Chapter 42 - Paralyzed by Fear

Cable looked down from his perch on top of the mound. He followed Jimbo’s finger, and he saw that Jimbo was pointing to a group of four figures slowly moving up the hill. Two of the figures seemed to trudge along reluctantly, almost against their will. They occasionally stumbled, and as Cable stared further, he could see why.

Each had a hood on his head.

The other two figures, by contrast, seemed to be almost gliding up the hill. They emitted an eerie glow as they moved, and they each carried a sword. The swords were used to prod the other two when they moved too slowly, or when they fell to the ground. It didn’t take Cable long to realize what they were, and his heart sank and his stomach cinched up in a knot when he realized it. He turned to Jimbo and whispered, “Those...those are the two ghostly creatures, aren’t they?”

Jimbo nodded. “Yep, Herc. That’s exactly what they is,” he replied softly. “Only I think there’s a lot more than two of ‘em. Sometimes I feel like this land is crawling with them. And Herc...our job just got a whole lot tougher. We should have jumped down there and blown the trumpet when we had the chance. Now we’ve got to contend with these boys...”

Cable bit his lip and resisted bellowing out in frustration. Jimbo was right--his hesitation had cost them dearly. Now the only way to fulfill their mission was to somehow wrestle their way through two more creatures that seemed invincible. And somehow, they had to do that while carrying a trumpet that seemed to weigh more than an anvil. Cable was overwhelmed with frustration and despair. He grabbed Jimbo’s cloak and whispered, “Why don’t we just leave? Why don’t we come back in the daylight, after they’ve gone?”

Doofus uttered a low growl that made Cable jump. He wanted to kick the opinionated beast, but that would require him to stand up. And if he did that, the ghostly creatures would certainly see him. So he again restrained his fury. Meanwhile, Jimbo replied, “There’s no turning back now, mate. Ronaldus has sent us on a mission, and we’ve got to fulfill it. If the task was too great for us, we wouldn’t have been asked to do it. And besides, Herc, there are two chaps down there who likely need our help. We’re not going to just leave them, are we?”

Cable didn’t know what to think. Almost every part of his being wanted to just run--to just leave his burdensome trumpet on the ground and flee. The urge was almost beyond his ability to resist. Yet Cable knew that Jimbo was right. He couldn’t turn his back on the captives that were walking just below them. And he couldn’t compound his error of procrastination with an even graver error of cowardice.

So Cable waited and watched. By the dim light of a crescent moon and the faint glow of the fearsome creatures, Cable could see everything quite clearly. He saw the creatures lead the captives over to a log that lay about 15 feet in front of the doorway to the mound. The hooded captives were turned around to face the mound, and then they were prodded with the swords to sit down on the log that lay behind them. The captives quickly obeyed.

The first creature now spoke. The voice was low and gravelly; it made Cable’s skin crawl. “Gentlemen,” the creature began, “it has been a long journey, but you have finally reached your destination. You may breathe easily now. With a few more steps, your pilgrimage will be complete.”

The creature paused. The captives said nothing. After a few seconds, the creature resumed. “You have come to Dor-ko and to Slumbutter of your own free will, have you not?” he asked. The two captives still remained silent.

The second creature moved behind the captives and poked them with the tip of his sword. “Answer!” he said. “Do not hesitate, or your lives will be worthless! Answer!”

The two captives nodded their heads.

The first creature then resumed. “You were wise, gentlemen! It is always wise to turn your back on a cowardly, weak king. Maximilian offers you nothing but restraint. You wish to be great, and he keeps you under his thumb. You did well to turn away. Greatness is now yours! And it is only a few steps away!

“In a few moments, each of you will be brought forward to the door of immortality. When you pass through it, you will become like us. You will live forever! The wretched subjects of your weak king will tremble at your presence, even as you have trembled at ours. Nothing will be able to stop you. Together in service to Dor-ko and Slumbutter, you shall work to destroy the shackles that your king has placed upon this once-great land. The greatness that you have sought shall be yours!”

The second creature, who still stood behind the log, then tapped one of the captives on the shoulder. As he did so, the first creature called out, “Come!” The captive immediately obeyed and rose to his feet. The first creature stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulder. “You do well to rise quickly,” he said. “Come forward now, and stand before the door.” The captive walked haltingly toward the door to the mound. When he came within about five feet from the door, the creature stopped him. The creature then reached out and opened the door.

As Cable looked downward at the scene below him, he saw the area drenched in a glow of flickering orange and red light. The flames from the mound were illuminating the ground below him. The captive seemed to sense the light and turned his head, even though his head was still covered with a hood. Cable felt warm air start to rise over him. At first, it felt good to his drenched and chill-filled body. But when he realized that it was the heat of an inferno that was about to consume the helpless captive, he was filled with an even deeper chill inside.

Cable watched as the first creature said to the captive, “I shall now remove your hood. Once your eyes are open and you see clearly, you are to walk through the door that is before you. You are to walk through the door and experience the great joy of being transformed to serve Lord Slumbutter and Lord Dor-ko. You shall give up the bonds of your pathetic king, and you shall be immortal! But let me warn you now...do not hesitate!”

The first creature then reached out and pulled off the captive’s hood. The captive squinted at first, his eyes struggling to adjust to the bright light of the inferno that lay inside the door. But as his eyes opened, Cable saw a look of great fear come across the stranger’s face. His eyes soon became as wide as saucers, and his mouth gaped open with an expression of shock. His head shook back and forth quickly, and he cried out, “No! No!” The then turned and tried to run away.

