Pirate's Gold (Argurma Salvager Book 2)

by S. J. Sanders

  “He is mine, Azan! He will not be going down without me. You are clearly forgetting your place,” the captain shouted.

  “He will not be able to do anything for you on this climb,” his second-in-command retorted.

  “I will go next then. By all rights, he is to remain by my side.”

  “You want him by your side? For what purpose? Never mind, Captain. I yield to your wishes, as always. If you insist on following at his side, I will carry him.”

  Egbor’s mocking laughter could be heard even above the hollow sound of the water and wind growing louder now that they were within the ravine. So could Veral’s impatient growl when he turned and noted that Terri wasn’t directly behind him. She shot him an apologetic look as she began to move to his side, but half her attention remained on the standoff between Azan and Egbor.

  “You wish to be burdened by him? Who am I to object? That he is at my side is all that matters. Just watch your tongue, lest I be tempted to remove it from your mouth. Do not forget that as much churlishness as I tolerate from you, Azan, I will not allow insubordination.”

  “No insubordination intended, Captain,” Azan interjected smoothly. “I am merely unwilling to lose a youngling due to carelessness when it can be avoided.” The way the boy had been bitten came to Terri’s mind, and she had little doubt that the Blaithari female was also thinking of it as she spoke. “He is not strong enough for this climb alone.”

  “It would be wise for someone to descend,” Veral snarled loudly. “Delaying defeats the purpose of staying together.”

  Egbor let out a bark of laughter, as if amused by Veral’s foul temper, and holstered his blaster as he waved Azan forward. The female didn’t acknowledge the gesture outside of a tight smile before she gave Veral a half-salute and dropped quickly into the tree.

  Whatever fear the pirate had hanging above the ravine, Terri couldn’t see a trace of it as Azan climbed quickly over to Garswal and helped him slide onto her back. The boy clung tightly, his tiny claws hooking into her thick vest and his legs wrapping around the female’s hips.

  “Come, anastha,” Veral murmured, the glow of his eyes warm on her.

  Terri licked her lips, steeling her nerves, as she slid from the branch she gripped onto another vine-laden tree, her feet scraping against the rocks. Small pebbles broke loose and fell, and small plants tore away. She scrambled when the large stone beneath one of her hands broke free and dropped, the sound of it hitting rocks and branches loud enough to make her freeze until she forced her muscles to keep moving.

  The protrusions from the trees that slid over her were distracting, more so when one of them gripped at her hair and tugged slightly before releasing her, but she kept moving over the wall. Her concentration couldn’t be spared for anyone other than her mate as she placed her hands and feet in every spot she noted that Veral touched. Keeping his advice in mind, she moved swiftly, putting as little of her weight as possible on her hand and foot holds, until at last she arrived at the side of the ledge.

  Veral didn’t even wait for her cross onto the wide stretch of rock. His claws dug into the ravine wall as he stretched forward and plucked her from the thick mass of vines she clung to. With one sure movement, he lifted her to the safety of the ledge. The moment her feet cleared, his other arm curled around her until she was wrapped fully in his arms. He didn’t set her down, but carried her to the back wall of the ledge, where he dropped down with her held firmly against him.

  They sat like that, with Terri sitting between his splayed legs and her back resting on his abdomen and chest, as they watched Azan clear the remaining distance. The female’s face was drained of her normal vibrant color, her expression pinched.

  Despite how shaky her legs appeared as she landed on the ledge, she didn’t crumple with relief or exhaustion. Instead she straightened and walked steadily until she reached their side. Only then did she gently untangle Garswal’s death grip from around her. Even after his feet touched the ledge, one of his hands continued to cling to Azan. He didn’t even turn to acknowledge Egbor when he dropped heavily to the ledge.

  Egbor’s strides were almost cocky, his guard trailing behind him like a lost pet, until he stood before them. His eyes immediately fell on Garswal, and he gestured for him to rejoin him. The boy’s grip on Azan tightened, his face set in a stony silence as he refused his father’s order. Azan stood protectively over him, a small smile on her face.

