Orphans of Middle Mars: Book One of the Chronicles of Middle Mars

by CJ East

  “Kinch, listen to me. You cannot fight everyone and everything. We need to focus on getting you and Lucius into the city before war is upon us. I have tried every possible way for resolution.”

  “So are you telling me to not bother coming back? That they don’t need the map?”

  “No, you must come back, but in order for you to be allowed in, you must seek repentance.”

  “I don’t understand, Amica. You want me to tell these people I’m sorry?”

  “No, you speak of forgiveness. Repentance is making things right, Kinch.”

  Kinch understood what she meant. She was more than what Kinch had assumed. Amica wasn’t just some oblivious devotee with the blind faith her god would take care of the details. She was a shrewd tactician understanding sometimes a person’s value is what they bring to the party. And the cover charge for this party was more than a map to get in the door. He needed the head of a Duobus.

  “Lucius was right, you can be convincing, Amica,” Kinch said.

  “Kinch, I need to tell you something important,” she said becoming serious. “You are becoming stronger, I can feel it. It is not unnatural with new telepaths, we call it growing leaps. I felt your rage when Pythia cried out in pain. Lamia and her master would have sensed it. You need to understand you are now a person of great interest in Arx and within the Dragon Realm.”

  He didn’t know what to say, other than he didn’t care what people thought about him. He decided to say nothing since Amica was treating him like an adult instead of telling him what to do.

  She continued, “It is my personal conviction you have a great destiny here among us. The manner in which you present yourself in this season will yield both opportunities and consequences.”

  Kinch thought about her words for a moment then responded. “I appreciate your optimism, but on this side of the wall, ‘great destiny’ sounds like overreaching. I will get your son back to you.”

  Kinch broke the mental bond and switched his iron staff to his right hand. He looked at Lucius, “New plan. You have to get me as close as possible to the Duobus without being detected.”

  Lucius didn’t know what had been said between Amica and Kinch. He did know enough about Kinch to understand his plan would move forward with or without help. Lucius looked back at Argus who was staring across the lit path and into the darkness on the other side. Argus seemed to want to go as well.

  Kinch slapped a hand hard on Lucius’ shoulder and squinted his eyes, “Blood, guts, and danger. That, my Martian friend, is the life of an Airborne Ranger.”

  “Why do you have to be so strange?” Lucius shot back, “This is a very serious situation. There is no humor here.”

  Kinch rocked to the balls of his feet, looking down both ends of the path. “Tell that to the Giant Rasputin Lizard and the Twin Generals of Retards. This whole world is like living inside a cuckoo clock,” and sprinted across the path.

  Lucius scrambled forward after him. Argus strutted across the path way, stopping half way to sniff the trail. He looked to Lucius.

  “Come!” Lucius whispered with a quick wave. Argus spun and bolted down the side of the cleared path and then disappeared into the shadows of the Wild. “Argus!” Lucius called after him in a whisper-shout.

  Kinch arched his eyebrows, “He listens to you well. I can tell you two are close.”

  “I wonder what he is doing?”

  “Didn’t you say Amica has the skill to communicate with him? Maybe she is helping?”

  Lucius asked, “Did she tell you she was going to help?”

  “Just to get the gate opened, and the only way to do that is to kill a Duobus,” he said slipping through the dark leaves of underbrush.

  Lucius ran in silence beside him. He knew there would be no negotiation. Kinch threw out the back of his hand and struck Lucius hard in the chest. He stopped and bent to the ground in a single movement. They both collapsed and listened. The clanking metal sounds of armaments seemed to be just beyond the limited sight of the darkened forest.

  They advanced to a large tree and stood behind it, listening to the noise. Kinch peered from behind his cover, watching a Damned soldier clearing red bushes with a sword. He tilted his head towards Lucius, and built a thought bridge to communicate with him, “I can see tents along the back row. Probably supplies. There is one tent which is more ornate. Let’s go take a look.”

  Lucius looked down at the distant row of tents, “Your inner voice is stronger now. You don’t sound like Pia or Dulcia anymore.”

