by Liss Thomas
Missy woke to an abrupt return of the stabbing pain in her leg. She felt strong arms holding her on a cabayo as they galloped through another territory. Pain shot through her as she jostled about. Saal held her upright as they rode hard. She fainted frequently through the hard two day ride. When they finally pulled up to rest the animals, she struggled to keep conscious. She saw Kell appear with what looked like fresh rabbits. The other jackal near the fire started skinning the meat. They offered a plate to Saal who devoured the raw flesh. Dozer and the other jackals ate their meals raw also. After finishing his meal, Kell made another plate for Missy. He tried offering her the raw game but she refused it. Gagging on the smell of the pungent flesh, it sent her into dry heaves.
“She can’t eat it raw you need to roast it for her,” Dozer spat. “She likes fruits better than meat,” he added. Kell ignored the comment and continued his goal of feeding the human. Saal watched for a minute longer before he got up and crossed the camp to Kell. He snatched the plate of raw food away and shoved Kell aside.
“Go find fruit for the human,” he barked. “And put this meat in the fire to roast.”
Kell moved away quickly not wanting anymore of his leader’s wrath. Saal sat down in front of Missy and watched. She didn’t stir as she leaned limp against the tree her head sagging to her chest. Saal pulled out his knife from a strap on his leather leggings and cut the ties from Missy’s hands. She fell to the ground and had no energy to move. Saal picked her up and took her over to his tent, a large crude canvas strung over tree limbs. Missy glanced around briefly and saw it padded with thick rugs and throws. Saal placed her on a soft cushion, keeping her upright with his arm. He pulled a leaf from a pouch around his waist and broke a small piece off.
“Open your mouth and put this under your tongue,” he instructed.
Missy glared at him.
“Do not make me force your mouth open, human, or you will suffer more. This leaf with take away the pain for a while. Open your mouth.”
Missy opened her mouth and Saal placed the leaf under her tongue. It tingled and made her mouth water.
“Swallow the juices,” he instructed.
She did as instructed and soon the pain dulled, before long it disappeared.
“Is the pain gone?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Swallow the leaf. It will keep the pain away for several hours.”
She swallowed the leaf. “Thank you,” she said after a few minutes. He left her there but returned a few minutes later with the roasted meat. He sat across from her and pulled small pieces from the carcass. Again, he lifted her into a sitting position then offered her the food. She wanted to refuse but she opened her mouth obediently.
“We reach reptile country in two more days. No one stops there unless they want to be killed in the worse possible way. We ride hard through that country. You will need your strength if you plan to survive it.” He gave her more and she ate all of it. The canvas slid aside and Kell entered with a small cache of berries. He placed them in front of Saal and retreated. Saal examined the fruit and tried one.
“They are ok for eating,” he surmised and fed her the berries. After eating everything, Missy felt human again. She even had the strength to sit up on her own. Saal moved and let her sit.
“You are a frail child, yet you have bested the hyenas on several occasions. How is that possible?” he asked.
Missy shrugged. “I had a good reason to succeed,” she said, fingering the gold bracelet she wore.
“You are joined with one of the Bullclan,” Saal stated.
“Yes,” she said.
“He is weak now because of you, isn’t he?” he asked.
“Not so much anymore and soon he will be as strong as before,” Missy said with an air of confidence. Saal’s contemptuous laugh echoed around the tent.
“He’s not weak because of you, human. His weakness is you. He’ll come roaring in to save you only to be captured by Anukhan and fall like all the others.”
“How is he using the bulls to move between worlds?” Missy asked, keeping the anger from her voice, hoping to get more information on the jackals.
“I don’t know how the device works. Only that it gives Anukhan the blue light for small amounts of time.”
“Where did the device come from?” she asked him.
“Only Anukhan knows,” Saal said.
“So, I guess he is your king?”
“Yes, and I work alongside him on most of the important matters. He entrusts me with very special tasks,” Saal’s smugness dripped from every word.
