[rework] Minglings - chapter 21: Change of plans

Jake gazed into the distance, barely noticing the unfinished town below as Gria's story slowly replayed in his mind. Around him, most of the native Kobolds had left. Only the muttering of a few people showed he wasn't completely alone. Gria was sitting close by, talking with Sandra, while Bolyr and his daughter were whispering at another table.

All thoughts about having to make babies with local Kobolds had disappeared from Jake's mind as he tried to remember details from his recent dreams. The last one had been vivid, and he realized the main thing he remembered was the feeling he needed to protect others. Who or what those could be wasn't made clear by the dreams.

Maybe other Dragon's? he thought.

Looking at the soft swaying of the trees reminded him of the vegetation at the bottom of the ocean. Another question cropped up as he remembered the hammerhead dragon. Had he saved someone else's awoken dragon body?

"Gria, after you merge with your dragon self, do you gain all memories of that shape?" he asked, interrupting her mid-sentence.

Sandra nodded slightly, and he saw that she didn't seem to mind being interrupted- appearing curious about the answer. Gria examined him before responding. "Yes, you will remember some of it. But I don't know the details, and all in our tribe who could have answered that have perished."

Jake nodded and gazed back at the tree line. He probably should ask what happened to the Antraci tribe, but he couldn't bring himself to it as his mind wandered off again.

--

Sipping from some water, Mason observed the Kobolds around him. He was getting bored from just sitting around doing nothing. Besides, none of the others seemed to have noticed what he had, and they needed to hear it. Sandra and Gria were still idly chattering about things that seemed unimportant, while Bolyr and his daughter spoke in a language he didn't understand. Emma had fallen asleep, draped across his legs, and Jake seemed to still be out of it. Looking at his friend, he hoped both of them would manage to get out of here unharmed.

As a dragon or not, he thought with a frown. He hadn't had any dreams yet that he could remember, but nobody seemed to doubt his awakening.

When another ten minutes had passed, he put the cup down hard and slowly picked up Emma, cradling her to his chest. She murmured a bit but otherwise did not stir. Seeing that the bang had not shaken Jake out of it, he walked over and kicked his leg.

"Wake up, zombie. Let's go and find a place to sleep."

Blinking a few times, Jake nodded and got up. "You are right. No sense in moping about when we could be sleeping."

Mason grunted before turning to the other table. "Gria, do you have a place for us to rest?"

"Yes. Normally we don't let outsiders stay in our villages, but we will make an exception this time." She made a peculiar snapping noise with her long nails, and from the shadows, a dark-clothed, blue-scaled Kobold appeared as if fading into existence. Mason started, then frowned. Was that how Bolyr kept appearing?

"Bring them to one of the recently built, empty rooms. I will bring Sandra and her sleeping friends after we finish speaking."

The black-clothed figure nodded and walked away, waving a hand forward.

Jake looked at Sandra, raising one eyebrow. She returned a crooked smile and then motioned for him to leave. Her sharp eyes showed no hint of sleep, though, showing she wasn't being dangerously idiotic.

Guess she trusts Gria already, Mason thought, wondering how smart that was.

--

"Thank you," Jake said belatedly before rushing after Mason, who had just stood and walked away. Catching up, Jake looked at his friend and instantly saw the tiny worried crease between his eyes, different due to the scales but still there, and his lizard-like eyes were scanning the room. Jake felt like a bucket of cold water was thrown over him. Mason only acted this when there was something wrong. He was about to ask what was going on when he realized the shadowy Kobold was still walking in front of them. Gritting his teeth, he tried to catch Mason's eyes, failed, and silently followed him.

They moved along a few wooden ramparts, climbed two crudely made ladders, then arrived at a small building with two windows and a door. It was made of the same dark wood as everything else, and only the hinges seemed crafted of some dull-looking metal.

Jake looked around, inspecting the rest of the building. The wooden panels covering the floor in front of the building were sturdy, barely under their weight. Waist-high wooden railings lined the platform's edge, preventing people from falling off. All in all, it seemed well built. Curious, he looked over the edge and saw the ground was far below. A fall would probably kill them.

"Jake."

Jake turned and saw Mason beckon him over. He nodded and moved towards the door.

"You may rest here," the shadowy Kobold said in a low voice before pointing at the house and walking back.

"Talkative fellow," Mason muttered under his breath.

