Another shallow breath was sucked into Gentletide’s lungs, “Wait! Scratch!” Vengeance perked his ears up at his former trainee’s name, “He’s not dead! Mordred took him prisoner. He’s in the southern part of the forest, in Darkcover’s camp!”
Vengeance’s eyes widened in horror. Scratch, Goliath’s prisoner? He wouldn’t last a week. He had to save him!
“Blaze…” Gentletide’s voice was growing weaker, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. I’m sorry for being such a coward. You were right. You were right about everything. I’m sorry…”
A final breath escaped Gentletide’s lungs, and her head slumped to the ground. HeartTribe’s chief was no more. And HeartTribe itself would be no more if Vengeance didn’t do something to help Scratch! He turned around to look at Icefire, who were all staring at him in shock, with no idea what had just happened. Rust came forward.
“Vengeance, what’s going on?” he asked, “Who was that?”
“It was Gentletide, chief of HeartTribe.” Vengeance answered.
“HeartTribe?” Rust echoed, “But they’re just a myth!”
“No, they’re much more than a myth. At least, they were before today. Darkcover just attacked them, and wiped all but one of them out. That last saloli is being held captive in Darkcover’s southern territory.”
Rust’s eyes widened in alarm. Vengeance was impressed at how easily he was accepting this. Most likely, now that he had named the Sword, not much could surprise him. “I’ll put together an attack force to send there immediately.”
“No,” Vengeance countered, “we can’t cause an uproar. We’d be slaughtered. Stealth is key here. I’ll go, and I’ll take two other saloli with me. That will be enough.” Rust nodded. “Oh, and one more thing.” Vengeance added, looking his chief in the eye, “The saloli we’re going to rescue is Scratch.”
“Scratch?” Rust asked in disbelief, “Razor’s son? The traitor?”
“No,” Vengeance asserted, “not a traitor. A HeartTribe saloli.”
Rust stared at Vengeance for a moment, and then horror slowly filled his gaze, “A HeartTribe saloli?” he whispered, “Of course. How could I not realize it? And I was going to execute him…”
“Rust, we don’t have time for regrets right now.” Vengeance said, “I’ll take two saloli and go after him right now. You can apologize to him when we come back.”
Vengeance turned to face the tribe, “I’m going into Darkcover territory to rescue the last remaining HeartTribe saloli! To accompany me, I need…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Ink ran out to meet him, “Scratch is my brother.” She told him, “If you think I’ll trust anyone else to rescue him, then you’re in for a rude awakening.”
Vengeance was about to argue, but thought better of it. Instead, he turned back to the crowd, and saw Smallthorn making his way towards them as well. “Ink is my trainee, even if I haven’t been acting like it lately.” He said, “I’m going to make up for that right now.” He turned to Ink, “I’ll come too. Consider this your last test. If we make it through this, I will officially consider you ready to be promoted.” Ink nodded her understanding, but obviously had more important things on her mind.
Blaze was about to approve, when Dust, the former Darkcover saloli, made himself known, “I know you only want two others, but insist I go with you. I know Darkcover’s territory like the back of my paw. I can take you to the camp. Otherwise you’ll get lost.”
“Very well,” Vengeance agreed. “We should leave immediately. We’ll formulate a plan on the way there. Let’s go!”
Without another word, they turned tail and dashed out of the camp, heading south towards Darkcover’s territory. They arrived at the border ten minutes later. As they had run, they decided the direct approach would be best. They would cut straight through the center of Darkcover’s territory, to their camp, which Dust had said was towards the bottom end of their territory. Vengeance sniffed the air, and was satisfied that no patrols were anywhere close to them. Without wasting time on subtlety, the rescue party ran straight over the border and into Darkcover’s territory.
When they were only a few steps inside, it became obvious why the tribe was named Darkcover. The tree canopy above them was much thicker than on Icefire territory, and it blotted out much of the light, leaving the floor only dimly illuminated.
Vengeance let Dust take the lead now, and he followed the convert as he twisted and turned. They had agreed this would also be best, in order to throw off anyone who may be tracking their scent. When they had Scratch and were escaping, they would take the most direct route out.
It took them nearly a half hour, but Dust finally motioned with his tail for them to slow down and step quietly. The sound of voices drifted out of the distance, signaling that they were near the camp. Dust poked his head around a tree, looked back at the party, and nodded his head. They had arrived.
Vengeance crept up to stand beside Dust and looked into the camp. Hundreds of saloli milled around, and hundreds more entered and left the camp on patrols and scavenging assignments. Vengeance scanned the camp from left to right. Where could he be? There! Trapped in the middle of a ring of Darkcover saloli, Scratch stood, shivering in fear.
“If he’s a HeartTribe saloli, why doesn’t he just use his powers to escape?” Dust whispered.
“Because there’s too many of them.” Vengeance answered, “He could take out a few, but they’d overwhelm him with their sheer force of numbers.”
“What are we going to do?”
