by K. Aten
“Ser?” The interruption came from Spc. Yazzie, one of the unit’s medicans.
The commander shook her head and kept going. “Our job is not to assist with Connate Dracore’s historical adventurist agenda.” She paused as all six faces looked back at her in confusion. “No, this team is part of a new type of Shield Corp unit. We will be performing both tasks, and must prepare for both. I know it is difficult and more challenging than standard duty but I have faith that every one of you has the skills to succeed. You have the finest gear available, the lightest boots the Corp provides, and I’ve lightened your loads to thirty-five percent of your body weight. And the only reason it is that much is because we need gear for the adventurist side of the mission, on top of the things we need to keep the Connate safe. Do you have any more questions or concerns? Because if you don’t think you can make it at this point, I’m going to send you out to the beach to wait for the boat to come back around.”
A chorus came back in response. “No, ser!”
She nodded. “Good. The dae is already ahead of us so we need to make haste if we want to reach our distance goal by evening.” With those words she turned on her heel and began trekking toward the interior. She had checked her compass when they arrived and knew the direction they needed to go.
After walking for nearly an oor, Olivienne caught up with Tosh and looked at her with concern. “I had no idea they were carrying so much. My own gear is significantly lighter.”
Tosh looked at her companion, the rest of the guardians had spread out in the four cardinal directions to provide the most scouting and cover. “You’re not wearing armor, nor are you carrying weapons other than your pistol. We have basic kit we are required to carry that you never would need as an adventurist. Some of the team members are only able to carry their primary task kit, so the rest of their gear is spread out to the others.”
“Task kit?”
“Yes. Take Specialist Lazaro over there...” She pointed off to their right where the man in question was hiking along. “As our communications specialist, he’s the one who has to carry the long range voteo. The amount of illeostones needed to power that thing means he can’t carry much more than the communicator. He’s got his rifle, pistol, and a canteen, but that’s it. His cubemate is carrying the cube, as well as the rest of his gear. And over there...” Castellan trailed off again as she pointed out Spc. Yazzie. “Our medican has to be better prepared than those normally in the field because one of our charges is you. Your health takes higher priority than any other wounded corpsman. I had to be sure my medicans had the best training, and also the best equipment. So her primary task kit is also extensive.”
Olivienne’s awe of both Castellan’s leadership skills and her team’s grew the more she learned of what went into her protection. The Connate had spent many rotos complaining that her Shield Corp guardians had no understanding of the work and expertise that was required of her as a historical adventurist. But for the first time Olivienne realized that she had no clue about what went into being her guardian. She found herself looking forward to learning more about her commander and the team as a whole.
There was a slight incline on the first dae but it eventually leveled out as they made their way toward the center of the island. Every member of the group was glad when they hit relatively flat ground because even the slight incline was enough to add weight to their steps as they hiked through the initial twenty mahls. Castellan made sure they stopped every two oors for a break of water, food, or rest. She herself carried the condenser that provided water for the team once their canteens ran out. At the end of the second dae, they made camp by a small stream. It was the first water that they’d seen and Tosh opted to follow it the next dae since it was running in exactly the direction they needed to go.
It was easy enough to become agoraphobic as they walked through the massive tree trunks. Each one was wider than a hauler at the base. On the morning of the third dae, Olivienne made a remark that sent a chill through Tosh’s bones. “They say these trees live for thousands of rotos. A person could feel small indeed within the press of such immense age.”
“I’m not gonna lie, this place gives me the creeps.” Spc. Qent was the youngest on the Mater team at only twenty-one rotos. He jumped as they heard another shriek echo through the forest.
Every so often they’d see vague shadows flickering from where the rocs circled overhead. Castellan had a feeling the birds knew they were on the ground below, but she figured they wouldn’t attack as long as the team was in the forest proper. There wasn’t nearly enough space for such a massive wingspan to be maneuverable. As luck would have it, those were the words that haunted her late on the third dae of hiking. They had to leave the stream around midafternoon in order to follow the compass point. It was only a few oors after that when they came to the edge of a clearing. As the group looked out from the safety of the tree line, Castellan’s attention was caught and held by the multitude of circling shapes in the air. “Bollux! A pox on those beasts I tell you!” She was so focused on what was in the air above them that she failed to notice the most important part of the clearing.
“Tosh.”
Castellan looked to where Olivienne stood at her left side, then she followed the Connate’s pointing finger to the largest tree she’d ever seen. It easily rose another twenty yords above the other greatwood trees that ringed the clearing. “That’s it!”
Lt. Madlin stood to Tosh’s right side. “Clearly that must be the Fortuna Ligno but how will we get across the clearing?” She squinted toward the massive tree. “The distance looks like it would take us a little over a meen to sprint without gear. So maybe five hundred yords? We could try circling around to see if it’s closer to the tree line on the other side but I’d wager not.”
With another glance at the sky, Cmdr. Tosh made an easy decision. “It’s near enough to the end of the dae and we’re all exhausted from the march in so let’s pull back farther into the forest and set up camp for the night. Then Connate Dracore, Lt. Madlin and I will confer on what options are available to us in the morning. Savvy?”
