Fulcrum by Joanna Steenen

Author:Joanna Steenen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bühsteppe Fantasy
Published: 2021-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

It took longer then Zell liked before he and Rrhergan could go down and explore that forbidden level. But he had to convince the Tribe leaders to trust Eylie and Rrellshak and to start filing out through the narrow passages that the young Rraussha had chosen for their escape.

Finally, they faced the four human guards standing in front of a huge, double-winged door.

“You cannot pass,” the largest of them said.

Zell took a good look at them. They seemed very focused on their task, and also focusing on Rrhergan.

“Listen to me,” he said, using their Tribal language on purpose. Two of them reacted, blinking and staring at him.

“Listen to me,” he repeated. “I need to go through.”

“You cannot,” one of the two said. “You need the password. Or we'll all get killed.”

Zell nodded. “I understand that. However, those who would kill you have been captured. You're free.”

The big one, who had been ignoring him, suddenly gasped. “Free? That's not possible.”

“Free? How can we be free? There's a Dile right there.”

“He's a friend of mine.” Zell grinned. “I'm telling the truth. Go up to the next level, you'll find free Humans and Diles in cages.”

They looked at each other.

“Is that true?” the biggest of them asked Rrhergan.

The big Hunter nodded. “It's true. You no longer have to guard this place. You're free. Got with the Tribes.”

All four of them exchanged looks.

Suddenly one of them smiled. “You know what? We have nothing to lose. I'll join you.”

He broke away from the group and ran up the stairs. The rest of them followed him, not even looking back at Zell.

Zell took a deep breath. “That was easy. Now we just have to get through that door.”

Rrhergan laughed and threw himself against it, and it didn't budge. He sighed.

“Maybe Sserisshi has a key,” Zell said, thinking out loud.

Rrhergan shrugged. “Before we lose any more time, I'll try and use one of those cage bars to pry this open.” He ran off and quickly returned with one of those bars.

To Zell's surprise, he didn't try to ram it through the middle of the double doors. Instead, he shoved it into the gap between the wall and one of the wings, at a much lower point than Zell expected.

“The hinges are often weaker than they lock,” he explained, then threw his weight against the bar. Metal screamed, and the bar bent a little.

“Try pushing against the door,” Rrhergan said.”

Zell threw himself against it, bruising his shoulder. The door didn't budge.

Rrhergan sighed. He removed the bar, took good aim and kicked the door next to the hinge. It creaked. He grinned and did it again.

It took several kicks, both to the area next to the hinge, as well as to the lock itself, but finally, the door broke enough for Rrhergan to push one wing towards the wall. He squeezed through, and Zell found it was an easy fit for him.

They padded down the stairs which were covered in lush carpet. The walls were painted in a dark red, which Zell had never seen in a Rraussha house before.

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