by Tom Hunter
“We need to go faster–one of them’s almost level with us,” yelled Shafira in panic. “Josh, you have to get us out of here. Swerve or something. Anything!”
“DON’T swerve, Samuel!” Josh ordered as he started tinkering again. “It’s hard enough for me to keep my balance as it is. The best thing you can do is to keep your foot on the gas and hope that we’ll maintain enough speed to stay one step ahead. One step’s all we need.”
“Samuel!” screamed Shafira as the raider pulled up alongside the skimmer and launched himself at her. Reflexively, she jerked back as the raider landed on the trunk and grinned, picking his way through the loose ropes that had held the crates in place to get closer. Pulling a gun out of his robe, he took aim at her.
“Enough!” Akhenaton hit the raider with a crowbar he’d wrenched from one of the crates. The blow forced the man to drop the gun as he fell down, but he managed to grab at the ropes and pull himself back up. The raider took out a large Bowie knife, its six inch blade gleaming in the sun as he sized up Akhenaton, who jumped up onto the flat area at the back of the skimmer. The two men took stock of each other, as the raider suddenly feinted at Akhenaton with his dagger. Akhenaton jumped back as the raider, sensing an advantage, ran forward to impale Akhenaton on his blade.
At the last moment, Akhenaton dodged to the side, kicking out at the raider’s legs to sweep them out from under him. As the man fell, Akhenaton swiftly followed up his kick with a hearty shove, pushing the man off the skimmer. He screamed as he fell underneath one of the skimmer’s jets, rolling away to avoid being burned.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Akhenaton ducked as a volley of shots came at him from the skimmer. He turned to see Basile firing wildly at their pursuers.
“Basile!” he yelled. “Watch where you’re shooting! You almost took my head off!”
“Sorry!” shouted Basile, as the gun clicked empty. “I was just trying to help.”
“And that’s why my Order doesn’t deal with guns,” muttered Akhenaton, as he jumped back into one of the seats.
“And we’re done!” called Josh in triumph, crawling back to the driver’s position and slamming the hood shut. The unhealthy whine of the engine returned to its usual roar. “Hold tight, everyone. I’m getting us out of here.”
He took hold of the wheel and flicked a switch to give the engine a temporary boost. The force of acceleration pushed everyone back in their seats, Basile yelping at the impact on his arm.
“Er… Josh.” Samuel tugged at his sleeve. “You might want to watch it with the speed. Look over there.”
The adventurers all looked in the direction he was pointing.
“Are you kidding me?” gasped Josh as he saw a deep chasm splitting the desert sand up ahead. It stretched out on either side of them as far as the eye could see, forming a natural barrier that marked the end of the raiders’ territory.
“Is there any way round it?” asked Shafira as she frantically looked from side to side, searching for an end to the gorge.
“Going by the behavior of our ‘friends’, I’d say that they’ve been herding us in this direction,” observed Samuel. “If we travel along the chasm to try and find its end, chances are high that we’ll find ourselves running into more raiders.”
Josh tapped a finger against the steering wheel as he considered their options.
“If we can’t go round, we’ll have to go over,” he decided, glancing over at Samuel, who nodded his approval.
“You can’t be serious!” gasped Waleed when he realized what they were planning on.
“It’s either this or throw you out to keep the raiders quiet,” Samuel told him. “I’m sure you’d serve as a nice little distraction while the rest of us get away. Your choice.”
Waleed sank down in his seat, closing his eyes and clasping his hands in prayer as Josh pushed the engine to its limits.
“Over there!” Samuel nudged Josh. “Do you think that’ll give you the lift you need?”
He pointed at a raised rocky outcrop that formed a rough slope pointing towards the gaping hole in the ground.
“It’s our only chance,” said Josh, swerving suddenly to aim the vehicle at the rocks.
Guessing their plan, the raiders started firing again as Shafira and Akhenaton threw more supplies at them in an attempt to cause a distraction, not caring what came to hand. Food, blankets, medical supplies, all went overboard. Nothing was safe in their desperate bid to fight off their attackers. One raider managed to pull alongside the skimmer, but Akhenaton threw a crate right at his head, causing him to go somersaulting over the handlebars of his bike.
