“How is that possible?” frowned Eltor. “I know of no elves except for Elvangar and the hapless ones who were captured near this island. I have never heard of Fakara or Omunga. Where do these places exist?”
“We are not sure where they are in relation to this island,” admitted Mistake. “We were trying to sail from Omunga to Fakara when the storm hit. Who lives on this island?”
“Why do they try to capture people?” asked MistyTrail.
“These people are evil,” frowned Eltor. “You are fortunate not to have been caught. How did you get in here? There are metal gates stopping us from getting out.”
“Not up here,” offered MistyTrail. “We crawled into a small cave to sleep for the night. We heard noises and decided to explore. We ended up here and saw your ears.”
“You can leave this place with us,” suggested Mistake. “Maybe you can help us get home.”
“I cannot leave here,” Eltor shook his head. “They will know if I am gone. Then the kruls will be sent to track me down.”
“Kruls?” echoed Mistake. “What are they?”
“Did you not see the kruls today?” questioned Eltor. “They are the ones who move the great wheel.”
“The apes?” asked Mistake.
“Yes,” nodded Eltor, “except they are not apes. At least they are not apes any more. They were created by magic. They can smell elves very far away. Even if I left here tonight, I would be captured by tomorrow. You would be captured along with me. I cannot leave.”
“We passed kruls yesterday,” retorted MistyTrail. “They were very close and did not smell us. They were cutting down huge trees.”
“For the shipyards,” replied Eltor. “The Motangans are building a great navy. I used to work there with my friend, Caldal. The kruls smell elves all over the island. They will not react to the smell until an alarm is issued. Then they will hunt endlessly until the runaways are found.”
“What happens when the runaways are caught?” asked Mistake.
“Bad things,” frowned Eltor. “The kruls might eat them. If they do not, the runaways are punished harshly to set an example for the rest. Some of them will dive into the pit if they get the chance. Better to die quickly than suffer the punishments that are inflicted.”
“The pit?” inquired MistyTrail. “What is that?”
“That hole down there,” Eltor pointed to the hole in the center of the wheel where the ropes carried the buckets. “No one has ever reached the bottom and come back up. Some say it is endless.”
“You mean they jump into the hole?” asked Mistake. “Can’t they just ride the buckets back up?”
“The buckets do not go to the bottom,” explained Eltor. “There are numerous levels of mines, but there is a great void beyond the lowest reach of the buckets. They say it is an old vent from a volcano.”
“Would they sound the alarm if they thought you were dead?” questioned Mistake.
“What do you mean?” squinted Eltor. “Why would they think that?”
“Would they?” pushed MistyTrail.
“Of course not,” replied Eltor. “Why would they search for someone who is dead?”
“If you were dead, would you come with us?” asked Mistake.
MistyTrail laughed softly, and Eltor looked confusingly from one sister to the other.
“What Mistake is suggesting,” grinned MistyTrail, “is that you appear to die tonight. No alarm will be sounded, and the kruls will not search for you. If that were possible, would you come with us?”
“Go with you where?” asked Eltor. “You are in constant danger on this island. You may be free today, but they will catch you. If you are lucky, you will end up in the mines with me.”
“We are not staying on this island,” declared Mistake. “We will find a boat and go home.”
“Forget it,” snapped Eltor. “Caldal and I thought we could do that, too. We worked in the shipyards. We had a boat almost completed in secret. Or we thought it was a secret. Another slave told the masters about it for a small favor for himself. I was lucky. I was sent to the mines and beaten. Caldal was sent to the great pyramid.”
“The pyramid?” asked MistyTrail. “What is that?”
“It is the Temple of Vand,” answered Eltor. “They sacrifice people there and drink their blood. The screams can be heard almost every night. It is a fate worse than death.”
“Vand?” gasped Mistake. “Tell me that the temple is just a tribute to him.”
“This whole island is a tribute to him,” replied Eltor as MistyTrail looked on in confusion. “He rules everyone and everything on it. It is his kingdom.”
“But he can’t really be alive,” argued Mistake. “That was thousands of years ago.”
“You know the tales of Vand?” Eltor asked in astonishment. “How is that possible?”
“I have read ancient scrolls that told the tale of Vandegar and Angragar,” replied Mistake. “There is much in them that is hard to believe, even now. Perhaps someone else has stolen the name?”
“Not according to the tales from those who have lived here for many generations,” Eltor shook his head. “They say that Vand is immortal. He takes new bodies from time to time, but it is always the same Vand. I heard that he took a new body just before I was captured. That was four months ago.”
“Who is this Vand?” MistyTrail asked with confusion.
“We have to get off this island,” stressed Mistake. “Will you come with us, Eltor? I am sure that they won’t issue an alarm for you.”
“Even if no alarm is issued,” Eltor shook his head, “I cannot leave without Caldal.”
“Then we will have to leave without you,” frowned Mistake.
“Wait,” interrupted MistyTrail. “Do you know how to sail, Eltor?”
“Of course,” replied Eltor. “We grew up sailing. That is what got Caldal and me into trouble. We wanted to explore the world. We ended up here.”
“I say we get Caldal free,” declared MistyTrail. “Neither one of us really knows how to sail. I do not want to die at sea. We need a real sailor, Mistake.”
Mistake frowned and stared at MistyTrail for several moments. Finally, she turned her attention to Eltor.
“Do you know where he is being held?” she asked.
“Somewhere in the temple,” shrugged Eltor, “but I have never been inside. That is all I know.”
“Great,” Mistake sighed with frustration. “Alright, MistyTrail, we will rescue Caldal if we can.”
“Really?” asked Eltor. “Can you two do that?”
“Not the two of us,” retorted MistyTrail. “It will be the three of us. Give me your hat.”
“Why do you want my hat?” asked Eltor as he removed it and handed it to MistyTrail.
“They have to think that you died tonight,” explained MistyTrail. “I want you to go move along this tunnel to where it bends to the left. Wait there until Mistake talks to you. When she tells you to, I want you to scream really loud and long.”
“Won’t that alert everyone to where I am?” asked Eltor.
“Only if that is where the sound of your voice is coming from,” smiled MistyTrail. “Fortunately for us, your voice will be coming from deep in the pit.”
“Perfect,” grinned Mistake. “What do you want me to do?”
“We are going to need two air tunnels,” explained MistyTrail. “I will weave one into the pit, starting at the top and constantly moving it downward. I need you to direct his screams with an air tunnel into my air tunnel.”
“Why not just one air tunnel?” questioned Mistake.
“I want you to cut off your air tunnel and reverse it when someone enters the chamber,” explained MistyTrail. “Then you can tell him to stop screaming. If we only used one air tunnel, one of us would have to be back there with him, and we would not be able see someone enter the chamber.”
“Right,” nodded Mistake. “What is the hat for?”
“I am going to throw the hat on the floor so that they know it was a slave that jumped,” answered MistyTrail. “You are going to throw a large rock into the hole. Hopefully it will hit the rope or some buckets and make them jiggle a bit on its way down.”
“Nice plan,” admired Mistake. “I might want to spend some time in the Sakova learning to scare people. It sounds like fun.”