‘Well I guess that’s that. Time to see how everyone’s basic mapping skills have held up,’ Javier said with a smile as he waved a plastic map around.
‘I doubt there’s any crash site in the open,’ Jameson said as he looked about the open and untouched regions around them. Shayne meanwhile shifted his gaze from the stone to the forest. The darkness loomed, reminding him of parts of the Wayel-Éaa, only this time there was a constant feeling of dread, he tried to dismiss it but it was always there like it was watching them.
Javier happily walked on. ‘We’re heading straight down the guts from here, so we may-as-well keep going.’
Shayne glanced back into the field one last time before entering that dark holy land. Once inside the forest seemed pleasant enough. It was bright and the canopy blocked the worst of the summer’s heat. It was also the first time they saw and heard sounds of life; with small brightly coloured birds leaping and flying around, and the songs of different varieties echoing high in the tree tops.
‘Remember,’ Shayne said as he unbuckled his holster and took a primitive propulsion gun out, ‘there are potential hostiles here. Do not shoot unless they attack first.’ The Starborns automatically came to full alert holding their rifles ready, Jameson also grasped his assault rifle. Rae had a pistol but she left it in the holster, and Javier was concentrating on the map with his gun hanging over his shoulder and backpack.
Several hours passed as they navigated the thick forest, the only change was the occasional demon-faced stones warding them off, moss had since laid claim to the stones, but the menacing stares still remained. They ate while they walked not knowing what the actual time was and eventually they came across the Athúal River. No one knew what to expect, aerial pictures showed the river swelled in areas, the spring and summer heat had thawed the mountains earlier so most of the raging water had already passed. Standing upon the banks they could see it would not be easy to cross. It was calm, but it was also wide.
‘We can’t go south,’ Shayne replied while correcting his pack. ‘The Aniskin city is that way.’ Javier subconsciously looked at his compass and cursed as it pointed somewhere that was clearly not north. He thought about throwing the damn thing in the river but refrained and put it back in his pocket.
‘We’ll walk north,’ he said not looking impressed. ‘Until we can find some shallows.’
‘Why not cross here?’ Rae asked. ‘We all can swim.’
‘The guns aren’t water issue,’ Jameson cursed. ‘If they get wet they need time to dry, gorram ancient tech!’
They made their way along the banks. Javier carefully marked each possible bend and recorded their distances. Often he stopped and propped himself against something flat so he could measure and mark things; trying to keep their position true. Shayne helped with his mathematical mind and memory providing useful analysis. After an hour they found a small and rather frightening rope-bridge. When they saw it they moved away from the banks, into the safety of the trees. They slowly made their way to it as quietly as possible. Both sides of the bridge had primitive guard towers built up high in the trees. Shayne pulled out the binoculars that hung from his pack and looked around.
‘Do you see anything?’ Javier whispered. He now held his rifle and looked through its scope.
‘No,’ Shayne replied. ‘I don’t see anyone.’
‘Why would they abandon a post?’
‘Could it be an ambush?’ Rae looked nervously over the water to the other side, her hand on the grip of her gun.
‘There’s only one way to find out,’ Shayne replied.
‘We could see if there’s another crossing,’ Jameson argued.
‘If we did that we’d probably make our way to the abandoned city. That would be a worse crime than being right here.’
‘And I don’t think the river would get any narrower, not for a long while anyway,’ Javier commented. ‘Ok, two at a time: Rae you can cross with me. Forrester you go first with another SB.’ Shayne hooked his binoculars back onto his pack and pointed to a soldier who silently obeyed. They stepped into the open and made their way up the tree ladder where the rope bridge was tethered. It could hardly be called a bridge; it consisted of two ropes to grip and two to stand on, where small bits of wood were tied together that barely made the width of a foot. There was also rope which criss-crossed from the footing to the hand; supporting the structure. There was no possible way for them to cross while holding their guns so Shayne put his back in his holster and the soldier swung the rifle over her shoulder allowing it to hang freely. The SB soldier stood upon the bridge first, easing across as she held onto the rope. When she was halfway across Shayne stepped out, shuffling along. It was hard to balance in the middle where the ropes were at their slackest point. Shayne found that when he lost his balance the ropes would move and twist enough to make him uncomfortable. Once he passed the middle he had little trouble as it became more stable again.
