A few days passed after the jail break, and Francesco had been searching his late foster parents' home. They were Crackedskulls who had died about a year ago from old age. Some time before they died, they shared with him a brief history of how he was left on their doorstep. He had come across the note that had been left on the basket he was found in.
To whom it may concern,
My husband Alberto and I are unable to care for our son. Please take him in and care for him. Alberto has been arrested and I may soon follow. I will be eternally grateful. His name is Francesco.
Dawn Carrisco
"So my family name is Carrisco—Francesco Carrisco. I like it. My real parents may be dead now or very old. I intend to find them or more about them sometime in between this tight schedule I have from Raven. I thought my espionage itinerary was convoluted while I was a mole, but boy, has it gotten worse. I liked my scribe job with Ramesses—it was so much cushier and a lot less stressful. At least there I was appreciated and not threatened to be clawed to death at every turn. I'm going to take this home and begin searching for them," he said and he left to return to his own home.
Raven and Bloodhawk had called their spies for reports on the activity of the Indians. This time they had a lot of information. However, it was not about anything the Indians were doing.
Raven was sitting comfortably in his throne with his legs crossed and his eagle-like feet with talons twiching in anticipation with the news as the spies presented themselves to him. Bloodhawk sat in boredom as he drummed the fingers on his right hand on his chair, his head propped on his massive left.
"What do you have for me, Deathwind?" asked Raven to the captain of his spies. The spies were dressed just like Indians in buckskins, feathers, and bone. They weren't wearing warpaint because there wasn't a battle. They were not wearing the black and silver titanium scale and full plate armor of Crackedskulls.
"I have some very valuable information for you, Majesty, but nothing about anything the Indians were doing. We have found out why Francesco was placed in prison without a trial," said Deathwind.
Raven cocked his head in curiosity. The Indians usually gave the accused a fair trial before the chieftains. "It is probably because of his service to me which they found out more about and in more detail," he said with an indifferent wave his hand and matching smirk.
"No, my liege, he also has crimes against you and Prince Bloodhawk as well," Deathwind said.
Bloodhawk perked up and the hand that propped under his cheek slammed on the chair's arm in surprise. "Really?"
Raven's amber eagle-like eyes burned in fury and his pupils dilated in his wrath. "Is that so? Do tell, and tell me everything."
"Francesco has been plotting to kill you and Prince Bloodhawk for sometime now. He also is trying to hurt your chosen, my Prince, but there is so much more to it than that."
"Go on," said Raven, beckoning him.
"As you know, the incident a few weeks ago that occurred in Egypt— there was more going on than you think. Francesco was gonna leave Neiko there to die in slavery."
"What?!" yelled Bloodhawk as he dug his nails into the arms of his chair and peeled up shavings with his massive strength.
"How is this? Do you know?" asked Raven in anger.
"As you know, your concerns about the pharaoh who lived there, they became true. Neiko would end up in slavery and die in misery, but instead she ended up in the arms of that pharaoh. The pharaoh knew about her from a previous encounter, and Francesco had something to do with his discovery of Neiko sometime later. He was gonna leave her in a life of luxury to die with another man—another king—for them to grow old and die together. If they did not make it back, Sito, his brother, and friends would be in unmarked graves in the desert, and Neiko would be in the Cairo museum this very minute as a mummy. We wouldn't know her as we know her. She would be known by what the pharaoh would have said about her and what the archeologists would have found after they found them buried together and the life's story they would have made—"
Bloodhawk stood up and clapped his hands over his ears. "Enough! I can't hear anymore! Where is that little mongrel? I'm gonna tear him limb from limb for this and claw him to shreds!"
"That can be arranged, my son. But we wait—for now. I will call him and confront him about this. I will call him in a routinely fashion, but after today he won't come back here—even if he makes it out of here alive."
"He has always wanted Neiko dead. He originally wanted her to die giving birth to Bloodhawk's son—the legacy of your family's curse," said Deathwind.
"I am looking into a way to be able to have both. Bloodhawk will be the first to have a child or more than one and still have his queen with him. I'll bet the answer lies in the Eye of Mohica. I can increase her size and make her into our likeness. Great Spirit will spare her life because she is his Chosen One, but anyway, did you ever find out who stole her from us when we had her after that chrome man carried her off?" asked Raven. He still wanted to solve the mystery behind that occurrence since all the Indians were hiding out in the Okefenokee Swamp after he went on the rampage when they believed she was dead.
"No, my liege," said Deathwind, shaking his head.
"I would imagine that Francesco had something to do that, too," snarled Bloodhawk in between clenched teeth.
