Vazsa twisted in her arms, but he didn’t let go. Wouldn’t let her go until he got answers.
“I’m not letting you go until you settle down,” he said.
She slumped, sobbing. “Everyone’s gone. Everyone’s gone,” she said.
Joshua sensed someone stepping closer. He glimpsed Lou from the corner of his eye. He tensed. Was Lou going to defend his girlfriend?
“You need to stop running girl,” Lou said, “Stop going it alone on everything. You’re part of team here. Start acting like it.”
Vazsa turned her head to him. "Everyone lets me down," she said. Tears streamed down her face.
Lou put his hand on Joshua’s forearm. “Give her to me,” he said.
With some reluctance–and caution–Joshua lowered her. When her feet touched the ground, Lou took her in his arms and pulled her close. Vazsa continued to sob. Joshua looked at everyone else in the room. They were all staring at Lou and Vazsa. Except Kojanza, who stared at him. Her face was unreadable.
“Do you recognize those soldiers?” he asked her.
She approached the screen, touching her fingers to it, pulling them back quickly. He wondered if she had ever seen a computer screen before. He guessed TV's and computers weren't all that common where she grew up.
“It’s just a picture,” he said, “Do you know who they are?”
She shook her head. “They do not carry any standards. I would guess they are mercenaries. Possibly General Hemsdell’s army.”
Joshua turned back to Tony. “How far away are they?” he asked.
Tony tapped his keyboard. Numbers came up in another window on the screen. “They coming from the southeast, same direction as the fire,” he said, “Running ahead of it, it looks like. They’ll overrun the ship in about twenty minutes.”
“Can they get in?” Joshua asked.
“Well...normally not, but someone blew a giant fucking hole in our bay door,” Tony said. He cast a sour look Vazsa’s way. Lou frowned and gave a small shake of his head.
“That’s not the biggest problem,” Pete said. Joshua turned to the short, pudgy crewman. “Our environmental systems are shot. We can’t seal the ship against the smoke and heat from the fire. We might be able to shelter in the hold, but if one of those giant trees falls on us, we’re dead.”
Joshua rubbed his chin. "Sounds like it's time to abandon ship."
Dr. Fran stepped toward him. “And go where?” she asked, “This ship is the only protection we have. You expect us to go out running in the snow and smoke with some fucking barbarian horde hot on our asses?”
He turned to the other two crew members. “Pete, Tony? You guys have any transportation other than foot power?” Joshua asked.
Tony leaned back in the console chair. It squeaked and groaned. Like everything else Joshua had observed in the ship, it seemed to be on the verge of falling apart.
“We used to have this nifty Bipedal Armor Unit,” he said. He cast a scowl at Vazsa, “But somebody–”
“Let it go,” Lou said. He still had his arms around Vazsa. Her head lay on his chest and her sobs had diminished to sniffles. “We have a couple wheeled transports, but they can’t handle the terrain around here.”
“We haven’t tried to run them in years anyway,” Pete said, “There’s no way we can get them going in twenty minutes.”
Joshua sighed and rubbed his neck. "Geez, don't you guys have any anti-gravity belts or anything?"
Tony snorted. “Dude, that stuff is still science fiction even where we come from,” he said.
Joshua looked to Kojanza. “How far is Grams weapons cache?”
“Not far. It is two ridges to the west in a hidden canyon,” she said.
Tony twisted about. “What? Are you kidding me?”
“You mean were practically sitting on that stuff all these years?” Pete asked, “Is it in some cave or something?”
“No,” Kojanza said. She waved her hands at the walls and ceiling. “It is in a vessel like this. Only much larger.”
For several seconds the silence on the bridge was deafening. Joshua cleared his throat.
“Are telling us that Gram’s weapons stash is in a starship?”
She nodded.
“No,” Pete said. “No, no, no. There’s no way there could be another ship near us. Something like that would have lit up our sensors like a Christmas tree.”
“It is well hidden,” Kojanza said.
Dr. Fran stepped toward her. For a moment it looked like the doctor was going to grab Kojanza’s arm. She seemed to think better of it and put her hand down.
