CHAPTER 10

Tydeus looked up suddenly; the wind had already lifted the waters; if it came down, it would crash their boat deep into the river.

*BOOM!!!!*

“Everybody jump!” Tydeus shouted at his companions, and they all jumped into the river.

This might be Tydeus's last mission. He has survived many tremendous dangers, but swimming out of a storm in the middle of the Nile might be the last history he is going to make. 

Galdashkeh and Gryza, from the top of the Fortress, saw as Tydeus and his men fell into the river and their boat wretched.

“At last! He dies and dies for good”. Galdashkeh shouted exuberantly as Gryza beside him continued laughing. Their enemy has just killed himself.

Tydeus swam and grabbed Apphathorus who was starting to drown. They all held on to the woods of their wrecked boat.

“Where the heck is the ride?” Tydeus shouted as he held Apphathorus who had already fainted, onto a wood.

“I don't…” 

Sakoh was about to reply to Tydeus when a big ship sailed towards them, and a rope ladder was thrown from it.

“About time!” Tydeus shouted as he carried Apphathorus on his shoulders and climbed the rope ladder into the ship with his companions.

“What?! How? Where did that ship come from?” Galdashkeh, who had already been rejoicing from the top of the Iron Fortress, began lamenting.

“Maybe he is truly the god they say he is,” Gryza said sorrowfully as he helped his boss maintain balance.

“Oh, shut up, Gryza! He may survive today, but I swear, I am going to kill him personally whenever we have the chance again.” Galdashkeh said as he held his balls.

“The only mistake I made is that…”

“Eehhmm boss! We have a problem.” Gryza interrupted Galdashkeh who was about to say something else.

They turned back and saw the greatest shock of their lives. It was the prisoners; it seemed they were done with the other pirates in the Fortress. They weren't just fighting to escape, they were fighting to end the Iron Mask’s reign once and for all.

The angry prisoners, with blood stains on their clothes and vengeance written all over their faces, began moving gradually towards Gryza and Galdashkeh. Some of them with swords, some of them knives, some sticks, some spears, which they've got from the pirates they've killed in the Fortress.

Galdashkeh began shaking again, peeing on his body. Gryza could not imagine what the angry prisoners would do to him if they caught him. He immediately jumped off the roof into the deep waters of the Nile, leaving his boss behind. He should drown rather than be torn into pieces by these angry prisoners.

Galdashkeh looked down at the depths of the tower from the bottom, he would never try what Gryza just did. He went to his knees immediately and started begging the angry prisoners who were ready to kill any other pirate who was still breathing.

“Please my dear brothers, it was the devil. I promise I will never be a pirate again. I am a changed man now…”

“Kill him!!!” One of the angry prisoners interrupted Galdashkeh's plea. 

And In tremendous fury, the angry prisoners in their numbers stormed at Galdashkeh, beat him and threw him into the river from the top of the Fortress. 

If any other Iron Mask pirate is still left breathing, he better be a changed man.

Back on the ship, Apphathorus sneezed back to life as Rakeh poured a bucket of cold water on his head.

“Woah!” Apphathorus shouted as he woke up suddenly.

“There you go, he is still alive”, Rakeh said to Tydeus as he walked back under a shelter in the ship.

“So who are we supposed to blame for this big mess?” Sakoh shouted at his two friends.

“You, of course, what kind of a boat did you prepare for our escape?” Rakeh objected to Sakoh with a straight face. 

“And why did you guys come out of the base floor of the building? The plan was to meet me at the top floor and I would take you all to the boat.” Sakoh replied Rakeh again.

“Well, your big guy here wasted our time; we don't know what he was doing with the old man in the cell before they came out,” Rakeh responded to Sakoh as he pointed to Tydeus.

“Really Bro? Did you need to discuss family matters with the old man?” Sakoh said to Tydeus with a straight face.

“Hey, don't blame me. Blame the guy who forgot the escape route he planned by himself. If he hadn't forgotten the route, we would have met you on the top floor and arrived at the boat sooner,” Tydeus responded as he pointed to Rakeh. 

“And why did you come late to pick us up?” Sakoh said with a straight face as he pointed to the sailor moving the ship.

“Me? I'm sorry. My ship developed a little fault”. The sailor replied to Sakoh with his voice shaking.

“Great! So nobody is taking the blame?” Sakoh shouted as he looked at his friends.

“What blame? We already saved the old man. The mission is complete. Chill out, bro”. Tydeus responded to Sakoh.

“Uhhmm, thanks for saving my life boys.” Apphathorus honed in on their conversation.

“Thanks? We don't receive thanks here, old man. We received gold. Just pray your people pay us our balance, or else we will have a big problem”. Rakeh responded to Apphathorus, who seemed happy.

Sakoh's bird immediately landed on his shoulders. “Oh little, you're the only one who did a perfect job in this mission”, he said as he massaged the head of his little sparrow.

“Uhhmm, but wait a minute, who are you guys?” Apphathorus asked curiously.

Tydeus, Rakeh and Sakoh turned back and looked at Apphathorus at the same time with confident smiles on their faces.