All day long, Lorne stayed inside his cabin. As the sun made room for the moon, he called for Thomas.
“What do you want?” Lorne asked as the door closed behind the pirate.
Thomas looked at him, unconcerned. Until that point, his tactic had been to watch the events unfold without getting too involved. The only thing that kept him from leaving all of them and going away with a sermerio—or even worse, turning them over—was knowing that the sermerios wanted to make slaves out of humans, and if there was something that Thomas did not want to be, it was a slave to someone.
Lorne continued. “I know you do not care about anyone here. I cannot take any chances. If you take part in this, I need to make sure I can count on you. So, I'll ask again: What do you want?”
“What everyone here wants: To return to my body, to my world.”
“I think you're wise enough to want more than that.”
Thomas ran a hand over his beard. “I'd appreciate it if the sermerios wouldn't see me.”
“By this, you mean you will help us, but if they catch us, you will pretend that you are not a part of anything and have never seen us before.”
“I’ll play their game. I’ll even pretend I don’t know where I am. Being sent on a crazy mission is better than being executed, but I confess, I don’t like what I've learned about them; so, I'll do my best not to have to face them.”
Lorne leaned back in his chair and considered that answer. The truth was that he had included Thomas in his plans and didn’t want to change them. He had already imagined that the pirate didn’t want to be seen.
“Fine.”
Thomas raised his eyebrows in astonishment. It was not the reaction he’d expected.
Lorne continued, “But know that if you do not play your part and something goes wrong because of you, I'll kill you myself, and I will not even have to come near you for that.”
Thomas knew how to recognize when a man was making idle threats, and that threat was so real, he could almost touch it.
“So, do we have an understanding?” Lorne reached out, and the agreement was made with a handshake.
Then, the others were called in. He explained the plan. It was simple.
Too simple, Steven thought.
It would start with Habel, who would demand to meet with a prisoner; Lorne would make her look like a sermerio.
“What if one of them is at the door?” Steven demanded.
“I hope they won't be; it has never happened before, and I have watched this prison for many days, but if one of them is there, our Habel here will have to improvise.”
Habel felt her breath stop in her throat; everything depended on her. If she could not get in, she would be arrested, and the rest of the plan could not be put into practice.
Chad stared at Lorne with wide eyes.
The wizard approached and knelt in front of the boy. “You will have a very important mission. I'll give you a lunette and you’ll watch the surroundings. If you see anything approaching, you’ll prepare the ship to leave. When you're ready, you will look again. If it is us, you will wait. If it is the sermerios, you will go away alone. Kyla will teach you what you should do. It will be all right; don’t worry. We'll be back soon.”
The group walked among the palm trees, all wearing hooded coats that covered half of their faces, and no one talked. Everyone was going over the plan in their heads.
Heavy clouds covered the sky, periodically illuminated by thunder.
Behind the trees, they saw a city. They could see the port; there were huge caravels, bigger than Lorne’s, all docked. They could see the lights of the candles burning inside the houses and the shadows of the villagers walking about.
The roofs of the houses were made of red bricks in a triangular shape and all had more than one floor—some of them had up to four floors. The biggest building was the only one made of stone; it had two towers and stood out from the others not only because it was taller but also because it was majestic and had no windows.
“There it is,” said Lorne.
The wizard took Habel by the hand and said, “It will work. Remember, it won't last long; I need her to recognize you to succeed. The sermerios are always rigid and pretentious; if you do not act like that, they may be suspicious.”
Suddenly, a storm fell. Everyone ran for shelter.
Lorne said, “If anyone wants to give up, this is the best time.”
Silence.
It was the answer he wanted. He chanted a few words with his hands in front of Habel's face. It took longer than she expected—or maybe it was the anxiety that made time pass slowly. As soon as it was over, she was a sermerio in every detail. The woman brought her fingers up to her face; her skin was harsher, and she could feel the slight elevations of her tattoos. Lorne checked to see if her wings were well-hidden. She pulled up the hood from her cloak, took a deep breath, and moved to the gates as the others watched.
A troll and an elf were on guard. Not a sign of sermerios. Habel let out a slight sigh; perhaps luck was on their side.
The troll's skin was green as moss; he was shirtless and wore leather pants, and in one hand, he had a large ax with a blade at each end. On his back was a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a large, round shield with sharp points. His eyes were yellow; his hair was red, and his ears were wide. He was so tall that Habel had to tilt her head back to see his face.
The elf was different; his stature was like a human’s; his hair was long and blonde; his eyes were large and green, and the tips of his ears stood up through his hair. He wore a green coat and leather trousers and carried a sword shaped like a lightning bolt.
For a long time, these two races fought each other. Each one thought that the Oasis was their territory and that the other had to leave. It was the sermerios who brought peace, talked to both races, and reached a compromise. The state would always have an elf and a troll, and each would take care of the needs of their own race. However, that was not a stable balance; any missteps would be grounds for the war to start again. But no one wanted to lose more loved ones, so everyone tried their best to keep the peace.
Habel stared at the two guards and swallowed hard.