  Kinch turned from the working soldier, “Yeah? Are you busting my chops Lucius? That would almost qualify as battlefield humor, you know?”

  They circled back just beyond the view of tents comprising the rear line towards the larger, stripped tent. They were back far enough to not encounter any soldiers, but couldn’t see the tents.

  “Let’s move forward there,” said Kinch with his inner voice. He stole forward to a gap in the vegetation and crouched to the ground. Lucius crouched behind him.

  “What do you see?” thought Lucius. “Can you see the tent?”

  “Yes, there are guards on this side. Two on each back corner facing us, at least four in the front that I can see. They are protecting something valuable inside.”

  Lucius stepped back a few paces anticipating Kinch’s withdrawal, “It is a Duobus. There is nothing else of value to the Damned. They prize their leaders because they cannot think on their own.”

  “What I wouldn’t give for some C-9 about now,” Kinch thought as he pulled the underbrush from the ground below him.

  “Your world, it must be very violent to breed such great warriors at such a young age. It shall be an honor to die with you this day defending my people.”

  Kinch began to assemble sticks and debris on the cleared area. He placed a large stone in his pocket, “You have been pretty accepting of death today, buddy. Death is one outcome. Battle glory is another. For me, I believe when an achievable plan is executed efficiently the most probable outcome is success.”

  Kinch was beginning to understand the layers of thought in his conversation with Lucius and how to access them. He could feel the layers now. He saw channels connecting his consciousness to different parts of his own mind and to the thoughts of others.

  He was learning to control the strength and direction of his inner voice to Lucius. It was possible to protect the working of his innermost thoughts. He could safeguard the lowest level of thought consciousness Pythia hijacked and controlled.

  Lucius stopped watching Kinch move around sticks and rocks. He sensed something approaching from behind. He jolted around to find Argus sitting inches behind him. “Demon dog!” Lucius whispered with a jerk, “Why must you take such pleasure in my fear?”

  Kinch had felt Argus approaching a few minutes ago. Was his awareness becoming stronger?

  He smiled at Argus, “Nice. I’m glad the ghost whisperer is on our side. Now look, this is our position,” Kinch pointed to a crude diorama he had constructed on the soil with a stick. “There are guards here and here. I will stun the far guard first. As the guard near me turns to assist, I’ll take him out. You and Argus will mop up the wounded one. Then the two of you keep our exit clear into the Wilds. When I return from inside the tent, we make a wide circle back to the path and sprint to the tower. From the tower, we will have to find the gap between the battalions and tear through. If we are fast enough we can beat armored troops in a foot race through the clearing to the open gate of Arx.”

  Lucius leaned forward and followed the trail past the siege tower and to the gates, “It looks so easy.”

  “Now remember, it’s a framework. If there are any deviations, stick to the framework but improvise based on the end goal, getting the map and intelligence to Arx.”

  “Deviations?” Lucius interjected.

  Kinch could feel Lucius’ mood lightening and an ease and confidence to his thoughts. “What could go wrong?” Kinch smiled. He winked at Lucius and put a hand
on his shoulder, “You are free of your oath. You passed your test and are a warrior now. Trust yourself and those who fight alongside you. When the time comes, you will know what to do without hesitation.”

  Lucius straightened his legs but kept his back bent, “It’s not me I’m worried about. The Duobus is very powerful. Surprise him and kill him quickly.” He turned to Argus and made a motion with his hand and headed towards the far side of the large tent. Argus sat watching Kinch, their eyes meeting in calm assessment of each other. Kinch almost expected the wolf to speak, until he sat up and trotted after Lucius.

  Kinch moved back to the edge of the clearing near the right rear of the tent. He took up a position where he was about ten feet from the right of the guard.

  Being able to concentrate on the challenges in front of him was a great comfort. He could work a plan rather than deal with the practical questions like where he was going to go or what he was going to. Arx was a dangerous place for him, but he was finding the Wilds were more dangerous in a different way.

