Flight from the Dominion (The Gamma Earth Cycle Book 2)

by Craig Halloran

  Stewart, Clancy, and Earl strolled up their row. Stewart was smoking. Clancy and Earl tossed a small football back and forth.

  Stewart leaned on Gabe’s cove wall. “I heard you guys took a trip to the museum today.” Clancy and Earl cackled.

  Clancy pointed his chubby finger at Gabe. “The green coats got you!” He flung the little blue football at Earl. “So stupid! Even I never fell for that.”

  Blowing a smoke ring at Rann, Stewart said, “Say, Chestnuts, will you give me and Gabe a few moments? I got to ask him something.”

  Fanning her face and coughing, she smiled. “Sure, Stewart.” As she stood up, she clocked him in the crotch with her forearm. Stewart went down, grabbing his nuts.

  “Oooooh!” Clancy sounded elated. “Did you see that? One Ear crotch clocked Stew!”

  Rann turned on Clancy. “What did you just call me? One what?”

  Covering his nether regions Clancy said, “Well, you know, One Ear. It’s better than Chestnuts, isn’t it?”

  “You know, I think it is much better. As a matter of fact, I think I like it.” She reached over and pinched his cheek. “Yes, I like it, Clancy. I kinda like you a little. I like those dimples in your cheeks.”

  “Really.” He smiled, lowering his guard.

  “No!” Rann kneed him hard in the nuts, turned, and walked away.

  Clancy hit his knees and flopped over.

  “Down goes Clancy! Down goes Clancy!” Earl gesticulated with his index finger while pointing at his friend. “One! Two! Three! Four…”

  Grimacing, Stewart forced himself to sit inside the cove and said in broken words, “You’ve got to go see Mabel, Gabe. They’re bugging the piss out of me.”

  “If they want me, they know where to find me. I’m not going back. Not now. Maybe never.”

  “They can’t come to you. They are stuffed inside the old ones’ home. Just go,” Stewart said.

  “Just ignore them. I mean, if they can’t leave, they can’t bother you. Can they?”

  “They might be old, but they are clever. It’s not just old people leading the Resistance. There are many people who help them. They’ve got a system. It works.” He gave Gabe a shove. “Come on. We need to go tonight. It will be bad if you don’t go. Bad for me. I don’t get paid if you don’t come.” He sucked on his cigarette. “I need pay.”

  Gabe wasn’t about to risk Rann getting hurt. He didn’t want Mabel to get hurt either, but she seemed to fare a lot better than everyone else did. It was best for now that he didn’t take any risks. “It’s always bad, Stewart, and it will always be bad. You know that. As for pay, you’ll have to find another way. Sorry.”

  Pushing his hair back and sighing, Stewart said, “Fine. Mabel said if I couldn’t convince you, to tell you this. She knows where your mother is. The rest of your family too.”

  Gabe ground his teeth for a long moment. “I’ll come, but not until after the games.”

  “What? No, you have to come now. Ben said so. That’s too long, what you are saying. Look, they are really pushing this. Come on, Gabe. Go.”

  “You just need your money. You aren’t in it for anything else. I’m not stupid.”

  “No, you aren’t stupid, and I’m not stupid, but I’ll tell you this: what I’m doing is treason.” Stewart flicked his ashes. “If I get caught, I’ll be punished, or worse, killed. So you and I are in this together, whether you want to believe it or not. And Rann too. You need to come.”

  “After the games.”

  “Maybe it has something to do with the games. They know stuff.”

  “No, they’ll have to wait. That’s final.” Gabe shoved Stewart out of his cove. “See you in a few days.” He slammed the door shut.

  “You know where I’ll be tonight,” Stewart shouted. He hit the door. “Be there!”

  CHAPTER 55

  Rest didn’t come. Gabe managed to talk Rann into sleeping alone in her cove, while he took some time to himself. As for himself, he tried to get comfortable, but all he could do was toss and turn. He wanted to see Mabel and find out what she had to say. At the same time, he was nervous about meeting with the gamers. His stomach was a sour pit.

  Maybe I should go see Mabel.

  The timing was bad. Too much was going on. He was determined to keep Rann safe, no matter what. The last thing he needed was to leave and not make it back in time. At the same time, it wasn’t in his nature to wait around. It was killing him to sit and do nothing.

