The shadowed figure moved forwards into the light to reveal a naked man. He was a young colonist, with black tangled hair and a beard.

  "Who are you?" asked Temon.

  "Urdo."

  The stranger cackled, the sound echoing off the stone. "Trapped! The Ashok devil trapped me!" He punched himself in the head, hard enough to leave a bruise.

  Temon stepped forward. "Stop that. Now."

  The young man's arms flailed about and his eyes were wild. Urdo started shrieking and jumping like a child throwing a tantrum. The sound of his ravings echoed off the walls.

  Temon lowered his sword.

  "Be quiet! You need help."

  There was a moments silence, then Urdo slapped his buttocks and began shrieking again. "I'm trapped in here! Trapped!" he cackled.

  "Trapped? How? We got in easily enough," Temon said.

  "He's imprisoned me! I can't get out!"

  "When did this tribesman leave?"

  "Yesterday!"

  Temon saw some torn garments on the ground and picked them up and handed a torn shirt and breeches to Urdo.

  "Put these on, Urdo."

  Urdo dressed himself.

  Rejah passed her water flask to the colonist and he drank from it eagerly. This seemed to calm him down a bit.

  "I have to get out of here," he whimpered. Then he walked to the exit, sat down, and bathed in the sunlight that streamed in from the outside.

  A feeling of deep disappointment filled Temon. This had not turned out at all the way it was supposed to. He had hoped to catch Eyeman, deal with him and head back to collect the bounty.

  "Temon, we'll have to see what is holding him in!"

  Temon's patience snapped like a twig. "This is nonsense! Urdo. Get out of the cave, Now!"

  The young colonist flinched. "I can't! Whenever I try to leave I get a shock! that goes right through me!"

  "I don't care if it burns your beard off! Do it!"

  Temon grabbed Urdo’s arm and shoved him toward the exit.

  The air snapped and a crackle of blue light erupted from nowhere, throwing Urdo and Temon backwards onto the stone floor. The smell of burnt hair lingered in the air. Temon's hand was tingling and numb. He scrambled to his feet, staring at the exit. Nothing there. No wall, no obstacle he could see. Yet he'd felt a crackling and invisible wall of force!

  "Gods!" Temon said, flexing his stinging fingers. He had witnessed nothing like this before. This was no simple trap.

  "Eyeman," Temon said, "Has managed to lave this place."

  "There must be a way," Rejah said. "If he can get out, so can we."

  "Were going to die in here," Urdo said.

  "Shut up!"

  Their torches would last for a while and after that they would be in darkness.

  Temon was angry. He did not like being trapped, perhaps disliking it even more than he disliked heights. They were now three prisoners in a cave!

  "This Eyeman has abilities beyond anything I've seen before. We walked right into a trap."

  Urdo muttered to himself, rocking back and forth, his words too low to understand but his distress evident in the frantic rhythm of his movement.

  Temon calculated their limited resources to try and work out how much water they had. A days worth perhaps? They had no food.

  Rejah moved closer to him, her presence a small comfort in the growing uncertainty. "We'll find a way," she whispered, her hand briefly touching his arm before she returned to examining the walls of the cave with her torch,

  He stood staring at the spot where the invisible barrier had thrown them backwards. His hand still tingled. He wondered about what made the trap work, but had no idea.

  Rejah inspected the cave walls with her torch held high, searching for something pr other. She sniffed the air.

  Urdo had curled into a ball, his whimpers the only sound in the cavernous space.

  Temon's anger began to give way to an uncomfortable fear of a pointless death.

  He idly watched Rejah run her fingers along the stone, brow furrowed in concentration.

  "Anything?" he asked, his voice rougher than he'd intended. Rejah shook her head.

  Their torches began to splutter as their light ran out.

  She pointed up at the wall. "See up there?" There's a crack."

  Temon ignored her as he was preoccupied by his anger and frustration. ""Gods! A thousand Sols on that Eyeman's head, and we're trapped in this tomb while he's laughing his tattooed head off! No, no, no!"

  "Temon, calm down. I'm going up to look in the crack." She held the torch between her teeth and climbed up the wall to look in the crack. She put a hand inside and pulled something out before descending to the cave floor. "Look at this Temon."

  He went over to her and she held out a spherical blue stone.

  "It's a piece of rock."

  She held it up to the torchlight. The blue stone was perfectly spherical and had thin silver flakes within it, that swirled about in an uncanny way.

  "So what?"

  "It's a special rock." She walked to the cave exit and the blue stone began to hum. "I'll break it."

