The first impression the mine shaft gave Melody was claustraphobia.
As a babe she had been taught to fear nothing. Her tattered gray habit that
the toad guards had given her now let in drafts of air from the holes her
spikes were poking in it. She held in her cold paws a pickax. Infront of
her the two toads led her deeper into the mines. Along the way she caught a
glance at a couple of the other slaves slamming away at the walls. Finally
one of the toads spoke up. " Misses this 'ill be yo' spot. Yo'll be lookin'
for minerals that look like-- ," the toad pulled from his haversack a black
stone, "Like 'es."
The other toad took his turn and placed a small bowl of swamp water and a quarter of a loaf of stale bread by her side, "'es 'ill be yo' daily rations. Make gud use of it."
The first toad then drew from his bag a whip tipped at the end with a scorpion spike. "Gid to work!"
Melody turned and dropped her pickax walking to the driver. She spoke in a clear voice, strong showing no sign of wavering the least bit, " These rations won't work for me. I want more."
The toad frowned and said, "Misses that's all the food we're aloud to give you. If ya don't gid to work I'll 'ave to whip you."
" Try it," the hedgehog maiden spit out.
The whip came down but stopped halfway to her body. The cord and scorpion spike spun around the tip of Melody's pickax. She pulled it forcefully towards her ripping it from the toads grubby hands. In one quick motion one of the toads was up against the wall, a long cut running down his face, the other on the ground, the pickax at his throat.
"Me friends listen here. Give me more food, or I'll kill you. Or maybe I'll just escape and then leave your king," she paused and spit on the cave floor, " to kill you."
The toad on the wall moved forward and removed the bread and the water.
"I want it fresh now. You here."
The toad on his back reached and moved the pick blade from his throat. The hedgehog maid wrapped the whip around her hand and helped the toad up. She spoke again in the same commanding tone she had used before, "You my friend will be lookin' for those minerals you were talking about."
Erderk laid in his tent. The cold night air seemed to kindle the fire in his heart. Thoughts of conquering Dalit with his own army were flowing swiftly through his mind. His brother was the least bit of his worries now. The foolish stoat might learn something from the harsh prison life in the caverns of Everdark.
The stoat commader was rattled from his thoughts of grandeur by a call from outside. "Attack! We're under attack!"
Erderk leapt from his tent making sure to grab his rapier. Outside dead cosairs lay everywhere. Most seeming to be killed in the same brutal way. A slit ran down each of the cosairs he was close to. It had been an ambush. The stoat fell to the ground, a large beast standing before him. The thing looked a bit like a fox but bigger, it was brown in color and stood covered only by a pair of leather trousers. The beast brought it's weapon to bear, a large mace, and raised it over it's hairy head.
Erderk rolled out of the way of the attack and got to his feet running. The thing took off running in the opposite direction. A howl rocked the woods and as fast as the beasts had come, they were gone.
Erderk called his remaining army and they marched about a mile from the camp. Many different soldiers gave accounts of what happened,a few hard to believe others that seemed to hit the nail on the head. One of the not so believable stories was that their were only four of the beasts, and that the only reason they had one the fight was because they moved like lighting and attacked as if one entity. Another told that there had been a whole army of them. At the first light of day Erderk marched his men back only to find the skeletal remains of his dead from the night before. Not one piece of meat was left on the bones of the dead and this caused the army to move faster cleaning up camp.
Wormtooth paced his cell. He continued to chide himself that his brother would soon come and they would both seek their revenge on the hare and fox. His cell door opened and a slim ferret walked in throwing in a bowl of water and a piece of shrimp. "'ere's yo'r mornin' vittles. Bett'r gid used ta it yo'r bound to be 'ere a while."
Wormtooth anwsered the ferret, " Are saying that my brothers not good to his word. I 'ave half the nerve to take you out roight now."
"I 'eg you ta try."
Wormtooth leapt forward catching the ferrets foot-paw in his mouth. He gripped the foreign limb and tossed the ferret away like a ragdoll. He reached down grabbed the ferrets sword and ended the fight.
Wormtooth had never done anything as stupid as what he just did. Leaving a decapitated guard in his cell. Hopefully they would suspect some predator killed both the guard and prisoner.
Everdark's prison was in the lowest part of the cave. Only one path lead back up into the main catacombs, which meant nowhere to hide for Wormtooth. The stoat made his way up to the main catacombs as haphazardly as possible. Maybe in passerbys would think him only a drunkard.
