Web of Deceit (32 page)

“Thanks,” Mistake gasped as a huge rumble rent the air.

She lifted her head and saw a giant slab of the vertical rock wall separate from the mountain. Less than two hundred paces before them, the slab slid down as if in slow motion. Tons of rock slammed into the narrow ledge and a great cloud of dust rose into the air. The ledge the trio was on bounced and bucked and they clung nervously to each other. For several moments rock cascaded down the side of the mountain. Finally, the trembling stopped and the wind caught the cloud of dust and tossed it away.

The trio remained still for a moment after the shocks subsided and eventually rose to their feet. Mistake gasped as she gazed upon the trail ahead. A large portion of the ledge had been sheered off the face of the mountain and descended into the abyss with the slab.

“That ends this journey,” she sobbed. “I am so sorry for making you bring me here. We should never have come.”

Rejji helped Bakhai pass him on the trail and then pulled his sword.

“Go to the break in the trail,” ordered Rejji. “See if there are enough rocks there to throw at the Jiadin as they come around the bend. If we can force the Jiadin to retreat, maybe we can get out of this.”

“They aren’t going to leave,” sobbed Mistake. “That wizard does not even care how many of his own men die, as long we die.”

“I will go,” volunteered Bakhai as he stepped carefully past Mistake. “I cannot think of any better plan.”

Rejji stood nervously as he waited for the first Jiadin to round the bend.

“They won’t be here for a while,” offered Mistake. “Rest while you can. Bakhai said they were almost an hour behind us.”

Rejji nodded and sheathed his sword. “Maybe there is another break in the ledge behind us,” he offered. “Maybe they can’t even get to us.”

“Come here!” shouted Bakhai. “I found something.”

Mistake and Rejji made their way to where Bakhai stood on the edge of the broken ledge. The sheer rock wall of the mountain had been torn away revealing a small cave where the ledge used to be.

“Maybe we can hide in there and they will think we fell with the ledge,” offered Bakhai. “After they leave, we can make our way back to the bottom of the mountain.”

“That is quite a leap to get in there,” frowned Rejji, “and an awful long fall if we miss.”

“What other choice do we have?” retorted Mistake. “I don’t think throwing rocks at the Jiadin is going to prolong our lives much. Even if they suspect we are in there, they will have to make the leap to find out. They can only do that one at a time.”

“All right,” agreed Rejji. “We will need a running start to make it though. Let’s back up and give Bakhai some room.”

The trio moved back several dozen paces. Bakhai cleared loose rubble from the trail on his way back.

“Go just fast enough to help you jump,” warned Mistake. “Too fast and you will fall before you get there. Remember the screams of the Jiadin we heard.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” frowned Bakhai.

The running start required for the leap was not the only problem. To enter the hole in the wall required a leap to the left of the path and not straight-ahead. Without warning, Bakhai started running. He misjudged the end of the path and jumped slightly before he should have, still the upper half of his body entered the hole and only his legs dangled out. He swiftly pulled his legs in and rolled out of the way so the next person did not land on top of him.

Mistake went next and Rejji was amazed at her grace as she dove into the hole without even touching the sides. Rejji gave Mistake a few seconds to clear out of the way and started running. He ran right to the edge and pushed off for his dive, but the edge of the broken path crumbled under his feet. He felt himself falling as he stretched out his arms towards the hole. He saw the hole rising as his body fell lower and thought he would miss it entirely. His arms entered the hole and he tried to grab onto something as his body slammed against the rock wall. He could find no purchase inside the hole and the weight of his body started to drag his arms back out. He managed to get his left hand on the lip of the hole while the glove on his right hand snagged in a crevice. Mistake and Bakhai rushed to the entrance and each grabbed one of his arms.

Mistake leaned over the edge and looked down. There was nothing below Rejji for hundreds of feet and what she did see was a huge pile of broken rocks that used to part of the mountain.

“There is nothing that Rejji can put his feet on,” she told Bakhai. “We have to pull him in without his help.”

“All right,” nodded Bakhai. “When we start to pull, Rejji, you will have to let go.”

Rejji barely nodded and his friends started to pull him up.

“I can’t pull him up,” yelled Mistake. “His glove is stuck. Grab the lip again, Rejji.”

“He can’t grab the lip again. Cut it quickly,” Bakhai shouted. “I will try to hold him by this arm. Cut the glove and then grab whatever part of him you can.”

