One of the men on bird-back, reached down and scooped up Professor Calliere’s assistant as though she were a shapely bag of wheat. Another grabbed the female medical doctor. Still another grabbed a native woman from nearby. Two or three had already appropriated women from somewhere else in the market and two more tried to grab nearby native women only to be thwarted by their intended victims diving behind market stalls. The entire flock of riders raced to escape the market and the city, which led them down the path directly toward Terrence Dechantagne.
With one deft motion, Terrence pulled both his nickel-plated .45 revolvers from their shoulder holsters. He fired first one and then the other in rapid succession emptying all twelve cylinders. The first rider fell to the ground, hit several times, as did the great bird that he had ridden. The second rider, shot through the neck, tumbled to the ground. The woman that had been his captive plopped unceremoniously onto the dirt. The rest of the riders turned their birds, in a way that would have been impossible in the confined area had they been riding horses, and headed for the far side of the pathway between stalls, leaving their dead fellows and a single noisy giant bird behind.
Quickly popping the cylinders of his revolvers open and reloading them, Terrence barely noticed the short redhead at his side. He tasted the metallic cloud of gunpowder smoke that hung in the humid air. By the time he had finished reloading the guns though, the mounted men had turned the corner and vanished, and he had time to take notice that it was the professor’s assistant whom he had rescued from the second rider.
“Are you all right, Miss?
“Lusk, Egeria Lusk. You’re going after them,” she said. It was more a command than a question.
Not taking time to realize that it was an employee of an employee, as well as a woman, who was now ordering him about, Terrence just nodded, stuffed his two guns back into their holsters, and taking a running jump, leapt into the empty saddle of the now riderless bird. The bird turned its head around almost one hundred eighty degrees and snapped its mighty beak, taking off one of his shirt pockets and a little bit of chest hair. Terrence balled up his fist and punched the creature in the head as hard as he could, then grabbed the reigns and kicked the bird in the flanks, just as he would have done a horse. The monstrous avian, apparently now satisfied as to just who was boss, shot off through the marketplace.
The trail of the kidnappers was not difficult to follow. They had created a great deal of disturbance as they raced through Nutooka with their captives. Still, there were two problems. The first problem was that the people of the town had filled in the pathway behind the riders: people here, as anywhere else, wanting to see for themselves what all the commotion was about. The second problem was that Terrence had never ridden a bird before. He had ridden horses, mules, and once, when drunk he had even ridden a pig, but never so much as a chicken until now. Even though he was firmly seated in a saddle, it seemed as though the saddle was constantly about to slip off the rear end of the swaying animal. The net result was that even though they were many and he was only one, and even though they had the additional weight of their captives, these men, these apparent kidnappers were leaving him behind.
Following a narrow but distinct dirt pathway, the trail of the band of riders on their giant birds swept down a few nearby streets and then out of town and into the jungle. This pathway was one of the frequently used corridors through the dense jungle from Nutooka to outlying farms and villages in the area. Even to Terrence, relatively unskilled at tracking, the evidence of their passage was plain. Broken branches on the edge of the road, as well as large and distinctive footprints in the dirt, kept him on the right track.
Seven or eight miles from the city, Terrence heard the sharp crack of rifle fire and the whiz of bullets as they passed by his head. He pulled up sharp on the reigns of the great bird and tried to see where the shots had come from. He spotted two riflemen high in the jungle trees, just as they fired for a second time. One was to the right of the path and one was to the left. Both wore the scarlet sashes around their waists and the scarlet hoods of the gang that he was following. A shot went straight through his mount’s head. The monstrous bird reared back and fell; leaving Terrence on his back, with his left leg pinned by the avian’s neck. Pulling out both revolvers, he pointed one in the direction of each of the riflemen and fired six quick shots, three from each pistol. He was rewarded with a cry of pain from the rifleman to the right and saw the man plummet from the tree. He turned both pistols on the left rifleman and fired the remaining six shots. The second rifleman fell from his tree too, but he fell without a sound.
