by Mike Morris
Jack walked over to Lin. “You okay?”
"I just want to say thanks for bringing me back," said Lin. "I know it's not worked out they way I thought... the way any of us thought but I'm glad I’m here, that we found your brother alive. But most of all, I'm glad I got to be with you." She blinked the tear from the corner of her eye and reached out her hand toward Jack. She hesitated for a moment before touching his face. His eyes flicked around the room to see who may be watching then he leant into her touch, pressed her hand between his cheek and shoulder.
When he lifted his head again, he stepped back. "Lin… I… You saved my life on that beach and you saved it afterwards. I don't think I would have survived when I thought I had lost my brother without you.”
“You saved me too — then and now. We have something special between us.”
Jack shook his head, “I have feelings... feelings that have no place in a priest's heart. Perhaps in another lifetime, where things are simpler but in this one..." He looked away. "God tests us in so many ways. I have to believe he has a plan for us but what it is I don't know."
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
Finally his head came up, all red-faced. “Lin, I…”
"Be careful getting them out of here. I need you to make it back in one piece." She tried a smile but she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd never see him again. “I lo…”
"Jack," called Nial. "Time to go."
Lin and Jack stepped apart.
"See you on the boat," said Jack.
"See you there," whispered Lin.
She watched them leave the cells. Her heart broke with every step they took.
Robert placed his arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry. He'll be all right. Best thing for us is to do our job so we can all get out of here."
She nodded. Their fates were in her hands. She may have failed to free her own people but she'd damn well make sure the priests got home.
40
713 PN
They moved as fast as the injured allowed, shuffling through tunnels and down corridors, eyes wide open for the enemy. Thirteen half-dead Black Dogs eager to get out of hell and find a way home. Not fast enough for Jack's liking and they still had a long way to go.
Erik half-carried Brendan, who looked more dead than alive. After months of abuse in that cell, even their sorry pace was proving too much for him. Jack would get him home though. It was time to make amends for the what happened on the beach. He’d not let Brendan down — or any of the others.
He paused at the corner of a junction and Nial joined him.
"How are we doing?" asked Nial. He didn't look that much better than Brendan. The Nostros had given him a good working over in the interrogation room. His breathing was shallow and he clutched the left side of his ribs.
"We're about halfway there,” replied Jack. “How’s everyone doing?”
"None of us are at our best but, by God, we'll make it."
Before Jack could reply, he heard voices coming towards them from the left. Nial signaled 'enemy' to the men as Jack peeked around the corner. His blood ran cold at the sight of ten guards marching in their direction and the Nostros behind them. His rapid hand signs told Nial and the others of the danger.
The group slowly retreated down the corridor. They came to another junction and Nial motioned for them to take the path to the right. It took them away from the docks but, for the moment, it took them away from the enemy as well.
Nial signaled the men forward and the group moved off. As they did, the sound of distant thunder echoed through the walls. Jack paused once more and looked at Nial.
"Cannon. Keep moving," whispered Nial.
"We too late?"
The rumble came again, stronger this time. The walls shook as they walked. "I think someone's firing into the castle," said Nial.
"Someone?" replied Jack.
"Pray it's Alan and Robert. We don't need any more problems to deal with," said Nial.
"It's going to drag every demon out of their bed and looking for someone to fight," said Jack.
"Keep your eyes nice and bright," Nial commanded as he stood back to count the men past. “Hopefully it won’t be us they find.”
A new worry began to niggle at the back of Jack's mind. They were now heading in a different direction to the way he and Robert had come earlier and he was worried about getting lost. The blood red rock ate most of the light given off by the torches and the walls closed in around them with each step. Each turn looked just like the last.
More cannon fire rocked the castle and
Jack checked his compass, trying to get some idea of where they were.
"Jack," hissed Nial. "There are more Nostros coming up behind us. We need to move before they are swarming all over us."
"But the men..."
"Need to dig deep. Wherever you're taking us, we need to get there fast. I'll help Erik with your brother. Now go!"
"Aye sir." He set off at a jog down the corridor with the men following along its twists and turns. His eyes searched the darkness ahead for a left turn that would get them back on track.
An alarm bell sounded some where in the distance. Its echoes chased down the corridor behind them.
Another cannon blast vibrated through the walls and floor.
There was no need for stealth now. Speed was all that mattered.
Jack spotted the turn he needed ahead. He barely paused to check the way was clear before leading the men down it. The corridor bore left and Jack could feel a little hope building inside him.
The walls widened once more as the Black Dogs ran on. Jack glanced back. Nial and Erik dragged Brendan along between them. His feet barely touched the ground. God only knew where Nial got the strength to carry him.
Suddenly the corridor opened up into an expanse of a room. Jack stopped in his tracks. It was a great hall, three times the size of the one at Whitehaven. Columns ran down either side, climbing some twenty feet up to the arched ceiling. Braziers burned throughout and, at the far end, a throne sat commanding the room. The back was shaped like a dragon with wings outstretched.
"Spread out, men," ordered Nial. He gazed around the room. "Where the hell are we, Jack?"
