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Linder, Tandor, Thomas, and Makalo had just arrived at the Eagle village on their way back to the swamp and home. Their joy, beyond hope, at finding Pam and Little Thomas safe in the Eagle village still filled Linder with an optimism about the future he hadn’t felt since he had heard about the kidnapping. Tomorrow when they took them to see Al—Linder could imagine the look of surprise and delight on Al’s face. Then they could head home.
Pam had a long line of villagers coming to see her. She was firmly established as the village healer. I hope Loktor isn’t going to make trouble when we take her back to Al tomorrow.
Still, Linder’s optimism was beginning to give way to a feeling of uneasiness. He had a growing sense of foreboding that told him trouble was brewing.
I’m supposed to be a man of logic, a believer in cause and effect. So why do I give so much credence to these feelings?
“Perhaps, because they always prove to be correct,” he muttered to himself.
His misgivings made him restless, and he began to pace. Pam gave him a quizzical look as if to say: “Why are you disturbing my patients?”
She’s going to be awhile. I’ve broken one of my rules and that’s why I’m feeling this way. Whenever I make camp, I always plan an emergency escape route. I didn’t this time.
Having realized the source of his unease, he left the large healing tent and began walking around the village. The guards seemed to be in place and alert. Where would I go if we had to leave in a hurry?
He wandered over to the escarpment that led to the fourth terrace. It was not well guarded and he began to search along the rim for both a path down, and a hiding place. He saw several possibilities, all of which he disregarded either because the descent was too treacherous or because they would be too visible from the rim. Finally, he found what he wanted, a crevice that sloped down about fifteen meters and then ended at a ledge. He tested the descent. It was easy enough that they could manage it even in the dark. There were several shallow caves and possible paths for exiting the ledge to even lower levels.
His conscience satisfied, Linder headed back to the healing tent. He had learned when he first came, that about once a week, Loktor, the chieftain of the Eagles, issued a new password that had to be used to re-enter the camp. Earlier this evening the new password, “dragon’s beard,” had been passed from mouth to mouth.
As twilight deepened, Linder saw an Eagle clan member in ordinary worker’s garb, gathering firewood. Something about the gatherer alerted Linder’s suspicions. The man was just too aware of his surroundings, constantly checking for others. In a zig zag route, the gatherer moved further and further from the camp and seemed to be searching for firewood in a place where there were few guards and little deadwood. The man waved to one guard as he approached, and the guard waved back.
The hair on the back of Linder’s head stood up. He remained stock still in deep shadow. When the gatherer’s back was turned, Linder advanced quietly to the next shadow, far enough away that he would not be heard.
When well past the camp, the gatherer looked around searchingly, then dropped his bundle of sticks and walking rapidly, went deeper into the forest. Linder crept after him, listening for the cracks of breaking deadwood, to keep on his trail.
Finally, he heard the hoot of a night bird, only to be answered by an answering hoot. Maybe he’s just meeting his lady love, thought Linder. But he didn’t believe it.
Coming to the edge of a clearing, Linder heard subdued voices ahead of him and made out the words, “dragon’s beard.” Now there was no doubt. Linder moved back to the camp as quickly as he could, without making a racket. When he reached the perimeter, he gave the new password to the guard and said, “There are men in the woods dressed like us. I heard one of our people giving them the new password. We’re being attacked by Bigelow!”
“Stranger, how do I know it’s not you who’s part of the attack, even though you know the password?”
“You have to tell Loktor, the chief, before it’s too late.”
“I can’t leave my post. You tell him.”
As Linder left, he saw a couple of men approach the sentry, and give the password. One stayed to talk and the other ambled into camp.
It’s too late. There’s no time to try to find Loktor. I have to get my people out of here.
Linder ran back to the healing tent and said breathlessly, “We have to leave now! We’re under attack.”
Pam was just putting her supplies away. The others looked at Linder uncomprehendingly.
“Now!” Linder shouted. At his tone, everyone began to move. Linder gave them thirty seconds to gather their things and then led them off to the cliff edge. The camp was still quiet. Bigelow is getting his infiltrators into position and will attack in a concerted manner when all of his soldiers are in position. We still have time to get to the cliff edge before the carnage begins.
Reaching the cliff edge, Linder swore under his breath when he realized they were about forty meters from where he wanted to be. But he soon found the path down.
“I’ll go first, then Pam, and Little Thomas.” Linder was already three steps down the narrow trail, helping Pam find her way, when he saw Tandor hesitate and then dash back toward camp. Thomas and Makalo stayed with them. Thomas occasionally took Little Thomas’s hand when Pam had to negotiate a difficult part of the descent. Makalo kept an eye on the top of the escarpment, in case an enemy appeared.
