by Leslie Chase
That wasn’t enough. The shooters ducked but kept firing, and I knew with a gut-deep certainty that one of them would find their mark before we reached the safety of the tree line. I had to do something to stop them and shooting back wouldn’t work.
Only one idea occurred to me, a desperate plan that might work. I looked at the human weapon in my hand. Flimsy construction, primitive power supply, and no targeting to speak of. It was the only ranged weapon we had, but what I needed was something else. Flipping it in my hand, I caught it by the battery and squeezed, feeling the plastic crack. Sudden heat burned my palm.
It had enough power for a hundred or more shots. Hoping that would be enough for what I had in mind, I threw it at the prytheen gunners with all my strength and closed my eyes.
The rifle spun through the air and I heard a sharp crack. Even through closed eyelids the flash of the battery exploding was blinding, and the howls of our pursuers turned into cries of pain. A final aimed shot snapped past me, close enough to feel the laser-light’s heat on my skin. Then the shooters were reduced to firing blindly after us, their wild shots nowhere near the rover. I’d bought us precious seconds at the cost of our only firearm.
Moments later the rover lurched, slowing as Lisa brought it into the forest and amongst the undergrowth. Out of sight, safe for now, we raced away from the colony as fast as she dared drive. The rover burst through the ultrasonic fence and we were away.
Branches lashed my back as I clung to the side of the rover, but I didn’t mind the sting. We’d survived, we’d escaped, and while Gurral would no doubt chase us, we could put distance between us and the enemy before they recovered enough to pursue.
For the first time, I let myself believe that this crazy plan might actually work.
17
Lisa
The rover bucked under me as I steered it into the woods, Henry whining and covering his face with his paws. I clutched the steering wheel, my knuckles white, every muscle in my body taught. Somehow, I managed to pull the vehicle through the narrow gaps between trees and leave the colony behind.
The hover vehicle skimmed along faster than I was comfortable with, but I didn’t dare slow down. We needed as much space between us and those angry prytheen as we could get.
My driving skills came back as I went, jinking around trees and bouncing over the rough terrain. I started to relax, loosening my death-grip on the wheel as I got my breathing under control.
This is easier than I thought it would be, I thought a little smugly. As though the universe wanted to punish me for that, a branch clipped the right-hand mirror off the side of the rover, and I squeaked.
Thankfully Torran was on the left side, or I might have scraped him off instead. Taking the hint, I slowed down to a more manageable pace, hoping that our pursuers wouldn’t be able to catch up. With the trees between us, I had no idea how close they were.
A small price to pay for them not being able to shoot at us.
In the seat next to me, Malcolm uncurled from the tight, frightened ball he’d curled into, glancing at the trees flashing past us and whimpering. “Slow down, sis, you’re going to get us killed.”
“If I slow down any more, they’ll catch up,” I said, my voice tight. “Then we’ll definitely get killed.”
Maybe not the most reassuring line I could have gone with, but it had the virtue of being true. Malcolm whimpered again but turned to look out of his window and warn me when we were getting too close to the trees. It didn’t actually help much, but at least he was trying.
Torran knocked on the window and I barely controlled a flinch that would have put us in a ditch. His quick gestures probably meant more to someone who’d learned the Silver Band’s combat sign language, but one thing was clear. He was pointing out a direction.
Fine. It’s not like I know where I’m going. And I knew enough about my directional skills to worry I’d drive in circles if I didn’t have someone to navigate for me.
Not long after I started to follow his pointing, we broke free of the undergrowth onto a broad trail. Broad by some standards, at least. Barely wide enough for the rover, it still gave me a path to follow through the forest and that let me catch my breath.
I wound the window down, letting in the scents of the alien forest. Daring a quick glance at Torran, I saw him grinning at me and some of his exhilaration rubbed off.
This is crazy, we nearly died five times back there. I shouldn’t be enjoying myself.
