Abuud: the One-Eyed God (37 page)

"You are right," conceded Arik. "Let's not waste any more time talking about it. Lead on Tedi."

Tedi nodded and looked once more at the top of the mountain before taking the lead. The black smoke was still billowing out of the mountain, and Tedi decided to pick up the pace a little. He started trotting and the others matched his pace. After a few minutes, Tedi thought he heard something and slowed down as he neared an intersection of trails. He held his hand up, and Wylan and Arik stopped completely. Tedi eased cautiously into the intersection and then jumped back quickly.

"Off the trail," mouthed Tedi as he waved towards the jungle.

Arik looked at both sides of the trail and saw mostly dense foliage that they could not move into quietly. He turned and ran back along the trail until he saw the slightest opening in the foliage. He waved to his two friends and slipped into the jungle. Wylan and Tedi ran to where Arik disappeared and slid in after him. The boys positioned themselves facing the trail and held their spears before them. Within minutes a band of blue-dyed cannibals appeared on the trail, but they came from the same direction that the boys had originally come from.

Arik looked to Tedi for an explanation, but all Tedi could do was shrug and shake his head. Arik gathered that the cannibals were not the threat that Tedi had seen. A moment later there was loud shouting amidst the sounds of battle. Cries of anguish mixed with hostile threats. The boys stayed silent and hidden while the battle raged.

"What is going on?" Wylan whispered.

"I guess the reds and blues don't get along very well," Tedi whispered back.

Within minutes the sounds of battle died, but the boys were not anxious to leave the relative safety of the jungle. They continued to hide for another five minutes before they heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The footsteps grew louder and the boys gripped their spears tightly. They watched as the band of blue-dyed cannibals returned along the path. There were fewer of them now, but each man carried a body over his shoulder. A few of the bodies were blue-dyed, but most of them were red-dyed.

Tedi waited another ten minutes before standing up and easing himself onto the trail. He looked in both directions and then ran softly to the intersection. He returned and waved for Wylan and Arik to emerge from the jungle.

"What was all that about?" inquired Arik.

"There must be two bands of cannibals on the island," shrugged Tedi. "Evidently, they don't like each other."

"So we just witnessed a raid by the blues into red territory?" queried Arik.

"I guess," answered Tedi. "It is a good thing we saw the reds when we did. We could have been trapped between the two."

"Worse than that," posed Wylan as he stared at the trail.

"How could it be worse?" chuckled Tedi.

"I think the blues were tracking us," declared Wylan. "Look at the trail. We are wearing boots and they are all barefoot. I think the reds just saved us from being massacred."

Tedi's eyes opened wide as he stared at the tracks in the path. He nodded and then shook his head.

"I should have known better," Tedi berated himself. "They found the bodies of the ones we killed yesterday. Of course they would track us. We forgot one of Alex's basic lessons."

"But they will know that the reds did not do it," interjected Arik. "None of them wore boots."

"They are cannibals, Arik," explained Wylan. "They just killed their dinner and are on the way home for a feast. They will be back for us later. This is an island. We won't get far."

"He is right," nodded Tedi. "We either need to go barefoot or conceal our tracks like we were taught to."

"Or find ground on which we will not leave tracks," added Arik. "Concealing our tracks will take considerable time. Time we don't have if that mountain blows its top. How far are we from the mountain?"

"I don't think we are too far," answered Tedi, "but it appears that we are now in the territory of the red cannibals. They just lost a bunch of men and will be looking for who killed them."

"I can't imagine that these cannibals will live very long if they keep killing each other," interjected Wylan. "What will the last cannibal eat?"

"Visitors to the island," frowned Tedi. "I don't intend to still be on this island when that happens. Let's get to that mountain."

Arik nodded and Tedi started leading the group again. An hour later, Tedi stopped the group at the base of the mountain.

"This is not going to be an easy climb," Tedi stated as he gazed up at the mountain. "How high do you think we have to go to see the rest of the island?"

"I am not sure," replied Arik. "I guess we will just climb until we can see it."

"Maybe we should travel around the base of the mountain until we find a spot where it is less steep," suggest Wylan.

