Chapter 11
A Different Lord
Supports were cracked, and wood splintered. Rocks and debris scattered and was disturbed while the whole of the mine fell behind Lleu. The inner chamber had been long deserted, and Lleu planned to follow the habit while he ran past the destroyed metal safety door, and out of the underground maze. Light flooded Lleu's eyes, and momentarily blinded him while he escaped with his back to the mountain. Turning his face at a safe distance, he watched the entire side of the mountain crumble and fall. Rocks shot from the mass of stone, and a tidal wave of dirt swept down the mountain into the fields; the miners frenzied shouts were so load that they could be heard above the final collapse of the mine. A giant cloud of dust spread like an explosion, and Lleu lost the last glimpses of the mountain as he covered his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. Several minutes passed until Lleu's tearing eyes could be opened, and he could see the pure chaos of the mangled mountain before him.
Lleu suddenly remembered his job, and quickly thrust his hand into his pocket. Relief struck Lleu's face, while he proudly removed the necklace of the Troglodyte King. In the outdoor light it shone like a star of many vibrant colors, and, once again, blinded Lleu. Quickly returning the gem to his pocket, he turned his face from the former west mine, and strode across the debris covered fields to the other miners. The grumbling miners, along with the kind one, held a small bag; which was thrown at Lleu harshly.
"How'j' you git' that beast' when ure' jist' a child? Dij' ya' trick it, or dij' ya' jus' walk up anda' chop off its head?" The other miners, once again, smiled and nodded their heads, and a chorus of agreeing voices rung out. "yup' Band't." "I dun' know." "I liky' kids." "Come on guys, lets all be kind to…kid." "Kids are ok." "Bandit's kind…sorta." Lleu opened the bag and looked at the coins the miners had given him.
"What's this for?" Lleu questioned curiously, "Surely you need this more than me!" "Well…kid." the kind miner spoke. "We all decided, in a kind of fellowship manner, to give you a small cut of our earnings, and-." "We all bit' you wuld' die cept' fer' Lorence over ther'." broke in Bandit impatiently.
"Well, yeah," Lorence returned, "We couldn't just leave you out in the world alone; we had to give you something for all your troubles. I'm sure you will need this money some time in your life, maybe sometime soon."
"Thanks." Lleu said, looking down to the streaked fields. "I suppose I will need this. I hope you can return your mine to its proper condition." Lleu said jokingly as he turned to the heap of rock. "I have to start back to town now; I need to meet my sister at twelve, and I am sure I am several hours late."
"You kept your sister alone for four days?" Lorence asked. Lleu looked up startled, disbelief on his face. "What did you say? I've been in that mine for four days!" "Well, yeah, didn't you know?" But Lleu didn't hear Lorences final remark; he was already running down the dusty plains to the grey walls of the city.
Lleu panted exhaustedly as he ran through the open gates of the city. He scrambled down the street, looking for any sign of his sister, hoping that she was not hungry, or hurt. He turned down the sloping streets, flying around corners, and sprinting down empty alleyways. He lost track in his panic, and was soon running through tight unoccupied streets, trying to find a familiar sign, anything that would lead him to the main road. Finally, he succumbed to the maze of the city, and leaned against an alley wall to rest.
He slid down the wall until he was sitting, and shut his eyes in exasperation. His heart pounded heavily in his chest, each resounding beat echoing with the short gasps of air that he let loose from his partially closed mouth. He was in much pain, not physical pain, but the pain of abandoning his only sister. What fate could she have suffered? Has she been kidnapped? Gagged? Hanged? Lleu understood that he was the one responsible for his sister, so why did he leave her to this horrid city? What was he thinking when he ran off questing, that she would be fine?
Lleu opened his eyes, and raised his hanged head. He gazed down the alleyway tiredly. Finally he decided with himself. He was lost … again.
