Chapter 9 - The First Answer
Barda looked up at the sound of Jasmine's shout - only to see both of his friends slump to the ground beneath the feet of Lieutenant Kaif.
The lieutenant lifted his crossbow from Jasmine's unconscious body to Barda. The dart had already been reloaded, and Barda knew that should it hit him there would be no escape for any of them.
He kept eye contact with Kaif, but remained crouching with his hand resting on Jovan's shoulder. The young man was still conscious, and Barda wondered how he, the first fallen of all of them, could have outlasted Yasrin and both Lief and Jasmine.
Barda cringed at the sheer determination and enjoyment in Kaif's face. Three bodies lay at his feet at he had raised his weapon to make it a forth.
"Stop," Barda called desperately. "There is no need - I will not fight you." He knew that if he could remain conscious there might be a chance to overpower the man and save all of the others.
"Why shouldn't I shoot you?" Kaif said, approaching him with the weapon still raised.
"I... I can give you information... about us..."
The man smiled in amusement. "I know everything you could tell me. I know all your names and your histories."
Beneath Barda's trembling hand he felt Jovan move. The captain groaned in pain, his face damp with sweat. "Kaif?" Jovan muttered, trying to push himself up upon his elbows to see the man who had betrayed him. Barda held his firm grip on the young man's shoulder, preventing any movement that might injure him further.
"How could you do this?" Barda asked, seeing a way to prolong his excuse. "How could you betray your captain... your friend?"
"He was no friend of mine," Kaif spat. "He was called a prince by his people, yet now Bratok has only one King! Too long has the rule rested in the weak hands of his father. But a new power is rising - no longer will the power of the shadows lie dormant!"
Barda shuddered as he saw how utterly this man believed the words of treason he was saying. Barda had had no idea Jovan held such a high position, and wondered, if indeed the young captain was the son of the king, why he should be defending such a remote and dangerous outpost as the borders of the Shadowlands.
"You serve a king," Kaif was saying, gesturing towards Lief.
"Lief is more than a king." Barda said, looking over at his friend's pale face.
"What more is a king but a fool who sits idle in his palace while his people struggle with survival?"
"Lief loves his people, he has risked everything for them!"
Kaif shook his head as if saddened by Barda's loyalty. "A leader should prove his authority by causing pain and suffering - only then is he sure of his power!"
Barda drew in a breath, knowing that this man was too far down the road of insanity to ever redeem himself. "What are you going to do with us?" he asked, fearing the answer.
"I will be paid well for my trouble - I know of men who would pay a high price for the life of one of Bratok's princes."
"And what of us?"
Kaif smiled cruelly. "You heard the Captain's stories of the Beast of Fear - I will leave you here to die with your king."
Barda smiled bitterly, "A pity they will not be awake to meet their deaths."
"Many years I have worked with poisons of different types," Kaif said with what seemed almost like pride. "In fact I was chosen for 'Lord' Jovan's company for that very reason. I can brew potions that can instantly fell a man," he gestured to Lief and Jasmine. "Or slower brews that incapacitate while causing great pain in the subject." Kaif kicked at the body of his former Captain, drawing a groan of pain. "Do not fear for your friends, Barda of Del. They will be awake in time for the fun to begin!"
There was a small noise behind him, and Barda turned his head to look when a blinding pain ripped through his head and the sky dimmed to black.
Barda woke some moments later with a crushing pain in his head. He felt disorientated and confused. What had happened? Kaif must have had an ally with him - but why had Barda not seen anyone before?
He opened his eyes - squinting into the afternoon sunlight. He must have been unconscious for longer than he had thought. The sun was high before, whereas now it was blood red on the horizon. He realised the reason for his feeling of disorientation. He was standing upright, his hands bound to a tall tree behind him.
Turning his head painfully to the left and right he saw Lief and Jasmine in the same position as himself. He could just imagine Kaif organising this so that he could watch both his friends die.
The bodies of Jovan and Yasrin were gone - taken. Barda could see a spattering of Jovan's blood on the leaves where he had lain.
"Barda?" The voice was weak, and he turned to see Jasmine finally awaken. "What has happened?"
Barda cringed when he saw the purple mark the poisoned dart had left on her arm, but his face softened as he saw Filli crawl out from beneath Jasmine's collar. The small fury creature was obviously frightened.
Barda started as he realised something. "Jasmine," he said urgently, "could Filli free us from these ropes?"
