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....