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The Three Realms The Three Realms (Book 4: Trials of Light and Dark)

3 Realms 4-30

The treatment lasted for only a few seconds before Orbak collapsed to the ground. He panted as he grabbed his leg. He then noticed something…or rather, a lack of something. Marshii finished treating Malnar, then they both ran up to him. Marshii waved a scanner near his legs, then her face fell. “All nerve endings below the knee are severed,” she reported. “He’s paralyzed.”

“Daddy, what in the Depths!” demanded Malnar. “There was no reason to do that!”

“No reason?!” growled Orbak. “Barath harmed you!”

“Er, technically speaking, I harmed her,” gulped the Troll.

“You were controlled,” dismissed Orbak. “He still harmed Malnar through you!”

“And thanks to your recklessness, Daddy,” snarled Malnar, “you’ve lost the ability to walk!”

“Thus always to those who harm my family! That’s why I signed that Blood Contract in the first place!” Orbak showed off the back of his hand to reveal his signature still scarred onto it.

“I signed that same thing!” Malnar showed her own hand. “And I didn’t sign it just so you could do this! This will hamper your ability to beat Oyed!”

“No, Malnar, this won’t. Not if I choose the right help.”

“Meaning?!”

“Come now, the contract didn’t say I couldn’t get help. As such, it’s not weaseling out of it. My life is not yet forfeit.”

“Could someone explain this ‘blood contract’ to me?” asked Hanjar.

“We swore that we would stop the Realm Trinity Empire and put our lives on the line to prevent us from reneging on it,” explained Malnar. “If we fail, we die of a heart attack.”

“…You’re willing to sacrifice yourselves?”

“The Realms MUST be freed from Oyed, in our eyes.”

“…While two of my men bring your doctor and father back to your ship, my son will take over as you show him what the Realmfleet symbol looks like so he can fly it as well as our banner over this fort.”

“Wait, then this means…?” asked Orbak.

“It means that Oyed has failed us for the final time and this nasty affair is settled in my eyes. The Gryphons are joining you, so you WON’T lose your life to the Blood Contract. You have identified a mess and cleaned it up beautifully. You have an ally in me, King Orbak Emboramii, the wisest, most fatherly, and most powerful of all the Under-realm.”

“You flatter me, King Hanjar.”

“Please, no need to use my title. We are now friends.”

“In that case, I must ask the same of you.”

“…Very well, Orbak!” He then turned to two Gryphons. “You two, get him and Dr. Marshii back to their ship!”

“Yes, My Lord!” replied one of the Gryphons as he and his partner picked them up and put them on their backs. Before they left, they heard something.

“…Is…is that…weeping?” asked the other Gryphon. Malnar then pointed to Barath.

“I don’t want the fort!” he blubbered. “I don’t want the fort! I never wanted the fort! I never wanted the fort! I want nothing to do with the fort! You can have it, it’s YOUR fort, all right?! YOUR fort! I don’t want the fort! I’m not trying to take the fort! I would never try to take the fort! Would you just keep the bloody fort?!”

“Is…is that Barath?!” asked Marshii.

“No, just a shadow of him!” shuddered Malnar. “Daddy, you did more than shame him! You BROKE him!”

“…I’d rather die than live like that!” gulped the Gryphon carrying Orbak.

“Thus always to those who harm people that are precious to me,” remarked Orbak.

“…You two better go,” Malnar said to the Gryphons. “And…speak of this to no one.”

“Come on, we better go,” remarked Marshii’s Gryphon. “This place is giving me the creeps now.”

“…You’re a cruel one when push comes to shove, Your Majesty,” Orbak’s Gryphon remarked to the Under-king. The two Gryphons then took off and flew out of the balcony as Hanjar came out to address the crowd below.

“This fortress,” he announced, “as per the arrangement with Orbak and Realmfleet, is now under Gryphon control! A group, originating under the Realmfleet flag, has declared itself faithless to both it and Oyed’s faction! Oyed offered no explanations, Realmfleet offered them in abundance! They declared their intentions to fix this mistake, taking up most of the work while we dealt with matters that are trivial in the long run! That is not to say that we did nothing! We have fought and suffered, but still, we stand! Thanks to Realmfleet, the conspirators have been put to the sword and their leader is a broken mess, as he should be! We now hold this fortress for us AND Realmfleet! Here, the Realm Trinity Empire will find no weakness, no mercy, only the unassailable strength of our fighters! There is no doubt in my mind that Oyed will hear of this and attempt to punish us! He will find himself unable to withstand our fighting skill! In the days ahead, there will be other battles and we will suffer losses, as my ally, Orbak Emboramii, the all-powerful ruler of the Under-realm, has suffered, but we shall use that pain to fuel us in our crusade! Starting today, the Gryphons fight alongside the rulers of all the Realms! THE GRYPHONS FLY THE BANNER OF REALMFLEET!” He then took out a large flag from his backpack, waved it to unfurl it, then slammed it into the floor of the balcony as a wind flew by, waving the flag of Realmfleet. The crowd below cheered as Hanjar spread his wings and grinned. Malnar and the rest of the team saw the whole thing. When they left the fort, Malnar spoke to a Gryphon woman.

“Guy sure knows how to work a crowd,” she muttered.

“That’s why he rules us,” replied the Gryphon. “I heard about what happened to your father. I’m sorry for what he suffered.”

“Knowing him, he’s going to find a way to stay in the fight. He’s not one to let ailments stop him.”

“He’s a man of honor and he’s clearly instilled that same honor into you. You’ll make a fine Queen one day; I hope you know that.”

“Well, I’ll have others to keep me honest if I ever stray.”

“Spoken like a true monarch,” called Hanjar’s voice as he approached the two women. “I believe we are to meet with your friends in Realmfleet to report on what’s happened. Would you like a ride?”

“Your Majesty, I would be honored,” accepted Malnar. Hanjar let her climb onto his back, then they took off.

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