The Shadow of Eons

Chapter 10

"This one's a specimen, ain't he, Marty?"

The coy voice came from the mouth of a man with a rag over his face and dirty hands. His robes were tattered and he was barefoot. "We don't get many like this in these mountains, do we, Marty? Too far north. They never come alone."

The man named Marty, who was the other one guarding Jonas, Oliver and Rose, grunted and continued chewing the leaf he had inserted into his mouth hours ago. Then he shook his head and said, "No, Wilhem, they don't. And they always steal our game. This is our forest, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

"I just wish the girl had been older. I could use a wife right about now."

Jonas struggled against his bounds, but it was no use. He was gagged and his air intake was low. Despite this he continued his efforts for quite some time until he was forced to stop from sheer exhaustion.

"Yes, our monkey trap had 'em on their knees, didn't it, Marty?"

Marty grunted again and closed his eyes, evidently tired by his friend's conversation. Jonas gave another feeble kick and then rested once more.

They had each been taken after a brief struggle, as they had been surrounded and greatly outnumbered. The bandits had disarmed them but not killed them, and they were hardly worse for wear. But they had been waiting for hours, and Jonas was beginning to feel that if he could not get up and stretch his legs soon, he would never move again.

"Don't worry," said Wilhem, who was staring at Jonas's movements. "You'll be seeing the chieftain soon. He's off meeting somebody. Now relax."

Hours more passed. The sun was setting when the two men finally removed their gags and started marching them through the forest. They hiked around the mountain, through copses of trees and over streams, until they reached a vast encampment of tents and cookfires. Two men were playing the violin and the flute as dozens of others drank or bandied about, wrestling each-other in the mud and flinging pine-cones, rocks and all sorts of household items at whomever they chose. Jonas took in the chaotic scene with trepidation; it was clear that escaping from this many men would be a tall task indeed.

"Quiet!" shouted a man through the haze of activity. "Chief is coming."

The men immediately lowered their voices and began gathering in an open area to the side of the camp. Jonas and his companions were herded to the front of the crowd and seated there roughly. Shortly thereafter, a figure in splendid, shiny brass armor emerged from the forest riding a great, black horse. The horse cantered up to the gathering and the man dismounted just uphill of his men. He lowered his visor, revealing a deeply sunbrowned face which had two days' stubble. He held out his hands widely, taking them all in, and there was an expectant silence.

"I have been to see the Rosemont wizard," he shouted, striding back and forth energetically before them, armor clanking. "And he has told me that he has seen no signs of the Eaters of Life in this forest. In fact, he says that they are not present throughout the entire north."

Murmurs arose throughout the crowd of men, which were quickly silenced by the chieftain's upraised hand. "We know this to be a lie, of course—our men have been disappearing for weeks now. And there is next to no game in the forest. But we have caught these three intruders slinking through our woods." And he pointed to Jonas, Rose and Oliver. "They are the only people to have come through this forest in the last three weeks! We have lost five of our people since then!"

A clamor began again as the crowd's voices rose. Jonas began to feel very uncomfortable.

"Rise, you three!" commanded the chieftain. Multiple pairs of hands pushed them to their feet. "Now, tell us: have you been hunting our people?"