Ten: Present

Coolyala didn't return to the dark room where her parents' voices haunted her. No. She went into another room.

This was large with a table in the middle. Along the walls hung different torture devices. At first, she thought it was going to be her who got tortured, but she was sat in a chai, tied down.

She waited until another set of guards brought in an unfamiliar man, already with blood running down the side of his face. They laid him on the table and chained him down. Coolyala heard a groan. The man looked around, saw her, and blinked. "You're here?" he croaked.

She shrugged. "I guess. Who are you?"

"Jarramba, a White Bulldog."

Her heart sank. It was one of Lofgun's men. "How long?" she asked.

"Since you found us."

She wanted to apologize, but a door opened and Milbaral walked in, eyes full of hatred. He grabbed a spiked whip and struck Jarramba, hard. Jarramba cried out.

Milbaral pointed at Coolyala and sneered, "Tell her to give me the info I want, and I will set you free!"

Jarramba said nothing.

Another strike.

"It's her fault you're here! If you want to be free, she must give me what I want!"

Jarramba spit blood to the side, but said nothing.

Another whip lash. Coolyala flinched.

Milbaral walked over to her and slapped her. "Tell me or he dies!"

Fear for Jarrambah spiked at his words. "No!" Jarrambah groaned. "Don't! No matter what, tell him nothing!"

He got five more lashes before Milbaral looked at her again. "You can end his suffering, Ylfrettub. You can end it all!"

"No!" Jarrambah moaned, unable to move his head now. Blood was freely flowing from his wounds to the floor.

She gazed at him with eyes full of grief. "I can't let you die!" Not you too.

He gazed back, unafraid. "We all die if you tell him. Be strong, Butterfly. Not for me, but him."

"I can't watch you die," she cried.

"I don't blame you," he whispered.

"What's it going to be, Coolyala?" Milbaral demanded.

She gazed at Jarrambah for a long moment , apologizing to him silently for what she was about to do, because he wouldn't want it. "Let me go, and I'll show you," she whispered. Jarrambah shook his head slightly.

"Tell me!" Milbaral screamed.

"I can't," she whispered. "But I can show you."

"Untie her!" he shouted at the guards.

"Butterfly!" Jarrambah groaned.

She said nothing as she was untied from the chair and the guards stepped back. She stood, smiling at him softly. Then turned to Milbaral. "Go get a map."

He snapped his fingers and someone began to move.

"Not a guard," she said, defiantly standing near a counter with razor sharp saws. "You."

"Why?"

She smiled. "The only map useful, is the one I know you keep privately in headquarters."

He cursed, but left.

Coolyala grabbed a saw and tested the blade. "Butterfly…"

"Hush, Jarrambah. I need to think."

He narrowed his eyes as she grabbed another saw. Before the guards could react, she threw a saw into each of their chests. As they fell, she rushed to a cabinet and grabbed a bottle, a few syringes, and a satchel. Then, she undid the chains from Jarrambah.

"Can you walk?" she asked softly.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of here, what does it look like?"

"No!" he gasped. "Come with, please! You can't stay here!"

She ripped a shirt from a guard and handed it to him. "Who said I was staying?"

He blinked.

She walked over and helped him into the shirt. "I am leaving, Jarrambah. Six months I've been here. I can't anymore."

He leaned against her as she walked them to the satchel, then to a hidden door Milbaral thought she wouldn't notice. She opened it and pushed him in. "Butterfly-"

"I'm coming. I need to grab one more thing." She closed the door shut and hurried back to the wall of torture tools and found Shadowsong, the one thing she had been waiting to catch sight of since Wong left. She grabbed it and a few other blades before following Jarrambah into the secret door.

It took them an hour to navigate the secret tunnels before daylight blinded them. Jarrambah was slowing down, his wounds soaking though his clothes, but they kept going, getting as far away as possible as darkness fell.

When they did stop, Coolyala was exhausted but felt sure they were safe for now. She gave Jarrambah some healing concoction then found a stream nearby to wash the blood from him. Three hours later, they lay, under the stars and moon.

"We part in the morning," she announced.

"Why?"

"I must go find what they want."

"Do you know where they are?"

She closed her eyes, seeing Lofgun's map in her head, seeing the potential places he and the Wolves were going to hide them. "I know the general area," she whispered.

"You expect me to leave you alone?"

"I need you to alert Lofgun."

He sat up, eyes alert. "Why?"

"I need you to find him, tell him to meet me at home in two months. I need you to then come back here and burn the place down. Lofgun and Wong already got everyone they found out."

He shook his head. "Butterfly, there are the Bulldogs down there! All of them!"

She felt herself beginning to shift her plans, as before, for people she didn't know. "Okay. Then find him. As soon as you do, bring every single one of his people here. There is a stone nearby. I will come back and help as soon as I find it. If I am not back by the time all the Bulldogs are rescued, do not wait. Burn it to the ground. Lofgun and his people will know where the other stones are, so somewhere between now and the last stone, we should run into each other."

"How will we know if you're alive? How will he know "

She smiled at the man. Because, if I finish finding them all, there is only one place I will go to wait."

Jarrambah cupped her cheek. "Butterfly, I do not want to leave you."

"Wong taught me to defend myself. Rinnowra taught me better skills with her knife. And tomorrow, I am going to get my suit that Watchingi made me. I'll be fine. Have Lofgun bring the box though. We'll need it."

They slept, and at dawn, she left Jarrambah to start her journey.

Jarrambah was disappointed to find Coolyala already gone, but he didn't wait. Instead, with more energy than he had in months, he worked to find Lofgun. He checked the seas, the number one place Lofgun loved to be, but found nothing. Then, he went to the other homes Lofgun had in this world, and found no sign. Hopes dashed, Jarrambah waited for the cover of dark ten days later, before he began his chant in a clearing of a forest. It was a chant similar to Jin and Coomarrah. Same language, but different reason.

Lofgun, Captain of the Pillaging Demon ship with his crew of Electric Wolves gave each member a chant, a summoning of sorts. It did not bring Lofgun to Jarrambah, but let him know he was needed. It didn't matter where the Captain was, who he was with, if he was asleep or knocked out- Lofgun would hear. As soon as he was able, he would come to said member as they would come to him in a time if need.

Jarrambah and the other White Bulldogs never used it when imprisoned, but now he was out, he'd let his Captain know and ask for help. It would take time for Lofgun to arrive, Jarrambah knew, but he would wait however long it took, because Lofgun was as loyal to his crews as they were to him.

Lofgun heard the summons and almost dismissed it as a trick. But it came again and again until he was sure. At least one of his Bulldogs were alive and free!

He got up from his seat in the tiny office he used and ran on deck, a smile on his face for the first time in months. "Rinnowra! Head home! Jarrambah is alive!"

Cheers could be heard all over the ship as the crew celebrated. Lofgun hurried to his compass panel and watched as she pressed several buttons. Before them, a portal appeared, a city sprawling beyond. Rinnowra glanced at him. "Do you think…?"

Lofgun didn't answer, didn't want to think of the possibility.

They sailed through the portal and Lofgun summoned Jarrambah back. They would meet in the middle.