The Trials Of Ashbarn ( Book 5)

by Jeff Gunzel

  Amoshi stared at her, unblinking. “Tell me, Athel, are you one of these creatures now? Accepted into their little pack? Or are you just here to fill their water bowls?”

  Jacob made a dive towards him, but fell flat on his face. “What are you trying to prove?” he muttered, flopping around like a fish out of water. “This doesn’t solve anything!”

  Amoshi turned his attention on Jacob. “Well, it doesn’t exactly make our situation any worse, now does it? What am I trying to prove?” He looked back to Athel. “That this dog is no longer human. And the sooner you see that, the sooner you can face your death with some level of dignity!” Jacob opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. Amoshi lowered his voice. “That’s right, Jacob. The girl you knew is dead. Gone. Everything we feared has come true. Look at this shell of a woman in the eyes, and tell me it’s not so.”

  With his head still throbbing and his jaw on fire, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. After all they had gone through just to find her, Jacob wasn’t sure he had the strength left to look at her again.

  “Do it!” Amoshi shouted. “Look into the eyes of the reason both of us are going to die this day.”

  Reluctantly, his gaze rose to meet hers. Those eyes, cold and primitive. Her lip twitched up and down, baring her teeth on and off in a rolling snarl. But those eyes…her eyes couldn’t lie to him. She didn’t recognize him anymore. And what hurt him the most was that he didn’t recognize her either. “We came here to bring home Athel Thenalra.” He was surprised at how steady his voice was. Inside, he was dying. “The woman I care about more than anything in this world was taken from me. So badly I wanted to see her again, and now that my desire has been granted, now that you stand before me...the pain is more than I can bear.”

  Without warning she dropped to all fours like a cat and hissed. With her body low to the ground and her hair draped forward, Jacob could no longer see her face. It was hidden in shadow along with the rest of her body. Not being able to see her face felt like a blessing. He scooted a tad closer to her and spoke softly. “You wear her skin. Your eyes are the same color. Yet I don’t know who you are.” Those last words finally broke his spirit. Like Amoshi, he was now ready to die. “What are you waiting for, beast? Go ahead and do what beasts do.”

  Jacob could feel the shadowy figure’s eyes burning a hole through his chest. What was she waiting for? He braced, expecting her to pounce at both of them, to rip apart her helpless victims. But she didn’t. Instead, the faceless shadow slinked away into the darkness, creeping away like some sort of spider.

  “Where are you going?” shouted Amoshi, still struggling against his bonds. “Come back and finish it!”

  The instant silence gave them goose pimples. A moment ago, tempers flared, and they didn’t know whether or not their next breath would be their last. Now they found themselves engulfed in complete silence, surrounded by darkness. They could hear each other breathing. “By the gods, what are they planning?” said Jacob, searching the blackness, half-expecting to be torn apart at any moment.

  The eerie silence broke. From the shadows they could hear snarls and low growling. Claws clacked against packed soil as the large cats paced about. “What are you waiting for?” Jacob cried out. “You have us right where you want us! What are you afraid of?” Not being able to see them was the worst part.

  Dark shapes began to emerge. The outlines of massive humanoid cats approached them, stalking slowly as if the incapacitated prisoners still posed a threat. Seeing their death approach was almost a relief. “Cowards,” muttered Amoshi. But as the cats drew nearer, one in particular stood out above the others...

  The massive creature was much larger than the others, and looked like a different being altogether. His black, furry head looked like that of a panther: dark eyes, pointed teeth, and long ears pinned back in a hostile pose. His upper body was massive, muscular...and hairless. From neck to waist, he almost appeared human! The beast even had thick, humanlike hands. But from the waist down, he held the same look of the others: fur-covered legs and large paws. He wore a thin leather cord around his neck bearing a single trinket: a long, hooked tooth, with three red feathers attached.

  Raising a thick, hairless arm, he pointed at the prisoners and went into a series of grunts and snarls. Jacob and Amoshi were swarmed instantly; large paws that acted far too much like functional human hands hoisted them up. With the straps attaching their feet to their hands being so short, their legs just dangled in the air while the cats carried them away.

