A Game of Chi Book II: A Throne of Tears

Chapter 31: Gorzan V

GORZAN

A wave of water battered him as he hit the lake, but Gorzan held on to Cragger as tightly as he could. I'm not going to let him die, he thought fiercely. It wasn't his fault. The wave pushed them closer to shore, and Gorzan kicked furiously until his feet were able to reach the bottom of the lake. He stood up in the water and looked back at the burning wreck which used to be the Crocfort. The large crocodile's head had collapsed, now looking like a colossal crocodile had shut its mouth, the stone foundation of the Crocfort had been all but blown completely out, and the smoking ruins were slowly sinking into the lake. Debris was still falling into the water around the ruined fortress, and Gorzan could just make out several floating shapes in the water. Most were crocodilian, but at least two were the burly frames of rhinoceroses. Sighing in defeat, Gorzan clambered out of the lake and put Cragger on the ground. He's breathing, he thought. Luckily, he didn't get any water in his lungs. "Over there!" Gorzan turned and saw a small rowboat with three crocodiles heading his way. Crokenburg's unconscious (or dead?) body was lying on the boat as well, with bloodstained white bandages on his lower jaw. "Thank Cavora!" Gorzan exclaimed. "You were wise to tell us to move the king," one of them replied, rowing the boat closer to shore. "Get on. We're getting out of here." Gorzan nodded and bent over to pick Cragger up. "Why are you taking him?" the guard demanded. "He was being controlled by a persuader plant," Gorzan explained. Don't make me fight you on this, he pleaded. "The king may want to interrogate him. Cragger likely has knowledge concerning Crooler that no one else has. Wouldn't you rather bring him with us and then execute him if need be than kill him now and risk the king's wrath?" Sighing, the guard nodded and helped Gorzan put Cragger's paralyzed body in the boat. "I'm staying here to look for survivors," Gorzan declared. "No," the guard replied. "The king needs you." Gorzan hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I'll go in your stead," the guard said. "Me too," another guard offered, getting off the boat. "We need more room on this boat anyway. Everyone's meeting at Crank's Lake," he said. "Alright. I'd better see you both there," Gorzan called. The crocodiles nodded before slinking into the lake and disappearing. The gorilla bent down and felt for Crokenburg's pulse, and he was relieved when he could feel it. Thank Cavora Crokenburg survived, Gorzan thought. But how many didn't? He looked at the ruins of the fortress, and sighed inwardly. I don't think anyone won this battle, he lamented. Everybody lost. But at least now, I hope we've broken Crooler's hold on her brother. She's just lost her best ally. And we've gained an advantage. He got into the boat as well and began rowing with the other guard. We'll make sure what happened here never happens again.

Crank's Lake was connected to the Claw River, which led to the Diamond Sea. It was how Crokenburg's forces had gotten from Firestone to the Crocfort in the first place, and now, they were headed back there to get away from the Swamplands. We've come full circle, Gorzan mused as he rowed the rowboat. Crokenburg was now sitting next to him, looking down in defeat. Cragger, meanwhile, was still paralyzed by the effects of the clarity bloom. The trees on either side of the river provided ample shade as they slowly made their way towards the end of the river. "How'd you know he was being controlled?" the other guard asked. Gorzan recognized the slim beige crocodile as Craven, a low-ranking soldier he had often seen in the Crocfort. He had bandages on his leg, and a few of his teeth were missing. "I first realized it was a possibility when he reacted badly to my necklace," Gorzan explained. "Then, there was the fact that he couldn't see Crooler's guilt. I mean, Cragger isn't stupid. The fact that he refused to believe his sister was responsible was ridiculous. I understand that denial is powerful, but he couldn't even rationalize it. When I asked him about why he thought Crooler was innocent, he didn't reply with something like 'she couldn't have done it because she loved him'. He said 'I don't know'. That, coupled with his reaction to my clarity blooms, told me everything I needed to know." Craven glanced at Cragger, lying at the bottom of their rowboat. "How long will he stay like this?" he asked. "It's impossible to know," Gorzan replied. "Cavora knows how long Crooler was drugging him. He could be out for days." Crokenburg shook his head weakly. Cragger's only here because Crokenburg spared him, he thought. How does he feel about this revelation?