“I remember him, good man he was. Just tryin ta make a livin. If I remember right, his wife was pregnant at the time, how are they?”
“Thanks to you, they’re doing good. Had a beautiful baby girl. She might not have had a father if not for you, I’m more than happy to return that favor here.”
“No need to thank me. Glad everythin turned out for the better. So what is the plan?”
“Well, I can’t stop the train, got some important people up in car 1 that would get suspicious, but I can uncouple the last car. It’ll take a few minutes to slow down, but once it comes to a stop you’ll be close enough to the wall.”
“You won’t get in trouble for this, will you?”
“These things are so old, and most people don’t even understand how they work. I’ll pick it up on my way back out of town and have them reattach it when I get to the next station, shouldn’t be an issue. It wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.”
“Well I thank you again. You may be saving Gallia from something mighty evil by doing this.”
The Trainman’s eyes widened. For whatever reason, this man saw Aegion as a hero and took him at his word. It wasn’t uncommon for him to meet people who didn’t despise him on sight, but even they looked at him with wary eyes.
“Then I should say thank you for the chance to help!” he said with such enthusiasm that Aegion couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Before he could say anything, the man continued, “You’d better get back into that car, by my watch it’s time for me to do my job and let you guys go. Good luck in whatever you’re doing. If we should ever meet again, know that you’ve got a friend in me.”
“Thank you, friend.”
Aegion shook the mans hand and moved back into the last car. Sargon still slept, laying peacefully on a pair of seats, while the couple were discussing something in hushed tones. When they heard him enter, they stood up with a concerned look on their faces.
“Everything okay?”
“Yup! It’s almost time now. You plan on wakin him up or carryin him the whole way?”
They both looked down at Sargon. It was his father that answered, “No, we’ll let him sleep. It might be easier that way.”
Just as he finished his sentence, the car shook and they started to lose speed. Aegion walked over to the door and looked through the window as they drifted away from the rest of the train and saw the trainman standing on the other side. He waved with a smile on his face and Aegion waved back, shaking his head, but couldn’t help but smile himself.
* * * * *
The train took longer to stop than he had anticipated and the sun was already starting to inch its way into the sky. He needed to reach the gate in the Wall before the shadows had disappeared or he would be in trouble.
While it doesn’t give much light off on its own, the whole sky lights up when the sun reached over the distant mountains. He doesn’t even pretend to understand how that’s possible, it just was.
“You three wait here. I’ll need a few minutes to clear the way and then I’ll give the sign.”
“What’s the sign?” the man asked, picking up Sargon gently.
“You’ll know it when ya see it, don’t worry. As I said before, if everything goes right, this’ll be the last time we meet. Once Sargon is safely hidden away, find a place to lay low and live yer life. Cherish each other, you never know what tomorrow will bring. Know that I’ll always be here fightin back Malos where I can.”
“Thank you so much. You have no idea what you’ve done for us, for all of Gallia. We hope you find whatever it is that you’re looking for out there, wanderer.”
He smiled and jumped off the train, there was no time to waste in goodbyes. If what they said was true, time was not on their side and if Malos got word of what was going on, it wouldn’t matter how far they ran.
The walk to The Wall wasn’t far, but keeping out of sight was the truly difficult task. There were very little places to hide in between the track and the gate, and even less now that the sun hid some of the shadows. Even still, he managed to make it all the way to the last rock, taller than the rest, without being noticed.
To an untrained eye, the rock looked like all the rest, but was actually much different, it was made of sundust and had one purpose, to hide the gate from a passerby. No one walked out here, so it only had to do this for people on the train, and it did its job perfectly. However, the other side of the rock was hollow and black, marks of a quick channeling.
He could see the small tunnel that protruded from the Wall now, and it was still dark enough that he thought he could sneak right along side of it.
Just as he was about to start out, however, a guard stepped out, yawning and looking out over the landscape.
Aegion froze in his place, had he been so careless as to already get caught? Not that it mattered much, he was sure he’d be able to get his way out of any trouble a few guards could throw his way, but it still hurt his ego a bit.
The guard paused for just a minute to shake his head and rub his eyes before walking back into the shallow tunnel that lead to the gate.
Aegion didn’t want to waste anymore time. Now that no one was watching, he knew he’d have no problem reaching the tunnel.
It only took him a few short seconds to sprint the distance. He took a deep breath and peaked around the corner and into the darkness beyond. It held nothing more than a table and two chairs. One guard was slumped in the corner, sleeping, while the other was busy making something over a small fire on the table.
Aegion knew that Malos pushed their guards to the brink of insanity at times, but he had never imagined they’d be forced to live out here, even if it was for only a few days at a time.
He stepped out into the entrance to the tunnel, but the guards didn’t see him.
Tired of waiting to be noticed, he spoke, “Good morning, gentlemen.”
The one at the table looked over at him, while the other shook his head, coming out of what looked like a deep sleep, yet still they made no move.
