Chapter 18
Going Home
We had things all ready two days after the fight had taken place. I had a Brosbite crystal, with some Merke inside it like all the others we'd been making, around my neck. Dagger and Byte were good friends now and advised me in everything they could. All of the working Tanjas listened extremely well and even stuck around a while to talk to me after work was done. I was thrilled by the progress we'd made. A machine had broken down, so we only had two cutting machines. That minor difficulty made our hourly number of finished crystals go from thirty-three to twenty-one. Still, we had a few hundred crystals to pass out to whoever we chose. The Tanjas were a great help.
I was standing in the pyramid supervising the last hour of work. I trotted around the room in search of Dagger and Byte. They were oddly not anywhere in the pyramid. I told the workers to keep up the good work and that if I hadn't come back by the time the last hour was up, to just turn off the machinery, get things cleaned up, and retire for the night. With that, I hurried up through the pyramid and outside.
It was warm out. The wind felt nice on my face, and I looked up to see a clear sky. Oh, how wonderful it was to be out of that big, musty pyramid. I trotted around the pyramids, looking for some sign of either Byte or Dagger. I wondered where they could have gone off to.
As I came around the ‘doc pyramid', I heard Tanjas making bets and yelling to one another. I hurried past a few more pyramids, looking expectantly for the noisy Tanjas. I hoped either Dagger or Byte was there.
They were! But when I had closed the distance between me and the crowd by about five feet, I realized they weren't in the crowd. Dagger and Byte were being attacked by five other Tanjas! I ran to the crowd and tried to shove my way to the front. I needed to tell the two I needed them and to stop this senseless fighting.
"Get out of here, Dara Wolfette!" yelled Dagger with blood coming out of his mouth.
"Where is she?!" asked a panicked Byte, looking every which way.
I opened my mouth to speak, but at that moment a Tanja had covered it. I struggled to break free, but this Tanja was strong. He held onto my mouth and yanked me back through the crowd. I was confused and tried to get away from him. He dragged me back behind a pyramid. We were now hidden from the action. Everyone had been too busy betting and chattering to have noticed me.
"Shut yur trap and listen, dog!" hissed the Tanja.
I stopped struggling and tried to keep myself from shaking.
"Very good, now listen," he said, uncovering my mouth.
I was angry with him, but I figured it would be in my best interest to hear him out. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure I could escape.
"It's a trap, Dara. I'm sorry I called you dog, but I get a bit rough when I'm angry. Now, listen. Dagger and Byte were called away form the pyramid where you guys were working. They knew you always needed things, so they tried to hurry. They were attacked by five Tanjas. The Tanjas are very skilled, not to mention strong. They kept your friends in that space they're fighting in right now. A crowd gathered, making their job easier, because then they didn't have to keep the two from running away. They can't get through that crowd too easily, you know. So that's what's going on."
"I need to help them then!" I whispered to him.
"No! They'll kill you! Believe me when I say they're very strong. Stay away."
"How can I?" I asked.
He looked frustrated and at a loss for words. I put my paws on my hips, a human habit, and waited impatiently. I wanted to help my friends so bad!
"Look, it's not that easy to explain," he tried.
"Well you better explain it fast before I go charging in there," I told him.
"I don't exactly know all their plans, but Dagger and Byte keep saying to keep you away. I don't know why, but please listen to them!"
"I don't understand anything either. But what I do understand is that my friends are in trouble. I at least owe it to Dagger to help out, after that nasty beating a few days ago. I'm going," I told him.
I jumped back as he reached with his arm to grab me. When he found I was too far away, he lost his balance and fell in the dirt. I dropped to all fours and ran toward the fight. I faintly heard the Tanja calling after me, warning me, but I ignored him. I was on a mission and could not be stopped.
