Auric

by Leslie Chase

  Good question. My little hidden camp was no good, it was far too close to the site of the fight. Up the hill, after Auric? But if he’d been right about there being sentries, the five of us would just run into them. In fact, they might have heard the fight and already be on their way here. Crap.

  “Let’s start with away,” I decided, anxious to be on the move. “We can figure out where we’re headed to later, but we can’t stay.”

  I stole a glance back at the small clearing and my heart sank. That was where Auric would expect to find me when he returned, and if I wasn’t there who knew what he would think. I couldn’t even leave a clear trail for him to follow — if he could track me then so could any of the other prytheen.

  But I couldn’t stay there and gamble that he’d get here first. Not with the luck that I’d had lately. I’ll just have to trust to fate, I decided. It brought us together once, it’ll do it again. It has to.

  Turning my back, I led the colonists into the woods and away from the hill. We had to get some distance before the prytheen started looking for us.

  “I’m Chris,” the father told me once we’d walked far enough to put some distance between us and any pursuit. He still spoke quietly, as though frightened of being overheard. “Chris Martins. This is my wife, Abby, and our kids Maxine and Finn.”

  “Tamara Joyce,” I answered, just as quietly. We’d heard no sign of pursuit but none of us wanted to take chances. “I’d say I’m pleased to meet you, but under the circumstances I don’t know that’s quite right.”

  Chris managed a laugh at that, but it sounded forced.

  “You’re crew, right? What happened? Where are we?” He got a hold of himself with a visible effort, shutting off the firehose of questions. But behind him, his family looked like they were about to add to them.

  “Yes,” I answered hurriedly, trying to get a word in before the deluge. “I’m the Wandering Star’s engineer. I don’t know where we are, though. The prytheen attacked us and we tried to escape, but we all crashed here. All I know is that we crashed on a world in the Tavesh Empire.”

  The family exchanged glances, and then Abby took up the questioning. “Can we get home? I mean, either Earth or Arcadia would do. We’re not picky.”

  She tried to put a note of humor into that, but it fell flat. I sighed, shrugged, pushed my way deeper into the foliage. “I’d have to see the Wandering Star to know for sure, but it’s not going to be easy. The last time I saw her, she was coming down hard — if we’re lucky the pilot put her down carefully, but if not…”

  I let that trail off, thinking about McKenzie and how little faith I’d had in his skills. Even a great pilot would have had difficulty with this one, and McKenzie had never struck me as a great anything.

  He managed to get the colony pods down safely, I reminded myself. Maybe I owe him an apology.

  No point in scaring the colonists, anyway. Maybe the ship could fly, maybe not: that wasn’t the important question right now. Whatever condition the Wandering Star was in, there was a more fundamental issue.

  “The real problem is that the prytheen have set up their camp at the ship,” I told them. “That’s where they were taking you, I think. Can you tell me what happened to you?”

  Chris and Abby exchanged looks and then shrugged.

  “We don’t really know much,” Chris said. “When the stasis tubes opened we were already on the planet, and our colony pod was a mess. The autopilot landed us in one piece, but there’s no chance the pod will fly again. I don’t know how much of our equipment is salvageable — we were just starting to look at it when those two aliens showed up.”

  “At first we thought that they might be friends,” Abby continued, her face hardening. “That lasted until they got in arms’ reach of Maxine. One of them grabbed her, threatened to tear her throat out if we didn’t do what they said. They checked the radio, heard a message we couldn’t understand, and then dragged us off. You know the rest.”

  The anger in her expression made me shiver, and I was glad she was on my side. After the prytheen threatened Abby’s children it was no wonder she’d been willing to attack them with rocks.

  I wondered what the aliens wanted the colonists for. Given that they’d gathered them by force, I doubted it would be anything good.

  “The rest of the colony pods,” Maxine asked, frowning. “Did they get down okay?”

  “I think so,” I told her. “They’re designed to find their own way down to a planet. I think they’ll have landed as safely as yours, for what that’s worth.”

