Light of Elliana: Book One—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Forty-Three: Netog

 For seven days, Netog and his assistants had been driving their large cage wagons closer towards the enemy. One wurm per wagon, with two assistants to tend the beast and drive each weighty four-wheeled contraption. The Nyen Taskmaster could hardly wait to set his friends free. General Anktar was going to utilize his pets, to hunt for their enemies.

One silvery-scaled screamer attempted to reach him. Instead, it slammed headfirst into the heavy iron of its sturdy wagon cage. From within the metal pen, a loud screaming hiss erupted, as the wurm vented its fury.

“Soon—you will be able to eat your fill. You will gorge yourself on nice tasty meat, full of life, and plenty of delicious juices. You will be able to eat all you can swallow,” Netog whispered lovingly to the enraged fanged killer before him.

Netog was thoroughly enjoying the ride on the wood and iron wagon, which rocked back and forth upon the forest trail. Five identical wagons creaked steadily along, behind the one the Nyen Taskmaster was guiding. The four-wide iron and wood wheels were spaced to spread out the heavyweight of the wagon cages. Otherwise, they would continually get stuck.

The message had arrived by winged messenger from General Anktar. Netog was to release his wurms in such a manner, where they would find Prince Donovan. The mere thought of following through on this order filled Netog with a sense of fervent anticipation. The prince had evaded them all time and again.

“This time, he would not escape!” Netog silently vowed, while gritting his brown-stained teeth. “Not, this time.”

Netog was no fool. He had patiently raised these wurms since they had first hatched. Only he knew their habits well. For months, the Nyen Taskmaster had quietly watched and cared for them while learning their ways. The Screamers were his friends, and he would make sure they would be well-fed. The master didn’t understand. The wurms would viciously attack anything they came across. To them, it mattered little on what they ate. During the rearing of the wurms, they had killed many Nyen and Kang assistants. They had also come close to killing Netog. The Nyen silently rubbed the scars he bore on his left forearm as a reminder.

Ahead of them, a Kang scout was dutifully leading them to the site of the latest battle with the enemy. Their quarry’s scent would be freshest there. Every foot the wurms followed their enemy’s trail from there, the hotter their scent would be. The stronger the smell, the faster the Screamers would race through the forest. The wurms had an exceptionally keen sense of smell and were fast, which made them deadly. Soon—the enemy would learn to fear his pets. The thought made Netog chuckle and smile.

The Kang scout finally turned down a side trail and halted at a small clearing. Several Nyen and Kang dead lay scattered around them. It wouldn’t be long before his friends would be hunting down the wretched prince. Netog knew the Screamers would not bother with the dead, for they preferred their prey warm and filled with fresh blood.

“Here is where the last battle occurred. Are you sure the Screamers will be able to find them? It has been a day since the enemy fought their way clear, and we have no idea where they are,” the Kang Scout said in a lowered voice.

“Do not trouble yourself with such matters, Senof. The Screamers are hungry, and they will easily be able to pick up the trail!”

Netog ordered the unloading of firewood from the wagons. He instructed the others to make a great circle with the wood, after clearing away leaves and brush. The teams of horses were led into the center of the ring and tied to trees. The Kang scout and his assistants followed Netog’s instructions and entered.

“Anyone who wishes to live will now listen to me. Everyone must stay inside the burning ring of fire. If you leave, you will die. To the wurms, it doesn’t matter if they feed on our enemies or us,” Netog explained to the scout and his assistants.

From the wide-eyed looks upon their faces, the Nyen Taskmaster knew he had their attention, and all believed. So Netog continued explaining what they should expect to happen in the coming minutes.

“The worm’s fear of fire greatly and will attempt to reach us. The beasts will leave shortly afterward, to hunt the enemy down who fought against our warriors here.”

Netog carefully unrolled the chain to the gate release-mechanism of each cage. The Nyen Taskmaster assigned two assistants to each. Each wagon cage sat parked, so the rear end containing the pen door was facing outward, while the front end sat a short distance outside the ring of wood. Lastly, Netog instructed his assistants to carefully pour buckets of grease and oil upon the stacked timber of the circle.

The Nyen Taskmaster built a small fire and with brands from it, set fire to the circle of wood. The grease-soaked timber caught fire quickly. It was not long before they had a complete roaring ring of flames surrounding them. After waiting a while longer, Netog gave the command to pull the chains. Each team opened the gate of their wagon. The six wurms exited their cages in a blur. With many ear-piercing shrieks and roars, the scaled killers attempted to find a way through the fire to reach them. Time and again, the deadly beasts charged. Each time they pulled up short in front of the flames.

Always alert, Netog kept an eye on his assistants. From time to time, he worked on keeping them calm. The plan would work, providing no one panicked. Finally, Netog’s pets grew tired of being unable to reach him and the others. With loud hisses, they started to follow the scent trail left by the enemy. Soon, Prince Donovan and his friends would be dead.

“It had to happen sometime,” Netog thought with a smile. “Why not now?”

The Nyen Taskmaster made the others remain inside the circle of fire, for an hour longer. Quietly afterward, they quickly opened the ring of fire. After fastening the horses to the wagons, they rapidly left the site behind them. Netog, for one, was sad his pets had to go. General Anktar had ordered Netog to raise many more wurms for use in the future. This new goal filled him with a sense of purpose. The master had been pleased with his hard work. It was a bright day, indeed. The Nyen kept a sharp eye out for any sign of his pets. If they returned, the cages would serve as their only means of protection. He hoped they wouldn’t be needed.