  The message was clear. The boy rejected his father’s protection for that of the Blaithari female.

  The male’s brow furrowed in puzzlement before his expression turned angry. When Garswal still didn’t move, the captain shrugged nonchalantly and finally dropped his extended hand as two of his hands fisted at his hips. He proceeded from there to ignore the boy as he looked around, his lips pursing.

  “Well done, Argurma, though we could have easily traveled for another hour or more. The sun has not even begun to sink into the horizon. I do not enjoy wasting light.”

  “The sun drops fast, as you ought to have noticed. The odds that we would find another ledge to rest upon before it became dark are extremely low. Although that would not impede me, it would be reckless for your crew to attempt to climb in the dark. Without suitable shelter, that is exactly what you would do throughout the night, hoping that you were not plucked off the wall by a predator, or falling to your death from a misplaced hand or foot. If that is an acceptable risk to you, then we can most certainly continue. I would not be able to guarantee the safety of any but my mate, however.”

  The captain grumbled as he squinted out over the vista. If he wasn’t convinced, it didn’t appear to bother Veral. Her mate’s hand stroked her hair as he held her more firmly against him. The captain’s posturing became unimportant as she turned her cheek against his to soak in his warmth and comfort.

  “Ah, this must be one of those advantages of mated bliss,” Azan mused. “I guess there had to be something—some benefit to tying one’s life to a male.”

  Terri cracked an eye to look at the other female. She would have shot her the finger if the pirate would have had any idea what that meant. Since the effort would have been wasted, she smirked and cuddled farther into Veral’s embrace. Egbor’s complaints were harder to ignore until a sharp cry and the sound of falling rocks and breaking branches rose over the captain’s voice, silencing him. The screams grew fainter as the unfortunate pirate plummeted until he was lost.

  “I suppose it is a good plan to rest here,” the captain finally conceded.

  Azan’s derisive snort filled the silence before the crew began milling around to claim a safe place along the ledge. There was a sort of somber sobriety that fell over the males as the stress of losing yet another crewmate began to show.

  The tension didn’t appear to let up, even in sleep. It was palpable in the air. Everyone seemed to know that the planet had more in store for them, waiting to kill every offworlder who ventured onto its surface. Terri felt it too, and so wasn’t surprised when a horrific clatter of numerous shrieking voices descended over the ledge. Terri activated one of the few remaining illumination discs attached to Veral’s armor and swallowed back her fear.

  From every direction, mouths filled with sharp, needle-like teeth snapped down at them from narrow reptilian heads edged with hard bony beaks at the end of their muzzles. Their long, scaled necks jerked at every effort as enormous claws grappled for purchase. All the while, wide wings filled with glossy feathers beat around them as the animals attempted to pluck prey from among the crew. The disc didn’t provide enough light in the open, and they only saw the reptilian birds when they dropped down close. Otherwise, it was just a mass of confusion everywhere in the dark surrounding them.

  The strained shouts of pirates filled the night as everyone leaped to their feet, blasters firing blindly into the dark. Only one bird ventured close enough to Terri that, when she brought up her arms defensively, the bio-tech extended a metal band around her wrist from which long barbed whips e
xtended out, snapping at the creature. Although Terri didn’t know if any of the blasts landed amid the chaos, she knew that her whips landed, as hot blood splattered on her skin.

  Veral’s claws were extended, and he slashed out at the creatures whenever they dared to get close. His frustrated snarl at lacking a weapon was all the more obvious when heavy blaster fire from Azan filled the air beside them.

  It seemed to last forever, but the assault ended as the birds fled with angry hisses and shrieks. When the last of the calls faded into the distance, the captain rounded on Veral, his face a mask of fury in the glow of the disc.

  “This is what you call safe?” he shouted.

  “When compared to the odds of attempting to travel through the night or camping at the edge of the ravine, it was an acceptable risk. The birds were an inconvenience, and minimal danger.”

