by Louise Wise
Fly swivelled his eyes towards the other men surrounding him. They wore the old Jelvian guns on their heads, and several of them carried gardening tools. He looked at the hoe in the hands of one, and realised, as he felt the blood trickle down his back, that that had been the instrument to inflict the wound.
‘The wardens captured us and took us to the valley,’ Molver was saying. ‘We managed to escape but Myten was killed. I don’t know what happened to Dolcam. He went looking for food but didn’t come back.’
‘We found his body,’ Gorjum said. ‘We thought you were either dead or—’ he stopped to look at Fly. ‘How come you’re with him?’
She gripped Gorjum’s arm and said excitedly, ‘There is an alien. An Earth woman! She’s lost and Fly’s been searching—’
‘No!’ Fly shouted, but the man with the hoe delivered a hit to the stomach. Fly struggled to suck air back into his lungs.
Molver looked distressed. ‘Don’t! Gorjum, he helped me! I’d not be alive if it weren’t for him.’
Fly gave furtive glances at his captors: looking for an escape route and seeking the weakest link. Using his legs, he grabbed a man around his neck and squeezed. As the man gurgled under the pressure, the hoe hit him full in the face and another instrument whacked him across the back. The pain made his legs lose their strength and the man pulled free, turned, and kicked Fly hard in the stomach with the heel of his boot.
‘I’d hoped you’d died,’ the man said.
‘So did a lot of people,’ the hoe man said. He pushed Fly with it and his bonds groaned under his weight as he struggled to stand upright. Fly spat at the man, and then the hoe hit him across the face once again and Fly sagged, his neck taking the strain.
‘Stop it! Fly, you’re not helping!’ Molver said.
Fly wasn’t listening; couldn’t hear. The noose was tight and cutting off air. He struggled against unconsciousness and concentrated on standing on tiptoe to ease the pressure.
‘Please untie him.’ Molver’s voice was tinny. Far away. ‘He’s not the enemy. The wardens are.’
Fly’s eyes swam into focus as Gorjum walked up, and nose to nose said, ‘We heard the famous Fly explosions in the warden’s valley. You certainly like blowing things up.’ He tugged at the tension of the rope. ‘Before I kill you, I want to hear more about this human.’
‘We found Jenny in a blocked up cave,’ Molver said, when Fly didn’t speak. ‘We know she’s above ground now because she’s been marking her way—’
‘Shut up!’ Fly hissed. He was punched again.
‘No!’ Molver ran to Gorjum. ‘Please, let him talk. Untie him.’
‘Doesn’t seem like he wants to talk, doll,’ the man with the hoe said.
‘We’re close to finding her, but Fly needs help,’ Molver said. ‘We need help.’
Gorjum looked at Molver as if realising her distress. ‘Go and find Saneg,’ he said. ‘He’ll be relieved to see you safe.’
Fly watched how she glanced at the buggy, and steeled himself against Diana being found. But instead she said, ‘You’ll let him talk?’
‘I will,’ Gorjum promised.
Then she nodded. She passed Fly saying, ‘Don’t worry.’
‘This stupidity of yours wasn’t an act, was it?’ he said, his voice was rasping. He felt her stopping and looking at him, but he couldn’t turn to see, then listened as her soft tread faded into the dale.
‘Flitespinter, back from the dead,’ said Gorjum when Molver had gone. ‘Everyone, it seems, is searching for this alien. An Earth female, eh.’ He snorted. ‘How ridiculous. Molver seems certain she exists, but then, she’s always been a fantasist.’ He’d stepped away from Fly and was leaning against the bonnet of the buggy. If he looked over his shoulder, he’d see Diana. ‘When there were sightings of the spaceship we thought is it was Jelvian, but then came the rumours of people having seen a red-haired woman. Rumours,’ he said, ‘just rumours.’
Fly watched as he ran a hand along the bonnet of the buggy, and peered briefly beneath the car. ‘You were always good with electronics. So,’ he said as he straightened, ‘I probably won’t believe a word you say, but let’s have it anyway. What’s your story?’
Fly didn’t answer and the man with the hoe stepped forward, but Gorjum held up a hand.
