Echo Island: The Clan Games

Calum woke up in an unfamiliar underground room lit by candles. The air felt clammy, and the room held only the firm bed he sat on and a large cabinet directly across from him. He tried to stretch his arms, but they were stopped by heavy shackles connected firmly to one of the rocky walls. His head felt dizzy, but he could feel it starting to clear. Gradually, he noticed his bag on the ground beside the cabinet. Someone had opened it and gone through all of his belongings. A jolt of worry hit him as he realized they must have found the box, but he calmed a little when he noticed it still among his scattered belongings.

“Is anybody here!? Hello!?” He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth.

The lack of response caused Calum’s worry to build on itself. Not long after, he heard footsteps approaching him.

“Keep your voice down,” a gruff, manly voice said. “The others are tryin’ to sleep, ya know, and it wouldn’t be a very good idea to wake ‘em up.” A large bearded man entered the room. By his looks, Calum guessed that he was probably in his fifties. The man was an imposing figure with well-defined muscles and a broad chest. Like those that attacked Calum, he was dressed in all black. Unlike them, his hood was dropped behind his back, exposing a balding head.

“Sorry,” Calum said as he backed away from the man. “But can you tell me why I’m here?”

The big man grunted, walked to the wall opposite Calum, and leaned against the cabinet. “Sure,” he said, “but I’d say proper introductions are in order first. The name’s Berns. And you, son?”

Stunned by Berns’s manners, Calum cautiously answered him.

“Well, Calum, I suppose we nabbed you because you let us. There’s not much more to it than that, or at least that’s all I’m allowed to tell you. And as for your friends, they’re both just fine. We captured the big one only thirty minutes ago. And the other young one is hiding outside behind a tree. I reckon he thinks we don’t know he’s there, so we’re giving him a chance to make the first move. Ya know? To make things a little more interesting.”

“But why capture us? What do you gain from it?” Calum asked.

“Well, to be honest, we were hoping to figure a little something out about a particular sort of box.”

Calum fought the urge to glance at the flower box lying only a few feet away.

“But like I said, I’ve told you everything I’m allowed to. Don’t worry, though. Ya should know everythin’ in an hour or two.” Berns lifted up a key and showed it to Calum. “A gesture of goodwill. This is the key to those shackles. Once your friend makes his move, I’ll come over and unlock your bindings, and we can all sit and chat. Of course, you could save yourself the trouble and just tell me where the box is.”

“What box?” Calum asked.

“That’s what I thought,” Berns said, smiling at Calum. “I’ll see ya in a bit, then we’ll see about maybe jogging your memory. Until then, I’ll leave this key to remind you of my promise.” Berns hung the key on a small hook. “Just out of reach, mind you. Can’t have ya escaping now, can we?”

Berns left the room.

Calum struggled to think of a way to escape and warn Brenan. If the two of them could get away, they might be able to get help. He sat still and thought briefly, then shuffled awkwardly around his shackles. As quietly as he could, he placed his feet on the wall next to him and pushed, but the metal didn’t budge.

Giving up, he lay flat on his back and stared at the dancing candlelight on the ceiling. As his gaze wandered, he noticed several roots dangling from above. Turning his head, he stared at the gleaming key across the room and sighed. Even if he could get the key, he probably wouldn’t get past Berns, let alone any others in the cave.

Half an hour passed, and Calum got restless. Still lying flat on his back, he lifted one of his shackled hands and pointed his finger at the ceiling. Placing his finger directly above himself, he used it to trace out different lines. He’d just been tracing a new path when he noticed something oddly uniform directly above the cabinet.

Tracing this new line, Calum found four corners, each with a perfect ninety-degree angle. Sitting up with excitement, he smiled. There was no way the shape was natural. The longer he looked at it, the more hopeful he became. If the square could be moved, it could provide a way for him to leave the cave unnoticed. He just needed to figure out how to get a hold of the key.

Calum considered his options. He didn’t have many, especially that wouldn’t cause any noise. Then he heard a muffled shout and several footsteps going farther away. Knowing it might be his only chance, he looked around desperately for some way to get the key. Maybe he could stretch out his body and kick the key. Knowing it wasn’t likely to work, he tried anyway. The resulting noise of rattling shackles was plenty loud enough to alert his captors, but he had to try. Willing himself to stretch as far as possible, he did everything he could to kick the key from its hook.