"How is that possible? He was here with us, remember?" asked Raven.
"Maybe he has friends on the outside," he suggested.
"That pipsqueak doesn't have any friends," corrected Raven. "It couldn't have been the Indians either because we chased them into the Okefenokee where they hid like the pack of rats that they are."
"That reminds me of something that my third in command found in his late parents' home," said Deatheagle, breaking in as he brought a paper to Raven. He was the first in command of the winged warriors.
Raven read the paper. It was a copy of the letter that was found in Francesco's basket.
"So then this means that Francesco is not one of us. Bloodclaw and his wife kept it a secret from us all this time. We don't know when they told him the truth," said Deatheagle.
"Why would Bloodclaw do this? He served me and my father well—" mused Raven.
"You know the law, and they knew what you would do if you found out he was an Outsider child. Skela must have bonded with that child—how, I will never know. As you know, Bloodclaw lives on the farthest reaches of the territory, so an Outsider would have easily discovered their homestead," added Deatheagle.
"Well, as far as I can see, he has criminals for real parents, so he was born a criminal himself. If Bloodclaw was still alive, I would have to punish him, but in his case, I would be a little bit more forgiving due to his long history of faithful service. I am about to need a new councilor, because Francesco's term is about to end—probably very quickly, tragically, and violently. Deatheagle, fetch me Skullclaw—he would be a nice replacement councilor," said Raven as he grabbed a few grapes and ate them. "Bloodhawk, get ready for your revenge, because he will be here soon. Feel free to give him the full brunt of your fury. Fetch me the telephone, Deathwind."
Bloodhawk sneered and his inherited amber eyes twinkled merrily.
Deatheagle and Deathwind bowed to him and left to carry out their orders.
After the phone call, Francesco arrived at Raven's fortress, completely unaware of what was waiting for him there. Francesco entered in and did his routine pleasantries with the Crackedskull monarchs.
"Good day, Deatheagle," he said, acknowledging him.
Deatheagle scowled and left the room with Karo, the general of the ground force.
"Temperamental as always," said Francesco with a shrug. "You called, Majesty? A new assignment?"
"No, not exactly. We have heard some nasty little rumors about you. We will only ask you once, and you had better come clean or my son will tear you to shreds," Raven said, fanning his hand to his massive son, who fanned all ten of his fingers. His titanium claws shot out of his finger guards.
A knot formed in Francesco's throat, and he looked at them nervously. What specifically had they found out about? He had more skeletons in his closet than the graveyard.
"Is it true that you have been plotting against us to kill us, and were you planning to leave Neiko in Egypt to die and take her away from my son and give her to that pharaoh?" asked Raven as he rose from his throne.
Francesco began to sweat, and he rubbed his hair back in trying to gather his composure. "Where did you hear such lies? I have faithfully served you for over thirty years." He flashed a smile in hoping that Raven didn't sense his fear.
"They are null and void, because you are not one of us!" snarled Raven as he threw the copy of the letter at his feet. "I always wondered why you were so pale for a Crackedskull and had blue eyes—I was beginning to think you were albino—"
"Amelanistic," corrected Francesco. "Al—"
"Don't interrupt me and correct me!" thundered Raven. "Your scientific knowledge is irrelevant to this interrogation! I suppose you don't know the law of when an Outsider is found in our midst—what happens to them."
"I—I don't, but as far as I remember, I have been born a Crackedskull—"
"You are not a Crackedskull in any form or fashion! Your crimes will also reinforce the punishment to Outsiders impersonating Crackedskulls, which is death. You show no reverence for a Crackedskull ruler because you are not one. You find solace serving a foreign king—it doesn't matter where or what time period you're in because a Crackedskull's sole purpose is to serve this tribe's ruler—and you were trying to give him a bride that is betrothed to a Crackedskull prince. I asked you once to come clean and you even lie to my face! That is inexcusable, but I won't be the one to end your conniving life.
"My son has wanted to go on the hunt for toads, and I have a large one squatting on my carpet before my throne. Bloodhawk has his gigs on his hands, so your employment is now over, you ungrateful, conniving little toad. If you make it out of this territory alive—which I doubt you will—I better not see you or we will all make sure you're dead, and if you tell of our or the Indians' existence and I find out, you're mincemeat. Is that clear?"
Francesco began to shake and perspire as he heard his death sentence being spelled out.
"All right, Francesco, I'll be a little merciful and give you a ten second head start, so I suggest you better start running," said Bloodhawk in cruel glee. "I want to make this chase more fun—for me." He showed his titanium claws and wiggled them to threaten and intimidate him more. "Run, you rat! One!" he said, beginning the countdown.
