Zarrel Charmain looked coldly at the Chia who had stopped
us, "We have no time for this," she said, pushing the Chia aside.
"I am only trying to help," the Chia said.
"I overheard you saying that you were looking for the Babaa shepherd, and I
know where he is. I'll take you there."
"Does it cost anything?" I asked the Chia, suspiciously.
"No, no! It is free. Come on." And he started
to walk off wit Zarrel Charmain and I following close behind.
"This Chia better not waste our time,"
Zarrel Charmain said rubbing the spot where her belt and dagger were hidden.
I just nodded to show my acknowledgement.
We followed the Chia past many other creatures
and stalls, walking farther and farther away from the main village. We followed
him out to a large field, which had many Babaa grazing upon the fine green grass.
The scene was quite peaceful, and I could see Zarrel Charmain calming down slightly
as we walked farther out into the field, and towards a small shack.
The Chia led us over, and into the shack. "This
is where he resides." And by he the Chia meant the Babaa shepherd. The shack
was dark, and quite musty smelling, but I forgot that as an old Kacheek came
walking up with the aid of a cane. He limped up, and upon closer observation
I saw that his left foot was twisted. He was yellow in colour, and had thick
lenses on his glasses. Even trough all of this, I could scene that he was wise,
and well respected, especially by the way that the Chia looked at him. Then
the Chia spoke up, "Opium, these two travelers have come seeking out your wisdom."
"Then they may have it," Opium said, turning
to face us. "What is it that you want?"
"We are looking for a certain creature, a Meerca,"
Zarrel Charmain said with a long smile, which looked caring, though I knew it
was not sincere. "He goes by the name of Fraable. We have traveled far to find
him, for we have something important to give to him."
"Fraable, Fraable. Aw yes, now I remember. He
came to our village not too long ago, in quite a hurry really. Well, I don't
see him much, but even so I know where he lives. He lives on the outskirts of
our village, next to the forests edge in a small cottage. It is on the Southwest
side, next to an exceedingly large pine. You will probably find him in the back,
near the woods, chopping wood." Then the elderly Kacheek pointed in the direction
that we wanted to go.
"We thank you for your help," I said, giving
a slight bow, "We will now be on our way." And I walked out the door with Zarrel
Charmain coming out behind me.
***
"I knew it Opium. She is an assassin. I am not sure about the Eyrie, but I
bet that he is in league with the Zafara. I would bet my life on it," the
Chia said.
"Can you be sure Serrow?"
"Yes, I even saw her dagger as she walked out,"
Serrow the Chia said.
"We can't let those two get to Fraable. He is
a major part in our master's plan."
"You mean Fraable is part of Jown's plan. I
didn't know that, how did you," Serrow said, eyeing Opium suspiciously.
"He told me. That's how. He planed to have Fraable
lure Zarrel Charmain to him. Jown is still angry with her for what she had done.
He has a very high price on her, that Eyrie, and Kirin's heads, but recently
he doubled the price to bring her and that Eyrie in alive. He has not said why
though, but most of us expect that it has to do with the plan," Opium said,
tapping his fingers against the countertop.
"How will Fraable stop her if he doesn't know
that she is coming?"
"Because you will tell her."
"Why me?" Serrow said. "Besides, she will beat
me there."
"No she won't. I have told her the long way.
You will take a short cut through the ally, and after telling Fraable, you will
aid him in her capture. Now leave my sight Chia" And with a quick nod, Serrow
ran off out of the shack, and towards the ally.
As Serrow left the shack, Opium grinned sinisterly,
and took out a piece of paper for a message. Upon that sheet of paper he wrote:
Everything
is going as planned master.
Soon
we shall have captured Zarrel Charmain
and
the Eyrie Dorono.
~Opium~
And then Opium tied the message to a Whoot's
leg, and watched as the bird flew off towards the snow-capped mountains where
his master Jown the snowy Kougra resided.
***
Zarrel Charmain and I walked at a brisk pace towards the spot where Opium had
directed us. "I don't trust them. Not the Chia or Opium," Zarrel Charmain
said, glancing behind her back.
"I didn't see anything wrong with him," I honestly
replied.
"I don't know what it was. Perhaps that utter
calmness, but he reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago. Before I met
you Dorono." Her eyes seemed to glaze like she was seeing something that was
visible only to her eyes.
"Who was that?"
"He reminds me of... of Teralk," she slowly
said, though she continued the fast pace.
"But he is a Kacheek, Teralk was a Lupe!" I
blurted out.
"Yes! I know that Opium isn't Teralk, for Teralk
died many years ago when a bolt of lightning struck him. I was there, and saw
it happen. But before Teralk made his move to take over Laxcorna, he had hat
same air of calmness around him. That same look as he offered me the Neopoints
to go out and destroy Prince Pailoth. It just isn't right."
