Aurum: The Golden Planet

by Sharon Joss

  She buried her face into Renly’s neck, breathing deeply to distract herself from the invisible predator soaring high above them. The smell of him, mixed with the scent of traggah calmed her. He smelled different from the other men of Earth.

  There were other differences, too. He seemed uninterested in gold; he did not gamble, or speak endlessly of his job or investments as did so many of them. A strong, brave man, he did not share the off-worlder fear of traggahs, and she’d never known of a single Terran who survived a tree lizard bite. And although he’d initially worn the gloves all Terrans wore to protect themselves from the native virals, he stopped wearing them completely after making friends with Silverbeard’s youngling brother. The sight of the youngling sleeping in the grass while Renly sketched him brought a lump to her throat. At times, the Terran would even run his hands through the baby’s plush coat, something both of them obviously enjoyed.

  She thought of Wayne, who had no such tender qualities. The men were as different as two kinds of men. Perhaps among Terran men there were also clans such as Khirjahni and Th’Dorran.

  Given that, Renly would be descended from traggahs, like all Khirjahni, and Wayne would be Th’Dorran. The revelation both pleased and shocked her. She would never consider giving herself to an arrogant, aggressive, warlike Th’Dorran, but she had. Until she met Renly, she considered all Terrans alike: Wayne, Mr. Duprees, horrible Mr. Blaylock; or even Ruben, the stable master. They all used their power and position to get what they wanted. Wayne seemed unable to speak with her without leaving painful marks on her flesh.

  Renly, on the other hand, did not use physical force or coercion. Renly was more like the herd; something she’d not experienced with any being other than the traggahs. It made sense, she supposed, that she felt comfortable with him. He too, was an empath. Whether he believed it or not, he could not hide his intentions from her.

  She knew he was attracted to her, and that the idea bothered him. In those moments when Renly’s regard for her began to warm, she would see him glance at her horns and look away. He made no effort to seduce her, in spite of their nightly sleeping arrangements, even as she thought she might like it. She’d seen him watching her, when he didn’t think she was looking. It thrilled her, just a little. But Wayne had given her similar looks in the past, and look at the trouble she was in because of it.

  The sky took on the deep violet hue, which announced first dawn. She missed the comforting presence of Neatfoot at her back; they’d been nearly inseparable for the last four years. K’Sati had never been in the forbidden zone before. After losing her parents to this place, she ever, ever wanted to come here. And now, the worst had happened. They would no doubt be torn apart by wild beasts.

  She could not return to the coast. Mr. Duprees would no doubt blame her for the theft of Golden Boy and throw her into the company prison. And if Wayne ever got his hands on her; well that was something she didn’t dare consider. She could not return to the temple, either, not that she ever would, but her choices for the future were limited.

  She rewrapped her scarf around her and eased herself out of Renly’s sleepy embrace. The faint scent of woodsmoke came to her as she stepped out from the shelter of the rocks. No doubt Wayne and his men were still tracking them. No way to tell how far away they were, but there was no wood to burn on the steppes. Perhaps the men had left their sleds at the base of the mountains and were pursuing them on foot. If true, their only way forward was through the mountains. She knew of no one who had done so and returned.

  Another craggon scream broke the dawn stillness. She could sense Renly’s rise to consciousness. As soon as he awoke, she would have to tell him that Wayne was still hunting them. If he found them, he would kill them; she had no doubts about that. How did everything go so wrong so quickly?

  Renly ducked out from the rocks and shouldered his satchel across his shoulders. He gazed at the sky, his glance captured by the tiny form of the craggon circling high above them. He shoved the ironwood club into his belt and nodded, as if satisfied.

  “We’re turning back,” he murmured.

  “We cannot. Wayne and his men are right behind us. Can you not smell their campfire?”

  He paused to sniff the air. “You’re right.” His eyes scanned the mountain behind them. “There.”

  A wisp of smoke curled above the trees. So close! “They must have a tracker with them. We must leave now.”

  “You don’t have to do this, K’Sati. I mean, you could hide in the rocks until they pass and then head back the way we came.”

