by Jon F. Merz
Ran turned and followed the guard out.
Behind him, Iqban’s moans gradually faded away as he cooked over the fire.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
It took them nearly twice the time to get back to Zal’s fiefdom as it had when Iqban had brought him to the Mung kingdom, Ran decided as they walked. He wasn’t sure if the guard was deliberately leading them around in circles to confuse Ran or not. Perhaps Zaqil had requested he do it, even though he’d pressed a small silken map into Ran’s hands as they were parting. Ran knew the map would show him how to return if he was ever able to come back.
The tunnels were still a confusing maze, but Ran started to recognize several key features as they walked. His eyes had grown accustomed to the dim light, and he knew they were close when they took a sudden turn and ended up in the tunnel where he had picked the lock on the knob controlling the main gate. Cool air flowed into the tunnel, and Ran guessed that the door was open still. As he walked on, his Mung guide suddenly stopped and then handed Ran his sword.
“Thank you,” said Ran, tucking the blade into his belt.
The Mung guide waved, then turned and headed back toward his home, leaving Ran alone in the tunnel.
For a moment, Ran watched him leave. The Mung turned and then melted into the shadows. Ran smirked. It reminded him of watching a fellow shadow warrior blend into the darkness.
Then he turned and walked down the tunnel to the main cavern.
The bodies of the guards that had helped Iqban kidnap Cassandra were still on the floor; their blood had dried to a sticky dark viscous liquid, and the smell was horrible. Ran scrunched up his nose and looked around for any signs that Kuva and Cassandra were still nearby. He found nothing.
The air inside the main cavern felt cooler than he would have expected. Judging by the gusts, there might even be a storm blowing outside, he concluded. He wondered how far Kuva and Cassandra might have gotten, but then knew the only way to find out was to follow them. Ran took a final look around the cavern and at the tunnels and then started his trek toward the outside world. He was relieved to have a weapon as he walked. Zal was still very much a threat, and if he stumbled across the miniature despot, he would gladly cut him down.
But his main focus was on finding Cassandra and Kuva. The tunnel sloped upward as he walked, and he found himself growing more excited with each step he took. Hope flooded him that he might soon be reconnected with his friends. Then perhaps they could find a place to rest and recover from their ordeal in the catacombs. A long rest would suit him well before he decided whether to continue with the clan’s reconnaissance mission or escort Cassandra to the safety of her kingdom. Then there was the matter of Zaqil’s request for help. Ran would definitely have to pass that along to the clan.A lot to do, he decided.
As he continued up the path, something disturbed him. It was hard to pinpoint what it was exactly, but as he walked, he felt pressure building up around him. In the air, nearby. Some sort of energy.
He dropped without thinking about it.
And the world around him exploded.
He awoke still by himself in the cave. His hand immediately went for his sword, and he was relieved to find it still there. Ran got up and shook himself off. The explosion had been a big one, but amid the debris that surrounded him, he could see no reason for it. Bits of rock lay scattered all over the place; some in big chunks, others in small. He picked one of them up and looked at it. It appeared to be exactly like the type of rock he’d spent his days mining for Zal’s nefarious purposes.
But as he looked closer, Ran saw tinges of blue vein running through it. And as he held it in his hand, the blue vein started to glow and pulse, almost as if the rock itself were alive. Ran put it down on the ground and then continued walking up the slope. The way was harder going now, but it hadn’t been blocked, fortunately.
Near the top of the slope, he saw movement. Hugging the rock wall, Ran eased himself forward. He hoped it was Kuva or Cassandra. But as he got closer, he could see that the movement came from about a score of Mithrus’s guards.
Ran frowned. Zaqil had told him they’d mopped up all the pockets of resistance, but clearly they had not succeeded in killing everyone. Here were at least twenty heavily armed soldiers, clearly up to something.
He looked closer and saw a smaller figure directing them this way and that.
Zal.
