Abbalar Tales ~ 24

 

Abbalar Tales ~ 24 Revisionists 1 

By Len Morgan 

He smiled and bowed with flair.   "So, you are Genna?   Well met…" he said offering his hand.

"It’s a shame we could not meet under better circumstances,” she commented.

"Indeed, but here we are.   I am Skaa." He said.

"I know who you are," she replied in a dismissive manner, “I saw what you did to
Aldor out in the Western Desert,” she said watching his reaction.

"Oh that!  Just a job.  But you have the advantage of me," his rakish smile shone disarmingly.

"Remember I know what you are capable of," she added without smiling.

"Mayhap we should just concentrate on getting out of this place?" Wizomi interjected mildly, endeavouring to diffuse what looked to be a potentially dangerous situation.

Whilst Genna glared, Skaa continued to smile disarmingly with contrived innocence.

They moved on in silence, examining every square foot of the tunnel walls.

"Is this possibly what we are looking for?" he asked pointing out a single off-colour square tile on the outer wall.   So saying he reached out his hand as if to finger it…

"Don't touch!" Wizomi warned barging Skaa unceremoniously aside.   He had already espied the palm-sized tile, located at shoulder height.   He examined the adjacent tiles carefully and the border between them before turning his attention to the palm tile itself.   After minutes of inaction, he leaned forward and planted his left palm in the hand indentation.   Part of the wall turned black as if a door had opened.   Genna saw him frozen against the blackness for an instant; then both it and Wizomi were gone.

.-…-. 

'Aldor, you have to get to them immediately!   I have lost contact with Wizomi.'

He took a quick glance at Jazim, who still lay unmoving on her pallet.

'Head for the cellars but have a care; they will be guarded by Skaa's men,' Orden warned.

'That snake, if he has done anything to harm…'  

Throwing open the door he headed down through the levels of the house, paying scant attention to the shouting and movements around him.   Attackers came at him; he threw them aside like children.   Individuals were no match for him but, mans propensity is for coordinated group action.   He never saw the heavy net they dropped over him or felt the mortal hammer blows that smashed into his skull, in rapid succession, rendering him unconscious.   A normal man would have died, which explained the look of surprise on the face of the hammer wielder on checking his handiwork, "He still lives?"

They opened the nearest cell and dragged him inside, bound his wrists securely behind him and left, locking the door behind them.   Only then did they start to feel safe.

"Three dead and five injured," said Bodley, 

'What manner of creature is he,' Harby thought, why so hard to subdue?   "The mistress must be informed at once."

"What is this?”   Bodley demanded as they approached the rooms occupied by Jazim.  Harby and he, side by side, filled the door.   Glaring at the others suspiciously and denying them entry.

.-…-. 

He had inadvertently been housed in the cell which less than half an hour since had been occupied by Skaa.   The line of plates had been reshuffled and thrown around, brown-grey gloop coagulated in pools, suckling the cold hard granite floor.

Aldor lay unconscious for close to half an hour cold and ill-used.   His eyes opened, scaring a rat, which had been nibbling food remnants, just a hands length from his face.  It jumped and skittered putting distance between them, it was all he could do to calm its thoughts and coax it to gnaw through the rope binding his wrists.

.-…-. 

 Genna pounded the wall, slapping the palm tile repeatedly, willing the portal to open.

"You try!" she demanded of Skaa, forcing him to act.

He looked into her eyes and placed his hand exactly as Wizomi had done "nothing" he said, repeating the action, again and again, to illustrate the point.

"Nothing" she echoed in a flat hopeless voice, betraying her inner feelings.  "It isn't going to work" tears were now evident snaking their way down her cheeks.   She could not remember the last time she had cried; it must have been a long time ago.   She looked askance at the big man, who shook his head and said nothing.

"Noooo…!" She wailed.   He pulled her tenderly to him comforting her, like a child, thumping the wall periodically to signify he hadn’t given up.   Eventually, she stopped crying and they sat, side by side, with nothing to say.   After a while, even her occasional sobs petered out and she lay silent, using him as a backrest, dry-eyed and cried out.

"We have to move on," he said finally, "we can't stay here forever, we will be missed and they will come searching, believe me, they are not nice people."

.-…-. 

   'Where am I,' Aldor thought. 'What am I doing here, wh-- who am I?' 

He looked towards the light, shining through the broken grill, and rolled towards it.   Wriggling through, into the corridor, he walked in the direction he was facing when he landed.   After a few tentative steps he began to run, putting as much distance between himself and that place as he could, he didn’t know why but sensed it was evil.   Ahead he could hear a young woman calling a name, "Wizomi, Wiz!"

.-…-. 

"We have waited long enough," Skaa told her, "they will realise we have escaped and come seeking us.   We have no weapons…"

"Quiet!   I can hear something," they went silent for a moment "somebody is coming," she said, hitting the palm tile again with no more success than before.

.-…-. 

   As he rounded the gentle curve they came into view.   He watched curiously as the big bear-like figure place his bulk defensively, between him and the young woman, squaring himself for action.

.-...-. 

   Skaa crouched low looking around, for something he could use as a weapon, without success.   The figure that came into sight was tall and lean; he had white hair and pale blue eyes just like Wizomi.   Initially, Genna thought it was Wizomi but his bearing was different.   He was more erect, like a warrior, like… she paused, surprised at the trick her mind was playing on her, it was absurd but for a moment she had thought the newcomer was Aldor.   But, his hair was white and his eyes were blue.

"I am lost.   Can you help me?"  He said as seemingly confused.

For moments they looked at each other, not a weapon between them.

"I know not how I came here…" he began.

"I've known comrades to take a blow, like that, to the skull and completely lose their memory," said Skaa sympathetically stepping forward to examine the open wound; he still managed to frisk the newcomer without his being aware.   He was clean, apart from the purse at his belt.   "There's a nasty bump and a clean-cut that has bled quite a bit before congealing.   He rubbed the side of the wounded face and flakes of dry blood fell away, "I'd say you have amnesia."

"Amnwhat…" said Genna.

"Amnesia, a temporary loss of memory," he explained.

 "Then why not just say that.   What caused it?" she asked.

"Obviously in this case it was the blow on the head." Skaa answered with certainty.   "It wasn't a sword cut, the wound is too uneven, it must have been done a week or so ago judging by the extent to which it has healed over.   There's no sign of infection and since it's unlikely to be permanent you will probably get your memory back gradually."

"Do you know what your name is?" she asked him.

"Name?" he said shaking his head, his confusion obvious.

"No matter boy, it will come, eventually it will return," Skaa said reassuringly.

"In the meantime, we have to call him something," Genna said.

"Why?" he asked.

"I think we should call you Raelon!" she said nodding.   "We've seen precious few of them in this strange place" she added.

"You are not from here?" he asked.

She laughed, amused, and he knew at once she would be the one he could trust.

"We are not here from choice," she said

"Raelon" he said trying it, "sounds good."

"It means sewer rat.   They are very intelligent, very resourceful, and they are survivors," said Skaa.

"Well, how do we get out of here?" Raelon asked.

Skaa hit the tile, "still not working," Genna also pushed it, without success.

"Allow me" said Raelon, touching the tile.

The portal opened.

 

(To Be Continued)

Copyright Len Morgan