  She could sense the despair in him. No one could feel strong without their herd. “Come.” She began to climb the steep trail. “They must give up eventually. The only way they will catch us is if we stop.”

  * * *

  Their fear kept them moving; they climbed steadily throughout the morning. Renly no longer felt the chill in the air, even as they continued to climb. The way was steep, but the footing was good, if uneven, and he was sweating beneath the leather vest. At times, K’Sati stopped to listen, as if she thought she heard the sound of voices echoing across the hillside. He’d come to trust her superior hearing, and resented their self-imposed silence, but the wheeling of craggons overhead was a constant reminder.

  The trail, or what there was of it, was scant even in the best conditions. Every time he caught sight of a traggah print, he silently cheered that they were still going in the right direction, even as he realized their pursuers probably felt the same way. When he tried to rub out their tracks, K’Sati stopped him; pointing out that his clumsy efforts only made the tracker’s job easier, not harder.

  In his head, he sensed Silverbeard up ahead of them, neither closer nor more distant than last night. This morning, he thought he had felt Garrett’s presence, but wasn’t certain. He suspected that his connection to Silverbeard was somehow masking his more distant connection with Garrett.

  Twice, they spotted traggah prints leading off the trail and followed them to caves. The first cave was too small even for K’Sati to squeeze into, the second was large enough to walk in, as long as they hunched over. From the entrance, they heard the trickle of water coming from the depths. Their thirst made them braver than their fear of what might be inside, and using one side of the tunnel as a guide, they moved blindly toward the sounds of water dripping. After a quick sniff, Renly scooped out handfuls of the warm, mineral-tasting water. They drank as much as they could, knowing they had nothing in which to carry more with them. But as they continued, they found plenty of streams and water, although some of it was too hot to drink. The mountains seemed to be riddled with caves and caverns, many of which were warmed by geothermically-heated reservoirs inside.

  The brush thinned out as they climbed ever higher. They reached the peak in mid-afternoon. Renly stifled a groan as he scanned the endless range of mountains. The Crags of Corrah stretched before them like fangs; each looming larger and steeper as they faded into the distance.

  The trail before them quickly disappeared as they re-entered the tree line. Renly searched for any sign of Paul and the traggahs, but the trees here grew thick and dark. He scrutinized the nearest peaks, his eyes sharp for any movement. Paul and the traggahs couldn’t be more than a few hours ahead of them. They should be able to spot them. The deep forest litter hid all signs of traggah tracks. He stared across the vista, looking for anything that would give them a clue as to which way Paul was heading. He reached out mentally, seeking Garrett’s presence, but felt nothing. He closed his eyes, turning in every direction. Nothing.

  He’d been staring at it for several seconds before he recognized what he was seeing. There. He pulled K’Sati close and pointed a slide area on the side of a crag just south of where they stood.

  “Right there,” he murmured. “See that bare strip of yellowish rock along the side of that mountain? I’ll bet that’s the place Paul is heading for. The Yellow Chimney, he called it.”

  At that moment, a great yellow craggon launched itself
from a ledge half-way up the buff-colored gash in the slope. They shrank into the shrubs around them, as the huge creature soared directly overhead; so close, Renly could count the scales on its stomach; each as large as the coronation medal he’d designed for Queen Fabienne a lifetime ago. The craggon’s filthy black talons looked as long and presumably every bit as sharp as one of his gravers.

  As he passed overhead, the beast flapped his wings awkwardly to gain altitude. Renly allowed himself to breathe again. He disentangled himself from an equally frightened K’Sati. Not daring to even whisper, he pointed at the ledge and she nodded; her eyes wide with a silent fear that mirrored his own.

  They waited until the craggon disappeared over the summit of a nearby mountain, and edged their way down the backside of the mountain. Renly silently cursed Paul for misleading him about how far they’d have to go into the mountains to find Garrett. Renly began to think that Paul would have stolen the traggahs and made off in the middle of the night, even if they had not had the run-in with the mandragons.

