Michael Cobley - Humanity's Fire book 1

by Seeds of Earth

  prospect, the cliffs that rose to meet the lower slopes of

  ridges, and the mountain spur whose eastern extremity

  was Waonwir. Chel had heard a variety of rumours

  about the temple site from arriving Uvovo: the

  Brolturans were going to use it as a prison for dissi

  dents, or they were going to demolish it, or they were

  going to build a fortress on it. Whatever the truth, they

  were definitely doing something up there - last night

  one of the forest scholars had been up in one of the

  other beholders and had seen a harsh white glow ema-

  nating from the top of the promontory. Now, as he

  peered at that distant, dark grey mass, there was no sign

  of such illumination but he could see a small dark speck

  take off and race towards Hammergard.

  He recalled the prescient words of the spectral

  Pathmaster - the Hegemony will shortly control

  Umara . . . soon they will be walking in this very cham-

  ber . . . The words had been shocking but he could never

  have guessed that they would come true so soon. Such a

  possibility had not occurred to him when he stole

  aboard the zeplin that transported Greg down to the

  city, and now the fate of Listener Weynl and the others,

  both Uvovo and Human, was a mystery. The same was

  true of other Listeners like Faldri, Eshlo Shikellik and

  Murnil, and until now Chel had not realised how much

  they had come to rely on the Humans' communication

  devices to knit their far-flung communities together.

  The temptation to wait here in Glenkrylov for further

  news was strong, yet he knew that he and the forest

  scholars must lay plans for a swift retreat. He was sure

  that if Greg had spilled all that he knew, then the

  Hegemony envoy Kuros must now suspect something of

  the Uvovo connection with the temple and the well

  chamber, not to mention the ancient covenant with

  Segrana that went back to the oldest times. As well as

  the tales of detentions and beatings, Chel had heard an

  unconfirmed rumour that Buchanskog, the daughter-

  forest east of Hammergard, had been invaded by

  Brolturan troops who destroyed the meditation retreats,

  the vodrun and the scholar abodes before carrying off

  every Uvovo they could seize. If the offworlders were

  ready to raid one of the daughter-forests so soon, it was

  only a matter of time before they moved against the

  others.

  With one last glance at Waonwir, now growing dark

  as the sun dipped towards the horizon, Chel began the

  descent, keen to check on Greg's progress but also impa-

  tient to plan for the worst outcome. At least that way

  anything less dire would feel like a reprieve, or even an

  opportunity!

  50

  THEO

  It was early evening by the time they reached

  Akessonhold, a rambling farmhouse west of Landfall

  and their third safe house in the last twenty-four hours.

  Theo, Donny and Solvjeg were ushered into the hallway.

  a wood-panelled, L-shaped room with several passages

  leading off, some up a few stairs, others down a few.

  Arne Akesson himself was there to greet them, a bald,

  broad-chested man with a wrestler's build that had

  earned him the nickname 'the Bull', but among the

  Diehards he had a reputation for foxy cunning.

  'Theo, Donny, and Solvjeg,' he said, shaking hands

  and giving a courteous bow to Theo's sister while his

  attendants took care of the newcomers' hats and coats.

  'Dearest Solvjeg, it is good to see that you are safe - I

  heard how these two heroes plucked you from perilous

  captivity. Please be welcome in my house; these are evil

  times and friends must stand by each other.'

  'Thank you so much, Arne,' said Solvjeg, smiling

  tiredly. 'It has been a trying day.'

  Theo nodded. 'And a hungry one.'

  Akesson grinned. 'Ah, I know I am playing host to a

  famous trencherman so have no worries on that score. I

  have set aside the small parlour which is just up those

  stairs and on the right, and will have some provender

  sent there straight away.'

  'So shall we go on up now?' said Theo.

  'Let Solvjeg and Donny go,' Akesson said. 'There is

  someone through in the back room who needs to speak

  with you, Theo.'

  Theo smiled - Arne's back room was an adjoining

  hut at the rear where he kept his radio equipment.

  'I'll be back in a few minutes,' he told Donny and his

  sister, then followed Akesson out of the hallway.

  A narrow passageway lit by oil lamps ran back for

  several yards, down some steps into a newer wing of the

  farmhouse then through a large kitchen where pots gave

  off steamy vapours, stew, baking bread, and something

  cooking in wine. From the main store at the rear a cur-

  tained archway led into another narrow, undecorated

  wooden corridor and finally a creaky door opened into

  the hut.

  A skinny youth got up as they entered and handed

  Akesson the headset.

  'He's still'there, sir.'

  'Thank you, Gennadiy. Is the signal encrypted?'

  'It is, sir.'

  Nodding, Akesson sat down at the radio, an obsolete

  DVC model whose wooden casing was scored and bat-

  tered, despite a recent dark blue paint job. The transmitter

  next to it was a nondescript grubby green unit with what

  looked like a leather suitcase handle bolted to the side.

