Sunset in Silvana (Da'ark Nocturne Book 1)

by Paul Sims

  As they drew level with Bartes, Tanya called out to Slimmest. “Do you know of any way we can kill those things?”

  :They have no discernable vulnerable spots, and they’re not susceptible to psionics,: Slimmest broadcast. :The best way is to use desiccants – such as large amounts of salt – or extreme heat. Even blowing them apart doesn’t always finish them off.:

  “That’s not a lot of use, you know,” Bartes said, but Tanya stopped, took out one of her improvised flour and petrol cocktails and heaved it in the direction of the slugs.

  “Try to hit the rag with your laser carbine,” she told him.

  He paused, shouldered his weapon and fired. There was a satisfying explosion and burning material was flung in all directions. The creatures paused on the other side of the conflagration before starting round to the left. Tanya threw another pot in that direction. It shattered and the flames spread. They moved the other way, and she blocked that path with the third.

  She augmented her last throw psionically, and the final pot smashed just in front of one of the monsters, covering it liberally in fuel oil, petrol and molasses. The flames spread over it and it writhed and screamed in their heads as it shrivelled and died. The other was splattered, but the flames soon dwindled to nothing on its slimy skin.

  Tanya cursed. “I should have tried that first,” she said. “Now I’m out of bombs and there’s one of those things still alive.

  :We’ll have to find somewhere that it can’t get at us,: Slimmest sent. :It’s either that or we keep ahead of it till dawn – nightcrawlers don’t like daylight. At least you bought us some time.:

  They stumbled on through the darkness. Every time they paused for breath, their pursuer was closer behind. Had they not already been tired, they would have stood a chance of outrunning it, but with dawn still a couple of hours away, they realised they wouldn’t survive the night.

  “It’s no good,” Anoushka cried. “We’re not going to get away.” She paused, her hands on her knees.

  The others were too breathless to reply, but Tanya grabbed her arm and pulled her along. I wish I had four legs, like Slimmest, she thought. Where’s she gone now? And as though she’d read Tanya’s mind, Slimmest came racing towards them.

  :There’s an old stone circle ahead. I think it’s Forerunner, and – if so – it may protect us.:

  A ring of weathered monoliths reared up in front of them. It was about 50 feet in diameter, and made of a couple of dozen equally-spaced vertical blocks.

  “I don’t see this helping much,” RD said.

  “There’s a smaller circle further in,” Bartes said. “Perhaps we can build some sort of barricade.”

  As they made their way inwards, they found a third structure: about ten feet across and ten feet high, and roofed by a massive slab, it formed a sort of stone hut. They dived inside and waited, still panting.

  There was a scream from the edge of the circle. “Keep your weapons ready,” RD said, somewhat unnecessarily. “Maybe we can’t kill that thing, but we can do our best to make it regret following us.”

  They stood motionless, hardly daring to breathe, while there were further screams and hisses, and the sound of slithering.

  “What’s keeping that monster?” Bartes whispered. “It seems to be moving around to the side.”

  “I’ll go have a look,” Iain said, and wriggled out of the hut on his belly. A minute later he returned. “It can’t cross into the ring,” he said. “I saw it try to enter – there was a brilliant blue light and it screamed.”

  “Did it see you,” Bartes asked.

  “Yes – it spat at me, but I was too quick for it.” There was a patter of liquid from above them. “It must know where I went.”

  They huddled together and spent a restless night listening to the creature slithering around their refuge and screaming periodically as it failed to cross the invisible barrier, punctuated by occasional showers of venom.

  After what seemed an eternity, the sky lightened, and the creature’s attempts to get to them became more frantic. Eventually, they heard it slink away, howling in frustration.

  “Can we find some wood and start a fire?” Tanya asked.

  “I don’t think we can afford the time,” Bartes said. “We need to get as far ahead of that horror as we can before evening. Anyway, I can feel it lurking out there. I don’t think it’s ;;x;ppxsssafe to forage in the trees.”

