by Thomas Rath
Teek drew in deep breaths of air, trying desperately to calm himself enough to figure out a way to get out of this alive and with all of his limbs. He was dropped to his knees from the power of his heaving as well as to take advantage of any cover the low hanging fog might afford him. Brak, on the other hand, suddenly ran off, screaming wildly as he did so, making Teek hopeful that whatever it was that was out there would follow after the madman instead of coming for him next.
He worked hopelessly on the ropes around his wrists trying to get them loose using his teeth but to no avail. He looked around, desperate for anything sharp enough to cut them with when his eyes fell on the mangled arm lying not three feet away. To his utter amazement, the dagger his mother had given him was still clutched in Brak’s dirty hand. He crawled over to it and began to work desperately to retract it from the severed arm. The fingers opened slowly as if, even in death, Brak jealously clung to it. Taking back his most prized possession, Teek looked admiringly at it for a moment, overcome with relief that it was his once again when a distant scream brought his attention back to the immediate threat.
Quickly cutting the rope from his wrists and neck, he held the dagger out in front of him moving around in the sudden silence while straining his ears and eyes to discover from where the threat would come. Sweat gathered on his forehead as he stared out into the hazy mist while trying to slow his breathing and muffle its boisterous sound. A dark shadow rushed past overhead chasing him to the ground and onto the moist, slick grass. With as much speed as he could gather, he crawled forward, praying that the fog was thick enough to cover his slight frame from the vapor demon’s view.
Not trusting that he would be able to coax his limbs to move again should he stop, he continued to crawl to what he hoped would eventually become the forest’s edge. The only sounds he could hear now were his own heart thumping and the rustle of the grass as he slithered along like a snake. Long, terrifying minutes passed and he was beginning to think he was alone when a gust of wind suddenly overtook him followed by a fleeting shadow. He was found; he knew it. Stumbling to his feet, he raced forward at a dead run, the tears streaking his face in panic and desperation. Pain shot up his legs that now felt like lead, slowing him down as he tried to reach some shelter before he too was taken up and killed.
He gasped, calling out softly, as his foot caught in a divot that threw him to the ground just as a gust of wind flew over him chased by the large shadow. A shiver shot through his body momentarily stealing any power of movement as he lay in the grass, his body trembling.
Forcing his arms and legs to move, he regained his feet and crouched in the fog, straining to hear anything that might help him find the dreadful creature’s location. But there was nothing. Not even the slightest call from the wind. He couldn’t stay. Though the fog was still quite thick, it obviously knew his position and was likely preparing for another assault. His only hope was to make it to the cover afforded by the trees.
He tried to steel his courage against the trembling in his limbs. One last dash to safety—or ruin. He listened carefully to the silence trying to detect any movement that might alert him to danger. Unable to hear more than the pounding in his heart, he quickly stood while reaching out with his foot and throwing himself forward. He got two full steps and was beginning the third when something dug into his shoulders and mercilessly ripped him from the ground.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“What did you think you were doing?” Jack asked angrily, watching Thane pace anxiously across the floor in his room. “We both could have ended up in the stockade, or even dead! If Wess was not such a good friend of mine...”
“We have to get him out of there Jack,” Thane interrupted, stopping in front of the large man and giving him a defiant look. “And we have to do it right now!”
After the shock of seeing his friend caged and treated as he was, Thane had not been able to contain the rage that suddenly took him. Without realizing it, he had burst into a frenzy of Chufa oaths and curses while lunging at Wess with hands stretched out trying to reach his throat. Luckily, Jack had reacted just as quickly and had been able to step in between them and lock a firm hold on Thane’s arms and then force him back against the cell door. In an instant, guards appeared as if from nowhere placing themselves and their swords between Wess and his two guests while pressing their sharp blades of tempered steel threateningly against Jack’s and Thane’s throats. For a brief moment, their lives teetered dangerously on the edge of oblivion and it appeared as if all would end in certain disaster. Only through Jack’s quick mind and a racing tongue, were they able to escape unscathed and still free men.
Jack quickly recited a Tjal-Dihn law forbidding the binding of a prisoner in a cage or dungeon of any kind thus robbing him of free movement in the sun and air. He could be chained to a pole, but to be put away in a cell, was strictly forbidden. Jack reminded his friend that Thane was Tjal-Dihn, which would explain his sudden outrage, and quickly added that he also had caught a mountain fever earlier that may have temporarily robbed him of his senses. Wess thought deeply for a moment before nodding in understanding. Though he knew of no such Tjal law he confessed that he didn’t like having the ‘poor creature’ caged either but that it was a regretfully necessary precaution. Talk soon changed to other things and as quickly as it had started, the whole affair was over.
Jack frowned at Thane, matching his angry stare with one of his own. “Did you bump your head somewhere, boy?” he suddenly burst out not believing he was even involved in such a conversation. “I know that...what’s his name?”
“Dor.”
