A Greater Lesson

Chapter 10: Not So Fast

I ran through the jungle, following trees he had marked several times before.  I could feel my bow and quiver bouncing on my back as I ran.  Having them made me feel safer.  I slowed my pace as I began to hear voices yelling to each other.  I ducked behind a tree and pulled an arrow out of my quiver as I listened.  I crept closer to the voices silently until I could see the source.

There were three hunters arguing about where the “golden jaguar” could be.  Two of them I could see clearly.  One had long brown hair, about to his shoulders, and a scar on his chin.  The other had shorter hair, but had a beard covering the lower half of his face.  The last man, who I figured to be the leader, had his back to me and was wearing a hood.

I strung my arrow and pulled back on the string.  I looked down to readjust my shoulder against the tree and unintentionally caught a glimpse of light on the tip of the arrow.  I quickly looked up at the men to see if I had been noticed.  I had.

“Hey,” the bearded man pointed towards me.  “What’s that?”

Before the other men turned, I had no choice.  I jumped out of the shadows and released my arrow, aiming for the bearded man.  He dove to the ground dodging it and rolled right back up to a standing position.  I reached for another arrow, hitting the hooded man with my elbow on the way up, and strung it.  I released it towards the second man.  The hooded man came from behind and kicked the back of my knee while grabbing my bow.  He tossed it to the ground but I caught the bearded ban off guard by coming back up with a dagger from the leather strap on my thigh.  He dodged my swing and the hooded man caught my wrist.  I held tight to my dagger and kicked him between the legs so he released his grip.  He doubled over, but I soon realized something.  All three men had weapons.  I knew my skill could not match theirs.  I was outnumbered.  I could only hope Xik would show up and help.

I brought my leg up and kicked the bearded man in the chest, sending him straight to the ground.  I lunged towards the long-haired man and spun around for an elbow to the jaw, but was caught and pushed into the bearded mans arms.  He grabbed the hand that held my dagger and flipped the joint under my wrist, forcing me to release my dagger.  Fear attacked my nerves.  Before I could even think, my arm had been wrenched behind my back and a dagger headed fast towards my stomach.  I closed my eyes and held my breath, bracing for impact.

“Wait!” somebody cried. 

I dared to open my eyes.  The hooded man held up his hand and inspected me from where he stood.

The man holding me grunted and rested his dagger on the soft skin covering my stomach.  I breathed fast, frozen in fear, concentrating on the blade pushing against my flesh.  I squirmed a little, trying to free my hand while I  placed the other on the dagger trying to force it back, but my efforts were met with a tightened grip and a quick jerk, pulling on my shoulder and causing a quick sharp pain.  I winced and looked up at the hooded man giving orders.

“I have an idea on how to make a ton of money, but we need her, and we need her alive.”

I didn’t understand, but I was filled with a new hope.  I wasn’t going to die; at least not yet.  The man pushed me to the ground and pulled back my other arm to meet the one he already had.  He seemed to pull the rope out of nowhere, but soon, I had two men aiding each other in tying my hands securely behind my back.  A few loops were wound around my waist securing my hands to my body.  My struggles were hopeless.  I had been captured, but at least I was still alive.

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I found Roux fishing in the creek.  Relief coursed through my body and I grabbed the skin from the back of his neck to lead him back to the tree.  I waited for a while, but a terrible feeling came over me.  I pulled some of the rope I had packed out of my bag and tied it around Roux’s neck.  I couldn’t chance him leaving again.  Rivka cared so much more about that cat than she did me.  If he died on my watch, she would probably kill me.  I secured the other end to one of the roots that protruded from the ceiling and set out to find Rivka.

I traveled the direction I had seen her go and closed in on the sound of people.  I drew my sword when I saw Riv’s bow on the ground.  I looked forward and the first thing I saw was a man with long brown hair.  I knew he could lead me to Rivka, so I attacked him.

I looked up at the hooded man smiling down at me.  I was right about humans; they were filthy, greedy, blood thirsty creatures and I hated them.  He leaned against his sword and looked up at his men.  I heard a wild yell come from behind me.  I turned my head to see Zorxik about to attack the long-haired man.  I smiled.

The hooded man noticed my smile and realized I knew this man.  He pushed me down further into the ground with his foot. He stabbed the earth in front of my face with his sword and pushed the edge against my neck.  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

I looked over to see a man wearing a hood with his foot on Rivka’s back and a sword to her throat.  I felt my stomach drop when I saw the fear in her eyes.  “Rivka?”  I looked back at him and clenched my jaw.

“Oh, so your name is Rivka is it?”  He reached down and stroked my face with his thumb.  I desperately tried to escape him, but my attempt failed.  I whimpered when he inched the sword further towards my skin.

“Don’t you dare touch her!”  I pushed my sword closer to the long-haired man’s stomach while holding the neck of his shirt in my fist.

The hooded man’s smile disappeared as he grabbed her hair and pulled her head up.  Then he pushed his sword under her neck to a very dangerous position. If he dropped her head, it would be gone. 

“Drop it!” he demanded.  Rivka was breathing fast short breaths as to avoid cutting herself on the blade.  She was so scared.  My heart sank and I knew he was serious.  He didn’t come here to find her, she was just collateral damage.  He had nothing to lose if he killed her.  I threw down my sword and put my hands in the air revealing that I no longer posed as a threat.

“Good boy.”  He pulled on the braided rope that held Rivka’s shirt and pulled her to her feet, sword still to her throat.  He cocked his head to the side and the men removed my sheath for my sword and managed to find the dagger hidden in my waistband.

I struggled for my balance and tried to keep a safe distance from the blade.  My heart was pounding in my ears and I closed my eyes as I felt his breath on my neck.  I wanted this whole thing to be over, to pretend it never happened.  I hated this fear.  I hated knowing that my life was hanging by a thread being held by somebody else.  With one move, I could cease to exist. 

“Let her go,” I begged.

“This here is gonna make me a whole lot of money.”

I raised my eyebrows.  “Look, I know where a bunch of gold is.  I can show you, you can have all of it, just let her go.”

He chuckled, obviously not buying it.  I begged for her sake.  “Please, I can show you where it is!”

The other two men circled behind Zorxik, awaiting an order.  He didn’t seem to notice, but I did.  He tried to convince the man to let me go, but it wasn’t working.  I shook my head, trying to tell Xik to stop before he got himself killed.  Finally, the hooded man had heard enough.  He nodded once and the bearded man hit Zorxik on the back of the head with a club.  He hit him hard.

“Xik!” I screamed.  He fell to the ground without a sound.  Tears filled my eyes and I screamed his name again.

The men stripped him of his small sack and rifled through the contents.  They laughed to each other when it revealed a few large nuggets of gold.  They grabbed my bow, quiver, and dagger; I’m sure with no intentions of giving them back.

They dragged me away, sobbing loudly, and left Zorxik motionless in the dirt.