by L. R. W. Lee
“We won’t be greedy. Let’s take only the pheasants. It’ll be lighter and easier to carry.”
Andy nodded.
“When we get there, you cut one end of the line and I’ll get the other, then we’ll head for the rocks. Got it?”
Andy bobbed his head.
The sergeant ducked from behind the tree and Andy hunched over and followed, holding Methuselah out front. The only sounds to reach his ears were grunts from slumbering zolt. I hope they stay that way.
Their path cut through the light smoke wafting on the breeze from the dying embers of the fire. Andy squeezed his eyes to slits and held his breath until they had cleared the haze. They had closed to within three yards of their prize when one of the zolt, who lay too close for comfort, coughed. Sergeant Ranulf froze and crouched low in the grass. Andy did the same. The bird-man hacked several more times before moaning and finally letting out a snore. The sergeant looked back at Andy, then nodded to continue.
They scrambled behind the disarrayed barrels that now formed a protective wall between them and the enemy. Sergeant Ranulf inched forward; Andy copied his movements.
When Andy reached his objective, he poked his head up over the barrels and found the sergeant already holding one end of the line, waiting on him. He chanced a peek around but spotted no threats, so he quickly cut his end. What he had not counted on, however, was the pheasant carcasses hitting the ground with an explosion of noise. He froze, hoping to hear nothing more than snoring. Sergeant Ranulf waved his arms wildly, gesturing to bolt, as nasally craws sounded across the camp.
Firmly grasping his end of the line, the prize dragged behind Andy as he reached the sergeant. Together they dashed from the scene of the crime as more squawks rose in the pre-dawn light. Andy could see Alden and Sergeant Hammond nearly at the rocks, with Hans and Sergeant Terric close behind. Where’s Hannah?
Minutes later, Andy and Sergeant Ranulf barreled through a three-foot-wide crack between the rocks, still dragging their catch. Andy glanced about, noting the cache of weapons piled on the ground and counting heads. Captain Baldric, Sergeant Fulk, and Hannah were missing. Andy shared a frown with Alden then stuck his head back out the gap.
A significant flock of zolt bore down on Sergeant Fulk, closing quickly. Andy saw the strain on the man’s face as he sped for safety.
Sergeant Ranulf, who had watched the scene unfold, yelled, “Prepare to defend!”
Andy ducked back inside, and seconds later Sergeant Fulk barreled through the entrance, collapsing on the floor of the cave where he gasped for air.
Sergeants Ranulf, Hammond, and Terric darted outside.
Shiiiiing. Clang. Clank. Swash. Clang. Clank.
Still breathing hard, Sergeant Fulk rose and, with Andy, Alden, and Hans, headed back outside to bolster their comrades. And just in time.
Clang. Clank. Swash. Clang.
The officers who initiated the defense had felled many of the foe, but more zolt had entered the fray. Sergeant Ranulf was swinging his sword wildly, doing his best to single-handedly repel five bird-men. Andy joined him as an enemy lunged for the sergeant’s head. Andy brought Methuselah down, catching the bird-man’s exposed torso. The foe dropped. Andy assumed his ready position as another enemy engaged him. He followed the zolt’s gaze as it thrust its sword at his left shoulder.
“Shouldn’t have done that,” Andy admonished as he sidestepped the strike and Methuselah found its target in the enemy’s chest.
Two zolt teamed up and attacked Andy from either side. Motion slowed around him and Andy whirled, quickly relieving the pair of their heads. Seconds later, another enemy leapt at Alden who fought a yard away. The foe never knew what happened, for as it jumped, ready to plunge a dagger into Alden’s exposed back, Methuselah located its neck.
Anticipating the next attack but experiencing none, Andy and Alden paused to scan the area in the morning light. Carnage littered the field. Sergeant Fulk caught Andy’s eye with a thumbs-up as Sergeants Hammond and Terric each felled two remaining enemy. An eerie silence enveloped the scene and Hans, the sword drooping in his hand, wandered over to join the boys. The four officers gathered around.
