Jaded Dusk

by Scott Wale

  “That seems like a selfish request given that you’re one of the few who has already profited from the situation”, Cerevus replied with a smirk.

  “What do you want?” Ruk snarled.

  “Just tell me what you told your friends back there and I’ll be out of your”, Cerevus began taking a moment to look over Ruk allowing him to finish the expression. “Scales?”

  “The cymutts or Jalpa’s goons?” Ruk asked for clarification trying to speed through the exchange.

  “Jalpa’s soldiers”, Cerevus answered.

  “I’m tired of playing games, so I’m going to give it to you straight and hope that gets you to leave me alone”, Ruk confessed. “A cymutt army is approaching Aman and it will be there soon. That’s all I know and that’s all they know.”

  Cerevus continued to examine Ruk’s face seeing if he could spot any indication that the Tugos was lying. If he were telling the truth, then the information was time sensitive and Cerevus needed to return to the refugee camp as soon as possible. There was a chance Jalpa wouldn’t share this information gathered from his own scout, and the Loupiq and Chafel needed time to prepare just as the Ipta would.

  “If it’s some sort of sadistic goal of yours to kill me, then let’s get it over with now”, Ruk said acknowledging the fact that Cerevus continued to stare at him with a bow targeted at the Tugos’ chest.

  A movement over Cerevus’ shoulder caught Ruk’s attention. He tried to capture the image in his peripheral, so Cerevus wasn’t alerted to its presence. It was difficult to tell without complete focus, but it appeared to be the cymutt scouting party doubling back over their patrol route. Maybe, if Ruk could stall Cerevus long enough, there was a chance the cymutts could ambush Cerevus and bring an end to another of Ruk’s irritations.

  “There is something else you should probably know”, Ruk began trying to hold Cerevus’ attention. “Grimtav won’t tolerate anything that stands between him and Aman. Your people can run now and escape the horrors of war. Make a new home outside of the Echo Woods and then never return here. What is it to you who rules these parts? There are far better options all over Faunar if you…”

  Cerevus turned his back to Ruk and released his arrow into the forehead of one of the approaching cymutts. The premalier knocked a second arrow, fired, a third arrow and fired again. Three cymutts laid dormant on the plains.

  “I hope to never see you again”, Cerevus said giving Ruk a rigid look before dashing back into the Echo Woods.

  ***

  “We’ve lost the Echo Woods patrols”, Zephyr announced.

  “They’ve served their purpose”, Grimtav said surprisingly showing no emotion about having lost more units. “You’ve set orders for the raiding party to continue marching towards Aman?”

  “Yes, they’ll be awaiting further orders by dusk tomorrow”, Zephyr confirmed.

  “Good, now make sure they approach from the north”, Grimtav commanded. “That will be our entrance point into Aman. The cymutts are not to engage any of the residents of Aman unless they offer extreme resistance. I’ll remain here to help you direct the cymutts to Jalpa’s personal residence and once seized I’ll be personally overseeing the restructuring of the city. Your job will be to hold the occupation of Aman while I make the journey.”

  “What about the stragglers that are camping just outside the city?” Zephyr asked.

  “Ah, yes, the Chafel and Loupiq”, Grimtav said having forgotten that piece of intel that Ruk had delivered. “Send a small detachment of cymutts to attack that camp directly. We’ll finish what was started at Dimday. I don’t wish to start my new city with a parasite problem.”

  XXIII.

  Jandra screeched once again and the sound reverberated off the cave walls down into the network of various tunnels. She listened for a response. After a moment a high pitched howl was returned, which was the sound Jandra had been awaiting. She screeched again and stood in wait for Fenrit’s response.

  The method was slow, but progress was being made and the group was nearly out. Jandra had been taken aback when she had returned to the absorption point and learned about the fashion in which the group had lost their former leader. After Alejade updated Jandra with what had occurred, she also instructed the raptor of the group’s new plan to get them through the system of caves. Jandra was to get out through the hole at the absorption point, find the cave exit near Prominence’s wall and help the group through by becoming a beacon for their final destination. She would need to be prepared to go a ways into the cave system herself until the group could hear her screeches and she could hear Fenrit’s howls.

