Jackal’s Gambit

by C A Ardron

  The monster came slowly, twisting and turning its huge, green-scaled body. The scales were shiny and looked hard as steel. Its tail tapered into a long, sharp bony spike. The upper part of its body was held erect, off the ground.

  Jay swallowed the bile that rose in his throat as he saw the four muscular scaled arms, the hands looked slightly human but the fingers had spikes where humans had nails. The head was smooth and narrow and two great, glowing eyes glittered like rubies in its head.

  The gigantic reptile swung its long neck, staring directly into Jay's eyes. He felt sick, his strength draining away as he futilely tried to break eye-contact. His legs trembled and he collapsed to the ground. The sclithe finally turned away and Jay felt like he could breathe again, though his legs still felt like jelly.

  The monster's mouth opened, revealing its huge, needle-sharp fangs. ‘Cobra.’

  Jay shuddered as the sclithe's voice echoed horribly around the chamber. He glanced around, realising that all the Sarpiens were on their knees.

  ‘Yes, my Lord?’ Cobra's voice sounded reverent.

  It made Jay sick, how could anyone willingly bow to that thing? How could anyone look at it and sound like Cobra did? The Sarpien was on the verge of worship.

  ‘You have finished the preparations?’

  ‘Yes, my Lord. All that is needed is the warm-up and test-run. Then we will be ready for the real thing.’

  ‘How long?’ Trine’s voice was a longing whisper.

  ‘Tomorrow, my Lord.’

  ‘Tomorrow,’ the sclithe sighed. Trine turned his dreadful stare towards Jay. The teenager looked down at the floor but it was no use. He could feel it drilling into his thoughts. Then it was gone, leaving him gasping in exhaustion.

  ‘Jackal.’ Trine's hiss once more crossed the chamber.

  ‘Yes, my Lord?’

  ‘The child has power. As always, you do not disappoint.’

  Jackal bowed deeply and Trine turned, slithering back into the darkness. The general waited until his master was gone before turning on the spot, meeting Jay's gaze.

  Jay shook his head in horror and disbelief. He realised now how much trouble he was in. He closed his eyes briefly. Karen, she'd known, that's why she'd helped him. She was dead now though, and she couldn't help him anymore.

  He remembered Jackal's words. Don’t panic, that’s what he'd said. The Sarpien was right, he was in a lot of trouble. Jay didn’t trust Jackal, but with no way to escape, what else could he possibly do?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  ‘An Avian, huh?’ The Silver Falcon muttered. ‘I wasn't expecting that.’ This could be problematic. She'd never had wings before.

  Hawk gaped at her. ‘You're a silver?’

  ‘Impressive.’ Lion commented.

  ‘A bird of prey, too,’ Tiger added with a grin. ‘You might be a match for the Silver Harrier.’

  Hawk gave her a dirty look. ‘I can handle Harrier just fine.’

  ‘Your technique's not bad,’ Falcon agreed. ‘Your mix of Avian and Canine earlier was fairly impressive. It's best to stay unpredictable when facing a Sarpien.’

  Hawk looked about the room proudly. ‘See?’

  ‘You rely on your wings too much though.’ Falcon smiled when Hawk deflated, hanging his head. She waited for Tiger to stop laughing before she continued. ‘Harrier is fast and clearly practised with his use of the Power. You should spar with warriors who routinely use it so you're ready for the next encounter. That should counteract your inexperience and youth.’

  ‘My youth?’ he demanded. ‘I'm thirty-three, I'm not exactly a kid. I'm older than you, you can't be any older than what? twenty-five?'

  Oh, he really was so young. She smirked up at him. ‘Don't count on it, kid.’

  Dove burst into laughter. Falcon wouldn't be surprised if the healer had already come to the conclusion she was older than she appeared. She was pretty sure Dove was much older than she looked, maybe even older than her.

  ‘So how old are you?’ Hawk asked.

  Falcon stared him down. She wasn't about to give that information away.

  ‘Hawk,’ Dove chided. ‘You know better than to ask a question like that.’

  To his credit, he did look embarrassed. ‘Sorry, I didn't mean any offence.’

  ‘None taken,’ Falcon replied.

  `‘Now that Falcon is one of us,’ Lion addressed the room. ‘We can disarm whenever we want.’