Jasmine whispered something to the creature and almost immediately it had scuttled behind, out of Barda's sight.
Leaning his head back against the thick bark of the tree, Barda wondered whether he should reveal to his companions what Kaif had said about the creature of fear that hunted in this forest. They had all heard what Jovan had said - that he had been unable to speak of the bodies left behind.
He was so focused on these thoughts that he hardly noticed Jasmine's cry of success as FIlli managed to free her. She came over, and sawed at the ropes with her knife. Barda saw that his own weapon had been dumped on the forest floor. Obviously they had not been expected to escape! What if Filli had not been there to help?
Together they freed Lief and lay him, still unconscious, on the soft ground. Barda knelt, and felt his knee sink into the leaves.
Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder he attempted to rouse him. "Lief, Lief. Wake up, we must leave this place!"
Lief stirred, his hand moving to push away those disturbing his rest. Barda was about to try again when a sound from behind caught his attention. A hissing sound, like a snake, and yet unlike. They looked, and it seemed to Barda as though a great rain cloud had settled above the forest. The cloud had a strange yellowish colour to it - and Barda met Jasmine's eyes in alarm.
Lief stirred once more as they shook him. The cloud might not have been a monster of fear - but that certainty did not mean it was not dangerous. He muttered and opened his eyes. Barda caught the word "Poison" among the rambling.
"Aye, Lief. The dart was poisoned. But you must try to walk!" Barda was on the verge of carrying Lief, heavy as he was, when another muttered word brought him up short.
"Poison in the Breeze."
Jasmine gasped, as she too recognised the words. She stuck her hand into Lief pocket and quickly pulled out the scrap of torn paper and read...
~For comfort look not to the trees,
poison hunts upon the breeze~
"It is the words of the rhyme!" she gasped, pointing to the cloud of yellow gas. "But there is no escape!"
"The next line!" Barda shouted, "the next line - quickly!" He did not wait for her to respond, snatching the message from her hand.
~The answer lies for what you seek,
where buzzards crawl and insects creep~
"What does it mean?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder to where the yellow mass of cloud was enveloping everything in its path.
"We must get lower - you see!" Jasmine exclaimed. "There is a small gap beneath the cloud and the earth."
Barda glanced at the flat forest floor and remembered the cushiony feel of it beneath his weight. "We must dig! And quickly!"
They dug their fingered into the dead leaves, scooping out great handfuls of them. The hole widened swiftly in their haste, and as soon as it was big enough they hauled Lief down into it. Quickly following Barda felt the earth strangely littered with white sticks in the hole they had dug. But he had no time to ponder it. The hissing had grown louder, and throwing a hand up to spread his cloak over all three of them Barda felt the rush of the yellow smoke upon his fingers. He recoiled violently as a burning sensation spread through his entire hand, clenching his teeth against the pain.
"It has almost past," he grunted, feeling the air above them change slightly.
"Barda..." Jasmine's voice sounded weak and small. "These sticks beneath us... They are bones..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Little disclaimer there for the last line - which Emily Rodda has a similar discovery in Rowan and the Zebak (for those who have read that) and I also used something similar in my LOTR fic Twisted Fate.
Not many reviews for the last chapter :( *IceAngel is sad* but I hope everyone is still reading and enjoying now we have got to some action!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Pen2* short review for my longest chapter? I feel sad :( But I can't complain as I am behind on reviewing your fic. I must get around to doing that soon! I have been reading - I just keep running out of time to review. Which chapters havn't I reviewed.
*Suzie* - Yes I am addicted to cliffhangers - sorry about that :D hope u enjoy this one!
*lexi* - thanks for your vote - I havn't decided yet as not many people reviewed the previous chapter - and making me excited about my own story once again - I hope very much that you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for such long reviews - they are very inspiring!
*Pasta Princess* - thanks for telling me what you think - i hope you liked this chapter too!
*Eldainwe Aduial Elenath* - thanks for telling me about my little typo - oops I had missed that ^.^ I actually havn't any ideas for what's going on in Del - I just thought some people might want to know... hmm I'm glad you're liking the stroy!
*Black Fury* - ah then you're the same as me - skimming over characters I don't like to get to others - "Author Alert" - this is an option for people who have regestered to get the special features of ff.net. I havn't and I don't think u have either - so we can't use this option. But it won't explode if u tick it - it just won't so anything! ^.^ thankyou
*Fuu-chan* - I just found that u had updated so I'll go read it when I find time. thankyou for the giant review! Good Writing to you! thankyou
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barda looked up at the sound of Jasmine's shout - only to see both of his friends slump to the ground beneath the feet of Lieutenant Kaif.
