Red Leaves and the Living Token (29 page)

Then she saw him. A lone figure running down a wide corridor leading directly toward the building they were in. An aura of destruction surrounded him on all sides.

As if to accent the man's intentions, a black funnel cloud whipped back and forth behind him. The soldiers standing guard simply backed away as he approached.

Who was this man? She thought. What did he want? She squinted to get a sharper picture. His clothes, the color of his fur. It looked like... But how... The closer he got the surer she was. It was him. It was Raj!

Then she noticed his hideous black arm. It was unnaturally large and disfigured. Disgusting. What had happened to him? What ever he'd been through since she last saw him, he was not the same person.

Pains of guilt shot through her. What ever he'd been through it'd had no doubt been her fault. She and Emret had made it necessary. They’d done this to him. She felt horrible. She had to help, to do something.

She looked back at the door where they brought her daughter in. She had two children here to worry about and now an angry father who looked like he was about to get himself killed. What a mess, she thought, as she climbed silently over the balcony while the two guarding her were consumed with the terror playing out below them.

-

Rinacht sat up in his cot. He swore he heard something in his tent. Perhaps it was just the wind. He searched the small table next to him for his lamp.

He'd given up trying to make himself useful and had retired early. He felt terrible seeing Emret and Moslin and not being able to do anything about it. As soon as the commander had found the Token he stopped listening to him. He'd even issued a command baring him from talking to Moslin and Emret.

He knew at some point they would probably need his help. He was starting to doubt more and more his influence here. What instruction had his uncle given the commander, he wondered. It made him nervous about his future, about how much his Uncle really was willing to forgive, even if he did deliver the token.

Finally, his fingers felt the cold metal of the lamp. But before he could light it, another flame sparked and filled the tent with light.

A massive Zo man in black armor stood over his cot holding an oil lamp.

Rinacht choked. It was Lord Barnus! That meant Valance! How did he find him here? The only reason he agreed to come back towards the mountain and consequently towards Valance was because he knew he'd be protected by an entire army. Despite the army, Barnus was now standing in his tent. How was this possible?

"Good evening Rinacht. Lord Valance sends you greetings." Lord Barnus smiled big, revealing his teeth. "We've been trying to find you. Seems we still owe you the second half of your money."

"Oh." He forced a smile and laughed nervously. "I'd completely forgotten."

"No you didn't." He leaned in closer. "We want what we paid you for!"

"How did you get in here? I could call the guards."

"You'd be dead before they arrived." Barnus backed away. "Besides, you're not on the top of their list right now."

Rinacht watched him intently. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. They've got what they need from you. Your lucky they haven't already sent you back from where you came from. He turned back to Rinacht.

"Or perhaps your uncle has something special planed for you when you get back. I could be wrong. Maybe your uncle is the forgiving type."

Rinacht shook his head. No, his uncle was not the forgiving type. He was the, hold a grudge but not let you know he was holding it, type.

"Lord Valance understands your position, your allegiance to your family. That's why he's willing to forgive your... momentary lapse in judgment."

Lord Barnus took off a satchel he had around his neck and opened it. "Its time you learned who your real friends are." He pulled two small daggers out of the satchel and placed them on Rinachts lap. He pulled a black breast plate and put it next to the daggers.

"What are these?"

"These are how I got in your tent. These are your freedom from your uncle. These are your future with us."

"What do you want me to do?"

Lord Barnus smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "That's my boy."

-

Emret sat on his cot staring at the shadows of the guards outside his tent. His wheel chair was halfway across the room. As if that were a way of keeping him from going anywhere. Move his chair across the room.

He was so frustrated at the situation. He knew he was getting close to finding what he, at one point, had thought was beyond hope. He was so close to finding his miracle. And now he sat here waiting. There had to be something he could do, somehow he could get the Token back.

