The Hunted

by Andrew Wichland

  “What is this place?” Robin asked as they darted around a bend.

  “I would have thought you’d have figured that out.”

  “I did—I was just hoping I was wrong,” Robin replied. “The smell is certainly enough to knock me out for the count.” He was doing his best to breathe through his mouth and not his nose.

  They came to a skidding stop. A dead end of sand piled high with protruding stones loomed before them.

  “I am sure you know this place better than I do, but I hope this is part of your plan,” Robin said, turning to look back the way they came.

  “Always,” the figure said, and Robin glanced back to see him press his hand against a stone in the wall.

  At once, the sand parted as a double door concealed under it opened. “Not bad,” Robin said, and when they darted inside, the doors sealed behind them.

  Breathing deeply, Robin looked back at the doors in the darkness before looking at the figure, who eyed him in the dark.

  Robin took in the lean, muscular frame he could see under his robed clothing. Like him, he seemed barely winded after the escape they’d just made.

  “Follow me,” the figure said and moved past him down the tunnel.

  “Don’t need a light?” Robin asked, turning to follow him.

  “No more than you do, I suspect.”

  “You’re sharp,” Robin murmured under his breath.

  “And I have good hearing,” the figure piped up.

  “Good to know. Got a name?”

  “Adam,” he answered.

  “Robin. Nice to meet you.”

  “I’ll save my greetings until we’re safe,” Adam said, turning to look at him, “and I know I can trust you.”

  Paranoid? Robin thought as he eyed Adam’s back.

  For the next thirty minutes, the pair walked down the tunnel, which wound this way and that like a corkscrew. Finally, Robin could make out a pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel. It grew larger and larger as they continued until they emerged into the sandy-floored tunnel.

  After going down it, they came to a large metal door with an imbedded lever. Grabbing the lever, Adam’s fingers flew across the key pad next to it in a flash—so fast that Robin barely caught the combination.

  With a hiss, the door unsealed itself. Adam pulled the lever, and there was another hiss as the second seal was broken.

  He eyed the large space beyond the door with crates piled one on top of the other. Some stacks went all the way to the ceiling; some barely made it above his waist.

  As he turned in a circle, he caught sight of strung-up hammocks, a couple of discarded toys, and old-looking computer emitters.

  “Not bad at all,” Robin continued, looking at Adam as he closed the door behind him.

  He was not surprised when a few dozen people of various ages, some quite young, popped out of various hiding positions, all training weapons on him.

  “Now, I have some questions, and you’re going to answer them,” Adam said, reaching to start unraveling his head scarf.

  Robin watched, mouth parting slightly, as more of Adam’s face was revealed. A flow of long, black hair fell down to Adam’s shoulders. The last thing he removed was his tinted goggles, and as he turned his head with the quick movement, Robin caught sight of three pointed ears.

  For a solid second, all Robin could do was stare at what was almost a mirror image of his face with minor details making the difference.

  “Now, who are you?” Adam demanded.

  Giving himself a slight shake, Robin said, “You might not believe me.”

  In answer, Adam snatched a rifle from a girl next to him. Putting it to his shoulder, he took aim at him. “Try me,” he growled. Sighing, Robin reached for his goggles. “Slowly,” Adam warned.

  Robin slowly pulled his goggles off and saw Adam’s eyes narrow. Just as slowly, he uncovered his face. The rifle in the other man’s arms dropped a little in surprise as he looked into Robin’s eyes, which were shifting colors the same as his.

  “Would you believe me if I said I’m your brother?” Robin asked.

  Chapter 24

  Wanted

  The rifle Adam had been carrying dropped to his side as his eyes moved up and down Robin as if , he was unwilling to believe what they were telling him was right before him.

  “You have my attention,” he said, powering down the weapon and handing it back to the girl as he signaled for the rest to stand down.

  “I hope she knows that’s not a toy,” Robin muttered, watching the kid move away while the rest lowered their weapons and moved off. “What is this place?” he asked, looking around at the lit-up cave walls.

  “This used to be part of the main underground river,” Adam answered.

  Robin blinked in surprise as he glanced at Adam’s back. “What happened to it?” he asked, wondering what would have caused the river to dry up. But he only met the sound of silence. “So, was it you they were looking for out there?”

  Adam shrugged. “Maybe once upon a time. After all, I’ve had to steal for every meal.”

  Robin followed him as Adam slipped off his robe, exposing a sleeveless shirt. A strip of cloth covered one wrist, and a tattoo over his shoulder caught Robin’s eye. It was a burning skull missing a jaw bone with the sharp ends of what he guessed was a trinity poking out the top corners and center bottom, all surrounded by a fire-red background with gold framing.

  “You’re a Raider,” Robin said, and the other man looked at him. “That group out in the desert is with you?” Adam held his gaze for a second before he turned. “Why aren’t you with them?” Robin asked, making him turn back to face him.

  “Because I wouldn’t leave them.” He nodded to the people behind them. “Besides, they might be glad to get away from me for a while,” he said as he continued on.

  After blinking in surprise, Robin followed, catching up to him again near the disembodied head of a sentinel perched on a crate.

