Chapter 2 - The Fortress

Chapter 2
Darkness crawled toward the horizon burying the sinking sun in the gnarled clouds that fringed night’s black cloak. The stars hid themselves among the ominous clouds as Marinia and Zhinari crept toward the fortress's southwest wall. Zhinari carried a dark climbing rope wound tightly over her shoulder. There were two walls to cross, the second of which was nearly double the height of the first. Marinia placed her hand on the cold stone and closed her eyes. Memories of slipping and falling off of cliff faces and into holes flooded into her mind, and as they overwhelmed her body, she shuddered. A gentle hand on her shoulder snapped her out of it. "Hey, you ready?" "Yeah." her voice trembled. "You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to." "I know." she paused and looked at Zhinari. "Lets get started." her companion nodded and skillfully slung the padded grappling end of the climbing rope over the first parapet; it caught the first time and she tested it's security with her own weight. Once assured that it was safe, she stepped aside and handed the rope to Marinia. “You go first." She sighed and, gripping the rope tightly, began the ascension. Zhinari followed. She felt a little safer when she reached the top and descended the other side. Stealthily, the pair walked across the wide open area between the two walls. Soon the dark shroud of the second wall loomed over them. It was clear that the rope would be unable to reach the top of this wall. Zhinari tied the grappling end of the rope around her own waist and passed the other end to Marinia. With both ends secured, they started this more treacherous climb. Zhinari went first, and once the rope between them was nearly taught, Marinia started up. At the second repetition of this cycle, when Marinia was nearly right beside Zhinari, a gate down below them slammed open and a whole brigade of soldiers poured out. Both climbers froze as two bluefire torch spotlights were brought out. The shouts of the enraged commanders drifted to the frozen figures' ears. "Come on! Get that Bluefire going!" one shouted. "No, No! You idiots! Shine it that way, not in my face!"
A moment later two blue tunnels of light started roving up the wall. "They know were here." Zhinari hissed. Marinia drew a surgery-sharp dagger from her healer's pouch. "What are you doing?" Zhinari inquired.
"If they catch me, you can still complete the mission." she replied quietly. "Are you Insane?!?!?" Marinia did not reply but swiftly sliced the rope from around her waist. She clung to the wall for a moment and looked into her friend's eyes. "Go on without me. I'll see you later." in one moment she released her hold on the stones and fell. A moment later the two blue circles of light ceased wandering aimlessly and locked to trace her fall. Shocked by her companion's action, Zhinari couldn’t pry her eyes away from the sight. Finally she did after what seemed like an eternity and she slid the rest of the way to the top of the wall.
Marinia braced herself for impact. How many times had she fallen in the past and come so close to death and now she did so of her own free will? The ground came upon her and everything was black in an instant.
Zhinari crept over the parapet and took stock of her surroundings. She was standing on a long, narrow catwalk that traced the edge of the entire fortress wall. A ways down, she could see a set of stairs leading directly from the wall top to the maze of a building itself. The inner fortress had started out as a single, simple barracks building, then, as the population of lizard warriors grew, so did the fortress. Soon it became a labyrinth of towers and buildings all connected and eventually so stacked and meshed together that they formed one giant structure.
Zhinari cautiously inched open the doorway, releasing a dull light created by the torches burning in their sockets along the hall she had revealed. Other than the burning torches, there was no sign that anyone had been down this passageway since long before the torches themselves had been lit. Cobwebs hung from the sockets and ceiling, and dust sat dormant just about everywhere. Zhinari moved skillfully down the hall, careful not to disturb the dust. Mentally she recalled the maps of this place she had studied with Marinia just the night before. Down a few more halls and corridors, through several secret doors and unused rooms and she would be able to fetch the elusive blackstar devise that was so vital to defeating the lizard nation once and for all.
Slyly she drew her scimitar, a grim grin creeping over her face. Marinia's sacrifice would be duly avenged. Defeating this great fortress single handed would surely be written in the tales and legends of the generations to come among all good beasts.

