Bastial Steel

by Narro, B. T.

  When they were finished, she opened her bag and placed a mooker flower on the ground and stepped away from it. The mooker ran to its gift with startling speed, tumbling over the flower and grabbing it, as if the ugly plant could’ve gotten away if left for another second.

  A roaring chatter rang out from all the mookers. Cleve thought the rest of them were upset that they weren’t given a gift, but then he saw the smile on Jek and Lysha’s faces and realized the mookers must be happy.

  Cleve soon realized it was a good thing he’d figured that out. For he surely would’ve drawn his weapon when, soon after, all the mookers ran at them, galloping on their little legs and long arms like lopsided horses.

  But then Cleve noticed that one of the mookers hadn’t moved yet—the one that had danced with him and climbed on his shoulder. It sauntered right up to Cleve and tapped his shoe with a claw, scooping up some dirt to toss on it.

  Cleve still didn’t know if he should speak, so he remained quiet. A few of the mookers running by had stopped, investigating the exchange between Cleve and the mooker, which was now slapping his shoe with both hands.

  Two other mookers joined it, and soon they had pulled his shoe off without even undoing the laces. They gave it to the first mooker, who lifted it above its head, waddled a few awkward steps, and hurled Cleve’s shoe into a sea of bushes.

  Then the three mookers began what seemed to be cheering, jumping up and down with their arms in the air.

  Soon they were done, zipping right by Cleve, brushing his leg they were so close.

  The three original mookers were last to go, and a deafening quiet followed that begged to be broken.

  “What the Bastial hell was that with my shoe?” Cleve asked.

  “Your punishment,” Lysha answered. “They didn’t like your smile, but everything else was fine. You did well for your first time. I’ve seen men get stripped completely naked, their undergarments eaten right before their eyes.”

  “I guess I should be thankful,” Cleve said. “As long as I can find my shoe.”

  The little mooker had surprising strength. Cleve’s shoe was found about thirty yards from their original spot. It took them the better part of an hour.

  “That wasn’t too bad,” Jek said. “But we don’t have a lot of time, so try to smile better next time.”

  Cleve felt the air rush out of his lungs in despair. “There’s going to be a next time?”

  “Most likely,” Jek said. “The entire forest is inhabited by them.”

  They got back on their horses and rode west, toward the heart of the forest where the encampment was supposed to be. Every time Cleve heard a noise he didn’t recognize, he felt his body stiffening nervously. The thought of having his undergarments eaten was beginning to frustrate him, making him feel he’d have even more trouble smiling next time the little bastards came around.

  Why do they need me to smile? Why do we have to dance? He thought to ask Lysha and Jek but soon realized that the answers wouldn’t matter. A better question came to mind when they stopped to eat and give the horses a much-needed rest.

  “What’s the plan, Lysha? How are we going to get Raymess and Vala out without being seen?”

  “I have to see the encampment first and figure out where they have guards posted.”

  “How much longer until we get there?” Jek asked.

  Lysha pursed her lips, turning to the west with a hand over her eyes. “Can’t say for sure…sometime tomorrow, though.”

  Jek grumbled. “I’m not looking forward to spending the night in here.”

  “I know,” Lysha muttered under her breath. “No one would.”

  “What happens at night?” Cleve asked.

  “The mookers don’t like Humans sleeping in their forest.” Lysha’s tone was ominous.

  “They’ll attack us?”

  “Yes, which is why we’ll need cover,” Lysha said. “They’re dumb creatures, unable to figure out what is man-made and what is natural. They would walk by a wooden cabin without even thinking to look inside. But if they happened to see a Human, they would either initiate an introduction and expect the Human to comply, or attack if the Human was doing something offensive like sleeping.”

  “So the encampment holding Raymess and Vala must be designed in some special way so that mookers can’t see anyone,” Cleve figured.

  “Correct,” Lysha answered. “Which should make it easier for us to sneak in. They won’t have guards positioned right outside the encampment.”

  She stood, gesturing that it was time to ride again.

