Isle of the Ape

by Jason Halstead

  Chapter 23

  Alto's plan was to drop from the edge of the tower and hit the ground running. His armor weighed him down and made that impossible. He pushed himself to his feet and tried to block the searing pain in his hand from his mind. He staggered a few steps until he got his balance under him and then ran through the courtyard towards Patrina and the ape.

  He cried out when she fell and the ape tried to crush her. Instead of smashing her into jelly on the ground, the ape's hand stopped a couple of feet above her. She yanked her hand up, picking Patrina up for a moment until she fell. Patrina was still alive and somehow, on her feet. Alto pumped his legs harder and reached for the dagger at his side. It wasn't much against the ape but it was better than nothing.

  The ape collapsed before he could reach them. Alto slowed, surprised, and then saw the ape was still moving even if she didn't seem to be a threat. Patrina moved around the hairy beast, still on her own feet, although she was limping. Patrina delivered the killing blow to the ape and then stood staring at the fallen animal.

  Alto slowed and sheathed his dagger as he approached her from behind. Patrina's shoulders rose and fell as she breathed, and then she staggered and would have fallen if Alto hadn't caught her. He spun her in his arms and kissed the surprised woman. She stiffened in his arms and then pushed herself into him. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, trying to pull him into her. His armor pushed against hers, preventing them from being as close as they wanted.

  They broke apart and locked gazes. A hundred things rushed through Alto's mind but he couldn't grab on to any of them to say to her. Patrina was equally speechless, staring at him and blinking away the moisture that kept filling her eyes.

  "Good job," Alto finally said with a nod towards the fallen ape.

  Patrina looked at the dead female ape and then back to Alto. "I couldn't let anything happen to you," she whispered.

  "We were trying to figure out how to escape," Alto said. "I was worried Bucky had done something to you."

  Patrina smiled and kissed him again. "Not really, but that reminds me, we need to get out of here. Where's Namitus?"

  Alto looked at the tower in the northeastern corner. "Trapped up there. He's got a badly broken leg; he can't walk on it."

  "We'll carry him," she said.

  Alto nodded. "Where's Carson?"

  "Over here," Carson said as he walked up to the dead ape. He stared at her for a long moment before he started to extract the unbroken arrows he could reach. "Can't believe you did it."

  "We did it," Patrina reminded him.

  Carson scoffed. "My arrows were bee stings, nothing more."

  "It doesn't matter," Alto said. "She's dead but there are four other apes out there. I need help getting Namitus down, then we need to get away from here. I need my sword if I'm going to be worth anything."

  Patrina slipped the belt off her chest, drawing Alto's attention to her armor. He frowned and opened his mouth but Patrina held out the belt to him and beat him to it. "I already found it."

  Alto took the bundle and felt better immediately. The weight on his shoulders fell away and his breath came easier. He removed the leather wrapping around the scabbard and put his hand on the hilt. He felt the warmth flood through him and push his fatigue away. Alto drew the blade with his renewed strength and grinned.

  "Namitus?" Patrina reminded him.

  "Oh, yes, Namitus. Let's go!" Alto slid the sword back home in his scabbard and turned around. He led the way to the tower, light on his feet and feeling better with each passing step. "New armor?" he asked Patrina on their way over.

  "You're not going to believe who I ran into."

  Alto glanced at the axe she carried and the sparkling armor that looked both beautiful and indecent. "Thork's here, isn't he?"

  Patrina gasped and stopped. "How did you know?"

  The warrior grinned. "Where else would you find armor that looked like that but fit perfectly and actually offered protection?"

  She nodded. "Good point. I wish I knew how he does it."

  "Does what?"

  "All of it!" Patrina said. "His supplies, his magic, his travel, everything."

  "What better place to feel fear than an island that sailors are terrified of coming near?"

  Patrina frowned and then glanced up at the top of the tower where she could see Namitus peering between crenellations. The rogue stuck his arm up to catch the last of the sunlight that wasn't blocked by the castle walls and waved at her.

  "Nimble fellow like him shouldn't have any problems getting down," Carson said.

  "His leg is broken; he can't walk or climb," Alto explained.

