Part 7

He slowly awakes. Vehement headaches are his first impression. As he wants to touch his head he realizes he can't move his hands. They are tied up over his head, he is standing against a stonewall. Better said, he is hanging. He hardly reaches the ground with the toe tops. He is in a large cave, water trickles somewhere. The wall is ice-cold, a cold which crawls slowly into his body.
Koji stands beside him at the same wall. The fetters bite deeply into his wrists, he has a swelling on his face and some bruises, but otherwise, he seems to be fine. He is currently discussing with somebody.
"Don't you have any good spirits left ? That Ikaru is insane, I know. But you? You cannot believe you will come through with this. I am just a thief. But the small one will be badly avenged  if something happens to him." Koji sounds angry, however he cannot conceal some anxiety in his voice .
The red-haired man only shrugs his shoulders. "We'll disappear tonight. Yakazu will never see us again. However .." and he looks sharply at Koji, "we don't let anyone make fools of us. Your intervention deprived me of 40 gold coins and some good men. You will pay for that. Since the small one is close to you by heart, you may lament on his corpse. My dignity doesn't allow me to kill a dirty small thief. But if you talk, the king will have you executed  immediately. He needs a culprit and if he can not get us, he may be as satisfied with you."

Linus straightens up and stretches his muscular body. "Anyway, Ikaru is mad about the boy. Even that cursed dragon wouldn't be able to prevent him from taking the boy and fu..." In this moment, his look falls onto Izumi who stares at him with big, horrified eyes. Takuto was prepared to fight, even to his death. But that !! His fear slowly disappears from his eyes and is replaced by anger. "Bastard. Set me free, and..." Linus only grins. He stands in front of Izumi and shoves him slightly. His body swings a little, the fetters cut cruelly his wrists. "It's a pity. Your temperament is really refreshing. When Ikaru is done with you, you won't be as pretty and wild as now." He turns Izumi's head, examining the bump on its side. "Not so bad. This is your least problem."
Ikaru comes out from the darkness.
He flings a short look at Takuto and growls angry at Linus. "Don't talk with this street dog. And remember - the lad belongs to me." Linus shrugs again. He gives up and makes a generous movement of the hand in the direction of Izumi. "Help yourself." Koji tears furiously at his fetters, grinds his teeth. Very much to Linus' entertainment. Ikaru ignores him completely. He steps close to Izumi and lifts his chin with the forefinger. Izumi sparkles angrily at him. Before he can say anything, Ikaru kisses him on the mouth.
Takuto presses its lips firmly together. Ikaru grabs his chin stronger and bites into his lower lip to force his mouth open.
Unsuccessful.
Dammed stubborn guy.
The giant frees his victim with a low curse. He considers briefly, then pulls his knife and runs it slowly over Koji's stretched arm. He does not even scratch the skin, only a fine red line appears, where the top was pulled along.
He stares at Takuto, who looks at Koji. Koji shakes his head.
Takuto sighs and closes the eyes. Now that Ikaru's mouth is pressed on his, he doesn't defend himself so vehemently anymore. Ikaru must still force his lips open, but can then explore the boy's mouth with his tongue. What he does extensively and very appreciatively.
He is out of breath as he separates from Izumi, brown eyes sparkle furiously at him.
Ikaru smiles angrily.
He planned a lot more for this night. The boy has such temperament and pride, he wants to enjoy him. Usually, his bed comrades end weeping with fear before he can even touch them. That one here is something else. Something completely different. He lifts the boy up and pulls the cable from the hook. Takuto hardly feels the ground under his feet, when he kicks into Ikaru's stomach  with all his strength. The answer is a short curse and a hard slap. Takuto stumbles against a wall, Ikaru lifts him up.
With no further word, the man disappears with his burden into one of the other dark caves.
Koji can only watch. Never before had he hated somebody as Ikaru now. And never before was he afraid for somebody as now for Izumi. Fear does not help him; therefore, he concentrates on his hate and pulls his fetters over the metal hook to cut them open. It hurts infernally and he hardly sees any progress. Moreover, he must do it without attracting Linus' attention. But it is better than just standing at the wall and thinking of what Ikaru is perhaps doing to Izumi now. Koji clenches the teeth more firmly and doubles his efforts. Linus meanwhile stretches on his sheet out to relax. He flings a short look at Koji and grins. "You can drag as much as you want. This is the best buffalo leather. The ropes hold until your last breath." Koji bites down a curse on his lips and inspects his fetters. Of course! His hands are tied together and then hanged simply over the hooks. If he manages to put the hands over the hooks, he is almost free! Not so simple if one is completely overextended, to put up on this hook .....
A scream let them both jump. Suppressed, dampened sounds were heard from time to time, but this scream is different. Loud and shrill, deafening, full pain echoes through the dark cave. Koji feels his inner tearing. He bites his lip to blood without noticing it.
Even for Linus it is too much. He gets up and makes a few steps in the direction of the dark cave in which Ikaru had disappeared. "Bring it to an end. If he screams like that once again, I'll cut his throat myself."
Koji uses the diversion. He pulls himself up at the fetters and gets with his feet a hold on the hook. It is enough for him to move the hand fetters over it. Koji jumps onto the ground and dives into the darkness of the cave. He still does not know how - with tied arms- he can help Izumi. But he will do everything that is possible.
Even if it should cost him his life....

