The Navigator (The Apollo Stone Trilogy Book 1)

by P. M. Johnson

  “That was close,” said Logan.

  Lena sat up and looked at Cap. “I thought I was dead. I owe you one.”

  Cap pulled himself up until he was resting on one elbow. “No sweat,” he said with a smile. “At least now I can tell people I got to jump on you.”

  Lena smiled and shook her head. “You never let up, do you.”

  Evret and the two guards came up the steps behind them. “Break’s over,” he said to the three. “On yer feet and up them steps.”

  They stood and continued to the top of the stone wall where Kane and Ravenwood were waiting. They’d heard the commotion, and Logan could see that Ravenwood was visibly relieved to see they were all right. Kane’s stony expression was impossible to read, but Logan sensed he too was relieved.

  “What’d you find, Evret?” asked a guard at the top of the stairs.

  “Some lowlanders came knockin’ at the East Gate,” replied Evret. “Tamara says she wants a little parlay with ‘em.”

  Evret led the way toward a low stone structure built against the side of the mountain. Logan looked to his left and right and saw a number of campfires burning with figures of men and women standing around them. Some had weapons slung over their shoulders. Others were cooking food over the fires or drinking from canteens and bottles. As they got closer to the building, Logan saw it was constructed from large stones of various shapes and sizes with generous amounts of mortar added to hold them together. Two guards were stationed on the roof.

  Evret raised a hand to the guards as he approached. “Visitors for Tamara.”

  A guard nodded and spoke into a radio. After a moment, he said, “She’s in the Great Hall.”

  Someone inside the building opened one of the two large wooden doors. They went through into an antechamber lit by a single lightbulb at the end of a wire hanging from the ceiling. They passed through a second set of doors and entered a large open room with long wooden tables and benches. There were groups of people sitting at some of the benches eating and drinking from wooden mugs. Some of them were talking loudly and laughing. One group started singing a song, slapping the table and banging their mugs in time. Lightbulbs dangling from the ceiling provided modest illumination for the room, but most of the light came from a blazing fire at the far end of the Great Hall. Evret led them toward the fire.

  As they approached, a tall, lean woman stood up. “Ah, who’s this, Evret?” she asked in a reedy but strong voice. “An old friend come to visit?”

  “Found ‘em at the East Gate, Tamara,” answered Evret. “They had these.”

  He motioned for Ned and the other guard to come forward. They opened two large sacks containing the guns, swords, and bracers they’d confiscated and placed them on the table in front of the woman. Then Evret plopped the sphere down on the table with a thud.

  Tamara leaned forward to examine what they had brought, squinting her eyes and smiling. Logan could see in the dancing light of the fire that her long hair was mostly gray and her thin weather-beaten face was creased with fine lines.

  “Mmm. Swords and bracers,” she said mostly to herself as she picked up one of the swords and held it up to the light. “Lowlanders with Red Leg weapons. Mighty suspicious, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Mighty suspicious, Tamara” echoed Evret.

  Ravenwood looked at Evret and said, “We’d like the medallion back, if you don’t mind. Family heirloom, you see.”

  Evret scowled at him. Then he looked at Tamara, who was tapping the table with her index finger. He reached into his vest pocket and retrieved the medallion. Placing it on the table, he said, “A man should be compensated for sittin’ out there in the cold all night long.”

  “Two hots and a cot is more than most get, so count yerself lucky,” replied Tamara.

  A few men and women stood up from nearby tables and gathered around the strangers. One of the women reached for the medallion, but Tamara grabbed her wrist and pushed it away.

  “Perhaps I should explain the purpose of our visit to the Gap,” said Ravenwood as he stepped forward. Evret immediately put his arm in front of Ravenwood to prevent him from approaching Tamara.

  “No need for that, Evret,” said the Tamara. “This is Ravenwood. You’ve heard me talkin’ about Ravenwood. He’s always been a good friend to the Greenspurs. Hasn’t been here in a long while, but he used to bring supplies and news about the great big world below the mountains.”

