by J D Cowan
“I’m sure you are. Get up.”
He lifted her by the arm and marched toward the group. Jason called out to the remaining prisoners, and they converged on them. He asked for an inventory of supplies which turned out to be a stockpile of bread and cheese in their sacks. Each carried a sword or axe except for Bran who held a spear. The women carried bows. Some brought shields.
He explained Matthew’s simple plan, and they all talked amongst themselves about it.
“We had no reason to think we would survive out here,” Bran said. He kept stealing a glance at Case’s grave. “Our only plan was to take what we could and run as far as our legs could take us.”
That was all they could hope for.
They had little choice. The escapees could either die in the wilderness or die in the dark of the dungeons. Matthew would have made the same decision.
After enough discussion, Alain led the charge south for shelter in the direction Matthew had indicated. Nieto’s men normally wouldn’t follow them out of the range of his magic, but the tyrant might send them to rescue his wife.
“You won’t make it far,” Shaula interjected.
Jason glared at her, and she returned his look with a blank expression. Matthew believed he had her pegged. Shaula only ever aimed for what she wanted, and never more than that. She lived to pull men’s strings. The boy had clearly never dealt with a woman like her. But Matthew had.
Alain led the group on into the thick mountain mist with Jason hanging near the back. Matthew, still trapped inside Jason, hoped they would hear nothing in their journey but the echoes of their footsteps. No one spoke as they moved on from the gravesite.
“You’re awfully quiet, Jason.”
“Trying to listen,” he replied to the man in his head. Matthew could only hear thoughts directed to him. “Just keep an eye out. I doubt they’ll let us leave that easy.”
Shaula hummed to herself, even as they led her on in chains. “I wonder what will come out tonight.”
Chapter 7
Between Death and Dreams
The Earth men and the escapees traveled forty feet up the ridge and several miles from where they crashed. The mountain mist grew thinner the higher they climbed. It faded more as the night came on.
They found a cavern with enough space to fit the lot inside. Alain and Bran made a fire near the entrance, and the group settled in the best they could. Nightfall gave Matthew control of his body once more. He sat with his back to the rear wall and his eyes on the black night outside.
Just before him and in front of the blaze lay Shaula, formerly known as Marguerite, watching the fire. The rest of the men lay around her in a ring. One of the warriors choked back snores, and Shaula pouted to herself. Ordopha finished checking on her brother and noticed Matthew. She silently strode over, her hips swaying in time with the dancing fire. The girl pretended not to see Shaula as she approached.
Ordopha dropped down beside him with her back to the wall. He nodded without looking over.
“It is far too cold out there,” she said. “No one has ever frozen to death in Mageuopolis. Lord Nieto willed it to be so. Every resident of the town and the castle is bathed in his magic. We are all warmed and kept alive by his will. He knows if anyone has escaped his realm or enters into it. That is the price of risking escape.” She bit her lip. “Case would have told us it was inevitable.”
“You did what you had to.” Matthew tried to sound confident, but he didn’t know if he had the energy in him to puff his chest up. “At least no one else died.”
Ordopha let out a small choking noise. Her slender hand ran across her cheek and hair, wiping away a tear. He pretended to stare into the fire when she looked up again.
“It’s going to be rough tomorrow,” he said.
She took a hard breath before she spoke again. “Yes. We have a long journey ahead of us.”
“So, tell me about Case. Was he a good man?”
“There was no man braver or with a faster blade. Next to Alain, he had the most victories in the arena. It is because of those two that we are still alive.”
“So they made you fight in an arena. They looked callus enough to enjoy that sort of thing. Why not just kill you?”
“I don’t know. I would suggest asking her. We were used as entertainment and food for the lizards. Now that we’ve escaped they will certainly look for replacements.”
“Not at all,” Shaula interrupted. Ordopha jumped at her low and sultry tone. The dignified prisoner sat up from the fire to face them. Her shadow framed, by the flames, danced like a mad piper’s puppet. She looked strangely at ease beside the flames, as a demon would. “Do you wish to know the truth, little girl? You were distractions to keep the beasts entertained. Nothing more. Whether you die out here or not is of no consequence to your Lord. The only disappointment is that you have managed to drag these two into the filth with you.”
“Shut your mouth,” Ordopha said with bared teeth. “Never address me again, you hag. Even the lizard men speak of your deceptions.”
“There are no deceptions. There only truths properly expressed. The Great Sorcerer King created me. He created this land. He created every bit of you, silly girl. He will reclaim his creation. If Mr. White and the lad would put aside their pride, we could avoid far worse casualties than that fool at the crash site.”
Ordopha sprung from the wall, chipping stone from the rock behind her. Her fury reflected the blaze of the fire. She leapt at Shaula with the force of a bear. Matthew reached out and caught her in his arms. Ordopha thrashed against him.
“Let me go, Matthew! She will die by my hands.”
“No, idiot,” he growled. “She wants you to do that! This is what she does.”
Shaula winked at him, flicking long hair from her shoulder.
A few of the others turned to watch them before he waved them away. Finally, Ordopha took a breath and ceased struggling.
