High Flyer (Verdant String)

by Michelle Diener

  It gave her pause that she could sense their disquiet, though. She hadn't felt them as such separate entities within her for at least eight months or more.

  “What is it?” Iver was looking down at her, a crease between his eyebrows. He brushed her hair back with the tip of a finger.

  She caught it, gave it a squeeze. “You found us a place to rest and recover, and you probably also helped us get a step closer to finding out what's going on. Thank you.”

  She slid an arm around him, under his shirt, and slowly traced the muscles of his back. “Do you know why Banyon was so excited about what was in the lander? Why he was shouting at the driver?”

  Iver lifted his head, and she swiped a nervous tongue over her bottom lip at what she saw in his eyes. Her fingertips pressed into the skin of his back and he closed his eyes and shook his head in a sharp movement, as if to clear it.

  “I heard Banyon shouting about inventory. I'm guessing whatever's in the back here has been taken without being officially accounted for, and Banyon is afraid it's going to come back on him. The driver wanted him to sign something, and I'm betting it was an inventory approval.”

  “You think the driver's making a supply run to whatever is happening out in the Spikes? The place Lancaster was afraid you'd find when you started the sky lane route survey?”

  “We've been off a sealed road for some time, so yes.” He lay back down, ran a bold hand over her breast, down her side. “I wish we had time and the guarantee of privacy.”

  She smiled against his cheek, even scratchier after three days of scruff. “Me, too.” She wanted to rub herself against him, resisted the urge with difficulty. He was right. This was not a safe place for what they wanted to do.

  He sighed and lifted up reluctantly. “Are you hungry?”

  She nodded, and he rose to a crouch, reaching for a small stack nearby and taking two boxes with intertwined letters on the front.

  “R-Meals.” She gave a resigned shrug as she took one. “Nothing I haven't eaten before.”

  “They aren't good,” he agreed. “We should really do something to fix that.”

  She smiled. “Tell the admiral that you'll solve the transportation problem on Faldine only after you've managed to create delicious army food.”

  “As food science is not my area, why don't I just get someone else to do that at the same time as I'm building the sky lane?”

  She pointed the spoon that she'd unclipped from the side of the box at him. “Of course. I sometimes forget you're head-of-planet.”

  He raised his brows and grinned at her. “I'd like to forget it, most days. It was a hard lesson on deferring my public service obligations. By the time my deferment had expired, they needed a head-of-planet.”

  She cocked her head. “Isn't head-of-planet one of the few voted roles?”

  “Yes, but that's on a full VSC planet. Faldine is technically still a vassal, so the VSC decided who got the job. They picked me, and generously decided to count it as my public service duty.”

  “Poor baby.” She leaned across and kissed his cheek.

  “You say that, but I don't think you mean it.”

  She grinned and shrugged. Forced herself to swallow some more of the congealed food on the disposable tray.

  Beneath them, the engine sound changed, from a steady rumble to a sudden, higher whine. The whole vehicle lurched.

  Hana exchanged a look with Iver and packed away her food. He had been busy while she slept, she saw. There were two packs stacked against one of the crates and he rose to his feet and lifted them off the floor.

  He must have put them together from the supplies in the back.

  She took the one he offered her, testing the weight of it before she strapped it on.

  The lander had slowed and Iver moved to the doors. “It's going slow enough now that it should be safe to jump out.”

  She nodded. Better escape while they could than stay and possibly be trapped inside in an enemy camp later.

  Iver opened the doors, and she saw they were traveling over rocky ground, the vehicle battling with the uneven terrain.

  The whole vehicle suddenly slowed further and tipped upward, and Iver jumped out, the ground just an easy step down.

  He turned for her, hand outstretched, and she took it, hopped out, and carefully closed the doors behind her.

  They both crouched down at what she saw was the foot of a rocky outcrop, and the lander disappeared from sight above them.

  “Follow it?” Hana asked.

  Iver nodded. “The speed it's going, I think we can keep up easily.”

  Hana smiled at him. “That's because the head-of-planet hasn't fixed the transport problem yet.”

  She heard his laughter behind her as she hauled herself up the rock.

  Chapter 15

  This deep in the Spikes, the mid-morning sun was muted as it reached down to the valley floor.

  Iver looked up to see searing blue skies above while they walked in the shadow of the mountain.

  “There's something about this place.” Hana looked over her shoulder at him. “My warning systems are on full alert.”

  He thought she looked genuinely worried, as if there was more to it than just a feeling.

  “It's the strange effect of the light.” He agreed with her, though, it felt like more than that. The back of his neck prickled. “I've had a few submissions regarding bringing VSC tourists here to experience the atmosphere.”

  She muttered something under her breath, which sounded like 'good luck to them'.

  Despite the eerie sense of something watching them with ill-intent, he grinned.

  She delighted him.

  Up ahead, the lander's engine changed pitch, and he slowed, just as Hana did, waiting for it to negotiate whatever obstacle was in its way.

  It stopped moving, and they heard a shout, and then the sound of raised voices.

