His eyes grew wide, he took a deep breath, and drank the rest of the pungent liquid. Almost instantly he began to feel different. At first it was only a slight euphoria, then it was followed by his mind racing and his vision blurring.
After a few minutes, he was smiling uncontrollably and most of his body was numb.
“Not sure if it’s workin,” Aegion slurred.
“Oh, I think it is,” Mia replied, smiling again. “I’m gonna strap ya in now, so try not to squirm too much.”
Aegion put his hand up in the air, “I do not squirm!” and then dropped it again, murmuring something under his breath.
Mia gently put his arms into the holds and tightened them.
As she started to work her mechanical magic, he slipped in and out of awareness. Part of his brain knew exactly what was going on, but the ethanol solution kept it locked away. The oddest feeling was when she peeled back his skin and added a plate of aubadium. The ball joint was so badly damaged that she replaced it entirely, using it as the casing for the advanced mechanics that were involved. Finally, she covered the whole arm in an artificial skin that looked and felt natural.
His knee didn’t take nearly as much work. She added an artificial regulator that will allow him to maintain normal use of his leg with minimal impact, covering it with a metal plate and attached it to the surrounding bone.
At some point while she worked on his knee, he lost consciousness, dreaming about what life would have been like if he had been able to stay with Emma and Anadilcia all those years ago.
* * * * *
“Aegion…”
“Aegion…”
“Wake up, Aegion…”
“Anadilcia? Where are ya?” Aegion asked, still mostly unconscious.
“Hey Hero or whatever yer name is, ya need to wake up!”
It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t hearing his daughters voice, it was Mia. He opened his eyes and she stood over him with Ekron next to her. His head was spinning and he felt nauseous.
“I’m awake,” he forced out, sitting up and rubbing his head. Almost instantly he felt his stomach raise into his throat and he did everything he could to not throw up.
“Don’t worry, that’ll wear off soon. Here, drink this,” she said, handing him a cup of tea.
“Hope it’s better than the last thing ya had me drink,” he joked between coughs.
The odd tasting tea did make him feel better after only a few sips and the room stopped spinning. He looked at his arm and was surprised to see that it didn’t look any different than before it was broken. He flexed it a bit and nodded approvingly.
“Looks like nothin changed, yet I can move it an I feel better than ever, amazin!”
When he realized that neither Mia nor Ekron responded, he looked up at them and saw a sense of urgency and worry in their eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
Ekron sat down next to him. “We just got word from one of our outposts, seems like something big is going on. I had a few of my men scout the caves and they reported that more people than ever are gathering there.”
“What about Anadilcia?”
He shook his head, “No one’s seen her since they took her into the cave. Chances are…”
“I know what the chances are, still not gonna stop me. Is there anythin else I need before I head out?”
Mia spoke up, “Nope, everything went good and ya should have full use of your arm. On the other hand, your knee will still be a bit weaker than normal until it’s healed, but you shouldn’t have a problem using it.”
“With everythin ya did, how come I don’t feel it? Thought you said it’d hurt bad once the drink wore off.”
“I also covered your arm and leg in the topical rub that should cut down on the pain, for a while at least. I’ll send some with you, just rub it on every few hours.”
“And when I run out?”
“You just went through major surgery, you’ll feel it for a few weeks. The fact that you’re about to take on an army by yourself is probably going to make it worse. If ya can make your way back here after you get your daughter, I can fix you up properly.”
“Not sure if that’s smart. They’ll be after me, that’s for sure, and I don’t want anymore problems to be brought here on my behalf.”
It was Ekron who spoke up this time, “Nonsense, you’re always welcome here. I know they say you’re cursed, but I don’t believe it. You have helped many more people than you’ve hurt, me included.”
Aegion only nodded.
If only that were true. No way I can come back here, these people don’t need no more problems.
“I took the liberty in getting these for ya. The ones you had on were so badly damaged, it was easier just to get new ones.”
Ekron brought clothes over to Aegion that resembled the ones he had before, but much higher quality. The coat was made from fine material that he hadn’t seen since living in Fairlea.
“There’s no way I can accept that, it’s too nice, and I’ll just get it dirty.”
“Think of them as a thank you for helping me when I was a boy. Besides, I already threw out the old ones, so it’s this or nothing.”
“Well, alright, no way I can go take on an army naked.”
He took as little time as he could getting ready. He was more worried than ever about Anadilcia and didn’t want to waste time. He got dressed, checked and cleaned his pistols, and made sure he had enough bullets for the job at hand.
On his way out, he thanked Mia and Ekron for all their help and for what she did to his arm. He assured them that he’d come visit sometime, even though he knew the chances of him getting out alive were slim. He also knew that if he did manage to escape with Anadilcia, he didn’t want to stay on Gallia any longer. He didn’t know what was out there, but he knew he had to leave.
“One last thing, Hero,” Ekron stopped him as he was almost out of the door.
“Please, call me Aegion. Not many people know me by that, so keep it quiet, but yer more like family now.”
