by Henry Vogel
The boy nodded. “Right after the tour ended, an alarm sounded and you were ordered to report to your duty station.”
“Yep. I was completely lost. When I asked another cadet for help, he told me to follow someone else assigned to the same station. It was good advice and better than I deserved—only I didn’t know which cadets were assigned to the same station. When the officers began their inspection tour, I was still running around hoping to stumble into my station. Instead I stumbled into the Captain—literally. I knocked him flat on his butt.”
This revelation drew a look of horrified fascination from Chris. “They didn’t throw you out of the academy for that?”
“No, they just gave me all the worst cadet assignments for the rest of the year.” I smiled ruefully at the boy. “Smart people make mistakes, Chris. Smarter people learn from their mistakes and move on.”
“What if being smart is all you’ve got?”
“Then you’re selling yourself short!” Callan insisted. “In the last two days, you’ve survived the wreck of your airship, avoided being killed or captured by trogs, found David and me, tracked the trogs to their hidden lair, and helped David hide a body. Not to mention catching me when I was overcome by the heat yesterday afternoon.”
“I know you were just pretending yesterday, Your Highness.”
Callan raised an eyebrow imperiously. “A princess never pretends, Ensign. She chooses alternative means to accomplish her goal. But if you knew, why didn’t you protest and remain with the men at the grave site?”
Chris blushed furiously and ducked his head.
Taking pity on the boy—after all, I understood the appeal of wrapping my arms around Callan—I said, “A gentleman never questions a lady’s request for assistance.”
“Then it was done quite gallantly, Ensign, as have been your actions since then. I shall have stern words for anyone who would cast aspersions on you or your behavior.”
After that little discussion, we settled down to rest while waiting for the trog patrol to wander farther from the cave entrance. I did my best to clean the blaster rifle during that time but could only blow out the dust and brush at the sand with my fingers. I judged the gun in more serviceable condition when I was done, though the rifle was far from clean.
An hour later, the three of us crept to the crest to spy out the situation. Four trogs milled about the cave entrance, with three relaxing and one keeping an actual watch. None of them was looking our way. Assuming the rifle’s sights were true, four quick blaster shots should clear our way. I was just lining up the first shot when Chris caught my shoulder and shook his head.
“The patrol is returning,” he whispered.
Thank God for the boy’s young ears because several seconds passed before I heard the patrol. Shortly, they came into sight and rejoined the four guards. Trog voices rose in discussion for a minute or so, then the leader turned and looked up the slope toward us. I ducked out of sight before he saw me but it didn’t matter. The leader issued an order. Right after that we heard the unmistakable sound of trogs climbing up the slope.
I motioned for Callan and Chris to back away from the crest of our part of the mountain. We slithered down as quickly and quietly as possible. Once the trogs couldn’t see us if we stood, I rose to my feet and unbuckled my sword belt.
“What are you doing, David?” Callan whispered, her voice barely audible above the sound of the trogs slogging through the scree on the opposite slope.
“Trade swords with me, Chris.” I held my sword belt out to the Ensign. “There is no way I’m letting Rob’s sword fall into trog hands.”
Callan scowled at me and her voice took on a brittle edge. “Darling, I asked you a question.”
Chris froze, his head swinging back and forth between the two of us, his sword belt only partially unbuckled. I shook my sword belt under his nose.
“Now, Ensign!” Turning back to Callan, I said, “I’m going to distract the trogs and give you and Chris a chance to either hide or find another way out of here.”
“Let’s find that hiding place or another way out—together. All three of us,” Callan pleaded.
“This is who I am, Callan, and this is what I do. And you knew that when you married me,” I said, smiling. “Remember, a kingdom needs a monarch and it needs an heir. Your father is safe, thank God, and I’m about to ensure his heir is safe, too.”
Callan nodded reluctantly, wrapping her arms around me for a quick, perhaps final, hug. That’s when Chris dropped his sword belt and bolted back up the slope!
