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

by Craig Martelle

  The rider became frantic and when it became apparent there was no escape, the individual waded into the water and tried to swim to the other side. Skirill and Zyena flew in front of the person’s face, crisscrossing before them, tracing lines in the water with their claws. With a deep sigh, the swimmer turned and headed back to shore. Brandt and Arnie helped themselves to a drink while Braden and Micah waited.

  A young girl waded out and stood between them. She looked down at the ground, tears trailing down her cheeks. “Are you going to kill me, too?” she stammered in a small voice. “Like you killed my dad?”

  Micah was crushed. She never thought of the government officials as family men. Braden exhaled loudly, throwing his head back. Bounder and Gray Strider approached as did Patrice and Delavigne. Surprise and shock seized the girl, she started panting, turned blue, and passed out. Braden caught her before she fell back into the water. He carried her to the wagon and gently put her inside. Zeller cradled the young girl’s head in her lap. Micah couldn’t look at her. Braden put his arm around Micah’s shoulders as they walked away.

  “We had no choice and I hate to say it, we’re going to create a bunch more orphans before this is over, and hopefully, the orphans won’t be our own children.” That thought sobered Micah. “Imagine a world without trade? Neither can I,” Braden said as he hugged his partner, letting her work through the anguish that gripped her.

  They heard Zeller’s voice. “Those are our friends. This is Bounder and his mate Gray Strider. This is Patrice and here’s Delavigne. The large Aurochs is Brandt and the other is Arnie.”

  “Can I pet them?” the little girl asked. Micah choked back tears, wondering at the resilience of a child who’d just lost a parent.

  Bounder put his muzzle into the back of the wagon. A small hand reached out and rubbed his neck fur, scratched behind his ears. Gray Strider leaned in next and received the same treatment. G-War rubbed against the young girl, then looked at her intently. The two stared at each other until the realization hit her that he was talking.

  “Ohh,” she said. She closed her eyes and rocked to comfort herself. When she opened her eyes again, they were clear and more aware. “I understand, Golden Warrior. Thank you.”

  The others had no idea what she was thanking him for, but expected it was something that helped her realize peace within a churning mind. Braden was sorry that he had to interrupt, but the longer they waited, the longer that the good people of the north had to live without proper trade.

  “Where were you going, little sweetheart?” Braden asked, trying to sound gentle and caring.

  “My name is Nerise and I’m not going to talk with you. You hurt my dad.” Braden hung his head and turned away. Micah leaned in to pick up where her mate left off.

  “Where were you going, Nerise?” Micah asked soothingly, as only a mother can.

  “The government office in Cameron. Tell them what happened. Help them to get ready.” She covered her face in her hands and sobbed. Maybe G-War’s gentle ministrations hadn’t been as effective as they hoped, or they talked about something else. The ‘cat rubbed against her chest, purring loudly. She hugged him to her tightly, the look on his face would have made Micah and Zeller laugh if the situation had been different.

  Finally, the little girl let go and G-War quickly excused himself, to avoid an uncomfortable repeat. He still had his ‘cat dignity to maintain. Nerise wiped her nose on her arm.

  “What is your horse’s name?” Zeller asked.

  “That’s Pony, and he’s a good horse! He’s all mine, too,” she said proudly. They lifted her out of the wagon and with each of the women holding a hand, they walked Nerise to her horse, where she let go to grab the reins and nuzzle the horse’s soft nose with her own.

  ‘So, what are we going to do?’ Braden asked over the mindlink. Zeller shrugged. Micah looked at him. ‘Anyone have any ideas?’ Braden asked the companions, suddenly and fiercely missing Aadi.

  Delavigne hopped up next to her and took her hand in his as he offered fresh greens for the horse to nibble on. She looked at the Rabbit, and he flicked his whiskers at her. Pony forced his way closer to headbutt his human and the Rabbit. They both giggled at the horse’s sudden playfulness.

