Shades Of The Past Part 20

The meeting breaks up and they each file out of James' tent to see about the respective men under their command. Delia hangs back, remaining inside after everyone else has left.

"Shouldn't you go and see about your people?" James asks her.

"In a moment I will," she replies. Standing there by the tent flap she can't help but notice how much James has changed from the man whom she and the others first met after the fall of the City of Light. He's so much more sure and confident of himself and his abilities.

"Are you sure going to Korazan is the smartest thing to do?" she asks.

"What?" he asks in reply.

"I mean, could this be simply a way to get back at the slavers for the part they played in the death of your friend Dave?"

Sitting down on the edge of his cot, he sighs and looks up at her. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't. Yes, I want retribution. Yes, I blame them at least in part for what happened to Dave."

Dave, his friend from back home who managed to follow him through to this world. Ravaged and tormented, soul twisted until he became the willing accomplice in the Empire's attempt to steal the Star of Morcyth when James discovered it, only to be consumed when he laid hands upon it. Anger still smolders within him at those responsible.

"But there's more to it than just that," he continues after a brief pause. "The economy of the Empire is based on the slave trade. Striking a blow at a major slave marketplace such as Korazan can only weaken it. There may be no immediate results, but the long term effect could hurt them in some way."

"I see," she tells him, still not entirely believing his rationale. "Well, see you in the morning."

"You too Delia," he says as she lifts the tent flap and leaves.

Devin pokes his head in once she's left and asks, "Anything else sir?"

"No, Devin," he replies. "I'll be fine. See you in the morning."

Nodding, Devin backs out and closes the flap.

Getting ready to sleep, James thinks about what Delia had said. Their whole society is based on the slave trade and if it were to be in jeopardy, they would have to do something or face economic ruin. With any luck, they'll recognize that.

Lying down, he goes over in his mind the plan for the days ahead and fervently hopes it will be enough to not only draw their forces out of Madoc but also to enable them to return to Madoc once it's done. Eventually though, sleep wins out and he pa.s.ses into unconsciousness.

"Which one, which one?" he mumbles to himself as he glances around the midway. A single ticket is clutched in his hand and he wants to make sure he doesn't waste it. Seeing a roller coaster off to one side, he makes his mind up and heads toward it.

As he makes his way through the various stalls and rides where the carnies are shouting out their various pitches to entice him to visit whatever they are in charge of, he has the feeling that he's been here before.

"Probably resembles one I've been to back home," he reasons.

The coaster is currently moving upon the rails, traveling with incredible speed as it twists and turns first up one way then down the other. The thrill of it surges through him as he hurries to be the first in line.

Upon reaching the front of the line, he realizes he's the only one who will be riding on the next turn. Thinking this odd, he turns and glances back over the midway and realizes that except for himself, the only others there at the carnival are the carnies. Not thinking anymore about it, he stands there and waits for the coaster to finish its run.

It makes a final loop and then begins to head in to the loading dock. Before it has a chance to come to a stop, he catches a glimpse of golden hair out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head he finds a golden haired girl making her way past the roller coaster.

"Ready sir?" the carnie asks once the coaster comes to a stop.

"What?" he asks, tearing his gaze from the girl as he turns back to the carnie.

"Are you ready to ride?" the carnie asks. He stands there at the edge of the coaster and holds the restraining bar up so James can enter the car.

He makes to hand his ticket to the carnie when the sight of the golden haired girl once again draws his attention. Just as the carnie is about to take the ticket, he s.n.a.t.c.hes his hand back and says, "Maybe later." Turning around, he runs back through the waiting area for the ride and moves to follow her.

She's made her way to a ride on the edge of the carnival and is getting into a boat. Before he can reach her, the boat she's in begins to move down the narrow waterway and toward the opening of the Tunnel of Love.

Again the feeling of being here before comes over him. Not knowing why he feels the need to catch the girl, only that he must, he races after her and comes to the carnie in charge of the ride. Handing the man his ticket, he takes a seat in the waiting boat and is soon on his way toward the opening.

The golden haired girl has already entered the tunnel and he can barely make her out in the darkness within. A large heart with two white lights is upon the wall just within the entrance. The light coming from the two lights within the heart is the only illumination within the tunnel. Once he pa.s.ses through the entrance, his eyes grow adjusted to the gloom and he sees her riding in the boat ahead of him.

"h.e.l.lo!" he hollers to her but she fails to respond. "h.e.l.lO!" he cries at the top of his lungs, but again his cry goes unheeded. "d.a.m.n!" he curses to himself as he sits in the boat as it makes its way through the ride. He thought about getting out of the boat and wading up to the girl but decided against it, might be too unsafe.

There's not much to this ride really, some soft music playing in the background, he thinks it might be some Carpenter's song without the words. Scenes begin appearing on the walls of the tunnel. One is of two people, a man and a woman sitting side by side with their heads leaning upon each other. Another is of the same couple dancing at a merry festival.

Taking his eyes off the scenes upon the walls, he looks ahead for the golden haired girl but can only see darkness ahead. Anxious not to lose sight of her, he strains his eyes but is unable to see her.