Feeling a tight pain in his arms, he collapsed back onto his cot and tried to think. His captures hadn’t come yet, so he figured they all must be out of the cave for now. Regaining his resolve, he lifted his head and looked around again as a thought occurred. He sat up quickly and swung his legs back over the side of his cot. Body shaking with excitement, he loosened his belt, removed it, and placed it on the floor beside his feet. After removing his socks and shoes, he gripped one end of the belt with his toes and stretched his leg toward the key. Swinging his leg swiftly, he attempted to hit the key from the wall.

The belt flung around the key several times but repeatedly fell short. Calum’s nerves rose until the belt finally made contact, causing the key to fly up into the air and land in front of him. He still had to stretch his body, but the key was just within reach of his foot, and he carefully slid it back toward himself.

Excited, Calum picked up the key and rushed to release himself from his shackles. His hands shook, and he fumbled the key as he tried to get it into the lock. As a result, the key fell from his hand, landed on the ground, and bounced away. He reached out again, but the key was just out of reach. Flipping around, he stretched his leg out and tried to grab it with his foot. He was painfully close. Not even half an inch more, and he’d have the key again. He cursed himself for dropping it and forced his body to stretch a little further. The shackles dug into his wrists when he increased his efforts. Finally, he pinned the key down and dragged it back toward his cot. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the key with his hands and made sure to take his time unlocking the shackles.

Chains off, Calum immediately put his belt back on, gathered his belongings and moved over to the cabinet. After a quick test to ensure it would take his weight, he pulled himself to the top and laid down on his back. Placing both hands on the square block of stone above him, he pushed with all his strength. With a satisfying crunch the square started to move upwards.

One more shove and the stone square was pushed free. Calum moved it to the side and wriggled up through a narrow passage. Up above, the stars were gleaming brightly, and he suddenly realized he’d been passed out longer than he’d thought. How long had it been? Hours? Days? He shook himself back to the moment. He had to escape. Exiting the passage below, he turned around and slid the stone back into place. The woods around him reminded him he had no idea where he was. The entire area was dark, and all he could see was the dim outline of trees in every direction.

Calum still didn’t know how safe he was, so he moved around in a crouch. Looking for a better vantage point, he climbed up a small hill. The sight that met him had him thoroughly confused as he made his way over the top. He was now just above the cave entrance; all around it were several small burning fires. The sight worried him. Maybe there were more people here than he thought. Then again, he couldn’t see any people.

The whole situation perplexed him, so he did the only thing he could do. He decided to lie on his stomach and watch the area. If Brenan was out there, he had to move at some point. If he could only find him, then they could escape together. A few minutes later, he found the movement he’d been looking for, though a stab of worry hit him when he saw who was causing it.

Exiting the woods, covered in black, was Berns. He looked frustrated as he walked back toward the cave. Putting his hands to his lips, he produced a loud, piercing whistle that echoed through the night air. Not a minute later, two figures emerged from the woods on either side of him.

“Clever boy,” Berns said. “I’d be willin’ to bet he’s down in the cave as we speak. It was good thinkin’, getting us out of the cave, but now the lad’s gone and cornered himself. A perfect end to this little game of ours, wouldn’t you say?”

Was this really all just a game to Berns? Calum certainly didn’t think of it that way. Usually, games didn’t involve shooting arrows at each other and knocking each other out with smelly rags. What was Berns getting at? The group below him began walking toward the cave, and a jolt of surprise hit Calum as each figure slid their hoods off.

It was Saph and Lucky, the other two clan team members. Calum slid slowly behind the crest of the hill and tried to process this new information. Why would they want his box? And if they wanted it so bad, why hadn’t they taken—

Realization dawned on Calum. Berns acted oddly friendly for a kidnapper. They’d shot at him, but clearly, they didn’t want him hurt, or they’d have done something to him by now. He distractedly ran his fingers along the small scab on his arm from where he’d been hit earlier that day. It wasn’t the flower box they wanted but the confidence box. This whole thing was probably a setup to test them.