“Right. I know that Dor is a friend of yours and all, but we have to think this through. First of all, we can’t just go walking into the stockade and demand his release. Second, we’re leaving for Haykon in the morning. Don’t forget your friend who’s been taken by the trolls. I’m sure she’s a lot worse off than Dor.”
Thane opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped. Then, with a strained voice, he said, “If we don’t get him out of there soon, he’ll die. No Chufa has ever been caged like that for any length of time and lived. We can’t leave him there.”
Jack’s face softened as he bowed his head and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry Thane, but there’s nothing we can do. The reason he’s in a cell is really for his own protection. If word got out that there was a Chufa in the camp he would be dead in a matter of moments.”
Thane made as if to argue but Jack kept on talking.
“Try to forget that your friend is in chains and think of your own people. What if I had come running into your village yelling and screaming? Would I still be alive?”
Thane hesitated before answering. “This isn’t a question of what ifs, Jack. It’s easy to theorize about what might happen in one case or another while we’re sitting here nice and cozy, free to go and do as we please. The hard truth is that the only friend I had growing up is locked in a small room below ground for no other crime than that of birth.”
“That’s right, Thane,” Jack said. “He’s locked up because he’s one of your race. It’s not right, I know, but the others don’t know that. Until now, I’m the only person to ever come in contact with a Chufa and, according to our history, lived to tell about it. We learn as children how bad the Chufa are just, as you have said, you learn how bad we are. Now, a Chufa, who has long been thought a myth, shows up out of nowhere screaming his head off. All they have to go on is what they learned as children. They don’t know you like I do.”
“Then why don’t you tell them?”
“What?”
“Tell them,” Thane repeated. “We can go to Wess and explain everything to him. He’s your friend, I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Jack was flabbergasted. “Tell Wess?”
“Why not?”
“It wouldn’t work Thane. I’m telling you.”
“No, Jack. The only thing that won’t work is you. One of my people is about to die for no fault of his own
and you’re not willing to do anything about it. All you care about is fighting stupid trolls.”
Thane’s face had turned into a mask of pain and disappointment and Jack thought he could see tears beginning to well up in his eyes but before he could say anything more, Thane turned away quickly and shot out of the room. For a brief moment, he feared he might do something foolish like try to rescue his friend on his own, but the echo of Thane’s door slamming down the hall instantly quieted his concerns.
Jack sat back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. How had he gotten himself into such a mess? He shouldn’t have allowed Thane to look into the cell. If he hadn’t let him see, none of this would be happening and they would soon be on the road to Haykon. Haykon. Maybe Thane was right about him. Was he not willing to put out more effort to save Dor because of his desire to reach Haykon? But I have to get there. If there is the slightest chance.… He let the thought trail off afraid to hope it was true. Too many times he had been disappointed. It had been such a long time now.
He thought about Thane. The young Chufa boy had somehow touched him deeply. He felt awful for him knowing what he must be going through but what could he do? He knew the others wouldn’t understand. Tell Wess? There’s no way he would listen. Would he? No. Plus, it would take too much time. We have to leave tomorrow with the sun.
Thane lay on his bed staring at the wall and wiping the tears from his eyes. How could Jack be so cruel? He thought the old man was different from all the stories he had heard. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. What was Dor doing out here anyway? His mind shifted and he wondered for a moment on that thought. Why was Dor here? Maybe he was cast out of the village because of me. Maybe they did the same to him because we were friends. Or, maybe he was searching for Tam. Thane suddenly felt responsible and guilty for his friends’ sufferings. Both were close to death and in the worst situations while he lay in comfort relatively safe from all care or harm. He bolted from the bed thinking of the promise he made as a young child to never run away and let his friends suffer at the hands of enemies. And what was he doing now? He had to act. We’ll make that trip to Haykon tomorrow Jack, but we’ll have one more person to help us on the way.
Thane closed the door softly behind him and then ran silently down the hallway. He had removed the clothing Jack had given him, feeling that he would do much better at keeping silent in his breechcloth. He even took the risk of leaving the Tjal-Dihn Dihne lying on the bed next to his clothes. His plan was simple. Get Dor out and escape over the wall. They could catch up with Jack later.
As he approached the small archway that opened up into the common area, he could hear rumbling voices accented with occasional bursts of laughter. He wasn’t getting out that way. The thought of walking out the front door dressed as the Tjal-Dihn crossed his mind, but he knew if he did that, especially alone, he was sure to be followed. No, he had to get out without being seen. Suddenly, he remembered something about Jack’s room that had upset him the first time he saw it. His room had a window. He obviously was not getting out through Jack’s room, but maybe one of the other rooms down the opposite side of the hallway had one as well.
He took a quick peek around the corner and then quickly slid past to the other side of the hall. His heart pounded with excitement and, he had to admit, a touch of fear as he waited silently to make sure no one had seen him. The minutes ticked away slowly and mutely when another burst of laughter suddenly broke the tension that had slowly built up in his body. He had made it past unnoticed. Turning from the pub, he was presented with two choices, the door at the end of the hall or the one next to Jack’s room. It didn’t take long to decide. Knowing that Jack’s window faced the fort wall and the most cover, he chose the door next to his.