Far from there, on a rock cliff over the sea, is a small pile of misery in figure of a big, desperate dragon.
He suddenly lifts his head into the wind ..... tasting, listening
He slowly takes off hesitating into the wind and flies against the breeze, in direction of the mountains too ...
Linus meanwhile chides as a beer coachman. "You damn street dog! I should have killed you immediately. Come on, Koji get out. I promise I won't kill you." Koji smiles humorlessly. 'Make others believe that!'
In the darkness he looks for a sharp rock to open the leather straps. Everything he can find is stalactites and a couple of rocks. He grasps one with his bounded hands and creeps up slowly to Linus. He does not come near yet. Linus is too careful now for Koji to successfully hit him. Koji knows that patience in a foray is often the successful factor.
It has never been so hard for him before.
Not with the noises in the background that tell him clearly what is happening right away.
And he just cannot come past  Linus....

Ikaru comes back into the main cave after an eternity. He drags Izumi half over the ground with one arm, and holds his sword's gear at the other. The boy is in a bad shape. A blood thread runs from his mouth, he has several injuries at his shoulder and neck. His tunic is tore; he is half unconscious and still bound. Ikaru hangs him on the hook again and avoids looking at Linus into the eyes. Linus is completely dumbfounded. "He is still alive?! What, please, happened into your mind ? Your last bed comrades did not even survive the first 5 minutes and you begin just now to have scruples ? I thought you wanted to tear him apart and bathe in his blood?"
Ikaru would almost have scraped shamefully over the ground. He murmurs something, however, still avoids Linus' eyes. "What did you say? Screw it, Ikaru, we have no time for games!"
"I'm not yet done with him."
"Please?"
"He simply isn't afraid. I can hurt him or cut him but he won't be afraid. I want him once again - later, as soon as we are both are rested."
"There is no later! Koji freed himself from the hook and is creeping through the cave. He'll loose his fetters sooner or later and then run to fetch help. The tracker dogs of the king will be on our heels tomorrow morning. I would like to have left the borders of Yakazu behind me on that moment, damned.  Give it an end or let me do it but we have to go now!"
Ikaru murmurs something to himself. Nevertheless he moves in front the boy and lifts his head back with his forearm. Two dark brown eyes stare at him exhausted, tired, hurt. And yet pride sparkles in them - challenge.
Ikaru sighs.
If he does not kill Izumi, Linus will do it. But Linus would never check if the boy still lives, if he stabs him to death....
He pulls his knife and puts it to the breast of the boy exactly above the heart. He moves it slowly, almost mocking, a little to the left. And another a small step further to the left. It can cause no real damage anymore there, where the knife is now pressed against the flesh, only a minor wound. Slowly the knife sinks into the body.
Izumi screams, his scream becomes half suffocated through the arm under his chin.
Koji jumps ahead in this moment. He has no chance against the two bandits but he can't wait any longer. With all his strength, he flings himself onto Ikaru only to be caught by Linus. Linus pulls his sword and builds up grinning in front of Koji. Ikaru sinks the knife deeper, centimeter-by-centimeter into the boy's body.
The ceiling of the cave collapses suddenly. Koji dives among the rocks to the side. A dragonhead appears in the opening. Ikaru looks up directly into a tremendous mouth, that grabs him.
Tetsu'ko raises the man between his jaws and bites. A horrible crunch is heard, the bones splinter between the powerful teeth, the man shouts and jerks like in cramps. Tetsu'ko joggles his head like a dog killing a rabbit. A bloody mass, that was once a man, fells moments later onto the ground of the cave with a splashing noise.
Linus becomes pale. He forgets Koji and storms raising his sword to Izumi to kill him. Koji jumps into his knees and sweeps him from his legs. Then he curls at the side in order to evade the blow, grasps a stone and smashes it into Linus' body with all his strength. Linus falls back, a hand on his stomach. Koji snatches Ikaru's sword gear, pulls the sword. His hands are still bound, but he faces Linus. The man attacks him like a rabid dog. Koji moves swiftly aside and plunges the sword in.
The surprise in Linus eyes as life leaves him is almost touching. The sword entered his chest once, he sacks to the knees and spits blood. The red-haired man falls on his side and once again twitches before he becomes still. Koji doesn't consider him anymore as he takes Izumi quickly off the hook and cut up their bounds.
Thank God, Izumi still lives.
He holds him firmly into his arms and bellows at Tetsu'ko: "What kept you away? Where have you been?"
The dragon emits a whimpering noise. Killing lust disappearing from his eyes. Cautiously he flickers his tongue at the boy in Koji's arms. He stretches his head some more into the cave and tries to grasp Izumi's body with his jaws.
Koji pulls back. "Do you really mean to carry him to Yakazu in your mouth? Your teeth will finish in 5 minutes what the knife didn't."
Tetsu'ko snorts once again and joggles quickly his head. Koji reluctantly holds out Takuto's body to him. The dragon takes the body very cautiously; he hardly closes his jaws and drags the boy carefully out of the cave. The head is back moments later.
Tetsu'ko flickers quickly his tongue on Koji who pressed himself to a wall. "You can't be serious, you bast....." The strong jaws conclude around his body then the dragon lifts him too. The teeth are unpleasant but not painful. He puts him outside the cave on the stony ground.
Koji lifts Izumi, Tetsu'ko bends his front legs and crouches as deep as possible onto the ground. Koji shoves Takuto to his back and climbs quickly afterwards.
The both now cooperate, as it matters, like a trained team.
Izumi hardly reacts, he only groans a little. Koji holds him into his arms and makes it as comfortable as possible for them in the broad saddle. Tetsu'ko takes gently off and gains height fast. He flies to Yakazu as fast as his wings may take him. Koji sees above him thousands of stars sparkling in the black night sky, the country under him is a dark patch carpet made from many dawning and brown shadings. In spite of his worry for Izumi he is fascinated. A ride among the stars surrounded by silvery light....
Takuto moves and tears Koji out of his dreams. Yakazu is already before them; the dragon lands moments later in the inner court of the palace. He ejects a tremendous roaring.

