Abuud: the One-Eyed God (39 page)

"I understood that Tedi did not have a mother," answered Master Khatama. "I believe she was abducted by bandits years ago. Why do you ask?"

"A woman in Ongchi saw the necklace I was wearing," explained Bin-lu. "She cried when she saw it. She said it belonged to her son, Tedi. She asked me to tell him that she was alive."

"Why did you not bring her back with you?" queried the old merchant.

"I could not," admitted Bin-lu. "I asked people in Ongchi about her. She is a slave of the Emperor, and she is confined to the palace. I was told that she tutors children of the Imperial Palace about the ways of Sordoa. The first time that I saw her, she was leading several small children through the palace, so I believe what I was told."

"If she is a slave," mused Master Khatama, "perhaps we can purchase her. If Tedi finds out that she is a slave in Ongchi, I fear what he might do."

"I do not think the Emperor will sell her," frowned Bin-lu. "He has no need for more gold, and I was led to believe that she is one of his most prized possessions. She also feared that Tedi might try to save her. She warned against it."

"People like the Emperor never have too much gold," suggested Master Khatama. "They are driven by greed. They lust for gold and power."

"Maybe," shrugged Bin-lu, "but the Emperor just takes whatever he wants. If you offer him gold for the woman, he will just take your gold. He is not to be trusted."

"All of this is of little concern if Tedi cannot be saved from the Demon's Cauldron," frowned Master Khatama. "That is if Lotfi and the martyrs don't get them first. Is there another ship that can take us to the Island of Storms?"

"Nobody in Barouk will go near the island," Bin-lu shook his head. "I warned Tedi and his friends not to go there, but they were insistent. I feel that I am to blame for their misfortune. I let them use my boat, and then I lost his necklace. I am a failure."

"You are not to blame," commiserated Master Khatama. "Going to the Island of Storms is something they had to do. I, myself, instructed them to go there."

"But they will never return," frowned Bin-lu. "Nobody ever returns from the Island of Storms."

"Do not underestimate these young men," smiled Master Khatama. "They have talents that even they are not aware of."

"I want to help if I can," offered Bin-lu. "I sense that Tedi and his friends stand for all of the things that Lanoir no longer believes in. My country no longer belongs to the people."

"You can help," suggested Master Khatama. "Talk to anyone in Barouk who has ever been to the Imperial Palace. Find out as much as you can about it. If Tedi is to attempt to free his mother, I will be going with him. Knowledge is the weapon we shall use."

"Then you shall have knowledge of the Imperial Palace," declared Bin-lu. "It is my mission to secure what you need. I will also be going with you."

Master Khatama looked at the courageous young man and smiled. "Then I shall travel in good company," Boris stated. "Tedi must be made safe before we even think of that journey though. Gather the information now, but the mission to Ongchi is for another time."

"I understand," nodded Bin-lu as he turned to leave. "I will start now."

Boris strode back to his group of visitors. Tanya had already started a fire, and Niki was gathering more wood.

"I am sorry for the interruption," apologized Master Khatama. "I suppose I should start a meal. You will be staying near us this evening, won't you?"

"You will have a hard time getting rid of us," grinned Kalina.

Master Khatama reached into the wagon and pulled out a large turkey. He began to prepare it on the tailgate of the wagon. Kalina tensed as she sent a mind probe into Master Khatama's mind. Suddenly, Master Khatama dropped the turkey and spun around.

"Your behavior is extremely rude," scowled the old merchant. "Your presence in this campsite is no longer desired. I will not tolerate such behavior."

"I meant no harm. I only seek to ease your senility," Kalina said defensively. "If you doubt my word, please feel free to confirm it for yourself. I will not object. In fact, I invite it."

Master Khatama stared at Kalina for a very long time without answering. He looked at Tanya and Garth who appeared to be confused about what was going on. Finally he shook his head and picked the turkey up.

"I will not resort to such barbaric things," Master Khatama stated. "You are welcome to stay if you refrain from such belligerent behavior. Your master would be sorely disappointed in you."

"You are right, Master Khatama," agreed Kalina. "I wish so much that he were here now to berate me. Nothing would give me more pleasure."