“Where are Hannah and Captain Baldric?” The question spilled from Alden like floodwaters breaching a dam. His narrowed eyes stared piercingly at Sergeant Fulk.
The officer shook his head as he began, “The zolt grabbed them as they dragged a wild boar clear of the camp. There were too many enemy to defend. Captain motioned for me to alert everyone.”
This is all my fault! Andy berated himself. If I hadn’t let the pheasants drop and make all that noise!
“We’ve got to rescue them!” Alden demanded, glancing to Andy for support.
“And we will, but not right this minute.” Sergeant Fulk raised his hands and lowered his brow, meeting Alden’s glare. “The zolt will expect us to do exactly that, and they’ll be ready. By my count, there are at least three dozen left in camp, not including reinforcements that may have arrived.”
“Besides, if we tried something now, they’d see us coming,” Sergeant Hammond pointed out.
“Then what do we do?” Alden hissed.
“Wait until tonight and rescue them under cover of darkness,” Sergeant Terric proposed.
“But the zolt could—”
“Other than tying us up and withholding food, the zolt didn’t harm anyone last year while you three retrieved the unicorn horns,” Hans countered, forcing a smile.
“Let’s hope they’re as charitable this time,” Andy mumbled under his breath. Alden met Andy’s eyes as their thoughts aligned.
Before anyone else chimed in, Sergeant Fulk instructed, “Let’s head inside, dress everyone’s wounds, and eat a decent meal. Then we’ll formulate a plan.”
Alden clenched his jaw and Andy frowned, but they reluctantly followed the others inside.
With Sergeant Ranulf the only warrior not leaking red, he drew his sword and announced, “I’m going to scout out these caves and make sure we’re alone.” Sergeant Fulk nodded and the man disappeared down the tunnel. Sunlight snaking through the crack at the zenith lit his way.
“Looks like you’re the worst off,” Hans assessed, addressing Sergeant Hammond. “Let’s tend your wounds first.”
Alden set Calum on a rock off to the side, adding, “Looks like he could use a rest.”
Hooh-hrooo, Calum cooed, adjusted several feathers, and stuck his head under a wing.
“Looks like he agrees,” Hans remarked.
“Might as well pluck the pheasants,” Alden announced, then grabbed three of the birds and headed for the exit. Andy followed, offering, “I’ll go look for firewood.”
“Probably ought to move some of those zolt, lest we attract more attention,” Sergeant Terric suggested, following the boys outside.
As the sergeant headed left, Andy caught Alden’s eye and gestured to follow him in the opposite direction. Alden nodded.
“This is a bad idea,” Andy’s inneru cautioned.
Somebody needs to do something!
“You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
Andy ignored it.
Minutes later, while the officer was occupied with removing zolt carcasses, Alden met Andy and they stashed the pheasants at the foot of the jutting bedrock. Andy bobbed a finger to his lips and pointed, then hunched below the tops of the waist-high grass and moved out. Alden trailed close behind.
Halfway across the open field, Andy paused and scanned the skies. That’s good. Maybe they haven’t gotten reinforcements yet. He stopped and sat down, and Alden joined him.
“I think we’re far enough away to not be heard.”
Alden nodded.
Andy drew a rough map of the enemy camp. “There’s a tree over here. Let’s approach and assess the situation from there. We’ll probably need to split up. I’ll plan to distract them. You get Hannah and Captain Baldric.”
“You got it,” Alden acknowledged.
They broke t
heir powwow and continued on. The path to the zolt camp felt longer this time. Periodically Andy glanced upward. Walking hunched over proved a strain on his back, but his guilt propelled him.
At last, the hulking oak from which he and Sergeant Ranulf had mounted their assault loomed near. The two boys silently drew their swords.
They scurried under the protective arms of the hardwood. Andy peeked his head left and Alden bobbed right, surveying the battlefield. Two zolt, their backs to them, sharpened swords ten feet away, and another two enemy dozen sat scattered about the clearing, cleaning or repairing weapons. Three bird-warriors butchered a wild boar as another supervised. Two more split wood while another prepared broth in a cookpot. Hannah and the captain both sat with hands behind their backs, tied to a thick post on the far side of the camp among a grouping of barrels. Gags constricted their mouths, but Hannah’s wide eyes spoke volumes.
