Chapter Seven
When Keo returned to consciousness, the world was upside down.
This sudden change in perspective caused Keo to gasp and try to get up, but then he realized that he was not lying down at all. Rather, he was hanging from a thick tree branch, a thick rope tied firmly around his body, arms, and legs. His head was free, but that did not mean much to him because he could not free himself with his head alone.
Confused, Keo heard a groan next to him and looked to his right to see Dlaine hanging next to him in a position very similar to his own. Dlaine did not appear to be hurt, but he groaned anyway as his eyes flickered open. He looked at Keo, a confused look on his own face.
“Keo?” said Dlaine. He looked very strange hanging upside down. “What happened? Where are we?”
“I was about to ask the same question, actually,” said Keo. He looked around and saw that they were in a small clearing, with muddy earth beneath them that was covered in footprints. “Last I remember is getting hit by some kind of dart and then completely losing consciousness.”
“Same here,” said Dlaine. “God, I have an awful itch behind my left ear. But I can't even reach it because of this damn rope.”
“Is that really the most important thing to be worrying about at the moment?” said Keo in annoyance. “We need to figure out how we got here and how to get out of here.”
“I know,” said Dlaine, nodding. “But that doesn't change the fact that that itch is really bad.”
Rolling his eyes, Keo looked around the small clearing again. “Where is Jola? Why hasn't she rescued us yet?”
“She might not know where we are,” said Dlaine. “But I have no doubt that she's looking for us. She'll probably find us sooner or later.”
“Will we even live long enough for her to find us?” said Keo. He looked down—or rather, up—at the ropes dangling Dlaine and him from the tree limb. “How much do you want to bet that one of the brigand bands captured us and is planning to kill us?”
“More lems than I have at the moment,” said Dlaine. “Then again, if they wanted to kill us, why wouldn't they have done it already? Brigands don't tend to be very subtle. Or smart, for that matter. Otherwise they wouldn't be brigands.”
“Then we need to figure out how to escape before they come back to finish the job,” said Keo. “Does that branch look weak to you? Maybe if we combine our weight and swing back and forth as hard as we can, we could break the branch off and fall to the ground.”
“Worth a shot,” said Dlaine. “Okay, on the count of three, we start swinging. One—”
Dlaine was interrupted by the sound of a lot of people walking through the trees nearby, their large feet crushing branches and leaves underfoot. Then four people stepped out of the trees and into the clearing.
Three of them were big, burly men who made Dlaine look like a walking stick. They were all identical in appearance, which made Keo wonder if they were brothers, aside from the tattoos on their faces and arms and the slight height differences between them. The men were also armed with short, sharp swords, which Keo was pretty sure that the men could cut up Dlaine and him with if they wanted.
The fourth person, however, was a woman, surprisingly enough. She was a lot smaller and thinner than the big men around her, but she had such a stern, authoritative look on her face that Keo immediately identified her as the leader. She carried a quarterstaff on her back and a bow slung around her shoulder, her hair done in elaborate braids that would have made her look pretty if not for the scars on her face. She looked older than Keo, but younger than Dlaine, but regardless of her age, Keo could tell that she was not the kind of woman you wanted to cross unless you were suicidal.
The woman and her bodyguards—which was what Keo assumed those three men were—walked toward Keo and Dlaine. The bodyguards did not have their weapons drawn, but that did not make Keo feel any safer around them. He looked at Dlaine, who looked just as uncomfortable around this woman and her bodyguards as he did.
“Any plans for taking 'em down?” Keo muttered low enough for only Dlaine to hear.
“Nope,” said Dlaine, shaking his head slightly. “Except maybe hope that our combined masculine charm is enough to convince the lady there to let us go.”
“So we're going to die, then,” said Keo.
“Probably,” said Dlaine.
The woman and her bodyguards stopped a few feet from Keo and Dlaine. The bodyguards wore the ugliest scowls on their faces, while the woman looked at Keo and Dlaine like they were something she found on the underside of a rock. Keo tried not to show any fear before them, but it was hard because of the sheer power disparity between the woman and them.
It was Dlaine who spoke first, saying, “Hi there, lady. I'm so sorry we interrupted your little land dispute with those other guys, but we didn't—”
“Silence,” said the woman. Her tone—harsh and no-nonsense—was enough to shut up Dlaine. “I don't want or need your apologies for anything.”
“Oh, well, that's fine, too,” said Dlaine, whose attempts at affability were a clear example of a losing battle to Keo. “Since we agree on that, I think we can also agree that we didn't do anything to hurt you or your men, so you can let us go.”
“The kid knocked out one of my men with his sword,” said the woman, pointing at Keo. “And I do not appreciate anyone, especially kids, harming my men.”
