The Planet Without A Sun (Sinesol Universe)

by Jeremy Collier

  Well, that didn’t work, oh well. Always nice to get some stretchin done after a nice soak.

  Before the brutes could do more than raise their guns, Aegion had already shot them out of their hands. Two of them yelled out in pain, the force of the gun being yanked from their grip probably breaking a finger or two, but the others reached for their swords.

  He shot two more times, hitting the blades and causing them to drop their weapons. With no other option, they charged at Aegion, head first. Henrik was the only one to stay back, trying to fix his gun instead.

  The first man, O'Brien, reached Aegion rather quickly, but he easily leapfrogged over the man, hitting O’Brien in the back of the head with the butt of his gun as he flew past. He fell to the ground, but got right back up.

  Two men in front and one behind, Aegion hadn’t felt the rush of a hand to hand fight in a while and a smile began to crawl onto his face. He put his guns away and cracked his knuckles.

  They didn’t take turns attacking, as Aegion thought they would, but all rushed him at once. He put a foot into O'Brien’s gut and dodged hard blows from the two unnamed men ahead of him. He looked back and was happy to see that the gut shot to O'Brien would ensure that he wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.

  One down, three to go.

  The next attack was more coordinated than the first, one going for his legs and the other for his head. Instead of dodging, he used their momentum to his advantage, causing them to topple over onto the ground on top of each other with him standing a few feet away.

  “What are you?” Henrik asked, still fumbling over his gun.

  The two men behind Aegion weren’t done yet and recovered faster than Aegion had anticipated, grabbing him in a bear hug from behind. Aegion struggled, but couldn’t get loose.

  Henrik stopped trying to get his gun to work and laughed, walking towards him.

  “You put up a good fight, but now it’s our turn.”

  Aegion stopped struggling. Not because he gave up, but because he saw what was going on behind Henrik.

  “Um, Henrik, you-”

  “Not now, Duffey!”

  “But-”

  “I said not now!”

  Before Henrik could speak again, the young girl knocked him on his head with what seemed to be a rather large chunk of the outcropped rock and crumbled to the floor. How she managed to dig it out he had no idea.

  Duffey, the man who had been holding Aegion, let his grip go just enough for him to elbow the man in the stomach and jerk his head back into his jaw. He fell to the floor in a similar manner.

  Three down, one to go. Hopefully this one will just walk away Aegion thought as he turned to face the man.

  The last man standing was younger than the other three. He looked to be 18 or so and had a frightful look on his face like this might be his first time in a real fight, despite the size of his body. He held his fists up in front of his face, ready for a one on one fight.

  “What’s yer name, young man?”

  The question caught him by surprise and it took him a moment to answer.

  “E-Egan.”

  “Well, Egan, it’s nice ta meet ya. Now, I really hope we can work somethin out here, I really don’t wanna hurt anyone.”

  Egan remained silent and absolute in his posture.

  “Where ya from Egan?”

  Again, the question caught him by surprise.

  “I-I’m from a small settlement outside of Fairlea.”

  “Oh, nice area that is. Well, a lot nicer than out here. What ya doing mixed up with this bunch?”

  He relaxed a bit, but still ready to defend himself should Aegion attack.

  “They’re my family! Well, not my real family.”

  He loosened up even more, dropping his hands to his sides, but still balled up.

  “Yeah, I know whatcha mean. Ya seem too smart for this kinda life, though. Yer no thug, at least I don’t see it.”

  “I-I don’t have a choice!”

  “I’m sorry ta hear that, but let me give ya a choice today,” he said, walking over next to the little girl, who was still holding the rock and shaking uncontrollably.

  “Me and this little girl here are gonna walk away. It’s yer choice if you want to try and attack me or come lookin for us, but I don’t recommend it. What I do recommend is ya stay here until yer buddies wake up and go home, wherever that is.”

  “But she-”

  “She’s under my protection now. I’m sure ya have heard about me before, right?”

