by Ronan Frost
Capac was just beginning to think they had moved beyond the danger zone when a deep reverberation ran under the soles of his feet. It was quiet with distance, and it few of the eloprin heard it. Tatura paused, breath pent. "The trap?"
"Then they are on our trail. No less than ten minutes behind."
"I shall run ahead and urge the our tribe to make haste, then return here." Tatura slung his bow over a shoulder and bolted ahead, glad at last to be moving swiftly.
Watching the spring-footed eloprin disappear into the night Capac felt a stab of jealousy that his own body had betrayed him in old age, leaving him forced to hobble along using the cane to maximum advantage. The old wound ached almost intolerably now.
Breath coming out in visible clouds of steam Capac called to a pair of the younger hunters bringing up the rear of the convoy. Under his directions they set about placing uprooted bushes over the path, obscuring it, and then planting their spears deep into the soil so that a running solider would be impaled by the sharpened shaft. The three worked quickly, haste added to their movements by adrenalin, knowing that something followed their path.
The light slapping of bare feet heralded the return of Tatura, who immediately cursed upon spying Capac hard at work chopping shrubs off at their base and dragging them over the track. "What are you doing - do you want to get yourself killed?"
"We're try to give the tribe a little more time!" exclaimed Capac breathlessly.
"Yeah, and at expense to your live. I won't allow it, come on."
"A little more time - "
A sudden gunshot assaulted their senses and all fell instinctively back. Words caught in his chest Capac ducked low as his periphery vision saw the bullet catch one of the eloprin hunters. Head turning in horror Capac saw the eloprin's body cast backward, chest exploding into a shower of blood.
Falling to his stomach, rolling, then leaping to his feet as best as he was able, Capac stumbled for cover. Tatura and the other hunter were nearby and together they sprinted for all they were worth. Several more shots were fired, tearing at the bark of trees near their heads. Tatura was practically carrying Capac now as the old eloprin's left leg dragged limply, contorted with cramps and cursedly refusing to move.
"Leave me," cried Capac. "Run on."
"No way, old man."
"Then move off the path." Capac knew they stood no chance of outrunning the Sunlords. They would just have to hope that the other hunters further along the path would provide protection for the tribe. "Move into cover - we'll see how many of the useless bastards we can pick off."
The three angled perpendicular and immediately hit with a wall of prickly brush and ground so soft it sucked upon ones feet. Unheeding of scratches they fought through the scrub, labouring breath loud now that the gunshots had stopped. Notching an arrow into his bow Capac stopped, waiting.
They did not have to wait long. Seconds later a wraith-like runner shot from the shadows, obscured by mist and moonlight. Three arrows shot from the undergrowth as the armoured figure passed.
One missed and one glanced harmlessly from the breastplate, but the other - Capac's arrow - lodged firmly into the neck joint. It was more luck than skill, Capac thought in relief, that his arrow had flown true. The solider rocketed sideways and collapsed with a heavy thump, skidding forward with momentum. Then it stopped and lay still, an indistinguishable mass of blackness in the mists. Flung forward from an outstretched arm something silver glinted. A blaster.
"I need that weapon."
"Wait!"
But Capac was already on the track inspecting the corpse. Details drew into focus as he drew closer; the arrow jarring from the neck, the wide open eyes through the visor, the armour.
"Mother of the Forest!" Blinking twice, Capac shook his head, staring at the logo emblazed upon the chest armour of the space warrior.
Tatura came to his aid. "What is it? Capac - what's wrong?"
Capac's eyes never left the body. Even in the moonlight the blue insignia was unmistakable - Shaun had described the Federation markings accurately. And the face of the solider...it was undeniably human. "A Federation solider." Was he being chased by Sunlords, too? Capac clenched his jaw. It seemed unlikely, but that meant only one thing. They were being pursued by Federation soldiers.
The rumble of machinery grew audible as did the steady march of footsoliders closing in rapidly. Tatura grabbed Capac and hauled him from the track, all thoughts of obtaining the weapon forgotten.
