Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas

by Craig Martelle

  Of course it would be, Braden thought and smiled. Leave it to his best friend to bring him back to reality. They could only make the most of the time they had. He was doing his best, so there was no sense moping over an unknown such as what the future held. No matter what or when, he could never be any other place than he was right then. Live for today, plan for tomorrow.

  As it was, they had two and a half turns to collect Bronwyn and get back to Bliss to kick off their march into the rainforest. They would eat and take a short rest, and then get going. He intended to stop at Village McCullough, but only briefly. Braden wanted to make it to Dwyer before the sun rose next.

  The Aurochs determined how long they stayed. They were exhausted. They slept through the remainder of the daylight and into the night. When they awoke, it was dark, but the moon was mostly full and cast sufficient light to get going. With Brandt hooked up, he started to pull and immediately broke into a trot. G-War rode on the King’s head, helping him see the way ahead. The riders were jostled as the wagon lurched, going faster and faster. Lomen ran to the side, enjoying being refreshed and dry. He felt lighter and easily kept pace with the great King.

  It was still night when they reached McCullough so they kept going. Braden tried to talk with Bronwyn over the mindlink, but she didn’t answer because she was probably sleeping. The sun rose as they were halfway to Dwyer and when G-War was finally able to talk with the young girl. She said that she’d be ready to go by the time they arrived. She also let them know that Ferrer and Brigitte were coming with them. Braden tried to talk them out of it, but they wouldn’t listen.

  As they traveled, Braden told them the story of everything that happened since they left. Bronwyn wondered about meeting Pik Ha’ar. She’d heard the stories and hoped that his soul wasn’t dark like the clones at New Sanctuary.

  All the companions gave their warmest greetings to the young girl, including Loper and Sunny. Bronwyn gushed with joy as she talked with them over the mindlink. She loved all creatures, intelligent or not. She was disappointed that Max and Speckles hadn’t come, although she looked forward to meeting the new Aurochs bull.

  She was amazed that there were hundreds of Aurochs. That’s when Braden told Brandt that the scientists had discovered a chemical in the grass that was bad for them. Brandt wasn’t surprised.

  ‘I knew that! So what are we going to do about it?’ the King asked.

  ‘We’ll bring them here, of course. Look at how big and wide the plains are! So much room for all your friends,’ she told him. Braden knew the King of the Aurochs had to be smiling. She was his favorite human and it was her way to call his people “friends.”

  ‘I think we have no choice, Brandt. Lomen can pull the wagon, so when we leave, why don’t you go get your people, all of them, and bring them here?’ Braden added. ‘You know the way and you don’t have to travel alone.’

  Brandt thought it over. His people had moved to Dwyer with the humans. There was no reason he couldn’t do it. He’d traveled once without humans, when he returned through the rainforest by himself while Braden and Micah were on the ship. He never shared with them that he’d been afraid during the journey. The King of the Aurochs knew the fear of loneliness. He wasn’t afraid to fight, but dying alone was the worst thing he could imagine.

  But he wouldn’t be traveling alone, as Braden recognized. He’d take the three largest Aurochs with him, two cows and a bull to intimidate the rest of the herd into coming along. He knew they wouldn’t want to leave the attraction of the green grasses, but he was ready for it. Maybe he’d take more of the Earthshaker Herd with him to scare off any and all challengers. He retreated into his own mind as he started planning his trip to save the remainder of Vii’s Aurochs.

  When Braden’s caravan arrived, they unhooked Brandt and he jogged away toward his herd. The villagers and refugees crowded around, disappointed that Braden didn’t carry any trade goods. He could only smile at that. It was a Free Trader’s dream to be welcomed at every village by people anxious to see what he carried.

  “Thank you all for the warm welcome,” he projected in his trader voice from the back of the wagon where he stood to see above the mass of people. “We come only to kick off our campaign to end the war. We have a few things to do, and then we’ll be off. Brandt Earthshaker will be taking a few of his herd and heading south to collect the Aurochs who graze there. Expect when he returns, he will be bringing hundreds home to the plains!” The crowd gasped and then cheered. They’d grown fond of the massive creatures and knew that when humans worked side by side with the Aurochs, they all accomplished more.

