Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas

by Craig Martelle

  Braden pulled his recurve bow and flexed it. He hoped to bring down a deer or two to help the village with their food supply.

  Snakes in the Grass

  Bronwyn led the parade into the fields, walking between the rows of beans and tomatoes. The Rabbits chattered excitedly, talking about how to improve yields with spacing and better soil. They took turns sniffing the ground and nodding to each other.

  Braden and Micah had no doubt that with their help, the crops would greatly increase in size and quantity. They stood at the edge and watched as the Rabbits shared their knowledge with the children, showing Ax and ‘Tesh how to pick a ripe vegetable without harming the plant. All of them sampled a number of beans.

  In the distance, the Wolfoids ran on all fours, disappearing into the woods. Braden had his bow and arrow ready in case a deer running from the Wolfoids came into range. It had been a while since he made a good shot at a running animal. He liked to keep his skills sharp. Micah watched all of them, listening to the wind rustle the trees.

  A dark shape crept through the field, barely visible.

  “What’s that?” Braden asked as Micah squinted and then Bronwyn screamed.

  The shape stood. A man reared back with one arm and launched a three-pointed spear. An ear-piercing scream came from one of the Rabbits. The man ducked, but Braden’s arrow still found him, burying itself deep in his body. He stood up straight for only a heartbeat as Braden’s second arrow ripped into his throat. Braden was afraid that his missing fingers would prevent him from shooting well, but he was still able to make the shots. War cries came from the woods as two men jumped into the field and high-stepped their way through the rows toward the Rabbits and the children.

  Three Rabbits fired their laser pistols together at the man in the lead and he staggered. They fired again, and he fell.

  Two furry shapes bounded from the forest and overtook the third man who had hesitated after the other went down. He stopped and raised his hands.

  His act meant nothing to Bounder who crashed bodily into him, locking his jaws on the man’s throat and shaking violently as they went down. Braden lowered his bow and jogged down the row toward the Rabbits and his children. Micah was close behind, keeping her eyes on the field in case another threat appeared.

  The last man thrashed a final time as Bounder continued to shake him while Gray Strider ripped off one of his arms.

  Brandt bugled in the distance, his hooves could be heard pounding the ground as he raced to join the battle. ‘Calm, my friend, the battle is over, but one of the Rabbits is hurt,’ Braden said over the mindlink as he ran forward.

  Ferrer was on the ground, writhing in pain. The trident had not embedded in his body, but it tore a gash along his side. His white fur was clotted with blood. Braden pulled a wad of numbweed from his pouch and placed it gently on the wound. Ferrer winced. Braden felt the Rabbit’s rib cage. One of the ribs had been broken and was out of place.

  Brigitte shivered and hopped as she helplessly looked on. Braden stroked Ferrer’s head and ears as the numbweed started to work. The Rabbit’s breathing slowed and his pink eyes lost their wild look. “You’re going to be just fine, Ferrer. We’ll get you back, but no hopping for you anytime soon. It’ll be a moon before you’re back on your feet.

  The twins hugged Brigitte and she almost collapsed into their small arms. Bronwyn helped hold them all up. Delavigne’s and Patrice’s ears were back as they seethed with anger. Braden looked at them. “Me, too,” he snarled. Micah remained while Braden plowed through the field to discover who did this, although he already knew.

  “Gravenin!” he spit at the first corpse. “Give me my arrows.” Without any trace of respect, he ripped his arrows from the dead body, using Gravenin’s own clothes to wipe off the blood. He continued to the next body. The Rabbit laser pistols had left small holes in the man’s abdomen and chest, but it was plenty to kill him.

  The Wolfoids stood over the third man who was unrecognizable, their muzzles dripping with blood. They stood and howled as their ancestors used to. Braden put his hand on them both and thanked them for watching over his children and all the companions. Bounder looked down at Braden and put a fingered paw on his shoulder. Gray Strider followed suit. The three of them stood as Delavigne and Patrice elbowed in but quickly turned away when they saw the torn flesh of the last attacker.

