by Joe Sniezek
“I know you want me to go back with you. But how come?” he said, looking into her eyes with genuine sincerity.
Zumi leaned in and placed her hand on his thigh and leaned over to whisper in his ear softly, “I just know we’d have a lot of fun.” Wilfer felt the hairs on his neck stand up and his face flush. He froze, momentarily forgetting what he had been doing.
Noticing the effect that she was having on him, she laughed, grabbed his hand, stood up, and said, “Come on, we need to do our trousers.” She led him deeper into the water, stripped off her remaining clothes, and tossed them into the washing pool to soak. Wilfer followed, and they embraced and shared a kiss as their clothes soaked – for far longer than they needed to.
∞∞∞
Back at the camp with damp but slightly cleaner clothes, they found Ikvig cooking more fish for dinner. Eniyan was squatting down at the water’s edge trying to converse with Ike. Eniyan was speaking and Ike was responding with gestures and intermittent squishing sounds. Ikvig looked over occasionally, laughed in amusement, and shook his head, but he mostly let them talk.
Eniyan returned to the fire when the fish was ready and said, “He seems to understand us, but I didn’t have any mind link. I guess that only works for Ikvig.”
“Ike had fun trying though,” Ikvig said and stopped to swat at a large wasp that flew around his head.
“Wow. That’s a big bug,” Wilfer marveled.
“It is big,” Eniyan said as he watched it intently, “too big, actually.”
The wasp buzzed around in large loops, circling each person’s head and the group as a whole. But it was careful to stay away from the smoke and the flames. Zumi grabbed a handful of the partially dried leaves that she had used for bedding and tossed them on the fire. This quenched the flames.
Wilfer frowned and said, “What did you do that for?”
“Drive the bugs away,” Zumi explained.
“The fire was keeping it away,” Wilfer protested.
“Watch,” was all Zumi said as the leaves, once they were hot enough, let out a puff of smoke and soon the campfire was billowing clouds of thick white smoke.
Wilfer noticed three more wasps had arrived. The smoke was successful in hindering their flying, so the insects crawled around the campsite, instead. Eniyan instructed his friends to kill the wasps as he crushed one with a swift blow from his staff. Ikvig crushed another with just a slap of his large hand. Zumi trapped one inside her bag and sat down on the bag, flattening anything inside.
“Good,” Eniyan said as he stood up and grabbed his staff and other belonging. “But probably too late. We have to go now.”
“Wait. What’s going on? I mean, nobody likes bugs, but why so afraid?” Wilfer asked.
“Not ordinary bugs, spies. And this much smoke will tell everybody within five miles that we’re here,” Eniyan said, gesturing to the smoky campfire.
Everyone gathered up their possessions. As he packed in the thick smoke, Wilfer saw a shadowy figure silently pass by. With a yelp, the figure fell and was dragged into the water and not seen again. Ike then appeared at the shore and Ikvig helped him climb up onto his back.
Nine
Eniyan shouted, “This way,” as he ran to the canyon walls. Wilfer remembered the old man informing them that way was impassable. However, there was no time for Wilfer to do anything but trust him, so he followed them as fast as he could. The old man ran to the canyon wall but did not attempt to climb them. Instead, he ran along the base of the slope towards the mouth of the canyon. Even though there was no visible trail, Eniyan seemed to know where to go.
“Follow me exactly; step only where I step,” Eniyan said while leading the way. He was moving quickly but still chose each step carefully.
“You set traps?” Ikvig guessed and Eniyan nodded over his shoulder. Upon hearing that, they each perked up with extra attention. Without knowing exactly where Eniyan put a trap or what kind it was, it was a very treacherous situation.
Their pursuers were not yet in sight, but if they hadn’t made it to the still smoking campfire, they were close. Wilfer and his companions did not have time to hide their tracks leaving camp. Although their trail may be easy to find, this clever route of Eniyan’s will prevent anyone from following on horseback. A horse could not navigate the difficult terrain, at least not as quickly as a person could. The way was steep, rocky, and had too many shrub and branches in the way.