Jake didn't respond but noticed at least a few more seemingly empty cabins along the rampart before it ended in an area filled with construction materials.

"Let's go inside," Mason sighed tiredly, pushing open the door and stomping inside.

Jake followed him, expecting a dark, shadowy cabin. Instead, a soft blue glow came from bulbs hanging in a tiny-leafed creeper that spread along the farthest wall. Two low beds, barely higher than the ground and filled with something resembling hay, stood on one end while a small table with some chairs finished the furnishing of the spartan room.

Mumbling something about déjà vu, Mason placed Emma on one of the beds before turning around. He and Jake exchanged a look, and something passed between them.

Jake motioned toward one of the unshuttered windows and walked to one, taking a look outside while Mason took care of the other one. He saw no movement on the shadowy plateau.

Doesn't mean there isn't someone hidden away, he thought to himself, as he recalled how the dark Kobold had appeared out of a shadow.

Still, there was nothing to see now, and he moved back to the empty bed and sat down opposite Mason.

"So, care to tell me what got you worried? Or is it about what Gria told us?" he whispered.

Mason shook his head and hissed. "Are you blind? Tell me, weren't we supposed to meet some elders? Where are they, and what was that charade we just watched?"

Jake opened his mouth, then closed it again as he tried to understand what Mason was talking about. It took him a few whole seconds until his mind began connecting dots.

Mason must have seen the look of sudden realization flashing across his face as he snorted. "Yeah, finally figured it out? Awfully coincidental, everything that happened! They want us to join their tribe; we don't jump on it, and now this. Some internal conflict, we get into trouble, and then we get rescued by Gria, making it seem like we are all friends?"

Mason's whispering stayed so quiet Jake could barely hear it, but the raging emotions on his face said it all. Jake felt his mouth turn dry as he realized Mason was letting his overactive imagination run wild again.

Or is there some truth to it? he thought as he recalled Bolyr's sad look when he didn't want to join.

He tried to come up with a good counter argument. Better then, you are being ridiculous but couldn't.

"Do you think everything she said was a lie?" he finally asked.

Mason shook his head. "No, of course not. If that is true, all those Kobolds deserve an academy award for acting. I think only the old man, Gria, and probably Bolyr are in on it."

Jake shook his head and tried to get the fog out of his brain. He didn't want to believe Bolyr had anything to do with it. "But why? It makes no sense..."

"How should I know? We are on another planet, in another universe, changed into Kobolds, and away from anyone we know. Nothing makes sense anymore! For all I know, they did it to see how we would react?" Mason whispered tiredly.

Sitting there, lost in thought, Jake felt his body begin to succumb to its weariness. Perhaps it was because he was so far from the sea or all that had happened, but he couldn't resist the need for sleep anymore. Yawning, he pointed at Mason, a twinkling in his eyes. "Take the first watch, okay? You can't sleep anyway. Wake me in a few hours when you are tired."

Sputtering, Mason almost choked. "When I am tired, he says. Yeah, sure, you go have your beauty sleep, princess." Shaking his head, he grinned but still vacated the bed.

Jake laughed before stretching out, glad to find that the coarse straw felt no worse than grass to his scales. Closing his eyes, the last thing he heard was Mason moving to the window before falling into a deep sleep.

--

Jake woke and almost thought he'd had a bad dream. He was in a bed with soft chatter in the background that sounded like Mason and one of his flings. Then some hay scratched one of his scales, and he realized the words were spoken in a foreign language.

Sitting up, he saw it was still dark outside, and the chatter that woke him came from Mason and Sandra.

"Impeccable timing there, buddy. How about you join us," Mason motioned to the ground next to him. They had pushed the table away and were sitting in the middle of the room.

Willson and Brady were standing at the two windows, seeming fully awake as they kept watch outside. Moving over, Jake yawned, and in a flash, a part of a dream he had moments before filled his mind, ripping him away from reality.

--

The cave was dark and wet, while an icy wind blew wafts of snow from the darkness outside. Behind him, his brother and sisters were huddled together for a semblance of warmth.

He stared at the scales scattered around the entrance and hissed when he noticed a few chunks of flesh sticking to some. His small siblings keened, and his youngest sister rubbed her head against him before dashing forward, grabbing the flesh and quickly rustling back behind him. Closing his eyes, he gently hummed, causing the others to become silent again.

