by C A Ardron
Lion arrived on a lonely road in the backend of a run-down estate and saw Wolf trotting up it purposefully. The Canine spotted them immediately and came over, nodding at them in greeting.
‘Where are the others?’ Lion asked.
Wolf chuckled. ‘Around, I imagine. I saw them jumping buildings a few minutes ago.’
Right on cue, the two Feline women dropped down from a nearby house and joined them.
‘What's going on, Lion?’ Tiger asked, her voice unnecessarily loud.. ‘You're being awfully secretive about this.’
He gave a soft laugh. ‘Not me, Tiger. If you don't like it take it up with the Avians, it was their idea.’
‘They're not far from here,’ Dove told them, inspecting the tracking screen on her radio. ‘Why don't we meet up with them?’
Lion nodded and led the way off the street and onto a narrow soil trail. It was perhaps five minutes before they heard the faint ripple of running water. Lion could see the dark bushes on either side of him quite well thanks to his medallion, but kept a steady pace, staying close to Dove. She was treading very carefully, not able to see the floor beneath her.
The path opened up onto a wide verge of grass leading down to the river bank and the trail split left and right, following the river in both directions.
The four warriors saw immediately where they needed to be, for there was an odd greenish light bathing the area. Hawk was sat cross-legged on the grass and Falcon was leant up against the large vehicle from which the light generated, her arms crossed.
‘Where did you get that?’ Tiger asked, sounding impressed.
Dove walked over to it and laid a hand on the vehicle’s broad nose. ‘This is a diver.’
‘A what?’ Leopard asked.
Lion held in an irritated sigh. The woman still sounded like she had a permanent toothache.
‘Diver,’ Wolf told her. ‘The Darphon Order have them. They're standard issue, just like hoppers are in the other Orders.’
Lion folded his arms. ‘What happened?’
Hawk shrugged nonchalantly, making Lion grit his teeth again.
‘We saw a bonfire and came down to check it out. Turns out it'd been set up by a Darphon warrior.’
‘The Darphon wanted to get our attention, nothing more,’ Falcon added.
Lion looked over at her. In the green light, her face half-hidden by her mask, she was even harder to read than usual.
‘He asked us some questions’ she told the gathered Predgarians. ‘After a while it became obvious he was trying to hint at something without actually saying it.’
‘I don't know why,’ Hawk butted in with a scowl. ‘It would've been quicker to just tell us.’
‘Perhaps he was under orders to stay neutral,’ Falcon suggested. She unfolded her arms and stood straight. ‘He seemed hostile, but I think that was an act. I believe his intention was to aid us. He left us this,’ she gestured to the diver behind her.
‘And he even told us where to go,’ Hawk stood up and handed the map file to Lion.
Lion briefly glanced inside, studying the layouts before him. It was a matter of seconds before his eyes picked out the highlighted route.
‘Dove,’ he tried to contain his excitement. ‘Why don’t you contact the Pharollin? We're going to need them on standby’
‘You have a plan?’
He smiled, ‘I have indeed.’
***
Before attending to anything else, Jackal returned to his room for a change of clothes. He purposefully picked out a leather vest and a pair of jeans which looked almost identical to the ones he'd been wearing. He stuck on a different set of boots as well, since his others now smelled of sewage. He couldn't afford for any Sarpiens to notice discrepancies, it might lead to unwanted questions.
Jackal sniffed once at his leather jacket and left it behind, he'd deal with it later. Returning to the dimly lit corridor, Jackal shivered in the cold and paused. He was short on time, his trip in the sewers above the tunnels had taken longer than expected.
He couldn't afford any more delays if his plan was to work. Jackal reached down and activated his medallion. He felt the addictive, blood-hot energy flare beneath his fingers and envelope him. His vision, hearing and smell increased and now in his armour he stood still, taking in everything around him.
Most of his Elite were still in Trine's chamber. He should be too, but there was one last thing he needed to do before he returned.