“Sounds like you’re just a pawn. You are out here, risking your life, for what? To bring back another bull so that Anukhan can play in other worlds? What’s in it for you?” Missy’s flippant attitude sparked him.
Saal lunged at her, snarling inches from her face. “You know nothing, human! You would do well to hold your tongue, child. I could kill you in an instant.”
Missy ignored him. She pushed his snout away from her face, stunning Saal into silence. “You won’t kill me. I only said what you already knew. He won’t share his power, and when he’s finally able to obtain what he wants, he’ll leave all of you behind,” Missy accused. “So tell me, Saal, what does he want with me?”
Saal backed away from her and stood, his composure returning. “Get some sleep; you need your rest.” He turned to leave the tent.
“What, Saal!” she shouted to his back as he disappeared. She lay down on the soft cushion and tried to reach Charlie. Nothing. She tried Egan, nothing again. She could only guess the distance between them was greater than she could reach. She still could sense Dozer but no one else. She laid thinking about it but soon fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, darkness had fallen. A faint sliver of moonlight shone through the tenting. Saal lay on a cushion across from her, his lethal eyes watching her. She stared back wondering what he was thinking. She dared not touch his mind for fear he would know her little secret.
“Release me,” she whispered.
“Get some sleep, child,” he said.
Chapter 24
The jackals broke camp after two day’s rest. The cabayo appeared rested but showed signs of fatigue due to the constant running. One had a small limp while the other lagged behind.
“We’ll move slow today and camp again a mile outside the reptile territory. Everyone walks but the human. We need the cabas fit for running tomorrow,” Saal said as he gave instructions to Kell and the other jackal. Missy tried standing but her leg would not hold her as it started to throb. Saal quickly pulled her off her feet and set her on the cabayo.
“Your leg will not heal for many moons. Stay off it unless you want it not to heal at all,” he said as he handed her another leaf for the pain. Missy put it under her tongue without arguing. They moved at a leisurely pace through the high grass country that lead to reptile territory. Missy wondered how far away any rescue party would be. Kell scouted behind while the other jackal searched ahead of the party. They would venture out in intervals always coming back with an all clear. Dozer held the reins on the cabayo Missy rode. He absently rubbed the animal’s mane and Missy reached out and touched his hand.
“Do you think they will find us?” she sent to him.
“Not in time, little human. At the rate we’ve been moving, they will not get to this spot for another week or two,” Dozer sent back. He still moved his lips but he tried to hide it. Missy patted his hand before releasing it.
The jackals hunted often, storing up enough food for a several meals. Saal came by just as often to give Missy berries or nuts. He made her eat, even if she didn’t want it. By the time they made camp, she barely had room for a handful of berries. It became Saal’s habit to take Missy to his tent. He carried her in and put her down on the cushion he designated as hers. He made sure she stayed warm and had enough to eat and drink.
“Why are you doing this?” she finally asked him. “You plan to turn me over to Anukhan,
why the special treatment? Tie me outside with Dozer.”
“I don’t know what Anukhan has planned for you. I will give you to him in the best possible health.”
“Even if he plans to kill me?” she asked.
“We don’t know that,” Saal said.
She watched him in silence until he voiced his opinion.
“I imagine he will use you as bait,” he admitted.
“I will not help him lure in more bulls. I will fight him every step of the way. In the end, he will have to kill me,” Missy said.
“He is powerful and he will get what he wants from you.” Saal spoke in a casual manner, sure of the outcome.
“He will try,” she said just as convinced. Saal smiled at her and shook his head. “So how long after we clear reptile country is it to jackal territory?” she asked.
“Not far. We will reach the outer territory tomorrow.”
“And then?” she asked.
“You ask too many questions. Get some rest and prepare to get through the reptiles first. If you don’t make it, then you don’t have to worry about afterwards,” Saal said.
Missy took that as conversation over. She shifted her weight and winced. She hoped Saal didn’t notice but he had. He came over and handed her another leaf.
