“I have to quote you on this, Braden,” Holly said cryptically. “I think you would say that you make your own luck. I believe that it won’t be long before Coldstream is back in business and the traders are back on the roads that you pioneered with your caravan,” Holly delivered smoothly.
“Sometimes you make it hard not to like you, Holly. So what secret are you keeping from us that we should know about?” Micah chuckled as she pulled Braden to her.
“Oh, Braden, sometimes I don’t understand your sense of humor. Dr. Johns is showing me the Aurochs herd moving north. It looks like the villagers from Trent are all lined up to watch them pass. I count three-hundred, forty-seven in the herd.”
“Three-hundred, forty-seven! And Brandt is moving them from the weeds of Toromont’s Run. That is good news and a secret well worth sharing,” Braden said with a smile. “Thanks for that, Holly, and thanks for sending the Bots to look out for us. Gotta run now. The warmth from the fire is going to waste and it’ll be nice to feel dry, if only for a short while.”
Braden thought about powering the unit down, but then changed his mind. He didn’t know why, but he felt more comfortable connected to the world. During the journey through the Amazon, he felt lost and alone, even though he was accompanied by some of those he trusted the most.
“I know how you feel,” Micah said. He missed that, too, her constant presence in the back of his mind. He knew what it had been like to have it all and he wanted that again. They’d have plenty of time to talk on the return journey.
Bronwyn
Brigitte and Ferrer moved aside to let Braden and Micah get close to the young girl, embracing her as they watched the small fire crackle and pop. G-War flopped in front of them and rolled onto his back, exposing his unscarred belly to the fire. His back legs dangled out to the sides.
“C’mon, G! You should be embarrassed doing that,” Braden scolded.
‘While I am drying a part of my body that should never get wet, I will contemplate your demise on our trip back to New Sanctuary. I think that I’ll wait for you to sleep and then put a leach on your neck, but that wouldn’t give me as much satisfaction as personally rending your flesh,’ the ‘cat said casually.
“We are all wet where we shouldn’t be, my little orange man. Let’s dry out and then we’ll go home. Once we are in New Sanctuary, you can lay by the lake as long as you'd like. All of you!” Braden declared with a sweep of his arm.
Micah leaned her head against Bronwyn’s. Braden knew they were speaking privately as Bronwyn would nod every now and then. G-War could probably hear them as he purred, occasionally resting a paw on her knee as he continued to lie on his back.
The Wolfoids were sprawled on the hard floor, fast asleep. Micah waved at Braden to let him know it was okay to leave. Sometimes, he needed to be by himself to think about what to do next. He walked outside where the two Security Bots hovered at strategic points around the clearing as they protected the President and all the companions. Pik and Dal were outside, leaning against a tree with Aadi floating serenely nearby. Braden waved as he walked around, thinking.
Micah held Bronwyn close while G-War caressed the young girl’s mind. As she was capable of taking physical pain away, the ‘cat tried to take away her pain, the images that the Overlords flooded into her mind.
Bronwyn tried to shove it into a dark recess and hide it there, but Micah knew the pictures would haunt her dreams. G-War reached into her mind, deeper than he’d ever been before, and pulled on the memories. Bronwyn gasped as the images raced into her mind’s eye. He kept pulling while Micah soothed her with thoughts that although the evil was real, the images were not. They wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, as the companions had demonstrated over and over. How they put their bodies between her and harm.
Ferrer and Brigitte worked their way in behind Bronwyn to add their thoughts of how it was their responsibility to keep her safe and warm. With a final tug, G-War pulled the false Overlord memories free and took them into his own mind, where they evaporated like water on a hot rock.
Bronwyn took a deep breath and collapsed. Her breathing was slow and steady. The Rabbits patted her small head and wiggled their ears in contentment. For the first time in half a moon, Bronwyn was sound asleep.
G-War rolled toward the fire, letting one scarred side warm up and start to dry. He wondered when they’d make it back to Cornwall.