He ordered the soldier to guard while he helped the next group cross; the woman crouched with her rifle pointed to the forest before them. Two Starborns were next and they both followed each other without a break, and as a result found themselves hesitating as the bridge began to sway and twist. Shayne pulled on one of the guide ropes to try and make it taut, which helped only marginally. One soldier was forced to wait in the middle while the other slowly came over. After them they all made it to the other side without too much trouble. Rae glided across with a grace and skill that made it look as easy as walking on the ground.
They left the river, moving a few hundred metres deeper into the forest before they curved back down south-west to get themselves back in line with the crash zone. This side of the river was more difficult to move through; it was almost impossible to travel in a straight line, and the terrain seemed to be taking them up more than down as they steadily approached the mountains that made up the heart of Endaran. Once they were in the general vicinity they had to keep careful track on the map, constantly correcting themselves so that they would not drift to the wrong hill peaks. The vegetation was much thicker on this side of the river, with many species of ferns covering the ground and moss upon the trees reaching out high above them. There were also standing stones here but many had been carved into natural stones that emerged from the Earth, some were carved with great detail and care while others were quick and simple portrayals; crafted more recently by those who braved the wilds of the forests. These stones appeared more frightening, their expressions moved from an angry warning to horror and rage, and the spaces that were not taken over by lichen and moss showed faded red paint.
‘Look over there?’ Rae pointed after half-an-hour of walking. They all looked across but only Shayne saw what she was pointing at.
‘What is it?’ Lieutenant Jameson asked, bobbing his head to see.
‘There’s a clearing in the trees,’ Javier spotted it and he signalled a command to that direction. Slowly and cautiously they moved across until it came apparent they had found one of the crafts. The crash site was burnt out with wreckage flung over a wide area. Rae picked up a twisted piece of metal from their path.
‘Ok, let’s set to work. First priority survivors and keep an eye out for hostiles.’ They walked along the ruins. Their spirits sank at finding things such as torn seats and mangled and charred engine pieces. Shayne carefully gazed around him as he helped Javier shift through torn scraps of metal and reinforced ultralight materials.
‘I don’t see any bodies at all.’ Rae returned to them after shifting around.
‘This is beyond strange,’ Javier looked at the debris, while the others came to discuss the situation.
‘Not to alarm anyone, but remain as you are,’ Shayne warned with his soft voice. Some of them automatically stiffened, but their professional training kicked in and they returned to their previous cautious manner.
‘What is it?’ Jameson calmly said while looking out to the wrecked path and broken trees the plane had crashed through.
‘We’re surrounded,’ Shayne replied as he looked out the forest around him.
‘Ok, act natural guys. Pretend you are still looking over the crash,’ Javier said to the others as he glanced around the forest. They had been doing it all day so it would not look strange, but everyone suddenly alert would.
‘I don’t see anything Starborn.’
‘That’s because they’re not moving,’ Shayne replied. ‘I see seven, they are well camouflaged.’
‘Where?’ he asked as he picked up his map, pretending to study it.
‘At nine o’clock there’s a large twin-forked tree with a king fern growing next to it. Behind it is another tree. He’s a few metres up.’ Javier bent over and picked up some debris before he took another look around. A slow careful search of the moss covered plants revealed the forked tree. The first glance around he saw nothing but when he scanned back he spotted the man. He was in the tree as Shayne said; sitting there with a primitive bow watching them.
‘I spot another four. I believe they may have been here the entire time,’ Shayne announced as he stepped across to an engine and began to look at it. He patted it to see if it was hot before he began to fiddle with it; everything was warped and mangled.