  Hana turned her head to look at him, then pointed to one of the boulders that lined the sides of the valley like a row of sentinels. He followed her as she jogged toward it. He dropped his pack beside hers, giving her a boost up the side of the rock and then pulled himself up after her.

  “Anything?” He settled in beside her, keeping his voice to a soft murmur.

  She shook her head. “Whatever's happening, its just over the rise.” She pointed and he saw the top of the lander was just visible up ahead but nothing else.

  The shouting grew a little louder.

  “We need to get closer.” He pointed to a spot up ahead, a cluster of bushes that might give them enough cover.

  She nodded and turned, sliding down the rock to land in a graceful crouch. She had their packs in her hand by the time he'd jumped down beside her.

  They moved silently, weaving between boulders and staying low. The ground was covered with a thick, lush vegetation Iver wasn't familiar with, but it was good for muffling the sound of their footsteps.

  “We just want to know what's going on.” The first voice Iver could hear clearly was an annoying whine.

  They had reached the bushes, and he lowered himself to the ground, hoping he'd be able to see through the branches to whatever was happening beyond.

  Hana crouched beside him, head cocked to listen, her face intent.

  “Given you set a trap for me, I'm not likely to tell you, am I?” A hand moved, just a flash through the leaves, but enough to give Iver the location of the driver.

  He seemed to be out of the lander.

  “We only did that because we knew you wouldn't stop if we tried to flag you down.” A woman spoke. Iver just made out her silhouette through the leaves.

  “Well, now you've had your chance to say what you want, let me be on my way.” The driver's voice had an edge to it.

  “Sure.” A third voice spoke up, another man. “We're not going to stop you, but consider things from our point of view. I've seen a few of your friends coming and going, and some of them I recognize from the war. Made me curious, that's all. There's t
alk about a resurgence, and we were just wondering--”

  “We are not planning a resurgence.” The driver cut him off, tone flat and angry.

  “That's what you say, but you're on a supply run, unless I'm mistaken, and as I said before, there are people I recognize from way back, from the havens. And I want in on what's going on. Especially as we've been living in this part of the Spikes since the war ended, and I still haven't found the camp you're headed for. Some trickery going on here, is my guess.”

  “This deal is invitation only.” The driver moved his hand again, a cutting motion. “If you didn't get an invite, that's the end of it.”

  “Well, now, I'm sure our invitation was just an oversight.” The woman put a little lilt into her voice, shifted again. “As Craven said, we live out here, and we have a right--”

  “Not any right we recognize.” The driver moved; Iver could hear from his voice that he was bending down. He heard a rock hit the ground, as if the driver had thrown it. “You going to move your obstacles, or not?”

  “Given you haven't been very polite, why should we?” The first man, the whiner, asked.

  There was a beat of silence.

  The driver sighed. “How about I promise to raise your issues with the top tier? That's all I can do, anyway.”

  Maybe he'd spent too long in the thick of politics, but Iver heard the insincerity in the driver's voice. He was saying what he thought they wanted to hear to get out of there.

  “Proper old style hierarchy.” The third person in the group's voice was approving. “None of this VSC flat structure nonsense.” The man spat.

  “You were in the havens, you said?” the driver asked.

  “I was. We all were.”

  “I'll tell them. It'll mean something to them.”

  There was another beat of silence, and then the sound of rocks being rolled away.

  From behind them and up the hill, Iver heard the long, lonely cry of a druf.

  Hana turned at the sound, frowning.

  “You can tell your two colleagues to come out, now that we're all friends here,” the woman said.

  Iver went still, and his gaze clashed with Hana's, wide with shock.

  “Two colleagues?” the driver asked.

  “The two you dropped off a little way down the valley. The ones who've been trailing behind you.”

  The driver made a sharp sound, and Iver saw a ripple of movement.

  “You saw two people climb out my lander?”

  “Yes.” The words were choked out, as if the driver had grabbed the woman by her throat.

  There was a scuffle and heavy breathing.

  “Easy. You didn't know about the two people?” One of the men said slowly. “They were stowaways?”

  “Apparently.” The answer was gritted out between teeth. “What do they look like?”

  “Why don't we just go get them? Last I saw, they were just over the rise.”

  “They're definitely watching us,” the other man agreed. He gave a whistle and Iver heard the sound of rocks dislodging down the side of the valley. He turned his head to see two women and a man running down the slope toward him and Hana.

  Smugglers, Iver realized as he rose up. These were smugglers, hiding in the Spikes. Their clothing was tattered and dusty, their hair wild, but one was holding a SAL, and it looked just as efficient as anyone else's.

  Hana had her feet under her, crouching as she also took stock of who was coming at them.

  “The ones who're with the driver can't see us, that bird call earlier was the signal. Either they don't have comms, or comms don't work out here.” She shrugged on her pack.

  He gauged how long they had before the three smugglers reached them. “We need to move.”

  Hana straightened up. “There.” She made a small movement with her hand, pointing to the other side of the valley, where the rocks were bigger and there were more hiding places.

  Iver agreed. “Go.”

  He ran with her, pack banging against his back. They made themselves difficult targets, weaving around bushes and rocks, jumping the narrow stream that ran along the valley floor.

