The Hammer - Cor Series Book I

The rantel scanned the valley and trail that lead up to the settlements. Corvan held his breath until the creature unfurled its wings and soared out over the fields.

Someone grabbed his arm. Corvan’s yell died on his lips as he twisted around to look into the face of Tsarek.

“So sorry, sir. I do hope I did not frighten you,” Tsarek said as a smirk curved across the lizard’s face.

Corvan wasn’t so sure he liked Tsarek’s newfound sense of humor. “I had to wait for his rantel to leave,” Tsarek said, pointing towards the other side of the river. “On the other side of the dam there is a very angry man with a bandage over one eye. He is leading a group of the rebel soldiers. He wants his rantel to find you.” Tsarek cocked his head to one side. “You seem to have made a lot of enemies in the Cor since you locked me outside the door.”

“Does he know I’m here?” Corvan whispered.

“I don’t think so. His connection to his flying guide is not working very well because of his great eye pain.” He cocked his head to one side. “When did you learn to throw fire? I often heard your mother tell you not to play with it.”

Corvan waved the question off. “Where is the man with the eye patch now? We need to keep moving along the road to get to the city.”

Tsarek held out a paw and helped Corvan to his feet. “His men won’t cross the flowing water on top of the dam, so they are all going to their home in the highest crags. He will not bother us for a while, but he will be sending out bounty hunters to circle around through Kadir to find you, so yes, we had better keep moving.” He began walking along the road toward the city then looked back with a twinkle in his eye. “He is offering a great reward for your capture, one even a Watcher might enjoy.”

Tsarek walked on and Corvan followed cautiously behind him, constantly looking across the river for any sign of the Rebel Leader and then across the fields to see if the Rantel was coming back. Reaching the top of the river bend, he found the city of Kadir shrouded in a thick bank of fog. The statue rising above it looked like a man with his feet stuck in a snowbank.

Tsarek pointed. “The palace must be making sure people stay indoors until the day begins. They must also suspect there could be trouble with the rebels. That is why the fog is so thick tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Corvan asked.

“The palace controls the fog and the floods to keep people afraid of what might happen if they don’t obey the Chief Watcher. It’s done with large machines in the underground river below the karst in the palace courtyard. I saw them working on it after you shut the gate on me. I had to follow the cold water down into the Cor but then there is hot water too, in the place where they create the fog.”

“When I was on the courtyard wall, I saw the fog come out of door in the round wall at the feet of the great statue.”

Tsarek looked puzzled. “There used to be only a small karst between its feet. That’s where they drown people at the water ceremony they call the Wasting. There has never been a wall around it.”

“I think the wall is new. I could see a lot of people working on it when I came out the portal door up on the cliff.”

“Do you mean the one you shut on me?” Tsarek asked?

Corvan nodded. Was Tsarek going to keep remining him of his mistake?

Tsarek pointed toward the city. “The statue karst is much like the one you were just in, except there is no island in the middle and no great beast. Instead, a water creature with long arms, much greater than the one we fought in the labyrinth, dwells in an underwater cave behind a gate that is opened whenever they throw someone in.” Tsarek looked up at him, his eyes full of pride. “The gate was shut when I was there, but its arms almost caught me. I had to frighten it away with my fire stick.”

“And that’s where they control the floods?” Corvan asked.

“I believe that is how it is done. They can send water running throughout the city. They have drowned people to make everyone believe the water sacrifice is required to make the gods happy.”

Corvan looked across the river at the fog-shrouded city. At first light Tyreth would be thrown into the water as part of the Chief Watcher’s evil plans. Somehow, he needed to stop him but how. He walked faster and passed Tsarek, the lizard’s short legs working furiously to keep pace. He smiled. Surely things would work out better now that he had both Tsarek and the hammer back.

As they approached the ruined bridge, Tsarek suddenly yanked Corvan down behind the cover of the stone walls. “Rakash,” he hissed and pointed a claw toward the fields.

Corvan peeked over the wall. Far below, across the narrow end of the fields, five people walked in a row along a retaining wall between the fields. One of carried a staff topped by a red globe.