“I... want to see a prisoner...” Her voice barely came out. She thought, Idiot! You are a sermerios. You must speak more firmly.
“Who are you?” The elf asked.
Habel lifted her face, so they could see her and spoke with intensity. “I am Thyra; the king sent me. He wishes to offer a deal with the prisoner, Azura.”
The guards looked at each other.
“What kind of deal?” The troll growled.
Lorne had warned her they would ask.
“Do you want to meddle in the affairs of the king? No matter what the deal is, I must see her now!”
The guards did not seem intimidated; Habel could not tell whether this was good or bad.
“What is so urgent that it cannot wait until tomorrow?” Answered the troll.
“Someone dear to the king is dying and we require that dreadful woman’s power. Let me in, now!”
The troll mumbled something she did not understand, and the elf opened the doors.
The elf entered first, and the troll closed the doors behind them. They were in a dark tunnel with some torches scattered around. Deep in the tunnel, there was a light.
Habel had already been there. A creeping shiver passed through her spine. The elf was ahead of her. There was only the echo of their shoes against the stone floor. The tunnel seemed infinite.
“Take her to Azura's cell,” said the elf. Habel did not understand who he was talking to, until she noticed the silhouette of a troll on the wall. She peeked around suspiciously and saw other shapes of elves and trolls. In the darkness of the corridor, she did not realize she was surrounded by guards, and they were so silent that even their breath could not be heard.
The gate guard left, and her new guide signaled her to follow him. When they reached the end of the tunnel, they emerged into a hall with a
square stairway in the middle. They went up one floor and down another hall. In every corner was a cell, and a ladder was in the middle. It was a little brighter than the tunnel but still dark. They proceeded to climb up to the third floor. He led her into a cell behind the stairs.
“She is all yours,” said the troll.
Habel looked at him, expecting him to leave, but he did not move.
She did not know if she could press the matter further, but she risked it. “It's confidential.”
He took two steps backward and continued to stare at her. There was little time left until Lorne's magic faded, so she thought it was best not to argue. She moved to the cell and called out, “Azura?”
First, Habel heard chains being dragged, and then, a woman appeared, approaching the bars. She was dirty and thin, like someone who had not had a proper meal in a long time, with long black hair and dull brown eyes. Her wrists were handcuffed. She studied Habel for a moment. She didn't understand.
A sermerio...? But her voice...
Habel gave a slight nod, so Azura would not reveal who she was, in case she had already guessed. Then, she spoke again, authoritatively.
“King Grant has a deal for you and I take you'd better accept it if you do not prefer to perish in here.” Habel realized that her face was returning to normal; her skin was softening, and Azura's lips revealed a subtle smile.
“I'm listening,” she replied in the hoarse voice of someone who had forgotten what it was like to talk.
Habel told the same story she had told the guards, except this time, she was more confident. The hardest thing had been getting past the guards, and she’d already done that. But then, she realized that her face had completely returned to normal; she could feel it.
This place is so dark; maybe no one will notice.
“I accept,” said Azura, after hearing the whole lie.
Without turning around, Habel said to the guard, “Release her; she comes with me.” She felt the footsteps of the approaching troll; she lowered her head, causing the hood to cover her face even more.
“I'll let her go, but I will not take her cuffs off. You can take them off yourself when you're far away from here. I don’t need this woman using her powers.”
Habel tried to think of an answer fast; with the handcuffs, Azura could not fight.
At that moment, the sound of a bugle echoed throughout the prison. The guard moved to the stairs and glanced down.
Now’s my chance.
The troll was already descending the first few steps when she pushed him down the stairs, wrenching the bundle of keys from his waist at the same time. He tried to grab her wrist, but she was quicker and pulled away.
While Habel was in the prison, Lorne and the others had set another part of the plan in motion.
“Drink this,” Lorne said to Theo.
“Will I go back to normal after?”
“I promise.”
He drank the liquid he was given. Moments later, he shifted into a tiger.
“Come with me,” Kyla said. They ran to the back of the prison. There were no guards around. No one had ever tried to invade that side of the prison, so they thought no one would ever try.
Their targets were the guards who remained in the towers, one in each. Kyla and Theo approached slowly. Under the cover of the night and the rain, they got where they wanted. Each stood under a tower; they had to press their backs against the wall so as not to risk being seen. They waited for Steven's signal.
The doctor climbed on a palm tree, the tallest and closest one he could spot. His role was to loose an arrow at one of the tower guards. Lorne put a powerful potion on all the arrows; the guard would fall asleep almost immediately, giving him no time to call for help.
At first, Lorne had not wanted Steven to take up this mission. “You're a doctor and doctors do not fight battles.”
“I know how to use a bow because where I come from, we use a bow to fish.”
Still reluctant, Lorne accepted.
As Steven was climbing, Lorne whispered, “Do not let me down.”
Steven did not respond; not for fear of disappointing Lorne, but because he was unwilling to disappoint himself.
Thomas was supposed to do the same thing with the guard in the other tower.
