The Trials Of Ashbarn ( Book 5) (19 page)

Jacob
grabbed one of the protruding shafts and wiggled it free with a crackling sound, then spun towards Amoshi, holding out the blood-coated tip. He pointed back at one of the corpses with it, still looking at Amoshi. “She has
not
become one of these things! Do you hear me? She has not! She is— She is still Athel, and—” Jacob was so rattled he could hardly put a single sentence together. He dropped down to his knees, still clutching the bloody arrow. “It can’t be true,” he whispered weakly.

Amoshi knelt down before him.
“Who’s to say what’s truly become of her?” he said softly. “But you and I are going to find out together.” He offered his hand. “The two of us have to keep moving. She is counting on us.” Jacob accepted the offered hand and was hoisted up. Amoshi pointed in the direction where the attack had come from. Much of the obstructing brush had been trampled by the heavy creatures. “That’s the direction they came from, so that’s the way we’re heading. It seems they were kind enough to leave us a path to follow.”

“I doubt that was their intent,” said Jaco
b, kicking one across the face. He stepped in to kick it once more, then stopped. An unsettling thought occurred to him. “What if these things are more than just mindless beasts? I mean, we have no way of knowing how intelligent or organized they really are.”

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” said Amoshi
, slinging his white composite bow over his shoulder.

“
What if they’re more organized than we think? I mean, what if this was a scouting party, not just a random encounter?  If so...” He waited for Amoshi to catch on.

“Which means they are aware of when this group left
, and are now waiting for them to return,” said Amoshi, suddenly looking rather concerned. He looked Jacob right in the eyes. “This isn’t about you and me anymore. Understand? We must now move faster than ever.” Jacob held his eyes a moment longer, then nodded. “Jacob, we
are
going to find her.”

“Of course we ar
e,” said Jacob, determined. Gripping his staff, he marched towards the opening made by the creatures. The damage done to the foliage was severe, far more than Amoshi could have ever hoped to do with his machete alone. All the better for them. They now moved easily through the smashed undergrowth of the forest. Trampled vines crunched beneath their feet. Trees to either side of the path were also badly damaged, some completely broken, leaving nothing but a shredded stump. Others were just gashed deeply by claw marks.

“I figured they were stronger than us
, but I had no idea,” said Amoshi, running his hand across a slashed tree trunk as he passed. “Best not to engage any more if we can avoid it. Let’s just find Athel and get out.”

The journey went on for some time. Every now and then
, the screeching of some sort of wildlife forced them to freeze in place. “It’s just a bird,” seemed to be Amoshi’s answer to every shriek, howl and yelp that they heard.

Jacob grabbed Amoshi by the shoulder, forcing him to stop. “Wait. Listen.” At first they heard nothing. Even Jacob began to wonder if his own paran
oia was getting the best of him, making him hear things. Then he heard it again. It sounded like dogs snarling off in the distance, this time followed up by a sharp howl. “Was that
also
a bird?”

“I think not,” said Amoshi
dryly. “Follow me, but step only where I do. We must keep our noise to an absolute minimum. And let us pray Nima’s enchantment is still working. For all we know, they’ve already picked up our scent.”

Am
oshi stepped lightly down the premade path, first placing his foot where there was the least amount of vegetation, then allowing his weight to sink into the foothold before stepping again. The skilled tracker was able to move in near silence.

Jacob couldn’t even begin to match his stealth
or pace, but did as he was instructed, placing each foot directly in Amoshi’s prints as he moved along. Because of this, sound was minimal due to the grass and shrubbery already being packed down. While hopping along, Jacob kept his eyes down, more concerned about watching where he stepped than where he was going. Ultimately, he nearly walked into Amoshi’s back.

Amoshi turned
on him angrily. He quickly raised a finger to his lips then pointed off past a line of bushes. When Jacob stretched his neck to peek over the top, his eyes nearly fell from their sockets. He stared in disbelief.

