Necropolis (Book One of Book One), Penn Fawn [e book reader android .TXT] 📗

“The Isle of the Maimed,” he replied.

“That far, eh?” said a surprised Kifo.

“Yes,” Nyeusi replied.

“How long do you intend to be gone?” Kifo asked.

“A couple days at least,” Nyeusi answered. “Our brethren need to be informed, and I need some time away from here, time to myself to think. This is bigger than I had imagined or could have thought of giving our enemy credit for.”

“Think we have that much time?” Kifo asked.

“Who can say for sure?” Nyeusi replied. “We can only guess at their intent.”

Kifo’s face grew more solemn. “I do not think you should leave,” he said. “It’s not right, not at a time like this.”

Nyeusi looked him in the eye. “Your leader I am, but I am but one individual. I would not leave if I feared a threat was imminent. For that matter, my mind tells me this isn’t so, and I feel assured of it.”

“That’s nothing absolute,” Kifo said.

“There never were any assurances,” Nyeusi replied, “but we did not know. This battle is over.”

“Or, just begun,” Kifo said.

“Then we must prepare for the next round,” Nyeusi said, “and we’d better be well prepared ’cause we can’t afford to sustain losses like we did today.”

Kifo said nothing.

“There was always going to come a day when I expected you to show leadership. I had no idea when it would be, but today is that day,” Nyeusi added.

He directed his attention to Amri. “You must take charge in my absence,” he said.

“Okay,” Amri replied.

“Fly north again and keep watch.”

“It is done,” Amri said.

“The sentinels,” Nyeusi began.

“What about them?” Amri asked. By sentinels, Nyeusi meant lions. For the immortals, wolves were their sentinels.

“They know these lands more intimately than you or I ever could. Have them monitor affairs for us. They will keep you updated.”

“I will do that,” he said.

“Summon them to fight with you if needs be, but pray, do not allow so much as a strand of fur from another creature to be defiled unless absolutely necessary.”

“Very well,” Amri said.

“Kifo, you will be my third pair of eyes.”

“It is done,” he said.

“In the meantime, this much we know or could assume. It would take a vast number of beasts to consume or move so much carrion, and only the largest congregation of vultures could dispose of the rest. Anything other than that and the stench of death is something no one will want to be near.”

“Right,” Kifo said.

“Had they a mind to, ’twill take time to circumvent the dead should they have the gall to approach us.”

“After what we saw, they will be emboldened now,” Kifo said.

“Then they are fools,” Nyeusi replied. “Find out for sure, Amri, and if needs be, deal with them accordingly,” he added, and with that, Amri departed.

“I must leave now,” Nyeusi added.

“Very well,” Kifo replied.

“I am not deserting you in this dire time,” Nyeusi said.

“I never thought so,” Kifo replied.

“Again, I don’t suspect I’ll be gone for more than a couple days,” Nyeusi added. He then mounted his beast and flew toward the Isle of the Maimed.

By the time Amri drew nearer to the dead, the immortals had amassed some distance between themselves and the area. Both armies, for some time now, had been walking away from each other.

He was mindful of flying overhead, too low to the ground, or beyond them, lest the immortals notice him and become panicked into possibly thinking their adversary did not have enough of the day’s events. And so, he remained a safe distance away. Their backs faced his, so none saw him turn around and head back to his men.

Nyeusi, with a heavy heart, continued to fly away from them all.

The immortals were well on their way home when those who felt a bit unsure finally began to concede it looked as if the battle was truly over.

There was no surprise second wave of attack. Nothing ominous appeared on the horizon. Nothing from their wildest imaginations proved to be real. No army of Shetani in the tens of thousands had navigated their way through the thick forests, got past all possible obstacles, then decimated those who stayed back at the village and was now heading toward them.

At least there did not seem to be any sign of that now, the most panicky and skeptical of them conceded.

Others, by this time, made light of the day’s events.

One fellow referred to the adversary they once so dreaded as the Shitani. This appellation stuck in his peers’ minds.

They had a hearty laugh when he mentioned this. Meanwhile, predatory and opportunistic beasts began to slowly then steadily appear where the dead lay to feast.

Lions ate with no concern about packs of thieving hyenas who dined not far from them.

Wild dogs appeared, and again, the lions could not have been less concerned. No covetous beast, after all, thought it necessary to steal anyone’s kills.

More and more lions came and packs and more packs of hyenas and wild dogs.

The area, which would henceforth be called The Elephant Graveyard, became the scene of the most enormous outdoor feast then known.

Black specs high up in the sky appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

It looked as though some were circling while others moved about haphazardly. These were vultures. They, plus the lions, hyenas, and the wild dogs, would all die after consuming the poisoned flesh.

By this time, Amri had already flown back to his men to inform them that an attack by the immortals on their base did not seem likely.

Chapter VIII – Isle Of The Maimed

NYEUSI, WHO WANTED to ensure his animal got enough rest, did not intend to return to the isle until the following day.

There were over a hundred miles between him and its coastline and roughly seven miles of sea between it and the mainland.

He hadn’t flown toward the isle in months, but he remembered how to get there as well as if he’d traveled to it yesterday. Being a man about town, so to speak, he also knew where it was safe to land to rest