  The sun was at eye level when Lysha stopped and dismounted. It came through the trees like a fireball, blasting Cleve with warmth whenever it found his cold skin between pillars of shadow.

  “We’d better figure out where we’re going to be sleeping,” Lysha said.

  They searched until they found a fallen tree lying between two others still standing. “This should work,” Lysha said, tying her horse and kneeling over her bag.

  She took out her blanket and a long stretch of rope. “Looks like you and I are going to be snuggled close tonight,” Lysha said with a surprisingly plain tone that made Cleve believe she wasn’t joking.

  He checked her face as she wrapped the rope around the two standing trees. She wore no smile.

  “Why is that?” Cleve asked.

  “You’d rather sleep beside Jek and get hit with his SE and blood?” Noticing how the rope was tied around the two standing trees, Cleve realized what she meant. They would be hanging their blankets along the two lines of rope to keep themselves hidden. The fallen tree would separate Jek from Cleve and Lysha.

  “Trust me, Cleve,” Jek said. “You’d rather sleep beside her.”

  “Don’t worry,” Lysha added, balancing the blankets over the ropes. “Times are too serious to have fun. We have a prince and a queen to save tomorrow, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell either of you how difficult it’s going to be.”

  Lysha went out hunting while there was still some light filtering in through the trees. It left Cleve alone with Jek, who leaned against the fallen tree and looked at Cleve curiously.

  “You don’t talk much about yourself, do you?”

  “No.”

  “Why is that?” Jek asked.

  Cleve shrugged, beginning to feel uneasiness holding down his tongue.

  “But you listen well.”

  “It’s important to listen,” Cleve said.

  “It’s important to talk as well.”

  “Most people talk more than they listen.”

  Jek had a wry smile as he shook his finger at Cleve. “You should talk more, and maybe more people will shut up and listen.”

  Their little debate was becoming circular, starting to give Cleve a headache. He decided to bring up something else that had been on his mind.

  “I might come back here after I’m done in Kyrro.” Cleve held his palms out to stop Jek’s budding excitement. “I might. There’s a good chance I won’t.”

  “You want to help us with the desmarl problem, is that it?”

  “I do. If there are no more desmarls to worry about, maybe the Takarys will be content without taking over Ovira and bringing more war to us.”

  “But you and your Elven psychic friend are already here.” Jek seemed to be more curious than argumentative. “Why not just stay and fight if that’s the only reason to come back?”

  “You want me to find out if there’s a plant or animal that will end your nightmares, don’t you?”

  Jek’s blue eyes widened. “You plan to do that for me?”

  “If I’m coming back, I’ll find that out first, of course.”

  Jek looked surprised, not that Cleve knew why.

  “You think I wouldn’t?” Cleve asked.

  “I didn’t imagine you actually cared. It’s hard to tell with you.”

  “How could I not? I may be quiet, but I still have a heart.”

  Jek nodded. “Thank you.”

  “D
on’t thank me yet. First we have to rescue some Takarys.” Cleve suddenly remembered the Princess’ warning. “Lisanda told me not to let you do anything stupid. Are you planning on that?”

  Jek laughed. “Jessend told me the same thing about you. Are you planning on doing something stupid?”

  “If I need to,” Cleve said.

  “Me as well.”

  Each of them went silent.

  “So, what do we do, then?”

  “Isn’t it simple?” Jek’s palms lifted. “We need to support each other’s stupidity. I’m sure Lysha will give her cooperation as well.”

  “She does seem the type to be brash.”

  “Funny, I’ve heard that same thing about myself.”

  “I guess I can be as well,” Cleve realized aloud.

  “Well, that guarantees at least one thing.” Jek hopped off the fallen tree and started toward a sound that turned out to be Lysha. She was carrying two dead rabbits. “Tomorrow will hold surprises for both us and the bastards in Waywen who killed our men and took our prince and queen.”

  Night came quickly. The forest grew dark before they were done eating.

