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It had been three days since Bogavus and his party had seen anyone, but Bogavus preferred it that way; it meant he did not have to worry about word getting back to anyone. The last thing he wanted was for his plans to be scuppered because his party had been spotted and someone took it upon themselves to liberate the prisoners. There was Leoric and his party of course, but Bogavus meant to put them out of commission - permanently. It was just a matter of waiting for the right moment . . .
As the slaves were led along an abandoned stretch of road lined with broken-down vehicles and rusting signs, Dagan and Galadria exchanged a look.
Galadria faked a yawn.
"I'm almost half-asleep," she panted. "How about you, Dagan?"
"Never mind me, Galadria," yawned Dagan. "I bet these poor slavers are rushed off their feet. . ."
"You're right there," groaned Brother Vurus, turning the collar up on his robes. "I'm sick of keeping you lot going and obeying Bogavus. Don't really know why I bother half the time."
"Well, why don't you quit if you feel like that?" asked Dagan, sounding casual enough. It had been his idea to play a trick on one of the slaver-monks to get back at them for the constant marching and Vurus, who had been the one who dragged Dagan out of his home in Mecron, seemed the perfect target.
But Vurus saw through the ruse - he had been in the slave trade long enough to recognise a baiting when he heard it - and uncoiled his strap, striking Dagan with it seven times.
"That's for trying to get me in trouble!" he snarled, smiling as Dagan vainly struggled to avoid the blows. "I'll show you what lying to us gets you!" Unfortunately, the slaver-monk was so absorbed in administering the beating that he failed to notice when Feryl reached forward and plucked his dagger from his habit cord.
Bogavus paced the line of twenty young slaves chained to an old streetlamp. "Get to sleep, the lot of you!" he ordered. "If I hear any talking or chain-clanking, I'll send Brother Turel over with his strap!"
With that, the wizard walked away to join his slaver-monks. Feryl watched him go, waiting until he was out of earshot before edging across and nudging Galadria where she lay on the grass.
"Are you asleep?"
Galadria sighed and sat up, wondering what was so important that he had to wake her up. "Not quite, Feryl - what is it?" she asked.
"Not too loud!" Feryl warned her, trying not to raise his own voice above a whisper. "Listen - while Dagan had Vurus distracted this afternoon, I managed to steal his dagger. I thought we could use it to open our manacles."
"Are you sure?"
Feryl nodded, well aware that - unless Leoric found them - this may be their only chance of regaining their freedom. "Quite sure - it only takes a couple of short sharp twists. I managed to open mine a little when no-one was looking. Pass the word on, Galadria."
Some time later, Dagan raised his head cautiously to check that the slavers were asleep. Certain they were, he slipped his hands free of the manacles and set about waking his friends. Most of them got up without hesitation, their minds focussed solely on the escape plan they had discussed in hurried whispers. But, at the last moment, Pallenne's nerve failed her and she started sobbing with fright.
"I can't - we'll be caught and killed! I'm frightened!"
Fletchen could not stand to see a child so distressed and crouched down to comfort Pallenne. "Come on now," she whispered gently, offering the little girl her hand. "You'll never see New Valarak again if you act frightened. But, if you're brave, you'll soon be back with your mother and sister - that's what you want, isn't it?" Pallenne saw the sense in this and followed Fletchen into the undergrowth, hardly daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing the slavers. Dagan, Feryl and Galadria went next, followed by Arzon and Yilly. The other thirteen prisoners lay chained and asleep; knowledge of what Bogavus did to fugitives had robbed them all of the courage to even consider escaping.
"All right," Arzon said once all seven of them were crouching in the mass of vegetation that had grown up with no-one to keep it check. "Now that we've gotten those chains off, what do we do next?"
"We hole up for a few days until Bogavus gives up on us," replied Feryl. "If my guess is right, he can't keep looking indefinitely. Then, when they've had enough time to find us, we'll try and get back to New Valarak - something really needs to be done about Bogavus and his crew!"
"Meanwhile, we'd better find a safer hiding place," added Galadria, risking a quick gaze back at the camp they had just escaped from. "We're still too close to Bogavus for my liking . . ."
Arzon was about to assume his Eagle form and fly off to scout round when Galadria raised her hand. "Wait, Arzon - I'm not sure that's a wise move. Eagles aren't native to this area so, if you're seen, they'll know where we are."