All seven people nodded in agreement, six of them responding with a hearty, “yes, ser.”
While camp was set, Castellan called both Madlin and Olivienne to walk with her along the edge of the clearing. “I have an idea but it’s dangerous.”
Olivienne raised a dark brow at her words. “Is there any realistic plan that would take us through that field and not be dangerous?”
Tosh looked at her. “You mean besides killing all the rocs ahead of time? No, probably not.”
“What about camouflage, Commander?”
Tosh pointed at her lieutenant and smiled. “Exactly. The field is full of tall grass that is in all manner of disarray. From the information in the mission packet, we know that the birds hunt primarily sea life, so they will be attuned to spotting prey that is in the water. Their middle talons are longer to facilitate ‘fishing’ for their dinner. I have a hunch that they won’t see nearly so well when peering down at the grass instead of the waves. We can cut swatches to tie to our backs and do a field crawl across to the tree. Once under the canopy of the Fortuna Ligno, we should be safe again from their prying eyes and sharp beaks.”
“I’d say that sounds like a reasonable plan.” Olivienne nodded unconsciously in approval.
Lt. Madlin looked at her with concern. “Connate Dracore, will you be able to do the field crawl?”
Castellan hid a smile behind her closed hand as she watched Olivienne’s face turn red. “I’ll have you know, Lieutenant, that I was crawling through mahls of cave tunnels, many of which were coated in rancid batt dung, before you had even entered officer training!” She snorted in affront. “Of course I can do the field crawl!”
The lieutenant flushed with embarrassment and Tosh thought it wise to save the poor woman. “It was a valid concern but rest assured, Connate Dracore is tougher than most.” She grinned at Olivienne and got a scowl in return.
Tosh shrugged. “I’m not really sure, this is your bailiwick now. I’m nothing more than a poor officer charged with saving your skin should you get foolish. Your head guardian.”
Olivienne turned to her in the twilight of early morn. “You speak untruth as smooth as you shoot a pistol.”
“Oh? And which of my words were untrue? Are you denying that you have a penchant for leaping before you look, implying that you don’t perform foolish things on occasion?”
“No, I am disagreeing with the words that said you were nothing more to me than a guardian. You are more, you know. You—” Her words were interrupted by Spc. Yazzie as she walked up from the camp.
“By the Makers! Have you ever seen such a thing?”
Castellan and Olivienne followed her pointing finger to stare in awe at the top of the Fortuna Ligno. The rising sun of Archeos had bathed it in golden light. “Murph was right!”
Olivienne’s voice came softly on the heels of Tosh’s words. “It’s beautiful.”
They had no more time to admire the treasure tree because Lt. Madlin broke their collective reverie with her voice and her approach. “Commander, I instructed Specialist Devin and Specialist Leggett to cut tall grass to use as camouflage before suns’ rise. We’re ready to equip and head across.
Castellan grinned at the news but when she turned toward Olivienne, she caught a fleeting look of disappointment. The Connate’s moment of admission was lost with the onrush of dae and she wasn’t sure she’d have the constitution to bring it up again. Tosh hadn’t invited her to share a bedroll since base camp and she worried. Olivienne felt as though a distance had grown between them and she had no clue as to why the commander had pulled away.
Rather than dwell on that loss, she shook free from her maudlin thoughts to focus on the task at hand. When she looked up again, Castellan was looking at her strangely with those pale blue eyes. Tosh just wanted to get the mission complete so she could get the Connate back on safe ground. She had a job to do and could not afford to be distracted. Their reasons were different, but both knew that focus on the mission was more important than anything else.
Chapter Seventeen
IT TOOK NEARLY an oor for the team to slowly make their way through the field to the massive tree. Once all eight people had assembled beneath the canopy, Tosh split the group in half to walk around the perimeter of the residence-size trunk. When the two groups met on the other side, they stared up in awe at the immense opening. It was easily five yords tall and two across and the base. It looked as if a giant had split the wood open with its hands.
“I suppose that’s where we need to go.” Olivienne couldn’t take her eyes off the black fissure in the trunk. It was already gloomy beneath the massive canopy but the blackness was especially dark inside the hole. Dim light only extended a few paces inside and highlighted the walls of a wooden tunnel of sorts.
Castellan glanced from the opening back to the Connate. “I should go in first—”
Her words were interrupted by a sharp look and quick response from Olivienne. “And do what, exactly? I am the adventurist here, Commander. Or did you forget?”
Tosh’s face darkened. “I have not forgotten, Connate Dracore. But I and my team are responsible for your safety and none of us know what is inside.”
“Exactly.”
The commander looked at her sovereign in surprise, not expecting that answer. “Come again?”
Olivienne sighed and pointed toward the opening and the rest of the unit spread out around the trunk to both, give the pair space, and to watch for any incoming threats. “I said, that is exactly my point. While you may be a highly capable and experienced officer, I am the one with experience in this arena. As you stated before, this is my bailiwick. I’ve found traps and other sensitive setups during my adventuring. You would neither know what to look for, nor would you know how to disarm such things if you haven’t seen them before.”
