Author's note:
To maralysunflower: That's the thing with cliffhangers, to "reel you in" and keep you at the edge of your seat. Next chapter is the escape plan.
Your kind reviews are appreciated more than you know.
To LaTee: Oh yeah, pretty much. Things get pretty grim further on too. But I won't spoil what I've got in mind.
Remember now everyone, this is an Isekai fanfiction. There will be some scenes with the POV of my ocs and their struggles during the adventure and main events too.
This will focus on Elisheva and what else she experiences before everything takes it toll. Enjoy, and please don't forget to leave a review, it truly helps my morale.
Miles away, Samuel listened as less people wept or whimpered in the dank hold of the ship. It's been weeks, most of the imprisoned had been transported to the Phoob islands, just he'd overheard.
The Fang guards left him the bare minimum of food and water. Samuel knew they intended to keep him alive, but for what reason?
For days, his thoughts were of his family, remembering the love story of him and Rivka, the birth of his children and finally to a grim understanding of exactly where he was.
Then the bow of the ship thudded into something. He heard shouts from above, then many footsteps on deck. For a long time the prisoners stared at the ceiling.
Then the door in the ceiling swung open, allowing the light of the rising dawn to leak in, and something leapt into the hold.
What was it? Samuel squinted curiously.
Once the figure got closer, sniffing him curiously... he felt a chill run down his spine.
"Gevaldikeh Zahk...!" Samuel's eyes grew wide at what he saw.
At least neither Zev nor Elisheva were here.
But he didn't know just how much danger his daughter was currently in.
In the meantime, Elisheva has spent the rest of the time searching for the Igiby boys and for her family. She wandered about Dugtown, listening for any clues on their whereabouts or poking around, disguised if need be.
She kept an ear out for news if need be.
It was important that she find the Wingfeather boys, and her family, then get out of Dugtown. And then head for the burrow. She hoped the others would be there when they arrived.
Where could she go now? Not to the Strand alone, obviously. If Elisheva showed her face there, the Stranders would most likely finish her off.
The sky in this area was covered in pollution and the stars shone in the distance further behind, probably miles away. Better to head in that direction. At least there would be more people around. Maybe she could duck into a tavern or find a warm place to sleep on.
Oh sure, great idea. A tavern or a warm grating? In Dugtown? In the middle of Autumn?
Elisheva felt fear and sadness shooting through her. If the Fangs didn't catch her, the Stranders (or some other self-serving criminals) would in this dark and creepy neighborhood.
Briefly she'd stopped just three feet away from a huge rusty portcullis in the center of an immense brick building to fix the new footwear she'd bartered. Above the gate, a big metal sign bore the inscription, in bold, rusty letters, FORK! FACTORY!
Six feet away on the other side of the portcullis, the Overseer stepped out from the building grumbling with the recent evening's events. Suddenly he stopped, he looked up. There, three feet away amidst the gray and dreary surroundings of the industrial district, stood a young woman.
And she was the most lovely creature this drab city has ever seen.
Unbeknownst to the young woman, her presence caught the Overseer's attention. He couldn't tear his eyes away. Who she is or whence she came, he knew not nor did he care.
She was there now. And that was all that mattered.
"All by yourself, darling?" he'd asked her.
Elisheva, who'd been fixing her new shoes, froze. Uh-oh, she'd been spotted!
Was that a Fang or a Strander?
She straightened up and turned in the direction of the voice, locking her gaze with a man standing behind the portcullis. He had a round face, a snub nose, black sideburns, and a smirk that sent shivers down her spine. He reminded her of the Hatbox Ghost from the Haunted Mansion or the Child Catcher from the movie 'Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang,' albeit with a different appearance.
The man's dark eyes ran up and down her, making Elisheva uncomfortable. She instinctively pulled her cloak tighter across her chest. His smile gave her the heebie jeebies.
Right about now, this is the kind of situation they warn you about.
A person with a cooler head would have just walked away without even speaking to such riffraff. It's usually common sense.
Unfortunately, Elisheva was already on edge. And keeping her mouth shut was not what she did next.