  Again, Robin took him by the arm to turn him. “Why?” he demanded. “From what I know of Raiders, they don’t leave their own behind!”

  “We don’t,” Adam said. “We wouldn’t even leave our dead behind.”

  “Then why did they leave you?”

  Adam was silent before he explained, “Let’s just say they wanted a break from me.” Robin frowned in confusion. “Let’s just say they call me their lucky charm.”

  “Wouldn’t that mean they would want you around?”

  Sighing, Adam looked away. “Let’s just say, a lucky charm isn’t always a good thing…at least, not in my case.”

  Before Robin could respond, he activated the computer and a woman’s face appeared. Lost for words, he stared in awe. She had long, fiery red hair, high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and slanted eyebrows. Above her narrow lips was a dainty nose.

  “Who is she?” Robin asked.

  “We don’t know,” Adam answered, arms crossed. “All we know is the Black Dragon wants her. Since a report that she’s been sighted here, the Black Dragon’s forces have been coming in droves.” Robin looked at him. “The Black Dragon wants her almost as much as the leader of the Resistance.”

  “Yeah, and nobody knows what he looks like,” Robin muttered.

  “Rumor has it he’s a Dragon Knight,” Adam said, and Robin’s gaze shot to him, “but then again, rumors also say he’s the Gold Dragon reborn. So, who can say what’s true and what’s not about him?”

  Robin shrugged in agreement. “One of the main reasons he’s still alive, probably,” he commented, “is because no one really knows anything about him.” Adam nodded, and Robin looked away. “But I know one thing about you.”

  Frowning, the other man looked at him. “What?”

  Robin turned to face him. “You are a Dragon Knight.”

  Chapter 25

  Water Rustler

  Adam blinked. “What?” he asked with a deepening frown. “What makes you say that?”

  Before he could stop him, Robin seized
his covered wrist. At once, Adam yanked it back, tearing a piece of the cloth. Robin’s other hand shot out to grab it, but Adam caught him just below the wrist.

  They locked eyes for a second before Robin reached up and moved the cloth covering his own bracelet. Adam froze at the sight of it, and at once the spark of recognition appeared in his eye before he met Robin’s gaze once more.

  “Because we both have one of these,” Robin answered, before glancing down and spying the other man’s weapon engravings on his bracelet similar to his own.

  After looking at each other for a second, they lowered their arms and relaxed. “What do you want?” Adam asked.

  Robin eyed the kids, who shot him glances. Some practiced disassembling and reassembling their weapons while a few of the older teens stuck close to each other with looks of affection. All around them, kids ran around, laughing like kids should.

  Taking Adam by the arm, they walked a short distance away. “Right now, I need to hook up with some people I know. Is there anywhere nearby you would feel safe meeting them?”

  Adam frowned. “Why would I want to meet them?”

  “Because we came a long way to find you,” he answered. “We deserve to at least meet with you.”

  For a second, Adam was silent. “Val!” he called out, and a second later, a teenaged boy arrived. “I have to go back out,” he snapped with complete authority as he slipped on a hooded cape. “You’re in charge until I get back.” The teen nodded as Adam covered his face as before. “Follow me,” he said, leading Robin into the caverns again.

  Once they were above ground, Robin’s face was covered with a different head scarf and shades instead of goggles. The pair walked through the streets as they eyed the sentinels still patrolling. He guessed they were looking for them.

  “So, how many people live here for them to build those?” he asked, jabbing a thumb at one of the towers that caught his eye.

  “Not as many as you’d think,” Adam answered, not looking up as he walked. “People don’t live there—they are water towers.”

  Blinking, Robin looked back at them. “Then you guys won’t be running out of water any time soon,” he said. “How did you find enough to fill them?”

  “They are constantly being filled by what’s left of the underground river,” he said, looking at him before drawing close, “which carved out the tunnels we were just in.” The two continued on. “Once that river spanned far and wide, and it used to be one of the many places in the city where people could collect water.” He then nodded toward a grand, dried up fountain. “Then Savic came and built his towers, and the river dried. Now, the only way to get water is by paying him.”

  Robin gasped at this. “Did he divert the river?” he asked, looking at his brother.

  Adam just nodded. “By the time these people found out what was going on, it was too late,” he said, pausing at a corner to glance around it.

  “And who is this Savic?” Robin asked.

  “Remember that fat man you stole from earlier?”

  Face hardening, Robin nodded as they walked around the corner. “Now I have a reason for us to meet again. Is that why the Raiders are here?”

  “In some aspects,” Adam said. “There’s nothing like robbing a thief.”

  “And you were sent in to find where he keeps his money?” Again, Adam nodded. “Then what were you doing with all those kids?”

  “Surviving,” his brother said simply before entering a building.

  Following him inside, Robin saw it was a saloon with a circular, lit bar in the center of the room surrounded by people seated on stools being served their drinks. Around the room, booths built into the walls with small tables were scattered here and there. On the far side, an empty dance floor was set up, with aband stand in front of it.

  “You can tell your friends to meet us here,” Adam said, walking down the small flight of stairs and passing the bar, where a slumped figure sat.