“Does the ship work?” she asked, “I mean, can it fly?”
“I do not know,” Kojanza said.
Joshua looked at the screens above the console. Trees burned and an army advanced. Time was getting short.
"We need to get the hell out of here," he said. He looked back to Kojanza. "Can we get into Gram's ship?"
“You can Joshua,” she said, “You are the blood of Amaya.”
He wanted to tell her that wasn’t any kind of assurance. But then, he didn’t know there any other options. He turned, looking at the crew.
“Okay, Kojanza and I are going for the ship,” he said, “Anyone who wants to come along is welcome. If you want to stay, well...good luck.”
He walked off the bridge. Multiple footsteps sounded behind him. He smiled.
Look what you've done to me, Grams. Now I'm some sort of barbarian warrior king.
Seventy-Two
Joshua
Kojanza led the way as they scrambled ahead of the burning forest. Joshua coughed as the smoke burned in his lungs. Kojanza glided ahead on her skis, breaking trail for them. Sort of. She hardly seemed to touch the snow.
“Joshua!”
He looked back. The crew of the Seattle were struggling through the snow. Three of them were, anyway. Lou was doing fine. Vazsa and Cray were doing fine, too. Dr. Fran seemed to be having the hardest time, trailing farther behind. It had been her who called out.
He stopped to wait for them to catch up. A quick glance showed him Kojanza had stopped too.
The terrain was getting rougher as they climbed up to the ridge. Huge rocks, thick trees, and deepening snow. And this was only the first ridge. All of them were carrying heavy packs. Dr. Fran had insisted on taking as much of her dwindling medical supplies as possible.
The plasma rifle slung over his shoulder was weighing him down, too. He didn’t mind it, though.
Through the gaps in the trees, he could see shadowy figures. Soldiers straggling into the valley far below. On the other side of the valley, he glimpsed flames as the fire approached. It was moving fast.
Too fast. With all the snow in the trees, the fire shouldn't be moving at all. Obviously the fire was getting help from something.
Joshua waved at Dr. Fran to hurry. It wouldn't be long before the soldiers found the Seattle. And not long after that, they'd find a trail leading up to the ridge.
“God damnit, I’m not a fucking teenager anymore,” Dr. Fran said, “I can’t do this.”
Her face was red and her breathing labored. He guessed she was older than any of them by at least a couple decades. By Tony's estimate, they had about a four-mile hike to the other ship. There was no way the doctor was going to make it on their own. He looked up to the smoke filled sky.
“I could really use a helicopter or something here, Grams,” he said.
“Betsy could have walked this, no problem,” Lou said.
“I said I was sorry,” Vazsa said.
He saw them exchange a look. Vazsa was still upset, but she seemed more docile. For the moment.
When no helicopter magically appeared, he turned back to the doctor. She was short and thin. Probably weighed less than a hundred pounds. He sighed, giving in to the inevitable.
“Come on, doc,” he said, “hop on my back, I’ll give you a ride.”
She didn’t argue. After she got on he raised his estimate of her weight
by ten pounds. The doctor was small, but she was dense. He raised his eyes to where Kojanza was, far up on the hill, near the top of the ridge. It seemed like a hundred miles. The left shoulder of her white coat was still stained brown from her blood. He took a deep breath and trudged on.
The cold was biting into him, despite his fur-lined gear. Sweat pooled on his skin. A part of him realized this was hypothermia waiting to happen. He had to keep moving.
“You make a terrible horse,” Dr. Fran said, “You jostle too much.”
He didn’t have the breath to retort. He wanted to tell her about Damnit, the flatulating horse, and how she should be grateful he wasn’t like that. Though, at the moment, he would have been glad to have the horse, flatulence or no.
He heard shouts from the valley below. He didn’t look back. It was probably the soldiers finding the Seattle. He heard Tony groan.
“I hope those hatches hold,” he said, “Those assholes will tear up the ship if they get inside.”
“Maybe they’ll find the Hot Pockets,” Lou said, “That would serve them right.”
