ROAD TO CORDIA (30 page)

     “An unknown quantity.”

     “Exactly. If we help her hold onto Cancordia she’ll owe us, won’t she?”

     In the darkness, Ja’Nil could feel Er’rick shrug again. “Rulers are not known for their consistency,” he said. “Nor their gratitude.”

     Ja’Nil thought that over for a while then made up her mind. “I’m going to deliver her message to Captain Y’Nota,” she said.

     `”Decided have you, little one?”

     “Yes.”

     She knew the Fisherfolk would never sever their ties to Cancordia. Therefore, it was up to her to make sure Cancordia was the best it could be. As she saw it, it was a choice between the thoroughly evil Lord Raptor, and the still untested Princess Lil’Li, with Cancorida hanging in the balance.

     She wanted to ask him if he approved or disapproved. If he would help her get to Y’Nota or if he would leave her and go off to report to his father. But she didn’t ask. She had made her decision. He would have to make his own.

     According to The Lord of The Circle, only actions were evil, not the men and women who performed these evil actions; such people were mistaken, confused, deluded, working their way through a bad life cycle. She wondered if The Lord of the Circle had ever run across someone like Lord Raptor.

     They sat in silence for a while. “Very well,” Ee’Rick finally said. “I will go with you to Captain Y’Nota.”

     “Huge. Let’s go.”

     “Why hurry? We will have to wait until the gates open in the morning, which is still several hours away. We might as well wait here.”

     “No,” said Ja’Nil. “I mean, I want to get out of these tunnels.”

     He could hear the desperation in her voice. “Very well, little one.” He took her hand in his and they started off again. “Someday you must tell me about your gift,” he said.

     Ja‘Nil froze. “Gift? I don’t have a gift.”       

     “Perhaps it is not yet fully formed,” he said.

     “I tell you I don’t--”

     “Shh, we’re here.”

CHAPTER 30

     They had come to the end of the tunnel. The opening was an irregular shaped hole hidden behind a large boulder. Over the top of the boulder, Ja’Nil could make out the night sky. Only White moon was up, but Bright moon would follow soon. Stars, scattered like sparse bits of sand, formed a halo around the lone moon.

     “I’ll go first,” Ee’Rick whispered in her ear. She nodded her understanding and watched as his lanky form blotted out what she could see of Cancordia’s night. He had to twist and turn a bit to get his shoulders through the opening. Then the sky was visible again.

     She got down on her knees, as Ee’Rick had done, waited for his whispered “Jada,” then slithered through the opening into the blessedly fresh air. She got to her feet and took a few deep breaths. Now, all they had to do was find Captain Y’Nota without stumbling into any of Lord Raptor’s men.

     “Look, there be one of them!” shouted by a male voice. A focused lantern was unshuttered and washed her with its bright light. She blinked in surprise.

     “Where’s the other one?” yelled another voice.

     “There!”

     Instinctively, Ja’Nil turned to look as the soldier’s shout of triumph turned to a scream of terror.

     “By the Lord--” said the second man. “No, wait!” Ending in a scream.

     Before their very eyes, Ee’Rick seemed to transform into a hairy, slavering, snarling giant wolf. Moreover, a wolf, who at the very moment of discovery, was springing on the terrified soldier, its snarling mouth exposing gleaming razor sharp teeth. The soldier threw his knife at the approaching horror, and then turned to run.  He didn’t make it. The wolf was on him in an instant, ripping at his jugular. Blood spouted like a red fountain. The soldier was dying as he fell; Ja’Nil could hear choking sounds as (for good measure) the wolf tore out the man’s throat. The  soldier’s feet drummed on the stony ground, displacing rocks and pebbles, and then he was still.

     Both Ja’Nil and the other soldier had frozen. The soldier unfroze first. He dropped the lantern he was carrying and swung a heavy, iron-studded cudgel at Ja’Nil’s head. Automatically, she ducked and rolled away. He started after her.

     Scared half out of her mind, Ja’Nil came out of her roll, went up on one knee, pulled the knife from her belt, and threw. As usual, her aim was perfect. The shining blade buried itself to the hilt, straight into the oncoming soldier’s heart.