The first of Eniyan’s simple traps that they encountered was just a very steep stretch of scree. Eniyan had attached a piece of rope to the canyon wall for them to hold onto. It offered stability and balance as they passed. After they all had navigated the slide, Eniyan reached back and pulled the rope free with a few sharp tugs. Wilfer’s eyes widened as he realized that he probably relied more on that rope than he should have, considering it was just secured with a large knot wedged into a crack in the wall.
Soon after, they had the first visible clue that they were indeed being followed. The last surviving wasp had shown itself again. It buzzed by their heads a few times but soon became more aggressive. The wasp buzzed in their faces, attempting to irritate them into a fatal mistake or just to slow them down. They each took turns swatting at the insect as they suffered from its annoyances. Finally, the wasp focused solely on Zumi, who was at the rear of the group. It landed on her head and plunged its stinger deep into the apple of her cheek, just below her left eye. She let out a yelp of pain and smacked her face with her palm, smashing the bug. It left a large smear of green and yellow visceral fluids on her face. She attempted to wipe it off as best she could, but it was very thick and sticky. Whether it was just the pungent smell or the pain from the venom, the poor girl was suffering a heavy toll. Her pace slowed noticeably and she was becoming less steady on her feet.
The group approached another trap. Eniyan turned around and instructed them to step carefully and pointed to some logs laid side by side, going parallel to the path. The logs were covered with a thin layer of leaves and dirt. Wilfer noticed how easily the logs would roll downhill; He saw that whoever stepped on them would be thrown down the slope onto several sharpened sticks that were embedded into the ground at a deadly angle. Ikvig grimaced at the savagery of that trap. Perhaps it might not kill someone outright, but they certainly wouldn’t continue their chase.
At the mouth of the canyon, the steep sidewalls began to smooth out. Eniyan turned and headed up the mountainside. They came upon a small goat trail that wound up and along the mountain ridge. A short distance further along the trail, Eniyan pointed to one more trap. A tripwire of rope was strung across the path. Wilfer stepped over it, not taking the time to see what it would release. However, shortly afterward they heard rocks tumbling and a short, pained shout. Wilfer’s blood froze in his veins; his pursuer had been a lot closer than he had thought.
Eniyan said, “Wait here,” and went back to deal with the wounded man. When he returned, his expression was grim. He said simply, “Dead,” and held a short sword that he had found on the deceased man.
“Thank goodness, we needed this. I felt naked without a sword for all this time,” Wilfer said.
By now, Zumi was in very bad shape. She braced herself against nearby rocks and branches. One side of her face was so swollen that she could not see out of her left eye, and the fist-sized lump under her cheek was turning a deep shade of purple.
“Let me see,” Eniyan said and examined her.
“Ike has an idea,” Ikvig said as they were huddled around the poor girl. The squid extended a tentacle from around the giant’s shoulder and gestured to her face and undulated his tentacle next to her head. Ikvig said, “He says he can try to suck out the poison.”
“It’s worth a try,” Eniyan said. He took out his small cooking knife. “Hold still girl, this will hurt, but it has to be done,” he said and made a small cross-shaped incision in the center of the stinger wound. Blood and pus immediately oozed out of the cut. The squid positioned a sucker on her face a
nd wrapped his tentacle around her head and massaged them. Zumi was not pleased with this process and let out a soft, steady, horrified scream as the squid extracted the venom.
However unpleasant, it was effective. A surprising amount of fluid dribbled down her head as he continued to apply pressure to the wound. After a moment, he carefully unwrapped his tentacle and tucked it back into place behind the giant. Wilfer held his breath with concern as Eniyan examined the girl’s face, again. It still looked terrible, but it some of the swelling was reduced.
“We’ll have to just keep an eye on her,” he said with a worried look.
“Are we still being followed?” Wilfer asked.
“I didn’t see anybody,” Eniyan said, “but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”
“We have to keep going. We can’t stay here,” Wilfer said with a concerned look at Zumi. The girl had an unfocused look in her eyes and her breathing was ragged.
Wilfer turned to Ikvig and asked, “Granberk is nearby?”