  She walked toward Ravenwood and stood in front of him for a moment, studying his face. Then she reached down and untied his hands. She indicated for Evret to untie the others’ hands as well. “Sit down and eat something,” she said. “You look like you haven’t had a hot meal in while.”

  Ravenwood sat at the bench near the end of the table. “A hot meal would be very welcome,” he said. The others sat next to him on the bench.

  Tamara indicated for Evret to take the weapons away. “No offense, but my people get a little nervous when they see those things,” she said as she sat down across from them. “It’s been five years since Red Legs tried to come up here, and we wupped ‘em good, but they’re damn hard to kill when they got them shields on.”

  “Don’t protect ‘em from rollin’ boulders,” observed Evret.

  “No it don’t,” echoed Ned.

  “Evret, Ned, don’t you have jobs to do?” asked Tamara. “Git back out to the East Gate.”

  Evret scowled, but he turned around and smacked the other two guards in the chest. “C’mon. Shift ain’t over yet.”

  Tamara watched them leave, then she looked at the faces of the others who had gathered around. “You all can move along. I’m gonna have a private conversation with these folks.”

  As she spoke, two women brought bowls of steaming meat stew to Logan and the others. Logan smelled the food and suddenly realized he was famished. He wanted to grab a spoon and dig in, but he hesitated and watched Ravenwood and Kane instead. Cap and Lena did the same. Sensing their eyes on him, Ravenwood looked around the table and smiled. He picked up his spoon, nodded in gratitude toward Tamara, and ate a bite of the stew.

  “This is outstanding venison stew,” he remarked. “And you are right, it has been a while since we’ve eaten anything other than stale bread and dried meat.”

  The others started eating. To Logan, the stew was the best thing he’d ever eaten.

  “Now what brings you to Cumberland?” asked Tamara as she watched Ravenwood take a bite. “I can tell you it’s been at least twelve years since you last passed through. I remember because that’s when the new Grand Guardian Harken thought he’d starve us out of the mountains by cuttin’ off trade with the lowlanders. Damned fool.”

  She looked at Lena and said, “The old bastard didn’t understand the mountains give us everything we need. And Ravenwood here brought us a mule train full of supplies. Came up the Old Furnace Trail. Unnecessary, ‘cause we were gettin’ along just fine, but much appreciated.”

  Looking at Ravenwood, she said, “Before that, I’d say I was about fifteen years old when I last saw you come through. I remember comin’ into the cabin after huntin’ and found you chattin’ with my daddy, God rest his soul.”

  Ravenwood nodded his head and smiled as he ate his stew. For the first time, Logan had the impression Ravenwood was not his normal cheerful, confident self. He seemed to be careful not to make eye contact with Tamara.

  Tamara leaned toward Ravenwood. “You haven’t changed a lick,” she said as she studied his face. “I mean, you look exactly the same as when I saw you last. Not much different than when I was a girl either.”

  Ravenwood put down his spoon and looked at Tamara. “Believe me, I’ve aged. It may not look like it, but there are a lot of miles on this old cart, as the saying goes.” He smiled pleasantly.

  Tamara shook her head, “Well, whatever yer doin’ keep doin’ it.” She looked at the faces of Ravenwood’s companions, stopping when she saw Kane. “Now, you look like a mean one. Full of piss and vinegar. Don’t you ever
smile?”

  Kane looked at her and gave her a slight smile, but he didn’t speak. Tamara shrugged.

  “So what brings you and your young delicate friends to the Gap?” she asked, giving Logan, Cap, and Lena a brown toothed smile.

  Ravenwood placed his spoon on the table and cleared his throat. “As you no doubt know, the Guardians are preparing an assault on the League of Cities. The spring rains are passed and the ground is drying up so they’ll attack soon. They’ve been moving troops and heavy equipment west, and I’m told they finally have the factories of Detroit up and running, churning out tanks and guns. The League will need all the help they can get to hold the line so we are on our way across the Mississippi to assist in any way we can.”

