The Sands of Argurumal (Argurma Salvager Book 3)

by S. J. Sanders

  Her companion shrugged her shoulder. “It is your decision. I will travel faster on my own. My malfunction makes me sentimental in thinking that you may desire to see something more than the walls of the compound.”

  She stood, her vibrissae sliding behind and coiling with a hint of concern. “Since you prefer to stay and await Veral’s return late tonight, I will be on my way.”

  With a polite incline of her head, Navesha turned and began to stride away, her boots clipping on the hard black stone that cobbled the garden path.

  Terri heaved a sigh. She really didn’t want to be stuck there. What could a trip to the market hurt? Shoving to her feet, she hurried after the retreating female. Damn the Argurma’s long legs, there was no way she was going to catch up.

  “Wait!” she shouted.

  Navesha turned and grinned as far as the species considered polite to do so with just the edges of her sharp teeth peeking between her lips. She didn’t move until Terri caught up to stand by her side. The glowing blue gaze brightened with approval, and Navesha nodded with a hum of her mandibles.

  “You have decided… Good. We will go now. Even by flyer, it takes enough time to get to the market, and it never lacks in business. Even this simple excursion will be lengthy. A good opportunity for you to get some new pleasures of our world,” the female chuffed once more.

  Without wasting any further time on conversation, she set a brisk pace once more, leaving Terri to scramble to keep up with her. This time, however, Navesha moderated her speed enough that she didn’t completely leave Terri behind. As long as she trotted, Terri was able to keep up well enough.

  The Argurma flyer, it turned out, was a compact plane vehicle. It was rather surprising in contrast to the lush gardens and the polished stone of the compound’s interior walls. In some ways, it reminded her of The Wanderer on an extremely small scale and lacking any personal touches. As tiny as it was it didn’t have a personal chamber at all, just four seats in the main cabin, the chair at the fore occupied by Navesha as she piloted the flyer over the sand.

  For her part, Terri watched in fascination as they skimmed over the dunes. Since it had been dark when they arrived, Terri had only impressions of the red sands beneath the light of the moons and the artificial light of their starship. In the full glory of the planet’s twin suns, the brilliant red sands formed endless waves. Her lips parted in awe as the sands in front of them suddenly trembled and rolled as an enormous beast broke free from them.

  Its long neck whipped as it dragged itself through the surface, effortlessly bringing down some sort of winged creature that jerked hard, no doubt squawking in pain in the crushing jaws of the predator. The moment it went limp, its ragged, half-furred, half-feathered wings drooping in death, the creature jerked its head back at an angle, its throat working fiercely as it swallowed down its prey.

  It only happened in a manner of a couple of minutes, but Terri watched with equal measures of disgust, fear and awe as it rapidly consumed its meal. Its head snaked around searching its surroundings for another easy meal, but it only lasted for second before the enormous paddle-like legs—or, more accurately, long ridged fingers visible among the thick, flexible tissue that connected them in that form—sifted through the sand, pushing the great bulk of its body forward as its long, wedge-shaped tail propelled it.

  It turned its head and looked directly at them, and Terri nearly shouted until the flyer veered sharply away when the animal made a lunge for their ship.

  Terri clutched a hand over her racing heart, and she shot a panicked look at Navesha. The female returned her regard with another sharp grin.

  “A Great Enthar. It is a vicious creature that preyed on our people for generations in our early history. We are fortunate that it did not surface beneath us as we flew over. They have been known to bring down flyers and merchant transports.”

  “Fucking perfect,” Terri muttered, ignoring the amused chuffing coming from the other female.

  She vaguely recalled Veral mentioning the creatures before when they had first met, but at the time what she had pictured was something graceful in its beauty but ultimately harmless enough. That was something straight out of a nightmare. Yes, it had fluid movements, but every part of it screamed lethal predator and was thoroughly aggressive.

  “Have you ever been brought down by one?”

