“That is not your ‘fire marbles,’ but rather a lesser wonder, a stone called chrysoprase, reinforcement of the soul.” Her eyebrow raised. “May it bring you divine truth, happiness… and healing.”
Mencari sighed. “About the fire marbles. Could I buy those from you?”
She laughed, then shook her head. She glanced at the five tiny red spheres now nestled in an intricately patterned dish on the counter top. “These are all I have, and I might need these myself.”
Mencari slumped with disappointment.
“But,” she added, “I know where more can be found.”
Her fingers tenderly caressed the top of the rare gems. “I can take you to the cavern where I harvested them. It’s not a very safe place lately, but . . . you’re young and strong. And well-armed, I see. If you help me secure any more of these, you can take a few as my thanks.”
He nodded, recalling Lina’s comment about injuries. And strange creatures. If they did encounter anything unusual, well, that could be profitable, too. “Sounds fair enough.”
“Give me a moment, then.” She retrieved a leather pouch from the wall behind the counter, then placed her hands through tiny slots in the back of the counter. He watched as she reached inside, selecting clusters of crystals. “I think smoky-quartz, green,pink, blue and yellow will do for our purposes today. Oh, and maybe just a few sanguine, my favorite.” As she pulled each handful out, she placed them into separate pockets of a pouch.
He expected her to explain, but when she finished, she merely looked up and said, “Are you ready to go now?”
“I . . . sure.”
She donned a cloak he would’ve sworn was made of crushed crystals, and they headed out of the town. At a fork in the road, he pointed to the left fork. “My ship is this way.”
She shook her head. “No ship. We walk. This way.”
The path on the right took them into the thick canopy. Here, the foliage created a low ceiling, blocking most of the sunlight. Recalling Lina’s story of creatures in the forest, he found himself glancing around, then checked to be sure Eyani’s recording device was on.
“It’s so much cooler than before,” he said.
Lady Weun nodded. “And dark.” Her eyes surveyed the area intently as they continued.
His own jitters urged him to make conversation. “So . . . Lina says you’re a legend here.”
She chuckled, but kept her eyes moving left and right. “It’s nice to be called that, I suppose.”
He caught a dull noise in the distance, but kept his attention on what she was saying.
“I used to help keep the peace,” she continued. “Help those in trouble. That was quite some time ago now.”
He nodded. “If you don’t mind, what did you do?”
The noise changed, became stronger, more of a mechanical thunking.
“What did I do? I shared my blessings for the masses. Now I help in other, more . . . individual ways.”
“Blessings? What you do with the crystals—?”
The world began to fade and spin. His head pounded, and he lost his balance and stumbled. Lady Weun was looking into the woods, unaware of his struggle. He reached out and caught the edge of her pearlescent cloak.
Startled, she whirled around, hand raised to strike. Her hand stopped in mid-swing when she noted his twisted expression and hunched posture. “Are you okay?”
Unable to answer, he stumbled and fell to one knee. His hands grabbed his temples, trying to quell a pain so intense, he felt sweat pouring from him. With every throb, two words whispered in his mind.
They’re close.
His head felt near exploding, and he grunted in pain.
They’re close.
He forced his eyes to open, and he could see Lady Weun trying to talk to him. Her lips moved, but he couldn’t hear her words. Then just as instantly as it came, the sensation vanished, leaving the two words echoing.
They’re close.
Lady Weun reached down and shook his arm. “Are you okay?”
Panting, he nodded his head in assent. His hands moved from his head to the ground, steadying him. “Yes, yes, I’m all right. Sorry.”
She knelt next to him, concern on her face. “What happened?”
“I . . . don’t know, I’ve never. . . I mean, I’ve had migraines before, but . . .” The mechanical noise drifted to his ears again. Could it be the noise? That noise?
His eyes scanned the forest ahead. She began to look around too, saying, “What? What is it?”
“That sound. Can’t you hear it?”
“The forest is full of—”
“Listen.”
She fell silent. Only everyday sounds of the forest could be heard. She opened her mouth, but he shook his head for her to remain quiet.
They’re close. . .
