A mixed group of men and women sitting at the table behind Sean stood in a flurry of movement and hurried from the room.
“What’s that about?” Erynn watched them disappear into the dim corridor outside the dining hall.
“I don’t know.” Sean’s brow wrinkled, and he glanced up at the DVSLs that ringed the large room. Each showed a different view of the base, inside and outside. “Finish eating and we’ll go find out. Cale will know.”
Halfway to Cale’s quarters/office, a relieved Tam met up with Erynn and Sean in a deserted and gloomy corridor. “Am I glad to see you. Didn’t appreciate being in this corridor alone after learning…” Tam lowered her voice. “Did you hear what happened? A woman was found murdered in one of the lower passageways behind the storage lockers. She was torn apart.” Tam grimaced and shuddered.
Erynn remembered her recent encounter with meervorines. Large beasts with beady yellow eyes, sharp teeth, and razor claws, who lived in underground warrens and carried the stink of rotting flesh. On her journey to find Cale, she, Jaer, Sean, and Roni an Anbas Warrior, had been close to finding out just how aggressive meervorines were. Surrounded by a pack of the hostile animals, the idea that came to her seemed absurd. Erynn understood that she must try something, or she and her friends would die. In the ancient language of Comhra, a rarely used dialect on Arranon, she’d demanded the meervorines leave, driving the frightened and confused beasts back underground.
Shaking the memory of meervorines and the unpleasant vision of damage they were capable of inflicting on the human body, Erynn asked, “An animal?”
“Must have been.” Tam shivered. “If you’re headed to Cale’s office, you won’t get close. There’s at least twenty people lined up outside his quarters.
“When did this happen?” The scream that had startled Erynn out of her dozing the previous night came to her mind.
Maybe it hadn’t been the wind after all.
Erynn stared into the dim corridor beyond where they stood.
Tam’s wide-eyed gaze followed Erynn’s. “Don’t know,” she mumbled. “The body was just found.” She turned, shivered, and leaned her back against the wall, better able to watch both sides of the dark tunnel.
Jaer emerged from the shadows, flanked by his brother, Aven, and another Anbas. All three men were tall and powerful. They made an impressive sight in their black tunics and quilted pants.
Erynn sensed the pleasure that swelled from Tam and glimpsed the smile that brightened her golden-brown eyes.
Aven grinned as he approached and leaned against the wall next to Tam.
Jaer stopped in front of Erynn and ran his warm fingers over her cheek. He must have known from their grim expressions what the topic of conversation had been. “I am taking a team into the warrens to find what did this.” His gaze darted to Tam, then Sean. “Do not go out alone. Stay in common areas and in large groups when in the tunnels.” He took Erynn’s hand and led her away from the others. “Do not go out by yourself. Promise me.” He cupped his hand under her chin and lifted, brushing a kiss against her lips. “I could not bear my life without you.”
Erynn grabbed the open flap of his jacket and tugged him close. “Then take me with you. I could help,” she whispered against his lips.
He smiled and wrapped her in his powerful arms. “You have done enough. Let me. Let us handle this.” His husky voice danced across her senses.
Erynn drew back and gazed into his eyes. “If it’s something I can help with, will you come get me?”
“Who else would I want by my side, using the ancient language against an attacking animal?”
Erynn grinned. “See? I should go with you.”
He shook his head. “I will not be getting that close. We are armed and ready for the hunt.”
“But—”
Jaer ran his thumb across her lips, silencing her. He gazed at her with his dark, smoldering eyes. “If I need you, I will come for you, Kipa.”
Kipa translated from the ancient Comhra language as my heart, my life, my soul.
Erynn returned alone to the high room after Jaer left. Jaer had warned her not to go into the deeper tunnels by herself. There was no danger here, above the warrens. Snow and ice covered the ring of windows, shutting out the light. The room was dark, cold, and silent. She stood in the center of the chamber, eyes closed. Head back, she turned in a slow circle.
