Read Online The Cellar Beneath the Cellar (Bell Mountain) by Lee Duigon - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lee Duigon
Ads: Link
know, this we must do. Come, the bad men are sleeping.”
Jack followed the tiny warrior into the fog, making as little noise as possible. The host of Omah made hardly any noise at all.
The camp was much closer than he’d thought. The fire had gone out. Everyone was asleep, even the one sentry who should have been awake but had fallen asleep sitting up.
Jack had only a moment to take it all in. Wytt chirped once, and all the Omah charged the camp.
The men never had a chance. The Omah hit them like a swarm of bees, a river of rats. They stabbed the men’s faces, necks, bare hands. Sharp sticks pierced sleeping eyes.
The stricken men screamed. It was terrible: the whole forest was full of their screams. Their bodies thrashed; Omah went flying, tumbled back to their feet, rushed back into the fray. The stronger men struggled to their feet, and those who didn’t fall down again ran screaming into the woods in all directions.
It was over almost as soon as it started. Two men lay dead, with a third writhing in agony, covered with blood, his eyes stabbed out. A dozen Omah quickly finished him.
Ellayne and Martis, tied up to prevent escape, were sitting up, wide-eyed, ashen-faced, but unharmed, not a scratch. Jack breathed again. They startled when he burst out of cover.
“Jack!” Ellayne cried.
“Did they hurt you?” he said.
“We’re both unharmed,” Martis said. “But how did you accomplish … this?”
“Wytt did it. These are the Omah of the forest. He called them, and they came.”
Wytt would not let them stay there. “Come with us,” was his message, delivered in urgent squeaks and high-pitched barks. “Omah will take you to the big man.”
“We have to go with him,” Jack told Martis. “I think he knows a safe place for us.”
They quickly collected their things, plus a few things the robbers left behind: pouches containing food. They unhobbled Ham and Dulayl. Amazingly, the horse and the donkey hadn’t panicked when the Omah attacked.
“Did you talk to them, Wytt, and tell them not to be afraid?” Jack asked. “Can you make them understand you?”
“A little. Enough,” Wytt said. “Hurry now!”
The day was just breaking. The Forest Omah had dispersed, melted into the woods without anyone seeing them go. A couple of the little grey ones stayed behind; they led the way. Others would follow after them and ruin the trail so no enemy could follow it, Wytt said.
The Omah led them along paths hidden by thick ferns, paths that just barely found a way through otherwise impenetrable sticker bushes. These were paths that animals knew and used, but not men.
“You came just in time,” Ellayne told Jack. “They were going to sell us to the Heathen. And they scalped that man Budric! I didn’t think there were any Obannese people who would do a thing like that.”
“Where are we going?” Martis said.
“To see some big man, Wytt says. Don’t ask me who,” Jack said.
“Wytt wouldn’t take us anywhere bad,” Ellayne said. “Wytt, you saved us! I love you!”
She stooped over and held out her arms. Wytt hopped into them, and she picked him up and held him like a cat, and kissed him. He made a rapid clicking sound that meant he was gloriously happy. The grey Omah chattered at them.
“They want us to keep moving,” Jack said. Ellayne put Wytt down, and they all got going again. She shocked Jack by yanking him close and planting a kiss on his cheek. “I thought I’d never see you again!” she said. “I was glad you got away, though.”
It was on Jack’s tongue to tell her to leave off the girl-stuff, but he couldn’t get it out. Instead, he felt something he would have described as a warm, strong hand suddenly wrapped around his heart, cherishing him. It made him kiss her, too, right on the cheek. And of course that embarrassed him tremendously and made him blush. He threw a backward glance at Martis to see if the man was laughing at him, but Martis only looked a
Jack followed the tiny warrior into the fog, making as little noise as possible. The host of Omah made hardly any noise at all.
The camp was much closer than he’d thought. The fire had gone out. Everyone was asleep, even the one sentry who should have been awake but had fallen asleep sitting up.
Jack had only a moment to take it all in. Wytt chirped once, and all the Omah charged the camp.
The men never had a chance. The Omah hit them like a swarm of bees, a river of rats. They stabbed the men’s faces, necks, bare hands. Sharp sticks pierced sleeping eyes.
The stricken men screamed. It was terrible: the whole forest was full of their screams. Their bodies thrashed; Omah went flying, tumbled back to their feet, rushed back into the fray. The stronger men struggled to their feet, and those who didn’t fall down again ran screaming into the woods in all directions.
It was over almost as soon as it started. Two men lay dead, with a third writhing in agony, covered with blood, his eyes stabbed out. A dozen Omah quickly finished him.
Ellayne and Martis, tied up to prevent escape, were sitting up, wide-eyed, ashen-faced, but unharmed, not a scratch. Jack breathed again. They startled when he burst out of cover.
“Jack!” Ellayne cried.
“Did they hurt you?” he said.
“We’re both unharmed,” Martis said. “But how did you accomplish … this?”
“Wytt did it. These are the Omah of the forest. He called them, and they came.”
Wytt would not let them stay there. “Come with us,” was his message, delivered in urgent squeaks and high-pitched barks. “Omah will take you to the big man.”
“We have to go with him,” Jack told Martis. “I think he knows a safe place for us.”
They quickly collected their things, plus a few things the robbers left behind: pouches containing food. They unhobbled Ham and Dulayl. Amazingly, the horse and the donkey hadn’t panicked when the Omah attacked.
“Did you talk to them, Wytt, and tell them not to be afraid?” Jack asked. “Can you make them understand you?”
“A little. Enough,” Wytt said. “Hurry now!”
The day was just breaking. The Forest Omah had dispersed, melted into the woods without anyone seeing them go. A couple of the little grey ones stayed behind; they led the way. Others would follow after them and ruin the trail so no enemy could follow it, Wytt said.
The Omah led them along paths hidden by thick ferns, paths that just barely found a way through otherwise impenetrable sticker bushes. These were paths that animals knew and used, but not men.
“You came just in time,” Ellayne told Jack. “They were going to sell us to the Heathen. And they scalped that man Budric! I didn’t think there were any Obannese people who would do a thing like that.”
“Where are we going?” Martis said.
“To see some big man, Wytt says. Don’t ask me who,” Jack said.
“Wytt wouldn’t take us anywhere bad,” Ellayne said. “Wytt, you saved us! I love you!”
She stooped over and held out her arms. Wytt hopped into them, and she picked him up and held him like a cat, and kissed him. He made a rapid clicking sound that meant he was gloriously happy. The grey Omah chattered at them.
“They want us to keep moving,” Jack said. Ellayne put Wytt down, and they all got going again. She shocked Jack by yanking him close and planting a kiss on his cheek. “I thought I’d never see you again!” she said. “I was glad you got away, though.”
It was on Jack’s tongue to tell her to leave off the girl-stuff, but he couldn’t get it out. Instead, he felt something he would have described as a warm, strong hand suddenly wrapped around his heart, cherishing him. It made him kiss her, too, right on the cheek. And of course that embarrassed him tremendously and made him blush. He threw a backward glance at Martis to see if the man was laughing at him, but Martis only looked a
Similar Books