The maniacal Mung despot was directing several slaves to put large boxes of something near the entrance of the cave that led to the catacombs. And behind Zal, Ran spotted two cages. What he saw next made his heart drop.
Zal had Cassandra and Kuva in one cage and roughly six Mung warriors in another. The Mung warriors clawed at the bars and hissed. Cassandra and Kuva sat dejectedly in their cage. Kuva clearly had some injuries, and dried blood caked his face and neck. Cassandra seemed to be tending to him, but it was clear they were being kept alive for some reason.
So close to the daylight, Ran marveled at how bright everything seemed. He’d grown used to being in the tunnels, but now he was back above it all. Judging by the amount of light, it must have been some time in the early evening. He was grateful he hadn’t emerged at midday, when the light might have blinded him. As it was, the sky seemed gray and foreboding, with bloated clouds hugging the area.
He continued to watch the slaves placing boxes next to the entrance of the cave. What could they have contained, he wondered. He couldn’t risk getting closer without exposing himself, so he would have to wait until darkness to inspect them. And then he had to work on freeing Kuva and Cassandra as well.
Looking behind him, Ran wondered if Zaqil knew that Zal was up here or still in the area. He’d asked Ran to kill him if he saw him. But against a force of twenty soldiers, Ran would need some help. He looked back at the cage of Mung warriors. If he could get close to them and use the secret phrase, they would know he was an ally and not their enemy. Freeing them would give the guards plenty to handle while Ran freed Cassandra and Kuva and then killed Zal.
It could work.
There was a lull in activity as one of the slaves collapsed. The soldiers moved in and started beating him, but the old man did not move.
Ran used the distraction to get closer to the entrance, tucking himself into a shallow depression in the cave wall that afforded him a good view of the area. As he watched, Zal ordered the unconscious slave brought over to the cage containing the Mung warriors. More of the soldiers used their swords to poke the Mung into one corner while a guard opened the door and dropped the slave inside. Ran watched this all, noting that the cage didn’t require a key, but was more of a heavy latch lock. He hoped it was the same type of arrangement on the cage containing Cassandra and Kuva.
The guard slammed the door shut again, and the soldiers moved away from the cage. No longer restrained by the threat of swords, the Mung warriors set about eating the slave. Fortunately, Ran surmised he was already dead. And the Mung ate him quickly. Ran was far enough away that his ears did not pick up the sounds of the man being eaten. As it was, he had to turn away and try to quell the rolling in his stomach.
Zal seemed to revel in the bloodlust of the Mung warriors, however, and clapped his hands as they finished off the poor slave’s body, leaving only the bones behind. Some of the Mung even gnawed on them as they finished. Ran watched the expression on Cassandra’s face and saw pure terror there.
Ran stared at the sky and willed it to grow darker so that he could get his friends freed. But the light of the sky still showed far too much for Ran’s comfort. He frowned. His heart pulsed faster, and he willed himself to slow it down. He remembered his teachers telling him not to be rash in his actions. Doing so would get him killed. And his friends. But in the real world, it was far tougher than back at the safety of his school. He could see the lives of his friends being measured in mere minutes if he chose not to act.
He turned away from the scene and stared back into the inky blackness of the cave. Somehow the darkness helped
calm him. He’d been down in the depths of the catacombs for so long that it felt more comfortable to move in the shadows than in the daylight.
A clap of thunder boomed overhead. Ran turned back and saw that the clouds had opened up. A downpour fell on the entirety of Zal’s party. But the rain quickly turned to snow, the white flakes coming down thick and fast. Ran grinned. He could use the weather to his advantage almost as well as the darkness. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but given the circumstance, he couldn’t have asked for better.
Zal’s men ran about the entrance, moving boxes and supplies just inside. The remaining slaves were tied up near the cave mouth. The two cages of prisoners were brought to the innermost portion of the cave’s entrance. They were now closer to Ran. He waited until the guards moved away after checking that the latches were still secured. Then he crept forward until he was behind the cage containing Cassandra and Kuva.