As he was sitting there trying to concoct a plan, he noticed a strange glow coming through the back wall of his tent. It looked like a extremely bright light somewhere beyond that was shining through the canvas with a wide defused halo. Emret stared at it, perplexed. It’d have to be really bright or really close.

At the center of the halo was a shape, an irregular shape. He got out of bed and hobbled to his chair. The point of focus in the middle of the halo sharpened enough to where he could see what the source of the light was. The Token! The light was a perfect silhouette of the Token.

It was shining through the back of his tent from where ever it was. A broad smile crept across his face. If he could see it, he could find it. This was no coincidence, he thought. It was showing him where it was. It wanted him to come take it back! He was sure of it.

All he had to do now was get out of the tent without the guards noticing.

He lifted the bottom edge of the back canvas wall where it lay in the dirt and lifted it up to see how much slack he had to work with. He could lift it about three feet before it pulled at the corner stakes. He could get himself under that. But his chair? Probably not, and he wouldn't be getting far without that.

He heard a commotion out side the tent. The guards were talking to somebody close by. What if someone came in? He heart raced. He was at least ten feet from his bed. He summoned all his strength and pushed. His feet took two large steps, propelling him a third the distance before they gave out. He fell flat on his face.

The conversation outside picked up again but with an additional voice, and it sounded like they had moved closer to the tent.

He got up onto his knees and scrambled. He was more than half way there.

The tent flap opened. Light filtered in. Too late! He froze. Only two feet to the bed. If they saw him, he was sure they'd tie him down or something. If they knew he was trying to get out, they'd find a way to make it impossible. The bed blocked his view of the tent flap. He couldn't see who came in. But that also meant they couldn't see him.

The blankets! He slipped under where the bed faced him and squirmed up to the top of the bed. He pushed his head out the top pretending to be waking up. Two soldiers had come in the room. But they weren't looking at him. They had their backs turned. On the ground beside them was a small Botann girl.

They led her to another small cot in the corner. "Stay here!" The guard said pointing to the cot.

"But my Mom!" She cried.

They ignored her and left.

Emret sat up. “Hi”

-

Handers marched down the wide corridor, the command center directly in front of him. The wind howled at his back. The finger of twisting black cloud ripped through the camp in a wide zig zag behind him. The sound of destruction was all he could hear.

Three Petra came out onto a balcony on the upper floor of the command building for a moment before disappearing back inside. It would appear he'd attracted someone in the command structure’s attention. Good. He hoped by the end of this they'd reevaluate how they treated innocent civilians.

He was almost to the building when that same group of Petra came out the lower level followed by a stream of soldiers who filed past them quickly to form two columns flanking Raj on both sides of the wide corridor.

Once the flanks were formed the soldiers still coming out of the building formed a column directly behind the three from the balcony. None of them seemed to be a bothered in the least by the storm and chaos behind him. They'd fight, it seemed.

He clenched his teeth. That wasn't what he wanted. He just needed to talk to somebody. Why were these people so unreasonable? Why did they automatically assume the only solution was a fight?

"You have my son! Give him to me… now!" He screamed at the man in the center of the soldiers. His voice startled him. It wasn't his alone. Something else screamed with him. It sounded like it came from the raging wind, a howling scream echoing his words.

The Petra in the middle stepped forward. "We will not bend to the will of a Zo terrorist! Continue at your own peril!”

There was a grinding sound that rose above the torment of the storm. Handers looked to the side beyond the corridor. Two enormous stone contraptions rolled up beside the tents. They appeared to be some sort of launching weapon. A weapon the size of a building.

What was wrong with these people. They had to be the most stubborn creatures he'd met. Why couldn’t they just give him his son? This was insane!

His arm was burning hotter, drawing his attention. He looked down. It was engulfed in a spiraling black cloud the same as the larger funnel behind him. He held it up in amazement.

"All I want is my SON!" He screamed. The storm screamed with him. Adding an incredible boom with the screeching howl. He almost frightened himself.