“God, I hope there’s some real food at this other ship,” Dr. Fran said, “I don’t want to ever see another Hot Pocket.”
Joshua hoped the soldiers didn’t find their trail right away and start after them.
A few minutes later, panting, sweat dripping from his hair, he reached the top of the ridge. Icy wind hit him, chilling him to the bone in an instant. The others were close behind him. Kojanza was already there, waiting. She pointed across the snow covered valley. A zigzagging ridge ran to the other side. Smoke was rising a couple ridges beyond it also. How was the fire spreading so fast?
“The vessel lies beyond that valley,” she said, “If we follow this ridge, it will lead us to the hidden canyon.”
Lou came up, looking at the snowy vista. “Why don’t we just go down and back up. It looks like it would be safer.”
Kojanza shook her head. “It will take too much time,” she said, “We must get to the vessel by sunset.”
“Why?” Lou asked.
Kojanza started to say something but stopped. She seemed to change her mind. “We are not equipped for a night out in the elements,” she said, “The vessel has shelter.”
“Have you been inside it?” Dr. Fran asked.
Kojanza shook her head. “Father had been inside it. Once.”
Pete and Tony had joined their circle. They looked out of breath and half frozen. Their coats and gloves didn’t look very warm.
“You’re not telling us something lady,” Tony said.
Kojanza’s face was like stone. Tony was right. There was something she knew that she didn’t want to tell them. Would she tell him if they were alone? He looked around at the motley group. Too late for them to turn back. Going back to their ship wasn’t an option.
He stepped close to her and spoke in a whisper. “What is it?” he asked, “What do you know that you don’t want to share?”
She shook her head. Her eyes glistened and she laid her hand on his cold cheek. “We must get to the vessel by sunset, Joshua,” she said, “Please, we cannot lose time.”
He stared into her eyes. They pleaded with him to trust her. Somehow he knew it would be useless to keep asking her.
He nodded and turned back to the crew. “We’re taking the ridge,” he said, “Anyone wants to follow us is welcome. Otherwise, you’re on your own.”
“Like we have a frigging choice,” Dr. Fran said.
Joshua waved at the smoke filled valley they had just come from. “That’s your choice. You staying here or you want a ride, doc?”
Dr. Fran gave him a sour look. “Saddle up, big boy.”
Seventy-Three
Lord Fortune
Fortune coughed as the smoke grew thicker. It seemed like it should be thinning out as they got closer to the top. Cold wind swirled the smoke around him. The icy air bit at his skin. He could barely see Dovd on the horse in front of him. Yord clung to Fortune’s waist. He whined as the horse bounced them over the snow covered rocks.
“Do you see another split boulder yet!” Fortune called to him.
“I can barely see my hand in front of my face,” Dovd shouted.
“We must be close to the top of the ridge!” Fortune said.
“I’ll let you know!”
“Rrrrrarf. B-b-b-bad things here,” Yord said.
Fortune tried to tamp down his irritation. At least they seemed to have lost Hemsdell's soldiers. He still had no idea of what they were going to do once they reached the vessel. The best thing to do would be to throw himself at the red-haired man's mercy. Of course if the man was anything like Queen Amaya, mercy would not be part of his vocabulary.
“Crap!”
Dovd. Fortune tried to rein his horse in. It was too late. The animal stumbled over the top of the ridge. Right into the back of Dovd’s horse. Dovd was sitting on his horse, hands raised above his head.
“What are you–oh.”
In front of them were dozens of bearded soldiers in worn armor. Spears, swords, and bows were aimed at Fortune and Dovd. Slowly, with great care to make no sudden movements, Fortune released the reins and raised his hands. He felt Yord try to hide behind his back.
“Rrrrrreally...b-b-b-bad,” Yord whined.
His heart sank as he recognized the standard of King Hurdroth fluttering among them.
“From the pan into the fire,” Fortune whispered.
Seventy-Four
Lord Fortune
Hurdroth’s men dragged them from the horses and tied them up. Then they were thrown over the horse’s backs like bags of grain. From there it was a quick and uncomfortable journey to a camp in the valley below.