The knife appeared in Mistake’s hand almost before Bakhai finished speaking. She quickly shoved the knife into a finger hole and slit the fabric along his knuckles. Then she ran the knife along the top of Rejji’s hand and dropped it as the cloth separated so she could grab his hand before he dropped away.

“I have his hand,” she yelled. “Pull!”

Bakhai and Mistake pulled in unison as they backed into the cave and soon had Rejji into the hole. Nobody moved for several minutes and the only sound was the heavy breathing of the trio. Finally, Mistake sat up and looked at Rejji’s hand.

“It is not bad,” she said. “I was afraid I would slice deep into your hand, but it is only a couple of scratches.

“I thought I was done for,” groaned Rejji. “My body aches all over. Sorry about your knife, Mistake.”

“I have others,” she responded. “Your glove will give us away though. I don’t think they will miss seeing it there.”

“They also won’t be able to get in here now that Rejji crumbled more of the path,” stated Bakhai.

“We won’t be able to get back out either,” added Rejji.

The trio sat in silence for a while as each of them reflected on their predicament until they heard the sound of another Jiadin scream.

“We had better get ready for them,” Rejji sighed. “They may use that wizard to find a way in here. Search the cave for anything we can use to throw at them.”

“Wish we had a torch,” muttered Bakhai as he moved deeper into the dark portion of the cave.

“I don’t feel anything larger than a pebble in here,” complained Mistake. “We have a sword and four knives left. That is about it.”

“Hey,” called Bakhai from the darkness. “I found a tunnel back here and I can feel air flowing. It might be a way out.”

Rejji and Mistake hurried towards the sound of Bakhai’s voice. Mistake kept going past Bakhai and started crawling down the tunnel. Rejji and Bakhai followed. The tunnel was barely large enough to crawl through, but there was an airflow, which lifted their spirits. After a while the tunnel grew larger and they were able to stoop at first and then stand.

Eventually, the tunnel widened and they saw the soft glow of light piercing the darkness ahead. The air also picked up a foul scent, but nobody seemed to mind. The tunnel made a gradual bend and as it did, Mistake halted and backed up.

“What is it?” Rejji asked.

Mistake held a finger to her lips and pointed. Rejji and Bakhai peeked around the bend and saw a colossal beast in a large chamber. They stood frozen as Mistake inched forward towards the large chamber. After a few moments, she returned and pushed them back around the bend.

“There is a huge opening in the ceiling,” she whispered, “and another tunnel across the chamber. That is all I could see. The opening in the ceiling goes to the surface because that is where the light is coming from, but there is no way we will be able to reach it. I am going to try to sneak across the chamber and check out the other tunnel.”

“Not without us,” interjected Rejji. “This is no time to get separated.”

“Then we should go one at a time,” retorted Mistake. “If that thing wakes up, it looks like it could swallow us whole.”

“What is it?” repeated Rejji.

“It looks like a dragon,” Mistake whispered. “I thought they were mythical and used to excite children in the villages, but I can’t imagine what else it could be.”

“After the Qubari Jungle, I am ready to believe almost anything,” added Bakhai. “Maybe I should try talking to it.”

“I would rather it remained sleeping,” frowned Mistake. “Suppose it is hungry?”

Mistake turned and rounded the bend again. Bakhai and Rejji peered around the corner as Mistake moved silently into the chamber. Rejji stared at the huge dragon that rested upon a pile of debris. While he could see the glint of metal sparkling in places, the vast majority of matter appeared to be bones, a lot of bones. Mistake was almost half way across the chamber when the dragon popped open an eye and stared at her. She froze hoping it would close its eye again, but instead it opened both eyes and raised its head. As its mouth opened, Mistake dashed behind a column. The dragon spit flames from its mouth that showered the column with fire and Mistake screamed.

Bakhai immediately started making noises that sounded strange to Rejji. The dragon turned its head towards Bakhai and peered into the gloomy tunnel.

“A talker?” the dragon said. “What is a talker doing out of the jungle?”

Bakhai shook his head and walked forward towards the chamber. Rejji tried to grab him and pull him back, but he was too late.

“We are on a quest,” Bakhai said. “We seek the Sage of the Mountain. Do you know the way to him?”

The dragon appeared to laugh and sent a tongue of flame at Bakhai. The talker didn’t move and the flame fell short of him.

