The Mark on his cheek tingled as he set his voice to resonate with the song of Qalān … soothing, smoothing, asking permission. At first the nexus was reluctant. It had many strong branches. And why should it obey this request to shut them off? Huldar refined his pitch to convey the benefits of harmony. Every time the gate was used the web would be strengthened, he explained, not reduced.
Abruptly, the pact was sealed and the portal was opened. The thrill of permission granted never paled. He stood and brushed the snow from his hands.
Duvät Gok grunted. “Don’t you feel the cold?”
“Yes,” Huldar said.
“You’re not shivering.”
“I accept it.” He shrugged. “The cold is not my concern right now.”
“You ignore it.” Duvät nodded as if he understood.
“No, I accept it.” Huldar knew the Tiamäti could never grasp it.
“Whatever.” Duvät rolled his eyes. “Are we going north now?”
“Are you sure this is what you want? It will be dangerously cold.”
“Just go.”
A pulse of bloody-mindedness tightened Huldar’s lips. Although a direct order from the Overlord could be ignored where the welfare of the crew was an issue, Duvät Gok should see what he meant when he said something was unsafe. “Stand closer would you? This is hard enough as it is.”
With a sullen grunt, Duvät huddled nearer and together they stepped onto the side of a mountain deep in snow. Here, it was sunrise, and pale new light sparkled over creaking glaciers. Far away, the ocean bulged as an ice-river calved into its turgid, floe-bound waters. There was no sign of life. No ebb and flow of psychic conversation, no emotional under-stories, nothing to not-hear or shield his thoughts from; only peace. For a moment, Huldar stood and bathed in the stillness.
Duvät hugged himself tight, shocked by the raw power of the cold. “By the Breath, Huldar! Get me out of here before I freeze solid!”
Huldar wrapped his scarf around his face. His limbs were already starting ache.
“Get on with it!” Duvät snapped.
“Breathless moron,” Huldar muttered to himself. “Maybe next time he’ll understand.” But his anger was as much for himself. For the sake of giving the Overlord a shake-up he might have killed them both.
He spotted a bright point in the local energy field and started toward it. He’d hoped the walk would warm them up, but the result was disappointing.
Once more, he immersed himself in planetary Qalān, seeking a quick exit to warmer climes. During previous negotiations he’d sensed the possibility of a gate that would return them directly to the Central Continent. Duvät’s impatience beat against him, but the process could not be hurried. Engrossed in his work, Huldar could hardly feel the ferocious cold, but soon it was as if a thick blanket muffled his thinking, growing heavier by the second.
The branch was there. He forced himself to focus, each step thorough and sure. If the portal was not correctly negotiated they could end up lost in Qalān, unable to extricate themselves, and they would die there.
“Come on!” Duvät rasped, but Huldar barely heard. He was tired. He wanted to sleep so badly. Something slumped into the snow beside him. A voice was singing and he was almost surprised to find it was his.
Suddenly, the way was open. He grasped Duvät Gok’s arm and dragged him, half falling through the gate and stumbled into darkness.
His teeth were beyond chattering.
Far ahead he could see the orange glow of a fire and his mind reached out, Casco! Help!
When Casco answered, Huldar was so relieved he could have wept. It didn’t seem right to die on the very first day of their new assignment.
On our way! Casco answered. Stay with me … just trying to locate … got you! We’ll be there soon!
He had an impression of Casco and the two healers running, but didn’t have the strength to keep the contact open.
Duvät Gok lay unconscious in his arms. He looked down at his face; limp hair pale in the light of the moons, skin tinged blue with cold. High, flat cheekbones and fleshy hooked nose, heavy eyebrows and coarse lips … features typical of Clan Gok. He strained to find beauty there. The effort was too much.
He felt as if weights were pulling his eyes closed. He wanted to sleep but knew he mustn’t. His mind wandered to their new diviner … had they played the tent-rope trick on her?
“Casco won’t make her sleep outside,” he murmured. “No, he wouldn’t. When I get back I’ll tell her the charm … but she’s smarter than you think, my friend, she might have worked it out by herself.”
