by Alan Black
Tanden called back, “Herded or not, we must keep moving. Look for a place to defend ourselves.”
Gadon yelled, “Let’s fight them now. In this canyon, they can’t get at us more than a few at a time.”
Seenger shouted his agreement.
“No,” Tanden called. “Keep moving.”
Tuller added, “Tanden’s right. We’re in the open here. They won’t have to close in on us. They can shoot us from the rocks above.”
“Great!” Gadon called. “What does it matter? I’m going to die of hunger and thirst before they catch us. That is, if the back of this pile of walking bones doesn’t do me in first.”
The canyon twisted and turned, becoming more and more pinched. They were riding single file, as there was barely room for two sauruses side-by-side. The afternoon sun’s heat was coming at them in waves off the rock walls.
Tanden knew dehydration was setting in. He had stopped sweating. I-Sheera clung limply to his back, her head hanging in the muggy air. The saurus’s tongue hung long and limp from its mouth as it gasped for air.
“There!” Tanden shouted. He pointed to a jumble of rocks ahead of them. A cluster of caves and depressions in the cliff wall should give them temporary shelter from arrows fired from the canyon rim. They had to take refuge now. None of their sauruses could carry them much farther, even if the canyon had an outlet ahead of them.
“Get into the caves. If they want us, they’ll have to dig us out face-to-face.” He grabbed I-Sheera by her arm and swung her to the ground.
She scrambled up the hill, ducking into a cave mouth closest to the canyon floor. Three or four smaller openings surrounded the cave entrance. Gadon and Tuller followed her closely, running toward the same cave. Both men’s hands were filled with weapons and bundles. They ran up the side of the pile of rocks, with the practiced, sure feet of veteran sailors, a trait learned from years of climbing rigging on the rolling deck of a ship at sea.
Before Seenger could follow them, Tanden said to him. “Seenger, let’s get these animals turned around. If we send them back out the way we came in, it may slow down our pursuit. Also, I don’t want any sauruses killed here. I don’t have any desire to be stuck in a cave in this heat with a dead saurus within nose range.”
Dismounting, the two quickly had the four sauruses turned. They were standing two-by-two with their sides almost scraped the rough rock—effectively blocking the canyon. Tanden waited a moment until he was sure the Coodhars were right behind them. Shouting, he and Seenger slapped the rumps of the four sauruses. Three sauruses shot forward, running easily without the weight of riders. Tanden’s saurus just shivered and stood.
Tanden pulled the small knife he had taken off the dead Hummdhar warrior earlier in the day. Apologizing softly to the saurus, he jabbed it deep in the saurus’s flank. Startled, the saurus jumped forward from the pain and ran after the other sauruses. Tanden wiped the blade on his trouser leg and re-sheathed it.
Seenger looked from Tanden to the canyon where the saurus had disappeared and back to Tanden. The ogre nodded his appreciation and turned to climb into the caves. Before he reached the opening, an arrow shattered on a boulder next to him.
Tanden squinted up at the high canyon rim. He could not return an accurate shot from his own bow, even if he could clearly see the archer. Both he and the ogre bolted into the cave without looking back.
Transitioning from the bright light of the canyon into the darkness of the cave blinded Tanden for a moment. He tripped over something and found himself lying on the cave floor with great puffs of dust settling around him. He shook his head to clear the dust away and looked into the eyes of Gadon, lying beside him.
Gadon said, “Oh, this is just wonderful. We’re being led around this wilderness by a man who can’t walk upright on his own two feet. Here I am, Tanden, parched with thirst, roasting in an oven and you decide to shower me with dust.”
Tanden replied, with a smile, “My friend, I see you aren’t so parched that you’ve lost your voice.”
“True, true, all too true,” Gadon said. “But everything else is wasting away to nothing. I’m going to be down to skin and bones before the sun sets. And hiding in this cave is going to do nothing for my skin. Why, in here I’ll turn as pale as a newborn baby’s bottom!”
