“How much farther do we have to go, Riley?” Lyta moaned. “My feet hurt so bad I can hardly tell that they hurt anymore! The cold air sure doesn’t help either!” Lyta stopped a moment to massage her aching feet and back. The motley crew of escapees and other people had been walking, crawling, running, and dodging guards for several hours and even the hardiest people in the group were beginning to become weary.
“Come on miss, our destination isn’t too much farther from here. We just have a few more passageways and another set of alleys to go. Hopefully we won’t have to dodge any more guards. I would think my employers have taken care of any trouble we might run into in this area,” Riley said to Lyta.
Jakar spoke up, “You know Riley, just because you saved our hides back in that dungeon doesn’t mean we can necessarily trust you. What exactly is our destination, and who in Chatorn’s name are these “employers” you keep mentioning?” Riley noticed that Jakar’s sword was kept in a very convenient location for Jakar to grab in a hurry. Riley swallowed nervously, though besides that, it was barely apparent that he was struggling to stay calm.
“Look…after you meet my employers, if you decide you don’t want to have anything to do with them, I give you my word that you can leave; no questions asked. I know that you probably don’t trust my word, but it’s all I can…”
Mystryl cut in sharply, “Cruxed right, we don’t trust your word! We haven’t known you for much more time than we’ve been following your stupid butt around these alleys! What’s the deal? Do you really think that we’re going to trust you just because you picked a couple of locks? I could have done that myself! And I have on several occasions!”
Duncaan snorted in disgust. “Mystryl, I agree we haven’t known Riley for very long, but do you really think he would try any funny business with all of us armed to the teeth? Sheeze, sorry to sound insensitive, but just because you lost your father doesn’t mean you can act like a total… well… female!”
The arguing continued for several minutes and continued to build in volume until Jakar silenced them all by summoning a rock pillar to rise in their midst. “Will everyone just calm down? I know we all have our differences, myself included, but can we just try to put them aside for a few more hours? I don’t know about you, but I want to see if this long hike will be worth the effort. Maybe Riley knows a way we can fight back against the people who have taken so much away from us. I know you have all lost things. I’ve lost any innocence I still had when I murdered those innocent people in cold blood.”
“Jakar, that wasn’t your fault!” Lyta protested.
“I’d sure like to think that I wasn’t to blame at all, but I’ll never know for sure whether or not I could have resisted harder or fought against PSI’s mind control with more strength. Look, I’m not saying we shouldn’t be cautious; I think caution is always necessary. But if you have to argue, can you at least do it a little more quietly so no one finds us and makes this entire trip be for nothing?”
Everyone either nodded sheepishly or shuffled their feet around. A few gnats buzzed quietly around their heads, but besides that, there was silence. Riley cleared his throat. “…Okay…Now that that’s settled, shall we be off?
The former captain of PSI’s home guard, Mikol Tauner, stumbled through the murky darkness of nocturnal Istara. Moments after he had been thrown out on the streets, the guards who dumped him there had apparently decided to relieve some stress, and they pummeled him for half an hour or so. Mikol’s left eye was now so swollen he could not open it more than the barest crack. Mikol was trained well in hand to hand combat, but when the four muscular guards had decided to have some fun, there was little he could do except pray that the agony would end soon. He had been stumbling blindly through bad neighborhoods and dark alleys for a few hours when he finally collapsed from ache of body and heart.
Mikol struggled to catch his breath, which sounded like ragged gasps. They must have broken a few ribs, he thought to himself. Well, I’ve lived through worse. Then he remembered the horrifying event that had preceded his demotion, the execution of his only son, and Mikol Tauner began to weep for the first time in many years. His sobs echoed back from the dripping walls of the alley he had collapsed in. Little did he realize that his sorrow was overheard by more than simply alley rats scurrying around in search of a morsel to eat.
A small piece of shingle clattered down from the rooftop directly above Mikol. It could have been a small felian searching for rats to eat, but Mikol was trained to take no chances and to assume nothing. He abruptly silenced himself and attempted to stand up, but soon found that he could not. Still, he readied himself for combat as best as possible.
Three silhouettes leaped down from the low roof and took but a moment to recover from the impact. The chill night allowed Mikol to see clouds of their breath rising slowly in the dim moonlight. They looked around the alley and one of the people spotted Mikol lying as motionless as possible against a wall. A lamp was lit and held near his face. Mikol heard a feminine gasp from one of the forms that had stayed further away from him. A rough, deep voice broke the silence. “Who’d have though we’d find somethin’ like this on our patrol? Why, it’s Captain Mikol Tauner!”
Mikol’s good eye gradually adjusted to the lamplight and he saw the emblem of the Resistance tattooed on the face of the man who held the lantern. “You rebel scum!” Mikol choked out. He realized that his commitment to kill any and all officers of the Resistance no longer mattered and he fell silent.
The tattooed man barked out a laugh. “Well, well, well… Still as feisty as ever, even when you’re at the mercy of your enemies. What a prize you’ll make! Heh, I can see the promotions already! Mina, Arlono, help me lift him. Let’s get him back to base, but first we better make sure he ain’t gonna struggle. I don’t want this trip to be any harder than it has to be.”
“Sure, commander. No problem,” Arlono replied.
Mikol felt a sharp blow to his temple and remembered no more.
Riley turned around and spoke as he continued walking. “Uhh, it’s Riley. And don’t worry Duncaan, we’re almost there. I know the forest hasn’t exactly been a party so far, but my employers have to stay well hidden. They’re the type of group that doesn’t exactly benefit from public relations. Oh, I should probably warn you guys about the security measures they’ll put us through.” He turned around a moment too late as he slammed into a rotting tree directly in his path.
Lyta tried unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle. “Hey, I though you were supposed to have those heightened ninja senses. What happened to them?”
