Gutter Rats: Origins Chapter 14

Rome and Quyloc turned to see Dorn standing there.

“You’re still alive,” Quyloc said, surprised.

“It appears so.”

“How?”

The man waved vaguely. “I…uh, concealed myself.” As he spoke, a small gust of wind kicked up, swirling sand around his feet.

Just how had he concealed himself? Quyloc wondered.

“What do you got?” Rome asked.

“This.” Dorn pulled at the leather thong around his neck, drawing out a whitish object, the thing Quyloc had been wondering about. Quyloc moved closer to see it. It looked like a piece of carved bone about the size of a fist, with a number of holes carved into it.

“What?” Rome scratched his head. “How is that going to help?”

“I am a Caller.”

Rome frowned. “What do you call?”

Dorn smiled. “The wind.”

“You’re going to…blow them away?” Rome shook his head. “Look, this is serious. I don’t have time for you right now.”

Dorn was looking intently at Quyloc.

“Hold on, Rome,” Quyloc said. “I read about the Callers.” To Dorn, he said, “I thought they killed all of you.”

“They tried. They got most of us. A few survived.”

“You want to tell me what’s going on?” Rome asked.

“Callers…commune with the wind,” Quyloc said, pausing until Dorn nodded. “They were persecuted by the Tenders of Xochitl.”

“The Tenders believed only they should have power,” Dorn said, a hint of anger in his voice. “Others, especially men, were not allowed to touch it.”

At his words, something like hope blossomed inside Quyloc. This man understood.

“Tragic,” Rome said. “But not something I care about right now. What’s this help you were talking about?”

Dorn held up the bone thing again. “With this, I can summon creatures of the air called aranti.” He tilted his head. “You are aware of the firestorms in the Gur al Krin? The Crodin call the beings that raise the firestorms sklath. They fear them greatly. The sklath are perhaps the only thing they truly fear. But they are not sklath, they are aranti.”

Dorn looked at Quyloc again. Something passed between them. “Do you understand?”

And Quyloc did. “They will believe you have summoned sklath.” Dorn nodded.

Rome got it then too. His eyes went very wide. “They’ll run.”

“They will.”

“Do it. Wait, we need to get ready first. We’re going to have to run too. We don’t know how long we’ll have. How long can you control these things?”

Dorn shook his head. “I do not control them. I cannot even be sure they will answer. If they do, they may listen to me. If it amuses them.”

Rome looked at Quyloc. “What do you think?”

“I don’t think we have any other choice.”

“How long do you need?”

“Not long,” Dorn replied. He was holding the leather thong in one hand, swinging the bone thing back and forth slowly. “Gather your people.”

Rome nodded and started yelling to gather around. He went over to Tairus and crouched beside him. “Are you ready for a little jog in the moonlight?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We have a little surprise for the Crodin. Then we’re going to make for that settlement like Gorim’s dogs were after us.”

Tairus shook his head. “I’m not going. I’ll slow you down too much.”

Rome laughed. “No chance.”

“That’s an order, soldier.”

“You know, I’ve had about enough of foolish orders for one day. So, no. You’re still coming.”

Tairus grunted. “I knew you were trouble the first time I laid eyes on you.”

“It’s on account of my upbringing, sir. As in, I didn’t have any.”

Rome stood. “Bring that litter over here.” Glane carried it over and helped Rome get Tairus onto it. Then Rome turned to the survivors. They were a haggard, frightened group. Most looked like they expected to die.

“Our friend over there,” Rome gestured to Dorn, who was standing near the gates swinging the bone thing around his head, “is going to scare the Crodin off, and we’re going to leave.”

“How’s he going to do that?” Stanley demanded.

“That’s not important right now. What’s important is that we don’t know how long they’ll be scared off. So, if we want to make it to Last Water, we’re going to have to run. Fast.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Lady Atheen said then. “I am not running anywhere.”

“Then you’ll stay here and die. I don’t care. Is there anybody else who has a problem with running?”

Nobody said a word.

“Good. Kerv found some shields that didn’t burn too bad. Everyone grab one. Grab a weapon too, and whatever water you have. But nothing else. We have to go fast. I need a volunteer to take the other end of this litter.” Glane put up his hand.

Quyloc was watching Dorn closely and had drifted closer to him while Rome talked. He saw when the first, faint, bluish glow appeared around the bone thing. The glow grew stronger as Dorn let out more of the cord. The circles he was inscribing in the air grew larger and larger.