“I’ll distract the trogs. You must protect Princess Callan!”
I grabbed for Chris’s arm but the boy timed his break perfectly. With Callan’s arms entwined around me, I couldn’t lunge after Chris. My fingertips brushed against his sleeve and then the boy was out of reach.
The flash of sunlight momentarily blinded me and memories of another sixteen-year-old boy flooded my mind. I saw a pinnace flash past, meters above me and heard Milo’s last words.
“You’re not dying if I can help it! Take care of Kim for me.”
My vision cleared and I saw Chris raising his arms as he reached the top of the slope. Much as I wanted to charge after the boy and protect him, my duty lay with Callan. Honoring Chris’s last plea, I turned away from the Ensign and dragged Callan around the rocks and out of sight of the top of the slope.
A blaster rifle fired, followed closely by a second. Even as I carefully led Callan down the steep scree we’d used to hide the trog body, I waited for Chris’s last cry as the bolts blasted the life out of him. Instead, the trog leader shouted something. No third shot came and I realized one of the two shots must have killed the boy instantly.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I harshly crushed the emotions that drew them forth. With no idea how long Callan and I had before the trogs investigated further, I simply couldn’t afford the luxury of emotions, much less tears. I gave Callan a quick glance and saw her wipe at her eyes, but also saw a look of grim determination settle over her face. Between the two of us, we would make the trogs pay dearly for Chris’s life.
We slipped and slid past the point where the trog’s corpse was buried under the stones. A dozen feet later we reached the boulders piled at the bottom of the scree. Callan and I quickly scanned the area, hoping for a narrow passage between boulders, and came up empty. Far away, the trog leader issued more orders and I had to assume he was ordering his warriors onward.
I dragged Callan off to the side of the scree. “Get down on the ground, Callan, and I’ll cover you with stones. If I handle it right, maybe the trogs won’t spot you.”
With a nod, Callan laid down at my feet. As I scooped loose stone up around her, she asked, “What are you going to do, David?”
“Once you’re covered, I’ll Boost and jump up on top of the boulders.”
“Won’t that put you in plain sight from the top of the hill?”
“If I planned on staying there, it would. I’m going to find a crevice or gap between boulders and slide down out of sight.” I smoothed the rocks around Callan to appear more natural. Stroking her cheek once, I carefully piled stones around and over her head. “Stay as still as possible dear, don’t say or do anything until I come for you, and remember that I’m nearby. I love you.”
A muffled voice responded, “I love you, too, darling.”
Upslope, I heard trogs moving closer so wasted no time issuing a command to my implant.
Boost!
Adrenaline flooded my veins and time slowed as strength surged through my body, driving away all my fatigue. I crouched and leapt up between two boulders. There were no handholds, so I simply pressed both arms against the sides of the two boulders. Boost-enhanced muscles locked against the rock, giving me the chance to swing the rest of my body up and over the top of the smaller boulder. Without Boost, my attempt would have been impossible. With Boost, I was over the top of the boulder and crouched in the crevice where two boulders met in a matter of seconds.
Once I was safely out of sight, I dropped Boost.
I made it just in time. A few seconds after I dropped from sight I heard several trogs stop at the top of the scree. A discussion of some kind followed, resulting in what I assumed was a call for the leader. The crunch of feet in loose stone announced the leader’s arrival and I heard yet another discussion. The leader gave an order that resulted in what I could only interpret as a complaint. The leader spoke more harshly and the complainer shut up.
At long last, I heard many trog feet trudge away from the top of the scree and slowly fade away. Relieved, I started a slow count to thirty, planning to go pull Callan out at the end of the count. It’s a good thing I waited. When my count reached nine I heard the unmistakable sound of two trogs climbing down the scree toward us.
