Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  The remaining warriors scavenged the food and supplies from the unfortunate souls whose journey was at an end.

  Braden and Akhmiyar arranged the smaller group and pointed ahead. They wanted to put distance between the ambush site and where they were headed. They agreed to angle slightly to the west, hoping to reduce the predictability of where they were going. Akhmiyar would then change east for a while, then go back south, creating an irregular route.

  They needed to avoid another ambush. They couldn’t stand to lose any more warriors.

  Turns Melt Into Turns

  By the end of the first seven turns, Micah thought there was no way she could possibly be more miserable. Her skin was wrinkled and every bit of her was wet, except her feet because of the Old Tech boots, as long as she didn’t take them off.

  Aadi was surprised that they hadn’t yet come across any hostile Amazonians. The group was starting to tire from always being on alert, but the plan was for Pik and Dal to intimidate the Amazonians, because they looked like the Overlords.

  The Wolfoids shook and shook, but could never dry out. Skirill fluffed his feathers and shook, but remained wringing wet. Aadi and the Lizard Men seemed to gain energy as the others grew increasingly unhappy.

  Micah watched the group carefully for any signs that one of them was ready to break. The individuals remained steadfast but miserable, while Pik led them deeper and deeper into the rainforest.

  On the eleventh turn, Pik saw something that concerned him and called a halt. The aches and weariness seemed to evaporate as the group crouched low, half-submerged in the swampy water, watching the approaches to their position. Pik casually strolled forward with Dal following. Aadi swam slowly to get a better view of what the Lizard Man had seen.

  He stopped before a tree and poked at it with the modified spear that Holly had made for him. A Lizard Man stepped away from it, then shook his head at Pik, who responded by crouching and hissing. He slapped at the other Lizard Man with his spear until he backed away and bowed. The two talked in their unique way.

  Micah wondered how Braden was getting along and if Bronwyn was able to keep up with Akhmiyar’s pace.

  Micah shook herself back into the moment. They could be knee deep in a fight while her mind drifted. She hoped the others weren’t as distracted. The Wolfoids sniffed the air, trying to detect the scent of the enemy, but they only smelled the mossy wetness of the rainforest. Skirill perched on a branch, trying to look inconspicuous while Pik continued talking with the Lizard Man. Micah wondered if he was one of the Overlords’ warriors or one that was friendly. Both would probably have a similar sense of fear to an Overlord’s appearance.

  The conversation finished with Pik and Dal backing away. Aadi remained facing the other Lizard Man. As he stepped toward the safety of the trees, the Tortoid hit him with a focused thunderclap at point blank range, splitting the creature’s head open. Micah rushed forward to find out why.

  ‘Master Micah, yes, all is well. This one was a lone sentry. They didn’t expect anyone to be this way, so they spread the sentries thin. Within one turn’s walk east, there are four more Lizard Men posted. Having dispatched this one, we will be able to continue unnoticed into enemy territory,’ Aadi said.

  ‘He saw me as an Overlord, even though he saw all of you, too. He’d been taught not to question the Overlords, so he didn’t ask,’ Pik added with a hint of smugness. Aadi bobbed his head in agreement. ‘The stronghold is maybe two turns travel ahead. We are following the trail to it.’

  Micah looked but couldn’t see a trail. Bounder and Gray Strider craned their necks back and forth, before shaking their heads. They couldn’t see it either. Skirill squinted into the rain and thought he could tell the difference between the trail and the normal rainforest swamp. Then he decided that he would be lost without Pik and Dal. Only they knew where they were going. Maybe they made up the part about the trail in a twisted way that Lizard Men found funny.

  She couldn’t read the emotions of Lizard Men like Pik any more than she could read those from an Amazonian like Zalastar. She gave up and signaled that it was time to get moving.