  Egan nodded his head.

  “Then ya know what I can do, right?”

  He nodded again, a bit of fear creeping onto his face.

  “Then I suggest ya just go home and forget about her. I’m not sure what she did to yer boss, but whatever it was he’s not gonna get revenge today.”

  He gave the boy a minute to respond, but he only stood there, looking from the girl to Aegion and back.

  “Then, do we have a deal? I’ll leave ya be, you leave us be, and we each go our separate ways.”

  “But-”

  “I’m not going ta ask again, Egan,” Aegion said, moving his hand a few inches closer to his gun.

  He nodded quickly, “Okay, okay. Deal.”

  “Smart boy!”

  Aegion motioned to the young girl to follow him, but never took his eye off of Egan.

  Before they got far, Egan spoke again, “I-just want you to know I don’t think you’re a scourge.”

  “Hm?” Aegion said, his head cocked to the side slightly.

  “I-I mean a lot of people think you’re bad, but I’ve heard the stories, the real ones, the ones talked about by the people you’ve helped. You sound a lot more like a hero to me.”

  “Well, that’s mighty nice of ya to say,” he said as he continued to walk away again, “here’s hopin you find what yer lookin for in life, then, Egan.”

  Aegion walked away, head held high and the girl walking next to him still shaking from the ordeal. It wasn’t until then that he remembered he had no clothes on and they were still back in the oasis. His face turned red, but he didn’t change his direction nor acknowledge his realization to the girl. No, he didn’t want to look foolish. He’d circle back around once they were out of sight.

  * * * * *

  “Well now,” Aegion finally said after they had made their way back to his clothes. He looked at her for the first time and thought she looked oddly familiar, as if he had known her in a past life.

  “How’d ya get yerself mixed up with that bunch?”

  “I didn’t need your help, you know!”

  The answer surprised him, but the look on her face told him she was still in shock and didn’t mean anything by it.

  “Oh I know, I was watchin for some time before I decided to join ya. I just needed a good stretch after my dip in the water here, that’s all.”

  He figured humoring her would be better than chastising her for getting herself into such a situation in the first place, let alone the fact that a naked wild man saved her.

  They both stayed quiet for a while, the young girl taking her shoes off and dipping her feet into the water. She was short, real short in fact, and had her brown hair pulled back tight. She wore two layers of shirts, the top one more of a vest while the bottom one was tucked into her shorts. Aegion hadn’t seen anyone dress like this for some time, it wasn’t common for travelers or those in the settlements. No, this girl was definitely from one of the cities, he was sure of that.

  Once Aegion had packed all of his things up, he spoke again, “Well, the nearest settlement is about three hours walk to the west along that road, I don’t think those brutes are gonna be a problem for ya any longer, least not any time soon.”

  He was answered only with silence.

  He was getting tired of her silence and he had just met her. He slung his pack over his shoulder and started back out the way they came in.

  “Yer welcome, by the way. An just ta let ya know, it’s common courtesy
ta talk to the person who saves ya.”

  Still nothing.

  He decided to leave it be and walk away, some people are just ungrateful. The last glance he got of her, she was still sitting with her feet in the water, a look of resolve on her face stronger than he’d seen on most adults. Whatever she’d gotten herself into, he was sure it wouldn’t be over that easily.

  Not my responsibility. He said to himself before finally descending the outcrop and heading back on his way north.

  * * * * *

  It took him longer than it should have for him to realize he was being followed. Usually his instincts were dead on, especially out in the Wilds where movement in the corner of the eye or a sound from behind could mean the end of your life. Whoever it was, though, was doing a good job of staying far enough back that little sounds and shadows wouldn’t give them away.

  It was getting late and the sun had already started dipping over the horizon, so he had very little option. If it was the group of brutes coming to get their revenge, he might not be so lucky this time around. He was bruised and cut, not to mention running low on bullets.

