[GlacierDragon]

Sorry for not updating this in ages. I had writers block, and then I had to re-write this chapter because I accidently deleted the original.

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Chapter 24

The sun was nearing the ground, but Blege didn’t stop to rest. He was determined to travel as far as he could in the shortest time possible. He didn’t even stop when the sun disappeared fully behind the horizon; he wasn’t tired yet and figured he could get more done if he carried on than if he stopped.

However, the night wasn’t without its difficulties. The moons were the only sources of light in this wilderness, and most of the time they were obscured by the trees’ branches spreading out above Blege. He didn’t want to get too close to the river or he risked falling in, and since he couldn’t swim he would be in deep trouble if that happened. And so he kept beneath the trees, tripping over rocks and fallen branches, swearing in his native tongue, and getting angry at pretty much anything and everything.

He lost track of time fairly quickly, and soon he had no idea of how long he’d been travelling for. How late into the night was it? He couldn’t tell. All of his life he’d worked in the factories, so he’d never needed to learn anything about the outdoors.

This latter thought worried him. He had hardly any knowledge of the wild. How would he know what was safe to eat and what was poisonous? How would he build shelters if the need arose? How would he know what animals were dangerous and what ones weren’t? For the first time, fear began to worm its way to the front of his mind, but it wasn’t just from these revelations. He began to feel as if he were being watched and followed. You’re being paranoid, he told himself. You’re scaring yourself. Forget about it and you’ll be fine.

He soon noticed that his movements were slowing, his eyelids were drooping, and he was stumbling much more than usual. He was tiring. He needed to stop and sleep, though he didn’t want to.

It didn’t take him too long to find a place suitable to rest. It was nothing more than a patch of bare earth, but he decided that it would do. He half sat, half collapsed next to a tree and tried to make himself comfortable. When it became apparent that he would have to go without comfort he merely curled up position similar to that of a cat and closed his eyes, trying to block out the sound of the river and the uneasy feeling of being watched.

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It was still primarily dark when Blege awoke, though a faint glow could be seen just behind the horizon where the sun would rise.

Something wasn’t right.

The feeling of being watched was much stronger now, but that wasn’t the only thing that troubled him. He knew that birds should be singing in the trees, welcoming the new day, but there were none to be heard. This could only mean one thing; something had scared them away.

Slowly he climbed to his feet, wincing at how loud the sounds created by his mechanical legs were. Cautiously he swivelled his head, straining his eyes to see in the dark. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but he knew something was there.

He began to inch his way backwards, panic welling inside him. He didn’t get very far when a Slig suddenly emerged from the trees, his gun pointed at Blege’s forehead.

Blege stood dead still as more Sligs began to appear. There had to be a dozen of them, all with guns held at the ready. The red glows from their eyes made them even more menacing in the predawn gloom.

Knowing he didn’t stand a chance, Blege raised his hands above his head to show he was unarmed. The first Slig that had appeared, which seemed to be the leader, spoke to him in a rough voice.

“Where are your friends?” he growled.

“I don’t know, farther up the river or something. I’ve not seen ‘em in ages,” Blege replied. He did his best to keep the tremble out of his voice, not wanting to appear weak.

The Slig gave him a sceptical look. Something about his demeanour gave Blege the impression that he was a particularly nasty creature and wouldn’t hesitate to turn on his own kind.

“It’s true!” Blege continued, recognising the look of disbelief. “I left them. Guess I figured I’d be better off without them, but by the looks of things I made a mistake…” He trailed off, cursing himself for opening his mouth. The best thing to do in such a situation was to keep your head down and remain silent unless spoken too.

The Slig tilted his head to the side, seemingly amused. “All right,” he said, his tone changing. “If you left them it must mean you weren’t getting along, right?”

This time, instead of opening his mouth, Blege just nodded.

A smile broke out on the Slig’s face; an evil one. “Well in that case, I have a…proposal that you may be interested in.” He glanced around at the others, all of which were either grinning or chuckling to themselves. Blege dreaded what was about to be said.

“If you tell us where to find the others, and help us to find them,” here he paused for effect, “all your charges will be forgotten, and you will be set free.”

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Ooooh, what is he going to do?? You will find out soonish.