Quite a bit rested on the outcome of his little plot, so he couldn't let Cobra and Swallow ruin it in any way. He would've preferred to have dealt with Swallow in his own time and on his own terms, but he had the feeling that if he didn't act now, she would beat him to it.
He could hear and smell that he was alone in the corridor, and that all of the rooms were empty, so he strode down until he reached the third door on his left. He grasped the handle and pulled down quietly. Locked, of course.
Jackal gave a small grunt and deactivated again. When the light faded he looked furtively up and down the corridor, ensuring he was still alone. He took a thin piece of wire from his pocket and started exploring the inside of the lock.
He always kept little bits and pieces on him for such occasions, though when he thought about it, he hadn't picked a lock for a good twenty years. His memories dragged him back and he grinned, remembering the last time he'd snuck inside another Sarpien's room. His grin grew fierce, Karen had been surprised that night.
He turned serious again as she once more sprang to mind. He was surprised at the feeling welling up inside of him. He'd never see her face again, and that thought hurt more than he was willing to admit.
Jackal put his thoughts and feelings to one side when he heard the audible click and opened the door. He quietly closed the door behind him and out of habit, locked it again.
A small lamp had been left lit and it cast a golden glow across the room. There was a meagre amount of electricity which the Sarpiens had access to for things such as lighting, but Jackal was not surprised to find Swallow had other, battery-powered means of light as well. The generator could sometimes be haphazard and he noticed several large books on her writing desk. It was an ornate piece of furniture with a large mirror connected to the back.
Curiously, he went over and opened a thick volume bound by black leather. It had no title, no markings whatsoever to tell people what it was about. As he opened the book in a random place however, it became obvious what it was.
The sharp, spidery alphabet was marked upon the page not in black ink, but in a deep, dark red. The book gave off a strange smell and as he looked at the pages more closely, he realised that the book was not made of paper, but some strange, thin hide that was a very pale brown colour.
He moved his hand away quickly, allowing it to close by itself. He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. He knew that Swallow practised the dark arts, but he'd never before seen one of the spell books.
Turning away, he briefly studied the rest of the room. The stone walls had been sanded down and the small bed was neatly made. Most Sarpiens didn't have much need or desire to decorate their quarters, but Swallow had taken the trouble, even though she spent many of her nights in the Predgarian Centre in South Sector.
Jackal inspected a single shelf holding three figurines. They were sculpted out of dull, grey stone. There didn't appear to be anything special about them but he noted the sculptures were of a maiden, a warrior and an obese, squat man.
He doubted there was anything magical about them, but they had a symmetry which disturbed him.
Jackal was still staring at the three figures when he heard footsteps approaching. Muttering to himself about bad timing, he sought around the room with his eyes for a hiding place. Diving under the bed, Jackal found the old, wooden frame quite low but managed to squirm under it.
He heard the door unlocking and it opened and shut quietly. Jackal saw a pair of green boots walk in, then there was a flash of light and he could see white shoes and the bott
om of grey trousers.
Jackal concentrated on keeping his breath shallow, hoping Swallow wouldn't have the presence of mind to perform an aura sweep.
He groaned inwardly as she sat down at her desk. If he'd been able to, he would've shaken his head in disgust. This was the kind of ridiculous scene he'd expect to find in a film, not in actual real life.
There came a knock at the door.
‘Come,’ Swallow's voice was as harsh as ever.
Another pair of boots walked in. They were gleaming silver, they had to belong to Harrier.
‘Something's come up,’ the young warrior told her. ‘Cobra says there's a problem with the Power Converter. He wants your assistance.’
‘Get Jackal to do it, He knows more about mechanics and engineering than I do.’
‘No one knows where he is.’
Jackal winced at the high-pitched shriek of the chair as Swallow got to her feet quickly.
‘What? Radio him.’
Jackal smiled faintly. The smallest things made her angry.
‘We can't, we're on lockdown. All radio transmissions are off-limits.’
Swallow swore harshly. ‘There's something not right about this. Mantis disappears during a lockdown and now Jackal? They're plotting something, mark my words.’
