Nomad Omnibus 01_A Kurtherian Gambit Series

by Craig Martelle

  Oh, to be young again, Margie Rose thought.

  Terry and Char greeted Mark on the steps since Clyde needed to go out. Mark didn’t want to go inside, although they invited him in.

  Terry had to know. “What happened to your face?”

  “James beat me up, because I was badmouthing you, sir,” Mark said, straightforward. Terry rolled his finger, expecting Mark to explain further. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  The reply was without any hesitation, “That was my mistake, Mark. We should have told you. I trust you with the security of New Boulder, and that’s not something to be taken lightly. I had hoped that would have been enough, but I should have known better. Please accept my apology,” Terry said and put his hand out.

  Mark didn’t know what to do. He had actually come to do the apologizing. “But I’m at fault. I should simply follow orders.”

  Terry kept his hand up, “Not at all. You need to know as much as possible to make the best decisions you can, decisions that could be the difference between life and death. There are times to blindly follow orders, but this wasn’t one of them. You will know the difference when you receive such orders and more importantly, when you have to give such orders. Your people have to trust you that you are looking out for the best interest of the mission first, then them, while doing your best to balance both of those.”

  Mark thought for a moment, then took Terry’s hand and shook it. He saluted and started jogging away.

  “Well done, Colonel,” Char said as she grabbed his butt and squeezed. “Nice and firm, just how I like them.”

  ***

  Billy asked Clemson if in his travels he knew people who could help set up a small reception in honor of the two weddings. Clemson didn’t hesitate as he said his family would take care of it. He was off like a shot and in no time, Clan Weathers showed up and took over the kitchen. Billy had pulled a few things from the freezer and they were thawing, but Claire insisted that was nowhere near enough. She went to work ordering her kids about, while sending Clemson running to the far ends of the town to find people with tables and chairs that they could set up outside.

  Billy tried to stop her, but she shooed him away without listening. Felicity watched with amusement. She was more than happy to surrender the kitchen to a professional. Little did Billy know, she’d been winging it these past couple years.

  But Billy did know and he appreciated the fact that she tried. He also tried. Neither of them were very good cooks. Maybe they’d hire someone to cook. They did have a city to run, or maybe support Claire and Antioch as they started a restaurant.

  “A restaurant!” Billy said out loud. Felicity had been thinking along the very same lines.

  “I couldn’t agree more, Billy dear. Are we about to enter the entrepreneurial world?” she asked.

  “I don’t know what that means, but I think we should start a business!”

  “We should support those with the ability, make it possible. Can you imagine? Being able to go out to eat? And we could take the car!” Felicity beamed as she thought about it.

  “The modern world, my dear,” Billy said. “We’ll make it better than it was before, with the support of my security chief, Terry Henry Walton.”

  Felicity raised her eyebrows as she looked at her husband. “Your security chief?” she asked. “He lets you do this part of it and he does the other stuff. I’m pretty sure he just told you that he works for the people who live in outer space. You just need to be happy that he’s bringing us along for the ride. Would those delightful people, Claire and Antioch, be here if it weren’t for TH? How much of this would be here?”

  “Fuck me,” Billy replied. Felicity stormed up to Billy and pushed their daughter in his face.

  “Go ahead,” she drawled angrily. “Kiss your baby with that mouth. I do declare, Billy Spires, you are the most foul-mouthed cretin I have ever had the displeasure of listening to.”

  Billy kissed Marcie on the forehead as she fussed. He took her from Felicity and held the baby in front of him. One little baby changed everything, or maybe, because everything changed, the baby became possible.

  “I will do my very best to not swear in front of our little girl,” Billy promised.

  “And me?”

  “And you, love of my life,” Billy said, trying to sound romantic, but his gruff voice took off most of the shine. Felicity appreciated the effort. Billy generally didn’t make promises because he always tried to keep his word.

  Billy bounced the baby while Felicity joined Claire in the kitchen to talk about what the first restaurant in New Boulder would look like. Billy left them to it and went outside into the heat. He covered Marcie’s head with a cloth to keep the sun from burning her pale skin.

  Walking around to the backside of his home, he found a buzz of activity that spilled beyond his yard and into the adjoining street. He never knew there were that many tables in all of New Boulder. He started counting chairs and stopped when he realized that the entire town was destined to show. More than three hundred people could attend.

  Antioch greeted the mayor cordially.

  “So, will you have everything you need?” Billy asked, having no idea what the reception’s details were.

  “I have all the faith in the world in my lovely bride,” Antioch said grinning.

  “Which means that you know as little about this as I do,” Billy suggested.

  “Exactly. Grab the reins and hang on, Mayor. Claire is driving this stage coach, and she only knows one speed.”

  Terry’s going to be pissed when he sees this, Billy thought.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  It wasn’t even midday when Terry and Char left Margie Rose’s house.

  Their plan was to go to the plant and help with any last minute arrangements, then casually stroll back to the mayor’s house.

  Margie Rose assured them that she could make the walk to the reception without any problems at all and that she would join the happy couple well before the formal part of the afternoon began.