  At first they struggled and thrashed about, but it was no use. Even without the bindings, they were still completely outmatched physically. As they went deeper into the darkness, their already limited vision was diminished completely. They couldn’t even see the stout arms that held them up.

  “They’re taking us up,” said Amoshi, shouting through the darkness. “I can feel it.”

  Sure enough, as soon as Jacob heard the words, he felt his body bouncing upward step by step. There was a pause, then a trapdoor snapped open from above. Up they went, emerging through a pile of loosely scattered hay. Even though it was still plenty dark outside, the stars and moon seemed luminous compared to the pitch-blackness moments ago.

  Up ahead they could see the other cat creatures, dozens of them. Burning torches lay scattered across the sandy soil, forming a ring of fire. The creatures hissed and growled, as much at each other as at Jacob and Amoshi when they passed by.

  One of the smaller cats scrambled up to them while they hung in the air. He raised his paw, holding a small blade with incredible dexterity. Who would have thought those paws could grip things so easily? After a series of quick slashes, their bonds fell to the ground. Even with their hands and legs free, there was still no feeling of renewed of hope. No reason to believe they could fight their way out of here. Any one of these beasts would easily make short work of them. Even the smaller ones were three times as strong as any human.

  With a light flick of the wrist from the creatures holding them, they soared over the wall of fire, landing hard at the center of the circle. Spitting sand, they hurried back to their feet. Amoshi rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve some of the pain and stiffness—an immediate reminder of how long their limbs had been bound. He gazed about, thumping his chest angrily with a balled fist. “So these animals think this is all some sort of game? That our deaths are purely for their entertainment?” He looked out through the wall of fire. The beasts’ features seemed to distort while shadows from the flames danced across their menacing faces. The difference in appearance between the ones snarling and the ones smiling was only minor. Through the flickering torchlight and the distortion caused by rising heat, they all looked the same.

  Jacob and Amoshi braced themselves against each other, back to back. They looked out across the catlike faces twisting and warping in waves of heat. “So which one will it be?” Jacob shouted, no longer retaining any regard for his own life. “Who shall be the first to die by my hand?” If he had had his staff, and Amoshi his bow, the odds would have evened up considerably. Both were masters with their chosen weapons and could have at least kept it interesting, no matter how outnumbered they were.

  Keeping their backs pressed against each other, they slowly turned in a constant circle. Not knowing from where their deaths would come from, all they could do was look towards the flames, and hope to see the attack in time. Eventually, death comes for us all, but a man can always decide to choose how he faces it.

  Several yards behind the lines of bloodthirsty cats, Athel stood at the side of the pack’s leader, Otory. She scratched her head, curiously watching the helpless humans. There was something about them...something familiar. Especially the blond-haired human with spiky hair. Why did she feel as if she knew him?

  Her searching thoughts came to a halt when her mind was assaulted by a series of grunts and growls, just noise to anyone else, but she could understand every utterance. You spotted the weaklings long before our scouts picked up their
scents. Why didn’t you warn your brothers?

  With the wordless bond formed inside their heads, she responded in the same way: a strung- out chain of grunts and growls. Even though she knew the language, she didn’t feel as if she’d known it for long. In fact, her memory was quite fuzzy these days, and she often felt confused. I don’t know, she answered honestly. There is just something about those two. I felt as though I used to know them. She turned to face Otory, her lips still not moving. I sensed no threat from them. She looked back into the fiery circle, but couldn’t keep her eyes off the blond man. Something deep inside tugged at her heart. She didn’t understand why, but she felt the urge to help him. And I still sense no threat. They’re nothing more than frightened humans who’ve stumbled upon us by accident. You should just let them go.

  She could feel Otory laughing inside her head. So you believe these two weaklings just stumbled across our home on accident while going for a walk? He laughed again, harder this time. Athel suddenly felt small and naive. Even she knew that didn’t make any sense. Of course, nothing made sense to her these days. With these holes in her memory, and no understanding of why she looked different from the others here, who was she to make judgments? But why else would they be here? They couldn’t actually have been searching for this place. Could they?

