by Ben Wolf
Lilly closed her eyes and stifled her tears.
Eastern Kanarah
“Stop.” Magnus held out his arms and halted his progress. He’d taken the lead position as they crept through the woods. Calum followed him, and Axel brought up the rear. They all stopped and turned back to Magnus.
“What?” Axel said more than asked.
“Shhhhh,” Magnus hissed. “We are not alone.”
Calum scanned the surrounding trees, but thanks to the darkness he couldn’t see much of anything. The moonlight barely broke through the thick tree cover, and where it did, it wasn’t much help. “I don’t see—”
Magnus grabbed his arm and yanked him down to the dirt behind a rotting log. His voice still a hiss, he said, “Quiet. Axel, get down.”
Axel took cover behind a small bush, stared into the forest for a moment, and then refocused on Magnus, squinting.
Magnus tapped the side of his reptilian head. “Listen.”
Sure enough, a faint rustle sounded several yards away, from the very direction they were heading. Through a hole in the rotted log, Calum saw a dark form materialize in the trees, then another, then another, and many more until a couple dozen men swarmed that portion of the forest.
Calum’s heartbeat pounded like war drums in his ears, so hard that the men approaching had to hear it. How could they not?
Their footsteps grew louder, and as the men approached, they sharpened into focus. Black leather armor. Shining weapons in their gauntleted hands.
The King’s soldiers.
From what Calum could tell, the first soldier who stepped past Axel’s hiding spot didn’t seem to notice them. Neither did the second, third, or fourth, but the fifth brushed his sword across the top of the bush in a slow, deliberate motion. The metal of his blade sang with tinkling notes as it scraped against the leaves and exposed branches.
“Billings.”
The fifth soldier straightened his posture faster than a whiplash, and he turned to face the speaker.
“Focus.”
A big man riding an armored horse came into view—or maybe he just looked big because he was on top of a horse. He held a long spear in his left hand and the horse’s reins in his right.
A streak of silver ran across his black leather breastplate, something that none of the other soldiers had. It reminded Calum of Burtis’s purple foreman’s sash, and he wondered if it meant the man on horseback was their leader.
“Yes, sir.” Billings turned back and rejoined the regiment, his sword in the ready position like all the other soldiers.
No one in the group said anything after that. They just continued to advance forward.
Soldiers disappeared from Calum’s view as they climbed on top of his log and hopped over. The sound of their feet hitting the dirt shook Calum’s chest.
Wood snapped next to Calum’s ear, and he froze.
A metal-studded boot broke through the rotten log and crunched down only inches from Calum’s face. Musty flakes and dust flecked across his cheeks, and curses rang out above him.
“Billings.”
“Sorry, Commander Pordone. I didn’t know the log was rotten, and I—”
“Billings.” Commander Pordone pointed his spear forward. “Focus.”
“Yes, sir.”
Calum didn’t dare reach to wipe off his face, not with Billings so close. Even so, the beginnings of a sneeze tingled in his nose. He had to do something soon. He didn’t know if he could hold it back.
Billings pulled his foot out of the log, and more dust peppered Calum’s face. After a few muttered curses, Billings stepped past Calum’s position.
Calum reached for his nose without a sound and rubbed it, but that just made it worse. He had to hold back his sneeze. Their lives were at stake.
Commander Pordone’s horse took the long way around the log and angled back behind the first five men. If Calum could just hold out for one more minute until the soldiers moved out of sight and out of hearing range, they’d be able to escape.
He could do it. He had to. He rubbed his nose again and tried to breathe through his mouth instead of—
Calum sneezed.
He muffled it as best as he could, but it was still too loud.
Commander Pordone twisted his torso and turned his head back. Calum was certain their eyes met, but the commander didn’t move after that.
Calum’s eyes watered. No, not aga—
A second sneeze.
“There!” Commander Pordone bellowed. He raised his left arm over his head and then thrust it forward in a vigorous point.
A gleaming spear embedded in the log next to Calum’s shoulder.
