Plummet

Kai awoke to the sound of a woman shouting. "Da'aal! Da'aal! Da-"

Silence.

"Besai," he whispered, shaking her gently. "Wake up."

Besai opened her eyes, then gasped. She sat upright, then looked at Kai fearfully.

"Calm down," Kai said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I told you to sleep on me. You did nothing wrong."

Besai's eyes relaxed, although the rest of her body stayed rigid.

"Hey," Kai yawned, "what does da'aal mean?"

The slave hesitated. "I...caan not reecal your word..."

"Could it mean...pain?"

"Pain ees gurrah," Besai said.

"Hmm." Kai scratched at his beard- he desperately needed to find something sharp to shave with- and yawned. "Maybe...it means help?"

"Heelp?" Besai repeated.

"You know," Kai shrugged. "Umm...assistance? Aid?"

"Yes...I theenk."

"Well then," Kai stood. "Follow me. Someone needs help. Hopefully, Cole won't wake up...when..." He looked at the table in the center of the room, face pale. "We...lost our patient."

"What?" Besai followed his eyes and bolted to her feet. "Where ees he?"

"I-I don't know," Kai answered. "When he first woke up, he was all delirious. He wanted to go and see his baby. Which is nutty, since he doesn't have one."

Besai understood very little of what he said. She stood and scrunched her face. "Baybee?" she asked.

"Tiny child. Infant."

Besai nodded. "Hagar."

"What is a hagar?"

"Dark Knight's slave."

"Oh..." Kai could not believe what he was being told. "This 'Hagar' has a baby?"

"Yes. Dark Knight's baybee."

"All right, then," Kai pushed the door open and strode out. "I can't believe... Okay. Lead the way, Besai. We'll-"

Someone's head slammed into his collarbone.

"Whoa," Kai backed up. "Sorry. I went too fast."

"It's quite all right, Sanguine," a breathy voice said. "But...am I mistaken, or did you lose your charge?"

Overlord. Kai met the shorter man's eyes and gave a quick bow. "I guess he wandered out while I was sleeping," he admitted. He saw a woman on the floor behind the Dark Lord. "Is she crying?"

"Don't mind her." Overlord crossed his arms across his broad chest. His smile sent a flashing warning signal to Kai's brain. "The Dark Knight is out in the grove. Retrieve him." He turned and left.

"Okay..." Kai said slowly. "Besai, can you take me to the grove?"

"Grove?"

"Trees," Kai explained.

"Yes." Besai took his hand and pulled him down the torchlit hall, past the woman on the floor who was oblivious to the fact that they were there.

"Wait," Kai said, pulling Besai to a halt. "What's wrong with her?"

"No," Besai tried to force him forward. "Bad."

Reluctantly, Kai allowed her to drag him away. As they went through the front door and out into the open night air, he could not help but wonder about what Besai had said about this 'Hagar.' It was possible that she had misunderstood his question, but he had to keep his mind open to all possibilities. Did Cole really have a child?

It seemed ridiculous.

The grove, just like the rest of the western portion of this island, was filled with plants. Palms, fruit trees, and bushes grew above soft grass and budding weeds. It was, Kai had to admit, peaceful and comely.

"Chai," Besai pointed to a lump on the ground beside a small palm with fan-like leaves.

Oh, no... Kai let go of her hand and bolted for the collapsed form. He knelt next to what he now recognized to be Cole's body and rolled him face-up. He was burning with fever.

"Come, Besai." Kai scooped Cole into his arms. "We need to get back. Now."

Cole's world was filled with liquid darkness. He drowned in its cold depths, unable to fight against the relentless bouts of terror.

There was nothing here. No sky, no earth. The water had no surface, no bottom. It simply stretched on forever in all directions, sucking what little life, strength, and hope remained in his body.

He was in pain. But this was not a normal pain, as would arise from a fractured bone or a flogging. This pain was beyond anything he had ever felt. It leeched into his pores through the blackish-red water, biting like a sick mixture of magma and acid.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to look up and scream full-throated at the sky, weeping tears of agony.

But he could not, because he was under water. He could not breathe. He could not see any sky. He simply sank and rose as the currents pleased, like a rag doll in a river.

Was this death? Was he going to be tossed around in these waters forever, lungs screaming and writhing as if they had been wrung dry?

Kill me, he thought weakly. Please...take me from this place.

Zane and Varasach stopped at the edge of a clearing near the compound, where the darkness still shielded them from the eyes of Keitorin's inhabitants. The air was stale and warm. Disgusting. Varasach did not seem to mind, though.

