by Aaron Hubble
The dreaded tone came from his pocket. Dillon groaned, set the crate he had been carrying on the transport and fished his handheld out of his pocket. The message from Shepherd contained a new round of monotony.
Morris stopped next to him and watched him scroll through the message. “Where are we headed next, Commander?”
Dillon glanced briefly at Morris, then kept his eyes on the screen. “I figured you would already know by now, being that you’re next in line. Shepherd must be sharing all the details of the missions with you as well.”
Morris kept his voice low. “I am not your enemy. No matter what you think, I haven’t gathered my own team around me. Time to look at yourself, Commander, and ask why we’re stuck hauling crates.” Morris stalked off into the darkened interior of the ship.
Exhaling a long breath, Dillon stared into the blue sky and wondered what he was doing. How long could this go on? How long could Shepherd keep them as his errand boys? Across the airport, he saw a large transport rumbling toward them. That would be the cargo they would be transporting to the walled city.
The infamous walled city.
It wouldn’t have bothered him if he’d never set foot in that place again. He hated going back to places that held bad memories for him. It was like visiting the past and constantly wishing you could change what had happened.
The transport rolled to a stop near the rear of the Valkyrie. Two support personnel hopped out, one of them carrying a tablet. The heavyset man consulted the tablet and looked at Dillon.
“You Commander Dillon?” he said with a thick Hispanic accent, forcing Dillon to concentrate on every word in order to understand the man.
“I am. Is that our next shipment?”
“Sí. Are you ready?” the man said.
“Almost. Stasis units?” Dillon asked.
The man nodded his head. “Not full. You’re supposed to take them to the walled city. Here.” He handed the tablet to Dillon. “Sign here.”
Dillon took the stylus and scribbled his name on the tablet, watching the letters appear on the screen. He handed the tablet back to the man.
“Why are they empty? I thought all subjects were supposed to go to the walled city now.”
“Sí, they are supposed to be taken to the walled city, but there was a problem the other night. Something happened and all the subjects that hadn’t already been transferred died. Like a freezer that loses power, everything thaws and goes bad. They had to burn up the bodies. Now you just get empty units to take to the walled city.”
Parker emerged from the ship carrying an aluminum box. “Last one, Commander.”
“Good,” Dillon said. He turned back to the men. “All yours, boys. Let us know when you’re done.”
Dillon dismissed his team to find something to eat and rest for the evening. He watched the two men unload the stasis units and then begin moving them into the Valkyrie. Parker stepped up beside him and crossed his arms, watching the men work.
“Do you know how those stasis units work, Parker?”
Parker shook his head. “Nope. I guess I’ve never even considered it, though. Sounds like maybe you have.”
“My curious nature, I guess.”
Parker turned and looked at Dillon. “What are you thinking, Commander?”
“I’m thinking I may go on a little fact-finding excursion when we get to the walled city,” Dillon said, watching a unit roll past him on an electric mover.
Parker raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like another way to lose more points with Shepherd.”
“I don’t have any points to lose, Parker. If I had points, I wouldn’t be hauling freight, now, would I?”
The lanky man grunted. “I see your point.” He turned and looked around the airport. “I’m hungry. Do you think they have anything to eat around here besides CPF rations?”
“Hard to tell, but let’s go have a look.” The two men walked away from the Valkyrie. Dillon cast one more look back at the mysterious stasis units and then moved into step with Parker.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Dry leaves crackled as Nasia inched closer to Oyeb and wrapped his arm around her. The cold ground had leached the warmth from his body, and he thought to share some of his wife’s. He buried his face into her curly hair and kissed the back of her neck. She moved, but then stilled. If he stretched his imagination, he might be able to convince himself they were at the resort by the southern sea on their honeymoon. He thought he could smell midbar brewing somewhere.
The truth of their situation slapped him in the face with a cold hand. There was no bed, no seaside villa, and worst of all no midbar. They were still in the forest, lying in a bed of leaves they had raked together last night before falling into the exhaustion-induced unconsciousness he now called sleep.
Oyeb seemed to be sleeping soundly, so Nasia tried to stay still. It was nice to see her lying peacefully for a change. Since the attack, sleep had been fitful at best for her. Memories from that day tormented her, and nightmares often woke her in a cold sweat. He felt guilty he was still sleeping through the night, but he was so weary from the travel he really had no other choice.
Exhaustion was the current state of being for Nasia. Exhaustion and near starvation.
His stomach reminded him of the failure of a week ago. While the hunting party had gone out with high hopes, there was no antelope to satiate their hunger. They had seen no more antelope and so far the forest had been so thick, they were unable to detect any sign of game. If they could not find another source of food soon, things would turn dire.
Shame reddened his face as he thought about the debacle of last week’s hunt. The plan had been good, and it almost seemed too easy. In retrospect it was, and he wished he could go back in time to change things. He had stepped on a nest of biting tovar. The tiny winged insects had swarmed him and began meting out judgment for the offense against their home. The stinging bites caused him to cry out which, unfortunately, Kan had taken for the go sign.
And things just went downhill from there.
