“Move, youlittle imps!”
A six-foot-tallwater klops kicked and shoved his way through themass of smaller klops. The two fiends fighting overthe carcass abandoned their tussle and cowered away like battered hounds.
“I told you lot,no kin-flesh.”
The brute weighedabout two hundred and twenty pounds. Its skin was a lighter shade of gray, andits face and arms were stained in a network of swirling and jagged tattoos.
“Wha- what gives you the right?” squeaked the weedycreature, his mouth quivering, but his hairless brow furrowed.
“Might isright,” the large klops growled.
In onepowerful motion, the brute drew a hulking battle-ax from his back and split thecreature in two. The workers surrounding him shifted backward in a wave ofgasps and curses. Then the large klops lopped off oneof the scoundrel’s forearms. He began to gnaw on the limb.
“What have youfools got there?” he asked, nodding towards Tier.
“This yeto’s been causing fights with its kin,” Fibian said, adding gravel to his voice, “We’re moving itto another pit.”
Cyrus did hisbest to hide his fourth finger within the three-fingered gloves. Would the klops believe the lie? If Fibianhad said they had found Tier beyond the gate, who knows what the brute mighthave done.
The klops grasped Tier by her chin hair, pulled her head downand inspected the dried blood on the side of her brow. The brute’s slit nostrilsflared as he sniffed at Tier. His green eyes were penetrating and sunken.
“Keep moving,”he said, turning away and taking a swig from a leather wineskin.
Thick purpleliquid stained his lips. He nodded towards the southeast corner of the mine.
“The armorersneed more help, but if the yeto makes any moretrouble, kill it.”
Chapter24
DR. LEGE
CYRUS AND FIBIAN MARCHED Tier off in the directionthe large klops had pointed. They passed several morevillains shouting orders while gangs of chained yeti pounded out massive steelplates of varying shapes and sizes. Cyrus felt so naked and exposed hiddenunder the stolen armor. Where was Gammal?
Along the way,several yeti recognized Tier. They whispered her name or nudged kin working attheir side.
Their pathtook them dangerously close to several deep pits. Within, small groups of yetiwaded through slush and slag, splitting rocks with iron sledgehammers.
“Couldn’t theybreak free at any moment and destroy the klops?”Edward whispered, from Cyrus’ collar.
“You wouldthink so,” Cyrus replied.
He looked upinto the surrounding cliffs.
“Fibian, what are those?” he asked, nodding upwards.
“Cannons,” Tiersaid, “Enough to wipe out the entire camp.”
Atop thecircling wall of rock, twelve guards manned huge cylindrical steel tubessimilar to Tier’s hand-held weapon. The cannons all aimed down into the mine.
“Tier?” afemale yeti asked.
She stood onthe path before them. The sight of Tier seemed to pull the giant from hersleep-deprived stupor.
“Helle?” Tier said.
She looked theyeti up and down.
“What havethey done?”
Helle was bent, bony and pale. She looked down at Cyrus and Fibian, then stepped away.
“These are nowater klops,” Tier said.
She hesitatedfor a moment.
“These arefriends.”
With hismechanical arm, Fibian pulled off his glove, exposinghis almost delicate, five-fingered, webbed hand. Helle’seyes shifted about in search of onlookers. Then she looked down at her chainedankles.
“Go to thelarge tent in the center of our camp,” she whispered, “There, you’ll find Dr. Lege.”
“Thank you,”Tier said.
The groupcontinued on into a vast dilapidated slum. Within, rock and lumber litteredwinding pathways as leather shelters stood torn and crooked along the icylanes. In front of their meager homes, several yeti crouched over huge steel caldrons,boiling what could only be rat or bat meat stew.
They arrivedat the largest of the massive leather tents. A large white yeti stood guard infront of the shelter.
“Vinter, it is I, Tier. We must speak with Dr. Lege.”
The creaturestared at Cyrus and Fibian through starved, wearyeyes. Cyrus removed his helmet and gloves and held his hands up in surrender.
“Is this somesort of fool klops trick?” the yeti asked.
“No trick,”Tier said.
“What are they?”Vinter said, gesturing towards Cyrus and Fibian.
“If it was notfor them,” Tier said, “I would be lost in the depth of a cursed volcano. Theyare here to help.”
Vinter paused for a moment, seeming to weigh Tier’s words.
“Throughhere,” he said, holding open the cone-shaped tent.
The groupducked through the flap of the big deerskin shelter. To the yeti, the insidemust have been awkward and cramped, but to Cyrus, it was the size of a house.The smell of damp firewood filled the room.
“Who are they,and why are they here?” grunted a tanned, female yeti.
She crouchedbeside a fire, in the center of the shelter, tending to a large teapot.
“Do you notrecognize your own kin, Ungur?” Vinterasked, peeking through the door, “It is Tier, Runa’s daughter. She is here fora word with Dr. Lege.”
“She escapedthe other camp?” Ungur asked.
“What other camp?”Tier replied.
There was arustling at the door. Three other yeti ducked into the tent.
“We receivedword that there was a newcomer from the other camp,” a black, hunch-backedelder said.
To his rightcrouched a crimson female, and to his left hunched an older, gray yeti.
Across thespace, a large, silver mound of fur rolled over on a mattress of dried grass.
“Who isthere?” the ancient yeti asked, furrowing his bushy eyebrows, “Vinter, who have you brought us?”
The bedriddenelder’s beard looked almost twice as long as most, and his body twice as thin.Tier stepped around the fire, across a floor of animal pelts, and moved to theold male’s side.
“Dr. Lege, it is I, Tier. Runa’s daughter.”
“You escapedthe other mine?” Dr. Lege asked.
“What othermine?” Fibian replied, removing his helmet.
Thesurrounding yeti let out stifled gasps. The doctor stared at Fibian and Cyrus as if they had appeared out of thin air.
“They areallies, here to help,” Tier said, touching the old yeti’s shoulder.
“Did they helpyou escape?” Dr. Lege asked.
“Escape where?”Cyrus said.
“The other prisonmine, where our families are being held captive,” the black, hunch-backed yetisaid.
Dr. Lege stared at Tier skeptically.
“My mother,the others and I were never taken prisoner,” Tier said, “We were left for deadafter the attack. We found safe hiding. Most are still there.”
“Safe hiding,how?” Dr. Lege asked, trying to rise out of bed.
The mattresssnapped and twisted under the creature’s long frame.
“Stop thisnonsense,” Ungur said, moving to help Dr. Lege, “Do not get him all worked