  'Hello?' Akesson said into the headset's stalk micro-

  phone. 'Yes, he's here.' He passed the headset to Theo,

  who put it on.

  'This is Karlsson.'

  'Great tae hear yer voice, Major.'

  'Rory!' Hope and trepidation leaped in him. 'How's

  Greg? Last I heard, they handed him over to Kuros.'

  'Oh aye, but we busted him outa there with some

  help from that Uvovo, Chel, and a road digger that Mad

  Davey got his mitts on. Greg was kind of wounded but

  not badly - we spoke tae him before we left and he's

  doing fine.'

  Theo grinned. 'Well done, Rory - you've earned your

  pay for the week. Where are you now?'

  'In Rullinge, at Kruger's.'

  Rullinge was a boatyard town a few miles down the

  coast from High Lochiel, and Kruger's was an alehouse

  of the 'dive' variety.

  'And have you been keeping an eye on the news,

  Rory?'

  'Ye could say that, as well as helping it along, like!'

  'Well, it looks as if we have just become the official

  resistance ...'

  'Suits me fine, sir!'

  '... but until we hear from Pyatkov,' Theo went on,

  'we won't know if there are any others that we need to

  link up with, like former DVC or disgruntled police ...'

  Akesson leaned closer. 'Pyatkov is coming here - he's

  due in about half an hour.'

  Theo nodded. 'Okay, Rory, it seems that Pyatkov will

  be with us in thirty minutes or so, then we'll know

  where we stand. But I'd like you and the others to head

  south and meet us at Membrance Vale.
There's a picnic

  and observation point overlooking the Hyperion — that

  will be the rendezvous, but I want you to keep to cover.

  We don't know if the Brolturans have the colony under

  satellite coverage, but we'd best be wary.'

  'Right ye are, Major.'

  'Good. By the way, what's the mood like in Rullinge?'

  'Eh, they're no happy, sir. Kinda goes from the sim-

  mering angry types to the full-on, carpet-chewing

  berserkers. Some of them want to barricade all the roads

  in and out, some others want to load up the trucks with

  guns 'n' molotovs and head out to find some

  Sendrukans tae fight, while the rest are busy getting

  hammered.'

  'They might be a good source of recruits later on.

  For now, be as low-key as you can when you leave. Be

  cautious on the roads and watch out for roadblocks - go

  cross-country if you have to.'

  'Got it, Major - we're on our way.'

  Theo took off the headset and laid it on the table.

  'You look tired, my friend,' said Akesson.

  He shrugged. 'This time yesterday we were upstairs

  in Chyornilov's, that restaurant in west Hammergard,

  when it was raided by armed police - we got out

  through a passageway that led through the attics of the

  next two buildings. We found a garage, hired a rattling

  old hillcar and got to the Martensson fish farm by about

  midnight

  'I think I know it - coast road, a few miles south of

  Tort Gagarin...'

  'That's right. Well, we snatched a few hours' sleep in

  an empty worker cottage before being woken at five by

  our main contact - turned out that two military intelli-

  gence officers and six Brolturan soldiers had arrived and

  were questioning everyone. The main gate was blocked

  so we had to head across a boggy field to the road, car-

  rying bikes that our contact had dug out of the farm

  stores for us. After that we kept to the farm roads and

  hill paths and eventually got here in one piece.'

  Theo remembered again the desperate and fearful

  escape under a troubled night sky with an icy breeze

  buffeting them as shower squalls flew in from the sea.

  'Your sister was arrested and questioned, yes? But

  she seems to have come through it.'

  Theo gave a sad smile. '/<3, she was always the tough

  one - never lets any situation get the better of her, or

  anyone. Although she has been very worried about her

  boys, Greg especially.' He stood. 'We should return so I

  can tell her that he is safe.'

  Akesson nodded and led the way, pausing in the

  kitchen to make sure that the food and drink had been

  sent to the small parlour. Donny and Solvjeg were sit-

  ting in armchairs either side of a table crowded with

  plates of cold meat, cheese, butter, small savoury pas

  tries, and a jug of mulled wine that gave off a heady

  vapour. A good-sized wood fire blazed in the hearth

  while generations of Akessons gazed down from the

  walls. Solvjeg looked up as they entered and when he

  passed on the news about Greg she put her hand to he''

  mouth and closed her eyes.

  'Thank God,' she whispered, then lowered her hand,

  which she clenched, and nodded at Theo. 'They are all

  safe, Theo.' During the stopover at Martensson's, word

  had reached them that Ian and Ned had made it to

  Invergault and were heading south into the Hrothgar

  Mountains, thinking to hide out in one of the trapper

  camps.