It did not take long for Bogavus to notice the loose chains. Several sets of manacles had been picked open and were now trailing loosely on the ground - a small discarded dagger that looked suspiciously like the one Vurus always carried revealed the cause, but he would deal with that later. Meanwhile . . .
"Turel! Gudd! Escaped prisoners!" he bellowed, summoning his two most senior slaver-monks.
"How many?" demanded Brother Turel, running over to see for himself.
"Seven altogether," replied Bogavus as he inspected the slaves to see who was still present, "including the three Spectral Knights. You two, take four slavers each and come with me - we must find them all. The rest of you, stay put until we get back."
Before he left with the ten chosen to help him in the hunt for the fugitives, Bogavus pulled Brother Vurus to one side and brandished the latter's dagger at him. "Do you know anything about this?" he demanded angrily. "It was on the ground near the slave-chain - and it looks like someone used it as a key . . ." He turned the dagger over to reveal a slight kink in the blade.
"I - I don't know nothing, Bogavus - honest!" Vurus stammered, aghast at the implication that he had been abetting an escape. "I . . ."
He was cut off abruptly as Bogavus levitated the dagger and sent it flying after its owner. The slaves roared with laughter at the site of Vurus trying to dodge the sharp blade, but Bogavus ignored them for once. He had more important things to do . . .
Towards mid-morning, Brother Gawonde returned from a scouting mission with important news.
"Have you sighted our young runaways?" asked Bogavus, mentally reeling off a list of punishments he would like to inflict once he'd caught up with them. Nobody who broke loose from his slave-chain had ever been allowed to get away with it and the seven who had escaped the previous night were not about to be the first.
"Even better - I saw Leoric and his party." Gawonde puffed up his chest, sure he would be due for plenty of praise for this piece of news.
"Where?" demanded Bogavus. He had expected Leoric to organise a search party to find his captive friends and Gawonde's words had just confirmed it.
"In a cave; they must have stopped there last night."
Bogavus grinned as a plan dawned on him. "Cave, eh?" he mused. "That gives me an idea - remember I said I wanted to stop the Spectral Knights from recapturing me?"
Gawonde led the rest of the party to the small cave carved out of the sloping sides of a valley and peered in. The interior was only dimly lit, but there was enough light for him to see that Leoric and his party were still inside - all that remained to be done was to seal the entrance. The slavers shifted a heap of rocks and soil until they had a fair-sized pile perched directly over the entrance of the cave but out of sight of anyone who might venture out of it.
Bogavus calmly raised his hand and sent the whole pile crashing down in front of the cave's mouth, blocking out all light and air. The wizard grinned to himself - if the landslide hadn't killed his pursuers, it would not be long before they suffocated.
Directly opposite the cave, Feryl saw what had happened and hurried down the slope, half running, half sliding.
"I saw Leoric in there just before it happened," he explained when the others had joined him. "And I think I recognised Ectar and Cryotek. There were about six altogether, but I only got a glimpse of the others."
"Don't just stand there!" ordered Dagan as he struggled to heave a rock out of the way. "We've got to help them." He and Feryl set to work at the bottom of the rock-pile, with Galadria and Yilly digging further up. But they soon found that digging with their bare hands was much easier said than done - and the fact they were all weary from marching for hours at a time each day only added to the difficulty.
Pallenne sat atop a huge boulder and sighed. "It's no use - what can we do against all this? It'll take ages to move all these stones."
As usual, Arzon was not about to admit defeat. He strode over to Pallenne and helped her to her feet. "It doesn't matter how long it takes, Pallenne," he told the dispirited little girl. "Leoric's in there, so we've got to keep trying."
In the darkened cave, Leoric groped around until his fingers closed around the handle of a Power Staff. But, with no light to see by, it was difficult to tell whose it was, so he started enquiring after his companions to make sure they were also unscathed.
"Are any of you hurt?"
Five voices replied as one; no-one had suffered any serious injuries, although Atla, who had been nearest the entrance when the rocks fell, had briefly been knocked unconscious.
"Good," Leoric said, relieved, his leadership skills telling him that it would be better to avoiding dwelling on escape plans for the time being. "Atla, there's tinder in the far corner and the flints are beside it. Try to get a torch lit - I'm starting to know how a bat feels."
"Not a very good idea, Leoric," said Gawalar. "Haven't you noticed there's no air supply in here? If we light a torch, all we'll do is hasten our deaths."
