“Now’s not the time,” she said.
I frowned.
“Look!” she hissed.
I turned a circle. Balataur were everywhere. Dozens of them. Hundreds. The fire that had raged inside me cooled considerably. I ground my teeth and waved my escrima at a nearby Balataur. It backed away, but not far. Its buddies gave it courage.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I had come so far in my search for Aoife. For what? To end up captured by the Balataur?
“There is always a chance of escape,” Seanna hissed quietly as if ready my thoughts. “Being dead won’t help you find her.”
Every muscle in my body twitched, urging me into action, but I held back. She was right, of course. I had made it through so many situations like this—ending up with an axe buried in my skull decreased my chances of making it through one more down to zero.
I stood up straight, dropped the sticks, and slowly put my hands in the air.
21
Lortmore
Balataurs.
The beasts were ripped straight out of old Greek myths about the Minotaur—though the actual descendant of that Minotaur would tear my leg out of the socket and beat me with it if I mentioned that possible connection in his presence. Big, stocky, and thick with muscles, the beasts were diverse but most stood well over six feet tall. Their long, thick horns added another foot onto the adults’ height. Their coloring ranged from a dark tan to brown so dark it was almost black. There were no black-furred Balataurs, though.
To a beast, they carried a mean and nasty streak to go with their weapons of choice. Large, heavy battleaxes with blades of varying shapes. There was nothing subtle about the Balataurs or their weapons. Both were instruments of death.
“I don’t see how this is such a good idea,” I muttered to Seanna.
We were led through their camp, hands tied at the wrist behind our backs. The camp was teeming with Balataurs. Hundreds of them. Thousands. Those close enough to see stopped what they were doing to turn and watch their fellows march us through to who knows what.
“I didn’t say it was a good idea,” she said. “It is a better idea than trying to fight them all, though.”
“We might have been able to fight our way through and escape.” I don’t know if I believed that but I felt the need to protest even though it was a little too late for that.
“You would have met your death swiftly enough,” she said.
“It might have been better than whatever we’re going to face here.”
“Maybe, but as of now we are still alive. Could you say the same for the alternative we faced out there?”
I couldn’t, but I wasn’t about to admit she was right. The odds of running a fighting escape were pretty low—probably hovering near negative numbers. Giving ourselves up kept us alive with the chance of escape. At least for the moment.
Our current odds took a dip when I saw where we were heading. A tent almost as big as my house stood out, blood red in the middle of the army. A banner waved weakly in the slight wind. It was just as red and a shadowed figure standing on what looked like a map with two crossed swords behind it adorned the center.
Two Balataur guards stood at the entrance. They said nothing to our escorts as we approached. They only pulled the tent flaps open while the others stood aside, giving us a pathway inside.
Seanna and I hesitated, leery of what we would find once we stepped into the dark tent. It wasn’t like we had a choice, though, so we took the first step in together.
My first thought was to wonder how they had erected the tent so fast. I hadn’t seen it when we flew over the army. The second thought revolved around the tent’s furnishings. Not only had the tent been put up in minutes, but it had also been fully outfitted with various chairs, couches, tables, desks, lanterns, and even—was that a bed in the very back?
“Meeting you has been a long time comin’.”
Seanna and I jumped at the sudden voice. A man stood up from a chair that faced away from the entrance.
“I’ve been dying to meet the boy ‘ho eluded my grasp and defied my rival.”
He turned to face us.
“Lortmore,” Seanna hissed.
“Yes,” he said with a tight smile. “I’m glad I have not been forgotten during Daresh’s recent escapades.”
I stared at the man. He was the opposite of Daresh. While Daresh was tall, lean, and immaculately groomed, Lortmore was kind of short and stocky. Thick muscles corded his body and his thick, black beard was a bit unkempt. Daresh moved with smooth, fluid motions like a snake about to strike. Lortmore kind of waddled as he approached us. He felt almost cartoonish until I got a good look into his eyes. Those eyes were of a dangerous man. Cold, black, and dead.
“The Gatekeeper,” he said, looking me up and down. “I must thank you for ruinin’ Daresh’s plans. He was really gettin’ full of ‘imself until you slipped through ‘is fingers. Of course, you ‘ave made a bit of a nuisance for me as well.”
“As Nashashir of my clan,” Seanna said, “I demand you—”
Lortmore scrunched his face into a pained expression. “Ah, shut up, will ya?”
“I am Nashashir and—”
The strike came so fast I barely had time to register the man had moved at all. He backhanded Seanna, the smack loud and sharp. She spun and fell to the carpeted ground.
“Seanna!” I took a step forward.
Lortmore’s other hand shot behind his back and produce a long, curved dagger. He held it in front of me, the thin point poking me in the belly. “Stay,” he growled.
When I didn’t move, he withdrew the dagger but kept it in hand. He leaned over Seanna.
Her cheek bloomed a bright red and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her lips. Still, she stared up at him with cold, defiant eyes.
“You think I give a shite ‘ho you are little girl?” he snarled. “I’ll answer that for you. I don’t because you are nothin’ but a twig that fell from your mama’s branch pretending to be something you’re not. Look at you. Filthy dirt creatures worth nothin’ more than kindlin’ for our fires. You keep your mouth shut while your betters talk or I’ll let the Balataurs use you to pick their teeth.”