Pinpoints of orange and red flared under her lids. The familiar spicy-sweet scent of the Anim Blath filled the small space.
Her first physical encounter with the Anim Blath had been in a dark, moist cave by the ocean. The Anim Blath revealed their glowing, fragrant colony to Erynn during her race to elude an alien intent on her capture. This collective colony of part plant, part animal had communicated the way to an exit. This initial link of their consciousness with Erynn’s opened a connection to Arranon’s living spirit.
Erynn waited for the Anim Blath’s message. The tree line below the base cleared in her mind. She watched movement among the swaying limbs.
Enemy soldiers!
Two men walked cautiously through the forest, their uniforms displaying an alien insignia. Stragglers, left behind and still alive after the fight against the invasion ended. That they had survived this long was astonishing.
She opened her eyes. “Those two soldiers could ambush our routine patrols in the forest. Or worse, they may have the ability to make contact with others of their kind.” Erynn straightened with determination. “They must be brought in, and quickly. With Jaer gone and Cale’s attention on the murder of that poor woman, I can take care of this.”
Erynn hurried down stone steps and through dim, empty corridors to her quarters. She filled a small backpack with protein bars and water, in case she was out overnight. Strapping on a belt with a holstered staser, she threw the pack over her shoulder and rushed to the transport bay.
A young man approached her, scanning the empty corridor behind her. “Erynn Yager. You shouldn’t be walking the tunnels alone. Not after…” He winced. “Well, you know.”
She reached forward, touching his arm. “I do know. But I need to go out, and I need transportation. It’s important.”
He frowned. “Does General Athru know?”
“Cale…General Athru is busy with…well, you know.” She grimaced and used the same tactics the young man had when talking about the murder.
He turned his face away, searching the bay, his frown deepening. “I don’t know about this, you going out there. General Athru made it quite clear. He wants no one roaming the base alone.”
“I understand. You don’t want to get in trouble. It’s okay.” She started to turn and paused. “But I’m not asking to take a transport inside the base. There’s no danger in the forest, just…something in the woods I need to check out. Nothing I can’t handle, though. Not like blowing up a massive alien ship in space preparing to attack our worlds. Oh wait…I already did that!” Determined, Erynn pushed the young man. “If I don’t go, our inaction may cause a problem.” She knew military procedure dictated that she implement a reconnaissance plan for this little outing.
But if I take the time needed to do so the soldiers may leave this area and contact others of their kind.
“At least take someone with you,” he suggested.
“Really, I can take care of this. I don’t want to remove necessary personnel from carrying out their duties on the danger inside the base. I’m only trying to help by not bothering Cale during this emergency. I promise. I’ll be all right.”
He sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay. I’ll get you a ski-speeder.” He stiffened and held up one finger. “Be careful. It’s still snowing, hard, and the wind is coming up again.” He went to a cabinet, pulling out a white helmet, jacket, and heavy jumpsuit. “Be back before dark,” he warned, leading the way to the far wall where the ski-speeders waited.
These small, one-passenger open vehicles were made for quick trips in snow and ice. They had no cab and offered no
real protection from the weather or the other dangers of Arranon.
Erynn nodded. “Dark. Right. I will be.” Her smile quivered, and she altered her expression to one of serious concern. “I’ll be careful. Thanks.” She climbed into the jumpsuit he offered. With the helmet hooked by the chinstrap over the handlebars, she pushed the lightweight speeder down the dark access tunnel, switching on the headlight to see her way. She found the control panel at the end of the wide corridor, and the door ground open.
Snow piled against the stone barrier cascaded over the smooth rock floor. Large crystalline flakes whipped in on the wind, stinging her unguarded face. She pulled on the helmet, lowered the visor, and secured the heavy white coat over the bulky jumpsuit. She depressed the red key on the panel to close the door and pushed the speeder into deep snow. A button next to the starter lowered the skis, two out front and a broad one in the rear, while retracting the two wheels. She climbed on, punched the starter, and took off fast.