  I suppose it is unlikely, she replied in a series of growls. But I still don’t see the need to kill them.

  The booming roar inside her head nearly brought her to her knees. They’ve seen us! They now know where we live! All they have to do know is tell the other weakling humans. The roar calmed to a low, rumbling growl. Of course, we would crush them if the humans came here, but why go through the trouble when we can just eliminate the threat right now? Besides—she could feel his amused tone—I’m not going to do anything to them. You are.

  Horror swelled up inside Athel. She had no particular love for these humans, but she didn’t want to kill them! Why? Why me? You’re the one who seems to be afraid of them.

  He turned towards her and roared a mighty boom that seemed to shake the ground. The others turned away from the fiery circle and looked to their leader. Whatever argument was going on over here had just gained their interest. “Who are you to defy me?!” The vicious howl was spoken out loud for all to hear. “They’ve come here for you! To take you back to their civilization. To a world that no longer accepts you. You will be branded a freak, tormented the rest of your days.” He lowered his tone. “This is your home now. And you will prove it by eliminating these pests. Kill them, and earn the trust of your brothers. Then you will truly be one of us.”

  Recognizing her combination of horror and confusion, the massive mountain of a creature pressed the point. I see now. You weren’t aware that they’ve come here for you, he said, returning back to their soundless mind link. I know some primitive part of you still remembers them. Still considers them...friends. Why do you suppose that is?

  I— But... A swirl of emotion assaulted Athel as she tried to sort it all out. Although none of it made any sense, there seemed to be specks of truth scattered throughout his accusations. She really did feel as if she knew them, even though she had no direct memory of it. How could that be? And why would they come all this way here just for her?

  They are but shadows of a life that no longer belongs to you, he continued. Ghosts of the past that must be purged if you are to fulfill your destiny. Step into the ring of fire and prove yourself to me...

  Her insides twisted and churned. Emotion washed over her like a tidal wave, threatening to crush her into the ground. Shadows from her past? What past? Who was she before? She gazed into the ring of fire, watching the two men sentenced to death—to die by her hand. She stared hard at the blond-haired boy. He had tried to speak to her in some strange, foreign tongue. She hadn’t understood a word, but he seemed so desperate to communicate. Wanted—no, needed her—to understand him. Understand what? What was he trying to say?

  A surge of images flooded through her head, memories that had been trapped, tucked away deep into the farthest corners of her mind. They released in a gush like a shaken beer foaming everywhere. She could remember Jacob handing her flowers for the first time. At that moment, she hid behind the blossoms so he wouldn’t see her smile. She remembered the first time he held a door open for her. A small thing, but no one had ever done that before. For once she felt like a woman. Athel even remembered their first kiss. They’d sat in the back of a wagon, watching the sun set. She hardly said a word to Jacob that evening because she had been so nervous around him. When he finally pressed his lips to hers, the mighty warrior melted into his arms, helpless against his charm.

  These memories, plus a hundred others, flashed through her at once. Her eyes began to tear. Her knees turned to jelly. It was all she could do to stay on her feet and not crumble to the ground. “Jacob,” she whispered out loud in common tongue.

  “You will do as I say!” Otory bellowed in a hastened blast of growls. The last few beasts still watching the humans had turned around now. Low snarls swept through the camp. They were ready for blood, and growing irritated by the ongoing delay. “You will bury your past once and for all. As your Chieftain, I order you!”

  She was in complete control now. Athel knew who she was and what she stood for. How long that would last was anyone’s guess. In her calm clarity, she knew exactly what needed to be done. Even if it meant her death. “In that case, I think you’ve been Chieftain long enough,” she hissed in common tongue.

  Otory looked at her strangely, not understanding the odd language she spoke. But when she grabbed the hooked tooth strung around his neck and ripped it away, words no longer mattered. The challenge had been made clear.