‘Jackal and Mantis? Don't they hate each other?’
‘You don't need to like each other to have a common goal, Harrier,’ she told him, her voice ominous. She stormed out of the room.
‘Huh, true enough,’ the young Avian murmured after she'd left.
Jackal's eyes narrowed as he watched Harrier walk to the desk. There was a bit of noise as the Sarpien did something at the small, wooden workstation and then he turned. He left the room, closing the door behind him.
Jackal waited until he heard the footsteps fade away in the distance. Swallow was so agitated she'd rushed off leaving her room unlocked. He crawled out from under the bed and brushed himself off.
He studied the desk, wondering what Harrier had been doing. He searched it with his eyes alone but could see nothing different. As an after thought he decided to check behind the mirror and it was there Jackal found it. He stared at the large chunk of green stone.
Jackal grinned tightly, one eyebrow rising as he contemplated what this meant. He would have to watch Harrier more closely from now on. He'd viewed the Avian as a capable fighter but not smart or experienced enough to be a threat to older Sarpiens such as himself or Swallow.
Obviously he was mistaken. For whatever reason, Harrier also wanted Swallow out of the Elite. Jackal wondered briefly about that. She was the only other Avian in the Elite, perhaps he wanted the spotlight all to himself? That didn't make a lot of sense to Jackal though, Harrier didn't strike him as being that petty. More likely it was the argument that had taken place earlier. Swallow had been abrasive, loudly voicing her scepticism of his skill as a warrior. There was no telling how many other Sarpiens might have heard that exchange and for a silver only newly arrived in the tunnels, it could damage his reputation.
Jackal shrugged. He wouldn’t hinder Harrier’s game, his planted incrimination though clumsy, would help the proceedings along.
He quickly moved to Swallow's bedside drawer, searching for something he knew she owned. He found it in the bottom draw, a small black box. He opened it and looked inside at the contents. There were some silver and black rings and some gemstones in various colours.
Jackal smirked to himself. Swallow was involved quite heavily in the traditional rites of worship to Trine. He took out a glass tube from his back pocket. It was tiny, no longer than his little finger. Inside there glowed a bright green liquid. He placed it in the black box and deposited it into the drawer.
Swallow wouldn’t look at it until next week, when the usual weekly rites would take place, he hoped she wouldn’t anyway.
This planted incrimination, along with some of Swallow’s recent plans for getting rid of him, would be more than enough to finally remove her.
Jackal went to the door and listened intently before leaving and sauntering down towards his room. He'd better make his reappearance in Lord Trine's chamber, it'd be inconvenient if Cobra hurried things along without him knowing about it.
He was about to enter his room to ensure his reeking clothes were out of sight when he heard heavy footsteps echoing through the tunnel. In the dim, flickering light of the torches, outlined by sooty smoke, Jackal could see the unmistakable shape of Grey Rhino.
‘General?’
Jackal sighed. Conversing with Rhino was always tedious. He waited for the hulking monstrosity of a man to reach him and looked up at him expectantly.
‘Cobra’s been looking for you, General.’
Jackal continued to stare at him. He wasn't going to explain his absence unless he was pushed. He couldn’t afford to look weak, but this was also one time when he didn’t want to appear overly evasive.
‘Lord Trine is restless,’ Rhino told him. ‘He wants to start the sacrifice now.’
Jackal sighed again but didn't bother to explain the difference between a sclithe sacrifice and what the Power Converter was trying to achieve.
‘It’s a bit soon, isn’t it?’ He asked instead.
Rhino shrugged his enormous shoulders. ‘Cobra said he could do it, but the machine’s gone wrong. Cobra's sent for Swallow, because we didn’t know where you were.’ There was the mildest gleam of curiosity to be seen under the man's brutish, furrowed brow. ‘Where were you, General?’
Jackal shrugged, acting nonchalant. ‘One of the guards reported a possible entrance compromise in the mines. I went down to check it out.’
