A Once Distant Memory Chapter 7
Kamus' Folly
By Shaun Curran
Magus shook me awake.
"Janus! Wake up!"
"What is it?" I demanded, looking around the room.
"Schala has been kidnapped by Kamus." I frowned.
"Just because she's not here does not mean that she's kidnapped. She could have gone out for a walk..." My eyes fell on the wall. In black paint, scribbled in the same manner that was on Bunni's wall, read,' Go home or she gets it. Kamus.' Tears began to flow down my cheeks. Shikeo rubbed my back. I was not comfortable with a man rubbing my back, but for once I did not care.
"We'll get her back," he said. I knew that was true. But I kept crying. Soon I felt Shikeo's tears fall down my back. He was just as upset as I was, and he understood my pain.
I don't know how we ended up going back to the Melanchior, it just happened. We all walked in, really depressed.
"Janus... why, what's wrong?"
"Melanchior, Schala has been kidnapped by Kamus." Melanchior blinked.
"He'll kill her just like he killed Bunni," said Shikeo. I winced. I wished he had not said that! It only made me feel worse.
"Janus," Melanchior said," it is vital that you get back to Zeal!"
"Melanchior, my sister is gone, and all you want us to do is to go back to Zeal?"
"With Schala captured-"
"Shut up you awful old man! You ungrateful-"
"Janus!" shouted Melanchior. I collapsed to the ground. Magus spoke low, and direct.
"Melanchior, if you don't help us find Schala, I will rip out your throat with my bare hands."
"I didn't say I had no intention of helping you, Magus. Can't you see the big picture? They need Schala."
"So they can rape her and violate her?" I asked. Shikeo nodded.
"They killed my girlfriend. What makes you think they won't do that to Schala?"
"Dalton won't kill her. He may do some minor bodily harm to her to keep her in line, but he won't kill her."
"How do you know?"
"Come, on. It's obvious. What does Dalton want so badly?" I stood up, realization coming to me at long last.
"The throne of Zeal."
"You get a cookie. Now: he's going to use her as a bargaining chip to get the throne of Zeal. Without you, there, their plans will succeed. And Kamus knows that they can get there faster than you can."
"Excellent work," drifted a voice. The door was kicked open and Kamus strode through. I gripped my sword's hilt tightly. Magus drew his sword prematurely. Kamus stepped aside and three nasty looking creatures stepped through, each with a bastard sword bigger than I am. They had long teeth, and communicated only by grunts and groans.
"Where is she?" I demanded, pulling out my sword.
"Aww, come on. Why worry about a blonde like her?"
"Where is she?" I demanded, growing angrier by the minute.
"She's fine. But that is of no worry of yours, since in a few seconds, you'll be...let's say, late, shall we?" I summoned all my anger and let it channel into the sword. I jumped up, higher than I normally would, and sliced down. The green creature burst apart as my sword opened up his chest. His green blood spilled out.
The green creature collapsed, not of the slicing of anything major, but from loss of blood. My cut was very shallow; I had not been too sure of the type of skin he had; it looked like leather. I landed with a thump back to where I had originally leaped. Kamus stared at me with fear. He was there, and in the next instant he wasn't; he was racing down the street with the other two creatures in tow.
I dashed out to the street and began to follow. They were considerable distance ahead of me, but I knew that at least I'd be able to find out where they were headed.
Magus and Shikeo followed me, and Sarbll and Quelchen brought up the rear. Magus was well ahead of me when they started racing up the hill toward the shore.
"Don't let them get to the boat!" I shouted. Magus raced to the top of the hill and stopped.
"Magus! What the-" I froze as I stood next to him. Shikeo had nothing else to add.
There, in front of us, was the largest airship I had ever seen in my life.
"What the hell?" asked Magus.
"Damn. Melanchior's right." Kamus and his two thugs began to row over to the airship. They climbed up a rope ladder and landed on the deck. The airship began to lift, the black gasbag lifting the boat of theirs right out of the water. The name of the ship was clearly inked on its back.
Blackbird
"We have to get back to Zeal before he does. We'll never get there by walking," Sarbll said. I glanced back from another boat sitting in the water a few feet from where the Blackbird had been, and then looked back to the Blackbird.
"We'll take that," I said.
A few minutes later we were on the Doreen. I couldn't believe such luck. Dalton's personal command ship! Why would he leave it? We got all our answers and more below.
"Hello! What's this?" Magus asked. "A map. Kamus isn't bright, that's for sure."
"He left this map here?" I cried with disbelief as I read it. "This is amazing!" The map showed the route of the Blackbird and its stops.
"Says here that the Blackbird's first stop is in Mirana," Magus said, pointing.
"Then let's get over there and get him."
.