  His heart pounded. “Garrett’s got to be over there somewhere.”

  She nodded, her eyes glued to the yellowed ledge where the craggon had just launched himself. She said nothing; merely pointed.

  It was Paul, on foot, dragging Silverbeard and Neatfoot behind him. The traggahs were blindfolded, and Paul was limping. They were too far away to see the expression on his face, but he looked determined. Renly guessed he must be very close to his destination.

  The group moved into the trees again and was lost from view. “You’re not part of this” he told her. “You can still turn back.”

  She shook her head. “I am Khirjahni.” She put her hand on his arm. “I will not allow harm to come to my herd.”

  “That’s crazy,” he hissed. “You’re willing to go into a craggons lair to rescue the traggahs?” He shook his head.

  She pulled her hand away and stared at him. “You still do not understand. Neatfoot and Silverbeard are herd to me. The traggahs are our people. We are born of the same clan. Surely you can understand. As you feel the bond with your brother, you also feel the bond you have forged with Silverbeard. You swore an oath to protect them both, no?”

  “Yes, but...” I never thought I’d have to face off a craggon for him. “Come on, you’re half Terran. We’re descended from apes but that doesn’t make us willing to sacrifice ourselves for some chimpanzee.”

  The anger in her face stopped him. “You are herd to me as well, Terran.

  Too late, he understood her meaning. He had just insulted her. His face grew warm. “All I’m saying is, you don’t need to go after Garrett with me.”

  “I cannot go back.” She turned her back to him and began to make her way down the mountain. Ahead of them lay the larger peak with the yellow chimney. He wondered how long she would stay mad at him, but the challenges of the trail soon had both of them sweating and cursing under their breaths.

  If anything, the downhill track was tougher than the uphill. The shadows of the circling craggons overhead carried a constant reminder not to go too fast or make too much noise. But at the same time, they dared not stop until they found decent shelter. The trail was too narrow to sleep on, and too exposed. With Wayne and his men so close behind, they needed to find a shelter somewhere off the trail. Renly had marked a spot on the next mountain, but wasn’t sure they’d make it before dark.

  They didn’t.

  The bottom of the canyon between the mountains was deep in shadow by the time they reached it. They turned south, following a tiny stream as it flowed between the rocks. K’Sati found a number of thorny bushes with blue-black berries which she declared edible. They stuffed themselves on the ripe fruit, their hands and lips quickly becoming stained purple with juice. The food put them both in better spirits, and when K’Sati suggested spending the night in the branches of a large tree, he didn’t argue. But as he settled himself into a less uncomfortable position, he knew he would miss more than her sleeping warmth beside him.

  Her half-human heritage did not matter; she had never been to Earth, had never been exposed to Terran culture. Her beliefs were as alien to him as his were to her. Yet she no longer seemed alien to him. He hated seeing that stricken expression on her face, knowing he had caused her pain. She had risked everything to save him, and he his thoughtless remarks had wounded her deeply. As the sounds of predators sniffing at the base of the tree carried up to him, he vowed to keep her safe and make it up to her.

  CHAPTER 25

  Wayne Strickman and his Arkady crew of three smelled the carnage at the spring well before they arrived, but the sight of the mandragon carcasses brought a smile to Wayne’s face. He’d been terrified they would find the corpse of Golden Boy.

  All that remained of the former Arkady miners was a pile of heavy bones, bits of scales and rotting skin. No way to tell who they might have been.

  The hunter, Lyle, knelt to examine the tracks. “Longteeth.” He touched one of the prints. “Check this out.”

  “Whatcha got?”

  Lyle showed him traggah and human tracks leading away from the spring. “Three sets of footprints. Your friends have split up. One of ‘em has the traggahs; the other two are on foot. Less than a day ahead of us.”

  “Is Golden Boy with them?”

  Lyle shook his head. “Traggah won’t willingly go into craggon territory, or anywhere near the mountains. These two resisted. You can read the panic in their short, choppy prints. No man is a match for an unwilling traggah, unless he’s got a bridle on ‘im. These other two were also stolen from the stable. Their hooves are shod.”

