Shotput of Power

by Drae Box

  Raneth swept a hand in his direction. A slice of ice cut through the air, bursting through the man’s back and dicing his heart. Raneth turned away from the cannibals and ran, straight into a waiting fist.

  He coughed as he backed up a step, his free hand settling onto his stomach where the woman’s fist had hit him. He stabbed at her with his blade. She side-stepped. Raneth jammed his free hand at her throat. She ducked and kicked, slamming a heel against the inside of his knee.

  Raneth cried out as his knee buckled. He stabbed his dagger into the woman’s foot as the other three cannibals rushed up behind him. One grabbed his wrist and pulled him away as the woman screamed. Not yet. Raneth reached back for the one hauling him to his feet. Ice splattered against the man’s face. He screamed, jerking backwards as his hand left Raneth. Another grabbed for him; Raneth spat in his eye.

  The woman grabbed for his hair, but it slipped through her fingers, giving Raneth time to turn and headbutt her. The blade to her foot resisted her step, forcing her to the ground, screaming. Raneth stepped over her and limped back to his previous hiding spot, then he vaulted the wall and darted through a doorway she must have come through. There’s at least two left.

  Raneth burst back out of the ruins through a different break in the outer walls. He darted to the right, heading southwards.

  He turned left and headed deeper into the east of the city, then he changed direction again and sprinted past an old guard post near where the side entrance to the city had been previously. Raneth ran past a nightclub and a café, until he found himself at the back of the clothes shop and weaponry store he and the others had passed the day they had arrived. He grimaced as he limped further east, past the prison, and winced when more cannibals nearby started to make shrill whoops as they joined the hunt. He listened closely as he sped around the side of the prison, ignoring the prisoners’ screams and shouts coming from the tiny, barred square holes. The cannibals were starting to make a few different whoops and calls. They’ve a way to communicate with those noises, he noted.

  He inspected the street behind him, glad there was some darkness left to the night, even though it was fading. Two of the cannibals were behind him. Raneth kept running, dodging an elder man who was frozen in place, watching the men racing after Raneth. A wee-ooop sliced through the air above Raneth. He looked up. Another female cannibal had joined the chase, running along the rooftop of the prison. He watched as she ran past him, jumped off the prison and rolled onto the library roof. The cannibal stood up fluidly, striving to get further ahead of Raneth.

  “Oop-RAH!” exclaimed another as he jerked out in front of Raneth from the side of a small restaurant. At his neck, three finger bones dangled from a string of leather, and two more dangled from the tops of his ears. Raneth slammed his shoulder into the man’s chest and he fell to the floor. The royal official smashed a fist against the man’s nose before leaping to his feet and darting round the front of the library into an open area with a stage. He slowed to an almost complete stop.

  Wait, what? Where did all the buildings go? They were packed in here last time I came here. Have I misjudged where I am? He glanced over his shoulder as the man he had shoved was helped to his feet by another of the men running after him. A soft thump came from Raneth’s left. He lifted an arm, deflecting the woman’s strike to his head but missing her foot as it swept towards his groin. Pain erupted and he fell to his knees, his eyes tightly clenched shut. The male cannibals stepped close behind him.

  “Anti-gift metal in that one,” one of the runners warned the woman. “Before he recovers.”

  “Sure,” uttered the woman, pulling a circular tube from a pocket. She inspected it quickly then pressed one end to the back of Raneth’s left shoulder. He snarled as a sharp but brief pain flared under her tube. She knelt down beside Raneth as he lifted his head, grimacing. “You’re the first to kill one of ours for a while, so we’ll be eating you, I’m sure of it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Aldora

  “He wants you safe!” snapped Stonefist, his large scarred hands reaching for Aldora’s wrists.

  She jerked out of reach. “No. Neither of you asked me if I wanted to leave him and I won’t.” She slapped Stonefist’s reaching hands back. “Listen to that!” She pointed towards the rose-pink sky that was stretching over the city’s skyscrapers and rickety alleyways. “There’s no way those weird shouts are good news.”