Still lying on his back, Terrence reloaded his guns. He expected to be shot at again at any moment, but no more gunfire erupted from the jungle. The gang of kidnappers had left only two of their members to deal with him. While he had to admire their ability to climb jungle trees and shoot rifles from their perches, Terrence was glad that they had underestimated him. He kicked his leg free of the giant dead bird, and stood up. Then he retrieved his hat, which had fallen off. He had a decision to make. Did he continue on foot, not knowing how many miles lay between him and those he was pursuing, or did he go back for help? Did he abandon a woman from the Minotaur to some unknown but undoubtedly horrible fate?
The sounds coming from the trail behind him relieved him of the need to make such a difficult decision. The unmistakable hiss and chug of a steam carriage was clearly audible before the vehicle itself appeared in the road. Driving was Augustus Dechantagne. Sitting next to him was a man that Terrence had never seen before. The two wizards, Dudley Labrith and Suvir Kesi, sat in the back seat. The vehicle came to a stop just in front of Terrence, who hopped up onto the passenger side running board.
“There you are, old man,” said Augie. “Heard you were having trouble. Miss Lusk told me what happened and I grabbed some help and here I am.”
“Right,” said Terrence, grabbing the man he didn’t know by the collar and pulling him from his seat. “You, out.”
“That’s Mr. Critt,” said Augie, as he watched his brother pull the man out of his seat and climb into his place. “It’s his carriage.”
“We’ll be coming back with at least three more people,” said Terrence. “We’re going to need the room. Let’s go.”
“Goodbye Mr. Critt!” called Augie, as he drove off, leaving the man sputtering incoherently, on the jungle road, in a cloud of dust. “Meet you back at the dock!”
Terrence worried that the road through the lush green undergrowth would become impassable for the steam carriage, but if anything it opened up a bit more as the four men rode onward. There was no doubt that the steam-powered vehicle was making better time than the large bird had. Augie had the forward accelerator pressed all the way to the floor. Dodging to the right and left around fallen branches and large rocks, he occasionally sent all four bouncing high out of their seats as he hit a bump in the road.
“So, what do you think these fellows are up to?” asked Augie. “Slavers, do you suppose?”
Terrence grunted.
The foliage suddenly opened up as the road led into a large clearing several hundred yards wide and just as long. Continuing across this clearing, the road led up to a large stone structure. It was obviously ancient. Roughly rectangular, it must have been either an ancient temple or palace. It had highly detailed carvings all across its front and three large towers shaped like hornets’ nests on top. To either side of the entrance was a massive stone statue twenty feet tall of a monstrous ape. The bumping and bouncing of the steam carriage made it impossible to make out any other details of the highly ornate façade, but standing in front of the building were at least twenty men dressed in the red hoods and red sashes with which Terrence had by now become familiar. When they saw the vehicle approaching, they grabbed their rifles and began shooting.
In the back seat, Wizard Kesi began reciting. “Uuthanum beithbechnoth.”
“Ape cult, do you think?” wondered Augie.
“I don’t kn
ow,” said Terrence, as he pulled out one pistol and began firing, while holding on to his seat with his other hand. One of the masked men fell.
The wizard finished his incantation and stretched out his hand past Terrence’s head. A missile of magical energy darted forth from his finger to strike one of the red-sashed men. Then a second and then a third magical dart shot out, striking down two more of the men in front of the temple. A shot from one of the riflemen shattered the windscreen of the carriage, and Augie slammed his foot down on the decelerator and pulled the brake, bringing the vehicle to a sliding stop twenty yards from the front of the ancient structure. The four men jump out and ducked behind the car. Terrence pulled out his second revolver and continued to fire. Augie and the two wizards produced guns of their own and did likewise. Four more of the hooded riflemen went down.
The remaining cultists, if Augie’s impression was in fact correct, finding themselves without cover in front of the building, turned and ran for the open entrance. All of them made it inside, save one, who took a hit in the back of the head from Augie’s .45.
