Richard Tuttle - Island of Darkness

“A few more minutes,” Eltor shook his head. “Caldal has just recovered. I do not want to tax him.”

“I am fine,” countered Caldal, “but a few minutes break is still wise. Navigating through the reef will take its toll on us. We need to be fresh.”

“Especially if this wind keeps up,” frowned Eltor. “It is turning into a strong easterly.”

“That will be good for getting away from the island quickly,” commented Caldal, “but it will make the trip to Elvangar near impossible. We may be at sea for many days. Will it be possible to get some rations at this guard house?”

“I will try,” offered Mistake. “They sleep on the second floor so I should be able to raid their kitchen.”

“That means we will need more time,” interjected MistyTrail. “We should continue now. I want to be away from this island before the sun rises.”

There were no arguments as MistyTrail took the lead. She kept the pace slow until the moon peeked out from behind the cloud and then accelerated to a faster pace. She noticed the shadows growing longer as the moon began its descent. She increased the pace a tad as she began to worry about the setting moon depriving the jungle of light.

A couple of hours later, MistyTrail slowed down a bit. Even with the strong wind at her back, MistyTrail began to hear the breaking of the surf. A sense of excitement shot through her body as she realized that their journey was almost over. She slowed to a walk as she caught a glimpse of the sea through the jungle foliage. Within moments the four elves were standing at the edge of the jungle gazing at a thin strip of beach.

“The house should be a short distance to the left,” announced Mistake. “Let me lead.”

Mistake stepped out of the jungle and walked along the beach. The others followed silently. Within five minutes Mistake halted and crouched down. The others joined her, and Eltor and Caldal got their first look at the guardhouse. The windows were shuttered, and the building was dark. Caldal’s eyes swept over the water and stared at the waves breaking over the reef. He tapped Eltor’s shoulder and pointed.

“Watch the breaking waves,” he whispered. “Do you notice the area where the breakers are not?”

“I see it,” nodded Eltor. “I suspect that is the way through the reef. How do you want to approach this?”

Caldal’s eyes passed over the anchored boat and landed on the rowboat sitting on the beach. A plan formed in his mind.

“You and I will swim to the sailboat,” Caldal began. “I will raise the anchor while you get the short sails set. Then I will swim out to the reef and verify the pass. You hold the ship steady while Mistake and MistyTrail row out in the small boat. When they reach the sailboat, I should be ready to guide you out.”

“We will have to sail flat out,” warned Eltor. “When the guards wake in the morning and find their boat gone, they will sound the alarm. We will not have much of a head start.”

“Then we should not waste time discussing this,” shrugged Caldal. “Do not take chances getting the food, Mistake. Eltor and I will not be in a position to protect you. Just get in the rowboat and head for the sailboat.”

Without waiting for a reply, Caldal dashed silently into the water. Eltor quickly followed. MistyTrail watched the men swimming towards the anchored sailboat and then she started creeping towards the rowboat. She knelt by the rowboat and waited for Mistake to appear on the other side so that they could work together dragging the rowboat into the water. When a few moments passed and Mistake had not arrived, MistyTrail turned to look back. She saw Mistake at the door of the guardhouse. She sighed deeply and then raced to Mistake’s side.

“What are you doing?” whispered MistyTrail. “Forget the food. We will need every minute of darkness to get far away from here.”

“It is more than the food,” Mistake whispered back. “We cannot afford to have an alarm issued in a few hours.”

“What do you mean?” asked MistyTrail as Mistake produced a thin strip of metal and began working on the lock.

“Look at that sailboat,” explained Mistake. “It may be larger than the one we arrived on, but it is not the fastest boat around. If the alarm is issued and they know that we escaped on a boat, they will be after us for sure. We will never make it past the large cities even if we keep the island out of sight. They will come looking for us.”

“Are you planning what I think you are planning?” asked MistyTrail.

“It is the only way,” nodded Mistake as an audible click rent the air. “You can wait by the rowboat. I won’t be long.”

“You are crazy,” frowned MistyTrail.

“Why?” asked Mistake. “Because I think I can get the four of them without dying?”

“No,” smiled MistyTrail. “Because you think I would actually leave this foul business to you alone. My sister will never again fight alone. Let me get to the far end of the main room before you make any noise in the kitchen.”

“You plan for me to lure them downstairs?” asked Mistake.

“Remember the stairs?” asked MistyTrail. “There is no way that we can climb them silently. Plus we do need food. Let me get into position and then start gathering the food we will need. Fill your pack. They won’t be needing any.”

“I will take the first two,” grinned Mistake. “You get the stragglers.”

“Done,” replied MistyTrail as Mistake eased the door open.

The door creaked slightly as Mistake eased it open. She ignored the noise and moved swiftly towards the kitchen. MistyTrail slid through the door and crept to the far end of the room. She hid herself in a dark corner and fixed her eyes on the stairwell as she waited. Mistake was entirely too silent as she filled her pack with food. She managed to stuff her pack and tie it tight. She walked to the front door and placed her pack outside. She reentered the house and slammed the door.

Almost immediately the floor above creaked. Mistake could hear the sound of feet hitting the floor. She tried to count them, but could not. She opened the door again and let the dim light shine into the room. She stood in the light and waited. She heard someone starting to come down the stairs. She appeared not to notice and looked around the dark room as if looking for something to steal.

“It’s an elf wench,” shouted a man on the stairs.

Mistake looked up at the stairwell and screamed. She dashed into the kitchen as the man started scrambling down the stairs. She heard others upstairs shouting and then heard their pounding footsteps. She raced to the far corner of the kitchen and waited.

“Don’t kill her right off,” shouted one of the upstairs men. “I want a piece of her.”

“By the time you get to the kitchen,” laughed the first man, ”it will be all over.”

The stairwell came alive with noise as the men raced downstairs. The first man raced into the kitchen. His hand held a long knife and his eyes darted around the dark room as he sought Mistake. From her concealed position near the floor, Mistake tossed her knife upward at the man who was illuminated by the dim light coming from the open front door. The knife sunk deep into the man’s throat. As his hands rose to his throat and his knees buckled, Mistake let out a hysterical scream to cover the man’s death gurgle.

“Hah,” shouted the second man off the stairs. “It sounds like she is giving him a hard time.”

The man raced into the kitchen and promptly tripped over the body of the first man. Mistake instantly jumped on the man’s back and brought her knife across his throat. He cried out in alarm before he died.

“What the heck?” said the third man as he halted at the bottom of the stairs.