Kelia had spent a lifetime poring over maps previous Protectresses had drawn from centuries of visions, and was quite familiar with the landscape of the Kaberian Mountains. The region was dry and inhospitable, and there were few safe routes through those mountains, so anyone who had cause to cross the continent circumvented the range by travelling to the northernmost edge of the range, several days' journey away.
She hoped she would be able to find the visitors' encampment before sundown. Susarra was correct: the mountains held many hidden dangers. A ravening pack of lyraxes was at the top of that list, and she was not eager to encounter one.
* * *
Kelia slowed Fex to a halt as the desert sand gave way to the rocky detritus sloughed from the Kaberian Mountains. She climbed off the chava's back to stretch her legs after the long journey. Bringing out two skins of water, she took a sip from the first and poured the contents of the second into Fex's large, panting mouth. Fex nuzzled Kelia's hand with the side of her head as she gave a low guttural grumble.
“You're welcome, girl,” Kelia said, patting the massive creature's nose. “We're not quite there yet, though.”
Kelia scanned the area, looking north and south at the mountains that stretched in a jagged line all the way to the horizon in both directions. If her vision had been accurate, she was still an hour away from her destination. She would have to take a winding path through the mountains to reach the dry riverbed that led to the spot where the aliens were encamped. It would be slow going, as chavas were not particularly adept at climbing, but she was confident they would reach the encampment before the sun set.
How the aliens would react to her was a different matter entirely.
She took a few deep breaths, as well as another quenching gulp from her water-skin. Resuming her seat on Fex's back, she urged the beast in a southerly direction, looking for the path that would lead into the heart of the mountains.
* * *
The path had been even more treacherous than Kelia had thought, tapering at several points to a width barely sufficient for Fex's substantial girth. On one occasion, Kelia had to use her air-wielding abilities to help the chava climb a steep rock face, which left her even more physically drained. By the time they hit the riverbed, fatigue had nearly overtaken her.
The mountain lake was now only half a mile away. Kelia hoped the aliens were friendly, if only so they could have a place to rest and replenish their water supply. If the aliens weren't friendly, they had enough water for the return journey and no more.
Kelia considered the best way to approach the encampment. She would definitely have to do it before sunset, as they would likely have some form of defense-system in place to guard against intruders. It had been more than a week since their arrival on Elystra, and if they hadn't yet encountered lyraxes, it was only a matter of time before they did.
She contemplated riding in on Fex's back, but then thought better of it. Though chavas were tame creatures once domesticated, their appearance was intimidating, fearsome even, and Kelia needed to appear as non-threatening as possible. Better to keep Fex out of sight and make the final approach on foot. She prayed the connection between herself and the alien woman was not only real but went both ways. Would she recognize Kelia, or would she just kill her on sight?
She dismissed the thought. Arantha would not lead her to this place only to be slaughtered.
Kelia stood up, moving over to where Fex was standing. She looked her travel companion in her large round eyes. “You stay here, girl.”
Fex gave a plaintive growl.
“I'll be all right.” She gave the creature a tired smile. Then, turning away, she added, “I hope,” under her breath.
Pulling her cowl over her head, she walked around the bend of the riverbed.
The first thing she noticed was the giant, bird-shaped metal thing. She couldn't help but stare at it with childlike wonder; even from several hundred yards away, it was an impressive sight. Now that she'd laid actual eyes upon it, however, she knew it was not a living being. It had to have been the object she saw from the western outcropping.
In the foreground, arrayed across the length of the riverbed, was a series of thin black sticks. At the tips of these sticks were blinking red lights that seemed to flash faster the closer she got. Behind them were two more objects, also resembling metal sticks but taller and with a circular appendage at the top. Before she could determine their purpose, however, they illuminated. Kelia had to avert her eyes.
Moving cautiously, she walked between the line of small sticks and past the two large metal light-things. Nothing jumped out at her, and she saw no sign of the alien woman or the boy.
Kelia was a hundred yards away when the crunching, grinding sound she heard in many of her visions assaulted her ears. It was some distance away, and she could see the mouth of a cave at the base of the larger of the two peaks dominating the area. The edges of the mouth of the cave were round and smooth, too perfect to be natural. What are they doing?
The magnitude of what was about to happen felt like a weight upon her shoulders.
These … people are from the Above. Not since the time of Arantha's first coming has anything like this happened. Whatever form she took all those centuries ago has been lost to the winds of time. This is something unknown to this world. And I will be the first Elystran in history to take part in it.
Arantha protect me.
Step by step, Kelia closed the gap between her and the giant metal object. Off to the left and around another bend, she beheld several more artifacts, the same devices she saw in her last vision, as well as a table and two chairs. Just past them was the edge of the mountain lake.
She smiled at the idea that these beings used such things as tables and chairs just like the people on her world did. Funny that something so mundane would give her comfort.
A slight movement in Kelia's peripheral vision caused her to focus once again on the giant metal bird. She was only thirty or so yards away now.
