The Ancient Enemy (7 page)

He reached the tree after a few minutes of careful movement. The donkey was little more now than a pile of bones. They had sucked out the brain and eaten the tongue, gobbled the eyes and gnawed down the ears. Five of the pyluk lay down where they'd eaten and began to drowse. Soon there were loud snores from their direction.

The two remaining, chosen as the watch by some process invisible to Thru, rummaged through the bones for a while, gnawing and sucking on them for any last scraps of the donkey. Soon they tired of this increasingly futile exercise, and turned their attention to Meu.

Thru already had his bow ready and an arrow nocked. He drew and took aim and was interrupted by a gentle tap on the shoulder. He almost released by accident, but looked back and found Utnapishtim there, a finger pressed to his lips in the universal signal for silence.

"Do not shoot," said the Assenzi in a tiny whisper. "Better to free Meu and make a run for it."

Thru's heart was still palpitating in his chest, but he slid back behind the tree where the Assenzi was waiting.

"Free Meu?"

"First, we must take their spears."

Thru nodded. He had considered that, but taking the spears without attracting notice had seemed impossible.

"How?"

The Assenzi waved a hand gently and closed his eyes.

Thru tried to still his heart. In the temple precinct, Meu gave a gasp and then a scream. The other pyluk shifted in their sleep and one of them growled something. The pyluk with Meu growled back. Meu was still sobbing and gasping.

Utnapishtim had gone into a trance state, with one slim hand held out in front of him and the other crossed upon his chest.

A sense of slow-rising tension had developed, as if a storm was gathering. Thru thought he heard odd little sounds, squeaks and cries as if mice were arguing in the undergrowth.

The cries from Meu had ceased. Did he still live? Thru peered around the trunk of the tree. The two pyluk that had been torturing him had nodded off. They were sitting with their backs to the temple, heads on their chests, snoring like the others.

Meu, abandoned once more, was now lying on his front, with his arms pulled behind his back. Thru glanced back at the Assenzi. Utnapishtim's eyes opened, and he gave Thru a nod.

Taking a deep breath Thru stepped out into plain view and took hold of four of the spears. They were even heavier than he had expected, and he almost dropped them, recovering at the last moment. He moved them behind the oak and took them back to the edge of a cliff and tossed them down.

They fell into darkness far below.

Thru was already back at the tree. The pyluk still slept. He seized the other three spears and stepped around the tree, where he tripped on a root and almost fell over. He spun around, wobbled, and felt a small hand grip his shoulder and steady him at the critical moment.

He stood there, breathing hard; the Assenzi was looking back at him with wide-open eyes. Then Utnapishtim cracked a thin smile.

The pyluk continued to snore. Thru swallowed, took a breath, and carefully made his way to the cliff, where he threw the long spears away.

Back behind the old oak tree, the Assenzi was in meditation again.

Thru peered around the tree. The pyluk still slept, gorged on meat, with a little help from the magic of the Assenzi.

Utnapishtim's eyes opened once more.

"Now, young Thru, we must free the donkey, load poor Meu on its back, and get away down the trail. The pyluk will sleep for a while."

"Yes, Utnapishtim. Why not kill them while they sleep?"

"My spell is fragile; they would wake up before we could finish them."

Thru steadied his nerves, but kept his bow drawn, arrow ready as he stepped quietly across the plateau, slipped into the temple precinct, and approached the donkey.

The poor animal had exhausted itself. The rope was wet with foam, its jaw and front similarly soaked. It stood there trembling, eyes rolling a little as he approached.

Thru unstrung the arrow, put it in his quiver, and shipped the bow over his shoulder. He cut the rope with his knife and led the donkey past the pyluk. It wanted to bolt, but could not even raise a snort for some reason. More magic, he assumed.

Now they went past the two pyluk who were supposed to be on watch. Meu lay on the ground, wrists and ankles bound, breathing harshly.

Thru stopped the donkey and shook his friend to awareness.

Meu gasped at the touch. He opened his mouth and let his lips slip into a snarl as he struggled to contain any sound.

Thru waited. Meu got himself under control. "They broke my arm," Meu whispered.