“I apologize, Matthew. Alain might want her alive, but I rarely agree with him. She should die.”
“Believe me, I get it,” he replied. “I think Jason should have just thrown her over the ramparts instead of taking her, but there’s nothing to be done about it now. Just take a rest.”
“I will.” She paused and looked up at him. “You can . . . let go of me now.”
The two glanced at each other for a second before he complied. He could have sworn her cheeks reddened for an instant.
“Sorry,” he said. “I guess I didn’t get as much rest as I thought.”
“Thank you for stopping me.” She gave a small bow. “We will need all the strength we can muster tomorrow.”
“Have a good one.”
As he watched Ordopha settle down beside her sleeping brother, Matthew thought about her last words. Tomorrow would be treacherous. If it got any colder, they would freeze long before they made any headway out of these mountains. But there had to be an escape. Nieto wouldn’t set up his operation if he didn’t have a back door.
“Speaking of Jason,” Shaula said. She faced the fire instead of him. “How is he faring? I know he speaks into your mind. This place must be terrifying for the poor dear.”
“He’s sleeping. Don’t bother trying to mess with his head.”
“You mistake me, Matthew. You don’t mind me calling you that, do you? Jason reminds me of my daughter. Zelana was truly special. Jason is full of promise, just like any child is. It is a shame they are all so timid.”
“If you were my mother I’d probably run the other way, too. You better get some sleep, Shaula. You’ve got a whole lot of walking to do. Don’t think I won’t hesitate to run you through and throw your carcass over the side of the cliff.”
“Such violence. You would fit well in with your villains back on Earth.”
“Maybe I would,” he answered her. “What do you know about Castor and Pollux? Tell me the truth so I can adapt faster.”
She sighed and shook the long strands of locks from her shoulders. “They come fr
om the stars, same as my love. Far away on a long-dead star Castor and Pollux were forged. Whoever made them, and why they did so, is unknown. Since my love found the relics abandoned, it is safe to say they failed. How do you feel being the first successful results of their experiment?”
“Great,” he lied.
They fell quiet, and Matthew went back to watching the opening. The night went on, the dead air droning outside. No birds, no crickets, no car horns, or any sounds of life. It reminded him of a graveyard.
They woke up early. Jason regretted sleeping and leaving Matthew alone all night to watch over Shaula and the perimeter. Pollux had worn him down. But even though he slept without a physical form, he could still feel Matthew’s doubts. Apparently, emotions worked differently than thoughts. Waking up to his mumbling was not a pleasant experience.
Daylight transformed Matthew’s body into Jason again. They quickly broke camp and set out into the morning light of the mountains.
Jason’s dream told him the direction forward. It was that same vision of the mountain he had seen a hundred times before. But it was closer, more vivid.
“It’s a dream, boy,” Alain said. “It’s foolish to pin our hopes on such frivolous things.”
“It may be,” Ordopha mumbled. “However, we do not have any other clear direction to go. He bears Pollux, and he was instrumental in our escape. Honor dictates we give him room to make his case.”
Shaula laughed. “I agree. Jason is a natural born talent. He is much too modest.”
Bran pulled on the ropes around her, and she quieted up. The rest, however, now spoke amongst themselves about Jason’s ability.
The vision of the golden light had only strengthened since their escape. But Jason was convinced it was their best shot at finding a way out. He just didn’t want Shaula to know. She wanted to bring him out here to find it. Thankfully her magic had vanished with her connection to Nieto, but his stomach still twisted. The way she watched them talk amongst themselves with her grating smile stuck to his last nerve.
The lot argued for some time before Alain interrupted. His teeth bared, they all fell silent. Even with his own people he had little patience.
“Ord was right,” Alain said. “We have no clear direction. We are stranded in the mountains. We have no protection against the cold. If it weren’t for Jason and Matthew, we would not be here now. I vote to follow him. What say all of you?”
There was little disagreement after that, but Jason didn’t like being a leader. He did not choose to have these dreams. The gold light loomed closer than ever before. If only Matthew weren’t dead asleep.
Onward they went. The daylight could not pierce the beige blanket over the cliffs, steep drops, and bladed crags. Midnight black chasms awaited below the narrowing trails ahead.
It must have been at least an hour they traveled. The pathways dipped down lower into the mist again and around tight bends above the sharp drop. Jason peered into its depths and thought he saw the fog thickening and taking a greener tint. He was thankful they were not going down that way.
Alain tapped him on the shoulder. “How long have you had these visions?”
“As long as I can remember. I get a picture of this bright gold light in the cracks of some great rock wall. A woman is talking, but I always wake up and forget her.”
“Couldn’t it be a trap?”
“I have this feeling deep inside that it’s not. Someone is giving me these visions. I just have to trust her.”
The day passed on like this. His concentration remained on the road ahead, and the others talked amongst each other. Alain shared old stories with his friends, Ordopha kept quiet, and Matthew slept. Only two of the others, Jules and Tess, would sometimes interrupt his concentration.
Finally, after what felt like half a lifetime, a familiar voice whispered in his head.
“What’s bothering you, boy?” Matthew asked.