A shadow passed over Seanna’s eyes. It was a look I’d never seen on her. I knew if the Balataurs hadn’t taken all of our stuff, including her magical amulets, this man would be dead on the spot. Still, she kept quiet, lying stiff on the ground.
“Now,” Lortmore said, straightening and turning back to me. “What should we do with you?”
“I won’t help you,” I said.
“Who said you could help me?” he asked with a truly puzzled look on his rough face.
“You’ve been trying to get me.”
“I have, but I don’t actually want you.”
“But, you—”
“You think I care about your precious gateway?” He laughed, a surprisingly high-pitched sound. “I care nothing for you, your gateway, or what’s on the other side.”
“Why…” started, unable to finish in my confusion.
“Why send my Balataur after you?” he finished for me. “Because Daresh wanted you. If I could keep you out of his ‘ands, that would be a victory for me. Don’t ya think?”
My brain stuttered for a moment before restarting. “Okay, well he doesn’t want me anymore. I’m not a Gatekeeper, so I’m no use to him.”
“So, I should go ‘head and let you both go?” He laughed again. “You might not be any use to ‘im, but you most definitely are to me.”
“But, I’m not a Gatekeeper,” I protested.
“Weren’t you listenin’, boy?” He glanced at Seanna still on the ground. “Dense boy, eh? I don’t care ‘bout all that. Didn’t I say that?”
“But—”
“Think ‘bout it. Imagine Daresh’s reactions as I march up to his front door with my army. He’ll be a bit miffed about that, but then I drag you out and slit your throat right there on his doorstep, denying ‘im his revenge.” His e
yes turned glassy as if he could already see it.
“Letting us go would piss him off even more,” I suggested.
“Hm,” he grunted.
“Think about it. If Daresh knew you had us in your hands and let us go, he’d totally flip.”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But, where’s the fun in that? And when I’m finished wit’ Delicia, I’ll turn my army around and march right up to the tree people and do the same to their precious daughter.”
I glanced at Seanna. Her jaw worked, but she remained quiet.
“Really, I’m amazed a little pup like you caused ‘im so much distress,” he said, sizing me up again. Even though I stood almost a full foot taller, I felt so small under his gaze. “A sniveling little whiner at that.”
I balled my fists and willed myself to stay rooted in my spot.
“‘Oh, boohoo, my poor mommy’,” he mocked. “I’ve walked many people but I ‘ave to say you are the easiest.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“I’m talkin’ ‘about how easy it was to manipulate you.”
I looked at Seanna, but I knew she wasn’t what he was talking about. “I don’t know—”
“Your dreams, boy,” he said. “It was easy to walk right into ‘em to poke and prod you. Too easy, really.”
“You’re a dream walker?” Seanna broke her silence.
“One of the best, Twig.” He stepped closer to me, staring at my forehead like he could see right through it and into my brain. “From the moment I stepped into your dreams, I poked you like a sleepin’ baby. Turned everything you keep bottled up in there into anger and fear. Those two emotions breed irrational stupidity. Although, I don’t think it was such a ‘uge leap for you, eh?”
“You were in my head?” I asked, trying to piece the conversation together in some way that made sense. “In my dreams?”
“Not all of ‘em.” He tisked and shook his head. “You’re not worth that much trouble, are you?”
“I don’t believe you,” I ventured. “You’re just trying to get under my skin.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Seanna said softly.
“What?”
“You were dreamin’ of a battle,” Lortmore said before she could answer. “A very confusing one. You were gladiators of some sort fighting in an arena for a small crowd.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The big ones smashed into each other while you tried to throw some object.” He shook his head. “Strangest thing I’d ever seen. I was really diggin’ into you then. She interrupted me, though.”
“Football,” I said, clicking. “You…were in my head in that dream?”
“Yup,” he said, lifting his head proudly. “Also, when you were cryin’ like a babe in Daresh’s prison. How could your mom say such hurtful things?”
“The other night…” I broke off, shaking my head.
“That little whelp you traveled with last time you were here seems to be another sore spot,” he laughed.
My fingernails dug into my palms. I wanted to jump on him and punch his face into paste, but two things held me back. The dagger he still held and the fact that my hands were still tied behind my back. He turned and walked to a table, retrieving a cup and taking a long drink.
“Anyways, besides a little fun,” he said, “you two are useless to me. I suggest you enjoy the few nights you have left in your retched lives. Their number dwindles quickly startin’ tonight.”
He snapped his fingers. It was a soft sound, but two Balataur pushed into the tent. One grabbed me by my binds while the other yanked Seanna from the floor. I glanced over my shoulder as they ushered us out. Lortmore had already staring at the map on the table, Seanna and I already forgotten.
***
Evening settled in, bringing a hint of cold with it. Seanna and I huddled on the trampled grass, tied to either side of a thick log hammered into the ground. Around us, tents and campfires went up as the army of Balataurs settled in for the night.