Lleu stood weakly, and began to walk down the darkened alleyway. He only took a few steps before a hand closed around his mouth, and an arm swung around his neck, strangling him. Lleu was jerked back rapidly, and though he kicked and struggled franticly, he could not find his unseen oppressor, or throw him back in any way. He tried to worm from the embrace, but could find no way to escape from the rough hands that held him, or the iron will that his oppressor had. Finally, he was subdued when a blunt object struck him upside the head. He fell to the floor like a limp rag, and faintly heard the thud of his head striking stone, and the joyful laughter of his oppressor. Stars swum around Lleu's head as he fell into a deep sleep, and bleed over the cut stones and dirt of the dark alleyway.
Lleu stirred. His head throbbed in several places. He felt as if he was in a horrid nightmare, a nightmare in which there is no escape, no rest, no ease of pain and sufferance. Lleu attempted to raise his arm to hold his head, but he realized he could not move his arms, nor his legs, nor his eyes it seemed. He felt paralyzed, and even when he thought his eyes were open, all was dark. As he awoke, he began to question what had happened. His senses slowly returned to him, and with that, the numbness over his legs and arms began to lessen, and slowly, he felt severe burning pain all over himself. The pain was brought by very tight ropes, Lleu guessed, and these ropes also prohibited him from moving in any way whatsoever. He tried to lower his head, but he couldn't. His neck was tied back. Lleu noticed that there was no darkness, there was a blindfold tied around his pained eyes.
Then, Lleu heard a drip of water. His mind instantly went back to the West Mine, was he trapped in that torture again! Lleu filled with terror at this, and he franticly thrashed around, until he fell over with the thing he was tied to. He still attempted to escape after this, but he slowly realized that the West Mine was gone, and there was no horror left there that could terrorize him now. He became calm enough to realize he was tied to a chair, and that his fall had reopened a recent wound on his head. Already he felt the warm thick trickle of blood run down his neck. He began to remember what had happened in that dark alley, and the pain he first felt when struck. All had come back to him, and he fully realized the danger he was in. He was in a kidnapper's adobe. He laid still, and his numbness subsided to nothingess. He was laying in a shallow pool, and the familiar drip would echo around him every once in a while. As he began to consider what would happen to him, each possible solution ending with death or torture, he began to hear dimmed echoing voices, which grew louder and nearer while the conversation went on. Lleu began to clearly recognize the words soon.
"Yes, Sir, I will do it myself, Sir, it is nothing much if you understand."
"It is something important Jennin', I will not allow some bluthering idiot to take this job upon himself. I need someone with…Quality.
"Do you not consider me to be of quality, Sir? Have I not been your right man all these years?"
"You have and you haven't Jennin', remember three years and two months ago? I can remember that date by heart Jennin', must I continue?"
At this Jenning was struck with fear, and slowly stuttered, obviously trying to find the correct words. "Let us…forget of that… circumstance. I would advise you to trust in me, Sir, you will not be disappointed. Besides, who else could you trust? The new recruits? They are still wet behind the ears, unknowlegable. And our old veterans? Most of them were killed in the knights charge. But forget of them sir, they were boneless, weak. Why should I not do this? Why should I not lead this cu..."
The sound of a smash ended Jenning's talk, and the thud and drumming sound of a body rolling down steps told Lleu how the discussion had gone.
"Traitor." Was the only word spoken after the horrible incident. "Broke my mace he did. That was all he was good for, a strong head to smash. Goodbye Jennin'." Lleu stared into the blindfold with horror. What had happened? Before he could finish asking another question to himself, he heard something horrible. He heard the sound of thudding boots. Closer they came, until finally, they were next to Lleu, so close that if Lleu could move, he could reach to touch those boots.
"Well what happened my lad?" Came the voice that Lleu now hated. It was the voice of the murderer. Something about that voice brought loathing to Lleu's mind, yet somehow he found some familiarity in it, but not friendly familiarity, more like the familiarity one has with death. "Did this chair decide to pull a cruel trick on you and push you down? Or are you just rebellious." A strong hand rose Lleu and the chair he sat in from the damp floor. He was pushed back into position, and was wet all over his side.
He felt an arm over his head, an arm that began to untie his blindfold. He wished that anyone other than this murderer was untying this blind, that when the blind was released, he would see his sister laughing, saying "Now why are you on the floor? Do you have a relationship with the ground?" But none of this was so, for when the blindfold was removed, Lleu saw who had released him, and the same old loathing returned.