He hugged the Overlord, trying to find warmth, but his strength was fading. “I should have turned back,” he whispered. No one should be this cold …
MEETING SPACE
A freezing draft whistled through the marquee as the door was pushed aside. Andel wrapped her coat tighter as Lind strode toward the bright flames in the central fire-pit, hands held out to the warmth. Hot tea and honey-cakes waited on a wooden trestle toward the rear where Tam had set up the kitchen area. The stout cook leaned toward Lind as she reached for a cake. “Just three days since we got here,” he muttered, “and already there’s lives almost lost. Arko!” He pointed at the fire. “More wood, please. And I need more coals for the cookfire.”
Arko looked at their skimpy pile of firewood. “Casco says we have to ration it until the snows lift and there’s more to be found.”
“I’ll deal with Casco,” Tam said. “You get wood. And hurry! Lord Huldar will be here soon.”
“Just keep that Breathless Gok from my sight!” said Lind.
The brothers, Topper and Bush, looked up from their plate of cakes.
“I doubt he’ll show his face for a while,” said one.
“This’ll be his excuse,” said the other. “Mark my words, he’ll not do another lick of work for the next three years.”
Topper aimed another little cake at his mouth. “So, what’s changed!” He laughed.
“Shush!” Sari frowned at them. “They’re almost here.”
She looked up as the tent flaps parted. Huldar entered with Casco close behind, observing his every movement. Andel winced as he lowered himself painfully onto the rugs around the fire. With a brusque gesture Casco signaled Sari to bring tea and cakes, and she obeyed with barely a blink.
The healer, Ubaid of Naghar, entered quietly and waited within easy call.
Huldar’s hands were still swollen from their icy ordeal and fumbled painfully with the mug. His thanks rasped from lips cracked and raw. Part of Andel wanted to look away, but the blue of his eyes blazed from the redness of his face and she stared as if mesmerized. Flakes of dead skin clung to his cheeks. His long, shapely nose was raw like meat. When he seemed about to speak, the Uri’madu clustered closer. The specter of Joumelät Enna hovered in their thoughts.
Huldar pushed his face into a smile. “Ubaid of Naghar assures me that I … that Duvät Gok and I … will make a full recovery.” He raised his hand to forestall comment. “In the meantime, there is work to do despite the shortage of available portals. We will have to walk overland until I am well enough to resume that task. As you know, Uri’madu means ‘planet walker’ in the ancient tongue of the navigators, so this will be a chance to live up to our name.”
“Tam might lose some weight!” Arko muttered, but few responded to his attempt at humor.
“As the weather warms,” Huldar continued, “we will travel to the Eastern Continent, then from there to the Southern Archipelago. As the thaw gains pace, many of the southern islands will be submerged beneath rising sea levels. Some will keep their heads above water, and it is those we will try our utmost to get to.
“The north will only be open for eight weeks either side of the summer solstice, but the Imperial scryer had high hopes of gold deposits in the sub-polar ranges, and Duvät Gok insists we explore there … So, as you see, our itinerary will be dictated by the ebb and flow of extremes. But before we venture onto other
continents, there is work to be done on this one.”
Huldar bowed his head and breathed deeply. Ubaid of Naghar took a step closer. Casco looked at Ubaid, but the healer gave a small shake of his head.
When Huldar resumed his briefing, the Uri’madu leaned closer to hear his voice.
“This central continent has a circular inland sea. Are we camping on the edge of a caldera,” he asked, “or is it an old impact crater? We need to know. Volcanism will be increasing as the ice lifts. Expect tremors. Beware of potential eruptions. Sea levels will rise rapidly. We have already seen the violence of the storms. Flash flooding … tornadoes … be aware of the signs. Never go far from camp on your own. All expeditions are to be undertaken with three of you, minimum. You know the drill, people. You know the dangers.”
Andel found herself nodding with her team-mates.
“We know the dangers,” Sari said to her quietly. “You can never be too cautious, Lady Andel.”
Andel’s breath caught as Huldar looked directly at her. “Tsemkarun Andel, the volcano on the ranges opposite – go with Casco, Lind and Cobar to assess the risks of eruption. You are in charge. Anything to do with the geology of this planet is your domain.”