  The Newer huffed and looked down at the Prince of the Cats. “Is she always like this?” he asked as he glanced around in a similar manner to Raneth, observing the openings available to them in the street, checking for any sign they were in danger.

  “Always. She never lets Raneth do anything on his own if she doesn’t have to, and I don’t blame her. He often has accidents in the line of duty. Last month, he accidentally sunk a ship. He’s less accident-prone with her.”

  “I’m still here,” snapped Aldora, but she stilled as the cannibals’ pursuit calls fell silent.

  Stonefist ran a hand over his face and rubbed the corners of his eyes. “They’re too quiet. The Cannis must have caught him. They’ll take him underground.”

  Aldora leaned against a brick wall of their alleyway, the Dagger of Protection’s grip snug in her right palm. “We shouldn’t have run so far,” she said, barely above a whisper, as she looked down at Pedibastet.

  The white ears of the Prince of the Cats flicked back at her statement, before he padded silently towards the corner of the wall. He poked his head beyond the wall and inspected the street on the other side. The pink promise of sunrise had claimed the streets, covering all the buildings in a soft sprinkling of dull light. He looked back at Aldora, sitting on his haunches as he did and curling his fluffy black tail around his left back leg. “If you are determined, Aldora, force Stonefist to help.”

  “Hey,” murmured Stonefist. “You can’t make me. Raneth asked—”

  Aldora ignored whatever else Stonefist said. “We’ll never find Raneth now. I messed up, Pedi. I never should have let Stonefist drag me away from Raneth. I should have stayed with him.”

  Stonefist huffed and folded his arms, frowning at her.

  “Mistakes are easy but learning from them is a skill. So, now what are you going to do, Dagger Bearer, as his intended?” asked the cat.

  “I’m not his–”

  “No?” said Pedibastet. “Then why are you here?”

  “He’s going to ask me to marry him?” asked Aldora. She slid her back down the wall. That explains why I’m here, I suppose, helping with an assignment again for the first time in three years. She felt tears prick at her eyes, warming them. She rubbed at them with the heel of her hand then looked at Pedibastet and Stonefist.

  “What do we do, Pedi?” she asked.

  “Save him, by any means necessary, of course. Even if it means asking this Newer of Raneth’s for help.”

  “The Cannis are not to be taken on lightly,” uttered the Newer worriedly. “You shouldn’t. Ice can get himself out or you can find a new boy–”

  “Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” snarled Aldora, rounding on Stonefist. An angry warmth filled her chest as she glared at Raneth’s friend. The hot and cold way Raneth spoke of the Newer was starting to make sense; he was a good friend until he had to save his own skin. “Raneth’s a Bayre. They don’t make friends with just anyone, you know. They can’t afford to. So you’ll show your appreciation by showing me where they’re taking him.”

  “But–”

  Aldora grabbed the Dagger of Protection and pointed it at Stonefist’s chest. Just as well he doesn’t know I wouldn’t be able to activate its abilities against him. “You will help me.”

  “Fine. There’s an entrance hidden in a little building near the Royal Park. This way.”

  Aldora and Pedibastet followed Stonefist as he strode back into the darker veins of the city, where the sun’s morning greeting couldn’t yet reach.

  Aldora watched Pedibastet’s proud str
oll, which was most likely aimed at her for taking action to get something she wanted: Raneth’s safety. She mulled over what her feline friend had let slip. Raneth has been getting more comfortable around me during the assignment. I thought it was just because we were older, because we’ve been dating for three years, but maybe it’s more than that. Maybe the showering together, him changing out of his uniform in front of me sometimes, finally getting him to share my bed, maybe that is all to do with what he’s hoping for. Us. As a permanent couple. Mr and Mrs Bayre.

  She stepped over a puddle, eyeing the streets ahead as Stonefist led them without a word. It’s what I’ve wanted for at least a year, and he bends over backwards for me.

  “Wait,” whispered Prince Pedibastet, a back paw lowering more slowly than normal. His tail was rigid except for the twitch of the tip as he listened to something up ahead.

  Aldora stilled, waiting impatiently, noticing Stonefist had frozen too. Come on!

  “Good to go,” said the cat.

