...Kohtu kept his mind bar intact. The two Shaman above and behind him on the portcullis pounded on his intellect. Their forces reached out and tried desperately to encase him in confusion. They fought to distract him from the combat, but somehow Kohtu found it easier to bear as he went into his favorite mind set: that of Karate.
They came at him. The halberdiers swung their poles in viscous arcs. The first blade passed within inches of Kohtu's head as he drew back barely in time. Kohtu shifted his weight and kicked up and out with his left leg. The blade of his foot crashed into the area just above the halberdier's nose. This man collapsed to the ground.
Even as this halberdier began to fall, the other brought his halberd around -- intending to bring it into the back of Kohtu's unprotected skull. Or so he thought. Kohtu had stepped into the halberdier's weapon range and brought up his left arm to block the swing of the weapon. It hurt a little bit, but Kohtu's forearm caught the weapon on the wood handle, just in time. Kohtu brought his right foot around into a powerful back-step round-house kick. The flat instep of Kohtu's foot caught this halberdier square on his left temple. A frightening cracking sound followed the impact. This second halberdier fell into a heap and began to have a seizure.
Kohtu heard the battle-sense thoughts in his head.
"Run, run, out the gate while it is unguarded, now, NOW!"
In one smooth motion Kohtu reached down to one of the halberdiers and grabbed his sword out of its scabbard and one of his throwing stars off of his shirt. He ignored the Shamen and bolted out the gate. He knew that arrows were being aimed at him, but he ran too fast to make a presentable target. The night had hid him well.
The Barbarians were hard to deal with in times past; but kidnapping the Shogun's daughter? Where are they keeping her?
Kohtu came to a stop at a side trail that led around the Barbarian Fort. He reached out with his mind to contact the love of his life, the Princess of Arveta.
"Where could she be? She's not in the fort- where, where? Beliah, can you hear me? Oh Beliah, where are you!"
Suddenly he could hear her voice, though faintly.
"Kohtu! Kohtu! I'm here, I'm here in this cave behind the Fort! Hurry, Kohtu, hurry!"
Following her voice in his mind, Kohtu sprinted along the trail. He prayed as he ran.
"Dear God, my father, please help me rescue Beliah. If not by your hand helping me, then please rescue her even if I should die- don't let her be harmed or turned into a slave! My entire country will repent if you rescue her, Lord. I will get them to turn back to you, somehow... Keep talking, Beliah, keep talking..."
He saw the cave just ahead on the right of the trail. It looked more like a pit than a cave...
"Kohtu," she spoke desperately, "I'm here!"
The two guards at the cave didn't know what hit them. One caught the throwing star in the temple and the other caught the sword in the heart. Both fell to the ground. Quickly, Kohtu cut away the brush hiding the entrance of the cave. The air grew still. Kohtu suddenly realized that darkness was seeping all around him. Then he saw the Ninja. It had its sword drawn and stood at ready facing him. Kohtu began to be overcome with weariness, but he fought back against the pull on his body. The Ninja brazenly removed his hood and spoke to him in a soothing voice:
"My dear Kohtu, you are no match for me. Give up on this fight... I thought that you would like to see who your traitor actually is..."
Kohtu struggled to raise his head, and then he knew: the Baron of Dondor City was actually a ninja working for the barbarians! His own flesh and blood had betrayed his country... "Oh, Beliah..." The words echoed in his mind as the ninja drew closer, raising his sword for the final blow. Kohtu fought back. He drew back onto the trail- stepping deliberately to keep his balance. The Ninja followed him still with sword held high.
"Give up, Kohtu... Give up... Don't you want the pain to end?"
"Noooh!," cried out Kohtu, "Noooo..."
Just as the Ninja Baron raised himself up for the killing strike, a throwing star leapt out of the left side of the cave opening and a hand axe spun out of the right side of the cave opening. The Baron suddenly realized his mistake: He had been concentrating so much on Kohtu, now he had no strength to move or dodge in time to save himself. The Baron was good; however, and blocked the throwing star with his sword. He grit his teeth; and hoped for a miracle. The hand axe hit him full in the back of the head. The blade bit deep into his skull, sinking in and staying there. In the moment of death, the Baron uttered a curse, and lay down -- destined not to rise again until the end of the world.
Kohtu shrugged off the ninja magic and looked to see who had saved him. A huge Axeman dressed in the colors of the far north jumped out of hiding from the right side and a small girl dressed like Kohtu jumped out from the left with her bo stick held high.
"We thought that you'd like a little help, Kohtu!" said the Axeman in a deep voice.
"Me, too!" retorted the girl.
"Who are you?..." stammered Kohtu.
The girl laughed.
"Don't you recognize your cousins when you see them?" she said with a grin on her face.
"No time for that now, Kohtu." said the Axeman. He pointed toward the cave.
"Kohtu!" cried Beliah. "Listen to me! There is a trap of poison darts between us in the cave. You must go around to the right side to get by it- your right. Also bring a sword as there is a huge lizard in here guarding me!"
Kohtu sprang into action. He leapt into the cave and ran around the trap brazenly, hoping to catch the lizard by surprise. He did so. The lizard raised his ten foot lengththinking that it was feeding time. It sniffed, then growled. It caught the scent of someone it didn't recognize, too late. Kohtu was upon it in seconds. He raised the sword up with both hands and plunged it deep into the lizards head; down into its brain. The lizard croaked in surprise and rolled on its side, choking to death on its own blood.
The sword was stuck. Kohtu looked frantically for something to cut Beliah loose from her bonds. Suddenly a throwing star landed at his feet.
"That's a special star, Kohtu," spoke the small girl fleetingly, "It will even cut through metal, and I want it back when you are through..."
Kohtu grabbed the star and cut off the ropes and metal bands that bound the princess. She kissed him twice, once on his arm and then on his cheek. She was free. They embraced briefly.
The Axeman's insistent voice awakened them from their swoon.
"C'mon, c'mon, there are more of them on the way!"
Kohtu and Beliah ran out of the cave past the trap, and met up with the small girl. Kohtu tossed the throwing star to her. Both Kohtu and Beliah looked gratefully at the girl. In just seconds, the three of them found the Axeman hiding just outside. He waved at them to follow him. All four headed into the brush, and hurried up a steep goat path. Behind them at the cave they could hear one of the Barbarians cry out the alarm:
"Awake! Awake! They've got her! They've got her ... Awake!"
Kohtu and Behah and their two rescuers climbed up the steep slope. Their hearts pounded heavily. They could hear the Barbarians charging up the mountain toward them.
"How are we going to escape?" gasped Kohtu. The girl smiled and pointed to the Axeman, who by now had out distanced the other three. The axeman stopped at an out cropping, hoisted away some brush and a tarp, and jumped into what seemed to be a small boat.
"Let's go, quick!" he spoke in a hushed voice.
Kohtu, Beliah and the small girl jumped into the boat with the Axeman.
"Get down, get down!" he admonished them.
The Axeman reached out to the bow of the boat and worked with some wheels found there. Surprisingly, the boat gave off a humming sound and rose up into the air! For a few seconds they hovered there in full view of the first Barbarians to reach the ledge. In anger they took out their bows and let their arrows fly! The Axeman raised his axe in front of his face with one hand while working the controls with his his other hand. He was the Barbarian's only target.
By some miracle, the first arrow hit the shaft of the axe and not the Axeman. The next arrow struck one of the horns on his helmet, knocking the helmet off! A few more arrows bounced off the air-boat. The Barbarians lost this battle too. The boat sped away to the south; headed for home!
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© Copyright 2001 by Abram Paradies.
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