  “Not much,” the teenager said glumly. “Ours is a wreck. Everything we own is trash, and we’re stuck here in this…”

  She trailed off, hugging herself and shivering. I tried to imagine what things must be like from her point of view — whatever adventure she’d thought she was going on, she’d woken into a nightmare and been kidnapped by monsters. I couldn’t blame her for being upset.

  “Maybe some of your supplies are salvageable,” I said. “We won’t be able to last long out here without them. And you never know, maybe I can repair it. Do you think you can find your way back to the pod?”

  Abby blinked. “Sure, I’m pretty good at directions and the crash site isn’t hard to spot. Won’t they look for us there, though?”

  The anger in her voice left no doubt who she meant.

  “I don’t think we can afford to worry about that,” Chris said, looking around and sighing. “We need equipment if we’re going to do any hunting, or defend ourselves. We won’t stay there, just grab what we can and go.”

  Finn had been quiet up till now, but he grinned at that.

  “And maybe we can get the rover out,” he said excitedly. Everyone else perked up at that, even me.

  Each of the colony pods came equipped with an all-terrain vehicle, and after days trekking through the forest on foot I liked the idea of driving instead. It would be faster, more comfortable, and let us carry a lot more gear.

  That settled it. We needed a destination, and the promise of a vehicle made the colony pod the best option. The only alternative I could think of would be to retrace my steps to the last camp Auric and I had used. Which would be comforting, and might let Auric find us, but it didn’t offer any other advantages.

  Abby took the lead and I followed, trying to think ahead and hoping that, somehow, Auric would find me again.

  18

  Auric

  I knew something was wrong as soon as I started my way down to Tamara. Something itched at the back of my skull, an instinct telling me all wasn’t well with my khara. She was in danger, and I wasn’t there to protect her.

  I tried to tell myself that it wasn’t real, that it was just nerves from being separated. She would be fine. I would return to her side and laugh at myself for worrying.

  Then I smelled blood on the wind, and that pleasant fantasy evaporated. I fought down the urge to run. If something had happened to Tamara while I was away, I couldn’t risk running into an ambush. I needed to live long enough to rescue her.

  She wasn’t alone, that much I could be sure of. I smelled both human and prytheen blood, the scents clear and distinct. They filled my senses, driving me wild with fear for my khara, but I forced myself to approach slowly and carefully.

  Dead or captured I’d be no use to her. As much as it pained me, I had to be cautious.

  The tiny hollow where I’d left her was empty, but just beyond it I found the remains of a fight. Two prytheen warriors I didn’t recognize, both dead. One bludgeoned with rocks, the other impaled on Tamara’s spear.

  No human bodies. I relaxed slightly at that, letting out a breath and allowing myself to smile. Whatever had happened here, Tamara had survived it. That gave me hope. But my heart still hammered in my chest as I tried to piece things together.

  There were human tracks alongside the prytheen, more than just Tamara’s. At least three more, I judged, maybe four. The tracks vanished into the undergrowth and I lost sight of them quic
kly. Whoever was with Tamara, they knew how to hide their trail reasonably well.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t matter as much as the humans might think. The scent of blood was clear and easy to follow, and I set out along their course.

  Worse news came quickly: I wasn’t the only one on the hunt. Other prytheen were ahead of me, following the humans’ trail. I bit back a snarl and moved faster, hoping that I could catch up with the hunters before they reached my khara.

  I didn’t want to think about what would happen if I didn’t. She’d killed prytheen warriors — Zaren wouldn’t be merciful.

  The woods seemed to close in around me as I raced after the humans and the prytheen who chased them. It didn’t take long to close the distance, and soon I heard the hunters moving through the underbrush. They made no attempt to be stealthy. Why would they? They had no reason to think anyone was following them.

  By the time I got close, they were hot on the humans’ trail. Four of them at least, moving through the undergrowth quickly and quietly. And, worst of all, in a loose group.