“Hold tight everyone,” warned Josh. “It’s going to be a close one.”
“Wait!” cried Shafira as she threw herself into the rear row of seats, but it was too late. The skimmer was airborne, its engines straining at their limits.
“Aargh!” Akhenaton screamed as he lost his footing, falling heavily onto the back of the skimmer and sliding towards the edge. Just before he fell into the seemingly bottomless chasm beneath them, he grabbed hold of a loose rope. Clinging tightly, he ducked away from a crate full of supplies that had worked its way free and tumbled towards him. Narrowly missing the knight, it fell down into the pit, disappearing into the distance before anyone saw it land.
“Here–take my hand.” Shafira scrambled out to help Akhenaton, pulling on the rope to help bring him back into the skimmer. When he was close enough, she reached out, looking straight into his terrified eyes. Akhenaton clasped her hand, and Shafira pulled with all her might. Eventually, the knight was close enough to grab the outboard cargo platform on the rear of the skimmer, and haul himself in.
The skimmer was once again over solid ground, having crossed the chasm. There was a scream behind them as one of the raiders attempted to replicate their stunt. Unable to rev his bike up fast enough, he rose, and then began a slow, sickly arc into the void. The adventurers watched in horror as he disappeared into the darkness, his fellows pulling up safely before they reached the edge of the hole. A couple of them fired off a few half-hearted shots after the skimmer, but it was well out of their range. The raiders turned their bikes around, and sped off back into the desert.
“Woo-hoo!” cheered Waleed, fist pumping the air. “I knew we could do it!”
“Uh-huh.” Akhenaton rolled his eyes and shook his head. Shafira started to examine Basile, who’d passed out.
“Samuel, I think Basile’s in trouble,” she called out. “I don’t know whether it’s shock, blood loss or a combination of the two, but I can’t get him to wake up. We need to find somewhere to rest so we can take care of his injury. If we don’t, he could be in serious trouble.”
“Now isn’t the time to stop,” countered Josh. “We’ve lost the raiders for now, but for all we know, they might have built a way to cross the chasm further down and be right back on our trail before we know it. Do you think they’ll let us get away a second time? No, we need to put as much distance between us and them while it’s still daylight. You’ll just have to do the best you can until I find a good place for us to regroup.”
“It’s been a long time since I was put on patrol in this area and I was too distracted by fighting the raiders to pay attention to where they were herding us. However, now that we’ve crossed the chasm, I’m sure I know where we are. I’m pretty certain there’s an oasis not far from here,” Akhenaton told them. “It’s off the regular trails used by the Bedouin. We should be safe there, at least for a little while.”
“All right,” Samuel decided. “We’ll aim for that oasis. Akhenaton, we’re in your hands for now. Get us to safety.”
Twenty-One
The sun was setting over the horizon when Josh made out the sight of palm trees in the distance. He swerved to take the skimmer towards them. Soon, the party could see that Akhenaton had been right. Tucked away in a valley formed by the surrounding dunes was a small oasis. It was the perfect shelter to spend the night.
/> The wide, deep waters of the pool at the center of the hideaway looked ink-black in the dusk, while the few trees dotted about provided just enough shelter for Josh to park the skimmer and camouflage it among the foliage. As soon as the whine of the engine was gone, he popped the hood and started tinkering around with the mechanics, trying to avoid a repeat of the breakdown that had almost gotten them killed earlier.
Shafira and Samuel pulled out some sheets from a storage compartment of the skimmer, making a makeshift bed on the ground for Basile, who’d regained consciousness.
“Come on, old friend,” urged Samuel, gently helping Basile out of the skimmer. “Let’s get you patched up.”
He guided the engineer so that he was sitting on the ground, his back resting against the vehicle. The engines emitted a tink-tink sound as they cooled. Akhenaton rummaged through what remained of their supplies, to see if he could find any first aid equipment.