Vengeance went back behind the tree to discuss the situation with the others. It was agreed that there was no way they could take Scratch by force. Taking him by stealth also seemed impossible right now. In the end, they decided to wait for a bit and see if another opportunity arose. Hiding inside a nearby bush, they kept watch.
Three hours passed, and no weakness in the camp’s defenses made itself apparent. The sun was beginning to dip towards the west horizon. A chilly breeze was causing all four saloli to shiver. Still, Vengeance kept a determined eye on the camp.
“All bow in honor of King Goliath!” a voice rang out.
Every Darkcover saloli in the camp bowed their heads as the giant came into the camp. He gazed at them icily, as if he couldn’t care less about his own subjects. Some saloli offered him words of respect, but he ignored them, instead making straight for where Scratch was being held captive.
“So,” he gloated, a smug grin on his face, “this is all that remains of the great HeartTribe? I’m disappointed. I expected the legendary tribe to put up more of a fight than they did.” He leaned in close to his prisoner, “They’re all dead now. Every one of them. You would be as well, but Mordred thinks that we should keep you alive for a bit.” Scratch cowered away from Darkcover’s chief. Goliath continued, “He seems to think you may be useful to us.”
Seemingly out of nowhere, Scratch’s eyes flashed defiantly at his enemy, “Then you may as well kill me. I won’t do anything to help you!”
Goliath glared at Scratch, but kept his temper in check, “Oh, but if Mordred is correct, you already are. You’re presence here ensures that Blaze, that blasted outsider, will come to rescue you. When he does, I’ll kill him, and rid myself of the thorn he has planted in my side. Then I’ll kill you, and HeartTribe will be gone forever.”
Scratch obviously wanted to send a cutting remark back at his captor, but couldn’t think of one, so he remained silent. Goliath turned to look at his tribe.
“I have business that needs to be attended to. If the red outsider shows his face, capture him and report to me immediately, and bring the prisoner with you. If you can’t capture the outsider, kill him.”
Without another word, Goliath stalked out of camp and was gone. A plan immediately began to form in Vengeance’s head. He motioned for Dust to come stand beside him.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” he explained.
<><><><><>
Vengeance peeked
out of the bush, and saw Dust making his way through the camp. Having once been a Darkcover saloli himself, Dust was not given a second glance as he wove his way around the saloli, and stopped before the prisoner’s circle.
“Goliath has sent me to tell you that he has just caught the outsider and killed him.” Dust told the guard, “He wants me to bring the prisoner to him.”
The guard eyed him suspiciously, “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” he demanded.
“Goliath has demanded the prisoner,” Dust insisted, “If you don’t want to hand him over, you can take it up with him. He won’t be happy about it, though.”
A spark of fear lit the guard’s eyes, and he nodded to the other guards. They parted, and allowed Dust to approach and cuff Scratch behind the ears. “Let’s go, prisoner! King Goliath is waiting for you!” Thankfully, Scratch went without protest.
Dust led Scratch out of camp, and Vengeance and the rest of the rescue party crept out of the bush to go meet them. Scratch’s eyes widened with relief when he saw his former mentor, but Vengeance motioned for him to remain silent.
“We’re going to get you out of here.” He pointed at Dust, “He’s on our side. Let’s go, try to act natural.”
The five saloli slowly began to walk north, towards the Icefire border. Ten minutes later, they were somewhere close to halfway across Darkcover’s territory. Dust led them through the forest like an expert, taking them the quickest way they could go to get out. He led them over the crest of a hill, and stopped cold. Vengeance felt his heart sink into his stomach. Goliath was standing before them with a battalion of saloli waiting behind him.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist playing the hero, Blaze.” He said, his eyes betraying the triumph he felt in his heart. “You couldn’t help but come after this little runt, and now I’ve caught you!”
The red saloli stepped forward and glared defiantly at the evil one, “My name is Vengeance!” he declared.
Goliath’s eyes wandered to Vengeance’s forehead and widened in fear, “It’s… It’s you!” Rage suddenly overcame him, “How dare you trespass on my territory, you filthy vermin!”
“I am the Sword!” Vengeance shouted back, “And if you don’t want to die right now, you will back away and let us pass!”
Outrage flooded Goliath’s face, but there was a trace of fear in there as well. It occurred to Vengeance just in time that the Darkcover chief had been overwhelmed and had lost his rational thought. The giant raised his paw and lashed out at Vengeance. Vengeance ducked, narrowly avoiding having his ears taken off, and rammed into Goliath with his full weight, knocking him to the ground.
“Run!” he ordered, racing through the stunned crowd of Darkcover saloli. He could hear the others taking advantage of their momentary indecision as well, and they were soon clear of the battalion.
Goliath picked himself up from the forest floor and glared at his subjects, “What are you standing there for, you idiots? Stop them, or it will cost all of you your lives!” Without waiting for another threat, the saloli began to chase after Vengeance and his friends.
