Desert Born

by Dawn Chapman

  Josh took the gem backhanding it to me, then chased the other two off. “Go gather the men. I’ll be there in an hour.” Josh then also looked at the piece. “I trust you, Madz, but this has me worried. Where’s Dail?”

  I looked him in the eyes. “Dail’s a traitor to the Runners, to everything we believe in.”

  He raised an eyebrow then nodded slowly. “Always thought he was on the shady side. What’s really going on? If I have to persuade the others, I need to know.”

  “Hanson’s estate lies in ruins, his family all dead. The Tromoal have no food, Josh. We need to get it to the desert plains as quickly as we can. They’re hunting at present, and it’s not going well.”

  Josh picked up a shot glass and downed the liquid. “I know where there are a few wild herds far out beyond where the Tromoal can’t smell them. The mayor’s private herds are kept way up north. If we get to them, I think we can bring them down to the top of the plains.”

  I smiled. “We’ll do anything we can to help.”

  “If I give you the coordinates to another camp, we might be able to corral both herds at the same time. How much food do they actually need?”

  I had no idea. The sheer size of the Tromoal couldn’t be used to gauge it. “Hanson’s farms were massive, right? But he didn’t breed stock just for them to eat. I don’t really know. Just enough to get them through the next couple of days. A thousand, maybe less.”

  Josh turned to the barkeep. “If any Runners come in, who know me—Vic, Andy, Abel, let them know where we’re meeting.”

  The barkeep agreed, and Josh finished off his pint and then another shot. “I think this might be the last bit of ale I get for a while.”

  I picked mine up and so did Alex. “Dutch courage,” he said.

  Walking out of the bar, I felt different. Maybe we had some hope. Alex tugged my arm. “You trust this Josh?”

  “He’s never let me down in the past, even though he was a friend of Dail’s.”

  “You don’t think he’ll double cross you?”

  Of course, it crossed my mind. After all, there was nothing to stop any of them. But I think they’ll see the bigger picture. The fact was, the Tromoal and lack of Hismaw would affect us all. “We can only wait and see,” I said. “I’ve got to try. I must have faith in the people around me.”

  When we rounded the corner, there was a gathering of about forty men and women. All eyes turned to me, and Josh indicated for us both to move to the front.

  Josh shouted out to them, “Maddie’s brought us a job. A big one.” He hoped everyone could hear. They remained silent. “It’s not just a job, though, but a matter of life and death. For us, and for our part of the country. The Tromoal have no food. Hanson’s estate fell, and his workers abandoned him. We must reach the farmlands far north and bring down the cattle and raised sheep, pigs, and ebolos. Anything we can to support the Tromoal through their breeding season. Without them, we’ll have no Hismaw. Without that harvest, the creatures of the night will win. Our towns will no longer be safe.”

  There was a lot of whispering amongst them all, and then it went quiet. All eyes were on me.

  I wasn’t good at public speaking, but the words tumbled out. “I’m asking the most of you. I’m asking you to lay your lives down for our future. I don’t know the outcome. I can only hope that we save the Tromoal to give us a better chance. There’s a lot at stake, but you’ll be rewarded, I promise you. I’ve never lied to any of you, and I won’t start now.”

  No one spoke, though, and I wanted them to. It was as if they just needed a poke.

  I stood and waited, and they did the same.

  One of the ladies, Sarah, stepped forward, her long hair plaited behind her back. She wore traditional riding boots, jodhpurs and a jacket stitched with beautiful red and blue highlights. “We’re all wondering the same things and wanting the best for us.” She bowed her head. “Maddie, you’ve been amongst the élite for a long time. If you have something we need to do, we’ll do it.”

  Internally, I grinned with pride. I wanted the admiration of them all, but I needed their loyalty more than anything. It seemed I had both.

  Josh moved to my side, and spoke, “We’re looking for three teams. There are farmlands I know we can tackle, and use, without it upsetting the stock for the cities, at least for a while. There are other ways we can grow or catch food I am sure. What’s more important right now is that we keep the Tromoal here. Without food, there’s no guarantee they’ll stay.”