‘We’ll get it out of Molver eventually.’
Fly licked his lips. Like the inside of his mouth, they felt dry. Then he said, ‘I’m starting again.’ It was an effort to talk. ‘I was living a peaceful life… with the primitives… until the wardens… They invaded our settlement… I escaped. Found Molver. Helped her.’
‘Her?’ Gorjum said.
Fly said nothing, he noticed a muscle twitch in Gorjum’s cheek. He said, ‘And she still wants to protect you?’
‘Didn’t touch her.’ Fly didn’t take his eyes off Gorjum. The man was clearly thinking hard. He walked to the rear of the buggy and peered into the back where Fly had thrown the items he’d taken from the valley. He picked up a spear. It was one of the honnards’ and had been in the chest of a warden. Jenny’s hair was tied to the top.
‘Real hair,’ Gorjum said turning to face Fly again. ‘It’s red.’ He beckoned the men over and they all crowded around the spear. There were murmurings, which Fly couldn’t catch. Then they were back standing around him, the triggers of their guns winking in the twilight. Gorjum was talking, ‘Molver likes to embellish the truth but she isn’t a liar. I think this alien female exists.’ He sniffed the hair on the spear.
When Fly didn’t talk, Gorjum waved a hand and pressure around his neck relaxed. He sagged against the tree and coughed violently. When he’d finished Gorjum said, ‘Spit and it’s tightened again. So, did the female alien come from the spaceship?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t see the ship. Like you, I just saw sightings. I thought she was a mutant honnard.’
Gorjum looked at the hair again. ‘Where’d you get the hair from?’
‘I found that spear. My guess is it’s a honnards’, and before you ask, I don’t know how they came to have it.’
‘You don’t know a lot, do you?’
‘I don’t. I’ve been living alone since the crash. I’m not how I used to be. I’m an old man now.’ All Fly wanted was for them to see he was harmless and let him go so he could resume his search for Jenny.
‘Molver says you were looking for the red-haired woman.’
‘You said yourself she’s a fantasist.’
Gorjum stabbed the ground with the spear leaving it embedded, then rested back against the buggy. ‘You and the wardens could be in a race for her. They destroy the prims’ lair and you blow up their valley.’
‘She’s a myth,’ Fly said again.
Gorjum grunted. He stood up, left the buggy and stood a short distance from Fly. ‘Couldn’t blow up the valley properly, though. Many survived and some have come begging for help. We killed them of course. Can never trust a warden—or a traitor.’ He was talking about how the spaceship crashed, and how Fly hid away while everyone fought for their lives. ‘If you know nothing of her, then there isn’t any need to keep you alive.’
Fly remained silent.
Gorjum nodded at the group of men surrounding Fly then they all took the strain of the rope, and heaved on it forcing Fly to leave the ground kicking. He spluttered and coughed as his airways closed off. His legs kicked out, trying to find something to grab with his feet, but the trunk of the tree was too far away. His vision was blurring, and he felt his eyes bulging from the pressure.
Then Diana began to cry.
Chapter Forty Nine
Her breath was coming out in puffs; her forehead was furrowed in concentration. She urged herself for speed. Yelling like an animal every time she thought she was slowing down. The boat cut through the water smoothly, but the Jelvia was catching up fast. His arms, bulging with muscles, looked almost leisurely on the oars. She was aware that he could have killed her if he wanted to, but that was the thing, he didn’t wa
nt to. She was his prize. A female prize for all Jelvias. The consequences didn’t bear thinking about.
In, out. In, out.
The vapour of her breath was coming out faster, spiralling around her head and disappearing into the air. Her heart was burning in her chest. It wasn’t cold any longer. It was hot. Sweat dripped from her face; her hands, clammy on the oars struggled to keep their grip.
In, out. In, out.
‘You can’t outrun me, goddess!’ the Jelvia yelled over the distance.
Jenny couldn’t answer even if she wanted to. The muscles in her arms were burning. She was running on adrenaline and sheer fear.
In, out. In, out.
