by Mark Harritt
“Can we stay here?” Mike asked.
Caul shook his head, “That would not be a good idea. We are too close to them. They are not capable hunters in the woods, but even a blind lashki can stumble across a nut.”
Mike grinned at the last. Evidently a lot of common sayings from old Earth were making it into the lexicon here in the Matki’s tribe, “Okay, do you have another location we can go to?”
Caul nodded, “Yes, it’s one of the locations that Matki and I agreed on before he left. We will go there tonight. It is maybe two kilometers further down the valley.”
“Alright, let’s go then.”
The team grabbed their kits and Caul led the way out of the hide site. Mike smiled when Geonti motioned for Tom to walk in front of him, at the back of the line. Tom studied Geonti intently for a second, then acquiesced, stepping in front of the young hunter.
“What’s the matter Tom, getting old? Letting Geonti take our six?”
Tom shook his head, “I’m a decent hunter, but there’s no way I can move through the woods the way these two can.”
“Ah, with age comes wisdom,” Everett teased.
“You should know, old man,” Tom replied.
“Older man. And I can still out run you, Tom,” Everett corrected.
From the back, Geonti hissed at them. Everett chuckled softly.
They settled back into their familiar hunt and kill mode. Once again, Mike was glad they had Caul and Geonti with them. In this unfamiliar terrain, there was no way that Mike would be able to make it from one location to another. They couldn’t use GPS since those satellites were long dead, decaying orbits turning them into flaming wreckage a billion years ago. They couldn’t use compasses either, since magnetic north was no longer magnetic north. Now it was somewhere towards the south, southwest. One of the many problems they’d run into in the new reality. The magnetic pole had flipped from north to south and back many times in the history of the world, and would continue to do so.
Mike prayed that they didn’t run into one of the grey men patrols. The last thing they needed tonight was to have the entire grey man force converge on them. They got lucky though, and two hours later, they walked into their new hide site. Caul led them into an area that was thick with tree trunks, scrub vegetation, and low standing stones. It was a good location for them to spend the night, much better than the previous hide site. It would be very hard for the grey men to find them.
They spread out and dropped their backpacks. Everybody was tired, so Mike decided that they could do with one-man security for the night, with one hour intervals. That would give everybody more time to get some sleep. The previous few days had been non-stop. They need some rest. Plus, with this group of veterans, Mike knew he didn’t have to worry about anybody falling asleep. Mike took first shift, and the rest of the crew lay down to get some sleep.
----------------------------------------------------
Mike was dreaming about Jo when he felt somebody shake his arm. She was trying to tell him something, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. His mind swam slowly out of the dream world he was in and he woke up. As he woke, the throbbing in his finger became more intense. He opened his eyes to see Tom crouched close to him, but far enough away if Mike struck out.
“You awake?” Tom asked.
This couldn’t be good. Caul was next in the rotation, and was supposed to wake him up for Mike’s next shift.
“I am. What’s up?” Mike asked.
“Jendi’s back.”
Mike shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs, “He’s not supposed to be back until tomorrow.”
“I know. But he’s here now, and he seems agitated.”
Mike sat up and looked around, his eyes settling on Jendi. He was partially guided by the smell. It wasn’t as over powering as the open container had been, but Jendi had definitely been marked. Sure enough, Jendi looked like he was worried. Mike held up his hand, indicating for Jendi to wait. He reached over, rummaged through his kit, and found the electronic translator. He motioned for Jendi to move closer. He turned on the translator, “What’s going on, Jendi.”
Jendi licked his lips, nervous. He was disconcerted by the voice coming out of the translator, “My father sent me back.”
Mike nodded and smiled, “Go on.”
“He said he can’t get to the compound.”
Mike frowned at the news. Well, he never thought that they’d be able to bring the mechs around in time to save the team anyway. He’d been grasping at straws when he’d sent Matki out to bring them back.
“Is Matki okay?” he asked.
Jendi nodded, “Yes, he is okay.”