I have learned to trust Zarrel Charmain's instincts,
for they have saved us many times before, but this time I was not so sure, but
even so I double checked that my blade was in easy reach. "I am not so sure
that you are right Zarrel Charmain, but even so I will be careful." And then
we went silently towards the cottage that Fraable was in.
As we neared the cottage, I saw Zarrel Charmain
smile in relief. There was no legion of pets waiting to catch us there, and
Opium's directions were correct. We slowly walked around to the backyard, and
there was Fraable the Meerca chopping wood with a large axe. Zarrel Charmain
motioned for me to follow her lead, and then we walked up to Fraable.
"Excuse me kind sir, but could you spare a meal
for two hungry travelers?"
Fraable smiled, but I couldn't tell if it was
one of surprise, vigour, or just a regular smile. "Of course. I always have
extras for travelers. Here, come on inside." Zarrel Charmain gave me a 'this
is simple' look, and then we too walked inside the cottage. "Here, let me go
get some water, or would you prefer milk?"
"Water," we both replied in union.
"Okay, this will take a second. I will also
bring down some food." And then Fraable walked away, leaving Zarrel Charmain
and I to talk.
"What's the plan?" I whispered, leaning in close
to Zarrel Charmain as not to have anyone over hear us.
"Just wait until after we get our fill on his
food, and then we will offer to help him outside. We will help him chop a few
logs, and then as soon as he lets down his guard. We'll make our move. Common
folk are always the easiest to take care of. We don't even have to sulk around."
But then our talk was over, for we heard the sound of Fraable coming back in
to us.
"Here you go," he said lying a glass of water,
and a sandwich down in front of each of us. "Enjoy!"
Zarrel Charmain lifted the glass up to her mouth,
and then took a small sip, as I quickly finished up my sandwich. She lifted
her glass up to her mouth, but didn't take another sip, but instead, she took
a long look at me. "Are you okay?" she said, looking at me, for just then a
strange feeling washed over my body, and I stumbled out of my chair.
"I don't know, but I feel strange," I said,
standing up on wobbly legs, but soon I fell back down to the ground, and my
eyelids felt heavy.
"Dorono!" Zarrel Charmain yelled, but her voice
sounded so far away... She smacked me, and I went out of it just long enough
to see several pets walking up behind her.
"Zarrel! Watch out!" I screamed, but as she
turned, the pets dove upon her, trying to pin her arms. I kicked one off her
right arm, and she reached down, and grabbed her dagger from her belt, and started
to fight off the pets.
At first she was doing quite well, and I thought
that she was going to win, but then she stumbled, for the same wave that had
affected me, washed over her now. As the pets came closer to her, she weakly
said, "The food and water... it was drugged." And then the pets jumped upon
her, and the last thing I remembered was seeing her fall before everything went
black for me too.
"Our master will greatly reward us now that
we have caught both the assassin and the Eyrie," a familiar voice said.
"Yes, good job Serrow. You, Fraable, Dsupa,
and the others are now ordered to take them up to his exalted one. I have been
told this from the snowy Kougra himself."
"He will be happy, our master Jown."
Jown! It was the name that I had heard in my
nightmares, the name that I had avoided for so long. It was as that name was
spoken that I bounded up. There around me were several creatures, including
Fraable the Meerca, Serrow the Chia who had led us to Opium, who was also there.
"So the stupid Eyrie had awakened," a Halloween Nimmo said approaching
Dorono. "I at least expected a challenge, but you passed out from the sleeping
powder right away, and your friend Zarrel Charmain... she was all too easy to
kill."
"No!" I said jumping out at him, but I felt
a pain in my neck, and recoiled with dots flashing in my vision. I felt my neck,
and found that a large metal ring was clicked around it, and I was tied to a
large rock by a chain coming from the collar. It can't be. I thought to myself.
Zarrel Charmin can't be dead! I looked at the Nimmo to try and decipher any
chains of deceitful looks, but there was none. What he said... seemed to be...
true.
My eyes flared, and I lost all self-control.
I leapt out at him, oblivious of the pull at my throat. She had been my friend,
my only family, and now she was gone. It wasn't possible. Just that morning,
she and I had been flying through the air together. I dug my claws into the
soft earth, and tried to pull myself closer to the Nimmo, and in my blind rage,
I slowly inched forward pulling the rock with me, I went faster, and faster,
and then with a look of fright upon his face the Nimmo called out to his comrades,
but I didn't hear what he said, for I was concentrating on getting to him. Suddenly
I felt something hit me, and I fell down in a slump, blacking out.
***
"Dsupa, did you have to tell the Eyrie that we killed his partner?" Serrow
said walking up to the Halloween Nimmo
"Yes. That way he will loose all will to fight."
Then remembering what had happened he added, "That is, once he grips what he
takes to be the truth."
"Sometimes you surprise me with how wicked you
can be Dsupa."