Wylan and Arik reached the end of the ridge and stared down. Arik saw a huge spider scurry off the ridge. He stared down the mountain for several moments before breaking the silence.

"I am going down," declared Arik. "You can stay here."

"Why should I stay here?" asked Wylan.

"This will be a long and difficult climb down," replied Arik. "It will be worse coming back up. There is no reason for both of us to do it. I know that Tedi is dead, but I must go down to verify it. Otherwise it will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"I am going with you," declared Wylan.

"Why expend your energy?" quizzed Arik. "Look at how high we are. Why do you think you need to go?"

"Because I care," insisted Wylan. "I have some training in tending to wounds. Granted it is not much, but it is better than nothing. You know there is a slim chance that he is alive, or you would not be going yourself. If the climb is hard, then I will have just gained more experience."

Arik merely nodded and began his descent. Regardless of what he told Wylan, Arik would not accept Tedi's death without seeing the body for himself. In the time since he and Tedi had left Lorgo, Arik had seen many things that defied explanation. He hoped to see one more such miracle. Arik also knew that it was important to keep his attention diverted from Tedi. If he dwelled upon the fate of his friend, it could cost the life of himself or Wylan.

Pebbles cascading past him told Arik that Wylan had begun his own descent. He liked Wylan, but he also worried about him. Wylan appeared to possess skills in many areas, but the skills were undeveloped. He reminded Arik of himself before he left Lorgo. Arik mentally berated himself for not keeping up the nightly practices that Alex had demanded.

Arik reached a flat protrusion of rock that had enough room for two to stand on. He moved aside to leave room for Wylan to descend. They both would need a moment of rest to let their muscles relax and remain physically sharp. Arik gazed over the calm sea and then moved closer to the edge. He peered downward and saw a thin strip of beach below him. His heart beat fast at the significance of the narrow strip of sand.

"See anything?" asked Wylan as he joined Arik on the flat protrusion.

"Actually, I do," nodded Arik. "I see a thin strip of beach below us. It is much like the thin strip we got tossed on when the scow hit the island."

"That means that Tedi might not have fallen into the water," surmised Wylan. "I was hoping that he fell in the water. Hitting the ground would certainly be deadly."

"So would hitting the water from that height," commented Arik. "Worse, he would probably drown if he did manage to survive the fall."

"I hadn't thought about that," frowned Wylan. "Still is this any cause for hope?"

"Probably not," sighed Arik. "Rest a few minutes and then follow me. You are doing really well so far."

Arik began his descent again. He noted the declining lightness and worried about total darkness falling before they reached the bottom. Arik did not feel any pebbles falling and had to look up to see if Wylan was descending. He smiled inwardly as he saw his friend above him. Practice makes perfect, Arik mused to himself.

Arik put his mind into his climbing and proceeded downward as swiftly as he dared. Suddenly, he felt something touch his back and he froze. He moved his body gently from side to side and determined that whatever was touching him was still there. Slowly he extended a hand behind himself and felt for the object. His mind whirled when his hand touched what felt like a tree branch. While they had descended a great deal, they should not be anywhere near the ground yet.

"Wylan," called Arik, "if you can find a stable handhold, look down at me and tell me what you see."

A few minutes later, Wylan answered, "There is a tree branch touching your back. You should be able to keep going though."

Arik continued the descent and let the tree branch play across his body as he passed it. When he was clear of the obstruction, he paused to look down. Below him was a section of jungle that he had been unable to see from the higher heights. His spirits lifted as he figured that the foliage was probably the only thing that could save Tedi from a certain death. He checked his euphoria as he realized that even hitting a tree branch would probably snap Tedi's body in two. He shook his head to clear the image from his mind and continued his descent. He mentally berated himself for not keeping his emotions subdued.

In just a few minutes, Arik's feet touched ground. He turned around and gazed over the jungle. The sea was still visible off to the side, but it was farther below him than it should be from the jungle floor. Wylan landed beside him.

"Back in the jungle," remarked Wylan. "I was sure we were coming down to the sea."