  ‘What?’ Leopard still sounded angry. ‘But she's not staying.’

  ‘We can't stay in armour the entire time, Leopard,’ Hawk objected.

  Wolf nodded ‘And while she holds that medallion we won't be breaking any rules.’

  ‘It's only fair,’ Dove agreed. ‘We can't expect to work well together if we aren't willing to trust each other.’

  Falcon watched curiously as Lion deactivated his armour, schooling her face to calm to hide her surprise. The muscular man was very young for a captain. She glanced at his worn and ripped clothes - he also looked homeless. Someone needed to tell him where the clothing store was. She turned her attention to the others, noting Wolf's dark Oldeiran skin and Hawk's very pale skin, telling her he or at least his family, came from the Ischaclappe Isles. Other than the fact neither of them were native to the area, Falcon could see nothing else which made them stand out - if one discounted their heights anyway.

  Tiger's hair had changed colour, as had Dove's. It had been obvious to Falcon that Tiger owned a fire medallion, which meant she was powerful. Despite that, to look at her now with her wispy blonde hair and freckled skin, she seemed very average.

  Leopard didn't deactivate, she remained where she was, her glare as prominent as ever.

  Falcon decided to ignore her, needing to concentrate on rescuing Jay. She turned to Lion, craning her neck to meet his blue eyes. Falcon cursed herself for being Unician. She was always the shortest in any group. ‘You realise there's a big flaw in your plan?’

  ‘Really? what's that?’

  ‘I can find you a hundred entrances, but it won't matter if you don't have a plan for getting in unseen. There'll be a couple of hundred Sarpiens in those tunnels, and Jay will be quite deep in. Without stealthers, we won't get five steps before someone sounds the alarm.’

  Lion nodded. ‘You're right, I've been thinking about this, don't worry. I do have one idea.’ He turned to Dove. ‘When I was on the phone with the general, he said that you've had dealings with the Pharollin in the past.’

  Falcon glanced at the white warrior. Her face was momentarily frozen in surprise and dismay. Then it was gone. Falcon stopped her eyes from narrowing, this woman had secrets.

  ‘And?’ Dove asked.

  She was good, Falcon admitted. If she hadn't seen Dove's expression she wouldn't have had a clue the woman was uneasy.

  ‘Jaguar said you might be able to persuade them to lend a hand.’

  ‘Oh. I see.’

  Falcon frowned, it was strange. Dove seemed relieved Lion hadn't said something else. The Pharollin were negotiators, politicians. There couldn't be anything she'd want to hide, surely?

  ‘Do you think they would co-operate with us?’

  ‘I don't know, Lion,’ Dove replied.

  Leopard shifted her weight and crossed her arms. ‘The Dakkonin might be back by now. We'd do better to ask them.’

  ‘No,’ Lion disagreed. ‘Jaguar wants me to keep the Dakkonin out of it.’

  ‘What?’ Tiger asked, her voice rising. ‘Why?’

  ‘He doesn't want them to know anything about Jay.’

  Tiger gave a small laugh. ‘Of course. The Dakkonin have a reputation for stealing candidates. They'd want Jay for themselves.’

  Falcon grunted, not able to keep the scowl from her face. ‘That's really not important,’ she told them. ‘Can we concentrate on getting him out of Sarpien hands? Fight amongst yourselves afterwards.’

  The Predgarians stared at her in surprise.

  She sighed, that had come out harsher than she'd
intended. ‘It's a bad idea anyway. I can't see the Dakkonin sending support for just one boy, and since when have they ever been willing to work with the other Orders?’

  Lion grimaced. ‘I wish you were wrong, Falcon, but everything you've said is true. The Dakkonin wouldn't join forces with us. They would either laugh in our faces or insist we leave the operation in their hands.’

  ‘Then the Pharollin are our only hope,’ Wolf commented. ‘We can't possibly do this alone.’

  ‘Will you go to the Pharollin?’ Lion asked Dove.

  ‘What do you want me to say?’

  ‘We need a diversion. If they can make the Sarpiens think they're being attacked, they'll send warriors out to counter it, that will be our chance to sneak inside. Once we've found a way in, that is.’

  Falcon saw Dove glance at her.

