The Ways Between Worlds: Peter Cooper

by Larry E. Clarke

  This done Dhalia was first on to the port rope. Dhars joined her on the rope to starboard. Each carried, slung over their backs, one of the short "axes" I had fashioned, apparently judging it a more useful weapon in these close quarters than longer spear which I had selected. In silence I watched them as they leaned back, braced their feet against the wall and began the descent into the shaft. A few meters below the lip they were swallowed up by total darkness.

  I grasped the rope and started down myself. Only the knots I periodically passed in the rope gave any indication of how far we had descended. I was concerned that in the darkness I would overtake Dhars or be overtaken by the Threatan above me. I need not have worried. Our labored breathing was quite audible. I could hear Dhars below and the Threatan above. We maintained our distance even when one paused to catch a breath.

  At last a yellow glow was seen below. It was the lamp from the guard quarters. All struggled to quiet their breathing. I felt hands at my feet and calves lowering me to the floor of the lift car. A moment later other hands guided me out of the car and into the short tunnel that led to the guard's chambers only 5 or 6 meters away. I un-slung my spear and prepared to defend those still arriving should the Ixtet detect us. They did not. At last the entire squad stood in the tunnel waiting the signal to move forward.

  No guard had yet been seen. We inched forward toward the yellow light of the chamber. Now we could see two Ixted seated at a table before the oil lamp. They appeared to be drinking from a wooden cask. Somewhere in the upper ranges of my hearing I made out the high pitched whine via which they communicated. They did not see us.

  "Die" Muttered Dhalia to herself as she sprang into the room. One of the Ixtet took her ax in the neck just where the head joined the carapace. I stood gaping for a moment then joined the attack.

  A Threatan had been grabbed and almost disembowled by the other sentry. I rushed at him in head long attack, driving my spear at the center of his chest. He turned aside and took a glancing blow. The spike scraped across his leathery hide but did little damage. He now reached for me with sharp pincers at the end of an agile multi-jointed limb. I rolled aside and thrust upward from where I had fallen to the floor. The creature came forward and was on top of me. I fought with more wild fury than I would have thought possible. I must either kill him or quickly die myself. A moment later he fell to the side and I was free. Dhars was laboring to remove his ax from the joint between the creature's neck and head. He helped me up and we turned to see how the others were doing.

  The skirmish was over! The Threatens had found the other Ixtet sleeping/dormant in the silk lined holes they used for that purpose. Two had awakened but two others had been killed in their sleep by an ax blows to the head. I wished now I had fashioned more axes and fewer spears. Quickly the hatch was opened and the ladder lowered. In the slave quarters below the whole company was drawn up in squads waiting orders.

  The first squad was called to ascend. The Threatans left at the lift were signaled and in moments the entire squad was being hoisted to surface for the first time in many, many days.

  This process was silently repeated until almost 200 men and women stood in ordered ranks near at the rim of the pit. Only the Histt lieutenants remained below. They had been promised death if they tried to betray the uprising. Seeing the initial success of the operation they sullenly acknowledged the change of circumstances.

  Some of the “natives” drew a free breath for the first time in years. The effect was intoxicating. Their silence at this moment of joy/disbelief/freedom spoke well for the Thretan discipline. It also spoke of the awareness in each heart there would be much fighting and dying before real freedom came.

  Dhalia stepped out and snapped out orders to each squad in a stage whisper audible to those who needed to hear but not so loud as to claim the attention of the Ixtet guards. The early stages of the attack would proceed according to Eripa's general orders.

  Once fighting started squad leaders--all battle tested warriors---had broad discretion about how each objective would be achieved. All were determined in two things. The Ixtet would be killed. The slaves would be freed.

  Groups set out in both directions to repeat the process of freeing fellow prisoners before mounting the attack on the palace stronghold of the Ixtet. The ropes used in the first attack were sent along. Few groups would be so lucky as to enjoy the complete surprise of the initial break out. Some employed the knotted ropes to pull loose the grating opening onto the pit. The prisoners were thus extracted from above without their Ixtet captors even knowing they were gone.

