The Jackals of Sakhmet II- Finding Lee: Part Five

"Omar!"

      Cole rushed over and knelt down. Oh no! What happened? From that spot, Cole examined the rest of the room: there was no sign of struggle, it looked like no one had broken in, and nothing appeared to be stolen or broken… Then who did this to Omar? Cole was just about to get up and go call for help when an unfamiliar paw grabbed his paws and put them behind his back. The other paw held a poison tipped dagger to his throat. Next, he heard a deep, croaky voice speak in his ear.

      "One move, boy, and that's it…just one move," it said. "What's the matter, didn't like the soup? Your little friend did…he thought it was to die for…" the pet let out a harsh cackle that made Cole squirm.

      "Hold still! All I have to do is cut you with this and you'll be on the floor within a matter of minutes…" the voice snapped, holding the dagger closer.

      "Wh…who are you?" Cole whispered, not daring to move an inch. The voice laughed once more. The pet behind Cole removed its hood and looked down on him. With a smirk on his face, the man answered…

      "I'm Niger."

      Cole couldn't believe what this pet was saying…but somehow it made sense…

      "I thought you were in prison!" Cole said more boldly, yet staring horrified at the dagger. If only he could reach his own… Niger let out a harsh laugh once more.

      "Did you really think prison could stop me from getting what I want? No, the moment I got wind that you found your Ixi friend, I broke out of jail and tagged along… Getting rid of you two was a bonus…"

      Cole was about to attempt to kick Niger in the shins, but at that moment, a chatty Chia entered the room with a smile.

      "Hey Cole, you missed the dancing Tonu…"

      Wain's smile vanished the moment he saw Niger hold a dagger to Cole's throat.

      "Shut the door or the boy gets it," Niger ordered. Without a moment's hesitation, Wain shut the door, still looking shocked.

      "Now stand over there," Niger nodded towards the corner of the room. Wain obeyed. Drat! Cole thought. Wain could've been our only hope…

      "Cole," Wain managed to say. "What's going on? Who's this?"

      "His name is Niger, Wain," Cole answered. Niger laughed again, staring maliciously at Cole.

      "What do you want with him…Niger?" Wain asked nervously. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. How he wished there was someway he could get Cole without Cole being injured…

      "It's none of your business what I want with…OWW!"

      Cole had sharply kicked Niger in the shins, making him drop the dagger. With Niger busy, Wain dove for the dagger while Cole got Omar.

      "Run!" Cole shouted to Wain, and the two bolted for the door, Omar supported on Cole's back. They could hear Niger running to catch up with them, but they were too fast. They burst back into the now empty Dining hall…well; it was almost empty, except for Scarab, Lycos, and Keera chatting away at the back table. The three became silent immediately at the sight of Cole, Omar, and Wain.

      "Is there a problem, little one?" Keera asked Cole, though her eyes lay on Wain.

      "What happened to Omar," Lycos jumped up in surprise and rushed over to help Cole.

      "Niger's here," Cole said at once. Everyone stared at him in disbelief, and then all eyes turned to Wain. The Chia nodded in agreement.

      "It's true!" he said. "I saw him with my own two eyes! Though I have no idea who he is…" he began to mutter to himself.

      "Cole," Scarab said rather loudly to be heard over Wain. "Where is he? What did he do to Omar?"

      "He's in our room, but I'm not entirely sure what he did to Omar…"

      "I poisoned him," said a cold voice from behind. All eyes were now on Niger who stood in the doorway. His playful smirk was now gone and was replaced with a look of utmost fury. A Cobrall Dagger was now in Niger's paw. He probably got it out of Omar's robe before he caught me, thought Cole bitterly.

      "Hand--over--the boy…" Niger said through clenched teeth. He had nothing else on his mind except to get rid of both Cole and Omar…and soon Lee… These were his only thoughts, his only goals, and his main priority. "Hand him over, Scarab…"

      The atmosphere was tense, and no one spoke or moved. Cole caught a small glimpse of Omar: the Cybunny was still breathing, but his breaths were short… Please be okay, Omar… I can't lose you and Lee… Cole's only thought…

      "I'm growing impatient!" Niger shouted. "Hand him over! NOW!"

      "If you take him, you're taking me too," Scarab growled. Lycos nodded and stood right beside him, as did Keera and Wain.