The first setting sun lit up the horizon in a multitude of colours, and the other, a bright twinkly orange star was like a fixed firework in the sky, the twinkles flaring out and seemingly touching its sister star.
Jenny was oblivious to the sky’s beauty. The Jelvia was closing the gap between them, and she could see his features clearly. The blow, which she inflicted, was running a river of blood down his face. He brushed it away by raising a shoulder and wiping his head against it every time it reached his eyes.
Jenny was almost sobbing in frustration as his boat glided through the water, as though there was a hidden engine somewhere. She looked back towards the mountains. They were closer. This gave her strength. Her oars pounded through the water.
In, out. In, out.
She was speeding away. It was her boat that had an engine! The Jelvia was further away now. She hadn’t slowed down. She’d speeded up! The muscles in her arms were pumped!
The second sun slipped behind the horizon in a riot of colour, and she could no longer see the Jelvia’s face. He was a figure in a boat, keeping time with her, and not hurrying to fill the gap between them. She had a horrible suspicion that he was deliberately holding back. Maybe to lull her into a false sense of security or more probably, he was merely playing with her.
In, out. In, out.
Although the suns had set, the eight moons of the planet were bright in the sky, and with the added reflection from the salt-water lake, the night was exceptionally bright.
She hadn’t had time to gage the Jelvia’s height other that he was taller than her and a lot stronger. His thick arms had easily held her still, and now they effortlessly rowed after her.
Steady. Biding his time.
‘Can’t think that way, Jen,’ she told herself. ‘Row. Come on! Row!’
Her chest was sore from exertion. She looked over her shoulder and saw the mountains, they were still very far away, but the shore was within reach. And once she reached it she’d be able to find her way on foot. She just needed to escape from the Jelvia first.
In, out. In, out.
Nearly there, Jen. Nearly there.
The craggy shore was no longer a blur. It was in full focus. She looked back at the Jelvia, and knew he was aware that he could catch her at any moment. He sat now, in the boat, oars resting on his knees just watching her fight for her life.
She looked away.
In, out.
She heard a yell and a curse. She looked around and saw a tentacle break through the water’s surface and grab the side of the Jelvia’s boat. The boat rocked unsteadily. She could see the Jelvia looking over the side of the boat, searching through the waves for the sea beast.
Jenny didn’t slow her pace. She turned back, and concentrated on moving her arms.
In, out. In, out.
Land was closer, but it was all jagged rock. There was nowhere for her to climb up. She pointed the canoe towards a group of rocks separated from the mainland. The sea crashed into them sending up salty spray. Once she was behind them, she pointed the boat back towards the embankment; now she was concealed from the Jelvia. It might buy her time. A few minutes at the most.
In, out.
There was a heavy splash but Jenny didn’t linger to look. She urged her arms to work the oars. The land was within distance, and better, she could see a small sandy inlet.
The Jelvia’s boat looked far away. It was empty. She could see something elephant-grey floating in the sea. It was the sea monster. Dead. Then she saw the Jelvia swimming strongly for his boat. He hauled himself up, took up the oars and furiously began rowing.
He shouted something, but it was whipped away in the wind.
In, out.
Land scraped the bottom of the canoe. The coastline still seemed too far away, but she lurched to the side and into the water. She swam towards the shore until she was forced to wade. Even though the Jelvia was a good distance away, she didn’t slow once she felt hard ground beneath her feet, but ran across the sand until she reached the dunes and their clumped bladed grass. She looked for a place to hide, and noticed the weird coiled trees, which appeared to be a spiral of foliage on the ground until they shot upright in full bud.
She afforded a look around at the ocean. Apart from the boats, the ocean was empty. Her heart lurched. He was ashore already? Her chest was burning; her heart wild inside, she ran from the bladed grass and into the forest behind the coiled trees. She jumped over a fallen tree, scattering leaves, and pounded further into the damp jungle. Behind her, a coiled tree screamed as it unpinned from its invisible tether to mimic a fir tree. The further she ran into the jungle the more intense the animal chatter became. It masked her running feet.
She veered to the left, ran forward, and then turned to the right. Scissoring. She couldn’t hear the Jelvia behind. Couldn’t hear anything except her own wheezing breath and crashing heart. Even the animal chants were drowned out.