“Did he tell you why he couldn’t get to the compound?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Can you tell me?”
Jendi nodded again.
“Go on,” Mike said, to encourage him.
“My father told me to tell you, that he is back.”
Mike was confused, “Who? Who’s back?”
“The dragon is back.”
Mike had a sinking feeling, “What dragon?”
“My father told me to tell you that the Ancient is back.”
Mike cursed. Jendi looked worried when he heard the translation of what Mike said. Mike moved quickly to reassure Jendi, “Ah, sorry. That wasn’t meant for you. I cursed because of the Ancient being back, not because you’ve done anything wrong.”
Jendi nodded with understanding, still stiff from Mike’s coarse language, though.
“Why isn’t Matki with you?”
The worried look that Jendi had before crossed his face again, “He said he needed to bring him.”
Mike was confused again. He didn’t understand who Jendi was referencing, “Bring him? Bring who?”
Jendi licked his lips again, “He said to tell you, that you are very close to the dragon valley now. Another half day towards the dragon valley, and the elevation dips much lower. Even here, in this hide site, it is much warmer.”
Mike’s face paled as he contemplated what Jendi was telling him. He looked over at Tom for confirmation.
Tom stared back at him, “You don’t think . . . Do you?”
Mike looked back at Jendi, “Who’s Matki bringing here?”
Jendi looked back and forth between Mike and Tom, “He is bringing the Ancient here.”
Tom and Mike both cursed this time.
Mike was dumbfounded, “Why the hell does he want to bring the dragon here?”
Jendi smiled nervously, “Because he couldn’t bring the Mechs.”
Mike thought about that. Of course, the dragon didn’t care who it tangled with. One person looked pretty much like another to it, grey, pink, or brown. If they could get the grey men close enough to the dragon valley, the Ancient would tear through them. Those short, stocky bastards weren’t very fast runners, either.
Mike looked back over at Tom. Tom shook his head, “Matki’s either a genius, or he’s going to get us all killed.”
Jendi’s face suddenly lit up, “Ah, I almost forgot. My father said we must get across the river, to go to the southern side of the valley. The water is too cold for the dragon to cross.”
“Damn,” Mike thought, “Matki’s thought of everything.” Aloud, he said, “Well, when it comes to Matki, my vote is on genius.”
A smile grew across Jendi’s face, once again very proud of his father. Then concern replaced the smile, “Mike, can I ask you something?”
Mike saw the look on Jendi’s face, and thought he knew what the boy was going to ask, “Sure Jendi. You can always ask me anything.”
The look on Jendi’s face didn’t go away. If anything, it intensified, “do you think my father will be okay?”
Mike smiled. He reached out and put his hand against Jendi’s neck, pulling him closer, “Jendi, when it comes to dragons, there is no one, and I mean no one, who can tame them the way your father can. He understands those giant monsters better than they understand themselves
. Hell, give him a month or two, and I bet he could train it to beg for treats. There is no man on this world braver, or more capable than your father.”
The look of concern on Jendi’s face retreated slightly. He bit his lip, hesitating as he thought about what Mike had told him. Then he nodded as he accepted what Mike had said.
Mike looked back at Tom, “Well, we have to get across the river before the sun comes up. I don’t want to be crossing that big danger zone in the daylight. How much time do you think we have?”
Tom did some mental calculations, “Probably about five hours before the sun comes up. If we move now, and we move fast, then we should be able to make it.”
“Alright, let’s get everybody up.”
They woke the team up. Jendi explained everything to Caul and Geonti. Mike told Mickey and Everett what was happening. Tom moved away from the hide site to stay on guard while everyone packed quickly. Once they were packed, Caul and Geonti moved to guard positions so that Tom could pack. A quick whisper brought Caul back in to talk to Mike.
He turned to Caul, “Caul, is there a place on the river where we can cross?”
“Yes Mike. I know a crossing where the river is shallow and the current is not as strong,” Caul replied.