“Run!” Magnus grabbed Calum’s waistband and pulled him to his feet, then tossed him the bag of food he’d been carrying.
Calum tried to catch the sack, but it popped open, and half the food spilled out on the ground. He ground his teeth and reached for the nearest potato.
“Leave it.” Magnus shoved Calum forward, and three more fruits dropped from the sack. “Go!”
Commander Pordone drew his sword and kicked the sides of his horse, which charged forward.
Calum froze. He had exposed them all, and now they would die. Him first.
Magnus wrenched the spear from the log and hurled it toward the approaching commander. Instead, the spear struck the horse in the center of its head, and it pitched forward.
Commander Pordone toppled off the horse, and his body cracked against a nearby tree. Behind him, soldiers ran back toward Magnus, all of them yelling and shouting threats in the King’s name.
“Nice throw!” Axel shouted.
“I was aiming for the rider.” Magnus hissed at Calum, “Go!”
Enough. Calum resolved he wouldn’t freeze again.
He broke free from the trance and ran alongside Magnus. Ahead of them, Axel beckoned them forward with his sword in his right hand and his sack of food in his other.
They ran through the woods with the soldiers close behind. Axel still led, and Magnus still followed Calum.
“They are gaining on us,” Magnus yelled loud enough for both Calum and Axel to hear. “We are carrying too much. We each have to drop something.”
“I thought you were supposed to be strong,” Axel called over his shoulder. “Why don’t you carry more?”
“I still tire from running.” Magnus grunted from behind Calum. “We must drop the food.”
“No,” Axel shouted back. “Not the food.”
“Either drop the food, drop your bedrolls, or drop the weapons. You are welcome to fight the King’s men with tomatoes and melons if you wish, but I do not advise it.”
Even amid the chase, Calum had to grin at Magnus’s comment.
He dropped the half-bag of food he was carrying. Magnus was right—running was much easier without the extra weight, and they could find more food somewhere else along the way. They would have to.
Axel cursed as he ran, but he also dropped his bag of food. Calum, still following Axel, jumped over it so as not to trip.
Within a few minutes, when Calum looked back, he no longer saw the soldiers behind them. Even so, Magnus urged them on for another five minutes before he let them stop. Axel sheathed his sword, Calum wiped his brow with his wrist, and all three of them sucked in a trough’s-worth of air.
Axel spoke first. “What now?”
“We make it through the rest of tonight.” Magnus pointed to a ridge to the southwest. “We can take shelter among those trees.”
Axel pointed east. “There’s a cave right over there. Let’s make use of it.”
Magnus shook his head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“It is not safe.”
Axel scoffed. “It’s a cave. One way in. Easy to defend.”
Magnus squared himself with Axel. “You obviously know nothing of strategy or tactics. Given our situation, that cave is a terrible idea.”
Axel stepped forward and looked up at Magnus. Calum had stood wh
ere Axel was, face-to-face with Magnus, and it was a terrifying place to be. He gained new admiration for Axel’s courage.
Or was it stupidity?
“You know nothing about me, Scales.” Axel practically spat the last word.
Courage or otherwise, Calum didn’t want this devolving into an unnecessary conflict. He wedged himself between them with his hands and then his body. “That’s enough. Both of you.”
“He thinks he knows everything. No Saurian is gonna tell me what I can and can’t do.” Axel folded his arms.
Magnus’s eyes narrowed. “If I must, I will put you in your place, child.”
Axel huffed. “You don’t scare me.”
“It is your prerogative to say so, that you might appear brave in front of Calum, but your eyes betray the truth.” A subtle grin curled up the ends of Magnus’s mouth. “You are petrified.”
Then Axel proved that it had been stupidity guiding his actions all along.
His jaw hardened, and he reached for the hilt of his sword, but Magnus was faster.
In one quick, jarring motion, Magnus pushed past Calum, knocking him to the side. He big reptilian hands clamped onto Axel, one on his right wrist, and another on his throat.