  ‘We would like you to come along,’ Delavigne said in his tiny thought voice.

  “Will you stay with me?” she asked innocently.

  ‘Of course we will. It is our responsibility to protect the small humans. Where is your mother?’ Delavigne asked as his mate, Patrice appeared next to him.

  “My father said she was an enemy of the Provincial Government and he had her sent away. Maybe we can go find her?” the little girl said without making eye contact. Micah’s heart twisted in her throat as she could feel that Nerise knew the truth.

  ‘Weeds, Nerise,’ Patrice started to say, holding the girl’s other hand. ‘What do you do with weeds when they get into your garden?’

  “Pull them, of course,” Nerise replied.

  ‘And then your garden grows better, doesn’t it? That’s what we’re doing here. The Provincial Government is the weed and must be pulled if the garden is to flourish. These good humans will do it, and you will be better for it, although right now it hurts. It must be done. Since coming to Vii, we’ve learned one most important fact. As long as you have trade, you have peace and prosperity. As long as you have good people who refuse to give power to the undeserving, then we are all better off. We have joined Free Trader Braden to restore trade, restore the peace, let the land brighten with new blooms.’

  Braden and Micah looked at each other. That was the most they’d heard from either Patrice or Delavigne in as long as they’d known them. Then they realized that the Rabbits were there for all of Aadi’s lessons with Ax and ‘Tesh. The old guy was rubbing off on them.

  Nerise skipped as the Rabbits led her to the wagon and helped her climb in. Braden tied Pony’s lead to the back gate and they remounted. Brandt was pleased with the new addition to the caravan. He loved human children, finding their thoughts refreshing. Arnie was indifferent to it all.

  The Wolfoids and the Hawkoids considered it business as usual since Braden and Micah had a way of gathering those with pure-hearts to them. The Rabbits put Nerise at ease as Brandt carefully moved the wagon onto the road and crossed the ancients’ bridge, continuing their journey north. The Hawkoids showed them that the road before them was clear.

  The iron fist of the Provincial Government hadn’t only squeezed the life out of trade, it also made the people prisoners in their own homes. Braden’s anger simmered. Had he stayed in the north, he probably would have been one of those taken away. He smiled at the thought of his journey, for it had given him time and the means to return and make a difference.

  “Blasters,” he said. They dug into their packs and pulled out their firepower. If they were going to face forty men, they needed more than the advantage that the companions gave them. If the enemy counted on its use of force to pacify the population, then they’d be met with something even more overwhelming.

  Braden was under no illusion that the Provincial Government was anything other than an enemy that had to be defeated.

  Cameron

  Cameron wasn’t much bigger than Whitehorse, but it had multiple roads leading to and from it. The main road to Binghamton and farther locations west ended at Cameron. The road to Jefferson City was a well-taken-care-of track to the north. The town had a few buildings of the ancients remaining, but most of the houses and businesses were newer and of quality construction.

  There wasn’t a forest nearby, so they stopped well south of town.

  “You are too far away, if you stay here,” Braden told them. “I’d rather shock the residents of Cameron than risk getting cut off. I think we need to stay together. This could be a big fight. Sure, we have better weapons, but we can’t kill them wholesale. I don’t want to kill any of them, but as Patrice so wisely reminded us, we only need to pull the weeds. Let’s find the weeds. Everyone els
e has to be left alone.”

  Braden looked around at the faces of his companions–human, Wolfoid, Aurochs, Rabbits, Hawkoids, and a Hillcat. They weren’t looking forward to this. Once they entered the town, there would be no turning back. They’d make many new orphans and widows. Braden insisted that they camp the night where they were. He needed to wrap his head around what he was asking them all to do.