An eerie whistling began to emanate from the thing, rising and falling. The glow grew stronger. It was leaving a streak in the air now. The streak became a solid, blue ring.

Gasps came from the survivors. Most stepped back and held up their hands.

The aranti arrived.

At first, it was just a soft breeze. The breeze grew stronger, kicking up sand and tossing it into the sky.

Something began to coalesce in the sky above Dorn. Very like a mass of glowing clouds, except that Quyloc could see faces in the clouds. They appeared and broke up almost immediately, over and over.

Then he heard the voices. They were excited, high-pitched, childlike somehow. There were no words he could make out, but he felt as if he was on the verge on understanding.

“Open the gate!” Dorn yelled. It was hard to hear him. The wind was rising fast and starting to howl. Pieces of debris were being swept up in the maelstrom.

Soldiers dragged the pieces of impromptu gate aside. Dorn strode through the opening, still spinning the thing above his head. The maelstrom followed.

The Crodin took one look at the glowing blue tornado and took to their heels, shouts and cries arising from them. Dorn ran after them.

For a long moment everyone just stared, still in disbelief at what they’d seen. Rome snapped them out of it.

“Move!” He and Glane ran out the shattered gates, Tairus bouncing between them.

Fortunately, the moon had risen while they were in the fort. It was only a pale sliver, but it gave enough light to get by. It helped that now they had a road, as poor as it was. They made much better time than they had on the way in.

They ran for about an hour with no sign of the Crodin. Quyloc began to hope they would actually make it to the settlement. He stayed at the back, now and then stopping to listen for sounds of pursuit. Soldiers were taking turns carrying Tairus. The other wounded were able to keep up, though Kerv had to be helped, and it was clear his leg wound was hurting him badly.

Even Stanley and Atheen were keeping up. When he tried to help her, she cursed him vehemently.

Then Dorn showed up. It was like he appeared out of nowhere. One moment Quyloc was alone, and the next Dorn was there, running beside him.

“Our friends are on their way,” Dorn said. “It shouldn’t be long now.”

“I’ll pass the word.” Quyloc was breathing hard, but Dorn seemed no more winded than if he was out for a stroll. “How are you…?”

“The wind helps me. I’m going to move forward if you don’t mind. I can help with the wounded, but I fear I am no help when it comes to fighting, other than presenting myself as another target. Which I do not relish.”

He put on speed and moved ahead.

Quyloc caught up to Rome. “They’re almost on us.”

Rome swore. “I was hoping we’d get more time. We still have at least a league to go.” He shouted ahead to warn the others. The weary survivors sped up as much as they could, but it wasn’t much. Between fatigue and injury, they were almost done.

“We have to buy them some time.”

“Agreed. Suggestions?”

“We need a spot where we can hold them.” Quyloc’s thoughts were racing. Then he remembered.

“That tight spot we went through on the way in. Do you remember? Where the canyon makes a sharp bend?”

“It was almost too tight to get the wagons through.”

“Can we hold it?” Quyloc asked.

Rome nodded. “We’ll hold it.”

They heard the first cries of their pursuers. It seemed the Crodin had dispensed with stealth. No doubt they hoped to sow panic in their prey.

“At least we don’t have to worry about arrows in the dark,” Rome said. “That’s something.”

Quyloc looked over his shoulder and saw figures running after them. They were less than a bowshot away. He shot a look ahead, hoping to see the rock formation that marked the sharp bend. Nothing yet.

He looked back again. What he saw heartened him. The Crodin were strung out in a line. There were maybe a dozen in a loose pack hard on their heels. The rest weren’t in sight yet. That meant they wouldn’t have to deal with as many foes at once.

He saw that Rome had noticed it too.

The Crodin were closer now. There was a clatter to the side as a spear struck the ground, narrowly missing Quyloc’s leg. He wanted to run then. He knew the Crodin couldn’t catch him. But the other survivors were too slow.

Abruptly, dimly visible ahead was the rock formation, the giant rock balanced on a narrow ledge.

A spear whistled by his head, causing him to duck belatedly. That was too close.

“We’re almost there,” he told Rome.

“I see it.”

They reached the sharp bend and ran around the corner. As soon as they were out of sight of their pursuers, both men stopped and spun, weapons ready.

Rome crouched beside Quyloc. Pounding footsteps were drawing steadily closer. “Ready. Now!”

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