But we’d survived which made it all worthwhile. I took a deep breath and choked back a laugh. If I started I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop, and that wouldn’t be great while I was at the wheel. A crash would be the end of us.
“We did it,” I said once I had control of myself. “I can’t believe we really did it.”
“We’re not safe yet,” Torran cautioned, but I heard the fierce elation in his voice. Reaching in through the open window he squeezed my shoulder and I grinned. Trees zipped past on either side of us, the headlights catching alien plants for brief moments.
The trail wound this way and that, but it ate the distance and after a while I felt safe slowing down. The adrenaline rush of the escape was wearing off and my hands started to shake on the wheel. No point risking damaging our only vehicle.
“I need a break,” I said, slowing to a crawl and turning to my brother. “Can you take a turn at driving?”
“Sure!” Malcolm answered, his eagerness almost amusing. He practically bounced in his seat, and I shook my head but stopped the rover. As soon we were stationary, I felt the tension I’d been ignoring — every muscle ached and my head swam.
It was amazing what I’d been able to ignore in the middle of the escape but now it all hit at once and I winced. Shutting down the engine, I pushed the door open and dropped down beside Torran. The dark forest around us seemed to eat the light, but it felt good to be out of the driver’s seat.
“Okay, give me five minutes to stretch,” I said. “Then you can take over, Malcolm.”
I needed to move, to walk, to do something. My legs ached and my head swam as I moved to a tree and leaned against it. The rough, strange bark felt like nothing on Earth but I clung to it anyway. Something solid, something new. Something different from the colony and the farm.
In the forest, a light moved and I tensed up for a moment before realizing that it couldn’t be our pursuers. Wrong direction, wrong kind of movement. Wrong kind of light too, a fluttery blue-green glow. Some kind of wildlife. There were pretty things on Crashland as well as dangers.
Torran’s shadow fell over me as he stepped between me and the rover. I looked back at him, silhouetted against the lights. He stood silently watching me and I felt the powerful presence of him. My heart beat a little faster as he stroked my cheek.
“We’re doing the right thing, aren’t we?” The question came out without a conscious choice from me. I looked away, out into the darkness, listening to the wildlife rustling in the bushes. This was further into the wilderness than I’d ever been.
Torran folded me into a powerful hug, as though he was trying to squeeze the doubts out of me. “It is the only thing, my khara. And I will keep you safe.”
Now I’d started speaking, though, it was hard to stop. I clung to Torran, my words muffled as I continued. “I just keep thinking, what if Carrington’s right and I’m making a mistake? What if we die out here and never get to safety?”
“Nothing is certain,” he said, and I shivered in his arms. “But you would not have been safer with Gurral. No one is safe with him, my khara. His ambition will ruin those close to him, no matter what they do.”
Way to cheer a girl up! I tried to relax and to appreciate his honesty. I’d rather have the truth than false hope, but that didn’t make it easy to swallow. “Will they follow us? Hunt us down? The trail we’re on is easy to follow, right?”
Torran’s chuckle vibrated through me. “He may try, but this is a dangerous forest and he has no one to scout for him. Once we
leave the trail he’ll have to slow down to follow our tracks. And blundering around in this forest will get him and his men killed if they aren’t careful. Don’t worry, my love, we’ll stay ahead of him until we reach the valley.”
I sighed and snuggled into him, the night air chilly around me. His words, his presence, his warmth, all comforted me. It was a lot easier to feel confident in his arms.
The fluttering light appeared again, close enough to let me make out what it was. A strange creature, something like a moth with luminous edges to its wings. I almost reached out to touch it before remembering I had no idea whether it was safe. Beautiful but deadly was a possibility, and we didn’t have an autodoc with us, only the small selection of medicine I’d managed to steal. Finding out that those things had a deadly sting would be a hell of a way to end our escape.
Better to watch from a safe distance, I thought as I saw another and then another flutter out of the undergrowth.
I slid an arm around Torran’s waist and sighed, leaning my head on his chest and listening to his strong heartbeat. Together we watched the glowing moths flutter in the darkness.