I shifted but couldn’t find a more comfortable position. The binds still tied around my wrists behind my back bit into my skin. The more I tried to twist them into a position that didn’t cut off circulation, the tighter they became. The ropes around my chest holding me to the pole were so tight breathing too deep was painful. I had to settle into a shallow breathing rhythm to keep from feeling like I was suffocating.
“Still think this was a good idea?” I asked Seanna on the other side of the log.
“Shut up,” growled the Balataur clearly unhappy with being tasked to watch over us.
I sighed and leaned my head back against the dirty log. Despite Seanna’s insistence—and common sense—giving ourselves up felt like the wrong move. Being Daresh’s prisoner, if only for a couple days, had made fighting seem like the better choice by far.
I fought the battle in my mind, going over and over just how I could have made it through the Balataur surrounding us. It might have been fanciful thinking, but it felt better to have the thought of fighting back in my mind than dwelling on the fact that I was once again under somebody’s control and waiting for an unfavorable fate.
The sounds of the grunting and guttural speech from the Balataur lulled me as I closed my eyes. Maybe I was weary from the days of flying. Maybe I was just mentally and emotionally exhausted. Either way, sleep closed in on me, catching me unaware.
“You have a knack for attracting trouble to you, human.”
I jerked awake to find myself face to snout with a brown-furred Balataur. His black, beady eyes rolling to look around as he spoke.
“Have you tried not looking for trouble?” he asked in a low, rumbling voice.
“Go away,” I growled.
“Keep your voice down,” he hushed.
A knife appeared in his hand and I flinched, expecting to have it buried in my guts. Instead, he slashed at the ropes holding Seanna and I tied to the log. With the pressure off my chest, I took in a deep breath.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Saving your life again, it would appear,” the Balataur grumbled.
“Again?” I peered at the beast as it turned to cut the binds from Seanna’s wrists. There did seem to be something familiar about this Balataur.
“Thanks, Minotaur” Seanna muttered as she rubbed her newly freed wrists.
“Minotaur?” I asked, my eyes going wide.
22
AN OLD FRIEND (DEFINITELY)
Minotaur cut my binds and looked around, making sure nobody watched. The Balataur tasked with guarding us lay motionless on the ground a few feet away.
I must have slept longer than I realized. Night had completely settled in and the whole camp was quiet besides the sounds of snoring and grunting Balataur as they slept.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered.
“Saving you,” Minotaur said as if it should have been obvious.
“No, I mean what—”
“Now’s probably not the time,” Seanna hissed.
“The Ashling is right,” Minotaur said. “We should leave here.”
I reigned in the questions all clamoring for attention and nodded.
“The camp is at its thickest that way.” Minotaur pointed with his blade. He moved it to the opposite direction. “There is where it is at its thinnest. I suggest we go that way. Less Balataurs to make it through.”
“That will take us away from Delicia,” Seanna hissed. “We’ll have to circle around the camp. I don’t think our absence will go unnoticed long enough for us to make it all the way around and get far enough away to be able to stay out of their grasps.”
“You are going to Delicia?” Minotaur said, the unbelieving note plain in his graveled voice.
“It’s a long story,” I said, “but yeah.”
“Delicia is that way,” he jerked his horns our right. “But we will run a greater risk of getting caught. There are many more sleeping Balataur to sneak past that way.�
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“We have to make it to Delicia before this army,” Seanna insisted.
I was starting to think going to Delicia wasn’t such a good idea. I had my reservations before we spotted the army moving toward it but held hope that we could get in and out before the city came under siege.
We were on foot now, though. From everything I read in school about the armies of old that marched on foot, they were slow moving. If we escaped, I had no doubt we could stay ahead of it, but there was no way we could get in, find out what we could about Aoife and get out in time, though.
Still, it was our best—and only—lead. With those huge, thick walls and guards posted everywhere, Delicia was an impenetrable fortress. It could hold out against this Balataur army for a while, but for how long? The sheer size of the army stretched for almost as far as we could see from the sky. Even the impenetrable becomes penetrable if you throw enough beef at it. We had to hope it held out long enough for us to get what we needed.
“Very well,” Minotaur said. “Follow me, keep low, and do try to not step on any Balataurs.”
“Wait,” Seanna hissed. “My amulets.”
Minotaur reached behind his back and pulled a small pouch from his belt. He handed it to Seanna. She pulled the string open and visibly relaxed after looking inside.
“And these.” Minotaur’s back was so massive, I hadn’t even seen my escrima strapped there until he pulled them out and passed them to me.
I thought to ask about my backpack but figured it was a little too much to ask. It had a lot of the supplies I figured I need to survive on Alisundi but escaping the Balataur camp was a little more important.
“Can we go now?” Minotaur asked. “The longer we stay here, the greater our chances of being caught.”
Seanna and I nodded. After a quick glance around, he moved away from log that had served as our prison. We followed close behind.
There were very few torches and fires around the camp, so keeping to the shadows was easy. A few Balataur slept in tents, but a large majority of them flopped on the trampled grass to sleep wherever was convenient. That made the way slow going. Every time I thought we had found a path through the army, we’d find a group of the beasts spread out in front of us.
The Gatekeeper Trilogy Page 71