Keo gulped when he saw the bodyguards fingering their sheathed blades, like they were just itching to start chopping up Keo and Dlaine like beef. And Keo suspected that they would be just as likely to eat them as well.
Nonetheless, Keo said, “But your man attacked us first. We are just peaceful travelers who were on our way to—”
“Silence,” said the woman again. Her tone made Keo immediately shut up. “I don't care who you are or why you attacked one of my men. All I care about is that you nearly cost me that battle against the Riders earlier, and that is unforgivable by every definition of the word.”
“Riders?” Keo repeated. “Who are they?”
“The other group that wants to control this road,” said the woman. She gestured at her bodyguards and herself. “We are the Gatherers. And we are so much better than the Riders that they are not even in our class.”
Keo wanted to ask why they had not yet wrested control of the road from the Riders if they were so great, but because the woman looked like she was on the verge of ordering her bodyguards to slice up Dlaine and him like beef, he kept that thought to himself.
Instead, he said, “Why didn't you just kill us, then?”
“Because of that sword you carried,” said the woman. “It's obviously a magical sword. I've seen its kind before. They are very rare and unusual, so I decided to keep you two alive until I could find out where you got it and if there are any more.”
“You couldn't make us talk even if we wanted to,” said Dlaine. “We'll never tell you a thing.”
“Many men have told me that,” said the woman. She smirked. “I find that threatening to castrate them tends to make them talk.”
Both Keo and Dlaine winced at the mention of castration, but Keo was not going to tell this woman anything just yet. While she seemed tough and serious about carrying out her threats, Keo wanted to see if he could convince her to spare them.
“What is your name?” said Keo. “I noticed you didn't introduce yourself.”
“Celeresis,” said the woman. “But you can just call me Cele. It is what I am known as and I prefer it to my full name.”
“Celeresis?” Dlaine repeated. His eyes widened. “The Celeresis? Celeresis of the Quick Hand?”
“You know her?” said Keo, looking at Dlaine in surprise.
“Know of her,” said Dlaine. “She's a famous brigand. She hasn't been active for very long, but she's definitely earned a name for herself in this area.”
“Thank you for introducing myself for me,” said Celeresis, who sounded more annoyed than grateful. “It saves me the trouble of hav
ing to talk about my own accomplishments and skills.”
“What has she done that's so noteworthy?” said Keo.
“Slaughtered pretty much every rival brigand gang she's come across,” said Dlaine. “Quite brutally, I might add.”
“A necessary step if I am to become the strongest brigand leader in this country,” said Celeresis, pushing some of her braids behind her ears. “And I am nearly there now. I just need to take care of those pesky Riders and I will be the undisputed queen of this area and the road. But I think it would be easier for me to accomplish if I knew how to use your magical sword.”
“Why would I ever tell you what its ability is?” said Keo. “I'm not in the business of helping brigands like you become more and more powerful.”
“As I said, castration is a very effective way to make most men talk,” said Celeresis. She nodded at her bodyguards. “My men here are all very skilled in that area, seeing as I have given them plenty of practice. Granted, they don't use any pain relievers, but that's fine, because they know how to castrate a man as quickly and easily as any.”
Based on the way Celeresis's bodyguards smiled, Keo knew that Celeresis was telling the truth. Not that that made him feel any better about the situation, however.
“But I might convince them to spare your manhood if you would simply tell me what your sword does,” said Celeresis. She folded her arms across her chest. “All I know is that its power must be great, as magical swords always have powerful abilities. But I am also not fool enough to test it out on my own, as magical swords tend to have debilitating side effects that can leave their users in serious condition if they are not careful.”
“No,” said Keo. His head was starting to hurt, probably because he had been hanging upside down for so long. “You need to let us go. It is of utmost importance that you free us.”
“Why?” said Celeresis. “So you can take your sword and never return? I did not become the Queen of the Gatherers by letting my captives go, much less when these captives have a magical weapon that could be of use to me.”
“The fate of the entire kingdom rests on our freedom,” said Keo. He nodded at Celeresis and her bodyguards. “And that includes you and your men.”
Celeresis laughed. “The fate of the kingdom rests on the shoulders of two Wanderers who look like little more than beggars? What a joke, but still not as funny as the man I captured who claimed to be the reincarnation of King Riuno and who threatened to have the armies of Lamaira kill me if I touched him. I haven't seen any armies of Lamaira since I removed his head from his shoulders.”
Keo considered whether or not to tell Celeresis about the demonic invasion that was going to come. He did not trust Celeresis or her bodyguards, but at the same time he did not have any time to convince them through other means.