His boat moves inexorably toward the darkened area and the temperature begins to drop, his breath misting in the coldness. The music playing starts to change subtly at first then moves into a more haunting melody and the tranquility the previous portion of the ride had induced fades away.

As he reaches the darkened area, the light fades altogether and he travels in complete darkness. The darkness seems to deepen and the coldness becomes more p.r.o.nounced as does his feeling of unease. Holding out his hand, a glowing orb suddenly appears and dispels the darkness.

He gasps as he sees shadows moving along the fringes of the tunnel, none seem to pay him and his glowing orb any attention. They appear to be moving in the same direction as is the ride. When his gaze falls upon the shadows a s.h.i.+ver of fear runs through him, he's seen them before.

With uncertain dread, he peers forward in an attempt to locate the golden haired girl but the light from his...o...b..doesn't pierce the darkness far enough ahead for him to be able to see her.

"This boat is moving too slow," he thinks to himself. "I'll never reach her in time!" In time for what he's not sure but the feeling that time is running out rises from deep within. Taking hold of the edge of the boat, he vaults over and splashes into the water.

As it turns out, the water is only two feet deep. Glancing at the moving shadows one more time, he begins slos.h.i.+ng his way through the water in an attempt to reach the boat bearing the girl.

The tunnel remains dark except for the light of his...o...b.. Off to either side he's able to make out vague outlines of the scenes which should be illuminated but are now only dark. He rounds a corner where the ride makes a sudden right turn and finds the boat that had contained the golden haired girl sitting askew on the ride. It continues to rock from side to side as the chain below it which should have been moving it along rubs against the bottom.

He looks around the darkened tunnel, but all he can see are the dark shadows continuing to move along the walls. Unwilling to risk drawing their attention by shouting, he leaves the boat behind as he quickly makes his way along the tunnel. Staying alongside the center of the ride, he occasionally brushes a leg against the chain moving under the water. Once, his legging became caught by it and only by ripping a large hole in it when he tore it off was he able to get loose.

The cold of the tunnel grows in intensity the further along he moves. From up ahead, he hears the girl, at least he thinks it's her, singing a soft melody. At last he sees a glow and within it is the golden haired girl. She's walking as he is, along the center of the tunnel and is totally oblivious to the shadows moving along the sides. Quickening his pace, he tries to close the distance to her. But no matter how fast he moves, he fails to gain any ground.

All of a sudden the tone of her melody changes, becoming more sad and tearful. Altering her course, she begins moving from the center of the waterway and makes her way toward the right side of the tunnel. The glow around her appears to keep the shadows at bay as she steps out of the water and moves upon a raised platform holding one of the ride's attractions.

As she moves onto the dais, the movement of the shadows alters and they begin converging on the platform. "Watch out!" he cries as the shadows move toward her but the girl pays him no heed.

The shadows halt at the edge of the platform and become still, malignant hate radiates from them as they stand and watch the girl. Upon the dais, the glow which seems to surround her illuminates what looks to be a man hanging by his wrists from a rope that descends out of the darkness above. His features are hard to make out, though the blood, cuts and bruises dotting his body are not. This man has been treated badly and doesn't look like he can survive very much longer.

Her song stops and sobbing can be heard as she reaches a hand out to touch the tortured man's face. As she touches his face, a tremor more felt than seen runs through the shadows watching. Whatever is going on, they don't care for it.

James comes to within ten feet of the edge of the ring of shadows and stops in the water. He feels as if he should know the man hanging at the end of the rope but recognition does not come. Unsure how to make his way through the ring of shadows, he remains there in the water.

A waft of nauseating air suddenly surges through the tunnel from the entrance and James turns his attention in that direction. Another boat is coming through the tunnel toward him. He peers intently to see if there is anyone riding within it and only when it comes closer does he see something that causes his breath to catch and his heart to practically freeze in his chest.

Riding within the car is one of the monstrosities he saw when he had been on that other plane of existence. That time when Igor had showed up and rescued him. Unlike the shadows which had traveled along the edge of the tunnel, this monstrosity sees him. Its red eyes are fixed directly upon him, steeling the will and strength from him by the second.

Suddenly, it gives out with a mammoth roar which thunders through the tunnel and makes jelly of his muscles. He begins backing away down the tunnel from the approaching nightmare. That's when he notices the shadows have begun to leave the edge of the platform and are now making their way toward him.

Fear courses its way through every nerve in his body. It's all he can do to keep his legs moving. He turns and starts running down the tunnel when his legging again becomes ensnared by the chain pulling the boats along. Losing his balance, he falls into the water and once he rights himself, frantically tries to pull his legging from the chain.

Back down the tunnel, the monstrosity is now out of the boat and coming toward him quickly. There's no way for him to escape. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the girl turned toward him, a look of pleading upon her face. Then the shadows block the sight of her as the monstrosity draws near.

Evil, malignant evil, radiates from the creature as it reaches its hand out toward him. His heart freezes in his chest and a scream is ripped from his throat as the creature's hand draws near.

AHHHHHH!!.

He starts awake and bolts upright on his cot. His breath comes in rasps as the fear continues to course its way through him.

