Tina Daniell: Maquesta Kar-Thon

"Greetings, Maquesta Kar-Thon," Attat boomed. "We've been expecting you."

"What have you done to Fritz and Vartan?" she sputtered. She closed the distance to the dais, the guards moving forward at the same time to make sure she didn't threaten Attat. Closer, Maq could now see what was in the cage on his lap. It was a miniature elephant that had gashes on its sides from where the minotaur lord had been poking it.

Roughly setting the cage on the floor, Attat stood. Not so regally dressed today, the minotaur nonetheless was wearing an expensive robe that nearly matched the deep purple cloak that bunched about his shoulders.

"What did I do to them? Why, I punished them, of course. They didn't bring you, they didn't bring Bas-Ohn Koraf, and they didn't bring my morkoth." Attat regarded her coolly, showing a measure of contempt. "The deal was for you to bring the morkoth to me. At least you have returned Koraf. There is a match in a few days' time in which I intend to enter him."

"The morkoth is in the harbor, in the cage you gave us," Maquesta fumed. "I have no way of getting him here. I have no wagon, and I have no large vat of water in which to move him."

"That can be arranged," Attat replied, thoughtfully stroking the beard on his chin.

"Nothing will be arranged until I have my father and he has been given the antidote. And I want Fritz and Vartan freed now." Maq's voice was strong, insistent. "I'll need Sando, too. Her father waits for her on the Perechon ."

"Ah, your precious Perechon . My spies in the harbor tell me your ship is in disrepair."

"My father, Lord Attat? I've kept my part of your grisly pact."

The minotaur gestured, and one of the guards strode off the dais, clomping to a curtained alcove. The guard drew back the heavy fabric and motioned to Maq.

"You know the way to my dungeon, don't you, Captain Kar-Thon?" Attat's eyes narrowed to thin slits. "Your father is down there. Bring him up, won't you, Maquesta? The antidote awaits." The minotaur lord reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out the vial containing the golden-colored liquid. "While you are down there, instruct the guards to cage Koraf for me. By the time you and your father have returned, your men will have been released." The minotaur lord motioned toward one of his guards, who jingled the keys on his belt.

Maquesta glanced at the alcove, then faced Attat. "I would like to acquire the minotaur Bas-Ohn Koraf," she stated in a businesslike tone. "He's an able sailor, and I could use him in my crew."

"Oh, I consider Bas-Ohn Koraf priceless. He's my greatest fighter, undefeated, and he's not for sale. At any price." Attat glared at Koraf and pointed to the alcove. "Return to your home, slave, and with all due haste. Maquesta's father hasn't long to live."

Maq looked at Koraf, but the minotaur's gaze revealed no emotion. He stoically nodded to her and strode to the alcove, his hooves clicking harshly on the marble floor. Maquesta, swallowing hard, followed him. The pair made their way down the long, twisting stone steps that led to the dank belly of Attat's palace.

"I won't have you caged again." Maq's tone was soft, not wanting any errant guards to overhear her. 'There has to be another way."

"In this city I am Lord Attat's property," Koraf replied. "You don't have a choice. And you won't get your father well any other way."

When they reached the bottom of the steps several moments later, Maquesta saw the familiar hallway lined with cages. A pair of guards strode up to her, nodding, each taking one of Koraf's arms.

"We're glad to have you home," one of them taunted as he directed Koraf toward his old cell.

Maq watched as her first mate was led away. Rage burned inside her, and her mind churned with possibilities. "No!" she screamed before they made it halfway down the dank corridor. Drawing her short sword, she rushed forward. The guards whirled, but not in time. Her blade sank halfway up to the hilt in the side of one. Groaning, the guard crumpled and twitched on the floor. Maquesta pulled her sword free and bent her legs, ready to deal with the other guard.

The second guard released Koraf and drew his own weapon, a curved-blade sword nearly twice the size of Maq's weapon. Growling menacingly, he hauled it back over his shoulder to swing, and Maquesta darted in, slicing at his abdomen and leaping away before his descending sword could touch her. The guard looked at his stomach incredulously and saw a line of red forming where she had cut through his leather armor. Bellowing in rage, he lowered his head and charged forward, intending to gore her. Again Maquesta darted away, narrowly missing his horns and the swing of his sword.

She danced around to where Koraf stood and held the sword in front of her, waving the tip and taunting the guard.

"Don't do this," Koraf warned her. "Attat will kill both of us if the guards die."

"I'm already committed," she panted. "Why don't you help me?"

Leaping backward toward the dungeon's torture chamber, Maquesta crouched to meet the guard's next rush. As he closed in, she drove her blade upward, thrusting hard through his armor and piercing the flesh underneath. She gritted her teeth and tugged the blade free, then she dropped to the ground and rolled. The guard was seriously wounded, but he continued to stalk her. From the corner of her eye she saw the first guard start to rise. "Kof!" she barked. "Don't let him get away!"

She watched Koraf slide forward, bringing his hoof down on the back of the prone minotaur's skull. A crunch signaled that he wouldn't be going anywhere.

Momentarily distracted, Maquesta was not ready for her attacker's next move. He charged in, with his sword pulled back over his shoulder. He swung in wide, as if she were a fly to be swatted, and though she tried to dodge, the blade glanced off her shoulder. Maq backed up against the wall and looked at her arm. It was not a deep cut, but blood flowed freely from it, covering the sleeve of her tunic. She snarled and looked up at the guard. He took a step forward and raised his weapon again. There was nowhere for Maquesta to dodge now, and his reach was much longer than hers. She crouched, waiting for his next move, then she gaped in surprise as he crumpled to his knees and fell forward, his head thudding soundly on the hard stone. The other guard's weapon was lodged firmly in the middle of his back.

"Kof?"

"I couldn't let you die" he said, "though now the blood of more minotaurs is on my hands."

Maquesta knelt and tore free a piece of the guard's cloak. She wrapped it tightly about her upper arm, trying to stanch the bleeding. "Help me find my father," she urged.

"And then what?" Koraf posed. "We've killed the guards. Lord Attat will know and will have us both tortured to death."

"Don't be so cheerful," she said as she cleaned off her sword and sheathed it. She smoothed her tunic, and twisted her sash to cover up a spot of blood. "Attat thought I would meekly obey him and have you caged. He hadn't counted on the fact that his mission already has been too costly. There'll be no more sacrifices made for the minotaur lord."

Maquesta rushed from cell door to cell door until at last she found the small chamber in which her father lay. "The keys! Quickly." Looking through the barred door, she held her hand behind her back and wriggled her fingers. Koraf took one of the dead guard's key rings and placed it in her hand.

Fumbling with several keys before she found the one that worked, Maq softly called out to her father, but got no response. Throwing open the door, she rushed inside and knelt by him.

"Father?"

Melas's skin was the gray of slate, and his face was gaunt and skeletal. His chest barely rose and fell, and with each breath he took, he made a faint wheezing sound. Maq picked up his hand and noticed how bony it was, and how cold and clammy he felt. Tears spilled from her eyes, and she sobbed so hard she barely heard Kof enter the cell behind her.