  I hadn’t even thought of that, but then there were several large clutches of eggs—I’d seen them.

  Riezella’s voice drifted to me on the winds. Maddie, I’m sorry, but I’ve already sent many of our Clan home. There’s not enough food to go around.

  I looked to Alex, and I knew—when his health dipped, it was because the Tromoal had left the lands.

  Riezella, we’ll do this. Please, don’t send any more away.

  I hoped, with all my heart, she wouldn’t. I will do my best for all, came the reply.

  Quickly, I opened my interface and sent out a quest invitation.

  OPEN CALL – TO ALL OF MAICREOL

  QUEST – FEED THE TROMOAL

  REWARD – HIDDEN TREASURES

  BONUS – SAVING THE TROMOAL, YOU’LL EARN NOT ONLY THEIR RESPECT BUT THE RIGHTS TO SEEK AUDIENCE WITH THE LADY OF THE SKIES. GENERAL REQUESTS WILL BE CONSIDERED WITHIN REASON

  I looked out to the crowd as I saw each person receive the notification. “The Tromoal are already leaving, but I know that some won’t go. I’ve already seen their eggs.”

  They gasped, and Sarah asked, “How did you see them?”

  I looked to Alex. Yeah, that was a bit of a moot point. So I held up the gem from the caves. It glinted red in the sunlight. “This is from their cave system. There’s not many who ever make it there, no visitor ever returned. I did because Alex and I were lucky to get there when they weren’t. Trust me, they won’t go, not all of them. But if we want to keep their young alive, and for the Hismaw to form, we need cattle and food.”

  “My Lady.” Sarah lowered her head.

  They knew. I looked around to them all, and they did the same. All of them…. Sarah moved to stand beside Josh, Alex, and myself. “I accept. My team will take whichever farm you think is easiest for us. We’re on horseback, though.”

  Several of the guys nodded in agreement, and an older gentleman stepped forwards too. “I can take a team out with the Ebolos. They move quickly, and through tougher grounds than the horses, we’ll take another sector.”

  That left just a few others, and of course, me and the Hog. “We really need one more set, someone who can travel the furthest.” I was hoping there would be someone other than me to do that part of the journey.

  That’s when I heard the pop-pop sounds of an engine, and a motorcycle rode in, stopping before me. The man on the bike, built well, and with a long dark beard said, “Heard there’s a job that needs doing, you paying well?”

  I clung to the gem, noticing his visitor tag –

  CHIP MROTH – HEALTH 100%

  He glanced at it. “If you can pay us in goods like that, we’re in.”

  I hadn’t seen this man around before but knew Dresel had a few bikers on his teams. “The name’s Chip.” He grinned, then spat out a wad of tobacco. “I’ll invite the others over. You can invite the whole party on your quest then.”

  Josh didn’t look so happy, but I wasn’t turning down someone with as quick a transport as us. Even if I didn’t know them, they would give us an edge. Besides, weren’t normal visitors expendable? They’d respawn and come back to fight another day. I might not.

  Get away, stupid humans.

  I sensed Dalfol’s unease. Was he struggling with something?

  Josh coughed, bringing my focus back to Chip. “Then we’ve a plan. Josh can coordinate everyone.” I motioned to Chip, and we moved over to a different side of the grounds. “Is there anyone else in your party?”

 
Chip glanced to Alex, and they shared a mutual note of respect. “Nice to see another player involved,” he said. “What’s the bonus for you?”

  I didn’t have a clue what he meant, but I wanted to keep them happy. Alex didn’t look so pleased, either. “I’m just helping out. This isn’t a quest for me.”

  Chip looked my way, and his grin widened. “After a little local, I dig it.”

  “We’ll take the furthest farm. We need to get those cattle moving as quickly as possible. The fact you have a bike—”

  “Bikes,” he said. “There are six of us.”

  I swallowed. “Where are the others?”

  “They’re dealing with a small problem on the outside of town.”

  “Problem?” My heart flipped.

  Darned pesky humans… I’ll kill you if you don’t leave! Dalfol bellowed in my head.