"The compound on the other side of this clearing," she whispered. "We must be careful. There are eyes everywhere."

Zane peered into the dark clearing. "So that large silhouette I see over there is not a building, then?"

"No," Varasach replied. "That is Cole's ship, the Black Bounty. Follow me."

Zane stayed close on her heel as she darted toward the distant buildings. The huge shape of the Black Bounty sat amidst the expanse of grass and brush.

The...Black Bounty? Duskweaver asked from its usual spot in his boot.

Yes, Zane replied, ducking behind a tree to avoid a small girl with a basket of fruit. This must be where the stone warriors landed after Cole and Kai escaped.

Once the girl passed, he continued after his native guide. They stopped next to a large brick building minutes later.

"This is Building Two," Varasach whispered. "The place with mothers and crawling children. The word Cole uses is toddlers, I think. Anyways, we need to get over there." She pointed directly across a thin grove of trees that grew between the four buildings, which were aligned in a square. "Building Four."

"Why?" Zane asked.

Varasach moved her finger to the left. "Building One is the brothel," she explained. "I already explained Building Two, and Building Three is where the mothers who are pregnant or with small infants stay. Cole and Kai would not be in any of these three buildings. If they are above ground, they would be in the fourth, which is the hospital."

"That almost seems too easy," Zane said. "Kai and Cole are just...in a hospital, unguarded, able to walk out any time they please?"

Varasach's expression hardened in the dim moonlight. "There is one other place that they could be," she said. "But we will hope that they are not there."

"Where?"

"Overlord's dungeons," she said grimly. The place where his army of thousands sleep in a multitude of rooms, waiting to be called upon to go to war." She shuddered, then rubbed at the fabric above her left breast. "We will check Building Four. Not the dungeons."

"Agreed," Zane said. "Let's go."

Jay played with Stormstrider, sheath, twirling it in his fingers as he hummed a little tune to himself. He enjoyed singing. It was a little-known hobby of his; something he had picked up from his time as a therapist in Borg's hospices. Singing had always cheered up the children.

What song is that? Stormstrider asked, reading the words in his master's mind as they came. Brunhil, alacha gereph, och'j por korade... You sound quite familiar with these strange lyrics.

Yeah, Jay replied, setting the blade on his lap. Lloyd was dozing off on the ground beside him, so he had to be quiet. The song's name is Alacha, which is basically a longing for something that can only be obtained by the generosity of someone else. Interesting, right?

Indeed, Stormstrider said, intrigued. The word had a beautiful meaning. What other words do you know?

Lots, Jay replied. I basically know the whole language. You can't spend two years rehabilitating Western slaves and not learn it.

Give me more beautiful words, the blade ordered eagerly.

Jay smiled. All right, he said. He settled himself against a tree, then took a sip from his canteen. Poshiki.

What does that mean? Stormstrider asked.

It means to love someone in a non-romantic way, Jay explained. Like...the relationship between brothers, or best friends. To poshiki is to be loyal, kind, patient, and gentle, no matter your friend what says or does. It's basically unconditional, unending love.

Stormstrider thrummed thoughtfully. Their language sounds more thorough than ours, it said. Why is this?

Jay scoffed. Oh, it's not any more efficient than ours, he said. For example, 'sky' in their language is 'hera jukagh,' which means 'blue expanse.' That's two words instead of one. And they also have no word to express joy. They have to describe the feeling, which goes along the lines of-

A twig broke in the woods behind him. He stood, unsheathing his blade with a quick twist.

Left foot forward, Stormstrider said as he turned into a longsword. If you're going to insist upon being left handed, you might as well-

Oh, just stop it! Jay snapped in his mind. If you want me to not die in battle, you'll shut your flap.

A pause. Flap? Stormstrider repeated. I do not understand that statement. Do you mean to say that I should go back in my sheath and-

No. Jay groaned inwardly. It's a... Just forget I said anything.

Another loud crunch. Someone was closing in on his position. Jay stood his ground.

Loosen your shoulders, Stormstrider said. It will help with-

"Stop it!" In his anger, Jay accidentally spoke out loud. He gasped and ducked behind a tree.

If you want to not die in battle, Stormstrider said nonchalantly, you will shut your flap.

That's not very funny, Jay said.

It was not supposed to be funny.

Yeah well, if I can't find a way to shut you off, I just might lose my mind.

You cannot lose your mind. It is encased in several layers of bone, fat, and skin tissue. But mostly fat.

"I'm gonna go insane," Jay muttered softly.

I can still hear you. Get up and fight whoever is out there. If it is a scout, he has certainly heard your voice and will go back to tell more soldiers where to hunt.