Francesco did not move, and he was bewildered and shocked. All of his reasoning had left the building and went elsewhere.
"I won't fly any slower! Two!" said Bloodhawk.
Instinctively, Francesco began to run at breakneck speed out of the throne room with the countdown still calling behind him. Crackedskulls made cruel jeers and thumbed their noses at the sentenced man as he ran past them. He crashed through the woods in a panic.
"If I can just make it to the car, I can make it," he said as he panted, but then a shadow loomed overhead and disappeared in a second.
"I see you, rat boy! Not fast enough!" mocked Bloodhawk from the sky.
Francesco stopped under a tall red oak tree and clutched his side as he heaved in exhaustion and fright. "It's like a rat trying to outrun a peregrine falcon! I have to make it to live," he said and began running again.
Bloodhawk swooped out of the sky. Francesco ducked, and the deadly claws ripped into the back of his tunic and into his flesh. He arose with a cry of pain. Bloodhawk circled back, but Francesco could see his car parked on the secluded road that led to the trail to the fortress. Just as soon as he got to the car, the massive prince landed on the ground behind him like a huge boulder. Bloodhawk struck him and forced him to turn. He swiped him twice in the chest like a grizzly bear and the claws tore into his chest.
Francesco staggered, and he knew he had to act quickly to get away from the crazed killer. He rose to his feet and opened the door of the car, but before he could get in, he received a swipe in the back. Bloodhawk grabbed him before he could escape so he could finish him off. Francesco bit the massive hand as hard as he could in his desperation. Bloodhawk let go and cursed as Francesco got into the car and slammed the door, locked it, and cranked it up. Bloodhawk punched the window and shattered it just as Francesco began to dive off. Francesco kicked up dirt and rock as he floored the gas pedal to lose the killer prince.
Bloodhawk took fight in pursuit and his claws dug into the roof of the car, and he began to tear off and roll up the roof like the lid of a sardine can. Francesco frantically jerked the wheel of the car as he metal continued to rip. Francesco took a hard right and the car jackknifed on the curve. Bloodhawk was shaken off and slung into a small pine tree. It snapped and fell as the huge, armored eleven foot prince slammed into its trunk. Francesco made it to the main paved road to safety, and Bloodhawk returned to the fortress.
Francesco clutched the horrible wounds in his chest as he continued to drive away from the accursed territory. The searing pain in his chest and back was making him sweat and shake. "I was fortunate to get away—a few more swipes, and I would've been done for—I certainly am lucky that he did not try to hit me with his foot talons and his weight. I have to get to a hospital. I'm losing too much blood and I'm going into shock, but I can't do this on my own," he mused and pulled over.
He got out of the car and flagged down a passing SUV. The vehicle stopped and rolled down the window.
"You have to help me," he said in a strained voice.
When the woman saw his horrible wounds and all the blood, she began to scream. "Roy," she urged her husband, "we have to get him to a hospital!"
Roy got a blanket out of the back of the SUV and put it around Francesco. Then he put him in the back of the vehicle. "What happened to this fella? Did he get attacked by a bear?" Roy said in a country accent.
The young couple checked him into the hospital in the emergency room and left shortly after he was admitted. Francesco was placed under intensive care for a few days. He came to from his coma and discovered he was in a strange place. He did not remember how he got there. Everything was a blur, and his memory took a few moments to reboot. A nurse brought him a new IV.
"Where am I?" he asked her.
"At EastsideHospital. A young couple brought you in. They said you were attacked by a bear. You have about eight hundred stitches in your chest and back, and you lost a lot of blood," said the nurse. "You are very lucky to be alive."
Francesco lay back in the crisp white sheets and remembered the threat from Raven. The horrible wounds on his body were a searing reminder of what would happen if he revealed the real culprit of his injuries. He needed to get out of the Georgia sector of Hawote—no—to leave the primitive place altogether. Forget about ruling this accursed place. "Yeah, I was walking in the woods and attacked by a large female black bear that had cubs," he said.
"Oh, here's some morphine. We'll have to keep you about a week longer to be sure those wounds don't get infected, Mr.—" she said, trying to fish out his name as she injected the medicine into the IV.
"Carrisco—Francesco Carrisco," he said in an exhale and his eyelids shuttered and closed as the medicine began to take effect. I'll get you for this, Neiko. This is all your fault. I'll get my revenge and send you back to Ramesses one way or another, whether it is through time or if I kill you...
He fell into a deep, drug induced slumber.