  ‘How is the Rabbit Ferrer?’ Bounder asked. Braden smiled and nodded.

  Micah answered, ‘He needs special care, but I think he will be fine. Between Bronwyn and the numbweed, he is no longer in pain. I think we’ll need to sew up this wound. Braden?’

  “We need to get these bodies out of the field. We still need the vegetables to grow and we don’t want scavengers coming after the bodies. Well, not here anyway.”

  ‘We will take care of it,’ Bounder said, waving Braden away so he could attend to Ferrer. Braden had tried to teach others how to stitch a wound, but they had no stomach for it. He was the resident wound seamstress, a responsibility he took seriously.

  Brandt arrived in a cloud of dust as he slid to a stop just outside the last row of plants. G-War jumped from the King’s head and wove his way between the plants to get to the children. Braden and Micah were surprised at how well the two youngsters held up during and after the attack. They only seemed upset seeing their friend in pain.

  Aadi was on the other side of the village watching the forge work and enjoying the heat. Since leaving the Great Desert, he’d found that it was always cooler than he liked. Tom’s fires warmed him up nicely. Although he heard the Rabbit’s distress and the companions’ call to action, there was nothing he could do. He felt helpless in how slow he was, but he sent positive thoughts to all involved. The others had things well in hand only a few heartbeats after Gravenin’s attack.

  As Braden carefully sewed up Ferrer’s wound, the twins’ little voices caressed the minds of the others present, in the way that Bronwyn did to help people forget about their pain. Then they tottered off in search of more beans to pick. Micah shrugged as G-War joined his namesakes, Axial and De’atesh. They could hear him talking with the two, but it was faint, as if from far away.

  The Hawkoids dove over the fields and flew past the humans working with Ferrer, then climbed and flared, landing on a branch overhanging the field. They stayed there and watched, deciding that they shouldn’t hunt together. One of them must always be near the companions to watch for enemies.

  With nearly all of the conversations taking place over the companions’ mindlink, no one from the village knew of Gravenin’s treachery. When a crew showed up to work the field, all they saw were the Wolfoids dragging bodies into the forest. Their screams could be heard clearly as they ran back to the village.

  “Oh, no!” Micah yelled and ran after them. But it was too late. When she arrived, men with spears were already lining up to go after the Wolfoids. Micah had to pull her sword and stand between the men and the field to keep them from charging forward.

  “Listen, all of you! Gravenin and his two evil friends attacked the Rabbits and my children! We killed Gravenin and the other. That was long past due and your misunderstanding is Gravenin’s last stab at us. One of the Rabbits is hurt. Maybe that will convince you that we didn’t start this. The Wolfoids were only doing as we asked. We didn’t want to leave their bodies in the field,” she pleaded in her loudest voice.

  “Of course that’s what you’d say. Those beasts are with you!” someone shouted.

  “Who said that?” Micah shot back, looking into the crowd for the malcontent.

  “Everyone calm down, let’s see what’s going on here,” Destiny said as she pushed to the front. Everyone started talking at once. Micah tried to make her point, but the women who’d seen the Wolfoids dragging the bodies away were closer and yelling more loudly.

  Micah clanged her sword on a rock and everyone grew quiet. “Where’s Betty Dwyer? She vouched for them. Those men attacked my children. Her life is forfeit,” Micah said with auth
ority.

  No one moved. Micah screamed, “Give me Betty Dwyer!”

  And that had the desired effect of changing the people’s attitude. If Micah was so determined to make Betty Dwyer pay, then Gravenin was responsible. No one knew what caused the people to think poorly of Braden, Micah, and their companions while giving any credibility to Gravenin. Apologies rained from the crowd as they bodily dragged Betty forward. They threw her at Micah’s feet.

  “You said you’d be responsible for them?” Micah asked in a low, dangerous tone. “You failed, but you don’t have to fail the village. There’s too much work to do for us to lose any more people. Don’t you realize that we’re going to fight a war?” Micah rested the blade of her sword on Betty’s shoulder. “The evil hanging over you in the form of your son and his partners is gone. I give you back your life.”