     He stopped, looked down at the knife sticking out of his chest, and then raised his eyes accusingly at her. He dropped the cudgel he was carrying and put his right hand on the knife, trying to pull it out. He hadn’t the strength. The knife stayed put. He sank to his knees, all the while staring at Ja’Nil.

     “Help me,” he said to Ja’Nil. “Help...” Blood poured from his mouth and he fell face forward. Dead.

     Ja’Nil took an unsteady step toward the fallen man. “Oh no.” she said. “Oh no.”  There was a growl behind her. She just couldn’t take anymore. She turned slowly. The wolf was staring straight at her, blood seeping out of his side where the soldier’s knife had sliced him. “You’re bleeding,” she said.

     Out of the shadows stepped another soldier, also carrying a cudgel.

      “Watch out!” she yelled.

     Too late. The heavy club crashed down on the wolf’s head and he sprawled, unconscious, onto the rocky ground, his thick pelt gleaming in the moonlight.

     “Don’t hurt him,” she called out idiotically, and started forward, only to be grabbed by still another soldier. She turned, instinctively kicking out. She connected with his stomach. The soldier grunted, but held on to her. She tried to fight with her fists, but he simply laughed. When she managed to hit his chin (Ow!, it hurt her hand.) He stopped laughing and hit her in the face with his fist. Her nose started bleeding, and the moon and the stars whirled overhead.

* * *

     Someone was rudely kicking her in the stomach. Ja’Nil groaned, and tried to open her eyes so she could identify the sadist. But apparently, someone had already kicked her in the head, because when she tried to open her eyes (only the left one would open) her head protested by sending a jagged path of pain from her eyes right down the middle of her skull into her neck.

     “Stop it,” she mumbled. She was speaking to both her head and the person kicking her.

     “This one’s still alive,” said a jovial male voice. “She’s complaining already.”

     “Figures,” said another voice. “That’s what females are mostly good at.”

     “Ifs ya can complain, ya can walks on ya own,” said the first voice, as she was unceremoniously dumped to the floor.

     Getting dumped jarred her poor head, but at least the stomach kicking was over. She rubbed her eyes, wiping away clotted blood, and managed to open both of them this time.

     She was sitting on a smooth stone floor at the feet of the soldier who had hit her in the face with his fist. Apparently, he had been carrying her, belly down, over his shoulder. Ja’Nil glared at him.

     “On ya feets, then,” he said, grabbing her by the neck of her tunic and dragging her to her feet. “Moves it.” He gave her a push, and she stumbled forward, following another soldier that carried what looked like a fur stole over his shoulders.

    
A fur stole?

     It was the wolf. Rope had been wrapped several times around the animal’s snout. Both his front and back legs were also tied together.

    
That means he’s still alive, right?

     She was still dizzy and she was being rushed somewhere that she was sure she didn’t want to go. “Who are you?” she asked, trying to slow them down.

     “Shattup.” He gave her another push to get her going.

     “Are you the Queen’s soldiers?”

     “Lord Raptor’s,” answered the one carrying the wolf.

     That’s what she had been afraid of. “Where are you taking us?”

     “Here,” said the man behind her, as he reached around her and opened a solid looking door.

* * *

     The door opened into a bare, square, windowless room. There were multiple lanterns hanging from various parts of the ceiling. The only furnishings were a battered looking table and two equally battered chairs. A half dozen iron rings were buried in the far wall; chains were attached to the rings and attached to the chains were different size manacles.

     There was not one thing about that room that appealed to Ja’Nil.

     She tried to back up, but the soldier behind her gave her a vicious shove that sent her face first into the room. She landed on her hands and knees, scraping her hands and putting a large tear into the right knee of her leggings.

     Before she could get up, and it was getting harder and harder to get up each time she was knocked down, the door was slammed shut, and one of the soldiers leaned his back against it. The man carrying the unconscious wolf dumped the animal on the floor near the wall with all the chains. He took one of the manacles, measured it against the animal’s neck, shook his head, and dropped it. Another manacle proved to be just what he was looking for. After snapping it around the animal’s neck and tugging on the chain to make sure it was firmly attached to the wall, he bravely kicked the unconscious animal in the ribs, and ran for the door.

     Ja’Nil gave a bitter bark of laughter at his cowardice. Both soldiers glared at her.