  ‘Falcon told me earlier that the diversionary tactic Jackal used on the Dakkonin is an old classic.’

  ‘Really?’ Lion asked. ‘Falcon, do you think Jackal would expect us to use the same tactic on him?’

  Falcon couldn't help but laugh at the idea. ‘Not a chance. Jackal lays the trap, not the other way round. I doubt he'd expect such a bold move.’

  Wolf half-raised a hand to get her attention. ‘How can you know? Jackal's been around for years. He's reputed to have won several large battles.’

  Not without my help, Karen thought, but didn't say it out loud.

  ‘I think she knows how Jackal thinks very well,’ Dove spoke up.

  Falcon's inhaled sharply and her head whipped round. ‘What do you mean by that?’

  ‘You're a silver,’ Dove pointed out. ‘There are no silver within the Sarpien Order that are not Elite. That's how you and Jackal know each other, isn't it? And why you can anticipate his movements, because you used to work alongside him. You said earlier today that no matter where he is, Jackal is always Elite.’

  She was smart, Falcon noted with a grunt. She had to say something, everyone was looking at her. They'd all seen her reaction now - it was useless denying it. ‘Fine. You've made your point.’

  ‘For now,’ Lion told the room. ‘We'll wait for Dove to visit the local Pharollin agency. Hopefully she can secure us some aid. Falcon, if you don't mind, I'd like you to spar with one of us in the training hall. Silver or not, I'd like to make sure your skills are up to scratch before anything serious starts.’

  ‘I'll do it,’ Tiger called out with a grin.

  ‘Oh, like we didn't see that one coming,’ Hawk commented, folding his arms.

  Tiger's grin turned impish. ‘You're just cross you didn't step out first.'

  Hawk winced. ‘Don't...just don't.’

  ‘What? I can use Joinstohm lingi if I want.’

  This time it was Leopard who winced. ‘It's lingo, Tiger.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Hawk added, ‘and it's “step up,” not “step out”’.

  ‘I was close!’

  ‘Miles out if you were in Joinstohm,' Falcon murmured.

  Tiger frowned at her.

  ‘You'll have to go easy on her,’ Hawk laughed. ‘She's Predgariah raised but likes to hang with the cool kids.’

  Tiger sent him an evil glare. ‘Hawk!’

  Lion chuckled. ‘Tiger will be a good match for you, Falcon. You're about the same height and build.’

  Karen shrugged. ‘I don't mind.’

  Dove glanced around the kitchen. ‘We should let her eat something first. She's had a long day.’

  ‘I'm okay, I-’

  ‘I know!’ Tiger butted in. ‘There's still lots of that stew I made last night. Does anybody else-?’

  ‘I really need to start on my work,’ Lion mentioned, leaving without a backwards glance.

  ‘We should go back on patrol if nothing's happening yet,’ Wolf said to Hawk.

  ‘Uhh, yeah! Good idea,’ Hawk agreed, nodding his head quickly. ‘We should definitely do that. Later, Falcon, can't wait to work with you.’

  Falcon watched in consternation as the warriors retreated. Even Leopard was sneaking off at the mention of the stew. As Dove walked past, giving her a sympathetic smile, Falcon felt like a mouse caught in a trap.

  She decided to try again. ‘I really don't-’

  She was drowned out by Tiger clattering pans together. The cheerful woman took the smallest out of the cupboard and placed it on top of the cooker before heading to the fridge and removing a large tub half-filled with a watery, grey substance.

  Lovely, her first day as a Predgarian and she was going to get food-poisoning. Falcon watched with trepidation as Tiger poured a generous amount into the dull metal pan.

  She sat down at the table, giving in. She'd just have to make the best of it. After Tiger had set the hob to warming she came and sat across from Falcon.

  ‘So what's your opinion on purists?’

  ‘Purists?’ Falcon asked, nervous of the woman's fierce grin.

  ‘Yeah. Most warriors train in at least two styles of martial arts these days. So what do you think? Do you think purists are less capable for specialising in only one?’

  ‘Uh...’ Falcon was afraid this might be a trick question. She knew Predgarians had conservative views compared to the other Orders, but she didn't recall them all being purists. She'd seen Hawk dip into Canine back on Lister Road. ‘There's nothing wrong with purists, per se,’ she ventured.

