by Chuck Black
This esca lizard was huge, nearly ten feet from head to tail. Carliss wondered if there were dozens more ready to pounce on her from behind, but she dared not take her eyes from the one before her. Carliss blinked, and the lizard raced toward her, seeming to appear instantly just two paces away. Carliss gripped the sword tightly with both hands, holding the tip toward the monster. She slowly backed away toward the closest edge of the nest area. Surely this must be the mother lizard… perhaps of the entire swamp, she thought.
The mother lizard followed just out of reach of Carliss’s sword. The foot-long antennae moved forward, searching for something to strike. Each time the lizard shrieked, the antennae would lie down on the back of its neck, and the entire swamp hushed to silence.
Carliss stole very quick glimpses behind her as she backed away, avoiding the nests and looking for other lizards. It was a frighteningly slow process, and she was certain the creature would attack and swallow her whole at any instant.
She finally made it to the edge of the trees and wondered what army of smaller lizards waited for her there. She was in such a desperate predicament that she could hardly make herself go on. She could hear the smaller lizards hissing beyond the vine-and-tree wall.
The mother lizard pushed closer. As quickly as the creature moved, Carliss dared not even swipe at it, for if she missed, she was certain the momentary unguarded exposure would be her end. Backing into the mass of waiting smaller lizards was not a pleasing prospect either, but she knew she had no choice.
Carliss found an opening in the trees and prepared to jump through. The mother lizard crouched low to the ground as if she were ready to launch. Just then, Spirit screeched and swooped down toward the mother lizard from behind. The lizard shrieked and struck at Spirit instead, just missing the mighty bird of prey.
Carliss used the distraction to leap through the trees out of the nesting area. She ran faster than she ever had before, imagining an entire army of esca lizards trailing close behind. The air filled once more with hissing.
As she ran, she mentally charted the location of the lizard nests and realized it had to be but a short distance directly north of Malco’s castle. She did this automatically, as she had done the same thing a thousand times while hunting game. The information didn’t really matter, however; it would probably be useless in just a few minutes.
She continued to run west until she could run no more. She was shocked that she had not been attacked yet. She slowed to a stop, wondering if by some chance she had made it out of the lizard territory, but soon the trees around her hissed and moved in fluidic motions. Everywhere she looked, she caught glimpses of subtle snakelike motions that disappeared into the bark, vines, and soil. Breathing hard, she fell into battle stance, holding the magnificent sword before her, willing to take as many of these hideous creatures with her as possible.
She waited, but none attacked.
She took a step, still holding the sword ready. Nothing happened.
After many long moments of torturous waiting, she finally approached a tree where she had earlier seen movement. When she was a sword’s length away, a portion of the trunk came to life, hissed, then scurried to the far side… away from Carliss. By now Carliss had caught her breath.
Why are the lizards staying away? She looked anew at the splendid piece in her hand. Is it this sword?
Curious to discover the secret of her transparent shield, Carliss held the sword behind her and carefully approached another tree. She prepared to duck away just in case, but once again a portion of the tree trunk sprang to life and slithered away.
Carliss reached into her vest and removed the swamp lilies she had harvested. She looked at the withered flowers and then up to the sky. She felt the peace of the Prince wash over her from head to foot and wanted to shout. That was why the man had her eat the root. And that was why she was safe now, protected by the Life Spice in the swamp lily she had eaten.
Carliss continued her journey west toward Moorue, unhindered by the threat of the esca lizards. Before long she came to the edge of the swamp and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She had survived, but now she faced the biggest dilemma of her life.
WHO SHALL LIVE?
Carliss emerged from the swamp north of Moorue and marked the place in her mind. She could see the three castles of Moorue not far to the south and traveled toward them. She followed along the river’s edge until she could see the eastern bridge and the lamps burning just above the fog in the late morning air.
