Masters of the Arches Ch. 11

As the noises of his shot ceased to resonate throughout the chamber, he watched her disappear from the plate of the arch. Then before the first man had fallen to the stone floor his companion had a hole in his head.

The noises of the two shots was deafening inside the large room and before the crowd had fully recover from their surprise, he was emerging from his hole.

He and Verla were now standing on a stone projection just on the other side of the two holes. It them became evident to them that these holes from which they had just immerged were the eyes of an immense stone statue of a bird. The polished stone on which they both stood was its beak.

It was plain that their descend would be much more difficult than their ascent had been when they climbed up the inside of the structure of the statue of the bird. The stone surface on the outside was smooth and polished. The only way to get down fast was to slide down the inclined surface on the back of the bird of stone.

He did loose some skin on his arms in the process, but he managed to land unharmed on the hard floor. As soon as he was on his feet again, he drew his pistol from its holster. He had arrived down so quickly that the people in the immense room had had no time to organize themselves yet.

Verla was soon standing on the floor next to him and she immediately threw her spear at the nearest birdman. She was in the process of pulling it out of his chest when she was seized by two of his companions. Once again Vincent fired two rapid shots, this time from his pistol. The two men trying to grab Verla collapsed to the floor.

What happened afterward was a series of pistol shots and much shouting while people were running everywhere in confusion. Most of the women and some of the men were trying to get out. But many others did remained inside and Vincent could see the anger on their face. It was quite evident that it was only a question of seconds before he and Verla would be captured and killed.

He had only one option now and that was to get away fast from the enraged crowd. He took Verla by the hand and his things in the other and they ran toward the plate of the arch. They both jumped on the plate at the same time, just as a dozen birdmen were about to reach them from different directions.

(to be continued)