ISOF

by Pete Townsend

  ‘We haven’t time for unnecessary questions and long-winded answers,’ he said tersely. ‘The Cutters have managed to get here quicker than I expected.’ He clapped his hands together. ‘If you’ve got all of your things together, I’ll lead you to the edge of the forest and send you off in the best direction…hopefully.’

  Mumbling the last word, Leonard hoped that his lack of conviction concerning any travel plans had gone unnoticed. He quickly glanced at the group and caught Ben staring at him with a puzzled expression. Ruffling his own hair, Ben yawned and then blinked.

  ‘I’d be careful doing that,’ said Leonard with the beginnings of a grin.

  Ben, still ruffling his hair, frowned.

  ‘Doing what?’ he asked as another yawn toyed with his mouth.

  ‘Three, potentially tricky manoeuvres all at the same time,’ replied Leonard. ‘If you got them mixed up you could be in serious trouble.’

  Ben gently shook his head and allowed the yawn to escape into the night.

  ‘Hopefully what?’ asked Ben.

  ‘Hopefully you’ll get away before the Cutters pick up your trail and go tearing after you,’ said Leonard.

  Trep shuddered. ‘I don’t like the reference to tearing,’ he said. All sounds a bit terminal to me.’

  Leonard, scratching the side of his nose while trying desperately to hide a smile, jerked his head towards the night. ‘You really do need to start making tracks,’ he said calmly. ‘I can delay the Cutters for a while but, sooner or later, they’ll see through my deception.’ He gave a broad grin. ‘Even Cutters can’t be fooled all of the time.’

  ‘I don’t mean to be disrespectful,’ said Ben. ‘But how are you going to delay the Cutters, have you seen the size of them?’

  Leonard tapped the side of his nose. ‘I have ways and means lad,’ he replied. ‘Let’s just say I have a few party tricks that I can use to entertain them.’ Mak and Trep looked at each other and shook their heads.

  ‘Ludicrous!’ snapped Mak. ‘You haven’t got a chance. The Cutters will walk right through you.’ He turned to look in the direction of the forest where flecks of burning could be seen against the night sky. ‘They’ll have the whole forest burnt the way they’re going.’

  ‘That will not happen,’ replied Leonard firmly. ‘They will soon discover that not everything or everybody folds to their force.’ For a moment, Leonard appeared to be lost in thought. Just as Ben thought a polite cough might be necessary to nudge him into the present, Leonard suddenly shrugged and turned to face them.

  ‘Right,’ he said, having apparently arrived at a decision. ‘We need to get you moving while I give the Cutters something to think about.’ Striding forward he beckoned the others to follow. ‘This way,’ he called over his shoulder.

  Scuttling forward, Ben began to whisper urgently to Leonard.

  ‘I been told to look out for a certain girl,’ he began.

  ‘Haven’t we all,’ chuckled Leonard.

  ‘No, what I mean is…’

  ‘I know what you mean,’ replied Leonard. ‘But it’s not something I can help you with. Some things you have to take responsibility for yourself.’

  ‘You don’t understand,’ replied Ben angrily. ‘I have to find a girl and…’

  ‘I do understand,’ insisted Leonard hastily. ‘And all I can say is trust your own instinct.’

  ‘Instinct for what?’ asked Mak appearing at Ben’s shoulder.

  ‘Nothing,’ muttered Ben, thankful of the night to cover his embarrassment.

  For the following minutes, no one spoke as they hurriedly made their way through the forest. Both the night and the forest seemed to wrap the group in a dark blanket, which made everything seem distant, as if the journey so far had been a story told to them by aged parents of events long ago. Leonard’s abrupt stop immediately snapped them all back to the present reality.

  ‘You need to be away and I need to be about my business,’ declared Leonard. ‘There’s not a lot I can tell you at this point other than keep on this path until daylight, then look for a rocky outcrop, which should appear, if you’ve gone the right way, over towards the west of the forest.’

  Just as Ben was about to ask the obvious question, Trep let out a groan.

  ‘For goodness sake,’ he said. ‘I’m sick of being passed from one crazy barn-pot to another and told very little other than some rambling saga that’s about as convincing as a waterproof sandal.’

  Ben closed his mouth and nodded in agreement. Both Noj and Mak looked intently at Leonard waiting for his response.