“I’m fine,” she said refusing the medicine.
“You are in pain,” he said.
“I just turned wrong. I’m fine.” Missy lay down, keeping a straight face, something she’d practiced doing, what seemed a lifetime ago.
Saal scowled, unconvinced. “Don’t make me force you,” Saal added, snarling the words.
“Why do you care?” she snapped back. “I’ve dealt with worse. Just leave me alone.” She laid there tense, waiting for him to force her to eat the leaf. He didn’t. She only heard him rise and leave the tent. Missy blew out a sigh and tried to sleep.
Saal woke Missy early the next day. He said nothing as he presented her with breakfast and left the tent. Missy ate what he put before her, even the medicinal leaf he knew she needed. He came to retrieve her ten minutes later, carrying her out and placing her on the cabayo. The other jackals broke down the camp and were ready to go.
“We walk for half a mile, and then we ride hard all the way through,” Saal said. He led the caba Missy rode while Kell led the other one, keeping a close eye on Dozer. When they reached the half-mile point, Missy could see the jungle-like territory ahead. She also saw creatures moving in the distance.
“What do we need to look out for?” Missy asked.
“Anything that moves, and if you fall off the cabayo and hit the ground, lookout for snakes,” he said.
“Snakes? Poisonous?” she asked, swallowing hard.
“Deadly either way.” Saal looked at his crew. “Get ready.”
Dozer climbed onto the other cabayo while the two jackals took positions on either side of him. Saal climbed on behind Missy. “If for any reason we are separated, do not stop. Your job is to get the bull through. I will make sure the human makes it. Ready your weapons.” Saal pulled the shotgun out and made sure it was loaded. The others did the same and on his cue, they started full gallop toward the jungles of reptile territory.
They broke through the dense jungle, surprising the inhabitants, who scattered. They crashed through more dense foliage. Missy saw strange reptiles almost as large as the cabas they rode. The creatures attacked from all sides. The jackals responded with gunfire. Several beast fell in their path but more appeared to chase the strangers.
“Not good,” Missy said as more reptiles of all sizes converged on them. Saal reloaded his shotgun. He aimed at a snarling brute that charged them from the left side. It had the look of a Komodo dragon with longer legs and deadly fangs. The scaled skin seemed to shimmer an eerie iridescent green. It jumped at the cabayo just as Saal fired. The caba skidded to the side to miss the collision. Saal shot a second beast closing in on the other caba. Still the strange reptiles kept coming.
“I think they are attracted by the sound of the guns,” Missy yelled.
“Quite possibly,” Saal admitted. He tried reloading but lost his grip on the gun as the caba changed direction quickly to avoid the snapping jaws of another strange creature, who’s fangs dripped with fresh blood from a recent meal.
“Now we’re in trouble,” Saal said.
Missy looked ahead and saw the other jackals were not fairing any better but she had an idea.
“Get me in front of them,” Missy yelled. Saal looked hesitant. “Trust me!” she added.
Saal kicked the cabayo into another gear and they overtook the lead jackal. Missy concentrated on the dragon’s fire and hurled several fireballs against the advancing reptiles. She cleared the path and frightened several away from the chase but more reptiles continued to attack, even as Missy used her fire on them. Saal held tight to her as she continued launching firebombs.
“We’re close to the end,” Saal told her. “Keep it up.”