They’re okay. That’s a relief.
The two nearest zolt conversed.
“When are reinforcements gonna get here?” the bald one groused. “You know they’ll be back tonight.”
“I’m not holding my breath. With Abaddon preoccupied, I’ll be surprised if he sends more troops,” replied his partner.
Preoccupied?
“You’re probably right. At least there’s only seven of them since we’ve got those two, but they fight tough.”
“You worried?”
“A little.”
“Well, just focus on what’ll happen once Abaddon gets eternal life again. He’ll be unstoppable and so will we.” The zolt chuckled. “I can’t wait. Shouldn’t be long now.”
“If I live that long.” The hairless one shook his head.
Andy raised his eyebrows and ducked back behind the tree where Alden’s expression mirrored his. Alden furrowed his brow and gestured an unspoken question about what the conversation might mean, to which Andy could only shrug and shake his head.
Alden pointed to his chest and motioned that he would circle around to the other side of the camp, then wait for Andy’s signal. Andy nodded his understanding and his friend moved out, disappearing into the tall grass.
But as Andy waited for his partner to reappear, a sharp point jabbed his back.
“Looking for something?” came a nasally question from behind.
CHAPTER TEN
Chain of Command
“As a matter of fact, I am,” Andy replied, not missing a beat. “You and your buddies have my friends tied up. I’m giving you only one chance to release them before we—” Andy glanced at the field behind him, hoping to intimidate the zolt as Gelon had the other day.
“Drop your weapon!” the vulture-warrior commanded.
I can’t believe I forgot about the sentry. So much for that tactic.
“Okay. Okay,” Andy acquiesced, lowering Methuselah.
The zolt kicked the blade clear. “We’ve got company,” he announced as he forced Andy to kneel.
I hope Alden succeeded.
Andy felt coarse rope strangle his wrists before a beefy zolt hauled him up and shoved him forcefully. He staggered and just barely caught himself. The bird-man immediately followed up by planting a foot on his behind, propelling him forward with haste.
The zolt converged in a warbling mass of nasally calls as Andy’s captors goaded him across the clearing. Despite the rough handling, he distinctly heard Hannah gasp the instant she saw him.
A third post was quickly erected next to Captain Baldric. Andy’s captors released his hands momentarily, but he felt the rough wood bite into his skin as they turned him around and bound him once more. A gag, tied too tightly, quickly followed.
At least Alden’s still free, Andy thought as he tested his bonds.
A minute later, Hannah gasped again.
Andy jerked his head up in time to see zolt parading his coconspirator toward them. The captors planted Alden at the opposite end of the row, next to Hannah, initiating a chorus of shouts and jeers.
The blonde-haired maiden refused to give the enemy any measure of satisfaction and sat frozen, her jaw set. The others did the same. With no response, their bird-brained captors quickly grew bored and ambled back to their chores, but periodically they snatched glances and smirked.
The sun rose in the sky and began its descent again. Beads of sweat meandered from Andy’s brow into the gag, and he felt his tunic grow moist. A look at his fellow captives told him the others experienced equal discomfort.
With limited ability to communicate, Andy’s mind wandered. What did those guys mean when they said Abaddon would soon regain eternal life?
Dad’s voice sounded in his head, interrupting and accusing, “Quite a bind you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Andy scowled and replied, Someone had to do something. I couldn’t just wait, not knowing if they were okay or not.
“Have you considered that your impatience will now lead others to wonder the same about you?” his inneru countered.
But Hannah’s my friend, and the captain…
“You are heir to the throne, Andy. That makes you different. Your choices are no longer only about you.”
Andy remembered Father’s counsel about putting the good of the people ahead of his own. He gave a heavy sigh, then tugged at his bonds once more, drawing the captain’s attention.
“It doesn’t matter if you like it or not; it’s the way things are, Andy,” his inneru continued admonishing.
That makes me feel—
“Stifled, trapped, repressed, confined, lacking freedom?” the voice continued.