She paused and reached into her vest to look at the swamp lilies once more. In her hand was life for Dalton—the reason she had come to this place. If she left the city immediately and traveled hard, Dalton might yet live. But so much had happened in the last eight days that her simple mission to find the flowers and return was now complicated by the peril of Si Kon and the Followers.
On the edge of a lonely swamp in a foreign land, Carliss was faced with the decision that every soldier that ever bore arms hopes to avoid—the decision as to which of her fellow combatants would live and which ones would die. She couldn’t choose. Not yet. She refused to give her mind fully to her dilemma, hoping to just react as one would during a sword fight. It was foolishness, she knew, but it kept her moving forward.
Carliss came to the bridge and crossed over, then made her way quickly down the road toward Moorue. She traveled along the edge of the road, using the tree line along its edge as cover. She could imagine that the castles would be on alert, especially after her and Ganoaf’s escape from Esca Prime. Her ability to move about freely in Moorue now was a lost privilege.
She saw a peasant not far up ahead leading a bundle-and-basket-laden horse. Carliss wasn’t concerned about that as much as what was coming up behind the peasant. Two mounted castle guards were fast approaching. Carliss darted off the road, hoping she hadn’t been seen. She continued along the cover of the trees, wondering if going into Moorue was a foolish plan.
The guards stopped the peasant and began to question him. Carliss moved quickly to get close enough to hear the conversation.
“What’s your business on this road?” one guard barked.
The peasant wore a wide-brimmed hat that covered his face. He continued to look down at the ground as he spoke.
“Just delivering my goods, sir,” the peasant said.
The guards looked at each other suspiciously. One guard nodded to the other, then dismounted and stalked over to the peasant. “You’re just a boy!” he said as he whipped the hat off the peasant.
“Yes sir,” the boy answered.
Carliss nearly gasped as she recognized Akiyma. She looked closer at the horse and realized that he had masqueraded Rindy as a pack horse.
The other guard dismounted and began investigating the wares on Rindy’s back.
“This ain’t no pack horse,” he exclaimed. “Where did you get this animal, and what are you up to, boy?”
“I… I’m just watching it for a friend,” Akiyma stammered.
“You’re coming with us, boy.” The first guard reached out and grabbed Akiyma by the scruff of his neck.
“No he’s not!” Carliss brandished Morning Star as she exited the trees near them.
The guards whipped about and drew their swords. “It must be her!” one cried.
“Carliss!” Akiyma struggled violently in the guard’s grasp but could not escape his tight grip.
“Drop your sword and come with us,” the other guard commanded.
“Not on your life,” Carliss replied and attacked quickly. The guard tried to defend himself as Carliss brought multiple cuts in her advance, but his eyes widened as her expertise was revealed. He brought a wide slice across from the left. Carliss deflected his blade, then countered with a quick thrust that hit his leather breastplate. To her surprise, her sword easily penetrated the leather. The guard screamed, dropped his sword, and fell to the ground wounded.
The other guard had pulled Akiyma in close to him now, realizing he was no match for Car
liss. He held the edge of his blade against Akiyma’s throat, and Akiyma froze.
Anger rose within Carliss as she saw the fear on her young friend’s face. She stepped forward, and the guard pressed the steel harder against Akiyma’s tender skin.
“Stay back, or I’ll slice him open,” the guard said.
Carliss was at a loss what do. She studied the man’s face, then saw him glance down at the ground behind her. Akiyma’s eyes followed his, and she realized she had dropped her guard.
She knelt down and spun about with Morning Star leading the way in a powerful circular arc. The fallen guard had recovered his sword and was midway through a wide slice that would have cut through Carliss’s back, but his blade now passed just overhead. Her sword swished past his in the opposite direction, finding its mark. The guard immediately fell to the ground, never to rise again. Carliss rose up with fury in her eyes and glared at Akiyma’s captor.
“Let the boy go or you will suffer the same fate!”
The guard’s eyes were wide with fear. He moved toward his horse, keeping Akiyma between himself and Carliss. He threw Akiyma to the ground and mounted quickly just as Spirit screeched and dove at the guard. The horse spooked and reared, throwing the man to the ground with a thud. Carliss covered him quickly with her sword and disarmed him.