Micah left the young girl alone to sleep under the watchful eyes of the Rabbits as they snuggled in and prepared to sleep. She went outside and found Braden leaning against one of the other buildings. She strolled up to him and hugged him tightly. He pulled her around the building as they removed their own wet clothes to stand before each other, naked, water running down their bodies. They looked around for a place to take care of the rest of their business…
Still Wet
Akhmiyar and his fellow warrior led the two Village McCullough swordsmen back north. Braden and Micah were hesitant to reveal the existence of New Sanctuary, so they asked the two women to take word of the victory back north. Akhmiyar and Pik had talked for a long time and they both agreed that the war was over. They expected no further attacks, no more uprisings, and no more coordination between the sharkfish and the cold-water crocs.
The journey from the rainforest took every bit as long as the journey in, but it went by quicker. There were no feeling of dread. They rested often and talked openly. Bronwyn was between Braden and Micah for a great deal of the trip, skipping as they held her hand. She looked much older than when they first met her. She was nearly thirteen cycles, but already had worry lines around her young eyes.
Braden felt horrible, which earned him a scathing look from his partner who, with Bronwyn, was sensitive to other people’s feelings. If he felt badly for things he’d done, then he’d drag the others down, so he was not allowed the luxury of remorse.
“But…” he started to say. He had nothing.
‘Remember when we used to enter the villages and everyone would cheer?’ Micah knew how Braden felt about that. He perked up within a heartbeat at the thought. ‘We’ll see that again, and soon. Think about the good things to come instead of what’s in the past. And you know, there’s nothing we could have changed, besides letting Dr. Johns push the button and start a new ancients’ war. You know we couldn’t do that either, so when it comes down to it, we had no choice in all of it, and now it’s over. It’ll be nice to get home and be dry.’
“When are Patrice’s babies due?” Braden asked, thinking about what waited for them in New Sanctuary a little more than a turn’s walk away.
“What?” Bronwyn asked. “We were together for all that time and you never thought to mention that Patrice and Delavigne are having babies?”
Micah shrugged as she looked at Braden.
He looked at his mate. “She’s starting to sound like you,” Braden said flatly, earning himself a punch in the arm. “I’m sorry, but yes. We will have baby Rabbits and I have no idea how soon.”
G-War strutted by, tail up and tip flicking as the rain finally stopped, more than thirty turns after they had entered the rainforest as they approached the southern border. The Security Bot was already in the sunlight, shimmering as the Bots did.
‘I think the seven little ones will be waiting for us when we arrive,’ came the smug ‘cat voice. Ferrer and Brigitte hopped with glee, running out of the rainforest into the open field and sunshine. Braden had forgotten what they looked like dry. He thought they’d been fluffy, but could only see two skinny creatures with big back legs and big ears, pink eyes on the sides of their heads. They had a small harness on which they carried their laser pistols and that was it.
“Seven babies! What about yours, my Prince?” Bronwyn asked.
‘What?’ G-War asked, looking around quickly.
‘When are you going to have little ones?’ she pressed, switching to her thought voice, where she was more comfortable speaking.
‘Are you kidding? I already have these two
to look after…’ He nodded at Braden and Micah.
“I feel like I should be offended,” Braden said as the others laughed loudly, squinting in the brightness of the sun.
Micah keyed her radio, “Holly, can you send a Bot to carry our stuff back to New Sanctuary? I think we’ve carried our burdens long enough.” Micah ended her short conversation and put the radio away. Braden noticed that she hadn’t powered it down.
“Yeah, I know. The question is, how can we keep the conveniences from taking over our lives?” she asked.
Braden shrugged. He’d been asking himself that same question since the first time the fabricator delivered a brownie.
The Seven
Braden and Micah led the way, stripping down to the bare essentials. Armor, packs, even weapons lay in a pile on the ground. It didn’t take long before a Development Unit arrived, towing its small farming wagon. The companions threw everything in, and the Bot sped away. They’d been accompanied the whole way by the Security Bots, who continued to hover nearby, so they were as safe as they could possibly be. Even the Wolfoids seemed happy to be free of their spears as they loped on all fours toward the oasis. Pik and Dal kept theirs as they used them as walking sticks.
