<< Chapter 14 (Part 1)
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I stepped inside stealthily to look for Ayesa's bow. Since Dadier had been lenient as of late, I figured that this was the best time to ask for permission to keep a weapon. I could argue that the prison compound was a harsh landscape. While many fortress-less prisoners looked up to me, it was wrong to be complacent. There were those who have grown envious of my growing reputation. I could take them on without breaking a sweat, but Dadier didn't have to know that.
"Ledd," Ayesa exclaimed. "You're alright! What are you doing here?"
"I-I ... Yes, I am. How are things? You look the same after all these years."
"I knew it!" she yelled. Ayesa jumped up and down, and bounced against the walls out of joy. The guilt of abandoning me must've burdened her all these years. This wasn't the time to chat about forgiveness, so I didn't bring it up. While I've gotten over her abandonment, I still held a small grudge towards her. We could've accomplished a great many things if she had chosen to escape with me. Had she been there, we could've vanquished Potalaga and avoided recapture. "They told me that you were going to get hurt, but I knew you wouldn't!"
"Listen, I ... This isn't the right time to talk about that. I-I ... I came to ask you, uh," I hesitated. "About your bow."
"Did you want to play with my toy?"
"Play? Yes, play. But, more importantly, I wanted to know how you acquired it. Was it something you built out of the different trinkets the giants let us have?"
She ran to her chest and took out her golden bow. It had seen better days, though its effectiveness seemed to have not dull after all these years. "I got this from mom. She gave this to me as a gift."
Cloud Image Source
"Mom" was what she called Nehney. I'm not quite sure if it was a title or something the giant forced her to say. I found it odd. The giant gave her a weapon as a gift? Why would a giant give her something that could kill them? The revelation was quite intriguing, and brought up more questions than answers.
"I say, what ... How did you manage to get those giants to give you a gift? And, a weapon no less!"
"Here," she said, as she handed me the weapon. "Do it like how I showed you earlier."
"Earlier?" I asked. Her trauma caused her confusion. The last time we talked was before I made my escape all those years ago. She must've been caught in an endless loop of guilt. "Oh, right, yes."
Not wanting to discuss the matter further, I nocked a red-tipped arrow and drew back on the string. I closed my left eye and aimed for a clear part of the wall in front of us. After accumulating a little bit of my viento on the projectile, I then released it to the wild. The arrow hit the wall squarely. It sent out a strong thud that echoed throughout the fortress, if not the entire prison compound.
I tried to hold my ground but the strength of the impact knocked both Ayesa and I back. Amazed by my feat, she hurriedly stood and helped me up.
"That was awesome!" she exclaimed. Her eyes were wide open, like she had seen something that hasn't been achieved before. "How did you ... How did you do that?"
"It, uh, was a lucky shot," I dismissed, not wanting to disclose that I only used a small amount of viento. All that training and all the hardships that I endured were now paying in dividends. I didn't want to be overconfident, but at that moment I felt like I could take on the giants one-on-one. It wasn't the plan anymore, and I had to keep that in mind.
I still can't forget the moment we parted ways. The hesitation between her words, every delay of her steps. I've spent quite a long time debating where Ayesa's allegiance lay. It's hard to trust anybody in this prison, as everyone had their own agenda. I guess that's why it's hard to make friends or keep close relationships here.
Mawmah strode slowly toward where the arrow lodged itself. She had a sardonic look as she stared at us. Ayesa went from celebratory to accusatory in an instant. I took it as a signal to exit quietly with the bow and a few arrows in hand. It was a victimless crime. It's not like she was using it for anything fruitful. I almost made it all the way out before Ayesa noticed that I was making away with her weapon.
"Hey," she screamed out, as she gave chase. "That's my toy!"
I picked up my pace, as I neared the doorway. "I'm going to give it back, I promise! I just need to borrow this for a while."
Dadier blocked my escape, and snatched the bow from my hand. The obstruction helped Ayesa catch up. Panting, she swiped the arrows from my hand. The giant crouched down and handed her the bow.
"Ledd," Dadier remarked. "What do you have to say to Ayesa?"
The curly-haired prisoner stuck out her tongue, as an obscene celebratory gesture. She followed it up with a taunting noise that was quite annoying. If I had any doubt where her allegiance lay earlier, I didn't now. In that moment, I realized that maybe it was a good thing that she didn't tag along during my escape. The giants would've caught me much earlier had she accompanied me.
"That's my toy, Ledd," Ayesa declared. "You have to ask permission before borrowing it."
I turned away, only to discover that Dadier was still blocking my path. The grotesque giant looked at me like I wasn't fulfilling an obligation. He kept prodding me to say what I have to say to Ayesa. I didn't have the slightest clue as to what that something was.
"Taking without asking is stealing," Ayesa lectured, in an almost rehearsed fashion. "Stealing is bad."
Back in my village, nobody really owned anything. Every material possession was a gift from Bathala. Since nobody owned anything, we had to share everything. The concept of ownership was something that was foreign to me, and it took a while before I fully understood it.
"You want your 'toy' back?" I asked, as I handed her the one effective weapon I've seen in the prison. "Here, take it."
Ayesa swiped it from my hand, and whisked it further inside the fortress. Mawmah stood there observing the entire exchange. Dadier stood up, bade the elder giant farewell and urged me to follow him.
"Why does Ayesa get to have a weapon and we're only given useless trinkets?" I asked the giant, to which there was no reply.
I slipped his notice, and made my way toward the tank I blasted years ago. Fortress-less prisoners peppered the prison grounds. Their arrangement made it seem like they were in a concentration camp. With only individual sleeping blankets to keep them warm, it was easy to see the reason for their disdain.
I've heard rumors that there were other fortresses in the compound way before my time here. The giants haven't spoken about them all that much. Whispers posit that they were all destroyed because of prison riots. Stray explosions during the Great War could've also contributed to their destruction.
It may have been the direct reason why there were multiple giants in a single fortress. Their fortress' destruction must have displaced them. As to how prisoners were chosen to live in fortresses, I wasn't quite sure, but I didn't want to question it. No doubt, I felt sorry for the fortress-less prisoners. But, I wouldn't want to be in their place especially during the cold night or the scorching part of the day.
The crater was as large as the day I left. I stood at the edge marveling at my work. Peering into the hole was like looking into a hellish abyss, which seemed bottomless. The stench wasn't as bad as before, but the scar it left on the earth changed very little in my time away. This was the result of my viento combined with that spherical device. If only I could get my hands on that once again, I would be unstoppable.
All of a sudden, something crept up behind me. I slid to the side, careful not to slip into the crater. I didn't hear chains rattling or deep grumbling, so that provided some reprieve. As I turned around, I was slow to ascertain its identity. I discovered that it was the prisoner that I had an argument with before I left for the training facility.
"Easy," he consoled. "Easy, it's just me."
"What are you doing up?"
"What are you doing around these parts?"
"Shh. Keep your voice down," I commanded. "Do you want us to get discovered?"
"No, but ... So, uh, this was all you, huh?"
"Yeah," I declared proudly. "Yes, it is."
"That's ... That's great. So, where do we go from here?"
The extremely passionate @ryivhnn has created this magnificent viento-inspired artwork for this story. Close your eyes and picture this masterpiece, as you imagine Ledd soaring to new heights. Please be sure to check out @ryivhnn's wonderful artwork and in-depth logs of her experiences with homeschooling her children. You can also become a patron of hers on Patreon so that you can support her regularly.
<< Chapter 14 (Part 1)
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