  His pursuer was being cautious. Too cautious for someone who just wanted him beat up or dead, so he decided the best way to find a rat is to set a trap, and he knew just how.

  He found a nice place to make camp for the night. He was in the middle a barren area of the Wilds, very few plants and animals lived this far north until you got to the coast, with only a few rocks scattered amongst the dirt.

  The best places to build camp shield you from the surrounding area, so that your fire can’t be seen from too far away. In this case, however, he made sure to stay a bit less hidden than he normally would have.

  He quickly set up camp, laid out his gear, and put a pot over the fire to cook. The sun was fully gone now and anyone out there would be a fool to stay away from the light. There may not be too many animals up here, but they can be vicious and most were nocturnal hunters.

  He quietly made his way around the rock and climbed to the top, perching with a full view of his camp. Now, it was only a matter of time before the person would show themselves, thinking he was vulnerable.

  Sure enough, within minutes, a figure in a full length cloak and hood crept slowly towards the fire. The limited light made it impossible for him to make out any more detail than that.

  The figure stopped a few feet out of the light and started to rummage through a backpack. Satisfied with whatever it was they pulled out, a gun or knife Aegion guessed, they continued their slow crawl towards camp. He checked his own pistol, though he doubted he would need it.

  Aegion readied himself to pounce on the figure, but it stopped a few feet short of his reach and looked around the camp. They must have realized he wasn’t in there, he didn’t have much more time if he wanted to keep the advantage.

  The figure walked forward just enough and Aegion extended his legs, leaping off the rock. The figure must have heard his decent, as they turned just in time for his legs to hit them, both falling to the ground. Aegion recovered quickly, straddling the figure and pinning them down to the ground.

  “What do ya want?”

  Silence.

  “Who are ya? Answer me!”

  He shook the figure and the hood lowered. He let go of the figure and stood up, backing away a few feet.

  “You!” he said in shock.

  The little girl he had saved earlier in the day laid before him, dazed from the impact of his attack. At first he wasn’t sure she was conscious, but she finally sat up and rubbed the back of her head.

  “What are ya-”

  “I’m sorry for following you, but you didn’t have to attack me!”

  Well, that was more than she had ever said to him. It was a start, but he was still furious.

  “Ya don’t follow someone out here in the Wilds, yer liable to get shot!”

  He reached a hand down to her and she reluctantly took it. Once she was on her feet, he could see her better by the firelight and saw that she was bleeding from a gash on her forehead.

  “I-I just-”

  “Not now, let me go clean that, even a small cut can be dangerous out here. Ya hungry?”

  His natural instincts, or maybe the curse, kicked in again and he felt nothing but compassion for this little girl. He didn’t know who she was or where she came from, but she fell into his lap, or actually he fell into hers now, and she was his responsibility. He’d get her safely to the next town and she could find her way home from there.

  After he took care of the wound on her head, he gave her a bowl of brawn stew. It only took a few bites for her to relax and the tension that she seemed to hold lessened. In fact, he noticed little things that let him know she was feeling a bit better; loosened jaw, arched back, and most importantly, when she spoke it was with a child like innocence that he hadn’t heard during their first conversation, if you could call it that.

  “This is amazing! How’d you learn to cook?”

  At first he was reluctant to open himself to her, it had been so long since he had a normal conversation with someone, but then he thought maybe it would be good for him.

  “Hmm, well I guess my momma taught me all those years ago, she always told me a man who can cook and clean for himself don’t need to worry about a woman in his life. Course she meant that in a positive way. I never understood until I was out here on my own, wandering the Wilds.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you, I’ve never liked brawn before this, really not sure how you got it to taste so good, especially out here in the middle of nowhere!”

  “Haha, the best ingredients are out here. Besides, this is my home. I spend most of my days and nights travelin out here in the Wilds, been that way for as many years as I can remember.”

