by B. C. Harris
Throughout the cage are small holes in the walls that allow us to breathe. A stream of dust and dirt from the tractor pushes its way through these holes. I begin to gag from the dirty air. Feeling my friends pushing against me, I guess that we used each other as blankets to survive the cool night. The tug of tiny paws on my shoulders tells me the location of Squirt.
The wretched noise gets closer. I squint, using my hands as a shield to protect my eyes from the pummelling dirt. It feels like someone is shooting sand into my face through the holes in the cage.
Four hideous creatures appear at the side of our cage. They each have four arms and short legs. In fact, their legs are so short that their bulky hands touch the ground. Their facial features are squashed between their heavy-set jaws and large foreheads, giving the impression that a huge weight fell on their heads. A long tongue slithers out of each of their mouths like a snake dropping from a branch.
Without warning, the creatures lift our cage as though they are lifting an empty box.
Our cage jerks sideways. It is effortlessly loaded onto the cart that is attached to the tractor.
I think I hear Jasmin cry, but the noise around us makes it difficult to determine whether it’s Jasmin or one of my other friends.
Within seconds, we are bouncing up and down as the tractor begins to pull us.
The ground is so bumpy that it feels like we’re on a trampoline. It’s all any of us can do to prevent getting injured from smashing into each other or from hitting the walls of the cage. I try to protect my head as it still hurts a little from the fall I took a few nights ago.
I look at my friends. Their eyes are begging me to help them.
“We will escape,” I say with determination. “There must be some way.”
I vaguely remember my conversation last night with Tarcharon. I recall him saying something about making a deal with me. Yes, I think he said something about me leading him to Shinti.
As I look through the sides of the cage, attempting to ascertain where we might be going, I notice a glimpse of something small flying in the cloud of dust around us. I strain to see what it is.
Suddenly Jamie announces, “There’s Radwin.”
I had forgotten about Radwin. When we entered Shade yesterday, he flew ahead of us to look for water. He probably lost us in the cloudy, polluted air. When we were captured, I was too frightened and hungry to remember that he was still somewhere else in Shade.
The bright yellow doadling comes closer. I ask, “Where have you been?”
“I lost you yesterday. I’ve been looking most of the night for you. When I heard the terrible noise from the strange object that’s pulling you, I decided to investigate. That’s when I noticed the cage with you trapped inside.”
“Radwin, I have horrible news. I’m certain that the Shadites are drilling a tunnel through one of the mountains. After they escape from Shade, they expect me to lead them to Shinti. Once they discover that Shinti is abandoned, I’m sure they will torture us until they learn about Lattisan.”
“I’m not sure there’s much we can do to stop them,” Radwin replies with a sense of hopelessness in his voice. “As I flew around Shade, I discovered that the Shadites have a massive army and a huge battery of machines that are probably weapons. They are most definitely drilling a tunnel; I have seen it.
Oh no, I think. We’ve got to stop them.
“Once they complete the tunnel, I could fly through it and return back to Lattisan to warn Capurni,” Radwin says.
“That’s a good idea.”
Then, the perfect solution hits me.
“I know,” I say excitedly. “Once you reach Lattisan, you could get my emerald from Capurni and bring it back to me. I can use it to save my friends. After I do that, Capurni can show me how to use the emerald to destroy the tunnel.”
“Yes, that might work,” Radwin says.
Looking at my friends, there’s a little hope in their eyes. They have obviously heard me talk to Radwin about my plan to save us.
- 35 -
A DIFFICULT DECISION
After what feels like hours of being pulled in our cage, we’re beginning to slow down. As this occurs, there is less dirt and dust being kicked up around us. We’re getting closer to the base of towering mountains. The air in this part of Shade is much cleaner. Perhaps it’s only around the city where the air is so polluted.
I don’t know where Radwin has gone. I guess he might be flying underneath our cart to prevent someone from seeing him, but I’m not certain.
I pray that no one sees him. He’s our only hope. For us to have any chance of escaping, Radwin has to get my emerald.
The hopelessness we have all felt since we were captured is beginning to be replaced by optimism as we now have a plan to escape. My only concern is whether Tarcharon might torture any of us before Radwin is able to obtain my emerald.
Drew looks much stronger today. He also looks angry. Something about Drew has changed, but I can’t quite identify what it is.
I’m aware that once we stop moving, Tarcharon will visit me for more information. If he doesn’t believe what I tell him, one of my friends might feel his wrath.
“Look!” Michael shouts.
Following his wide eyes I see thousands and thousands of soldiers.
As our cage stops, I shudder at the magnitude of the Shadite army. The inhabitants of Lattisan are doomed unless we find a way to stop the Shadites.
The tractor remains chained to our cart. I guess that our journey for the day is not finished yet.
It feels great to stop moving even though my head continues to spin from the motion, and my stomach is churning in discomfort.
In addition to the colossal army, there’s an endless array of weapons. Although I don’t know the exact purpose of each of them, no one has to tell me that they’re all designed to cause death and destruction. My first impression of them is that they look similar to the kinds of weapons I have seen in movies about the First World War. There are also rows and rows of trucks.