“Akiyma, get some rope,” she ordered.
Carliss tied the guard to a tree a few paces off the road and dragged his fallen comrade out of sight.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Akiyma told Carliss as she removed the wares he had tied to her horse. “I watched the castle and saw them take you to Esca Prime. Every day I came here to wait for you.”
“You have been brave, Akiyma. Thank you.” Carliss recovered her long knife and her bow and quiver, setting them across her shoulder.
Akiyma fell silent and watched Carliss with longing eyes. Carliss glanced at him as she finished preparing Rindy. She paused, then went to recover one of the guards’ horses and brought it over to where Akiyma was standing.
“What are you going to do now?” Akiyma asked.
She struggled for the right words. “Do you remember my friend Dalton? I have the flower that will save him, but I must ride very fast to reach him in time.”
Akiyma’s head lowered. “You are leaving, then?”
“We are leaving. You must come with me, Akiyma. I can’t leave you here by yourself. We will ride to Brimwick Downs and get help from other Knights of the Prince there.” Carliss tried to sound encouraging for the lad. “They can bring you back to Moorue and rescue your family, Si Kon, and everyone from the haven.”
Akiyma looked up suddenly. “They’re not dead?”
Carliss grabbed his shoulders. “No, Akiyma. They are prisoners. The knights in Brimwick Downs will do everything they can to …
Her words drifted off as she heard Ganoaf’s warning in her mind. Malco did not keep his prisoners long. To travel to Brimwick Downs and return would probably take more time than they had.
She looked down at the ground and bit her lip, sick with worry. There was the very real possibility that no matter what she did, everyone would die.
She closed her eyes, then felt Akiyma’s hand on her cheek. She looked into his dark brown eyes, once again seeing the sparkle of the Prince in them.
“You can still save Sir Dalton, Lady Carliss, it’s all right.” Akiyma smiled sadly. “The Prince will help Si Kon and my family.”
Carliss pulled Akiyma to her and hugged him tightly. The compassion that made her Carliss overwhelmed her once again, and she knew she could not leave. She also knew what Dalton would ask of her even at the expense of his life. She released him to the death that awaited and turned her mind to Despon Swamp.
“Come, Akiyma. I’ll need you to watch the horses. Let’s go find your family.”
Carliss helped Akiyma mount the guard’s horse, then mounted Rindy. They galloped back to the bridge, crossed it, and turned north. In just a few minutes, Carliss was back to the place where she had exited the swamp.
“Do you know where they are?” Akiyma asked, peering toward the tangle of vegetation that marked the beginning of the swamp.
Carliss thought about the prisoner pit and the nest of esca lizards she had discovered. Then she understood that of all the knights in the kingdom, only she could search and find the prisoners unhindered by the deadly threat of the lizards.
“No I don’t, but I have a good idea. Lord Malco’s pretty easy to figure out.” She gave him a quick smile and held Morning Star before her. “Don’t enter the swamp, Akiyma. You will be safe here. Watch Rindy for me… I’ll need her ready to go when I get back.”
“I will, Lady Carliss.”
Spirit screeched nearby, and Akiyma looked up. “I’ve seen that bird before,” he said, pointing to the sky. Carliss watched the majestic raptor circle lower. He had saved her life more than once, and she was grateful. She pulled some dried meat out of her pack and held it up, wondering if the hawk would accept her offering. Spirit came closer, looking for someplace to land. Carliss held up her arm, and Spirit settled gently onto the leather vambrace that protected her forearm.
Akiyma’s eyes were wide with astonishment, and his mouth hung open. Carliss gave the hawk the piece of dried meat. She was amazed herself at the size of the bird and the strength of its claws.
“He belongs to a friend,” Carliss told Akiyma.