She gave the man a dirty look, "Look, Mr. Child-catcher. Why don't you take you and your fake goodies... walk right up to that castle across the river... and lock yourself up in the dungeon? Excuse me.""Ohh. Feisty little spitfire, ain't ye?" The cad was amused with her witty response.
Elisheva narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not little, and I ain't afraid of you. I have places to be."
The Overseer chuckled, his tone dripping with a twisted charm. "I'm sure you do. But you see, this is a dangerous city for a young lady like yourself. You might get hurt."
Elisheva folded her arms. "I can take care of myself. And I'm not afraid of a little danger."
The Overseer stepped closer to the portcullis and leaned against it, his eyes fixed right on Elisheva. "Oh, I like your spirit."
Mobrik watched this from a distance after eating an apple, but shook his head and rolled his eyes. He found the sight of the man making sheep's eyes at some vagrant girl to be utterly ridiculous. Now the dirtbag was complimenting Elisheva, trying to lure her closer to the portcullis – that and the space of six to seven feet were the only things keeping him from getting at her.
"I've never seen you or heard of you before. Did you just arrive in Dugtown?"
Elisheva looked at the Overseer with suspicion, wondering what he was trying to pull. "I been all over the block," she said evasively. "Don't matter whether you've heard of me or not. Now if you don't mind..."
"It's awfully late and past dinner. You know, I have some very nice things in my quarters that I think you'd enjoy. Why don't you come inside for a bite?" The Overseer's smile widened, his voice dripping with false charm.
Oh, no way! Red alert, Red alert! Elisheva's instincts screamed, warning her of the danger lurking beneath the façade.
Her stomach turned at the thought of being alone with this crook and she immediately took a step back. "No, thank you," she said firmly. "I have my own food and I'm not interested in whatever you might have to offer."
The Overseer's smirk faded slightly, but he didn't give up. "Come on, poppet, don't be like that. I just want to show you a little hospitality."
Elisheva backed up with a glower. "I just said: No, thank you. I'm not interested. Goodbye, and it was NOT nice talking to you."
The Overseer's sleazy smirk turned into a scowl. "Fine, go on then," he spat. "But don't think you can run from me forever. I'll catch you one way or another!"
Red flags confirmed. She knew he was more than just a creep, he was potentially dangerous.
"In your dreams!" Elisheva shuddered as turned on her heel and stomped away, feeling the Overseer's eyes on her back. She's had enough, at least the late Glipwood Fangs were not this creepy.
"You're making a mistake!" He yelled after her.
"Talk to the hand, bub!" Elisheva snapped, raising her hand stubbornly.
The Overseer watched her go, his scowl deepening. as she disappeared into the streets of Dugtown.
Mobrik leapt towards him. "She's trouble," he said.
The ridgerunner had observed the whole thing, and noticed something off about that girl. She was far too explosive to be a Dugtowner, and too prim and clean to be a Strander.
The Overseer turned to Mobrik balefully. "I don't like losing anyone with potential. Have a couple of Managers keep an eye out for her in case she comes by again, Mobrik. She's got spirit, and that's not something we see in our little tools very often. If she comes back this way, I want to know about it. And if she doesn't, well...perhaps we can arrange for our friends among the bereft beggars in Tilling Court to catch her. Or maybe I'll have the personal pleasure of running into her myself out driving the carriage. Either way, she won't escape me for long."
He'll claim this elusive maid yet, make no mistake about that.
With Janner thrown into the dreaded box and Sarah starting a task in a different area, Zev took this opportunity to check and double check his little experiments. He counted at least eight to ten little tricks concealed in walnuts.
It was official that he had someone up there looking out for him alright. Zev had just the extra material coated in the cotton strings he found. Just what he needed as a bonus diversion.
Once Sarah changed shifts for her sleep, shift Zev explained how they worked in a whisper.
Sarah was, understandably both stunned and confused. "This is crazy, how will you know?"
"Oh believe me, I'll know." Zev winked. "And when Jan gets outta the box in three days, those jerks are in for a big surprise."
