21. The Capture of Andron
Flip screwed his left eye closed, as though squinting would unlock more of his memory. “It has become so blurred in my mind now…. I need to think.”
He rubbed the tips of his fingers into his temples. “Andron and I were taken by surprise. We were asleep in our rooms. I remember that I woke to a cloth being pressed over my face. Then I passed out. They used chloroform,“ he added, by way of explanation. “When I came to, I was disoriented. We were bound hand and foot, and were being jolted about in a covered cart. I can tell you, it didn’t mix well with the effects of the chloroform.” He grimaced at the memory.
“Andron was unconscious for a long time. We journeyed for hours over a rough road, and the goats seemed to struggle to pull us along. The cart was stopped regularly to change goats. Oh and I remember that they used Bulsar goats. Bulsars are used for high altitudes and hard labour aren’t they?” He did not stop to have this confirmed. “Anyways, so we must have travelled like that for a couple of days, because we could see the changes in light through the cracks in the roof+. “
His eyes were closed, and they quivered under thin lids, as though he was seeing it in detail all over again. “Two raseen climbed into the cart,” his voice trembled. “Aren’t they terrible brutes? They were unnecessarily rough, though we never tried to resist them. They blindfolded us and dragged us out. It was bitterly cold, and my feet were grazed on the gritty road. Oh, and did it sting! The raseen had obviously been told to keep us alive and unharmed, so we were fed and watered. Like the goats.” he managed a weak smile. “Then we were told to lay flat on the ground, on our stomachs. I thought that was the end for us, but we had no choice but to obey.”
He was back on his feet now, pacing the room slowly as if the movement was unravelling his memory like a ball of yarn. “We felt ourselves in motion, being lifted onto stretchers. One of the raseen shouted out that we must not move, or we would fall to our deaths. I believed that,” he stressed, pulling out a white handkerchief edged with red roses and mopping the perspiration from his brow. He suddenly became aware the dainty pattern, and awkwardly stuffed it back in his pocket, unconsciously ploughing a hand through his hair again. Berry smirked, but transformed it into a smile as Flip snuck a look at her. The others remained silent, waiting for him to continue. ‘I don’t know why they used stretchers to carry us, though I’ve tried to work it out.” He paused to gnaw on his thumbnail.
“There were only two carriers for each stretcher, of that I am certain, and they ran most of the way. No one, not even a raseen, is strong enough to run under the weight of a grown man. At least not for the length of time we were carried. I wondered if maybe the carriers were baboons.” He looked around at them, as though he thought they might laugh at the idea. No one smiled. “They never talked you see, and we were carried like that for hours, it seemed. The bite of the wind was unbearably cold, and there was no escape from it. It was hours,“ he confirmed in a confident tone, ”because I remember that the sun was starting to go down when we were met by the raseen at the end of our journey. "
“We were taken inside. I think the cold had nearly frozen Andron. He was bundled off to a separate room, to be warmed. My arms were freed and I was given warm clothes, and told to put them on. Then they left me lying alone on the floor of a different room. They knew I couldn’t escape. Not when I was bound by the legs, gagged and blindfolded. All was silent for a while. I was weak and disoriented; so I used the extra clothes as a blanket instead of putting them on. How could I have pulled the pants up anyhow?
I was trying to sleep so I could conserve energy, when I was grabbed from behind. I can tell you; I nearly bit my tongue off in terror. A hand covered the rag around my mouth, and a voice whispered, ’ Keep still and we will get you out of here. ‘ Or something like that. Then my blindfold was removed and my legs were freed. As I undid the gag, my rescuer led me outside to his Bulsar. All I could see were shadows, because darkness had fallen. My teeth were chattering, because I hadn’t put on the warm garments.“
He shivered, hugging his arms against his body. He looked round at them briefly, and continued. “Then suddenly, the raseen came out, and saw us. My rescuer didn’t hesitate. He hoisted me onto the goat and swung up behind me. ‘Hold on tight and don’t let go, no matter what happens,’ he said. So I did. The bulsar took off, with the raseen left shouting in our wake, and arrows whizzing past us. Then all at once, my rescuer wasn’t behind me anymore, and there were no more arrows. Just myself and the bulsar, racing through the bitter night.”
His voice was low and expressionless, his eyes glazed. ”I do not recollect how long it was before the beast bore me to a grassy place, but that is where it stopped. The bulsar was waiting for me to dismount, so I slid off, falling asleep where I lay. When I awoke, the sun was warm on my back. I recognized my surroundings, close to the Pascan highroad. After a while, I realized that the bulsar was still standing beside me, so I got up and opened the bag that was fastened around its girth. I fed it the water and biscuits that I found there, and I took the money. Then it left. And here I am. “ He swept his hands towards his chest in a half-hearted attempt at bravado, but his sad smile gave him away.