  He placed his staff at an angle near his feet and pulled out the rock he had placed in his jumpsuit pocket. It was heavy and about the size of a fist. He closed his eyes and rehearsed the plan in his mind. It was a habit of his and made him relax. It was the comfort of structure and order. It was like a carpenter running his palm over the smooth corners of a project to feel for any rough edge or asymmetrical line.

  When he opened his eyes, he expected to be reassured, but his palm had found a splinter. Something was wrong. The red pressure of danger weighed against his forehead.

  He felt the familiar erosion of self-doubt slip into his mind. What was he thinking? Lucius was right, this is crazy. He was unprepared for this challenge.

  He looked across for Argus and Lucius. They would not be allowed inside if he wasn’t successful. He had no choice. His face relaxed as he ran through the steps of killing the guards, the Duobus, breaking the line and exchanging safe passage of Lucius and Argus into the city state of Arx.

  A calm readiness flowed through his body as he raised his head to break even with the dense bushes. The soldiers were staring straight forward, bored and inattentive. He cocked his arm back and let the rock fly hard at the furthest guard’s head. The rock hurled past the closest guard and slammed into the far guard’s neck with a loud ‘thwack’. The guard gagged and dropped his sword, bending at the waist with both hands flying to his throat. The second guard pivoted to the right, turning his back to Kinch.

  With a single motion Kinch reached down for his staff and sprung from his blind. He took two steps and a jump before landing on both feet, his staff pulling down with both arms and crushing the back of the soldier’s skull. The guard crumpled to the ground and exposed the second guard in front of Kinch, skewered in the stomach by Lucius’ blade.

  The soldier grabbed the blade with both hands in a silent, desperate lunge. Lucius staggered back, then clinched his jaw and ripped his sword up through the soldier in a tall arc. The exit path splattered Lucius’ face and eyes with blood.

  Kinch peered around the tent corner as the dead soldier fell. No soldiers had been alerted. He scanned the bushes and saw Argus’ hot eyes peering back.

  Lucius looked up, a shocked pride on the boy’s blood-splattered face. Kinch lifted his chin and pointed to the side of his face with his finger, motioning as if there was a tiny spot of blood on his face. Lucius rolled his eyes and jerked his head to the tent.

  Kinch bent down to the edge of the tent and listened. He pulled a long, wooden stake out of the tent bottom in silence, then pulled another. He bent down with his staff parallel to the tent and gave a reassuring nod to Lucius. He raised the tent edge and rolled under, disappearing under the flap.

  He held his bar tight to his chest, then sprang to his feet. Immediately he knew something was wrong and wheeled his bar around his body. Two swords clanged against his staff before he had time to think. He struck downward with a powerful swing hitting solid bodies and sending them broken to the ground. He took a side step as his eyes adjusted to the dim lamplight of the closed tent.

  He widened his legs to a defensive stance. When he could see, his heart sank - it was a trap.

  The tent was filled with gray soldiers, thirty or more, all facing him with swords drawn waiting for the command. Their gray faces snarled like feral dogs. They held their position, eager for attack and fighting restraint. Kinch searched their faces for a sign of intelligence - a Dux or maybe a Duobus. Savage expressions, tied to an invisible leash, ready to attack with a word.

  Kinch felt Lucius tug for a connection. He opened a quick thought to him, “It is a trap, don’t let them behind us. Stick to the plan.”

  One of the bodies at his feet stirred to its knees. Kinch thrust the flat base of the bar across the figure’s head as he scanned the soldiers, knocking it to the ground. The soldiers snarled in unison as the body hit the ground.

  Kinch spoke, “Did I interrupt you gentlemen or were you waiting on me to get started?”

  A crude outer voice answered in an almost childlike Latin, “He come, boy of white. He come. You die.”

  “Well spoken, my friend. You must be exhausted after that effort, why don’t you sit down and let someone else handle those big words.”

  The far wall split open as the Duobus entered the tent. Kinch felt the pressure of the room change, as if an invisible wind was pushing against his body and mind. The eyes of the Duobus were alert as he locked onto Kinch. He felt a connection shoot from the Duobus with a force which pierced his brain and held it like a grappling hook. “Pythia was correct that you would foolishly try to stop us.”