And those morons back home in New York thought he'd never dare pull something like this off.
Before they drifted off to sleep, Zev confided in Sarah about his family and treasured memories.
"Couple seasons ago before my mom - well, while she was still with me, my dad and sister, we went on a long hike in the forest enjoying the sights. I climbed up on one of the higher trees and couldn't get back down. They had to call the rangers for extra help." Zev chuckled.
Sarah giggled softly. "That must've been quite a summer."
Zev then became somber, wondering if he and his family will ever make good memories together again. "I miss camping. Especially with my family."
He looked upwards and he lay back on his bunk. "Lish, wherever you are... I hope you're okay."
Elisheva knew that she had narrowly avoided a dangerous situation, and she was beyond grateful to have escaped unharmed.
A gust whistled through the rooftops of the houses she passed, making the wood shutters rattle.
''I don't know what to do.'' She mumbled sadly, ''I know what's at stake if they stay, but I'm worried about my family too. I've been searching for days, and I haven't found my father or brother. I'm afraid they're very far. ''
Now Elisheva didn't know which way to go. What if her little brother or her father were somewhere in Torrboro?
A wave of fear and loneliness flooded through her. She had to face facts: her father and brother weren't here in Dugtown.
Also Elisheva had found no sign of Janner or Tink.
The only other possibility was that they must've gone back to the burrow. Maybe they were there in hiding.
So with a resigned sigh, Elisheva began walking through the streets in direction of the house that hid the burrow.
However just as she was about to turn a corner, she noticed a group of Fangs of Dang patrolling the streets, their eyes darting back and forth as they searched for something.
Elisheva doubled back at once, heart racing knowing that that they were looking for her.
She slipped into an alleyway and hid behind a stack of crates, her breath coming in short gasps. She had to wait for them to leave.
That guy in the top-hat might not have been bluffing for all you know.
Elisheva scowled. "Oh, knock it off." she said to her intrusive fearful thoughts. "I'm already more than two blocks away from that place and whoever that was."
Then she heard footsteps behind her. Elisheva turned to see a dark figure approaching. She didn't want to stick around and see who it was.
By now she was lost and bewildered. And to make matters worse, it begun to rain.
Days of fear and uncertainty crashed over her like storm-born waves, and she blew up, screaming with anger.
"Aargh! This is the worst!" she howled to the uncaring skies. Her words echoed back mockingly from the walls. "Those lizard bullies drag me and my fam from home, then lose us in different pieces around the place like marbles spilled from a kid's hand!"
Hot tears mingled with the falling rain as frustration and grief drowned her hope. "I don't know where Zev or Dad are, if they're even in Skree. And Janner and Tink disappeared too, no thanks to that ungrateful brat Tink!"
She beat her fists against the wet stone, heedless of bruised flesh and broken nails. "How am I supposed to find them all with a bunch of scaly thugs and bloodthirsty crooks on my tail?"
Elisheva's wail of fury rolled like thunder through the alleyway. She slumped then, energy spent, to sob in ragged gasps amid the puddles gathering around her.
Fear and loneliness dragged at her. She'd closed her eyes and yet she continued to see.
She saw her maternal grandmother Dulcea waiting for news, worriedly dialing numbers and reposting messages working to try and locate her missing kin.
She saw her maternal Uncle Eli, sadly sifting through the Bennet family clothes and items and finding an old photo album.
She saw her Aunt Nerine speaking with Private detectives, trying to come to grips with the why and who could've taken the Bennets. Back home in the modern Earth, Elisheva, Zev and Samuel Bennet were still on the missing posters to this very day.
Even in darkness' depths, the light of courage yet glimmered - faint, but strong as any star.
"I'll find them," she whispered into the rain. "No matter what stands in my way."
However it was hours before the Fangs skulked away. By then, Elisheva was cold and drenched. It was inevitable.
Elisheva glanced around, making no sure there were no Fangs about before making her way to the abandoned house. Onwards she pressed, amidst shivers and the occasional sneeze. Not good. She had to get warm.
She carefully opened the trapdoor and pulled it closed as she descended. Moving the string to hide it.