“I usually can’t read your face, Pik, but if I didn’t know better, I’d say you don’t like the sunshine and you could be miserable out here,” Braden taunted.
Pik turned his head to look at the human. The green skin on his face had already started to turn gray. ‘Yes,’ the Lizard Man said plainly. Bronwyn skipped to him and grabbed his free hand. She looked up at him and they started to talk, privately. Dal moved to the young girl’s other side, shifted his spear to his left hand, and took Bronwyn’s hand. With Pik, they swung her as they walked. It was good to see that Bronwyn was comfortable with the clone of Pik Ha’ar.
Braden hugged Micah closer. G-War walked along in front. ‘Thanks, G, for helping her. You’re the best friend any of us could ask for,’ Braden said sincerely, nodding at the ‘cat from behind.
‘Yes, yes, I know all that. When are we going back to Cornwall?’ the ‘cat answered gruffly.
“Soon, my friend, soon. We can take the horses and travel the eastern road, be there in just a few turns. The world is opened up for us, thankfully. New trade, fish, vegetables, and sweetened smoked pork. I’m pretty sure it will be a while before I eat another one of the Amazonian mushrooms. I’ve had enough of those for maybe the rest of my life.” Micah nodded knowingly. They’d picked a great quantity of mushrooms along their way through the rainforest. Even the Wolfoids had taken to eating them because there was nothing else. Hunting within the rainforest had been nonexistent.
The companions were refreshed by the walk in the sunshine, but they didn’t hurry. It took until nightfall to finally make it to the oasis of New Sanctuary. Ferrer and Brigitte ran ahead of the group to join Patrice and Delavigne and the seven new additions to the Rabbit family, the first to be born away from the ship. With the help of the humans and the Wolfoids, Pik and Dal were half-carried the final stretch and with some care, dumped into the lake where they could let the water work on their skin.
Bronwyn ran ahead to find Ax and ‘Tesh. They hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and she fancied herself their big sister. The Wolfoids figured they’d need ten days of doing nothing for their shredded pads to heal.
The Hawkoids were already perched on branches over the lake, relaxing and watching the world go by after already greeting the twins and getting to know the baby Rabbits. The little ones couldn’t talk yet, but they were delightful to be around. They looked so much like the wild rabbits that Skirill and Zyena considered taking their wild cousins off the menu. They hoped the humans wouldn’t find intelligent ground squirrels, otherwise their diet would become rather sparse.
Someone always pulled Aadi along until they were within sight of the oasis and he insisted the others go ahead. He told them that he would get there eventually and despite his apparent invulnerability to the rain, he enjoyed the dry heat outside of the plains around New Sanctuary.
Braden stripped off his shirt as he entered the oasis, heading directly for the lake to see his children. Micah stopped him and looked him over in a clinical way. “How come you didn’t get hurt during all of that Overlord business?” she asked.
“I think the others were protecting me, even if they didn’t think they were. I always found myself behind them, except on that last run when there wasn’t anyone left. You?” Braden looked at her as she started unbuttoning her shirt, then stopped when she remembered that the survivors from Cygnus VI were around.
“Me, too. I think they made sure that there was always someone between me and the bad guys.” He nodded at her. They didn’t expect it and they would have been firmly against it had they known. Maybe the others did it unconsciously.
“That’s all over now. It’ll be nice waking up knowing that no one is trying to kill us,” Braden quipped. Micah nodded, not as confident as Braden that the statement was true.
She expected the twins to run to them, but they waved and stayed where they were, surrounded by four adult Rabbits. When Braden and Micah arrived, they started to reach for Ax and ‘Tesh but stopped when they saw they each cradled a small Rabbit. Five other babies crawled cautiously around the two toddlers.