  "Oh! All right, half a minute, I'll go to him," Carson said. He moved to where the broken wall was and scaled up the side of the tower with ease. Once inside, he tossed one of the ropes over and then helped move Namitus into position.

  "Catch me if I fall," Namitus said before he lowered him on the rope, one hand at time. Alto sturdied him once he was low enough and then slipped his shoulder under the man's arm once he was down.

  Carson retrieved his rope and then dropped from the wall with little more than a grunt. He looked at Namitus and frowned. "We need to set that bone and get a brace on it or it won't heal right."

  "I know," Namitus snapped. "We've done it a few times around but without some sticks and rope it just doesn't stay.

  "I have both."

  "Later," Patrina snapped.

  "Yes," Alto agreed. "Those apes will be back soon. There's nothing on this island that can kill them so we need to get away from here."

  "I killed one," Patrina reminded him.

  Alto grinned. "You did. Ready to take on the other four?"

  "I need a few days to rest first, I think. Or maybe a lifetime."

  Alto chuckled and pulled her in with his free arm to hug her again. Patrina smiled and returned the gesture.

  "Come, I have a few places nearby we can hide out in," Carson promised. He led them towards the main gate but between half-carrying Namitus and Patrina's limp, they made poor time. Carson turned and scowled, and then he hurried over to them. "I'll help Namitus; you help Patrina," he said.

  "I'd take the girl if I were you," Namitus said.

  Carson shook his head. "She scares me."

  Namitus burst out in a laugh that ended when he jostled his leg. They traded partners and started toward the gate again when they heard the heavy footsteps of their captors coming up the mountain road.

  "Too late!" Carson cried in dismay.

  "The tunnel," Patrina snapped. "Quick, to the manor—there's a tunnel that will take us through the island to Thork's lagoon."

  "Who's Thork?" Carson asked.

  "You'll see," Namitus told him.

  Patrina and Alto led the way. She steered them towards the broken wall where the ape had pulled her out of the estate. They stood at the wall when Carson spoke up behind them. "Might want to hurry!"

  Alto spun, twisting Patrina with him, in time to see Bucky crawl through the gate and rise to his massive height. He stared at the dead ape and then turned his eyes to them. He roared and hammered his hands against his chest, and then pounded the ground before rushing towards them.

  Alto helped Patrina scramble into the building by pushing up on her with his good hand. She tumbled over the broken wall with a yelp and a crash, followed by cursing that was drowned out by the furious ape's grunting. Behind Bucky, two other apes were crawling through the barbican.

  Alto and Carson hoisted Namitus over the wall next, throwing him as much as lifting him. He fell on the other side with a howl of pain. Alto turned to Carson, ready to offer to help the man in.

  Carson locked his fingers together in front of him, offering Alto a foothold. "Bucky and I have chased each other for years. I expect it's time we caught each other."

  Alto reached for his sword at his side. "I'll stand with you."

  "Just go, damn it!" Carson swore at him. "You're here because of me—have the decency t
o leave because of me, too!"

  Alto frowned and opened his mouth when Patrina called for him from the other side of the wall. Bucky roared and hurled a broken piece of stone from one of the buildings at them. It shattered against the wall of the manor a few feet from the men, showering them with broken stone.

  "Go!" Carson urged again.

  Alto nodded and put his foot in the man's hand. He thrust up, earning a grunt as Carson tried to compensate for the armored warrior's weight. Carson staggered but Alto had gotten both arms over the wall and held on. Carson pushed while Alto heaved himself up. Sweat broke out on his brow from the gut-wrenching agony his broken hand endured while he used it to hold himself up. His fingers wouldn't grip the stone but he used his palm to pivot on and tilt forward.

  Alto's center of balance shifted and he tumbled forward. He flipped just enough to land on his back and not his head. His armor cushioned the blow of falling on broken stone but the crash left him dazed and staring at the midnight blue sky that was twinkling with stars.

  "Alto, come on!" Patrina shouted through the fog. She pulled at his hand, helping him remember he was supposed to be on his feet and not his back. He rose up, his left hand throbbing and feeling like it was on fire. But he was still alive, which was something considering he had no right to be.

  "Carson," Alto muttered.

