Flash Fiction #185 --Escaping Somewhere Else, Part 20: The Bridge (1)

(Previous)

Laughter drifted over the root bridge, a rumble of sound that I didn't appreciate at the moment.  Edmond liked it even less.  His ears went back and he hissed and growled.

And meowed.

"Mew.  Meow.  Meow!"

He was cursing.  I didn't need to know the words.  And I didn't blame him.

"Keep back Lord Snow," I warned.  "All of us better keep back."

Something had begun moving across the bridge. Huge and white with shaggy long hair that covered the body: it moved on four legs, but the head that lifted had an intelligent face; I could see speculation in the bright eyes that peaked out from behind the hair.

Edmond wasn't happy.  As the creature got closer, he tensed and lowered his head.  I grabbed him  before he attacked.

"My what a brave little creature."  The giant white fur ball stopped about three quarters of the way across the bridge and took a look at all of us, up and down the path.  "Do you really think you're going to cross my bridge and at no cost?"

"I doubt we have anything that you would want," I admitted.  "We're all refugees, you know.  We only want passage to a safer place."

"I should care?"

"Then I guess we'll find another way," I said and started to turn.

"You never asked my price."

I turned back and gave a bow of my head.  "What is it?"

"I think that lovely little black creature you're holding would make a nice lunch --"

Hiss, growl.  "Meow-ther thing threatens to eat me I will -- oh.  That's better."

"Edmond isn't going to be lunch," I said.  "No deal."

I turned again.  Lord Snow moved up beside me, his own ears back.  Edmond purred, though.  I was glad whatever had hit him had been temporary.  I was going to need him to help us find another way.

"You didn't ask any of the others if they agree," the creature said.

"They're welcome to stay and make whatever deal they can with you," I replied, though I chilled at the thought they might turn over one of their own.  "But Edmond goes with me, as well as anyone else who wants to come along.  I will find another way to safety."

"A bit pretentious, aren't you?"  He smirked this time and watched as Maggie and Beth came closer.  Maggie put a hand on Edmond, but Beth had a different look that I didn't like much at all.  "You make all the decisions. Well here's my final word:  You give me Edmond or none of you cross."

"No," Maggie said.

"Now wait," Beth replied.  "Maybe we need --"  I turned to her, stunned by her answer.  She went silent and then frowned.  "I'm sorry.  You're right.  Of course you can't give him the cat."

"No, I can't," I said.  I looked back up the long path.  Why couldn't anything be --

"But I can," Beth snarled.

She grabbed Edmond out of my arms.  He flailed and scratched her hands, but she tossed him straight at the creature.

"No!"

That worked, of course.  Everything froze in place but me, but I had trouble moving.  I fought my way forward, knowing I was going to lose my hold on all of this soon.

The best I could do was reach out and hit Edmond away from the huge open mouth with the dagger teeth.  I'd barely made the connection when I lost control of the magic.

Edmond, howling, flew off to the left.  I hoped he found something to grab hold of before he fell the rest of the way.  But now I was about a foot away from the creature and on his bridge.  The only thing I had going for me was surprise.

And it worked.

From the creatures point of view, there had been a tasty cat morsel about a foot from his mouth.  Now he blinked and found me instead.  And I punched him in the nose.

"Gah!" Shocked, he leapt backwards, lost his footing, and tumbled off the bridge.  I looked over to see him land on his back about fifty feet below us.  He bellowed and sat up. Then fell back down again.

"Edmond!" I shouted.

The cat had grabbed the edge of the bridge and was hauling himself up.  I knelt down and caught him by the scruff the neck and pulled him up.

"I don't much care for flying," he said.  "But thanks."

"You can still talk."

"Yeah.  I think with him off the bridge, it's safe."

I looked back over the edge.  He wasn't getting up.  "Okay, let's get across!" I shouted to the others.  "Go!"

"You need to go first," Maggie said.  "In case there's more trouble on the other side.  I'll stay here and keep them moving.  Take Edmond and Lord Snow with you."

I looked around.  Beth stood with Lady, but her face was ashen white and she wouldn't meet my eyes.  I couldn't trust her after this.  I turned away without saying anything.  She knew what she'd done.

Lord Snow stepped out in front of me and started across, his tail swishing from side-to-side.  I held Edmond who still seemed a bit shaken as we hurried forward.  The bridge was huge and I couldn't see the other end.

"You okay, Lord Snow?"

"Fine, Mark," he said.  "I suspect there will be more trouble before long."

"There is always more trouble."

"The woman did the logical thing, you know." Lord Snow looked back over his shoulder for a moment.  "Nothing personal, Edmond, but what she did made sense in a species preservation way."

"If I had to throw her to a monster to save us, I suppose I would, too," Edmond agreed.  "But I don't trust her.  She's unstable, Mark."

"Yes, I think you're right.  We'll keep an eye on her.  But I think we have other things to worry about."