  “Oh no.” Both Alex and I shared a glance. “Dalfol!”

  Alex reached out, grabbing hold of Chip. A knife to his throat. It was a split second event, and I had to stop him from putting the operation at risk. “Alex, take a breath.”

  Alex held my stare. “If they’re hurting Dalfol, you have to stop them.”

  I locked eyes with Chip. “They’re tormenting a Tromoal, back them off.”

  Chip gawked at me as if I were crazy. “No way. They’ve never been that close before.”

  “They’re trying to capture him?”

  Chip was going to nod till he realised the knife would cut him. “Yes, they are. What does it matter?”

  “It matters. Call them off. Get them here. Now!”

  Chip’s face paled as Alex pushed the blade into his throat. A trickle of blood started to pool where the knife met skin. “Now!” he demanded.

  Chapter 7

  I watched on as the concentration on Chip’s face changed, and within a moment, he looked to me. “It’s done. But lady, you better have one hell of an explanation for this.”

  Josh had seen some of the altercation but hadn’t intervened. The others had moved on already.

  I heard the rumble of engines, and a few moments later, five more bikes came into view. The players dismounted. A woman in all black leathers slowly walked over, her tight clad figure showing her curvaceous body. She noted Chip with his throat bleeding. “Can’t help but get yourself in trouble, can ya?”

  Chip looked away embarrassed. The woman stopped before me, taking one look at Alex, and then at Josh. She wasn’t fazed at all, her attention solely on me. She was smart.

  I checked out her tag:

  CANDICE MASTERS – LEADER SAVAGE ANGELS – HEALTH 100%

  I found the name for her party interesting. They did look savage, that’s for sure. But I felt drawn to her. I wanted to get to know her and the others, to know more about this game and the way things worked for them, especially after what Riezella had shown me.

  “Maddie, I believe.” She held out a hand to shake mine. “I’m Candice, a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Pleasure’s mine. Nice bikes. They’ll sure come in handy for this job.”

  “So it seems.” She looked to Alex. “You can drop the knife now. Little ole Chip here will behave.”

  I was not surprised she was in charge. Watching her, I didn’t like the way she looked over Alex. With a nod, she smiled at him. “Could do with someone of your stature, Alex. Would you like to join our party?”

  “No,” he was quick to respond. “Thank you for the offer, though.

  “Your loss, but then again, I see you’re doing well for yourself. Chip should have known better than to be argumentative with someone of your stature.”

  Her words confused me, most of their game talk did. The way they played the world around me, I found it fascinating. Then again I only knew how strong I was because of Alex. He’d told me most players wouldn’t mess with me.

  “Pleased to be here.” Candice grinned, and a second later, she also accepted my general quest call.

  The others in her party gathered around, and Candice introduced them with a nod in each of their direction. “You may or may not have noticed their tags, but Chip and Mark are our tanks. Rose and Mandy do the damage while Steve and myself take up any slack.”

  I saw the slight glow to her eyes, realising she might well have been a mage. Good to know even if I struggled with the grasp of how they played.

  Josh coughed. “I don’t have a vehicle to keep up with you guys. But if there’s room for me, I’d like to come with you.”

  Six bikes, one Hog, and two hands. I didn’t know what kind of retaliation we might come up against taking the cattle, but at least, with this number of people, we stood a chance.

  “That’s fine. Are we ready to leave?” I asked around the group. “Anyone need anything specific. If so, we’ll trawl the village until we find it.”

  Candice looked about to the others. “As long as you’ve got water, food, and weapons.”

  Josh nodded. “I have a warehouse. Let’s stop there before we leave the town.”

  I wanted to agree with him, but arming these bikers was worrying me. Candice placed a hand on my arm. “I see worry,” she said, and I noted a spark in her eyes. “Don’t be. We’ve accepted this quest. We’ll do everything we can to get the job done, which includes laying our lives on the line.”

  I swallowed. Josh was the only one who didn’t understand the meaning about their lives. “I hope that it doesn’t come down to that, but if you lose anyone, is their re-spawn nearby?”