As the eloprin dove through the forest they heard above the racket of snapping branches under their feet a steadily growing humming. It built in intensity until it seemed to be shaking the very molecules of dirt under their feet.
Capac knew that sound. "Get down!"
The three rolled behind the cover of a fallen log, half-tripping half-diving into the moist humus. Concussed air pounded their eardrums as the rocket exploded where their feet had been an instant earlier. Flame licked outwards and the vegetation in a two-metre radius was stripped bare of all foliage. Capac wasted no further time as he ordered they move once more. In his efforts to aid Capac Tatura dropped his longbow, knowing there was no time to pause to retrieve it.
They all heard the footsteps behind them, and it was the young eloprin who stopped and drew back her bow. Her arrow lanced forward and smashed into the half-visor of the Federation solider stepping from the mists. Barely had the eloprin completed her recovery had another warrior emerged from over the body of his comrade.
A split-second later the warrior fired a single whip-like thwack of blue electricity.
The eloprin hunter cried out as her flesh singed and charred to black. Cast back by the force she was throw against a tree and impaled by a thick branch.
The dreadful feeling of being betrayed seeped through Capac's numbed heart as the Federation solider reload the weapon, still stepping forward with unstoppable determination. The body of the young hunter hung limply from the tree disfigured beyond recognition; Capac had not even known the eloprin's name.
The next few minutes were a blur as Capac and Tatura fled. The trees they ran past towered into the night sky, their girth the size of a large hut. It was through this terrain that Tatura and Capac knew best and both moved as if of one mind, weaving and leaving few tracks to mar their passing.
"We've got to loop around," panted Capac breathlessly. "Got to get back to the rest of the tribe."
Allowing his pace to slow Tatura dared to look back the way they had come. The forest was silent, almost serene. "Agreed. It seems we've lost them."
Capac produced his cane which, remarkably, had survived the flight through the dense forest. His grip tight on the handle he stopped to regain his breath, shaking off Tatura's aid to stand by himself. He had no time to collect his thoughts and already the confusion was becoming too much. Perhaps he had mistaken the Sunlord as a human in the moonlight. He refused to believe it was the Federation firing upon them. Now, in the forest devoid of movement save the rustle of leaves overhead and the sound of their pulse in their ears, it seemed impossible to believe.
"They were human?" Tatura asked.
Capac could only nod. "Human, yes. They are killing us."
Tatura set a grueling pace and Capac followed close, glad of the other's company. He knew that if left alone he would not have had the determination to get moving once again. They angled through tretcherous bogs in their attempts to catch up with the tribe.
"There!" cried Capac as he spotted movement through the mists. Shadows were trekking along the path in single file and in seconds Capac regonised them as eloprin. "Thank the mother!"
The tribe had heard the shots and were running at a considerable pace. Still at the lead, Elio's frown broke into relief.
"Keep going, Elio," Capac urged, his eyes searching through the ranks. A nagging fear allieviated slightly from his heart when he saw Riel keeping pace with the rest of the children. He was alive, for the moment.
Capac kept pace with the tribe, all senses att
uned to a fine edge. The silence assaulting his ears was somehow worse and it filled his heart with uncertainty. It was impossible they had shaken off their pursuers yet too much time was passing without incident. A thin film of sweat glistening on his brow Capac knew fear, not for himself but for Riel. He must survive, he thought fiercely, shaking off a moment of pessimistic brooding.
It was not his ears that averted disaster but his nose. Skin prickling Capac drew in another sharp breath, tasting the air upon the back of his tongue. The ever-present smell of the trees and swamp pervaded almost everything, yet there was a subtle undercurrent. The mists hung still, disturbed only by the passing of the villagers - indicating practically no breeze. Turning his head Capac identified the direction from which the almost intangible smell originated. It was before them. It smelt like hot metal.
"Move aside!" Capac cried suddenly, breaking the eerie silence. He knew that somewhere ahead another squadron of the Federation soldiers awaited to trap them. "Elio - into the forest."
Elio darted into the trees without a second thought and the sixty-odd tribespeople followed him into the marshlands with the confidence of ones born to the forest. Seconds later Capac's suspicions were confirmed as an unnaturally silent craft drifted from the mists, floating above the ground like a shark shafting through water.