  Tanya shared out some sandwiches, and they set out. Fortunately, the vegetation was becoming sparse. Bartes could sense the nightcrawler trying to follow them, travelling beneath the few trees in the deepest shade it could find, but they soon pulled ahead. By late morning, he couldn’t feel its presence any longer.

  They passed through a rock-strewn col and descended a couple of hundred feet onto what seemed to be the final plateau before the mountain peaks. It stretched across their path, about a mile wide.

  “Can you see that?” Iain asked, shading his eyes.

  “What?” Tanya asked.

  “On the other side of this plain, a little way south.”

  Squinting, she just made out what looked like the entrance to a valley. “Peter, is that the path that leads through to the other side of the mountains?”

  “I think so,” the boy said.

  Iain rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Next stop, Telphania.”

  :If we head that way,: Slimmest said, :the nightcrawler won’t follow us. There’s nothing to shade it from the ultraviolet rays.:

  The fugitives looked at each other in relief. “Time for a break – and some food,” Tanya said, and not even RD disagreed. They sat down on a rocky outcropping, eating their first leisurely meal since they left the tower.

  Bartes was about to stretch out for a postprandial siesta when his life sense flared. He reached out mentally and detected three men approaching them stealthily from above and behind them. “Incoming!” he yelled, and they threw themselves behind the rocks just as several shots pinged off the impromptu picnic bench.

  ”I can feel three of them,” Bartes called. He seemed to concentrate for a couple of seconds, raised himself on his elbows, and fired. “Two, now. One’s trying to flank us on the left.”

  “I see him,” Iain said as he fired.

  “Good shot,” Bartes said. “The other one’s trying to get away.”

  “Well, he won’t manage it,” RD said. He steadied himself on one knee and shot the fleeing security private between the shoulder-blades. His target gave a cry, flung out his hands and fell on his face. He twitched for a few seconds, and went still.

  Tanya looked over at Bartes and frowned. “You were extremely accurate,” she said. “Were you using psionics?”

  “I was using my life sense to aim with,” he said.

  She shook her head. “Don’t you know how dangerous it is, opening yourself up like that, particularly if your target turns out to be psionic himself? Do you have a death wish or something?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe, but I just felt that the risk was worth it. Let’s go and check out our attackers.”

  The dead men turned out to be a security sergeant and two privates. The former’s papers identified him as Sergeant Sergei Krislenko, and gave him authority to search and detain anyone within his demesne – and to act as he saw fit in service of his country.

  “That’s strange,” Tanya said. “They’re just dressed in fatigues, and they’re carrying no rations or supplies.”

  “Did anyone hear any helicopters?” RD asked.

  They all shook their heads.

  Iain looked down at the bodies. “Three men don’t make a platoon, anyway.”

  “They can’t have come far.” Bartes shaded his eyes and scanned the surrounding area. “Perhaps there’s some sort of encampment nearby.”

  “Let’s go see where they’re from,” Iain said. “Tanya, would you look after the others while RD, Bartes & I investigate?”

  ”OK, but don’t take too long. The hairs on the back of my neck tell
me we’re not far ahead of our pursuers.” She shivered.

  The three men spread out and searched the rocky ground in the direction from which their ambushers had come. It was Iain who first noticed the partial imprint of a boot in a patch of earth. From there, they followed a trail of boot prints that led up to the hills behind them.

  They reached a doorway set into a rocky outcrop. “I can’t detect anyone in there,” Bartes said, “but let’s not take any chances – there could be some sort of booby-trap.” They stood to each side of the door, drew their pistols and cautiously pulled it open. No hail of bullets ensued, so they entered as quietly as possible, keeping an eye out for trip-wires.

  The living room was deserted. Four comfortable chairs were ranged around an oil-fired heater, with side tables containing books, magazines, and some electronic games. Over the heater a vid screen was attached to a player and a game console: a multi-player first-person shooter was paused in mid-combat.

  An alcove to the left contained a dining table and four chairs, with a small kitchen on the far side. On the table were the discarded remains of several meals.