  Navesha gave her a sidelong glance that bordered on disdain. “No. I am the best pilot in this part of the Great Dunes. My ability to calculate variables and my skill with evasion in flight makes me a difficult catch for them. That does not stop them from attempting to eat me, but they never manage to even taste the wing of the flyer.”

  It was said so matter-of-factly that Terri didn’t think the Argurma was boasting. She spoke plainly, as if it were a commonly known, indisputable thing that needed to be told. After so much time in Veral’s company, she couldn’t have expected anything less. In fact, that bald statement relieved much of her tension as she allowed herself to sag against her seat.

  Although Navesha gave her an amused look every so often, the rest of the trip passed uneventfully. With her companion clearly not interested in talking, Terri amused herself by continuing to watch the rolling patterns made by the sand. It was so unlike the desert that had consumed Phoenix. Here, there wasn’t even the slightest bit of green outside the walls of the compound. She had little doubt that the conditions in the courtyard were carefully kept in order to support life. The dunes lacked any and all kindness. In fact, under the bright light of the midday when it came, she was certain that they looked as if they had been stained with generations of blood.

  She wasn’t sure how long she stared out at the terrifying beauty of the desert, but when brilliant white structures suddenly pierced the horizon, Terri startled with awe. Unlike the permanent ancestral settlements such as the compound, the rough, whitened buildings were clearly put together from some sort of synthetic material made to reflect the sunlight away as she had seen more than once on her adventures with Veral. They were just as stark as any she had seen before, but in the desert their unnatural appearance disrupted it surroundings so that her eye was pulled continuously back to them as they got closer, no matter where she attempted to look.

  Her mouth went dry at the almost forbidding appearance of the buildings as the flyer began to make its approach. Navesha grinned as she brought the flyer down. It hit the sand awkwardly, even with the obvious attempt of someone to level the area to receive visitors. Despite that, there was noticeable give to the sand, which made the landing legs shift hard to the right, sinking one side so that it tipped in an alarming fashion.

  Chuffing with what Terri presumed to be undisguised delight, Navesha shoved up to her feet and within seconds had the door sliding abruptly open. Taking a deep breath, the female gestured to the entrance of the buildings with flourish.

  “Welcome to the Shanah Market, little human,” the female boasted with another sharp grin.

  12

  Terri blinked with watery eyes and squinted against the bright light as she followed Navesha out of the flyer. The moment was interrupted by a ding, and the female in front of her glanced down with a scowl, muttering as she pulled up a holo-image from her wrist. It definitely seemed to be a list of some sort. It was only up for a moment before she dismissed it and turned to face Terri with a twist of her lips.

  “Featha decided that she required a few more things from the market. I regret to say that this is going to take longer than expected,” Navesha grumbled. A long sigh escaped her.

  “Oh,” Terri replied with a slight grimace.

  As much as she had enjoyed the prospect for an adventure out in the market, that list had looked a lot longer than what she anticipated. She absently rubbed at her melon of a belly.

  “Perhaps I should stay here…”

  The Argurma glanced over at her in surprise. “Why would you desire to do that?” Her eyes trailed down to Terri’s hand and rested there. “If you are worried about your o
ffspring, do not concern yourself. I will give you an opportunity to rest while I acquire the majority of the items that are clustered within the same square. We will shop a little while I get some of these items nearest to the gates. Afterward, you will rest and eat in the shade, and I will fetch,” she added with a chuff.

  She was hungry, and the idea of enjoying the market from someplace cool and comfortable did sound nice. She spared a quick look over at Navesha, trying to discern if her companion was up to anything, but the female was once again looking at the list, hissing to herself in annoyance while she waited for Terri’s decision.

  “I would like to look around,” Terri admitted.

  Navesha nodded as if she had never had any doubt that her answer would be otherwise. Without glancing away from the list as she busily shifted things around, she began to stride away, leaving Terri to hustle after her. A moment later, she grinned in her peculiar mostly close-lipped manner over her shoulder, the hologram once again dismissed.