  Micah expected Braden was moving more slowly as he had to be fighting his way through the enemy. But he was with Akhmiyar who moved quickly. She remembered the run after the villagers from Bliss. He had been relentless in his pursuit of the Overlords’ warriors. She also remembered how quickly he moved after he was wounded. At the end of her conversation with herself, she wasn’t able to draw a conclusion. He would get there when he got there, unless the resistance was too great and he was unable to fight his way through. Without the neural implant, she had no way to find him if he fell in battle somewhere in the depths of the dark, wet rainforest.

  She’d wondered earlier if she could be more miserable. She had found a way. Her feet suddenly felt very heavy, and she struggled to keep moving. Skirill had flown ahead, scouting the so-called trail. Aadi and the Lizard Men moved almost mechanically. But the Wolfoids were there and came to her aid. With a furry foreleg under each arm, they helped support the human as they all slogged through the swamp, ever onward, always wet from the perpetual rain.

  Running of the Bulls

  After watching Braden and his army enter the rainforest, Brandt was ready to go. The traders Candela and Tanner had to make some minor repairs to the wagons and the harnesses, which were stressed to breaking by the wild run from Dwyer to Bliss.

  While the humans were finishing their work, Lomen walked out of the rainforest, head held low. He hadn’t been gone long. The King of the Aurochs checked the sky and wasn’t sure the sun had moved at all.

  ‘They say I make too much noise and that I too big. I sorry, my King, I fail all in not fight for freedom,’ Lomen told Brandt Earthshaker.

  ‘I know Braden well. If he sent you back, then the rainforest was nowhere for you to be. You tried, and that is all we can ask of anyone. We have a great deal of travel before us. We will return to your home pasture, where you will not eat any of the grass while we convince the rest of the herd to join us. We will bring them all back. The plains here are vast and they will be your new home, where all of our people can live healthy lives. Then we will know our place in this land, live with the humans and all creatures great and small.’ Brandt stood tall as he talked with Lomen. Brandt had wanted to go with Braden to fight the Overlords as well, but knew he didn’t fit. He was surprised that the human even tried to bring an Aurochs along.

  With nods of his head, Brandt attempted to get the traders to hurry their repairs. They seemed not to notice and went about their work at a normal pace. When they were finally ready, Brandt pawed the ground, anxious to leave. He wanted to reach Dwyer before nightfall and that meant another full turn’s sprint. He was up for it, but were the others?

  Before Candela and Tanner climbed into the wagons, they dutifully updated their rudder with only one small notation. They put the paper journal back into its oilskin pouch and let the Aurochs know they were ready.

  The humans hung on, understanding that Brandt was in a hurry. They didn’t know why because neither Braden nor Bronwyn had told them. The Aurochs started slowly, but picked up speed quickly. Without the weight of the warriors and their equipment, the wagons bounced violently along. The wagon without anyone in it seemed to have it the worst as it bounced and slid sideways, getting dragged before righting itself and bouncing more. Brandt let Lomen set the pace. The young bull ran hard, but wasn’t breathing heavily.

  Since he’d followed his King from the Valley of the Aurochs, as he called it, it seemed like the only thing he’d done was run. He was always hungry and thought he was losing weight. But he felt strong, stronger than ever before. His mind was clear, and he saw the world in different colors. The human had said the grass he’d eaten his whole life was tainted, was bad for him.

  Bad for all Aurochs. He scoffed at first, but the more he ate of fresh vegetables and grasses elsewhere, the more he realized that the human was right. They needed to save the he
rd.

  The Earthshaker Herd. Lomen’s new herd, established the second the great King killed their former leader. He fought without honor because his time had come and gone. Lomen was ashamed, but then proud that Brandt had selected him as his travel companion.

  Loyalty wasn’t about being forced. The King had asked the young bulls if they wanted to come. At the time, they didn’t feel like they had a choice, but with what Lomen had seen since, if he’d said ‘no,’ Brandt would have respected his decision and chosen someone else.

  Loyalty was earned by leaders who stood up for themselves. Why hadn’t he seen that before? He knew it was because his brain had been addled by the accursed grasses of his home. He understood Brandt’s sense of urgency and agreed. They needed to get there and save the Aurochs from the daze of their existence. When they moved the herd north, they’d be free to choose their own paths.