Koji jumps down and delivers the boy to the dragon riders who came running. Hisaya checks Izumi's injuries briefly, then he examines Koji. "What happened to him? What is really going on here? Did you cause that?"
Two men carry quickly the boy to the quarter of the Medicus.
The fair thief shakes his head tired. "It's a long story. Izumi will tell it better than me. He wanted to save me and was hurt. If I had done to him something - do you really think I would be here?"
King Boltis and his guards disturb their conversation impolitely. The king was torn from his sleep; he stormed out in his nightdress into the palace yard - what seemed rather funny because of his large body volume. "Koji! Koji the thief! The villain who stole my gold and certainly also the queen necklace. Guards!! Arrest him!" King Boltis faces Koji. "I wanted since long to get you in my hands. Wait a little lad, you are brought to the judge tomorrow morning - and until then you will look even worse than now, my people will 'entertain' you for sure." Koji takes a step back. He is too tired for fighting, his own injuries now becoming apparent.
The guards come up grinningly to him in a semicircle. He looks around, hunted. In front of him are standing the guards of the king, beside and behind him are the dragons and their riders.
No way out!
While the men are still a couple of meters away, Tetsu'ko lifts his head. He shifts ostentatiously before Koji and emits a powerful flame.
The guards almost fall over their legs and they hastily make their retreat.
Koji looks briefly to Hisaya who shrugs his shoulders. "We have no reason to arrest you. Go, get away." Koji turns around and sprints in the direction of the old town. No one will catch him there! He notices that two arrows fly closely past him but he already is diving off in the narrow lanes and disappearing between the houses.
He can hear behind him King Boltis raging for a whole while.
Hisaya let the insults and curses of the King slip easily on him. "We are here to catch gangs. He is only a thief; he does not appertain to our task. Moreover, he returned me a member of my troop. He should be rewarded for it instead of being chased." King Boltis growls angrily, turns back on his heel and rushes back into his palace, the guards in tow. His departure has something opera like and, should the nightdress of the king have waved in the wind, it would even have been dramatic....