“When you say shallow, what do you mean?”
Caul put his hand up to his chest, about where the bottom of his sternum was. That was good for Mike and the team, not so good for Jendi. Mike had a fix for that, though. Still, he wanted to see how swiftly the river was moving at that location.
“Okay, move out in that direction. We need to get there quickly, but remember about the hostile patrols out there.”
Caul nodded, then motioned for Geonti to come closer. There was a rapid exchange between them, then Geonti nodded and slipped into the woods.
“Where’s he going?” Mike asked.
“He will range out in front of us to make sure we don’t run into anybody. If he senses anything out there, he will come back and tell me,” Caul replied.
“Will he be able to find us?”
Caul looked at Mike and grinned.
Mike shrugged and nodded, “Okay, stupid question.”
Mike turned off the translator, and motioned for Caul to lead. Mike followed and Mickey stepped in behind him. Everett motioned for Jendi, then put his hand on Jendi’s shoulder and guided him in behind Mickey. Everett followed Jendi, and Tom brought up the rear of the patrol.
Caul guided them down one of the many animal paths that he knew by heart. He moved swiftly, but not recklessly. Mike had longer legs, but he had a hard time keeping up with the small hunter. One thing Mike knew was that he never wanted to piss off Matki’s tribe. At night, they moved like ghosts through the woods.
Caul slowed down once, and that was when Geonti re-joined the group. He walked next to Caul for a minute, talking in a hushed voice, and then headed back into the undergrowth at a different angle than they were traveling. Mike had the ultimate faith in their skills, having observed it for the past few days. Still, traveling this fast through terrain he didn’t know made him extremely nervous. Soldiers died when they moved this fast. Survival depended on seeing the enemy before he saw you. Traveling this quickly could get them all killed.
Finally, the vegetation opened up before them. Mike could see moonlight playing off the surface of the river. Caul slowed and held up his hand to call a halt. Wordlessly, they all took a knee, waiting for Caul to move again. They waited for approximately twenty minutes. During that time, they all listened for the enemy.
Suddenly, Geonti was next to Caul again. He was talking low. Mike assumed that Geonti was giving a SITREP to Caul. He saw Caul nod, and then Caul motioned for Mike to move forward. Mike moved up, took a knee, and Caul gave the hand signal for the enemy. He pointed up river. It looked like there were hostile patrols out tonight.
Mike wanted to turn on the translator, but he didn’t dare, not here. They weren’t nearly as secure here as they had been back at the last hide site. The vegetation was more open here, with very little undergrowth. Sound would carry much further here in the still air.
Mike nodded. He pointed at the river. Caul nodded. It looked like the river crossing was going to be here.
Mike motioned for the rest of the team to move in. He pointed where he wanted them for security. He motioned for Jendi to join him. Jendi came forward, and Mike took the backpack off of Jendi’s back. Mike opened up the bag, and felt around inside. Sure enough, the waterproof bag hadn’t been tied off properly. Most of Jendi’s equipment wasn’t even in the waterproof bag. Mike felt around inside the backpack, and grabbed anything that wasn’t in the waterproof bag and put it in there. The last thing that Jendi needed was for clothing to become waterlogged on the crossing. The nice thing about the waterproof bag was that it turned the backpack into a floatation device. At least, as long as there weren’t any holes in it.
As he was tying the waterproof bag off, Mike felt that feeling at the junction of his jaw and ear that meant that the strange aircraft was flying somewhere close. Everybody froze as they felt it too. Mike soon heard the soft whoosh of the engines that propelled it through the air. The aircraft was moving from east to west.
“Good thing we’re crossing the river,” he thought, “who the hell knows what that’s all about.”
Mike finished with Jendi’s backpack, and closed it up, and handed it back to Jendi. He motioned for Caul to lead them to the river’s edge.
