moon slowly began to dim.
Drazen turned to look at Mariji lifeless body on the ground.
“I knew you could do it.”
“Salima, I am sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“..to call me a dead witch? I am a dead witch and that’s the only reason why you are alive. It’s going to take more than name-calling to make me leave you. Now let’s get you home.”
The end.
This is my entry for The Muse of March by 
I’ve written about Drazen, Salima, Das, Women of Endor, Bloodword and Bonzo in other disconnected stories as entries for contests that support the general storyline I have in mind. I hope to one day syncronise them together and create a single peice out of them
Thanks for reading
Blessings