Richard Tuttle - Island of Darkness

“The pyramid?” asked MistyTrail. “What is that?”

“It is the Temple of Vand,” answered Eltor. “They sacrifice people there and drink their blood. The screams can be heard almost every night. It is a fate worse than death.”

“Vand?” gasped Mistake. “Tell me that the temple is just a tribute to him.”

“This whole island is a tribute to him,” replied Eltor as MistyTrail looked on in confusion. “He rules everyone and everything on it. It is his kingdom.”

“But he can’t really be alive,” argued Mistake. “That was thousands of years ago.”

“You know the tales of Vand?” Eltor asked in astonishment. “How is that possible?”

“I have read ancient scrolls that told the tale of Vandegar and Angragar,” replied Mistake. “There is much in them that is hard to believe, even now. Perhaps someone else has stolen the name?”

“Not according to the tales from those who have lived here for many generations,” Eltor shook his head. “They say that Vand is immortal. He takes new bodies from time to time, but it is always the same Vand. I heard that he took a new body just before I was captured. That was four months ago.”

“Who is this Vand?” MistyTrail asked with confusion.

“We have to get off this island,” stressed Mistake. “Will you come with us, Eltor? I am sure that they won’t issue an alarm for you.”

“Even if no alarm is issued,” Eltor shook his head, “I cannot leave without Caldal.”

“Then we will have to leave without you,” frowned Mistake.

“Wait,” interrupted MistyTrail. “Do you know how to sail, Eltor?”

“Of course,” replied Eltor. “We grew up sailing. That is what got Caldal and me into trouble. We wanted to explore the world. We ended up here.”

“I say we get Caldal free,” declared MistyTrail. “Neither one of us really knows how to sail. I do not want to die at sea. We need a real sailor, Mistake.”

Mistake frowned and stared at MistyTrail for several moments. Finally, she turned her attention to Eltor.

“Do you know where he is being held?” she asked.

“Somewhere in the temple,” shrugged Eltor, “but I have never been inside. That is all I know.”

“Great,” Mistake sighed with frustration. “Alright, MistyTrail, we will rescue Caldal if we can.”

“Really?” asked Eltor. “Can you two do that?”

“Not the two of us,” retorted MistyTrail. “It will be the three of us. Give me your hat.”

“Why do you want my hat?” asked Eltor as he removed it and handed it to MistyTrail.

“They have to think that you died tonight,” explained MistyTrail. “I want you to go move along this tunnel to where it bends to the left. Wait there until Mistake talks to you. When she tells you to, I want you to scream really loud and long.”

“Won’t that alert everyone to where I am?” asked Eltor.

“Only if that is where the sound of your voice is coming from,” smiled MistyTrail. “Fortunately for us, your voice will be coming from deep in the pit.”

“Perfect,” grinned Mistake. “What do you want me to do?”

“We are going to need two air tunnels,” explained MistyTrail. “I will weave one into the pit, starting at the top and constantly moving it downward. I need you to direct his screams with an air tunnel into my air tunnel.”

“Why not just one air tunnel?” questioned Mistake.

“I want you to cut off your air tunnel and reverse it when someone enters the chamber,” explained MistyTrail. “Then you can tell him to stop screaming. If we only used one air tunnel, one of us would have to be back there with him, and we would not be able see someone enter the chamber.”

“Right,” nodded Mistake. “What is the hat for?”

“I am going to throw the hat on the floor so that they know it was a slave that jumped,” answered MistyTrail. “You are going to throw a large rock into the hole. Hopefully it will hit the rope or some buckets and make them jiggle a bit on its way down.”

“Nice plan,” admired Mistake. “I might want to spend some time in the Sakova learning to scare people. It sounds like fun.”

“It does make you think a lot about how people perceive things,” grinned MistyTrail “Grab a rock. As soon as you throw it, tell him to start screaming.”

MistyTrail tossed the hat into the chamber. It floated through the air and slid across the floor when it hit. She then wove an air tunnel and directed it towards the pit. She held her hands to form a circle around the end of the air tunnel so that Mistake would have a target to aim her air tunnel at.

Mistake threw the rock hard. She thought she had thrown it too hard and that it would overshoot the pit, but it hit the rope and fell into the hole. She swiftly wove an air tunnel and instructed Eltor to start screaming. She reversed the flow and directed it at MistyTrail’s hands.

Eltor’s scream was loud and brought an almost immediate response. Several slaves raced into the room. The whip man was only a few seconds behind them. MistyTrail worked her air tunnel down the center of the pit. She could hear the scream getting fainter as she extended the air tunnel further down the hole. One of the female slaves started screaming. The whip man strode angrily towards her.

“Cut him off,” whispered MistyTrail.

Mistake immediately reversed the flow of the air tunnel and said, “Stop screaming now.”

The whip man slapped the screaming woman and shouted, “Who was it? I want to know who jumped.”

The chamber was still filling with people when he shouted his orders. The slaves immediately turned around and exited into tunnels. Eltor crawled alongside Mistake and peered into the chamber.

“They will conduct a search now to find out who is missing,” he whispered. “I saw this just the other day. It will take an hour or two.”

“Will they know it was you?” asked Mistake.

“Oh yes,” nodded Eltor. “They keep track of each slave in the mine just like they do in the shipyard. What do we do now?”

“We go back to our small cave and get some sleep,” stated Mistake. “Tomorrow you have to draw a map of this island so that we know where we are going.”

“I can’t travel around like this,” frowned Eltor. “I should have thought about that earlier. If I am seen, they will know that I am slave from the mines. I should not be in the city.”

“We have some red uniforms,” offered MistyTrail. “Can you use one of those?”

“You have uniforms?” Eltor asked with a raised eyebrow. “How did you get hold of them?”

“A long story,” grinned MistyTrail. “We will tell you about it later.”

“I might be able to wear it if no one gives me a close inspection,” shrugged Eltor. “It is better than what I am wearing.”

* * *

HawkShadow felt cramped as he changed his position slowly. He pushed lightly on the woven mat and peeked out at the river flowing by. His eyes rose to the sky as he studied the stars. He smiled inwardly as he determined the approximate time of night. He pushed the mat a littler further so that he could see the Imperial Guards that he knew would be posted on the opposite bank of the river.

HawkShadow had picked his spot well. He had timed the travel of the Omungans and determined what time of day they would come to the river. He had correctly surmised that the leader would choose to set up camp on the banks. The Sakovan had even made it more promising by arranging a fire circle and stacking a fresh supply of wood near it to make it look like a natural place to camp for the night. Next he had woven a mat from vines and covered it with the same long grass that was found along the banks of the river. Then he found a hollowed out spot along the near bank and secreted himself, pulling the mat in to hide any sign of him. He had waited for hours while the soldiers ate and watered the horses. He waited even longer for them to hone their weapons and tell stories before they bedded down for the night. Then he waited some more for the sentries to become tired and careless. Now the time to strike had come.