‘Should we take them down?’ Jameson held his rifle in the standard position but he was poised to attack. He knew their bows could only harm them if they aimed for their faces.
‘They don’t seem to be doing anything,’ Javier said. ‘I suggest we keep looking for the black box. Spread out but remain in sight. Wong, you stick with Forrester.’ They then continued with their work. The SB soldiers maintained their guard and on the odd occasion the others looked around.
‘I found it!’ Jameson called out a little louder than he meant to. Stunned at his own loudness he looked around, thinking that the entire forest would suddenly rise up, but it remained as it did before.
‘Good,’ Javier said and they gathered together with the small recording box. It was a little battered but otherwise intact. Javier took his pack off and put it in one of the many pockets. He then took his map out and placed it on the ground.
‘The blackbird followed the exact trajectory as the civilian transport. We must assume that it came down along the same line but further up. Agreed?’
‘What about the people from this crash?’ Rae asked.
‘The natives are already here and watching us. We must assume they dealt with our dead. When we leave we’ll talk to the Isradians and see if the bodies can be returned.’
‘What if they’re alive?’
‘I don’t think anyone survived this.’ He gestured around them. They pulled themselves together as Javier mapped the crash and placed a line into the deep forest marking the likelihood position for the other plane. They then got up and continued on.
‘Are they still following us?’ Javier turned to Shayne after hours of marching.
‘They are.’ The Special Forces Captain didn’t know how Shayne managed to keep track of them; he seemed to be just focused ahead of them, allowing the other SB’s to keep the vigil around them, but he appeared to know exactly where they were, ‘but only two follow us now.’
‘I guess that’s a positive. If they wanted to attack us you would think more would come, not less.’
‘Unless they are setting up an ambush, we’ve been travelling in a straight line all day,’ Jameson commented.
‘We’ll have to stop soon and set up camp.’ Shayne looked up at the evening sun.
‘I’m not liking this.’ Jameson complained, Shayne shared his sentiment, not only had their visitors dwindled, but so had the warning stones, they had not seen one for kilometres now.
‘It was classified as a dangerous mission, that’s why we picked it,’ Javier encouraged them. ‘Just think about it. When we’re back at New Switzerland we’ll have a story to tell, and our kids will beg us to tell them every night.’
‘That we were followed by hippies in trees?’ Rae joked.
‘Well, maybe something interesting will happen still; not very scary, this sacred forest.’
‘Getting in might not be the hard part, that might be trying to get out again,’ Jameson said.
They walked another hour before deciding to make camp in a relatively clear position. It looked like they stumbled on an ancient road, where they had a good view of the hills and mountains ahead. Shayne could not see the moon over the trees so he could only estimate that they had another couple of hours before nightfall. The two Aniskins disappeared an hour earlier, retreating back into the forest and this troubled Shayne.
‘Should we build a fire?’ Jameson asked, longing for a cooked meal. Javier looked uncertain.
‘If there’s an ambush it’ll come whether we have a fire or not,’ Shayne answered.
‘You’re right, okay, you three,’ Javier pointed to three SB soldiers standing nearby who instantly stood to attention. ‘Go collect firewood,’ they saluted and went off into the forest. They did not have to move far as the ground was covered in rotting wood. They made a pile fit for a nights burning.
‘Do you hear that?’ Rae stood next to Shayne and she looked up at the canopy above. Shayne knew what she was thinking; he noticed the forest gradually change as they marched. ‘There are no birds again.’ They all froze, straining to hear but there was nothing to hear, not even the wind in the trees. Jameson shivered.
‘Okay,’ Javier broke the spell of the forest, ‘time to setup your bivouacs.’ The captain then set about putting up his swag in the best place. Shayne placed his next to the pile of wood while the others erected their own. Afterward they heated their meals in their mess tins, it was a precooked dinner that looked rather unpleasant and earned the nickname “chuck” but it tasted better than it appeared and was good food.
