Abuud: the One-Eyed God (16 page)

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of the bolt on the hatch being removed. Arik and Tedi listened with dread as footsteps echoed in the dank corridor outside the cell door. The footsteps stopped outside their cell door.

"I require one of the prisoners," demanded the cruel voice. "Which one you choose is up to you. I will take the other one after I have sufficiently made the first one scream for death."

Tedi trembled as he listened to the guards outside the door laugh. The cruel voice cut them off quickly however.

"You think my talents are humorous," growled the cruel voice. "I promise you that neither of you big brave men could hold the contents of your stomach if I made you watch me work. Never laugh in my presence again. I detest humor."

Tedi pulled his dagger and held it before him. The light from the torturer's torch flickered through the small window in the metal door, and Arik noticed Tedi's stance. He reached over and gently pushed Tedi's dagger hand away from his friend's neck.

"That is not an answer to the problem," warned Arik. "Never seek to end your own life. There is always hope to be had and cherished."

"Well they will not get close enough to us to use it on them," protested Tedi. "The dagger is of little use for anything other than ending our own lives."

The metal door swung open grudgingly, and one of the guards held a torch into the room.

"Stand up both of you," ordered the guard. "You on my right, leave your dagger for your friend, and come out of the cell slowly. You have a visitor."

Tedi was on the guard's right, but Arik dropped his dagger and stepped forward.

"No matter to me," snarled the guard. "If neither of you can tell left from right then I won't tell. Come on get out here."

Arik walked to the door of the cell and halted. He looked at the huge bulk of a man that had to be the torturer. The man was bald and he had a scar running down the entire length of the left side of his face. His left ear appeared to have been cut off and his eyes were set deep into his face.

"I have an offer for the Prophet Azmet," Arik stated to the torturer.

"You will have more than one offer for him before I get done with you, lad," snarled the torturer.

"Actually, I will be of little use to Azmet after you get through with me," Arik stated defiantly. "We can offer Azmet the city of Tagaret on a silver platter. That is what Azmet desires."

"If you can do that then you can offer him two cities after I make you suffer a bit," retorted the bald-headed giant.

"Are you willing to stake your life on that?" questioned Arik. "I am offering Azmet exactly what he wants. After you torture us, he will never get Tagaret. That I can guarantee you. Worse for you, Azmet will know that he failed because of his torturer. I can imagine that his treatment of you will be far worse than what you do to me."

"Give me the other one," the torturer snarled to the guards.

"You are not listening," growled Arik. "It does not matter which one of us you torture. If either of is mutilated, Tagaret will never fall to Azmet. You obviously do not know the Prophecy of Alcea very well. We are the twins the prophecy speaks of. Whatever befalls us befalls the city of Tagaret. When one of us pricks a finger, scores of people in Tagaret die. By the time you finish torturing just one of us, there will be no city of Tagaret to welcome the Prophet Azmet. Your actions will have destroyed what he seeks."

"Rubbish," growled the torturer. "I know of no such prophecy."

"Yes," Arik shook his head, "and you being such a learned man as you are, I would never have guessed that your education skipped over the Prophecy of Alcea. The point is that we are offering what the Prophet Azmet wants, and we offer it without hesitation. It is your skin that will be peeled. If you are set to continue with your own destruction then lead me away. I am sure these guards are loyal enough to Azmet and will report this conversation."

"Perhaps you should check with the Prophet of Abuud before making this decision," one of the guards said to Achmed, the torturer. "I do not plan to be punished along with you for your mistake. If you demand the prisoner then I must report immediately to Azmet what I have heard."

"You dare to defy me," snarled Achmed. "Perhaps I should take you to my work room."

Both guards stepped back and drew their swords. "We are faithful to the Prophet of Abuud," retorted the guard. "We are prepared to ascend to Paradise at any moment. If that moment comes against you then it will be Abuud's will. You will not get these prisoners until Azmet has been notified of the prophecy the lad speaks of."

"Get back in the cell," ordered the other guard.

Arik nodded and returned to Tedi. The cell door slammed shut and Tedi handed Arik's dagger to him.

