Alliance

by Andrew Stride

  Some of them still had a little fight left in them, but this was quickly dealt with and those with broken bones were being loaded first.

  A few Squalvolvans moved in to speed things up and Robin was hoping they weren’t going to get split up. That would have been too much to ask and it was as if Shemo had read his mind.

  “That’s it, split them up and watch these two, here,” Shemo pointed to Robin and Mica.

  Robin clambered into the nearest mine car and found himself a spot amongst its human consignment. Most of the faces were pretty battered and the nearest to him had blood matted hair and blackened eyes. Any exposed flesh was bruised and displayed a variety of bite marks and scratches. All of them were too exhausted to stand and sat amongst the remnants of ore, probably wondering when this nightmare would be over.

  Robin could barely see over the top of the metal sides, but he had seen Mica getting into the next car and this was reassuring. Robin hadn’t counted many people, fifteen at the most and they must have all been aboard because the mine cars suddenly shuddered and squealed and began to move. Above this racket, Robin could hear someone groaning, the result of a beating and he wondered if he could do anything to help.

  The individual was crouched in the corner, a male and straight away Robin knew there was something different about him. The clothes he wore where soiled and worn, but despite this, they were actually well made and reminded Robin of the kind of clothing a human back on Earth might wear.

  The shoes were a dead giveaway too. No one wore shoes like that around here and when the light finally fell upon his face, Robin recognised him straight away. It was David.

  Robin dared not even whisper his name, but instead entered his mind and spoke to him. The human wore a rather vacant stare, but this quickly changed to one of alertness and Robin had to physically stop him from trying to stand up.

  “Wait. Don’t try and speak. Think the words as I am and I will hear you loud and clear.”

  David settled back down and even managed a bloody smile. It was clear that Shemo wasn’t aware of the significance of this solitary human, because if he was, he probably wouldn’t still be alive. Robin was surprised and relieved they had overlooked him and wanted to tell Mica, but thought better of it, since he had no idea how sensitive these Squalvolvans were to such things and there was also Shemo to worry about.

  The light in the tunnel grew brighter and Robin remembered the fire they’d seen and he guessed it wouldn’t be long before they entered the portal. A Squalvolvan stepped onto the side of the mine car and hitched a ride. It looked in on them, its eyes aglow from the flames they were approaching. If these eyes were the windows to its soul then they could easily be heading straight to hell and just at that moment the flames licked around the top of the mine car and a sudden heat, engulfed them. There wasn’t time to react and no sooner had they entered the flames when they were out the other side.

  There was no telling how far they had travelled, but their exit point was likely to be very close to another outpost.

  This was a day the people here had hoped they would never see and despite all their preparation, they didn’t have an answer for what they were up against. Today they fought a new enemy or so they thought. The truth was a lot stranger because they had never seen the face of the real enemy.

  Robin noticed that David had passed out and he checked his vitals and in spite of his rather bedraggled appearance, he was okay. Just dehydrated.

  As Robin had expected, some hours later, more human prisoners arrived and any resistance was dealt with severely. Robin heard the crack of bones and then Shemo shouting at the Squalvolvans.

  “We want them in one piece, you damn animals.”

  Robin relaxed as best he could and decided to try and pry into the mind of the nearest Squalvolvan. What he found surprised him. Its mind was unexpectedly complex and he delved deeper in search of answers, but there was a thump on the side of the mine car and Shemo’s voice came into his head, loud and clear.

  “Any more mind tricks, Ammarla and you’ll be on this evening’s menu.”

  Robin stopped his probing and noticed that David was looking at him.

  “I know you, don’t I? You look familiar,” said David.

  Robin smiled. “The man from many places.”

  “Who? What are you?”

  “Oh, my appearance. I’m an Ammarla.”

  David’s blackened face lit up. “An Ammarla.”

  “You remember that night?”

  “How could I forget. Back then I thought I was going mad, now I know I am. Have you any idea where these things are taking us?”

  “We believe the captured are being taken to a rather troubled planet called Vulsumar; however, this is unlikely to be their final destination.”

  “I’m here to try and stop this from happening?”

  Robin put his finger to his lips and his voice came into David’s mind. “Let’s keep that to ourselves.”

  The mine cars hadn’t moved and Robin was tempted to take a look to see what was going on out there, but without warning, a pair of huge hairy arms appeared and he was hauled out. In fact, everyone was being pulled from the mine cars and pushed into line, over to one side of the tunnel.

  Robin remained close to David and felt him flinch as another portal was activated. The flames instantly lit up the area and most were still unaware of the significance of these fires.

  Clearly troubled at the sight of the fearsome wall of flames blocking the tunnel, they all instinctively took a step back.

  “Not this again,” and there was a look of horror on David’s face.

  There were about thirty people standing around and nearly the same number of Squalvolvans and they wasted no time in getting the message across. They wanted everyone to move nearer the fire. Things escalated quickly, with the Squalvolvans getting physical and Robin found himself being pushed along with the crowd.