"Aye," added Witterquick, who stood resting his back against the wall of the cave. "Why do I get the feeling Bogavus was behind this?"
Outside the cave, things were not going well for the escapees either as they struggled vainly to free their trapped friends. Feryl lost his temper as a rock slid into the gap made by one he had just moved for the umpteenth time and turned on the person nearest to him - Galadria.
"Cut it out, Feryl!" she protested as a well-thrown handful of gravel sprayed around her ears.
"Well you watch where you're digging!" countered Feryl.
"It wasn't my fault . . ." Galadria tried to say.
"That's enough, you two!" snapped Dagan, cutting her off in mid-sentence. "Arguing among ourselves won't get your friends out any quicker."
"Up here!" called Bogavus' voice. "I've got those two little maidens!" The companions turned to see the wizard stood at the top of the slope with Gawonde and Gudd flanking him. Pallenne and Yilly were pinned under the slaver-monks' arms; both girls had been seized while their older friends were distracted by the pile of rubble and were too busy to notice their absence.
Bogavus saw Galadria bend down to pick up a rock and thought fast. Swifter than the eye could see, he whipped out his strange spiked weapon and aimed it at the back of Feryl's neck. "Drop the rock, lady!" he ordered. "None of you young upstarts make a move, or I'll do the same to your friend as I did to the men who tried to thwart me in New Valarak. Remember - this thing never misses."
Feryl's eyes welled up with fear, but he kept his voice as level as possible. "Arzon, fly Galadria away from here!" he ordered. "Alert the guards at New Valarak - tell them to bring help!"
Bogavus smirked. "Go on - do as he says," the wizard gloated. "After I've killed him, I'll kill the two of you! To wipe out the Spectral Knights so quickly would . . ."
In a flash, Feryl's human form disappeared and a Wolf dashed towards the slope growling defiantly. But Bogavus was ready for such a move and waved his hand just as Feryl was poised to spring on him.
A purple forcefield surrounded the young shapeshifter, levitating him into the air as his dumbstruck friends looked on. "Feryl!" shouted Arzon, transforming into an Eagle and flying at the slavers. Within seconds, he too was trapped in a forcefield, unable even to fly away.
Galadria considered her options - her Dolphin Totem only functioned in water, but, even if it didn't, she could see that Bogavus could trap any Visionary who shapeshifted in his presence. Besides, Dagan and Fletchen had no magical powers at all.
"All right, Bogavus!" she called up. "We surrender - just don't harm Arzon and Feryl."
"So be it," Bogavus said, cancelling his spell and sending Arzon and Feryl plummeting down in their human forms. "After all, I've already gotten rid of Leoric - and buried him with his Power Staff."
Hours passed in the enclosed cave with still no sign of a way out. One by one, the rescuers began to succumb to the lack of air - until only Cryotek and Ectar remained fully conscious, hardly daring to speak in case it depleted the air supply still further.
Ectar sat with his back to the sealed entrance, cursing himself for failing to question Bogavus's motives for kidnapping Galadria, Arzon and Feryl. The answer now appeared all too obvious - it was a trap to lure Leoric and his followers into danger and ensure his freedom from the Wizards' Jail. Clearly, once the Spectral Knights were dead or enslaved, there would be no-one left who was brave enough to recapture him.
A sudden chink of light cut through Ectar's train of thought - unknown to them, someone had been working to dig the Spectral Knights, Gawalar and Atla out of their prison. A woman's voice called:
"Is everyone alive in there? How many are there?"
"Six of us, Camara!" Ectar shouted back. "But I'm not sure if we've all survived!"
"So, you know her - do you?" Cryotek remarked, stopping himself when he recalled the scolding Galadria had given him for his teasing comments about Leoric's "conquest" of Fletchen. He had always been fond of the young woman, whose skill at mediating in many ways complemented his brisker nature. She also brought out his protective instincts when nothing else could.
"I ought to," Ectar replied. "She's Leoric's sister - the question is, how did she know about us?"
"Tartha told me," Camara said, evidently overhearing Ectar's remark.
"Tartha?"
"The local prophetess. This morning, she went into one of her trances and told me Leoric was in danger - he was trapped with five others." While Camara spoke, the rest of the rescuers managed to break through the last of the rocks and entered the cave. "Tell me," she called to a man who knelt beside Leoric, "does my brother live?"
"Aye," the man replied. "Looks like we broke through just in time - another half-hour or so and I doubt any of them would have made it."
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