“It seems like only yesterday they were the babies, now they have little ones of their own,” Micah laughed. She missed the Aurochs to make the family complete, but the rest were there and she felt at home. They all did.
A New Normal
With the return of the refugees to their home villages and a restart of the trade route, things were getting back to a new normal. Braden and Micah had ridden Max and Pack on the rainforest road to take Bronwyn home, especially since the Aurochs herd had taken residence on the plains north of Greentree and Coldstream. Three-hundred forty-seven strong, they took up a great deal of territory and then there were the incidents.
After two accidental Aurochs incursions into the fields and getting chased away by villagers wielding shovels, they needed someone to help keep the peace. Bronwyn waded into the mix and resolved things in short order. She didn’t think anything about why they were smaller or talked differently. To her, everyone was special, a lesson the adults were trying to learn.
“You need to bring my Rabbit friends up here. They’ll make sure everything grows like it is supposed to. You need to add New Sanctuary to the trade route!” the young girl exclaimed out of the blue. “Braden can get his sweetened smoked pork, and we can get some of the things that we only find there.”
“I’m not sure we can tell anyone about New Sanctuary yet, little sweetheart,” Braden whispered, making sure no one else was near.
“They will find out, and then they’ll be mad that you kept the secret from them. You are going to have to tell them sometime.” Braden sighed heavily. Of course she was right. They’d already told the Council of Elders, but it was time to let everyone know and know that it wouldn’t change anything. There would be no return to the life of the ancients, a life where people were ready to push a button to destroy others.
There was much to do for the people to be ready to accept that the power of the ancients was alive and well. The allure frightened Braden like no living enemy could.
“We’ll manage,” Micah reassured him.
“I know.” Braden chewed his lip before continuing. “With things expanding, we need regular trade using beasts of burden and not the Aurochs. I think it might be time for a trip north to buy horses and water buffalo, maybe even find some settlers. The war took its toll on us. Every life lost was one too many.”
“Never a dull moment, huh?” Micah shrugged. The horses could wait. They had trade routes to expand, and Brandt guaranteed plenty of volunteers from the Earthshaker Herd to help.
‘Cornwall?’ G-War injected loudly over the mindlink. ‘Does no one remember anything about a trip to Cornwall?’
Free the North!
Free Trader Series
Book 5
By Craig Martelle
To the love of my life
the sparkle in your eyes brightens every one of my days
Acknowledgments
The summer of 2016 has been filled with deadlines and publications. I’ve kept my head above water because I’m surrounded by some great people.
James M. Ward helped me with Micah’s penultimate sword fight in this story, which helped to make things as realistic as possible. No one survives in this business alone. Having a friend like Jim to look things over is comforting and improves the quality of what we can give you, the reader. You deserve the best we can deliver.
Michael Anderle has been an exceptional mentor and partner as I broke into the indie publishing business. He was honored to have his name as my premier protagonist in this book. Governor Anderle and Michael have nothing in common besides the name. Michael is a great man who has gone well out of his way to help others.
I attended my 35-year high school class reunion this summer (2016). Many of my classmates from so long ago have read some of my books. You were all so kind with your words, and a couple stopped by to tell me in person – Penny Heister Sanchez and Lori Bessler Wissing. You made my day. Thanks to Chris “Shakes” Vogt, Diane Sauegling LaPier, Steve Kann, and Jackie Meyer Thiltgen for setting everything up, finding a gazillion people who didn’t want to be found, and then encouraging them to come. Fun was had by all.
I want to thank some readers by name as they are the ones who we look to when we’re feeling a little down. Diane Velasquez and her sister Dorene Johnson are powerhouse readers, ready for anything I throw at them and always willing to give feedback. Norman Meredith is a new addition to the team and has provided valuable input to me and my process. The following people have also been very kind with their comments. Chris Rolfe, Monique Lewis Happy (also one of my editors), Norman Meredith, and so many more. You great people help make every day that much sunnier.
Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas Page 22