Land of Nod, The Prophet (Land of Nod Trilogy Book 2)

by Gary Hoover

  Jeff turned and saw the old woman behind him laughing eerily.

  “You’re no Raja.”

  Jeff pushed on one bar, and it slid in. But as it was sliding, a bar a few inches from it slid out in a way that seemed to perfectly match the movement of the other. While he held the first in with his right hand, he reached across with his left and pushed the second one back in. As he did that, two other bars pushed out. He released the two bars he had been pushing and pushed on the other two that had just popped out. As those two went in, four more scattered bars came out.

  “Ha, ha, ha, ha, haaaaaa,” the woman cackled.

  Jeff woke, twisted in his bunk and looked toward the front of the vehicle to the view screen. It was dark again. Dave, Nahima and Rasp had spent most of the day discussing options, examining the motor, and trying quick fixes. Jeff was exhausted and went to bed before they had finalized their plan.

  Option one was to return to Backory where they would almost certainly have the tools and supplies required to make the repairs and recharge, but all the progress they had made would be lost. Option two was to take their chances on a felear village that was roughly on their path and near where Dave expected to find The Prophet, but there was a chance the felears wouldn’t have the required equipment. The felear village was also a little farther than Backory.

  Dave felt confident that, at the very least, they would be able to get transport back from the felear village, but that would basically mean aborting the mission. Dave worried that if he had to leave Princess Trina there, she would be stripped before he could return.

  Jeff wasn’t sure which way he wanted them to go. The thought of backtracking all that way and then starting over again from Backory was frustrating, but the other route seemed much more risky.

  He had decided to let the others work it out and went to get some sleep, but then he found himself nervous about what they had decided. He realized at that point that he was hoping they had chosen the lengthier, but safer, Backory route.

  Dave and Nahima were in the driver’s compartment. Baldwin, Benji and Rasp were hanging out in the hold and seemed to just be doing anything they could to avoid boredom.

  Rare to see everyone awake at the same time, Jeff thought.

  The others nodded greetings as he made his way past them on his way to the front.

  “So,” Jeff began nervously as he entered the front compartment. “What did everybody decide?”

  “We’re headed to the felear village,” Nahima said with a smile. That had been her preferred route.

  Jeff cringed.

  “What? I thought you were anxious to see The Prophet,” Nahima said as she read his expression. “We’re still moving in that direction.”

  “I know. I’m just a little–”

  “Nervous?” Nahima finished his thought for him. “Relax. We should be there in a few days. Here, I’ll show you the chart.”

  She led Jeff to the large map table that he had seen many times.

  Nahima pushed a series of buttons and a map came up. The map was three-dimensional with images of mountains rising above the table surface, though the scale was such that the mountains didn’t rise very high.

  There were a few lines indicating roads and trails, but for the most part, the map was dominated by natural features: Lakes, streams, mountains, valleys, and the like. A green line ran diagonally across the map, and there was a blue dot at one end of the line.

  “This is us,” Nahima said, pointing to the blue dot. “And here’s the felear village.” She pointed to a spot that was near the other end of the green line.

  Jeff could see the blue dot was moving very slowly, on the map. “Why does the green line extend beyond the village?” he asked.

  “Oh, that represents our power range.”

  Jeff stood up and observed the map silently for a few moments. As he watched, he saw that the blue dot moved steadily, but the length of the green line wavered. He watched it stretch out and become a little longer, then retreat and hold a shorter position than it had originally.

  “Why’s the line changing like that?”

  Nahima didn’t answer right away, but after a few uncomfortable seconds said, “Since we’re having problems with the motor, the computer is having trouble calculating range, and when it realizes we’re losing power faster than we should, it readjusts the endpoint.”

  Chapter 34:

  Artimus was quietly fuming at the security procedure he and Codi had been subjected to just to enter Duanan’s compound. He was sitting on the now far-too-familiar uncomfortable wooden chair outside Duanan’s office, as Codi took care of her business in a different part of the building.