  Lomen had talked with the one they called Bronwyn. Her mind touched his, clearing away any remaining doubts. Loyalty, camaraderie, friendship, and a shared goal to see a peaceful world. He felt that she was young in years, but old in wisdom. He didn’t care why or how, only that where she was, he would be, too. As soon as she returned from the rainforest, he vowed to stay by her side and protect her.

  The young bull talked to himself, unaware that Brandt could hear him. The King kept his secret, approving of Lomen and his commitment to the things Brandt agreed were most important. Once the light shone on the path they followed, no one could turn away.

  Lomen increased speed, energized by his thoughts. The Aurochs pulling the wagons were challenged, but kept up. Brandt watched the land fly by, seeing how it was changing as the tide flowed across the south. He liked the new world that he was playing a part in shaping.

  He prayed for Braden and Micah to be successful. He didn’t want to return to the old ways, giving the young Aurochs nothing to aspire to besides grazing the large fields.

  The grass might be tasty and healthy elsewhere. With a victory, his people could find that out for themselves.

  The Slog Ahead

  “Does Akhmiyar have any idea how much farther we need to go?” Braden asked the young girl.

  “He says by the end of next turn we should arrive at the outskirts of the stronghold,” Bronwyn replied.

  “It’s about time. I’m not sure how much more we can take. Just look at us!” Braden said barely above a whisper. Two of the swordsmen from McCullough had been killed when they were cut off and overwhelmed. Four swordsmen remained, but two were wounded, still walking because they had no other choice. Bounder limped, having stepped on a thorn and then the injury had gotten infected before he told Braden about it, who applied a little numbweed. At least he was starting to get better. Gray Strider had stitches on her shoulder where a spear point slipped through the gap in her armored cloak. She could still use her own spear effectively, as she demonstrated several times since she had been wounded.

  The cold-water crocs attacked twice, but as fearsome as they were, they were the easiest to fight off. The group hadn’t gotten into any water that would have contained sharkfish. The group also hadn’t seen any more Bat-Ravens. Zyena constantly watched the branches, looking for their distinctive outlines.

  The Rabbits were completely unharmed and healthy, as was Bronwyn. Zyena’s injuries from the Bat-Ravens were mostly healed and she seemed to have learned how fly in the rain, effortlessly weaving between the trees, vines, and foliage. How long had it been? Braden had lost count of the turns.

  Akhmiyar had four warriors left as well. Braden was concerned that his group would be too small when they finally reached the Overlords. They knew Braden was coming and probably welcomed his arrival, now that they’d whittled down his so-called army. The group looked like they’d already fought the final battle and lost.

  Braden expected the worst was yet to come. He was tired, probably more tired than he’d ever been. They hadn’t gotten much sleep, moving often and spending half the night protecting the others so they could sleep badly. He’d lost skin on his feet to blisters, the wetness having finally permeated his Old Tech boots. His feet suffered and he right along with them.

  The only thing that kept him going at such a relentless pace was the thought that Micah was doing the same. If she got there and he was late, then the Overlords could bring the full weight of their minions to bear on Micah’s small group. He had to get there first and they had to be winning the fight to drive the Overlords into the trap that Micah and her group would set up.

  In theory. He felt that the timing of the attack was still sound. The forces he expected to bring had dwindled, but maybe they’d reduced the enemy’s numbers by an equal percentage. He struggled to find something positive before him. He hoped, but it was the fear of failure that drove him on.

  There were so many things he didn’t know. They slogged ahead blindly, following Akhmiyar without question. Bronwyn had no doubt that the Amazonian was leading them unerringly toward the Overlords.

  A false sense of security, he thought. Maybe that’s our secret weapon. If they think they’ve already won this battle, they’ll be vulnerable, somewhere. We just have to find where that is.