Fortune craned his neck, trying to get a view of his surroundings. The camp seemed fairly large. Several trees had been felled to create a clearing. The smell of cooking meat and human waste hit him. Cooks and grooms and runners scurried about tending knots of soldiers, coming and going from tents.
He saw they were going toward a large tent in the center of the camp. His heart sank further, if that was possible. This was Hurdroth’s main camp then. They were being taken in for an audience with the King himself.
Fortune did not foresee it being a pleasant conversation.
As they reached the tent, Fortune saw one of Hurdroth’s general come out. The man did a double take and rushed back into the tent. Moments later Fortune saw Hurdroth’s chief torturer poke his head out and grin.
Not pleasant indeed.
They were hauled from the hoses by rough hands and pushed into the tent. Fortune blinked, eyes adjusting to the dim light. A smoky fire burned in the middle of the floor. Men sat haphazardly around the room, sharpening weapons or drinking from skins of wine.
Near the fire sat Hurdroth himself. He reclined in a strange metal chair. It had wires coming out the sides and colored buttons on the arms. It puzzled him for a moment before he remembered the metal giant the forest woman, Vazsa, had commanded. It must have come from that. Hurthroth had commandeered it for his throne.
Hurthroth’s eyes narrowed into a deep scowl as Fortune and Dovd were pushed toward the fire. His chin rested on one hand. The fingers of the other hand drummed on the arm of his new throne. Fortune stifled a sneeze as Hurdroth’s wet dog smell hit him. It was much stronger than Yord’s odor. At least Yord had an excuse to smell that way.
“Why aren’t you two dead yet?” Hurdroth asked.
Fortune bowed. His restraints cut into him, but he made it as deep as he could. "Your Highness, thank goodness we finally found you," he said.
“You found me?" Hurdroth said, "I'm flattered that you were looking. Do you have news for me? Perhaps an explanation why you released the red-haired man and stole two of my horses?"
Fortune’s mouth went dry. His gaze darted to the chief torturer who was sharpening some long, very thin knives.
“You highness, Dovd and I did not free your prisoners,” he said, “Somehow they escaped on their
own. We set out in pursuit of them in an attempt to bring them back to you.”
Hurdroth raised his eyebrows. “Do you really expect me to believe that crock of shit?”
“Your majesty–”
“We didn’t let them out,” Dovd said, “But we would have if they weren’t already gone.”
The King’s eyes flicked to Dovd. “And what were you going to do with them?” he asked.
Fortune looked at Dovd, his eyes pleading with him to stay silent. Dovd wouldn’t look at him.
“We were going to take them to a cache of Amaya’s weapons,” Dovd said.
Hurdroth smiled. “Really? How interesting. And what were you going to do when you got your hands on these weapons.”
Dovd snorted. “Kill you, for starters,” he said, “Then probably kill Hemsdell, too. After that, I’m not sure. Probably kill anyone who pissed me off.”
Hurdroth nodded, still smiling. “I like that kind of thinking,” he said, “But it doesn’t seem like your plan is working out at the moment.”
“Obviously,” Dovd said.
Fortune stood absolutely still. Perhaps Hurdroth would kill Dovd first. Then Fortune could try to talk to him again. Say something that would save him the ministrations of the torturer.
"So where were you two off to?" The King asked. "Gathering berries? Doing a little sightseeing?"
"Where the fuck you think we were going?" Dovd asked, "We're still trying to find the red-haired man."
Hurdroth smiled. “And this cache of Amaya’s weapons?”
“Yeah, that too,” Dovd said.
“Do you know where the weapons are located?” Hurdroth asked.
Fortune watched the King’s face. He was taking all of this with too much good humor. Something was very wrong.
“Not exactly,” Dovd said.
Hurdroth turned his smile toward Fortune. “How about you, Lord Fortune? Do you know where Amaya’s weapon’s cache is located.”
Fortune felt sweat beading up on his forehead. “I may have some idea, sire,” he said.
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