  ‘Well,’ said Leonard eventually. ‘I understand your frustration but…’

  ‘Frustration!’ yelled Trep. ‘It’s not frustration I’m feeling it’s anger. I’m angry at the way everyone, including you,’ he added pointing at Leonard. ‘All of you conveniently forget that we have minds of our own, we’re not children!’

  Trep stood facing Leonard with arms folded and lips set firmly. The only sounds to be heard were those of creatures going about their nocturnal duties. In the distance, a faint crackling of burning leaves could be discerned. Leonard scratched at his earlobe and then grinned broadly.

  ‘Point taken,’ he said, his grin broadening into a smile. ‘So, what would you like to know?’ He stroked his chin and then nodded. ‘You only have sixty seconds mind, or you’ll place yourselves in more danger by keeping me from delaying the Cutters.’

  ‘That’s just great,’ moaned Ben. ‘At last you’re willing to tell us all that we want to know squeezed into sixty seconds. Fantastic!’

  ‘Take it or leave it,’ replied Leonard flatly.

  Noj, who was desperate for them to put as much distance between themselves and the Cutters, sighed. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘Get on with it.’

  Leonard thrust his hands into the deep pockets of his coat and smiled. ‘Once upon a time,’ he began.

  ‘Sixty seconds!’ growled Trep. ‘Don’t waste time.’

  ‘Just kidding,’ chuckled Leonard. ‘Anyway, a good while ago, before any of you were born,’ he added with a wink. ‘There were four Wise Beings. The different races of these lands looked to the Wise Beings for guidance in all things. For generations peace reigned throughout the lands and, as the people thrived so did an ancient tree that grew where the three rivers joined.’ Leonard paused briefly, his eyes seeing a different time. With a sharp intake of breath he continued.

  ‘However, slowly, but surely, a group of disaffected individuals began to challenge the ways of the Wise Beings. These individuals wanted to do things differently, to do things their way.’ Leonard shrugged. ‘Before long, several dissident groups emerged, each competing for power and influence. All too quickly violence erupted and no one felt safe to leave the confines of their own communities. Then, without any warning, and with feuds and power struggles a way of life, the Jaresh emerged from the sea.

  Leonard looked at the four youths in front of him. A wave of sadness seemed to hang over him. Swallowing deeply, he continued.

  ‘The Jaresh viciously quelled any attempt to drive them back into the sea. Their power and force was unparalleled, and all too quickly people recognised that an unseen force co-ordinated every move the Jaresh made. At the same time, the ancient tree that had once flourished slowly withered and, eventually died.’

  ‘Why didn’t everybody join forces and fight the Jaresh?’ asked Ben.

  ‘Ah, well,’ replied Leonard. ‘To do that would have required all the dissident groups forming an alliance, something which none of them would agree to.’

  Noj shook his head. ‘Divide and rule,’ he said sadly.

  ‘Precisely,’ agreed Leonard. ‘They made it easy for the Jaresh and whatever force controlled them.’ He sniffed noisily. ‘Word had it that it was the Wise Beings who were behind the conquering Jaresh. It was believed that they had sent the Jaresh as a punishment for being ignored. Nothing could be further from truth,’ snapped Leonard angrily. ‘For those who knew the truth, the rumours were cruel. T
he Wise Beings had only ever given guidance for the good of the people. They had never sought to be Rulers or some kind of deity. The Wise Beings gave their wisdom freely and the people freely chose to ignore it and now the consequences are there for all to see.’

  ‘OK,’ said Ben. ‘Where do we fit in?’

  Leonard smiled at the directness of Ben’s question. ‘The Wise Beings,’ replied Leonard, ‘chose to withdraw themselves from the people of the lands. Some say that in a time of great need, the Wise Beings would emerge once again to help guide the people of the lands to freedom.’

  ‘King Arthur!’ yelped Ben. ‘You’re talking about the legend of King Arthur and his knights.’

  Trep and Mak rested their heads against each other and groaned.

  ‘Are they ill?’ enquired Leonard.

  ‘No,’ grinned Noj. ‘Just suffering from another Benism.’

  ‘Whatever,’ Ben grunted. ‘It’s not my fault you have limited understanding.’

  ‘Before,’ said Leonard hastily, ‘we get distracted by any unnecessary verbalism. May I remind you that it is imperative that you start to put more distance between you and the Cutters than there is between your ears?’