  Setting up an Ambush

  Pik asked if he could go ahead alone because they were close. The Wolfoids nodded, saying they smelled something different, yet familiar. They thought it was the scent of the Lizard Man patrol on the ship, Pik and Dal’s scent.

  “The Overlords,” Micah whispered. Pik nodded. Aadi floated nearby, blinking slowly. “What do you expect to accomplish by going up there?”

  ‘I want to see their patrols, their defenses, the number of people they have. I don’t think they’ll challenge me if they see me walking around. But anyone else, including the Hawkoid, will tip them to our presence,’ Pik said, making his case. ‘Dal will stay here with you in case a patrol appears. He will chase them away.’

  ‘I don’t know about your plan,’ Micah said in her thought voice. ‘We should prepare an ambush for the time Braden attacks.’

  The anxious glances between the companions told Micah what they were thinking. They weren’t sure that Braden was going to make it. They knew how hard their path had been without encountering any resistance. Ending the Overlords would end their control over their minions, the Lizard Men, cold-water crocs, Bat-Ravens, and the sharkfish. Micah sighed heavily.

  ‘Maybe attacking is the best thing to do. We didn’t come all this way to sit back and watch the Overlords attack our family and friends. Go, Pik, and find out what you can. We’ll prepare to attack, but we have to give Braden one more turn. We have to…’ Micah’s thoughts drifted off.

  Pik nodded crisply, waited for the others to find shelter, then walked casually forward. He held his head high, using his spear as a walking stick, showing no fear. He continued walking until he was lost from sight. The companions watched, listened, and sniffed the air as they settled in to wait.

  Just a Little Farther

  Braden fired quickly into the attackers, keeping them from getting too close. The Rabbits were behind him, firing to the sides, and Bronwyn was behind them, cowering from the sounds of battle.

  “To your left!” Braden yelled at the swordsmen as they battled a small a group to the rear. One of the women broke off, taking a couple steps to her left to meet the incoming warriors. Her blade whirled before her as she beat the spear tips to the side. With flicks of her wrist, the sword bit lightly into green chests and arms. She refused to move as they pressed in on her, willing to sacrifice themselves to defeat the human.

  She wasn’t ready to die. She started to jump and dodge, lining the Lizard Men up for killing strokes. Her movements became too quick to follow, and the enemy fell one by one until the last, realizing he was alone, turned to run. She swept low, cutting through both of his ankles. He fell face first into the mud and using only his arms, tried to crawl away.

  The swordsman didn’t revel in the kill, as she stepped onto his spear and drove her sword point through t
he middle of his back. She jumped aside, ready for the next attack, but there were no more. Her three fellow swordsmen gulped air as they tried to recover from the vicious attack.

  One last scream from G-War as he dodged and weaved, keeping two enemy warriors occupied as he slashed them over and over. They fell, as much to his claws as to his unbridled rage. Braden could feel it. Bronwyn rocked herself calm as she crouched behind the Rabbits. She could hear the thoughts of all during the fight. It was wearing her down. Her eyes were hollow and sunken, and her skin took on a gray pallor.

  Braden fired until he saw no more Lizard Men, near or far. Akhmiyar had lost two more warriors as the attack came from the front, where the friendly Amazonians continued to lead the group into the deepest part of the rainforest.

  Akhmiyar was wounded. Braden used the last of his numbweed on the injury while stitching wounds on all three of the Amazonian warriors. When Braden was finished, he pulled leaves from a nearby numbweed bush and stuffed them into his pouch. They would work in an emergency.

  Akhmiyar knew they were near to the Overlords’ stronghold. The enemy attacked with greater frequency the closer they got. They had stopped with the small group ambushes and started attacking with reckless abandon.

  “Akhmiyar says they are close. The Overlords are throwing their warriors away as they try to overwhelm us. He believes that they must be afraid, as they are so willing to waste the lives of their followers,” the little girl said emotionlessly. “Akhmiyar is sad at the loss of so many of his fellow Amazonians. He prays for a quick end to the killing.”