Bandits (8 page)

Once the true importance of what Rayne had kept co
n
cealed was revealed, Rayne was a man with a target on his head. Every attempt at finding where Rayne hid the treasure had failed. The fool proved to be lucky and clever, but not clever enough to know that he would never give up his search for the treasure. He had to admit his hate for Rayne ran deep, although it didn’t start that way. The seed of jealousy grew to a deep building hate that he could barely keep hidden whenever he looked upon Rayne.

I’ve wanted to kill you for a long time. Thanks for giving me good reason. Ha! Your arrogance was gone when I pulled you close, and stabbed you, after telling you your sons would follow.
He was running out of time before his dirty deed would be di
s
covered though. Killing the head Sekin Zukar leader was a hasty move, but killing Rayne was simply a pleasurable necessity. The Sekin Zukar was like a King to the Zukar, a King over thieves. The highly respected leader of all Zukar clans rules were followed by all, except he’d never respected the weak Sekin. It was too late for regrets. A
l
though, it was in haste he’d killed the Sekin Zukar, he had to admit the pure bliss in doing so was worth the risk.

His patience was thinning with his dependence on his followers, and he was running out of options. He will have to move fast in order to gain the bargaining chip of the treasure, or his end would come too.
Painfully slow if I’m found out.
It was the only reason he’d left the scene of Rayne’s murder and made his men wait for Rayne’s boys to leave the scene to frame them for killing their father then capture them to lead him to the trea
s
ure. He didn’t want to be implicated in the murder of Rayne. It would interfere with his plan in becoming the master of Me
r
win. Too many of the Zukar and Merwin leadership alike respected Rayne. He had to admit Rayne’s favored status on Merwin made it even more pleasurable to kill him.
Humph, your boys will lead me to it.
He’d heard Rayne mention it was his family’s destiny to protect the treasure. He’d overheard Rayne confirm he would leave clues for his sons to save the treasure if he was killed.
And when I get them to reveal it to me, they too will die.

A noise came from the opening ahead as his current se
c
ond-in-command walked into the cave. He tired of his cohorts quickly, but they were necessary to get the job done. Squinting, he took in the hunched shoulders and lowered head. Tightening his hand on his knife, he prepared himself for the status of the pursuit of the boys.

“Sira Zukan,” his second-in-command cautiously called out in the respectful address used for a lead Zukar.

“Quinn, tell me you have captured the boys, and the girl who is with them.”  He surged forward and grabbed his knife as his other hand yanked Quinn close by the neck. He pushed hard on the pressure points in the man’s neck known to cause pain to Merwin born men.

Quinn coughed. “The boy used the fog to his advantage. He bombed one of our cars, and killed three men.” Quinn winced in pain as his tormentor pressed harder on the gills on his neck. “He got away, but we have an idea where he’ll pass in order to get to his father’s trove. We don’t have the location of the trove, but there are only two directions they can go to get to the island of golden fire, near where we believe his father’s trove is.” Tears gathered on the corners of Quinn’s eyes, but the stoic expression on his face never wavered.

The Sira Zukan whispered, “Well, then you have failed.”  He jerked Quinn closer, and stabbed upward into his neck. The gurgling Merwin spewed blood as his dying body jerked back and contorted in a grotesque, unnatural manner. A look of disgust crossed the leader’s face as he dropped the limp Merwin to the ground. Angrily, he stepped over the dead body.
Idiots! If I want it done right, I’ll to do it myself –as usual.

Daniel watched Nickel while he kicked up the multi-colored sand. Nickel stopped to pull up a random patch of green grass, and threw it back at Daniel with a giggle. The many willow trees ahead of them swayed calmly with the sea breeze. They stood tall, riddled with sparse green leaves, which covered slender black branches that slimmed down to expose beautiful pink flowered tips. The tops of several of the trees appeared to open, and a rainfall of pink flowers toppled over the exposed hollow edges of the mouth of the bark. The rock path leading to the sprinkle of willow trees was littered with sand. Nickel hopped along the buried rocks, and periodically leaned down to run the sand through his fingers. He stood up and ran past Jade, who tried to catch up with him.