  “How do you figure a minimal danger? They would have killed us all!”

  “No one died. The attack lasted only five point three standard minutes, and the lifeforms were relatively easy to frighten away, as I estimated. This is acceptable and normal for salvaging.”

  The males faced each other, both rigid as they exchanged glares.

  “Captain,” Egbor’s remaining guard called quietly. “I believe that the crew requires your guidance.”

  “Yes, of course,” Egbor muttered as he stalked away, his tone cajoling as he addressed the males. Terri didn’t bother to listen to him. She knew it would be appropriately convincing. This was confirmed by Azan’s laughter.

  “That would be code for ‘the crew needs to be talked back into this suicidal mission before everyone revolts,’” Azan said, once the captain was out of earshot.

  “Foolishness,” Veral growled. He drew a hand down his face. “One more day.”

  Terri prayed that it wasn’t portending something bad coming their way.

  20

  “It is there,” Veral announced as he pointed at a dark shadow deep in the ravine.

  Terri clung to a narrow shelf of rock that spanned what must’ve been a few dozen feet along the wall. Even though everyone hunkered close together, they still all barely fit on it. She swore she could almost feel the rock threatening to crumble beneath her feet as she squinted down in the direction that he indicated.

  The starship was as dark as the wreckage that they came upon before, but unlike the medical unit that had been torn away, it was smashed against the rocks in pieces. From the sleek, dark exterior where it wasn’t damaged, despite their distance above the remains, Terri could tell that it had once been a magnificent ship. Her eyes scanned over it, greedily drinking it in as everything slipped away. Now confronted with it, she found herself imagining what secrets it might hold.

  A small frown pulled at her brow. Although the Evandra wasn’t completely beneath water, large portions of it were, and that wasn’t good. A simulation had predicted such a scenario with a half-sunken vessel. Terri recalled that the exercise had been unpredictable and hazardous. Entering the ship, they wouldn’t know what levels were safe and which might be flooded. Due to the pirates’ haste, they didn’t have the necessary equipment with them to allow for a submerged salvage.

  Not that they wanted to help the pirates along, but damn, she wanted whatever was in the ship.

  A slight burning sensation drew her attention down to the bio-tech embedded in her forearm, and she grimaced. Okay, maybe I can live without any more close encounters with the Elshavan. Still, since they were forced to go down anyway, it would have been nice to be able to walk away with something for their trouble.

  “What a glorious sight,” Egbor laughed. “Look, all of you, there rests the bounty we have been waiting for!”

  “Looks more like a great big invitation into the next world to me,” Azan muttered. “It just lacks script announcing ‘death awaits you here.’”

  The captain nudged his second-in-command with another bark of laughter, blind to the flash of hatred on her face. “Always doom and gloom with you, Azan. This is why you will never be a great captain of your own ship. A captain needs far more pluck.”

  Azan sneered but kept her face turned away as she spoke in a low voice. “You are right. I would not have captured an Argurma and trapped myself on a planet, dependent on him, for the sake of the promise of a great treasure of which we know nothing about.”

  “A good captain—a good pirate, even—knows when the risk is worth it,” Egbor replied, his eyes narrowing on the female. “Perhaps upon return to the ship I need to weigh whether or not you are the right one to be my second.”

  “We will drop down to the ship by the vine clusters,” Veral began. “You will have to navigate among them to stay on the thicker groupings. Be aware that it will change as you go down, sometimes with gaps between the clusters. Keep to them alone. The rock here is too sheer for a reliable handhold so there will be nothing to help support your weight elsewhere.” Leaning forward, he brushed his lips and mandibles against Terri’s jaw. “Move steadily as you have practiced, and your odds of success are ninety-three percent.”

  She scowled at him playfully. “Only ninety-three? I never fell during simulation.”

  “No,” he agreed with a soft chuff. “But your method of descent has not always been the safest.”