At last the sheltering burrow loomed, escape from the downpour's cruelty nearly won. Each step seemed to drag her down, yet still she climbed - had to make sure they were down there.
But halfway down the ladder, her vision swam. Weeks of fret and flight had wearied her past enduring, and now she'd fallen sick. A detail she failed to consider.
Her footing slipped, senses reeled - down Elisheva tumbled in a dead faint. Unknowingly she landed onto a mess of ragged quilts that broke her fall. Then rough but gentle hands laid her down to rest.
Nurgabog had arrived just as Elisheva had fallen over, high with fever. The elderly Strander woman treated her for as much as possible, even using old herbs and wet washcloths for the fever to break.
For two days and nights, Elisheva tossed in the grip of delirium plagued with nightmares.
Elisheva was surrounded by a pack of Fangs, their eyes gleaming as they closed in on her. She could hear their growls and snarls getting louder and louder, and she could feel their hot breath on her neck. She raised her sword, but it felt like a toothpick in her hand as she tried to fend off the relentless attackers. One Fang lunged at her with its sharp teeth bared, and Elisheva swung her sword in a desperate attempt to defend herself. But the Fang was too quick, and its teeth sank into her shoulder, sending a searing pain through her body. She screamed and tried to push the Fang away, but it held on tight, its claws digging into her flesh.
Another Fang leapt at her from behind, and Elisheva spun around, swinging her sword wildly. It connected with the Fang's head, but the creature didn't seem to be fazed. It snarled and lunged again, and Elisheva felt a sharp pain in her leg as its claws tore through her flesh.
The other Fangs closed in, their teeth and claws glinting in the moonlight. Elisheva tried to fight them off, but she was overwhelmed. She could feel their teeth sinking into her flesh, their claws tearing at her skin. She screamed and thrashed around, but it was no use. The Fangs were too strong, too relentless.
Finally, Elisheva woke up, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. She clutched at her sword and her sling, which lay beside her, and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It was just a nightmare, she reminded herself. But the memory of Commander Gnorm's vicious counterattack and Slarb's vengeful claws tearing into her left arm were still fresh in her mind.
She could hear someone moving about and she tried to sit up but her limbs ached. She felt too tired… Elisheva fell back on the spot with a groan.
This time she found herself in a dark, damp cave. The gargan rockroach – a monstrous roach the size of a bull elephant, and its mandibles clacked ominously as it closed in on her. She tried to run, but her feet felt like they were stuck in molasses, and she could barely move. She stumbled and fell, and the gargan rockroach loomed over her, its mandibles opening and closing hungrily. Elisheva could feel its hot breath on her face, and she could smell the sickly-sweet odor of its exoskeleton.
In a panic, Elisheva raised her sword and swung it at the rockroach. The blade bounced off its tough exoskeleton, and the creature let out a deafening screech. Elisheva could feel the sound reverberating through her bones, and she struggled to get to her feet. As she stumbled backwards, trying to keep the gargan rockroach at bay, Elisheva could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that she was no match for this monstrous creature, and she felt a sense of despair wash over her. Just as the gargan rockroach was about to strike…
Her eyes opened and what she felt was wet washcloth one her forehead, the smell of weird herbs and human body odor.
But she was still so tired and she couldn't stop shaking. And her body needed to sleep, so she fell into a deep slumber once more. But it wasn't a dreamless one.
Author's note: Extra foreshadowing from Samuel, Zev reminiscing and there's what Elisheva had gone through. An unknown near miss, followed by an emotional breakdown and getting literally sick as a resulting mix of both low body temperature and stress. This forces her to stay put and battle her own turmoil via nightmares.
No surprise with the Fang nightmare, Elisheva still remembers how Commander Gnorm almost scarred her face when she tried to help Podo in a sword fight. Slarb was dead set on getting even with Elisheva then how he clawed her left arm, leaving angry marks.
The Gargan rockroach was terrifying to her as was the more human fears we will see.
Don't worry, next chapter is The Big escape plan. Don't miss it, and comments/reviews are appreciated.