  Too close together to pick them off one by one. Too far apart to hit them all while I still had the element of surprise. I could take any one of them in a fight, I was confident. Two, probably.

  Three would be pushing my luck. But four? Too many.

  It didn’t look like I’d have any choice but to risk it. Tamara and her human companions were close, and the prytheen would attack them soon. I had to make my move before that happened.

  Ahead, the forest came to an abrupt end, the shattered remains of trees littering the ground where a crashing colony pod had tumbled to rest. I cursed. Once we left the trees, I’d have no cover. This was it, my last chance to pounce.

  I wasn’t ready, but it would have to do.

  The humans were half-way across the broken ground, making for the fallen colony pod. Their hunters paused at the forest’s edge, laughing at the humans’ attempt to flee, one of them speaking into a communicator as I closed the distance as quietly as I could.

  “Now,” he said, a savage hunter’s joy in his voice. “The prey is in a clearing.”

  A boom split the sky as a transport ship zoomed overhead, circling and slowing, coming back around. I ducked back behind a tree, cursing my luck and their cowardice. These hunters didn’t even have the guts to chase down the humans by themselves.

  As I watched, the humans turned for the far side of the clearing, abandoning the colony pod and trying to get to cover. The transport dipped down, cargo ramp lowering, and from inside shots rang out. They burned across the path of the fleeing humans, forcing them to stop.

  The transport was a human design, low tech by prytheen standards. Primitive enough that the taveshi weapon hadn’t disabled it along with our ships. The guns, too, were human weapons rather than the blasters my people used. That was no comfort: they were still deadly enough to kill my khara if she resisted.

  At least they weren’t shooting to kill. The hunters wanted Tamara and the others alive, at least for now.

  I gritted my teeth and thought. Stepping out into the open would be suicide — fighting the four hunters I’d been chasing would have been dangerous enough. Now I faced the crew of that stolen transport too, and they had guns. Dying wouldn’t help Tamara.

  But I couldn’t abandon her to the mercy of Zaren and his thugs either. I needed a plan, some way to come to her rescue.

  While I tried to think, Tamara grabbed a stone and threw it at the hovering ship. A futile gesture born of desperation, but she wasn’t giving in and I drew strength from that. I felt her fear and her frustration, and wanted nothing more than to join her, to fight off these attackers and see her safe.

  All I had was my spear. To protect her I had to keep my emotions under control and pick the right moment for my attack. Carefully, slowly, I moved forward, keeping to the trees and staying out of sight. A mad plan formed in my mind, one that I should have rejected out of hand.

  But I had nothing better to try.

  The hunters left the forest, spreading out and stalking towards the humans as the transport settled to the ground. Hands raised in surrender, the humans stumbled towards the ramp. The prytheen hunters laughed gleefully, cruelly, and I knew whatever fate they had in mind for my beloved and her friends would be terrible.

  I would not allow my khara to suffer. Charging to my death wouldn’t protect her, so I had to wait. Wait, and do something extraordinarily stupid.

  If it works it’s not stupid, I told myself. And if it doesn’t work, I’ll be too dead to feel ashamed of my failure.

  At the top of the ramp, Tamara turned to look back at the forest and looked right at me as though she knew I was there. I saw terror in her eyes, and under it a grim determination. She’d done what she could to help these humans, and she would keep doing that until she could help no more.

  I would do no less for her.

  The ramp snapped shut and the small ship’s engines whined as it lifted off the ground. This was the chance I’d been waiting for, the only chance I’d have. Dropping my spear, I sprinted across the open space, closing the distance in long, fast bounds before pouncing.

  My fingers caught a rail on the ship’s undercarriage. It creaked under my weight, bent, and for a moment I thought it might snap. But no, it held, and as the ground fell away beneath me, I pulled myself up.

  Clinging to the bottom of the transport, I tried to come up with a next stage to this mad plan. Despite the peril, my heart was at peace. Whatever danger Tamara was going into, I would be there to protect her.