With a powerful heft, he shoved Axel against a tree, lifted him off his feet by his throat, and held him in place there. He leaned in close and exhaled a long hiss through his nostrils at Axel’s face.
Though Axel struggled, he could neither draw his sword nor break free of Magnus’s hold on him. He choked and sputtered, and even in the moonlight, Calum could tell his face was turning red from the strain.
“Magnus…” Calum said. “You’re hurting him!”
“The next time you dare to pull your blade on me, I will grant you no mercy,” Magnus warned. “Weapons are to be brandished only against enemies. If you choose to make one of me, I assure you we will not remain enemies for long. Do you comprehend what I am saying to you, child?”
Axel managed a desperate nod and some gurgling noises.
Calum just stood there, helpless to intervene. The more he considered it, though, the more he didn’t really fault Magnus for his actions. Axel’s brazen attitude had gotten him in this situation.
His response seemed to have satisfied Magnus, because he released his grip on Axel and let him drop to the ground. Axel coughed and rubbed at his throat, sucking in greedy breaths.
“So…” Calum began, “…the trees along the ridge, then?”
“If you think you’re so smart,” Axel rasped as he finally stood back up, “explain to me why that cave is a bad idea?”
“There are multiple reasons,” Magnus said. “It is exposed, out in the open, which makes it visible to the soldiers looking for us. They will expect us to hide in a cave because it is a natural shelter—”
“Which is why we should stay in there,” Axel insisted.
Magnus eyed him. “Are you finished?”
Axel motioned for Magnus to continue, then he folded his arms and leaned against the very tree Magnus had just pinned him to.
“It is a natural shelter, but it also presents a danger to us because we do not know what or who might already be in there. Nor do we know if that is the only entrance, and even if it is, if we cannot defend it or get caught off guard, we would have our backs up against a wall on the inside.”
“Just like the storehouse…” Calum said as the realization clicked in his mind.
“Correct.” Magnus nodded. “Hiding among the trees on that ridge is much safer.”
“How do you know all of this?” Calum asked.
“Experience.”
The way Magnus said it made Calum want to ask him more questions, because there was clearly a lot more Magnus wasn’t letting on, but he held off. Something told Calum he ought to leave it alone… at least for now.
Axel sighed. “So are we going, or what?”
“Follow me.” Magnus started toward the ridge.
After two fitful hours of sleep, Axel hugged his knees tighter, shivered, and half-glared at Calum, but so far he hadn’t awakened.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have gone along with this scheme after all. Where had it gotten him so far? Cold, lost in the woods, with his best friend and a monstrous Saurian bully. I could be in my bed right now instead of… this.
A mix of coniferous and broadleaf deciduous trees encircled their camp—if it could be called that. More like two guys and a Saurian laying on the ground in the woods. Calum stirred, and light from the small fire in the center of the camp flickered in his green eyes.
Either the air had cooled as the night deepened, or Axel’s temperature had dropped now that he wasn’t running around. Maybe he’d feel warmer if he had something in his stomach.
Too bad they’d abandoned all the food when they were running away from the King’s soldiers.
Axel scowled at Calum. “I wish you hadn’t sneezed.”
Calum broke his gaze at the fire and looked at him. “Me too.”
“I could sure go for some of that food I helped you steal.” Axel eyed the Saurian. Scales. Magnus. Whatever. “Oh, wait. Someone told us to drop it all. Great plan, master strategist.”
“You are welcome.” Magnus didn’t bother to make eye contact. He just lay on the ground and stared up at the stars.
Overhead, the sky had begun to yield to the first hint of daylight, so the stars didn’t shine as brightly as they had against the solid black curtain of night.
“What do you mean, I’m ‘welcome?’” Axel asked.
“You yet draw breath. I saved your life.” Magnus leaned his head forward and squinted at Axel with golden eyes. “Twice.”
Axel shook his head. “So starving us to death is your idea of ‘saving my life?’ And how long do you expect us to last out here without food?”
