by Tobias Roote
Junto sighed mentally, a more expansive one than usual. “You’re a brave man, Aaron. Melbray says it’s time. Good luck, my friend.”
Aaron sent out the signal to his guardians and as they loped to his position he mentally prepared to enter the tunnel and take on the enemy in their own lair. The thought disturbed him greatly, but the alternative was failure and the continued yoke of tyranny.
“Two-legger, we are Grith. Not fear,” came the response to his unshielded thought as his den Mother pushed her head between his arm and body forcing him to grip her neck. It was an act of deep affection and Aaron turned and placed both arms around her, hugging her to him.
“Be careful, Mother,” he said as they pushed off together. She purred, her way of saying she appreciated his concern.
Two of the Grith males moved in front of them, blocking their way momentarily as they jostled to get their big frames into the tunnel. The Grith were at ease in dark tunnels as their dens were much the same in size and shape. Aaron wondered about that, was it coincidence that the Grith just fitted?
“No, this old den hill when Grith hunt bigger pack. Two-leggers came, Grith left,” Mother whispered in his head.
So, the Grith had been here before the Tower was built. That meant there were probably many tunnels and routes in and out of the Tower with one or two large nesting rooms deeper in the hill.
“Smell Garl,” came the warning from the leading male.
Interesting, Aaron thought. The Grith could distinguish between Sar and Nangarl body smells. He remembered being mind-linked with them and crossing the lands when they searched for Mother. Their heightened senses tuned every smell on the wind or left in the ground from passing creatures into a mine of information. That they could smell differences that subtle was amazing.
The Grith moved silently, so when the sound of voices came from forward of their position, it startled Aaron so that he stopped in his tracks. His reluctance to proceed was interrupted by a cold nose behind his ear nudging him back into action.
He moved cautiously forward. The absence of torches didn’t affect the Grith, but he was moving in blackness relying on the visual impressions from the creatures minds to keep him grounded. He wasn’t as silent as they were so as they approached the disembodied voices Aaron could detect nervousness.
Then, they were out in the open, the corridor they had entered on their way out the previous night and there were shouts and screams as the guards reacted to the two male Grith exiting the tunnel. As the animals surged forward, bustling past Aaron who was there only to direct their attack, the screams and crunching sounds increased. The Grith had no urge to stop and rally, their adrenalin was driving them into a kill-surge. Their ability to tell Garl from Sar meant they dealt with the actual threat in front of them leaving unharmed those that were less disposed to violence.
In that first attack there were ten guards killed and only one left unharmed. The man was plainly petrified at the blood-letting of these wild animals that Sar had been taught from childhood to fear. The size and smell of them within inches of him caused the guard to collapse in a blubbering mess.
Aaron hissed at him. “If you value your life stay here and do NOT move an inch, or they will tear your head off.”
The man had no intention of doing anything else. Aaron could see there was no fight in him. The Grith were wise and could ‘read’ a combatant’s mind and know their intent. As a result while the battle progressed up the stairs and into the main hall, there were scattered survivors. Aaron watched as one Grith male towered over a belligerent guard and growled inches from his face, blood dripping off its jaws.
The message was evidently received as the guard backed away to the nearest wall and slid down until he reached the floor. He would not rise against them now. Aaron had no time to feel sorry for him while the carnage continued unabated. Individual Grith tore through the rooms of the Tower, smelling out the ‘Garl and dropping them to the ground, often a single neck wound the only evidence of the passing of a wild carnivore that at this moment were cleansing the Tower and areas around the central plaza of any Nangarl enemy.
Everywhere Aaron ran, there were Sentinels, acolytes and workers cowering in corners or standing in groups in the middle of rooms. Often one, or two Nangarl littered the floors around them. As the Tower’s communications opened up and people could finally telepath others, the opportunity for Melbray and the others to calm and inform everyone of what was occurring meant that Aaron and the Grith were left alone to do their job and within thirty minutes of arriving through the tunnels the final Nangarl was killed.
The Grith walked through room after room sniffing the dead, checking the living, all the while maintaining perfect self control. No innocent was taken by the Grith, not one. As they drifted past Aaron, he put up a hand and stroked them affectionately, talking to them gently and thanking them for their restraint. In turn they nuzzled his hand or butted their heads against him while he scratched behind their ears. The Sar onlookers paled at the obvious relationship between Aaron and the wild animals he controlled.
The immediate battle was over.
“How goes the taking of the Tower, Aaron?” Melbray asked.
“We are finished. We are clearing the bodies and seeing to those injured in their fright and attempt to escape the Grith. Nothing serious, but many will be unable to sleep this night, or perhaps many nights from now on. It was a terrifying experience for all involved,” Aaron replied tiredly. He had spent the morning soothing the terrified, the ones who had witnessed first-hand the violence both of the Nangarl and the Grith.
A few prisoners had been recovered from the lower levels, seemingly new fledgling talents that would not bend to Krendar’s rule. A girl had immediately appeared and embraced a young male. Aaron felt a brief moment of recognition as his mind swept over her and the small group as he felt her joy in the moment of discovering the man was alive. Small respite for a morning of carnage. Some memory about the girl reminded him of something, but he had no time to dwell on it further as Melbray interrupted his chain of thought.
