If he didn’t do anything, soon Leo and Zo would die of starvation.
He had to do something.
If nothing else worked, he would try the second option. However, he had devised another plan. As he stared at the tiny caves that had swallowed the little people, he revisited his scheme. He could capture a couple of the tiny creatures and hold them at ransom until the queen relinquished her hold on his friends. Of course if she put him under the spell, his life was also forfeit.
Since there was no way he was leaving the two of them to die here, he had no other choice but to try this suicidal route. He simply wasn’t prepared to return without the princess. And the boy tugged at the strings of his heart. In all good conscience, Arkon couldn’t bear to leave Leo behind.
He took a deep breath. The way ahead was clear. He would wait until dawn. It would be foolhardy to risk climbing the slippery and dangerous walls in the dark. It was a cold night. Using his blanket, he covered Leo. He bundled Zo in her own blanket to keep her safe from the dewy mist that hung on the chasm floor at night. Both of them showed no sign of awareness or movement. It was as if they were lost in a world only they could see and experience.
As dawn broke over the midnight-blue sky in warm hues of yellow and orange, Arkon began to climb the walls of the gorge, inching his way towards the cave. It would be a tight squeeze, but he was sure he could slither inside and perhaps grab a couple of the tiny creatures before the entire community woke up. It was a foolish plan, he knew – but there was nothing else he could do. As he neared the lowest cave, his hands a mere foot away from its opening, an arrow, the size of a small knife, rained down, barely missing his head. Startled, Arkon let go. He dropped to the hard floor, twenty feet down.
“Ahh!” Arkon grabbed his knee. He had banged it against a rock and knew it would be black and blue tomorrow. Another arrow whistled down, its sharp pointed metal head burying into the ground an inch away from his right foot. It was a warning. He looked up. An ekeme stood at the opening, holding a short bow in his hands.
If he tried to enter their cave again, he was sure the next arrow would be planted through his heart.
Cursing the tiny creature, Arkon stood. Now, he had no option but to move his companions out, even at the risk of hurting them. He spent the rest of his morning devising a sling from the length of rope they had used to climb down into the gorge. By mid-morning, he was finished.
This was a chance he’d have to take. First, he would take the princess out. His first commitment was to her; if she was lost, his king would die too. After taking Zo to the top of the chasm, he would come back for Leo. Although he hated the idea of leaving the young boy alone in the gorge at the mercy of these unfathomable creatures, he was sure they would not kill him. If they had wanted to do so, it would have been done already.
Arkon bent over the princess and slipped the sling around her torso. He lifted her. Another arrow spun through the air and buried itself an inch from Arkon’s left foot.
Was this another warning?
He glanced at the cave opening. The same ekeme stood there, his bow cocked and ready, as he watched Arkon with an implacable expression.
“What was that for?” he shouted. No response was forthcoming but the ekeme didn’t budge from his ready stance.
Again, Arkon tried to lift the princess and this time the arrow thundered above her head. It hit the other wall and fell down harmlessly.
The message was clear; if he tried to move the hostages, they would all die.
Willing though he was to risk his own life, Arkon couldn’t afford to jeopardize the lives of his companions. He placed the princess back on the dusty floor, and sat to wait for an opportunity. Perhaps the ekeme would get tired and move away.
As the day lengthened, the little creature stayed in the same spot. Many others of his kind emerged out of the various openings, slipped down the walls and disappeared in the massive gorge. Near mid-afternoon, the ekeme guard was replaced by another who was also armed with a bow.
All day long Arkon waited for a break in their routine that would grant him a chance to do something to save his companions. The ekeme went about their work, apparently unconcerned about the cruel fate they had subjected their prisoners to. A number of times, ekeme children, as tall as a foot long, raced about in the chasm shrieking with glee as they jumped over the rocks and played their games. Arkon thought to grab one of them, but he knew the ekeme guard would drive an arrow in Leo or Zo’s head before he could get a good grip on any one child.
