Ebudae

by Carroll, John H.

  Erma made her way up the stairs. Zaan moved halfway up and gestured for Pelya to remain at the bottom. It bothered her that they faced all the danger, but she realized they were adults and would do so whether it bothered her or not. She dutifully watched the doors behind them for any sign of trouble. Someone had shut them when she wasn’t paying attention.

  Frath opened the door and slipped inside with Erma following. Zaan dashed to the doorway and made ready to cast a spell with his upper hands. He visibly relaxed and gestured that it was clear for her to follow.

  A hallway led to another set of stairs. There were two open doors on the left wall and Frath came out of the far one. He went to the bottom of the next set of stairs and looked up to the left. He turned around and told Zaan and Pelya, “There was one person. He’s unconscious. This second room is an office. I think we can get some of their records.” He went back inside.

  Pelya followed Zaan. A brief glimpse showed that the first room was a storage room filled with crates, most likely illegal goods.

  Erma had just finished tying up a clerk wearing Blavoci’s yellow colors. Frath was behind the desk, flipping through an open log. He looked up. “Pelya, help me find any records of illegal goods or of people being smuggled. Erma, you don’t know how to read, do you?”

  She shook her head. “No. Taught other things in the orphanage and other places.”

  “Please watch the hallway while we check these books,” Frath requested. She nodded and slunk out of the room.

  “What do we need with the books? Why are they important?” Zaan asked.

  Pelya answered as she went over to a bookshelf with logbooks. “There should be information in them that will prove Blavoci is kidnapping people and other illegal activities. If we find that proof, then we can shut down his holdings and prevent any more kidnappings.” One of her more boring classes was on how to scan financial tables for illegal activities and forgeries. She began skimming through the books.

  “That will make it more difficult for my enemies to function. I shall assist.” Zaan began flipping through logbooks next to her.

  Over the next twenty minutes, Pelya helped him decipher the different items written and what would be incriminating. The Rojuun read the human writing without difficulty.

  “Taking too long,” Erma said impatiently from the doorway. “We rescue people, not books.”

  “We have enough here,” Frath said, gesturing at nine books filled with incriminating evidence. “You said the guards would sleep for a few hours, Zaan?”

  “Yes, but it is not wise to delay, I agree with Erma Human.” Zaan helped put the logs into a pair of backpacks Pelya had found. Frath wore one while Pelya took the other. They left the office and headed up the stairs in the same order as before. Pelya watched from the bottom while her father tested the door at the top. Once again, it was on the left wall.

  She remembered the spell Ebudae had taught her to protect her mind. It was still sharp since she had practiced it so much. Pelya quickly, but carefully, cast it. Her mind became sharp as the supernatural wind flicked stray hairs around her face. Using magic did feel good and Pelya had gained a better understanding of Ebudae’s obsession with it.

  “What did your spell do? It is rare to see young humans wield power.” Zaan was staring at her in curiosity, but Pelya didn’t have time to answer because Frath leapt forward through the door he had just unlocked. Erma dashed in behind him and Zaan brought his attention back to the task at hand, taking the remaining steps in two bounds with his long legs.

  Pelya ran up. When Zaan cast a spell of his own, she knew there was danger ahead. The spell was fast, as fast as anything Ebudae could do. It whipped his braids back then forth violently, which showed it to be a powerful spell. A whooshing sound pushed air aside.

  The doorway opened into a small room with two sets of bunk beds, basic wardrobes and a table with chairs. A large metal door was set into a wall of another room that appeared to take up the rest of the level. There was another long hall to stairs on the far side of the level, just like the levels below.

  Five of Blavoci’s men had been subdued by the time Pelya reached the top. “Nice spell,” Frath said to Zaan while pointing at a couple of swordsmen the Rojuun’s spell had left unconscious in the hall. He was standing over two more who were unconscious, but he had a shallow cut on his cheek.

  “Daddy, you’re hurt.” Pelya dashed over to him and wiped blood away with a handkerchief.