  “This is a building?” muttered the Prince of the Cats as he, Stonefist and Aldora strode to its front, which faced away from a public toilet and towards a school. “It’s barely large enough to hold one room.”

  “Please shush,” requested Aldora, her voice barely above a whisper. “We mustn’t be heard coming.” She looked at the small building. What was this for? It’s too small to be a home. Maybe a storage area? It was a short square building with a flat roof, and the red bricks suggested it was newer than the buildings either side of it. Paint had peeled from the window frames and doors, and scratches ran horizontally against the black door, exposing the wood.

  “Good point,” whispered Pedibastet, falling silent. As they reached the door, the Prince of the Cats leapt onto the windowsill beside it and peered into the darkness. “Clear.”

  “What?” asked Aldora in a rushed whisper. She eased closer to the window and rested a hand against it, pressing her forehead to her hand so she could see inside.

  “It means no bad guys. Has Raneth taught you nothing?” muttered the cat.

  Aldora opted not to respond, instead inspecting the room. There was a brown sofa tucked into a corner at the back and a candle on a small side table beside it, but there was no other sign that this place was used at all. There was a staircase opposite the sofa, nestled against the wall on the right, but that too was devoid of anyone who could pose a problem. Aldora glanced at Pedibastet.

  “What are you looking at me for?” whispered the cat. “Get inside.”

  “No, I’m not helping,” stated Stonefist as Aldora turned her gaze onto him for suggestions. “Ice didn’t ask me to take on the cannibals. He knows my skills and dealing with them face to face isn’t one of them.”

  Pedibastet grumbled in his throat. “But he knows you from the Nebar War! Coward.”

  “You can’t abandon us,” whispered Aldora, grabbing for Stonefist’s arm. He sidestepped her reach. “Raneth’s your friend.”

  “Ice wanted me to show you the way home. I’ve survived by avoiding any idiot who thinks running around like they’re in a wolf pack making dumb-ass noises is a great night out. You two are on your own in there.”

  Is there any way to persuade him otherwise when I don’t know him and his friendship with Raneth won’t beat his fear? Aldora looked into the window again briefly and spotted Stonefist’s leaving in the reflection in the glass. She faced him.

  “But you’ll be nearby, right? To help me with Raneth when I come out?”

  “I’ll be at the city’s main blacksmith’s, justover there,” he pointed further up the long path the little building faced, through a set of old gates. “The smithie’s waiting on a horse I found for him. Seriously though, good luck.” He sprinted away before Aldora could protest.

  The Dagger Bearer tried the handle of the door but it remained steadfast against her touch, refusing to move even a hair from its position in the frame. She took hold of the Dagger of Protection and bashed its pointed pommel against the window beside the door. The pane shattered, shards tinkling onto the ground inside. Carefully, Aldora inspected the room beyond, waiting. Prince Pedibastet sat on the sill beside her, also watching the room.

  “I don’t hear anyone coming to investigate. Continue,” instructed the cat.

  With a nod, Aldora slipped an arm through the window and reached for the door handle. Finding a lock with a small metal key inside it, she pressed herself against the wall of the house and tried to reach further, but she couldn’t get her fingers close enough to clasp the key firmly and turn it in the lock. She frowned. I can’t quite reach. How am I going to do this? She slowly drew her hand back, careful of a shard of glass sticking out from the window frame so she wouldn’t cut herself.

  “I can’t get inside, Pedi,” she uttered softly. What would Raneth do to get in there if it was me who needed rescuing? she wondered. Aldora glanced at the door. Bash that down with his shoulder if he could. But I’m not that strong, so I need to find another way. The Dagger Bearer turned around, looking for anything she could use.

  Between the school fence behind her and the back of a large food shop were several metal bins. They were small and round with metal lids, more for domestic use than commercial. Aldora rushed to the nearest one, tucking the Dagger into its sheath. She emptied the bin of its contents and carried it to the window. Pedibastet jumped down and moved a small distance away. Aldora pulled out the Dagger and wasted no time in getting rid of the last few shards of glass and wood that jutted from the main frame, before she used the bin as a step to climb into the room.