  Taking a heavy stone she used it to crush the blue one. After a number of strikes it shattered into a thousand shards. "Try going outside," she said.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Temon stepped through the threshold. No shock, just cool air and blinding sun. The tension in his chest uncoiled so fast it forced a sharp, barking laugh from his throat. "You did it, Rejah."

  She emerged beside him and then Urdo exited the cave so all three of them stood outside. "I owe you both my life. Thank you!" Urdo said. She smiled, her white teeth shining in the sunlight. "Come on, let's go,"

  They started back down the path, rocks crunching underfoot and with the vast empty void to the left.

  Soon Urdo was lagging well behind.

  Temon glanced back. The man's steps faltered, his bare feet scraping against the rocky path with each hesitant movement. His eyes, wide and unfocused, darted between the precipitous drop on their left and the unforgiving cliff face on their right. Urdo's hands trembled violently as he reached for the cliff wall, his fingers scrabbling for purchase against the rough stone. The harsh sunlight glinted off the sweat beading on his forehead, making his face appear pale and washed-out.

  Rejah paused, turning to judge their companion's condition with a practiced eye.

  "We need to keep moving," he said, his patience wearing thin. The thousand Sols still danced in his thoughts, a tantalizing prize slipping further away with each delay. "Eyeman's getting farther away by the minute."

  "Look at him, Temon. He needs help."

  Urdo collapsed to his knees, his body wracked with shudders despite the warmth of the evening sun. His fingers dug into the dirt of the narrow path, as if hoping to anchor himself to solid ground.

  "Here," Rejah said and passed her waterskin back to Temon who handed it in turn to Urdo. "Small sips. Don't rush it. We'll rest here. Just for a while."

  Temon sighed. The afternoon sun painted the eastern lands in gold, illuminating the vast Ashok lands.

  Rejah whispered, "What do you think of him?"

  "Not sure. There must be a reason Eyeman wanted him. No idea why, though."

  After Urdo had rested, they continued on down the steep path. It was hard going, and Temon disturbed stones that clattered off into the abyss.

  "Watch out," Rejah said.

  "I'm trying!"

  Eventually they reached the bottom and waited for Urdo to arrive. The ragged colonist joined them, then stumbled and nearly collapsed. Rejah grabbed his arm to steady him. "Are you all right?"

  "Yes. No. I mean, yes, I'm fine." He tripped on another rock, and Temon caught him this time.

  Rejah said,"We'll have to stop and let him rest."

  Urdo sat himself down on a boulder and closed his eyes. He looked exhausted, and leaned back as if he wanted to lie down.

  The young colonist was a handsome man, yet his tousled black hair and beard gave him a wild look. Rejah helped him to stand up and led him to the shade of a bush where he sat down again.

  She looked at Temon, raised her eyebrows and shook her head as if asking "what shall we do with him?"

  Temon knew that on his own the colonist would die out here. "He won't make it far. Eyeman's trail is growing cold with our delay."

  Rejah's expression softened as she gently brushed a curl from Urdo's forehead. "Whatever Eyeman did to him in that cave, it's broken something inside. Look at his hands." Temon followed her gaze to Urdo's fingers, which were clenched and opened rhythmically, as if grasping at invisible horrors. "We can't leave him," she continued. There was no argument in her tone, merely a statement of fact. "Yet we also can't abandon the hunt."

  Urdo scratched his beard and yawned.

  "We must keep on, Urdo," Temon scolded. The colonist got up again, and, eventually, they reached their horses.

  At the horses, she pointed to something in the distance. "Riders!"

  On the horizon were tiny specks and dust clouds. Four riders were galloping towards them.

  "What do they want?" He looked around at the terrain—rough ground made it difficult for their horses to canter or gallop, making a quick getaway impossible. "We'll just have to see what they want."

  Four Ashok riders approached. As they got near, one shouted something in the native language and pointed at Urdo.

  He did not speak this language. Neither did Rejah and Urdo probably didn't either.

  Their leader had long black hair and a snake tattoo on his chest. He gestured for Urdo to approach him, but Urdo shook his head and stayed put.

  "Why do you want him?" Temon asked, despite the language barrier.

  "He's a friend of ours," Rejah added.

  Talking was pointless though. The tribesmen did not speak their language either.

  The four riders lined up before them. None matched the description of the Eyeman, but they could be from the same tribe. The leader rode forward until his horse was standing over Urdo. He dismounted and punched Urdo in the face, making him fall to his knees.

  Rejah shouted in protest, but the tribesman ignored her and punched Urdo again.

  Rejah stepped between them, deliberately blocking further violence against Urdo. "What do you want with him?" she demanded.

  The tribesman looked at her with hostility.