He felt a familiar presence in his mind, calming him, and he nudged against it slightly. Not yet.

--

In a rush, Jake felt his mind pushed back inside his own body, disoriented by the sudden change.

"Jake, wake up! What's wrong?"

Mason's face hovered inches in front of his, and Jake closed his eyes as he felt a headache well up.

"I just had another dragon dream," he whispered.

A sharp breath came from Mason while Sandra knelt beside him. "We don't have time for this. We need to find a way to get out of here," she hissed.

Jake felt the last remnants of the dream flush from his mind by the tension in her voice. "Why? What is going on?"

Sandra sat down on the edge of the bed. "Mason share his doubts with you? Good. Well, after talking with Gria, I've come to a similar conclusion. Something is wrong here. They said we would meet the elders, but nobody can tell me where they are! Also, Gria says they won't punish Vestr, as he didn't actually do anything bad, and there are too few of their tribe remaining. When I pressured her on what they actually wanted from us, in the end, it was roughly the same as what Bolyr and Vestr said. I don't think she lies when she says we won't be forced, but that's only if she remains the one calling the shots," Sandra whispered, glaring at the door.

Willson made a shushing sound from the window. "Movements on the rampart."

Sandra jumped to her feet, followed by the others. With two quick gestures, Sandra directed Jake to stay at Emma's bed and Mason to follow her to block the door.

"It's one of the natives. I think it's the one who came back with Jake, and he seems to be injured."

"Tergin? Let him in!" Jake exclaimed, causing the soldiers to look at him in shocked disapproval. Sandra shook her head in denial.

Jake felt himself grow angry, part of the dream still affecting him, and he stepped forward. "He saved my life twice. If he is injured, I want to know why."

Mason nodded, but Sandra's mouth narrowed, her eyes turning to slits. She opened her mouth, must have seen something in his eyes, closed it, and nodded reluctantly. Stepping back, she motioned Mason to open the door.

"He is here," Willson whispered, just when a soft knock came from the door.

Placing his hand on the handle, Mason took a deep breath before opening it.

Outside, Tergin huddled against the side of the door, barely able to stay on his clawed feet. Blood streamed from the corner of his mouth, dripping on the floor. A rip along the front of his armor showed a long gash from which blood oozed out. When the door opened, he made to step inside but tripped and fell forward. Mason caught him in reflex.

"Put him on the bed and close the door!" Jake said, barely able to resist shouting it.

A second later, they were standing around the bed, looking at the raggedly breathing Kobold.

"Tergin, what happened?" Jake asked, hesitantly examining the wound.

The Kobold's eyes fluttered open, and a morbid thought crossed Jake's mind. Was he seriously going to die? This guy had rotten luck to be injured so severely twice within a few days.

Tergin blinked before his eyes focused on Jake's.

"Jake. Vestr attacked us after Sandra left. He is planning to take control of the tribe, and he wants to use all of you to breed new Awoken."

Sandra moved forward and motioned the others to be quiet. "Where are the Elders? And what about Gria? Didn't the others accept her as the leader?"

Tergin blinked, and his mouth twitched, then he shook his head. "I don't know. Vestr said they went into secluded meditation shortly after we left, and nobody has seen or spoken to them since. They were supposed to show up at the fest. Bolyr went looking for Gria, and how Vestr managed to get the support of so many? He is the sole remaining hero of the war... I think Gria and Bolyr underestimate his sway over the younger gene-"

A scream tore through the silence, startling everyone in the room. Moments later, angry shouting followed from outside.

"They are coming. Jake, you have to flee. This place isn't safe for you!" Tergin said. Then he coughed, spurting blood across his chest. His breathing became even more ragged, and his eyes fell shut.

"More movement on the rampart, sarge! At least three hostiles are approaching the door. They are armed with spears and don't look friendly."

"Great. Now what?" Mason hissed.

"We need to get out of here, find a safe spot, and come up with a new course of action," Sandra commanded.

"Listen up, you two, until we are out of the woods, you do as I say. I have far more experience with these things," Sandra snapped as she gave Jake and Mason a piercing stare.

Mason nodded, and Jake quickly followed his example.