The lieutenant lifted his crossbow from Jasmine's unconscious body to Barda. The dart had already been reloaded, and Barda knew that should it hit him there would be no escape for any of them.
He kept eye contact with Kaif, but remained crouching with his hand resting on Jovan's shoulder. The young man was still conscious, and Barda wondered how he, the first fallen of all of them, could have outlasted Yasrin and both Lief and Jasmine.
Barda cringed at the sheer determination and enjoyment in Kaif's face. Three bodies lay at his feet at he had raised his weapon to make it a forth.
"Stop," Barda called desperately. "There is no need - I will not fight you." He knew that if he could remain conscious there might be a chance to overpower the man and save all of the others.
"Why shouldn't I shoot you?" Kaif said, approaching him with the weapon still raised.
"I... I can give you information... about us..."
The man smiled in amusement. "I know everything you could tell me. I know all your names and your histories."
Beneath Barda's trembling hand he felt Jovan move. The captain groaned in pain, his face damp with sweat. "Kaif?" Jovan muttered, trying to push himself up upon his elbows to see the man who had betrayed him. Barda held his firm grip on the young man's shoulder, preventing any movement that might injure him further.
"How could you do this?" Barda asked, seeing a way to prolong his excuse. "How could you betray your captain... your friend?"
"He was no friend of mine," Kaif spat. "He was called a prince by his people, yet now Bratok has only one King! Too long has the rule rested in the weak hands of his father. But a new power is rising - no longer will the power of the shadows lie dormant!"
Barda shuddered as he saw how utterly this man believed the words of treason he was saying. Barda had had no idea Jovan held such a high position, and wondered, if indeed the young captain was the son of the king, why he should be defending such a remote and dangerous outpost as the borders of the Shadowlands.
"You serve a king," Kaif was saying, gesturing towards Lief.
"Lief is more than a king." Barda said, looking over at his friend's pale face.
"What more is a king but a fool who sits idle in his palace while his people struggle with survival?"
"Lief loves his people, he has risked everything for them!"
Kaif shook his head as if saddened by Barda's loyalty. "A leader should prove his authority by causing pain and suffering - only then is he sure of his power!"
Barda drew in a breath, knowing that this man was too far down the road of insanity to ever redeem himself. "What are you going to do with us?" he asked, fearing the answer.
"I will be paid well for my trouble - I know of men who would pay a high price for the life of one of Bratok's princes."
"And what of us?"
Kaif smiled cruelly. "You heard the Captain's stories of the Beast of Fear - I will leave you here to die with your king."
Barda smiled bitterly, "A pity they will not be awake to meet their deaths."
"Many years I have worked with poisons of different types," Kaif said with what seemed almost like pride. "In fact I was chosen for 'Lord' Jovan's company for that very reason. I can brew potions that can instantly fell a man," he gestured to Lief and Jasmine. "Or slower brews that incapacitate while causing great pain in the subject." Kaif kicked at the body of his former Captain, drawing a groan of pain. "Do not fear for your friends, Barda of Del. They will be awake in time for the fun to begin!"
There was a small noise behind him, and Barda turned his head to look when a blinding pain ripped through his head and the sky dimmed to black.
Barda woke some moments later with a crushing pain in his head. He felt disorientated and confused. What had happened? Kaif must have had an ally with him - but why had Barda not seen anyone before?
He opened his eyes - squinting into the afternoon sunlight. He must have been unconscious for longer than he had thought. The sun was high before, whereas now it was blood red on the horizon. He realised the reason for his feeling of disorientation. He was standing upright, his hands bound to a tall tree behind him.
Turning his head painfully to the left and right he saw Lief and Jasmine in the same position as himself. He could just imagine Kaif organising this so that he could watch both his friends die.
The bodies of Jovan and Yasrin were gone - taken. Barda could see a spattering of Jovan's blood on the leaves where he had lain.
"Barda?" The voice was weak, and he turned to see Jasmine finally awaken. "What has happened?"
Barda cringed when he saw the purple mark the poisoned dart had left on her arm, but his face softened as he saw Filli crawl out from beneath Jasmine's collar. The small fury creature was obviously frightened.
Barda started as he realised something. "Jasmine," he said urgently, "could Filli free us from these ropes?"
Jasmine whispered something to the creature and almost immediately it had scuttled behind, out of Barda's sight.