  That would have to be enough.

  19

  Tamara

  I felt Auric’s eyes on me, or imagined that I did. Was he really out there in the woods, watching? Almost close enough to reach, and impossibly far away.

  Hopefully it was all in my mind, and he was far away and safe. If he was here… I hated to think what he might do. Because even he couldn’t save us, not from so many armed guards. At best he’d take some of them down with him while they killed him.

  And that was the only thing that would make this day worse.

  Auric, if you’re out there, stay safe. Stay away. Don’t take any chances for me. I thought that as intently as I could, hoping he’d somehow hear me. That he’d know to keep away. There was no point in both of us dying.

  The flyer’s ramp slammed shut behind me and the Martins, and the transport lifted off with a whine. I recognized it as one of the Wandering Star’s cargo shuttles, which at least meant the ship had come down somewhat intact. I tried to take comfort from that, but it wasn’t easy when these bastards had their hands on it.

  The guns the prytheen carried were from the ship’s armory too. While the Silver Band’s technology had failed, they seemed to have no trouble stealing our gear and making do.

  We rose unsteadily, the pilot cursing as he fought for control. The transport pulled to the side, brushing the trees, and for a moment I thought it might crash, giving us another chance to escape. No such luck. With a snarled stream of profanity, the pilot got us above the trees on course.

  We sat in miserable silence, and I couldn’t help wondering if I’d made a mistake in trying to rescue the Martins. It hadn’t helped them: they were still prisoners and if anything, they were worse off now.

  No. Perhaps I’d only put off the inevitable, but I had done that. And Finn would have died if I hadn’t stepped in.

  I tried to hold onto that as a victory, rather than worry about our future. It wasn’t easy.

  Almost before I knew it the transport pitched downward, coming in to land. When the ship settled again and the ramp lowered, we were on the familiar deck of the Wandering Star. The glossy black surface tilted at an uncomfortable angle beneath our feet as we stepped out to face our captors.

  Around us stood dozens of prytheen warriors, hands on their weapons. Beyond them humans gathered in huddled groups, colonists thawed from their stasis pods and forced to work. They cast frightened glances our way, and I
realized our captors intended to make an example of us. To show their slaves what happens to humans who resisted the prytheen.

  Directly ahead of us stood Zaren, glowering at us with sadistic rage. He looked tired, and he’d lost the smug grin I remembered. The sullen anger in his eyes didn’t bode well for us.

  I met his gaze steadily. If this was going to be my end, I would at least face my fate head on.

  “So you’re the humans who dared kill my men,” Zaren said almost conversationally. His voice echoed across the deck. “Your deaths will be a lesson to the other humans. Slow and painful enough to discourage rebellion.”

  “I thought you assholes believed in honorable combat,” I snapped. Probably not the best strategy, but I couldn’t keep quiet. “First you attack an unarmed colony ship, then you kidnap a family of colonists, and now you’re pissed off that we fought back and killed a couple of your thugs? Where’s the honor in that?”

  My face flushed and the words flew out of me. I finally had the chance to shout at the man who’d caused all of this, and I wasn’t going to pass it up.

  What was he going to do about it? Kill me twice?

  The aliens looked shocked that I’d dare speak to their leader like that, and his blue face darkened with rage. Stepping forward to tower over me, he snarled. “You aren’t worthy of an honorable war. You are weak, prey for the strong to take if we want.”

  I should have been terrified. No, I was terrified, but a wave of anger buried my fear. If I’d stopped to think I’d have collapsed, cried, hidden. But I didn’t give myself a moment — instead, I prodded Zaren in the chest with my finger and glared up at him.

  “That’s stupid, hypocritical, and cowardly.” The prytheen alpha reared back at that, outraged. I carried on before he had a chance to interrupt. “You attacked us. We fought back and killed your men. You can’t say we’re weak and there for the taking and be angry when we prove you wrong.”