She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t run for much longer.
She forced herself to concentrate on Diana and Fly. But their images were fuzzy. Her eyesight was clouding, and there was a high-pitched whistle in her ears. Her knees gave out and she crashed to the ground. She lay sprawled on her front, momentarily stunned before dragging herself up on her knees. She noticed a thick, gnarled old tree. It was bent over, with weeds growing up it. From her knees, she saw the trunk was diseased and hollowed out. She crawled over, and careful not to disturb the weeds for they provided her protection, she slipped inside. There wasn’t much room. She pulled her knees into her chest, and rested her chin on top. She tried to ease her breathing. Her chest hurt. Her arms felt dead and her legs trembled.
She pressed her forehead against her knees and squeezed shut her eyes.
Chapter Fifty
All he could hear was a baby crying.
He sat up with a lurch. The rope was still around his neck but it had been cut; his arms were still bound behind his back. His throat felt raw and it hurt to breathe, but he clambered to his feet and ran over to the buggy. He shouldered his way to the front of the crowding men.
‘Don’t hurt her!’ he rasped and bent over the buggy, using his back to shield Diana as she bawled in the footwell. He strained against the bonds that tied his arms behind his back, and looked at his daughter as a wave of hopelessness fell over him. She was so defenceless, and he couldn’t protect her. He’d failed her and he’d failed Jenny. Diana’s cries changed to exhausted sobs. Fly was deflated and his eyes welled.
‘She seems a little young, even by your standards,’ Gorjum said behind him.
Fly wiped his nose on his shoulder but didn’t turn.
‘The red-haired alien doesn’t only exist but you want her all to yourself. No wonder you were so desperate to keep Molver quiet.’
Fly didn’t move, nor did he reply.
Gorjum turned to the others. ‘Tie him back to the tree until I decide what to do!’
‘Please, no. Untie me, let me tend to the child,’ Fly said as hands dragged him away from the buggy.
‘The female must have been desperate to escape without her baby,’ the man with the hoe said.
‘No, no she wasn’t,’ Fly said as he was dragged back to the tree. ‘She wasn’t my prisoner. She wasn’t! Gorjum, please!’
‘Sounds like you’re begging?’ Gorjum said
. He must have given a signal that Fly didn’t see for the hands holding him let go and he fell to his knees. ‘Begging?’
Fly lowered his head. ‘I’m begging you. Let me get the baby.’
‘Look at that,’ said Gorjum to the men, and the group sniggered. ‘Why do you care about this baby so much? There are plenty of female prims on the planet if you’re that way inclined.’
‘She’s my daughter,’ Fly answered quietly.
Other than Diana’s relentless crying, there was only silence.
‘You and the alien?’ someone said behind him.
Fly turned his head slightly saying, ‘Yes.’
‘Then that makes her all the more valuable if her body is compatible with ours.’
‘But she’s dead,’ Fly said. ‘The wardens have killed her.’
‘Molver didn’t think so. Neither do I.’
‘From someone who didn’t believe she existed a moment ago you—’ Fly began, but was struck across the head by something hard. He struggled back to his knees as Molver came running out of the forest followed by another man who Fly recognised as Saneg. He’d filled out since the last time he’d seen him, his thoughts were fleeting. Less of a boy and more of a man.
Molver ran straight to the buggy, and reached in to pick up the baby. The baby’s cries were pitiful.
‘Saneg has milked a cow for the baby,’ she said. She looked at Fly and noticed him on his knees with the rope still around his neck. ‘What’s going on? Gorjum?’
‘I’ve given him a slight reprieve,’ Gorjum said turning to Molver.
The other men crowded around Molver and the baby, and Fly was knocked to the ground in their surge.
‘Take the guns off your heads,’ he heard Molver snap as she became lost from view behind them.
Gorjum stepped out of the crowd and bent to where Fly was struggling to right himself. ‘This is just a reprieve,’ he said. ‘Your death will happen.’ He straightened and said to someone. ‘Take him.’
The rope was grabbed, and Fly was hauled up and led like an animal into the dale.