Her heart raced. “I’ll be in charge?” she murmured.
“In charge?” Sari echoed. “Well, of course, Lady Andel. You’re an archangel.” She smiled. “Don’t worry, Casco will look after you.”
Huldar turned to the healer. “Ubaid of Naghar, you and Sari should stay nearby and search out edible plants. The sooner we can supplement our diet with fresh food, the better.
“Tam, basecamp, of course – you and Arko. You have the inventory. Water is rationed until a fresh source can be located.
“Bush and Topper, that’s your department. Go do that thing you do with finding water. Priority to a well near here, but we’ll relocate if we must.” He eyed one of the two barrel-chested Rukh. “Take Gento with you for muscle – all right, big fella?”
Gento grinned and flexed his biceps. “I’ll keep them safe, boss. Don’t witter yourself!”
Huldar’s brief smile cracked the scabs on his lips, but he continued speaking as if he felt no pain. “And you two! Nachiel and Ronnin, do the expedition day-packs and see that all kits are up to scratch. Ask Tam or Arko if you need something. Don’t just take it.”
The couple glanced at each other. Tam and Arko slowly nodded.
Huldar gazed at the Uri’madu, each in turn. “Any questions?”
Tam stepped forward. “What did this to you?” he asked, and others murmured with him.
“Was it just the cold,” said Nachiel, “or are there monsters out there that we should know about?”
“The cold,” Huldar replied. “Northern portal damn near froze us to death.”
“Have you sensed any predators?”
“None so far, but the weather is a predator in its own right.”
Andel nodded in agreement. “He’s right about that, Sari,” she murmured. “Those last two storms were ferocious … One minute the sun was shining, the next, horizontal snow – and the wind!”
“The wind, yes. Didn’t we run for cover!”
“But there’s a wildness in it,” Andel added. “Exhilarating, don’t you think?”
Sari looked at her strangely. “Exhilarating? Maybe not the word I’d have used.”
“That’s not to say that there are no predators,” Huldar continued. “They could be hibernating, or not viable until the ambient temperature rises.”
“… Like Duvät Gok,” Tam murmured.
“Oh,” Huldar paused, “and the Overlord has asked that you keep your reports up to date.”
“There’s a surprise,” Gento grunted.
“Speaking of predators …”
Casco bent to help Huldar to his feet, but he shook his head. “Thanks, Casco, but I can manage on my own.” He turned to them again. “With Ubaid to look after me, I’ll be back to my best in a few days and ready to make more portals for us. Meantime, keep one eye on the weather and never let this fire go out.”
Ubaid held the tent flap aside, admitting a shaft of golden light, and Huldar walked stiffly toward it. For a moment he was silhouetted against the outer world, then the door closed.
Casco watched the exit for several moments, then wandered over to Andel. In his measuring grey-blue gaze she glimpsed great intelligence, but she sensed a life of hardship and wondered if her suspicions about his mixed heritage were true. He was certainly tall enough, and the texture of his skin was surprisingly fine, but his eyes had round pupils like any other angel would have.
“You are not as tall as most archangels, Lady Andel.” Casco held her gaze. “That does not mean that you are of mixed blood.”
Andel’s cheeks flamed. “I’m sorry, Casco. I didn’t mean for you to hear my thoughts.”
“I didn’t.”
“My apologies.” She nodded a bow.
“No matter.” He looked around as Lind and Cobar joined them, then returned to Andel. “What do you want us to do?” he asked.
Andel fought back feelings of awkwardness. “Oh, um, Casco, can we work together on this?”
Casco’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “We are working together,” he replied, and they waited, the three of them measuring her now.
“Umm …” She thought of years spent divining in the field, always knowing beforehand where she should look. “Do we have maps to work from?”
“Rudimentary, but I have one here.” With a whisper of song, Casco whisked the Imperial Scryer’s drawing from his personal Qalān and handed it to her.
“Let me see,” Andel murmured. Two major continents were outlined; the central one they were on, and a second, much larger one to the east. There was an island continent to the west – an elongated blob surrounded by endless oceans – and the top of a vast archipelago to the south. The rest was covered in ice. There were few details.
