Salt Storm: The Salted Series: Episodes #31-35 Galvin, Aaron (classic fiction txt) 📖

if I lie.” He again motioned toward Yusuf. “Ask your blubbering fool there to name me a liar and say that we were not all offered the same choice to stay or go.”

Lenny looked over at the prisoner, finding Yusuf silent on the matter.

Tom gave his prisoner another hard shake. “Well? Is he lying or no?”

“No . . .” said Yusuf quietly, his response barely registering above a whisper.

“Why?” Lenny paled. “Why would you agree to stay?”

When Yusuf would not, or could not, provide an answer, Command Pohl spoke up again. “Look around you, nipperkin. Could you abandon your comrades here?” he asked of Lenny. “Your brothers in war? Aye, would you leave knowing that others would then be pulled to do the bloody, killing work you could not bring yourself to manage?”

“I would,” said Tom.

Commander Pohl snorted. “Then you are truly one in ten thousand, Sir Selkie,” he said. “I have little doubt you believe in your moral convictions now, for most have easy answers for difficult questions. Actions are another matter entirely, I’m afraid. And we all of us here know that truth, like life, is not so simple. You wish to know how and why these good Orcs and I stayed to carry out the Lord Blackfin’s commands?” He leaned forward, like offering them a secret. “‘An Orc without his pod is nothing.’” Commander Pohl proudly raised his chin. “And what pod would welcome a coward who turned from his duty and left the guilty work to others to carry out in his stead?” The commander sneered. “Or perhaps such honor is a trifling thing that a miserable Selkie like you could never truly understand or aspire to.”

But I do, Lenny thought, reflecting on his family mantra to never leave someone behind to take his punishment. Remembering why he made the decisions he had, the sins he had committed, and all done to not abandon those he cared for or leave them to carry out the work in his place.

“It’s a simple thing to not go around killing people,” said Tom. “Especially the innocent.”

“Simple?” Commander Pohl challenged him. “No . . . there’s nothing simple about killing, nor determining innocence. You need look no further than us right now to know the truth of that, Sir Selkie. You offered me and my Orcs the choice between death now or later, but I gave you my answer already. Save for your vengeful friend here,”—he motioned with his head toward Brutus–“the rest of you waffle about, rather than carry out the act that you claim to be above. Why? Because cold-blooded killing is not simple. Only the bravest in heart and solid-minded few can confront that reality and move forward knowing that their actions and sacrifice served the betterment of their people.” His eyes flashed at Lenny and Tom. “You want to kill me and my Orcs for such duty? Punish me for these crimes you lay before me?” He leaned forward. “Get on with it . . . you’ll hear no groveling from me for atonement of my sins and choices made.”

Brutus snorted. “I’ve heard enough already,” he said, pocketing his blade, then gagging the commander all over again. “Others will too, much as they might not want to and wish I’d spared them from it.” Brutus signaled some of the other brutes to come forward. “Take this wretch and his lot with him. Lock them away in the darkest cabin you can find and let them rot all the way back to New Pearlaya. Aye,” he cast his angry gaze on Lenny. “Let them rot all the way back so that their bloody, traitor queen and her Orc pets can hear. If Dolan’s right and there be any good left among the Salt Children, I gather they’ll be sickened by what they hear from these too.” He looked to Tom and Yusuf with him. “So that’s them sorted, then. What do you want to do with your pet, Tommy? Throw him in with the rest?”

“Do what you want with him after I’m done,” said Tom, turning Yusuf to look him squarely in the eyes. “I got some questions first, chief one being how do we get out of this cavern, Orc?”

Yusuf trembled in his grip.

“Hey!” Tom growled. “You hear what I said?”

Yusuf nodded, but gave no further answer.

“Talk,” said Tom. “How do we—”

“Hey, Tommy,” said Lenny. “You told him earlier that ya didn’t want anything else out of him . . . remember?”

Tom cursed. “Well, I want something now.” He refocused on Yusuf. “So, speak up, or I’ll have Brutus lock you in with the rest, Orc. How do we reach the surface from here?”

Showing his palms, Yusuf raised his trembling, manacled hands in surrender. “Please, there is no way up to the surface from this place. Commander Pohl sent some of us out to map the area when first we arrived . . . sent us to look for ways that Selkie prisoners might try and escape.” He shook his head. “There is none. No passageways up to the surface. There are only these two tunnels.” He pointed toward the train and the tunnels on either end of it – one leading south to Røyrkval, the other northbound toward the Salt capital.

Lenny swallowed hard, knowing where the northern track led. So, it’s either back to the ice tunnels down south, or on to New Pearlaya . . .

Tom sneered against Yusuf’s fervent nodding. “Why should I believe you?”

“Ask them,” Yusuf pointed a trembling finger at the freed Selkies in the crowd. “Commander Pohl released some of the prisoners . . . he told the Selkies if anyone could find a way out of here, then they would be free to go and none would follow after them.”

“And?”

“None made it out alive,” said Yusuf. “Of those who didn’t come back, we found their bodies strewn throughout the cavern, sir. All of those had starved or frozen to death, rather than come back to their cages. Truly, there