Jay got to his feet and peeked around the trunk of the tree, blade held in both hands. "I see two silhouettes," he whispered. "And they're coming closer."

Not good. Incapacitate them quickly, then wake the prince and run.

"But I can't leave," Jay said. "If Zane and Vara come back and find us gone, where would they go?"

Well done, Stormstrider praised him. So you do have some sense.

"That was a trick question?" Jay asked angrily. "Are you serious?"

"Hey!" one of the figures called out. The voice sounded feminine. "Who's out there?"

She spoke his language. That was the first thing that struck Jay. It could not be a stone warrior, so it had to be either a slave or...Could it be...?

Jay stepped into the open. "Nya?" He called out, eyes on the two figures that were finally starting to take shape in the darkness.

"Jay?" Nya's voice called back. "Wow...who would've thought that the old man would be right?"

"Old men are usually right," Wu's voice added. "Don't act so surprised."

So these people are on your side? Stormstrider asked.

"Yeah," Jay commanded the blade to shrink, then sheathed it. "They're friends."

Mmm. Too bad. I wanted you to get more training.

Kai was scared. The longer he looked at Cole, who laid insentient on the table, the more he realized how far gone he really was. Besai soaked some water and a few drops of an oil- Kai was almost certain it was lavender- into a rag, then washed Cole's face.

Minutes passed, and with them, their faith in Cole's survival. He moaned frequently, shaking his head as if he was fighting with something in his dreams.

Kai pressed a hand to Cole's forehead- which felt like an oven- and sighed. "Go and get the healers," he said. "I don't know what to do."

"Is is no use," a female voice- deeper than Besai's- spoke from the doorway, making him jump.

Kai turned to face the woman, who's face was flushed and tearstained. "Excuse me?" He asked.

The woman came forward, one arm around a baby sling. "He won't..." She sniffed, then wiped her eyes. "He won't make it through the night, sir."

Kai gripped the table to steady himself. "Who are you?" he asked. "Why should I listen to you?"

"I am Hagar," the woman said.

Hagar? Kai looked her up and down, eyes lingering on the squirming, whining bundle held close to her chest. "Cole's slave?"

"Yes." Hagar cupped Cole's red cheek in her palm. Her tears dripped freely to the floor. "A-all we can hope for is that his...his passing will be painless." She was fighting tears.

"Oh, no he's not," Kai said determinedly. He slammed his fist down on the table, making Hagar and Besai jump with fright. "I am not letting him go without a fight. Besai, use all the oils that you can think of. Bring his fever down. Then, we can-"

"You do not understand," Hagar interrupted. She ran a hand through Cole's hair, caressing him. "He will not wake up again. Not with all that poison in his blood."

Besai looked at Kai, hesitant. "Cannot ooz oils," she explained. "Not eef he ees dying anyways."

Of course. Kai should have realized sooner that oils that could not be produced locally, like peppermint and lavender, were a precious resource. Using them on a dead man would be a huge waste.

"Use the lemon," he suggested. "Since those fruits are in harvest, you shouldn't have much trouble making more of it."

Besai looked to Hagar, who gave her a hurried translation in the Dark Tongue. She nodded, then selected a bottle that Kai presumed was lemon and opened it. As she applied it, Kai and Hagar tried to make Cole more comfortable. They changed the cool cloths on his forehead- which seemed to grow hot the moment they hit his skin- and reapplied antiseptic under fresh bandages.

But after setting her fourth rag on his head, Hagar abandoned hope. She dropped to her knees beside her lover and cupped his hand in her both of hers as more tears rolled down her pale cheeks. "There is nothing that can be done," she said weakly. The baby was whining softly in her sling.

Kai grabbed Hagar's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Don't you see?" he asked. "The Overlord wants you to think that Cole is beyond hope. Because if you do, you will stop fighting. But I think- I know- that Cole's condition is not as bad as it seems to be. I've seen my sister in bed with worse fevers than this. Cole is strong. He will push through."

Hagar pushed his hand away. "You do not know the Overlord," she said. "He never lies. If he says that Cole will die by sunrise, then he will be dead by sunrise."

Kai didn't know how to respond to such a claim. A lump grew in his throat. "All right," he said, voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. "Fine. For the present, we will-"

"Kai! You're alive!"

Kai stiffened, then turned to face the man who stood in the doorway, panting. His heart skipped a beat. "You're supposed to be-"

Zane held up a silencing hand. "Dead. I know." He ran across the room and threw his arms around the stunned Southern nobleman. "Are you hurt?"

Kai grimaced as Zane's body pressed against his, chafing his scabbing tattoo. "No pain," he lied. "But I could definitely use a glass of wine and twelve hours of sleep."