I bit legs and shoved bodies. The crowd made room for me real quick. I was in the middle of the circle, looking at Dagger and Byte who were almost beat. I jumped forward and bit the nearest Tanja of the five. It spun around and smiled. I heard a quick yip from it, and the others hurried over to help. I was handling five by myself! Dagger and Byte were too tired to help. I caught a few glimpses of their apologetic looks as they limed through the crowd. The Tanjas were biting my legs, neck, and tail. They didn't take turns. I had five mouths constantly biting me; ten legs kicking me. I couldn't handle them all, and they soon overpowered me. As soon as they saw my strength dwindling, they pinned me to the ground. I couldn't move. I had five snarling faces looking down at me. Two let up, but the other three still held me down. The two grabbed my shoulders. The three Tanjas still pinning me let up when the other two yanked. I was pulled to my feet by my shoulders, and the other three Tanjas restrained me. They barked, and the crowd made way for them. They had an easy time getting through. The Tanjas dragged me toward a tall rectangular building, the only one of its kind.
They were standing around me, one holding a knife.
The building had one big room, but it also had a trap door leading down to a hidden room underground. It was just a plain, tan building. Nothing about it seemed special. There was nothing in the room. I guessed no one came down there anymore either.
I looked around, wondering what their intentions were. There was only one way to escape, and I was deciding whether or not that would be smart. After a moment, I tried to jump dimensions. I tried to pick the most unexpected moment. A time none of them would suspect. Just as I was about to disappear, the Tanjas linked hands and the one with the knife grabbed my arm. We all traveled to Marana together! What a disaster!
"Don't even move," said the Tanja with the knife, as he swung around behind me and held it to my neck. He slipped a Brosbite collar around my neck.
I took shallow breaths, trying to keep my throat away from the blade of the knife. There were a few people standing around. We were outside.
My palace was in front of us, while all the smaller villages and houses were to our backs. A few dignitaries were coming and going. After all, there were a couple of other small kingdoms in Marana.
The Tanjas walked forward, forcing me to walk with them. We walked to the steps of my palace, and I tried to trip them into falling backward. It didn't work. Instead, they close around me even tighter, and the knife was pressed against my neck so I could hardly breathe. We entered my palace. The guards meant to keep us out, but I used the password only the royal family knew. The password was ‘Tanya Norasbi', which, in Unicorn, means ‘Kingdom of the Slayers'. The guards watched us walk into the throne room. My husband, Brayan, was sitting in his chair. Topaz was standing beside him, talking. Over to the left, Kudo, Razor, Tryun, and Frun were chatting. All activity and conversations stopped when they noticed our small group entering. My husband stood from his chair and hurried down the steps toward us.
"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. "And who are you?"
I opened my mouth to speak. The Tanjas growled. I closed my mouth and waited. They said nothing, but only advanced.
"They want to know who you are," I barked at them.
They stopped and quietly, but quickly barked an answer back at me.
"They're Tanjas, from the dimensions Clondeen," I barked as loud as I could in Code.
Razor ran to the king and translated for him. I would have translated, but I wanted the Tanjas to know what I was saying. Brayan pointed toward me and demanded to know who I was. I told the Tanjas this, and they barked an answer to me.
"I am their prisoner," I barked loudly.
Razor once again translated it for Brayan. Brayan looked a bit confused, for he could see we were all the same species. I wanted so badly to let him know who I was, but I knew the Tanjas wouldn't like it. They advanced upon the throne. I was a bit nervous, especially since my own husband didn't recognize me.
"Stop where you are!" cried Brayan.
Razor barked it at the Tanjas. They stopped but began growling. I spoke with the Tanjas quickly, telling them that we would get nowhere if they didn't know who I was. The Tanjas argued with me for a moment and finally conceded to let me tell Brayan my name and the state I was in.
"Its me! Your wife!" I barked out.
Razor jerked back, but he translated it for Brayan. Brayan didn't seem at all surprised. Not the reaction I expected from him. He whispered something to Razor. Razor nodded and approached us. I felt the knife come closer to my throat, but they didn't threaten Razor at all. Razor talked with us briefly in Code and escorted us to a royal guest room. I wondered why I was not feed, but I didn't ask the question. We were left in the room. The Tanjas tied me to a pillar on the side wall. They'd found some rope in the room. I whined and watched the Tanjas leave the room for dinner. I leaned against the pillar.
The Tanjas entered the room late at night and slept by the door, just in case I escaped. I fell asleep against the pillar, silently asking myself a thousand questions.
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