144: Wrath (11 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Xandra had no idea what to expect as the Dorokti led them over hills and brooks toward their camp. She also had no idea how Master Kas Dorian had simply shrugged off Flint’s magical assault. It was one of the most incredible things she had ever seen.

She knew that Polas was a legendary hero and that he had dared to defy the God of Fear by leading the greatest army the world had ever known in an attempt to overthrow the evil Nalunis, but she had never seen anyone completely ignore a blast from mage-fire. Especially not from her master. He was one of the most skilled mages in all the Hollow Mountains. She intended to ask her teacher about it as soon as she had the chance. For now, she focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Progress was slow. Flint was doing all he could to keep up with the pacing demands of his captors, but his thick legs could not match their athletic gait. Kiff, too, struggled to stay with them. He had been affecting a limp ever since capture that matched Master Kas Dorian’s, and between his  occasional trips and Flint’s staggering steps, the Dorokti were spending more time grumbling and pulling them along than they were watching the road ahead of them.

The gently sloping plain seemed endless. In the earliest part of the day, they passed an intermingled herd of bison and massive scalebacks clustered together near a watering hole. A short time later, an old, roan parlon boar followed them for a few kallows, its foggy vision mistaking them for a herd traveling together for safety. The morning dew clung to the tall grass until after the noon hour when they stopped to take their first rest.

Flint plopped down on the ground and kicked his legs out, groaning loudly. Polas sat on his heels, and his right ankle popped. Kiff limped over to a small rock and eased himself down.

The Dorokti spread out. Their leader, whom Polas said was called Kertyah, and the bear kept watch on the prisoners while the others set up a perimeter. Kertyah pulled a skin filled with water from his belt and handed it to Polas. Polas took a drink and passed the container to Xandra. She stepped over the rope that held him and under the one restraining Flint so that she could sit near Kiff.

" Are you hurt?" she asked after taking a short drink of the warm but refreshing water.

"What? Oh, I'm whole," Kiff responded. "Just don’t want to make it easy for them, you know. Gotta make them work for it."

Xandra rolled her eyes and handed him the waterskin. Kiff lifted his mask enough to take a quick drink. Xandra was barely able to see the outline of a pale chin and his smiling lips before the mask was back in place. Kiff stood and reached the bag toward Flint. As the Faldred got hold of the bag, Kertyah whistled and motioned to the trail. Flint bobbled the waterskin as he was pulled to his feet. The water spilled out, and Kertyah retrieved the empty skin from the ground before the group resumed their travels.

"Good gentlebeings," Flint said, "surely you cannot expect me to continue without adequate hydration or, for that matter, a longer rest."

The Dorokti ignored his protests, and the journey went on much as it had for the first half of the day. The afternoon was warm and muggy, which redoubled Flint’s disquiet. After a few hours at a quickened pace, even Xandra found herself hard pressed to keep up. Sweat rolled down the back of her neck and dripped from the tip of her nose. Her calves burned with exhaustion, and her throat was parched. However, the Dorokti were unfazed, as though this were a mere stroll for them. They pressed on without relenting until the suns hung low in the sky.

As the cool of evening brought some refreshment from the heat of the day, the hunters slowed. The field around them was quiet and deserted. Kertyah flicked a finger toward two of the hunters. One quickened his pace to stay a few hundred yards ahead of the group, and the other dropped back to keep act as rear guard.

An hour before nightfall, Kertyah sent the lynx ahead. The rest stopped and waited for his return. The trailing Dorokti caught back up the group, but continued to watch the trail behind them.

As the Dorokti watched over them, Xandra and the others did their best to get comfortable and rest their tired muscles. Flint checked to make sure none of his books or scrolls had been damaged or lost during the trip while Kiff sat quietly, staring at the ground.

Xandra watched Kertyah closely. He kept one hand on his curved dagger, and his eyes flitted along the path behind them. His ears swiveled with each rustle of grass and each gust of wind. He paid little attention to his prisoners, but instead kept scanned their trail and sniffed the air. The wolf’s silver hair stood on end, and she too stared off toward the southern horizon.

Xandra thought she heard a distant rumbling. By this time, the rest of the Dorokti party had turned to face the south, weapons readied. Polas and Flint, too, stood. Only Kiff still sat.

Then it came, loping around the far side of nearby hill. The reptilian creature stood over twenty feet tall and forty feet long from tooth to tail. It had two powerful back legs, a massive head, and a mouth filled with jagged teeth. Its vestigial forelimbs ended in twin claws on each hand, and its skin was a blanket of rusty-brown scales.

"A bull fangtooth!" Flint yelled as he rushed to Xandra’s side.