Faulk looked up while he adjusted the straps on his bag. “So… where’s the trove?”

Daniel turned from his observation and answered with a grin, “We’ve still got about a mile or so. Pull out your knife and gun. A lot of traps on this trove were already here, if I reme
m
ber right. That’s why their father claimed it. It’s nice, but I got to be honest…ours is better.” He observed the grove of swaying willow trees once more, and could have sworn they moved. The spillage of pink flowered thin branches at the open tops a
p
peared to grow longer the closer they walked.

“I don’t know if I like the word
trap
,” Faulk frowned.

“Trust me, cuz, we’ll live. Dying is not a choice,” Daniel said, and pulled out his knife. Taking in the towering willow trees that blocked his path, he could have sworn it was delibe
r
ate. He couldn’t shake the feeling of danger that tingled across his skin. Thinking back to Gabe’s warning, he remembered Gabe telling him this area wasn’t safe. Gabe had never led him this way when he’d visited.

Jade and Nickel ran forward before he could call out, and his warning shout of caution stuck in his throat. Nickel disa
p
peared into the depths of the swaying willow copse. Jade ran in after him, desperately calling out his name.

Faulk pulled on Daniel’s arm. “I don’t like the way that happened. It looked like Nickel was dragged in.”

“Hell, I know he was!” The memory hit him like a brick, Gabe’s warning of
deadly
willows. “Shit! That’s Deadly Wills – they’re living willows. Let’s go!” Daniel took off into a run to catch up.

The towering willow trees swayed languidly, the smell of their flowers filling the air to deceive its victims with its beauty. Daniel’s trained eye noticed the purpose in the movement, and it had little to do with the breeze. The trees moved as if they were decisively attempting to look harmless, and the affirm
a
tion of his suspicions came true. The picture in front of them looked almost serene, but Daniel knew better. He ran faster when he heard the muffled screams from deep within.

Sliding to a stop, he pulled Faulk to stagger his stride. “Look! Keep your knife drawn. These things live
– they really live
! They also eat meat. Stab, them and cut ‘em up…and don’t let the branches open or you’ll get choked,” Daniel said before he ran forward leading Faulk into the shady jungle of willows.

He raised his knife and held it comfortably in his tight fist. Looking around, he searched for Jade and Nickel. Before he could spot them, he heard Faulk yell out. A seemingly docile hanging branch whipped out and slapped him, knocking him down hard. Faulk struggled to stand, and the branch opened at its flowered tip. The pink flowered tip of the slender branch opened and a thin black tipped tongue whipped out to stab Faulk in the neck. Faulk’s hand flew up and was punctured by the pointed black tip of the tongue. Dani
el threw his knife, and sliced
it in two, and Faulk quickly stood with his knife drawn, his hand shaking slightly.

Faulk pointed upward. “Up there! Nickel’s up there!”

Daniel looked up to see Nickel being pulled up higher by the thin black tongue of one of the branches. He knew he had to get Nickel free before its mouth snaked out. The top of the willow tree expanded, and the waterfall of flowers sank within it. The pink round mouth of sharp, jagged black teeth snaked out of the hollow opening at the top of the tree, and the pretense of its beauty disappeared. A moan of hunger vibrated from within the tree. Daniel knew that once its prey was placed within its mouth, the acidic poison within its bark would i
n
stantly devour his brother.

“Find Jade! I’ve got to get Nickel,” Daniel called, and pulled out his gun.

“You sure you…,” Faulk faltered.

“GO!”

Daniel shot at the branches and then at the surrounding willows, which started to attack. The hungry willow pulled Nickel closer and closer to its mouth as it wrapped its coarse branch tightly around him.

Nickel squirmed.
“Ugh! Hurry!”