“You ate dinner before you went to sleep, right?” Calum asked. “You can’t be starving yet. Don’t be so dramatic.”
“All this fighting and running builds up an appetite. I’m not like you, Calum,” Axel said. “I got to eat my fill every day. It’s why I’m so much bigger than you.”
“Your head is certainly bigger,” Magnus mumbled.
Axel’s focus whipped toward Magnus. “What’d you say to me?”
“You heard me.” Now Magnus looked over at him. “What do you intend to do about it?”
A whole range of ideas cycled through Axel’s head, but they all amounted to nothing but his imagination running wild. Though he’d never admit it aloud, he couldn’t compete with Magnus on any level.
And that frustrated him most of all. If Axel actually wanted to live the life of adventure he’d always wanted to live, he had to get stronger. He had to learn to fight. He had to learn to survive.
“That is what I thought,” Magnus said.
Axel ignored him. Let the lizard have his hollow victory. One day, Axel would grow strong enough to take him on. Then it would be Magnus who’d have to shut up instead.
Calum asked, “What’d you do with those Gronyx stones you stole? We could sell those in a town somewhere and buy food.”
Magnus stared at him. “What Gronyx stones?”
“You know what I mean,” Calum said. “The gems with the greenish tint from the pit. You stashed a handful of them under one of the boards near the tool shed at the quarry. I found them at the end of my workday yesterday. Do you still have those?”
Magnus shook his head. “I never took any Gronyx stones.”
Calum sighed. “Then it was Hardink after all.”
Axel tilted his head. “Huh?”
“Nothing.” Calum waved his hand. “Too late now.”
More nonsense from Calum. Great. Axel said, “Whatever.”
“Why don’t we hunt?” Calum leaned forward. “Some of the quarry guys used to do it at night until Burtis found out and put a stop to it.”
“Uh… look around, Calum. We have nothing to hunt with. No bows and arrows. No spears.” Axel rolled his eyes. “Unless you think you can o
utrun a deer and cut its head off with my sword.”
Calum looked at Magnus, but he just continued to stare up at the fading night sky. “The quarry guys didn’t have bows and arrows either. Burtis never would’ve allowed that.”
“Then how did they hunt? Throwing rocks?” Axel scoffed and rubbed his arms to try to warm up.
“I think they used snares. I saw one of them carrying a rabbit by a rope attached to its foot once.” Calum cringed. “That was the same night Burtis found out. The next morning, he strung the man up by his foot and lowered him into the Gronyx’s pit.”
“Burtis is no longer a concern of yours,” Magnus said.
Calum grinned. “I know. Thanks.”
“Snares,” Axel said. “Do we have rope?”
Calum looked at Magnus again. “He grabbed some from the quarry, but I don’t know if it will work for snares or not. It’s pretty thick.”
“So much for hunting, then.” Axel shook his head.
Magnus sat up, and Axel couldn’t help but notice that the lash marks and even the slash across his yellow underbelly had already healed substantially. Apparently, Saurians healed a lot faster than humans.
“Though I am loath to admit it—” Magnus said. “—Axel is right.”
Axel raised an eyebrow and waited for the inevitable snide comment.
“We cannot hunt. It will not work. And since we have no food, our options are limited.”
No snide comment. Maybe it was still forthcoming. Axel ventured, “So… what do you have in mind?”
Magnus glanced between Calum and Axel. “We need to raid the Rock Outpost.”
Chapter Ten
Axel would’ve laughed at Magnus’s proposition, but he was too stunned to say anything at first.
Calum tilted his head. “Raid the what?”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Axel managed to say. Sure, he’d left his home on a whim to follow his own silly idea of getting away from the farm, but now things had gone too far. Way too far. “The Rock Outpost? You want to raid the Rock Outpost?”
“We do not yet possess adequate weapons. Calum does not have one at all.” Magnus stared into the woods. “We have no armor. No supplies, no food. You said yourself that we will not last long out here if we are this ill-equipped.”