Colonies of U'u'kata

Chapter 5 - A Bloodied Blade

Eyebrows pinched together in determination, Cali growled through the gag and continued to take one step after another, upriver.

The water started to rush harder the further up she went and the bank became so steep it might have been a small cliff. At this point there was no way she could climb out and no way she could go back. So she clung to the wall and pulled herself with her still bound hands. Making herself focus only on the next handhold, the next step.

She could now hear voices over the roar of the river, coming from somewhere above but she refused to look up and refuse to give up, even though the water was now rushing up to her chest and constantly snatching her feet out from under her.

She finally came to what looked like a thick root and she thankfully grabbed onto it, letting her eyes follow it up to where she could barely see the leaves of a tree above. Were they blue leaves? Was this where her unlikely savior had told her to go? Why had he told her to go here?

Pulling herself forward, Cali saw that most of the roots were coming down through a deep crevasse in the bank that looked to be stone and she gripped them, pulling herself between them so she could get behind them.

She pitched sideways when the roots opened up to a small area that she never would have noticed from the outside. Then she eased back into the dim recesses of the crevasse and shivered helplessly.

Why would he send me here? she wondered. There's nothing here!

What was she supposed to do? Hide here until she starved to death?

The voices grew louder and her heart pounded harder.

Something grabbed her from behind and she squealed in surprise a second before a massive meaty hand covered her mouth and dragged her backward. She didn't know how she was dragged backward. She had looked over her shoulder and there was nothing there but stone. Where had he come from? How could anyone have gotten behind her?

She struggled and cried until warm breath moved over her ear as whoever had a hold of her hissed, "Silence! You'll give us away!"

Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep, shuddering breath through her nose and let it out slowly.

He backed up, taking slow, measured steps and she took slow, squishing steps with him.

Something glinted out of the corner of her eye and she looked to see a massive blade in his hand.

A shadow passed before what seemed to be some kind of cave and her new captor froze like a viper. Ready and waiting to strike.

Someone yelled something and she flinched.

"Move slowly. Get behind me. And don't make a sound," he whispered in her ear, easing his hand off of her mouth.

She moved around him, and backed up. One step at a time, moving slowly. His silhouette was massive and foreboding, limed in the morning light easing through the curtain of tree roots, vines and branches.

What if he wasn't going to help her? What if that one back in the camp had sent her this way knowing that she'd come upon his friend and then they could both have her to themselves? What if she jumped out of the pot and directly into the fire?

She backed up until her shoulder blades bumped into a cold, stone wall.

The shadow passed by, and the voices gradually faded.

His shoulders seemed to relax and just as he seemed ready to turn, another figure splashed into the water in front of the roots and started pushing through them.

Cali watched in horror as the Uu'k'asht struck, burying his blade under the other's chin and dragging him inside the cave where he drove a knee into his chest as he flailed and stuffed a hand over his gurgling mouth.