Dozens of thes
e catlike creatures walked around what looked like some sort of primitive campsite. A low fire smoldered at the center of the camp, giving off a thick, spiraling cloud of black smoke. The tall creatures walked on their hind legs with their backs slightly hunched. All had similar heads, looking like that of a wild jackal, but their bodies varied greatly. Some had black fur, long and thick. Others had orange fur which was short and fine. Most were large, with sleek muscles twitching beneath their thick hide with each step. But a few were thin and slender. They slinked around timidly, seemingly to avoid the larger ones.

L
arge golden masses of hay or straw lay piled up around the perimeter. At first they didn’t understand what those could be. Far too flimsy to offer any sort of protection, they were too visible to be used to conceal the camp. What were they being used for? Were they food supplies? Did the creatures eat hay?

One of the piles off to the east side began to shake and
quiver. They watched in awe as one of the giant cats emerged from underneath it. The muscular beast brushed off a few clinging pieces before joining the others. But he couldn’t have been hiding there all this time, could he? To the north, they got a good look as one of the other cats bent down and brushed aside some of the hay. He pulled up some sort of trap door, then sank down into a hidden hollow. He descended a little more with each step, like walking down a stairway.

“They live underground,” whispered Amoshi, me
smerized at the sight. “They use the hay to cover the entrances.”

They watched the cats weave
between one another, seeming to walk around in endless circles, pausing only to hiss and show their teeth to any who invaded their space. There looked to be more than a few standoffs going on at once. The irritated cats would lower their upper bodies into a near crouch, then growl and hiss, fur rising along their backs. The brash posturing went on for a few seconds before they went their separate ways.

“They seem to be very primal in nature,” said Amoshi, fascinated by the display
, seeming to forget why they were here in the first place. “I haven’t seen any fights break out yet, but there is still a lot of tension amongst them. A male-dominated culture, I would guess.”

But Jacob didn’t hear a word he said. His mind was on one thing
, and there she was... He could see Athel standing at the far end of the camp. She was not restrained in any way and didn’t appear to be a prisoner. Jacob’s body felt hot; his mouth went dry. “There she is,” he muttered, nearly overcome by emotion.

“Wait. What?
Oh, I see her,” admitted Amoshi before ducking back down. He pulled at Jacob’s shirt, urging him to do the same. But it was no use. Jacob appeared to be in a trance. “Obviously Nima’s enchantment is still working, or we never would have gotten this close. But they still have eyes, you fool! Get down!”

Alarms were sounding in
the back of Jacob’s head. Part of him knew Amoshi was right, that he needed to drop out of sight. In all likelihood, these creatures probably had superior senses compared to most humans. It was nothing short of a miracle they hadn’t detected the two of them already. Yet he continued to ignore Amoshi’s urgent pleas and the continued pulling at his clothes. With her dark hair filled with colored beads, her unusual bright green eyes and lean, muscled physique, Athel looked stunning. She looked beautiful. She looked... She turned, and their eyes met from afar.

Broken from his trance, Jacob
dropped flat to his stomach alongside Amoshi. “I-I think she saw me!” His forehead began to break out in beads of sweat. “What do we do?”

“Fool!” Amoshi whispered harshly. “Why didn’t you listen to me?
Are you trying to get us killed?” Amoshi tried to think. They couldn’t see underneath the thick brush from where they lay, but neither wanted to risk standing up to see if any were coming. “Fool boy!” Amoshi repeated.

Jacob could feel the heat building under his collar, then working
its way into his face. He felt the heavy beating of his own heart. Did the beating of his heart sound as loud as it seemed? Could they hear it? Was it giving them away? He swallowed hard, then feared
that
might have made too much noise.

“I’m going
to look,” whispered Amoshi, getting up to one knee.

“Careful
now,” answered Jacob, not daring to rise from his flattened position.

Amoshi cautiously
peeked over the bush. The giant cats seemed mostly undisturbed as far as he could tell. They continued to lumber about, the occasional one disappearing beneath one of those yellow stacks. “I think we’re alright,” he groaned, wiping sweat from his temple. “I guess she didn’t see you after all.” He dared to stretch even farther, peeking his head up over the line of bushes. “Did you hear me? You can get up now. Jacob?” Amoshi’s highly tuned senses rose in alarm before ever turning around.
Impossible! They didn’t make a sound
! 