Before she could continue, Mason pointed at Emma, raising an eyebrow. Sandra's eyes narrowed at the interruption, but she nodded. She rose and moved to the door, speaking across her shoulder. "Jake, pick her up and carry her." Her tone was one Jake had heard her use with the soldiers, short and without room for argument.

Turning to the soldiers, the commanding presence around her thickened as she began barking orders. "Willson, you are with me on point. O'Reilly, instruct Mason and cover the back and flanks. Jake stays in the middle with Emma."

A scratching noise came from the door, followed by a whispering voice, and everyone froze. Willson raised three fingers in the air before pointing at the door. Sandra nodded and stepped to the side of the door, Willson opposite her. The door slowly opened, the glinting tip of a spear pushing against it. Outside, a Kobold, framed by torchlight, looked inside. Seeing Jake with Emma in his arms and Mason taking a step back upon seeing his spear, a grin surfaced on his face, and he stepped inside.

As soon as he moved past the threshold, Sandra grabbed him around the wrist and neck and drew him aside. Struggling to get free, the Kobold seemed like a child fighting an adult. From outside came a shout, and two more Kobolds rushed inside the increasingly crowded room.

Jake felt his heart rate skyrocket as Willson let the next one enter before jumping on the third and final one. The dark-blue Kobold wrapped his thick arm around the greenish neck, cutting off a strangled cry. As his biceps bulged, his eyes suddenly widened as the Kobold tossed himself back, throwing both of them to the ground.

--

Mason ignored the soldier wrestling with the native Kobold. All his attention was focused on the one moving toward him. The Kobold, blue-green, and a head smaller than him, seemed unafraid. Mason barely caught the movement as the spear flashed at his legs, and he jumped aside, headlong into the wall. Staggering back up, he slumped down, blinking away the tears.

In the center of the room, O'Reilly nimbly dodged the spear before grabbing it. Keeping it close to him, the soldier struggled to pull the spear from the attacker's grasp. Staying low and close to the wall, Mason moved around until he was behind the spear wielder. Looking at O'Reilly, who had seen him, he was relieved to get a short nod. He waited for the most opportune moment, then jumped forward, knocking into the Kobold. Before the other could move, Mason hugged him close to his chest, pinning the other's arms.

A dull sound came, followed by a groan, and the Kobold went slack. Mason dropped the body and watched as O'Reilly knocked the one struggling with Willson on the head, rendering him unconscious.

"Clear. Now we hide!" Sandra hissed while picking up one of the spears.

"What about Tergin?" Jake asked, staring at the wounded Kobold.

"We can't. Moving him might open his wounds, causing him to bleed out," Sandra said with a short shake of her head.

"Leaving him here will guarantee his death! With us, he stands a chance," Jake shot back.

Mason let out a strangled groan and rushed to the bed, picking up the bleeding Kobold. "Let's go!" he growled, moving to the door.

Sandra's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. Instead, she turned around and snuck out of the cabin.

Mason grinned at Jake before following the soldiers. Jake was the last to leave the room, and as he stepped outside, he wondered how they were going to escape.

--

Running through the jungle, Jake tried to follow after Mason, blinking away the blood streaming from the gash on his forehead. Yelling and fighting came from the village far behind him.

"Keep going! We need to get out of here," Sandra whispered as she rushed past him. There was no sight of Willson, who had gone with her to cover their tracks.

I guess they know what they are doing, Jake thought as he heard the sound of their pursuers fade away in another direction.

"Give me a bloody hand here!" Mason groaned in a tired voice.

He was carrying two unmoving shapes across his shoulders. One was Tergin, the other O'Reilly. The soldier had been caught off guard and knocked out cold by a Kobold brandishing a large club. Sandra rushed forward, taking O'Reilly's unmoving form from Mason and slinging it across her shoulder as if he was a sack of grain.

Screams of rage came from far behind them, and Jake wondered who it was, shouting like a squealing pig. In front of him, Willson's muscular shape became visible, partially hidden between the plants. He signaled them to follow him in the jungle. After a few hundred meters, they suddenly burst out of a treeline and onto a beach. Startled, Jake swirled his head around and saw they were in a small lagune, a tower rockface blocking one side and the dense jungle the other.

Now, if only everyone could breathe underwater, we could hide in the sea, he thought.

"I'll go back to cover our tracks and fabricate fake ones to lead any pursuers the other way," Willson whispered to Sandra, waiting until she nodded before he ran back into the jungle.

