Chapter Fifty-Three
The spot where Samuel and his friends had been taken from
bore the signs of massive footprints left by the weight of the mechas, for even
though they flew as they moved, they did touch down when still and their weight
was massive.
Noting the prints was a tall man, wearing a cape, strange
colored pants and a sash like belt, with a quiver over his right shoulder.
Alongside him stood another man, much taller. A giant.
"Robin. It would seem someone we had expected didn't
make it." The giant said.
Robin swept his cape over his left shoulder, his eyes, a
deep purple and blue color, sparkled with amusement. "It would also seem
you are right. I gauge these prints to be less than an hour old."
"We should have been swifter to meet them."
"I know, but Methusaleh always has his reasons for
staying his hand. And I won't go against his advice now after all these
years."
The Giant laughed, his belly, which was bare, jiggled with
his amusement.
Robin looked at his giant friend. "You really should
learn to wear something over that torso of yours. I think it would appear
unseemly to the maiden we are about to rescue."
The Giant laughed again. " A few hairs never hurt
anyone."
"A few!" Robin said with a smirk on his lips.
"You have enough for a herd of elephants to nest in."
"Pigmy elephants, maybe." The giant conceded.
"My point is taken."
"Agreed."
Smarn, the Giant's name, lifted his heavy weapon, a long
spear with a wicked barbed shaft and a grip in the center made of some kind of
leather with semi-precious stones, hefted his spear and slung it over his left
shoulder. It swished over Robin's hair, causing its golden cascade to flutter
from the breeze of it.
"Shall we go a hunting?"
Robin stood to his feet and brushed his pants off. He wore
colors that would stand out in the open, but in the forest, they blended quite
well. "I think we can guess where they are headed."
"Unfortunately."
Smarn began striding to the East, which rimmed the lake, and
gradually swept towards distant peaks.
"One day we are going to have to do
something about those people, they are beginning to get on my nerves."
Robin caught up with his Giant friend, and easily kept pace.
His own long, muscular legs making stride for stride with his larger friend,
quite effortlessly, even though Smarn stood a good five heads taller.
"I think that day might be sooner than they realize. I
found two of our friends castrated by their weapons from the sky. The One Light
only knows how many more are dead or missing."
Smarn glanced at his friend. "You think they are
preparing to break out?"
Mysteriously. "Or in." Robin said, his eyes
hardening.
With those words both men picked up their speed.
Behind them came the shuffling of padded feet and
trumpeting. They didn't hear it, they were too far away, but where they had
left a much larger Mother Elephant came up, leading a herd of minature
elephants, all standing about a foot high. She was massive compared to them.
She stood almost two feet tall.
She stopped where one of the backpacks had lain and snuffled
at the dirt, then raised her trunk and called out loudly. No answer.
Her eyes grew narrow with anger and trumpeting angrily led
her small army of pachyderms towards the east, the east where Robin and Smarn
had traveled.