  People got hurt when he did things he shouldn’t do. He had to stay put—even if it killed him. With his lantern still burning, he took the locket out from his pants pocket. He looked at the picture of his mother. What if he never got another chance to learn where she was? With his hands locked behind his neck, he said to himself, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He opened up the door to his cove. Tim was waiting.

  “Going somewhere?” Tim said. He wasn’t alone. Williams was with him.

  “I thought I heard something.”

  “Yeah, you heard us. Now, come on,” Tim said.

  “Now? I’ve hardly had any sleep.”

  “Us either,” Williams said. “Such is the life of a Blue Guard. The days are long, and the nights are longing for more rest. No sympathy for you, wretch.”

  “So where are we going?” he asked. It was about two o’clock in the morning.

  “To the Dragon Den. It’s time for your training.”

  Gabe grabbed his pack from the inside of his cove. “Let’s go get Rann, then.”

  “She’s not coming. Now lock it up, and shut it up. I hate being up when I should be sleeping,” Tim said.

  As they exited the flats, Gabe caught a glimpse of Stewart hiding in the shadows, shaking his head.

  In truth, Gabe was relieved for the interruption. If he’d left to see Mabel, Tim would have caught him. He had an excuse for not going. He’d caught a break for a change. Also, Rann would be safe. She’d be mad, but she’d be out of harm’s way. It would give Gabe a chance to handle things on his own without having to worry about her.

  More citizens had camped out on the stairs outside of the coliseum. They continued to carouse with cheap, homemade booze. They rambled on and on about mutants and dragons. Gabe tugged on Williams’s shirt. He knew if he asked what he was about to ask to Tim, the answer would be to shut up. “I thought there was a curfew.”

  “The citizens get restless before the games, so the Count, in his grand wisdom, loosens the leash a good bit. That’s why the people look forward to the games so much.” Williams gave a quick smile. “Well, that’s one reason. That and all of the bloodshed. Do you like bloodshed? I like bloodshed.”

  Tim stopped, turned, and faced them both.

  With a sigh, Williams said, “We know, shut up.”

  Above the coliseum’s main floor, Gabe noticed a huge cage in the shape of a massive rectangle had been built. It stretched from one end of the arena to the other, suspended by steel cables thicker than his finger. It looked like the traps his father used for small game.

  Behind Tim’s broad back, Williams whispered in Gabe’s ear, “That’s the Cage of Chaos.” He gave a goofy giggle. “You’ll like it.”

  “Shut up,” Tim said.

  The Dragon Den was empty of people. Gabe was relieved. He thought the gamers would be there, and he wasn’t ready to deal with them yet.

  Williams bounced on his toes, eyeing the dragons. “I’m just giddy for being here.”

  There was a set of clothing on one of the workbenches, an off-white denim suit, much like Rann’s jumper, with a long zipper in the middle. There were boots too.

  Tim slapped them. “New clothes. You have to look appropriate for the gamers and the Dominion. Put them on. Come on, Williams.”

  “What do I do after I put them on?”

  “You wait.” Tim closed the tunnel door, leaving Gabe alone with all of the dragons.

  Gabe slipped on the clothing. It was a little scratchy but a perfect fit otherwise. He set
his pack on the workbench and hurried over to Squawk’s cage. The dragon was up on all fours with his nose on the bars of the cage. His green-blue eyes shone brightly. Gabe took him out of the cage. Like a dog, the dragon licked his face. One lick caught Gabe in the mouth. “Pfft! It’s good to see you too, but not that much.”

  Stepping away from the cages, Gabe’s hair stood on end. All of the dragons were up. Reptilian faces pressed against cage doors. Gabe’s heart seemed to hang in his chest. “Squawk, what is going on?”

  It was an odd question, seeing how his dragon couldn’t talk, but only Squawk could answer. With a rattle of his neck followed by a hiss, Squawk seemed to send a message to the dragons. All of them slunk back into their cages. Most of them curled up to sleep.

  Holding his dragon, Gabe said, “Did you do that? I think you did that. Oh, my.”