"What did that accomplish?" Tedi whispered to Arik.

"It bought us a little time," Arik whispered back. "If Azmet buys into the prophecy then he will have to transport us to Tagaret. At least there will be some chance of being rescued that way."

"As you said before," Tedi smiled weakly, "we should never give up hope. I know you already realize this, but I am glad that you are here with me. I do not understand how you think sometimes, but I want to learn to think just like you."

"There are times that you think more clearly than I do," offered Arik. "Together we make a good team."

***

The guards seized Niki roughly, and she started screaming. One of the guards slapped Niki hard to shut her up, and Niki's head spun from the blow. Her vision clouded over, and stars danced before her eyes. The guards did not seem to care as they dragged her along the corridor. They dragged her to Azmet's office and threw her into the room after they opened the door. Niki's body hit the floor and sprawled before Azmet's desk.

"What is this?" Azmet asked as he looked up from the chair behind his desk.

"Another one entering the forbidden areas," reported one of the guards. "We caught her snooping around in one of the corridors leading off the worship hall."

"She is the wench we threw out before," offered the other guard.

"So she is," snarled Azmet. "Perhaps we should let Achmed have her to play with. Has he gotten anything out of the prisoners yet?"

"I saw him heading for the cells just a few moments ago," answered one of the guards. "I suspect it will be awhile before he reports back."

"Why are you in the forbidden area?" demanded Azmet as he glared at Niki.

"I was looking for you," answered Niki as she rubbed her eyes. "I have information that is valuable to you."

"I am sure you do," scowled Azmet. "What could you possibly know that would interest me?"

"I know much more than you could imagine," answered Niki as she tried to sound confident. She did not like Azmet's arrogance when he had mentioned giving her to one of his men. Suddenly she wondered if she should share any information with him.

"Well you have found me," Azmet stated impatiently. "What great knowledge do you wish to share?"

"I know where the Sword of Heavens is," Niki declared. "And I know where the real statue is too."

Azmet's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the woman on the floor before him. He looked up at the two guards and scowled, "I think I can question this wench without your help. Perhaps you should be doing a better job of patrolling the corridors. I do not want to hear about another person roaming my halls."

Azmet waited while the guards bowed and backed out of the room. When the door closed he turned his attention back to Niki.

"What other statue?" Azmet asked harshly.

"The real statue of Abuud," Niki answered as she picked herself off the floor and sat in one of the plush chairs. "I have spoken to a traveler who has seen the actual statue."

"We have the real statue here," declared Azmet. "Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool. Abuud himself gave it to me."

"Whatever," sighed Niki. "If you do not wish to know where the real statue is, that is fine with me. I am sure someone would like to know."

"And what makes you think that you will live to tell anyone about it?" sneered Azmet.

"Because soon everyone will know," smiled Niki. "Everyone except you that is. Wylan, Arik, and Tedi are going to retrieve it and bring it here to show everyone. Then your little charade will be over. What will your followers say then?"

"Who are these people?" inquired Azmet.

"Arik and Tedi are the ones you imprisoned," replied Niki. "Wylan is the one who stole the Sword of Heavens. They are all in this together."

"And where is this supposed statue?" demanded Azmet.

"You think I will tell you so you can then kill me?" laughed Niki. "I am not stupid. This information is valuable and I want something in return for it."

"Very well," sighed Azmet. "Let us suppose that I am willing to let you live if you tell me what I want to know. Where is the statue?"

"That will not suffice," scowled Niki. "I want to be queen of Tagaret when you take it over. I was about to be placed on the Council when those fools abducted me. I have the right to be the queen anyway so you are not giving up anything by ensuring that I am placed in my rightful spot."

"Achmed, my torturer, is visiting Arik and Tedi as we speak," chuckled Azmet, "and you expect me to make you queen? I will just turn you over to Achmed when he is done with your friends. You will tell me all I need to know."

"I don't think so," Niki shook her head. "Do you really want the Black Devils to find out that you are threatening me? My father is Dalgar. He is Sarac's right-hand man. I have already sent a message to him that I was going to present this offer to you. If you think you can have your way with me and not pay for it, you had better think again."