“I expected a bit more of a welcome than that. But maybe that’s my fault, let me introduce myself. I am the Scourge of the Wilds, and you are?”
Even after that, it took them a moment to react, but all too late. Aegion had already drawn his guns and fired, hitting the barrel of the guns the two guards were raising.
“Aww, wouldn’t ya figure. I missed and now I’m all out of ammo. I guess I’ll just be going then.”
Aegion turned to leave, but the guards were on him. He ducked under one of their swings, and dodged a punch to his gut from the other, causing them to hit each other in the process.
He took advantage of their momentary distraction and ran into the open of the morning, the sun was now high enough to cast a long shadow on him. He made sure to run in the opposite direction of the train, both guards in tow.
Once they were a good distance from the gate, Aegion pulled out a canister and slammed it against the ground. The astrum aggragate activated, causing steam to build up in a lower chamber. After only a few seconds, a small capsule shot out of the top and high into the sky, exploding and shooting streaks of red.
Aegion stopped and turned towards the guards, putting his hands up in the air, “Ya got me, I have no more tricks up my sleeves.”
“Was that your big plan? Was that supposed to distract us and let you get away?” the first guard asked.
The second one continued, mockingly, “Or maybe that was supposed to fly backwards and hit us.” He laughed, and then continued, “Is that really all the infamous Scourge of the Wilds has to offer?”
Behind the guards, he saw a bright flash of light coming from the tunnel, the family had made it safely inside. He sighed with relief and lowered his hands.
“Welp folks, its been fun, but I gotta be goin now. Thanks for keepin me entertained for a bit.”
He smiled and turned towards the sun. His pace was slow and deliberate.
“Hey! Stop
right there! You’re not going anywhere!”
The two guards raised their guns and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. A second later their guns fell apart, springs, gears, and other parts flying into the air.
The guards were stupefied, watching as the most wanted man on Gallia walked away from them, a hand up in the sky waving back at them.
Chapter 4
Aegion didn’t stop until the sun was high in the sky. He wanted to put as much distance between him and the guards as possible, but the sun burned hotter than it had been lately and he ached all over. It might have been coincidence, or maybe intuition, that pushed him in the direction of one of his favorite places on Gallia, a little known oasis in the middle of the Wilds. There was a road that lead almost right up to the little piece of heaven, but he can’t remember a time when he had seen anyone using it.
Even if someone had used the path, the oasis was hidden between an outcrop of rocks and thorny bushes. If he had time, he’d even chip a few pieces off the rock to sell in the next settlement, wherever that might be.
For now, however, all he wanted to do was rest. It’d been two days since he got sleep, and much longer since he was able to take a dip in water. He was dirty, bruised, and his bones ached. He felt old, much older than he should, and he hated it. It wasn’t the getting old part that he hated, it was the having no place to get old in, or anyone to get old with.
He had resolved many years ago that this would be his future, but it didn’t make it any easier when loneliness crept in unexpectedly for a visit. It didn’t help that walking through this part of the Wilds reminded him of a time when he was much younger, a time when he was traveling and training with his teacher. He was the one who showed Aegion the oasis, and he was the one who taught him how to sleep in water without drowning, something that happened more times than he would admit when he was still learning.
The other thing that kept this place secret was that it took a skilled climber to get to. It wasn’t behind the outcrop of rocks, but on top of them. There were markings that his teacher had made to indicate the best place to climb, but the rock was pretty sheer and finding a foothold wasn’t easy.
Once on top, it didn’t get easier to find, either, as it was surrounded by thorny brown trees and bushes that were all too common out in the Wilds. Of course, they weren’t as common this far out, nothing alive was, which is probably why his teacher had originally discovered the water here. Water equals life and life equals water, there’s no getting around that.
After cutting himself more than once on branches that hung a bit lower than the last time he was here, he finally saw what he was searching for. It was a beautiful sight, the sun hitting the water just right through the vines above, letting in just enough light to make the water sparkle. It was always surprisingly clean here, but he took a handful of water and sipped it to make sure.
The water was cool and refreshing, sending a zing down through his throat and into his stomach. He couldn’t help but smile, he already felt better.
A lot smaller than I remember. Or maybe I’m a lot bigger than the last time I was here, can’t remember how long ago that was.
He stripped off his dust filled clothes and threw them into the water first, they needed a cleaning as much as he did, and he slowly dipped himself in. The cold water rushed over his body, sending shivers through his whole body. The vines over head acted as a canopy, which probably kept the water cool all year around. In fact, the last time he was here, the vines had just started to crawl their way across the top. Still, cold or not, he was in no position to complain.
I wonder how the family is doin, hope everythin went well inside Lutetia. I couldn’t imagine havinta give up my kid like that, no matter what the reason.
He cursed to himself and continued, out loud this time, “Why oh why do you keep gettin yerself into this type of thing, Aegion? Why can’t ya just ignore the problems around ya? You put yerself in unneeded danger for no reason, not even a coin or anythin else. Course I wouldn’t ask for such a thing, but that’s not the point.”