  These groups then fouled the cables to the lift cars and mounted a guard at each shaft, leaving the captors trapped inside. A fine reversal of fortunes in my opinion.

  Dhars and I accompanied the reconnaissance squad Dhalia had dispatched under the command of Aleetha. Our mission was to scout the palace grounds and to assess the feasibility of Eripa's original plan of attack.

  Her plan had been developed based on crude maps and fragments of information gleaned any prisoner who had seen the palace even briefly. The plan called for scaling the rock that served as the back wall of the palace compound and gaining entry to the grounds before launching the attack on the main building.

  We made our way between outbuildings toward the dark mass of the palace. Here and there a small lamp shone forth from a slit in a window or shutter. Initially we encountered no signs of activity. On closer approach we spotted two Ixtet at a guard box outside the compound walls. Occasionally the squeaks of their language could be detected at the upper limits of our hearing. Their posture suggested the tedium of their tasks. On the wall above two sentries paced listlessly. The guards below could not be attacked without drawing the attention of those on the wall. Surprise was our most vital ally. Another way would have to be found.

  A dark form suddenly changed position behind a low wall to our left. "Petar" was the word lowed from the one throat on this world with that voice. Lady Camille! This was no time for secrecy. Dhars stepped forward to meet her and was given a greeting similar to the one I’d received just hours ago. We both informed Aleetha, our immediate commander that Lady was no mere pet but a sentient being who had saved our lives when we were in the pit. We quickly outlined our plans and the current dilemma of getting past the sentries.

  "Perhaps I can help" Lady offered. They are accustomed to seeing me around the grounds. If I were to wander past they might leave their posts to return me to the pen where I am usually kept for the night". With a jerk of her head Lady indicated a rough corral off to our right.

  Aleetha waved the squad to concealed positions along the route to the pen and signaled Lady to proceed. There was no discussion. The plan was simply accepted. Lady then wandered slowly, as if grazing toward the general area of the sentries. It was a minute or two before they even noticed her. As they did the high pitched whining between them increased. One moved toward her, arms outstretched as if to herd her back to the pen. Lady moved away just quickly enough to continue her course away from the pen. The sentry tried again, and then waved to his mate for help. The two positioned themselves so as to drive her back to the pen. She resisted slightly then began to move back that direction. She bobbed and weaved as if about to break once more for freedom but continued to fall back in the desired direction.

  Aleetha waited until they two were well within the line of hidden Threatans before signaling the attack. Each sentry was fallen on by two or more of warriors who killed them with minimal sound, just the “Thwack” of axes contacting Ixtet heads. Lady Camille, who was too gently of nature to be of use in a physical fight was urged to remain in the pen as if just another dumb animal. This done the group hugged the walls leading to the palace gates and headed straight for the front doors. In the shadows near the sentry posts was the sally port door Camille had told me about earlier. Dhar's hand fell on the latch and it swung inward! Here was our way into the fortress/palace.

  Aleetha made a battlefield decision. She had dispatch
ed two messenger with instructions to advise the other units to approach but hold short of this door until signaled from inside the palace. If no signal came in five minutes they were to assume the element of surprise at the palace was probably lost and to begin attacking on their own initiative.

  She posted two “sentries” in the covered guard box formerly occupied by the Ixtet. The rest of the squad of 24 followed her inside. A short dark hallway led to a sentry room which was illuminated but currently empty. To the left a curtain marked the entrance to a barracks. A quick glance inside revealed perhaps 40 Ixtet sleeping silks. Around 30 were occupied. Aleetha signaled silence by miming a pinch to the lips and then added a "bug eyes" signal followed by a finger being drawn across the throat.

  Dahrs and I were mid ranks as the squad slipped into the barraks. Aleetha moved silently down the rows of sleeping Ixtet to stop before the last on the right. Her lieutenant took the last on the left. She raised her ax and in unison 20 axes and spears descended on twenty sleeping Ixtet.