  Spanning the distance between the cave exit and the point where the two groups could hear each other was a difficult task for Jandra. The light that poured through the exit opening diminished quickly and Jandra found herself working in the dark. She hopped along periodically using screech tests to determine the walls and openings of her surroundings. She listened carefully as her screech echoed through the system sometimes using lower volume calls to get a better feel for each new chamber she entered. While it was a functional navigation tactic, she felt uneasy giving her position away to any lurking predators, especially after having Alejade share the group’s experience with the Calcarx.

  The group had closed in on her position since she had last retreated back towards the cave exit. Only a few more legs and Jandra could position herself at the mouth of the opening. She didn’t expect to get the benefit of light back as it was probably already dusk by now and after a few more legs it’d be dark enough that the opening of the cave wouldn’t be that much different than being deeper in the cave system. The one benefit Jandra would receive is the comfort of having Alejade near her once again. The cave made the raptor feel vulnerable and while she felt protected by the entire group, her bond with Alejade produced the greatest feeling of security.

  Fenrit’s howl bounced off a nearby wall surprising Jandra at how much closer the group sounded compared to the last reply. She began to wonder if they had hit a straight path allowing them to travel faster or if they were simply getting better at following her shrieks. She inhaled deeply and emitted a screech that felt like it could pierce the rock walls of the chamber where she currently settled. She turned and began to hop out of the chamber and retrace her steps back towards the cave exit. The group had made so much progress between calls that she decided she would position herself at the final destination.

  Fenrit’s howl was plenty audible from the cave exit and a single shriek from Jandra allowed the group to traverse the rest of the path. Jandra had been correct with her estimation about the time of day and dusk was finishing up when the group reunited.

  “You’re probably sick of the caves by now, but we’ll want to go back a ways to make our camp for the night”, Tradok suggested. “We’ll want our usual light, however, if any artificial light sources find their way out of the cave exit and into the open world it may draw some undesirable attention.”

  “We’re so close, could we use the cover of night to enter Prominence now?” Fenrit asked.

  “Cymutt patrols are heavier at night to counteract that logic”, Tradok explained. “I suggest Jandra goes and takes a quick look at the moment. If her report sounds clean, then you and I should go take a look. The route from here is a short hike to a rock wall which we’ll have to scale to get on even ground with Prominence. It’s not a natural entrance, so I’d expect little security beyond the cymutts, which may be overwhelming during the night.”

  Alejade called Jandra over to her and explained the plan. She needed to do a fly over and deliver a quick scouting report. Once she accomplished her mission she could return to the cave and rest with Alejade and Nevit for the night. Tradok and Fenrit would be relying on her to be thorough with her survey as their safety depended on it.

  Jandra took flight once again determined to perform her duty with utmost importance. The sky had almost transitioned to darkness, but Jandra could make out the rock wall not far from th
e cave exit that Tradok had mentioned. The rock wall climbed to a height where falling would most likely have a fatal result. At the top of the rock wall was a plateau where Prominence had been sited even though the fortress gave the appearance that it had sprung up through the rock itself.

