Isle of the Ape by Jason Halstead

  Chapter 21

  "She's out there," Alto mumbled while he stared to the north. "Not far now. Closer than yesterday."

  Namitus grimaced and tried to pick himself up to look over the parapet. He groaned as he bumped his broken shin and collapsed back onto the stone roof of the tower. The rogue grabbed his water skin and sipped the last few drops of water in it before he capped it and returned it to his side. "Won't be long now," he said.

  "What?"

  "Being done with this."

  Alto turned to his crippled friend. "Trina's safe," he said. "Or at least as safe as anyone can be on this island. It can't be much longer before help comes."

  "Too long," Namitus sighed. "My water's gone."

  "Drink mine." Alto reached for the skin at his side but the rogue held up his hand.

  "Later, maybe. No point to it now," Namitus said.

  Alto turned to stare at the courtyard and castle. Beyond them somewhere, he knew she was waiting. "Why do you think it is that I can feel her?"

  "What?" the rogue grunted.

  "Patrina. Why do you think I can feel her? When I felt something pulling me, it was her. I felt it to the north and then when it passed under us. She came out of the manor house; she must have found another way in through the mountain."

  "Oh, yeah. Must have."

  "What's wrong with you?" Alto snapped. "You're always filled with life and energy. This isn't like you."

  "Alto, we're done," Namitus moaned. "I can't hardly move and all we've been eating is this fruit the apes bring us. I need your help to hang my arse over the edge of the tower when the fruit rushes through me. We're out of water and Patrina can't handle those apes by herself. You couldn't handle them—what hope does she have?"

  "She can do things with her sword that surprise me every time we spar," Alto was quick to respond.

  "I know, but these things are the size of giants, only stronger! And where was her sword? When we saw her, she had an axe. Not much good that did, either."

  Alto glanced around for the female that Patrina had wounded. She had stormed off shortly after Bucky returned and they had a grunting and shrieking fight. She hadn't come back yet. "That ape is still nursing her wounds, I bet."

  "And what about you? You're more lively than you've been since they stuck us up here, but you still don't have the strength to throw a rock at them, let alone fight them proper."

  "You're right," Alto said after a moment of thought.

  Namitus sighed. "Wonder what it's like, dying of thirst. Might be easier to just throw myself off the cliff. Quicker, at least."

  Alto shook his head. "No, that's not what you're right about. I mean about Patrina not being able to do it all herself. We've got to help her."

  Namitus managed to cough up a laugh. "I'll just dance circles around them on my broken leg, shall I? And you, what will you do—teach them how to plant crops until they surrender?"

  Alto stared at his friend and felt his face heat beyond the sunburn already on it. "I'll help you," Alto said. "We can't fight, but maybe we can find that tunnel."

  Namitus snorted. "I'm sorry, my friend. This damn leg hurts more and more. You've set it twice but without a proper brace, it will never heal. If I had the time left to me for it to heal, that is."

  "What about a song or a tune from your pipes?" Alto asked. "Something lively to boost your spirits?"

  Namitus glanced down at his chest where he kept his pipes tucked beneath his shirt. He sighed and shook his head. "Music requires passion and inspiration. I find both hard to reach right now."

  Alto stood up and straightened to his full height. His armor was heavy and hot but he'd taken to wearing it in spite of the heat after they'd seen Patrina so close. He walked over to Namitus and stared down at the sitting man.

  "What are you doing?" Namitus asked in a tired voice.

  "I'm tired of your whining," Alto said. "Figured I'd save myself the water and toss you off the edge to get it over quicker. Gives me another day or two since I want to live."

  "I never said I didn't want to live," Namitus argued. "It just doesn't seem likely."

  Alto stared down at the man and scowled. "Does it seem likely that a man who looks like a boy could trick kelgryn raiders into taking him in and making him a part of the royal family? What about surviving in a castle filled full of goblins, trolls, and ogres? Surviving a mountain crashing? What about Sarya?"

  Namitus raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he stared at the warrior. "Maybe our luck has finally run out."

  Alto shook his head. "We've had bad luck along the way. Losing William, Gerald, and Drefan? Tristam's lame leg?"

  "And your family, I know," Namitus said. "But we've had more good luck than bad."

  Alto shook his head. "No, we've worked hard for everything we've done. And now's not the time to stop working for it. We came to this island looking for adventure and we found it—"

  "We found more than we bargained for," Namitus interrupted.

  "If we thought it was safe, we wouldn't have bothered. Now stop whining or I'll see how long it takes for you to fall from here to the jungle."

  Namitus scowled. "You won't do that."

  "The heat makes me feel funny," Alto said. "Makes me irritable. I've done some things I never thought I'd do before."

  Namitus glared at him a moment longer and then looked away. "What's your plan?"

  Alto frowned. He turned away to look out over the courtyard again. His new position allowed him to smile so Namitus couldn't see his face. "The tunnel, I think," Alto said. "Need a distraction, though."

  "Throwing me off the cliff would make for a distraction," the rogue agreed.

  Alto chuckled. "It would, but not the one I'd prefer."

  "Music then," Namitus said as he reached for the pipes.

  Alto frowned. "That won't let us both get away; they'll hear you."

  "No, you go. I'll try to distract them with something lively. Ever seen monkeys dance before?"

  "No!" Alto snapped. "I'm not leaving you here."

  "Come on, Alto, I can't even walk. Yes, you could carry me but with Bucky chasing you? And you don't have a sword to fight with."

  "Fighting isn't the answer," Alto said. "Hiding and escaping is."

  "The island is only so big," Namitus pointed out. "He found us once. How hard will it be for him to do it again?"

  "We can make it on our terms," Alto said. "Make it so that we have the advantage."

  Namitus raised his eyebrow.

  "Carson's survived for years here," Alto pointed out.

  Namitus sighed. "You're going to get me killed yet."

  "Someday, maybe, but not today."

  "All right, so how are we going to do this?" Namitus asked.

  Alto frowned. "I'm not quite sure yet."

  "I thought you had this figured out?" Namitus snapped.

  Alto's armor clinked as he shrugged his shoulders. "I usually decide that I need to do something and figure it out as I go."

  "Well, if we're going to go, now's the time to—"

  Both men turned and looked to the west. The sun was beginning to turn into an angry red ball as it neared the horizon, but it wasn't the sun that distracted them. It was the echoing roar of an ape.

  Bucky and the two females still with him climbed to their feet and stared to the west. One of the females grunted a few times but Bucky shut her down with a snarl of his own. He pushed her back and then grunted some more before he turned and made his way to the castle gate. The other female followed him while the one that had been chastised remained behind and watched them go.

  She turned after they'd loped off down the mountain road and her glittering brown eyes fell on Alto. She shrieked at him and sat down, wrapping her arms around her legs.

  "This may be our chance," Alto hissed.

  "Bucky would capture us and stick us back up here. None of his women seem nearly as friendly," Namitus whispered.

  Alto nodded and said, "I hope she isn't one
of the apes I hurt in the forest."

  Namitus winced. "You don't think she'd kill us out of spite and tell Bucky we tried to escape, do you?"

  Alto shook his head. "I have no idea. Do monkeys have a code of honor?"

  Namitus chuckled. "All this monkey business is driving me bananas!"

  Alto's brow furrowed. "That was a bad joke, wasn't it?"

  Namitus sulked. "Two of them, you uncultured lout! If you spent more time in the south, you'd have gotten them."

  Alto raised one eyebrow and then he grinned. Wounded or not, his friend was back in spirit as well as body. Now if only he could keep his own fire up long enough to figure out what they were going to do before Bucky returned.