The Petra in charge stepped back, nervously. "You are trespassing on Petra Soil. Lay down on the ground… and put your hands in front of you!" He squeaked out.

Raj felt his instincts taking over. He pointed his arm at the Petra and felt the storm as it spun down his arm and shot out. He stepped back in recoil. His arm wanted to buckle from the pressure, but he held it steady. A black mass continued to form from his arm, spinning into another raging funnel.

The row of soldiers dove out of the way. The Petra he targeted barely missed the grasp of the wild funnel. Would he listen now? Raj wondered as took a step forward.

"Raj! Wait!" A woman's voice pleaded from somewhere behind the wall of rock soldiers on his right. He turned.

Moslin darted in between the Petra and ran out in front him. They didn't move to stop her.

"You don't have to do this." She shouted.

This coming from the woman who stole his son? She was saying he'd gone too far? The only words he wanted to hear from her was the location of his son.

"I know where he is, and I can take you too him. Follow me." She yelled as she ran towards him.

She was running down the center of a battlefield without any protection. This was not smart, he thought. This was the action of someone who's emotions were driving them harder than their logic. Perhaps her guilt had finally gotten to her.

"STOP HER!" Screamed the Petra standing in front of his men. He charged forward to try to catch Moslin himself. The Soldiers on the flanks suddenly sprang in to motion, rushing to intercept.

Handers’s frustration turned to fear. She was going to get hurt. What ever she’d done, it wasn’t to deserve death. If they hit her, she would not survive.

He shot his arm out towards the advancing line on the right, sending out a rage of black. It swooped down below the center and engulfed them, sucking them up into the sky. In an instant, they were gone.

The left side pushed forward towards her aggressively. He sprinted to intercept.

"KILL HIM!" The Petra in charge ordered.

Apparently, Raj had upset this one, whom ever he was.

He grabbed the first towering rock within reach of his black arm and tossed him into the air. He caught a second by the shoulder, then pulled his arm back and struck, hard. Stone shattered. Shards flew in all directions. The Petra collapsed to the ground.

The line formation broke apart. The Petra seemed to have lost their courage at the unexpected onslaught. He chased down a third, caught him from behind and lifted him above his head, ready to pile drive him into the dirt.

"Raj stop!" Moslin shouted.

Raj turned, still holding the Petra over his head.

“I’m OK,” she cried. "Lets get Emret!" She pointed off into the camp past the command center.

He nodded then put the Petra down. The tight pack of soldiers stepped back, confused by the sudden truce, allowing them to leave the corridor unobstructed.

-

“Thankyou for doing this.” Emret said.

“No problem.” Sinesh said with a smile.

She pushed Emret in his chair down the wide muddy path between the rows of tents.

“Can you still see it?” She asked.

“Yep.” He answered. He didn't know how many layers of tent the Token was shining through. It didn't seem to change. As he wheeled through each successive row, it stayed constant, shining through the next wall of canvas like a setting sun.

Finally, they passed the last row of tents and continued out into a grass field. At the back of the field was a large building. Strangely, the light wasn’t blocked, it sparkled as it passed through the solid structure.

Sinesh stopped.

“In there.” Emret pointed.

He studied the towering building as they approached. It looked like the place they'd keep important things. He found what looked like a back door. It was small and simple, as opposed to the large decorated front entrances he had noticed on the other buildings. They'd have to be quick. So far they'd been lucky, he hadn't seen a single soldier. They must've gone to bed, he thought.

Sinesh pushed him quickly to the doorway and helped him up high enough to peek through the small window. It looked like it led to a large, empty room.

He pulled the door open and she wheeled him inside. His eyes were immediately drawn to it, shining brightly on a table in the middle of the room.

Then Emret froze. They weren’t alone. Someone else was in the room. Someone that he apparently didn't see through the window. Fortunately the stranger had his back to him. It was a Petra. Smaller than the soldiers. He was walking towards the table with the Token.