  Kinch staggered under the force of the connection from the Duobus. He tried to call out to Lucius, but lost his will. The power of the connection was an immediate and complete ownership, stronger than the dragon’s grip.

  The Duobus broke through the ranks of Damned and stood before his prisoner. “It is said you come through the blue portal. I will know your mind,” he said.

  Kinch tried to resist by focusing on the Airborne Ranger battle song he had used with Pythia. The Duobus laughed as he batted the resistance away. “You are weak and foreign. Tell me of your purpose.”

  Kinch’s mind began to wheel forward with images of the map, Lucius and the city gate. He was powerless to stop the Duobus from searching his mind. He couldn’t focus, distractions flooding in and dissolving his concentration. He was losing control of his mind and began to panic.

  The wall behind Kinch split open as the sword sliced down. An arm broke through and pulled Kinch out the slit. He bounced off the forest floor, breaking him from the mental grip of the Duobus. Kinch rolled to his feet and tried to stand but was stunned and unable to organize his thoughts. He heard Lucius yelling something back to Kinch as the boy hacked at the bodies exploding from the tent. Kinch stood and staggered back, his head swooning.

  Sounds were echoing in distant waves as soldiers boiled through the gash in the tent. Lucius backed away and made mad slashing, desperate strokes. The wall of soldiers folded back into the tent, as a gray blur of wolf ripped across his view. Kinch tried again to turn and run, but felt like he was being held.

  Lucius scrambled to him, grabbed his arm and pulled him through the bushes. Kinch felt the grip of the Duobus fall away with the distance. He shook his head as if waking up and looked back, “Argus!”

  Lucius yelled in his ear, “He will be fine!”

  Kinch turned towards Lucius, unable to think what to do.

  Lucius grabbed him and shook him hard, “Stick to the framework! Run!”

  Succor

  Lucius and Kinch sprinted through the forest toward the cleared path stretching to the battle tower. The growls of a savage mobile battle chased them as they crashed through the dense growth.

  “I’m sorry Lucius, he was too powerful,” Kinch shouted.

  “You didn’t listen,” Lucius snapped as he ran through a leathery bush.

  “I thought I could keep
him out of my head,” Kinch yelled.

  Lucius halted with his sword raised, “Something is coming fast.”

  Kinch pivoted to a stop and heard a sound like a missile crashing through the Wilds. Lucius swung his sword anticipating the dragon or soldier as the gray blur of Argus sailed under the blade and past the boys. Lucius pulled his sword from the ground and started after the wolf.

  They broke into the clearing of the path to see Argus waiting for them. He stood motionless watching them fall into path, then wheeled, cutting back into the dark forest.

  “Argus!” Lucius yelled.

  The cries of the Damned grew from behind them. Kinch ran after Argus, yelling back to Lucius. “When he disappeared, Amica must have sent him to find a break in the line. Follow him!”

  Lucius ran beside him, his face tense with anger. “A good plan. I wish you would have thought of it.”

  Kinch held back on a desire to punch Lucius. “I did think of it. But you don’t speak wolf.”

  Argus was crouched low ahead of them. He was hidden within the last line of large, blood-red leathery bushes before a wide clearing of the forest floor. The clearing left only the thick trees - providing cover from the Arx wall, but allowing easy movement for troops. They were close now.

  Lucius and Kinch joined Argus. Lucius gave him a reassuring squeeze on his neck. “Good work, boy.”

  To the right and to the left of the hiding place, troops were preparing for war. Protective battle carts were being built. Catapults were drawn forward by large buffalo-like beasts. Long ladders were being fashioned together by gray soldiers.

  There were hundreds of soldiers on either side of them. In the exact spot Argus had led them, there was a gap between the forces. The distance between was about thirty feet. Enough to sprint through and maintain enough distance to reach the gates before being overtaken.

  Lucius’ pink face was crimson from the run and his anger at Kinch’s failure. “My plan was to simply cross this line without all the foolishness. Now in addition to the forces before us, they approach on our back.”