  Terry and Char decided to walk, rather than ride the horses and leave them tied up for days. After the reception, they’d take the plant offline and Terry and Char would be there, working side by side with their people, the engineer, and the mechanic.

  As with most military engagements, no plan survives first contact.

  As soon as Clyde saw the Weathers’ kids, he ran to them, going as fast as his dog legs would carry him. That started a scrum that Antioch was happy to watch, just until Claire started yelling through the open kitchen window. The old man limped around, swinging his cane at the dog and his kids with equal vigor.

  They easily danced out of the way, and no one was hit, but they got the message.

  Terry was appalled at the set up. “By all that’s holy, what the fuck?” he asked Char. She started to laugh and had to stop walking as she doubled over, laughing so hard she started to cough. He looked about, his eyes the size of small saucers, “But I just wanted something small!”

  When Char was able to speak, she tried to explain. “This isn’t about you, honey.”

  And that was it.

  This left Terry as confused as he always seemed to be when dealing with matters well outside his expertise. He perused his memory for anything that could help him, but had never read a book that mentioned something similar to what he was encountering there.

  Nothing.

  Char snickered as the various expressions of Terry’s confusion crossed his face.

  “I got nothing,” he replied and headed toward Antioch for a better explanation. Char followed. She had an idea what would be said and wanted to confirm it.

  “Antioch, my old friend, what gives?” Terry asked as he pointed to all of the commotion.

  “Congratulations, Terry, Char. I’m glad you two finally stopped living in sin,” the old man said, smiling. His white teeth seemed radiant under the midday sun.

  Terry cocked his head, and Antioch sighed. “Don’t ask me, man. I’m only
doing what Claire told me.”

  Terry nodded and turned to go inside but a voice came from inside the house. “You just stay out there and help Antioch! But you—” The old woman pointed at Char with her wooden spoon. “—come right in here so we can see the blushing bride’s radiance!”

  It was Terry’s turn to chuckle as Char rolled her eyes at him. She surrendered to the situation and went inside. Antioch had morphed from master of setup to the concierge as people streamed in with various dishes. He set up a line to optimize traffic flow for when the well-wishers were turned loose to the buffet.

  “Where do you want the stage for your ceremony?” Antioch asked. Terry had no intention of answering. “You know, I used to be a deacon at my church in the before time. Billy Spires asked if I’d perform the service. I take it as a kindness that he thought of me. I am honored to marry you and your lovely fiancé.”

  Terry closed his eyes. A bird was singing nearby. The sounds of people shuffling, talking, and banging things seemed muffled. He detected a hint of skunk. Clyde must not have been too far away. And a bouquet of flowers. Despite the year’s drought, Felicity’s flowers were growing. The heat beat down on him, and he could feel one bead of sweat as it trickled from his forehead and down the side of his face.

  Since getting biblical with Char, his core body temperature had risen, and now, he radiated almost as much heat as she did.

  He wondered if he was becoming a Werewolf. He thought it interesting, but hoped it wasn’t the case. There was already enough dog hair in his room to choke a goat. He wondered if Clyde expended all of his energy growing hair that he could shed, leaving a trail wherever he went.

  “Are you okay?” Antioch asked. Terry slowly opened his eyes, seeing the concern on the old man’s face.

  “All I wanted was a small reception, that’s it. Char said that this wasn’t about us, and I don’t understand that statement at all. I would have thought this,” he pointed around again, “about nothing but us,” Terry confided.

  Antioch tapped the back of a chair, motioning for Terry to sit down. Terry sat backwards, like he was always did, resting his forearms on the chair’s back.

  “This is about the town celebrating all the good in their lives, brought to them specifically by their two most favorite people. Since you are marrying each other, what’s not to like? And then the mayor and Felicity, too? All kinds of good happening here, my friend, thanks to you.” The chair groaned under Antioch’s weight.

  “Simple as that?” Terry asked.

  “Simple as that,” the old man replied, before targeting one of his kids and yelling. “Alabama! Get that dog out of there!”

  “The SEC. You crack me up, Antie,” Terry said, standing and putting his chair back under the table. “I’m hungry. You think Miss Claire has anything I might be able to grab?”

  “Not if you want to keep your hand. Claire’s pretty good with a butcher knife,” Antioch dead-panned.

  Terry left the old man to direct the new arrivals carrying all manner of dishes.

  He walked up the steps and slowly looked in before committing to opening the door. Besides Claire, Char, and Felicity, there were four other women in the kitchen. Terry didn’t know their names but the bustle of activity suggested that if he stepped into the middle of it, he would upset the work flow and get tossed out on his ear.

  From the top step he called in, “Char, I’m going to run to the plant. I’ll be back in a bit.” Char looked at him like she wanted to go too, but didn’t let the others see her. She smiled pleasantly for them.

  “Don’t you dare be late for our special day, Terry Henry Walton,” Char said suggestively. The others cackled and snorted. He expected he’d been the butt of jokes the entire time and this only added fuel to the Terry fire. He nodded and closed the door.

  He wanted to be anywhere but there, except he wanted to be someplace else with Char at his side. He stood on the top step and watched Char, who hadn’t taken her eyes from him.