“Cassandra.”
She turned, and her eyes widened. “Ran?”
He held up a finger to his lips. “Stay quiet. I’m going to get you out of here.”
“Kuva’s badly injured. He tried fighting all of Zal’s men after they grabbed me.”
“How did you get ambushed?”
Cassandra frowned. “It was my fault. I thought we were home free after we left the main entrance. Zal was waiting above and grabbed us as we came out.”
“What about the Mung in the next cage?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. He already had them. He’s repeatedly threatened to feed us to them. Did you see what they did to that other poor soul? Horrible!”
Ran held up his hand. “Don’t be too hard on them. It’s their culture.”
“Eating people? No, thank you.” She looked around to make sure no one was about and then turned back to Ran. “What happened to you? We looked in the tunnel, but you were gone.”
“Iqban, the slaver. He knocked me out from behind and tried to sell me to the Mung king, who, it turns out, is Zal’s half-brother. There’s no love lost there. In any event, I won my freedom and came back straightaway only to find you both in this predicament. Is Kuva conscious?”
Kuva grunted. “Barely.”
“How bad is it, friend?”
“Bad. I’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“Can you hang on until I get things sorted?”
Kuva turned and grinned at Ran. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Ran smiled. “You still have a sense of humor. That’s good.” He looked at Cassandra. “I’m going to free the Mung and let them handle the dirty work for me.”
“They’ll tear you apart!”
Ran shook his head. “I don’t think they will. I know a few more things about them now that I visited with their king.”
“Enough to make them your allies?”
Ran cocked an eyebrow. “I guess we’ll find out.” He moved to the rear of the cave again, sinking back into the shadows. Just in time, a guard made his rounds and checked on the cages. Ran watched him move over to the Mung cage. The Mung growled at the guard, who only laughed. Rand waited until he walked back toward the cave entrance and then moved over to the cage containing the Mung soldiers.
They must have heard him approach, because they glared at him with bared teeth.
I hope this works, thought Ran.
“Bak chang huq yarol.”
He whispered the words through the bars of the cage, and the Mung backed up in surprise. Their eyes wide, they spoke in whispers among themselves. Finally, one of them moved forward to the bars. Ran tried his best to not stare at the blood that caked his mouth. When he spoke, Ran could still see bits of flesh dangling from his teeth.
“How do you know our tongue?”
“Your king taught me those words himself. He said it would let any Mung know that I am a friend to your people.”
The Mung soldier frowned and then appeared to translate what Ran had said to the others. He looked back at Ran. “You are friend?”
“I am. I’m going to free you. But you must promise not to harm me or my friends in the next cage there.”
The Mung looked over at Cassandra and Kuva and then back at Ran. “If you free us, the men will kill us.”
“No doubt they’re going to kill you anyway,” said Ran. “Wouldn’t you rather die fighting than in some cage like an animal?”
The Mung didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”
“Then when I free you, you will have only a little time to overwhelm the guards before your advantage is lost. I will help you fight. But remember, do not attack me or my friends.”
“And what of Zal?”
“Your king requested that I kill him if I saw him. But if one of you kills him, it will be a great honor for your people. It matters not to me.”
“Very well. Free us.”
Ran moved to the door of the cage and checked his surroundings again. The weather outside had intensified, and the snow fell thick and fast. Already icicles had formed at the mouth of the cave, giving the cave entrance the appearance of a mouth filled with sharp teeth. Ran smiled at the image and then turned back to the cage.
The latch came up easily enough. Ran held up his hand as he slowly opened the door, praying it wouldn’t squeak and alert the guards. But it swung out smoothly.
In an instant, the Mung came forward out of the cage. They had no weapons, but as soon as they attacked, the guards they killed would provide them with arms.
“Ready?” asked Ran.
The Mung warrior nodded once. “For our king.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ran moved quickly to the cage where Cassandra and Kuva were and motioned Cassandra over. “Can Kuva move?”
“No.”