“What are the trucks for?” I ask Michael.
“They’re probably filled with ammunition and explosives,” Michael responds.
“Look. Over there,” Jamie says.
“Where?” I reply.
“There,” he says as he points with his hand.
It’s the tunnel.
Some soldiers are moving towards the opening in the mountains although it doesn’t look to me like any of them have actually entered it yet. Now, it’s clear to me why our cage was pulled here. The journey out of Shade is soon going to begin.
“Tarcharon,” Jamie whispers.
I look in another direction.
Tarcharon and two of his thugs are approaching.
I wonder where Radwin is hiding. If Tarcharon discovers him, our plan to escape will be ruined.
The more I think about our plan, the more I’m beginning to wonder whether Capurni would even give the emerald to Radwin. After all, Capurni didn’t want me to bring it into Shade in case it was taken from me.
Tarcharon and the two soldiers accompanying him leap onto the wagon that’s holding our cage. The wagon immediately shifts sideways. I think it might collapse, but after some creaking and a brief tremor it successfully absorbs the additional weight.
The two soldiers are wearing red uniforms with black trim while Tarcharon is wearing his black trench coat. Although the soldiers have faces with human features, their movements are more like those of a lizard.
“Very soon, you are going to lead me to Shinti,” Tarcharon growls.
I nod, trying to show him that I’m willing to cooperate although the sight of him fills me with dread. I realize I’m playing with my hair. I jerk my fingers away, hoping that I won’t appear to be more nervous than I actually am.
I have no problem leading Tarcharon and his army to Shinti, except that I really don’t know how to take them there. We found Shinti after traveling on a turbulent river. There’s no way Tarcharon’s army
could travel the same route. I quiver as I think about what he might do to me when he learns that I don’t know how to lead them to Shinti.
Besides, Shinti is abandoned. Even if I was able to lead Tarcharon and his army there, he would go crazy when he finds out that no one lives in Shinti.
“I will help you as best as I can as long as you promise to let me and my friends go as soon as we reach Shinti,” I say nervously.
Although I know that Tarcharon will never let us go, I need him to think that I’m foolish enough to believe whatever he promises. Right now, I need to gain some time so that Radwin can escape and bring the emerald back to me.
“Absolutely,” Tarcharon replies with a devious smile. “We will set you free as soon as we reach Shinti. You have my word.”
Twisted smirks appear on the faces of the two soldiers standing beside Tarcharon.
“Our tunnel out of this dismal land is now finished,” Tarcharon says to me, a flicker of evil radiating from his face.
I turn my attention away from Tarcharon to gaze at the hole in the side of the mountain.
“Once we’re through the tunnel, I’m counting on you to tell me the exact location of Shinti. At any point, if I think that you’re lying to me, I will kill your friends one by one. Do you understand me?”
I nod anxiously. There is evil in his bloodshot eyes. I know he would not hesitate to torture or kill my friends.
As Tarcharon begins to turn away from our cage, he abruptly stops before he jumps off the wagon. He looks back towards me, raising his nose in the air as though he’s a hungry predator sniffing for its prey.
“I smell someone who does not belong,” he says in a menacing voice as he steps back towards me. “There is someone here who was not here before.”
Tarcharon presses his terrifying face against our cage.
“Who is here that wasn’t here before?” he demands as he looks through me.
I shrug as though I don’t know what he’s talking about, but my knees are shaking so badly that he likely guesses that I’m keeping something from him.
Tarcharon takes a key from one of his huge pockets. He opens our cage. He unravels his whip that he always carries with him. I know I’m about to feel his fury.
Suddenly, there’s a small burst of noise from the side of our cart. I turn to see Radwin darting upwards. In the same instant, Tarcharon unleashes his whip.
There’s a loud crack as the end of the whip strikes Radwin.
As Radwin tumbles downwards, Tarcharon grabs him.
In one swift movement, Tarcharon flings him inside our cage.
Radwin hits the floor hard and bounces into Drew’s leg. As I look at my friends, there is terror on their faces.
“Do you have any more secrets?” Tarcharon asks as his powerful hand comes down hard on my shoulder, almost driving me to the floor of the cage.
I vigorously shake my head, unable to get any words out of my mouth.
My fear of Tarcharon has dramatically increased.
As the heavy door slams shut, it’s as though we have been sealed in a tomb. With the capture of Radwin, we no longer have a plan to escape.
Now, there’s no way we can warn Capurni of the impending attack. There’s no way I can get the emerald necklace.
- 36 -
AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE
We’re all sitting dejected on the floor of the cage.
“He’s an evil monster,” Jasmin says with disgust as she nestles herself closer to Drew in the corner. “Emily, you’d better do whatever he asks you to do because there’s no way I want to feel his anger directed towards me.”
“I’ll do whatever he wants, but regardless of how hopeless this seems, we’ve got to keep believing that we will find a way to survive. We have to keep watching for an opportunity to escape. If we give up and shut our minds off to any possibility of getting out of this cage, we’re going to end up dead. Although I have no idea how we’re going to remain alive, there must be a way.”