“I don’t see those birds anywhere,” said Terrence. “Augie, you and Labrith circle around to the back and make sure they’re not getting away. Kesi, you come with me.” With that he started running toward the temple, firing every few steps to give himself cover.
“Why would they try to get away?” called Augie after him. “They outnumber us!”
Not bothering to respond, Terrence reached the building, and then dashed up fifteen steps to the entrance. One of the riflemen stuck his head out to fire, and Terrence shot him between the eyes. At the top of the stairs, Terrence ducked to the left side of the doorway and quickly reloaded his revolvers. Wizard Kesi reached the top of the stairs as well, and ducked to the right side.
“Uuthanum rechthinov uluchaiia,” recited Kesi, and then turned to face the open doorway. Lightning sprang from his fingers and arced down the dark hallway. The three men just inside the doorway were illuminated by the expanding electricity as it cut through them. They screamed inhumanly as it fried their insides and ignited their clothing.
“All clear now,” said Wizard Kesi in his unusual accent, but then he cried out in pain as a rifle bullet ripped through his shoulder, spraying a shower of blood behind him.
Terrence fired into the hallway, now illuminated by the three burning bodies on the floor, hitting the heretofore unnoticed rifleman twice, killing him. Kneeling down at Kesi’s side, he ripped a piece of cloth from the wizard’s shirt and stuffed it into the bullet hole.
“Thank you,” said Kesi. “I owe you.”
“Can you get back to the car?” Terrence asked.
The wizard nodded.
Terrence started into the corridor, jumping over the still burning bodies. The smell of cooked human flesh hung in the air. The passage went straight back twenty feet and then turned to the right. Another twenty feet and it turned to the left. It was lit by a torch in a sconce every ten feet or so. Rounding the corner, another gunshot went past Terrence’s head, and then ricocheted away behind him. One of the riflemen had stationed himself along the path, waiting for him. Quickly ducking back, Terrence fired four shots around the stone corner, and then looked to see if his intended target was dead. He was. The passageway continued on in a twisting series of turns until it came to an abrupt end.
Tucking his pistols back in their holsters, Terrence felt along the walls for some kind of lever or mechanism that would open a secret door. He could find nothing. He then backtracked ten feet to the last corner and searched both sides of the hallway. His hands found a stone sticking slightly farther out than its fellows. He pushed on it and felt the stone move inward. He heard a grinding noise as ancient mechanisms slid back a portion of the stone wall creating a doorway.
Clearly the inhabitants of the room beyond had expected any pursuers to be thwarted by the mysteries of the entryway, for they had placed no one on watch. Three more of the men with red sashes and red hoods were here, as well as two un-hooded, but red-robed men, with shaven heads. They stood on either side of a large flat stone, the ancient brown stains upon it spelling out only too clearly that this was a place of torture or sacrifice or most likely of both. Just behind this stone table was a huge statue of an ape that matched the two on the outside of the building. Nearby in a cage made of wood and bamboo were two native women and the Minotaur expedition’s female doctor. The doctor had been stripped of her dress and bustle, leaving her standing in only her underclothes. She still wore substantially more than either of the other women, in their simple but colorful native skirts and blouses.
Terrence pulled out his .45s again, and fired until he had emptied both cylinders and all five men had dropped to the ground. Running over to the cage, he found that it was locked with a large but old padlock. Looking around, he saw a six-inch piece of stone, which he picked up and used as a hammer on the lock. It turned out to be far sturdier than it appeared. It didn’t break. The hasp, into which it was situated however, fell apart and the door of the cage flew open. Another shot echoed through the stone chamber and one of the native women collapsed dead to the cell floor. Terrence spun around to return fire, but his pistols clicked on spent cartridges. As it turned out though, firing his rifle had been the last act of a dying gunman that Terrence had shot as he entered the room.
“Come on!” he urged the two remaining women, and led them through the doorway and down the stone passage.