Marinia’s eyes edged open to reveal a blurry image of the room she was in. The small cell was obviously part of a tower’s basement. As her vision cleared, she could feel the complaints of numerous bruises and cuts that decorated her body. Gingerly she touched her head and drew back suddenly in pain. Peering sharply at her now wet hand in the dim light given by some torch down the dark passageway she saw blood. She cringed and clutched her hands about her body to brace herself against the pain. Suddenly, voices started echoing down the hall. A familiar voice defiantly growled against the deeper voices of the burly guards. “Grraugh!! You’ll never be able to keep me forever! My friends will come and…”a guard broke in, laughing haughtily. “Good luck, little furry one! We captured your friend trying to rescue you- she fell from the wall trying to get in just tonight! The klutz!” Matt’s voice changed drastically from rage to defiance, though he could not hide the tremble of concern that now grasped him. He knew that neither Marinia nor Zhinari would attempt such a climb without the other, and neither would leave the other behind unless faced with extremely drastic circumstances, and even then…the voices drew nearer. “Where is she? Is she ok?” One of the guards jeered at the other, “Oh, the fuzzy one is worried about his girlfriend!”
“Is that so?!” “I bet he wants to see her!” they approached her cell. Marinia’s eyes shone with hatred at the cruel treatment of her friend. The guards grinned and slammed the unfortunate wolfkit into the unforgiving iron bars that formed the door to her cell. “Have a look!” Matt’s eyes met Marinia’s in a brief, sad glance before He was dragged off down the hall to his own cell.
Marinia cringed as the guards slammed the door to Matt’s cell and shrunk back as they sloshed back by hers on their way back to the kitchens for a good drink. Well, at least she knew where Matt was when and if Zhinari made it down here and broke them out.
Koji stood under the ridge of trees at the edge of the forest peering out at the top of the second fortress wall. It was around 2:00 in the morning, and the signal was over an hour overdue. Something must have gone wrong- this wasn’t like Marinia- Zhinari maybe, but not Marinia. He turned to the squirrel scout who had been waiting for the signal with him. “Go back and tell the others that the sign is not here yet. Something must have gone wrong.” The squirrel nodded silently and disappeared into the branches. Koji turned back to watch for any sign of the two torches that would tell when Marinia and Zhinari would be leaving from a small door in one of the sub-levels in the raised platform of earth on which the fortress stood. Surely they couldn’t be too much longer…
Zhinari slid her blade swiftly across the throats of the two guards in front of the small chamber in which the evil Lizard-Master gloated over the blackstar devise. At the moment, the Lizard-master was sound asleep in his bedchambers. She stood silently gazing at the eight-pointed star-shaped memory chip, and then she snatched it and slid it swiftly inconspicuously into her bag. Two drunken lizard-men sauntered down the hall- it was time for a change in guard duty. “Drat.” Zhinari muttered under her breath as she slid against the door frame. The two fresh guards saw their slain comrades. “What the?!?” “Come on!” their footsteps squelched hollowly as they charged up the hall to investigate. Just as they were within inches of the former guards whom they were supposed to replace, a terrifying voice emanated from the shadows of the doorway; “One more move and you join them.” the two froze and the bolder one spoke. “Who goes there?” “Dare you question the Empress of the World?!” Zhinari charged and impaled the speaker then slashed his companion in one swift movement. After casting the four carcasses out a window, Zhinari headed toward the dungeons several floors below. A whole brigade of soldiers followed the lizard-master at full speed. Laraff was mad. How could his own guards allow a stranger to break in and steal his most precious possession? He had awoken to a strange dream and decided to check on the Blackstar device and what did he find? Nothing! Even his guards were gone! “Right under my nose!” the enraged leader huffed down the hall in the direction Zhinari had gone. “You're all a giant pile of worthless slugs!” he kicked the soldier nearest him .Just then, he caught a glimpse of a figure slinking away down a corridor. “After it you stupid Buffoons! Don’t let that spy get away!”
Marinia awoke sharply to the sound of footsteps flying down the hall. A moment later she thought she saw a shadow move. A familiar voice hissed out. “Matt? Are you down here? ...Princess?” “Zhinari?” Marinia whispered. “Marinia?!? They didn’t leave you to die at the bottom of the wall? You’re alive?!” Relief was vaguely evident in her voice. “Apparently…” Marinia mumbled as Zhinari loosened the crude hinges of the door that held her friend in. The shouts of soldiers in the distance down the hall announced their arrival. The door swung open, free of its hinges. “Come on!” Marinia hissed in her friend’s ear. Zhinari looked back down the hall, a reddish yellow glow of battle fiercely emanating from her eyes. Marinia grabbed her arm. “There are too many of them- Come on!” They looked into each other’s eyes for a second. The voices drew closer, snapping them out of their trance. Instantly active, they dashed down the hall to Matt’s cell. Matt looked up dazed as they approached the door. Zhinari undid the hinges for his door as Marinia stood guard. Matt stepped out of the cell and stood beside Marinia. Zhinari glanced up vengefully in the direction of the approaching searchers. Marinia grabbed her again and hurried her off down the hallway with Matt in toe.