  He hadn’t hesitated in Whitehorse and now they were on a path leading out of their control. Forty or so in Cameron followed by a hundred or more in Jefferson City. How could they manage such a fight without hurting innocent people? Without consulting his companions, he’d plunged them into a new war.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured to them all as he turned and walked away to be alone. Micah let him go. Once he realized that had he asked, they would have all agreed to join him, he’d come to grips with the situation. He was rash, but for the right reasons. If he ever wavered from that path, she’d know. They’d all know and would set him straight.

  He didn’t return until nightfall, but when he did, he pulled Micah close for a long and warm hug. He asked the others to come in so he could talk to them about what their entrance to the town would look like and where they should make their stand. He started drawing in the dirt. Even though most of the companions could never make heads or tails from his maps, it helped him better articulate the plan. There was the Town Square and the Market Square, buildings and roads…

  “There Will Be No Provincial Government”

  They walked straight up the road to Cameron. Arnie pulled the wagon so Brandt would be free to intimidate a group of people en masse if needed. The Hawkoids flew ahead to look for groups of armed men. Skirill was happy to tell Braden that there were a number of wagons and carts on the road leading into the city. Braden asked where they were going. He suspected he knew, but waited for confirmation.

  ‘They all go to a large building and area that has fences and men with weapons,’ Zyena told them over the mindlink as she saw it first.

  “No trade,” Braden whispered. “The government is taking everything and then handing it back out to maintain their hold on power. I wonder what happened to the Caravan Guild?” he asked no one as he thought out loud.

  Once the Hawkoids spotted the Provincial Government headquarters, it all became clear to Braden. The so-called officials had taken over the former security offices, where he’d been put behind bars, and expanded the building. That was now the center of town, both figuratively and literally. There was a great queue of people waiting outside the door, while armed men stood around.

  Braden looked at both the warehouse and the main government building.

  “Cut the head off the snake?” he asked Micah. She nodded. He looked to the others. They nodded, too. Zeller showed little hesitation. Micah had been talking with her about her swordfight, making Zeller look at it as an exercise in swordplay against evil and not that the man was anything other than an obstacle to all things good on Vii. Too many battles remained for one of their members to be incapacitated at the thought. Zeller assured her that she was fine and would be able to fight again. Micah knew that she wasn’t fine, but was encouraged by the distraction that the large blacksmith provided her fellow villager. Everyone needed something to live for, something to fight for.

  ‘We’re headed to the government building first. I’ll talk to the crowd and tell them exactly what we’re going to do, then we’ll let the government officials know what we think about them. If we can get the people on our side, then our job will be a whole lot easier. Everyone fully charged and ready?’ Braden said over the mindlink to make sure that everyone heard clearly.

  As they approached the outskirts of town, casual passersby stared as the mighty Aurochs pulled the odd looking wagon with an even greater Aurochs following. Brandt tried nodding at the people, but all they saw were his great horns. The people fled in terror.

  “And then there’s that. I guess as long as no one interferes with us, that’ll have to be good enough,” Braden said to himself. Passive support was almost as important as active support.

  Arnie jogged into the Town Square, sliding to a stop to make an impression on the people. There was a great deal of confusion. Armed men shepherding a queue of people didn’t know what to do. The people in line didn’t want to lose their place, but they were afraid, of the men and of the newcomers. Micah and Zeller jumped down to unharness Arnie.

  Brandt slowly strutted into the Town Square, standing tall, slightly turned, with his head held high. Braden looked at him and almost started laughing, but sobered quickly. One of the armed men pushed people out of the way so he could get to the door. He disappeared into the building. They’d have more company soon.

  Braden looked at the people’s faces and was instantly furious. The proud people of Cameron had been beaten down, the spirit of their existence had been taken from them. He stood in the front of the wagon, breathing deeply, preparing to be heard.

  “Listen to me, proud people of Cameron!” Braden’s voice echoed from the buildings. He’d never felt such strength surging through him. “You’ve had enough of this Provincial Government. They’ve taken everything away from you and then made you beg to get scraps in return. NO MORE!” he bellowed.