Thru winced. "Have to get you on the donkey; can you stand?"

"Don't know. Think so. They didn't break my legs."

Thru cut Meu's bonds. Meu grunted a couple of times as Thru helped him sit up and get to his knees. Standing took another big effort, but at last he was up.

Thru held the donkey's head while Meu used his good arm to help pull himself across the donkey's back. He sobbed from the pain, but managed to get himself in position with one leg on either side. Thru led the donkey back past the two pyluk, out of the temple precinct, and onto the trail off the hilltop. None of the pyluk stirred.

Utnapishtim remained behind, his hand held out before him as if he were blessing the pyluk where they slept.

Utnapishtim sent a prayer after the young mots and the donkey, urging them to their best speed. His spell would hold the pyluk for as long as he remained close by, and for a while afterward, but pyluk were astonishingly sensitive to the presence of prey and would notice its sudden absence and awaken, despite the enchantment under which they lay.

The sound of the donkey's hooves faded, and still he held the pyluk fast, though now there were some snorts and mutters from the sleepers.

It was a lonely moment for the ancient being, and one that brought up terrible memories from the long, long ago, when pyluk were far more common in the world, and they and their dread master, Karnemin the Great, were engaged in a war to conquer the Assenzi and expunge them from the world. In that time the Assenzi had developed their sensitivity to the presence of the lizard men. Utnapishtim cursed his own failings; he had sensed them, but had lost them again in those canyons and thus been taken by surprise.

More snorts from the sleepers. He pushed away the regrets and memories and concentrated on maintaining the spell. If he could build up a sufficient lead, then the youngsters would have a good chance of getting clean away. Time passed. High above, hawks circled in the calm air, oblivious to the terrible events on the hilltop below. Some crows flew past and settled in trees farther down the slope.

The moment of decision was come. The pyluk still snored, but fretfully. The spell would hold them for a while longer, but not forever.

Carefully the Assenzi backed away, moving to the top of the trail, then turning and running as fast as his ancient legs could carry him. Sooner or later the pyluk would awake, and it would all become a question of speed. He consoled himself with the thought that at least the lizard men would not have their long spears.

As he ran, struggling for enough breath, he kept seeing the beauty of the land spread out in front of him and marveled at the terrible change that had come over his appreciation of the scene. Whereas before he had seen it as the essence of natural tranquillity under the midday sun, now it was but the backdrop to a nightmarish race against death. He also marveled at the fact that despite having lived a hundred thousand years, he was not yet ready to surrender his life. This was a question to be mulled over with Cutshamakim, if he survived.

He made the first turn on the trail and hurried down the stony track. It was imperative that he not turn his ankle there. It was going to be a close-run thing as it was, without any further difficulties.

The crows in the trees lifted up as he ran beneath them. They turned and flew up to the temple roof, where they settled with loud cries, harsh
caw-caw-caws
that rang out over the hillside. The Assenzi's heart sank.

The first bellow of rage ripped the air up above. Uzzieh Utnapishtim amazed himself by increasing his pace, bounding down the stony track like a skinny mountain goat.

The pyluk were awake, and they were angry! They turned for their spears and found them gone. Their rage became incandescent. Down the trail they bounded, determined to catch and rend the fugitives.

Far ahead Thru flew along with the donkey, trying to hold the terrified beast back. It seemed ready to launch itself straight off the cliffs rather than linger in the neighborhood of the pyluk. Several times Meu was almost thrown, and more than once he would have been tossed down a cliff but for Thru's quick hand.

Thru hauled on the rein, but the donkey was insensible to that kind of discomfort. Meu did his best by clamping his legs around the little donkey's chest, but even that had only limited effectiveness. The donkey had watched its stallmate killed and eaten right before its eyes. Come what might, this donkey was going home, to safety.

A plan formed itself in Thru's mind.

Just past the Exwem Stream where this had all started was the gorge of the Mile Out Stream. This was covered by a narrow rope bridge held up by two heavy ropes. If they could hold the pyluk off the bridge and cut the ropes, they could surely buy enough time to reach the village in the valley below.