“Cut it!” Daniel grunted with determination and grabbed an attacking branch to swing to the willow that held Nickel. Dodging the trees’ attempt to capture and hold him, he cut and swung until he got to the tree that held Nickel.

“My knife!” Nickel wailed. “I dropped it!”  His angry e
x
pression belied the fear of being eaten by a tree. He twisted and struggled. With each twist, the willow tightened its hold as it wound taut around his chest and crossed his thin arms.

“I’m almost there, Nick! Fight it! You’re getting too close to the mouth,” Daniel yelled out and then cut the rubbery tongue of the willow that jutted out to attack him. Catching his breath, he stuffed his gun in his belt. He jumped onto the branch nearest Nickel before it could constrict around his hand. Daniel wrapped his legs around the bare bark of the tree that was holding Nickel captive.

“Hurry!” Nickel called out.

“Hold on! Bite it!” Daniel bellowed.

“What?” Nickel replied.

“Fight harder!” Daniel pierced his knife into the bark of the fighting tree with full intensity, and he aimed his gun at the branch whipping below him that held his brother.

Nickel wiggled and wrestled to get free. “It keeps squee
z
ing my arms!”

“Bite it off! The tongue is soft. I’m going to shoot at it. Now Nickel.
NOW
!” Sweat dripped from Daniel’s brow as he aimed and tried not to hit a jerking Nickel. He shot at the branch above Nickel’s head.

Nickel bit down on the tree’s soft tongue and didn’t let go as it tried to snake around his mouth. Daniel’s bullet hit its mark, and the tongue jerked within Nickel’s mouth as he bit through it. Daniel took another shot at the limb beneath Nickel. While Nickel bit down harder on the limp tongue, he wiggled one arm out while trying to break free of the rubbery flesh.

Nickel started to slip and punched down on the lifeless tongue as it loosened around him. He landed on the ground with a roll, and reached over to grab his knife.

Daniel cut through and disentangled himself from a limp branch, and stuffed his gun in his belt. He dropped down to the ground, and sand kicked up around him when he landed on his feet. Both Daniel and Nickel looked at each other while they bent on their knees to catch their breath. Daniel put his knife in his belt and stood. The sparse forest of trees swayed calmly, as if they’d given up.

Daniel made sure he stayed on the path of rocks that lead to the next cluster of trees ahead. “Let’s go. Jade and Faulk probably need our help.” They ran into the slight clearing beyond the corpses of the trees they’d left. Daniel looked around and headed off the path in the direction he spied Faulk go in earlier.

Nickel laughed while running alongside Daniel. “Whew, I’m glad those things were spread out.”

“Me too. They mixed the Deadly Wills in with the har
m
less willow trees.”

“That’s why they looked normal?”

“Yeah. I just hope Faulk is still alive.”

“
Our cousin isn’t used to Merwin. He’s kind of soft, you know.”

“Yeah, definitely soft - but he’s family. We’re stuck with him,” Daniel confirmed.

“Like I’m stuck with you.” Nickel laughed and punched Daniel in the arm.

A scream sounded ahead of them. They picked up speed and ran to edge of the willow jungle.

Daniel saw Jade throwing darts at the willow in front of her. “Where the hell is Faulk?” he asked, coming up to her with his knife in hand.

Jade pointed. “The willow has him. See up there.”

Daniel shook his head.
I sent the sap to save her. What the hell happened?
He took a deep breath and withdrew his knife. “Aim at the trunk. I’ll get him.” He hesitated, his eyes trained on the tree ahead. “Jade, keep aiming them at the tongue e
x
tended from the branch, so you can cut him loose.”

He took off in a run and grabbed onto an attacking branch. Its pink flowered tip opened up, and its tongue whipped out to wrap around his wrists. He pulled another knife free from his pack that hung tightly on his back and used it to work his way up the branch so he could leap to the willow that held Faulk. He found a bare spot and wrapped his legs securely around the bark while dodging some of the attacking branches from above, luckily, their thick base wouldn’t allow them to bend enough to grab Daniel.