Seeking the Dream

by Marcia J. Bennett

  I do so promise, Amet answered solemnly, as Speaker for the Tamorlee.

  I have witnessed the promise made, the Tamorlee added. So will it be—or all that you have worked for, Amet, will be for nothing.

  What do you mean by that?

  You will keep your word to Dhalvad, the Tamorlee explained, or you forfeit my friendship and my service to your people, plus all you might have gained from my brother, Mithdaar.

  A few seconds followed the Tamorlee’s statement.

  I understand, Amet said finally. It will be as you wish.

  Relief washed through Dhalvad and with that relief came the realization that while he and Amet spoke to the Tamorlee, time had passed and Theon and the others would be on the move.

  Tamorlee, we must break the link and find out what’s happening with Theon and Lil-el, but before we go, can you tell us where Mithdaar is? Are you in contact with him now?

  I am not in direct link with him, but I sense he is near. His energy pattern comes from somewhere above our present location.

  When Dhalvad and Amet came out of the link a few seconds later, they found themselves alone. Theon and Lil-el had gone on without them. They hurried into the next room and passed through to a hall beyond. There they found Theon and Lil-el standing half hidden behind a door swung out into the hall.

  Lil-el and Theon turned at the sound of footsteps behind them. “We’d about given up on you two,” Theon said softly as the two Ni approached. “You were like two statues standing there. What were you doing?”

  “We were speaking to the Tamorlee,” Dhalvad replied. “It says that Mithdaar is somewhere above us.”

  “Probably on one of the upper floors,” Theon said as he pushed past the door. “Let’s hope that they’ve kept all the prisoners together. There’s a flight of stairs just down the hall. Stay close.”

  Chapter 18

  BHALDAVIN CLIMBED ANOTHER set of stairs, which brought him to the third floor. He stopped at the top of the stairs and glanced both ways. The hall was dark to the right, lighted to the left. There were fewer rooms to the left, so he checked them first. All were empty and showed signs of having been ransacked.

  As he continued his search down the other end of the hall, he turned lights out as he went along, feeling safer in the darkness. Once he heard a noise behind him and stepped quickly to the wall, clutching his improvised weapon tightly and waiting.

  Long, silent moments passed. The sound was not repeated. He licked dry lips and cautiously pushed away from the wall. Five rooms at the end of the hall showed light coming out of the open doorways. He quickly checked each room he came to and continued on. He hesitated at the two end rooms. If he did not find Thura soon… No. He would not let himself even think about leaving her behind.

  He stepped to the open doorway on his right and peeked inside. It was a bathroom, and it was empty. The stench coming from the ceramic bowl standing in the far corner made him feel ill. The third floor was home to several of the more retarded among the Barl-ganians, and they were not meticulous in their everyday habits.

  Turning away, he crossed the hall and leaned into the last room. His eyes went wide in shock. “Thura!”

  Thura’s head snapped up at the sound of her father’s voice. Then he was beside her. Eyes wide in terror, she twisted and strained at the ropes that held her to the chair. A strip of cloth forced her mouth open and muffled her words.

  Bhaldavin’s stomach twisted when he saw the reddish bruises on her face. Sick with thoughts of what else Sola might have done to her, he caught her flailing head between his hand and chest and tried to calm her down.

  “Shsssh, Thura. Everything’s all right. I’m here, and I’m going to take you to your mother.”

  Thura moaned and shook her head, her eyes wild in desperation as her father began to work on the knot holding her left arm to the chair arm. He kept talking to her and did not notice the direction of her glances.

  The rope finally loosened, and Thura jerked her arm free. She caught at the gag in her mouth and tore it loose. “Adda! Behind you! A trap!”

  The words were no more out of her mouth when the door slammed shut. Bhaldavin whirled and found himself face to face with Sola. The man’s evil grin sent rage shooting through Bhaldavin’s body. There was no time for self-recrimination or excuses. He had made a mistake in entering the room without checking it more carefully, but seeing Thura sitting there had washed all caution from his mind.

