Cataindar

CHAPTER TWENTY

Luisa and Finn followed the scouger as she half-ran half-stumbled through Cataindar’s unrelenting maze of corridors. Finally they reached a room. Luisa saw blood smeared along the ground as she entered the scene.

Oh my god.

Thorne was on a table writhing in pain. She had a jagged cut in her leg and a deep slash across her stomach. Scougers surrounded her pushing rags against the wounds. The metallic smell of blood and sweat drenched the air.

Another scouger was on the ground face down, unmoving. A third was standing, resting against the wall while frantically wrapping bandaging around a gash in his upper arm that was streaming blood.

Luisa stood awkwardly behind as Finn ran to Thorne’s side.

Thorne extended her paw and Finn took hold of it, squeezing it with both hands.

“Hnn… Finn…”

Thorne tried to speak but couldn’t, grimacing in pain, her mouth opened and closed silently.

“Shh…  save your strength Thorne.” Finn turned his attention to the standing scouger keeping his paw in Thorne’s.

“Mir, report.”

“Ratains.” Mir spat, “We ran into a scout party, just a few hundred steps from the butterfly gate, on our very doorstep! It was like they knew,” he shook his head, clutching at his arm, “Gundie, Herbtone, and Fleet were lost.”

“Alive or dead?” Finn demanded.

Mir hung his head breathing hard,

Herbtone and Fleet were killed, we were fighting when Gundie was taken by the Ratains. But Finn, his wounds were… so severe.”            

 Finns eyes flashed.

“You let them take him alive?”

Mir stared back at Finn, his bottom lip trembled,

“Finn he was so dreadfully wounded.”

Finn looked around and shouted,

“You let them take a scouger alive?” The room suddenly fell silent. The catains looked up from their work.

Thorne gurgled. Mir spoke up,

“Rats, Finn! I couldn’t! He was done for!”

Finn hissed Mir into silence and turned to Luisa.

“Princess, find a Runner, tell them we have a possible contravention, they will know what to do.  Tell them to get Dr. Carnduff here, we are in the junior scouger’s mess!  Go! Make haste!”   

Luisa fled from the stench of the room and began running, fuelled by a horrible rush of panic,

The ratains have a scouger captive, the ratains were close by! Could they be on their way or... inside Cataindar?

She pushed past scougers, her eyes scanning each catain for a runner’s sash. She pounded the corridors, rounding corners as fast as she could. She pushed her way out the scouger gates into the bustle of Cataindar, stumbling through the crowds of Catains. Finally, she saw a blue-sashed runner pushing his way through the crowd.

He raised his eyebrows as she charged towards him.

“Princess!”

“C..c…” Luisa took a breath, panting, hands on her knees, as a small crowd of catains gathered around her,

“Th… th… there.. is… a… contravention.”

A hubbub erupted around Luisa, the runner’s face changed into a mask of horror.

“A contravention? A contravention!”

 He sprung up as if hit by a bolt of electricity, darted a few steps one way, then changed his mind and ran the other, paws on his head. He took a deep breath, nodded to himself and ran to the brass piping that skirted the base of the corridors. He pulled out a small mallet and banged the mallet hard against the skirting along the wall, hitting a quick beat of four. The piping magnified the sound into a deep pulse, propelling it through Cataindar’s corridors. Catains were still crowded around him. The runner shrilly called,

“Oh for rats sake, you know what to do! Save yourselves!”  He went to run himself but Luisa caught him by the sash,

“Oi wait! You must fetch Dr. Carnduff, he is needed urgently in the junior scouger’s mess!”

 “Princess please, I have family…” The runner put his face in his paws.

Luisa shook him by the shoulder, “Come on! You are a runner. We need you. I know you can do this!”

The runner swallowed and raised his chin, “Yes, Princess, alright, I shall!” and he turned and set off in a sprint.

The catains in the corridor moved in a kind of rehearsed panic, quickly extinguishing the burning torches that lit Cataindar’s corridors, plunging them into darkness. Luisa put her hand on the wall, unsure where to go. She turned to head back to Finn. She passed catains already carrying lanterns, their fearful faces lit by the glow.  She was about to begin to try and negotiate her way back to the Scourgers mess in the dark, when she saw the shine of swords, darts, and their eerie glowing blue stones set in weapons running towards her through the crowd.  The group of scougers approached out of the darkness led by Finn,

“Luisa it was a mistake for me to leave you unprotected. We must get you to your quarters as quickly as possible.”

“Finn, what’s going on? I can help.”

Finn held her by the shoulders and looked at her intently.

“No. Cataindar has lost enough today. You are not ready for this.  Save your breath for we must run.”

The scouger’s surrounded Luisa and they ran as a pack through the dark. Any catain that was unfortunate enough to be in their path was brutally shoved away.  If Luisa slowed she felt paws in her back pushing her along at their blistering pace. The corridor slanted downwards, they passed the kitchens but Luisa could smell no steam.  The halls were emptying now and they raced through the pitch black in silence apart from Luisa’s own ragged breaths.  Finally they reached her quarters. Luisa’s legs were burning and her head spun.  Finn opened the door and ushered Luisa inside.

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Thank you all for your votes and amazing comments. It is really so wonerful to read and completely motivating. My last update from England for quite some time! Getting on a flight later today back to Saskatchewan... 

This is an edit in progress, so as always thoughts, corrections and suggestions so, so welcome.

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