  Theo and Akesson dragged a couple of wicker chairs

  closer, poured out mugs of hot wine, then the four of

  them pooled their knowledge to try and gain a fuller pic-

  ture of the situation. First, it was now certain that

  Sundstrom and his cabinet were dead, killed outright

  by the missile attack. A government of national unity

  had been formed in the Assembly within hours,

  although the tiny Foundationist and Redemptionist par-

  ties refused to take part, the latter being Viktor Ingram's

  old party and comprising five Legators. Together with

  the Foundationists, they represented an official opposi-

  tion totalling eight Legators, as opposed to the Unity

  government's 104.

  This new Assembly swiftly passed a batch of dracon-

  ian laws, including several emergency powers which

  handed huge discretionary powers to the executive, and

  in charge of that executive was Dugald Kirkland, leader

  of the Consolidation Alliance and now president pro

  tem of Darien. And all of it had been conducted with

  almost no reportage or comment, since many journalists

  had also been killed in the attack on the Assembly build-

  ing; in addition, the police were ordered to shut down

  all newspapers, all vee stations (except Starstream), and

  all radio stations (except the government information

  service, which gave out no useful information).

  There was just one fly in the greasy ointment of this

  ruthless stealth coup - Alexandr Vashutkin, Sundstrom's

  transport minister, was still alive. Having broken a leg

  while visiting Trond on official business, he had sent his

  deputy to attend the cabinet's crisis meeting on the dis-

  appearance of Ambassador Horst. A decade and a half

  ago, Vashutkin and Sundstrom had become close friends

  in the Progressive Dispersalists, but several years back

  policy differences had come between them, causing

  Vashutkin to resign from the PD and join the Union for

  Land Party. Which later became part of Sundstrom's

  Civic Coalition, thus forcing the two former friends to

  work together once again.

  And Vashutkin was using Trond as his base, from

  where he made live radio speeches denouncing the

  Hegemony and its envoy Kuros as tyrants and aggres-

  sors and describing the Unity government as spineless

  collaborators. He reserved his choicest vitriol for

  Kirkland himself, saying that his motto should be 'No

  Boot Left Unlicked', and that he lived in fear of his own

  intestines which, out of shame, might one day reach up

  through his throat and throttle him to death.

  Vashutkin's tirades, combined with the formal re

  establishment of the Northern Towns League, had

  already made Trond a focus for dissent, protest against

  and mockery of the assembly in Hammergard. The new

  laws were being ignored and Hammergard officials bear

  ing enforcement orders had this evening been politely

  but firmly shown the door. Twenty-four hours since the

  missile attack the colony was split down the middle;

  Hegemony advisers seemed to be present at every level of

  government and Brolturan ground and air patrols main-

  tained a high profile in Hammergard and the major

  towns, apart from those in the north. From Nivyesta,

  there was no news.

  'What about Earth?' Theo said, draining the last of

  his wine then reaching for some bread and cheese. 'Have

  they made any comment?'

  Akesson smiled sourly. 'They have not even

&n
bsp; appointed a new ambassador. That captain of the

  Heracles, Velazquez, was interviewed on Starstream just

  after Kirkland was confirmed as president, saying how it

  was a new start for Darien and how we should support

  the new government, and how grateful we all were that

  the Brolturans and the Hegemony were helping to sta-

  bilise the situation.'

  'Aye,' Donny said bitterly. 'Stabilising it with a boot on

  our necks.'

  'He didn't manage a smile once during the interview,'

  Akesson said. 'He really looked like a man who was

  carrying out orders that he loathed.'

  Donny snorted. 'But he still carried them out. He's

  still got his men patrolling with the Brolturans.'

  'What about Horst?' Akesson said. 'What's happened

  to him? Did you really kidnap the man?'

  Theo shook his head. He had already told Donny

  and Solvjeg a truncated version of the story, shorn of the

  Uvovo chamber disappearance, on the principle that

  what they didn't know couldn't hurt them

  'No, no, I saved him from a Brolturan interrogation,'

  he said. 'I knew he had nothing to do with the bombings

  so I got him away to Giant's Shoulder, then left him with

  friends there when I had to go and free my sister. Since

  when .. .' He shrugged. 'I don't know if he's hiding

  somewhere or if they caught him. The former, I hope ...'

  'The Brolturans are doing something up on Giant's

  Shoulder,' Akesson said. 'Machinery working round the

  clock, big floodlamps lighting it up at night.'

  'I heard that they were building a prison or a fortress,

  or both,' Theo said, then fell silent when one of the

  attendants came in and murmured to Akesson. The big

  man nodded and as the attendant left he turned to the

  others.

  'Pyatkov will be here in about ten minutes - he just

  left the wayhouse on the Midgard Road. And he's not

  alone, apparently.'

  'That'll be the Enhanced, then,' Donny said, matter-

  of-factly.

  They all stared at him. Enjoying the attention, he

  refilled his mug and chewed on a savoury pastry.

  'Ye know about them, eh?' he went on. 'The kids

  that they

  'Yes, we know who they are, Donny,' Theo said.

  'Why don't you just tell us what Pyatkov's up to, since

  you seem to know more than we do.'

  'Och, I don't know that much,' Donny said, sipping