  “Sounds lonely,” she said with such purity, he couldn’t help but smile.

  “Ya, I suppose it can be. I deal with a lot of people, but even then times can get hard.”

  “How come you don’t just settle down somewhere? I’m sure you could find a place.”

  Not knowing how to answer the question, or maybe afraid to, he decided to change the subject from himself.

  “So, what’s yer name?”

  “Anadilcia.”

  “Well, it’s nice ta meet ya Anadilcia. Interestin name ya got there, where ya from?”

  “Born and raised in Linmoor. In fact, I hadn’t ever left until recently.”

  “Linmoor, eh? That’s where I grew up, myself. How interestin that we should meet out here in the ‘middle of nowhere’.”

  She gave him a smile that stretched from one side of her face to the other and continued eating.

  “What brought ya out here?” Aegion asked as he served her seconds of the stew.

  “Well, my mother recently passed away. Before she died, she told me to find my father, but she had no idea where he was. I sold the house we were living in and pretty much anything else we owned and left. I had enough money to travel wherever I wanted to go, until my train was attacked by those people.

  “They stole from the other passengers and took a few of us younger girls with them to these underground caves. The night after I got there, I woke to the sound of the door they held me in opening, but there was nobody there. The caves were like a maze, it took me what seemed like hours to find a way outside! On my way out, I found a room that they kept all their important stuff in, you couldn’t imagine some of the weird machines they kept in there!

  “Anyway, I found my backpack, but the money was gone, all that was left was my clothes. I grabbed it and got out of there. When I did reach the surface, those four that you fought were waiting. I guess their boss had figured out that I had escaped and sent them after me. I ran as fast as I could and managed to stay away from them for a long time. And that’s when you found me.”

  Aegion gave himself a second to let it all soak in. Something wasn’t right with her story, but he thought it better to leave it alone than to push the matter.

  “Ya be
en through so much since ya left home, and yer so young.”

  She nodded, “I’m 11, almost 12.”

  “Well, yer safe now. I’ll get ya to the next train station and give ya a bit of money so ya can be on yer way.”

  “I-I was actually hoping I could stay with you.”

  “Huh? I don’t think that’s a good idea, ya see-”

  “Pllleeeaassee? I won’t be a bother, I promise! Just for a while?” Anadilcia said with the cutest smile that he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist her for very long.

  “As I was sayin, it’s not a good idea cause I’m honestly bad luck, all yer gonna find if ya follow me is trouble.”

  She didn’t say anything, only looked at him with such a sad look on her face, he had already given into her and not realized it yet.

  “An to tell ya the truth, I’m not much in the way of good company, either. All the time I spent out here alone really wasn’t good for my socializin.”

  He stopped, her eyes boring down into his soul.

  Aegion sighed, “Fine, ya can tag along for a bit, but ya gotta listen to what I tell ya. It’s not easy livin out in the Wilds and that’s where we’ll spend most of our time.”

  “I understand! I’ll be good and listen!”

  She finished her bowl of stew and cleaned their dishes. Aegion had to admit, it felt nice having someone else around, but the weariness of the curse crept onto his shoulders, he hoped this time was different.

  She fell asleep soon after, wrapped in her cloak with her head on his leg.

  With a heavy sigh, Aegion laid back against the rock and closed his eyes, What have I gotten myself into this time.

  * * * * *

  Anadilcia woke late into the night, the fire still blazing, fueled by the surrounding sundust. She looked up to realize that she had fallen asleep on Aegion and caused him to fall asleep in an awkward position to accommodate her.

  She carefully sat up and reached for her backpack, opening it with as little noise as possible. Inside, something glowed softly under her shirts, pants, and other pieces of clothing.

  She pushed them aside to reveal an egg-shaped metal object about the size of a football. On the center of the object was a set of small lights. Currently only one of the lights was lit up and was the source of the glow. The light it gave off was so dim, she realized she hadn’t noticed it during the day.