“I’m sorry you had to abandon your friends,” I said. “And that the others don’t recognize what you’ve given up for them.”
“Khara, it doesn’t matter. I would give up far more for your safety, and those who threatened you aren’t my friends. I should never have helped Arvid in the first place.”
We stood in silence, watching the glowing insects flutter from tree to tree. There didn’t seem to be anything else to say, but we didn’t need words. Not when we had each other.
“Come on, we’d better get back,” I said reluctantly after a minute or two had passed. “I want to get as much distance between us and Gurral as we can.”
Torran nodded. “But you aren’t driving,” he said firmly. “Let Malcolm do that, you need your rest.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” I said, then yawned and stretched with a laugh. “Okay, fine, I already asked him to take over. But you’re tired too, so you come rest with me.”
“I don’t need— ouch.” He rubbed his ribs where I’d elbowed him and chuckled. “Fine.”
We smiled at each other happily.
That was when we heard the roar.
I spun towards the noise, staring up the trail at the animal that had appeared. It was huge, bigger than I could take in. It filled the trail, four huge eyes glaring at us in confused anger, shaggy pelt white in the rover’s lights. The creature’s mouth opened wide for another deep roar that shook the ground, and part of me wondered how something that big had gotten that close without us noticing.
The rest of me was screaming internally. Oh my fucking god it’s a monster, it’s going to eat us. That mouth was huge, full of jagged teeth, and weird tentacles snapped out as it screamed a challenge at the rover and pawed the ground. Massive horns atop its head gleamed in the light. What did a behemoth like this need them for? What the fuck did it usually fight?
I stood frozen to the ground, unable to move. It took a moment for me to realize that the terrified whimper I heard came from my own throat. But Torran hardly paused. Without hesitating, he pulled me behind him, putting himself between me and harm. Challenging that monster armed only with knives might be a futile gesture, but he made it instantly.
And as frightened as I was, I couldn’t help wondering if his confidence was justified. Did he really believe he could win?
18
Torran
I didn’t see any way to beat this monster. That didn’t mean I would let myself give up. I’d promised to defend my beloved to my dying breath, and that was what I’d do.
I spun towards the sound, putting myself between Lisa and danger. Ahead of us, caught in the rover’s headlight, the alien beast screamed a challenge that shook the ground under my feet. It was huge, bigger than anything I’d hunted. Bigger than the rover itself.
So that’s what made this trail. A part of my mind filed away the answer to that question, though I wished it had stayed a mystery. The huge animal filled the gap between the trees, its heavy head swinging from side to side as it tried to decide how to respond to the rover blocking its path.
Heavy horns jutted from either side of its head, points gleaming as they caught the light. Beady eyes peered past folds of heavy hide, tough-looking scales covered its neck, and as it roared another challenge it showed off huge teeth.
Crushing teeth, I thought, not meant for tearing flesh. A small mercy — this looked like a herbivore not a predator. It wouldn’t kill us for food, but that didn’t mean it would take a challenge to its territory well.
“Move slowly. Keep quiet. Get into the rover.” I hissed the words to Lisa, keeping my eyes on the animal as it stepped forward and roared again. She let out a quick hiss of breath and I heard her take a step back. The creature’s head snapped around, eyes glaring at the sound, and my blood ran cold.
If that thing charged her there’d be no stopping it. It probably weighed as much as the rover and would crush anything that got in its way. If I still had the rifle, then maybe I’d have been able to get a killing shot — but even then, it looked like I’d have to hit an eye to do a creature this size any damage.
Without a weapon,, I saw only one way to protect my khara. Not a good plan or a smart one, but that didn’t matter. Not when her safety hung in the balance.
I stepped away from Lisa, waving my hands. The animal’s gaze followed me, lowering its massive head and snorting. Yes, that’s right, look at me. If you’ve got an enemy here, I’m it.