A pair of legs appeared, walking down the metal ramp leading from the belly of the object. A few seconds later, a figure stepped out onto the dirt of the riverbed. She wore black pants and a dark brown sleeveless garment that covered her breasts, back, and torso. On her arms and shoulders, partially obscured by the garment, were colorful drawings of several unfamiliar yet majestic birds. Her shoulder-length, straight hair flowed down the back of her head like a purple waterfall.
It was her. The woman from her vision.
At that moment, the raucous noise coming from the mouth of the cave stopped. A deathly calm swept over the area, as if the entire world had suddenly stopped.
Kelia felt her heartbeat quicken.
The woman continued walking toward the lake, her thick black boots crunching on the dirt and gravel of the riverbed. She was tapping her fingers on a square black object that Kelia couldn't see clearly. She appeared to be lost in thought.
Kelia watched as the woman continued her trek toward the lake. She held her breath, waiting to see if the woman would notice her. Her feet shuffled slightly, creating the softest of scraping sounds. There wasn't a breath of wind, and the sound seemed to magnify itself a thousand-fold.
Time slowed to a crawl as the woman stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned her head in Kelia's direction. Her eyes went wide as she faced Kelia full-on.
The black square thing slipped from her fingers. The woman didn't even notice, keeping her gaze fixed on Kelia.
Kelia raised her hands to her head, preparing to remove her cowl and identify herself.
Before she could utter a single word, however, the woman averted her gaze, looking at another black square, smaller than the one now lying in the dirt at her feet. This one was attached to her right arm. She rapidly tapped it a few times and turned to face Kelia again while reaching behind her back for something.
Kelia grasped the edges of her hood, pushing it back and revealing her face. “I am –”
The woman vanished.
> Into thin air.
Kelia gasped.
Great Arantha. Where did she –
Suddenly, Kelia felt the presence of someone standing immediately behind her. Before she could react, an arm snaked around her neck, followed by something sharp pressed against her throat.
“Dohnt muuv,” a female voice said in her ear.
Chapter Twenty-Four
W hen she woke up the morning after her confrontation with the wolf-creatures, the first thing Maeve did was rush to the Talon's restroom's mirror. Last night's surprise development had really happened: her back was scar-free, something it hadn't been since she went through Space Corps training. She'd scanned herself with a medcorder, and sure enough, the tissue had completely regenerated. There wasn't even a trace of the cut she sustained the night before.
Neither she nor Davin could explain her sudden healing. That alone was cause for concern, but when she factored in her equally sudden and inexplicable ability to communicate with the wolf-creatures, all they could theorize was that she was somehow empowered by the energy source they were mining.
On another positive note, her headaches had abated, and for the first time since her initial migraine, she woke up pain-free. Davin, however, was still having headaches, but they weren't too severe, and a mild dose of pain blocker was enough for him to perform his duties.
Her nightmares were also lessening. Though she found the waking vision—-hallucination?—-of the native woman disturbing, she also came away from the encounter with an innate sense of peace, like she was exactly where she was supposed to be, doing what she was meant to do.
After breakfast, Maeve took two shifts on the excavator while Davin caught up on sleep. Even though they'd made some kind of truce with the beasts, they thought it prudent to keep watch in case they returned. She also decided to disconnect the sirens, as it appeared to no longer have the desired effect. They would still have the floodlights to warn them of intruders.
In the early afternoon, while Davin took his first turn of the day on the excavator, Maeve had another swim, continuing to scan the rim of the basin for any further signs of the woman from the cave. She was almost disappointed when the woman didn't appear. She wondered if the whole thing really had been a hallucination, and was glad she hadn't told Davin about it.
With another day of digging nearly behind them, both she and Davin were in good spirits as they sat down to dinner. Maeve took a big whiff as he set a plate of corned beef and cabbage in front of her, but her spirits sank when he gave her a rousing mug of purified lake water to accompany it.
“Saints,” she said, grabbing the mug and taking a swig. “What I wouldn't give for a shot of whiskey right now. Or at least a beer.”
“You and me both,” Davin said. “It's too bad we can't synthesize something with a little more kick to it.” He jerked his thumb at the synthesizer.
Synthesizers could rearrange the molecular structure of the organic matter from the nutra-pellets into thousands of possible combinations—-within reason, of course. The invention had effectively ended world hunger in the 25th century. Engineers over the last two hundred years had improved the actual taste of the synthesized food immensely, but they'd never been able to reproduce alcoholic beverages effectively. Synthesized alcohol, at best, tasted like water. At worst, it tasted like rocket fuel.
“I hear you,” Maeve said. “How're you feeling?”
“Not bad. Would it be all right if I turned in after my next shift? I'm still running a little behind on sleep.”
She smiled. “Go ahead. I'll wake you at midnight. Possibly earlier, if Roisin decides to show up.”
“Roisin?”
“Our lupine friend. I decided to give her a name.”
He chuckled. “That's pretty riff. Why'd you pick that name?”