Two weasle's came down the long winding stair way to the prisons, each dressed as offical guard of Dalit's. One stopped Wormtooth, "Stoat. Follow us down here, one of the guard hasn't returned yet. We suspect 'e won't if you gid my picture."
"Uh… sure I'll help."
Back at the prison the weasles entered cell. Both were stunned when they saw the body of the ferret. Then they met their dead brother of the guard.
The other toad took his turn and placed a small bowl of swamp water and a quarter of a loaf of stale bread by her side, "'es 'ill be yo' daily rations. Make gud use of it."
The first toad then drew from his bag a whip tipped at the end with a scorpion spike. "Gid to work!"
Melody turned and dropped her pickax walking to the driver. She spoke in a clear voice, strong showing no sign of wavering the least bit, " These rations won't work for me. I want more."
The toad frowned and said, "Misses that's all the food we're aloud to give you. If ya don't gid to work I'll 'ave to whip you."
" Try it," the hedgehog maiden spit out.
The whip came down but stopped halfway to her body. The cord and scorpion spike spun around the tip of Melody's pickax. She pulled it forcefully towards her ripping it from the toads grubby hands. In one quick motion one of the toads was up against the wall, a long cut running down his face, the other on the ground, the pickax at his throat.
"Me friends listen here. Give me more food, or I'll kill you. Or maybe I'll just escape and then leave your king," she paused and spit on the cave floor, " to kill you."
The toad on the wall moved forward and removed the bread and the water.
"I want it fresh now. You here."
The toad on his back reached and moved the pick blade from his throat. The hedgehog maid wrapped the whip around her hand and helped the toad up. She spoke again in the same commanding tone she had used before, "You my friend will be lookin' for those minerals you were talking about."
Erderk laid in his tent. The cold night air seemed to kindle the fire in his heart. Thoughts of conquering Dalit with his own army were flowing swiftly through his mind. His brother was the least bit of his worries now. The foolish stoat might learn something from the harsh prison life in the caverns of Everdark.
The stoat commader was rattled from his thoughts of grandeur by a call from outside. "Attack! We're under attack!"
Erderk leapt from his tent making sure to grab his rapier. Outside dead cosairs lay everywhere. Most seeming to be killed in the same brutal way. A slit ran down each of the cosairs he was close to. It had been an ambush. The stoat fell to the ground, a large beast standing before him. The thing looked a bit like a fox but bigger, it was brown in color and stood covered only by a pair of leather trousers. The beast brought it's weapon to bear, a large mace, and raised it over it's hairy head.
Erderk rolled out of the way of the attack and got to his feet running. The thing took off running in the opposite direction. A howl rocked the woods and as fast as the beasts had come, they were gone.
Erderk called his remaining army and they marched about a mile from the camp. Many different soldiers gave accounts of what happened,a few hard to believe others that seemed to hit the nail on the head. One of the not so believable stories was that their were only four of the beasts, and that the only reason they had one the fight was because they moved like lighting and attacked as if one entity. Another told that there had been a whole army of them. At the first light of day Erderk marched his men back only to find the skeletal remains of his dead from the night before. Not one piece of meat was left on the bones of the dead and this caused the army to move faster cleaning up camp.
Wormtooth paced his cell. He continued to chide himself that his brother would soon come and they would both seek their revenge on the hare and fox. His cell door opened and a slim ferret walked in throwing in a bowl of water and a piece of shrimp. "'ere's yo'r mornin' vittles. Bett'r gid used ta it yo'r bound to be 'ere a while."
Wormtooth anwsered the ferret, " Are saying that my brothers not good to his word. I 'ave half the nerve to take you out roight now."
"I 'eg you ta try."
Wormtooth leapt forward catching the ferrets foot-paw in his mouth. He gripped the foreign limb and tossed the ferret away like a ragdoll. He reached down grabbed the ferrets sword and ended the fight.
Wormtooth had never done anything as stupid as what he just did. Leaving a decapitated guard in his cell. Hopefully they would suspect some predator killed both the guard and prisoner.
Everdark's prison was in the lowest part of the cave. Only one path lead back up into the main catacombs, which meant nowhere to hide for Wormtooth. The stoat made his way up to the main catacombs as haphazardly as possible. Maybe in passerbys would think him only a drunkard.
Two weasle's came down the long winding stair way to the prisons, each dressed as offical guard of Dalit's. One stopped Wormtooth, "Stoat. Follow us down here, one of the guard hasn't returned yet. We suspect 'e won't if you gid my picture."
"Uh… sure I'll help."
Back at the prison the weasles entered cell. Both were stunned when they saw the body of the ferret. Then they met their dead brother of the guard.