  Betty rolled forward and sobbed. Micah sheathed her sword and waved at two strong looking young men to help them carry Ferrer from the field. The crowd broke up and people drifted away, back to what they were doing before the human deaths damaged the village’s calm.

  Braden watched from the field, pleased that Micah hadn’t killed anyone, although no one would have blamed her. She was right, they couldn’t afford to lose anyone else, no matter the reason.

  The Road to Trent

  Destiny agreed to take Ferrer and Brigitte into her home, which meant that Bronwyn had to stay there, too, for as long as it took Ferrer to heal. The broken rib hadn’t caused any damage within the Rabbit’s body, and the only way to keep him from hurting himself was to keep him comfortable and still.

  Bronwyn was torn because she wanted to go to Trent with the others. If she left, then no one would be able to talk with the Rabbits. Bronwyn’s parents were at McCullough because Bronwyn was supposed to spend time there to help the humans communicate with the Amazonians. Aadi could talk with them, too, but without Bronwyn or G-War, he couldn’t talk to the villagers. Poor Bronwyn. Twelve cycles old and the fate of humanity in the south rested on her small shoulders because of her gift.

  Two cycles ago, she was treated as if she was crazy because she heard voices that no one else could hear. Until Braden and Micah arrived and discovered her gifts, that she was special, more so than any other.

  Braden and Micah felt like they were abandoning the young girl, but they had no choice. They couldn’t wait for a full cycle of the moon before going to Trent where they wanted to find food for trade, maybe even recruit workers and soldiers.

  Once the refugees were settled and the relationships established to best keep the peace, Braden, Micah, and the companions prepared to leave. Bronwyn was sad to see them go, but Brigitte said she had work to do and needed Bronwyn’s help. The Rabbit had a number of recommendations for the farmers to improve the fields.

  ‘There is too much work to dawdle with long goodbyes!’ Brigitte told them all over the mindlink in her soft Rabbit voice. She waved one furry paw, and then held Bronwyn’s hand as they skipped toward the fields. Delavigne and Patrice waved back, then helped the twins to sit in the back as Brandt leaned forward to get the wagon rolling. G-War crouched on the King’s head, looking for any signs of someone who intended to harm the companions. The Hawkoids flew circles around the group, keeping a close watch and refusing to hunt until Braden assured them that they were safe. Aadi had wedged himself into the back of the wagon where the twins took turns trying to climb on him.

  The Rabbits were helping the toddlers hang on as Aadi floated within the wagon, giving the children the smoothest ride of all. The Wolfoids chose to run alongside Brandt when they had the wide open spaces that they liked so much. They asked Braden when they could bring the rest of their people from the ship. He told them soon and that was all he could commit to.

  Max and Speckles were almost an afterthought. When Bronwyn was along, they did whatever she told them. Without her, they had to tie their leads to the wagon, and they trotted along behind.

  Micah knew the people from Trent would be actively hostile if she and Braden rolled in with all the companions in tow, so she came up with a plan. Although not happy about it, the others agreed to wait while she and Braden rode the horses to the village, carrying the twins and G-War. The Hawkoids would not be far off, but Brandt, Aadi, the Wolfoids, and the Rabbits had to wait behind and not be in a position to help should anything happen. Even with G-War’s foresight, they would be too far away to make a difference.

  Micah assured them that she could keep the villagers from attacking. If nothing else, she and Braden were armed with fully charged blasters and as she’d seen, the villagers were easily cowed by the power of the Old Tech.

  Braden watched his partner closely. He knew she was anxious about returning home. She hadn’t left on the best of terms, but in the past two cycles, everything had changed, for her, for the south. She was not afraid. All she wanted was her parent’s approval. She wanted them to be happy for her, because she was happy with what they accomplished.