  Sola watched Bhaldavin with anticipation, his hunger for hurting others pushing him to the brink of madness. He actually laughed aloud as Bhaldavin drew something from his belt and launched an attack. He met that charge with open arms, grabbing the Ni by his arm and head, then turning. The momentum of Bhaldavin’s attack plus Sola’s move sent Bhaldavin crashing into a side wall. His right shoulder and back took most of the impact. Somewhere in the process, he lost his weapon.

  Thura screamed for her father to get up as she worked frantically at her bonds and freed her other arm.

  Bhaldavin heard her cry and rolled over as Sola leaned down over him. He kicked out and connected with Sola’s legs, sending the man crashing down. He glanced quickly around as he pushed to his feet, but he did not see his weapon.

  Sola was up a second behind Bhaldavin and closed on him, backing him into a corner. His fist caught the Ni a glancing blow as Bhaldavin darted to one side. Momentarily stunned, Bhaldavin fell over a chair that lay turned on its side. Before he could recover, Sola was on top of him, forcing him to the floor. Bhaldavin caught a glimpse of Sola’s knife sheath and made a grab for the knife and pulled it free.

  “No, you don’t!” Sola growled as he caught Bhaldavin’s hand and slammed it out to his side, pinning it to the floor. His other hand went around the Ni’s neck, pushing his head back.

  Sola sat up and straddled Bhaldavin, his eyes burning with the heat of battle. “I knew you’d come looking for her. All I had to do was wait!”

  Sola turned and glanced at Thura, who had completely freed herself from her ropes and was just rising to her feet.

  “Sit down, or I’ll kill him!” Sola roared, his fingers closing tighter around Bhaldavin’s neck.

  Thura saw her father begin to fight for air. She wanted to go to him and help, but Sola’s dark eyes held her mesmerized. She wilted under the intensity of his glare and slowly settled back into the chair.

  “That’s better,” he told her. “Just do as you’re told and I won’t hurt you any more.”

  Bhaldavin began to thrash beneath Sola, fighting for air. Sola looked down and smiled, then slowly released the pressure on his throat. Bhaldavin coughed and choked as air rushed back into his lungs. Gradually the darkness cleared, and he saw Sola leering down at him.

  “You were a fool to think you could escape me,” Sola said, contempt ringing in every word. “And more a fool to make me look bad before Zojac and the others. You’ll pay for that—I promise. You… and your daughter.”

  Bhaldavin would have pleaded for Thura’s release but knew that it would be useless. There was no way to bargain with insanity. He turned and looked at Thura. As their glances locked, he knew what he had to do to save her.

  Sola backhanded him. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, Green Hair!”

  A warm gush of blood spurted from Bhaldavin’s nose. Eyes watering from the blow, he spat at Sola. “Wastelander filth! You’re the fool! That’s why you’ll never lead your people! Zojac knows that! As does everyone else!”

  Sola’s face suffused with rage. It was just what Bhaldavin wanted. He turned his head as Sola struck him in the face, lessening the impact of the blow. Before the man struck again, Bhaldavin turned back and spat in his face.

  A deep guttural cry escaped Sola’s lips. He grabbed Bhaldavin’s tunic front in his left hand and raised his right in a fist, momentarily forgetting the knife still clutched in Bhaldavin’s hand.

  Bhaldavin drove the knife into Sola’s side a half second before Sola’s fist descended. Pain expl
oded in his face, but overtopping that pain was exaltation as he heard Sola cry out. He pulled the knife out and struck Sola again.

  “Run, Thura! Run!” he yelled.

  Sola managed to block Bhaldavin’s second thrust and a moment later had captured his wrist, his own rage submerged in pain and the realization that his easy conquest could be the death of him if he was not quick.

  Thura hesitated. She trusted her father above all else and under normal circumstances would have obeyed him, but she had felt the hands of the big man and knew his strength; she also knew that her father was no match for him.

  As her father had sacrificed himself for her, she did the same for him. Not thinking of the consequences, she took several running steps and jumped Sola from behind, biting and scratching as wildly as a crazed gensvolf.

  Sola yelled in pain as sharp, clawlike fingers tore at his eyes and face. He reached back with his free hand, grabbed Thura by the hair, bent forward, and jerked her down over his head. She landed hard on her back, and the air was knocked from her lungs.