“Aegion,” he paused, smiling. “Mia put this together in hopes it would help.”
He pulled a flat circular object out and handed it to Aegion.
“It’s an assegai grade amaurotic projectile.”
Both Aegion and Ekron looked at her with absolute confusion.
“Ah, I mean it’s a weapon that’ll blind anyone around. Just activate it by hitting the button on top there, set it on the ground and run.”
“Sounds mighty useful, I’m sure it’ll come in handy,” he said, taking it from her and tucking it away in one of the many pockets in his coat.
“Again, thank ya so much. I’m sure yer scouts will let ya know how things go down there.”
Ekron nodded, “Be safe. At least as much as possible.”
“Will do.”
Aegion left the house feeling confident and determined. It was early enough in the day, but he had a long walk ahead of him and knew it would be dark by the time he reached the caves, which would make it hard for him to find his way. He didn’t want to have to wait till morning.
He checked his pockets, took one look back at Ekron and Mia, who waved, and he was off to save his daughter.
Chapter 7
“Get your hands off me, you dirty brute!” Anadilcia screamed at the top of her lungs as she attempted to squirm free. She managed to connect with a shin, but he didn’t let go.
“Ouch, ya little brat! Didn’t yer mama ever teach ya manners?”
“She taught me plenty, like how to deal with disgusting pigs like you!”
“How dare you! You little-”
“Enough,” Henrik said as he lead them through the cavern.
She stopped fighting and took a deep breath, she was scared but knew she had to be strong. Aegion would save her, she just knew he would.
“I can’t wait till they pick you and ya get what you deserve! I’m gonna enjoy holding you down when they torture ya!”
She could feel h
er stomach drop, but she maintained her defiant attitude, “The only person that is going to get tortured is you when my father comes to save me!”
Henrik stopped and turned towards her, “He would be a fool to try to save you, even if he could figure out where we were.”
He paused to open a door and motioned for the thug holding her. The man didn’t even hesitate, picking her up and throwing her into the women who were huddled on the bed inside.
“Don’t cause any more trouble and I’ll see about talking to the boss about giving you a bit of leniency.”
“I will get out of here, he will come, just you wait!”
The two men closed and locked the door and walked away, laughing at her remark.
“You’re back,” a familiar voice whispered from behind her.
Sitting on the far edge of the bed she saw a familiar face, a girl she had met on her first visit, Karina.
“Yes, but not for long,” Anadilcia said, pushing herself up and walking towards the door. She tried the doorknob, not really expecting it to open but more so she could gather her courage. “While I was out there, I met my dad. He’s an amazing person, he’ll come for me, and he’ll save all of us.”
As she said this, she realized she didn’t recognize any of the other faces. They all wore the same white dress, one that she knew it would only be a matter of time before they put her into, but none of them were the same girls she had spent time with, save Karina.
She motioned her to come closer and whispered into her ear, “W-what happened to the other girls?”
Karina closed her eyes and shook her head, “I’m the last one left. The rest of them got carried off and I never saw them again.” She hesitated, but then continued with a slight hitch in her voice, “They told me that they had special plans for me, because I was so young.”
Anadilcia put her arms around Karina and felt the warmth of tears on her shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay, she whispered to Karina, then raised her voice so the other girls could hear her, “we’ll all be okay. Even if my father doesn’t come for me, I escaped once, I can do it again. And this time, I’m taking everyone with me!”
“I-I can help,” Karina whispered, “I don’t know what they’ll do to us if we get caught, but it’s better than waiting here to die. If we can somehow get ahold of a gun I know how to use it, but I’m not very good in any other way.”
Anadilcia took a good look at Karina. She was young, maybe even younger than she was, with long black hair and tanned skin. While most of the other women stood with their backs hunched over, heads down, Karina stood tall with a resolute look on her face, even though Anadilcia could tell she was terrified.
“You know how to use a gun?”
She nodded, “My grandpa taught me how. He always told me that there was no safe place anymore and I should be ready to protect myself. My dad always called him crazy, even I didn’t think anything like this would happen, but the time I spent with him before he passed away is something I’ll never forget.”
* * * * *
Night fell long before Aegion saw the entrance to the old mines. He cursed at himself, feeling unprepared for the first time in many years. He didn’t know if he had gone in the wrong direction or Ekron’s directions were off, but he should have reached his destination hours ago.
He knew stopping to make camp would be bad for two reasons. The first was simply that lighting any kind of fire would attract the wrong kind of attention. He needed the element of surprise. Even if they didn’t come to investigate his fire, they’d know someone was out here.
However, it was the second reason that pushed him forward, despite his better judgment. Anadilcia was strong, but it would only be a matter of time before her usefulness was lost and they shipped her away or killed her, so there was no time to waste finding her.
Another half hour passed and he began to give up hope. Just as his mind was all but made up to find a place to rest until morning, he saw a light in the distance. It wasn’t bright, but it was definitely a sundust torch. The closer he got, the easier it was to pick out the single source of light against the backdrop of the mountains and he felt a renewed sense of determination.
