Chapter 8
Terror
“Two more disappeared last night,” said Jarod. “A woman and one of the men on guard duty.”
Sebastian listened in silence, idly poking the ground with a twig. His stomach rumbled and he was wet and cold. They huddled together, waiting for the worst of the rain to clear. He shivered and thought about how quickly the novelty of being outside had worn off.
They had been on the run for three weeks now. Somehow, in the chaos of their escape, he had ended up with Jarod, Svetka and a few others he knew from inside the mountain as part of a group of a few hundred slaves. They had fled together, sometimes breaking into smaller groups to throw off their pursuers, but a few were always missing when they reassembled to continue their way south.
Their escape had not led to an outcry of joy. And as Sebastian looked around, he saw fear on most faces. They were constantly hunted, and many had died in these last few weeks after experiencing the freedom of the outside world again.
“They’re foolish for going off on their own,” said Svetka. “Our strength is in numbers.”
Jarod looked at her with doubt.
“Are you certain they’ve run away? It’s the third time in five days we are missing people. Maybe something else is going on. Could it be those wolves?”
“Loitre said the wolves stopped following us a few days ago. But even if it were them, all the more reason to stay close together during the night,” said Svetka.
“Perhaps they went to find food for themselves,” said Sebastian as his stomach growled again.
He never would have expected there would be less food out here than in the mines, and he thanked the world that summer had just begun. But although several of their group had shown themselves to be excellent foragers, the food available was scarce and there were simply too many mouths to feed. Many of the escaped slaves were starting to feel the lack of food as they constantly pushed themselves to move further away from the soldier patrols. Thankfully, finding water had never been an issue with the plentiful rain that fell even during these summer times.
“Perhaps…”
“Do you think Marek is alright?” Sebastian asked after a while.
Jarod looked at him with tight-pressed lips.
“I don’t know. Tom said he last saw him the day after our escape, but with so many hunting parties after us…”
Sebastian let his head hang. He missed his friend, even if he had sometimes been a bit clingy. They had been through much together.
“That boy is resourceful and good at hiding,” said Svetka, surprisingly compassionate. Probably trying to keep their morale up, but Sebastian knew the old woman would not dare to give false hope. “Both will increase his chances for certain.”
“And several of the worker leaders knew our general direction of escape. With a bit of luck, they’ll end up around the same area and reconnect with us,” added Jarod.
A woman ducked under the low-hanging branches where they were sitting and offered them some unripe blackberries on a leaf. Grateful to have something to chew, Sebastian put his few into his mouth all at once.
“Thank you, Ann,” said Svetka. “I really appreciate you taking the lead on the food distribution. You’ve got a knack for it.”
“You’re welcome. To be honest, I was always a bit jealous you had the kitchen job in the mine,” said the woman with a smile. “I guess with you busy elsewhere, I just saw my chance and took it.”
She let out a clear laugh. The sound made Sebastian instantly feel a bit better, though it could just have been the slightly sour berries that reached his stomach.
“Any chance we can catch another deer?” he asked hopefully.
“Sorry, dear,” said Ann. “Just small prey for now. We’ve not come across many tracks of big prey lately and those doing the hunting don’t want to attract them wolves again. Maybe in a few days.”
Sebastian knew the woman was right. He had also heard two of the hunters talk about it. They had only encountered smaller animals; rabbits, foxes, squirrels and the occasional marten. Anything bigger seemed to avoid this area they were traveling through. He wondered why; there was plenty of vegetation to eat.
“But we did find some white turnips for tonight, and are keeping our ears and eyes open for bird nests with late-season eggs,” she added with a smile. “Why not come and give us a hand with things?”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” said Jarod. “It will help keep your mind occupied.”
Sebastian gave a nod, after which the woman disappeared on to the next tree. He watched her go. She made sure she did not have to pass too closely to the stationary ghol’m near the tree trunk. At the feet of the statue sat Mette. The woman had been dragged along by several of the group, unable to put herself to much after the horrible day of their escape. Her eyes looked hollow whenever Sebastian exchanged a few words with her. He remembered how sad he had felt when he had seen her talk to the ghol’m, but he felt it was not his place to interfere. Beside him, Jarod noticed it too and turned to Svetka.
“What are we going to do about that? It’s really slowing us down and many of our group sleep restless with that thing nearby,” he said.
“That thing saved our lives, and might again. Do we know why it’s walking so slowly? Could it be broken?” asked the old woman. “It’s been such a wonderful protector against the soldiers and wolves. I would hate to lose such a strong guardian.”
“I know, but even the eldest of those who escaped with us can outwalk it now with the speed it’s going. We’ve just managed to lose that last group of soldiers and I don’t wish for them to catch up with us again.”
“Mette won’t like it. She still thinks it’s her baby in there,” Sebastian said bluntly, realizing too late it could have been mentioned with more tact.
“I know,” said Jarod solemnly. “But it’s not. Not truly. That little girl died back in those mines. I’ll be forever grateful for the power given to us by the sacrifice of such an innocent life, but perhaps she can assist us one more time in that dark form she’s in before it becomes a normal statue again, incapable of movement.”