  ‘Now just a minute,’ snarled Trep. Before he could say any more, Noj placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

  ‘He’s right,’ acknowledged Noj. ‘We need to get moving.’ He nodded towards the dim outline of the path that Leonard had indicated earlier. ‘Best foot forward then?’

  Tugging at his cloak once more, Ben looked imploringly at Leonard. “Isn’t there anything you can tell us that has some relevance to our journey, like which bus to catch or something?’

  ‘Bus?’ replied Leonard. ‘I think you are a little in advance of yourself young man,’ he replied with a grin. ‘However, what I will tell you is to look towards the tree that stands at the confluence of three rivers.’

  As he made reference to the Tree, Leonard looked at Mak. The two held each other’s gaze for a few moments until Mak blinked. ‘Away then,’ he said turning his face from Leonard.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Ben, giving Leonard a half-hearted wave.

  ‘My pleasure,’ replied Leonard. ‘Another thing, don’t forget to look in the mouth for a precious tooth.’

  Before anyone could make a comment, Leonard had disappeared, supposedly to use whatever tactics he could to delay the Cutters, or so everyone hoped.

  Chapter 24

  The darkness began to evaporate before anyone chose to speak. Since taking their leave of Leonard, the four had walked as quickly as their legs would carry them, attempting to take advantage of any time that Leonard may have gained for them by delaying the Cutters.

  Occasionally, they’d heard a muffled, explosive sound and other times an eerie wailing noise that made them quicken their pace even more.

  As the forest faded into the background and the sun became obvious, the four found themselves in a landscape that appeared as empty and barren as their stomachs. Stretching as far as their sun-scorched eyes could see were rocks of all shapes and sizes strewn across the landscape. Occasionally, several of the rocks appeared to have become rather attached to each other, forming a dent in the skyline.

  No matter how many times Ben rubbed his eyes, the blistering heat still threatened to burn through to the back of his skull. At one stage, soon after the darkness had left them in the clutches of the sun, Ben had wrapped Telu’s scarf around his head. It was only when Trep nearly had a heart attack, seeing the top of Ben’s head missing, that he’d reluctantly removed the scarf and restored his head to full visibility.

  The four continued their over-heated journey. Occasionally, Noj would shield his eyes and then peer into the distance. It was difficult to see what he was looking for exactly as the landscape hardly seemed to vary, just end an endless exhibition of stones, rocks and grit.

  After Noj had made yet another display of apparently looking nowhere in particular, Ben gave a gravely cough.

  ‘Nearly there?’ he enquired.

  Noj turned wearily and shook his head.

  ‘Not much to see,’ he replied with a hint of a smile.

  ‘Really?’ asked Ben in mock surprise. ‘The way you keep squinting at the horizon, I was sure you knew where we were supposed to be going.’

  ‘If you’d bother to look,’ replied Noj sucking at his bottom lip. ‘You’d notice a grey cloud on the horizon.’ He pointed into the distance. ‘Just to the left of that rocky outcrop.’

  Ben, along with Mak and Trep stared in the direction that Noj indicated for as long as they could before the heat became unbearable.

  ‘Are you sure that’s not heat haze?’ queried Trep. ‘There again, in this heat, anything in the distance is nothing more than a smudge in the air.’

  Shielding his eyes once more, Ben looked intently at the skyline surrounding the rocky outcrop. ‘That can’t be what I think it is if it’s the same thing that you think it is,’ he said, looking towards Noj.

  Noj raised an eyebrow while Trep and Mak simply stared at Ben open-mouthed.

  ‘If,’ replied Noj, ‘you’re thinking what I’m thinking then we’re in trouble.’

  Trep and Mak continued to stare open-mouthed as they looked at Ben and Noj. Seeing their lack of understanding, Noj nodded towards the rocky outcrop.

  ‘If I’m correct,’ he said swallowing noisily. ‘That supposed smudge observed by Trep, is none other than our friendly Whispers.’

  ‘What?’ gasped Ben, ‘how did they manage…’

  ‘How they got there is of no importance,’ snapped Noj. ‘What is important is how we are going to avoid detection.’

  ‘Hardly worth trying to avoid them,’ moaned Mak. ‘They seem to know where we are and where we are going.’

  Trep scuffed at the ground with his foot. ‘They know a darn sight more than we do then.’

