Amos Daragon_ The Mask Wearer - Bryan Perro [46]
Karmakas then went up to the main room of the castle and requested that Medusa be brought to him. A few minutes later, the young gorgon came in.
“You called for me, Father?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Karmakas. “Listen to me carefully, ssss. I’ve another mission for you, ssss, of the highest importance. I know that, ssss, an army will arrive here soon, ssss, to take back the city. You’ll go, ssss, to meet and intercept it. Among the soldiers, there’ll be a human, ssss, who has the title of mask wearer. You must, ssss, gain his trust and, ssss, turn him into stone later. Once he’s petrified, ssss, I’ll send hordes of snakes to destroy his army. The gorgons, ssss, will take care of the survivors. Go forth and do not come back, ssss, until your mission is accomplished.”
Medusa could not believe her ears. She had barely heard Amos’s message in the cavern and Karmakas already knew of it! How had he found out so quickly that an army was coming? The sorcerer was powerful; she knew she had better obey him if she wanted to stay alive. The fear that the naga—her father—inspired made her tremble. It took all her self-control to keep her composure.
“I’ll do my best to please you,” she answered.
“Leave now; I’ve, ssss, other things to do,” Karmakas commanded.
Then, lost in thought, the naga added softly to himself, “My basilisk, ssss, is waiting for me.”
—16—
THE BERRION ARMY
For four days, the Knights of Equilibrium prepared to follow Amos’s recommendations. Shields were polished until they reflected everything in front of them like mirrors. They had to shine at all times. The blacksmiths of Berrion had done their work perfectly. The large shields of the infantry shone in the sun, and so did the round ones used by the archers.
Thanks to a meticulous reading of the book Al-Qatrum, the Territories of Darkness, Amos established a war strategy. He requested that two mongooses be captured for every one of his knights. The animals would protect them against a possible snake attack. The Lady in White had appeared to him, warning him against an eventual downpour of vipers that the enemy could launch with their magic power. Men combed the land of Berrion and that of surrounding kingdoms, and seven hundred and seventy-seven mongooses were caught and distributed among the four hundred knights who formed the Berrion army. The knights were ordered not to feed the animals during their journey to Bratel-la-Grande. It was vital that the snake eaters be famished at the time of their confrontation with the reptiles.
Amos chose a rooster with the most piercing crow among the roosters of Berrion. Because of the mask wearer’s power over birds, the rooster followed him everywhere.
As for Junos, he directed his troops with jubilation. He relied completely on Amos’s intelligence, obeying the boy without question. The king of Berrion even hired a bard, who sang and played many instruments to encourage the brave soldiers.
In this festive mood, Amos and the army left the city of Berrion to liberate Bratel-la-Grande from the dreaded gorgons. When the dwellers in each of the villages they passed saw the flag of the Knights of Equilibrium flapping in the wind, they welcomed them with thunderous applause. All had heard of their mission and wanted to salute these men who had become heroes and seemed indestructible.
Urban and Frilla were not warriors, so their presence on the field would have served no purpose. They stayed in Berrion to await their son’s return. They trusted Amos and left him free to choose his own destiny.
For five long days, the horses galloped from sunrise to sunset. At the end of the fifth day, the soldiers reached the border of the Knights of Light’s realm, and scouts were sent to Bratel-la-Grande. On each side of the road leading to the capital, hundreds of statues were aligned as a macabre guard of honor. It was easy to guess that all