Sebastian looked at Mette, who sat with her back against the ghol’m’s legs. She was soaking wet, but clearly had no intention of moving. He saw her look up at the ghol’m towering above her. Her mouth moved, her words spoken too softly to hear.
“What do you suggest?” asked Svetka.
“That we use it one last time to throw any remaining pursuers off our trail. We’ll split at the next convenient place and let it walk a separate way—command it to make a visible trail.”
Svetka considered this for a moment before giving in.
“Okay, I’d better go talk to her,” said Jarod after they discussed the details.
“No, let me do that. You focus on gathering everyone and moving out. She will need some time to come to terms with it.”
“Thank you,” said Jarod, who would no doubt rather avoid the conversation. “Tell me if there is anything I can do to help.”
Svetka got up and held a branch to the side to move past it. As she stepped into the rain, she turned back for a moment.
“First, we find somewhere safe for everyone. Then we start the healing.”
A few days later, Sebastian lay awake, staring at the immense canopy above him—or rather, the darkness where it was supposed to be. He had preferred to watch the stars, but the tree roof above him was too thick to see any. The trees were like giant pillars, with branches that did not start until several dozen feet off the ground. He had never thought it possible for trees to grow so big. During the day, it was like walking through a colossal Hall of Gathering, but at night it was pitch-black as the moon and stars were blocked. It was so dark they risked making a few small fires for comfort.
Most of the group was already asleep, but Sebastian had trouble finding it this night, despite the long walk of the day. His mind had been wandering; from Marek, to home, from his hunger to his time in the mi
nes and how he wished he could punish those responsible for all that misery.
Those last thoughts had surprised him a bit when they first surfaced during their journey. For so long his life had been filled with fear and uncertainty. Almost every day he had been under constant pressure and stress, trying not to make any mistakes that would cost him his life. But now, with fresh air and renewed hope, he often concluded that he should have done more. More like Marek, or Jarod and Svetka. He had just piggybacked on their ideas, following them by using the safest paths possible—and it made him angry.
He heard someone turn in their sleep. Further away in the camp, someone made restless noises as though plagued by a dark nightmare. Sebastian’s mind circled back to his own original pondering; the disappearance of another one tasked with guard duty. By now, most of them were getting wary of taking on the task—including himself. There was something disturbing about watching a dark forest, knowing something was out there hunting them down, picking them off one by one.
He sighed and turned to his other side. They had not even found any tracks in the morning—that was until two days ago, when they found a ripped-off arm entangled in the roots of a tree. Yet there had been no signs of wolves during that day or night. Everyone was on edge and many of them slept much closer together than before. Those on watch now walked in pairs, and Svetka set additional guards within the camp, not just on the perimeter.
But what could it be?
His eyes finally started to close, sleep lingering at the edge of his mind convincing him to let go.
“Argh!”
Sebastian shot up. He looked around, disoriented, his head groggy. Had he slept? Another scream had him on his feet and running. All around, people startled awake and clung together. He approached a small group of men. When they parted Sebastian saw one of the men on watch lying on the ground; his legs were two bloody stumps. His face was white as he mumbled, asking where the hell his legs had gone. Those standing nearby looked frantically left and right. Several had their swords in hand.
“Where is it?” asked one of the men.
“Beneath us. It’s in the ground,” stuttered the victim’s watch partner, his face about the same color as that of his bleeding friend.
Sebastian pulled his own knife—the swords were rotated amongst those on guard duty—when an eruption of dirt sprayed into the air. An angry screech followed as the animal came to claim the rest of its meal. Sebastian stumbled back and fell on the ground, eyes and mouth wide in shock. All around him men screamed and ran. The creature was easily the size of a grown man, its body made up of segments like a centipede with six larger and dozens of smaller legs along its length. It opened its mouth, splitting it four ways, showing rows of razor-sharp teeth lining the inside all the way down its throat. Then it thrust itself toward the wounded man. Two enormous pincers on the sides of its mouth burrowed into the man’s thighs; he instantly let out another scream.
Sebastian scrambled backward as the creature reared up. It dropped its entire weight on the guard’s torso, enclosing the man’s head within its jaws. The scream stopped with the sound of crushing bone. Sebastian turned and ran the other way. The entire camp was now in chaos. He noticed another man, running back to the campfires, disappear in a cloud of sand. He could barely see anything in the dark, but he swore he could hear them burrowing underground. There were more coming.
Ahead of Sebastian, the women, elderly and few children in their group were pulled roughly to their feet by the other guards. Screams and cries filled the air and for a moment Sebastian thought himself back in the mines. Behind him, another angry screech surfaced. Sebastian noticed movement directly in his path just in time. He jumped sideways as the ground exploded. He rolled across the ground, swinging his knife as he got back to his feet. It cut one of the four small antennae on the creature’s head as it launched forward to get him. With a shriek, it disappeared back underground.
