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Feldspar's Escape

11/23/2017

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He pulled the door open, grabbed his knife from the belt, and charged through the door to meet...nobody. Those that watched him when he was on the roof had been on the other side of the building.
Feldspar expected them to arrive any second. He sprinted to his left toward the closest border of the city; that was in a direction opposite the way to the hill and New City.
Feldspar heard shouts behind him and answering growling howls from in front. He quickly cut right, down a perpendicular street and then left to a street that would keep him progressing toward the city's border.
Two armed guards appeared before him. He did not slow down. This surprised them; they hesitated. He did not. They raised their spears in a defensive position too late to save them.
Feldspar's sword knocked aside the spear on his right. He noticed the guard was young, perhaps no older than Amethyst, and sadly untrained.
Feldspar did not break stride. He was so quick that the guard on his left was too far behind him to do damage. He hit the one on his right square in the mouth with the pommel of his sword as he raced by. He barely noticed the lower tusk of the young man break off half way down its length.
He continued on, his strength and fitness easily defeating his weak and poorly conditioned opponents. But sounds travel faster and the residents of Old City continued to voice directions with howls and shouts in terms Feldspar could not understand.
He looked constantly for any kind of effective strategic advantage, as well as any sign of enemies. He passed up a few buildings that might have provided concealment. One might provide temporary relief, but would more likely serve as a trap.
Despite his conditioning, he was becoming winded. He needed to find a place that would allow him to rest for at least a few minutes.
Then all thoughts of rest were banished. The street ahead revealed an open way out of the city! He stopped for a brief moment, stilled his breathing, and listened. And tested the scents in the air.
A group of the city's defenders awaited him on both sides of the street. It was an ambush. His senses also told him that streets parallel to his were occupied with enemies.
He took a deep breath and began jogging toward the exit. Almost immediately the street was blocked by half a dozen Riotori of the Old City's guard. They were armed with spears and swords.
They did not look confident.
Feldspar did not pause. He increased his speed and voiced a wordless shout as he charged, sword and knife raised high.
The force before him faltered. Several started to look to the sides to find a way out. But others, older ones, braced themselves and stood their ground.
Feldspar's training asserted itself.
The defenders expected to meet an onrushing and desperate opponent that would try to get through their blockade with brute force. Feldspar knew better.
 As he neared the front center, he skidded to a halt. He saw them relax their guard.
He spun to his right, slashing high with the sword while his left hand thrust the knife blade at the nearest enemy belly.
He pivoted to his left and slashed again with the sword, gashing a short foe from shoulder to hip.
He was amongst them now, cutting, parrying, thrusting. Fur flew and blood splashed.
His armor protected him from most of the assaults of his opponents. He sustained cuts on his forearms and legs, but they were minor. The injuries they sustained from him were not.
His opponents scattered, those that still could. Feldspar saw open ground to the city's border and did not hesitate to take it.
A hard sword blow struck him high on the back. His armor protected him from the sword edge. He staggered, but maintained his balance and ran to the border. He glanced behind him, but no one was close. Many Riotori were on the ground. Others stood or sat, holding a wounded limb or simply resting.
Feldspar did not pause more than a second. He gained the edge of the city and hurried on, putting distance between himself and the walls and streets of Old City.
He suspected, correctly, that there would be no pursuit. The guardian residents of Old City were used to bushwhacking unsuspecting campers near the river or cautious and under-armed males from New City. They wondered if the male warrior that had gone through their city was a Riotori of a different kind. He was bigger, stronger, and more vicious than anyone they had even imagined. And with armor! Not even the oldest men in Old City recalled such a thing!
They were happy to see him leave and to hope he would not return. They set themselves to helping each other back to their quarters where their wounds would be washed and crudely bandaged.
When Feldspar was certain he would not be pursued, he rested. Unlike his brother, he had remembered to bring along a little food. He discovered his worst injury. A sword blow had pierced his water skin. He would remain thirsty.
Because of that he ate less than he had planned, grumbling and swearing through the brief meal.
Rested, he began the very long walk around Old City and then past New City to the hill where Beryl, Gypsum, and the rest awaited.
He looked at the sun. If there were no delays he would reach the hill about the same time the sun disappeared behind the horizon.
He did not waste time. He had much to look forward to.
 

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Feldspar's Quest

11/6/2017

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The twins were not allowed to talk to each other before Feldspar's trial; The younger would not give aid to the older. That was fine with Feldspar.
However, there was nothing to say he couldn't use the past to help him.
So, after he exchanged a hand-to-tusk farewell with Beryl, the rest of the occupants atop the hill were surprised to see him leave at a trot over the back of the hill, in the same place his brother had appeared. Topaz and Gypsum were not allowed to be present until Feldspar was ten minutes gone.
Feldspar easily followed his brother's trail from the hill back to the cave he'd used for sleeping. Feldspar used that space to don his armor. He also picked up the now cold torch he found on the floor of the cave.
Gypsum had swept clear his trail leading from the city exit to the cave, but Feldspar could read the marks of the trail sweep; it was something he and his brother had been taught.
Vigilantly he entered the city, still following the clear footprints of his brother's trail.
Obviously, this was a deserted section of the city. There were no other prints.
He came to the large flat rock Gypsum had stood upon to survey his surroundings before exiting the city. Feldspar saw that the trail went down the stairs. It would be dark down there, even though it was early morning sunshine where he stood.
He lit the torch and held it, unconsciously, in his right hand in the same position and with the same pose as his brother had done the evening of his trial.  He saw the mountains, the spires and chimneys, and the near buildings.
His sharp eyes and ears revealed no danger. He turned sharply, without hesitation, and plunged down the stairs. Again, he proceeded more rapidly than his brother had been able to when he unintentionally broke the trail Feldspar now followed.
Well before he reached the end of the tunnel, his torch sputtered and died. His progress from that point slowed.
A faint light eventually became visible and soon Feldspar entered a large but empty room, with light from the morning sun filtering through an open trap door in the roof. The footprints on the floor told him that his brother had descended on the metal rungs leading to the roof.
He took another look around and saw that a closed door offered an exit. He lit one of the torches offered on the wall and walked over to investigate.
The door was barred from the inside and had a handle to pull it open. There were no footprints.
Feldspar might choose to use this door as his exit. He would have to see the roof first. He could not be sure if this building held the spire that bore the flag, or if there was more to do to get to it.
When he reached the roof after his careful ascent he was delighted to find the flag hanging loosely on the spire above. He could have torn it down, but he did not want to ruin it.
He took out a short length of rope and secured himself to the spire, then ascended carefully and unhooked the flag. He got back on the roof and looked at the ground around the building. His activities had attracted two observers.
He could, of course, go back the way he'd come. But that felt like cheating. He would have to make his way back out to New City the hard way.
He looked across the city's rooftops and could see the group on the hill. He waved, then descended back in the interior of the building.
He folded the flag carefully and attached it to his cape as Gypsum had done. Then he inspected that door. He would have to open it, arm himself, and bolt out all in a matter of seconds.
He took his sword from the sheath and prepared to raise the bar.

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    The story: This serial is about the "mascot" shown at the top of these pages. There are actually two of them, identical twins, Feldspar and Gypsum.
    The people call themselves Riotori, and their planet is Kylrock. The twins have been journeying for hundreds of miles, across many hazards, in search of mates. Please visit the archives to read their whole story.



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