Ikvig nodded and said, “Yes. Follow me.” The large man headed down the trail and did not turn around, expecting them to follow.
Eniyan took Zumi’s backpack despite her weak objections. He said to her gently, “It will be ok; you’ll get it back. Take a couple minutes of rest and you will be much stronger.” She was not fooled by his lies of compassion but did not respond.
Wilfer asked Zumi if she could walk. She responded that she could, but took several steps and staggered. There was no way she would make it all the way, so Wilfer held each of her hands and spun around to position her behind him. He pulled her arms over his shoulders, dipped into a squat, and lifted her up onto his back. He asked, “Can you hold on a little bit?” She found the strength to wrap her legs around his waist and partially support herself that way.
Wilfer followed behind Ikvig and wondered which was heavier, the girl or the squid. After perhaps half hour they covered most of the distance to the gateway. Ikvig turned around and said, “Just around the next turn is the gateway. We are close.” He looked at Wilfer’s red sweaty face and said, “I think we can rest a moment.”
Luck was not completely with them that day because they had no way to carry water with them. They were all thirsty, but some were clearly suffering more than others. Eniyan usually held up the best on these journeys. Wilfer made a mental note to ask him about it at the next opportunity.
They sat in the shade of a small tree. That helped, and after only a few moments, Zumi said, “I think I can walk now.” She smiled and patted Wilfer’s shoulder in thanks. Her face was slowly healing. The swelling was much better and while still swollen, she could see out of both her eyes now. The purple faded into red, and now, the bruising was only around the incision – a purple circle the exact shape and size of one of Ike’s sucker.
“How do you feel?” Wilfer asked, relieved at her improvement.
“All my bones ache, but I feel better than that guy chasing us,” she laughed weakly. A sense of humor was the first sign of recovery.
Having rested, Ikvig led the way to a mound of large boulders. The giant pointed down the pile of boulders. “Under there,” he said.
“Really? Under there? Where?” Wilfer couldn’t imagine a gateway being hidden that way.
“Yes. I was here only a few days ago,” Ikvig reassured them and hopped up over the first large boulder. For him, it was a jump up then scramble, but the others, being smaller, had more difficulty. Ikvig noticed this and sat on top of the boulder to reach down and grab Eniyan’s hand, pulling him up. Zumi was next; Wilfer lifted her from below while Ikvig pulled, giving her a needed extra boost. Wilfer joined them, and they continued to follow the giant down the other side of the boulder, up a smaller one, then down under a pile of large house-sized rocks.
The route continued. As they went, the air grew noticeably cooler. This was more than the cold radiating from rocks that have always been in the shade. Something occurred to Wilfer so he said, “Ikvig said it was cold in Granberk. I feel it, but no wind.”
“Air and water will not pass through a gateway. Heat and cold will seep through, but mostly you only have to watch out for people and animals,” Eniyan said.
“It’s not too cold in Granberk, only a little snow so far,” Ikvig told them. Wilfer realized that Ikvig’s might have greater resistance to cold than they do. Ike the squid was already turning a little blue, and his movements were distinctly sluggish as he slowly patted a tentacle on the side of Ikvig head.
“We’re not dressed for cold. Even a little snow could be a problem,” Zumi said, already shivering.
“We could strip the clothes from the body, back there,” Eniyan said with a shrug as he pointed his thumb back over his shoulder.
“We do have some blankets,” Wilfer suggested.
“I will get his clothes,” Ikvig said and headed back with Ike. He quickly heaved himself up boulder upon boulder, disappearing from sight in a moment.
“We will only be in Granberk for a little while, just until the attention dies down,” Wilfer said.
“My home is nice and warm,” Zumi reminded them.
Wilfer turned to Zumi and said, “We have no money, no weapons, limited food, and no understanding of what’s happening. Your city would be a terrible risk, I think.”
“We would protect you,” Zumi declared, but Wilfer was unsure. He liked Zumi, and always felt comfortable and relaxed around her. She seemed to feel the same. On the other hand, his internal alarm sounded a little every time she mentioned returning to San La. Could she have come along for the sole purpose of luring him back there? Didn’t she basically admit that earlier? Unfortunately, he was distracted by her charms at the time and didn’t pay heed. Wilfer told himself that he wouldn’t make that same mistake again. When she felt better, he would have to talk to her about it once more, maybe with a chaperone nearby to prevent distractions.