As the sun began to sink Shayne looked across to their collection of firewood. He had a sudden and foreboding feeling that they did not have enough.
‘What are you doing?’ someone called out to him as he stood up and walked away from the camp.
‘We need more wood!’ he replied as he started picking up more logs and sticks. The others began to shiver; the place was warm but the hairs upon their arms rose with a prickling upon the backs of their necks. Javier joined Shayne; they dragged and lifted as much as they could, with an urgency growing within them.
On Shayne’s last trip he was carrying an armful of sticks with a long log hooked under his arm. He awkwardly walked towards the camp; occasionally stopping to re-grip the log.
The colours of day faded as the sun sank below the horizon, leaving behind a fading grey world. The strange silence that flooded the forest seemed to intensify; occasionally it was broken by the sounds of trees groaning in the windless night. Something unnerved Shayne and he had an overwhelming impression that he should be standing in the fire’s light. He headed to the others who were huddled closely around the flames. Some sticks fell from his arm but he did not stop. A fear built up in him; driving him forward. He could feel the log slip from its grip but he continued on, finally dropping it in the safety of the light. Javier also hurried over. Once in the fire’s light he leant over; placing his hands upon his legs as he breathed heavily.
Shayne stoked up the fire; flames leapt high into the air, and without hesitation he threw one of the large logs on. The flames grew tall and bright, creating a wall of light against the trees, holding the menace of the forest at bay. Two Starborn soldiers were designated the first watch. They patrolled the perimeter but even they remained within the flames boundary, not daring to move out.
Shayne seated himself on the ground, resting against a large log, keeping his eyes on the ominous forest. Nobody spoke a word as a darkness seemed to fall upon them, the crackling of the fire and the groaning of the trees the only sounds to be heard.
The night slowly wore on. Shayne shivered despite the fire burning before him, he brought his arms around his legs fighting a sudden cold; the others huddled closer to the flames and looked out into the darkness
. An intense feeling of being watched came upon him even though he was sure the Aniskins had not followed them this far.
Shayne grew alert as his mind started to play tricks on him. He imagined a noise far off in the distance. He sat up, straining his ears as he searched the forest. Others also looked around. Jameson swallowed as fear began to seep into him, but no matter how hard they listened they were not sure if they could hear anything at all.
Just as he would rationalise it was in his head it would sound again. He could hear something rise and fall deep within the forest, so faint he could not grasp what it was, but each time he was positive it grew a little louder, a little closer until he could eventually hear it sweeping through the forest.
‘What is it?’ Rae finally broke their silence, her voice weak with fear.
‘The wind,’ Shayne finally responded. They glanced across at him, but as they listened they knew he was right. They could hear it rage through the forest though there was not even a slight breeze where they sat. As it neared it howled and made the trees groan in the darkness. The way it moved through the trees, fading then growing and fading again, and with each pass it grew louder.
As the sweeping grew into a steady roar the Starborns on guard gradually backed closer into the circle of light, with their rifles pointed into the darkness. Shayne sat very still, the pit of his stomach became heavier as the wind drew ever closer. With the next wave they all jumped to their feet and huddled together in alarm; a fear flowed over them as they listened to the wind approach. Shayne still within his wits stepped out to a clear spot where he could see further through the forest. Careful to remain in the fire’s light, he looked up into the distance to see the storm moving through the treetops; swaying from one direction then the other. Each sweep moved closer to the camp while the deafening howl grew ever louder. Shayne returned to the fire and stacked it with as much wood as he could. The others reluctantly helped him; throwing the biggest logs into the flames. Embers flew and danced high above their heads as the flames swiftly wrapped their hungry arms around the fresh lumber. It burned so fiercely that they were forced to step back. The roar of the wind and the anger of the trees finally rushed over the camp.
The Book of Ominiue: Starborn Page 42