She tried but there were too many. One caught the back end of their cabayo. It pitched forward and flung Missy and Saal to the ground. The caba kept running only to be taken down a few yards away by a creature with teeth like an alligator. It tore into the caba’s flesh, ripping huge chunks away even as the animal fought and struggled. Missy landed against a tree. She sat up and screamed. Saal scrambled to his feet and turned in the direction of the sound. Missy sat terrified against the tree as a monstrous snake coiled around her. In seconds, only her shoulders and head appeared over the sleek scaly green coils. Panic and the crushing weight of the snake caused her to breathe shallow. She wanted to scream again when the beast’s head flashed down like lightning and sank it’s fangs into her neck. Then Saul was there. Pulling a knife from his waist, he stabbed the snake without much effect. The snake lunged its fangs at Saal, keeping his coils tight around his victim. Missy felt numb, her mind fogged as it began shutting down. She gathered her fire for one last burst then let it go. Flames ignited the snake’s shiny black and green-splotched scales. It uncoiled and fled into the jungle. Missy couldn’t feel anything, she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t run. Saal snatched her up into his arms and held her close as he ran through the jungle. He ran past the fallen cabayo who had become a meal to several large predators. He ran past other animals drawn into the feast by the smell of fresh blood. Some lunged for him but he ducked and dodged them. He ran past the second caba and one of the jackals, also dead before he burst through the end of reptile territory. He ran another half mile before he spotted Kell and the bull collapsed beside a small stream surrounded by large water plants. Saal dropped to his knees and gently laid Missy on the ground. Her brain panicked and she tried to talk but she had no voice. Only a gurgling sound escaped her lips.
“Do not try to speak. The venom is not poisonous but it is paralyzing. Try to relax,” Saal said as the others joined him. Dozer bellowed in frustration, helpless to stop the bleeding on Missy’s neck. Kell moved Saal aside. He pulled thick leaves from the nearby plants to act as gauze, and he ripped the bottom from Missy’s tunic to keep the bandage in place.
“It should hold until we get back to our lands,” he said. “But we need to hurry.”
Saal scooped Missy up and they headed for home. After only a few miles, though, he realized they wouldn’t make it before dark. Kell and the Bull could barely walk. They swayed from exhaustion and limped along unsteady. Saal kept the lead but at a slower pace. Missy’s bandage soaked through twice and had to be changed, the constant motion disturbing the wound more than necessary. Kell found a suitable place to camp but there would be no fires or tents. Kell stood watch while Saal made another bandage for Missy as she lay alert but immobile. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Dozer looked pained at her misery. Saal tried to calm the girl but she was truly scared now. He cradled her to his chest and rocked her until she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Chapter 24
There was no pain to gauge how she felt. She had no way of knowing the damage she’d susta
ined in reptile territory. More broken bones, internal bleeding, nothing registered. She lay awake frustrated and frightened. Saal still held her in his arms. Surprisingly, she felt safe there. He would protect her, she knew, at least until he turned her over to Anukhan. She tried her voice. Her breath came out in a sort of strangle noise. Saal stirred but didn’t awaken. He rubbed her arm and back absently. She wanted to relax and fall back to sleep, but fear of tomorrow stole away the night and the tears of frustration wouldn’t stop. Missy was still awake, scared, and exhausted when dawn broke over their camp. Kell looked groggy from the night’s watch but he woke the others early.
“Saal, the first village is less than ten miles. We need to get moving,” Kell said
Saal nodded and rose slowly, still holding onto her. Missy caught Dozer’s eye. He pointed to his head and mouthed, ‘talk to me’. Missy tried to sense him.
“Dozer,” she thought.
“I’m here, little human,” Dozer sent back.
“I’m so scared.”
“I know.”
They entered the jackal territory a few hours later. Missy gazed around at the provincial setting. Small handmade dwellings, not like the natural stone dwellings of the Bullclan but they resembled country villas from her world. Saal made his way toward one of the first dwellings with Kell and Dozer behind him. The door opened immediately and a female appeared. It was the first female of the jackal clan that Missy had seen and she wondered why it surprised her.
“Come in, brother,” the female said.
“The human needs attention, Paloma,” Saal said as he came through the door. She led them to a large living space with minimal furniture. She pointed to a pile of woolen throws and pillows. She arranged them into a make shift bed, then Saal set Missy down.
“Anukhan has been anxious for your return, brother.”
“I will go to him today with the bull we captured,” Saal told her. “But the human received a severe bite wound from a snake in reptile country; she needs help.”