  “The cities have larger and more impressive markets that host many different vendors from all corners of the cosmos. Everyone is eager to trade their luxuries to Argurumal. Our market here is very small in comparison, but I am certain it is like nothing you have seen.”

  “I’ve only seen the markets of the space stations, and they are quite impressive,” Terri murmured, her head craning as they passed through a large arched gate, “but this place looks like it can fit three of them within its walls.”

  “I forget what a primitive species you hail from to be impressed by a space station.” Navesha gave a low chuff and shook her head in apparent amusement.

  “I take it you don’t agree.”

  The female lifted a shoulder casually. “They are constructed by inferior beings. The variety of species can be fascinating, from what I have seen from instructional vids, but the space station is not a great marvel of technology. Argurma tech built this place to be suitable for the needs of the species who come to sell their wares for our credits. By that alone, it is far superior to the filthy space stations that are barely held together in space.”

  Terri couldn’t argue the point. As they came around a corner, the market stretched out in front of her like a sea of activity. Everywhere she looked she saw shops, many of which had merchants standing out in front attempting to lure in customers. The scent of food filled the air, along with the cacophony of noise from voices shouting over each other, the hum of conversation and a number of exotic alien animals that were perched on arms and shoulders, many of which seemed to be sold from more than one shop.

  Navesha nudged her with a smirk, and Terri promptly snapped her mouth shut, heat rising up her neck and into her cheeks. It was bad enough that most Argurma seemed to be of the opinion that other beings were far inferior to their own species; the least she could do was not gape like the primitive that Veral’s family seemed to think she was.

  “Come along, human,” Navesha said with the faintest note of something Terri might have called cheer if it didn’t sound almost threatening. “We will begin over there.”

  Terri trailed after her as the Argurma’s large body weaved through the crowd with apparent effortlessness that was lost to Terri. It seemed that the moment the crowd shifted out of the way for Navesha, they closed around her again, making it nearly impossible for Terri to push her way through. Most of them were aliens of different colors and builds of unrecognizable species that she had yet to encounter. She got flashes of horns, webbed frills, scales, those with thick, leathery skin, among many others.

  She felt ridiculously relieved that it wasn’t a mass of Argurmas. Although there were a large number weaving through the crowd, there were few among those pushing their way past her. Even though they were unlikely to come close to mowing her down due to their sensitive cybernetics, she couldn’t help but to be a little intimidated by them.

  Growling in frustration, she threw up her hand, allowing several tendrils to escape from her symbiont. They churned in front of her like a protective barrier. Although it didn’t spare her from being bumped by careless individuals surrounding her, those in front of her, however, stepped out of her way. Very few were sent off their feet for nearly trampling her in their distracted, hastened state. Terri winced as they stood up and brushed themselves off with pained grimaces.

  That had to hurt.

  She tensed when the males gave her a peeved look but seemed to reconsider as their eyes fell upon her lashing shield extending out in front of her. Instead, they growled unhappily and departed without conflict. Terri let out the breath she had been holding and faced forward once more.

  Where was Navesha?

  Alarm shot through her. With muttered curse, Terri pushed her way through to the location where she had last seen the other female. A hard hand suddenly wrapped around her shoulder and turned her around to face a familiar scowling face.

  “Navesha,” she said with relief as she called back her shielding.

  The female’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Stay near me. Veral will be displeased if I lose you.”

  Terri gave a jerky nod of her head. “Sorry, was having trouble pushing through the crowd.”

  Navesha glanced down with appreciation at her symbiont. “Yes. I thought as much, which is why I returned for you. But this protection you have is like no other.”

  She tapped one claw against it with interest.

  “Yeah, it is pretty handy to have,” Terri replied, watchful as an expression of desire swept over the other female’s face. “Worth the buttload of pain, but only one of a kind.”

  “A pity,” Navesha rasped quietly. Eyes lifting to Terri’s face, her lips quirked. “Do not look so frightened, human. I have no interest in murdering you for your toy. I am self-serving but not petty.”

