Neiko's Five Land Adventure (Neiko Adventure Saga Book #1)

Chapter 36

The sergeant and a tracker came in to report. Ramses looked up. "Yes?" he asked coldly.

"We saw Neiko and Quickstrike, but we lost them in Fleetwood Forest. We sadly report there are seventy-two dead Skull Bearers; they were found seven miles north of the Samoan Territory," replied the sergeant.

"Is that all?" he asked in fury.

"No. It was evident they had them, but someone came and bailed them out. There were no dead of the enemy."

Ramses was so angry he overturned the table; food and papers scattered everywhere. The two shrank back in fear. "Seventy-seven casualties in two weeks! Impossible! How could they escape seventy-two men?"

"Maybe some ragtag group helped them and then left," suggested the sergeant.

"How can you be sure it wasn't the Samoans?" Ramses asked, seething.

"Well, they help no one, and they are too frightened of you to even think about fighting you."

"You're right. Well at least I know they are walking right into my blockade trap. Never mind about the patrols, I will go to the blockade and wait for a week. If there are no signs, I will return to Skull Fort. I will send word to my allies, and I will send out bounty hunters! She will not escape me this time!" he said as he got on his black Clydesdale, Goliath, and rode across Prosper Valley to the site of the blockade.

* * *

Neiko and Quickstrike were brought into the castle, and they were unblindfolded. The vultures prodded them with their tridents, and they finally entered the throne room. "We found these two trespassers camped near the road, Majesty, and we brought them to you to seek your discretion," replied Scavenger.

King Carrion looked at them. "Hmm. What do you have to say for yourselves, wanderers?" King Carrion was a condor who looked just like his followers. He wore a large gold crown and carried a scepter with a golden skull that had ruby eyes.

"Oops," Neiko said sarcastically.

"You have no respect, do you?" he asked angrily. "We have one from the Attack Pack, but who are you?" he asked, looking at Neiko.

"What's it to ya?" she snapped.

"Answer the question," said Scavenger, shoving her.

"Neiko Kidd from Hawote, and we're travelling to Norak. We weren't planning to stay till morning. We're just passing through, so can you just give me back my weapons and our food and let us go? We'll gladly leave right now."

"Majesty, there were Skull Bearers that came in the north end earlier, and we found them hours later, so it seems they were searching for them," replied a buzzard named Cleaver.

"Really? How interesting. Is it possible that they are outlaws or hunted?" asked the king. "Put them in the dungeon till morning. So, Neiko, you aren't leaving. Take them away."

They brought them in the dungeon and they chained them with balls and chains and locked them up. "Well, this sucks," Neiko grumbled. "Are these twerps friends of Ramses?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure, but I have a feeling we'll find out," replied Quickstrike.

"Great, I hate long waits," Neiko grumbled.

* * *

When morning came, the guards brought them before the king. "Well, I haven't decided what to do with the two of you. I may do away with you, Attack Pack slime, but as for you, stranger, I may just make you my personal slave," replied King Carrion.

"Majesty, there is a letter for you," said a vulture named Grinder as he ran in and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said. He unrolled it and read it. "Aah. It has been sometime since I have heard from Ramses, and it seems the girl is an outlaw; he wants her delivered to him as soon as possible. We may do as we wish with her companion. Well, I will execute the scorpion in the morning, and I will hold the outlaw until he arrives. Grinder, you will go find Ramses and tell him we have caught the outlaw on her way to Norak, and that she is awaiting his arrival."

Grinder bowed. "Right away." He bowed again and left.

"Great. That's just wonderful. Well, that answers my question," Neiko grumbled moodily.

"Well, well. You seem to be important, and I will need to take care of you till he comes. You will have dinner with me tonight, and you will be cleaned. Guards, take them away."

The guards chained them back as they were before. "Great. Now what? I'll be dead by dawn, and they will keep you till Ramses comes to pick you up," grumbled Quickstrike.

"I have to have dinner with birdbrain tonight, and it seems he keeps my weapons near his throne along with our food for some strange reason, but he might ditch it later. I'm trying to think of a way to bust out, and it's gotta be tonight."

"A jailbreak? How will you get past those guards? We have a very big problem. What about the chains and the door? If we do get away, they'll tell Ramses we got away, and now he knows where we're headed. Also we don't know how to get back to the road, and it's possible they may try to stop us from escaping."

"One thing at a time. When I have dinner with the king, I'll find something to pick the locks. We'll slip out and get our stuff and make a run for it. I'll use my compass to find the way back. Ramses won't know we're going to Norak till they tell him, and we may already get there. They're coming."

The guards came in. "Alright, let's go, girl," said one as he used the key to unlock her chains, and they took her upstairs to bathe. Women washed her clothes and bathed her. Then she was taken to the dinner table, and seated. King Carrion sat down at the head of the table, and the food was brought. There was fruit, vegetables, and raw horse brought in, and Neiko grimaced at the sight of the raw horse. She pushed it away and started to eat the fruits and vegetables.

"Are you a vegetarian?" he asked.

"No, I don't eat raw meat or anything that is rotten or part rotten, and is this my horse? What is this, a gimmick to rub in my face my defeat?" she asked curtly.

Carrion chuckled. "Really? Yes, this was your horse. I do not make one's defeat so unbearable, and horse is my favorite." As they talked Neiko measured up their plan, but she found nothing to pick the locks.

Darn! Well, I have to find a way to get the keys, she thought. After dinner the king went to bed, and one jailer took her back to the dungeon. Locking the door behind him, he headed to the place to chain her. Neiko got Quickstrike's attention to strike the guard before he chained her. His tail was chained down, but he was able to aim it to blind him by spraying venom like a spitting cobra.

"Hey, baldy, you're so ugly, roadkill looks better!" Quickstrike yelled.The jailer looked at him angrily, and Quickstrike sprayed him in the eyes with his venom with great accuracy. He let go of Neiko, and she hit him in the back of the head, knocking him senseless. She ran and unlocked Quickstrike; she chained the guard up and put a band on his beak. She unlocked the door, and they slipped up the stairs. They noiselessly put on all of their equipment,slipped in the main entrance, and saw sentries outside in the light. They slipped past them in the shadows and ran into the woods. Neiko got out her compass, aimed the sight at the castle, and saw that the castle was west. "We need to head east to find the road, and we need to get out of the forest tonight. Vultures, condors, and buzzards are day birds, and they have no night vision, so we're safe as long as it's dark," Neiko whispered. They stole out into the shadows of the woods aided with the little light of the moon. They walked for several hours before finally coming to the road. They walked for about another hour, and they could see the end of the forest. The sun started to rise; they kept walking and exited the woods.