He wanted to make it up somehow. Not only to the group, but to Oyeb as well. His only desire was to take care of her and make her happy. The ability to provide food for her would go a long way toward that end.
Nasia had a decent knowledge of edible plants. He had taken several courses in botany at university while earning his degree in biology. It was rusty, but he thought if he saw the plants he would recognize them. He would bring it up to Ibris when everyone was up.
But not quite yet.
He moved closer to his wife. As dawn began to lighten the sky, Nasia fell back to sleep.
****
“This has been quite a first month of marriage,” Oyeb said.
Her slender hand rested comfortably in his as they picked their way through the forest. This was one of the few times they had been able to hold hands; most of the time they were ducking and pushing their way through underbrush, but here the forest opened up, the stately trees creating an almost cathedral atmosphere.
Kind of like holy ground, thought Nasia. For a guy with a degree in biology this was a paradise.
“I told you the day I gave you that bracelet our marriage would be the adventure of a lifetime.” Raising his arms and turning in a circle, Nasia said, “Did I deliver or what?”
Oyeb smiled and rolled her eyes. “Yes dear, you definitely delivered on the adventure. However, I would gladly take a little less adventure right now.”
She grew silent and her normally bright face took on a melancholic look. Nasia wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her heart beat against his chest, and he wished with everything in him he could change their situation.
“I know, I know. I wish we were back in our little apartment as well, getting ready to go to dinner at your family’s house, but that’s not where we are. The good part is we’re together, and this team, you and I, is one I would bet makes it to the end.”
Oyeb pulled away and wiped her eyes. Nodd
ing her head, she cleared her throat and forced a smile.
“This would be unbearable without you.” Composing herself and looking about her, she said, “So, describe to me what it is we’re looking for again.”
“Kava root. It grows low to the ground, the leaves are dark green and shaped like a teardrop with a serrated edge. The root of the plant is edible and is a cousin to the potatoes we grow in our gardens. I think they are fairly tasteless, but the root is a good carbohydrate source and the greens are loaded with all kinds of nutrients.”
Oyeb gathered her long blonde hair into a tail and secured it with an elastic band. The band suddenly broke and flew through the air, landing at Nasia’s feet. Oyeb knelt and picked it up.
“Awww, that was the only band I had. Now what?” She dropped it on the ground. “I guess I could cut my hair.”
Nasia stopped searching the ground and looked up at her. “Whoa there. Let’s not go to extremes. I mean, what would I run my fingers through?”
“You could still run your fingers through short hair, just not for as long. It would be more practical, but I’ve let it grow so long.”
“Did you know that was the first thing I noticed about you, your hair?” Nasia said.
Smiling, Oyeb continued walking. “So you’ve said. ‘It sparkled in the sunlight’ were your exact words, I believe.”
“Smitten right then and there,” he said.
Their hands naturally found each other, fingers entwining into a familiar, comfortable hold. They walked silently in the hush of the forest for several minutes. Nasia reveled in the presence of his wife at his side.
Yes, he thought. We’ll make it through this just fine.
A delighted squeal from Oyeb and the release of her grip from his fingers brought his attention back to the present. She moved quickly off to her right.
“I found some!”
She reached down and pulled the plant from the ground, black dirt cascading from the root. Oyeb held it up for Nasia to see, smiling as if she had just found the greatest treasure in all of Aereas.
He clapped. “That’s it! That’s what we’re looking for. Great job, beautiful.”
Nasia discovered they had walked into a small patch of kava plants. The two of them began to pull roots in earnest. Some of the shame on Nasia’s shoulders since the failed hunting trip lifted. Finally, he could say he had contributed in some small way.
The job’s not done yet. Not by a long shot, Nasia thought.
There was still the matter of getting her safely to the cave. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched her work. She caught him looking and smiled back in a knowing way. Her cheeks reddened a bit and Nasia all but melted.
How I love that woman, he thought.
He took a deep breath and refocused his mind on the task of pulling roots. Moving aside several tall ferns, he found more Kava plants clustered together. He grasped and pulled.
His heart froze in his chest at Oyeb’s piercing scream. He looked frantically where Oyeb had been working and saw her desperately trying to crawl away from an advancing forest reolar.
Soil and leaves still clung to the dull, mottled carapace of the insect-like creature. The monsters burrowed into the soft soil of the forest floor, where they waited to pounce on unsuspecting animals, even humans, wandering too close, injecting them with deadly poison before dragging them back to their hole. Oyeb’s movements must have brought the reolar out of its lair.
The hulking reolar stalked toward Oyeb on four multi-jointed legs. Two claw darted from its body grasping at its prey. Oyeb screamed again. The sound propelled Nasia into action. He sprinted across the fern-covered ground, and launched himself at the reolar, his only thought to give Oyeb a chance to escape.
The impact of his shoulder upended the creature and Nasia tumbled on top of it. He rolled to the side just as the reolar used its powerful claws to push itself right side up. Its four legs touched the ground and instantly it was upon him. It’s claw caught his ankle in a crushing grip and Nasia lost his balance, tumbling to the ground. His head hit a stone and bright light and pain shot through his skull. The reolar pulled him closer, sticks and forest debris abrading the skin of his back. A second claw darted out, piercing the flesh of his left shoulder and injecting venom. He cried out in pain. Icy agony flooded from the wound and spread down his left arm and across his chest.