  I should probably just stop going through these charades, he thought. I think it would be less frustrating to simply be ignored than to come and try to talk while getting absolutely nowhere.

  He’s playing me.

  He thinks that if he pretends to be interested in what I’m saying, I’ll stop with my craziness.

  I don’t know if I feel like getting sane anytime soon.

  Roho entered the reception area and hovered impatiently over Duanan’s assistant’s desk.

  Duanan’s assistant looked up with an exasperated expression. “Yes?” he said, looking over the top of his glasses.

  “The governor will want to see me. Trust me, you don’t want to keep him waiting.”

  The assistant pushed a button on his desk. “Sorry to bother you, sir, but Captain Roho is here and says you want to see her.”

  Within seconds, Duanan emerged, accompanied by a different member of his security team – a large, burly man who Artimus didn’t know by name.

  “Is he here?” Duanan asked nervously.

  Roho nodded.

  “One moment,” Duanan said. He went back into his office and pulled a file from a cabinet.

  Artimus could see him pull a sheet from the folder, put that sheet in a different folder, and then he left the original folder on the corner of his desk as he rushed back out.

  “Artimus,” he said as he passed, “I’ll be back shortly. Don’t go anywhere.”

  Duanan’s tone – less of a request than demand – put Artimus on edge, but he simply nodded.

  Duanan exited, accompanied by his two security people, and Artimus exhaled loudly.

  The assistant gave Artimus an apologetic look. Artimus shrugged. He pulled a small computer out of his pocket, took a seat, and tried to catch up with his correspondence.

  After a minute or two, an elderly woman popped her head into the office. “Birthday cookies?” she asked, then looked over at Artimus and flushed, apparently unaware until that moment that he was there.

  “Sure!” the assistant said as he rose from his desk and followed the woman out the door and down the hall.

  Artimus hadn’t thought too much about it until that moment, but he suddenly had an urge to peek in the folder that Duanan had left on his desk.

  No, that’s crazy.

  He sat and fidgeted for a while. He noticed that his right foot was twitching and his leg was bouncing with nervous energy. Where was I? he thought as he tried to concentrate on his screen. After a minute or two, he realized he was just reading the same phrase over and over again.

  He looked toward the outer door. The hallway seemed deserted for the moment. He leaned forward, stretching as far as he could, while his left buttock still clung to the chair surface for safety.

  Artimus put the device in his pocket and stood up. He stretched and tried to make it obvious for anyone who might be passing that he simply needed to get the blood moving in his legs. He put his head through the doorway and looked up and down the hall.

  Deserted.

  He made his way back to his chair. He glanced at the folder on the desk in Duanan’s office, then at the chair, then back at the folder.

  He moved toward the office doorway.

  Am I really going to do this?

  He stopped at the doorway. For a moment, he felt paralyzed.
r />   Then, for no real reason that he could understand, he reached up with his hand and slowly allowed it to pass through the plane of the door.

  He laughed at himself for a moment. What did I expect? Was I afraid my hand would bounce off a force-screen or be shocked by an electric jolt?

  He put his hand back down and stood there for a moment.

  Then he made the move.

  He walked through the doorway and headed straight for the folder. Once in the office, he didn’t waste any time. He picked up the folder and began to open it, but as he did so, he went quickly back to the doorway and into the waiting area, so as to not get caught red-handed in the office.

  He didn’t really stop to reason why there would be any difference between being caught red-handed in the office and being caught red-handed just outside the office.

  Artimus read the top sheet. It appeared to be an invoice. It indicated a substantial payment to an ‘Agent X1C3’, for a service, but the service wasn’t specified. It was listed as ‘Classified – Governor’s Eyes Only’

  Damn it! This is the governor’s folder. He should be the only one reading it. What was the service?