So Keo said, “The demons from the old legends are rising again and they will destroy Lamaira if you don't let us go. You must free us so we can go to Capitika and convince the Magical Council to act before the demons become too powerful to stop.”
Celeresis laughed again, this time a short and harsh laugh that instantly told Keo that Celeresis did not believe him. “Oh, really? Those monsters that only exist in scary bedtime stories told to make children afraid of the dark? I am no naïve child who will believe whatever you tell her. But nice try. I needed a good laugh, since I haven't had one in a while.”
Keo scowled. He had expected her to say that and now he was all out of ideas for how to convince her about the reality of the demonic invasion or at least convince her to let Dlaine and him go.
“Well, it now looks like we are at an impasse,” said Celeresis, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head. “You won't tell me what your sword does and I am not going to free you. Men, you know what to do.”
Celeresis's bodyguards drew their short but sharp swords from their sheaths, their smiles growing wider. Keo gulped, but he knew there was no way he or Dlaine could escape before the bodyguards did the unthinkable to them. He only hoped that the castration would not be as painful as he imagined it would be, though based on how bloodthirsty the bodyguards looked, he had a feeling that it was going to be quite painful indeed.
But then Dlaine suddenly said, “Wait! Don't remove our manhood just yet! I have an offer to make you, Cele, one I think will benefit us all if you accept.”
Celeresis, much to Keo's surprise, held up a hand, causing her men to stop before they got too close. She looked at Dlaine with a suspicious but curious look in her eyes. “What is this 'offer' that you wish to make? I am listening.”
Dlaine looked relieved that she was going to listen to his offer, but Keo wasn't sure whether he should be relieved as well because he did not know what Dlaine was going to offer her. He just hoped that Dlaine had put some thought into it, at least.
“All right,” said Dlaine. “So you have said that you are trying to destroy the Riders, right? They've been giving you grief for a while now.”
“Correct,” said Celeresis. “They are the primary reason I have not been able to secure control of this road. What of it?”
“What if we helped you defeat the Riders in exchange for our freedom?” said Dlaine.
Celeresis frowned. “Helped? Do you mean you wish to join the Gatherers?”
“Nope,” said Dlaine, shaking his head. “Instead, we'd work as sort of independent contractors. You'd send us in to go and kill the Riders' leader, which would undoubtedly leave the Riders confused and easy for you to finish off once and for all.”
“Can you two do that?” said Celeresis in a skeptical voice.
“Not us, necessarily, but Keo here can,” said Dlaine, nodding at Keo. “All he needs is his magical sword—which you stole from him, by the way—and he can tear the Riders apart like old cloth. All by himself.”
Keo looked at Dlaine in alarm. “Dlaine, what are you—”
“Really?” said Celeresis. Her eyes darted to Keo. “This kid is that strong?”
“Yes,” said Dlaine, nodding eagerly. “There's a reason he's known as Keo of the Sword. It is because of his amazing prowess with a blade. He can cut swaths through entire armies with his magical sword, Gildshine, which is one of the most powerful magical weapons in the entire world.”
“Interesting,” said Celeresis. She no longer sounded quite as skeptical as before, but neither did she sound like she was sold on Dlaine's offer yet. “I have heard many legends about the power of magical swords, so I don't doubt that his can do that. But if Keo is so powerful, then why have I not heard of him until today?”
“Because he always kills his enemies,” said Dlaine. “And those few who survive lose their tongues or are so scared of him that they cut out their own tongues themselves.”
Keo looked at Dlaine in confusion, wondering where in the world that he was coming up with all of this stuff, but he also kept his mouth shut. Dlaine clearly had a plan to save their lives and Keo was not going to mess it up by voicing his confusion or disagreement.
“That does make him sound like quite the swordsman,” said Celeresis. Her eyes narrowed. “What is the catch?”
“Simple,” said Dlaine. “If Keo kills the leader of the Riders, then you let both of us walk free. You also return everything you stole from us and we promise never to harm you or any of your men ever again.”
Celeresis tapped her chin. She looked at the ground, like she was trying to sense any downsides to the deal, but after only a couple of seconds she looked back up at Keo and Dlaine and nodded.
“Very well,” said Celeresis. “I accept the deal. Men, let down the one known as Keo, but if he tries to run, cut his head off.”
Celeresis's bodyguards moved quickly over to Keo. One of them cut the rope holding up Keo, causing him to fall, but he was caught by the other two, who actually helped him into a standing position. Even so, they did not let go of Keo when he stood, probably to ensure that he would not run away.
“Now, then,” said Celeresis. “Let us get you your sword an
d then send you to the Riders. But if you try to run away instead … you and your friend here will not live long enough to regret that mistake.”
***