Vengeance could hear their pursuers approaching them from behind, Goliath in the lead, shouting threats and curses both at Vengeance’s party and his own. How far were they from the border? Too far he realized. At the rate the Darkcover saloli were gaining on them, they wouldn’t reach the border before they were overtaken. What could he do? The only solution he could think of would be for him to turn back and hold off the Darkcover saloli so that his friends could make it back to the Border. Otherwise they would all die. Yes, that was what would have to happen. He began to steel his heart for what he knew he had to do. He could hardly believe it. He was going to die today. And on the same day that he had been mated to Mercy.
In the back, Ink kept pace with her brother. She could sense what was going on in Vengeance’s head. It confused her at first, since she had never been able to read anyone but her brother before, but what she saw startled her. He was going to sacrifice himself to save them all! But why? Didn’t he know how much Icefire depended on him? If he were to die here, all would be lost. A shiver of fear washed over her, followed by a wave of determination, and she knew what she had to do.
“Scratch!” she yelled to her brother. He didn’t answer, saving his breath for running, but looked at her. “Keep running! No matter what you hear, keep running!”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Promise me!” she demanded.
“What are you going to do?”
“Promise me! You have to! Icefire has more riding on you and Vengeance than it does me. I can’t let either of you be killed here. Promise me!”
She didn’t even wait for a response this time, but skidded to a halt, turned around, and charged straight at her enemies. Leaping into the air, she tackled Goliath before he could process what was happening.
Despite his urge to do otherwise, Scratch did, indeed, keep running. Vengeance glanced backwards, as if he were thinking of doing exactly what Ink had done, but then turned around and kept running. Their pursuers began to lag behind, and soon could not be seen at all. Tears welled in Scratch’s eyes, but he kept running.
Five minutes later, they all crossed the Icefire border. Knowing they were safe now, they all stopped to catch their breath. Suddenly, a scream rent the air from within Darkcover’s territory.
“Ink!” Scratch shouted into the black woods with despair.
Chapter Twenty Eight
“Icefire,” Rust called from atop the Speaking Stone, “Tonight we are gathered here to mourn the loss of a valuable tribe member. Ink, sister to the HeartTribe saloli Scratch, and daughter to the traitor Razor, was killed saving her friends while they rescued her brother from the clutches of Darkcover.” He paused and looked at his tribe, “Because she was killed on Darkcover territory, we were not able to retrieve her body. Still, I believe that for what she has done, Valde Abbas will welcome her into his castle, even without the traditional ritual.” He bowed his head in respect.
“Valde Abbas!” Faith called out in prayer, “Please protect and watch over our friend Ink. She gave her life so that we may live. Please allow her into your presence, and forgive us for not giving her a proper funeral.”
Icefire was silent, unsure of what they should do now. Normally they would all lay paws on the fallen saloli, and then send them off to Valde Abbas, both of which were impossible without the body. Rust raised his head, “This is a sad day, my friends, but we can not allow ourselves to be hindered by it. There is still evil within these woods, and we must not become distracted until after it has been destroyed. The time will come for us to mourn for Ink, but for now we must make a plan. How can we defeat Darkcover? Their force is over three times the size of ours, and they control almost all of the forest. Still, we fight on the side of Valde Abbas! He will not let us fall! We will defeat this darkness that has come over us, and we will live to tell of it. Does anyone have any ideas as to how we can do this? If you know something, anything, that may help us, come forth. There are no bad ideas except the ones that are not spoken.”
Silence. The Icefire saloli were glancing at each other, each of them expecting the other to speak up. Rust spoke up again, “Nobody? Nobody has even the beginning of an idea that may help us?”
“I have an idea.” A low, gravelly voice shouted from the far end of the camp. Almost as one, Icefire spun around to see who it was.
It was Mordred.
Anger and fear flashed in Rust’s eyes, “What do you want, sorcerer? Explain yourself, or I will have you killed for trespassing!”
Mordred chuckled and drew nearer, “If anyone else had said that to me, I would have burned them to a cinder with a lightning bolt. You, however, belong to Goliath. Only he can kill you.”
“I am running out of patience!” Rust yelled.
“Very well, I’ll say what I have to say, and then I’ll leave you to stew in your self pity.” Mordred now spoke to all of Icefire,
“King Goliath has decreed that this must all come to an end.” He paused and let his words sink in. “He demands that Icefire meet Darkcover on the battlefield in two days time, and the final victor shall be decided there.”
Frightened mutterings broke out within Icefire’s ranks. Mordred grinned at them in satisfaction, happy with the fear he had caused. Instead of fear, Vengeance felt rage rise up inside of him, and he approached the blind saloli.
“You have delivered your message, now leave!” he demanded.
Mordred’s grin only widened, “Ooh, it’s the Sword!” he taunted him, “The mighty warrior who needed a little trainee to save him yesterday.” He cackled, “Why is that, I wonder? Perhaps you’re not nearly as powerful as you make yourself out to be? Maybe you’re not the Sword at all! If I had my sight, I’d probably see more of a Stick before me than a Sword!”
Legends of the Saloli: Vengeance and Mercy Page 13