  Prominence seized most of the area that the plateau had to offer. The fortresses’ walls were the most striking feature as rock had been chiseled away so the walls not only towered above any visitor who approached the gates, but the barricades were also entrenched deep below the plateau’s surface. Rock had been manually removed in some areas while others showed signs that nature had taken its course. Crevices of various sizes pocked the surface of the plateau making the sight as a whole more impressive as it forced the observer to consider how the structure was an intertwining of the product of sentient labor and natural features. The structure inside the daunting outside barrier didn’t ascend much beyond the height of the walls. The structure itself looked sturdy, but was a far less impressive sight than the walls. The roof was hexagonal and while most of it was flat there was a section with a steep slope that came to a point. This point formed into a sphere on top of which sat Prominence’s single spire. From a distance the spire resembled a flower growing from a bulb. The rough transition between the roof and the structure itself let Jandra’s imagination take over that the roof had been a later addition when the initial size of the complex would no longer do. The design of the roof as a whole was peculiar and Jandra’s imagination was challenged once again to make the assumption that the design made an airborne assault less enticing. Jandra took note of what were clearly the two main entrances. The primary entrance led out to the trail that descended from Prominence down into the strip between the Bizti Swamp and Lake Ulea. The entrance was protected by a gate that also had a slot canyon around it forming a moat like feature. A single hover was moving back and forth over the slot canyon and looked to be the only conveyance across the natural barrier. The secondary entrance was located on the backside when oriented with the primary entrance. Jandra could only guess that this is where Tradok was originally leading the group before they were cut off by the eroded trail. The gate was less impressive on the back side, and the trail that led up to the secondary entrance wasn’t protected by any additional barriers natural or constructed. Both gates were equally guarded by formations of cymutts that were fixed at those locations. Additional cymutts were patrolling the entire fortress. Some of the cymutt patrols were moving in a clockwise pattern and others in reverse to that. Jandra saw no other forms of security and not a single living being.

  Now that Jandra had an overview of the fortress it was time to concentrate on the area at the top of the rock wall that Fenrit and Tradok would be climbing. The rock wall ascended to the plateau at a point that was roughly equidistance from each gate. After circling for a while, Jandra realized the cymutt patrols were seldom passing through this area and spent more of their time around the main gates. The cymutt’s predictable patrol patterns allowed the raptor to land and take a closer look. A few smaller doors existed on this side of the fortress, but unlike the primary gates, which remained open, these doors remained closed during Jandra’s observation. Nothing entered or left during the raptor’s observation leaving her to conclude that the doors only served an emergency purpose. No security devices mechanical or living were giving this whole side of the fortress any attention. Guards, cameras and scanners all were lacking in what appeared to be a massive security oversight.

  Content with her surveillance, Jandra began to make her way back to the caves. She hopped over to the edge of the cliff at the top of the rock wall and proceeded to glide down. Her talons had just hit the rocky bottom when a faint light caught her attention. A closer observation revealed that a camera was mounted to the side of the cliff and fixed in the direction of the cave exit. Jandra had not noticed the camera on her way out, but now that the sky had grown dark the light, however faint, was bright enough to catch the attention of any passerby. The camera would have captured footage of her leaving the cave, but her return so far would have been outside the view angle. She considered for a moment flying over to the camera and ripping the mount off the cliff with her talons. She would then simply let the device fall to the canyon floor below. The primal urge felt satisfying even though she had yet to act upon it, but ultimately she reasoned that her actions might jeopardize the investigation that Fenrit and Tradok wished to perform. She shook off the urge and returned to the cave.

  Tradok waited eagerly as Jandra debriefed with Alejade. Alejade took the story in all at once while Tradok struggled to read Alejade’s facial expressions to each of Jandra’s observations. Finally, Alejade was ready to relay the findings to the rest of the group.

  “This sounds too easy”, Alejade began. “As you had described, Tradok, the cave exit has a short trail to the rock wall which you can climb up and be right at Prominence’s walls. Jandra said there are minimal cymutt patrols along the wall at the top and even a few doors along the wall. The only real concern that Jandra noticed was a single camera pointed at the cave exit. She said there didn’t appear to be any security measures along the wall other than the patrolling cymutts which are making their way around the perimeter of the entire complex.”

  “Sounds too easy, but it’s not any different than when I left other than a camera giving this cave some attention”, Tradok responded. “I’d still like a look myself and for Fenrit to come with me.”

  “Good, because I’d like a look for myself”, Fenrit said.

