* * * *
The wailing grew louder throughout the night as the wind blew from the east. As dawn broke over the island, the wind began to change again, taking the howling noise with it. The three gathered together and, with Alto's wound freshly bandaged, they set off down a road that hadn't been used for anything more than a runway for animals in years.
They followed the abandoned road into the forest, though the trees and plants were unlike anything Alto had seen before. Large leaves and massive brown nuts hung from the trees high up the rough trunks. He saw bananas hanging in great bunches and trees laden with oranges.
"Do the Shazarim get their fruits from here?" Alto asked, in awe at all the fruit on the island.
"Hardly," Namitus said. "This island is haunted, remember?"
"They have farms along the Khalalid River or buy them from merchants," Patrina said. "I asked when we were there. I'd never had fruits like those before. I think I liked the pineapples the most."
"Haven't seen any of those yet," Alto said with a glance at the trees.
"I'm sure there are some around," Namitus said. "The Britanly people would have wanted all of it available."
The mention of the Britanly reminded him of the ruined village. "Funny how we haven't seen much of them."
"They're all gone," Patrina reminded him.
"Looks like it, but shouldn't there be other houses and farms?"
"Maybe there are," Namitus offered. "We haven't seen much of the island yet."
Alto grunted and pressed on, following the road deeper into the jungle. It grew darker as the trees grew taller and thicker, blocking out the sunlight from above. Tropical birds called out from overhead, alerting the forest of their passage. After a few moments of silence, a gentle hum of insects began to rise.
The coastal breeze fell away and left the sweat rolling down Alto's skin beneath his armor. He pushed the discomfort aside and sped up when he saw a bright spot ahead, marking either a clearing or an end to the jungle.
A shrill shriek carried through the jungle ahead of them. They froze and listened, only to hear an even louder and lower-pitched reply. Alto looked at his friends and saw their surprise and confusion mirroring his own. He turned and started ahead, jogging easily in his armor until the bright light at the entrance to the jungle left him squinting.
Alto slowed to a walk and moved up to the partly overgrown archway into the jungle. Through it and his narrowed eyes, he could make out several figures moving in a large clearing. They were on the far side of it but towered above the grasses and wildflowers that were chest high on Alto.
"What is it? I can't see." Patrina shaded her eyes with her hand and whispered.
"Five very big, um, monkeys."
"Monkeys?"
"Yes, furry beasts with a tail. They swing from trees and—"
"I know what a monkey is," Alto snapped. He'd seen one for the first time during his trip to Shazamir. He blinked to try to force his eyes to adjust to the light faster. "Monkeys aren't that big, maybe as high as my hip."
"These are," Namitus said. He nodded. "Yes, definitely big. I can't be sure—they're a ways off—but I'd say at least twenty feet tall. That's the four little ones. The big one is probably another three or four feet."
"Giants!" Patrina cried out in dismay.
"No, monkeys."
"Giant monkeys," Alto compromised. He shook his head. His vision was focusing the longer they watched. "They don't look like monkeys. I mean, they don't walk the same way."
"Apes then," the rogue said with a shrug.
"What's an ape?"
"Like a monkey, only bigger."
"Much bigger," Alto muttered.
Namitus chuckled. "Not normally."
"So what was all that screeching a minute ago? That wasn't the wailing we heard," Patrina asked.
Namitus nodded as the biggest ape picked up what looked like, from a distance, a large snake. He wrestled with it, roaring a few times until he threw it down and jumped on it. The ape pounded it with his fists several times before he straightened again and thumped his fists against his chest and roared anew.
The four others had cried out during the short battle and now shrieked louder, confirming the earlier noises. They fell on the slain creature, ripping into it and feasting.
"Never mind," Patrina said a moment later.
"You can see now?" Alto asked her.
"Wish I couldn't."
Alto nodded. "So we know we have to avoid those giant apes. How do we get around them?"
They looked at each other without an answer. Alto frowned and was about to turn around when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. He turned, his hand going to his sword, and saw a man dressed in dark leathers standing in the shadows of a tree with a bow drawn and an arrow pointed at him. A pair of matching swords rested in scabbards on his back.
"Been a while since I've had visitors," the archer said. "At least the human kind. Why don't you three take your hands off your swords and we can talk like civilized folk?"
"Why don't you lower your bow first?" Alto asked him.
One corner of the archer's lip curled up in a smile. "Spend some time out here and you forget how to act civilized," he said.
Patrina let go of her sword and held her arms up. "Do it," she hissed to the other two.
"What's this? A beautiful young maiden on my island?" The archer's gaze went to Patrina and his bow dipped an inch or so.
"Your island?" Patrina asked.
"Well, it's mine or Bucky's over there," the man said.
"Who are you?" Alto asked as he let go of his sword.
"And who's Bucky?" Namitus added and followed the lead of his companions by releasing his grip on the hilt of his scimitar.
"Name's Carson Twoblade," he said. Carson lowered the bow and released the tension under control. He kept the arrow nocked but turned to watch the apes in the field as they finished their dinner. "That's Bucky. Looks like he killed a crawler."
"Crawler?"
"Yeah, thirty feet long or so from head to tail, kind of like a giant centipede except big enough to bite your arm or leg off. Fast and mean. I think they're cousins to the crocs in the swamp on the south side of the island."
"Crocs?"
"Crocodiles," Namitus supplied.
"Yeah, that's right," Carson said after he gave Namitus a funny look. "Let's get away from here. You guys stink and the last thing we need is Bucky catching wind of you!"
"We stink?" Patrina said.
Alto scowled and started to reach for his sword again. Carson ignored him. "Not your fault; you just have scents on you from other places. Oils and spices. Some of it's in your skin, some of it's on your clothes. I could smell you from a ways away."
"You could smell us?" Alto echoed. Namitus sniffed his arm and wrinkled his nose.
Carson nodded. "Come on, Bucky's got a better nose and so do most of the critters here."
"How long have you been here?" Patrina asked him.
The woodsman frowned. "Please?"
"All right, let's go," Alto said.
Carson flashed him a smile but his eyes went back to Patrina quickly. Alto scowled and moved closer to his betrothed. The armored couple followed the strange woodsman as he led them into the jungle and away from both the clearing and the cliff they'd been headed towards. In moments, Alto couldn't track their movements anymore. He became lost as the trees closed in around them.
Isle of the Ape Page 17