"I've not been this way before but we're heading in the right direction," replied Jack. "We need to keep moving West and we'll find stairs down to the harbor."
"You heard the man," said Nial to the others. "Keep going and let's find a way out of this place."
The Dogs spread out, holding their weapons just that little more tightly. They cut diagonally across the room, heading from right to left.
Another explosion rocked the foundations. Dirt and rubble fell from the ceiling. The alarm bells grew frantic. Several of the men circled themselves.
Erik gave Jack a grateful nod of the head. "Together again, eh?"
"Aye, together again," replied Jack. "Along way since that grey day outside the prison, climbing into Brother Aiden's cage. Perhaps this was why God brought us together."
"Not sure what I did to piss Him off to deserve all this," said Erik with a smile. "Lucky, I guess."
Jack was about to reply when he heard other noises amongst the chaos. Shouting, the stamp of armored feet and leather boots, the beat of steel against shields. The Nostros were on their way.
"I can't be captured again," begged Brendan. "I can't take any more. Promise you'll kill me first."
"I'm not going to do anything of the sort. We're getting out of here. We're going home," replied Jack.
"They’re coming up behind us," shouted a priest.
"How many?" said Nial.
"All of them."
Jack looked behind him and his blood ran cold. Troops flooded into the hall. There were so many.
Arrows zipped towards them as the men ran for their lives. Jack spotted a corridor in the far corner and ordered everyone to head for it.
Something knocked Erik off his feet, taking Brendan and Nial down with him. Jack hauled Brendan to his
feet. Erik and Nial scrambled up behind them. An arrow jutted from Erik's shoulder. He snapped the shaft as he ran.
Jack stumbled but another priest came to help with Brendan and they picked up speed once more. They passed a dead priest with two arrows jutting from his back.
Two priests reached the exit and turned to cover the others. They fired their pistols into the ranks of the Nostros as the rest of the Dogs raced past. Another priest fell as Jack crossed into the darkness of the tunnel.
Nial slapped them on the shoulders as they passed.
"Keep going. Head to the docks. Lead the others out," said Nial. "I'll make a stand here. Buy you enough time to get out of here."
Jack looked back at his leader. "We can all get out. We just have to keep going."
Erik fired into the hall. A body fell, disappearing beneath the army swarming towards them.
Nial ducked as an arrow ricocheted off the tunnel wall. "I haven't got time to argue. That's an order. Get going. You too Erik."
"Hell no. I'm staying. You can't do it on your own," said the Erik as he quickly reloaded his pistol.
"Erik, Nial," said Jack. "Don't..."
"Move, man!" shouted Nial.
Jack lowered Brendan to the ground. “I’ve got grenades.”
Nial grinned. “Get them out then.” He fired into the oncoming horde.
Jack pulled a grenade out the pouch on his belt. The metal ball was heavy in his hand. He grabbed a torch from the wall and lit the fuse.
“Be quick,” shouted Nial.
“Take cover,” cried Jack and he threw it into the throne room.
Human guards ran side by side with Nostros and the Turned. They would be on the Dogs in seconds.
He threw himself over Brendan as Nial and Erik ducked down behind the wall. The room exploded a second later. Fire and fury filled the room and Jack’s ears rang with the force of the blast.
Hands hauled him up. It was Nial. He shouted something but Jack couldn’t hear, he just knew he had to get on his feet, get moving. He grabbed Brendan as did so.
Tears filled his brother's eyes.
They ran on, knowing more would still follow.
“Keep those grenades handy,” shouted Nial as they ran.
Their feet echoed off the stone, their breath ragged in their throats.
Ten remaining Dogs raced to towards the docks.
Abios's finest. Running with their tails between their legs.
The priest helping him with Brendan stumbled and all three men nearly went down. Jack staggered under the sudden shift in weight but somehow kept his feet. "Go," he ordered the priest. "I'll carry him myself."
Jack hoisted Brendan over his shoulder.
His legs screamed in protest. His lungs burned. It seemed like he had been running all his life.
Somewhere ahead was the way out. He was going to get Brendan out. He had to.
A crossroads appeared ten feet ahead of them. "Keep going straight," he shouted at the priests ahead of him. The tunnels couldn't go on forever.
Suddenly, from behind, he heard scuttling along the rock. Jack spun around. A Turned human scampered along the ceiling of the tunnel towards them. Her red eyes gleamed in the darkness. She launched herself at Jack. Her claws gleamed at the end of her outstretched arms.
Jack threw himself backwards, dropping Brendan. He pulled the pistol from the holster on his chest as he fell. The Turned crashed into him. The demon woman's claws dug into his flesh. Her snarling face was inches from his.
He pulled the trigger.
The bullet knocked her off Jack. Her feet kicked against the stone as she tried to hold her guts in but Jack was already back on his feet. He hauled his brother over his shoulder and began to run once more. He saw Nial and Erik disappearing into the tunnel ahead of them.
He passed the junction, aware that they were falling behind the other priests. He glanced down the left tunnel. More red eyes glowed in the darkness. He dropped Brendan, fumbled for another grenade, his heart racing as the red eyes raced towards him. His fingers closed on the metal ball and he thrust the fuse into a torch on the wall, saw it fizzle. The Turned came on, scampering over wall, floor and ceiling. He threw the grenade and grabbed his brother, hauled him off his feet, dragged him down the corridor.