  He flipped through additional pages, but they were all very similar; different dates and different amounts, but all to an ‘Agent X1C3’ for services that were ‘classified’.

  Artimus jumped as he heard voices in the hallway. He nearly ran back into the office to drop the folder on the desk but paused as he wondered if he would be able to get back out in time. Instead, he tucked the folder behind him and sat in his chair.

  Duanan’s assistant arrived at the doorway and bade farewell to a friend.

  “Cookie?” He offered Artimus a cookie in a napkin.

  “No thanks.” Artimus smiled as casually as he could.

  The assistant took his seat behind his desk, and Artimus’ heart was pounding as his mind raced.

  What now?

  Again, he noticed his foot bouncing and quickly stifled it.

  He glanced at the glaringly empty corner of Duanan’s desk and then quickly lowered his eyes.

  The assistant was busy doing some work at his desk and not paying much attention to Artimus. For a moment, he considered getting up and seeing if he could casually drift into the office and drop off the folder.

  No. There’s no way he would let me go in the office by myself without questioning me. Think, think, think.

  Artimus began to panic. He could feel sweat on his upper lip.

  I’m just not cut out for the spy business.

  Then he had an idea.

  He reached in his pocket and pulled out his computer and began typing: ‘Codi, URGENT. Please come to Duanan’s office IMMEDIATELY, and see if you can find an excuse to get his assistant out of the office for a short time.’

  He sent the message and tried to relax.

  What now? What if Codi can’t do it? Can I just play dumb and hope they don’t notice or figure out I have it? No. Duanan will clearly notice it’s missing and likely question his assistant. When he doesn’t know anything about it, I’ll be the only suspect.

  Besides, I won’t have to wait for him to notice. I won’t be able to stand up and easily conceal the folder.

  He stretched his legs out in his chair and tried to look cool.

  He saw a fire alarm signal box hanging near the door.

  I could cause a distraction by pulling that.

  But if I pull it from the door, how do I stay here while he leaves?

  And they should be able to determine what box was pulled and, since it will be obvious I was the one by that box, how would I explain it?

  Damn!

  What else... what else... what else?

  He heard a voice and saw the beautiful, BEAUTIFUL face of Codi.

  “Hey, Joel,” she said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can you come out here a minute? I have something... personal to ask you.”

  Joel got up from the desk and met Codi who took his hand and led him away.

  Artimus nearly leapt out of his chair as soon as they were out of sight. He dropped the folder on the desk and then quickly went back to his seat.

  I don’t know how I ever could have doubted her, he thought and couldn’t hold back a smile.

  Chapter 35:

  Nahima’s face was lit by the map as she bit her lower lip nervously.

  She looked up, saw Jeff’s eyes locked on hers and tried to relax her expression.

  “Don’t bother,” Jeff said. “I may not understand all this technology, but this map is simple enough to read.”

  The green line no longer stretched past their destination, but rather ended a bit short.

  “We have zzzzzaying... ”

  Jeff was amazed at how quickly Rasp’s language skills had improved. He assumed that, despite Dave’s continued teasing, pheerions must have great aptitude for languages.

  “Better to livvvfff one day and die the nexsst than to livvvfff two hunderrrd yearzzz without living any dayzzzz.”

  Jeff nodded. “So, you’re saying you’re looking forward to getting stranded somewhere in a dangerous wilderness?”

  “Would be shallenge.” He tapped his chest lightly with a closed fist. “Hard livvfff good for soul.”

  Jeff nodded again. While he was so frightened about the prospect of being hunted by the creatures of the forest that he could barely think of words, having Rasp and the others with him made him feel he could accomplish things he never would have imagined otherwise. He had come to respect Rasp, Benji, Dave, Nahima, and even Baldwin as people who had courage and strength beyond what he could even imagine in anyone he had ever met back home.

  That made him feel, in comparison, like a weak, soft coward.