“Where is Krendar?”
“We have not found him yet, but there are still the upper levels to clear. I have been waiting to hear that we have been successful in persuading the council to reconvene.” Aaron answered.
Melbray sounded more positive than he had been for a while “We have the backing of 73% of the council. They were horrified to discover that the guards had been substituted with Nangarl fighters. In fact, when we showed them evidence of Nangarl involvement they practically fainted. Most of them had no idea that there was anything other than a leadership spat between Krendar and myself. There is real confusion, but they will be there tomorrow for a review consensus. That’s all we can ask for.”
“So, we have to present ourselves tomorrow at the council and Krendar must be there as well?”
“Yes, you will not be allowed in, it is strictly members only. I’m sorry, but there are rules that must be followed,” Melbray apologised.
“It’s alright. I’m not comfortable in there. I prefer to deal with the Sentinels.” In truth Aaron had discovered he had a way with the all of the Sentinels within the Tower. They had seen how he controlled the Grith and were amazed at how the innocent had remained unharmed throughout the battle. The inhabitants of the Tower attributed much of this to Aaron when it was really the Grith themselves that smelt a ‘Garl amongst the Sar and singled them out, giving no quarter of mercy to their bitter enemy.
- 25 -
As soon as he sensed the proximity of wild animals stalking the corridors of the Tower it dawned on Krendar that things weren’t going as predicted. Then Kreebo burst into his private suite in a complete panic.
“They are attacking the guards!” he shouted. The fear and revulsion in his fraught manner caused Krendar to scan his aide’s mind. Pushing to one side the mental emanations of uncontrolled and disjointed terror of his weak aide, he watched a replay of the Grith ripping the throat from the g
uard on the level below. In his effort to escape, Kreebo had run the stairs at his fastest ever time, seeking sanctuary and guidance from the First Lord Watcher.
Krendar observed all of this realising that somehow their enemy had returned and released wild animals into the Tower. Kreebo, not taking any cognisance of the fact only the Nangarl guards were being killed thought the Tower was being overrun and they were all in peril.
“We need to hide, the doors should hold them,” he gabbled as he set the seals, locking them from external threat. When he heard scrabbling as the Grith attempted entry, he laughed madly, his mind gibbering in fear.
Krendar ignored his aide and stood thoughtful as his mind swept the levels beneath them. He detected Melbray, and Gedrack and a new powerful mind, the one he had noted a few weeks back. It was here in the Tower. He detected similarities to the acolyte mind he had scanned and who had been with the group that they had sent to be eliminated as a threat. So, that’s who you are, he thought turning to his aide in fury.
“You were supposed to kill those meddling fools and deal with that wild talent yet here they are in my Tower.” he bellowed at Kreebo, seemingly oblivious to the danger they faced if the door didn’t hold.
“I don’t know what happened, they shouldn’t be alive. The Nangarl – “
“It doesn’t matter now, the guards are all dead. Our plan is in ruins and we will be lucky to get out of this with our lives. If they know those guards are Nangarl then they also have an inkling of our aims. If they find out the full extent, then we will be left to the mercy of those wild animals out there,” he spat, furious at how inept the guards had been to allow them to escape and turn the tables on Kendar’s plans.
“We need to have a plan, and we need it quick. Do you think you can muster enough of your grey matter to concoct us a plausible story before Melbray and the Council come knocking on our door?”
“Yes, I think so,” he said as he observed the calmness of his leader and the suite door remaining in place. The clawing had stopped and the growling moved on. Kreebo overcame his panic as his mental abilities responded to the timely diversion. He began to pull together his thoughts. As he searched the minds below to understand the extent of their knowledge of what had transpired, he came to the conclusion that there was one way it could be achieved, but it meant some serious acting on the part of Krendar and himself.
He opened his mind to his leader and outlined his idea.
***
While Aaron had been drawing the enemy to the basement and lower levels, Melbray, Junto and Gedrack had been using their contacts within the Tower to ensure they had an unrestricted path to the middle levels and Melbray’s suite. Warbel welcomed them having cleared the level of anyone who might disturb their efforts by patrolling the stairwell until the Grith were seen. Having no desire to become one of their meals, he scooted back to Melbray’s suite and prepared to duck within should they appear before Melbray and the others.
Once ensconced in Melbray’s rooms they set about contacting Tower council members and allies giving them unrestricted access to their memories of their capture, and Krendar’s involvement in the intended assassination of them all. They slowly built momentum in their efforts to have Krendar suspended and a new council session organised to have him and his cohorts removed.
Krendar wasn’t inactive during this time and as they built their argument across the network of council minds, he used his followers to dispute their version of events and to reinforce the belief it was their intention to disrupt his efforts to rebuild the Watcher network into a potent political force. He had a lot of sympathisers within Council, many of whom believed the Watchers were unappreciated and should hold greater influence over society’s progress. Arguing their case often came down to Junto’s knowledge of legalities, and Gedrack’s strength of purpose. The respect for Melbray by all members gave him a platform to be heard. However, convincing them that Krendar’s judgement was faulty was an entirely other matter. They all looked to a strong leader and Krendar was one of the strongest they had.