“I agree with Emily,” Jamie says as he moves beside me.
“Me too, me too, me too,” Squirt squeaks.
“Emily, how did you ever get to be so brave?” Michael asks.
Actually, I think I’m the least courageous of all my friends. I’m probably just doing a better job of hiding my fear than they are. There are times, and right now is one of them, when I’m frightened to death, but I know that my friends are depending on me to protect them. I can’t let them down.
I smile at Michael to thank him for his compliment.
“Their biggest guns are being pulled to the entrance of the tunnel,” Jamie says.
There are more than one-hundred large weapons followed by forty to fifty trucks moving towards the tunnel.
A large roar from the tractor engine startles me.
“Oh no,” Jasmin says. “I can’t handle being pulled by that thing again.”
Unexpectedly, there’s a loud blast, almost like it came from a bugle or trumpet, but I can’t see who made it.
The soldiers begin to assemble in lines.
Four soldiers with massive bodies appear beside our cart. Each of these soldiers, dressed in red military uniforms, looks like a clone of Tarcharon.
Without any warning, the tractor jerks our cart forward sending us flying against the sides of the thick glass-like cage.
As the wagon starts to bounce along the uneven ground, I fight a growing sense of nausea fueled by the rolling movement of our cart and by my intense hunger.
We’re being pulled towards the gaping hole in the side of a mountain. The weapons being pulled by tractors have already entered the tunnel. They are followed by the ammunition trucks. It looks like we’re going to be following the trucks.
I feel someone pushing beside me.
It’s Jasmin. She puts her arm around me.
“I know I haven’t always been the most positive person on this mission,” she begins, “but you are my friend and I believe in you. Is there something I can do to help?”
“You just helped me more than you’ll ever realize,” I say.
My friends move closer to me.
“We’re going to find a way out of here,” Jamie says.
“I agree,” says Michael.
I look at Drew; his face is blank.
“Isn’t this sweet?” a mean voice unexpectedly says as I hear a loud thump on our cart.
It’s Tarcharon. I didn’t notice him jumping onto the wagon.
Like a wild man, he opens the cage door.
Before I can react, he grabs me by the arm and rips me from the cage.
For an instant, I’m outside the cage, dangling off the side of the cart in Tarcharon’s fierce grip.
“Anything else you want to tell me before we enter the tunnel?” he says.
“No,” I manage to reply.
“Leave her alone,” Jasmin says angrily.
With the flick of his wrist, Tarcharon flings me back into the cage where I crash against Jasmin.
“Oh, you’ve found some courage, have you?” Tarcharon says as he glares at Jasmin.
She stares defiantly back at him although she’s keeping her distance.
“We’ll see how brave you are when the time comes for me rip you into pieces.”
He slams the door shut and smugly locks it.
Tarcharon leaps from our cart and strides away from us like the victor in a battle.
Suddenly, I notice a little purple head poke briefly out of one his large pockets.
I glance around the cage.
Where’s Squirt? I ask myself. I look in every corner of our cage. I can’t see him anywhere.
Is it possible that Squirt is now in one of Tarcharon’s pockets? Could he steal the key to our cage to rescue us?
- 37 -
NIGHTFALL
After traveling through a dark tunnel for at least half of the day, we arrive at the beginning of a long canyon. I remember a previous conversation with Capurni when he told me that this canyon led dire
ctly to the large lake where Lattisan is located.
Once we reach the end of the canyon, I’m going to have to find a way to divert Tarcharon and his army away from the lake, although I really don’t know where I’m going to lead them.
Once Tarcharon discovers that I don’t know the location of Shinti, he will torture me until I tell him that the descendants of the people from Shinti are now living in Lattisan.
Looking around me, I see an extensive range of weapons. Although they look like they came from our First World War, there are so many of them that the unarmed inhabitants of Lattisan won’t have a chance against them.
I picture these huge guns lining the shores of the lake containing Capurni’s fabulous underwater world and blasting away until the sphere is destroyed. Once the sphere collapses, the inhabitants would be cut apart by the Shadite guns as they try to swim to safety.
Our wagon begins to slow down. It will be a welcome relief to stop the tumultuous ride.
Darkness is starting to fall. I’m sure that this procession of death will remain here for the night.
Once Tarcharon is asleep, I wonder if Squirt will try to steal the key to our cage from Tarcharon’s pockets. Will he attempt to rescue us?
None of my friends have commented yet on Squirt missing from our cage. I guess that I’m the only person who knows that he’s in one of Tarcharon’s pockets.
I have resisted telling my friends about Squirt’s escape because I wanted to consider what we might do if he returns back to our cage with the key.
I’m now ready to tell them.
“Anyone seen Squirt?” I say.
We’re all sitting on the floor of the cage.
“No,” Jamie says.
I notice everyone shaking their heads.
“Where could he be?” Jasmin asks.
Although we’re trapped in a very serious situation, it’s comical to watch my friends searching for Squirt. They check every rip and hole in their tattered clothes to no avail.