  All hell broke lose. One may speak softly, walk softly, and sometimes even kill softly but it was not possible to kill 20 chitinous Ixtet without making an uproar. The remaining 10 or 12 swarmed out of their sleeping holes screeching like tortured dolphins. Dhars was knocked to the floor and was at the point of having his neck torn between jagged pincers when I managed to ram my spear into a soft area beneath the creature's chin. It writhed as the rough point found its way to the brain pan and beyond. It seemed to have lost all interest in Dhars and turned instead to me. It slid down in a fountain of greenish ichor. I had to put my foot beneath its chins to brace and pull the speare free. Six of our squad died in the battle of the barracks.

  The alarm had been raised and surprise had been lost. The 18 of us who remained hastily claimed better metal weapons from among the dead Ixtet. I picked up a dirk and a broken pike with a hook for slicing and pulling as well as a stabbing blade. The metal head was heavy enough to be swung in an arc for smashing and crushing.

  Our own sentries were called inside and added to the rearguard. Their instructions were to hold the small door open until help arrived and to open the larger gates if they could find and operate the mechanism. The rest of us climbed the walls to engage the sentries there. Our force was too small to hold such the fortress alone much less to take it from an already entrenched enemy. Taking the walls now would prevent them from being used against our own reinforcements just arriving.

  Eight of us climbed the narrow steps leading to the parapet. We had no resistance. Once atop the main wall we could see there was a stronger and even more fortified keep beyond. Now crossing a drawbridge no more than a meter wide but perhaps 5 meters long was a column of Ixtet warriors. They marched out steadily until perhaps 50 had exited the keep. The footbridge was drawn up behind them. They split into two groups and began sweeping around the top of the wall. If we remained where we were we would eventually be caught between as the two groups finished their sweep of the wall. We would very likely be dead in less than three minutes.

  CHAPTER 29

  Dhars and I stood back to back, prepared to take the Ixtet charge from both directions. The groups, roughly 2 vann (24) in each, were seconds away. Like great bugs in armour the rattling of their carapaces blended with the eerie whine of their battle cries. We eight stood panting, dripping sweat and blood, saying nothing. What the others were thinking only God knows. My consciousness was amazingly free of thought considering I was a man about to die. I gripped my weapon, tried to calm my breathing, and waited.

  Shouts rose from the courtyard below. The main gates swung out and a hundred or more Threatan and slave fighters poured through. More than half were armed with Ixtet weapons. Perhaps 25 carried long crossbows which they brought to play immediately. Strung out along the inner battlements of the castle the Ixtet were perfect targets. Half fell in the first volley, the bolts all but disappearing through their chitinous bodies. The bugs might not surrender but they weren't suicidal. Seeing that their position was indefensible the rest retreated rapidly along the routes they had come.

  The sally port and drawbridge from the keep tower were repositioned to accept the 5 or 6 of the original group of 50 who managed to return. The short drawbridge was drawn up even before the last had completely crossed. He was seen falling heavily headfirst into the keep as the bridge lifted under his feet.

  A few moments later bolts flew in return fire from within the keep and the Thretan commanders issued orders to withdraw to cover. Our group of 8 gladly followed.

  As dawn broke over Voquira small fires smoldered here and there but a fresh breeze had arrived with the new sun from the east. Up wind of the fires the air was fresh and cool. Lady Camile and I stood together surveying the scene from the rim of the pit.

  "This air is intoxicating Lady. I must confess I had moments when I thought my lungs would never draw another free breath. Without your help I don't know if the uprising could have taken place".

  She lowed in reply. ."Petar, I know you think me rather naive about the dangers of this world. On my world of Ummmmmmmuuu we have no natural enemies and no being has intentionally harmed another in living memory. Yet, we do know evil. I know that the Ixtet were evil to enslave others. I had to do something to end it."