  ‘Whatever they know and how they know it, isn’t important right now,’ replied Noj sharply.

  ‘Well, I for one would like to know how they know what we’d like to know,’ said Ben, with a slight grin. ‘That’s something I’ve been wanting to know for ages.’

  ‘For goodness sake!’ growled Mak. ‘Can’t you ever talk sense?’

  Ben turned angrily to face Mak. ‘I talk more sense in my sleep than you ever do when you’re awake,’ he snapped.

  ‘Gibberish by day and gibberish by night,’ retorted Trep standing by Mak’s side. Mak shoved Trep to one side and took a step towards Ben. As he did so, a thunderous roar erupted somewhere in the distance. Swirling around to see where the noise was coming from, they saw an arc of lightening exploding from the forest behind them. A second thunderclap echoed around the landscape as the lightening splintered the sky. Immediately, dark clouds gathered and large drops of rain began to fall from the sky.

  ‘Isn’t that the wrong way around?’ queried Ben pointing to the sky.

  ‘Who cares?’ replied Noj. ‘But what I do know is that the Whispers absolutely detest water and they’ll scurry across the sky as fast as they can to avoid being decimated by the rain.’

  ‘What are we waiting for then,’ shouted Ben as he began to run towards the rocky outcrop. ‘Get a move on.’

  Pulling their cloaks tightly around them, Noj, Trep and Mak started to run through the rain in the hope that the distant rocks would provide some form of shelter.

  Chapter 25

  A curtain of rain stretched to the rocky outcrop a. All around the ground was becoming decorated with miniature torrents of water, each forming rushing streams transporting pebbles and grit to new destinations.

  Running, as best as he could in the rapidly forming mud, Ben felt bemused by the corridor of rain. Even with the rain stinging his eyes, he could see that for a few metres either side of him a sheet of rain descended with enormous force, yet a little beyond he could see that ground was virtually dry and the sky was as a brilliant blue.

  The others had noticed this bizarre phenomenon but were more intent on reaching the r
ocky outcrop and shelter.

  Approaching the outcrop, they could hear a series of rumbling noises, reminiscent of rocks tumbling down a scree slope, began to sound. Barely pausing in their rush to find shelter, the foursome ran through a narrow chasm and emerged into a sort of arena where the jumble of grumbling sounds reverberated from each rock face.

  The noise was deafening. With fingers in their ears, the four quickly looked around the rocky amphitheatre. The ground, immediately in front of them, was strewn with jagged chunks of rock. Interspersed between the rubble, ragged tufts of grass forced an appearance while the occasional delicate flower added a touch of colour to the stone patchwork. Outside of the rocky outcrop the rain continued to fall in a deluge, while inside the air was dry. Three rock faces towered over the assembled rocks, providing a protective overview of the scene below. Ben, wiping the rain from his eyes, peered intently at the rock faces. He blinked, shook his head a couple of times and blinked again. The more he looked the more he was certain that the rock faces were, in fact, actually rock faces! Before he could ask the others for their comments, a voice echoed thunderously around the natural amphitheatre.

  ‘Stop fidgeting. Stand still so that we can get a better look at you.’

  The four travellers looked at each other and then began a strange ritual, which involved tipping their heads to one side and smacking the uppermost ear with their hand. The performance was then repeated for the other ear.

  Trep, with a finger thrust into his left ear, nodded at Noj. ‘I think my ear is full of water. I could have sworn I heard a voice.’

  A scattering of small rock debris tumbled down one of the rock faces and landed just in front of Trep who, jumping backwards, yelped with fright. A sound, similar to that of pebbles rattling in a tin can, filled the air.

  ‘Did you see that?’ rattled the pebble-dashed voice.

  ‘Funny in the extreme, I’m sure,’ wheezed a third voice.

  Ben strode into the centre of the rocky amphitheatre and stood looking at the rock faces. To his left, almost halfway up the rock face was a wide cavern, above which sat a knobbly outcrop of rock. Across the top of the outcrop rested a large tree with roots that lay exposed on the rock. As the roots curved and looped down the rock face, they seemed to frame two round gouges in the rock, rather like a pair of spectacles. Staring at the rock face, Ben thought he saw the mouth of the cavern appearing to change shape, its sides becoming closer together as the top and bottom moved further apart. The cavern spat a gush of dusty particles directly at Ben.