  CHAPTER 56

  With sweaty palms, Gabe spent the next few hours playing with Squawk. His connection to the dragon was strong. He had the dragon roll over, sit up and beg, and make his tail swish back and forth. He even commanded Squawk to talk. The dragon made his own bark-like squawking, but it wasn’t anything like the ear-jarring shriek he’d made earlier. One thing was for certain: Gabe full had control of Squawk, at least when the dragon was calm.

  Petting the dragon on the workbench he said, “You seem to be feeling better.” He lifted Squawk’s wings. He rubbed the cut spot. “I feel bad, boy. I can’t imagine how bad it would be not to fly again or breathe fire either. I couldn’t imagine having both of those abilities. But maybe we have discovered something better. Let’s try something.”

  Gabe carried Squawk over to Hoss’s cage. He concentrated on calling Hoss toward them. The bulky dragon’s body was curled up in a ball underneath the heat lamp. His eyes opened. Slowly, the dragon’s body unfurrowed. He walked toward them, strong claws clacking over the bottom of the cage. Hoss lowered his head. Unlike Squawk, who was a little more serpentine and colorful than the others, Hoss was more of a muscled bulk. Gabe assumed Hoss was the alpha in the group. “Whoa, Squawk. It looks as though we are the alpha now. I like it.”

  A rattle and pop came from the vault-like door south of the concourse on the opposite side of Gunther’s den. It was the Dominion’s door. Gabe wasn’t certain what to do, but he opted to quickly put Squawk in the cage and lock it up. With the rings of keys in hand, he stepped behind the workbenches.

  The door swung open. A young man stepped through, wearing a suit like Gabe’s. He was talker and older, maybe seventeen, if Gabe were to guess. His hair and eyes were dark. So was his complexion. He had a froward air about him. Two Blue Guards escorted him. Both of their shirts were neatly pressed. They carried spears that were as real as any Gabe had ever seen. Black clubs hung at their hips.

  “What are you gaping at, steward?” the young man said to Gabe. “Take your eyes off me. I’m Dominion. You have no right to look at me.”

  Gabe averted his eyes from the imposing older boy. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t speak to me either!” The boy walked right up to Gabe and snatched the keys from his fingers. “I’ll take those, you lumpy-headed moron.”

  “Fletcher!” a familiar voice said. It was Mandy. “Lay off of my trainer, you pompous jerk. He knows more about dragons than you’ll ever know.”

  “Oh, this is the precious trainer you’ve been bragging about.” Fletcher rolled his eyes at Gabe. “Well, he’s everything I imagined in a dragon-dung cleaner. I’ll grant you this, dung flinger, the den does smell much better.” He slapped a penny on the workbench. “Treat yourself to a lemon soda, on me.” Fletcher moved to the cages.

  Mandy stood in front of Gabe in the same clothing, as pretty as ever. Her hair was twisted up on her head in braids. She had small gold earrings in her ears. The dimples in her smile made her enticing. She reminded Gabe of her mother, Angela, but more fair. “It will be just like old times, Gabe. You still have control of Squawk, I assume?” She said it under her breath while watching the others filter in.

  “Yes.” His eyes were fixed on Harlan, Mandy’s mountain of a Blue Guard with a partially burned face. Harlan sneered at Gabe. “Good to see you, Harlan.”

  Two more gamers entered the Den, a girl and a boy, both older than Gabe, but not as tall as Fletcher. Their heads were shaved. With them came four more Blue Guards, armed the same as the others. The guards closed them inside, spread out, and stood watch, including Harlan.

  “So what do we do?” Gabe asked.

  “Introductions.” Mandy moved to the lockers where the other pair stood talking quietly. “This is Roger and Silvia. Brother and sister. Twins, like my mother and Angus.”

  Gabe nodded. “Glad to meet you.”

  Roger didn’t even look at him. Silvia gave him the once-over and said, “Thank you for not letting the den reek so much anymore. My dragon is Rixy. I hope you don’t play with her. She’s very sensitive.”

  “No, I would never. I just move them from cage to—”

  “I need to prepare,” Silvia said. She and her brother helped one another put on the practice dragonry gear. “Stop staring.”