“Calm, beast, calm,” I said, voice as low and soothing as I could manage. Keeping its attention was the important thing, but I’d rather not have to fight it. “We’re just passing through, that’s all. No need to fight, we don’t want your territory.”
Behind it, something moved. I could barely make out smaller shapes hiding in the shadow of the big creature and I winced. A mother protecting her young? That made a peaceful solution that much less likely.
Predators were dangerous but could be frightened off. A mother protecting her children was much less likely to run to keep herself safe.
Carefully looking back, I saw Lisa edging around the cab of the rover and out of sight. Good. She’d be safe, or at least safer, and that was my main objective. Hopefully the humans would get the rover started and off the path — then once the animals were past, we’d move on.
But luck wasn’t with us tonight. Perhaps following my gaze, perhaps just judging the rover as the bigger threat, the animal turned back to the vehicle. My blood ran cold and I shouted.
“Hey! Over here!” Waving my hands wildly, I jumped closer, hoping that would get its attention. Its head snapped back, horns lowered, and it roared another challenge. I drew a blade and roaring back, making myself as much of a threat as possible.
Angry eyes flickered between me and the rover. But as dangerous as I made myself look, the big white vehicle blocked the trail, and that made it the greater problem.
When the beast lowered its head and charged, it was like a mountain rushing forward. The ground shook as it rumbled forward faster than anything that size had any right to move. I swore and launched myself into its path, throwing a dagger at its eye.
For a moment I thought I might succeed, but no. The blade struck a boney protrusion next to the eye and skittered harmlessly off, vanishing into the night. Not even noticing my attack, the animal rushed for the rover, Lisa diving for cover amongst the trees.
I struck the animal’s side, grabbing hold of its thick white fur with one hand, the other drawing a fresh blade and stabbing. The tip barely scratched the monster’s skin, even the hardened hullmetal blade not enough to cut deep. I barely had time to curse before the charge struck the rover.
While my blade couldn’t punch through the monster’s hide, its horns had no trouble with the plastic hull of the human vehicle. The rover rocked back, tearing open, and I heard a scream from the cab. Malcolm hadn’t left his pos
t at the controls, a brave but foolish choice. I swore: keeping my khara’s brother safe wouldn’t be easy if he refused to do the sensible thing and run away.
Putting all my weight and strength behind it, I drove my knife down again. This time the point dug in a hand’s width before getting stuck. Dark blood welled out of the wound and at last I had the animal’s attention. It bucked under me, twisting and trying to dislodge me.
I howled a hunter’s call and stabbed again, but there was no hope of reaching a vital organ. I could only hurt this monster, not kill it — but if I kept its attention off the humans and their vehicle, I’d take that.
A third stab wound was enough to convince it to scrape me off against the nearest tree, smashing its flank into the wood and sending up a cloud of glowing insects as I went flying. Long years of practice and training kicked in and I hit the ground in a roll, tumbling over and over before bouncing to my feet still holding a bloody blade.
A quick self-check: bruises, nothing more serious. I’d been lucky. I couldn’t count on that happening again but staying out of the fight wasn’t an option. Lisa was back there somewhere, and I would not leave her as prey for that monster.
The lights moved behind the undergrowth, Malcolm trying to turn the rover off the path. I burst out of the brush just in time to see the beast’s horns tear into the rover’s cabin, a scream of shock and pain echoing in the night. Fear and rage mixed in me and time seemed to slow.
No time for a clever plan or even a good one. I had to take a chance again, and this one would be suicide if it didn’t work. But I didn’t have a choice. This animal wasn’t stopping, and we needed the rover desperately if we were going to get anywhere.
Screaming a challenge, I charged.
The beast saw me coming. Turned to face me, horns low, points gleaming. Instead of turning aside or trying to jump over them, I ducked under, dropping and letting my momentum carry me under that monstrous mouth. It snapped at me, missing by a finger breadth, and then I was beneath it, looking up at its underbelly.