  Cleve and Lysha squeezed into their spot between the trees and hanging blankets. Cleve pressed himself into the nook created by the fallen tree, while she was curled up against the standing tree on the other side.

  Supine, and constantly bumping his arm against Lysha with every subtle movement, Cleve began to feel like flipping on his side and putting his arm over her stomach just like he’d done with Jessend sometimes. There was nothing intimate about the thought. Although the act itself held certain intimacy, it was just a way to get comfortable.

  “I can’t sleep like this,” he warned her before touching.

  “I’m not comfortable, either,” she admitted.

  “Like it’s so great over here,” Jek said from his side of the fallen tree.

  Cleve turned to his side and stretched his arm over Lysha’s stomach.

  “You’d better take your arm off me,” she threatened.

  Cleve left it there. “This is the only way I can be comfortable in this tight space.”

  “How do you expect me to fall asleep with your gigantic arm pressing down on me?”

  “What’s going on over there?” Jek asked.

  “Keep quiet,” Lysha whispered loudly. “We don’t want a mooker to hear us.” She took Cleve’s arm and laid it on his hip so that it ran parallel to his body. “Keep it there.”

  Knowing he couldn’t fall asleep like that, he turned to his back again. Lysha must’ve moved over a little when he was on his side because now his arm was pushed against hers. He lifted his over her head and shoulders, letting it down on the other side of her. But in order for his arm to fit between her and the tree, he had to pull her toward him.

  “There’s no other place for my arm,” he said. “If you’re going to sleep on your back, then put your head on my shoulder.”

  “Why are you being like this all of a sudden?” she asked, unwilling to move. “I would’ve welcomed flirtation the first few nights, but not now. I’m trying to sleep and focus on tomorrow.”

  “I’m not doing anything but trying to sleep,” Cleve told her.

  “And how do you expect me to sleep feeling coddled like a helpless woman?”

  “Just forget your pride for one night. We might as well sleep while we can’t walk in the dark forest.”

  She let out air loudly and slid over to rest her head on Cleve’s shoulder. Cleve remembered she was a psychic then. “Can you use psyche to help me fall asleep?”

  “Your friend can do that?” Lysha whispered in disbelief.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I can’t.”

  “Fine.” A few breaths later, Cleve decided to add, “You should really practice your psychic ability. It’s an amazing weapon.”

  “And you should practice smiling. It’s a far better tool than psyche.”

  Cleve refrained himself from scoffing.

  Chapter 21

  At first light, Cleve climbed onto the fallen tree to look for any mookers before emerging. Sleep had been sporadic, and his body felt as if it were moving through milk.

  He saw no mookers, so he woke Jek and Lysha, and soon they were riding west.

  “Are we meeting the scouts who followed Raymess and Vala to this place?” Cleve asked.

  “They left already,” Lysha said. “Didn’t want to risk being caught. I know where the encampment is. Don’t fret.”

  After riding half the day, they stopped for a quick meal.

  “We should be there soon,” Lysha said with a hopeful tone. “Raymess and Vala are to be executed tomorrow. After I get a look at the place, I’ll decide if we should strike right when we arrive…or tonight instead.”

  “But…” Jek objected, waiting for Lysha to turn to him before continuing. “We’ll be seen if we don’t wait until night. Then they’ll kill Raymess and Vala before we can even get to them.”

  Lysha was shaking her head, her heavy locks bouncing along her shoulders. “If there’s a chance we can make it before night, we’ll take it. I don’t want to risk waiting. I’m sure Danvell Takary wouldn’t allow it, either.”

  “But how will we ever break them out without the cover of darkness?” With an aggressive tone, Jek seemed ready to argue.

  “I’m sure even at night they’ll have the place lit with lamps. We can be stealthy in other ways.” A rush of anger seemed to strike her face. She shook her palm out at Jek. “Enough with the questions. Just let me take a look at the encampment first.”

  The sun was just starting to set when the encampment finally came into view. Lysha dismounted, tied her horse to a tree, and had a strange smile as she hummed in thought.

