Keeper of Life - NaPoWrMo Entry

They had found the passage but no sign of Fang and the others. It worried Coal more then she was prepared to accept. She knew none of them would be leaving here, but Fang was the last of her brood, and it only added to the weight in her heart. She wanted to fly up, to find him from above. But even if her wing hadn't been ripped off it would be a death sentence. Her past injury removed the temptation, and she was glad, for once, of her battle with the maw.

Her leg seemed to have repaired itself, not a break after all, but her other injuries dug deeper. Walking caused the wounds to constantly open back up, and the rag around her had now blended in with the dark scales. Thankfully her underlings were better off then she was, though that was the intention, she was being a deliberate target to negate their damage. These were tactics she was warned to go against, she was told how important she was, and how her underlings would be willing to take the brunt of any force how if she fell they would all be at loss for it. Yet after sacrificing so many to get here... 'You're being stupid Coal,' she scolded herself.

There was no more they could hide, the sun was already brimming over the far walls washing away their cover like the water.

“Lady-”

“I know, we have to go,” she said looking at the sky. It seemed so much different inside, the way the sun spread softly, how the air distorted, it seemed... fake. She brushed the thought aside, they had to leave. “Fang,” she found herself saying aloud. The other two made ready to move.

They had taken up refuge in the attic of an older storage shed. The buildings around were all empty, as if the inhabitants had all gotten up and just left. It worried her but this was the closest she had for a secondary location. 'Stupid Coal,' she scolded herself. She gave direction under the stars, but there were no stars above. How could she have hoped Fang would find her? 'Stupid.'

They quickly pulled supplies that were left as if for the taking and tried to sleep. Claw had been sent out to listen for Fang's calls, the soft chirping that let them know he was near. It would be impossible to find him once they were in the city. There was no way of meeting up and they would be holding disguises the entire time. 'Fang,' she thought again as they checked the perimeter.

She wanted to tell them to be careful but knew it was needless. The aura of the inner yard seemed to drip with dread. Like fear stories the old broodmothers would tell the newborns to entertain them. Coal enjoyed the quiet, she loved the cool night air and the lack of sound, she liked being alone with her own thoughts but this... This was like a constant warning sign they could be slain at any moment, like she would hear the soft shifting of the sand as they sunk into the jaws of an antlion.

A pair of wandering guards set her at ease a little. 'Three,' she counted. Which would make six in total, all night. 'Better then nothing,' she thought. At least this told her they didn't know exactly where they were, yet. The only guards she saw were those cutting from the inner wall to the outer, there were no patrols.

They had traveled a fair distance down the wall, making haste in the cover of darkness, as unnecessary as that was with the lack of patrols.

When they crept close to the wall she could see where all the guards had gone. The towers above the wall were filled. Golden helmets shone with the newcoming light, commands bounced down the line. More on the ground scanned the nearby yard and a few paced back and forth.

'Damn,' she cursed in her head. She had waited too long, now they would be easy picking. They were probably waiting out the night to begin a full sweep. Or perhaps they knew she was trapped... It was an even worse thought.

'Retreat further in,' she told them. There would be nothing they could do for now. Losing the faint cover of dawn bothered her. The deep shadows helped to obscure their faces though. Even with disguises there would be no using a secret passage now.

They pulled back into the inner yard sticking to the deep shrubs and buildings. A fountain filled the air with a soft mist and created rainbows in the dawn light. Coal had been told that once her people could see them, not like this in shades of grey, but in real color. Sure, she knew was red was, and what blue would look like, but the old broodmothers had painted such detail it made her mind glow. They had said colors were so beautiful they could bring one to tears, colors so vibrant they felt hot or cold. She tried to imagine that now, and it only filled her with anger. Just one more thing the sands and this city took away from them. It reminded her of why she was here.

They moved in further, darting from edge to shrub from building in a mock pattern that upset Coal. There hadn't been enough guard movement to blend in, but with the new light they had to. She sent Claw ahead as scout, they'd be a give away as three.

It was easier to conform to size differences now that she had eaten, and rested a little. But she still stood above her underling. They would still be easy to spot. 'Damn, damn,' Coal cursed. 'This whole plan is...' What else was she supposed to do, what else could she do? Her mind spun as she tried to pull ideas.

“Hey!” a voice called through the yard. It sent her hair on edge, she thought they had been spotted. “Help!” they called. It was followed by mockery and incoherent profanity. She sent Claw toward the voices.

He darted back, urgency in his eyes. She wanted to scold him for being so obvious, disguise or not, but held her tongue.

“It's Brother Fang,” he said and her heart lifted, then settled back down. She had to approach this calmly, rushing into things had nearly gotten them all killed too many times.

“What's the situation?” she asked.

“One guard is down, the other is holding Brother Fang and trying to immobilize him,” he said as the guard's cry for help reached them.

“We better hurry then,” she replied. They sped off but stuck to shadows and corners. She was grateful for all the foliage and gardens. She had to thank the guards for their maintenance of yard, then again they had little else to do.

She reached them then thundered in putting her hooves on Fang's shoulders.

“Thank The Tree your here,” the guard said. Another guard lay immobile to the side.

“My shift ended under the moon,” she said. “No problem.” His face was already twisting as they sprang and brought him down. “Stop!” she ordered. Claw's fangs hovered above his neck. “Don't kill him, he's mine,” she said, an idea forming. “Restrain him.” They did.

She raised his head with her hoof and locked eyes. The feeling of being off balance filled her again as she forced herself to focus on his one side. It was unnecessary, just another reminder how careful she had to be. “Now,” she said, her words a flowing silk that trailed into the air. “You're going to listen, very, carefully my dear~”

He stammered and tried to move his head. Claw held him tighter. Emerald ribbons spun around his body as her eyes glowed deeper. She moved her hoof telling them to let go, his body now swaying gently side to side. “Uhh,” he said blinking. She moved closer and smiled.