He placed his ear against the rough, wood door and listened for any clues that might tip him off as to whether the room was occupied. Long moments passed in silence broken only by the rumbled voices that floated in from the common area and the shallow sounds of his own breathing. It had to be empty. His hand slipped down slowly and he grasped the cold, metal handle while still listening to the door. Gently, he turned the knob, praying all the while that it would not squeak and that no one was waiting for him on the other side. Edging the door forward, he peered inside and scanned the small room. Nothing. Pushing the door open, he slipped in without a sound. Letting out a sigh of relief he gently closed the door behind him leaning against it momentarily for support.
The room was an exact duplicate of Jack’s only flipped around placing the bed against the right wall instead of the left and so on. Thane couldn’t help but feel a bit upset that he had been given such a tiny room when this one was apparently not being used. Shaking the thought away, he hurried to one side of the window and quickly peaked out. Looking up, he strained to see the ledge above where he knew guards would be walking and watching but the wall was too high. Well, if I can’t see them, then they probably can’t see me either. Undoing the latch, he let the widow swing outward and waited in the darkness for any sounds of footsteps. It wasn’t long before the faint click of boots touching wood caught his keen ears as they grew closer and closer and then passed on fading once again into the distance. He leaped to the window and quickly passed through landing softly on the ground in a crouch. His night eyes quickly scanned his immediate vicinity finding himself alone save for a large rat that dug in the garbage so carelessly piled up next to him.
Thane darted to the end of the building and surveyed the area. No one was about. The armory building was directly in front of him, but he had to pass by in the open for a moment to get to it. A watch fire blazed in the center of the fort grounds, throwing light onto the buildings and stealing the covering blanket of darkness that kept him sealed from any eyes that might fall on the spot where he stood. Two men sat by the fire, one facing his direction. His heart beat quickly. He had to get past to the armory and then around to the jail and he had to do it quickly.
The faint sound of boots passing overhead touched the fringes of his hearing and he knew he didn’t have much time before another guard would be passing by on the ledge above. He kept his eyes locked on the men at the fire while mentally keeping track of the man above waiting anxiously for the right moment to move. The steps were getting closer and still the man’s face was turned towards him. He had to move soon. The steps were just about on top of him.
Suddenly, a call rang out and the man at the fire turned his head towards the front gate. Thane was a blur of motion as he passed swiftly into the light and then almost instantly disappeared into the cover of darkness that shaded the back of the armory. Without hesitation, he threw himself against the fort’s wall ducking under the ledge above. The boots suddenly stopped overhead, stealing his breath away. Had he been discovered? Time stood motionless as he waited, wondering if he too would end up in a cell, with his friend, to rot away the last days of his life. But the boots scuffled against the wooden planks and then moved along.
He wasted no time, moving at once around the backside of the armory he came up around the far corner. He smiled briefly. There it was. The jail stood before him like an ominous monster waiting to swallow the life of any who crossed its master. He could see the small window to the outside that taunted Dor below with its fleeting glimpses of freedom. Again he was faced with the light that shot out searching from the center fire for any who might pass. This time, though, the two men were at a side angle neither one directly in his view. His best bet would be to hug the wall under the patrolling ledge and come up from behind the jail. Then he could talk to Dor from the shadows and figure a way to get him out.
Backtracking a couple of steps, he used the fort wall’s relative security against his back and the ledge as cover from above. This time the amount of firelight that reached the gap was relatively small. Just a moment in plain view and he would be past it and on his way to freeing Dor.
Stepping from the blanketing shadows into the revealing firelight he suddenly froze. There, on the wall opposit
e him, was a guard staring right at him. He waited in agony. He was in plain view but was unable to move for fear that any motion might call attention to the guard. A long, anguishing moment passed but nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the guard pointed at him lifting his voice in alarm.
At first, his body refused to move as the horror of discovery momentarily gripped him in the certain knowledge that he would be captured. The whole compound seem to pause as guards turned to their comrade on the wall, slow minds struggling to decipher what danger had befallen them. In that brief moment, Thane finally regained control of his limbs and was able to throw himself back into the shadows. Within seconds, the whole compound erupted into a mass of confused and yelling voices. Thane raced past the armory in a matter of seconds, reaching the opposite corner and the taunting safety of the pub just on the other side of the fire lit alleyway. The sounds of running feet were loud above him as men ran around the ledge trying to spot the intruder that had found its way into the fort. More wood was thrown on the center fire sending more light washing over the few feet he would have to pass to reach the safety of the pub’s back window.
Time was short and closing tightly in as he waited for a chance to cross the chasm of light that would surely give away his position to the men that were now gathering to search him out. He had to move quickly but the risk was too great. Looking around frantically, he searched for any way that might help him past without notice but nothing presented itself. Torches were now being passed out and he knew that it would be only a matter of minutes before he was caught. The choices had quickly diminished to only two. Move and risk being caught or wait and get caught for sure.
