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“Tandor’s too weak to make the long trek to the cliff,” said Al. “We need to head back to camp and give him a chance to recover.”
“I’ll hold Tandor up,” said Dave, “he hardly weighs more than a feather.”
They retraced their steps back to their butte. Linder was grim-faced but said nothing. With Dave carrying Tandor and the others making a couple of trips, they were able to get their supplies and Tandor up to the dell.
The group sent Hanomer up to the lookout to keep an eye on the mine, while they set up camp. Tandor washed in the stream, then trimmed his hair and beard. Al was roughly the same size as Tandor, and gave him some fresh clothes to wear. They all gathered for a meal. When they had finished, Linder asked Tandor to tell them his story.
Arlana sat beside Thomas, translating for him since he did not know the Common Tongue.
Cleaned and fed, Tandor looked years younger. His eyes seemed more intelligent than they had when they had first found him. He looked each member of the party in the eye. He seemed to make up his mind about something. Straightening up, his face took on more authority than it possessed before. He began this story:
“I spoke slave talk because I thought you were soldiers from Seth. Now I will speak plainly. A few hours walk east of here is the opening of Sheol, the deep pit. The cliff doesn’t drop all the way to the bottom. It drops in a series of steps with flat places in between. My people call those flat places ‘terraces.’ When you stand at the top of the cliff you see the first terrace about seven hundred paces below you. Beyond the first terrace is another cliff, like the first one, and then another terrace.
“As a young lad, I grew up on the second and third terraces as part of a rebel clan. I was well-treated and taught the little knowledge we had. But our rebel clan was in constant danger, and we moved many times. When the Bent Ones from the town of Seth hunted us, we would flee to the lower terraces where the soldiers were afraid to follow. But we could not stay in the lower terraces for long because the dragons would fly up out of the depths of Sheol and attack us. So as soon it was safe to do so, we would ascend back to our home terraces.”
“Why didn’t the dragons just follow you up to the second terrace, Tandor?” asked Al.
“They are too heavy. They can’t fly in the thin air. Only the youngest and lightest, the brown dragons, can even make it up to fourth terrace. The big monsters have to stay further down.”
“I am sorry for the interruption. Please go on with your story.”
“About twenty years ago, when I was a young battle chief for my clan, the rebel clans came together for a raid, to free our people who had become slaves of the Bent Ones. I was proud. I was reckless. And I led my band into an ambush. I was captured and made a slave in Seth.
“Most slaves, especially those in the lowest tier, don’t last long in captivity. However, I was filled with shame and anger. I learned every skill I could and that made me useful. I survived as a slave more than two years and did not give way to despair—the slave’s curse and death sentence.
“Finally, my chance came to escape during one of the wars and I joined the Guild in Seth, an outlaw group. I was with the Guild for many years, becoming one of their captains. When we could, we bargained and sold our services to the soldiers and minions of the lord of Seth.”
“I don’t get it,” said Linder, “why would they want your services when they have slaves?”
“Worker slaves give in to despair and stop caring if they live or die. The soldiers and slave taskmasters of the lord of Seth are given tasks to perform and excuses for failure are not accepted. They are desperate not to fail. When it looks like they will fall behind the deadline, they come to us and secretly pay for us to finish it on time. The lord of Seth does not know.
“Still, we were enemies of the Bent Ones and every once in a while, the truce would be broken and the lord of Seth would order the Guild to be hunted. When he hunted us, we would hunt them and become true outlaws until the truce was again secretly established.
“A little over a year ago, I heard rumors in the town that this powerful lord, Meglir, on the continent of Feiramar, had managed to get out of some sort of a trap and wanted to overrun the Guardians, the long-time enemies of the Bent Ones. The Guild was quietly paid to haul supplies by wagon to the seaport outside the Rim Mountains. We pretended to be slaves on behalf of the logistic captains.
“As Guild members, we were against the Bent Ones. We did everything we could to damage the cargo for the fleet. We loaded contaminated food, mis-delivered weapons, and separated arrows from bows. In short, we secretly caused trouble that would become apparent when the Black Fleet fought. We knew we were taking a foolish chance but wanted to strike out.
“When the Black Fleet came back defeated, the Bent Ones went after the Guild with great fury. They were harsh with every one of the Guild members they caught. They gave me hard labor. After the second Necroan attack on the mine, they sent me to the Southern Marches—a place for me to die.”
“So, what happened to Meglir?” asked Al.
“Oh Meglir? That’s an interesting question. Hundreds of years ago, Meglir was king over Grishfang as well as king in Feiramar. He expected to take the throne here again when he returned. Had he defeated the Guardians, he likely would have been made king in the Council of Thirteen.
“But he was defeated. When he demanded to be made king, the Bent Council said ‘No!’ Instead they gave him the holding of a minor lord here in the south. The previous lord never made it back from the war. The council is reminding Meglir of his failure. Meglir’s not even on the Bent Council now. Instead he sits brooding in his black fortress, plotting his revenge. He’s the one who decided to reopen the Necroan mine. He has lots of slaves and the soldiers he assigns to guard duty at the mine are being punished. The soldiers only spend a quarter of the time actually guarding the mine, so they can always hope they’re not there when the Necroans attack. The slaves always die.”
“Have you ever heard of a lieutenant of Meglir called Bigelow?” asked Linder.