As night fell across the ravine, Arkon ate some food. He dabbed Zo and Leo's lips with water, willing them to drink but both showed no response to his effort. At one of the cave openings, an ekeme guard watched his every move, a bow held ready in his hands. It was clear he was going to be carefully observed through the night. Defeated, Arkon swiped a hand over his brow and went to sleep.
As the sun lit the wide expanse of the ravine on the morning of their second day in the chasm, Arkon stood. It was clear that he would not be able to take the prisoners out. His only hope was to get help from outside. Perhaps, he could find Erob and together they could rescue Leo and Zo. He would have to leave them here and venture out on his own.
Despite coming to this understanding, it was hard for him to abandon them. What if the ekeme killed them in his absence?
And yet, he had no other choice. Weak from exhaustion – he had hardly eaten much since their descent, and even what little food he had was all finished – he swayed on his feet. Soon, he would be too exhausted to climb the walls. If anything was to be done, this was the time to do it. Arkon strapped his sword to his back and walked to the far wall, away from the cave openings. He didn’t want the guard to think he was heading for their caves once more.
In the distance, he heard some noise. Looking over, he saw a few ekeme hauling a log across the chasm. They were singing some kind of a low key song as they pulled the heavy wood across the floor. He peered up towards the cave openings. Would the ekeme let him leave or would they shoot him as he attempted the climb? He would have to take the risk. His concern for the princess and Leo far exceeded his own desire to save his life. After casting one final worrying glance at the immobile prisoners, Arkon began the climb.
He carried a rope over his shoulder, intending to use it to slide down the chasm later. Fatigue overwhelmed him. He hadn’t eaten much in the last two days. His stomach grumbled from hunger even as he tried to grip the protruding niches and pull himself up. No one tried to stop him as he painfully made his way up. Truly, the ekeme didn’t have a problem with non-magic people. He was free to leave, as the queen had promised.
Once he came back and tried to free the prisoners, his life was forfeit – but in all good consciousness, he could not leave the princess or Leo to die in the chasm. He would come back, and save them – even if it cost him his own life to do so.
He was half way up the rock face when an ear-piercingly shrill scream shattered the silence of the chasm. Arkon whipped his head around to look for the cause of the commotion. The ekeme who were dragging the log dumped it on the ground and ran. A few of them stopped to pick up the children who were playing among the rocks and bushes. Within moments, they were up the wall, the lot of them disappearing into the opening.
Arkon watched this frantic activity with his mouth wide open. What were they doing and why? He peered into the distance. The log they were hauling lay forgotten on the floor. He couldn’t see anything that was the cause of such panic. Shaking his head in puzzlement, Arkon resumed his climbing. When he was nearly two-third of his way up the cliff, Arkon once again looked in the same direction to see what had triggered that strange response from the little creatures. The sight chilled his bones.
A black, gleaming python was slithering through the boulders and stones, heading straight in this direction. The snake was at least fifteen feet long, and its body was almost as thick as Arkon’s waist. Black scales on its body shone as the sunlight reflected off them. It slither
ed and slipped its way past thorny shrubs, its movement mesmerizingly sensuous. Arkon froze.
So this was the monster that had chased off the little creatures. He understood their fear; the animal was big enough to capture two or more of them in its slippery coils. In this chasm, they were its natural prey.
It was at that moment that Arkon realized the dangers the two unconscious prisoners faced. Surely the snake would not dare attack them? They were far too big for it to swallow and eat. Still, he couldn’t take the risk of leaving them at the python’s mercy. Arkon realized he would have to stand guard over his companions until the animal left the vicinity.
An idea stuck Arkon. Perhaps, he could take advantage of the momentary distraction of the ekeme to slip Zo or Leo out of the chasm?