“You should worry more about Thomas than me. I told you; he was a pirate. He would deliver us all on a plate; I do not know why he hasn’t done it yet,” Steven had said to Lorne before they left the ship.
“Because he's smart,” was Lorne's only answer.
At that moment, the only thing that calmed Steven was Lorne's last words to him.
“Just a scratch for the potion to work...”
That meant a lot to Steven; it meant he did not have to have a perfect aim. A scratch is enough. He repeated these words mentally as a mantra.
Lorne tied Hubert's hands, loosening the knot, and handed him a velvet pouch, which he hid in his hands.
“As soon as you begin to drop the dust, you must hold your breath and then tie a cloth to your face. If you sleep, we'll have trouble.”
Then, he also modified his appearance to that of a sermerio, and they headed toward the gate. It had been a while since Habel had entered. Lorne knew it might look very suspicious, but he had no choice except to be quick. The guards, who’d previously seemed bored, stepped into a defensive position as soon as Lorne approached.
He raised his face, so they could see him, then shoved Hubert, who stumbled in front of the guards. “I found this one lost. I guess he was also in the asadelis. Put him with the others.”
“Busy night for you,” said the troll.
“With all these fugitives, we cannot rest,” Lorne answered calmly.
“Your turn,” said the elf to the troll.
The troll mumbled but opened the gate. He pushed Hubert inside and moved behind him, leaving Lorne outside.
As soon as Hubert stepped inside the prison, Steven made a spark with two stones; it was the signal that Kyla and Theo were waiting for, and then it all happened at the same time.
Lorne thrust a dart into the elf's throat; he fell on the floor, unconscious. Steven threw an arrow at the elf guarding one of the front towers. It struck him in his throat. Kyla flew up to a tower and shot a troll. Theo climbed the walls with great speed. The troll in the other tower was so alarmed to see a tiger in front of him, he was paralyzed with fear. Theo jumped on him, immobilizing him with a scratch on his chest. Kyla was already there and fired an arrow at his arm.
It seemed that everything had been perfect, until they heard a bugle right behind them.
Thomas had the guard in his sight. The moment Lorne turned and struck the elf, he leaned forward. When he was about to shoot, a branch cracked. He almost fell, but he caught himself. However, the arrow flew randomly, hitting the wall of the tower. The elf saw it. He looked around and saw his colleagues disappear between the tower walls. He sounded the horn and met Kyla and Theo in front of him. Kyla's arrow flew into his arm and he dropped almost instantly, but the damage had already been done.
Theo looked at Kyla; she knew what he was thinking. She was thinking the same thing. What do we do?
“Habel's in there!” Kyla said to Theo. She took the key from the guard, opened the trapdoor on the roof, and ran downstairs.
As Habel searched for the key to open Azura's cell, she tried to explain the situation. She could already hear the footsteps of the guards running up the stairs. After some unsuccessful attempts, Habel freed Azura. The key to the handcuffs was easier to identify, for it was much larger than the others. Habel freed her wrists and they ran up the stairs. The guards were coming; arrows were already flying toward them.
When they arrived on the next floor, they found two sermerios. Behind them appeared four elves and the troll who had fallen.
He did not die! It was the first thing Habel thought, and panic swept over her.
The troll's right leg was broken and upon seeing the wide-eyed look of surprise on Habel's f
ace, he said, “It takes more than a simple fall to kill me, little girl.”
Amid all this, a foxlike grin appeared on Azura's face. She didn’t just want to escape. She wanted to do as much damage as she could.
She made a small gesture with her hand and one of the sermerios’ swords flew into her fist. Then, two of the elves’ daggers flew into Habel's hands. Habel stuck the dagger into an elf's neck; at the same time, another elf attacked her with a sword. She deflected, but the blade cut her left leg and she collapsed to the ground.
Azura thrust the sword into the abdomen of one elf; then, the sermerio’s whip curled around her waist and she felt every muscle in her body contract. The troll approached with an ax in hand; two elves and a sermerio pointed their swords at Habel as she laid on the ground. The cries of the prisoners mingled with the sound of thunder from outside. There was also a commotion coming from downstairs.
They got in! Thought Habel.
She stared at the sermerio in front of her.
“Who is with you? What do they want?” Demanded the sermerio. Habel did not answer; she continued to stare at him. The sermerio lost his patience and raised his sword. “If you'd rather die...” He’d barely finished saying these words when an arrow pierced his chest, making him drop to his knees.
They all turned to the stairs. Steven and Thomas were there with bows in their hands. When they’d heard the horn, they’d rushed to the gate and entered with Lorne. They’d shot the other elf and the troll that ran towards them. Habel took advantage of the guards being distracted, flew to the last elf, and thrust her dagger into his neck.
Seeing that huge beast rushing toward him, Steven had no choice but to run away. Azura took the whip from the dead sermerio and threw it at the troll. Even though he felt the shock of the whip and the pain of his muscles contracting, he did not stop running. He had the ax in his hands and a terrifying expression on his face. He dragged Azura, forcing her to let go of the whip.
The Fourth World Page 9