Amoshi spun hard in a flash
. His white bow seemed to sprout from his arm, an arrow notched and ready to take flight. A massive wall of fur crashed into his side, instantly relieving his lungs of air. The black and yellow arrow zipped harmlessly off course, striking a tree several yards away. Pinned to the ground, he struggled against the weight of the beast, but it was no use. Sharp claws slowly sank into his shoulders. Hot, foul air pulsed against his face as the cat’s narrow muzzle came within an inch of his. Warm, sticky drool dripped down around his mouth and cheek, clinging to his face like warm honey.

In trying to turn away from the foul creature, his eyes met those of his friend.
Pinned against the cold ground as well, Jacob’s face was turning blue as the black cat pressed all his weight against his chest. Amoshi watched in horror while it raised its large paw like a hammer and brought it down across Jacob’s face.
We were fools to ever come here
was the last thought that ran through Amoshi’s head. With a blinding crash, darkness swallowed him.

An
icy blast consumed Jacob’s body, forcing his eyes to open. He gasped from the cold and tried to get to his feet, but instead found himself rolling back onto his side, feet and hands bound, held to each other by a single leather cord. After a bit of coughing, he shook fiercely to try and rid himself of the cold water. Jacob’s head throbbed, and his jaw ached from being struck so hard. He was certain it was broken.

With blurry vision, both from
the chilled water and the fact that he wasn’t yet recovered from the knockout blow, he rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. “Who are you? What do you want from me?” he said, inching backward like a caterpillar.

He blinked a few more times,
his vision starting to return. And there she was. Athel stood before him holding an empty wooden bucket. She threw it aside. “Athel?” he whispered, not sure whether or not to trust his eyes. Her clothes were rags, her face covered in dirt. Even her braided hair was a wild, frizzy mess, but it was definitely her. “Athel!” he repeated, this time with more desperation. “Please. You must cut these bonds. We have to get out of here.” She looked at him strangely, tilting her head sideways.

He scooted on his
backside, inching towards her as fast as he could, then stopped at her feet. “Don’t you recognize me? Please, look at me!” he pleaded. She stared at him blankly, expression never changing. “I know you’re still in there,” he growled. “This curse has not taken over your mind. I won’t let it!” He began to thrash about, the leather cords growing tight, cutting into his wrists. Blood started to run between his fingers and over the top of his hands. He didn’t care; he thrashed harder. “I don’t care what it takes. I’ll drag you from here kicking and screaming if I must! I don’t care what anybody says. You’re still in there, and I won’t lose you again. I won’t!”

A subtle
movement to his side distracted him from his tirade. Amoshi was tossed down beside him, hog-tied in a similar fashion. He had been so distracted with Athel, it was only now that he wondered where he was. It was dark, very dark. He was able to see Athel because she was standing right in front of him. But everything around and beyond her was pitch-black. Was it nighttime already?
No
, he thought. There would be at least some light from the moon and stars, even through cloud cover. Then it hit him. Chills danced up and down his spine.
They dragged us underground. We’re in their den
!

Amoshi groaned. He was starting to regain consciousness. Jac
ob kept an eye on Athel while trying to rouse Amoshi. He kicked at him a few times, causing his hands to jerk downward with each thrust due to the leather cord. “Amoshi,” he said, giving one last kick. “You’ve got to get up.” Amoshi stirred again, then rolled up onto his knees with another groan. “That’s it. You’re going to be alright.”

Amoshi’s
face was severely swollen. A large lump high on his cheek was split open across the top. The wound was caked with dry blood. His glanced up at Jacob’s face, then lowered his gaze down to the bindings around his feet and hands. He sighed loudly, head wilting down. All the remaining fight in him left with that breath; the solemn look of defeat was etched all over his face. “So this is how it ends,” he said, voice surprisingly clear and strong.

“Nothing is over yet,
” said Jacob, his voice nearly as resolute. “They’ve kept us alive for some reason.”