The more Calum thought about it, the more it made sense. The team would want to assess his and Brenan’s skills, and Dominic would want to see how committed they were to keeping his secrets. This last thought embarrassed him. If he’d known they wanted the confidence box, he’d probably have told them when he was first attacked. Fortunately, they didn’t have to know that, so Calum let a satisfied grin grow on his face as a plan formed in his mind.

“Game over,” Calum whispered as the three figures disappeared into the cave. He jumped to his feet and scrambled down the front of the cave. Sprinting as fast as he could, he grabbed several sticks from the small fires and placed them inside the cave entrance.

As he dropped the first set, he could hear voices interrogating Brenan somewhere down below. It was only a matter of time before the others came looking for him, so he picked up his pace. Within a minute, he had already built a small bonfire, and smoke began to fill the inside. By Calum’s estimation, it would only be a few minutes before the cave would be filled with smoke.

“What in the savage bears is going on?!” Calum heard Berns shout from somewhere down below. “Where’s all this smoke comin’ from?! Go check it. Now!”

Heart racing, Calum looked at his small bonfire and knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop someone from getting through. Looking around frantically, he noticed two oil lamps at either side of the entrance and removed them from their hanging places. Just as he saw a figure rounding the final bend of the cave, he threw both lamps into his pile as hard as he could, shattering their glass casings.

The explosion knocked Calum off his feet, sending him several feet backward. Heat enveloped him as his whole body was given a heavy push. He’d never seen such an eruption of heat and power. He’d assumed the lamps had been filled with regular burning oil, but that was obviously not the case.

Looking up, Calum saw that he wasn’t the only thing shaken by the blast. The cave entrance had collapsed, putting out most of the fire and leaving only a window slightly bigger than Calum’s head. Exiting through that passage would be impossible. Though the explosion was not part of his original plan, he smiled as he realized it had certainly helped him toward his goal.

Calum stood back up and looked into the cave entrance. To his surprise, he saw the determined figure of Lucky on the other side. She glared at Calum through the hole as she took in the situation. Then, without a word, her face disappeared from the rubble as she turned around and ran into the cave.

Calum could hear Lucky shouting for the others to help her dig out the entrance, and he saw a window of opportunity opening before him. As quickly as he could manage, he returned to where the secret exit was.

Calum reached for the covering and paused just before pulling it away. What if one of the team stayed behind to watch Brenan? He thought it through and figured it would be worth the risk. During his time in the cave, he hadn’t seen anyone except when he called out. Besides, if there were someone down there, they’d be at a disadvantage. There was almost no chance they could cause him any harm through the narrow hole.

As Calum dislodged the stone, a blast of smoke puffed out. Ignoring it, he took a deep breath and poked his head into the cave. To his relief, the smoke wasn’t too thick as most of it already flowed out the exit. He spotted a surprised Brenan sitting on the cot and held a finger to his lips.

Calum scrambled down the hole and was relieved to find the key to the shackles back on its hook. Grabbing the key, he unlocked the shackles and sent Brenan up the cabinet and out the hole. The boys exited the cave, smoke filled their lungs, and they began coughing as they ran for the tree line. They were so focused on escaping that they didn’t hear the racing footsteps behind them. Tomas, Saph, Lucky, and Berns were chasing them and gaining quickly. The fact that Tomas was now in the group confirmed Calum’s suspicions.

Saph was the first to reach them, jumping at Calum and wrapping her arms around his feet. Calum went down, and Brenan got tackled by Tomas. Both boys scrambled to escape, but Saph grabbed Calum and locked him in a hold. Meanwhile, Brenan was no match for Tomas’s strength.

“Get off me!” Brenan shouted as he struggled to free himself.

“Easy there,” Tomas said calmly, “we’ll let you go, but you both have to promise you won’t run.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you?” Brenan said back through clenched teeth, “how do I know this isn’t just another trick to get us in shackles again?”

“It’s no trick!” Calum yelled over to Brenan, struggling to speak as Saph held his face in the dirt. “This is all some sort of test, isn’t it, Tomas!? I overheard Berns calling this whole thing a ‘little game’!”