“You're going to do something special for me, aren't you?” she asked. He nodded in a zombie like fashion. She tried to maintain her breathing, the pain of her wounds flaring up. Already ringing built in her ears telling her to get on with it or she would lose something else.

“You're going to follow the wall four buildings down and you're going to kill every guard you see,” she said. He flinched and struggled but she moved closer. “Listen to me.” The ringing in her ears built until even her own voice was drowned out. “Kill every single guard you see,” she said slowly and methodically. “Kill every guard you see,” she said again. “Every guard you see. Now, repeat your orders.”

“Kill every guard I see, down the wall, three buildings,” he answered then began repeating again. She stopped him with a hoof.

“Shh, now go. Go and do my bidding,” she said as the glow stopped and her magic receded, her legs nearly gave out. When he left she emptied her stomach unwillingly and tried to restrain the pain in her chest. “Make sure the other...” she said trying to keep from gagging, “is dead.” The thumping in her head hid Fang's words and she had to watch his mouth to see what he was saying.

“We know another way in,” she said returning to her feet. She tapped both sides of her head. 'Good,' she thought, she could still hear which was some consolidation to feeling like death. Regaining her composure she asked, “The others?” Fang shook his head. “We have to go, we have little time.” The fireworks would start very soon.

As they walked, in groups of two, she asked Fang what had happened. “We were discovered, the other two held them back so I could... escape,” he said with regret in his voice. “I hid and tried to look for you. I was injured though, and my form shifted. They jumped on me.” He shook his head. “I got careless and the others... I should have done better, they died because of my foolishness. Lance suggested we go around the forest but I-”

“We have no time to regret our decisions,” she replied back.

They saw the wall, the soft canopy of trees keeping them hidden as they reverted back. She noticed Fang's figure distorting and ordered them all under cover. Claw trailed behind, watching.

“It is as if this glade was meant to hide us,” Fang said.

“Of course, these were once our gardens,” she replied.

They waited by the entrance and she pondered the thought they'd all be attacked the instant they entered. 'Maybe this is just another trap,' she thought then tore herself away. 'I can't think like that, this is our only chance.'

“They should have used a tunnel,” Claw said with his disguised voice. They all smiled.

“You remember how to open it Son Claw?” she asked as he trailed back, he nodded. “Good we go in two's.” She didn't tell them everything else that was swimming in her mind.

The sounds of slaughter, madness and frantic pleas could not be heard, much to Coal's disappointment, but she did see the guards at the top begin to scramble, then shift away from the entrance. They hadn’t waited as long as she would have liked but there was no time left for indecision. Fang held back as they opened the hidden door. From his injured state his disguise was choppy and distorted. If he was seen at close, there would be no hiding it.

The wall pushed in, then slid only two hooves length. She cursed and pounded the wall. Thankfully that dislodged whatever ancient mechanism had jammed up and slid wide enough for them to fit. The sudden and total darkness was welcoming and she smelled the air. No, this hallway was empty.

She nodded the other two forward, Claw came from the side, and Fang hobbled from the rear. It occurred to her and Claw at the same time. She lit up the hallway with a meek light and spotted an unlit lamp. Claw saw her nod, entered and she pulled it down. At first nothing happened and Claw made to activate the outside one, closing himself off, but then dust shifted, and the door slid shut.

They stood in the silence and darkness, as if absorbing it. They listened for movement, looked for light, ready for anything but nothing came. Coal lit up the passage and was surprised to find stairs. She started down, they all took their respective positions, Claw in the rear, and Fang behind Coal.

“Your leg,” Claw said silently as he watched Fang limp ahead of him. “I have extra cloth, you're still bleeding.” Coal turned and Claw feared she would scold him.

“Good idea, we don't need a trail,” she said taking pace ahead and listening. 'It will be best if they think we're still in the yard,' she thought. The city would be easier, she hoped, large gatherings, distant areas, more room for flexibility.

She looked back but could see only the blobs of her underlings. How close she had come to leaving Fang behind. How fickle and chancy life could be.

It wasn't long until the tunnel sloped around, back up and spat them into some storage room. They moved the shelf back, covering the hole, and surveyed the room. “Don't touch anything,” Coal ordered as they spied the food. “There will be time later, we leave no evidence.”

The door creaked slightly and she waited. With a nod Claw came up and put his ear to the crack. “Clear,” he said. The ringing had returned as if bouncing off the inside of her skull.

They all pulled back in the room as five guards came flying down the hall. 'That's a good pace,' she thought and motioned them forward. With brisk movement they scoured the hall looking for the door out. To her surprise they found several. The first two opened on a small plot of grass with tents spread around, one for extra lodgings and the other for dining apparently. Coal was willing to look for a better exit now that they had found two and the third treated them well.

The city sprawled before them. Rows of houses, some stacked on top of each other and ran along each side of the street. As if tying them all together cobwebs of clotheslines ran to and fro, the clothes still. Images moved in the distance, doors opened and voices called out. They heard the laughter of a colt playing near by and then the smack of a ball as it hit stone. The light seemed brighter now, how long had they really been down there? Or was it just the darkness? To slip out here as a guard, and shift around a corner would be without effort. It filled her with hope.

She looked behind her as she ordered them out and the feeling died. The cells were behind them somewhere. It was possible the other two were in there, suffering. Her previous order came back to her, “Remember, if you're captured there will be no rescue attempt,” she had told them. The mistake of going back on her own orders had shown itself, and she paid the price.

Just walking out the door made her feel hollow. 'None of us shall be leaving this place,' she consoled herself and shut the door.