  “We want to come with you, fight for our people!” a voice yelled from the crowd. Others joined in. This wasn’t anything Braden asked for or expected. He didn’t know what to do, so he asked everyone who was willing to spend thirty turns in the rain to stand away from the others as he would talk with them separately.

  ‘Bronwyn, have you been able to talk with Zalastar or Akhmiyar? We need them and some of their people to help us find our way through the rainforest. We have an idea where the Overlords are, but doubt we could get there without the Amazonians’ help,’ Braden told her in his thought voice while the crowd separated itself into those who thought themselves ready to fight and the rest.

  ‘Akhmiyar will meet you with a dozen of his warriors at the road into the rainforest in one sleep’s time,’ she answered. Her thought voice was that of a little girl while the words she said were those of an adult. She was growing up too fast and it was his fault. He needed to carve out time to talk with her parents, although he knew that she had already told them she was going. He’d tell them how he would look after her, protect her, keep her away from the fighting, and more that he didn’t believe.

  ‘G, I need you,’ Braden told the ‘cat. ‘I don’t know what these people are thinking, but many don’t look like they’ll last a single turn on the road. Help me pick the ones who will stay with us through it all.’

  G-War magically appeared after chasing the dogs away by his mere presence, accompanied once again by the Wolfoids. Loper and Sunny were amused by their small, unevolved cousins. Sunny wanted to adopt one, much to the ‘cat’s dismay. He talked her out of it as they would be traveling where a dog shouldn’t go. G-War didn’t bother telling her that wet Wolfoid was equally repulsive as the smell of a wet dog. As the three of them returned to the wagon, the offending dog followed Sunny, who petted it while they sat and watched.

  The Hillcat looked from face to face, studying the humans as Braden prepared to talk with them.

  “Thirty turns of rain, menaced at every step by an enemy that you can’t see. How many of you have seen a Lizard Man in the rainforest?” Six women raised their hands. Braden recognized them from Village McCullough. They must have gone on one of the trade runs. Braden looked to G-War, who nodded.

  Braden directed those six to stand behind the wagon as he began the culling process. “How many of you have fought before?” They all raised their hands. “A life and death fight?” Only one kept his hand in the air. The ‘cat nodded, and he joined the others.

  “Who are the hunters?” Most of them raised their hands. “What have you hunted?” The men started shouting to be heard, deer, squirrels, wild boar.

  The Rabbits joined the seven humans standing behind the wagon. Braden waved at them, happy to see that Ferrer had fully recovered and that they both looked well.

  Braden held out his hands to quiet the group. Half those remaining were women. He looked at each of them, then looked at those already behind the wagon. He recognized the ones that Micah had initially trained with in using the sword. Some carried their bows. “Everyone else from McCullough, come up here.” Two men and a few more women moved ahead of the rest, who were starting to grow restless. Braden looked at them. “Please, don’t be in a hurry. No one should be in a rush to die.” He watched their faces change. Many looked down. Some nodded.

  G-War looked over the group from McCullough, selecting the wom
en and half the men. They joined the others behind the wagon. The rest looked upset, but only briefly.

  “There’s no shame if we don’t pick you. This could very well be the hardest thing you’ve ever done and chances are good you won’t return. I wish I wasn’t going, but I have to because Micah, my partner, is going. We will meet her and the others in the rainforest. That’s our plan anyway, so no, no shame in not getting selected.” G-War picked five more from the remaining group which gave them twenty additional people who would travel with them.

  Braden shook his head as he realized he was taking a small army with him. He needed more wagons, carts, and Aurochs. He’d have to beg Brandt to stay for just a little longer.

  When he realized he was mumbling to himself, he looked up and found his new soldiers looking at him. They needed a pep talk, and he needed to find a place to hide. He took a deep breath and began by telling them the truth as he saw it.