“That’s right,” Berns said, “and I can’t say I’m not impressed either. Quit your strugglin’ and promise not to run. I think it’s about time we end this game of ours. Wouldn’t you three agree?” Berns looked around at Tomas, Saph, and Lucky for confirmation. Each of them nodded, then waited for a response from Calum and Brenan. Brenan was initially reluctant, but both boys agreed not to run and were let loose.

“Excellent,” Berns said. “Now, everyone, follow me. Probably best we get back to the clan now, don’t you think? We can talk on the ride back.”

The group followed Berns into the forest and, before long, climbed into a cart with two familiar plumas hitched to it.

“So…” Calum said, “does anyone want to tell us what tonight was all about?”

“Maybe you should start by explaining why you thought blowing up the cave entrance was a good idea,” Tomas said, glaring at Calum. “Honestly, kid, by The Great Owls, what were you thinking? If you knew this was a test, why would you try to kill us all like that? You’re lucky we had another little secret exit of our own. I’m not sure we would have been able to get out otherwise.”

“Trying to kill you?” Calum said. “I had a plan to get you all out. I knew you’d all be fine. To be honest, I thought the lamps were filled with oil. I had no idea they’d explode like that. My plan was to get Brenan out and run. I assumed you guys would find that exit at some point. Was I wrong?”

“Haha!” Berns shouted, causing some of the tension to evaporate. “Clever boy! I told ya ol’ Dominic wouldn’t have picked’em for nothin’! Don’t judge the boy too harshly. Let’s focus on the positive. We all made it out, didn’t we?”

“Next time you execute a plan,” Tomas said, “check your facts first, alright? The damage could have been much worse had you thrown those lanterns differently. They were full of an explosive substance called infernite. It’s more dangerous than oil but burns brighter and longer. Normally, you would have learned that before you were tested, but Dominic insisted we run the test tonight.”

“I have to admit that it was rather frightening,” Lucky pitched in, “we were already surprised by the smoke filling the cave. I had just begun running toward the entrance when the entire earth started shaking. I thought I was a goner for a moment there.”

“You guys have no room to complain!” Brenan burst out. “If I remember correctly, one of you shot arrows at us! Wasn’t that just as dangerous!? You could have killed one of us! Besides, you made us believe we were really in trouble!”

“Hey, now!” Berns shouted back, though in a much happier tone. “No need to get all bearish on us! No test like the real thing if you ask me, but acting it out is a close second. All new recruits go through it. Ya want to talk about worrisome injuries? Ya should have seen Tomas here when he first joined. He put one of his teammates in The Medical Clan. It took the healers over three weeks to get the poor lad back to health.”

Everyone looked at Tomas.

“You didn’t!” Lucky said. “You’ve never told us about that! Tell us what happened.”

“Nothing special,” Tomas said. “I wrestled with one of the guys that tried to capture me. He was much bigger, but I was slippery. Without thinking, I squirmed out of his hold and kneed him as hard as I could in the face.”

“And we’re supposed to believe that put him in the Medical Clan for three weeks?” Saph said.

“I may have gotten a little carried away after that,” Tomas said, “but that is beside the point. Today is supposed to be about Calum and Brenan, not me.”

“That’s right!” Berns shouted. “So let’s fill them in on what’s been going on tonight! Would one of ya like to explain? Or shall I?”

“I’d be happy to,” Lucky said cheerfully, “basically, each new recruit faces two challenges when joining us. The first is the puzzle box to test your thought processes and analytical skills. The second is a situational test. Tonight, you were separated from each other and forced to face a difficult situation. Brenan, you were left outside the cave with nothing but your wits to get Calum out.”

“About that,” Calum said, “the last thing I remember was getting to the obstacle fort and being attacked. How did Brenan and Tomas get separated?”

“I told him I’d go get help and that he should follow the ‘bandits’ that took you.”

“That’s right,” Brenan said, glaring at Tomas, “then you never came back. And to make matters worse, you knew I was there the whole time?” Brenan said, turning his frustration to the others in the group.

“Yes,” Lucky said without a trace of apology, “and I must admit that I couldn’t have waited so long myself. We could have captured you at any time, but that would prevent us from learning more about you, so we waited to see what you’d do. Not a bad idea, by the way, pretty ingenious actually, though it didn’t quite distract us long enough, it certainly had potential.”

Brenan’s face faded from red to pink as he heard this. “Thanks,” he muttered, “but what about Tomas? How did he get into the cave?”

