Tell No One

Tell No One

Chapter 8

The sound of vonduun crab armoured feet impacting on solid yorik coral floor, snapped Hul Rapuung from his anger stricken thoughts. Filing out into the cavernous space in which he concealed himself, were several large fully armed warriors. Each and every one of them wore on their mutilated faces, an expression filled with the promise of painful death, the stench of fanatical anticipation clinging to the air filtering around them.
Hul Rapuung knew that expression well, he had often worn it himself, and such things were both self inspiring as well as inspiring to a squad such as this.
He continued to watch as they all headed in the direction of the shaper compound, amphistaff’s hissing their shared readiness at the sounds and scents indicating blood-shed could soon be on the horizon.
Their commander stood up front, leading the excitable party toward the larger of the damutek structures, pausing only to disarm the creature at the main porthole with an equally puzzling looking biot Hul Rapuung could only guess was a modified sensislug.

The warriors piled into the damutek at their commander’s order, all pushing their way in to fan out into the sprawling ‘arms’ of the damutek halls. There was only a heartbeats worth of terrible, tension soaked silence before it was pierced by a single shrill outcry.
All within the damutek descended into chaos, awakening those who had slept peacefully as they were hauled from their sleeping mats and assaulted with a barrage of questions accompanied by the threat of pain. Those who were innocent would be asked to remain in their quarters until further notice – these warriors were on the hunt.

From his concealed position outside of the damutek, Hul Rapuung could hear many more voices joining the cacophony of yells and cries that were undecipherable at this distance. Was this the work of his brother? Had he been terribly wrong in his misgivings and Vua Rapuung was actually assigned a task here that he had not spoken of? Perhaps he had not been able to speak of it.
But if this were so, why would he lie about being with Suun Esh?
Hul needed to get a closer look, he needed to get inside.

Sprinting from his place of cover, he made for the still-open damutek entrance, entering shortly behind the last of the warriors still filing into the chaos within. No one would question when they were so intent on their task, or so he hoped.

*****

Vua Rapuung’s back hit the lichen-lined wall hard enough to issue a squishing sound, followed by a dull thud as the impact forced the mossy inlay to yield beneath the sudden, and most unexpected, weight.

The shaper, tendrils all of a chaotic mess, ducked through the porthole through which she had pushed the warrior, sealing it behind her with hurried fumbling hands. Back turned for merely a second, she started inexcusably when she turned round to come face to face with an extremely confused and agitated looking Vua Rapuung. He was about to ask her what the meaning of this impromptu display of haste was, when she spoke up first, panic tainting her usually confident voice.
“You cannot be here, you have to go – now!” She tried to push past him, all of a hurry to get to an interlinking chamber, but Rapuung stood in her way, imposingly unmoving.

Realization mixed fear painted her expression as she tore her gaze from where she hat intended to go, piercing glare diverted to his own.
“I do not have time for this,” warned Mezhan Kwaad, a slight edge to her tone – yet it sounded pitifully weak to her own ears.

“For what?” Vua Rapuung growled, was he still angered by his petty jealousy?

“Your petulance!” she spat, instantly regretting the way it sounded, spiteful….so full of desperation. She could not tell him what was happening here, he would not understand, he would report this and then she too would be forced to run or face death knowing that the future of those she wished to help with her work, were doomed along with her – She, them, Vua Rapuung too.

“Guvvuk!” - Move! But he did not. He remained stock-still scrutinizing her with his deeply confused – and perhaps hurt – gaze.

Beyond the membrane at their back, the cries and shouts grew louder, audibly terrible at this distance. They would scour this entire damutek, Mezhan Kwaad knew, searching every little space until they found –

“Those are warriors.” Vua Rapuung realised aloud to add to her discomfort, stark surprise and concern upon his furrow-browed face. An expression that grew ever more intense when he caught sight of her flustered gaze once more.

“Mezhan – what have you done?”