Chapter 14

Brian’s point of view

“You don’t believe me, do you?” I asked in a monotone voice.

“Brian,” Nick sighed, “I didn’t say that.”

He sat by my bedside. I was stuck in hospital until I recovered again. It seemed as if this was where I ended up half the time, nowadays. My pillow propped me upright, as it hurt to move my head too much. The painkillers were staring to wear off again, but I coped with it for now.

“You didn’t say you DO, though.” I reasoned.

“That’s not the point, Brian.” Nick hissed. “Hear me out a sec, will you?”

I nodded slowly.

“I want to believe you,” he began, “but even if it is true, it’s impossible! We were all there that night, and you, like the rest of us, saw him die.”

“Nick, buddy, I know, but don’t you believe in the remote possibility that he still exists here somehow?”

He looked down sadly, and I knew he knew that I wasn’t going to like his answer.

He bit his lip, “Sorry, Brian. This is a bit farfetched for me.”

I clenched my teeth together, and hoped Nick wouldn’t notice. I felt angry that no one seemed to believe me even a little bit, especially Nick: my best friend in the band and closest brother.

He must have noticed, as he suddenly appeared awkward sitting there, nervous and at fault.

“Bri, I didn’t mean to-“ he began, but I cut him off sharply.

“Forget it, man!” I sulked. “No one else believes me, so why should you?”

He looked very guilty and ashamed with himself after that last statement. He frowned with concern and put his hand on my shoulder: “Brian, please, don’t!”

“Just go!” I snapped, roughly shoving his hand away.

Yet, in doing this, I impulsively inclined my head slightly, causing a searing pain to hit my brain. I screwed my eyes shut and sucked air in sharply as I clutched the back of my head with a vice-like grip.

“Woah, take it easy, buddy!” Nick’s panicked voice attempted to comfort.

I felt his hands gently lowering me back onto the pillow, and he offered to get the doctor for me. I was suddenly grateful to him, doing this after I’d just essentially told him to get lost.

“No, stay!” I insisted.

“But… what about your head?” he quizzed.

“Leave it!” I grabbed his arm and pulled him next to me. “It’s not the first time!”

“Huh?” He looked completely blank yet worried.

“I’ve heard his voice before this!” I persisted. “Only once, and it was a lot less hazy this time.”

“Brian?” Nick now looked afraid of me. I let go of his sleeve guiltily.

“Nick, I don’t care if you don’t believe me; I’m telling you anyway. He was saying something about no one being different, and prejudice not being shunned. He wanted to know everything.”

“Everything? About what?”

“He didn’t say,” I sighed, “but you probably think I’m crazy now.”

“No….”

I looked up. “You don’t?”

“Not really. Do you want me to get a doctor for those painkillers for you?”

I smiled, “Please.”

Kevin’s point of view

A few days passed, and most of the new escape attempts worked. Most of them weren’t actually noticed as missing by the guards for a few days at least. I accepted Flyer’s invitation to help, and was placed in the next gang of ‘Cavers’ – the nickname for the slaves who helped cause a controlled cave in for the escape plan.

I sat regaining some strength with my free time. I never seemed to have enough. It also felt very tranquil, which would help calm my nerves. I didn’t want to back out from sudden fear of being caught.

“Kevin!” Flyer’s voice carried across the cavern to me.

My eyes snapped open.

“You coming or not?”

“Yeah, sure,” I muttered, standing up.

As usual, I let him sit on my shoulder. “So, what do we do exactly?”

“Go to the storeroom, grab a staff. You’ll need it.” Flyer instructed. “Get one for Kallur too!”

“Kallur? I haven’t met him.”

“He’s the kinda guy you’d like to talk to: strong, and determined!”

I grinned and let Flyer guide me to the rest of the group: Cavers, like me and Flyer. It was dark in the cavern he led me too, so I could barely make much out, even with heightened vision from my Soul Creature roots.

“Yer late, young’un!” a deep, bass voice reverberated around the walls, ceiling and floor.

“Sorry, Kallur. Got a bit held up. Kevin brought you a staff.” Flyer explained hastily.

I felt one of the staffs I was holding wrenched with little effort from my hand.

“Och, tah, mate!” he thanked.

Judging from the way his voice seemed to come from above, I guessed he was taller than I was.

“Are we all ready?” Flyer asked the other creatures in the chamber. Murmurs of affirmation answered.

“Gud, gud!” Kammur commented. “Nae more time wasted, lads. Get goin’, yer ken?”

I felt Flyer take flight and fly ahead. I stood gripping the staff tightly, hoping this would work this time. Maybe the guards had caught onto the plan now it had worked several times? Maybe they were lying in wait? Maybe luck would abandon us and we would be caught in the act?

I tried to shut all doubts out. It was too late to have qualms now.

“They won’t believe me. They never will…….”

I tensed up sharply. That voice was unmistakably clear now.

“Brian!” I gasped, speaking in my mind.

“Kevin?” He sounded similarly shocked.

“That ……that was you all along? My God!” I spoke silently in my mind again.