  We stood silent for a while, simply filling our lungs with the air of our new freedom.

  Below us the surface of the salt was heavily littered with bodies, both Ixtet and slave. The habit of wasting nothing which the Glypton might digest would continue. Although the bodies of the slaves killed in the uprising could have been entombed in the salt this would not have been a proper burial. They would have remained like pieces of salted meat. Burning them was not an option, so they joined the Ixtet as Glypton food. Among the dead was Dhalia Lotalka, killed in action. Her subordinate, Alexia Sol Rakksha, now lead the Threatian/slave army.

  The wounded had been moved into a portion of the fortress. Throughout the night Thretan commanders had dispatched parties to deal with pockets of Ixtet resistance. Though some were offered surrender none accepted. They seemed incapable of the concept of laying down their arms while still alive. In the end Alexia Sol Rakksha ordered there be no further attempts to solicit surrenders but that all Ixtet be dispatched by whatever means seemed most efficient and posed the least risk to the allied forces.

  In some cases the slaves simply collapsed the vaulted ceilings in the rooms they occupied, burying them under tons of salt. In others crossbowmen were called to shoot them down at a distance. From the time of Alexia's order our losses became light while perhaps 200 or more Ixtet were cut down.

  An hour after day's light Dhars shook me awake. "We have been summoned to a meeting of the commanders. You have just time to dress". I mumbled something about needing a cup of coffee. He looked puzzled and simply waited for me to pull on my ragged outer garments.

  Ten minutes later we took seats in the lower level of the fortress. A few crusts of what could pass for bread and some rinds of cheese were on the table of the guardroom where the meeting was held. Alexia occupied the place at the head of the table, her sub-commancer Nukor dal Ze-leph sat at the opposite end. Both looked exhausted. Neither looked happy. Arrayed along each side of the rough wooden table were representatives from each unit. That was to be expected, but why were Dhars and I present?

  Alexia drew a breath somewhat deeper than the rest, threw back a blanket which had cloaked her from the cold and revealed beneath it the Threatan uniform which she had worn before our capture. She made eye contact with each of us in turn then slowly began to speak:

  "Shortly after dawn I was informed that apart from those who remain in the keep Ixtet resistance has been eliminated. I ordered that an inventory be made of all items that might aid in finishing our fight. We have captured ample weapons. The food we have is plentiful though of poor quality. We hold all of Voquira except for the area of the keep. We are free to re-board our vessels and sail away should we choose." She looked skyward and paused a moment
collecting her thoughts before continuing. . ."None of this does us any good. . . we have water enough for only three days! You are summoned here to present your ideas for dealing with the situation."

  There was no immediate response as her words sank in. She continued: "A search and our questioning of those who were here before the arrival of the Ixtet reveals that the only source of pure water is a very deep well beneath the center of the keep. Although some water is to be found in pools in the deepest levels of the mines it is too salty to be of use. We have only those supplies stored by the Ixtet for immediate use."

  Over the next hour a variety of ideas were raised and one after the other rejected as impractical or as requiring too long to implement: . . “dig another well. . . tunnel beneath the keep and collapse a wall (it was built on a rocky outcropping). . .burn them out. . . (not enough fuel) . . . negotiate a surrender (hadn’t worked even once with any Ixtet offered the chance). . . Once the flow of new suggestions slackened I rose to offer my thoughts.

  “Have we interrogated Hsstt and his gang? They know this palace well. On my world we also have fortifications, castles. In some there are secret exits used to flee if one must or to counterattack an enemie’s flanks. Is it possible this Keep has a hidden entrance? Those who know the palace could aid us.”

  “Unfortunately Hsstt and his allies were ALL killed in the fighting. . . some of their fellows had long standing scores to settle and I must confess some of the Threatians may have helped avenge Eripa’s treatment at their hands. None survived from the Reds but I will make inquires among the other teams for residents who know this place. We have one here already. Alexia waved an orderly to her side and ordered "Bring that man from the Blues who worked in the palace".