However, he didn’t take more than two steps before the first creature grabbed him by his cloak and held him still. The captive tried to keep moving, but the creature would not relax his grip. The creature cried out, “This is your last chance, you fool! Walk through the door! Live forever! You’ve turned your back on your first master; you cannot turn away again! The only hope you have is to enter! Enter! Enter!”

The captive would not turn, but neither could he overcome the strength of the creature. He twisted and squirmed and churned his legs and attempted to push away his captor. As Cable watched, he felt Jimbo tap him on the shoulder. Cable turned, and Jimbo asked, “Shouldn’t we try and help, mate?” But Cable couldn’t move. He felt as though his body were nailed to the ground. And he was just unwilling to try and overcome his fear.

Meanwhile, down below, the resistance of the unmasked captive was futile. Finally, the second creature approached. He swung his sword and struck the captive in the head with its flat side. The captive fell to the ground, unconscious. The second creature stood over the captive for a moment, then turned to the first creature. “Let’s throw him in anyway,” he whispered.

“Has a man ever been thrust through the door against his will?” asked the first creature.

“Our masters, of course, prefer that the men walk through willingly,” replied the second creature. “But I see no reason why a creature shouldn’t be tossed in unwillingly. I heard that some of our brethren were sent to throw Prince Cable into the fire. They tried to persuade him to go through willingly, but they persisted when he proved unwilling.”

“Was he thrown in?” asked the first creature.

“The fool escaped,” answered the second creature. “But he shall be found. He cannot run forever. And he shall be destroyed, as he deserves.”

Cable shuddered as he heard the discussion below him. He resolved to stay right where he was. He would not expose himself to what he knew would be certain destruction if he tried to help anyone.

The creatures continued their dialog. The first creature said, “But brother, what you are saying is that no one has entered through the door unless they were willing. I has not been done. Indeed, I don’t know that it can be done. Why don’t we just slay him where he lies?”

The second creature replied, “Are you a coward as well? What do you mean, it can’t be done? Of course it can! Just watch me!” With those words, the second creature stooped down, grabbed the unconscious captive, and threw him over his shoulder. He walked toward the door and prepared to sling the body into the flames. However, before he could release the body, a voice from the woods thundered out, “Halt!”

Both of the creatures turned back toward the woods. Cable’s eyes followed the gaze of the creatures. In the dim light of the moon, Cable could see a man approach on horseback. He rode high atop a black horse. As he emerged from the woods, Cable could see that he was followed by two knights clad in black armor. When the group entered into the clearing in front of the mound, the two black knights quickly caught up to their leader. One guided his horse to the leader’s left side, while the other went to his right side. Both of the black knights, who appeared to be bodyguards, remained a few feet behind their leader. Neither spoke.

At the sight of the approaching entourage, the second creature took his captive and dropped him to the ground. The two fearsome creatures then bowed before the approaching man. The first creature spoke and said, “Welcome, Lord Slumbutter. We are here to do your bidding. Speak, Master, and we shall act.”

Slumbutter paused and looked around for a moment. He saw the unmasked and unconscious captive lying on the ground. “Who is that?” he asked.

“It is the first of the two captives that were dispatched to the mound, Lord Slumbutter,” replied the first creature. “He...was not persuaded of the great privilege of immortal service to you, O Master. He cowered in fear and turned his back. He is worthy of destruction.”

Slumbutter nodded slowly as he listened to the first creature. “It is true,” he replied. “But one who is destroyed is of no use to us. I have a great need for a slave. So leave the weakling alone. I shall bind him up and take him with me.”

The second creature then spoke. “First, O Master, let me mark him,” he petitioned. Slumbutter nodded and granted the creatures request. The second creature then grabbed his sword with both hands and held it high in the air. As he held it, Cable saw the sword begin to glow. It became red and started to smoke. As the smoke rose, the second creature laughed. His laugh echoed through the woods, and its fearsome ring made Cable want to burrow himself into the ground. Cable wanted to turn his head away from the scene, but he couldn’t turn his gaze. Instead, he watched as the second creature took his sword and slashed the captive across his back. He made a mark in the shape of an “S” and seared it into the flesh of the helpless captive. The captive screamed and immediately awoke from his unconsciousness. But any thoughts of fleeing to freedom were quickly squelched when Slumbutter’s bodyguards dismounted and grabbed him. The captive was quickly bound hand and foot and was tossed over the back of Slumbutter’s horse. The captive’s hood was also put back on his head. Without a word, Slumbutter turned his mount and headed back into the woods. His bodyguards silently remounted their horses and followed him. Silence again descended upon the woods as the hoof-beats of the horses faded into the distance.

Cable was suddenly awash in guilt. A man was now marked for life as a slave of Slumbutter, and Cable had refused to even raise a figure in the man’s defense. Cable tried to convince himself that the man actually deserved his fate--after all, by his own admission, he had willingly turned his back on Maximilian in order to come to Slumbutter. But then Cable recalled the expression on the captives face when he looked into the mound. Cable couldn’t get the image of sheer terror out of his mind. He didn’t think he’d ever forget it.

And now Cable continued to stare below him. The second captive remained sitting on the log. He hadn’t moved throughout the entire ordeal. As Cable looked, he saw the man tremble slightly. Cable thought the man was probably sobbing. The man now knew what was coming, and he knew he was helpless to avoid his fate. Cable asked himself, Am I just going to sit here while another captive has his life taken from him? He felt powerless to help, and powerless to turn his back from the spectacle that was unfolding before him.