I closed my eyes to help me concentrate better. I continued speaking inwardly.

“Cuz, I didn’t … mean to…. To hurt you…” I choked on guilt and shock of my previous actions.

“I’ll be fine. Kev, it’s been so long….”

“I know…”

“Why… why can I talk to you, Kev? You died! I saw it!”

“I don’t understand it myself, I’ve told you that before.” I sighed. “Brian, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get back. I’ll try, but please don’t wait for me. It’ll hold you back. Get on with your life and don’t hold on!”

“Kev … you don’t know how hard it’s been to let go once! Don’t shut me out, please!”

“Brian, what I’m about to get involved in…… just don’t listen anymore! If I get caught, I don’t think you’ll like what you hear. You’ve been through enough without hearing or feeling my anger or depression.”

“Kevin … I can’t just let go again now!”

“You have to, Brian. But remember, I’ll be in all of your hearts, especially in Kristin’s. Take good care of her and the other guys, bro.”

“Kevin, wait!”

But, I didn’t listen further; prolonging the conversation would make it harder to let go for both of us. The link severed, at least for now, I took a deep breath, wiping away some tears, and reopening my eyes.

I was knocked forwards a few staggering paces as a giant clawed hand hit my back, urging me forward.

“Move yer arse, wee Sonny Jim!” Kammur’s voice ordered. “Things ter be doin’, bonnie lad!”

As he walked into the lighter cavern ahead, I finally saw how tall he was compared to me: a Giant Gecko, at least 7-foot tall!

“C’mon lads, hit ‘arder!” Old Quinn encouraged, taking up a stout staff himself to thwack against the fragile cave ceiling. I had asked him why he had volunteered for such a dangerous task, and was not escaping with the other group, at his ripe age of 145 years. He had merely replied that he felt more obliged to help the younger, more able-bodied generations escape first.

I grinned at his enthusiasm and thrust the pole at the crumbling roof with more force, and blinked as shale and dust covered my face.

Every passing minute made us more anxious. Flyer, who had previously been hurling himself at the roof due to the lack of the ability to hold a staff properly, came and sat carefully on my shoulder.

“Is it just me or is this taking too long?”

I nodded, and halted, waving my arms and shouting for attention.

“Hey, guys, stop a second!”

They hesitantly obeyed and appeared confused. Why did I want them to stop working on our plan?

“Kallur, do you think there’s any way to make this quicker?” I asked.

He considered this a moment, his face slightly contorted in pondering the question.

“Quicker, yer say? Nae bother, lad!” he replied finally, and casually.

Flyer was right: I did like him. Cool and calm, even knowing what would happen if we were caught. We both knew it was worse than just being put in a cell on your own for 3 suns.

Dropping his staff, Kallur clasped both of his clawed hands together into a giant ball fist and smashed it off the ceiling. It seemed to work well, and I visibly grinned. Kallur then proceeded to unclench his claws and rammed them into the now half-devastated roof, bring down more rubble and rock. The assembled creature growled and laughed happily at the success.

Since my reach wasn’t as far as Kallur’s, I used another approach. Long-jumping to the cavern edge, wall-kicked upwards and threw my body weight against the fractured ceiling. Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t planned the ending and fell clumsily to the hard stone floor.

Kallur hurled me upright, amid raucous laughter, and grinning, I let him continue his assault on the stonework. I turned to look for Flyer, but instead of seeing my Valedron friend, I saw my Valedron enemy: Knartop, with a contingent of guards, armed and ruthless in appearance.

“YOU!” he hissed at me.

All of the Cavers stopped immediately and gasped. As I feared, we’d been caught in the act.

“SCUM! I thought YOU might have something to do with these little schemes!” Knartop snapped.

I was too surprised to react fast enough, and his biting whip caught me full in the face.

I cried out in pain, falling back and instinctively rolling closer to my friends. My hand was on my agonised face like a vice, trying to deaden the pain. I felt the blood from the marks seep onto my fingers and palm.

Kallur pulled me up, and I took my hand away from my cheek long enough to see the fear clouding his features. From that moment, I knew he was no real leader. They had few among the slaves, and this was where poor Kallur’s strength failed, as well as most of the other’s.

Kallur grimaced, whispering, “Wot’s the plan, Sonny Jim?”

He looked at me pleadingly, waiting anxiously for something; anything.

I myself looked over to Knartop and his guards. They were cold-hearted. I knew very well what would happen: all of us would be tortured until death for information on the Dragon Faction, the escapees and what plans we were using to escape.

They couldn’t face it. I was sure that not even I could. The only way out was if we worked as a team. They needed a leader, or they’d die.

I felt my anger surge beyond my limits. I ripped the staff out of one of the Caver’s hands, and snapped it as if it were a twig, growling like a crazed beast. Kallur clamped his claws onto my shoulder.

“Ah saed, wot’d we be doin’, Kevin?” Kallur repeated.

Throwing the two broken staff ends aside, I hurled myself at the waiting guards with a roar. I screamed my command at the top of my lungs :

“ATTACK!!!!!”

***

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