  Corey, who had been making pointed suggestions about returning to the coast, lost what little he had in his stomach. “We’ve gotta go back,” he choked.

  “Shut your hole. Ya got no say here.” The kid had been nothing but trouble; he should not have let Nevers talk him in to bringing him. The kid was like a bad luck charm. First the sled, and then Golden Boy. He should have brought one of those damn Khirjahni groomsmen.

  None of them had any experience in handling a traggah, and all of them, even Lyle, were terrified of catching something if they came in contact with it. After Lyle darted Golden Boy with tranquilizer dart, they managed to get the unconscious traggah onto one of the sleds. Corey pulled first watch, but fell asleep. Golden Boy apparently woke up and walked right out of camp while they slept.

  The next morning, Wayne would have killed Corey with his bare hands, if Nevers hadn’t stopped him. Lyle pointed out that Golden Boy would go after the other traggahs, and if they followed Golden Boy, they would likely catch up to the thieves who took him as well.

  “Ya said Golden Boy would follow them.”

  Lyle shrugged. “Not into the mountains.”

  Wayne took a handkerchief out of his back pocket and covered his nose as he passed the corpses and approached the mud around the watering hole. A cloud of grey carrion moths flew up from the death scene in a frenzy, bushing against Wayne’s face and clothes in a furry, putrid panic. He swatted at them, then turned away in disgust as several of the soft-bodied creatures burst open on contact. The stink of death grew even worse.

  He studied the tracks Lyle pointed out at the waterline. Three distinct sets of human prints were evident in the mud. He recognized K’Sati’s immediately by their small size.

  “I’ll bet you anything these two mandragons were lying in wait for some other mandragon on his way back from the Gold Ball,” Nevers offered. “They woulda followed him back to his claim and killed him. Instead, our little thief K’Sati and her gang showed up.”

  Wayne considered the implication. “You think that’s where these guys are headed?”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense” Lyle agreed. “The guy with the traggahs has a destination in mind. I’d say, he’s heading toward a prospector camp; probably with a load of supplies. K’Sati and whoever she’s got with her are following him.”

  How can I use this? Wayne surveyed the scene f
rom upwind. If I go back without Golden Boy, I’m done, even if I say predators killed him. Especially if I say he was killed predators. It’s back to the mines for me.

  “So where the hell is Golden Boy?”

  Lyle made a face. “I’d have to backtrack to see where he turned off. Since he’s not following them anymore, I’d guess he’s searching for his herd. He could be anywhere.”

  “Can ya find him?”

  “Probably.”

  But Lyle didn’t look convinced. No. Golden Boy was gone, which meant his relationship and any possible future with Arkady Universal Mining Corporation was terminated. If he showed up now, they’d slap him in chains and ship him back to the mines, big time.

  Nevers leaned in to say something so the others couldn’t hear him. “You know, if we find that mine, we’re set for life. We’ll never have a better chance to go for the gold than right now.”

  Wayne pressed his lips together. The sleds would be useless on the mountain. They would have to stash them somewhere. They had weapons and food enough for another week in their packs. His decision, either way. He cocked an eye at Lyle. “You think we can catch up to them?”

  “Check this out.” Lyle pointed to a dimple in the dirt beside the man’s footprints. “This guy’s wearing city shoes. They’re not made for hiking, and it looks like he’s using a cane or walking stick. I’d say he’s an off-worlder. Probably here for the festival.”

  The pieces to the puzzle finally slipped into place.

  Wayne clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, I know this guy! Name’s Harkness. Came here looking for his brother; probably thinks he’s out here. Maybe he met someone who said he knew where to find him. Either that, or some smartass conned him into bringing him out here. Whatever.” These mountains had chewed up far tougher men than Renly Harkness. Either way, no one would come looking for him.

  With any hope of returning with the traggah in time for the race and salvaging his career at Arkady, Wayne decided to settle for revenge. K’Sati, she was dead the minute she took Golden Boy. She and Harkness whoever they were with would pay. Big time.