There was a release of pressure on his right ankle. The reolar, satisfied it had incapacitated its quarry, stalked back toward its original prey.
Oyeb.
She was still in danger. She still needed him. He had trouble seeing her. His vision was blurring, darkness encroaching around the edges like smoke filling a house. He blinked and shook his head. His vision cleared a little and he tried to get his feet under him. His left arm was now paralyzed. It hung limp at his side. The world swam around him as his legs shook. Oyeb screamed his name as she tried to dodge around the reolar and get to his side.
The toe of his boot kicked a stout stick. Nasia managed to fumble around in the leaves until his right hand closed upon the dead tree limb. He leaned on it, letting it take his weight as he stumbled across the leaf-littered ground toward the woman he had pledged to protect.
Swinging the limb in a wide arc, Nasia roared in anger at the animal who dared take his olam’ani away from him. The limb impacted with a solid crunching sound behind the head of the creature. It chattered in anger and turned to face its attacker. Nasia landed two more blows to the monster’s head, each with considerably less force behind it than the last. Through his blurred sight he could see black ichor spurting from its many eyes. The beast shook violently, screeched and rushed at Nasia.
Claws lanced out at him with lightning speed. He was able to fend off one of the attacks with the tree limb before feeling the sharp claw pierce his right arm and then his right leg. Weakness flooded his body. He lost his grip on the limb. Legs that once help him win medals in track, collapsed under his own weight. He gasped for breath. His body seized and contorted in reaction to the poison. Willing his head to turn, he saw the reolar begin stalking his wife, who was now on her feet. He saw the indecision in her face as she struggled with the need to flee and the want to stay by her husband’s side.
He tried to scream at her, tried to tell her to forget about him and save herself. In that moment he wanted to tell her how much he loved her and that she needed to do whatever it took to live for him, but the poison in his body had stolen his ability to speak. Oyeb hesitated and looked into his eyes. He saw she had made her decision. She found a sturdy branch of her own and picked it up. Oyeb set her shoulders to face the creature bearing down on her. She would not abandon her husband, would not let him die alone.
The reolar was in striking distance with its claws and preparing to attack when it stumbled backward, letting out a high-pitched screech that echoed through the quiet forest. It turned and Nasia saw the arrow protruding from its face. Two more followed in quick succession, one striking home and the other glancing off the thick black carapace covering its body. Black, viscous fluid leaked from around the arrows. The creature staggered.
Two shapes darted in. One swept the legs out from underneath the stumbling beast while the other plunged a blade through the soft underside of its head. The legs of the reolar quivered and jerked violently before going still and falling limp.
Nasia let out a long breath and thanked the All Loving One for the saviors he had sent. Oyeb was beside him in an instant, calling his name, her hands caressing his face. Warm tears fell from her deep brown eyes and splashed on the side of his face. He looked at her one last time, blinked and let go of his life breath knowing in his final moments Oyeb would live another day, and he would die a man who had stood strong for his beloved wife.
The kava root lay scattered on the ground, forgotten.
****
Maltoki pulled the short sword out of the head out of the ugliest animal he had ever seen. He wiped the blade on the ground and then cleaned what was l
eft of the creature’s blood onto his pant leg. Denar strode toward him, placing a new bolt into his crossbow. The man pulled the bristling bolts from the head of the dead reolar and began searching the ground for the one that had ricocheted off the hard shell.
Maltoki hurried to Oyeb’s side. The woman desperately called to her husband, who lay motionless on the ground.
“Nasia! You need to stand up! Come on, Nasia!”
The young man, not much older than Maltoki, stared into the canopy. There was no life in his eyes. Maltoki knelt beside Oyeb. He pressed his fingers against Nasia’s neck, confirming that he no longer had a pulse. He closed the man’s eyes.
Oyeb stared at him, desperate for hope. Maltoki looked at the ground and then placed a hand on her shoulder. He heard Oyeb’s audible intake of breath as she slapped his hand away and quickly stood, backing away.
“No! He’s not dead!” She jabbed a shaking finger at Maltoki. “You’re lying!”
Maltoki stood. “Oyeb…”
“No. No, you stay away from me! Nasia cannot die today. You do whatever it takes to keep him alive! Do you hear me?”
Maltoki slowly approached her. “I hear you, Oyeb, but Nasia is gone. I…I can’t do anything for him.”
He placed his hands on her trembling shoulders. “Let me take you back to camp. I promise we’ll take care of Nasia for you.”
Oyeb looked past Maltoki to where her husband lay on the ground and truth flashed across her face. Her knees buckled and she collapsed in front of Maltoki. He tried to keep her upright, but she slipped through his hands. Oyeb pressed her head against the ground and let out a heart-rending wail.
“Oyeb! Oh god, Oyeb. Are you alright?”
Lost in her despair, she was unable to answer Maltoki. He wrapped an arm around her and motioned for Denar. Maltoki spoke softly to the hunter.