  “And you want to pass through the Gap to get to the Big River,” said Tamara. “Well, as you might have guessed, the Guardians have tightened everything up. You can get to the other side of the Gap, but there’ll be regular Flat Foot soldiers plus Red Legs waitin’ for you on the other side. With all them troops swarmin’ around, I’m not sure how you even made it to the East Gate without gettin’ caught.”

  “We kept to the old trails,” said Ravenwood. He scratched his head then asked, “Have you seen any Flat Foots or Red Legs in the Gap? Are they probing your borders?”

  Tamara leaned back and said, “Not yet, but they’ll being comin’ soon, that’s for sure. I don’t think they’ll launch a full-scale attack, but they’ll want to box us in here to make sure we don’t cause trouble while they attack across the river.”

  “And if the invasion is successful, you can be sure they’ll turn their full attention to you next,” said Ravenwood. “You’ve been a thorn in the Grand Guardian’s side for too long. Your private trade with the lowlands is diverting food and supplies from their intended destinations. He can’t let that go on forever.”

  “Nah,” said Tamara with a wave of her hand. “You’ve got it all wrong. The Grand Guardian needs us. We produce more coal than any of their so-called mining developments. And like you said, Detroit is back on line so they need fuel, lots of it. They don’t want to mess with their main coal supplier, so I think our arrangement will continue for a long time to come.”

  Ravenwood shook his head. “No, Tamara,” he said. “The economy of the People’s Republic of America can only function if it has complete control of all the inputs and outputs. The Guardians cannot allow you to live as you do without risking the eventual collapse of the order they’ve constructed.”

  Tamara looked at the others. “What do you all think of this?” she asked, grinning. “Are you goin’ off with Ravenwood to save the free cities? You gonna’ cut them Detroit tanks in half with yer little swords? Do yerselves a favor. Stay clear of that fight. You can stay up here with us Greenspurs. Look around you, we’ve got good lives up here. Hell of a lot better than anything below the mountains.”

  Logan smiled but he did not respond. The others also remained silent.

  “Well, you think about it,” she said. She waved at a woman to come to her. “When they’re done eatin’, take these folks to the bunkhouse. Give ‘em blankets and show ‘em to the showers. They’ve been on the trails for a while and could use a little freshnin’ up.”

  She looked at her guests. “We’ll get you fixed up and send you on yer way tomorra, but like I said, yer gonna run into Flat Foots and Red Legs as soon as you get through the Gap. Might want to reconsider. Yer welcome to stay here as long as you like.”

  “Thank you, Tamara,” said Ravenwood. “We greatly appreciate your hospitality and your offer. But we will take our chances.”

  Tamara smiled and stood up. As she walked away, Kane said, “Since we’re all best friends, can we have our weapons back?”

  Tamara stopped and turned to face him. “You’d better let me hold on to ‘em for a little longer,” she said, giving Kane a wink. “Don’t want folks to see strangers walkin’ around with all that hardware. Might make ‘em nervous.”

  Tamara left them to finish their meals, which they ate in silence. Logan tried to ask Ravenwood a question, but he shook his head in warning, nodding slightly toward the nearby red-haired woman Tamara had assigned to attend to them.

  When they finished eating, the red-haired woman led them through a large door in the back of the Great Hall. They entered a long stone hallway. There were a few heavy wooden doors on either side. After walking about twenty-five meters they saw a large open room to the right. There were rows of beds and tables, and footlockers were tucked under the beds.

  “Pick an unused bed. I’ll be back with blankets in a minute,” said the red-haired woman, disappearing before anyone could ask her anything.

  They found a group of beds near the door that they found suitable. The woman reappeared and tossed blankets at each one of them. “Washroom’s down the hall to on the right.” Then she held out a single lump of soap and asked, “Who’s the lucky one who gits to go first?”

  An hour later, they were washed and reasonably clean. They did not have fresh clothes to change into because Evret had left their packs at the gate, but it was an improvement. Logan assumed the guards would pick through the packs and claim any valuables, but he didn’t mind. He’d been fed and bathed, and now he had a real bed and a blanket. Life was pretty good.