  She mouthed the words “I love you,” and that gave him all he needed. He smiled and waved back, mouthing his reply, before beating a hasty retreat.

  It wouldn’t do for the women to see him looking all shmoopy.

  He left hungry.

  ***

  After running past most of Denver, which lay in ruins to the east, Timmons called a halt. They’d been traveling through suburbs for the past hour, so the running was easier as they stuck to the old roadways. They stayed at a higher elevation to take advantage of the cooler weather as well. Although it was still hot, it was nowhere near as hot as the central hills of Mexico.

  There were times during that part of the pack’s run that Timmons thought he’d die, even with his Werewolf strength.

  The heat was brutal. Timmons believed that this was measuring up to be the hottest year since the fall. He didn’t know if it was an anomaly or if the heat was going to be the new normal.

  He hoped not.

  The others seemed unfazed by it. They were drinking from a small stream that trickled out of the mountains. The crystal clear water was cool and refreshing. Timmons took his turn last, as good leaders should. The pack was starting to defer to him more and more as he solidified his position. He always thought there was an alpha within, but now he knew for certain.

  He had what it took to lead this pack or any pack.

  He growled, his lip curling of its own accord as he remembered the last beating that Marcus had given him. That wouldn’t happen again. Timmons was the faster wolf. He’d run circles around the great beast, wear him down until he could make the killing blow.

  And then he would have Char. The other males had partnered with the She-Wolves, leaving him on his own. The alpha couldn’t be without. He could always take, but that would be a fight and fracture their small pack.

  He couldn’t have that. He would have Charumati and then it would be done. He’d lead the pack north, as far as it took to get out of the god-forsaken heat.

  Timmons drank his fill, then checked on the rest, finally deciding to change back into Were form to wait for the others to finish it, to finish their run and begin the next phase of the pack’s existence. He looked at the bags of gunpowder they had recovered. They had enough to blow up even the most diligent of Werewolves.

  He was going into that town no matter what. If they sensed the other Werewolves, perfect. If they didn’t, then they’d go and ask someone until they were pointed in the right direction.

  Then the chase would be on.

  ‘The game is afoot,’ as Sherlock Holmes would say. You can run, but you can’t hide, Timmons thought. I will fuck you up and you won’t even see it coming.

  ***

  Sweat rivers carved trails through the dirt crusted over the engineer’s exposed skin.

  Terry was surprised to see the man working so hard. Lacy and James were already there. The rest of the platoon planned to arrive closer to the time of the shutdown. Lacy wore an old torn coverall that was far too large, but she looked as happy as could be.

  James seemed pleased to be elbow deep in some piece of machinery that they were dismantling.

  Terry wondered why they’d started already.

  The mechanic stopped by to answer the question that Terry had yet to ask. “Secondary transformer. We’re getting ahead of the game. We’ll install it as soon as we drop the juice and start tearing the generator apart, exposing the steam-driven turbine. Then we’ll finally know how much work we have in front of us.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help out?” Terry asked.

  “Absolutely not. We’re going to wrap things up here in just a few and head down to the party ourselves! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Congratulations, by the way. You have yourself one fine woman there, that’s for sure,” the mechanic said, beaming, before diving in to help James and Lacy.

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Terry stated cryptically.

  He felt like he’d been dismissed so he walked around the plant, surprised t
o find Billy’s car parked next to the generator. The engineer caught up with him.

  “We’re finished with what we’re doing and everyone is washing up. Is there anything you need?” the engineer asked.

  What could I possibly need? Terry thought. “No, but maybe you can tell me why Billy’s car gets a front row seat to the tear down?”

  “Billy’s car is our backup generator in case we need light, power, use the DC converter that we have hooked up, or just jam some tunes!” The engineer gave the thumbs up as he hurried away.

  “We’ve put our eggs in the basket carried by a couple nutcases. Maybe the fumes in here are doing weird things to their brains…” Terry contemplated out loud.

  With nothing else to do, he took a slow stroll back to the mayor’s house. The last thing he wanted was a spectacle, but that was what he was going to get.

  He shook his head, walking as if he were going to his own funeral instead of a marriage to an incredible creature. He knew that he should have been happy, but his peak came when he felt free to love another. He didn’t need the pomp and circumstance.

  He only wanted to be with Charumati and get lost in those purple eyes of hers.

  “Where in the hell is my dog?” he thought, remembering that Clyde never followed him to the plant. “If you went table surfing, I’ll have your hide, you stinky mongrel!”

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  Activity bustled around them, but left Margie Rose and Char to themselves.

  “I made this special for you, dear. Starting on it the first week you moved in. I’ve been hiding it and was starting to lose faith. You two are such odd ducks! But here we are,” Margie Rose said pleasantly as they stood in the mayor’s house.

  The old woman carried a wedding dress, close to the traditional white but with numerous splashes of color, probably due to fabric availability. Char had never envisioned herself wearing a wedding dress. She was far from traditional when it came to relationships.

  She was as far as a Werewolf could stray from human-based relationships. One hundred years and finally, she found someone who she could be with and feel fulfilled, feel like a partner on a great journey.