His captor had long red hair, and a black belt. He had on a green shirt which was oversized, and behind that a black cloak fringed with golden letters. He had seen him before. He was the leader. He was the Bandit Lord.
The room itself was very simple: it had nothing in it accept the chair Lleu sat in and a small side table. The walls were made of stone, and a single torch illuminated the staircase up and out of the dungeon.
"What is your name now, hmm?" The man asked, stroking his chin and staring off contemplatively." It matters not, really…" The man pulled a wide grin, nothing friendly about it. "I was simply wondering the name of the grand criminal who took it upon himself to take…this." The man swept his cloak out of the way in a billowing motion as he latched his belt and pulled out the glorious weapon, ShadowStrike. He held it up to the light, smiling peculiarly as he turned the majestic bladed item, admiring it at in the good light. "ShadowStrike…yes, that was its name, before that is…it fell into, his hands.
Lleu's voice was full of the deepest contempt he could muster. "Let it go scum, or I will rip it from your hands."
"Ah, so he talks after all!" The man said mockingly as he walked around Lleu and leaned on his chair. "I was afraid we were dealing with a mute!" The man threw back his head and laughed, a vile horrible laugh, which filled Lleu with even more hate and anger. The bandit bent until his head was besides Lleu, his voice suddenly full of the hate the man harnessed. "I would speak a bit kinder…" Lleu was winded as he was struck in the stomach… "and respect those who are by far more superior than you.
"What, and accept orders from a madman?" Lleu retorted, gasping for breath. He was struck sharply on the top of his head this time. Lleu's vision dimmed shortly, but quickly the man came back into view.
The man threw his arms, exaggerating each idea. "If I am a madman, I am afraid you can do nothing against it! This is my city, and I will rule these ally's any way I like. I could burn this city to the ground if it is my desire to do so! Ahh, but I digress. This weapon, where did you get it? The jewels, the necklace, the bag of gold, the enormous red gem! How did you get them? Did you rob the castle itself!"
"No," Lleu spoke slowly, pronunciating each word with hate and sheer contempt. "I earned them."
"What!" The man brought his hand down on the table, breaking its legs and sending the splintered wreck into a heap of wood on the floor. "How could you earn them? Did you milk a cow and a kind gentleman handed you the necklace and the gold, stating 't'hnks m'lud!' Of course not! This," The man held up the weapon menacingly, "is a kingly gift. It is ShadowStrike, a weapon forged hundreds of years ago. You could not earn this." The man turned from Lleu, putting his head down and rubbing his forehead. Lleu worked up the bravery to speak.
"Release me; I will give you the gold if you let me keep every other item."
A slow laughter filled the room. The mans shoulders rocked up and down, his body shaking. The laughter grew louder as the man threw back his head and shook convulsively with sheer mirth. Holding his laughter behind his words, he turned to Lleu and spoke humorously. "Why don't I give you the keys to the castle as well? You would be a wonderful-" A loud smash interrupted the man, laughter instantly disappearing from his face. A few frantic yells echoed down the passage ways.
"Fire! Fire in the hall!" The words were dimmed from the distance away. "To arms! The Grouchi have found us! Find Lichen and get him here! Grondet! Grovet! Aljor! We need…Yaaaaaaah!" The bandit Lord immediately flew from the dungeon, throwing the weapon carelessly backwards. It landed in Lleu lap, and he smiled as his hand just reached the weapon.
He quickly filed the ropes from his hands, and cut the main knot, turning the rest of the ropes loose enough to pull off. Lleu threw aside the chair, fell to his knees, and drank the clear cool water on the dungeon floor. It was the first water he had, in his conscious state, at least, drunken in three days. The cooling draft filled him with life energy as the soreness subsided away, and limbs were broken free of their impressment. Lleu, fully refreshed, washed his wound quickly, the sounds of battle still sounding from outside. "I must find my bag, the necklace, and the stone." Lleu thought quickly. "The gold would be nice to, but not completely necessary." Readying himself for possible skirmishing, Lleu took a deep breath, and broke into a run as he left the dungeon he despised so much.