"We can't do that," Tedi shook his head. "This trail passes the base, but it does not circle it. There is no way that we can penetrate some of that jungle. It is too overgrown to move through without a lot of hacking. We can't do that quickly, and we can't do it quietly."

"Tedi is right," agreed Arik as he examined the rock that they would have to climb. "There are some ridges that slope upwards. If we can climb to them, we may be able to actually walk up the mountain for short periods. It will at least make the climbing quicker."

"I am not sure I can do it," announced Wylan. "I will slow you two down, and a fall from up there is certain death. Perhaps I should wait down here for you."

"Nonsense," smiled Tedi. "You have skills just like we do. They just have not been honed yet. This experience will help you learn mountain climbing skills."

"I hope I live to use them," Wylan muttered under his breath, but he was glad that Tedi had confidence in him.

Tedi slapped Wylan on the back and then threw his spear into the jungle. He reached up and grabbed the rock wall and started climbing.

"Why did he throw his spear away?" asked Wylan. "Won't we need it later?"

"There is little choice in the matter," shrugged Arik as he tossed his spear into the jungle. "We cannot carry it with us while climbing, and to leave it here is to tell the cannibals where we went. We will have to do without them."

Wylan nodded and threw his spear into the jungle. He looked up at Tedi and started climbing up after him. Arik waited until Wylan had progressed a ways up before he started climbing. Wylan showered Arik with quite a few pebbles, but Arik figured that he was doing all right for his first attempt. The climbing was slow as the handholds were few. Tedi was good at picking out the best path up the mountain, and the others followed his lead.

When Tedi reached the first ridge, he paused and waited for the others. When Arik was safely on the ridge, Tedi started walking. The ridge was very narrow, but it sloped upward at a good rate. It was not too steep to walk on, and not so level as to be a waste of time. As long as it lasted, it would take time off their climbing. The only problem with the ridge was that it curved around the mountain. If it curved too far, the mountain would block the view of the jungle.

The ridge ended too soon for Tedi's liking, but he saw another ridge above him. He frowned when he saw it sloped in the same direction as the first one, but he put his hands to the rock and began climbing again. He looked down and saw Wylan and Arik below him. When he reached the next ridge, he waited for the others to join him.

"This method is taking us around the mountain," declared Tedi after Wylan and Arik had reached the ridge. "If it takes us too far around the mountain, we will not see the jungle."

"We have little choice," Arik responded as he gazed up at the sky. "Darkness is only a few hours away. Let's follow this ridge to its end and then see what our options are. If we cannot find a ridge going in the other direction, then we will just have to accept the best view we can get."

Tedi suddenly leaped back and whisked his foot across the ridge. Arik looked in time to see a huge spider being kicked off the ridge by Tedi's boot.

"I hate crawly things," shuddered Tedi. "That was as big as my fist. Spiders shouldn't be allowed to grow that big."

"That was a big one," nodded Wylan. "I wonder if it was venomous?"

"Thanks for the cheery thought," scowled Tedi as he turned and proceeded along the ridge.

This second ridge had slightly less slope and was narrower than the first, but it ran for a long time. When Tedi reached the end of its run, he stopped. He frowned as he saw the wide expanse of sea below him. He realized that the ridge had taken them too far around the mountain, and they would need a ridge going in the other direction to view the jungle.

Tedi gazed upward, but he could not find another ridge. He did see a narrow crevice that tilted back towards the jungle and figured that might be the place to get the view they desired. He checked back along the ridge and saw Wylan and Arik approaching. He pointed towards the crevice and both boys stopped to look upward. Arik nodded his agreement.

Tedi looked at the rock wall in front of him and flexed his fingers. He plotted his path up to the crevice and started climbing. As he stuck his hand onto a handhold, he felt something crawling on it. He looked in horror at the huge spider crawling on his hand and heading for his arm. Frantically, he pulled his hand away from the rock wall and shook it violently. The spider managed to cling tightly to his wrist. As Tedi's body shuddered, he brushed his hand against his leg to dislodge the massive spider. Suddenly, Tedi felt himself falling.