"If you father is such an important man then why didn't he make you queen of Tagaret?" smirked Azmet.

"That is exactly what he was doing when I was abducted," scowled Niki. "Aren't you listening to anything at all? The night before I was to be made a councilor, Arik and Tedi kidnapped me. They said it was for my own good, but I know they just wanted me out of the way so one of them could assume the throne. My name is Niki Forloe. Have one of your apes ask anyone in Tagaret about me. You will see that what I am saying is true."

Azmet's smile disappeared and he stared at the woman before him. Her attitude of being beyond his reach certainly fit with the arrogance of one to be crowned. He had also heard of Dalgar, although he could not remember where. There was a small chance that Niki was telling the truth. Even if she wasn't, Azmet was beginning to think he might find some use for her.

"Very well," smiled Azmet. "I think putting you on the throne of Tagaret may suit my plans. Perhaps it will seal some alliance between the Black Devils and me. Now tell me where this statue is."

"The statue is located on the Island of Storms," Niki grinned as she pictured the crown upon her head. "That is an island just off the Horn of Lanoir."

Azmet had heard tales about the strange island and nodded as he asked, "And where is the Sword of Heavens?"

"Wylan collided with a merchant as he was fleeing your men," replied Niki. "The merchant threw it into his wagon, and Wylan dove into the wagon after it. Then your men showed up so Wylan hid in the wagon."

"Why didn't the merchant tell my men he was hiding?" inquired Azmet.

Niki did not want Azmet joining up with Boris Khatama. She feared the old man knew more about things than Niki did, and Azmet might forget about his agreement if Boris could tell him what Niki could not.

"I think the merchant wanted the sword for himself," posed Niki. "I think he planned to take it from Wylan after your men left, but he had to take a walk and left the wagon unattended. I am sure Wylan is still around though."

"And what makes you think that?" queried Azmet.

"He has to free Arik and Tedi before they go to get the statue," answered Niki.

"There is no chance of them escaping from where I have them," laughed Azmet. "No chance at all."

"They have a way of surprising people," Niki shrugged.

Achmed knocked on Azmet's door and then opened it and walked into the office.

"What is it, Achmed?" asked Azmet. "Have you gotten answers already?"

Niki stared at the giant torturer and her eyes grew large. Achmed noticed the look and stifled a snicker.

"No," scowled Achmed. "Your guards refused to allow it after one of the prisoners mentioned something about the Prophecy of Alcea. The prisoners claim that they are twins and that the prophecy states that any slight harm to either one will cause lots of people in Tagaret to die. They said after I got done with one of them that there would be no people left for you to rule."

"Prophecy of Alcea?" echoed Azmet. "I have never heard of a such a thing."

"They are not twins," protested Niki. "They had different fathers. I heard them talking about it. It is just a trick to save themselves."

"That is what I thought," nodded Achmed. "I should torture them both at once for this. Maybe I will force one of them to torture the other. That could be fun."

"They did not appear to be twins to me," frowned Azmet. "Still if they have audacity to try this on my torturer, there is a chance that they will die without telling me what I want to know. Return to the dungeon, Achmed. Do what you wish with them, but do not let them die until I allow it."

Achmed grinned and left the room.

***

"Just how much time do you think this ruse will buy us?" Tedi asked.

"It depends on the prophet," frowned Arik. "Probably not much. After hearing Wylan's story about Southland, I do not think Azmet cares about how many people die when he takes over a city."

"Let me go first with Achmed when he comes back," suggested Tedi. "I cannot stand these burrowers anyway."

As Arik wondered how to answer Tedi's request, a tremendous explosion thundered through the dungeon. Dust and dirt showered down from above and the rats scurried into the corners. Arik thought he heard the guards outside the door shouting, but his ears still thundered and he could not be sure. Seconds later a brilliant flash flooded their cell and they got the first real look at their prison. Bodies littered the floor and huge nests of burrowers infested each of the bodies. Some of the burrowers were as large as small snakes and Tedi shuddered. Dozens of rats were scurrying around looking for some patch of darkness, but the cell was brighter than daylight.