A desire for freedom

Chapter 8-Maoz

"So how was the conversation with your mother?"
"She was sent by my father's goons, and they were watching us, they figured out our code so she switched to one from five years ago."
"What did she say?"
"My father will be dead within the month, when he dies my mother will as well. She gave our plan her blessing, and Isabel she wishes you a better marriage than she had."
He stared a hole into the table, darkness flooded the room as the light was soaked up by his skin. Eli and Aron looked to Isabel to calm him down.  
"Maoz, my dear I'm so sorry. I can’t believe the king could be such a cruel man."
"I would watch what you say, my dear Isabel, my father has many ears in many places."
"That is exactly why we need to do this and get you out of here and far away from your father before he decides to make you disappear as well." Aron looked Maoz dead in the eye while speaking.
"Then we should get the hell out of dodge. Captain Isabel, when are we scheduled to move in?"
"A fortnight from yesterday."
"That's too far away. Spread the word to be ready the day after tomorrow, we'll move that night on my command."
"Are you sure about this?" Eser asked, “This kind of rushed preparation could get people killed, and we don’t have enough people as is.”
“Then no killing. Just capture them and hold them till I can get the humans independent of those abominations.” 

The armory was flooded with soldiers getting their gear prepared, each soldier was ordered to wear light armor and to bring repelling equipment, they would not bring any guns or noisemakers into the canyon. Maoz sat repairing his chest plate from his last battle blunder when an explosion caused the metal to cave in. Looking around he could see the confusion surrounding the men and women in the tent. They would only be told their orders the night that they moved to keep the King from hearing. They all continued about their business calmly after their preparations were finished, to keep suspicion low. But it wasn’t enough, goons ran amuck all over the place listening and watching. He sat in silence putting a cover on their minds to keep them from processing anything he didn’t want them to hear. 
"Chet, how long until everyone has rounded through?" Maoz called
"About three rotations left, my prince." The blacksmith replied. 
He was a fat old man with a long grey beard that was braided down his chest, he didn’t wear a cowl like other widowers, mostly because of his work but also to respect his fallen wife, he wore her Hesh signia under his own out of love and fear of forgetting. Everyone knew who she was, she was one of the best, but died in the first attack defending her son from the killers sent from Tarence.  
"Good, let's get them moving a little faster."
"Yes sir."
The blacksmith left Maoz and grabbed his apprentices and son, he pointed to a few stragglers and they rushed off to help. He walked back and asked if Maoz needed any help himself, he shook his head and sent him to help someone else. 

Maoz walked silently through the shadow to the wall of the canyon, Aron and Isabel following. Aron used his telekinesis to lift their rappelling ropes to the top and hook them. They set off as quickly and quietly as possible. It had been a good twenty minutes by the time they reached the first encampment, there were barely thirty creatures on the ledge. They snuck through the camp slitting throats as they passed them, capturing anything that moved, on the other side of the canyon eight more teams were doing the same. Firelight faded and flared as creatures trampled them. 
"Let's move it. We're losing the night hours." Maoz whispered 
He led them off to the next fire and set of tents. He clambered across a set of rocky stairs that crumbled under his weight. He walked to the first building and walked through the door. He walked up to the bed on the side of the first room. Lying in the bed was a young boy, he barely looked fourteen years old, but for a connected that didn't mean a thing. Maoz could not bear to take the life of the boy, he motioned for Isabel to draw near.
"Keep him asleep and alive. The number he is connected to will try to kill him as it dies, don't let that happen."
"I won't, go hurry and get it."
He nodded and walked into the next room, the number sat in a chair facing the other side of the room, where a fire burned frozen in time. He reached the chair and sent the creature the image of a heart beating, it reached up to where it had placed its heart, behind where its right eye should have been. He conjured his blade, a double-sided ruined knife, and softly spoke the name of it, a name that sounded like wind coming off his lips, he cut his hand sneering at the pain. The number turned to its right where it had heard the sound, Maoz struck it in the heart, taking its essence. In the other room the boy had broken into a cold sweat, suffering from the withdrawal of the number’s addictive power. He brought the knife up to the boy's throat. He woke up panicked, feeling the knife at his throat he looked up at Maoz with hate.
"What have you done?"
"I've freed you from your captor, if you agree I can save your life, by giving you its life force, but you must join our side and swear to help us end this war."
"And if I don't?"
"Simple, you will die a slow agonizing death because that number didn't want you to live when it died, this is no fault of yours kid, but the choice is yours to make."
He removed the blade and sat the kid up.
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"Kid," Isabel started, "If we wanted to, we would have spilled your blood and moved on to the next building, but we woke you up so you could live. Now hurry and make a decision, you are running out of time."
"First I want to know how you plan on giving me twenty-two hundred’s 'life force'."
Isabel looked at Maoz questioningly, he shrugged.
"If he wants to know, who am I to stop him? If he says yes then he'll still find out, if he says no, he'll die."
She nodded 
"You see this knife? It's an old design, one that has been bonded to my family for generations, the runes on the hilt have old magic or more accurately, science in them, it’s able to capture and give what life force you grab to whoever's heart it stabs."
"So you are gonna kill me!"
"No, I'm not going to kill you. Give me your hand Isabel."
She put her hand in his. He put his knife through her hand till it touched his palm, the boy watched with intense interest. 
He pulled the knife out of her hand, it didn't leave a mark, the boy stared at her hand waiting for it to start bleeding. She took her hand and turned her palm, her hand was perfect.
"This knife is connected to my blood, in a way it's like a passcode no one can touch it unless I want them to, by adding my blood to the blade I can take the life force of something and give it to someone else."
"You're joking with me aren't you, that ain’t no real real knife."
Maoz turned his hand to show the puncture mark he made on his hand
"Yes or no? You're out of time."
He looked from Isabel to Maoz
"Yes." 
Maoz nodded and steadied the boy, he slowly put the blade through his heart, and spoke the knife's name of release, it sounded like a rainstorm off his tongue.