Jake put Emma down. She was looking at him with wide-open eyes. "Are we going to die?" Her soft, high-pitched voice cracked a bit.

"Not yet," Jake said, forcing a smile. Then he turned around, examining his surroundings. There were no hiding spots anywhere! His mind wandered, and his eyes landed on where the sea slammed against the towering cliff. As he looked at it, an idea began to take shape, and all of a sudden, he was wide awake again. Perhaps? He ran to the shore and jumped over the waves into the water, ignoring a startled, rapidly muffled shout.

As he dove down, his fatigue instantly washed away. His eyesight sharpened, and he felt the fuzziness leave his mind. Looking around, he saw a host of fish dart between the plants that covered the seafloor. Surging through the water, he arrived at the cliff and quickly found what he was looking for - shadowy caves and deep crevices. He rushed along the openings, taking fast peaks inside each until he found a deceptively small gap with three long tunnels. Following one that went almost straight up, he surfaced inside a cave. From the ceiling, moonlight filtered through tiny cracks, creating a beautiful, safe hideout. Jake smiled before diving down again and quickly swimming back to shore.

As he rose up, he saw Mason and Sandra stare at the sea, instantly noticing him. Mason had a relieved smile, but Sandra seemed furious.

"Where the hell did you go?" she growled when Jake walked out of the sea, water dripping everywhere. She kept turning around to look at the jungle, and Jake noticed that Willson wasn't back.

Ignoring her hostility, Jake pointed at the stonewall. "There are underwater caves in that wall that have air in them. I can bring you there one at a time and then wait here for Willson."

Sandra took a quick look before staring back at the jungle. The anger quickly faded, replaced by a thoughtful look. Then she nodded. "Fine, but next time alert me when you are going scouting. What if we had to flee before you came back?"

Jake felt the color rise to his scaly face. He hadn't thought of that. "Sorry, it won't happen again," he muttered.

He got no response and sighed in relief when Sandra moved away. Then he picked up Tergin and looked at Emma. "Follow me. We are going exploring!"

"Okay," she whispered with a thin grin as she stared at the sea.

It took only a few minutes to bring Tergin's motionless body to the cave but longer to explain to Emma that she had to wait there and protect the Kobold. When he finally returned to the beach, he saw Mason waiting partially in the water, carrying O'Reilly.

"Ready?" Jake asked as he looked at his friend. Mason clenched his teeth but nodded.

"Let's get this over with," Mason grunted, walking further into the sea.

"I will stay and wait for Willson," Sandra stated as she began kicking sand across tracks, keeping sharp eyes on the forest.

Jake nodded, then followed Mason, and they both swam above water to the cliff. Mason was struggling to stay up near the rockface. The water wasn't rough, but even now, the waves colliding against the rock and surging back made it difficult for him to swim.

"It is fifteen meters down and then back up through a tunnel," Jake said, taking over Mason's burden. He realized he should have done that much sooner, but his friend said nothing about it.

"Sounds great! Why the hell didn't I get bloody underwater breathing?" Mason snapped.

"Because this way, there's at least some time you shut up," Jake said with a grin. Then he dove and waited underwater. O'Reilly was breathing easily, and he was glad it was him that was unconscious and not Willson.

Mason put his head underwater and gave him a thumbs-up. Jake began swimming towards the entrance. It took him a few seconds to get his bearings, but Mason was so slow he found the correct cave before he arrived. When his friend finally got there, he signaled he was still okay, and they swam into the tunnel. Half a minute later, they surfaced, and Mason took a few deep breaths.

"Damn, I could outswim any Olympic swimmer now! I must have held my breath for four minutes or more," he said in between sucking in large gulps of air.

Jake grinned, paddling towards a small ridge where Emma sat, looking relieved to see them. He pulled O'Reilly up on the ledge beside Tergin, leaving no more room for anybody else.

"You will have to stay in the water while I get the others," Jake whispered to Mason. Then he had an idea and scanned the cave walls. "Emma, can you search for more dry places or entrances?"

The lithe little Kobold nodded vigorously before diving into the water, giving Mason space to sit down, which he instantly took.

"Jake, be careful and get back here fast!" his friend said, giving a stern look that said he wasn't allowed to do anything stupid.

"Always," Jake said before diving down and rushing back through the tunnels towards the beach.