  “It gets the job done,” she whispered as she turned and brushed her lips against his, enjoying the soft scrape of his mandibles at the sides of her jaw. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Drawing back, Veral clicked his mandibles in approval. Casting one last speculative look at the pirates, his gaze lingering on Egbor as if hoping the male would call off the insanity, he nodded and dropped down onto the first cluster of vines.

  Terri watched him as he climbed down quickly until the cluster grew too thin and he promptly swung over to the next cluster at his right. She watched as he repeated this several times without problem. Turning to Azan, she gave the pirate an encouraging smile before she too dropped down to grab the nearest cluster of vines as she slid off the ledge.

  Just as she had practiced, she kept her feet braced around the vines as she dropped with a steady hand-under-hand descent. It was different from practicing in the cargo bay or in simulation, but the movement was familiar, and it didn’t take her long to begin picking up her pace until she settled into a comfortable rhythm.

  Above her, she could hear Azan’s muffled curse. The pirate followed her down just as Terri swung over to her second cluster of vines.

  Most clusters were within a foot or two of each other, whereas some had a wider spread, but none of them were spaced to a degree that she found challenging. Terri smiled as she navigated among them, steadily dropping closer to the wreckage below.

  It was all too easy. So easy that she began to allow herself to slip down the clusters quicker and to skip over those that were closer together as she swung out from one cluster to grab another farther away.

  The exhilaration that hit her blood was powerful. She felt like she was flying along the side of the wall as she leaped. She didn’t feel weak and helpless, nor at the mercy of the world around her or the cosmos at large. Her lighter body gave her greater mobility than the aliens who were slowly making their way down above her.

  From left to right, she worked her way down. Sliding down, her eyes fastened on a long cluster that would close most of the remaining distance of the ravine. It would be a fast descent, dropping her at Veral’s side in record time. She just needed to make the jump. It was much further than the previous clusters, but nothing that exceeded what she had been able to manage during training.

  She grinned triumphantly at it. She would show herself and everyone that being human wasn’t a hindrance or liability. Pulling back on the cluster of vines in her hands, she reversed direction and pushed off, her hand out-stretched for the cluster ahead of her as she leaped.

  “Anastha!” Veral shouted just as her hand closed around what had appeared to be a suitably thick cluster.

  Horror filled h
er at that very moment she realized that it was nothing more than a single thicker vine with a few thinner vines entangled with it. It’s not a thick cluster! It wouldn’t support her weight. The sound of tearing was incredibly loud to her as the roots ripped away from the wall. Terri instinctively stretched out a hand, her fingernails brushing flat rock. Her breath burst from her in a strangled shout. She had felt fear before, since arriving on the planet, but this consumed her. Everything slowed around her as she fell away from the wall. Veral’s bellow of fear even sounded far away.

  Azan’s words to her so many days ago came back to her, repeating through her mind as she fell. She was too fragile, too vulnerable to survive. Even with the skills she had accumulated, they mocked her as she fell. They weren’t enough, and she had been too cocky, so certain of her ability that she hadn’t been cautious enough.

  Azan was right. Veral, with all his skills and natural ability, had kept her alive ever since he took her away from Earth, and even more recently in the forest. This time, however, Veral was too far away to save her. No one could.

  The only one who could save her was herself. Even that would take a miracle. Regardless, she wasn’t ready to die, yet.

  Tears streaming from her eyes, Terri stretched out her hand, her fingertips too far away to even skim the surface as she dropped back. Growling in frustration, she twisted in the air, and stretched out her hands, willing herself to grab onto something—anything.

  She felt it, then.

  Something connected as she felt a rush of power through her. The bio-tech burned as hot metal corded over her arm and down her hand, ending in massive metal claws that extended beyond her fingertips. The sound of metal hitting rock squealed in her ears, and she reflexively anchored her fingers, curling her new claws into the stone.

  Her plummet stopped so suddenly she felt as if her stomach hit her throat, but it was overpowered by a rush of relief. She hung there for a moment, allowing endorphins to flood through her. I’m alive!