Chapter 4
WIND DROVE THE HEAVILY FALLING snow sideways as Erynn raced into the storm and down the mountain. She opened vents on the sides of her helmet to prevent her breath from fogging the inside of the face shield. Icy air rushed in, numbing her cheeks. She sped around boulders, sliding out of turns. She relished being outside and doing something useful. These two enemy soldiers had probably had enough of Arranon’s extreme weather and dangerous wildlife. They would gladly come with her. She could bring them in peaceably.
The tree line loomed ahead. She slowed the speeder, banking to a stop. Powdery snow fanned away, landing with a soft plop in the growing drifts. She cut the power to the speeder, and the humming engine whined to silence. A deep quiet that only comes with snow followed. An occasional gust of wind whistled around the high boughs, adding a lonely voice to the soundless forest. Erynn raised her visor and gazed through the trees. The faint, spicy scent of needle leaves swirled in. She smiled. “Beautiful.”
“Now, where are you?” Her whisper plumed out, darting among the dancing flakes to be spirited away. She faced forward, then right, then left. Nothing. “Hmmm. Did you leave?” She started the speeder, deciding to go deeper into the woods, straight ahead but slower. Dark shadows scurried, keeping pace with her from beneath drooping, snow-laden boughs.
Thoughts of meervorines, with their razor teeth and claws, clamped an icy hand around her spine. No aleuns flew from tree to tree or chirped a song among the branches covered in their thick white blanket. No maejen prowled the outer boundaries of the heavy boughs, yellow eyes gleaming, their great heads low, muzzles sniffing at the snow, tails tucked between long sinewy legs. Nor did they howl a greeting from the tops of ravines. Not even the katjaramuud, with their large, thick bodies poked massive round heads from the trees to watch her progress.
“Where is everyone?”
A sudden icy gust pushed through the forest. Limbs rose and fell, swaying under their mantle of white.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Erynn lowered the helmet’s face shield and activated the infrared sights. If something or someone was out there, she would see a heat signature through the sensors imbedded in the visor. She continued to creep down the mountain, rising up and over drifts, scanning the area under and around the trees.
“Nothing.” She sighed. “Okay, so what has my awareness on alert?” Her stomach tightened and rolled. She stopped the speeder, cut the power, and threw her leg over the seat. She stumbled through uneven drifts, moving only a few meters from the ski-speeder, listening to the unusual silence while peering into the storm and around the trees.
“What is going on?” She spun back toward the speeder, staring beyond the vehicle and into the swirling snow. Flakes skipped and darted, creating an illusion of flittering shapes closing in. Her breath caught. Nothing lit up the sensors, but something watched her. She could sense eyes, their gaze burning into her like dagger points, sharp against her back. That feeling of ice along her spine spread, tightening her chest.
She pushed through the deepening snow pack to the speeder, jumped onto the seat, and hit the starter. Her gloved thumb slid off, jamming against the speeder’s frame. “Batias!” she cursed, shaking her hand to ease the pain shooting up her wrist. That sense of others, of being watched, came closer, studying her. Their scrutiny stabbed through the frosty air. She punched the button again, but the speeder’s engine remained silent. Her respirations increased. Fog misted the inside of her visor, obscuring her vision. She flipped the shield up and out of her eyes. Without the visor, she couldn’t observe an approaching threat, but with it on, she was unable to see to start the speeder.
“What’s wrong? Why won’t you start?” She gritted her teeth, depressing the button repeatedly.
A small screen below the starter sputtered to a dim yellow glow. Words in a faint red radiance blinked off and on.
SYSTEM FAILURE. POWER RESERVE DEPLETED.
The light in the screen flickered and went out.
“No! There was a full charge.” The heavy blanket of white around her buffered her voice.
To her right, tree limbs shook, losing their mantle of snow.
Erynn pulled her weapon with a smooth, fluid motion. Yellow eyes appeared under long pointed leaves.