      "I don't have time for this…" Niger whispered in exasperation, placing the dagger in his cloak. Without warning, he let out a loud whistle, the sound a Gelert Whistle would make… Nothing happened for a moment…and then they came. A series of Cybunnies all dressed in black filed in and were heading straight towards them! There was no escape; Niger's cronies had taken them siege.

      "Meet my other friends who also broke out of prison," Niger smirked, turning for the door. "Oh, and one more thing," he said to the Cybunnies. "Bring the boy too."

      He pointed to Omar as he said this. What was going on? The group soon found out. As the Cybunnies dragged them out of the dining hall, they saw that the entire ship was overrun with Cybunnies…Niger had taken total control of Cap'n Keera's ship. Her entire crew was being forced into the lower decks of the ship…

      "My ship…! Why you dirty, little, conniving…" Keera made to charge at Niger, but was held back. Niger laughed and pointed to the door leading to the lower decks.

      "Put them all in there…but Cole stays here…" he ordered. The Cybunny holding Cole tied him up and set him to the side of the ship. As the others were led away, Niger knelt down next to Cole, glaring at him.

      "I'm gonna make you wish you never messed with me…" Niger whispered in his ear. "When I want something, I get it; and what I want right now, is you and that ratty little Ixi friend of yours out of the way…"

      Cole could've punched Niger in the face if he wasn't tied up. How dare he speak about Lee that way…?

      "Don't ever talk about her that way!" Cole snarled, doing his best to break free of his bonds. "Don't you even speak her name!"

      Niger let out a low chuckle and replied, "You really aren't in the position to be giving threats… Remember, I have this." He pulled out Omar's dagger. Cole's heart raced, but it wasn't because of the dagger… Omar! Omar had to get medical help stat! Who knew how long he had before… Don't think about that! Cole told himself, pushing the thought out of his mind. Omar will be okay… Wouldn't he?

     * * *

Krawk Island-

      Lee, like everyone else around her, left the ship and walked onto the sandy beach of Krawk Island. They were there…but it didn't feel right… They were so far from home…Lee was so far from home… She stood on the beach, letting the crew pass by her. There were pirates here and pirates there… This was nothing like the scorching hot desert. This was nothing like it. A paw placed itself on Lee's shoulder, making her jump. Kasha chuckled.

      "Missing home, I see… I bet you're wondering what we're doing here?" she asked softly, yet her tone was still cold and harsh. Lee nodded, not looking up at her.

      "Come with me," Kasha ordered, walking swiftly by Lee. Lee was confused. Come with her where? Lee had to run to catch up with Kasha as they approached a long, narrow, rocky path leading away from the beach. Two Cybunnies somehow weaseled their way to the path and were following the pair like a couple of Spardels. Lee felt helpless: if she tried to run, she'd be stopped, and if she tried to fight her way out, she'd still be stopped. All she could do was follow.

      Casually, she edged closer to Kasha's side and said, "Where is this path leading us?"

      "We're going to some caves…" was all Kasha said. Caves…? What did caves have to do with anything? Nothing was making sense. Did this have something to do with Rubite? Lee suddenly realized what was going on. A long time ago she had found out Scarab had a large stash of Rubite hidden somewhere… No, she knew where… Perhaps Kasha would get what she wanted after all…total domination. No one was safe. There was nowhere to hide. Rubite was too powerful… Lee thought; if Rubite combined with lockets could take over a whole city, what could Rubite alone do?

      They had arrived at the caves. It didn't take as long as Lee hoped. The caves were large than you'd think they were. The caves reached high in the sky for about twenty-five feet up… That was a lot of Rubite…

      "This is the jackpot," Kasha whispered to herself. They were just a few feet away from the caves. She turned to the Cybunnies and ordered, "Tie up the girl and leave her out her… We'll let the wild Lupes take care of her…"

      As ordered, Lee was tied up and left helplessly by the entrance of the cave. Whit that done, Kasha and the others entered the caves, enveloped by darkness… The darkness…how unwelcoming it was to Lee. It reminded her of her dreams…and the day Cole disappeared in the alley… It was like a predator, and anything that moved was its prey… Once more, Lee found herself think the same thing she thought back in Sakhmet so long ago: where was Cole when you needed him? But this time, reader, Cole could not come to the rescue…no one could…

To be continued...