  Ahead of them were some stairs. Slowly and carefully, Bartes led them upwards. He cautiously peeked into the room above, which was also empty of life. They ascended into a communal bedroom with four bunks in it, plus a wash-basin. They checked everything but found nothing of interest.

  On the other side of the room was a further flight of stairs, which they mounted. At the top was an observation post, similarly unoccupied, with slits covering the whole visible arc toward the border. From it, they could see the whole plateau, including a military outpost on a rocky platform on the south side of the valley they’d seen earlier.

  “This place was set up for four people,” RD pointed out, “but we only killed three. I wonder where the fourth is.”

  “Let’s have a look,” Iain said. He picked a pair of binoculars off a shelf and looked through the middle slit. The others followed suit, looking north and south, but it was Iain who spotted the fourth security officer. He was half way across the valley, heading for the outpost.

  “Hold this,” he said as he passed Bartes his ACR and unslung Winona. “This needs precision.” He rested the rifle in the slit, aimed carefully through her telescopic sight, and brought his target down with a single bullet.

  “Bravo!” Bartes said, and Iain gave a mock bow, but RD curtailed their celebration.

  “Keep looking,” he said. “Let’s make sure we haven’t stirred up a hornet’s nest.”

  They trained their binoculars on the garrison and watched for some time, but surprisingly there seemed to be no reaction to the gunshot. “You’d think they’d at least come out and investigate,” Bartes said, bemusedly.

  “I’ll bet they’re ignoring it because it involves the security forces,” Iain said. “If they’re anything like most regulars, they hate blackshirts.”

  “And think what this observation post is for,” RD added. “There’s no way it’s guarding the border. It’s here so they can spy on their own soldiers.”

  Iain glanced through the northward-facing slit and swore. “Look,” he said, indicating a transport helicopter which was taking off from a clearing several miles away.

  “It’ll have landed some security troops,” RD said. “We need to move – and fast.”

  As they made their way back to the others, Bartes sent to Tanya, :We’ve got company coming.:

  :What d’you mean?: she asked.

  :We’ve just seen a transport helicopter,: he replied. :Some miles to the north.:

  The others were on their feet and ready when Bartes, Iain and RD reached them. “Do you think we should we stay and fight?” Tanya asked. “We could set up quite an effective ambush.”

  “There’ll be too many of them,” RD said. “And there’s a garrison on the south side of the mountain pass we’re heading for. They’ve ignored what’s happened so far, but they couldn’t disregard a fully-fledged firefight. No, our best option is to keep going, but we’ll have to hurry. The search party don’t know exactly where we are yet, but they’ll come in this direction, and then fan out and look for us. We’ve got thirty minutes at best.”

  “But what about the outpost?” Iain asked.

  “Hopefully, we can slip below it. It’s there to stop an invasion from Telphania, and with any luck, they won’t be prepared for anyone coming from this direction. I can’t see much of an alternative.”

  As they approached the canyon, they came across a clearing where several posts had been set up. Tied to three of them were freshly-dead corpses in regular army uniform: a lance corporal and two privates. They had been shot. There was a sign around the neck of each body that read DESERTER. Execution warrants signed by Security Sergeant Krislenko were pinned to their fatigues.

  Tanya turned aside, looking rather sick. “No wonder the soldiers at the garrison ignored what happened,” she said.

  “And this place has been deliberately chosen to be visible from the military outpost,” Bartes said. “I’d guess – if they did see our little fire-fight – they cheered us on.”

  “Let’s hope their antipathy stretches to letting us escape,” RD added.

  Iain stopped to check the bodies and, as he reached into the breast pocket of the first, something slid up onto his arm and bit him. His body jerked as pain lanced through it, and he screamed.

  Chapter 30

  Tanya was startled for a second or two when Iain screamed, but then her training took over and she ran to his side. She was about to ask him what was wrong, but one glance answered that question – there was a pallid, caterpillar-like creature latched onto his right forearm.

  Iain was thrashing around in pain, desperately trying to wrench the creature free with his other hand. Gradually, his movements grew feebler as the hook-like claws clung on, allowing two pairs of wicked looking curved fangs to dig deeper into his arm, until, with one last faint moan, he collapsed and was still.