Several of the horses bolted, and the bear Dorokti did his best to hold onto the others' reins.

Polas looked to Kertyah. "Cut us loose," he said. "We can help you."

Kertyah snarled at him and shouted commands to the other hunters.

The Dorokti fanned out in a semi-circle. The wolf and cheetah charged the beast side-by-side, shouting as they approached. Heartbeats before the duo got in range of the deadly jaws, they split, running flag patterns to either side. The giant lizard stumbled for a moment, unsure of which meal to chase.

The remaining Dorokti used the opportunity to unleash a volley of arrows. The dire beast roared as a pair of the projectiles lodged in his skull. He swung around and slapped the cheetah with his massive tail as she circled back. Bones shattered as the Dorokti went flying through the air and crashed to the ground a short distance away. Her body tumbled to a stop against a rock; head bent back at an unnatural angle.

Xandra strained against her ropes, wishing she had the strength to free herself.

"Should we make a run for it or what?" Kiff whispered behind her.

Xandra turned to see Kiff freed of his own restraints. He palmed a small metal disk and rubbed the soreness from his arms. He took hold of Xandra’s hand and began cutting her ropes. He stood a little too close to her, and she felt her cheeks grow warm.

As soon as her hands were free, Xandra rushed toward the bear warrior.

"Oh, come on!" Kiff yelled after her.

Polas tried to overcome the feeling that he was a hooked worm. With his arms tied behind his back, no weapon on his hip, and his insufferable limp, he felt like a boy charging a drakken with a pillow for a shield and spoon for a weapon. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. His legs may not have been what they once were, but he could still move. And if he could move, he could help.

Kertyah ducked another sweep of the behemoth’s tail and rolled to his side. He brought his spear up after the roll and launched it at the creature’s flank. It drove through the monster’s thigh, drawing out an earth-rattling roar.

The fangtooth lunged again, this time for the panther. Polas dashed beneath its jaws and charged into Kertyah’s chest, knocking him to the ground. The creature's teeth slammed shut inches from Polas’s back, its hot breath beading condensation on the his neck. Polas rolled forward over the wide-eyed Dorokti, and they both scooted out of the monster’s reach.

Polas was slow to rise with his hands still pinned behind him. His right ankle stuck when he tried to stand and threatened to buckle beneath him. He gritted his teeth, shifted his weight to his left, and rocked forward to a half-stand half-stoop. He looked over to Kertyah who was already on his feet. "Let me help you!"

The panther stared at Polas for a heartbeat, but only snarled and turned to bark orders to his men.

"Please," Xandra said, "you must remove their bindings."

The bear Dorokti ignored her and grabbed Flint by the shoulder. He lifted her teacher and plopped him down as though he were a simple child. He looped the horses’ tethers around Flint’s hands, gave a single tug to insure that they were secure, and charged into the fray.

Flint struggled to hold them all and tripped over backwards. Before Xandra could reach him to intercede, the horses pulled the Faldred away from the fight while he shouted for anyone to help him.

Xandra looked around, panicked, and found Kiff standing a short distance off.

"See," Kiff said, "Flint’s got the right idea."

Xandra ignored the Undlander and dashed toward the fangtooth. She kicked dirt, shouted, and waved her arms, doing her best to help distract the beast. For a moment, she considered calling upon her Gift, but she did not want to risk accidentally harming any of the others if her aim strayed.

The group was now in a large circle around the fangtooth, whooping and whistling in an attempt to confuse it.

The bull fangtooth bent down and gripped the spear sticking out of its thigh with his massive teeth. As he pulled the weapon from his leg, the bear warrior charged. He didn’t bother to swing a weapon or even use his claws. He simply lowered his shoulder and rammed into the beast’s good leg. The fangtooth teetered and fell with a resounding thud.

The wolf threw Kertyah a narrow blade as the panther leaped atop the downed lizard. With a fierce growl, Kertyah jammed the blade down into the fangtooth’s eye and twisted the blade up into the creature's skull. The monster convulsed, and its tail drummed booming echoes against the ground before it was finally still.

Kertyah stepped down from the creature’s head and nodded to the other Dorokti. They turned and motioned for Xandra, Polas, and Kiff to move backwards, making it very clear that their relationship was still captor and prisoner.

The panther knelt before the downed fangtooth and cleaned his blade. He whispered a few words in the language of the Dorokti as he laid his hand on the beast’s scaly skin.

"What’s he doing?" Kiff asked.

Xandra shrugged.

From over the hill north of the group, a horn sounded. Kertyah stood and motioned to his team. They put new restraints on Xandra and Kiff, making sure to take the metal disk from the Undlander, and pushed their prisoners forward in the direction of the noise.