“Then move to the center of the cage. Otherwise someone might thrust a blade at you when the mayhem starts.”
Cassandra watched the Mung warriors moving stealthily toward their foes. “Do they know . . . ?”
“They know you’re not an enemy, yes.” Ran saw the first of Zal’s men disappear. “I need to go.” He turned and drew his own sword before following the rest of the Mung toward the cave mouth. Bits of wet snowflakes twirled around them as the harsh winter wind blew them into the cave. Several cooking fires had been started, but that only served to illuminate the men the Mung were going to kill. As the light outside faded, the fires helped silhouette the soldiers.
Two more of Zal’s men vanished. Then the Mung let out a war cry and rushed toward the men sitting around the fires. Zal’s soldiers cried out and fell over from shock as the Mung swarmed over them, clawing and punching and kicking. As the men went down, the Mung grabbed up their swords and then used them against the soldiers who hadn’t died in the initial assault. Zal’s men managed to form a line and started fighting back.
Ran dashed ahead and took on the left flank. The soldier there glanced in Ran’s direction but must have assumed that Ran was one of his mates, because he waved him on. Ran cut his head from his shoulders and then drove into the next man, swiping with his sword up and down, mowing down two more of the soldiers before they were able to ascertain what was going on.
The Mung never stopped moving ahead. Two of them died as Zal’s men fought them back, but the remaining four pressed on, working as a team to attack two more soldiers.
But Zal’s men had more than just swords with them, and four of them brought the spears out quickly. Together they formed an impenetrable wedge that skewered two more of the Mung, one through the heart and another in the throat. There were just two of the Mung left. With Ran.
“Enough!”
Zal’s voice rang out, and something about his tone made Ran turn and see what he was up to. The Mung despot stood close to the cage where Cassandra and Kuva still resided. In his hand, he held a small box that pulsed blue. “Unless you want to see your friends destroyed, you will stop immediately.”
Ran’s arm hung in mid-stroke, but he allowed it to go limp. What did Zal have in his hand? But again, the conviction in his voice ma
naged to sway him. “What are you up to, Zal?”
“I will detonate the boxes under their cage unless you surrender right this instant.”
Ran looked and frowned. There were two boxes under the cage. Boxes like what he’d seen the slaves moving into the cave. What was so special about them? “So what?”
“Were you creeping about earlier when one of them exploded? You must have been to get into position to arrange this folly.” Zal smiled. “Surely you’ve noticed the blue torches in the catacombs. The rock that powers them is a volatile substance that explodes when properly initiated.”
Ran remembered the explosion. And the damage it had done. Two boxes of that stuff under his friends would blow them apart. If Kuva had been able to move, Ran would have let them out of the cage. But he couldn’t do anything about that right now.
He dropped his sword. “Fine.”
Zal’s men took him by the shoulders and trussed his hands. The two Mung left alive were herded together and held at sword point by six of Zal’s men.
In spite of the failure, they had managed to kill over half of Zal’s men. Ran knew that Zal would settle for nothing less than brutal vengeance. But better to risk that than the deaths of his friends. Zal walked forward and opened another box nearby. From inside he took out two rocks about six inches across and brought them up to the captured Mung. He gave the rocks to the guards. “Attach the rocks to their backs.”
Zal’s guards roughly turned the Mung and strapped the rocks to their backs by wrapping rope around them. Zal addressed them in their language and then nodded to his soldiers. “Turn them loose at the mouth of the cave. Let them run outside.”
The Mung were taken to the mouth and then prodded out into the blinding snowstorm. With their hands strapped to their sides, they floundered about, trying to help each other get free. Zal stood next to Ran and sighed. “They are fierce fighters, but not very intelligent. Watch.” He aimed the small box in his hand and then depressed a small button on it.
Ran looked. The growing dark outside suddenly illuminated in a flash of brilliant blue energy. The two Mung were blasted apart, pieces of their bodies flying everywhere and staining the snow red.