  “Those idiots,” she muttered. “They’ve built this place near a hill.” She pointed south of the encampment where the peak of a long hill rested in the sky.

  The encampment itself was a simple design…surprisingly simple. All they’d done was take a bunch of black cloth and wrapped it around about a hundred trees to make an uneven circle.

  “Is there nothing else in this forest besides mookers?” Cleve asked. He figured a bear might smell something within the cloth fortress and simply swipe its way in.

  “Nothing that can break through cloth,” Lysha said. “Mookers have scared most animals with claws away to other forests over the years. They’ve been in Greenedge as long as Humans, as far as we can tell, but have stuck to Karri Forest all of their existence.”

  She pointed at the cloth walls. “Mookers can break through this, but they never would unless they’d already seen what was on the other side. It just looks like a wall to them.”

  Lysha gestured for them to follow her as she walked toward the hill. “Let’s get a look inside to see what we’re dealing with.”

  Atop the mountainside, Lysha lay flat and crawled to the edge where she parted tall grass for a look. Then she waved Jek and Cleve forward to join her.

  There were makeshift shelters within the encampment, but Cleve found only one wooden building with four walls.

  “That has to be where they’re holding them,” Lysha said, not needing to even point. There was nothing else she could’ve been referring to.

  Many of the trees within the encampment had been cut down. Cleve figured their wood had been used for fire when needed, for the cabin containing the Takary Prince and Queen, and for the many shelters that were composed of nothing more than two walls and a roof.

  There were a few dozen hammocks set up between two thick rods of wood as well. Some were being used at the moment. From the way men’s limbs dangled off them, they looked to be asleep.

  “Definitely over a hundred of them.” Lysha’s discouraged tone was revealing—she still didn’t have any idea how they would get Raymess and Vala out without being seen. “Anything you can do with Sartious magic?” Lysha asked, each of them still lying flat.

  “Not really,” Jek said. “We could set fire to t
he cloth barrier and try to get in through the other side during the panic, but there’s a risk they would realize what was happening and kill the Takarys before we made it to the cabin. I wouldn’t want to try it.”

  “Neither would I,” Lysha said. She let out a loud breath as she pushed herself to her knees. “Looks like we’re going to need to wait until night.” She turned to start down the hill. “At least then—” Lysha stopped abruptly.

  Cleve looked over his shoulder to find a mooker had come up the hill behind them. It had an angry look. A growl rumbled out of its throat.

  It didn’t like us talking, Cleve realized.

  Lysha started the we are peaceful dance.

  The mooker’s growl stopped and he mooked with her, chanting “mook” with his movements.

  Jek whispered, “Stay low and behind Lysha to make it clear she’s the one who represents us.”

  The mooker stopped chanting. Then Lysha switched her dance to one that Cleve hadn’t seen before. She turned sideways. With her hands on her thighs, she bent her knees up and down as her whole body moved to and fro in a wavelike motion. It was slow and careful, strangely sexual, even.

  “What’s that dance?” Cleve whispered.

  “I think it’s the come here dance,” Jek whispered back. “There’s usually not a good reason to call over a mooker, so most people don’t even take the time to learn it.”

  The mooker smiled at the sight of Lysha’s movements. With his egregious underbite, the shape of his mouth didn’t change much, only the corners lifted. He turned sideways and joined Lysha with his own wavelike motion. Being such a small creature with a large belly, Cleve was impressed how well it could mimic Lysha, such a slender woman. It sidestepped toward her as it mooked.

  The moment the creature was close, it jumped onto her shoulder in one leap and sat with its legs dangling. Jek stood and moved out of the way, pulling Cleve with him.

  Lysha brought the mooker to the edge and pointed down at the encampment. Cleve followed her finger with his eyes. It seemed like she was directing the mooker’s attention at the sleeping men in the hammocks.

  “Mook?” The creature hopped up onto its feet, still on Lysha’s shoulder and using one hand on her head for balance. It pointed with its other. “Mook! Dura maba!”