The Lord of the Plains

by Sarah Chapman

Chapter 83

  It was not long after the execution that the humans visited. Vann was not among them, Riley had not really expected him to be allowed on this mission, though she was surprised Messenger was absent.

  The visitors were curt, stone faced Astarian soldiers. They were led by a woman who was only slightly more talkative than her subordinates. They were not so much interested in forging an alliance as having a chance to examine the ehlkrid up close.

  ‘You cannot catch one?’ the woman was asking Riley.

  ‘No.’ Riley replied, her tone brooking no argument. ‘I will not risk the lives of my people for that. If you can follow instructions, you may observe the fighting from inside the caves.’

  The woman nodded sharply. ‘Very well. We wish to test the energy weapons on them. Will that be acceptable?’

  Riley was silent for a moment. She was not thinking about whether it was possible, but what the implications might be. What if they didn’t work? What if they did? If they did that would imply they would be even more effective on her gemengs. Would that knowledge encourage the humans to start a fight with her? She needed time, time to let the humans see the gemengs as something other than enemies, before she could allow them to know how easily they could defeat the gemengs. Thinking in such a way was new to her, but she was starting to see how very necessary it was; had started to see ever since the humans had visited the Plains.

  But the humans also had to fight the ehlkrid.

  ‘Very well.’ She struggled to keep reluctance from her voice. ‘I’ll set something up.’

  ‘Is it possible to be shown around the caves?’

  Again, Riley paused. If she wanted them to trust her, she also needed to trust them. ‘Yes. I’ll show you myself.’

  The next evening the humans set up at the cave entrance, their energy weapons ready. Riley saw they were using a mounted energy weapon, a MEW. They were much more powerful than the personal energy weapons carried by the Astarian infantry. Riley made sure they weren’t getting in the way of her warriors or blocking the entrance to where Aerlid worked, in a cave close to the entrance.

  The sky was quickly darkening.

  She turned to the humans. ‘While you are here you will need to follow the same rules as the gemengs. Be careful where you aim.’

  ‘We’re always careful.’ The woman stated.

  Riley turned her attention back to the Plains.

  It was not long before the ehlkrid were upon them. While the first few were slithering and flying and racing up the mountain slopes Riley stayed out of the way.

  Now the humans would have a chance to experiment, while the fighting was lightest.

  A flash of brilliant light lit the night. A horrible scream came from one of the ehlkrid. The smell of burning meat. But the ehlkrid was not down, the humans had only hit one of its legs. Riley blinked, trying to clear her eyes. The flash had ruined her night vision.

  The creature turned its head in the direction of the attack. It bounded up the slope, the humans fired again. Again, the creature was struck. But it kept coming, once again they had missed any vital spots. This time Riley was more careful about where she was looking.

  And they fired again.

  This time the creature flung itself out of the way. It recovered quickly. The humans fired again. Riley could not get close to the advancing ehlkrid without endangering herself.

  ‘Stop!’ Riley called to them.

  The ehlkrid was almost upon them.

  There was another flash of light. The ehlkrid reared up, less than an arm’s length from the humans. And the caves.

  There was no time to be cautious. The gemeng warriors were fighting all around her. Riley moved behind the ehlkrid. It was reaching for the humans. She slashed. The creature roared. She stabbed again, again. The cry trailed off. It crashed to the ground. The humans jumped back, their equipment crushed beneath the creature.

  ‘Get back inside!’ Riley commanded. She turned back to the fighting, the humans now gone from her mind.

  When next she looked that way, they were gone.

  When she finally left the surface, the sun rising above the horizon, they approached her again.

  ‘We would like to take the ehlkrid back to Astar.’ Said the woman in charge of the mission.

  Riley, tired, stared at her. She could think of no reason to say no. ‘Fine. Just make sure you burn the body when you’re done with it. Ehlkrid eat each other and get stronger by doing so.’

  The tour she gave the humans was short. She was tired. She had other things to do.

  Still, Riley chose the route through the caves carefully. Should the humans attack, she didn’t want to regret this tour.

  The humans looked around very carefully, but silently. Riley had the distinct feeling they were going to compare their mental notes in private. She didn’t like that one bit.

  The next day the humans left the same way they had arrived, by Predators and Carriers carefully hidden within the Plains.