She put her finger where the Djan’rū was marked. “This is our Djan’rū?”
Casco nodded. “It’s the only one.”
The mountain range rough-sketched to the north-west of the rune must be the mountains they could see on the other side of the valley. Several of those peaks looked to be volcanic, but the prospect of walking through miles of virgin scrub to reach them was daunting.
“We should cross the plain here …” She traced her finger across the chart. “But it’s a long walk.”
“I have some farsight, Lady Andel,” Casco said. “I can scout the path ahead. Lind, here,” he placed his hand on the wiry angel’s shoulder, “has a good eye for detail. Show her what to look for and she’ll not miss it.”
“And you, Cobar?” Andel addressed the burly Rukh standing with them.
Cobar studied her for a moment then rumbled, “I make sure we all survive.”
“Oh.”
Casco nodded. “All Rukh are warriors.”
And Cobar is no exception, Andel thought to herself. I’ve never seen such massive arms … or shoulders! She looked to the tent flap. “Well, let’s go to the bluff,” she said. “From there, I can show you where I want to go first.
As they stood on the plateau’s edge, Andel tried not to look down. A cold wind sighed among the boulders, tugging at their coats. “There!” She pointed across the basin to the string of snow-covered peaks that stretched from horizon to horizon. One in particular caught her eye. It was tall and conical, the classic shape of an active volcano.
“Casco, if we find somewhere comfortable for you to work, can you scout the way? Then, Lind and Cobar, once we know how long the walk will take, if you could organize supplies?”
Cobar squinted at the mountains. “Two days. No more,” he said.
“Are you used to walking overland?”
He nodded, then looked her up and down as if questioning her ability to do the same.
Andel frowned. If they imagined her incapable of a long-distance trek, they’d be mistaken.
Lind bumped Cobar�
��s ribs. “She’s got nowhere to hide now. Stuck here for the duration like the rest of us.”
The comment rang over-loud. Andel was dumfounded. “Excuse me?”
Casco and Cobar scowled at their team-mate.
Lind shrugged. “It’s a joke, right? … Sorry.” She lowered her head in a brief bow but Andel was not convinced. She turned to Casco. “If you can you scope the best path for us, please? I’ll leave you to it. We’ll set off tomorrow at dawn. Pack supplies for the journey there and back, plus two days’ surveying and one day spare.”
“Breakfast first.” Lind lifted her palms. “Can’t walk on an empty gut.”
“She’s right, Lady Andel,” Casco said. “It would be best to eat before we go.”
Andel frowned, all too aware of her inexperience. “Well, of course! Please, tell Tam we will eat before first light. The sooner we get going, the sooner we’ll find what we need to know.”
Casco’s eyebrows lifted. “Very well. I’ll tell Tam. Daybreak it is.”
“Thank you, everyone,” said Andel. “We’ll talk again after the evening meal. If there are any problems, come to me straight away.”
They nodded and took their leave, but Andel remained, gazing out over the plain. A patchwork of foliage covered the ground: mostly green, but she noticed purples and ochers, and areas of deeper green that could denote swampy ground. What dangers would they find? Bogs and sinkholes … strange creatures hungry from hibernation and ready to eat anything in their path? The cacophony of shrieks and calls that issued from below told her anything was possible. She sat with her back to a boulder and wrapped her coat tight. Although she was no stranger to rough terrain, part of her quailed at the prospect of walking through uncharted wilderness – but even more unpleasant would be doing so in the company of an antagonistic team-mate. Lind’s attitude was mystifying, but she was right about one thing; the navigator was gone. There was no backing out of this assignment now.
JOURNEY TO THE VOLCANO
In the pre-dawn gloom, Andel hurried toward the marquee where her team was waiting. Lind stood by the door. A steaming mug of tea sat beside her on top of a lumpy bag. Three more such packages waited in a haphazard line. Inside the sturdy leathers, Casco and Cobar stood with their backs to the fire and shoveled down breakfast from wide bowls clasped in their hands. From behind a bubbling cauldron, Tam greeted her with a welcome smile and dolloped a large portion of soft brown porridge into a bowl.
Planet Walkers Page 3