Now, Caul was very cautious as he walked forward. The river was a very large danger area. It was too easy to be seen. They moved forward into a copse of trees next to the river bank. Mike looked down at the river while the rest of the team moved into a semi-circle, facing out for security. The river was wider here than it was in other places. Because of that, the current moved slower. Mike studied the river. What he saw didn’t encourage him. It moved sluggishly, but it still seemed powerful. They would probably end up further downstream as they crossed.
He walked back and grabbed Mickey. He pulled him over to the river bank, “Okay, Mick, you’re going to have to be my bulldozer to get us to the other side. You’re going to have to angle upstream for us to make it across approximately even to where we are now. Good news for us is that the river is about waist deep for us. Still, I don’t want to lose anybody, so I’m going to rope us all in. We don’t have time to string a rope for the crossing.”
Mickey looked at the river, “Well, it’s not what I’d like to do, but I understand. I think the best thing we can do is to rope the team in front of Jendi, Caul, and Geonti. They’re lighter, and if they slip, we can mule them out of the river. You might want to put one of us on the end though. That way we have two anchors.”
Mike nodded, “Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking as well. The last thing I want to have to do is explain to Matki how we lost his son in the river. I’ll rope myself in last. That way I can make sure that everybody’s secure.”
“You want me to tell the others?” Mickey asked.
Mike nodded. Mickey headed to Everett to let him know what they were going to do. Mike pulled the rope out of his bag. He laid the rope out so that it would be easier to tie off. He felt a large presence next to him, and he saw Mickey looming over him.
“You ready?” Mike asked.
Mickey nodded, “Bowline on a coil?”
Mike confirmed the knot, and once Mickey was done, he softly called Everett over. Everett roped in, followed by Tom. Mike walked back and grabbed Jendi. The other guys were going to carry their backpacks, but Jendi was going to have his linked into the rope. He’d push it across the top of the water as he crossed the river. Next, Mike roped in Caul and Geonti. He finished with a bowline on a coil around his own waist.
Mickey waited until Mike was roped in. Then he turned and slowly navigated down the bank toward the water below. Everett moved forward to give Mickey slack. Mickey stepped into the water with a sharp intake of breath. Everett moved down the bank and stepped out into the river. He’d he
ard Mickey, and was prepared for the cold water. The rest followed.
When Jendi climbed down, Tom stopped him at the river’s edge. He took Jendi’s backpack and hooked it onto the line with a carabiner. He walked holding the backpack in one hand, and had his other on Jendi’s arm as they stepped out into the river. He helped Jendi maneuver the pack deeper into the water. Tom stepped in front and the line tightened between him and Jendi. Caul and Geonti moved into the water quickly. Mike moved down the bank and stepped into the water.
The water was so cold that it was numbing. He took a deep breath as the water reached his crotch. He felt his teeth start to chatter. They’d have to break out the sleeping bags on the other side to fight off hypothermia.
“Damn this is cold,” he muttered under his breath. He walked down the slope of the river bed until the water lapped at his waist. He’d been right about the current. It was slow, but it was powerful as well. They’d have to fight their way across.
Already, Jendi was having problems with the current. As he walked, he started slipping. His feet went out from underneath him and he went under. Tom stopped, pulled on the rope, and pulled Jendi to him. He showed Jendi how to use the backpack to keep his head above water. Once Jendi was secure, they continued moving.
Mike was nervous as they crossed the middle of the river. If they were going to get shot at, it would happen soon. Silence continued as Mickey approached the far bank. Mike watched as he climbed out of the water, followed by Everett and Tom. They pulled Jendi up the bank using the rope. As skinny as Jendi was, he’d lost a lot of body heat in the water, and was moving clumsily as a result. They’d have to bundle him up quickly. Caul and Geonti scrambled up the bank. Mike was next, clutching at tree roots to haul himself out of the river, shivering as his soaked skin met the night air.
“Now I know why the dragons won’t cross the river,” he grumbled under his breath.
Quickly, with trembling hands, the team stripped the rope off. Mike stuffed it into his backpack, and they headed into the forest.
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