A heavy breath rushed between her pursed lips, fogging into the icy air. “It’s you.” The relief in her voice carried to the three white maejen, and they slipped out from the shadows. Erynn glanced around, still holding the staser. “But you aren’t what I sense out there, watching.”
The maejen circled her, yipping and dancing nervously on round paws.
She frowned. “Something’s hunting me.”
The alpha threw back his head and howled, the other two maejen joining his song.
“So what do I do?”
The group hurried under the limbs, glancing back at her.
“Follow you. Good idea.”
Erynn abandoned the speeder and ran.
The den of downed trees covered with snow was dry inside, and the wind didn’t penetrate. Erynn pulled off the helmet and stripped out of heavy gloves, placing them inside the upturned emptiness. She no longer sensed being watched, except by the pack. This season’s pups were nearly full grown. Their curiosity radiated to her. She sat back against a wall of sticks and held out her hand.
One by one, the five young came forward, sniffing her.
“Friends?”
The big alpha male chuffed, his teeth showing in an obvious grin. He scooted in next to Erynn and sat down.
“Thanks. I owe you.”
He lay against her leg, head on her lap, his blazing eyes gazing up at her, and whined.
“Okay, we’re even, kinda.” She brushed her hand over warm, dense, soft fur. “I won’t keep score if you don’t.”
Outside the small opening, the day gave over to evening in faint degrees, finally succumbing to night and the impenetrable dark.
Erynn opened her pack. She pulled out water and a bland protein bar. More curiosity flowed from the young maejen. She offered to share her meal.
The pups sniffed the portion she held out, sneezed, and backed away, shaking their heads.
She chuckled. “I don’t blame you. They’re pretty bad.”
Erynn finished her meal, washing the tasteless bar down with a bottle of water. Wiping the back of her hand across her lips, she curled against the wall to wait for morning. When a fitful sleep came, unsettling dreams took her underground.
Open caverns dimly lighted by distant fires were alive with human-like forms. Screeching howls punctuated the gloom. Shadows slithered behind rocks and at the periphery of her vision. The dream shapes faded into nothingness, and she was alone in the dark.
Erynn woke to a gentle snowfall, but no wind. Soft morning radiance crept lethargically through the small entry. With a modest effort, the day created little more than a pale silver puddle of light near the den’s opening. The maejen slept around her, feet twitching, barking quietly as they ran after dream prey. An unide
ntifiable carcass stripped of flesh and discarded in the center of the den was evidence of a successful night’s hunt and full bellies. She was glad she hadn’t been awake for that part.
Pushing into a sitting position, Erynn yawned and stretched stiff arms over her head. She considered another protein bar but decided to wait until she was back at the base to eat something tastier, and warmer. Perhaps the bloody, raw smell of the pile of ravaged bones was another factor in her lack of appetite. She pulled on gloves, crawled to the opening, dragging the helmet with her, and poked her head out into the fresh morning air.
Snow-burdened trees lay beyond deep drifts. With eyes closed, she sent her senses flying. Like the aleun, her awareness soared, out and away. After a careful search, she reversed her probing consciousness. There was nothing threatening in the forest this morning. She crawled the rest of the way out but stayed tight against the opening, scanning the spaces around and under the trees.
A nose pushed gently against her back.
Erynn side-crawled to the right.
A massive white head popped out of the entry.
“Morning.” She watched the alpha. His intense gold eyes searched the woods. Her gaze tracked where the maejen’s had. Nothing.
He snorted snow from his twitching nose and glanced at her. Showing his teeth, he trotted into a deep drift outside the den.
“Yeah, I don’t sense any danger either. Whatever was out there is gone now. Thanks again. I gotta get back before they send out a search party.” She sighed. “If they haven’t already.”
The alpha dipped his head, staring at her. He chuffed, showing more teeth.
Erynn returned the smile. “At least you’re finding humor in this.”
His head swung in the direction they’d come from yesterday.
Storm of Arranon Fire and Ice Page 3