A smaller one of the creatures tried to grab a child, but recoiled in force from the light of a nearby fire. By then, Sebastian ran between the stragglers of the camp. He zigzagged, moving from fire to fire as he followed those ahead.
“Come on. Run.”
“Hurry!”
People were spurring him and the other stragglers on to a rock formation large enough to hold them all. Sebastian ran so fast his heart and lungs nearly exploded. With a final jump, he landed on the rocks and fell on his knees as other hands grabbed him to drag him away from the edge. In front of the rocks, the sand shifted and churned as a creature passed by.
A murmur made him look up, dry throat swallowing.
“Someone still out there.”
“Is that Wes?”
Sebastian looked back and saw one of the men running from tree to tree, screaming for help. He was still three dozen yards out. Others began shouting words of encouragement as he ran to clear the final gap.
He was almost at the rocks when one of the creatures erupted from the ground directly in his path. The man slid to a halt and froze. The creature swayed back and forth.
“It can’t see him?” said Sebastian.
Several yards behind the man was one of the last remaining campfires. It burned softly through the last of its wood. All around the man, trails ran in the dirt.
“Don’t move, Wes! It can’t find you,” someone yelled from the rocks.
The man dared not answer. But as the fire slowly died, the creature inched closer and closer, opening and closing it hideous mouth.
“We have to distract it. Come on, everyone. Make as much noise as you can.”
They all started screaming and stomping their feet. Someone threw a few rocks that landed heavily on the sand. With a few shivers and a moment’s hesitation, the exposed horror disappeared into the ground. But Wes did not move. Tears welled up. His lower lip began to quiver in fear.
“Come on, Wes.”
“You need to run. The fire is almost out!”
Sebastian looked around, trying to see the trails move along the forest floor. He dared not suggest to the man to make a break for it. Yet the terrain had stopped moving. Could it be that they had moved on? Someone threw another rock. It landed heavily, but nothing stirred. Another flew and landed with the same result.
“You can do it, Wes,” someone called out.
Their words finally found some ground in Wes. The man gave a hesitant nod, drew a breath and give a firmer nod to encourage his own determination. He bent forward, put his weight on his front leg and pushed off, sprinting like the wind.
He had less than fifteen paces to go when four of the human-sized critters burst out of the ground at the same time, one of them with such force it launched itself into the air. Wes let out a scream as they landed on top of him and ripped him to pieces. On the rocks, a woman cried out, while several men cursed the heavens for what they witnessed. Someone else threw up what little food was in their stomach.
Sebastian could only stare in shock at the bundle of squirming legs and jaws. With screeches and hisses, they devoured every last part of the man before they disappeared back into the ground.
He looked around, but did not see any of the earth move. Then it dawned on him; dirt completely surrounded the rocks they were standing on. They were trapped.
Chapter 9
Run
“Everyone is hungry and we’re running out of water. We have to go,” said Sebastian. “It’s been two days already.”
He looked at the canopy, where a rare beam of sunlight penetrated the giant trees’ leaves. Around them, men and women huddled together, softly talking, trying to keep their minds off their situation. The rock formation was not very big and it was almost too crowded to freely move around.
“But how?” said Svetka, concerned. “Those things are still around. Last night, Ann saw two sand devils constantly circling on the far side of this rock.”
It had seemed an appropriate name, “sand devil,” though those local to this continent called them differently.
&nb
sp; “We know, but we can’t stay here,” said Jarod, who had asked Sebastian to come and help make his point to Svetka. “Waiting time is over. We need to do something or we’ll starve.”
“Just look at them,” responded Svetka. “You can’t expect them to make a run for it. They’re scared and tired. If we all make a break for it, they’ll panic. It will be complete chaos. And just where do we go?”
“That’s why one of us needs to have a look around.”
Surprised, Sebastian looked at Jarod. That had not been part of their discussion when Jarod had approached him.
“But who will dare take such a risk?” Svetka asked after carefully considering this.
“Obviously, that will be m—” started Jarod, when Sebastian interrupted him.
“I’ll do it.”
Both Jarod and Svetka examined him with questioning looks. He half expected them to object. During their escape, he had not exactly been the example of active decision making. It would be a dangerous task, and if he froze in fear or even hesitated for the slightest moment, it could prove fatal and the group would lose another while gaining nothing.
But Jarod’s expression changed, right before he asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m hungry but I’m not weak. I want to do this. I want to help. Besides, I can still run and you can’t—you twisted your ankle yesterday while climbing the rock, didn’t you? How were you planning on making a run for it?”
“Actually…I wasn’t,” said Jarod.
He grabbed a few tiny stones nearby and walked toward the edge. Sebastian wondered what he planned to do as Jarod scanned the near surroundings, flipping the little stones in his hand. Then he threw them all in one motion across the forest floor. The pebbles skidded, bumped and tumbled across the ground. Immediately, two burrowing trails moved toward the tiny stones. As they slid to a halt, one of the trails ended right below them and before Sebastian knew it, the pebbles disappeared into the ground.
Revolt of Blood and Stone Page 7