Leaning his head back against the thick bark of the tree, Barda wondered whether he should reveal to his companions what Kaif had said about the creature of fear that hunted in this forest. They had all heard what Jovan had said - that he had been unable to speak of the bodies left behind.
He was so focused on these thoughts that he hardly noticed Jasmine's cry of success as FIlli managed to free her. She came over, and sawed at the ropes with her knife. Barda saw that his own weapon had been dumped on the forest floor. Obviously they had not been expected to escape! What if Filli had not been there to help?
Together they freed Lief and lay him, still unconscious, on the soft ground. Barda knelt, and felt his knee sink into the leaves.
Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder he attempted to rouse him. "Lief, Lief. Wake up, we must leave this place!"
Lief stirred, his hand moving to push away those disturbing his rest. Barda was about to try again when a sound from behind caught his attention. A hissing sound, like a snake, and yet unlike. They looked, and it seemed to Barda as though a great rain cloud had settled above the forest. The cloud had a strange yellowish colour to it - and Barda met Jasmine's eyes in alarm.
Lief stirred once more as they shook him. The cloud might not have been a monster of fear - but that certainty did not mean it was not dangerous. He muttered and opened his eyes. Barda caught the word "Poison" among the rambling.
"Aye, Lief. The dart was poisoned. But you must try to walk!" Barda was on the verge of carrying Lief, heavy as he was, when another muttered word brought him up short.
"Poison in the Breeze."
Jasmine gasped, as she too recognised the words. She stuck her hand into Lief pocket and quickly pulled out the scrap of torn paper and read...
~For comfort look not to the trees,
poison hunts upon the breeze~
"It is the words of the rhyme!" she gasped, pointing to the cloud of yellow gas. "But there is no escape!"
"The next line!" Barda shouted, "the next line - quickly!" He did not wait for her to respond, snatching the message from her hand.
~The answer lies for what you seek,
where buzzards crawl and insects creep~
"What does it mean?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder to where the yellow mass of cloud was enveloping everything in its path.
"We must get lower - you see!" Jasmine exclaimed. "There is a small gap beneath the cloud and the earth."
Barda glanced at the flat forest floor and remembered the cushiony feel of it beneath his weight. "We must dig! And quickly!"
They dug their fingered into the dead leaves, scooping out great handfuls of them. The hole widened swiftly in their haste, and as soon as it was big enough they hauled Lief down into it. Quickly following Barda felt the earth strangely littered with white sticks in the hole they had dug. But he had no time to ponder it. The hissing had grown louder, and throwing a hand up to spread his cloak over all three of them Barda felt the rush of the yellow smoke upon his fingers. He recoiled violently as a burning sensation spread through his entire hand, clenching his teeth against the pain.
"It has almost past," he grunted, feeling the air above them change slightly.
"Barda..." Jasmine's voice sounded weak and small. "These sticks beneath us... They are bones..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Little disclaimer there for the last line - which Emily Rodda has a similar discovery in Rowan and the Zebak (for those who have read that) and I also used something similar in my LOTR fic Twisted Fate.
Not many reviews for the last chapter :( *IceAngel is sad* but I hope everyone is still reading and enjoying now we have got to some action!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Pen2* short review for my longest chapter? I feel sad :( But I can't complain as I am behind on reviewing your fic. I must get around to doing that soon! I have been reading - I just keep running out of time to review. Which chapters havn't I reviewed.
*Suzie* - Yes I am addicted to cliffhangers - sorry about that :D hope u enjoy this one!
*lexi* - thanks for your vote - I havn't decided yet as not many people reviewed the previous chapter - and making me excited about my own story once again - I hope very much that you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for such long reviews - they are very inspiring!
*Pasta Princess* - thanks for telling me what you think - i hope you liked this chapter too!
*Eldainwe Aduial Elenath* - thanks for telling me about my little typo - oops I had missed that ^.^ I actually havn't any ideas for what's going on in Del - I just thought some people might want to know... hmm I'm glad you're liking the stroy!
*Black Fury* - ah then you're the same as me - skimming over characters I don't like to get to others - "Author Alert" - this is an option for people who have regestered to get the special features of ff.net. I havn't and I don't think u have either - so we can't use this option. But it won't explode if u tick it - it just won't so anything! ^.^ thankyou
*Fuu-chan* - I just found that u had updated so I'll go read it when I find time. thankyou for the giant review! Good Writing to you! thankyou
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