2. Fresh Blood

When Enra noticed Otto’s ships in the distance, he wished that his parents would’ve just remained Bear-Shepherds. They would’ve fled as soon as they saw Ottojon—the new name for the Empire of Otto—grow bigger and bigger. Then they would not have been the target of some new system that Otto had invented out of the blue.

After the fall of Amor to the hands of the Barbarians, that Empire flawlessly transitioned into the new Traferia. After years of growth, conquest and crusades … Traferia en Ottojon bumped into each other and space had run out.

Unfortunately, Enra’s village lay precisely on the line where the two empires met.

Traferia had a fleet, sure. They probably also had some cannonballs, but never even had the chance to use them. Everyone knew the oceans belonged to Ottojon. When storms reigned, their ships were the only ones to safely sail through them. But when Traferia tried to pillage Ottojon’s shore line in broad daylight, a whirlpool would suddenly appear and swallow their fleet!

And so Enra’s village shrugged and let Ottojon and his armies walk in. By now, they’d learned to leave the homes untouched, otherwise they’d waste resources rebuilding everything. Enra thought they should’ve realized this sooner and was generally unimpressed by the intelligence of conquerors.

All boy animals were put into one group. Otto circled them as if he wanted to pick the tastiest snack first. Enra’s father, a large bear named Himnib, glared at the snake and gripped his magical walking cane more tightly.

“And they are all Krystans?”

Otto’s soldiers nodded.

“Is it not enough that you take our lands?” Himnib screamed. “Must you take our children too? You’re becoming arrogant. Overconfident! It will be your downfall!”

Otto found this amusing. “We are nearly as large as Traferia, little bear. Surely you see how we will have the entire world in a few centuries?”

Enra feared this was not an overconfident statement. Their rule over the oceans made Ottojon both rich—thanks to trade—and impossible to conquer. Any other empire would have collapsed on itself if they suddenly tried to rewrite all the rules, but Ottojon only seemed to have grown stronger since then.

“Enough chatter,” Otto hissed. “That one, that one, him, him, and yes, that one too. The others are too weak or too stubborn—kill them.”

All parents ran for their children in a futile attempt to pull them to their chest. Otto was merciless. If he could not take boys for his new system, they were worthless or even dangerous to him.

Only now, Enra realized he’d been chosen too.

Himnib immediately pointed his walking cane and shot a powerful spell towards Otto. The snake twisted into a helix and carefully dodged the attack, never losing balance.

That had never happened before.

It was like … like he could see the future?

Himnib was stunned too and and delayed his next attack for too long. Enra was pulled away. His parents would have to flee now. His sweet parents. He’d never see them again—he felt that in his bones.

His eyes turned to the wet dirt below him, flattened by the many captive boys before him. If he looked at his parents any longer, he’d miss them too much and would do something stupid and illogical, like cry or fight back.

Until his thoughts were interrupted, because he saw something that made even less sense. A beautiful bear, slightly older than him, who seemed far too kind to belong to Ottojon.

She seemed to notice Enra in particular too. Or, no, she noticed all the sullen boys. She watched with worry as they were taken away and even dared command a guard to be more careful. A girl! Speaking up against a large male snake!

Otto instantly slithered towards her, but he gave her no lecture. Instead, he seemed overjoyed.

“You were right again! Without your advise, I would have been killed by a magical bear. What would I ever do without you? How can I thank you, Chonib?”

“By taking good care of the boys,” she mumbled.

He didn’t take her request seriously.

Enra was tossed to the left and to the right. After entering a ship, he was chained inside a dark room that lacked fresh air and a fresh smell. He slowly turned insane. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t eat. His eyes started seeing ghost images and white spots, just to interrupt the never-ending darkness. Two boys died during the journey: the sons of one of Himnib’s sheep friends.

He didn’t know how many hours, days, weeks had passed before he finally saw sunlight again. They had anchored near Otto’s palace. The guards led them into the impressive building, but quickly turned to a staircase that led to increasingly dark and grimy hallways.

At first, he told himself that he’d be brave and escape; now he just wanted to sleep for an eternity.

But they did not leave him alone.

They brought him to an operating table. A cold slab of stone, where his bear body was attached with ropes and many healing owls leaning over him.

As soon as the operation started, the instant pain made him scream uncontrollably, until he fell unconscious several heartbeats later.

When he awoke, he didn’t know how much time had passed. Only that his body never felt the same again and that he wanted to sleep for an eternity.

But they did not leave him alone.

He was pulled to different rooms. One filled with tapestries, cloth, and ancient pieces of writing that contained symbols he couldn’t read. They forced him to sit on his knees and bow when the teacher entered, or risk receiving painful lashes from his stick.

“All of you are Krystans, right?” the fat snake asked.

The boys mumbled. Only Enra found the power to proudly say yes.

The teacher hit him with the stick. He spit on Enra’s face, and the bear hoped the teacher’s spit was not venomous.

“Forget it! Forget your past! Krystanism is a conspiracy, an act, a treachery. There is only one true faith—that of the Mira.”

“Yes, master,” said all the boys.

Enra didn’t speak. Agreeing felt like betraying his parents, betraying his home. This palace would never be his home.

He received more lashes.

They were forced to read the holy book. They had to remember it all and life in accordance with its rules.

Enra realized now that he did not have to actually believe it. He could pretend to go along, just to avoid punishment—but inside, he always stayed a Krystan and only though about home and his parents.

Each morning they woke him up, in total darkness, to follow their commands. Each night he stumbled back to his dirty bed, through the same darkness, exhausted and wounded.

Until Otto personally visited and told them they were moving to new rooms. Apparently they had achieved something. Proven their loyalty, recited enough verses from the holy book, whatever it was. The new rooms were far larger and cleaner.

Otto also found it time to provide more explanation.

“You, my boys, are part of my new system I call the Devirma. You should be proud of that! Now you fight for Ottojon and you will die for Ottojon if needed, understand?”

The boys nodded.

Enra asked: “Fight? You mean …”

“The army is the most important element of an empire. They make sure we’re safe from outside threats … but they are also the biggest threat from within. Every night, soldiers stand by my bedroom door to protect me from spies or assassins. But what if someone bribes them? What if my own traitorous sons bribe the army? Then they’ll easily take the empire, because they are the army. Nobody would stop them.”

Otto’s honesty surprised Enra. The vulnerability that such a monstrous snake could show to some scruffy young boys. A bear, a rhino, even a few goats, all barely old enough to understand what he said.

“So … I completely removed the idea of an army. Instead, you will become my new soldiers.”

He circled the group again, as he so often liked to do.

“The Moon told me it was the right time. You’ve recovered from your … operation. Starting tomorrow, you will be trained with weapons. Work hard, work for Ottojon, and within hundred years you might even be part of my personal guard!”

He lingered near Enra. “But if I get so much as a hint that you’ve retained Krystan feelings, a vague clue that you still think about home, you’re dead before you can say Otto.”

Enra swallowed and nodded with faked enthusiasm.

The new rooms caused him to find new routes through the palace. New routes that suddenly led him to one single spot of light in the darkness.

He froze outside a half-open door and peeked inside.

There she was, the beautiful bear that didn’t belong. She was surrounded by burning candles that gave her room a warm and cozy atmosphere. And she painted the moon.

When Chonib suddenly looked to the door, Enra ducked away and ran for his bed. But now he knew which route he’d accidentally walk every night. And that he’d found a reason to take Otto’s commands more seriously.