Five hunters fired arrows into the accelerating hover tank - their efforts futile. The twin cannons flanking the slender tank glowed dull red as waves of heat washed down the passage of the trail bordered on either side by a wall of trees.
Capac saw the hunters die instantly - he had been a hairs-breadth of falling prey to the beam himself. Some of the villagers screamed suddenly, in their panic losing each other in the mist. Cursing, Capac picked himself up and stumbled forward, guided by an inner sense towards his nephew.
Riel yelled in fright as Capac swooped and plucked the youngster from his feet.
"Uncle! Where is everybody?"
Capac cast aside his cane and struggled to retain his hold upon Riel. Somehow, very quickly, they had lost contact with the rest of the tribe and now the two were alone in an island of mist and forest. Lungs burning and muscles stretching to breaking point Capac could only hope he headed in the right direction. He dare not call out to Tatura for fear of bringing the Federation tanks upon him, leaving him alone and without direction.
The ground gave way and he fell knee deep into mud. Grasping handfuls of reeds that cut into his skin Capac pulled himself free. His skin stung with a thousand abrasions, his vision blurred and hearing muffled. Fighting through this landscape of horror Capac kept moving with single-minded determination, the child in his hands still and wide-eyed.
Hands reached out and caught his fall. Capac raised his head and blinked. It took a few seconds for him to pull the moonlight washed features into focus.
"Elio, I'm glad to see you!"
"I've found the tunnel." Elio helped Capac and Riel into the hollow.
"You did well." Now on his knees Capac looked down into the dark hole that lay half-obscured by a clump of reeds. Upon cursory inspection it looked like a pryon's den - thus something to avoid - but Capac knew that it lead directly down into the vast underground caverns of the Ansarii. "How many made it?"
"Only five so far." Elio swallowed. "I'm s-sorry. In the mist I just lost sight of them and - "
"That's okay, get yourself in there quickly. Riel, go with him." The child knew better than to argue with his uncle and silently allowed himself to be placed in Elio's hands. Capac paused, heart racing. "Quickly, get down there both of you. Something's coming."
Frozen where he lay Capac held his breath, pulse sounding like a drumbeat in his temples. A shadow angled closer then paused, looking about as if lost. Capac pursed his lips and softly whistled the song of a bird.
The figure heard it and immediately charged directly for the hollow. "That's got to be you Capac." The shadow dropped into the hollow. "That bird lives up in the mountains, not down here in the swamp."
Capac snorted in a moment of blessed levity and relief. "It got your attention, didn't it?"
Tatura's voice dropped in seriousness. "Something is moving around out there - and it isn't one of our tribe or any k'lockri."
"We must call our tribe here." Capac pulled his knife from its sheath. "And just hope we can fend off what ill falls out way."
Tatura pulled his horn from his belt, brows raised in question. Capac nodded a firm affirmative.
The long mournful note rang through the forest shattering still mists. Echoing startlingly it sounded louder than any volcano eruption or landslide. It seemed to ring on forever and Capac instantly felt helpless, knowing that their cover was now forfeit.
In the next few seconds a great number of the villagers emerged from all directions, faces reflecting immense gratitude in finding their fellows. Wordlessly Capac indicated that all should scramble down the hole.
Barely had they disappeared did a tightly packed band of metal armoured soldiers appear from nowhere, weapons held low and ready. In that exact same instant Capac saw a band of eloprin stumbling towards the hollow from the opposite direction.
"Run!" cried Capac, unheeding now of his own safety as he stood and waved his hands at the villagers. "Run!"
Tatura drew back his bow and let fly the feathered shaft. The arrow glanced the helmet of the foremost soldiers, momentarily knocking him off-balance. But the ploy did not distract the surrounding soldiers as they immediately fanned out and dropped onto their stomachs, disappearing from view yet still creeping forward.
Taking the newly arriving villagers' hands in his own Capac roughly showed them to the tunnel entrance, pushing them quickly knowing that the seconds they had left were fast running out.