He sighed, leaned back and found a comfortable rock to lay his head on and wedge himself in.
Still, lets hope they did the right thing in listenin to me, I really don’t like the idea of Malos havin any more power than they already have.
He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep before he realized it.
* * * * *
Aegion woke with a start, someone was screaming at the top of their lungs in the distance and it seemed to be coming right towards him. He sat up and moved to the edge of the water. Through the vines that surrounded him, he was able to see the road that stretched North-East and, sure enough, a young girl was in some trouble.
Damnit! Even out here I can’t get away from people in trouble!
It took a minute for him to realize what was going on, but it quickly became obvious that if he didn’t help, this girl probably wouldn’t make it. She was being followed by a group of rather large men, all with swords out and madness in their eyes.
He jumped out of the water and looked around for his clothes, remembering that they were still floating in the water. Wet clothes would only hold him back, so he grabbed his pistols and nothing else, slowly making his way back through the thorn filled passage. He never imagined having to climb through these bushes naked, a thorn in the wrong place would be really bad.
“I’m running from you to save your life! If you catch up to me, I’m going to kill you,” the young girl screamed at the men behind her.
Aegion was impressed, even with that group behind her, she didn’t let her threats die. As she got closer, he saw that she couldn’t be any older than 10 or 11, too young to be out here on her own. Countless scenarios ran through his head as to what happened to her parents, but he pushed them all away. It didn’t matter what happened to them, he needed to make sure it didn’t happen to her.
“I’m warning you, I can’t keep up this running much longer, if you don’t turn back now and head into your little caves, I’ll be forced to do something I don’t want to do!”
“Whatever you say, little girl,” one of them replied, slightly out of breath.
“Yeah, why don’t you just stop here now and show us, then? We’ll learn our lesson and you can get away freely,” another said, with a snicker.
“Maybe,” she started to say, out of breath herself. “Maybe I will!”
Aegion didn’t know how long she’d been running, but it seemed like she was all but out of steam. He hoped she could make it close enough to him, or even better past where he was hiding, so he could have surprise on his side. He didn’t look forward to taking on what he now realized was four brutes much larger than him, and all wearing clothes.
Across the road from where he was crouched was another outcropping, though much smaller than the one he stood on. The young girl made it to the rock, but tripped as she was trying to get past it, falling flat on her face. Aegion cringed, but at least they would have their backs to him and should give him an opportunity to get the upper-hand on the group.
As the four brutes rounded the rock, they saw her on the ground and slowed down. She turned to face them, backing away with her hands and feet as fast as possible until she was flat against the rock.
“Well, we’ve caught up to you, now what are you going to do?” the one who seemed to be in charge asked.
“This is your last chance, give up now or you’ll be in real trouble!” She said this with less conviction than she probably had intended to.
“Why don’t you just return what you stole from the boss and we’ll let you go. No harm done.”
“I-I don’t believe you!”
“Well, that’s too bad,” he said, moving in closer, “but smart girl. No way I’d let you get away after stealing from the boss. I hope you like the view from here, cause it’ll be the last thing you see before you die.”
Aegion jumped down without a sound and stood behind them and shot a warning shot. It whizzed right past t
heir heads and ricochet off the rock. The four of them jumped back, drawing their guns and pointing them right at him.
“What’s this? Who are you and why are you shooting at us?” one of them asked, befuddled.
“Leave the girl alone.”
They all laughed. Three of them put their guns away, all except the man in the middle who seemed to be leading them.
“This has nothing to do with you, mind your own business,” one of them said, turning back towards the girl.
“I don’t wanna have to hurt you, but if ya don’t leave her alone I will be forced to,” Aegion replied, articulating each word carefully.
“Who do you think you-” one of them started to say, but was cut off by the man still holding the gun.
“Shut up, O’Brien. Do you know who this is?”
“Just some boor looking for trouble, why are you so worried, Henrik?”
“Take a closer look, doesn’t he look familiar to you?”
Aegion held his ground, he hoped his reputation would win this fight, but stood ready if need be.
O'Brien looked closely at Aegion and started to take a step closer until Aegion raised one of his pistols at the mans head. By this time, the other two had turned towards him and were studying his face just as closely.
“Wait, is he-”
“The one and only Scrog of the Wilds,” Henrik said almost in awe.
“Actually, it’s Scourge. Scourge of the Wilds. What ya just called me makes no sense.”
“Whatever! Either way, there is a rather large price on your head.”
Aegion took that as a sign that they wouldn’t be leaving him alone, it was going to get ugly and it’d be best if he made the first move, but he tried one last time to reason with them.
“Ya sure some money is worth all the pain I'm gonna give? You might want to think about it a bit, go ahead I’ll give ya a second.”
“Henrik, I think he just called us stupid!”
Henrik ignored O'Brien and instead answered Aegion, “You’re worth almost as much dead as alive, not much pain going to come to us if we just kill you.”
The Planet Without A Sun (Sinesol Universe) Page 3