Ikvig returned with a charcoal grey robe from the deceased man. He jumped down off the closest boulder and put it around Zumi’s shoulders. It was much too large for her, but she wrapped it around herself twice and cinched it with a length of rope. The double layer would help keep her warm.
Zumi pulled what burlap blanket she had in her bag and handed it to Ikvig. Seeing his quizzical expression, she said, “For Ike.”
Ikvig nodded with a grunt. He fashioned a backpack from the blanket and the squid crawled into it. The limited insulation of the burlap combined with Ikvig’s body heat should offer some protection from the cold. It was the best they could do.
Ikvig said, “We have to hurry. There are four or six men on horseback following.”
“Why didn’t you say that immediately?” Wilfer demanded.
“We are going as fast as we can, and I didn’t want us to rush and make a mistake,” he said seriously. He led them down the boulders further under the rock jumble until they hit the dirt floor. They followed along a broken trail between two rocks. It grew much darker, and suddenly they were in a true cave. In the very dim light, they saw that there was a sharp drop-off, a few paces in front of them.
Before Ikvig descended further into the cave, Wilfer said, “Wait, they will never stop chasing us. This is a good place for an ambush. Maybe it’s time we fight back.”
“Yes,” Ikvig said with great enthusiasm.
Eniyan quickly surveyed their surroundings and said, “This fall might incapacitate or kill someone if they slipped or were pushed.”
“Ike says he can help,” Ikvig said.
“I can hide in the darkness, sneak up behind them, and push them over,” Wilfer said.
“No, you’re the bait, remember?” Eniyan disagreed.
Ike slipped off the giant’s back and attached himself to the rock face, just below the lip of the drop-off. He snaked a tentacle up onto the ledge and brushed their feet, demonstrating the plan. They all remembered how he snared that person at the lake. It was a good idea, but Ike could only grab one or perhaps two people. Someone would have to deal with the
others from behind during the confusion.
Eniyan volunteered, “I will hide above the entrance in the dark, jump down, and push them. It has to be fast. I cannot best them in a fight.”
“Can you swing down? At least hold this rope for safety. It’s not very strong, but better than nothing.” Wilfer said, handing him a length of rope.
“How close were they, Ikvig?” Wilfer asked.
“Half an hour at most. Probably much less,” Ikvig said.
Ike was comfortable clinging to the wall for that amount of time. Wilfer, Ikvig, and Zumi carefully lowered themselves down the ledge and waited a short distance away. They talked softly, but loud enough that the pursuers will hear them. It was reasonable bait.
Ikvig, Zumi, and Wilfer continued to make nonsensical small talk. They did not want to get distracted by a true conversation, so they feigned bits of talk about lunch, the weather, and gossip about people they didn’t know.
Eventually, four soldiers in uniform entered the cave. They crept in stealthily and drew their swords the moment they heard voices. They walked to the edge of the ledge and peered over. One man let out a yelp as he slipped over the cliff. The second man leaned forward to save him and was pulled over, as well. The other two were wiser and more cautious. They chose to approach the ledge slowly and did not get too close. Eniyan swung down. He did not contact them in the air and instead, landed directly behind them. They spun around to defend themselves and Eniyan lunged at them with all his might, pushing them over the edge. The momentum of the shove caused Eniyan to tumble to the ground. He landed flat on his belly and continued to slide over the edge. With lightning quick reflexes, Ike reached out two tentacles and stopped him. Eniyan let out a sigh of relief and patted the nearest tentacle with thanks.
Ten
Eniyan called for his companions to return to the cave. Although Ikvig smiled in triumph, Wilfer and Zumi wore grimmer expressions. Few people liked harming another person, even when necessary. Causing someone to fall into a trap was somehow easier to accept. There is a degree of separation between your actions and the person’s death. It could be seen as accidental, with enough rationalizing. But pushing someone to their death is more immediate and real.