Shafira knelt down next to the wounded man, lightly moving his hand away from where he’d been pressing against his injury, so she could get a good look at the cut on his arm. Most of the blood had dried, although some was still oozing out, binding his shirt to the skin. Shafira winced in sympathy as she carefully pried the fabric away to reveal the extent of his injuries.
“Here you go. It’s all I could find.” Akhenaton gave her a first aid kit. Shafira pawed through the contents, looking for antiseptic wipes to clean away the blood. At last she found some, although they were woefully out of date.
“All right. Let’s see what we’ve got here.” She started to dab at the wound, trying not to hurt Basile any more. She tutted as the extent of his injuries became clear. “You’re lucky,” she finally told him. “It could have been a lot worse, although it could also have been better. From what I can tell, you’ve got a bullet lodged in your arm and I’m not even going to think about trying to remove it. You’re going to have an impressive scar, all right. On the plus side, I don’t think it’s shattered any bones or caused serious damage. The only real worry you’ve got is the possibility of infection.”
She looked in the first aid kit for a dressing, pressing a gauze pad to Basile’s arm. “Hold that there and raise your arm above your head,” she instructed. “Keep pressure on the wound. It’s almost stopped bleeding...”
“You’re quite the nurse,” Basile observed as Shafira worked her magic. “Have you had medical training?”
“No.” Shafira smiled and shook her head. “I mean, I went on a first aid course for work, but I’ve never had any ambition to go into medicine.”
“So where did you learn how to treat a gunshot wound?”
“Ah.” Shafira reached up to bring Basile’s arm down, starting to layer wound closure strips along the laceration to help with the healing. “Let’s just say that living with my older brother, Yusuf, I got quite an education. Much as he has a talent for bringing trouble down on himself, I could never bring myself to abandon him to the wrath of our parents, so it fell to me to help him out and avoid making things worse for him. If my parents knew about half of the injuries I’ve treated, Yusuf would have probably been grounded for life! You know, I always thought that he’d eventually learn how to stay out of hot water, but somehow, drama always seemed to follow him, despite his best intentions.”
She placed a fresh gauze pad over the wound and then wrapped a bandage tightly around Basile’s forearm to protect the injury. “There you go,” she announced. “I would say as good as new, but it’s not quite there. I’ve done my best, but you’re going to need actual medical treatment from a real doctor when we get back to civilization.”
“Bien sur,” nodded Basile, visibly relaxing now that Shafira had finished with his arm. “Does anyone mind if we take an hour or two to rest before getting back into the skimmer? I’ve had a hell of a day and I could really do without adding travel sickness to the mix. I don’t think any of you would thank me if I vomited all over the seats. The skimmer smells bad enough as it is.”
“I think that would be a good idea. You really should be guarding that arm from any bumps,” agreed Shafira, but Akhenaton shook his head.
“We’re not far enough away from the raiders yet,” he pointed out. “This oasis might be off the beaten track, but it’s still one of the only reliable sources of water in the area and we’re kidding ourselves if we don’t think the raiders know about this place. We need to keep moving if we’re going to stay safe, or at least as safe as we’re ever going to be on this quest.”
“Basile needs to heal,” Shafira argued. “I’m concerned that the wound needs to be checked out by someone better qualified than me just in case, but it would be better for him to rest before we search for a medic. If he gets bashed and crashed about because we’ve jumped straight into the skimmer, it could increase his chances of developing an infection and I don’t have the drugs to be able to deal with that. Heck, I barely had enough bandages in the kit to cover the wound as it is. We lost too much stuff throwing it at the raiders to keep them at bay. We should have paid more attention to what we were tossing overboard.”
“Which is another reason why we should hit the road,” Akhenaton countered. “We can’t rely on Josh’s driving skills to keep us safe and it’s pretty clear that we were lucky to survive our first encounter with the raiders. We’re deluding ourselves if we think we can deal with a repeat performance.”