“That’s a palace staff,” the lizard said. “One of the soldiers was carrying it when I took the cloth. The Rakash is returning with the soldiers to report your escape as they still believe you are Tarran.” Tsarek gripped Corvan’s arm tighter. “But he will also report my trespass in the Cor to the Chief of the Watchers. I fear there will be great troubles.”

Corvan glanced over the wall. The group was close enough that any movement along the river road would be detected. “The soldiers won’t cross the broken bridge, will they?”

“No, they won’t go near it. They are passing through the fields to take the high river road so they can cross at the upper bridge that leads up to the portal door, the one where you locked me out.”

Corvan checked again and noted that the wall the soldiers were on ended at the edge of the fields then climbed a steep path to join up with the river road. He crouched back down. “Do you think they’ll reach the city before the water ceremony?”

“I do not believe so. That trail is longer, and they will be moving slowly. It is very narrow and climbs up and down the cliffs near the river. Few people choose to travel that way, as they are afraid they might fall into the water.”

“But they’ll see us if we try to use the broken bridge,” Corvan said.

Tsarek sat back against the wall. “Then we must find another cat to skin. The dark cycle will end soon, and the Wasting always takes place at the first segment of light.”

Corvan’s stomach knotted. He couldn’t be late getting to the Wasting at the temple karst. He had to get there before they threw Tyreth in and the water creature grabbed her. Crawling on all fours to the river side of the road, he looked across to where the outlet from Madam Toreg’s secret city flowed out under the bridge. “What if we jump into the river and use the fire sticks to go through that water outlet? Madam Toreg will send her gray men to help me save Tyreth.”

Tsarek shook his head. “I cannot let her or anyone else in Kadir see me. Those who serve the Chief Watcher will kill me on sight, and those who fight the Watcher will kill me for being of his kind.”

“I’ll speak to them on your behalf,” Corvan said. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

The lizard laid his paw on Corvan’s arm. “You don’t understand, Corvan. If you are seen in Kadir with me, they will most certainly immediately kill you as well.”

Corvan realized that he hadn’t thought it through, but it was true. His best friend in this hostile underground world would always be seen by others as their enemy.

He placed his hand on top of Tsarek’s paw. “It will be better once we get back to my world.”

“No, Corvan.” Tsarek’s dark eyes clouded over. “I have decided that I must stay here in the Cor. Your world is not my home. Your people will not accept me either. I have been shot at by that large boy who lives near the rock. You cannot protect me in your world any more than I can protect you in mine.”

“What are you saying?”

Tsarek swallowed. “Our ways are parting, Kalian. You must go ask your friends for help to rescue your friend. I will stay in the river, swim up inside the karst, and hide under the edge where the palace guard cannot see me. If you get in trouble at the Wasting ceremony, you can jump into the water. I will have fire sticks for you, and you can swim away with me under the water.”

“What about Tyreth?”

“I will have enough fire sticks for her too.”

“But how will we escape from the water creature with the long arms?”

Tsarek grimaced. “I will do my best to keep it away.” He pulled two smaller fire sticks from his bundle and trimmed the ends. “You will need these to make it through that water tunnel. The water is fast so it will be hard work. If you find it difficult to breathe, use both at the same time. It was the only way I could make it through the fast water to you in the settlements.”

Corvan took the two sticks as Tsarek slipped over the low wall and hung by his claws. Corvan leaned down to him and touched his paw. “Tsarek, you have not called me ‘sir’ much since you came back.”

The lizard cocked his head to one side. “I guess after all we have been through, I am thinking of you as my friend—sir.” He grinned. “Like the Lone Ranger and Tonto.”

“Where did you hear those names?” Corvan asked.

The blue streaks on Tsarek’s face flushed. “The Kate’s mother watched it on her TV box, and I would peek in through the window.”

Corvan shook his head, grinned at his friend, then gave him a quick wave. “See you soon, Tonto.”

“If my claws were free, I would return the waving to you, for I too hope to see you soon—Kemosabe.” His eyes twinkled. “And this time - don’t shut the door on me.” He pushed off the wall, dropped into the water and his trail of bubbles worked its way upstream.

Corvan leaned out over the low wall and looked down into the water. His heart beat faster. He’d never jumped from anything this high.

“Don’t move!” A hoarse voice whispered in his ear and a sharp point dug into his back.