He began to climb down, and it was then that his eyes focused on a small, miserable creature hiding behind one of the boulders. It was one of the ekeme children. The little boy peeked from behind the rock, searching for his friends. Too far to see his face, Arkon could tell the child was frightened and didn’t understand the reason why he was suddenly all alone in the great chasm.
Perhaps deciding he was safe, the child slipped free from the shadow of the rock and clambered up the nearest boulder to better assess the situation. A thin shriek escaped his mouth as his gaze settled upon the large predator. At the same time, the python caught sight of the tiny creature and began to slither faster, its two-forked tongue slipping in and out of its mouth as it chose the shortest way to the child. The little boy jumped off the boulder in fright and ran headlong towards the caves.
Two things happened simultaneously. Arkon jumped off the rock face and ran towards the child even before he realized he had made the decision to come to his defense. Also, a number of ekeme appeared at the cave opening. A few of them stuck their head out watching the spectacle with mounting horror. Reaching behind his head, Arkon slipped his sword free and held it ready in his hand as he leaped across obstacles, big and small, to reach the child before the snake got to him.
The python reached the child. It lifted its great sinewy head and snapped at the tiny creature, nearly leaping across a distance of five feet as it tried to clamp its jaws on the running boy. Arkon’s sword cleaved through the air and hit the snake on the side of its head. With his free hand, he pushed the child out of harm’s way. The blow didn’t hurt the snake overmuch, but it did leave a slash across the python’s skin. Bright, red blood spurted as the animal raised its head and hissed.
Half its body coiled, its head came to the level of Arkon's chest. Despite the wound, the snake didn't seem inclined to leave as yet. Arkon tightened his grip on the sword, holding it with two hands as he stood with his feet apart to face the animal. He’d never fought a python before, but he was sure, this was a battle he would never forget.
The snake swerved to the right and attempted to bite Arkon on his thigh. Arkon stood his ground. He brought his sword crashing on the python’s neck. This time he managed to plunge the sword deep in the creature’s flesh. Hissing, the python jerked back and Arkon pulled the sword out. More blood spurted from this fresh wound.
His arms trembling, Arkon faced the creature once more. He was tired, and exhausted – and this battle could not continue forever. If the python didn’t die soon, Arkon knew his strength would run out. To his amazement, the snake swiftly retreated from the battle ground that was already wet with its blood. With relief, Arkon saw the animal slither its way back wherever it had come from. He made sure the slippery creature was out of sight and unlikely to attack before he turned his attention to the child.
While he had been fighting with the python, the child had run back to the safety of his cave. He was already in the care of an ekeme who was climbing up the rock with him. Arkon watched as they slipped out of sight within the shadowy confines of the cliff. Lowering his sword, Arkon stood still for a moment. After tearing off a few leaves from a nearby bush, he wiped his sword and placed it back in its sheath. Once again, he began his laborious rise up the cliff. At least, this time, he was sure the python would not present any danger to his companions. It had suffered a massive blow, and would lick its wounds in a safe place for a while before returning to its hunting grounds.
He had lost the opportunity to move his companions, but then he couldn’t have let the child die.
Half-way up the painstaking climb, he heard the unmistakable sound of the ekeme climbing down from their caves. He glanced down; there were many of them, and the queen was among them.
What now?
He wondered if they had decided to finish off the prisoners. Once again, Arkon was forced to abandon his climb and return to the ground. He unsheathed his sword and strode towards the group. It would be impossible to kill them all before they took him down, but he would do his best. And damned if he died trying!
He advanced on the party. Once again, the queen stood on the same rock. She stared at him. Arkon heard the words in his head.
“By saving one of our young ones, you have proven that you’re a better man than we thought. It takes great courage to take on a battle that is not yours to begin with, and it takes a good heart to protect someone who is defenseless. We are indebted to you. Ask what you will of us, and if it’s in my power to grant, I will give it to you.”
Flabbergasted, Arkon stared at the queen. He slipped the sword back in its sheath. He would not have need of it. He opened his mouth but before he could say anything, he heard her voice once more.