  “Are you willing to go back out there?” Tradok asked turning his attention to Jandra even though he was unsure if the raptor could understand him.

  Jandra looked to Alejade for a translation realizing that the Sauronoid was trying to address her. Alejade translated the question to which Jandra responded with an outcry.

  “I’m guessing that’s a yes”, Tradok said turning to Alejade for a confirmation.

  “She’s willing to help”, Alejade confirmed.

  “Good, because I’ll need you to block the camera when Fenrit and I leave and come back in to the cave”, Tradok directed Jandra.

  Alejade once again translated Tradok’s instructions which Jandra responded to with a single screech.

  “She understands”, Alejade interpreted even though she was confident Tradok had understood the raptor.

  “Let’s get this over with”, Tradok said. “Jandra, go out there now and block the camera then do as you please once Fenrit and I reach the base of the rock wall. We’ll coordinate the camera block on our return. It’s possible the camera picks up noise, so I’d suggest not doing anything out of the ordinary to garner attention.”

  Alejade pointed outside of the cave and then verbally instructed Jandra to minimize the commotion. Jandra once again responded with a single screech that this time Tradok tried to lock in his memory as her affirmation. She extended her wings and flew out of the cave.

  Fenrit and Tradok waited a moment giving Jandra adequate time to perch herself on the camera and discreetly cover the lens with her wing. The pair cautiously approached the mouth of the cave. The night sky made the transition back to the outdoors easy on Fenrit and Tradok’s eyes, but the darkness made it a challenge to spot Jandra along the cliff side. After they located her and were confident she was blocking the camera, Fenrit and Tradok dashed from the cave exit to the base of the rock wall. Tradok motioned over to Jandra that she could leave her post, but the raptor was already ahead of him as she flew up into the night sky to take in another view of Prominence.

  Tradok looked up the rock wall that was nearly thirty times his height. He had only ever climbed down this same wall, which was a simple task when you took your time to find the proper footings. Climbing up would require some upper body strength that Tradok feared he lacked. Rocks crumbling to the ground drew Tradok’s attention and he traced the source up only to see Fenrit had already scaled a third of the rock wall. Tradok had no intention of holding up the premalier,
so he set to work.

  Climbing looked more daunting than it actually was. Upper body strength was nice to hold yourself in place, but most of the upward movement could still be driven from the legs. Much like the strategy of coming down the rock wall, going up was simply a sequence of finding the best notches and grooves to support your limbs. Tradok had been concerned that the lack of gear would be an issue, but the reality of the situation was that gear was more for safety than actually being able to accomplish the task. Fenrit’s head start had him crawling over the cliff’s edge first and remaining in the prone position. Fenrit looked back to see Tradok’s claw reach over the edge and then grasp around a bulge in the rocky surface. Tradok’s second claw reached over the edge and was soon followed by the large Sauronoid body. Tradok was quick to mimic Fenrit’s position and remain in a prone position as he scouted for an area to perform a more detailed surveillance.

  “Crawling on all fours was for my ancestors”, Tradok began. “Let’s move over to those boulders along the edge where we can stand up and get a better view.”

  Fenrit followed as Tradok led the way over to a set of boulders that was a little farther down the ridge line from where they had climbed up. The pair stood up once they were behind the cover of the boulders and peeked out for their first quality view of Prominence. They both spent a considerable amount of time scanning the fortress while forming independent thoughts on their observations.

  “I want to hear your thoughts first”, Tradok said breaking the silence.

  “The two main gates seem out of the question as a point of entry”, Fenrit strategized. “There are too many cymutts that seem to be fixed in front of the gates, plus it’s pretty well-lit if we’re going to use the cover of darkness. The only opportunity I see there are the vehicles, but I’m guessing they’re not easy to get aboard or disembark without drawing any attention.”

  “No, the hovers are bio scanned as they enter the fortress”, Tradok explained. “Most of them carry resources and trying to arrange that would take even more time, which you’ll probably agree we don’t have.”