Junto privately linked to Melbray, “Krendar is upto something - he’s calling for an emergency meeting first thing tomorrow?”
“He cannot hope to deny the evidence we are presenting?” Melbray mused.
“Probably not, but he has the right to call the meeting and it serves our purpose if he does. I say let him do it,” Junto replied.
“We have no choice, if the Council follows the rules, they must attend and Krendar will set the agenda. As you say, I wonder what he’s intending to achieve?”
“Whatever it is won’t be good news,” Junto warned.
***
“Vash! VASH?”
“Derril?”
“Vash!”
“Yes, I’m here, I was just stunned to hear your voice. Where are you, why haven’t I been able to find you?” Vash responded.
“Haven’t you seen - heard what’s been happening?” Derril asked.
“No, I was sleeping. What?”
“You won’t believe me - if I was you I would start scanning and check your door,” Derril warned her, then went on.
“I have been a prisoner below in the catacombs of this place. It’s been impossibly difficult and they had some kind of mental block that stopped all this and I haven’t been able to break through it - until now, There are Grith running around the levels, they took out our guards, but ignored the rest of us. They.. Vash, you won’t believe this, but the Grith are telepathic - they spoke to me and told me not to interfere.
“Where are you? I’m coming for you now!”
Vash watched as he mentally described where he was and recognised the main reception area. She also saw the young man that intrigued her. The acolyte with strange mental emanations. Aaron.
“I’m on my way down to you - stay there,” she warned him not wanting to lose him again.
As she rushed down the stairwell she heard a scampering of claws on tile and froze half way between levels.
A shadow preceded the huge creature making it look even larger than it was. The brown fur and the big black eyes were what she saw first, then as the rest of it turned the corner and faced her, it grinned baring large fangs. The blood dripping off the creature’s maw caused her to step back, but the Grith stalked her, step by step. When she reached a wall with nowhere else to go, the creature also halted, its large nose ventured closer sniffing in her scent.
“You are not of them - yet your smell is tainted,” the voice in her head sounded inquisitive more than threatening.
“Who are ‘them’?” Vash asked, unwilling to let her fear freeze her entirely, but the creature ignored her and continued to sniff.
“Mother says you are to be spared. Go little one, you are safe. Your brother waits for you,” and with that it loped past her up the stairs, a single bound and it was gone.
Vash trembling from the close call, held her hand against the wall to steady herself as she almost ran the remaining stairs to the main reception. ‘Grith - that was a Grith? It was so big - and it can mindspeak!’ her thoughts tumbled as she ran. Her thoughts switched to the muddle in front of her as her eyes sought out the figure of her brother.
Then there he was in front of her and she ran and hugged him to her. Finally, her search was over! They could go home.
- 26 -
The new Sar guards standing at the doors to the council chamber looked nervous. Aaron was patrolling the corridor, equally nervously, but not letting it show. He had a male Grith alongside him; the smell of the animal adding confusion to the moment, increasing the guards uncertainty.
Aaron, as Melbray had warned, was not allowed entry to the meeting. He had attempted to piggy-back on Melbray’s mind, but had lost that connection when Krendar arrived. He and his secretary had put a blanket over proceedings that they had learned from the Nangarl, but Aaron had learned a few things too. He could break through the suppression shield, but to do so would cost him an advantage, one he could not afford to give up
. Instead, he paced the main corridor while the nervous workers had all vanished from the presence of the large animal padding alongside Aaron like a pair of caged beasts.
An hour went past, then two. Aaron’s nervousness was beginning to break into real concern. The effect on the animal next to him was equally worrying. The Grith’s movements had become more predatory as time went on. It appeared to pick up Aaron’s mental concerns, but then Aaron also thought that the Grith were more sensitive to mental activity than his people were. It might just be the sense of the heated debate that was going on behind closed doors.
The Grith noticed first. The guards had changed their stance and were now on high alert. Their ceremonial halberds were now extended as if to ward off the enemy, but there was only Aaron and the Grith on this floor. Their eyes scanned them as if noticing the pair for the first time. Aaron felt a wave of power sweep over him and shielded his mind to ward off the attack that he instinctively knew would follow.
The Grith seemed unfazed by the mind that was now engaging his, whilst its hackles went up as its front legs rose to their full height intending on making it look larger than it was. In truth it was almost as large as it looked.
The guards, previously wary and nervous showed no such concerns now. They advanced on the Grith and Aaron and the animal backed up confused because these were not the hated ‘Garl. It was reassured by a tight tendril of thought from Aaron who was fighting his own battle with Krendar who was attacking him with the force of a hammer on a giant anvil.
Aaron guessed that the secretary, that morally challenged creature, was controlling the guards and probably intended them as a distraction. Aaron couldn’t take the chance. He gathered his resolve and prepared to respond to the threats they faced. He knew that something must be going on inside the chamber, but needed to resolve this before he could help Melbray and the others.