“Aye, I have,” said Tandor. “Meglir was given two fortresses. He took the larger one and gave the smaller one to his lieutenant, Bigelow. Bigelow is now lord of Seth. He’s an ordinary man like me and a traitor to his kind. I guess Meglir trusts him, as much as he trusts anyone, because without Meglir’s protection, Bigelow would end up a slave.”
Al looked around the group as if seeking agreement. Then Al turned to Tandor and said, “Tandor, we appreciate the information you have given us. We give you your freedom. Return to your people. We have to head off soon, however we’ll leave you here with enough food until you get your strength back. We do ask for your word that you will not tell of us if you are captured.”
“That’s kind of you to give me leave to go, sir. I’ve been away from my people on the terraces for more than twenty years. I’m not sure what I’d be coming back to. But before you go, you fine people have asked me many questions. I have a few myself. May I ask them?”
“You may ask,” said Al after getting nods from his friends, “but I’m not sure if we can answer them.”
“You have equipment I’ve never seen before.” Here Tandor pointed at Thomas’ rifle. “From your questions about Grishfang, you don’t even know about this place what the youngest child of a slave would know. I don’t think you’re stupid. You’re from someplace else.
“Slaves and Guild members have a prophecy that at some time in the future, rescuers will come and lead us to victory over the Bent Ones. Now, I happen to believe in prophecy. And I hope you’re here to fulfill it. So I ask, where are you from and why are you here?”
Al took a deep breath and looked at his friends. “Stop me if I say too much.” Then, turning to Tandor he said, “You talked about how the rebels attacked the Bent Ones trying to recapture slaves. Well, we’re here on that kind of rescue mission. Bigelow took two people from us, people we love very much, and we’re here to get them back.
“You’re right, we don’t know our way around. We’re doing the best we can. Right now, we need to get into Bigelow’s fortress and hope we can think of a rescue plan once we get there.”
“Are you from Feiramar?”
“Not exactly,” said Al. “Dave and Arlana are from Feiramar, but the rest of us are not.”
Tandor waited, expecting Al to say more. When Al pursed his lips, Tandor said, “Keeping things to yourself. I don’t blame you. As I said, I’ve been away from my people for a long time. I don’t know what I’ll find if I go back. I do know, sure as a viper will bite the hand that pets it, that you’ll be in irons five minutes after you reach the gates of Seth. I can help you. I can keep you safe. I have friends back in town and I think they’ll remember me and help us.”
Al looked around the circle. Dave nodded his head. Al turned back to Tandor. “Tandor, you are right, we don’t know the first thing about this place we’re going to—but how can you help us?”
“Well for one thing, you need know that you’re in the country of Grishfang now. Grishfang is full of slaves. These slaves are under the authority of other slaves. There are only a few Bent Ones. The Bent Ones have Apemen, Halfmen, and soldiers to support them.”
“Are these slaves Ancients?” asked Arlana. “Do they live for hundreds of years?”
“Oh, no ma’am, we might live for forty or fifty years, but we usually die sooner because of all of the beatings and whipping.”
“Oh,” said Arlana, half to herself, “You are Lesser Men.”
Dave saw Tandor’s eyes widen in surprise. “You truly are Ancients then? You really are going to fulfill the prophecy.”
“Whoa,” said Dave. “Not so fast. First of all, most of us are like you and we’re not Ancients. Secondly, we’re here to rescue our friends and escape. You need to know that. I won’t have you helping us thinking that we’re going to stay and help you escape the Bent Ones. We want to rescue our friends and go home.”
Tandor smiled. “Funny thing about prophecy. It has a way of coming true whether people believe it or even know about it. I’ll help you rescue your friends. Then I’ll either be going back to my people or home with you if you’ll have me. Either way I’m your man on this quest.”
“Okay Tandor,” said Al. “so how do you keep us from being captured five minutes after we enter Bigelow’s town?”
“First,” said Tandor, “we need to go back to the mine and get clothes and weapons from the dead guards and from the slaves. The guards also have badges and passes that we’ll need. Next—”
“Whoa,” said Linder, “we can’t go back to the mine. By now the first wagon will have arrived and we’ll be spotted.”
“Aye,” said Tandor, looking up at the sun, “the first supply wagon will be there. But those soldiers won’t stay to look around. They’ll be racing back to Seth, whipping their poor horses all the way. No, by now the mine is empty again. Bigelow will need a few weeks to round up enough new slaves to consider reopening the mine.
“That’s step one. Next, even with disguises, we can’t go up the main road to Seth. Ahead, on the road, we’ll be blocked by one of the main gates. A party of soldiers coming from the mine after a wipeout would be highly suspicious.
“There’s a better way. The wall that surrounds Seth crosses the plain and then makes a sharp bend northwest and runs right along the edge of the escarpment. That part is less well guarded and only has a few small gates for patrols that go partway down the escarpment to recapture escaped slaves.
“My plan would be to head straight for the cliff and then down to the second terrace to a place I know where we can find water and food until the time is right. When Bigelow sends out raiding parties to recapture slaves, we’ll wear our disguises and pretend we’re a returning patrol with a couple of escaped slaves.”
Al turned white and put his head into his hands. “Oh no! Poor Pam and Little Thomas. What’s going to happen to them while we’re waiting?”
“It’s the only way,” said Tandor. “You have to trust me.”
“I know it’s the only way,” said Al. “That’s what makes the wait so dreadful.”
Just then Hanomer returned from the lookout ledge. “Friends, the soldiers in the black armor have come and gone like Meglir himself was after them.”