Tuller laughed, “When have you ever seen a newborn baby’s bottom? I’ve yet to meet a woman who would take you for a husband. Certainly, I’ve never met a woman who’d want to have your children. I shudder to think of what your offspring would look like.”
“Me? My children?” Gadon sputtered. “You impudent young pup. By mother’s beard, I’ve known more women than you’ve ever seen in your short life.”
Tanden said, “It’s true, Tuller. He has known many women in his life. And if he had all of the money back that he paid for them, we’d all be wealthy beyond our years.”
Gadon looked at Tanden with mock pain on his face, “Ganging up on me now? Yes, I may have paid for a wench or two in my time, but they both gave me my money back. They said they couldn’t take payment from a man of my talents. So, what have you two to say to that?”
Tuller glanced outside, squinting into the sunlight, “My eyes must be deceiving me. It must be a moon in the night sky and not the sun, because you, my big brother, and I do mean big, must be dreaming.”
I-Sheera hesitantly spoke, “I think Gadon is quite a handsome man. I know many women who would consider themselves lucky to have such a man as a husband.”
“Ha!” Gadon shouted in triumph.
Tanden and Tuller looked at the woman and then at each other. Both men watched Seenger move next to I-Sheera. The ogre put a huge hand on the woman’s forehead. He wore a puzzled expression as unmoving as stone when he announced, “She has no fever. Must be delirious from lack of water.”
Tuller roared with laughter. He said to I-Sheera, “Now you say something about wanting this uncouth brother of mine for a husband, when it’s a little difficult to leave you two alone?”
“Wait. No, no wait,” she said, “I didn’t mean…I meant that. I…no, I didn’t mean I wanted to have his children. I just said I knew women who would want Gadon for a husband.”
Tanden was relieved everyone was joining in on the good-natured banter. It meant that in spite of the difficult position they found themselves in, they were in good spirits and still had more strength left than he would have imagined.
Tanden said, “Girl, you must have strange friends. When we get home, you find one of them for Gadon. He hasn’t found a woman yet who could put up with him for longer than one night.”
Gadon crawled back to the entrance to the cave and peered out, “I might as well go back out and face the barbarians. You, who are supposed to be my friends, will have me married to a fishmonger’s widow before the day is out. What about my children then? I suppose they’d look like carp.”
Tuller said, “Well-fed carp, by any standards.”
Gadon waved a hand, cutting the conversation short, “We have visitors coming to call.”
Tanden’s eyesight had adjusted to the dimmer light of the cave. It was not large, but bigger than it appeared from the canyon floor. All the openings they had seen led to the same small cave. It was about eight feet high at its tallest point. For the most part, a man did not have to stoop to move around. To the rear, the cave narrowed and a tunnel disappeared into the darkness.
Standing up, he moved to the right. Stepping up a small rise to a higher opening in the cave wall, he untangled his bow and quiver. Looking into the bright light reflecting off the rocks, he counted only two men moving toward them. He could not see the canyon rim from his vantage point.
He said, “I see two. One by the rocks below and one sliding along this side of the wall.”
Gadon said, “I see two also but they’re in the rocks below. I can’t see your man along the wall.” He turned to I-Sheera who had come up next to him, “Girl, get back. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
T
anden said, “Leave her be, Gadon. She’s stood us in good stead to this point.”
Gadon nodded acceptance and gestured for her to take a place at the opposite side of the opening.
Tuller said quietly from another opening, “I can’t see anyone below, but I can see half a dozen above us on the rim.”
Seenger stood quietly in the shade, gripping his sword at the ready.
“I think,” Tanden said, “we have Coodhar after us. They must’ve known about this canyon and drove us in here to bottle us up, so they can pick us off from above. Those we see in the canyon are the few they used to chase us in here.”
Gadon replied, “Fine. Their three against our four—”
“Five,” I-Sheera interrupted.
“Five,” Gadon corrected with a nod in her direction, “Their three against our five is no contest. We kill these few and get out of this oven.”
Tanden said, “Sorry, my friend. You forget the archers on the rim. They’re in good shooting positions. We couldn’t go ten feet before we’d have arrows raining down on our heads. No. I think we’re well and truly cornered. We’re under siege, all they have to do is wait for thirst to drive us out into the open.”