Riley wiped his now-bleeding nose and made a face, which was barely discernable in the blackness of early morning. “Well, they’re… hard at work noticing that owyl that’s about to swoop down on your head.”
Lyta gasped, ducked, then saw everyone else laughing at her. “All right mister, good comeback. Just get us to this ‘secret hideout’ you keep telling us about. I only hope it’s not a bunch of wannabe spies or something cheesy like that.”
Jakar solemnly shook his head. “Somehow, I get the feeling this will be anything but cheesy. Everyone stay on guard and no more talking from here out unless absolutely necessary. We don’t want any of us to get hurt now that we’ve come all the way out here.”
“Who put you in charge…?” Mystryl grumbled. She remained silent after that though, and no other comments were voiced.
The path leading from the city grew more and more concealed and overgrown. By about 4 in the morning, the group had covered about seven miles total from the city and everyone was in a state of delirious exhaustion. Strange sounds echoed through the motionless glades, and the occasional stream moved as quietly as water could. The waxing moon shone dimly between the branches and gave the travelers just enough light to see without stumbling. Some of the group jumped when a twig snapped just off to the side, but Riley pressed ever on, anxious to reach his destination. At long last, around 5 in the morning, Riley motioned them to stop.
“Wait here a minute. I’ll go ahead and warn them not to attack us. I’m sure everyone would appreciate that. Don’t breathe a word while I’m gone!” Riley finished whispering and darted off into the inky blackness. Within minutes, he returned to the four people who had stayed behind. There were two men with him. The one who appeared to be in charge broke the silence. He broke it very loudly at that.
“Well, ain’t this been a productive night! We get all sorts of the Empire’s rejects! Heh, at least we know that you got no love for the Empire though. You’ll call me Commander Darge. This here’s lieutenant Arlono. He’ll be showing you around the place before we take you to meet the big man around here. Follow me, and keep your hands to yourselves. I’d hate to have anyone’s hand sliced off by the traps we have set around here.” He chuckled hoarsely and sauntered off as Arlono took up the rear of the group.
“Out of curiosity,” Mystryl ventured, “Who IS in charge here and what is he like?”
“Guhahaha! You’ll find out soon enough missy, but I can tell you one thing, he’s nothing like how you’re thinking right now. I’d be shaking in my boots right now if I was you!” Darge guffawed again and spit off the side of a bridge they were crossing. Actually, the bridge was a log over a deep chasm. Lyta tried not to look down. Soon, they reached a well-concealed wall where Darge knocked a few times and let out a strange combination between a howl and a bird’s call. An officer dressed in fatigues swung open a gate and let the party into a surprisingly large compound.
The party found itself on the western side of the compound. It was surrounded by mountains from a slight distance away, and within the valley it was in, the camp was overspread by the limbs of huge trees that shielded them from any overhead view if spies actually managed to scale the heights of the surrounding peaks. The compound was composed of several well-fortified looking buildings, as well as some cave entrances on the south side of the compound.
Darge led the group to a bunkhouse, departed with Arlono, and left Riley behind to give instructions. “Okay, they’re going to place guards outside this building for everyone’s safety. I’ll be going to another place for the night to be debriefed and rest, but I’ll be back tomorrow evening a little before dinner when you’ll be meeting the ‘Boss’. Try to get some sleep. Later on, you’ll get a tour and have time to rest up before tomorrow evening. I’ll see you later.” Riley quickly took his leave before anyone had time to ask him any questions.
The four remaining people in the cabin sat down on four of the room’s six bunks. Lyta puled off her boots and sighed in relief. Mystryl finger-combed some burrs out of her hair. Duncaan stood back up and began shadow boxing in the corner, while Jakar reclined back on his bunk.
“Well, we aren’t dead yet,” Mystryl sighed tiredly. “Not that I’m complaining, but at least we wouldn’t be aching so much.”
“Who’s aching?” Duncaan retorted breathlessly.
With eyes closed already, Jakar smiled tiredly. “Funny, Duncaan. I know you well enough to know that you’re almost as tired as the rest of us, but you just know how to hide it better. I think we could all use a few good hours of sleep and I for one intend to get it before the sun gets too high in the sky.” He rolled over far enough to pull his covers out from under him, then tucked himself in and soon began breathing heavily.
“I wish I could dismiss the fact that we’re trapped in here as easily as he can,” Duncaan said under his breath. But one by one, the rest of the group drifted off to sleep and slept long after the sun had risen in the Eastern sky.
Duncaan raised his head groggily and looked around, as though desperately trying, and failing, to figure out where he was. Lyta rolled over and pulled her pillow over her head. Jakar still slept, and Mystryl was sitting in a chair by a far corner, looking to be in deep thought.
“Oh, come on. If I were you I’d get moving so I could eat and get the tour over with on time. I’d hate to be the one to keep the Boss waiting. Up and at ‘em!” Riley grinned and walked back outside, leaving the door flung wide behind him.
After a few minutes, Lyta sat up and looked over at the sleeping Jakar who was over two bunks from her. She crawled out of bed but first reached under her bunk to bring something with her to his bedside. She looked at Jakar one more time to make sure he was still sleeping, then stepped back a pace or so and flung her boots at him.
“OW!! Geez, what’s your problem, Lyta? I heard Riley; I just wasn’t ready to get up yet. Aww, I need at least five more hours of sleep…” Jakar groaned.
Duncaan snickered. “Sorry, but I don’t think that’s going to be possible. I’m so hungry I could eat half the food in this camp, but I’m not going unless you’re around to try the food first. What would the world do if I was to die of poison?”
“They’d sleep better at night!” Jakar smiled, but he got up and began preparing for the uncertain day ahead of them.