  It took three uneventful turns to make it to the hills overlooking Trent on the Eastern Ocean. There was no road, but with Skirill and Zyena’s help, they found the best route for the wagon. The first tracks had been made, and the road to Trent had been blazed. Braden looked at the ocean and breathed deeply of the salty air. They’d reached both coasts and now had a trade route that spanned the width of the southern land.

  The Free Trader had made an indelible mark on this country. Had his parents been alive, they would have been proud of him. He hoped that Micah’s parents accepted him and what he was trying to do. They could find no better protector of his daughter than Braden and the companions, just as she protected them.

  They had to see that, didn’t they?

  Hi, Mom

  They stashed the wagon within a stand of trees, where the companions would anxiously wait. Skirill and Zyena flew ahead, sharing what they saw, the path to the village and its people. Micah was sure she spotted her mother, but didn’t see her father. It looked like a couple of the boats were at sea, and that probably explained why there were so few men.

  Then Micah thought more and asked Skirill to fly south along the coast until he saw the next village. She wondered what the Hawkoid would see there.

  Braden didn’t understand the hold up, but it was Micah’s village and her decision when they entered. So they waited while Skirill gained altitude and winged away toward Cornwall.

  Despite Micah’s trepidation, Skirill didn’t see anything between the two villages. When he showed them what he saw of Cornwall, it looked the same. The ships were gone and there were few men in the open.

  Skirill turned back north to join the others. Zyena remained perched in a high tree where she could see all of Village Trent. Since everything seemed peaceful, Micah said it was time to go. They dismounted and walked the horses toward the village, hoping that someone would see them before too long. G-War walked at their side, watching carefully and reaching out with his senses.

  They were at the edge of the village before anyone noticed their approach. One cry from a child led to a muffled scream from his mother. Braden and Micah stopped the horses and waited. Women peered from around corners while one older man finally ran up, brandishing a trident that he jabbed toward them menacingly.

  “Put that away, Alton!” Micah said in a commanding voice as she stepped forward, holding her son firmly with her left arm. The old man remained frozen in place. “Don’t you recognize me?”

  He squinted. “These old eyes aren’t what they used to be, young lady. I may not recognize your blurry face, but I recognize the voice. That is the voice of the chief’s daughter. Is that you, Micah?”

  “Yes, Alton, it’s me, and I’ve brought company,” she said calmly. “Is my father here or my mother? I wish to see them again.”

  The old man leaned his head to the side and yelled, “Mattie! Someone here to see you.” He turned back, raised the trident, and stepped forward with his arms wide to embrace Micah. As he got close, he stopped once he
saw the child balanced on her hip. “Hey! Now who would you be?” Alton said as he leaned toward Axial with a big smile on his face.

  ‘I’m Ax. You know my mom?’ he asked using his thought voice. Braden and Micah both looked shocked.

  “Wow! That sounded like it was right in my head. Micah, have you been gone that long that you have children this old?” Alton asked, assuming he’d heard Ax’s voice with his ears. Braden and Micah breathed a sigh of relief.

  While Micah answered Alton, Braden talked to the children over the mindlink, letting them know that these people weren’t used to the way they talked. “Why” was all they asked in their little voices. Braden didn’t have the heart to tell them that people might be afraid. They might not be accepting of those who were special as they were.

  Micah’s mother rushed forward, elbowing her way through the others who started to gather around. She stopped when she saw Micah, her expression torn between joy and sadness. Micah didn’t know what to think.

  “Hi, Mom,” she said simply. “Meet your grandson, Axial.” Mattie looked at him in wonder.

  “Have you been gone that long?” she asked, sounding like the old man.

  ‘Me! Me!’ ‘Tesh cried using the mindlink. Braden joined Micah, turning ‘Tesh around to see her grandmother. Mattie looked from ‘Tesh to Braden and back to Ax.

  “Mother, meet my life partner, Braden. And this little girl is De’atesh. We call her ‘Tesh. These are our children.” She waited for her mother to get over her initial shock at seeing her daughter and her family. G-War stood between Braden and Micah, tail held high, rubbing his head on Micah’s thigh.