  Logan lay down on the narrow bed and smiled, the bed’s leather straps creaking under his weight. He looked up at the others and said, “Good night. Wake me when we’re across the Mississippi.” He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

  Chapter 36

  The black armored vehicle swiftly rolled into place just passed the three-story building. Security guards dressed in dark uniforms and holding urban assault M-35s exited the vehicle and quickly fanned out in a semicircle about twenty-five meters across. Moments later, a black limousine appeared and stopped in front of the building. It was followed by a second armored vehicle.

  Grand Guardian Harken stepped out of the limousine and briskly walked toward the door to the building, two guards trailing in his wake. One of the guards ran ahead and pulled the door open for him. Harken went through and the two guards tried to follow him inside, but he stopped them.

  “You won’t be needed,” he said. “Wait here.”

  Harken ascended two flights of stairs and walked down a narrow dimly lit passage past several closed doors until he reached a large open room with windows lining the two exterior walls. A tall, lean figure with pale skin and straight white hair reaching past his shoulders stood up from a leather sofa located in the middle of the room.

  “Grand Guardian Harken,” he said. “What a pleasure, please come in. Sit.”

  “Mr. Kurak,” said Harken as he walked toward the bar to his right. “Glad I caught you at home.”

  “You know I’m always at home,” replied Kurak. “Or at the lab.” He smiled to reveal straight white teeth, so perfectly aligned they appeared to be fused together.

  Harken poured himself a whiskey out of a heavy crystal decanter. He took two gulps and refilled his glass. He grabbed the decanter and an extra glass and walked toward Kurak. He sat in the leather chair opposite the sofa. He placed the glasses and the decanter on the table next to the chair and motioned for Kurak to sit.

  “What troubles you?” asked Kurak.

  “You know damn well what troubles me,” said Harken, as he picked up the empty glass and the whiskey decanter. He held them out toward his host.

  “None for me,” said Kurak.

  Harken shrugged and put them back down. “I don’t trust a man who doesn’t drink.”

  “Then you must be disappointed on several counts,” said Kurak with a smile.

  Harken took a sip of whiskey and exhaled slowly. He set his glass down and looked at Kurak, whose pale blue eyes calmly returned the gaze.

  “Tell me we don’t need the Apollo Stone,” said Harken. “Tell me the other wonder machines and weapons we will soon deploy will be enough.”

  “You know I can’t tell you that
,” replied Kurak. “The Apollo Stone is far more significant than all of the other advances combined. You will need it to gain total victory and to maintain order once the battles have been won.”

  “Our troops are well trained and ready,” replied Harken. “We can win without the stone.”

  Kurak leaned forward. His smile had disappeared. “You know the League’s true strength of arms. You outnumber them, of course, but they are well prepared for this fight. Even if we successfully cross the river, they will fall back to Deep Six and continue to fight until our supplies are exhausted. We need a fully functional Blackhawk to disrupt their plans, break their spirit, and quickly end the war.”

  Harken shook his head. “Damn it,” he whispered as he took another sip.

  “Let me help with the search,” said Kurak. “I can locate its space-time signature better than anyone.”

  “No thank you,” said Harken. “Your physical appearance is, how shall I put it, a little unsettling to the troops.”

  “You don’t think they would believe what we tell the lab staff? That I’m an albino with a skin mutation?” asked Kurak with a light chuckle.

  “No,” said Harken with a mirthless smile. “They would not.”

  “I wonder why that is?” Kurak mused. “Your people swallow every other story you and the Guardians tell them. Why not this one?”

  “Because you’re a stone-cold killer, and they can sense that,” said Harken without hesitation. “But that’s okay. We’re all killers. The times call for it. But with you it’s different. They can tell there’s something unusually dangerous about you, and they fear it.”

  “I don’t think I’ve given anyone cause to think I am anything other than a devoted servant to the cause of protecting this great nation,” said Kurak.

  “You can save the bullshit for people like Castell and Chambers,” said Harken. “I know the whole story. Who you are. Why you’re here.”

  Kurak leaned back into the sofa but didn’t respond.

  After a moment, Harken asked, “Why do you think he took it? Why’d Chambers steal the Apollo Stone?”