Arik heard Tedi scream, and he snapped his eyes off the ridge he was walking on and looked up. He saw Tedi's body fall past the level of the ridge and continue downward. The scream continued for some time before it abruptly halted.

"The Demon's Cauldron is boiling," murmured Master Khatama.

"What?" asked Niki as she looked up at the old merchant.

Master Khatama pointed out to sea. Far in the distance was a black cloud, which was darker than the darkness lying over Lanoir. The cloud was dense and spreading.

"The Demon's Cauldron is the mountain on the Island of Storms," explained Boris. "It is volcanic, but has been dormant for thousands of years. It is believed that the last eruption formed the Island of Storms. It was a long, long time ago."

"But isn't that where the boys are?" questioned Niki.

"I do not know where they are," frowned Master Khatama. "My senses tell me that they are near Ongchi, but my gut tells me that they are on the Island of Storms. Not knowing where they are concerns me greatly."

"But they left in a boat," argued Niki. "Doesn't that mean they were going to the Island of Storms like you told them to?"

"How do you know they left in a boat?" queried Master Khatama. "How do you even know they arrived in Barouk?"

"I was talking with the fishermen this morning," explained Niki. "They really love me. They think it is wonderful that I healed the soldiers. They especially love me for healing the fisherman, too."

"I can believe that," Boris said impatiently, "but how did you learn about the boys?"

"Oh," responded Niki as if she was forced to discuss something less important than herself. "A farmer came into town to talk to the fishermen. I think his name was Bin-sol. He was looking for his nephew, Bin-lu. He suspected that his nephew had been the victim of foul play because he has not visited the farm. The fishermen told Bin-sol that his nephew had been arrested and taken to Ongchi."

"What does this have to do with the boys?" demanded Master Khatama.

"I am getting to that," scowled Niki. "Bin-lu lent his boat to three foreigners. Their horses are stored at the uncle's farm. The horses are not worth enough to replace the boat. That is why the uncle suspected foul play. The boys left here days ago, Master Khatama. I can't imagine how you could think they are still in Ongchi."

Niki returned to her reading, and Boris strode off towards the beach. He started asking fishermen about the boys and finally found one who could describe Arik, Tedi, and Wylan to Master Khatama's satisfaction. He then inquired about directions to Bin-sol's farm. Master Khatama left the beach and walked through the city to the western gate. The soldiers saw him approaching and bowed politely.

"Master Khatama," greeted Officer Tang-shei, "I trust your day is wonderful today. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"I am just off to visit a farm," smiled Boris. "How is Tang-hong recuperating?"

"My brother is as strong as ever," grinned Tang-shei. "This is the cause of great thanks to you and your friend. He should be back on duty," Tang-shei said softly, "but he likes his free time and nobody will complain."

"I am pleased that we were able to help," smiled Master Khatama.  "Do you know why Bin-lu was arrested?"

"Bin-lu is a good boy," frowned Tang-shei. "He made a foolish mistake. He wore the Emperor's jewels in public."

"The Emperor's jewels?" echoed Master Khatama. "What do you mean? What did these jewels look like?"

"All precious things in Lanoir belong to the Emperor," explained Tang-shei. "Bin-lu wore a very expensive necklace one day. That is why he was arrested. Nobody from Barouk would have arrested him," Tang-shei added defensively. "He had the misfortune of choosing the one day, that Imperial troops were riding through the city, to wear his necklace. I fear that we may never see him again. Few return from the presence of the Emperor."

"So he was taken to Ongchi?" queried Master Khatama.

"Oh yes," nodded Tang-shei. "No soldier would want to hold the Emperor's jewels. Bin-lu would be taken straight to the Emperor."

"You have been most helpful," smiled Boris. "Perhaps we can sit and talk when I return from the farm."

"It would be a great pleasure," beamed Tang-shei as he signaled for the gates to be opened.

Boris left the city and followed the directions to Bin-sol's farm. Bin-sol saw the foreigner approaching and greeted him on the path to the barn.

"You must be Bin-sol," declared Master Khatama. "I have heard of your nephew's plight. You have my sorrow and wishes for his safe return."