They followed the twisting path of the hallway and were able to make it to the front entrance only because there were no intersections or offshoots of the main route. As they hurried along, Terrence reloaded his guns. Making the final turn, he suddenly looked up to see a red-hooded man, silhouetted in the light filled doorway, with a rifle pointed directly at him. Before either the rifleman could fire or Terrence could flip closed the cylinders of his revolvers, a hand reached out from one side and grasped the gunman by the neck. Flame erupted from the fingers, engulfing first the man’s head and then his entire body. The burning rifleman fell backwards and down the fifteen steps to the ground below.
“Hurry up!” shouted Wizard Kesi, sticking his face around the corner.
Terrence and the two women rushed out of the ancient temple and down the stairs. Kesi joined them and the four ran across the twenty-yard distance to the steam carriage. The two women climbed into the back seat, and Kesi pulled himself with difficulty into the passenger spot, as Terrence went to check the engine to see that it had enough steam. It was in fact, hissing with too much pressure, but he didn’t open the release cock. They would need all the steam they could get in a scant few moments.
As if that thought were their cue, Augie and Wizard Labrith came running from around the left side of the temple. Shots flew past them and a second later, ten or more red-hooded pursuers followed them. And at that moment, a previously unseen door to the left of the one through which Terrence had entered the temple, spewed forth a dozen more cultists. Some of these men carried rifles and others carried scimitars. Terrence jumped into the driver’s seat, and released the break. He wheeled the steam carriage around and aimed it for the pathway through the jungle and back toward Nutooka. Wizard Labrith jumped onto the right running board, and Augie dived into the back seat and across the laps of the two women. Terrence slammed his foot on the accelerator. Several bullets whizzed through the jungle trees and two slammed into the back of the vehicle as they drove out of the clearing and back down the jungle road.
“No sign of the birds,” said Augie. “They must have dropped these girls off here and continued on their way.”
Augie and the two women juggled themselves around until they were all sitting side by side, squeezed together. Wizard Labrith continued to hold on and ride on the running board.
“Thank you,” said the female doctor. “I shudder to think what they were going to do to us.”
“Well, there’s no trusting fellows who go about in hoods,” said Augie.
“We’re slowing d
own,” said Terrence. A high-pitched whistle could be heard above the normal hissing and chugging of the steam carriage. “We’ve got a hole in the steam chamber.”
“Premba uuthanum tachthna,” whispered Wizard Labrith, then reached forward and placed his palm on the steam carriage’s bonnet. The vehicle zoomed forward with renewed vigor.
“Doctor…” said Terrence. “I’m sorry, Doctor; I don’t remember your name.”
“It’s Doctor Kelloran, Captain Dechantagne,” she replied. “Though people who save my life have permission to call me Padgett.”
“Dr. Kelloran,” he continued, tilting his head toward Kesi “Take a look at his shoulder, please.”
The doctor pulled the wad of khaki cloth from the hole in Kesi’s shoulder and created a bandage from Augie’s handkerchief, tied on with a long piece of lace that she tore from her own bloomers.
“I think he’ll be all right,” she said.
The steam carriage slowed gradually until it was moving slower than a man could walk. Terrence slammed on the brake bringing it to a stop, just as the last rays of the sun faded away. The six people climbed out and continued on foot towards the lights and sounds of Nutooka, which proved to be only a few hundred yards further. They were met at the entrance to the town by no less than four steam carriages loaded with armed sailors and led by Lieutenant Staff, who were just preparing to start off after them as a rescue party.
Terrence, Augie, the two wizards, and Dr. Kelloran were all whisked back to the Minotaur. The young native woman was returned to her family. A squad of sailors recovered Mr. Critt’s steam carriage and returned it to its owner, who had walked back to town alone. The four other carriages were returned to the port, where the sailors had borrowed them. Wizard Kesi was given a healing draught by Sister Auni, one of Father Ian’s acolytes, and had gone to bed to recover. And Captain Gurrman, having learned that having women stolen off the street was a common occurrence in Enclep, at least of late, ordered that anyone from the Minotaur going into Nutooka should go in groups of four or more and carry firearms.
The Voyage of the Minotaur Page 12