Pam had Little Thomas by the hand while Linder guided her steps. They made it to the first ledge. Linder could hear shouting and the clash of weapons coming from the camp—the assault had begun.
Tandor reappeared at the escarpment edge, breathless, and scrambled down the trail at a reckless pace. Linder had the party hide in a shallow cave. The shouting of battle, the screams of the dying, and the clash of weapons—like hundreds of hammers beating on anvils—filled the air.
The six huddled together in silence. Even Little Thomas seemed to recognize the danger and did not whimper or cry out. At long last, the sound of battle diminished. Only the occasional scream of a wounded man filled the night air.
Linder quietly told them of the events that led to their escape. He described his search for the path, the traitor, and how he had tried to warn Loktor. “I knew I had no time to find him. I chose to save us instead.”
They stayed hidden for another two hours, and then Linder led them further down the cliff face. In the dark, it was hard going, and treacherous.
There was a slide of rock, and Pam cried out. “Are you okay?” whispered Linder.
“No, I stepped on a loose rock, and badly twisted my ankle.”
“Is it broken?”
“I can’t tell for sure. I know I can’t put any weight on it.”
“Okay,” said Linder, “we have to go to ground.”
Linder left Pam and Little Thomas with Thomas while he, Makalo, and Tandor searched for a place where they could hold out until Pam was well enough to travel. That meant water, shelter, and food.
Linder moved southeast along the narrow shelf until he found a small stream of water cascading down the cliff face, and a couple of shallow indentations, but nothing that would protect them for any length of time. Finally, he found a round hole, about two meters in diameter with a tell-tale trace of round, pebbly gravel cascading down. Rock-borer, he thought. That means it goes in a long way, but what if the borer comes back?
Rock-borers moved at a slow walk but were virtually unkillable and unstoppable.
I have to hook up some kind of warning system, for the borer would never follow us along the cliff face.
Linder rejoined the others to compare notes. Everyone had found something, but his entrance seemed the best. No one wanted to hang out with a rock-borer, but ultimately Linder convinced them, that with proper safeguards, the tunnel he had found could work.
After immobilizing Pam’s ankle, they slowly made their way to the cave entrance, with Linder and Thomas half supporting and half carrying her. Pam and Little Thomas waited at the round entrance while the others explored the interior. About one hundred paces in, the round tunnel entered a rock chamber with a small trickle of water on the far wall. There were several side chambers and a pebbly floor left over by the borer. Lumi-lichen gave the space a pale green-yellow sheen that kept the chamber from being completely dark, even when they covered their light gourds.
“I think we have shelter and water. Now we only have to worry about food,” said Linder.
“I think I smelled a rock pigeon rookery nearby. That should provide us with eggs. And the pigeons can be delicious,” said Tandor.
“I think we have enough food for a few days, and I need to set up our watches in case that borer returns. If you like, why not have a look for your rock pigeons,” said Linder.
There was only one borer tunnel into and out of the chambers they had chosen, so Linder arranged it so that someone was always two hundred paces further in on a small rise watching and listening for the return of the borer.
Pam pronounced her ankle severely sprained, but not broken. Everyone worked to make themselves at home. After they were settled, Tandor approached Linder. He clearly had something on his mind.
“Linder,” said Tandor, “When Al hears Chartrand and Larsen’s news, he will head straight for the Eagles and into Bigelow’s clutches. I must let Al know that Pam is safe, and warn them not to journey to the Eagles.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one to go?” asked Linder.
“Al depends on you to keep Pam safe. Besides, I know my way around the terraces and have the trust of the rebel tribes.”
“How are you going to do it?”
“The third terrace has too many enemies, but I think the fourth terrace will still be relatively free, except for small dragons. I will use that.” Tandor packed up and was gone in fifteen minutes.
The days passed uneventfully. They filled their time with guard duty and foraging for food. A week later Tandor returned, emaciated, and his clothes in rags. Bigelow was already on the fourth terrace. His soldiers had hounded Tandor, and only now had he been able to return.
After three weeks, Pam insisted she was well enough to travel, but Linder wondered if she wasn’t letting her concern for Al overshadow her judgment. As a consequence, he had been postponing their journey until he was sure. Today he was taking Pam on a small climbing test to see how her ankle performed.
She was better going down the cliff than climbing up. More than once, her saw her wince as she had to stress her ankle to reach for an awkwardly-situated rock projection. When they returned, he was still unsure.
“What’s wrong with everybody?” asked Pam.
Linder looked at the cave mouth. Everyone except Makalo was sitting outside the tunnel entrance with their supplies piled around them.