  The closer they got to the fire the more disturbed David became and Robin was going to have to take hold of him because if he didn’t, one of the Squalvolvans would.

  “Listen to me David, that is no ordinary fire; it’s a portal, a doorway.”

  David knew these fires weren’t normal, but a portal!

  Confusion was causing a ripple of panic and the Squalvolvans tightened up, forcing the crowd closer together.

  Robin wondered why they’d been offloaded when it would have been far easier to have driven straight into the portal with the mine cars, as they had done so previously. Perhaps the Squalvolvans wanted to create a panic, so the Formless Ones could feed off the humans’ emotions. It sounded sick, but plausible.

  There was no way that anyone was going to step into the flames willingly. They would rather die at the hands of the Squalvolvans and those that were killed, got tossed aside, while the unconscious were thrown into the fire. The flames leapt hungrily for the next victim, like the tongues of serpents and the chaos continued amid the screams and brutality.

  “Can’t you do something to stop this?” shouted David.

  As inactive as he may have looked, Robin had been entering the minds of all the victims. Some he had been able to save, while others had been too traumatised and had fallen foul to the heavy-handed Squalvolvans.

  Shou, Sie, and Mica were right up there and this was where his focus was now and he could barely watch, as they were processed and thrown into the flames.

  People were disappearing fast and it was very soon, Robin and David’s turn and they were grabbed and pulled towards the heat.

  David was kicking and shouting and Robin spoke into his mind again. “David, listen to me. We’re going to be okay, don’t fight it. I’m right behind you.”

  Looking beyond the chaos, it was actually possible to see what was going on here, because the instant someone hit the flames, they disappeared.

  David was too weak to put up much of a fight anyway, but he would never forget the moment the flames licked his flesh, filling the air with the smell of his sin
ged hair.

  In an instant, the heat was gone and the idea that he was going to die, passed and was replaced by confusion, made worse because it felt like he was falling. David braced himself for impact and hit the ground hard, slipped and went sprawling.

  The journey through the portal was over in a matter of seconds and here on the other side, it was dark and his eyes began to water from the sudden drop in temperature. In the chaos, David looked around for the man from many places, but he’d been standing in one place for too long and a couple of pairs of clawed hands made a grab for him. He managed to sidestep one pair, but the second pair clamped down on him and he was pushed into a crowd of confused people, all looking for a way out of this nightmare.

  In the confusion, David stumbled and someone in the crowd took his arm, but he never got a chance to see who it was, as they are forced apart.

  Everyone was being corralled towards a small group of Squalvolvans who stood head and shoulders above the man running the show. This guy, Shemo, looked very comfortable in his role as ringmaster and as David watched the proceedings, he noticed that everyone was being fitted with a black strap, which slipped around one wrist.

  It was soon David’s turn and he is pulled forward by his shirt and held firm. At his feet is what appears to be a cauldron and its lid is lifted and inside a fire rages. Without hesitating, one of the Squalvolvans plunges its hand into flames and pulls out a length of black strap or at least that’s what it looks like.

  David is confused because he can see the strap moving, coiling like a snake. He tries to pull away, but he isn’t going anywhere and this thing was offered up to his skin, where it slips around his wrist and quickly solidifies.

  “What is this?” asked David.

  Shemo looked David up and down, as if not quite sure what to make of him. “Think of it as a luggage label for your onward journey. After all, we don’t want to lose you,” Shemo laughed. “Next.”

  David was pushed aside and staggered off, unable to take his eyes of his new accessory. He hated the thought of this thing on his wrist and the people around him look just as horrified.

  Bemused, David finds himself in a line of people, heading for one of several large cages and their appearance reminds him of a trip to the zoo in his youth. The door to the nearest cage opens and he is pushed inside. He collides with the people already in there and in his less than suitable shoes, he loses his footing.

  David hit the ground hard and while struggling to get up; one of the Squalvolvans grabs his legs and drags him to the back of the cage. Bruised, scorched and disorientated, David laid there until the cage door slammed shut and then he knew it was probably safe to get up.

  His arrival has drawn some interest. One individual, in particular, looks eager to make his acquaintance, but David is wary and glances over his shoulder, wondering if it is safe to talk.

  The old guy must have thought so. “You’re not from around here.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “You arrived with an Ammarla.”

  “Yes, that’s right. Did you see where he was taken?”

  The man shrugged. “He won’t have gone far. Do you know what they intend to do with us, these things?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “First we were hunted by the Shamozolts and now this.”

  The old guy looked like he’d seen enough for one lifetime and said as much. David wanted to reassure him that things would improve because it was these people he had come here to help, but he wasn’t going to do that stuck inside a cage.

  They needed a miracle and David smiled to himself, no, they needed Boroc to come here and kick some arse.

  The accommodation hadn’t been picked for its amenities. There was no seating or bedding and the cold rock didn’t look very inviting, so what was he expecting? This was a prison, not a spa hotel.

  “That’s it, keep them moving,” shouted Shemo. “Mix them up and get them in the cages.”