  “We’re already here,” the figure said aloud, turning and grabbing Adam by the shoulder and pressing a pistol into his side.

  Chapter 26

  Coming Together

  “LJ,” Robin hissed, shoving the blaster down, “do you mind not pointing a gun at my brother?”

  Sighing, Little John holstered his weapon. “How was I supposed to know this was him?” he said, and embraced Robin. “Will you stop taking off like that?” he snapped, giving him a light shove.

  “I always come back,” Robin replied, glancing around. “Where’s Freya?”

  “In that booth.” LJ led them over, “and it was she who got us here before you two.” Freya sat waiting for them, her face still covered.

  “Let me guess: by smelling me out,” Robin said with a laugh and sat next to her.

  “Something like that,” she said as he lowered his face covering and removed his shades.

  “Freya, Little John, this is Adam.” Robin waved his hand as his brother removed his face covering. At the sight of his face, LJ gaped and Freya gasped at the likeness. “Adam, this is one of my best friends, Little John, or LJ.” Freya started removing her goggles. With his eyes on Adam, Robin watched the surprise grow on his face. “I think it goes without saying,” he continued, “that this is our sister.” Freya nodded in greeting.

  “You certainly look like each other,” LJ said, nodding, before he looked at Robin again. “Is he…” he started to ask, discreetly tapping his covered bracelet. Robin nodded. “Whoa,” Little John said. “I guess it does run in the family with you guys. Looks we got them all, now.”

  Lowering his gaze, Robin murmured, “Let’s hope so,” and they all looked at him. “Hey, some stories say the Knights were between eight and ten in number, so until we know for sure, we keep an open mind.”

  “So, what’s the plan for getting off this planet?” LJ asked, leaning back in his booth seat.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Adam snapped quickly. “Not without those kids.”

  For a second, they just looked at him before Robin moaned, his face going to his hand.

  “Adam, you just made things really complicated,” he said, rubbing his face.

  “Wait,” Freya said. “You’re not saying he’s a…” She raised her eyebrows.

  He shook his head. “No, they’re street kids he gathered under his protection,” he clarified. After glancing around, he exposed his bracelet. “Willa, can you hear me?”

  “Loud and clear, Robin,” she replied. “What is it?”

  “We found my brother.”

  “Great!” she said. “Great job! Now, when do we get the heck out of here? The heat is brutal.”

  “That depends on one thing,” Robin answered.

  “What?”

  After sighing, he took a deep breath, bracing himself. “How many people can the Odysseus hold?”

  In short order, the group was back down in Adam’s hideout with the group of kids before them.

  “So, where are we to go?” Val asked, arms crossed over his chest.

  “We have a ship out in the desert,” Robin answered. “Once we are all loaded, we will leave for Tortuga, where we will be safe.”

  “How can we be safer there than here?” a teenage girl with long, blonde hair asked.

  “Because it’s hidden,” LJ answered, stepping forward, “and you will be defended better there.”

  The kids and teens murmured to each other.

  “The choice is yours,” Robin said, stepping forward, “but if you decide to stay, here is what will happen. Sooner or later, you will be found. They will throw themselves at the door, and it will hold, and you will fight them.” Some of them nodded smugly. “But then the day will come when it will fail and, like a sandstorm, they will come. Most, if not all, of you will die trying to stop them, and those who are captured will wish they had.” When he was done, virtually all the smug looks had faded away.

  “If you decide to come with us, though, you will have a better chance of survival. It won’t be just us looking aft
er you—it will be a small army, and one day, we will find our way to the Resistance. With the Resistance will come the protection of the new generation of Dragon Knights!” he declared. Everyone stared at him before some laughed.

  “The Dragon Knights?” one laughing teen asked. “What makes you so sure they’ve returned?”

  Robin looked at Freya with a silent question. He turned to hold LJ’s gaze and again received a nod. Breathing deeply, he faced the small crowd before him, clenching the hand donning his bracelet into a fist.

  With the sound of metal on metal, his armor expanded. One by one, each kid stopped laughing and their eyes went wide in surprise and wonder. There was a ripping sound, and the loose desert clothing he wore dropped away in tatters; as his helmet began to encase his head and face, he slipped off his turban and face covering.

  When the screen before his face activated, he looked at them all. “Any questions?” he asked and was met with silence.

  Chapter 27

  The Ice Raider

  “We’re probably going to need help,” Robin said, still in his armor with his helmet retracted. Around him, people still glanced at him in wonder as they packed, readying themselves to leave.

  “Why?” LJ asked, shrugging. “It’s simple enough to get them out of the city: We take them out in groups with one of—” He was silenced by an alarm going off.

  At once, the group rushed to where Adam had set up the sentinel’s head. “What is it?” Freya asked as he turned it on and they read the data being fed to it.

  “Remember that woman?” Adam asked, looking at Robin, who nodded. “Well, a strong possible sighting has been reported.” He looked at them each in turn. “A small army is on the way.”

  Sighing, Robin looked at Freya and Little John. “Okay. We’re going to need help,” LJ admitted.

  Adam lowered his gaze. “I might know who to ask.”