With my heart hammering in my chest, I listened as the trogs slipped and slid down the stony slope toward the hidden body of their dead companion and my very living wife, also hidden beneath carefully piled stones. When I was certain the trogs were too far down the scree to spot me on top of the boulders, I crept up out of the crevice I’d hidden in and quietly drew my sword. I breathed through my mouth to reduce the already slim chance an exhalation might give away my presence. There was nothing I could do about the hammering of my heart.
I strained my ears, listening for the slightest change in the sounds made by the trogs. When the scrape of trogs sliding through rocks changed, it was so obvious a deaf man could have heard it. One second I heard two trogs noisily sliding and climbing and the next second the sound cut neatly in half. Either one of the trogs reached the bottom already—something I strongly doubted—or one of them slid into the corpse near the bottom of the scree.
A few seconds later, one of the trogs grunted in surprise and called to his companion. The call definitely didn’t come from the bottom of the slope, meaning the trog had found the dead guard. My mind raced ahead, planning my response depending on what the trogs did next.
I fervently hoped they would simply climb back up the slope and go report to their leader. Callan and I could use that time to get out of the scree and find a better hiding place. I feared most that they’d yell for help, forcing me to attack and pray I not only killed the trogs quickly but could just as quickly find a better hiding place for Callan and me. Of course, the trogs didn’t do either one of those things.
I listened to the trogs talk for a few seconds, my body tensed and ready to spring to the attack if either of them raised their voice. I heard the unmistakable sound of a trog climbing the rest of the way down the scree, joining the other trog at the bottom. Then I heard a spear plunge into the stones piled at the bottom of the scree and that made no sense to me.
Surely the trogs didn’t think the person who killed the guard was also hiding down here? Okay, I was hiding down here, but there was no logical reason for the trogs to suspect that—especially since they’d already shot Chris running from this area. Their actions made no sense.
No, that’s wrong. Poking spears into the rocks at the bottom of the scree made no sense based on my knowledge. So what did the trogs know that I didn’t know? Lots of stuff and none of it was important at the moment. One of the trogs was directly below my boulder and mere feet from discovering Callan!
My tensed muscles uncoiled and I sprang from my boulder. I saw the trog below me jab his spear into stones piled against the boulder. Some sense warned the trog trouble was near because he looked up just in time to see me dropping toward him. His mouth opened to shout and he tried to raise his spear in defense. With the spear stuck a foot deep in the stones that was never going to work. Before he said anything, I rammed my sword through his right eye and out at the base of his skull.
The trog collapsed beneath me as I pulled my sword free. The other trog whirled at the sound of his companion hitting the ground. The trog’s eyes widened at the sight, but his surprise didn’t slow his reactions. With his own spear plunged into piled stones, the trog abandoned it and grabbed for the blaster rifle slung over his shoulder. The barrel of the dying trog’s blaster stuck out from underneath his body. I’d never free that rifle fast enough to shoot first, but the other trog was too far away for me to reach before he fired.
I grabbed the trog’s spear with my left hand and dove to my right. The spear pulled free easily and I readied it for an off-hand throw as I rolled to my feet. The trog swung the blaster rifle my way as I hurled the spear. It was a surprisingly accurate throw for a right-hander, flying arrow-straight toward the trog’s chest. It was not a particularly hard throw and the trog deflected it easily with the blaster rifle. But that was my plan all along.
In the brief time the trog spent concentrating on the spear, I charged. While the spear clattered harmlessly off the rifle barrel, my sword thrust came up under his breast and skewered his heart. The trog stumbled backward, blue blood bubbling up out of his mouth and flowing freely down my sword blade. I pulled my sword free and, as if the blade was all that held him up, the trog collapsed.
I heard a sound behind me and spun, my sword held ready. A dirty and dust-covered Callan yanked at the barrel of the other trog’s blaster rifle, struggling to pull it out from under the trog’s body.
“It’s okay, Callan, I got them both.”
“I can see that, darling,” she replied, wiggling the blaster to work it free. “But how long have we got before someone else comes looking for these two?”