The dungeons were a maze of dark stone hallways and damp, long forgotten, unused cells. Marinia and Zhinari had carefully and thoroughly studied the map of the dungeons along with the maps of the rest of the fortress several days before they even came here, and they knew their way around better than even the soldiers who had spent their whole lives here. They soon came to a small abandoned doorway that opened to a short, narrow alleyway paved in stone. On one end was the old execution area, and at the other was a small old guard building atop which they climbed.
Zhinari slung the weighted end of the climbing rope over the top of the outer wall and stepped back. “Ladies first.” she grinned at Matt. “Yeah”, he smiled and started up the wall. He had just reached the top when a dozen or so soldiers burst from the door. “Hey! Stop Them! They’re getting over the wall!” Laraff had personally lead a group of searching warriors through the dungeon’s labyrinth, and now they came dashing across the courtyard.
Zhinari and Marinia spun around, weapons drawn and prepared to defend themselves. Quickly and skillfully they warded off the first wave of attackers. The enemy retaliated with an even larger group of fighters, and they warded them as best they could. Suddenly, from above, several well aimed chips of the stone roofing hurtled down and struck two of the lizard men and checked their charge. Matt grinned and poised two more makeshift projectiles. “Go! Go!” Marinia pushed her friend as two more of the deadly stones found their marks. Zhinari scurried up the wall and quickly grabbed two pieces of the crumbling tiles. “Nice work, princess,” She stated as she flung the pebbles at the fresh surge of attackers.
Marinia pushed back several more lizards into their own ranks before she too started up the wall. The enemy drew back a little ways then a volley of spears and arrows flew in. As Marinia dodged a spear that narrowly missed her, an arrow pierced her side just above her hip. She set her jaw and finished the climb. As she joined the others at the top, Zhinari flung a spear she had caught back at its owners. Matt threw another volley of stones as Zhinari moved the rope to the other side of the wall.
Marinia snapped off the arrow head and removed the rest of the arrow from her body with a grunt of pain. Matt glanced at her, a little concerned. She threw the arrow’s tip into the air, then using the long end she batted it back at their pursuers “Raaugh!!” she shouted out. The arrowhead lodged itself deeply into Laraff’s arm, and he cried out in a painful rage. Zhinari and Marinia ducked down to avoid more flying weapons while Matt slid down the rope to freedom. Marinia went next; Zhinari, after disconnecting the rope from the top slung it over her shoulder and descended with the speed and agility of much practice. At the base of the wall, they looked around. They had descended from the southern fortress wall. In the woods to the left, Koji stood waiting. Marinia limped along as fast as she could with the help of her two friends. Koji saw them coming, and crouched in the bushes waiting. Once the three were within eleven feet of the trees, he ran out to meet them, and taking Matt’s place at Marinia’s side, he and Zhinari practically carried her under the cover of the trees. Laying her down gently against a sturdy maple, he looked at Marinia’s face, glowing in a beam of moonlight. “What happened?” he asked, his voice quivering slightly. Marinia glanced down at her hand that had not left her side since descending the wall and shook her head. “I’ll explain later…Zhinari? Did you get it?” Zhinari grinned and held up the blackstar device. “Yup.” she fished around behind her right shoulder for a moment then held up a bag and a sword. “Aaaand I got your stuff.” she handed it to Marinia, then suddenly reached around behind her back and drew out Marinia’s medical dagger, “And this.” She raised her eyebrow at her friend and handed it over. Koji caught the look that passed between the two close friends. “Ok, what happened?” Zhinari explained the whole incident to the two astonished brothers while Marinia cared for her own wounds. “Why did you do that?!?” Matt gasped at Marinia. “I had to.” came her simple reply as she started to get up. Koji reached over and helped her up. He put his arm around her shoulder to help her balance, and they started back to the squirrel’s camp.

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