  With a firm pat on Terri’s arm, the Argurma turned away to duck into a shop on their left. Terri blew out a relieved breath as she hurried through the doorway after her before she risked getting swept up in the surging crowd once more.

  The cooler air inside of the shop was shocking at first after being outside in the intense heat, but it didn’t take more than a second for it become wonderfully soothing. If not for the skin protection cream that Veral had provided for her upon their arrival, she was certain she would be sporting vivid sunburns. The intense heat and heavier gravity were both things that she still struggled to adapt to. Half the struggle walking through the market was how much more effort it took just to walk a short distance. Even worse when trying to walk fast. The cool interior, however, was worth the exertion even if she had to wait for her eyes to adjust to dimmer lighting.

  Once Terri’s eyes adjusted, she was pleased to find it filled with all manner of plants. They filled every inch of the shop with narrow paths carved out going different directions among the rows. Terri bit her lip as she looked for some sign of a pick-up station that were usually conveniently placed in shops within the space stations so that travelers could quickly pick up supplies. That did not seem to be case here.

  Terri picked a direction and began to follow it deeper into the shop. Deeper within the vast space, she could hear a trickle of water, but she was completely fixated on the sectioned interior filled with all manner of plants of various sizes, structures, colors, and textures. A vine with bell-shaped mauve leaves trembled lightly around the decorative poles upon which it climbed. Beside it was a tall standing plant with enormous, frilled turquoise leaves that looked softer than feathers. Ruby flowers with many tiny petals bloomed in a long, spiked cluster from the center of the plant. There were orange plants, familiar and unfamiliar shades of green, yellow, and blood red, even some plants that appeared to be a flat gray.

  She frowned at that one. She had never seen a gray plant before.

  A willowy emerald green alien who appeared astonishingly delicate for the harsh planet giggled from where she stood just off to the side with a watering can.

  “You cannot see it, can you?” the alien trilled softly. Terri didn’t bother answer
ing since the alien bobbed her head without waiting for a reply. “Yes, yes. I know that look well. Very few species are able to see enough of the color spectrum to see the colors of the Abrinax Cenfola, the heart of dawn flower. Shame. You would not be able to see the dulcet hues of the sunsets on my world for which this flower is named.”

  The female hummed to herself in a high, buzzing pitch as she watered the plant. Terri eyed the plant skeptically. She had never imagined that there would be something so simple as the color of a plant that she would be unable to see. Curious, she stretched out a hand to touch one of the long, heart-shaped leaves only to have her hand caught by thin fingers tipped with delicate thorn-shaped claws.

  “Careful. The sap of the Abrinax causes a terrible reaction for many species with delicate skin.” She released Terri’s hand and patted it soothingly. “A shame you do not have an exoskeleton like my people do.” She sighed as she gestured at her skinny green body. “Worse, you appear more delicate than most. Best to leave it alone.”

  “I see,” Terri murmured, uncertain if she should take offense at being referred to once again in some variation of delicate and weak.

  She scowled slightly at the implication, but the alien beside her didn’t seem to note it. Or perhaps she didn’t register Terri’s facial expression as she had a perfectly smooth forehead with the luster not unlike a beetle. On closer examination, tiny joints in the exoskeleton became more visible, creating a peculiar segmentation to her long, thin limbs that should have been stranger to her than it was considering that it was her first time meeting a species with an exoskeleton. Instead, despite the alien’s words about Terri’s delicacy, it just enhanced the other female’s appearance of fragility, one she knew was deceptive given the strength of an exoskeleton.

  The lithe alien tipped her head to the side in an insectoid fashion, almond-shaped eyes staring unblinkingly at her. “You see? Do you really? Odd, I did not think you could see it.”

  “No. I mean that I understand. I will be sure not to touch it,” Terri amended. The alien bobbed her head again, and Terri glanced around helplessly. “Actually, I am just looking for my Argurma companion I followed in…”