  She stood her ground to shield Urdo.

  The situation seemed hopeless. They were outnumbered and Temon considered handing Urdo over. Yet Rejah had committed to standing with Urdo, and that was the end of the matter.

  The black-haired tribesman punched her in the stomach, and she doubled over.

  She could fight if she needed to. Temon knew that from their time working together.

  "Don't fight her," Temon pointed at his companion. "You don't know who you're dealing with!"

  The tribesman looked at him and spat.

  The three other riders dismounted and drew swords. Any chance of getting out of this without a fight was disappearing fast.

  "No. Let's not fight," Temon said. He touched his sword and pointed at the ground, hoping to convey his wish to avoid conflict.

  Yet he was too late, and the tribesman charged in to attack.

  He was taller than they were, so he had a longer reach, which gave him an advantage in a fight with blades. They did not have shields—their hubris was enormous.

  He grabbed his shield from his horse and squared up to them.

  A tribesman's sword slashed at him and he parried it, then lunged back with a thrust. His blade scraped against the other man's blade, and the tribesman stepped back.

  Thrusting forwards again, Temon pressed on and found a way inside the man's guard to jab at his sword arm. Gasping in pain, his attacker stepped back, clutching an arm wound and cursing. Blood poured from his wound and he was out of the fight.

  Two other swordsmen closed in on Temon.

  One positioned himself in front of him and the other came in behind.

  The front attacker swung an upward slash and Temon parried it with his shield with a wooden "crack."

  From behind, a slashing cut bit into his shoulder. He gasped in pain and a crimson patch appeared on his shirt. He tuned around and parried but then stepped forward and slashed so the attacker stepped back and stumbled, falling on his back. Seizing his chance, Temon stabbed him in the neck and a spray of crimson covered the rocks.

  He span around, just in time to dodge a slash. Facing off, his opponent jabbed forward and their swords clashed.

  Temon grunted, "Leave me be!"

  Scooping up a handful of dirt, he threw it and blinded his opponent. With a thrust of his blade it pierced the man's neck. The tribesman collapsed and a pool of blood spread across the ground.

  Rejah was holding her own against her snake-tattooed opponent, her moves against him both smooth and swift. A flurry of slashes, jabs and parries, and the brute grunted his last and staggered back, holding his split stomach.

  Her opponent collapsed with a heavy thud.

  "It's been a while since I've killed anyone," she said with a hint of sadness.

  The remaining tribesman was galloping away.

  "He's escaping. We need to go after him!"

  It would be unwise to let the man escape, but they were exhausted and Temon's shoulder wound needed attention. Rejah would give him the stitches he needed.

  Urdo groaned and got up off the ground. He looked around at the aftermath of the fight. "Thank you for protecting me."

  Temon turned to the colonist. "Why were they hunting you, Urdo?"

  Urdo blinked, looking at the bodies, then at Temon. His eyes were blank. "Urdo? Is that my name?" He touched the swelling bruise on his jaw. "I... I don't know who I am."

  The attack may have made him lose his memory completely..

  Rejah looked at Temon with her lips sagging down on both sides.

  Temon asked."Urdo, can you ride?"

  "Yes, well maybe," he answered.

  Three horses that had belonged to the dead tribesmen wandered about on the plateau and one was selected to carry Urdo.

  "Let's see if we can find something to work out who they were?" Rejah suggested. "Let's see if the tattooed one has anything on him." He found a piece of hide in the leader's saddle bag. It bore lines and symbols. "Is it a map?" Rejah asked.

  "Could be," Temon replied, taking it. He turned to Urdo. "Can you ride?"

  They helped Urdo into the saddle of a tribesman's horse. He took a deep breath and steadied himself on its back.

  "Urdo, you'd best recover at a settlement," Temon said.

  "We have to find the Eyeman. Do you remember anything about the time he held you prisoner in the cave?"

  Urdo went pale. "I wish I could give you an answer. I can't remember anything. I don't even remember where I came from."

  Rejah shook her head.

  Temon made a suggestion. "If you ride wast to the coast, you can find safety and recover there."

  Rejah and Temon looked at one another.

  Urdo shook his head. "Please, let me come with you. I don't know the way back west."

  "It may be dangerous where we're going. You could be attacked again,"

  Temon conceded. "Alright, Urdo. You can come with us for a few days until you can ride back on your own."

  "Fine."

  "Please tell us when you remember why these tribesmen are after you!"

  The sunset was approaching and they had to find some shelter for the night.

  "We need to find shelter where we can hide. Just leave the horses we don't need. They can find their own way back."

  They rode off in search of a hiding place.