  “The Overlords are the original Lizard Men. They are old, surviving from the time of the ancients. They control the creatures of the rainforest, cold-water crocs, sharkfish, Bat-Ravens, and other Lizard Men. They have an army arrayed against us, and we’ll have to fight our through until we find them and kill them. I’ll admit that I originally thought we could let them live, but no longer. They don’t seem interested in talking with us, as they are doing everything they can to kill us. I say we kill them first, but we’ll have to fight our way through their people and their creatures. By raising your hand, you have just made that easier for us. For that, I thank you. We will meet Akhmiyar at the road into the Amazon. That means we need to leave at sunrise. Get what you need to live on the road for a week. Only bring what you can carry as we will be walking most of the way.”

  They departed with a purpose, each preparing to get their affairs in order. They looked determined, but G-War had already figured that out. He only picked the ones committed to the freedom that would come with victory. Others tried to join because of their friends, or they thought they had to save face.

  Braden wondered how many he’d be able to bring back. He rested his hand on his blaster, wondering how well it would recharge when it wouldn’t see the sun during the endless rainforest downpours. He had to be judicious in their use so he didn’t run out of power when he needed it most. That meant hand-to-hand fighting. He had the most faith in the women from McCullough because he knew how hard they trained. In battle, there was no time to think, only fight. Akhmiyar and his warriors had been blooded too many times. He remembered watching the Amazonian fight with a spear in his leg, and then run for freedom after they recovered the villagers from Bliss. He had no doubts about Akhmiyar and was happy to have him join the group.

  Bronwyn arrived with her parents and stopped briefly to scratch both Rabbits behind their big ears. They leaned into her hands and touched the young girl, who wasn’t much taller than them.

  Braden looked at Bronwyn’s parents. Her father offered his hand and Braden took it. He looked the older man in the eye, but his tongue was frozen in his mouth. He wanted to tell them she’d be fine, to put her parents’ minds at ease, but he couldn’t. He was so averse to lying that he found he could say nothing at all.

  They both looked at him hopefully, and then hung their heads as they pulled their daughter in for a hug. When they stood up, Braden stammered, “I’ll do my best.”

  “We know you will,” Bronwyn’s mother replied with a sad smile. Before Braden arrived, the other villagers thought something was wrong with Bronwyn, that the voices she heard were only in her head. After Braden and Micah, everything changed. Their little girl was gifted in a way the rest would never understand. Bronwyn helped bring about the evolution of acceptance. She changed the way people thought about the other creatures with which they shared the planet. She was special and once again, they had called on her to help. They couldn’t deny Braden even if he told them the truth. They appreciated that he didn’t try to lie to them.

  Braden watched Bronwyn’s parents depart. “They’re sad, you know,” the little girl said, knowing that Braden preferred speaking out loud.

  “I know,” he replied. “I can’t guarantee that I can keep you safe. They understand that, and they are letting you come along anyway.”

  “It’ll be okay. My friends will help protect me,” she said, half singing as she skipped away to talk with the Hawkoid Zyena. Braden shook his head. G-War curled up inside the wagon and went to sleep. The Wolfoids wanted to look around as it was their first trip anywhere. Braden walked with them, showing them the forge, introducing them to the people, and looking at the various places of Dwyer. He was silent for a long time.

  ‘What is causing you such grief?’ Loper asked over their mindlink.

  “Right here is where three brothers died. Over there in the field, about the tenth row in, that’s where the fourth brother was killed and two of his friends. There’s been so much bloodshed here.”

  ‘I see only what it’s become, and the people here take great pride in their village. The others were holding them back. You’ve set these people free,’ Sunny Day added. It was the same thing that Braden told himself.

  He shook off the unhappy memories and grabbed a handful of Wolfoid neck fur. “You are right, Sunny. I stand corrected. This is where the first day of the new Village Dwyer started. From this point, they stopped looking backward!” he ended with a flourish and a bow.