  Jacob kept eyeing the edge of the fiery circle, certain one of the creatures would leap through at any moment. He was ready. To fight back would only prolong the inevitable, but he would do it anyway. You want to take our lives? I promise the price will be steep. At least some of you will accompany us to the afterlife. He wasn’t sure if he believed that or not. But it remained his intention nonetheless. Amoshi jabbed him in the back with a sharp elbow. “What is it?” said Jacob, glancing over his shoulder.

  “Whatever is coming for us, it’s starting from this side. Your need to get ready,” he growled, fists clenched and raised near his chin. “Just keep watching your side. We need to be sure this is not a trick or misdirection. I’ll tell you when to turn.”

  “What’s coming from your side? What do you see?”

  “Just watch your side and hold your ground!” Amoshi bellowed. “I’m not taking a set of claws to the back because of your impatience.” Amoshi glared through the fire. There was clearly a lot of commotion going on from his side. Snarls, growling and the occasional howl let loose while the giant creatures pushed and shoved at one other. They began to separate, allowing a path for something to get through. In a blink, Athel leapt through the wall of fire, landing in a low crouch. She was holding no weapons. “So it’s going be you,” grunted Amoshi. “Very well, then. Perhaps one of the dogs will give you a bone for being so obedient.”

  “Get back. Both of you!” she said, holding a fist high in the air. “This is business of the clan. Do not interfere.” Despite Amoshi’s instruction, Jacob turned when he heard the all-too-familiar voice. Hearing her speak again was like music to his ears. She held the necklace high in the air and spoke in the creatures’ native tongue. All Amoshi and Jacob heard were the livid snarls of an angry dog.

  I know I have not yet earned the right to speak, nor have I gained your trust. An angry rumble filled the air as the growling cats moved in closer. Nor do I have any right to try and stop you from killing these prisoners. In your hearts, you have already determined that they are enemies. Not because of their actions or intentions, but because you were raised from birth to believe it so. From your first breath you were told humans were never to be trusted. I am an outsider as well. Does that mean I am your enemy? Does that not mean I am a weakling in your
eyes?

  The low, rumbling growls began to quiet down while the beasts looked at one another. I am not foolish enough to believe I can abolish all your prejudices of the outside world in a single day. Nor do I believe any of you are foolish enough to trust my word without proof of what I speak. So I am left with only one option. I will operate within the laws of your culture. None but the clan Chieftain himself can demand a halt to this senseless execution. She threw the feathered tooth necklace down into the sand. By the laws of your people, with the gods as my witness, I challenge the rule of Otory!

  Amoshi and Jacob stared at her, dumfounded. Of course, neither of them understood a single word, but knew something big was about to happen. Jacob stepped closer to her. “Athel! Please tell me what’s goi—”

  The roar from the back row of cats shook the ground. Long and loud, it soon became a shrill, piercing howl, a shriek that could shatter crystal. One by one, any beasts foolish enough to stand in his way soon went airborne as the enraged Chieftain charged through the group, knocking over any in his path. Seeing the monster leap through the wall of fire was a vision of hell itself. “You will never be one of us,” he roared, landing before Athel. “You’re too weak to rule MY people.”

  Jacob and Amoshi backed away, understanding there was nothing they could do to help Athel. Weaponless, and powerless against such a force, all they could do was bear witness. Win or lose, this was Athel’s fight.

  Otory had not gained leadership over the pack by gaining their trust, leading by example, or making true and righteous decisions. He wasn’t wise or even particularly smart. But he was brutal, violent and ferocious. An unstoppable force in combat. Decades ago, he had challenged their former Chieftain in a similar fashion as this, killing him and gaining sole possession of the “Saber’s Tooth” amulet. The one who wore this necklace ruled; such was the way of the clan.

  Their laws were simple and few. And Athel had just exploited one of their oldest. Anyone may issue a formal challenge to the current Chieftain. The winner gains full leadership over the clan. The loser dies. Although not all believed in Otory or his leadership skills, none questioned his fierce brutality. There was a reason he had gone unchallenged for decades. In all his centuries of life he had never once tasted defeat, and there was no reason to believe this day would be different.