  “Yeah, my balance is off a little without the chain shirt and I’m still not at full strength. It was still a stupid mistake.” He pulled away from her ministrations. “Just leave it. It’s not serious. If that’s the worst I get, it’ll be worth it.”

  “Tie them before they wake,” Erma said, proceeding to do exactly that to the one she had subdued. There were coils of rope in a corner along with more shackles. Within a few minutes, they had the guards bound.

  “That metal door looks like it could be to a prison.” Pelya went over to look at the lock and pulled out her picks.

  “I have the keys right here,” Frath said, jingling the ring.

  “I know, but that’s not fun.”

  “I’m a little disturbed by your concept of fun.” He crossed his arms and stood above her, but didn’t interfere as she manipulated the lock. It was like others she had seen before and her mind was sharp from the spell she had cast.

  “You humans are very disturbing. In Rojuun dwellings we have no locks because we do not consider stealing from each other.” Zaan watched in fascination. “The regularity with which humans break laws is extraordinary, as is the number of laws you have available to be broken. It is clear that you are an inferior race.”

  The lock clicked quietly, showing that it was newer and well cared for. Pelya put the tools away and stepped back to let her father through. She smiled smugly at Zaan. “If I recall correctly, this inferior human saved your superior . . .”

  “I’m opening the door, be ready.” Frath pulled it open and Pelya put her hand on the sword hilt, concentrating on the task at hand. Zaan prepared to cast a spell if necessary. Inside was an entry section with crisscrossed iron bars and a locked gate so that a person could enter the room and talk with prisoners before letting them out.

  “Oh my.” Zaan squeezed past Frath to reach the entry. Pelya couldn’t see much past both of them, but it was enough to notice that there were Rojuun in the room. Zaan shook the gate. “We must open this immediately.”

  “There’s a key in this drawer unless the girl wants to pick the lock,” Erma held up a key found in a desk along the wall where she had been searching for valuables. Pelya had noticed a few things disappear into the woman’s pockets since entering the building, but hadn’t said anything because she didn’t know how to feel about it and because it was low on the list of priorities at that moment.

  “We must get them out. Let me have the key,” Zaan urged. Erma gave the key to Frath, who placed it in the Rojuun’s hand and then moved back a few steps. Zaan fumbled with it because he was so eager to get them out.

  Some of the Rojuun inside stood and moved toward the gate. “Zaan? We thought you dead.” A meju, Pelya remembered that was what male Rojuun were called, spoke in dual tones similar to Zaan’s. The lower was filled with incredulity and the upper with hope. He was just as tall as Zaan, but had golden-yellow irises. All of the Rojuun were dressed in ragged, brown robes that reached the ground.

  “Very nearly, but I was rescued by a courageous human girl who is also assisting me in rescuing you.” Zaan opened the gate and stepped inside, wrapping the meju in a fierce embrace. It lasted for an instant and then he looked around. “I don’t know how much time we have, Currrn. The guards below have been restrained or made unconscious. All of the doors are unlocked. Can everyone move?”

  “A few are injured and Yurrra is dead, but the rest of us will be able to help. Where will we go?”

  “Yurrra . . .” Zaan hung his head, but swiftly brought his attention back
to the living. “I will grieve for my friend later. For now, go down the stairs and out into the ruined human city. Turn to your left and travel the dark street until you see a building with green light. I have placed wards there to protect you from the creatures in this forsaken place. You will need torches or lanterns to light the way as there is no luminescent life so close to the surface.”

  “And will you not join us, Zaan?” Currrn asked.

  “I have vowed to help these humans rescue their companions in exchange for them helping to rescue you. I must keep my word.” Zaan held his head high.

  “As you say. Go then and hurry back to us. We will meet you in the building you speak of.” Currrn and others that had stood began helping those that were injured or tired. Pelya couldn’t see a great deal because her father was keeping her from getting too close.