“Hey!” protested Josh, coming to join the conversation. “If it wasn’t for the pile of crap your Order gave us, my driving skills would be more than enough to keep us out of the clutches of the raiders. As it is, I agree with Akhenaton. The sooner we hit the road, the better. I’ve gone over the engines and other machinery as best I can, and I think they’ll hold at least until we reach the dig site. I’d rather get going while I’m still confident in my repairs than give the skimmer time to develop yet another fault. I swear that thing is breaking down on purpose! I wouldn’t be surprised if it sprang another leak while we’re cooling our heels here. At least if we keep going, every mile is a mile closer to the dig. Don’t you agree Waleed? After all, you were the one who wanted to get back to civilization.”
“Actually, I’m in support of my friend Basile.” Waleed’s words surprised everyone. “Look at him. It’s clear that he needs to rest. It would be cruel, nay, inhumane, to force him back into the skimmer before he’s ready. I think we should respect his wishes and stay here so that my friend can make a full recovery.”
Josh raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you ever care about anyone other than yourself?” he asked.
Waleed shrugged nonchalantly. “I won’t deny that there’s a selfish reason behind wanting to stay as well,” he admitted. “I’m not used to being in the line of fire. I usually get out before guns are drawn. Our recent encounter has left me more than a little shaken. I would like to have some time to recover from the shock. I can’t be the only one who feels that way, surely? And if I’m feeling bad, imagine how much worse poor Basile must be feeling. Samuel, what say you?”
Samuel looked round the group, taking in Basile’s anguished expression, and Shafira’s worried face.
“Sorry, guys,” he said to Akhenaton and Josh. “I can’t force Basile back on the road, not until he’s had a chance to recuperate at least a little. Come on–I can’t be the only one who doesn’t want to listen to his cries of anguish every five minutes, can I? He complains enough at the best of times as it is!”
Josh shook his head in disgust, Samuel’s attempt at a joke doing nothing to pacify him.
“Look, we’ll only stick around for an hour or two, just long enough to take the edge off Basile’s pain, all right?” Samuel compromised.
“A couple of hours?” Waleed’s face fell. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to spend the night here? One night isn’t going to make a huge difference to the Bruard’s plans, and the raiders won’t spot us here in the darkness.”
“I must admit that I’d prefer a night’s rest if that’s an option,” Basile added. “Wa
leed’s right. One night won’t matter in the grand scheme of things.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” spat Akhenaton, as Samuel opened his mouth to agree. “How can you even consider this, Samuel? We’re on a mission, a very important mission and one which is time sensitive. Of course one night will matter. It could mean the difference between success and failure. So Basile got shot, so what? He’s not the first man in the world to be clipped by a bullet.” He lifted up his shirt, revealing a nasty looking scar across his abdomen. “He got unlucky, and I’m truly sorry for his suffering, but I really don’t appreciate the mission being delayed because Basile didn’t have the sense to dodge a bullet. I demand to know why we’re even discussing this when we should be on the move already. There are bigger things at stake here, and you’re supposed to be carrying out the High Marshal’s wishes, not kowtowing to your friends. Unless you’re not as worthy to lead as he thought?”
“Do you really want to go there?” sighed Samuel, going to stand before the irate man.
“Oh we’re going there, all right,” snarled Akhenaton. “Don’t think that I’ve forgotten how you seized the blade first during the High Marshal’s trial. A debt still remains to be paid.”
Twenty-Two
Akhenaton took off his shirt, revealing a well-defined torso criss-crossed with countless scars from past battles. He neatly folded his shirt and placed it to one side before he started to stretch, readying himself for a brawl.
“Trial? Blade?” Basile frowned. “Samuel, what on earth is he talking about?”
“I was going to tell you all about it when the right moment came,” Samuel replied. “You know, when we’re in a bar in Cairo swapping funny stories about how we saved the world, when this is all over and done with. It didn’t seem appropriate to tell you about what happened with the High Marshal when we’re still in the middle of the mission. I figured it would be better if we all kept our focus on the task at hand.”