  “No, Thura!” Bhaldavin screamed as he realized what was happening. “Run! Get out of here!”

  As Thura started to sit up, Sola rose up onto his knees and clouted her alongside the head. Her cry tore at her father, and he struggled harder to dislodge the big man. The battle was brief and soon Sola again straddled the Ni, his left hand still holding Bhaldavin’s right arm to the floor.

  Sola glanced at the still child lying sprawled an arm’s length away. Satisfied that she would no longer be a problem, he turned his attention to Bhaldavin, ignoring all else, even the slight movement of the door inward.

  “Release the knife!” Sola demanded. When Bhaldavin failed to obey, he banged his hand up and down against the floorboards until the knife fell clattering.

  Grimacing in pain, Sola gingerly touched the wound in his side. His hand came away red with blood. The deadly look in his eyes sent a chill down Bhaldavin’s spine. The man was going to kill him, and there was no way to stop him.

  Sola reached over, picked up his knife, and with all the viciousness of a cold-blooded gensvolf, he drove it down through Bhaldavin’s open palm, pinning his hand to the floor.

  Sola smiled as Bhaldavin’s scream echoed out the door down the hall. He feasted on Bhaldavin’s pain, his mind active with thoughts of future torture he could inflict before he killed the Green Hair.

  Suddenly something shot out from behind the partially opened door to the hall. It moved so quickly that Sola caught only a glimpse of it before it was on him. Pinprick-sharp teeth caught at his throat from the side; the unexpected impact of the small furred body sent him off-balance, and he fell to his side, hands reaching for the thing that was gnawing at his neck.

  Terror entered his soul as he tried to pull the thing off, but when he pulled, he was also pulling at his own skin. He hammered at the ball of fur, then tried to squeeze it to death, but its grip was unbreakable, its teeth sinking deeper and deeper into his throat. He screamed as he rolled over and over, trying to dislodge the thing.

  Bhaldavin was not exactly sure what was happening, but he knew he was free of Sola for a few seconds and that he had to get Thura out of there. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he sat up. He heard Thura groan and saw her push to her hands and knees.

  “Thura…the knife…pull it up! Hurry, child! Hurry!”

  Thura rubbed the side of her head as she got up and went to her father. She frowned as she glanced over at Sola, who lay on the floor still clawing weakly at something at his throat.

  “Thura, hurry!” Bhaldavin urged.

  She knelt and grabbed the knife handle with both hands. Exerting all of her strength, she jerked the knife free.

  A fresh wave of agony shot through Bhaldavin as the knife slid from his hand. Tears sprang to Thura’s eyes as she saw her father’s pain. She helped him up, and together they started for the doorway. Neither looked back.

  Gi-arobi heard the two Ni leave the room, but he did not release his hold. He tasted the man’s blood in his mouth; its warm saltiness was bitter on his tongue. The man’s struggles had ceased and the steady flow of blood dribbled off. With conscious effort Gi released his hold. His jaws ached and his throat hurt where the man had tried to strangle him. He backed away, his golden eyes alert for any movement. The man’s eyes suddenly opened, but he made no move.

  Gi-arobi sniffed cautiously at the man’s face, ready to leap away if necessary, but the man was dead and would never again hurt anyone. Gi snorted softly, clearing his nostrils of the man’s scent.

  He heard the footsteps of the two Ni moving down the hall and turned and ran for the doorway. He caught up with them a short way down the darkened hall and followed quietly along behind. Neither seemed aware of his presence.

  Bhaldavin and Thura reached a stairway going down. The lights and the quiet below gave Bhaldavin pause. He was sure he had turned the lights off on the floor below. Either he had missed one… or the battle between the Wastelanders and Theon’s forces was over, which meant that they had to move quickly or risk being found by returning Wastelanders.

  He decided to take a chance and started down the stairs with Thura. They were near the bottom of the steps when they heard voices. Someone was coming down the hall.

  “Hurry, Thura! Up!” Bhaldavin urged.

  “But he’s up there!” Thura protested.

  Bhaldavin knew who she meant, but something told him that they need not worry about Sola. He thought he saw something move on the landing above and stopped.

