Spiral of Light

Chapter 17: You're A Ghost That Lives In A Pole?

Salazaar, Screwtongue and Trench sat inside a cramped dissimulation tent. It was a small shelter that could be quickly erected and used to camouflage the wounded, to keep them out of sight and sound of any hostile forces.

Salazaar held the intelor pad that Moloch had given him, holding up the stream from his helmet feed, so that Trench could watch it as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Screwtongue sat in the corner of the tent and rocked back and forth from his toes to his heels, while hugging his knees. They could all hear the voice of Den Master Tzreek, as he spoke to Haru. Salazaar was utterly fixated on every word.

"Well firstly, no more raids on the Drydellian Palace. Remember when you attacked the palace? That little stunt you pulled really angered them. We also pretend to smuggle employees out of Drydellia, but we just turn them over to the supervisors for cryo, and should they want to make an example of one they will put them on trial, but most of the time, boom, zoom! Straight to the ice!"

Salazaar lowered the pad and clenched his fist. "Those devils!" He said with quiet rage. "She was set up this whole time, by you and your kind!"

Then he turned his gaze towards Screwtongue. It did not take a psychological savant to understand what was on his mind.

"Mercy, great one! Screwtongue is naught but a miserable rat! I had nothing to do with anything! It is all the Drydellians doing!"

Salazaar picked up a twisted segment of pipe that was in a scrap pile that they erected the dissimulation tent over. He hefted it in his hand, and advanced on Screwtongue with a murderous light in his eyes. Then he stopped and put down the pipe.

"Taking out my anger on you, wouldn't be any better than what the Drydellians did to Myleia."

"Oh, thank you Constable! Your mercy is boundless!" Screwtongue said bowing repeatedly and touching his forehead to the ground before him.

Trench coughed and opened one eye.

"The Rat probably had nothing to do with it, Constable." He spoke. "Trust that the Centurions will get to the bottom of things, for once they catch wind of misconduct, and if half of what we just heard is true, the Drydellians will have much to answer for."

A series of soft caws, pecking and scrabbling drifted down from overhead. Salazaar flipped off the intelor pad and put his finger to his lips. He opened a small viewing port that was manufactured into the wall of the tent.

"Trench we've got company. There is a large group of crow-men that just flew into the floor above the Centuri."

"Oh, those are the Nightwings. Very Nasty creatures. The Den-master made their dose well. I was supposed to be one." Screwtongue lamented.

"Use the pad Moloch gave you. Warn them." Trench rasped, ignoring Screwtongue's commentary.

Salazaar looked down at the pad and tried to make a few entries. We just lost connectivity; I can't open a line to them."

"The crow-men might have activated a home brewed sequence-jammer if they saw any evidence of the legion."

Trench coughed as quietly as he could and spit some blood into the trash pile that the dissimulation tent was setup over. He wiped it from his lips with the back of his hand.

"Help me up Salazaar, it is my duty to warn them. I won't let my brothers be ambushed, you stay here and mind Screwtongue."

Trench tried to stand up, but he was unable to get up, and fell back coughing.

"No Legionnaire, you stay and rest, it should be me that warns them. However, I shouldn't leave you like this, especially with Screwtongue here."

Screwtongue looked uncomfortable, his eyes furtively scanning the room.