A sudden snarl pumped further adrenalin into Capac and Tatura's veins before they realised the sound came from a few metres distant. Fierce activity broke out from that section in the swamp punctuated by numerous blasts of laser fire that lit up the mist like bombs. Three more of the energy blasts followed before silence settled once more. Allowing himself a wry grin Capac knew the soldiers had stumbled into a nest of pryons, who had in turn shown them a dose of native hospitality.
A red dot appeared upon Tatura's forehead noticed only by Capac. Crouching there immobile Tatura saw the look of horror spread across Capac's face in that split second.
"What's - " Tatura's words wrenched into a ugly scream as the top of skull disappeared in a mass of red blood. Capac ducked aside as his friend's body flung spread-eagled onto the damp earth.
Capac knew there was no time for a last look or second thought. Diving headlong he landed hard upon his forearms, skidding down the tunnel. Scrambling down the dirt enclosure barely large enough to allow his passage Capac paused to dig up a vine cloaked under a layer of earth. Shuffling forward again he then caught the vine in the foot of his good leg and tugged as hard as he was able. Nothing happened, and a fresh bead of perspiration glistening on his brow, Capac heaved again.
The vine moved, pulling with it a supporting branch that roofed the tunnel. A cloud of dirt forced its way up his nose as the massive weight of the aboveground soil collapsed in upon the tunnel entrance, shrouding Capac in pitch darkness. Breathing a sigh Capac was suddenly grateful that his elaborately laid mechanism had not rotted into disrepair.
Hoping that the collapsed entrance would cloak their escape, and also praying for the souls of those villagers who remained outside in the swamp, Capac shuffled forward deeper into the catacombs.
Voices filtered through the air and he found himself momentarily blinded by a blast of yellow light seemingly brighter than the sun to his night-accustomed eyes. Elio had shown them the cache of firewood. Capac silently allowed himself a moment's congratulation in displaying the foresight to lay out a month's worth of dried meats down in these tunnels.
The hands of the Chieftain aided Capac from the tunnel and into the open space. Even though the flickering torchlight lit up only a small radius it could be
sensed by the echoes that the cavern they were in was as large as village. It was this cavern, filled with ruins of buildings, that Ashian Myshia and himself had found all that time ago.
"Tatura?" questioned Kiroth.
Capac shook his head in the negative, still averting his eyes while they became accustomed to the blinding light. "How many of us made it here?"
"Twenty six, including yourself." Kiroth's voice trembled slightly. "That's less than half our number."
"We must remain in hiding for as long as possible," said Capac. "We stand no chance of survival against superior technology."
Kiroth breathed in the dank, stale smelling air. The steady drip drip drip of trickling water ran into stagnant ponds and a myriad of small insects swarmed about the torchlight. Every breath they exhaled clouded in the cold air and skin unconsciously prickled, somehow feeling that a presence far greater than their own looked over them.
Kiroth said, "I guess we'd better get used to this, then."
Capac nodded, his eyes finding the sharp edges of the buildings half-obscured in shadow. "Right."
* * *
The lone figure wandered the smoking landscape of craters and ravaged remains of military equip-ment. Massive tanks lay in states of disrepair, silver-clothed occupants spilling from hatchways wrenched away from their hinges. Haze hung in the air, pools of radioactive water laying still in the hollows of the desert.
Stepping carefully and checking the instrument in his hand regularly, Shaun trekked through the region now devoid of all life. Shaun knew that he placed his life in the hands of the instrument that detected landmines, for if it failed to pick one up then the next step he took would be his last.
Sweat trickled down his face, the air stifling inside the plastic gasmask fastened across his face and sealing into his helicasuit. "What the hell is this?" he cursed to himself in a mutter as he saw that the land before him was thick with landmines. They must have been dropped from the air. The same frustrating thought ran through his mind, knowing that the Federation had employed a new type of land-mine designed by the Skeeters that was undetectable to the sonic radar he now used. Fortunately it seemed most of the buried explosives were anti-tank mines, and would only be set off by 400kg of weight upon them.