“I used the same secret entrance we used to escape the collapse,” Tomas said. “As soon as I left you, I crept around to the other entrance.”

“And as for Calum,” Lucky butted in, turning to face him this time. “First of all, sorry about the arrow. I’m usually not such a clumsy shot. I promise I had no intention of hitting you.”

Calum moved his hand across the scab that had formed on his arm.

“No worries,” he said, “it’s just a scratch. In fact, now that I think of it, that wasn’t half as bad as whatever was used to knock me out. I’ve never inhaled anything more rotten in my life!”

Brenan scoffed. “Only a scratch? I swear, Calum, only you could be shot at and shrug it off like someone accidentally bumped you on a busy road.”

“The rag was me,” Saph said. “I’m sorry for that too, but it’s the safest way to knock someone out.”

“What was on it?” Calum asked.

“Fermented stinkweed,” Saph answered, “it’s a plant that grows in swamps. The First Clan has a small farm of it just outside their walls. On its own, the smell is pretty bad, but ferment it, and it becomes unbearable. It’s a pretty important plant to learn about since it can render you useless within seconds.”

“Good info, but we’re getting off topic,” Lucky said. “Calum, you were stuck in a room with no visible sign of escape. Left on your own, it would be impossible. That is why Berns left the shackle keys hanging from the wall. We hoped you’d see those and devise a clever way to get a hold of them. Speaking of, how did you manage that?”

“I held my belt with my foot and flopped it around until it hit the key just right.”

“Perfect,” Lucky said, smiling. “We did not, however, account for you finding that little escape hole in the ceiling. None of us even knew that existed.”

“Gave us a jolt of surprise when Tomas told us ya were missin’,” Berns said. “None of us knew that you’d slipped out until Tomas shackled Brenan.”

“To put it simply,” Tomas said, “we placed both of you in positions to find out which spot on the team you belong in. We’ll each give a report to the head educator tomorrow, and he’ll have the final say.”

“That’s right,” Calum said, “I’d nearly forgotten. Boy it’s been a long day. We still have to get our team assignments, don’t we?”

“Speaking of, what spots do each of you hold?” Brenan asked.

“I hold the spot for The Mammoth Bear,” Tomas answered, “my spot is associated with strength and resolve.”

“And I represent The Spear Cat,” Lucky said, “agility and reflex.”

The group looked at Saph, expecting her introduction, but she sat quietly and stared back. The air in the conversation began to turn awkward when Berns broke the silence.

“Saph here holds the spot for The Gullen Bird, known for their speed and endurance,” he said. “That leaves The Brocket and The Great Owl for the two of you.”

“What are those ones known for?” Brenan asked. “Charm and cunning?”

“Brockets are observation and intelligence, and great owls are patience and wisdom.”

Brenan looked stricken at the news. “Not the attributes I was hoping to align myself with.”

“I’d happily take either of those,” Calum said, “but that still doesn’t explain why you’re here, Berns. What’s your purpose in the group? No offense, but aren’t you a little old for this?

“Hey, I’m not that old!” Berns said. “I’m here because of my wisdom,” he tapped his head twice with one finger. “I’m the team’s mentor. My job is to do everything in my power to make sure ya dominate in the games.”

“In that case, nice to meet you,” Calum said.

“Likewise,” Berns replied, “from here on out, if you need anything at all, ‘old’ Berns here is the man to see. Got it?”

Both boys agreed, and then a question came to Calum’s mind.

“What about the boxes?” He asked. “Did you guys actually want those, or was that part of the test as well?”

“Another part of the test,” Tomas answered, “very few know about those boxes, and it’s our job to keep it that way. We needed to be sure you wouldn’t spill the secret, even in a serious situation.”

“And you did a decent enough job,” Berns added, “though you prevented us from our planned interrogation. Shame too, that’s one of my favorite parts, getting to see you new recruits with true fear in your eyes.”

“It wouldn’t have been that bad, would it?” Brenan asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Tomas said with a serious look. “Just consider yourself lucky.”

“No, serious—”

“He said you DON’T want to know,” Saph said, her voice colder than a stone in winter. Brenan decided to drop the topic as Berns let out a light-hearted chuckle.