A Game of Chi Book III: A Sword of Dust

Chapter 32: Li'ella IV

LI'ELLA

We've failed again, Li'ella lamented as she scoured the Web from her vantage point, hoping to see where Trakkar and Eris were. First we lost Flinx, and now, Eris is on her way to be locked up inside Spinlyn's manor. We're the worst Cat Guides ever. "Li'ella." The lioness turned around and saw Lundor walking out of the tent where Cragger was being kept. "The croc's been restrained," he said. "Tormak and I have discussed our next move, and we've decided to go after them."

"Obviously," Li'ella began, but Lundor shook his head. "Not you. Me, Tormak and Scolder."

"What?" Li'ella demanded. "Why not me? I'm the closest to Eris! I should be going to find her too!"

"Because," Tormak interjected, walking out of the tent as well, "this could be a ploy. By capturing Eris, they may be trying to lure us away from the camp before decimating it. You have to remain here to protect the others, and to watch over our prisoner." Li'ella was about to snap at Tormak, but the tiger placed his hands on her shoulders. "There's no room for debate here, Li'ella. I know you want Eris back, as do we all, but we still need to think rationally. Trakkar is smart, and he's a skilled fighter. We can't risk anything right now. Even if we get Eris back, if our troops are destroyed, we'll just be captured again, or worse." Sighing, Li'ella nodded reluctantly. "Fine. You two go. I'll hold down the fort here."

"Wait!" The cats turned to see Rogon, the rhinoceros Eris was fond of, running towards them. "I'm coming too," he said. "You are absolutely not," Lundor chided. "We barely know you, nor do we know your skills. You'd be a liability." Rogon shook his head, a determined expression on his face. "I'm stronger than all of you put together," he stated matter-of-factly. "And Eris trusts me. I trust her. I escaped captivity with Spinlyn to get back to her, and it's my fault she's gone. I'm going to get her back too." Tormak and Lundor exchanged an uncertain look, and Li'ella rolled her eyes. Oh, come on! You're letting him join you but not me? "If you don't let me come along," Rogon warned, "I'll go myself. We may even cross paths. Do you want me as an ally or an enemy?"

"Fine, fine," Tormak conceded. "But if you fall behind, we won't come back for you." The rhinoceros nodded. "That's fair."

"You've got to be kidding me," Li'ella protested, but Tormak shook his head. "These are desperate times," the tiger said. "We don't know what Foltrax has planned for Eris, so time is of the essence. No more arguing." Clenching her fists in frustration, Li'ella watched as Tormak, Lundor, Scolder and Rogon revved their Speedorz and drove away and into the city. I hope they're successful, she thought. Or we're all doomed.

Li'ella returned to the camp, where many of the Outlanders were speaking amongst themselves. Braptor ran up to her as she walked by, stopping the lioness. "What happened, Li'ella?" he asked. "How did Queen Eris get captured?"

"Our enemies caught us unawares," Li'ella replied. There's no use in telling him everything, she thought. The less they know about Foltrax, the better. "I saw that it was a tiger that abducted her!" Sparratus called out. "I thought Tormak was the last tiger!" The others, including Scarrmax and Braptor, nodded in agreement. "I thought I saw orange fur," Scarrmax added. "Really?" Li'ella asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "I didn't. Maybe he was driving so fast that you were all mistaken." She began to walk away, but Scarrmax grabbed her shoulder. "Come on, Li'ella. We followed you and Eris all the way here from the Scorpion Den. We deserve to know what's going on." After a moment of hesitation, Li'ella set her jaw and turned around. "Respectfully, that information is only for Eris' officers. We appreciate your help, but you're all just soldiers. Information of that nature isn't something you need to know. Especially now." I'm sorry, Li'ella thought as she walked away, feeling the mixture of surprise and anger on the animals' faces. But I need time to process everything anyway. I barely had time to fully comprehend what Eris told me before Rogon came back, and before she was abducted. Looking around, Li'ella decided to go to the one tent where no one would bother her; the tent where Cragger was restrained. As she walked over, she dismissed the two scorpion guards from their posts and stepped through the tan-coloured cloth. Inside, the crocodile prince was on his knees, with his hands and jaws bound with webs. There were a few beds in the tent, no doubt belonging to those who lived inside before Cragger's arrival. There was also a crude carpet covering the ground. Cragger looked up, his one eye weary and defeated. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you," Li'ella said. "I just need somewhere quiet to think." The crocodile lowered his snout once more and Li'ella sat down on one of the beds and began to recall everything Eris had told her.