  The three chasing them shouted something Iver couldn't hear. It didn't matter--they'd made it to the stone sentinels on the other side, tall boulders standing in a drunken line down the length of the valley.

  Hana turned as soon as they reached the first one, looking back with a quick glance.

  She swore.

  “They're fast. They're making good time.”

  “And I heard the lander start up. They're going to turn it around and try to run us down.” Iver could hear the three people who'd stopped the driver shouting questions about his and Hana's location to their friends.

  “Then we go up, where the lander can't reach us.” Hana took off at an angle, cutting left and up the side of the mountain.

  Iver followed, head pounding with exhaustion, boots slipping on the loose scree that covered the valley slope.

  He hadn't slept in at least two days, and while he'd rested in the lander, he'd been too afraid to sleep while Hana was unconscious. He'd dozed a few times, but hadn't let himself truly rest.

  He didn't think he could manage this pace for much longer.

  Up ahead, Hana gave a sudden cry of pain, and he found he hadn't reached the end of his resources after all.

  He sped toward the rock that was blocking her from view, and then had to grab her as he rounded the corner so he didn't bowl her over.

  “You're hurt?” He ran his hands down her shoulders and arms.

  “Trapped.” She pointed to her foot.

  It was caught in a nasty serrated metal device that had closed over her boot.

  Rage, blinding white and just as hot, seared him. This was . . . unacceptable.

  He crouched down, saw it had punctured the fabric of her boot and blood was welling beneath it.

  “Go.” She half-crouched herself, balancing awkwardly with her trapped foot.

  “What?” He stared at her, incredulous.

  “I'm not going anywhere. You don't have time to free me now, but if you hide, you'll have the chance to rescue me later.”

  “No.”

  The shouts of the smugglers were getting louder, and then they were drown out by the lander's engine.

  “Please, Iver. Hide. Come for me on your own terms. If we're both prisoners, or dead, what good will that do?” Her face was ashy with pain, her lips almost bloodless.

  “I don't want to leave you.” He slid his palm over her cheek.

  “I don't want that, either.” She leaned into his hand. “But I don't want us both caught even more.”

  Iver could hear the clink and crack of boots on scree now. He rose up, torn by the most difficult decision he'd ever had to make.

  “Now,” she whispered. “Now, before it's too late. And watch out for more of these traps.”

  He leaned forward, kissed her hard on the lips and then darted behind the next rock, taking an angle that would make him invisible. He reached the next one, and then slid under the first bush he came to.

  He wasn't leaving her alone, he was just hiding. If they tried to kill her, he planned to stop it, no matter the consequences.

  No matter what.

  Chapter 16

  Hana tried to turn, to face the smugglers racing up the hillside toward her, but the metal trap was fixed in place, and when she moved, pain shot up her leg in white hot agony.

  Her upgrade had deadened the pain until she tried to move, then it had let the pain loose again--an admonishment to keep still or she'd do more damage. And even with the deadening, it was still a throb, like a hammer hitting her with every beat of her heart.

  She steeled herself for the arrival of the smugglers, throwing her arms out to make herself bigger and easier to see, so they wouldn't slam into her.

  A woman rounded the rock first, backpedaling as soon as she saw Hana. She was jostled by the man who was right behind her, and he swore at her before he understood the
situation, jerking her roughly aside.

  The woman sent him a look of deep dislike, almost malice, and then elbowed him in retaliation.

  The third woman arrived a few moments later, panting, her steps far slower. She was young--Hana guessed not yet in her twenties.

  She skidded to a halt at the sight of them. “She's caught in the trap?” Her eyes went wide with horror.

  “Run down and let Craven know,” the first woman said, her eyes never leaving Hana.

  “What about the man with her?” The other woman asked.

  “Don't worry about him now, Lia.” The woman was impatient. “Craven needs to know we have her.”

  Lia's mouth formed a stubborn line, then she took a step back, turned, and disappeared.

  “Lia's right, though. We need both of them. We should keep up the chase. She's not going anywhere.” The man's gaze lifted higher up the mountain side.

  “Well, go on then, Barre.” The woman crossed her arms over her chest. “He's got quite a lead by now.”

  Barre turned on her, snarling, and Hana felt genuinely afraid for the first time. This man was feral.

  “Fuck you, Brynja.”

  The woman must have been used to him, though, because she stood her ground, head slightly cocked. She stared him down, and with a curse he turned and stalked past Hana, although his speed indicated he'd all but given up on the chase.

  As soon as he was gone, Brynja relaxed slightly and straightened. “Your friend left you, did he?”

  Hana stared past her, ignoring her. She wondered if it would be better if they knew they were chasing the head-of-planet, or not.

  Smugglers were unpredictable.

  The information could make them back away, or they could think it was a great opportunity to blackmail the VSC.

  On balance, she decided no information was the best route.

  She wondered where Iver had hidden.

  Close, she would bet.

  She could only hope he'd left no trail for the feral Barre to follow.

  The sound of footsteps coming up the hill snapped Brynja's attention from Hana and she was standing straight as a group arrived. Hana guessed the first three were the ones who'd stopped the lander, then came Lia, and then came the driver himself.