  Two of the armed men bared their swords, flexed, scowled, and strode toward the wagon. Micah pulled her blaster and aimed it at them. Her action meant nothing to them as they’d never seen a blaster. But Brandt dashing at them and sliding to a stop got their attention.

  The men stopped, but they didn’t show fear. Micah realized that Brandt could get hurt. "Put down your swords and no one gets hurt.” They hefted their blades afresh, and giving Brandt a wide berth, they resumed their approach. With a narrow beam from her blaster, she calmly shot one of the men, then the other.

  The crowd started to panic. “HOLD!” Braden shouted, emphasizing his demand by holding his hands up. The people shuffled, but had grown used to following the orders of people in charge. At that place and at that moment in time, Braden was the authority.

  More armed men appeared in the square and started forming themselves into a line. Micah dialed her blaster to a wide flame setting. “When we leave here today, good people of Cameron, you will be free from the tyranny of the Provincial Government. You will be free to trade, go about your business as you wish, not as someone tells you.” Another group of armed men showed up on the other side of the square. The Wolfoids jumped down and joined Zeller on that side of the wagon. Micah stood on the opposite side, facing the government building and the other group of armed men.

  Braden looked down on all as he stood in the front of the wagon. Patrice and Delavigne had their laser pistols out just in case anyone got close to the wagon. They kept Nerise behind them. Arnie pranced, a little excited from the swirling emotions of the multiple groups of people.

  “Well?” Braden pointed at one of the older armed men. The man shrugged. “Go get whoever’s in charge and let’s settle this.”

  ‘Braden, there is a group of men exiting the building in the back and they seem to be making a run for it,’ Skirill told them as he and Zyena flew in front of them to hold them up. Braden had anticipated that the men would try to run away. Bullies never stand up to someone who challenges them.

  With Braden’s nod, Brandt and the Wolfoids ran through an opening in the crowd and then around the building. They caught up with the men quickly. The security men pulled their swords, but two died instantly as Bounder and Gray Strider shot them with their lightning staffs. The others backed up against a nearby building as Brandt menaced them with his horns and the Wolfoids pointed their spears. Bounder waved, instructing the men to move back toward the building, back toward the Town Square. They hesitated to move, but found their legs once Bounder lifted his spear and made to shoot one of the security guards. They threw their swords down as they let the Wolfoids guide them around the building and into the square where the newcomers seemed to be surrounded by the forces of the Provincia
l Government.

  There were two unarmed men, most likely the government officials, among those Brandt and the Wolfoids had run down. Braden pointed to those two and cocked his finger for them to approach the wagon. They walked hesitantly until Braden held his palm out, motioning them to stop.

  “Tell your men to put their weapons down,” Braden commanded.

  ‘They won’t,’ G-War interjected.

  “I have to at least give them the chance,” Braden said out loud. It didn’t take long for him to not be surprised.

  “Kill them! What are you men doing? It’s not like you’ve never seen a mutant before. Kill them now!” the older man screamed almost hysterically. The first group advanced slowly toward Micah. She fired a gout of flame into the ground before them. They stopped and looked at each other nervously.

  “Did you see where these men came from?” Braden yelled, looking at one group of armed men and then at the other. “They were running for their lives. They’d already abandoned you!” Braden tried to emphasize that point with a wave of his arm and pointing at the officials. He didn’t want to kill any more men than he had to. The security men seemed to be torn.

  “People of Cameron! Many of you know me. I’m Free Trader Braden, and I’m here to restore trade to what it should be. If any of you who used to work for the former Provincial Government throw down your weapons, I will ask the good people of Cameron to accept you as one of their own citizens. All issues of the past must be forgiven if we are to move forward, back to where we were when people here were free.”

  The official glared at Braden. Finally he jumped from the wagon and pulled his sword, putting his blaster in his left hand just in case. Braden told the men to get on the ground, but they didn’t comply. “G?” Braden asked.