     “Laughs all ya wants,” said the scared soldier. “Ya won’ts be laughin’ if I unties him, takes that there neck-cuff offen’ him, and leaves yous two alone.”

     He was right.

     Without another word to her, the soldiers exited the room, locked the door behind them, and left her alone with the tethered wolf.

     She studied the unconscious animal.

     Of course, I didn’t see what I thought I saw.

     Ee’Rick must have fallen and …Yes, and what?

     The wolf must have been nearby and, naturally, he attacked the soldier who threw a knife at him.

     She studied the wolf again. He didn’t look anything like Ee’Rick…except for the ring on his right front toe. Ridiculous. It’s not a ring, just something that was caught on his paw.

     It looks like a ring.

     Well, it’s not.

     Go take a closer look. He’s unconscious. He can’t hurt you.

     Just as she thought those words, the wolf’s eyes popped open. He was staring right at her. Slowly the wolf’s tail began to slap against the floor.

     Maybe it’s a tame wolf, she thought. Then, she remembered how it had ripped out the soldier’s throat.

     Jadµ, not so tame.

     The slapping of the wolf’s tail against the floor was getting on Ja’Nil’s nerves. “Stop wagging your tail,” she ordered.

     He did.

     It was not possible.

     “Are you Ee’Rick? If you’re Ee’Rick, wag your tail twice.”

     Slap. Slap.

     “Oh Lord. You really are?”

     Slap. Slap.

     Slowly, she got to her feet and approached him. His yellow eyes watched her closely. “You won’t bite me, will you?”

     Nothing.

     “Wag once for no and twice for yes.”

     He slapped his tail against the floor. Once.

     “Well of course, if you’re Ee’Rick you won’t bite me, will you?”

     Slap.

     She was closer to him now. The ropes around his legs and snout were so tight they had cut through his thick fur into his skin. He squirmed and let out a low growl. She jumped back.

     “Are you sure you’re Ee’Rick?”

     An irritated, Slap. Slap.

     She started to giggle. “You meet the most interesting people when you travel.”  Dropping to her knees, she began to untie his front paws. She didn’t quite have the nerve to untie his snout first. Ee’Rick was a wolf with very big teeth.

CHAPTER 31

     The knots were so tight that it took over an hour (At least, that’s what Ee’Rick claimed.) to get him untied.

     “Your fur is all bristly,” she said, after absentmindedly scratching him behind his ear. He had the nerve to growl at her. Finally, his mouth was free. He gave a prodigious yawn. Yep, very big teeth.

     She was trying to figure out how to take off the neck-manacle, when she heard someone put a key in the door. The hair on Ee’Rick’s back stood straight up, his lips curled back, showing his impressive teeth, and he snarled a deadly warning. Ja’Nil looked around frantically. There was nowhere to hide. The lock turned and the door started to open. Ja’Nil ran to the wall at the side of the door and plastered herself against it. When the door opened, it would hide her and… and what? Maybe she could run out behind them and get help? Help from where?

     The door was flung open with a crash. It slammed into Ja’Nil and bounced back. She gasped with pain. A soldier (not one she had run into before, but dressed in Lord Raptor’s colors) heard her. He grabbed her by her hair and threw her onto the floor in the middle of the room.

     Maybe this time I’ll just stay here, she thought, as she lay flat on her back staring up at the cobwebby ceiling and the dusty lanterns.

     “There’s no need to be so rough,” said a very familiar voice.

     Ja’Nil jerked her head up. Oh, no!

     Standing in the doorway with Lord Raptor, the same graceful movements, the same friendly smile, handsome as ever, was O’Keeven!

     “Ja’Nil, sweetheart.” He seemed delighted to see her. Kneeling down beside her, he reached out a hand. “Are you hurt?”

     Still on her back, Ja’Nil wiggled and scrambled away from him.

     “She doesn’t seem to like you,” said Lord Raptor.

     O’Keeven sighed, “She’s never understood me.”

     Ja’Nil spat at him. It landed short.

      She needed more practice in spitting.

     She scrambled to her feet.

      Lord Raptor ignored her and turned his gaze to the manacled wolf. “Is this the animal you claimed attacked you?”

     “Well, one wolf pretty much looks like all wolves.”