Gadon said, “Fine. But tell that to these three here. They’re getting ready to charge.”
Tanden agreed, the men were working themselves up to rushing the opening. He notched an arrow to his bowstring and took aim at the man along the wall. The man’s position was only partially exposed, but he was more accessible to Tanden than the other two. The man would expose himself fully to rush the cave opening.
Tanden heard Gadon and I-Sheera’s slings begin to whirl awaiting a shot.
“Patience, people,” Tanden said. “Wait for them to come to us.”
The men were so close he would not be able to get more than one or two arrows away before they reached the cave entrance. He glanced sideways. Tuller and Seenger had braced themselves, with swords in their hands, ready when and if the men reached the mouth of the cave.
All three Coodhars began shouting and cursing. Tanden heard shouts of encouragement from the rim above, but held his shot.
Tanden said quietly to himself, “How thoughtful of them to announce their intentions.”
Gadon, overhearing the comment, replied with sarcasm, “Oh yes, we must remember to thank them later. Maybe we can invite them over for dinner and a beer.”
Suddenly, all three Coodhars rushed toward the cave. Tanden let his arrow fly sending his target sprawling on the ground. Tanden knew his shot missed the man’s torso, but he could not see where he hit him. Instead of wasting time looking, Tanden notched an arrow and fired at the other man he could see. As he let his second arrow go, Tanden saw his target get pelted with stones. The man turned and sprinted toward his fallen companion.
Both uninjured Coodhars lifted up the wounded man who had an arrow stuck in his leg. He was unable to run unassisted, but the three men scooted quickly away on five legs. They ran out of sight around a bend in the canyon. Tanden’s shot may not have been immediately fatal, but he saw there was damage enough. Depending on the angle of the shaft, the man could die from any number of causes. Tanden had seen men with similar wounds die from loss of blood within minutes, or from broken bones that did not heal, and some whose legs went numb. He had even seen men with lesser wounds die from decay, simply rotting from the inside.
“Tanden,” Gadon called. “Do you want to tell them they’re supposed to just wait for us to die of thirst? I’m sure that’ll be any time now.”
Tanden said, “They were just testing us to make sure we weren’t going anywhere. I don’t believe they’ll rush us again for quite awhile. They’ll let the heat work on us before they risk any more of their people. Tuller, you’re on look out. The rest of us should move farther back in the cave. It’ll be cooler the deeper we move into the dark.”
“Oh, better and better yet,” said Gadon. “For all we know this cave is inhabited by trolls, or maybe goblins, or maybe this is the opening to a dragon’s lair. And you want me to walk blindly into the dark?”
Tanden replied, “Well, Gadon. If you’re afraid, we can have the girl hold your hand. Besides, goblins live in forests and mountains. This cave is much too small to house a dragon of any dangerous size. And trolls, well, you should be able to smell them long before they attack. Do you smell any trolls?”
Gadon looked askance at Tanden. He was apparently unable to determine whether or not Tanden was joking with him. He said, “No. But I’ve never smelled a troll before. Have you?”
“Certainly not. But how many times have I told you that you should read more? Why I’ve read several books that talk of the smell of trolls! By all accounts, they smell like rotting cabbage and burning stinkweed.”
Gadon said, “All right. If we get eaten by any creature of the night, I’m never going to listen to you again.” He snorted, “Books! Ha! Waste of good drinking time, if you ask me.” Gadon walked toward the tunnel at the back of the cave. Everyone noticed that he walked cautiously, with his sword at the ready.
Tanden smiled at his friend’s back. He propped his bow and quiver against the wall near the cave mouth so anyone could reach it in a hurry. Turning to Tuller and said, “We’ll spell you out of the heat before too long. If any of those men out there speak Holdenish, maybe you can talk them into letting us walk out of here.”
Tuller said, “Not very likely. Any trade involves a fair exchange. At this point, we don’t have anything to offer.” Watching the others retreating, with a sly smile and a wink he said loudly, “Maybe you can bring me some troll or dragon skins, then we might have something to offer.”