Yeah, Andy grumped.
“And so would the average soul. You must think outside the barrel.”
Outside the what? Andy questioned.
“The barrel. It’s an expression. It means to consider possibilities that aren’t obvious.”
Andy laughed, drawing a curious look from Captain Baldric and a sideways glance from Hannah.
Where I’m from we say “think outside the box.”
“Well, whether you think outside a barrel or a box, you need to understand that your choices now affect more than just you. Respect that.”
Understood, Andy relented, groaning.
“Speaking of thinking outside the barrel, you’re in a bit of a bind. Perhaps you should try doing so for yourself.”
Andy frowned, then gave his bonds another jerk.
“Like many situations, force won’t fix this problem.”
Andy scanned the campsite. They’re all preoccupied. None of them are near. But how to cut this rope… Wait! Methuselah.
The hilt instantly materialized in Andy’s hands behind the post. He carefully turned it over it so the pommel now touched the ground. He raised his arms to give the blade clearance, then thought, I need you to cut my bonds. Andy felt heat, then smelled smoke. His eyes grew large as he anticipated feeling pain, but none came. Captain Baldric looked over and raised his eyebrows as the odor reached him.
Seconds later, Andy felt his bonds loosen and fall. You’re so awesome, Methuselah!
“Well done, Prince,” Andy’s inneru praised. “Now take care of your subjects.”
Andy inventoried the captors again. Assured that none looked his direction, he tore off the gag, grabbed his sword hilt, then rolled to his side. He quickly crawled behind the captain and cut his bonds, then did the same for Hannah and Alden. But as they scooted toward cover, their movement drew the attention of one zolt and it sounded the alarm, “The prisoners are escaping!”
Hannah, Alden, and the captain retrieved their weapons from a nearby heap and joined Andy to pair off in ready positions. As the first attacker charged, time slowed for Andy and he whirled around, a tornado of destruction, cutting a swath of carnage through the zolt ranks. Captain Baldric followed, felling enemies who dared assault Andy’s back.
A bird-warrior lunged at Andy’s right flank as he blew past. The enemy’s blade nearly connected, but at the last second Andy felt Methuselah lurch, blocking the foe’s further advance.
His blade then turned its edge on the assailant, eliminating the threat.
What just happened? Methuselah…
The short lapse in focus brought two more zolt within striking distance. These two he recognized from earlier, when he overheard them discussing Abaddon’s condition. They both wore scowls and their piercing black eyes told Andy there would be no mercy if he did not eliminate them. The one to his right raised its sword over its head and charged. The one to his left held its blade at waist height and bolted for him.
The unprotected midsection of the right bird-man proved a temptation Andy could not resist. The enemy neared to within five feet, and Andy started Methuselah in motion. A split second later he connected with the attacker’s ribs. The return swing found the other zolt’s neck.
Reaching the far side of the clearing, time resumed its normal pace for Andy, and Captain Baldric halted abruptly next to him. They whirled around and surveyed the scene. Alden and Hannah together engaged three foe on the opposing side but quickly bested them.
Zolt corpses littered the campsite. Only two enemies stood in the center, protecting each other’s back. The pair took ready positions, waiting.
“If you surrender, we won’t kill you,” Andy offered.
Their only response was to curl their lips and spit on the ground.
“Okay, don’t say we didn’t give you a chance.”
Andy exchanged glances with Alden and Hannah, then nodded.
“Ready, Captain?” Andy queried his partner.
“Oh yeah.”
Andy and the captain took a purposeful step forward, which Alden and Hannah mirrored from their side of the clearing. The zolt turned and began running, transforming, squawking, and screeching as they beat their wings in strong downward flaps. Liftoff never came, however, for just before their feet left the ground, Andy and the sergeant tackled one and Alden and Hannah grabbed the other. It took little effort to finish them off.
Andy had barely breathed a sigh of relief when Captain Baldric holstered his sword and asked, “Where’s everyone else?”
“Back at the camp,” Alden offered.
“You two came by yourselves?” Hannah clarified.