“We mean you no harm,” continued Bakhai. “We just seek to gain the summit of this mountain.”

“No harm?” laughed the dragon. “I suppose not. Talkers are meant to aid the animals, not harm them, but why do you travel with a thief?”

“I am not a thief,” shouted Mistake. “Or at least I don’t mean to steal anything you have.”

“A thief is a thief,” snorted the dragon, “and I know a thief when I smell one. Imagine a thief suddenly appears in my treasure room sneaking about and then claims she doesn’t want anything. Do you think everyone but yourself is a fool?”

“I only stole to eat,” yelled Mistake. “I am not currently hungry and I wouldn’t eat anything I found in here anyway. The stench is horrible.”

“Oh, well excuse me,” burped the dragon. “Perhaps I should come and inspect your home to see if it meets with my approval. How did you get in here?”

Bakhai explained their quest and described the Jiadin army pursuing them. When he mentioned the wizard’s shaking of the mountain, the dragon was clearly annoyed.

“He blew a hole in my mountain?” scowled the dragon.

“Yes,” answered Bakhai, “and they may be pursuing us yet. You should be prepared for them coming.”

“The three of you come and stand before me,” demanded the dragon.

“So you can eat us?” growled Mistake. “I don’t think so.”

“You would hardly make much of a snack,” sighed the dragon. “If you want me to trust you, then you must trust me. Come and stand before me.”

Mistake didn’t move, but Bakhai marched into the chamber and stood before the dragon. Rejji looked back at the tunnel they had come through and sighed. He walked into the chamber and stood beside Bakhai. The dragon started tapping a claw against the floor and Rejji called for Mistake to join them. Several minutes of silence filled the chamber before Mistake gave in and joined her friends. She did not look very trusting of the dragon.

“That is better,” smiled the dragon. “The talker is smart enough to know that dragons like a challenge with their meal. Eating you now would be too easy. You may call me Myka. I will allow you to pass this time. That is not an invitation to return. What do you call yourselves?”

Bakhai did the introductions and the dragon nodded.

“Mistake is certainly an odd name,” chuckled the dragon, “but then it is odd that I should let a thief pass through my chamber unmolested. The small tunnel on the other side will lead you out. I would move quickly along if I were you. I am expecting dinner at any moment.”

Bakhai bowed to the dragon. “Thank you for your understanding, Myka. I hope we can do you a favor someday to repay this debt.”

The trio moved swiftly, before Myka changed her mind, and entered the tunnel. The exit tunnel was similar to the one they had been in before, in that it was large at first and kept getting smaller as they progressed. It also had a fairly step incline to it and when they exited the tunnel, they could see the summit a couple of hundred feet above them. There was no path to follow as the tunnel just ended at the surface. The trio climbed the rest of the way to the summit and they were fairly exhausted when they reached it.

“Well here we are,” Rejji declared as he looked around.

The summit consisted of a fairly flat area with a pyramid-shaped pointy tip that extended upwards another twenty feet. The view was spectacular and they could see for miles in every direction.

“What do we do now?” asked Bakhai as he tried to peer down to locate the Jiadin army.

“I do not know,” sighed Mistake. “Could the Qubari have been wrong about the location? I don’t see how there could be anyone up here.”

“I don’t think they would give us the wrong location,” responded Bakhai. “Perhaps you need to call to him or something like that.”

Mistake tried shouting for the Sage to appear, but nothing happened. The summit was bitter cold and the wind occasionally whipped cruelly across the open surface. As the sun began to dip below the western mountains, the mood of the trio fell with it. Exhausted and cold, they huddled together for warmth. As the stars grew bright upon the black sky, the trio drifted off to sleep.

***

Mistake’s head swam and her lungs felt like they were going to burst. She opened her eyes and saw bubbles floating upward. She felt lighter than air as she floated freely, but there was a feeling of despair and fear that permeated her soul. Suddenly, her head broke the surface and she gasped for breath. Cruel waves washed over her head and she shook the salty water from her eyes. She heard voices then, distant voices. The voices were full of fear and they called out to somebody. She could not make out the name that was called, but Mistake knew that the name was hers, but it was not Mistake. She tried moving towards the voices, but the savage waves continued to crash down upon her and the voices grew more distant. Another wave came unexpectedly, but this one carried the weight of something heavier, a body, a log, she could not remember. Her mind swam from the crushing blow and stars danced in her vision as everything turned to black.