  “Let us continue as quickly as possible,” Zaan said. He came out of the cell and headed to the stairs up. They scurried to keep up with his long stride and Erma took the rear leaving Pelya to follow Frath.

  The next level was set up similar to the previous except there were no guards to subdue. “This lock will be like the one below, Daddy,” Pelya said as she pulled out her tools and began working on it. She felt his disapproving look on the back of her neck, but ignored it.

  Humans were in the large cell. Arms came through the bars as the slaves clamored to be let out. Pelya was about to do so, but Frath put a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t want you to go in there. These people are desperate and might harm you on their way out.”

  “Help us, please!” a man pleaded. He was dirty and rags hung off his bony frame. “You can’t leave us in here.”

  Frath held up a hand. “Quiet for a minute.” The slaves did as he asked, obviously confused. Frath thought hard before speaking. “The levels above aren’t safe yet. The levels below have been cleared, but the ruins underneath are dangerous. You’ll need to be escorted and protected. Let us finish our task and then we’ll be down to release you.”

  “Release us now!” a woman screamed. “You must!”

  “And I will,” Frath reassured her. He closed the iron door, shutting out their screams of despair. At the confused looks of his companions, he said, “If we release them now, they’ll murder the guards and they may catch your Rojuun friends, Zaan.” He gestured at the tall being. “I have no idea what they’d do, but I don’t think it would end well for either side.”

  Zaan bowed. “Your words carry wisdom. Let us finish our task and then we will come back. Do you know where your friends are being kept?”

  “All we know is that they were taken into the warehouse,” Pelya said. “I didn’t see them in that cell, but it was difficult to get a good look.”

  “For all we know, they may have been shipped off to another city,” Frath said.

  “I think they’re still here. I’m sure of it,” Pelya insisted.

  “Then we rescue.” Erma made her way down the hallway to the next staircase. They followed her and then took original positions with Frath in the lead. Pelya knew they were getting close to the warehouse in the city. There would be three or four more levels to reach it.

  Frath went through the door at the top with Erma close. Zaan cast a spell while darting through the door. Pelya drew her sword and dashed up after him when she heard blades clash.

  She was just in time to see her father run his sword through the chest of a man in a bloody apron, driving the point of it out the back. Erma was standing over the body of another man with a slit throat, blood coating her knife and sprayed across her face. A third was unconscious from the spell Zaan had cast. Pelya wanted to know what it was. It would be useful for adventures.

  Her father yanked the sword out and shoved the aproned man to the floor with his foot. “I hate torturers.” The words came out of Frath’s mouth in a growl. Pelya looked around the room and nearly threw up.

  The one large room had human-sized cages against the long wall. Two bodies were hanging by their wrists from the ceiling near the opposite wall. They had been tortured to death. Implements of torture were hanging on the walls and odd devices such as racks and stocks were in the center of the room. She could imagine what some of the devices were for and shivers ran up her spine. Others were mysterious in their purpose and she hoped never to know what they were.

  “You humans torture for fun, not to learn. It is disturbing,” Zaan stated.

  Erma asked the obvious question, “Rojuun torture to learn?”

  “Some do, but my family does not approve.” Zaan frowned at the bodies hanging from the ceiling. “It is disturbing to me for any being to be intentionally injured.”

  A moan came from the table near where Frath had killed the torturer. Pelya gagged when she saw the condition of the woman on the table. It was unbelievable that she was even alive. Pelya put away her sword, folded her arms and ducked her head so as not to look directly at the sight.

  “Hi there.” Frath did a quick examination of the woman and then smiled sadly. “I’m sorry they did this to you. The pain is going to stop now.”

  The woman gave him one weak nod and a macabre smile filled with agony. Pelya’s eyes widened as Frath set his sword down on the table and took his knife out.

  “Allow me, Frath Human.” Zaan put a hand on his shoulder. Frath looked at him suspiciously, but took a step back. The tortured woman’s eyes never left him. It was as though she were clinging to the sight of the compassionate Guardsman because he was her only peace left in the world.