  He walked with the Wolfoids to the river where they relaxed to the sound of the running water. ‘Like home,’ Loper said, leaning against his mate as they listened. ‘There are many strange smells, too. It’s so different from home, but I like it better. The sky is real and the smells are fresh. Look! What’s that?’ Loper pointed his snout at the water.

  Braden looked into the river as a school of small fish chased water bugs. “Fish. They are good eating once you clean them up and throw them on a fire. G-War, Aadi, the Hawkoids, and the Lizard Men all love fish. I’ll make sure you get to try some before we leave. I just hope they’re cooked.” He slapped Loper on the back, laughing at his own joke. Loper and Sunny didn’t understand. They cocked their heads sideways as they looked at Braden.

  “I need to make sure we have enough wagons and Aurochs to get our fast-growing army to Bliss. Enjoy the area and relax,” Braden told them as he walked away.

  Race to Bliss

  When the sun hit the horizon, Braden yelled at the group to move out. They had three wagons packed almost full with humans and creatures. Brandt joined the caravan to make sure they made it as far as Braden needed them to go. The King delayed his plans to recover the remaining Aurochs, but only by a couple turns. After dropping off those who would venture into the Amazon, he’d bring the Aurochs and the wagons back to Dwyer. G-War rode on Brandt’s head, his favorite place from which to look down at the world and what he perceived as his minions.

  The first southern Free Traders, Candela and Tanner, rode along to help with the harnesses and wagons, but they’d return to Village Dwyer with Brandt. They weren’t warriors. They were traders and for that, Braden was proud. There were four separate traders who plied the southern trade route using carts or wagons pulled by Aurochs volunteers. They were all waiting, hoping the group that left would make the trade routes secure once again so people could go back to their normal lives.

  Braden missed the sweetened pork that was unique to the Village of Coldstream, but those villagers weren’t making any while they were refugees even though they brought their herd of pigs and boars. Maybe they couldn’t get the sweet syrup from the eastern trees like they could in Coldstream. Or maybe life as a refugee wasn’t motivating enough to do the extra work required to smoke and properly sweeten the meat.

  He couldn’t blame them. The war had been hard on all of them. Braden already missed his family. He knew Zyena felt lonely, too, so he asked her to keep him company in the wagon where they could be together while being alone. It didn’t make sense, but that’s how Braden felt.

  The largest of the Auroc
hs leaned forward, grunting as they started the heavy wagons rolling. The people inside were wedged in tightly. Each person carried a pack stuffed with food and at least two flasks of water. The original casks that Braden bought in the north accompanied them as well. They’d carried them through the desert and if not for those two water casks, they would have all died. All the companions had a role to play in how they made it across the desert, but none of it would have mattered without water.

  Braden reached next to him where Zyena perched on the buckboard and absently scratched her neck feathers. Bronwyn sat on the other side of the Hawkoid, singing quietly to herself.

  Zyena looked at him oddly. “I suppose you can hear me thinking?” he asked.

  ‘You do it rather loudly,’ she said apologetically. The young girl nodded in agreement.

  Braden started to laugh, then louder until he cried and choked. “I think too loudly. Yes, I guess I do. Micah said as much. Do my children think so?” Braden asked, expecting a G-War type answer.

  ‘They say that they are able to keep your thoughts in the back of their mind while they talk with others. Your mind brings them comfort as does the mind of their mother. They always talk, you know. Ten heartbeats don’t pass without one or the other saying something,’ Zyena explained. The revelation wasn’t surprising. Braden nodded and coughed a couple more times to clear his lungs.

  ‘I think we’ll need you to fly ahead to look for the Lizard Men and then we’ll need to see a clear route all the way to Bliss. We’re going to travel fast. Once the Amazonians load up, it’s a race to the west. We have to do everything we can to get in front of the Overlords and their forces. The Lizard Men will know that Akhmiyar travels with us, but will they be able to get word to the Overlords before we get there? That’s why we have to hurry,’ Braden said over the mindlink.