  Jeff realized that he knew very little about Rasp. Partly because it was difficult to communicate, but partly – and Jeff was embarrassed to admit this even to himself – because Rasp’s physical appearance still frightened him to some extent.

  “Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself,” Jeff suggested.

  Rasp wasn’t sure how to respond and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

  “You know, tell us about your family, your home.” As soon as Jeff said it, he was struck with a sudden regret. Stupid! He’s basically exiled here. He probably doesn’t want to talk about home.

  “I have no family. All that were clozzz to me are dead.” He paused and seemed thoughtful for a few moments. “Our land izzz zzimilar to thizz, but we don’t have citeeeeezzz like the humanzz. We have simple homezzz. We are mozztly farmerzzz... and zoldierzzz.” He paused and looked down at his hands.

  “I wazz trained to be a zoldier zinze I wazz very young. I know nothing elzze. I alwayz... what word? Like ‘want’... but ztronger. I always want MUCH live zimple... farm... not... kill.” He paused and looked at his hands again. “Make live, not kill live. But I do what I havvvve to do. I work for king.” He paused and absent-mindedly scratched his chin. The scale against scale contact made a loud and unpleasant scraping sound.

  Jeff cringed but tried not to over-react to the sound.

  “When I wazzz young, we had a... vvvery great king.” He referred to the king with a name in his native language. “… but he izzz no more.”

  Jeff sensed some anger in that last comment. “What happened to him?”

  “He waz killed by–” He said a name in his native tongue. “He izz king now, but no good king. Violent... wantz everything for him... not care pheerionz. He... what word... do thingzzz.” Rasp started punching the sides of his head lightly while shaking it wildly.

  “Crazy?” Baldwin offered.

  “Yezz... crazy... not think right.”

  “So you’re talking about Pheerion Rex?” Baldwin asked.

  “Pheerion Rex?”

  Baldwin typed a few keys on the computer table and a holographic representation popped up. The floating image was battered and scarred with one of the larger scars running across his left eye, which was grey and lifeless.
His teeth were much more jagged and irregular than Rasps with many missing.

  “It iz my... mizztake I fear.”

  Jeff was puzzled. “What mistake?”

  “When we were attacked... at Backory… nearly captured. I... wonder... I... believvvve? I believe they were bought to capture me by my king, Pheerion Rex. He would not forget eazzy my betray.”

  Rasp exhaled and looked at the floor. “He will try kill meee.”

  He paused. It was clear that the subject made Rasp uncomfortable. Not from fear, but from shame.

  “He probableee not kill me zooon, but capture and torture me and watch me die… I should turn myself in... not danger you.”

  “Hey!” Jeff protested. “You saved our lives. Your king may think you’re a traitor, but we think you’re a hero, and from what you’ve said about him, it doesn’t seem like his opinion is worth much.”

  Nobody said anything for a while. Rasp’s features and manners made it nearly impossible to read his expressions, but Jeff felt he could sense a deep emotion that couldn’t be hidden beneath Rasp’s scaly hide.

  “You asked about my family… ”

  Jeff nodded.

  “I had a... mate and two young onez.”

  Now Jeff was sure he could see emotion. He thought it seemed Rasp might actually cry, something that Jeff wouldn’t have thought him capable.

  “I wazz Pheerion Rex’zzz key general. He needed me and my zzkillzzzz. He felt familiezzz diztracted from duty... ”

  Rasp looked at the floor, and there was a long pause. Rasp seemed to be searching for words, and it had become clear, beyond question, that he was nearly becoming overwhelmed with emotion.

  The others were silent.

  “He made zzzertain they wouldn’t dizzztract me… he killed them.”

  Chapter 36:

  “We don’t have any clear details.” Blackbuck absent-mindedly tore bits from the label of his bottle as spoke. “But it seems clear that the pheerions are arming themselves... building ships and weapons at a brisk pace. And the reports also seem to indicate that their technology is progressing dramatically.” He looked around at the other faces. “What does your intelligence indicate?”