  “This is inhuman. You can’t do this,” shouted Sie.

  “The Squalvolvans still need to eat. Shut your mouth or I’ll feed you to them.”

  Sie knew he wasn’t bluffing and she went with the flow and filed into one of the cages. She was hoping that she might be sharing the cage with a familiar face, Shou or one of the Ammarla, but that was not the case.

  There were a handful of people looking at her and one of them smiled, a young girl.

  “Is it true?”

  Sie nodded.

  These were wretched circumstances, but emotion overcame them and they held each other for a moment. Strangers they may have been, but the people of the north and the people of the south had finally found each other.

  As luck would have it, Robin was put in the same cage as David. He’d been delivered by a slightly less aggressive Squalvolvan, so was spared the rough treatment. David also noticed that Robin had escaped being fitted with one of the strange black straps, although by the looks of it, he was an exception, as everyone else appeared to be wearing one.

  David winced in pain as he stood up. It felt like he’d been trampled by a herd of elephants and he slowly made his way over to Robin and together they retreated to the back of the structure.

  The last of the people emerged from out of the fire portal and things quietened down a bit after that, although Robin was a bit worried, as Mica was being held on the edge of camp for some reason. He hadn’t dared contact her for fear of any repercussions and was keeping a close eye on the situation.

  The fire was their only source of light, so it was pretty dark and from what Robin could make out, there were roughly sixty people, held captive inside five cages. The cages were pretty substantial, so there was plenty of room for a lot more people.

  A hush had descended across the camp and exhausted from their ordeal, everyone began to settle down, but from out of the darker recesses of this place, came the panting breath, of Animal. Having been absent for a while, the beast was making up for lost time, leaping at the cages and generally making a nuisance of itself.

  They must have been looking a bit too relaxed because it leapt on top of their cage and began thrusting a long wooden pole in their direction. It seemed intent on splitting Robin and David and when this didn’t work, it turned its attention on some easier targets.

  As the people tried to avoid the pole, they bumped into each other and this appeared to satisfy it and the beast bared its teeth and leapt in the air excitedly.

  After dropping to the ground it came up close to where Robin and David were standing and hit the cage with its fists.

  “I call this one, Animal,” whispered David.

  If Animal was here, then Scar wasn’t far away and the Squalvolvan locked eyes with David through the cage, as if it knew they were talking about it.

  “You two know each other?”

  “Unfortunately we do. I guess its owner can’t be far away.”

  “Its owner?”

  “A tall Squalvolvan with a scar. Looks like the leader to me, or did until that guy turned up. What’s his story?”

  “That’s Shemo, an elder from the human settlement in the south.”

  Their conversation was cut short when the door of the cage suddenly opened and three more people were pushed inside and Mica was among them. Robin rushed over and held her in his arms and apart from being a little shaken, she was all right.

  “I was beginning to worry.”

  “Me too,” her voice sounded weak. “Where are Sie and Shou?”

  “They are in separate cages, but I‘ve checked on them and they’re okay.”

  This whole setup felt like someone’s idea of a game and probably designed to traumatise everyone into submission and it appeared to be working. Moving these people from place to place was also part of the game, leading to confusion and disorientation.

  Knowing where they were being held captive wasn’t necessarily going to help them, due to its remote location, thousands of metres above sea level. The air quality told Robin that m
uch. They were still on the north globe, the Hazit Peaks, no less.

  The Hazit Peaks were some of the tallest in the Jazit Mountain range and it was these mountains that held back a vast desert land called Oowma from the seas that surround it. Oowma, roughly translated, meant, impossible land, as it was once thought to be completely barren and devoid of life. Over the years much had been discovered here, but despite this, the name stuck, which was hardly surprising, as this desert land covered a third of the north globe.

  Encircling Oowma were nine seas, collectively known as Ishnoo-ma, the unfathomable, a fitting name, since they were extremely deep and developed monstrous weather systems that pound the Jazit Mountains.

  Robin had been investigating with his senses and since the air in here was too good to be underground, he had a hunch that they were in a cavern open to the elements, probably on the coastal side of the Hazits.

  The Formless Ones had chosen this spot well, as it would be totally inaccessible from the coast or the desert, so unless their rescue party could fly, they were stuck here.

  After a few moments together, Robin and Mica went over to where David was standing. He wasn’t difficult to pick out of the crowd, but that was mostly down to his choice of clothing. Was this a good example of someone hiding in plain sight? Despite the obvious, the Formless Ones had overlooked him, but one look at his aura and it was clear to see that he was something special.

  The three of them sat down and so as not to draw attention to themselves, most of their conversation took place in their minds.

  “How is Boroc then?” asked Robin.

  “You know him?”

  “Yes, the last time we saw him, his soul had been taken by the Formless Ones. We kinda hoped they were going to keep it.”

  “Oh, well he’s very much alive and I wouldn’t be here talking to you if it wasn’t for him. He’s probably out there looking for me as we speak.”

  That didn’t sound at all like the Shamozolt they knew.