“Know that we can offer you great riches…” The queen waved her hand and six of her minions dragged forth three cloth bags. The bags were heavy for it required two of them to drag one. The ekeme spilled the bags on the floor. Each bag contained precious gems.
“Praise the gods!” Arkon groaned out the words. The rubies, as big as his fist, were gloriously red, the emeralds, sparkling green and the diamonds…oh, how the diamonds glittered in the bright sunlight.
“This is all yours.” The queen gestured towards the dazzling display of wealth. “You can take as many as you want or even all of them.”
Arkon gulped. He had never seen such a gorgeous display of gems in his life. By selling a few of them, he would be able to buy land and house. Or he could start his own business?
The possibilities were endless.
And yet, he shook his head. Acquiring wealth wasn’t his life’s ambition.
The queen gestured with her stick, and a bright rainbow appeared above the chasm. “We also have the power to give you magic.”
“Magic?” Arkon was intrigued.
She made the rainbow disappear. “You could be one of the greatest mages of your time.”
He was intrigued. "How?"
"We've the gift, and we can pass it on to you," she said.
Arkon didn't understand how she could bestow magic on him, but he believed her. And yes, he was tempted. He knew what mages could do. The power at their disposal was formidable.
“I thought you hated mages.” Arkon realized he didn’t really need to say the words. The queen was able to read his thoughts. What awesome power she had! And not only her, he sensed the entire clan of ekeme was able to hear their conversation. These people had so much magic at their disposal, and yet they were happy to spend the rest of their lives in this chasm. He couldn’t understand their way of life.
“If you have so much power, why couldn’t you save the little one from the python?” Arkon said.
“We’ve power because we are magic. It’s a part of us, but we can’t use it to hurt innocent creatures. We would have saved the little one, perhaps, by confusing the python or diverting its attention…but you stepped in front of him and fought for him. ”
“You don’t hurt these creatures even if they try to kill you?”
“The python has no vendetta against us. It did what was natural to it, but by using our power against it we would upset the balance of the natural world. Hasn’t it been done already many times on the land that lies above our home? We are not
like the human mages who use their magic to get power by killing each other and destroying our mother earth. No. That is not our way.”
Arkon failed to understand their logic. What was the use of having so much magic at your disposal if you didn’t use to save your life? Perhaps their magic could be used for certain things, but not for everything. It was something to think about. Their power had its limits.
He'd heard everything, and he knew what he wanted. “Well, I don’t want magic or gems. If you really feel you need to do something for me, I want you to unbind my friends from your magic.”
A distasteful expression adorned her face. “Would you not reconsider? It would be better if you took something for yourself? We have the power to change your life.”
Arkon crossed his arms at his chest.“I like my life the way it is. If you are going to give me something, I want you to free my friends. That’s all I want.”
The queen stared at him for a moment. “Then you shall have them, but remember, if you all ever return, there won’t be any mercy. “
Arkon nearly smiled. Why would they ever return? The ekeme were powerful foes. Even princess Zo would be eager to get as far away from them as possible. The queen raised her hand. She shook the stick towards Leo and Zo.
“It’s done. Make sure you take them away as soon as possible. We don’t want their kind here.” She walked back to the wall and climbed up. The entire group followed her. None of them spared a glance at Arkon.
“Ah!!” Leo groaned as he tried to sit.
Arkon rushed over to the boy and hugged him. “Are you alright?” he asked, running his hands over the boy’s face and limbs.
“What happened?” Leo said.
Zo uttered a moan. She sat up gingerly. “What was that?” Holding her head in her hands, she took a few deep breaths.
“Are you in pain?” Arkon turned his attention to her. He lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes, trying to decipher if the queen had really unbound all her power. A horrifying thought crossed his mind. What if the queen hadn't returned the princess's magic? Without magic, Zo would die. Her magic was her life.
The Demon Mages (The Power of Three Book 1) Page 13