“Roisin Malone. Girl I went through pilot training with.”
His brow furrowed. “Don't remember you ever talking about her before. Were you two friends?”
She shook her head, “Oh, hell no, she was a complete slag. Her mission in life was to outdo me at absolutely everything. If I aced a sim-flight, she had to do it better. When I ran the obstacle course, she had to have a better time than me. And if I showed even the slightest interest in a guy, she'd be all over him two seconds later.”
“Yeesh, really?”
“Yup. But I got her good.”
“How?”
“I started a rumor that I had the 'mones for Jack Stonestreet. Big, dumb guy, built like a quadranium shite-house, and if you had boobs, you were a potential notch on his belt. I couldn't stand the arsehole. But I told my two best friends at the time that I was going to let him have a turn with me, and two days later, I caught him sneaking out of Roisin's quarters.”
“What happened then?”
She grinned. “She washed out right after he knocked her up.”
Davin burst out laughing. He tried to control himself by lowering his head and smacking his palm on the table. “Well, I guess you showed her, huh?”
“Yup. I named our four-legged friend Roisin because they have the same snarl.”
He laughed again. “Nice.”
* * *
Maeve waved at Davin as he disappeared into the cave to begin his final shift. They had a little time left before sunset, so she made her way to the Talon's cockpit to check the scanners. The wolf-creatures were still ensconced in their lair, and Maeve hoped they would take her suggestion and hunt somewhere else for the time being.
Davin had continued tinkering with the PTs, but if anything, their ability to transport had gotten worse, not better. There was no doubt the proximity of the energy source was affecting them. After a little experimenting, they'd determined the best way to improve their functionality was to keep them in a containment crate until they needed to be used. Even so, there was still only a moderately slim chance they would work.
She chose one of the PTs from the box and attached it to her belt. Then she attached a small console to her right arm and synched them up so she could hopefully transport at a moment's notice if need be. She grabbed one of Ji-Yan's short swords and stuck it through one of the back belt-loops of her pants. She wasn't sure if she would need it, but it made her feel safer.
Finally, she picked up her computer pad and tapped on it a few times, bringing up a readout of the weather forecast for the area. Though the air was still warm and dry, she'd observed several thick cloud formations to the north. If the data was accurate, this part of the planet, which seemed to be near the equator, would soon be transitioning from summer to autumn, which meant cooler temperatures and a fair amount of rain.
She strode down the Talon's ramp, listening to the crunch of her boots upon the dusty, rocky ground. She felt the warm sunlight on her skin as she walked towards the lake.
Behind her and to her right, the sound of the excavator cut out. It had only been forty-five minutes or so since Davin started his shift, and Maeve hoped that the overheating problem with the excavator wasn't getting worse, or they would be digging with hand-operated tools next.
Maeve took several more steps forward. And then, off to her left, she heard something. With the background rumble of the excavator having faded away, this noise, a soft scraping sound, resonated like a bell in the all-pervading silence.
She turned her head to look down the wadi. Someone was there, staring back at her.
Maeve's body tensed and the hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end as she turned to face the figure. Unlike Roisin, this, whatever this was, was alone. And it wasn't a four-legged animal this time. It was humanoid.
With the sun nearly hidden behind the high peak directly west of them, Maeve didn't need to shade her eyes to make out what it was. Only forty yards away, it looked to be about her height, clad in a reddish-brown robe with a hood that obscured its face.
Maeve's mind raced. Could it be … her? The woman from my vision?
She continued to stare at the figure, which hadn't moved or spoken. The body hi
dden underneath the robe was of average build with only the hands visible. The figure was too far away to determine whether the hands belonged to a male or a female.
Maeve's computer pad slipped from her fingers.
What do I do? If I let this one go, he or she might tell others, and then we'll have half the planet breathing down our necks. We'd have to abandon the mission.
No. I can't let that happen.
Maeve reached toward the PT device on her belt and flipped a small switch, hearing a tiny surge of energy as it activated. Then she cast her gaze to the small console on her arm, which had also activated. Watching for movement out the corner of her eye, she set the device to transport her to a position just behind the figure. With any luck, she could catch whoever it was by surprise.
The PT device started to hum. Her eyes firmly locked on the figure, Maeve slowly reached behind her back, her fingers closing around the hilt of the short-sword.
The figure's hands raised, making a motion to pull back the robe's hood. In a distinctly feminine voice, the figure said, “Ee sha –”
At that exact moment, Maeve felt the invisible field surround her body. She closed her eyes and transported.
She reappeared six feet behind the figure. Turning quickly around, she saw that the figure had pulled back the hood's cowl, revealing a head of thick brown hair done up in a braid.
Drawing the short-sword, Maeve closed the distance between her and the native woman in no time flat, grabbing one of her shoulders with one hand while holding the fifteen-inch blade against her throat with the other.
“Don't move,” Maeve whispered into her ear.
Pawns (The Wielders of Arantha Book 1) Page 17