  The Prince of the Cats jumped in after her. He stayed at Aldora’s side as she stood still, listening. “We are safe to continue,” he said, trusting his ears.

  Aldora inspected the stairs, moving close to them and resting a hand against the bannister.

  “No,” said the cat, padding over to stand by the sofa. “Here, Aldora. There is a breeze and the slightest hint of light here.”

  Aldora joined the cat and knelt down at his side. The wooden floorboards had been hastily nailed to the floor beams underneath, and some of the nails jutted out. He’s right, she realised as she held a hand above the floorboards in front of the cat. There is a slight breeze coming from below. There shouldn’t be… At least Stonefist brought us this far. Aldora ran a hand over the boards until she found what felt like a square cut, as if the builders had used smaller planks that fit together just for one section of the floor. One had a hole in it the size of a finger, so she hooked her finger into it and heaved the wood away from the floor, standing to add more strength. The square partition came away at her pull and she shoved it onto the floor.

  Pedibastet thrust his head down the hole, his front paws balanced on the edge so he could inspect the descending stars, which grew more visible the further down they went.

  Aldora stepped onto the first step and descended warily, listening carefully for any sign of others; although she knew Pedibastet would warn her if he heard something, that didn’t mean someone couldn’t hurt them some other way, like with a crossbow on a triggerable booby trap. As she moved quietly on the balls of her feet, she rested her hands on the walls either side of the steps. Sometimes her hands would find a wooden beam, but mostly it was rough concrete that was cold to the touch and contained exposed lengths of steel rebar.

  Two small gas lamps glowed at the edges of the bottom step, letting Aldora see that the floor beyond was made of grey concrete. She could hear the soft whisper of the air as it crept over to her from another entrance. Alighting at the bottom of the stairs, the invading breeze brought to her a strong odour of something dead coming from a square pit in the centre of the room. Covering her mouth and nose with the crook of her left arm, Aldora eased deeper into the room, spotting hiding places around the chamber of chairs and a table tucked near the walls, before finally setting her sights on Raneth.

  He was standing, his head resting against his bare chest, the diamond in the Bayre talisman at his collarbones beat
ing a soft red light. Is he breathing? She stood motionlessly, squinting in the chamber as she inspected his chest. He’s breathing. She exhaled a heavy breath before she ran past the pit in the centre of the chamber to get to him.

  He wasn’t supporting his weight with his legs; he was chained at the wrists to shackles embedded into the wall above him, his arms taut over his head. His weaponry belt was gone, as were his boots, but he still wore his thick grey socks and his brown trousers. No wounds that I can see. Gingerly, Aldora pressed a hand to his right shoulder.

  Raneth jerked at her touch and slammed his head forwards. Aldora darted back, narrowly dodging his attempted headbutt.

  “Hey,” she grumbled. “It’s me, Raneth.”

  He sniffed as he straightened, taking his weight onto his feet. “Sorry,” he uttered. “I was hoping to catch them off guard.”

  I almost thought you were dead. Aldora gestured around the rotten-smelling chamber. “Where are they?”

  “No idea. They drugged me with something. Made me a bit dumb for a bit and nauseous. Had to close my eyes and stop tracking their movements otherwise I would have thrown up.”

  Aldora reached up for the shackles, her body pressing against the front of Raneth’s as she did. Sliding her hand up Raneth’s arm, she lifted herself onto tiptoe but couldn’t reach the padlock on either shackle. If she had the key, that would probably reach. She looked towards the table but its surface was bare. “Where’s the key?”

  “A woman has it. They treated her like she was their leader. She has a wig of finger bones,” stated Raneth.

  Ew. Aldora stayed close to her partner as she turned and inspected the room more closely. Eyeing the hiding spots once more, she picked her preferred one – across from Raneth and a short distance from the stairs was a table and chairs in a corner. As long as she didn’t disturb the chairs when she ducked behind the table, they would help to hide her. The other hiding spot was the pit, but when she stood on tiptoe to peer into it better from her position, she ruled it out. There were arms and other parts of human bodies piled inside, black swirls of flies buzzing around the charred pieces.