Castellan’s face took on a familiar obstinate look but her voice was quiet when she spoke. “If something happens to you...”
The Connate’s breath froze and she wondered what words would come from her difficult lover’s lips. When Tosh’s words trailed off, Olivienne was prompted to speak. “If something happens to me, what?”
“If something happens to you the entire nation of Psiere will be in a panic and your mother will surely have my head.”
The sovereign sighed as Castellan once again took the safe road. “Tosh, trust me to do my job here. We all have our strengths, and I’m very good at what I do. I need to be able to do my job.”
After a few secs pause, the commander finally nodded her assent. “You’re right and I apologize. However, Specialist Qent and I will accompany you inside.”
Seeing a fair deal when it was right in front of her, Olivienne nodded as well. She knew that Tosh was worried about her beyond the job at hand, regardless of what the officer did and did not say. “Fine.”
Tosh gave a mental push to the entire team then spoke telepathically to them all. “Connate Dracore and I will be entering the tree and we’ll take Specialist Qent with us since he’s the only other one here with adventurist training besides the Connate. Lieutenant Madlin will take command outside until we return.”
Qent came around the tree to the large entrance while the other six spread out to cover evenly around the trunk. “I’ve only gone on a few adventures when I was getting my sub-degree. What are we looking for first?” Spc. Qent seemed nervous but Castellan had faith in him.
Olivienne rifled through her pack and pulled out an illeostone powered light and the other two followed suit. “I’ll go in first and you two will follow close behind. I’ve had caves and other structures that had intricate traps upon entry. Some just have puzzles to solve before doors would open.”
Tosh nodded. “I read that the great pyramids had hundreds of such puzzles and traps when we first got them open generations ago. Why did the Makers make artifact and document retrieval so hazardous?”
“I read a translated document once that spoke of tests of skill, courage, and tenacity. From what I gathered, the Makers believed that knowledge should be earned and not given freely to people who have neither the capacity, nor the will to see it implemented in a safe and beneficial way. Truthfully, I’m not expecting much because of the remote location and the fact that the chamber is inside a living tree. I don’t think the Makers would want to harm the tree in any way so they’d be limited with what they could do in the space available. I’ll watch for wires, either above or down at trip level. We should also keep an eye on the ground. I think we’re fairly safe if it has a dirt floor but you can never tell. When we enter we should watch for patterns on the floor of the opening. Ready?”
Both the Shield Corp members nodded and Olivienne turned to enter the tree. The pace was kept slow as Olivienne constantly checked the walls and ground in front of them. They walked through a tall vertical tunnel for about nine yords before they came to a chamber. As soon as they broke free of the entryway, all three stopped in awe at what they saw. Their eyes adjusted to the gloom and they were able to see the entire perimeter of the inner tree with the glow of their lamps. “Sheddech!” The word may have come from Qent’s mouth but all three were thinking it.
Three lamps illuminated a roughly round space in the center of the tree. It extended more than twenty yords across and with a height that was difficult to determine. Olivienne would have loved to light it up even more with her channel but pyrokinesis was too much of a risk inside the greatwood. Perhaps the most
fascinating thing about the hollowed room was the steps carved into the inner wall that circled upward, spiraling around inside the trunk. “Looks like we’re going up. Look sharp though, the stairs are narrow.”
“Yes, ser.” Olivienne smirked at Castellan’s response then started a slow ascent up the carved wooden stairs.
Castellan shined her light on the wall and took special interest in the carvings. “Look...” Olivienne was ahead of her and Spc. Qent followed a step behind. “Is there special importance to an eight pointed star?”
The Connate shrugged in the dim light. “Not that I know of. They seem to be carved right next to each step. Let’s keep going.”
As they were only four steps up, the Connate continued slowly. When she stepped onto the seventh step, Tosh got a feeling that came straight from her intuition channel. “Wait!” Everyone froze and the commander shined her light farther up. “There’s no carving next to the eighth step.”
Olivienne knelt down on the one she was on so she could peer closer at the one above. She shined her own light on the roughly thirty ince wide step and called for Tosh’s as well. “Shine right here, please.” Castellan adjusted her beam and Olivienne pointed at a faint line that outlined the eighth step. “See there?” Both Tosh and Qent leaned closer.
“What is it?”
Qent whistled softly. “Looks like a step trap. But what does it do?”
The sovereign shined the light farther up. “I’ve seen a few different types. Some drop away once your weight is pressing down, others will trigger other contraptions or weapons.” She looked around the shadowed interior of the hollowed out greatwood tree. “I can’t see anything obvious but a weapon could come from anywhere. They’re usually projectiles and it would be impossible to determine exactly what in this light.”
“Should I go ahead of you?”
Olivienne narrowed her eyes at the commander. “Just follow my lead and don’t put any weight on that step for any reason.” Sure enough, every time there was a step that didn’t have a corresponding carving, Olivienne made sure to guide them over it. After climbing more than a hundred stairs, they finally found themselves on a platform large enough to fit five people. When they shined their lanterns on the wall of the tree, the Connate grinned to see a metal box set into the wood.