  “Hurry, Little Fish!” Gi called softly from the top of the stairs. “Someone comes!”

  It took Bhaldavin a moment or two to remember where he had heard the strange lisping voice. Suddenly a picture flashed into his mind: Sola rolling on the floor with something furry at his throat. The olvaar! The olvaar had saved them! “Gi?”

  “Yes! Yes! Hurry fast! Someone comes!”

  “Adda,” Thura said softly, eyes trying to pierce the darkness above. “Who is it?”

  “A friend,” Bhaldavin answered, continuing up the steps, his hand held up against his chest as he encouraged Thura along.

  When they reached the top of the stairs, Bhaldavin turned right, walked down the hall, found another set of stairs leading upward, and took them, a small bundle of fur running just ahead of him.

  “Where are we going, Adda?” Thura asked.

  “Four more flights up, then out onto the roof. We can use the outside ladder that goes down to the second floor, then climb in through one of the kitchen windows and use the secret passageway to get out. Your mother’s waiting down there for us.”

  They continued upward into the darkness, familiarity with the halls enabling them to find their way without too much difficulty. They were coming up the last flight of stairs to the seventh floor when Bhaldavin accidentally bumped his hand against a wall. The pain made him feel faint and he dropped to the steps.

  “Adda!” Thura cried. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s my hand.” Bhaldavin gasped. “Thura, I need light, just for a few minutes. I’ve got to stop the bleeding. Go to the top of the steps, find a light and turn it on, then come back and help me wrap up my hand.”

  “Adda…”

  “Don’t be afraid. Our enemies are below us, not above. Go. Do as I tell you.”

  He listened as Thura climbed the steps. Something touched his shoulder just as the lights went on above. He looked up and found Gi-arobi perched on the stair above him; the fur around his mouth and down his front was matted with blood. Golden eyes regarded him with an unswerving stare.

  “Little Fish be tired?” Gi asked solicitiously.

  “It’s my hand, little one. It bleeds and makes me weak. I must wrap it up.”

  Thura came back down the stairs and stopped when she saw Gi-arobi. She jumped slightly as Gi whistled to her in his own tongue.

  “He won’t hurt you, Thura,” Bhaldavin said, keeping his voice low. “He’s a friend. His name is Gi.�
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  “What is it?” she asked, her busy eyes taking in every detail of the plump, furred creature. “Where did it come from?”

  “Gi not it!” Gi piped up. “Gi be olvaar! Come with Dhal to find Little Fish.”

  “It talks!” she cried softly.

  “Yes, I know. Come, Thura. Sit beside me. I have to get this wound tied up. Try to rip off a piece of your tunic.”

  Thura moved cautiously past Gi-arobi and knelt on the step beside her father. She hesitated a moment, tears starting to her eyes when she saw the blood welling up in her father’s hand. She quickly used her teeth to start a tear at the bottom of her tunic, then ripped the fabric off in a strip. She followed her father’s instructions and wrapped the cloth tightly around his hand and tied it in place, moaning softly to herself as her father slumped forward onto the stair above.

  Bhaldavin was out only a few moments. The sharp pain in his hand as he pushed himself to a sitting position brought everything back. His daughter’s tear-streaked face lighted with relief as he reached out to her. She was careful not to bump against his hand as she hugged him.

  Gi whistle-clicked a warning and scampered up the stairs. Bhaldavin and Thura caught the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway below. Thura stood, helped her father rise, and moved up beside him, silently offering him the support of her young body. Still a bit unsteady, Bhaldavin gratefully accepted her aid.

  Gi-arobi met them at the top of the stairs and waited for them to choose a direction. Thura started to turn off the lights in the hallway, but her father shook his head.

  “Leave them on,” he whispered. “They’ll see them if we turn them off now.”

  Bhaldavin felt his strength returning as the pain in his hand receded to a bearable level. The last flight of steps took them up into the northern tower.

  There was a door leading from the tower out onto the roof, but Bhaldavin turned away from it. A shaft of light shone down the open wooden stairway that led to the second floor of the tower, signifying that someone had been up in the tower that night. Were they still there, or had they simply neglected to turn the lights off behind them?