"So was I," nodded Arik. "We are still higher than the rest of the jungle though. Look how far down the sea is."

"Do you think this is where Tedi landed?" queried Wylan. "I don't see him anywhere."

"The wall of the mountain was fairly vertical," mused Arik. "If he bounded off of the ridge we were on, it is doubtful that he would land directly at the bottom of this cliff. His body will be farther away from the mountain. Let's check before total darkness catches us. We do not have much time before it is too dark to find him."

This jungle had little ground vegetation. Tall, towering trees rose up from the jungle floor like huge wooden giants. Their upper branches spread out like mushrooms to create a dense canopy. What light the Darkness had allowed on the side of the mountain was quickly lost on the jungle floor. Silence ruled the jungle and nary a sound of man or creature could be heard. The jungle was dim and ominous.

Arik and Wylan split up and looked for several minutes. They could find no trace of Tedi. Frustrated, Arik looked up to gauge the amount of time before total darkness. He gasped audibly.

"I found him," shouted Arik.

Wylan was by his side in a flash. He followed Arik's gaze and saw Tedi's body suspended a dozen paces above him. The body was held aloft by a score of vines.

"Do you think he could have survived?" asked Wylan.

"I don't know," frowned Arik. "I assume that most of those vines came down with him from the upper reaches of these giant trees. Hitting all of those vines would have slowed his descent a lot, but it was still a great distance to fall."

"How do we get him down?" inquired Wylan. "We can't just cut the vines."

Arik gazed upward and examined the situation. He studied everything in the area and then smiled.

"You said you like to climb trees," Arik stated as he took the loop of rope off of Wylan and placed it on the ground. "Well you are going to get a chance to enjoy yourself."

Wylan gazed curiously at the heir. Arik placed his own rope loop next to Wylan's.

"What are we going to do with the ropes?" questioned Wylan.

"We are going to rescue Tedi," grinned Arik, as the thought that Tedi might have actually survived flitted through his head.

Not only were the trees in this section of the jungle tall, but they were also spread far apart. Arik focused on the two trees that were the closest to Tedi. They were still far enough apart to present a challenge for his plan.

"You are going to climb that tree," instructed Arik as he pointed to one of the trees. "Find a vine that will stretch from that tree to the one behind us. Bind it securely to the tree about four paces above the level that Tedi is at. Do the same thing with the other end to the tree behind us. It has to be strong enough to hold two of us. Can you do it?"

"When I travel with the two of you," grinned Wylan, "I feel like I can do anything."

Wylan went in search of a long vine, while Arik took the two ropes and began fashioning a harness for himself. He added a rope strap to the top of the harness. By the time Arik had finished the harness, Wylan was standing beside him. Arik looked up at the vine stretching between the two trees. He hoped the four paces above Tedi that he had requested would allow for enough dip to reach the body.

"What is the extra strand of rope hanging from the harness for?" asked Wylan.

"It is a strap to wrap around the rope-vine you suspended above Tedi," answered Arik. "I will need my hands free when I get out there. The strap will suspend me and the harness, while I cut Tedi free and secure him in the harness."

"Clever," smiled Wylan. "What do you want me to do?"

"I will have difficulty getting off the rope-vine when I come back with Tedi," Arik explained. "You will need to help us into the tree."

Arik stripped off his swords and bow and placed them on the ground. He added his pack and quiver to the pile. Arik slipped the harness on and asked Wylan to secure it for him. With a last tug on the harness to check it, Arik climbed the tree to the rope-vine. Trusting Wylan to have properly secured it, he reached out and grabbed the rope-vine with both hands. His body swung wildly as he launched himself from the tree, but Arik waited patiently for the swings to die.

Arik proceeded hand-over-hand towards Tedi. He felt the rope-vine begin to sag well before he reached the center. Frowning, Arik continued towards the body. By the time he reached Tedi, the rope-vine had sagged more than he had anticipated, but he was still able to just barely reach the body. He hovered slightly below it. He suspended himself by one hand as he tossed the strap over the rope-vine and tried to tie it. Eventually, he succeeded at tying the strap to the harness and grasped the rope-vine with both hands.