  Tiger was looking at her expectantly.

  ‘Purists are becoming uncommon now,’ Falcon continued. ‘I don't think their choice in technique means they're at a disadvantage. It's easier to become predictable, I think. As long as they keep variation I doubt they'd be any less capable in combat.’

  Tiger nodded thoughtfully and then grinned again. ‘Good answer.’ She stood up and stirred the questionable substance in the saucepan. She let it bubble for a few minutes before taking a dish out of the cupboard above her. She spooned the stew into it and set it on the table in front of Falcon, leaving the metal spoon in the dish for her.

  Falcon looked down at it. It was a watery-grey with bits of mushy potato floating around, along with bits of stringy, charred meat. She couldn't identify what animal it might have come from. She also noticed some small blackened round things that she thought might be peas of some sort, now burned out of all recognition.

  She swallowed, this was not going to be pleasant.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Fire Tiger eventually left the kitchen. For a while Falcon had thought the woman intended to watch her eat every bite. With the reactions of the other Predgarians, Falcon wouldn't have been surprised at Tiger trying to force-feed her.

  She eyed the metal bin in the corner of the kitchen. She gave a shrug and left the table, picking up the bowl full of Tiger's vile concoction. She emptied it into the bin and placed the bowl in the sink.

  Falcon leaned against the counter, wondering what to do now. Tiger hadn't said where she was going. She suspected the training hall they would be sparring in was somewhere down the corridor.

  With another small shrug, Falcon decided to go exploring. Once in the narrow corridor, she glanced once at Lion's office and turned. Directly next to the kitchen were the stairs which led to the next floor. She passed them by and stopped when she came to another passageway on her right. There were two doors, the first halfway down on the left side and the second at the other end.

  The passage seemed lonely, darker with no windows. She doubted the training hall was down there so she went on. She found what she was looking for at the next open door.

  Falcon was surprised at its size. The Predgarian Centre was much bigger than it first appeared. She stepped into the large hall. There was plenty of room for manoeuvrability during a fight. The wooden floor was quite worn but well-tended. Her thoughts drifted as she stepped further inside, looking at the plain white plaster walls. She hoped Dove managed to reach some sort of agreement with the Pharollin. Getting into the tunnels without fighting off an army would be impossible otherwise.

  Even with the diversion it ma
y be impossible. Jackal might have Jay under heavy guard.

  Falcon turned when she heard the quietest of movements behind her. The sound made her tense, recognising it for the steps of a warrior trained in stealth.

  Standing by the door was Leopard and Falcon became nervous. If the Predgarian decided to attack while they were alone, she might not come out of it so well.

  She wasn't about to activate her medallion without just cause. Doing so would only give Leopard ammunition against her, but it also meant she'd have very little time to get into her armour if Leopard did decide to attack.

  Falcon had been wary of the Feline warrior ever since she'd laid eyes on her. Her armour indicated she didn't have a colour or element to her name. This made her dangerous. Warriors with colourless medallions meant they were more compatible with them than usual. Such warriors could be on the level with a brown warrior, the lowest fighting grade, or on the level of a gold, there was no way of telling until you'd seen them in battle.

  Falcon remembered that Lion had said Leopard was the only stealther in the unit. That would account for her quiet entrance, she probably practised her stealth without even thinking about it.

  Leopard reached up slowly and grasped her pale yellow medallion. It burst forth in its bright light and enveloped the warrior. Falcon studied the woman revealed when the light had dissipated. Leopard was quite small and thin under her armour, her face not pale exactly, but there was something about her that made her seem frail. Falcon couldn't put her finger on what gave her that impression. Her hair was blonde and quite short. The woman wore no jewellery, and her plain jeans and light grey hooded sweater spoke of someone not really focused on fashion.

  Falcon met the woman's serious pale-blue gaze. Leopard didn't look like she'd ever smiled.

  The Feline warrior pointed a finger at her. ‘One wrong move, Karen,’ she warned, completely disregarding the silver medallion hanging at Falcon's chest, ‘and you'll answer to me.’

  Falcon gave her very best nonchalant air. ‘Noted.’

  ‘Have you come to watch, Leopard?’ Tiger asked, appearing just behind her partner.