“Nothing,” Jason replied with his mind. “Listen, I have something to tell you.”
He relayed his tale about the dream. To his surprise, Matthew did not act concerned.
“That’s all well and good, but I think we need to find a Mirror Gate sooner than later.”
“I thought that was what we were doing,” he accidentally said out loud. Tess and Jules asked what he was doing. Jason explained it best he could before going back to Matthew. “Now you’re making me look crazy.”
“If it weren’t for these people, I would have gone straight back to that damn fortress. The longer I’ve been here, the more I’ve been thinking about that magic. Did you feel it? It’s like poison.”
Jason thought of that green fog deep below them. “You been having bad dreams?”
“I don’t dream. Think about it, Jason. They can go between worlds and take whatever they want. You’ve seen all that magic can do—all that one freak can do. Can you imagine Nieto getting loose again? If you think Serenity City is a hellhole, you haven’t seen anything.”
“This gold light will give us what we’re looking for. I know it.”
“I still think we’re being followed.”
“Alain says we’re not. The others agree. But I don’t know. I think I hear something far off.”
“Might be Pollux. If your physical state is heightened, wouldn’t your eyes and ears be, too?”
“Wait, Matthew.”
Jason stopped in his tracks and listened. The longer he waited, the more it came into focus: the light rustling of pebbles. A slight tapping echoed into the wide canyons. More than one figure moved out there somewhere.
Howling wind snapped about, and stone crumbled from cliffs. But what was it?
Then he heard it: a footstep. Then another. Jason focused on it, his ears cocked. One lone trickle of boots became a flood of them. They were miles behind and gushing forward.
“Alain!” he called out.
Shouts sounded from the crags around the group. Masked faces attached to men wrapped in black rags and armor emerged from the fog like shadows forming from the stone of the mountain. The men held bows in their arms with spearmen and swordsmen at their side.
Alain ordered his group to raise their hands and not touch their weapons. For one so prideful, Jason half-expected it was a ruse. But Alain refused to allow them to attack.
One of the black-clad men stepped forward. He removed the dark mask that covered his mouth. The same bright and familiar hair color and skin of every one of the prisoners showed through. Scars ran along his face.
Jason whispered to Shaula. “Friends of yours?”
“Hardly,” she replied.
“Travellers,” the man announced with a joyous expression. “I am Richter, leader of the Vultures. Tell me the names you would like marked on your graves.”
“It’s a trap,” Alain mumbled. “He wants to see where our allegiance lies. He believes we are part of Nieto’s forces. Having the witch with us does not help our cause.”
Shaula threw him a glare but said nothing.
“We escaped from Mageuopolis,” Jason shouted back. “We only mean to pass. I am Jason, wielder of Pollux.”
“You fool!” Shaula hissed.
“Pollux?” Richter asked. “Do you mean that old legend? Preposterous!”
“That’s what this band on my wrist says.”
Ordopha clapped onto his shoulders. “Quiet! You are playing into his hands.”
“We can’t afford to wait around.” Jason shrugged her off. “If this group is not with Nieto, then we need to let them know who we are. There’s something else in these mountains. I heard a heavy crowd approaching in the distance. It wasn’t these guys.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll tell you when this is settled.”
Richter had already begun discussing the situation with his allies. Finally, he addressed Jason once more.
“That could be any cheap trinket. I am more concerned with that woman. I can sense heavy darkness in her. She stinks of magic.”
�
�She’s our prisoner.”
“This could be a ruse to trap my men. I do not tarry with magic. I should plunge blades into your stomachs.”
“Whether you believe me or not means little,” Jason snapped. “There are bigger things to worry about. Something in the mountains is getting closer. We need to pass before they find us.”
“What is it that you heard?” Matthew asked.
Jason ignored him. “What will it take for you to let us live?”
“How about a test of strength? If you best me in battle, I will let you all go. I might keep your women, though.”
“Funny.” Jason grinned. He nodded to Alain. “I might have to use Pollux here.”
“If he has been living in these mountains then he must be tenacious. A warrior with your skill has no chance even with Pollux. I should take this duel.”
“He already knows I have the bracelet. He isn’t going to let me go without a fight first.”
“Precisely!” Ordopha hissed. “Why didn’t you listen to me?”
“Let him alone, Ord. Should he fall like a fool, then I will step in. If he is a man, he will fix his own problems.”
“Alain’s right. You’re being stupid.”
Jason growled. “Everybody shut up! This is my fight.”
No longer would he sit by and let others fight for him. They needed to get out of this place, and he could help them do it.
Half of the three dozen men including Richter slid down the embankment toward the escapees. Richter approached with his blade in hand. Without looking, he threw his longsword to the men behind him. They tossed him back a short blade and shield.
The remainder perched above with arrows trained on their targets. Running would not be an option.
Richter stood before Jason with the short sword and round shield by his side. He gestured for the boy to come forward.
“A test,” he said. “Should you break my shield, I will believe your claim. If not, you die.”
Jason drew his sword. He had cleaned it the night before, but it never felt right. The blade had been made for lizards, and not men.
