Chapter Fifty-Seven
Robin motioned Smarn to drop lower beside him. The giant did
so and peered the direction Robin was pointing. A gigantic air ship was loading
cargo in the shade of gigantic trees and a large uprising of earth and
boulders. Soldiers were carrying something into the back of the vessel. It took
a moment, before Robin recognized what they were.
"Those bastards are loading people like freight!"
Smarn tried to jump to his feet, but Robin held him down.
"We must do this right. It won't do any of them good if we are captured
too, my friend."
"Methusaleh would be very mad if he could see
this."
"Smarn, you underestimate our leader. He sees more than
he lets on."
"But why would he allow this?"
"God only knows." Robin answered, feeling a bit of
stickiness inside about it as well, but also knowing that Methusaleh never
withheld his hand unless it was for a good reason.
Robin spotted an area of deep shade to their right that
worked around the edges of the forest to the back of the ship.
The soldiers finished loading and wandered off, joking and
chatting. They took a spot to the left of the ship and settled down to eat.
"Smarn!"
Smarn grinned at him.
"I'll distract them while you get into the back."
Smarn said.
He kept hunched over and began working his way to the
shadows with Robin in tow. Robin got several feet, then froze. He had heard
something behind him. He spun around, an arrow to his bow, then relaxed.
He laughed. "Mother, Mother, Mother. What shall we do
with you?"
Behind he and Smarn was the whole tribe of miniature
elephants, led by the Mother. She raised her nose, but didn't trumpet.
Smarn looked back. "What?"
"I think you may be getting your answer, Smarn. And a
little help as well!"
The Captain of the Soliders was leaning against the side of
the ship in the midst of making a joke when he heard a series of trumpeting
sounds. He and his men all jumped to
their feet and drew weapons as the tribe of elephants came running into view.
They came up to the soldiers and made begging noises.
"I think they want food, Captain." One of the men
said, then tossed a piece of his sandwich, which several elephants swarmed
after.
In a matter of seconds the soldiers had their attention
totally absorbed in feeding the baby elephants, which sidled up to them and
cuddled. The soldiers ate it up and laughed heartily, playing with the little
guys, while also feeding them.
Robin and Smarn watched from near the back.
"See Smarn, even the evil men have some good in
them."
"Then why do they do such evil things?"
"Men are not always reasonable when it comes to
that." Robin replied, his eyes sparkling. "It takes a lot of
experience for a man's soul to tell the difference sometimes. But enough of
philosophy we have a job to do!"
They rushed into the back of the ship, vanishing from view.
The Mother who had been watching everything from the other
side of the ship, trumpeted loudly and the tiny elephants began slipping away
from the soldiers, one by one.
One soldier tried to hold onto one of the little guys, then
thought better of it when the tiny elephant blew a chunk of slimy water from
its nose into his face.
The soldiers all gathered around the poor fellow and laughed
at him as he wiped at the mess desperate to get it off himself.
Robin and Smarn made their way into the interior of the
ship. No one met them. No resistance crossed their path. Finally, they came to
a large room with a window into it. Smarn looked in. "Here!"
Robin looked inside. All the people they had seen loaded
onto the ship were inside, laid down like so much meat on their sides, unable
to free themselves from the restraints and the poles that had been used to
carry them inside.
Robin looked at Smarn. "How good are you at picking
locks?"
Robin's answer came quickly after they entered. Smarn took
the first lock of a captive who looked up at him in with wide eyes, then
snapped it like a paper chain.
Robin grinned. "Keep up the good work, Little
Smarn!"