‘Oh,’ Rhino's response was dull and disinterested.
It was the perfect lie. For most Sarpiens, any sentence with word “mines” in it would make them lose interest instantaneously, and Rhino was no exception. Even smarter Sarpiens such as Swallow or Cobra would not be suspicious. As general, he spent a good amount of time in the lower levels, ensuring everything was moving along smoothly. The present project at hand would not halt his ever-present duties after all.
‘Well, if Trine’s eager to get it done we’d better get down there,’ Jackal said since Rhino was staring stupidly at him. ‘Has Mantis resurfaced yet?’
Rhino shook his head.
‘Find him,’ Jackal ordered. ‘If he’s not there on time, Trine will be displeased.’ He turned and started to walk off towards the wide corridor which joined onto the Elite's quarters. He looked over his shoulder at Rhino, ‘and that means I'll be displeased.’
Rhino nodded quickly and started to make large strides in the other direction. Jackal smirked to himself, Rhino wasn't the smartest Sarpien around, but unlike the majority of warriors under his command, he was completely loyal to his general.
Jackal didn't take any more detours and soon found himself at the top of the steep steps leading down into Trine’s cavern.
He flexed his hands and looked at the still healing burn mark on his palm. If anything went wrong, Trine would kill him. He wondered idly if Jay was actually worth all of the effort he'd put in.
Jackal smiled, of course he was. He'd never heard of anyone using fire without a medallion before. He couldn't allow Cobra to turn Jay into a stone of debateable worth.
Closing his fist again Jackal descended the steps. Everything was in place now and firmly under his control. Everything but his one wild card, the Predgarians. If he could pull this next act off, everything else would follow automatically.
Jackal took a deep breath as the staircase widened out into the chamber below, seeing immediately Cobra and Swallow. Their heads were bent, trying to fix the machine.
He looked up at the shiny, metallic terror which Cobra had constructed before glancing over at the pool where Jay was being guarded by a couple of potentials.
Jackal wandered over and the two young men straightened when it became obvious he was heading their way. They saluted rigidly. Jackal ignored Jay for the moment, showing any
concern for the captive would be a sign of weakness.
‘Potentials in the main cavern,’ he commented. ‘This doesn’t happen every day.’
‘It is a great honour, Sir,’ the one on the left gushed.
Jackal grunted disgustedly, he hated it when they fawned over him. ‘What are you training in?’ He asked, only marginally interested. He was really only delaying the time when he had to match wills with Cobra again.
‘Feline and Reptile, Sir.’
Jackal glanced at the other one, ‘and you?’
‘Avian and Reptile, Sir.’
Jackal looked at him properly, showing genuine interest. He noted the potential was a good age for initiation and had a well-rounded physique. His face had the common, rounded cast of most southerners, but with much darker hair. His immediate lineage could be from anywhere in the South leading up northwards to the foot of the Cuhain foothills. The young man would not stand out in a crowd in any way, another good trait for a Sarpien.
‘Avian? Thinking of a bird of prey?’
‘I hope so, Sir.’
Jackal gave him a hard stare. ‘Hope doesn't get you very far in the Sarpiens, potential. Are you training with a Sarpien?’
‘No, Sir. I haven’t been assigned one.’
‘When you’re relieved of your duty here seek out Silver Harrier. Tell him I’ve given you orders to train with him.’
‘Thank you, Sir,’ the potential said in complete awe.
Jackal smirked and decided to let the wind out of him before he started developing an ego. ‘Potential, only the best work under me. There’s a Choosing coming up soon. You’ve got five weeks, if you’re chosen, you’ll be in my Elite. If you’re not…’ He laughed shortly. ‘Well, you already know what happens then.’
Jackal heard a humming sound and looked across the chamber, Cobra had managed to repair the machine. Jackal swore under his breath, so much for stalling for time. He'd been sure it would've take Cobra half the night to fix the Converter after his meddling in the control core. He'd have to think of something else, and fast. Under no circumstances would he let Cobra put Jay in that machine.