  The Rojuun placed one of his top hands above the woman’s chest. He said words in a foreign language that caused wisps of his hair to move in a breeze that didn’t reach the rest of the suffocating room.

  The woman’s eyes closed and her muscles relaxed in death. Frath took a moment to release the shackles and fold her arms over her chest out of respect. “May the sorrow you felt in life keep you warm and may the shadows keep you safe on your journey,” he said.

  It was the oddest blessing Pelya had ever heard. She steeled her fortitude and moved forward to get a closer look at the woman. In Dralin, there would be terrible things for her to experience, especially since she was joining the Guard.

  She couldn’t help the short scream that burst through her throat upon getting a good look at the face. It was too much for her and she buried her face in her hands to cry.

  “Pelya, what is it?” Frath grabbed her shoulders, but she kept her face buried.

  “She’s crying because she recognized Karla on the table,” a woman’s voice came from the area of the cages. A woman was standing in one and had her face plastered between two bars.

  Pelya looked up in the direction of the voice. “Aphry!” They moved to the cage. Frath grabbed the ring of keys and began flipping through them while Pelya went to the bars. Aphry’s eyes had a hollow look behind them. It was as though the view was too horrifying and the soul behind them had gone into hiding. She was dressed in a threadbare shirt and nothing else. There were lash marks on her arms and legs. “What happened to you . . . never mind. Don’t tell me. Where are Glav and Frank?”

  “Dead and gone. Only me now. They’ll torture me next.” She looked up at the ceiling, her head rolling slightly to the side. “They’ll make me scream and scream and I’ll never stop until I’m dead.” She caught Pelya’s tunic through the bars and pulled her close. Mad eyes looked at her. “I’ll keep screaming even after I’m dead.”

  Tears flowed down Pelya’s cheeks. “Oh Aphry . . .”

  “Here is the key.” Erma held a key out to Pelya.

  “Where did you get that?” Frath asked incredulously. She ignored him and let Pelya take the key to unlock the cage. “You have the most amazing knack for finding things,” he said with a shake of his head.

  Aphry pulled her arms out of the bars while Pelya unlocked the door to the cage. The once graceful dancer stumbled into the horrified young woman. “They’re going to torture you next. You’ll never stop screaming.”

  �
�I don’t see any clothes we can use here, Pelya. She’ll just have to go like that. We need to leave now.” Frath put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Bring her with us and we’ll try to get her some help.”

  “You have accomplished your rescue then?” Zaan asked.

  “We have the evidence we need and I think we’ve rescued everyone we can. Pelya?” Frath asked.

  She looked around and realized that Aphry was the only one of the Carnies who had survived. There was no one else in the cage. With tears in her eyes, she nodded.

  “Alright then. Chin up. Let’s get everyone out of here.” Frath squeezed her shoulder again.

  “Yes, Daddy,” Pelya said weakly.

  “I am casting a ward on the next set of stairs that will be difficult to break through,” Zaan said. “Then I will ask that you allow me to go before you release the other humans so that I may assist my people.”

  “Agreed.” Frath held out a hand to Zaan.

  The Rojuun stared at it for a moment and then shook it with one of his lower hands. He walked to the stairway and cast the ward. It took a couple of minutes during which time Erma found barely usable pants and simple shoes with holes in them. They helped Aphry into them. The fit was terrible, but it was better than nothing.

  “It is done,” Zaan informed them as he came back. “May you find your way safely, humans.” He ducked through the doorway and down the stairs.

  Back in the room where the human prisoners were, Frath opened the iron door. “Get back from the gate if you want me to let you out!” he bellowed at the prisoners. They did so reluctantly. “We’re going to get you out, but the path is dangerous. Also, there are unconscious guards along the way.” He put his hands on hips and stared them down. “You will not harm them regardless of what they might have done to you. If you do, I will kill you and there isn’t anyone here capable of taking me on.”

  The words cowed the prisoners. The man who had spoken before pleaded with Frath. “Just get us out of here. Please, I beg of you.”