They came out on the high meadow, still in the lead.

When he was halfway across he looked back and saw the Assenzi hurrying after him in a rapid shuffling run. Thru could not slow his pace—the pyluk were not too far behind, and the donkey knew it.

They had reached the point where the meadow narrowed and the cliffs drew in on either side when the screams of the pyluk sounded behind them.

"Have to get to Mile Out bridge and cut the ropes!" Thru bellowed back to Utnapishtim, who waved a hand to acknowledge his words.

They looked back, and saw that the pyluk were just starting across the meadow. They increased their own speed and raced toward the narrow cleft in the cliffs down which the trail proceeded.

At the edge of the meadow, beside the entrance to the trail, was a fallen tree. Thru took position behind it, drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

The pyluk came on with no attempt to shield themselves, berserk with anger.

The Assenzi went past and hurried after the donkey and Meu. It was up to Thru to slow the pyluk down.

Thru took careful aim. He recalled Master Sassadzu's kyo class of archery, and let himself flow into the arrow. He made himself a tree to support the bow. It was a good bow, even a great one. His father had produced a masterpiece in this particular bow, and Thru prayed that he would not dishonor it.

The first arrow flew straight and true and sprouted from the throat of the leading pyluk, which gave a harsh shriek and fell to the ground, where it thrashed in the death throes.

With a wild series of leaps and hurdles the pyluk spread themselves out across the meadow, moving with the alarming rapidity of lizards in the hot sun.

Thru had brought up his second arrow and he aimed and released in the same moment, now in the full flow of archery kyo. The target jigged to the right, but too late and emitted a gasping scream as the arrow took it in the belly.

The rest of the pyluk had gone to ground, folding themselves into the terrain. Thru chewed his lip, considering the situation. Pyluk were the masters of stalking and concealment, able to hide in a fold of ground or a crack in the rocks. They were creeping up on him, he was certain, but he saw nothing. The tension grew as he cast his eyes this way and that. He whirled at a sudden movement and his arrow sank into the shoulder of the pyluk that was leaping toward him.

Thru ran. The wounded pyluk was still coming, as were the others and Thru was in a footrace for his life. He sprang down the trail, leaping from boulder to boulder where it was possible, and amazingly, he gained a little on the lizard men.

At the next bend he was able to turn and nock an arrow.

The pyluk dived for cover, but he shot a fourth, the arrow lodging in a leg so it could not keep up in the pursuit. That meant there were but three fully active pyluk left. And only two arrows with steel bodkins. All the rest were tipped with small flint heads designed for rabbits. They might wound pyluk, but would not stop them.

Thru edged backward. The pyluk would be moving closer; they were the absolute masters of movement while retaining cover.

After a few more backward steps he put up his bow and ran again.

He got to the next bend still ahead of them, and he turned and nocked an arrow. There was a flash of lizardskin and then nothing. No targets. He waited half a minute, then turned and ran again.

Thus went the deadly game down the trail, over the Exwem Stream crossing, and on to the Mile Out Stream gorge and the rope bridge. Thru rounded a curve and the donkey came into view, halfway over the rope bridge. The Assenzi was puffing along just behind.

Thru shouted a warning and saw the Assenzi's pace pick up. Thru pushed his weary legs into a sprint. Every second counted now.

Behind him the pyluk exploded around the corner. As they caught sight of the bridge they vented chilling shrieks. They hated all such works of civilization.

Rocks started flying past him; they were almost in range. One nicked his leg just above the knee, and he almost went down, but kept his feet somehow and staggered on. A rock the size of his fist skidded by, bouncing off the rocky trail.

Thru jammed to a stop, spun around, and drew his bow. A rock missed him by an inch or less, and then he had the arrow aimed, and the pyluk dived for cover.

There wasn't much cover to be had there in the narrow canyon. Thru got a shot at one and took it, but again only to wound in the shoulder. He held the position for a few moments, then started backtracking to the bridge, still holding bow and arrow ready.

A rock came hurtling toward him, and he had to skip aside. Another bounced in front of him and struck the bridge pole behind him with a loud thwak. He turned and ran onto the bridge.