Kingdom Gone

THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF

Circe barely stepped foot in town before the Chief was taken from her and she was surrounded by soldiers, confused whether to arrest her or praise her.

She had used a piece of Lao's tattered robe to stop his bleeding, at least as best as she knew how. Soon Mrs. Crawford was parting through the crowd of onlookers, just the sight of the woman making Circe's arm dance with electricity.

"Are you ok, Zacharias?" She cried, by his side immediately. The Chief nodded weakly, sitting in a chair brought by one of the townspeople who were beginning to crowd around.

Mrs. Crawford glared at Circe. "Shoot the little bitch." 3 rifles aimed at Circe's head before Lao raised his hand. The soldier's looked between the two, before ultimately lowering their weapons.

The leader of the militia scowled. "What happened to you, Zacharias?"

"I think I can clear that up."

Circe jumped when Jason somehow materialized right beside her, holding an unsheathed sword in his hand. Most of the militia close to them moved away, having seen what Jason could really do. Soon it was just him, Circe, Mrs. Crawford, and the Chief in the middle of the crowd. Jason had the audience's attention.

"Where did you get that?" Mrs. Crawford demanded, pointing at the weapon.

Jason looked at his reflection in the still polished metal. "Arcadus."

The crowd gasped. Mrs. Crawford glared at Jason. "Impossible."

"Actually, it's entirely possible." Jason said, brandishing the sword. "The Elder and Arcadus, both came from the north, aka, the Tenth Kingdom. They must've been affected by the explosion, just like Circe. How else could he defeat entire clans of raiders by himself?"

Chief Lao spoke for the first time. "But how did Arcadus become that...thing?"

"The effects of the radiation show at different times, and for Arcadus, they happened just a few months ago. After his Master died, he's probably been living in that cave we found him in for years."

Mrs. Crawford blinked. "But-"

"The Elder taught him to understand english, remember? The change in his DNA that transformed him also gave him the ability to speak."

Circe looked at Jason. "Then why did he attack the town at night and abduct people? Doesn't he know who betrayed his Master?"

"A giant talking monster will terrify anyone before they think about having a conversation. And I don't think he knew exactly who betrayed the Elder, his dog memories were long forgotten, but his somatic memories weren't. He knew if he heard their voice, he could find the traitor. And tonight, he did exactly that."

All eyes fell upon Chief Lao. He couldn't meet any of their gazes nor defend himself.

The militia surrounded the Chief, clearly more loyal to the previous Elder, before Mrs. Crawford stood between them and Lao.

"Stop! If you arrest this man, then you are directly crossing me, and will be punished."

"Don't let her stop you, gentlemen. She's just as nasty." Jason said, leaning on Circe's shoulder.

Mrs. Crawford spun around. "Shut your fucking mouth! I am the Leader of the Militia, I-"

"Am a murderer? An adulterer?"

Her face drained of color. Jason laughed.

"Yeah, I know you and Lao be getting it on under the sheets at night, for years now. Got tired of being married to a farmer, huh? That's actually what drove Lao to tip off the mercenary about the Elder's location. He discovered the affair, and was going to make you both an example, publically ridicule you, then exile you two. But he never got the chance, hm?"

Mrs. Crawford remained silent, but Chief Lao spoke up. "You said Selena was a murderer..."

Jason nodded, now hugging Circe from behind, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Yup. Her poor, poor, husband."

The crowd gasped again, leaning in closer.

"You said your husband was the first victim of the Monster of Arcadia, but was he?" Jason whipped out his phone and opened a picture of the cave. In the phone's light, a pile of bones were lit up in the dark. "How many people have been abducted? 15? Then why are there only 14 skulls?" 14 skulls were clearly visible among the bones. "Your husband probably discovered the monster, eating away at his livestock, and when he came to you about it, being the Leader of the Militia and all, you saw it as the perfect story to spin his eventual murder."

The town was silent, everyone looking at Arcadia's most important leaders. Mrs. Crawford glared at Jason, a pure form of hatred burning in her irises. Circe barely registered her hand wrapping around the grip of her sidearm, and when they did it seemed like she was swimming in molasses, until the barrel of her pistol was staring right back at Circe. But even quicker, Jason reached down the front of Circe's shirt, grabbing and whipping up his gun clipped to her bra faster because his hands were already around her shoulders, and fired.

Mrs. Crawford's finger broke with a sickening crack as her pistol flew out of her hand.

"Ahhhh!" She screamed, holding her finger in her hand. Militia soldiers swarmed her and Lao, detaining them, and pulling them down the main road to where the town jail must be, the entire crowd cheering.