  "He can take care of himself," Patrina snapped. "Help me with Namitus."

  Alto glanced at the rogue and saw that the man had passed out. Alto scooped him up and slung him over his left shoulder, wrapping his forearm over the man's legs to keep him stable. Alto's hand had a tingling warmth in it that made it feel distant.

  Something crashed into the house, making it shudder and knocking stone and wood down around them. Dust rose and fell and it brought with it a host of massive spiders fleeing for their lives. They darted into the shadows and along halls, seeking refuge from the forces around them.

  Patrina sucked in her breath and then forced herself forward. She was limping badly now, barely able to put any pressure on her leg. "This way," she said as she used her axe as a cane to help her move forward.

  Alto drew his sword and followed her through the doorway and down a hallway. The building shuddered again and they heard more of the apes roaring outside. Carson was lasting longer than he had any right to. Long enough to let them escape.

  "Saint's blood, stairs!" Patrina swore.

  Alto looked around her and saw the stairs. "Those weren't there before?"

  "They were—I forgot."

  Alto nodded and sheathed his sword. "I'll carry you."

  "You can't carry both of us!" she hissed.

  "I think I can—"

  "The hall isn't tall or wide enough," Patrina said. "Take my hand and go first to steady me."

  "Steady you?" Alto asked after she walked down a couple of steps and reached up to her.

  Patrina hopped down the first step, keeping her bad leg raised out of the way. She hopped again a moment later, biting her lip all the while. "I can do this. Let's go."

  Alto helped her hop down the remaining stairs and then through a passage. He frowned as he stared down the dark hallway. "Do you know where to go? I can't see anything."

  They heard another roar drift down to them but this one sounded more distant. Whether it was because they were farther away or not, Alto didn't know. Patrina moved in front of him in the hallway. "Yes, I can see."

  "How?"

  "I don't know," she admitted. "I think maybe the armor Thork gave me? Or this circlet. It lets me see shades of gray in the darkness. The darker shades are the walls, ceiling, and floor. Anything, I guess, at least anything that's not alive."

  "Isn't the hallway ahead of us dark then? There's nothing in it that I can see," Alto reasoned.

  Patrina was silent a moment before she responded. "That hallway in front of me is lighter. Not much, but a little."

  "This is foolish," Alto muttered. "I need to put Namitus down for a moment. Can you hold him?"

  "Why?"

  "I need my shield," he answered.

  "Turn around," she asked him. When he did, she worked his shield free of the straps and presented it to him.

  "Help me put it on my arm."

  Patrina slipped the upside-down shield onto his right arm, an awkward feeling for the man who was used to wielding his sword in that hand. He managed to maneuver his arms and the shield so he could brush his hand against the symbol on the front of it, drawing a burst of light that erupted out of the shield and caused Patrina to cry out as it blinded her.

  "Sorry," Alto murmured. "Should have warned you."

  "It's all right. You lead," Patrina said while rubbing her eyes to help them adjust.

  "How do I get out of here?"

  "I'll tell you," she said. "It's an easy route, but a long one."

  "What about Carson?" Alto asked.

  "He knows where this comes out," she said before adding, "I told him. If he managed to get away, he knows where we'll be."

  Alto grunted. "Then let's go."

  "Alto?"

  He stopped after his first step and turned his head to look at her. "Yeah?"

  He saw her blush in the light reflecting from the walls. "I was scared."

  Alto nodded. "I don't blame you. We weren't doing too good, either."

  "No, let me finish," she said. "I thought I was scared for you but Thork helped me realize that I was more scared for me."

  The warrior tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

  "I was scared about what I would do if you were gone. How would I go on without you?"

  Alto nodded. "You'd find a way—you're strong. You just killed an ape the size of a giant!"

  "This isn't a problem for you to solve," Patrina said. "This is me telling you how much you mean. And no, I don't know if I could go on. Strength comes in many forms. My mother once told me the strength of the arm was nothing next to the strength of the heart. I never understood her until now."

  "Your mother's a wise woman," Alto offered. "And if it helps, I could do little more than think about you while I was imprisoned."

  Patrina smiled. "Good. Now let's go. We've a long walk ahead of us."