  RD dropped to his knees, took out his knife, and sawed at the creature’s neck. Its skin was scaly, and tough as old leather, and despite his frantic efforts, it took him several seconds to penetrate. A green slime began to ooze through the small slit as he stabbed downwards to widen the hole, and a spray of gunk striped the back of his hand. He yelped, then gritted his teeth and redoubled his efforts. It took a couple more minutes but he finally managed to slice through the rest of the skin and the underlying tendons. The body fell to the ground, leaving four lines of red weals behind. He reached for the head, which remained locked to Iain’s arm, intending to wrench it away.

  “Don’t!” Tanya snapped. “You’ll do more damage.” She took a pair of forceps out of her medical kit and pushed them to between the creature’s fangs. She tried to prise them apart, but even in death, the thing would not relinquish its grasp. She took a deep breath and pulled her hardest. For some seconds, the jaws would not budge. Tanya felt herself sweating, and the metal of the forceps bending. She gave a loud cry and a final heave, and the head dropped to the ground.

  Iain’s forearm was already beginning to swell and take on an unhealthy green tinge, so she ignored her own fatigue and carefully opened his wounds with a scalpel and slapped a venom extraction pad over them. She looked at Slimmest, who was lying on Iain’s chest and purring, with the same glow beneath her chin she’d seen when she was gored. :Do you know what that thing is?: she asked.

  :It’s another creature from outside this plane,: the cat replied. :Be careful. Its ichor is corrosive.:

  Tanya looked at RD’s expression. His eyes were screwed up and his lips were set hard. :Ya think?: she sent back to the cat. She took out a couple of absorbent cloths and handed one to him. “Clean that gunk off your hands – they’re beginning to blister,” she told him as she wiped her own hands with the other. “Hold out your arms.” She squeezed some Dermoflex gel onto her palm, wrung her hands together, and gently rubbed the unguent over RD’s lesions.

  The tension on RD’s face subsi
ded, and he said, “Thank you, Doctor.”

  Tanya smiled. “Thank you. Your quick reactions may have just saved Iain’s life.”

  “How’s he doing?” Bartes asked. “We can’t stay here much longer.”

  She reached out with all her senses as she removed the pad from Iain’s wound. Heartbeat strong and regular, she thought. Heart rate normal. Respiration good. No sign of neural damage. What the devil is going on? That venom must have some effect. Her brow wrinkled in puzzlement. “Apart from the obvious, he seems fine.” She shook her head. “If you deal with the detritus, I’ll see what I can do to get him moving.”

  Bartes picked up the forceps and used them to gather together the creature’s head and body and the soiled cloths, before using the wide-beam setting on his laser carbine to incinerate them.

  Meanwhile, Tanya injected Iain’s arm with both a local anaesthetic and a generalised antibiotic, and gave him a shot of her patent combat drug as a stimulant.

  “We’ll have to move on,” RD said. “That search party must have heard Iain’s scream.”

  ”Perhaps the echoes from the canyon obscured our exact location,” Anoushka said, more in hope than conviction.

  As Bartes and Tanya helped the groggy Iain to his feet, Slimmest’s voice in their heads said, :I’ve got an idea that might buy us some time. You go on. I’ll catch up with you later:

  They reached the mouth of the valley without further incident and, clinging to the walls so as to keep out of sight of the soldiers above them, began to make their way down it. Their hope that those in the outpost would remain disinterested bystanders seemed to be fulfilled. Indeed, though they had obviously seen the fugitives, the soldiers only fired a few desultory shots in their general direction. They’re only shooting so that they can honestly say that they tried to stop us escaping, Bartes thought.

  Tanya and the others were just beginning to feel a bit more optimistic when Bartes drew their attention to two emplacements half-way up the valley wall. A couple of heavy flamers were installed on one to their left, and the one to their right mounted four large auto-cannons. “No wonder those soldiers couldn’t be bothered,” he said. “We’re trapped.”