From inside the cave tunnel, Gadon’s voice echoed, “I heard that.”
Tanden walked carefully along the uneven floor of the cave, hunched over and stooped inside the tunnel. Gadon and Seenger were already sitting with their backs to the wall. The tunnel was noticeably cooler, but neither man moved farther back than the light traveled directly from the cave mouth. I-Sheera was standing near them looking for a comfortable place to sit. Tanden walked past them.
Tanden had long since stopped believing in trolls, goblins, and other monsters that come out of the dark—still, he quietly drew a deep breath before stepping around a sharp bend in the tunnel. Standing still, listening in the darkness, Tanden released his breath. The light was much dimmer, but it was considerably cooler. Little light and less heat reflecting off the canyon walls reached this part of the cave.
Tanden’s eyes adjusted quickly. He could see quite a distance. He sat down on a rock with his back to the cool rock wall, wincing as his bruised and torn skin touched the hard rocks. It seemed like such a long time had passed since he climbed the cliff by the sea and been gnawed at by dragonettes. In the constant rush of events, he had almost forgotten how bruised, battered, and tired he was. The cool temperature of the rock comforted his aches and pains.
He sighed, mentally berating himself, “What have you done? By your stubbornness, you’ve not only trapped yourself, but you’ve trapped the others with you. Why am I such a fool? Do I really think I’m something I’m not? Maybe if I’d never been born, these people wouldn’t be cornered here with me and Durrban might still be alive to see his grandchildren again. Maybe if the midwife had bashed my head in when I first arrived, none of this would have happened.”
“No!” he argued with himself, “No, no, no. The alliance between King Krebbem, leader of Holden and the Red Wizard would have happened anyway. Another captain would’ve mastered the White Wind. Maybe the others would’ve died sooner. No. I’m not a fool. I know there’s a way out of this.”
Quieting his thoughts, Tanden closed his eyes to the dim light. Full of hope, he set his thoughts on the task ahead, thanking the six gods for helping him get this far. Even if the moons were not listening, a little wishful thinking could not hurt. He focused his thoughts on solid believing images of victory. Not fantasies or daydreaming but clear mental pictures of success that cou
ld only do good, helping him to keep his goals clear and his path toward those goals as straight and narrow as he could plan them.
A rattle of stones and the shuffle of feet startled Tanden back to alertness. He was not sure whether he had been thinking or had fallen asleep. He was not even sure how much time had passed, although the sunlight reflecting on the opposite wall did not look like it had changed at all.
I-Sheera stood before him. Tanden gestured for her to sit next to him.
They sat for a few moments not speaking. Tanden could sense she wanted to talk, but he decided not to press her. She would speak when she was ready. Whether she spoke or not, he was enjoying the cool rest and being near her.
Gadon called, his voice echoing down through the cave, “Tanden. Are you hungry? I’m starving and I’ve decided to eat.”
Tanden replied, “Do you plan on chewing your own nose? Or have you decided to go troll hunting?”
“Ha!” Gadon shouted in triumph, “That shows what you know. Any child could tell you that you can’t eat trolls, the meat is too tough to chew. Well, ogres might, but not humans.” He poked Seenger in the ribs.
Tanden laughed, “Then don’t joke about food. I’m hungry enough to try troll meat.”
“Me too, my friend. But our good ogre companion here has reminded me that we have a fine cut of saurus rump just ripe for eating.”
Tanden had forgotten all about the saurus meat Gadon had butchered in the morning. He thought, “Was it only been this morning? It must have been.” He had only eaten a few bites of smoked meat and dried fruit all day. He said, “You don’t have a fire to cook over, Gadon.”
The heavyset man sounded far away. “Seenger doesn’t care if it’s cooked or not. Neither do I. Go hungry if you’re so finicky.”
“No,” Tanden called. “Don’t eat it all, I’m on my way.” Tanden started to rise.
I-Sheera said, “Sit, Captain. I’ll bring your share.”