  Mandy took Gabe aside to another locker away from the others. Sternly she said, “You aren’t Dominion, so don’t talk like it. You aren’t a gamer either, but you will be my assistant again.” She grabbed a tunic out of the locker and slipped it over her shoulders. “Help me get this gear on, will you? Silvia was right. You do stare too much, not that I can blame you. I look great in everything.”

  He helped her with the armor made up of elbow, knee, and shin guards. He asked, “Are you still going to kill me?”

  “I have to admit that this entire situation is odd. Angus is making me work with the dragon and the boy who killed my mother. Did you see it happen, Gabe?”

  He nodded.

  “How did it make you feel?”

  “What?”

  “Were you happy, sad, excited, scared?”

  “Stunned,” he said flatly.

  “Well, I was sad, mostly. I still am. She was my mother. We were close. But I’m only doing what I think she would have wanted. She told me there was something special about you and Squawk. It was like she found a lost treasure. That treasure killed her.”

  Gabe got the feeling that Mandy was as trapped as he was, but he kept his mouth shut. Now was the time to learn and listen. “I won’t let him hurt you. Just don’t upset him, okay? And if it’s not too much to ask, don’t upset me.”

  She stiffened. “Is that a threat?”

  “No, a warning. He’ll protect me if he thinks I’m in danger.”

  She grabbed Gabe by the collar, and looking to see that the others weren’t watching, she kissed him. “Are you upset now?”

  Out of breath, Gabe said, “No.”

  “Good. Let’s get to work then.”

  CHAPTER 57

  Trooper was inside his tent, bathed in sweat. Shane lay beside him, half covered in a blanket. Her finger swirled the hairs on his chest. “I’ve never rode a Deathrider before,” she said with some stony playfulness in her voice. “But I always wanted to, at least, one in particular.”

  “Are you trying guile on me? You’ve already wooed me. There’s no need for that.”

  “You have a funny way of making pillow talk, Trooper. You’re a hard man.”

  “I know.” He cozied up to her. “So why’d you want to join?” he asked, allowing himself to bask a little in the intimate moment. He didn’t ever take his guard down in the wild, but Shane was worth it. The brusque woman was all woman after all and then some, it seemed. “I want to know.” His toes still tingled.

  “Shouldn’t you have asked that before I joined?”

  “No, I like to let actions speak for themselves. Yours came loud and clear.”

  “I hope I wasn’t too loud.”

  “I’m pretty sure you didn’t care how loud you were twenty minutes ago.” He leaned on his elbow. “So please, indulge me.”

  “Ever since the first time I saw the De
athriders on their motorbikes, I knew I wanted to thunder along. I can’t explain it, but the sound bursting through those pipes moved me in ways nothing else did. And then there was you, riding in the front with that dragon skull between the handlebars.” She took a deep breath. “I never wanted a man so much.”

  “Can’t say I blame you. The way you say it makes me want to be a rider too.”

  She pulled him down by the hair on his chest.

  “Ouch, baby.”

  She kissed him long and hard. She bit into his lip, without breaking the skin. In a teasing way, she let him go. “Why did you want to be a rider? Or can I ask?”

  “I didn’t want to be. Circumstances led me here. I think it happened because I’m the best at this. Someone noticed. They pulled me in.”

  “Ah, a man of mystery. I like it. Are you going to elaborate?”

  “No, I’d just as soon not reflect about it. I like thinking about the task at hand. It keeps me focused.”

  “Okay,” she said, looking away and sounding disappointed. “How about another question then?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Funny you should say that. Tell me, why does Jack have a gun? The little wretch is a fool. Please tell me that he’s not your son or something like that because that’s the only sense I can make of it.”

  “He found the gun. It’s his. He went to great lengths to get it. If you saw the chasm he fetched it from, you’d understand.” He started to light a cigar. Shane put her hand over it. He looked at the tent ceiling and put it away. “Jack will make a fine rider if he survives. He’s stubborn and tenacious. We can put him through hell, and he’ll come back again to be a rider. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”

  “I suppose. He’s just irritating.”

  “Yeah, he is, but that’s what we need to turn loose on our enemies. They fear ruthless little bastards like Jack.”

  “Did you use to be a ruthless bastard too?”

  “I still am.”

  She lay down in his arms. “I know.”