His tent flap opens and Jiron rushes through with a knife in either hand. "What happened?" he shouts as he looks around for an attacker.

"She needs my help!" he cries as he begins to calm down. His breath continues to be labored as the fear starts to dissipate.

"Who?" he asks as others crowd the entrance to his tent to see what the commotion is about. "Who needs your help?"

"I..." he starts to say but the memory of the dream is already beginning to fade. "I... don't know." Like sand slipping through your fingers, the dream which had been so clear earlier is now all but gone. All that's left are small fragments: golden hair, fear, and a sense that something needs to be done and done soon. But just what eludes him.

"I can't remember," he tells them as he puts his face in his hands. Breathing steadily, he brings his nerves under control.

Putting his knives away, Jiron turns to the others congregating at the tent flap and says, "He's alright. It was just a dream."

From outside the tent James can hear the sound of the others muttering as they head back to their tents. He takes his head from his hands and sees Jiron, Delia and Miko there just within his tent. "I appreciate your concern," he tells them, "but I'm alright."

"You gave us quite a fright," Delia says, worry still in her eyes.

"Was it a vision?" Jiron asks.

"I don't know," he replies. "I can't recall."

"Dreams of that intensity usually are," Miko says in a tone sounding very sure of what he's saying. "Try to hang onto the memory next time, it could be important."

"I'll do that," he says. To Jiron he asks, "How far away is dawn?"

"Still a couple more hours away," he replies. "You should try to get a little more rest if you can."

Laying his head back on his cot, he glances over to them and says, "I doubt if I'll be able to right away."

"Get what you can," Delia tells him and then gestures for everyone to leave the tent.

"I'll try," he a.s.sures her as they file out through the tent flap. The last thing he sees before the tent flap closes is Devin's face gazing in at him with concern, then the flap closes.

Lying on his cot, he tries to recall the dream but is unable. After awhile, he yawns and actually returns to sleep for a little bit before the call comes for the camp to awake.

Chapter Fourteen.

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Despite repeated questioning by the various members of their group, he's still unable to recall anything but a vague feeling of unease about the dream of the night before. Finally he just quits trying.

It doesn't take them long to pack everything and be on their way shortly after sunrise. James continues checking his mirror frequently for any forces which may be heading in their direction. The force behind them that had trailed them throughout the day before continues to keep a discreet distance behind them. From what the mirror shows, their number has swelled dramatically through the night. Their plan must be to crush Black Hawk between their force and those waiting for them at Al-Zynn.

James scrolls the mirror as far south as he can and finds units moving in the general direction of Al-Zynn. It appears all is going as planned, the Empire believes they intend to sack Al-Zynn and are moving every available unit there.

They keep a moderate pace, neither rus.h.i.+ng nor being too slow. As best they can, they try to maintain a course that will take them a little west of Al-Zynn rather than directly toward it. If the Empire realizes they are not entirely on a straight heading, with any luck they will simply write if off as they don't know the exact way.

By late afternoon, James has been able to acquire Al-Zynn in his mirror. The flurry of activity surrounding the town shows that they believe an attack is imminent. Troops are moving toward it from all directions, including a sizeable force from the direction of Korazan.

"Hope that's the majority of the garrison at Korazan," Illan says when James informs him what is transpiring there.

"With any luck, they won't realize what we are up to until it's too late," replies James.

"When they do," comments Jiron, "everything at Al-Zynn will be sent after us. They aren't likely to allow us much time at Korazan for what we intend."

Nodding, Illan says, "That's why we are only hitting the slaver's compound, killing all the slavers and freeing the slaves. Those who wish to come with us we'll arm with the weapons found at the compound."

"Can't imagine anyone wis.h.i.+ng to remain behind," states James. "They would only be made slaves once more."

"Never know," Illan replies.

All day long there are no further opportunities for attack. The caravans and patrols must have been diverted to prevent them from falling to them as they head south. By early evening, it's determined that Al-Zynn is a little over four hours away. Scouts have reached the city and reported back that breastworks are being dug between where their force now lies and the walls of Al-Zynn.

James turns to Illan and asks, "From their perspective, would it seem reasonable for us to stop here, seeing as how our scouts have returned and reported what they saw at Al-Zynn?"

"Yes it would," he replies. "Now that we 'know' what we are up against, it would be reasonable for us to stop and a.s.sess the situation."

"Very well," James says. He checks his mirror for hostiles in the area and finds more units stationed in and around the town of Al-Zynn than previous. To the east and west of their position is fairly clear, the only units he discovers are smaller bands on their way to reinforce the town. The force that's been following them remains at the same distance they've been since the chase began.

"Looks like we may be okay until the morning," he tells Illan as he puts his mirror away.

"By then it will be too late for them to do anything," Illan replies. Raising his voice, he hollers out to the rest of the riders following along behind, "Bring 'em to a halt! We stop here tonight."

As Devin begins to take his tent down from the pack horse to set it up, James tells him not to bother. "No tent tonight," he tells him. Lowering his voice he adds, "We're not going to be here all that long."

"Yes, sir," he says.