"Yes, I even surprise myself." Then he looked
into a wagon where Zarrel Charmain hung up by her paws. "The Eyrie will never
know that she lives until he is completely under our control." And then the
two walked off laughing maniacally.
***
I opened my eyes, but this time I was in a cage. I saw the Halloween Nimmo
in front of me, and even though I was burning with furry inside, I couldn't
bring my self to do anything, for I hurt too badly with the loss of Zarrel Charmain.
"Jown will reward me once I bring you to him." Than after seeing my eyes widen
out, the Halloween Nimmo laughed. "Yes. Jown. Ever since you and that Zafara
escaped him so many years ago, he has been after your heads. Some reason, though,
he has asked to get you in alive. If it weren't for that, you would be dead.
Just like your little Zafara friend."
I growled at him, and clicked my claws up against
the bars of the cage. "That means that if I die you will be punished by Jown,
so what if I refuse to keep myself alive?" and looking at the stunned expression
upon his face I knew it to be true, they could not kill me. That gave me a shred
of hope, for if they could not kill me it meant that if I could find a way out
that they couldn't do anything to me as I ran out. I knew then that I had to
find a way out. Zarrel Charmain would have wanted it, but thinking of my partner
made me loose my hopes, and as hard as I tried to pull them back up to me they
kept slipping out through my fingers. Even so, I swore to myself that I would
find a way out of this mess if it was to be the last thing that I did.
I awoke the next day to a pounding upon the bars
of the cage that I was placed in. "Wake up Eyrie!" I looked out, and a growl
came as I saw the Chia that had led us to Opium. "Here is your morning meal!"
and he tossed a bucket of this gruel-like stuff through the bars of the cage.
"Eat up, for it might be your last!" and he walked away laughing, but I knew
that he was not sincere, for I read the face of Dsupa earlier.
I ate the slop, I was that hungry, but the entire
time that I ate I looked around for any form of escape possible, but I could
see none. Perhaps I really was doomed, but no. I could not let myself to start
thinking like that, so I started searching for a way out again.
***
Zarrel Charmain was faring not too much better then Dorono if not worse. She
woke up to find her hands shackled above her head, and she also had a metal
collar put around her neck, and even though it was only tied with rope, she
had no weapon to cut it with, for her dagger, and her pack had both been confiscated
when she was captured.
Basically any movement that she made was painful,
for she was bruised up just about everywhere. She was in a dark room, most likely
inside of a wagon she thought judging by the movement. Then she closed her eyes,
and tried to get some sleep while hoping that Dorono was safe.
A sudden light woke Zarrel Charmain up. She squinted
as a Halloween Nimmo lifted up the flaps of cloth, which made the room that
she was in dark. The Halloween Nimmo walked up into the wagon, and up to Zarrel
Charmain who scowled at him. "I would have expected more of a challenge from
you Zarrel Charmain, for you are the best assassin in the land. Just to tell
you, soon we will have that Eyrie friend of yours succumbed to our will; for
we told him that you were dead. Any time soon, and he will be too depressed
to fight back." Then the Nimmo walked away from Zarrel Charmain laughing.
As the Nimmo walked out and closed the curtains,
Zarrel Charmain brought her hands close enough to her head in order to take
a lock pick that she had hidden next to her ear. She took it in one hand, and
then begun to work with the locks of her shackles hoping that she was not too
late to escape, and save Dorono.
***
Night had befallen the camp, and it was quite chilly. I ruffled my fur and
feathers to try and bring a little warmth to myself. To far to warm me, but
not too far to be plainly seen was Jown's troops warming themselves over a large
bonfire. I growled as I heard their laughter as they drank wine, and feasted.
The Halloween Nimmo, Dsupa, purposely put me here to try and weaken my spirit
as I watched them feast, but Dsupa was wrong. This only made me stronger.
There was a sudden flash of red from the shadows
behind the campfire, and I could have sworn that I heard the swoosh of a cape.
My first thoughts rushed to Zarrel Charmain, but then I remembered that she
was no more. My ears fell back out of regret, but then perked up once more at
a sound from around the campfire. I watched as from within a bush two red hands
reached out, and covered the mouth of one of the few female guards, a red Zafara
like my partner, before being pulled into the bush. All of the other guards
were too absorbed with their senseless drinking that they did not see her disappear,
or the Zafara that came out of the bushes dressed in her clothes. I looked at
the Zafara that had emerged dressed as the guard. She looked almost exactly
like the guard except for one single detail that I could make out. Her right
ear was shredded just like Zarrel Charmain's. Could it be? Could Zarrel Charmain
be alive? I smiled, for the answer was most likely yes, but then the fur on
my back bristled. Dsupa had lied to me to try and make me succumb to his and
Jown's will. Well, now that Zarrel Charmain was alive I had something to fight
for.
I prepared to roar, and jump at the gates, but
then I realised that Zarrel Charmin must have a plan, so I sat back, and carefully
watched what could lead to our freedom, or both of our deaths.
To be continued... | 