Something else was moving on the bridge ahead of us.

To Be Continued. . . .

970 Words

 

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Flash Fiction #184 --Escaping Somewhere Else, Part 19: Going Down

(Previous)

This was not the time to panic.

I told myself that as I watched the gigantic creature covered in moss, leaves, twigs and roots pulled himself up out of the hole.  He'd left it once already to attack the wyverns, but I'd been so worried about (1) him falling on us  and (2) the wyverns attacking and killing us  that I had not looked at the hole.

I inched forward but kept well back from the opening.  It was big.  Bog Bob had slipped out and sat behind the hole, Looking like a giant benevolent gnome.  He grinned brightly. 

"Go on in.  Room for everyone!"

"Where does it take us?" I asked, stepping closer, but not actually going in yet.

"Down quite a ways and then across the bridge to the caves.  The caverns are miles long," Bog Bob said, peering down into the darkness.  "You'll want to go straight through to the other side of the forest.  That's about twenty miles, I'd say.  You want to be careful, though.  There's dangerous stuff down there."

"Of course there is," Edmond muttered.

"What is on the other side of the forest?" Lord Snow asked.  He sniffed at the opening.  I could tell it was dank and dark but Snow and Edmond should be able to tell if there were other things down there.  So far their tails only twitched a little, left and right, left and right - pretty much in sync.  They didn't seem to have found anything more unacceptable than usual.

"It used to be a wide, grassy land," Bog Bob said with a slight frown.  He gave a shrug and dirt fell around us.  "I haven't been there in years and years, but things don't change often.  I'm afraid I just got too big to go through, you see."

He patted himself on the stomach.  I refrained from askign what he ate.

"Maggie? Lady?  Beth?" I said looking around. The three were grouped together a few feet behind me.  This was not a decision I was going to make on my own.  "Do we go?"

Maggie looked back at the people who were waiting, and then beyond them towards the sky where things were moving.  "Yes, I'd say we go," she decided.  The other two gave quick nods.

The creatures in the sky looked like they must be more wyverns.  A lot of wyverns.

"Edmond?  Lord Snow?" I asked, but I was already taking a step closer to look in.

"We go," Lord Snow said.  "We go quickly.  Shall we scout, Edmond?"

"Yes," the smaller cat agreed.  "You should come with us, Mark.  You must help find the way that is best for the others to follow."

I thought he might be trying to get me out of the path of danger and I frowned.

"Go!" Maggie all but shouted.  "Find the way down there for us!"

I suspected her of doing the same, but it did make some sense.  I could have sent Maggie, but she had spent more time with some of the others and they'd listen to her. 

"Let's go."

I made my way to the edge of the hole.  A curving path lead downward, spiraling along the outer edge.  It was line with stone and I wondered who had used it in the past.  The scent of fresh ir and green grass gave way quickly to damp earth and while that was not a bad smell, it did reinforce the feeling that we were leaving the world behind.

"Rabbit hole," Edmond mumbled.  "I don't think this is better than the mouse hole we were in before."

"Better than facing those wyverns," Lord Snow said.  "I would like to say I trust Bog Bob, but . . . Overly friendly creatures make me nervous."

I nodded agreement and looked upward.  Bog Bob looked down at us with a bright smile.

"What do you think he eats?" I said softly.

"Wyverns, I hope," Edmond replied.

The others were starting down the trail as well.  Bog Bob had stopped watching us and I had the feeling he was keeping his eyes on the Wyverns.  I ought to be trusting him, I thought.  There was no reason to mistrust everyone we met.

Was there?

"We better move more quickly," Edmond said.  "We have a lot of people following behind us and if Bog Bob decides he wants to get back in his hole, I want to be out of the way."

"Good point.  I think something is glowing down there.  At least we might be able to see."

I didn't really want to rush down the curving path, but I didn't want to leave the others out in the open.  I didn't want to run into the unknown, either.

Still, I felt an odd bit of exhilaration as I picked up some speed and ran with the two cats.  Down and around, and around -- the path proved wide enough for the three of us to move together. The walls were rough and I could see ahead, though I still couldn't see the bottom of this pit.  Just down and down and down.

The trail ended before the pit into the ground did, though I thought I could see solid ground below.  Was that huge a huge table and bed?  This was likely Bog Bob's home.  Our circular trail ended here, but  a wide bridge of woven tree branches and roots that stretched across the now wider opening and disappeared into a misty distance.

"I am starting to think you're far too exciting to travel with, Mark," Edmond decided.  He put one paw on the bridge and then pulled it back again and looked up.  "Meow."

"Edmond?"

The cat looked startled.  "Meow.  Meow, meow, meoooow!"

Lord Snow took several quick steps backwards.  So did I.

"MEOW!"

And something chuckled.

To Be Continued. . . .

970 Words

 

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