As he approached, he could make out the mouth of a rather large cave lit by torches on either side. There was a small building that sat near the entrance, another light coming from the window. A metal wall ran the length of the cave, connecting the building and the far stone wall with only a small walkway in between. It seemed to be used as a checkpoint to get in and out of the mineshaft.
He took a second to check his weapons and his new enhancements. His leg hurt bad. What Mia had done probably allowed him to walk, but it was still a pain like he’d never felt from just walking.
On the other hand, his arm felt great. He had no pain or problems with it since she had finished, other than a weird itching under the skin that he couldn’t get to. It was annoying, but wouldn’t hold him back.
He looked back towards the guarded entrance and realized he had two choices. The first would be to sneak past the small building. He guessed it was a lookout and probably had at least a few thugs on duty. It wouldn’t be easy, but he was pretty confident it wouldn’t be a problem.
The other choice was to double back and circle around, climb up the rocks and drop down behind the building. This would allow him to bypass the building and get inside with no chance of being seen, but it would also take a lot longer and time is something he didn’t have. This made the choice easy.
Long before he reached the edge of their light, he could hear voices from inside the building.
Well, sounds like they’re mighty distracted in there, bad news is that it sounds like there’s a ton of them inside, he thought to himself.
Just as he was about to pass into the ring of light that the sundust torches provided, the door swung open and one of the men walked out, stumbling and slurring his words.
The man stopped and looked towards Aegion, who dropped to the floor, pistol drawn and pointed at one of many spots he knew would disable the man without killing him. Of course, if that was to happen, there’s no way he’d stay silent, but he was confident he would be able to take out the rest of the men before they saw him.
“Hey guys, I think I shaw shumpthin,” the man yelled back in the door.
“Shut up and go piss, you didn’t see nothing! You’re just sloshed! Ain’t nothing out there,” a voice from inside yelled back.
“I could swear-” he said to himself, leaning forward and squinting hard. After a few more seconds he gave up, stumbled back behind the building mumbling something to himself about never drinking again.
Aegion took a deep breath and got onto his feet, but stayed in a crouch. It would only be a minute or so before the man was done taking care of business and he didn’t plan on being in his line of sight when he did.
He moved fast, each step causing a shooting pain up the left side of his body, but he couldn’t stop now. The light from inside poured out right onto him. If anyone looked out the open window, came out of the mine, or the man returned, they’d see him for sure.
After what seemed like an eternity, with the voices of the men inside carrying loudly to his ears, he finally reached the relative safety of the wall.
Okay, Aegion, just need to sneak past this one open window and yer in, he thought, taking a deep breath. He crouched low and moved slowly, quietly, towards the window, making sure his head was well below the sill.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard the man return through the door and tell the others in the room about the mysterious shadow he had seen.
Inch by inch, Aegion made his way along the wall. The chatter inside grew louder, mostly from laughter the ridiculous comments about ghosts by the sloshed man.
He was almost free, just another few inches and he’d be past the window and nothing else to stop him from the shadows inside the cave.
Three more steps, Two more steps, one.
Before he f
ully passed under the window, he heard a loud thunk only inches above his head. He pushed his body into such a deep crouch, his butt hit the ground and pushed his back against the wall so hard, he thought it’d break right though.
He dared to look up and saw that the same man who had glimpsed him outside had his hands on the windowsill with his head stuck out peering off into the darkness.
“I could shwear I saw it! Yah know what they shay, the Wilds is sho haunted, that’s why no one travels at night.”
Aegion stayed calm, trying to calculate his options. If the man looked down, there was nothing he could do. No way to draw his pistol and shoot in time, they would be on him, and he would be at a major disadvantage.
“That’s not true, plenty of people travel at night! Merchants, soldiers of Malos, even that one guy, what do they call him?”
Aegion heard someone mumble from far into the room, but couldn’t make out what was said.
“Yeah, that’s right, Scourge of the Wilds. He lives out there they say!”
“Sha, but no ORDINARY people travel at night, jush the odd ones. I know I wouldn’t go anywhere in the dark, that’s for shure.”
The man sighed, pulled his head back in through the window, seemingly satisfied that there was nothing out there, and Aegion slid sideways, jumping to his feet, and dashing around the building.
He took a second to catch his breath and made sure there were no surprises on this side before letting his shoulder drop in relief. He had made it in without causing any problems.
* * * * *
The mineshaft was dark and damp and smelled of mold. It quickly became apparent that it was more natural cave than man made mine. This had Aegion wondering what could have been excavated from such a place. His thoughts went back to Anadilcia explaining what she had seen in what must have amounted to a treasure room, mostly ancient artifacts from a time long past, and he shuttered. He had no way to prove it, but there was a reason the planet was as harsh as it was and he had a feeling those type of machines were the cause.
The Planet Without A Sun (Sinesol Universe) Page 7