She reached up and stroked the bird carefully. Spirit screeched, and the sound hurt Carliss’s ears. Akiyma covered his own. The bird then spread its wings and took flight once again.
Carliss dismounted and handed the reins to Akiyma. She patted Rindy, and something caught her eye. Still attached to Rindy’s pack was the bundle containing the strange mixture of powder that Petolemew had given her. She secured the bundle to her belt and ran into the swamp, abandoning one mission for another.
THE PIT OF DESPON SWAMP
Carliss retraced her steps to the nesting area, and as she went, all the pieces of information seemed to fall into place. Esca Prime castle, the nesting area, and the pit of prisoners all had to be near one another to make Malco’s evil scheme work, and the Prince had planted his swamp lily within reach of all of them. The castle’s location was obvious, and she had already discovered the nesting area. She mentally connected the dots and guessed there were two areas where the pit might be. She set her course northeast to investigate the first. She had grown accustomed to the occasional hiss of a lizard and its subtle movements, but they nearly ignored if not avoided her now.
After a fruitless search of the first area, which took a good portion of the afternoon, she set out for the second area. By late afternoon, she heard the slightest sound of voices and made her way in their direction. Every so often, through breaks in the trees, she could see Spirit gliding overhead, and the sight of him comforted her some. It seemed he was her only help in this dark and desperate place.
As Carliss neared, the sound of many dark voices sifted through the trees. She carefully made her way to the edge of a horrid place that she knew must be the pit.
The entire site was sunk into the ground a couple of feet and was surrounded by torches on raised steel stands spaced every ten feet. Two stone buildings squatted on opposite edges of the depression, and armed warriors entered and exited the buildings from time to time. In the middle of the site sat three domed steel cages with bars spaced closely together. A fourth cage was nearly complete, and the ground had been cleared for a fifth.
The three completed cages were packed with prisoners.
Carliss counted at least thirty guards on the site, but they were not just guards. She knew by their size and demeanor that they were all Shadow Warriors. All wore chain mail and some form of armor. She could only guess how many more were in the buildings.
Carliss slumped in despair. How could she possibly help any of the prisoners? Malco was right—it would take an army. She had sacrificed Dalton for nothing.
Carliss watched for a lon
g while until she was convinced she had seen Si Kon and his family among the prisoners. She then slowly backed away from the borders of the pit, crawling until she was well out of sight. She stood and walked farther, trying to form some sort of plan. When she felt she was far enough away, she began to pace.
How could evil this great have flourished unhindered? she wondered. So many people…so much pain…so much death. If this truly was the feeding pit for the esca lizards, then this was the vilest place in all the kingdom. And it was all masked by the elegance and wealth of Malco’s prosperity.
It was the way of Lucius, she thought, so why shouldn’t it be the way of his lieutenants? The Dark Knight offered something pleasing to the eye and pleasant to experience—for a time—but beneath the surface there was treachery, imprisonment, and ultimately horror.
She turned to look toward the direction of the pit. As the light of day diminished, she suspected that the feeding of the lizards would begin, and so would the executions, and there was little she could do about it. Frustrated, she kicked furiously at a root.
Suddenly a strong leather-gloved hand covered her mouth from behind.
“Scream, and you’ll die in an instant,” the deep voice whispered in her right ear.
Carliss knew immediately that a Shadow Warrior had her in his grip. She felt like a fool for allowing the grief of the situation to overcome her normally keen awareness. But she still had Morning Star in her grip, and she decided she would not give in to these evil brutes without a fight.
She quickly rotated her hand about the handle of her sword so the pommel was now near her thumb, then slammed the pommel back into the face of her assailant. He yelled and released his grip on her. Carliss dove forward and repositioned her sword as she spun about to face her enemy—or enemies, for two warriors had come to take her. One now knelt on the ground with his hand to his face, blood trickling through his fingers, while the other covered him with a drawn sword. Both warriors wore chain-mail coifs and shirts, leather gloves, and leather leg armor, so that almost every inch of their bodies was covered.