Down on all fours
, Amoshi turned to face Athel. “So what are you waiting for?” he growled, already resigned to his fate. “Does killing a man down on his knees make you feel like a warrior?” Her lips curled back in a snarl, exposing her silver teeth, which appeared black in the dim light. With a hiss, she slowly rolled her tongue across them. Her cheek quivered as she let out a long, rolling growl, a deep rumble that sounded more like a tiger’s than a human’s.

“Leave her alone,”
said Jacob.

“Oh, I know why you’re hesitating.
You’re just a lowly pet around here. You need permission from the other dogs, don’t you?” 

“I told you to leave her alone!” Jacob threatened a second time. “I won’t tell you again.”

Amoshi stared at her, unblinking. “Tell me, Athel,
are
you one of these creatures now? Accepted into their little pack? Or are you just here to fill their water bowls?”

Jacob
made a dive towards him, but fell flat on his face. “What are you trying to prove?” he muttered, flopping around like a fish out of water. “This doesn’t solve anything!”

Amoshi turned his attention on Jacob. “Wel
l, it doesn’t exactly make our situation any worse, now does it? What am I trying to prove?” He looked back to Athel. “That this dog is no longer human. And the sooner you see that, the sooner you can face your death with some level of dignity!” Jacob opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. Amoshi lowered his voice. “That’s right, Jacob. The girl you knew is dead. Gone. Everything we feared has come true. Look at this shell of a woman in the eyes, and tell me it’s not so.”

With his head still throbbing and his jaw
on fire, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. After all they had gone through just to find her, Jacob wasn’t sure he had the strength left to look at her again.

“Do it!” A
moshi shouted. “Look into the eyes of the reason both of us are going to die this day.”

R
eluctantly, his gaze rose to meet hers. Those eyes, cold and primitive. Her lip twitched up and down, baring her teeth on and off in a rolling snarl. But those eyes…her eyes couldn’t lie to him. She didn’t recognize him anymore. And what hurt him the most was that he didn’t recognize her either. “We came here to bring home Athel Thenalra.” He was surprised at how steady his voice was. Inside, he was dying. “The woman I care about more than anything in this world was taken from me. So badly I wanted to see her again, and now that my desire has been granted, now that you stand before me...the pain is more than I can bear.”

Without warning she dropped to all fours like a cat and hissed. With her body low to the ground
and her hair draped forward, Jacob could no longer see her face. It was hidden in shadow along with the rest of her body. Not being able to see her face felt like a blessing. He scooted a tad closer to her and spoke softly. “You wear her skin. Your eyes are the same color. Yet I don’t know who you are.” Those last words finally broke his spirit. Like Amoshi, he was now ready to die. “What are you waiting for, beast? Go ahead and do what beasts do.”

Jacob could feel the shadowy figure’s eyes burning a hole through his chest. What
was
she waiting for? He braced, expecting her to pounce at both of them, to rip apart her helpless victims. But she didn’t. Instead, the faceless shadow slinked away into the darkness, creeping away like some sort of spider.

“Where are you going?” shouted Amoshi, still struggling against his bonds. “Come back and finish it!”

The instant silence gave them goose pimples. A moment ago, tempers flared, and they didn’t know whether or not their next breath would be their last. Now they found themselves engulfed in complete silence, surrounded by darkness. They could hear each other breathing. “By the gods, what are they planning?” said Jacob, searching the blackness, half-expecting to be torn apart at any moment.

Th
e eerie silence broke. From the shadows they could hear snarls and low growling. Claws clacked against packed soil as the large cats paced about. “What are you waiting for?” Jacob cried out. “You have us right where you want us! What are you afraid of?” Not being able to see them was the worst part.

D
ark shapes began to emerge. The outlines of massive humanoid cats approached them, stalking slowly as if the incapacitated prisoners still posed a threat. Seeing their death approach was almost a relief. “Cowards,” muttered Amoshi. But as the cats drew nearer, one in particular stood out above the others...

The massive creature
was much larger than the others, and looked like a different being altogether. His black, furry head looked like that of a panther: dark eyes, pointed teeth, and long ears pinned back in a hostile pose. His upper body was massive, muscular...and hairless. From neck to waist, he almost appeared human! The beast even had thick, humanlike hands. But from the waist down, he held the same look of the others: fur-covered legs and large paws. He wore a thin leather cord around his neck bearing a single trinket: a long, hooked tooth, with three red feathers attached.  