  Candice let go of me and raised an eyebrow at Alex. “No, it’s in Port Troli.”

  “Then we’ve one more stop first. We’ll tie you to the village if that’s acceptable?”

  Candice nodded. “That’s very thoughtful, thank you.”

  Alex smiled. “Where is your re-spawn point?”

  “You were there earlier,” I said and pointed towards Dresel’s office. “The shed.”

  His eyes lit up. “I should have known.”

  “Maybe, but we’ll make sure you’re all aligned there.”

  Convincing Dresel to do that would be tough, but I’d do it. Somehow, if these people were going to die for us, they’d need to be somewhere safe at least near to us to come back. It was only fair.

  Candice moved to her bike. I followed her, admiring the mechanics. “I’d really love to talk more.” I touched the tank, and its engine sparked at me.

  She smiled. “Seems he likes you, but I think you already have an affinity with the mechanics in this world. Yes, we must talk more, but on the road. Time’s a wasting.”

  Candice started her engine, and I listened to the purr of the beast. I moved to walk away while the others mounted their bikes. This was quite the expedition for us, and yet I knew we had the most dangerous trip. The Northern farmlands were protected by the mayor’s men. Maybe they’d defend it with their lives, I hoped not. This was the only option for all of us. They might not see it like that, and all three teams were up against a big problem.

  I heard a whisper. Maddie, thank you. The mechanical creatures were a little too fast for me to watch them all.

  I opened the side of the Hog, and Alex got in while I moved a few bits so Josh had some room. No problem. I think they mean well, but they were just after some easy points in their gaming system.

  I will follow you as much as I can without being spotted.

  Don’t put yourself at risk. Return to Riezella. You can’t afford the expended energy.

  Dalfol knew I was right. Come back to us safe.

  I let him go, and moving around to the front of the bikes, I led them out of town and towards Dresel’s hut.

  He was waiting, and he took all seven inside, leaving Josh and me. I walked around their bikes admiring the paintwork and their enhanced weaponry.

  “You think there’s going to be a lot of firepower up there, don’t you?”

  I nodded. “I didn’t pick this job because it was gonna be easy. This short trip for us will be tough. Probably tougher than any I’ve ever had.�
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  “Even crossing the plains in breeding season?”

  I frowned and let out a sigh. “Mm, there’s a few things you don’t know that I don’t want to share yet with you or the others. Just know that Alex and I can do this, and we’ve got everyone in this as top priority. We’ll protect you any way we can.”

  “You’ve got me worried, Madz, but I do trust you.”

  “Why me over Dail? Really?”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “We had an argument a couple of years back if I’m honest. He was going to ask you to marry him, and I told him you’d say no, that you weren’t that kind of chick.”

  Didn’t he know that Dail had asked me again? I laughed at his words. “But he asked anyway, and I said no, so you were right.”

  “I had a thing for Dail a few years back.”

  “Oh.” I hadn’t known that. Was he trustworthy then?

  “He didn’t like me much after I told him my feelings,” Josh freely admitted. “Used me on a few jobs then went his own way.”

  “I’m sorry,”

  “Don’t be. He turned out to be an ass. I don’t know what I saw in him.”

  I shook my head. “You and me both. We had a good thing while it was going, but when he got clingy and wanted me to retire off the road and marry him, the only thing that tempted me was he promised me a life of doing something else that I loved. When he didn’t even know what else that was, I backed off. I couldn’t imagine not being on the road.”

  “I know that.” Josh smiled at me. “But after the injuries and the healing time, he didn’t want you at risk.”

  Even Dresel didn’t want me at risk, but I’d pushed him and pushed him until he started to give me the more entertaining and lucrative jobs.

  I heard a couple of clinks, the door to the hut opened, and Candice nodded at me. “One more stop, and we’re all set?”

  “Yes, Josh’s home is far outside of town. We’ll head there and get whatever you think we need.”

  “The boys are eager to see.” She grinned, and then looked to Josh. “Do you think you and Alex could take a ride on the bikes to follow us? I’d like a little talk with Maddie on the way there, in private.”