Zane pulled away and wiped a smudge of Cole's blood from Kai's cheek. "I cannot make any promises, but I will see what I can do after we escape. Where is Cole?"

Kai grabbed Zane's hand and pushed it away. "Behind me, obviously," he said crossly. "Now wipe that smile from your face and show some respect."

"Respect for who?" Zane asked, intentionally darkening his expression as he stepped around Kai and looked at the table. His face blanched. "Oh."

"What ees wrong with him?" another voice asked.

"Gah!" Kai turned to face a redheaded girl that had materialized behind him. "You slaves are unnaturally quiet."

The girl bowed her head respectfully. "I am sorry I scared you," she said.

Kai lifted a hand to his heart and took a deep breath. Why am I so jumpy lately? He wondered. It's like I'm afraid of Overlord stabbing me in the back or something.

"I'm here to help you guys escape," Zane said, eyes still on Cole.

"How?"

Zane paused. "I haven't gotten to that part yet," he admitted. "To be honest, we weren't expecting to see you two without guards, chains, and locked doors." He fingered Cole's bandages, which already looked like they needed to be changed again. "But I'm starting to think that maybe chains would have been better than this."

"Tell me about it," Kai said dryly. "We can't just run away with a sleeping man. But we can't stay here, either. And have you thought about how we're going to escape this island?"

Zane blinked. "No, actually," he admitted. "I assumed that we would take Nya's mech. But we have Cole, you, Nya-"

Kai's heart leapt. "Nya's here?" He asked. "Where? Is she safe?"

"She's with Prince Wu," Zane said.

"The deceased Prince Wu?" Kai rubbed his temples. "Is there anyone in this group that stayed dead?"

"My sister is still dead," Zane said.

Kai flushed. "I didn't mean..." He cleared his throat. "Sorry."

Zane looked back at Kai, eyes moist. "My father still doesn't know," he said softly. "I haven't had the courage to contact him. It will be hard, going back to face him." He wiped his eyes, then hardened his expression. "Anyways, yes. Your sister is waiting on the beach with the prince. Jay and Lloyd are in the trees about a quarter mile from here, waiting for me to come back and give them my findings."

"Prince Lloyd and that pervert thief who was touching my sister are here, too?" Kai asked bitterly.

"Jay did not touch your sister," Zane argued. "Yes, they are here. Can you please stop interrupting?"

"Fine. So what am I supposed to do? Grab Cole and follow you?"

Zane considered this a moment. "Do you think you could?" he asked.

"Why not?" Kai looked at Cole, who seemed to be getting paler. "But I'm not leaving Besai here."

Zane looked the tall, frail girl over carefully. "I don't see how we can all fit on Nya's mech," he said. "But...I have nothing against letting her come along."

Besai had her eyes on the floor; she was pretending to not hear the conversation. It probably made her feel awkward, having people talking about her in a way that was not angry or insulting.

"Perfect." Kai lifted Cole's body into his arms again. "Besai, gather oils for the trip. Cole needs them."

Besai hurriedly followed his command, shoving a handful of bottles into a leather pouch, which she tied around her waist.

"What about Hagar?" Varasach asked, abhorred. "She cannot stay here. Overlord will kill Achim."

"Her name is Chedva," Hagar corrected her peer. She stood, rocking back and forth in an attempt to calm her child.

"The baby is too noisy," Zane said hesitantly. "I am sorry. It breaks my heart to say it, but silence and the dark new moon are the only things we have on our side. If we let Hagar come, we will be caught."

Hagar did not seem upset by this. Kai guessed that she was, like Cole, good at hiding her emotions behind a mask.

But Varasach was as emotional as they came. She gaped, then glared at the Nindroid. "I cannot leave her!" she exclaimed. "If you are leaving her, you will leave me, too. Since we are nothing but a burden to you!"

"Don't be foolish," Zane said. "I'm sorry, Vara. If I had my way, we would be taking every woman and child with us. But since we can't..."

Hagar smiled weakly at Zane. "It is all right," she said. "I understand. Cole has told me that your culture considers children to be nothing but trouble. I will not force you to take me and Chedva. Just go and save Cole. That is all I want."

Zane looked guilty. He sighed, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Why is Chedva crying?" he asked.

"She is hungry."

"Okay," Zane said. "Stay here and feed her. You can meet up with us near the Black Bounty when she is quiet."

Hagar's face showed a glimmer of relief. "Thank you, sir," she said.

"Of course," Zane nodded. He grabbed Varasach's hand. "Let's go, Kai."