Raising a thick, hairless arm, he po
inted at the prisoners and went into a series of grunts and snarls. Jacob and Amoshi were swarmed instantly; large paws that acted far too much like functional human hands hoisted them up. With the straps attaching their feet to their hands being so short, their legs just dangled in the air while the cats carried them away.

At first t
hey struggled and thrashed about, but it was no use. Even without the bindings, they were still completely outmatched physically. As they went deeper into the darkness, their already limited vision was diminished completely. They couldn’t even see the stout arms that held them up.

“They’re
taking us up,” said Amoshi, shouting through the darkness. “I can feel it.”

Sure enough, as soon as Jacob heard th
e words, he felt his body bouncing upward step by step. There was a pause, then a trapdoor snapped open from above. Up they went, emerging through a pile of loosely scattered hay. Even though it was still plenty dark outside, the stars and moon seemed luminous compared to the pitch-blackness moments ago.

Up ahead
they could see the other cat creatures, dozens of them. Burning torches lay scattered across the sandy soil, forming a ring of fire. The creatures hissed and growled, as much at each other as at Jacob and Amoshi when they passed by.

One
of the smaller cats scrambled up to them while they hung in the air. He raised his paw, holding a small blade with incredible dexterity. Who would have thought those paws could grip things so easily? After a series of quick slashes, their bonds fell to the ground. Even with their hands and legs free, there was still no feeling of renewed of hope. No reason to believe they could fight their way out of here. Any one of these beasts would easily make short work of them. Even the smaller ones were three times as strong as any human.

With a light flick
of the wrist from the creatures holding them, they soared over the wall of fire, landing hard at the center of the circle. Spitting sand, they hurried back to their feet. Amoshi rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve some of the pain and stiffness—an immediate reminder of how long their limbs had been bound. He gazed about, thumping his chest angrily with a balled fist. “So these animals think this is all some sort of game? That our deaths are purely for their entertainment?” He looked out through the wall of fire. The beasts’ features seemed to distort while shadows from the flames danced across their menacing faces. The difference in appearance between the ones snarling and the ones smiling was only minor. Through the flickering torchlight and the distortion caused by rising heat, they all looked the same.

Jacob
and Amoshi braced themselves against each other, back to back. They looked out across the catlike faces twisting and warping in waves of heat. “So which one will it be?” Jacob shouted, no longer retaining any regard for his own life. “Who shall be the first to die by my hand?” If he had had his staff, and Amoshi his bow, the odds would have evened up considerably. Both were masters with their chosen weapons and could have at least kept it interesting, no matter how outnumbered they were.

Keeping their backs pressed against each other, they slowly turned in a constant
circle. Not knowing from where their deaths would come from, all they could do was look towards the flames, and hope to see the attack in time. Eventually, death comes for us all, but a man can always decide to choose how he faces it.

Several yards
behind the lines of bloodthirsty cats, Athel stood at the side of the pack’s leader, Otory. She scratched her head, curiously watching the helpless humans. There was something about them...something familiar. Especially the blond-haired human with spiky hair. Why did she feel as if she knew him?

Her
searching thoughts came to a halt when her mind was assaulted by a series of grunts and growls, just noise to anyone else, but she could understand every utterance.
You spotted the weaklings long before our scouts picked up their scents. Why didn’t you warn your brothers?

With the wordless bond formed inside their
heads, she responded in the same way: a strung- out chain of grunts and growls. Even though she knew the language, she didn’t feel as if she’d known it for long. In fact, her memory was quite fuzzy these days, and she often felt confused.
I don’t know,
she answered honestly.
There is just something about those two. I felt as though I used to know them
. She turned to face Otory, her lips still not moving.
I sensed no threat from them
. She looked back into the fiery circle, but couldn’t keep her eyes off the blond man. Something deep inside tugged at her heart. She didn’t understand why, but she felt the urge to help him.
And I still sense no threat
.
They’re nothing more than frightened humans who’ve stumbled upon us by accident. You should just let them go
.