A heartbeat later, the grenade exploded, throwing Jack and his brother ten yards. They hit the ground hard and Jack felt all the air go from his lungs with a whoosh. Fire followed them, singing his back, but he managed to crawl over Brendan protecting him from the worst.
He could hear screaming behind him. Not all the demons were dead. He scrambled back on his feet, stumbling into the wall until he could get his balance.
He picked his brother up but Brendan weighed more with every step. Jack was slowing despite his best efforts. He dared not look behind him but he knew the Nostros remained in pursuit.
The men turned around a corner to find daylight illuminating the way ahead.
The stairs were one hundred yards away. Jack found renewed strength and pushed his tired legs harder.
A priest stopped by the top of the stairs, faced back the way they come, his pistol aimed and hammer cocked "Move it, man!" he shouted at Jack — as if he needed any more encouragement.
God only knew where Jack found the energy but, with a final burst of speed, he passed the priest and made the stairs. He almost slipped on the first step but righted himself and ran into the daylight.
It was a long way down to the cavern floor but Jack's hopes rose with each step he took away from the darkness of the tunnel.
After ten steps, he looked back, expecting to see the other priest following on his heels. He stared at the empty doorway to the tunnel, willing the priest to appear.
"Jack," croaked Brendan. "We must move. Can't be... captured again."
"Where is ..." Jack heard a gun shot and then the man appeared.
“Quick, throw me a grenade,” the priest called down.
Jack tossed a metal ball back up the stairs and the priest caught it with one hand. He turned back to face the whatever was coming down the tunnel, lighting the fuse as he waited.
The blast ripped through the doorway. Flame and smoke rode along with the thunderclap. Jack tumbled down the stairs with Brendan to the next landing. Another priest came back to help. Jack recognized him. Glen. Their practice bouts seemed a lifetime ago.
He grabbed Brendan under the arms, dragged him down the steps. Jack stumbled after them, punch drunk from the explosion. He tried to focus on the world around him. Someone screamed at him. Water glistened in the cave mouth. He fell again, smacking his head on rock. Blackness threatened to take him but he shook it away. They were so close.
He made it to another landing. Looking back, he thought he saw movement at the tunnel entrance. He staggered down more steps. He held onto the wall to keep him upright.
The others were already on the docks.
An arrow whistled past. Another flew by inches from his face. He pulled his other pistol from its holster, waved it at the top of the stairs and fired. He didn't look to see if it hit anything. He threw the pistol away as he climbed down more steps.
Jack made it to the last landing.
"Run!" A priest shouted from the docks. A Dog jumped into the water and swam toward two drifting canoes, abandoned from their attack earlier. Two others dived in after him. They clambered on board one of the canoes and pushed the other toward the dock.
Arrows nipped at Jack's feet and skittered off the walls.
He took the last steps two at a time, praying that they were where he thought they were.
The remaining men urged him on.
Glen fired at something behind Jack. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a body fall.
He jumped the last five steps, landing with a thump on the dock. A sharp pain stabbed through his ankle. Arms grabbed him, hauling him along the deck. They ran low, chased by arrows.
Smoke from the still burning armada stung Jack's eyes as
; Glen waved at him from a canoe. Brendan was with him.
Jack fell onboard. He slipped in behind Brendan while Glen took the front spot. There was only one oar in the canoe so Jack used his sword to row with.
The canoe snaked its way through the sunken ships,the smoke masking their passage. Jack thanked God as the sun bathed them in its protection.
Arrows fell from the sky, biting into ships or splashing into the water around them. But with each yard, they flew less.
Jack spotted a discarded paddle floating by and snatched it from the water. Immediately they began to make better time.
They turned around a half-sunk galleon and the open sea stretched before them. Sunlight danced across the rich blue service and Jack nearly wept with joy.
He gripped Brendan's shoulder. "We did it, brother. We're free."
The Great Hope sailed toward them. Its sails, full of wind, ate the distance between them.
Everyone flinched as a canon fired from the top of the sea wall.
Jack couldn't see a cannonball land anywhere but the cannon still stood on the battlements. What had happened to Lin and Robert?
The relief he had felt only moments earlier disappeared as the reality hit home. Lin was dead somewhere in Grosnar or, worse, captured like his brother was. "We have to go back," he said. "The others..."
Glen shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jack, but their fate lies in God's hands. Just pray we can get out of here before the cannon wipes out the Hope. Or we all meet again in heaven."
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713 PN
The quiet man, Alan, stuck close to Lin's side as she led them to the Western sea wall. He reminded her of the cats she'd see stalking through the castle hunting mice, ready to kill anything that crossed their path. He frightened her but, under the circumstances, she thought that was a good thing. In the heart of Grosnar, she needed dangerous men by her side.
Robert covered their rear. For once, he was quiet as well. No jokes to be made. His eyes searched the darkness for any threat. Another dangerous man.
They slipped through the dark passageways with grim determination.