© 2006 by Shelly Taylor
He rubbed the tips of his fingers into his temples. “Andron and I were taken by surprise. We were asleep in our rooms. I remember that I woke to a cloth being pressed over my face. Then I passed out. They used chloroform,“ he added, by way of explanation. “When I came to, I was disoriented. We were bound hand and foot, and were being jolted about in a covered cart. I can tell you, it didn’t mix well with the effects of the chloroform.” He grimaced at the memory.
“Andron was unconscious for a long time. We journeyed for hours over a rough road, and the goats seemed to struggle to pull us along. The cart was stopped regularly to change goats. Oh and I remember that they used Bulsar goats. Bulsars are used for high altitudes and hard labour aren’t they?” He did not stop to have this confirmed. “Anyways, so we must have travelled like that for a couple of days, because we could see the changes in light through the cracks in the roof+. “
His eyes were closed, and they quivered under thin lids, as though he was seeing it in detail all over again. “Two raseen climbed into the cart,” his voice trembled. “Aren’t they terrible brutes? They were unnecessarily rough, though we never tried to resist them. They blindfolded us and dragged us out. It was bitterly cold, and my feet were grazed on the gritty road. Oh, and did it sting! The raseen had obviously been told to keep us alive and unharmed, so we were fed and watered. Like the goats.” he managed a weak smile. “Then we were told to lay flat on the ground, on our stomachs. I thought that was the end for us, but we had no choice but to obey.”
He was back on his feet now, pacing the room slowly as if the movement was unravelling his memory like a ball of yarn. “We felt ourselves in motion, being lifted onto stretchers. One of the raseen shouted out that we must not move, or we would fall to our deaths. I believed that,” he stressed, pulling out a white handkerchief edged with red roses and mopping the perspiration from his brow. He suddenly became aware the dainty pattern, and awkwardly stuffed it back in his pocket, unconsciously ploughing a hand through his hair again. Berry smirked, but transformed it into a smile as Flip snuck a look at her. The others remained silent, waiting for him to continue. ‘I don’t know why they used stretchers to carry us, though I’ve tried to work it out.” He paused to gnaw on his thumbnail.
“There were only two carriers for each stretcher, of that I am certain, and they ran most of the way. No one, not even a raseen, is strong enough to run under the weight of a grown man. At least not for the length of time we were carried. I wondered if maybe the carriers were baboons.” He looked around at them, as though he thought they might laugh at the idea. No one smiled. “They never talked you see, and we were carried like that for hours, it seemed. The bite of the wind was unbearably cold, and there was no escape from it. It was hours,“ he confirmed in a confident tone, ”because I remember that the sun was starting to go down when we were met by the raseen at the end of our journey. "
“We were taken inside. I think the cold had nearly frozen Andron. He was bundled off to a separate room, to be warmed. My arms were freed and I was given warm clothes, and told to put them on. Then they left me lying alone on the floor of a different room. They knew I couldn’t escape. Not when I was bound by the legs, gagged and blindfolded. All was silent for a while. I was weak and disoriented; so I used the extra clothes as a blanket instead of putting them on. How could I have pulled the pants up anyhow?
I was trying to sleep so I could conserve energy, when I was grabbed from behind. I can tell you; I nearly bit my tongue off in terror. A hand covered the rag around my mouth, and a voice whispered, ’ Keep still and we will get you out of here. ‘ Or something like that. Then my blindfold was removed and my legs were freed. As I undid the gag, my rescuer led me outside to his Bulsar. All I could see were shadows, because darkness had fallen. My teeth were chattering, because I hadn’t put on the warm garments.“
He shivered, hugging his arms against his body. He looked round at them briefly, and continued. “Then suddenly, the raseen came out, and saw us. My rescuer didn’t hesitate. He hoisted me onto the goat and swung up behind me. ‘Hold on tight and don’t let go, no matter what happens,’ he said. So I did. The bulsar took off, with the raseen left shouting in our wake, and arrows whizzing past us. Then all at once, my rescuer wasn’t behind me anymore, and there were no more arrows. Just myself and the bulsar, racing through the bitter night.”
His voice was low and expressionless, his eyes glazed. ”I do not recollect how long it was before the beast bore me to a grassy place, but that is where it stopped. The bulsar was waiting for me to dismount, so I slid off, falling asleep where I lay. When I awoke, the sun was warm on my back. I recognized my surroundings, close to the Pascan highroad. After a while, I realized that the bulsar was still standing beside me, so I got up and opened the bag that was fastened around its girth. I fed it the water and biscuits that I found there, and I took the money. Then it left. And here I am. “ He swept his hands towards his chest in a half-hearted attempt at bravado, but his sad smile gave him away.
© 2006 by Shelly Taylor
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