Free The Island of Whispers by Brendan Gisby Page B

creature out of here,’ he commanded. ‘Take it
back to the Watchers’ lair. Let it serve as a lesson for Sharp
Claws and his traitorous scum.’
    Two guards
scurried across to Narrow Back. They proceeded to prod and nip him
until he was conscious again.
    ‘ Move!’ one of them screamed.
    Slowly,
painfully, Narrow Back slithered along the ground. Streaks of blood
marked his tortured progress. He halted several times, and each
time the prodding and biting were renewed. Finally, their patience
gone, the guards grabbed at his flesh and dragged him, screaming
and pleading, the rest of the distance out of the lair.
    Long Snout
turned his attention to the remaining Watchers.
    ‘ Now for the two other fools,’ he spat. ‘You! The small one
with the big ears! Tell me who leads this plot. Give me the names
of its members.’
    Long Ears
squirmed forward on his belly. He stared at the ground in front of
the Chamberlain.
    ‘ Me!’ he squeaked. ‘It was my idea, Chamberlain. I am the
leader. There are only three of us.’
    ‘ Silence!’ screamed Long Snout.
    Two Protectors
rushed up to the trembling Watcher. Each took hold of one of his
ears, pulling hard, tearing the flesh. The pain was excruciating;
the squeals high-pitched and deafening.
    ‘ Now the truth!’ Long Snout shouted over the din.
    Twisted Foot
continued to stare at the Chamberlain, the lust to kill even
stronger now.
    ‘ He lies. I am the leader.’ The words were uttered boldly, with
no hint of fear.
    The attack on
Long Ears stopped. The Chamberlain stooped down, bringing his snout
closer to Twisted Foot.
    ‘ Yes, you,’ he hissed. ‘The little cripple.’
    He stepped
back again and then suddenly lashed out with one of his front
claws, slashing the Watcher across the top of the head. Twisted
Foot stifled the scream. He tried to maintain his stare, but blood
blurred his vision and stung his eyes.
    Broken Tail
stepped up from behind and seized the Watcher’s neck in his jaws.
Twisted Foot felt the fangs bite deep, his life slipping away. He
had to struggle to speak.
    ‘ But there are ... only three of us ...’ he gasped through the
pain. ‘Long Ears ... Narrow Back ... and me ...’
    Broken Tail’s
grip eased slightly. Long Snout appeared again through a red haze.
Twisted Foot could barely hear the words.
    ‘ Put the traitors in with the slaves. They will be executed –
slowly – during the Assembly. Their torment will be an example for
the whole of the Outer Circle.’
     
    – o –

– Chapter Nineteen –
     
    Belcher saw
them first.
    ‘ Visitors,’ he said to Slayer.
    Both Slayer
and Slasher interrupted their feast to look down at the entrance
tunnel. They recognised the huge frame of the Master. A group of
the Master’s underlings squatted some way behind him.
    Slayer spat
out a small bone.
    ‘ Let’s go,’ he ordered.
    The three
Scavengers climbed down from the high ledge. The wall was nearly
perpendicular, but their descent was swift and nimble. As soon as
they were far enough away, others on the ledge pounced noisily on
the half-eaten carcass of the young she-slave.
    When they
reached the level ground, Slayer moved ahead of his companions to
approach the Master. Their conversation was brief, but Slayer
seemed happy with the outcome. Then the Master departed with all
but two of his group. The prisoners he left behind huddled
together, their expressions bewildered, frightened.
    The place was
not like any other part of the underworld. The walls of the lair
were high and steep, descending to the left and right in a series
of narrow ledges. Nests, crammed with slaves, occupied every inch
of each ledge. The floor stretching out from the entrance tunnel
stayed even for several feet and then dipped sharply into a deep
pit. The bottom of the pit also teemed with rats, their squirming,
jostling bodies almost obliterating sight of the murky pool at the
far end of the lair. Gangs of he-slaves roamed the pit; clambering
over their neighbours, they