I snatched up the blaster at my feet and ran to help Callan. “That’s exactly the sort of question I should have thought of.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, David. You were rather busy.”
I rolled the trog up and off of the blaster rifle, releasing the body once Callan pulled the weapon free. “Okay, let’s climb out of here and see if we can find a place to hole up until the trogs stop looking for us.”
Callan looked up at the boulder I’d leapt from. “There’s no way out of here over the boulders?”
“Maybe, after a lot of dangerous hopping from boulder to boulder we might find a way to safety. We might also find ourselves having to double back and climb this scree after all. But we can try-”
I interrupted myself as a new sound reached our ears. The droning of propellers told us an airship approached.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jade
Since our airship would be sailing north, the Oshwindon Merchant Guild asked Dad to follow the approximate course the Sorrin and the other two missing trade ships followed. The guild mentioned, in the vaguest of terms, a reward for information concerning the missing ships. I’d spent the previous two days convincing him to do just what the council asked, so he allowed the guild to talk him into doing what he was already going to do. The guild even paid passage so one of their senior members and his wife could accompany us.
If Dad knew the guild would send Vass Sune, I think he would have refused their request. We’d still have searched for the missing ships, but we would have done it without the company of the Sunes. If there is a more odious couple in all of Oshwindon, I’ve never heard of them. Despite that, Mr. Sune wielded a lot of power in the guild and could make life very difficult for us if he wanted to.
Dad had the whole family line up to welcome the Sunes aboard our ship, the Wind Dancer. All three of us kids were bathed, dressed in clean clothes, and unfailingly polite as Dad introduced us.
Sasha smiled brightly and said, “I’m pleased to meet you.”
Mrs. Sune tutted, “A properly brought-up girl would curtsey.”
As Mom pulled Sasha close to her, Dad kept a stiff smile plastered on his face and introduced Will. My brother bowed over Mrs. Sune’s hand to kiss it. I thought that was quite courageous of Will, since I was pretty sure Mrs. Sune’s flesh was rotten.
Mrs. Sune jerked her hand away, crying, “Such impertinence! Really, Mrs. Cochran, did you even try teaching manners to your children?”
Mom glared daggers at the woman’s back and pulled Will close, too. Mrs. Sune listened as Dad introduced me,
but I knew he was wasting his time. Mrs. Sune radiated absolute disapproval as she gazed at me. I knew my next actions would prove futile, but I refused to let Mom and Dad down.
I curtseyed, though the effect was somewhat lost because I wasn’t wearing a dress, and said, “Mr. and Mrs. Sune, we are honored to have you both aboard the Wind Dancer. If there is anything we can do to make your journey more enjoyable, please do not hesitate to ask.”
I managed all of that without gagging and was pretty sure I even sounded sincere. Dad must have agreed, as he gave me a quick thumbs up.
Mrs. Sune sniffed and looked down her nose at me. “You are a girl, are you not?”
I imagined kicking the woman in the shin, that made it easier to keep a somewhat genuine smile on my face. “I am, Mrs. Sune.”
Mrs. Sune humphed. She had to have set some kind of record for disapproving sounds, managing to tut, cry, sniff, and humph in the span of thirty seconds. But the woman wasn’t finished with her performance.
“Tsk,” she said, undoubtedly giving her the record—and all in less than forty seconds. “If you’re a girl, why are you wearing boy’s clothing?”
“A dress, while quite lovely, is inappropriate clothing for working aloft, ma’am,” I said. This time I kept my smile by imagining the Sunes turning around and leaving the Dancer.
Mrs. Sune turned a glare on Dad but spoke to her husband. “Vass, why are we aboard a ship that lets this…child…take a role in keeping us safely flying?”
This time, Dad’s smile slipped, but he kept his voice level. “Jade grew up on airships, Mrs. Sune. Despite her age, she is a very capable member of the crew.”