Keeping low, he carefully moved in the direction of the sound. She followed him through the dim forest. When she stopped walking and ducked down, he knew she’d finally heard the noise. The ground foliage here was thick enough to provide cover if needed. Together, they edged forward again, toward the sounds.
Four red spheres hovered in the darkness ahead of them.
She whispered in awe, “They look like fire marbles dancing.”
The pair held their position, watching silently. Just behind the glowing-red spheres, Mencari saw some type of egg-shaped craft. Standing before it was what appeared to be a robot. But this one was nothing like the friendly Bob at the trading post. This one was his size, vaguely humanoid in shape, but with half a dozen, maybe more, spider-like legs that flanked its slim torso. Its chest section formed a bulky cylinder, with three arm-like tentacles evenly spaced around it. A neck guard fastened a silvery cap that resembled a head, where three red lights beamed like eyes.
Mencari whispered, “See those before?”
She shook her head.
He pointed to the egg-shaped craft, and received the same response.
He looked closer at the craft and saw a familiar symbol on the side, one he’d seen every night in his nightmares.
They’re close.
In disbelief, he whispered, “Nukari!” Instinctively, he felt for the presence of his hand-phaser.
“Nukari?” Lady Weun’s eyes questioned the strange word. His mind reeled with the thought: What are the Nukari doing here?
Muttering, he said, “Violent, aggressive. Destroy everything. A small fleet of them took out an entire star base like it was nothing. Nearly died myself.”
He thought of telling her of Anaka and their son, but couldn’t bear to reveal the entire depth of his loss, nor what these entities were capable. He had more present, more urgent worries. Should he engage with them? Run? Should Lady Weun be exposed to this at all?
There was little concern for his own life. If he fought and was killed here, justice for his failings would be served, a deserving fate. But if he made the first move and initiated a firefight, Lady Weun could be injured, or worse.
He peered at the three red eyes in the robot’s head. Maybe the sensors were a vulnerable spot? Three?
He thought there were four red eyes. As he turned to motion Lady Weun to leave the area, his weight shifted on the unstable ground. A dry tree branch snapped underfoot. In horror, he froze as the robot turned and scanned the area, then began to slowly trudge in their direction.
Wild thoughts raced through his mind. He was on this planet just to look for a few little red stones. He wasn’t prepared to fight them. Not yet! Not until you’ve fine-tuned your abilities, Osuto had warned him often.
He motioned Lady Weun to stay put. They couldn’t run. Too much risk. The robot hadn’t seen them yet; it was just following a sound. Running would draw its attention. If it carried a weapon, they’d be shot in the back.
His gaze shifted to Lady Weun, who had quietly placed her hand in her pocket. She seemed remarkable calm as she pulled out a handful of colored gems.
She’s going pelt it with pretty stones?
But
as she gripped them, colored light began to radiate through her fist.
He glanced at her face. Her expression was of a warrior ready to attack. Who was she? Could she be helpful in a fight? Instinct gave him his answer. He activated his hand-phaser and whispered, “Ready?”
She nodded, and he clenched his fist. His weapon began to glow, accompanied by the familiar and reassuring gentle hum.
Lady Weun opened her hand, revealing the radiant gems, shining so bright now, it was as though each contained a tiny, blistering-hot sun. Mencari had no idea what she planned to do, but her resolute, confident face told him she was not planning on running away.
Knowing their only advantage might be of surprise, he nodded at her and took careful aim with the phaser, waiting until the robot drew close enough for a clean shot.
As he watched, the robot with the spider arms stopped. It seemed to turn partially back to look at the egg-shaped spacecraft. Then, it turned to face them again, and proceeded slowly forward toward their place of concealment in the bushes.
Not yet. . .
Hold on. . . Here it comes. . . NOW!
A ball of plasma condensed at the phaser’s tip, then ruptured into a brilliant yellow-white ray. The foliage in front of them seared away as the beam cut through. Detecting the attack, the bot turned and lurched, attempting to dodge aside. The beam hit slightly off its target, but still punched deep into the robot’s chest and sheared off one of its arms.
Lady Weun dashed from her hiding spot, found an opening in the brush and threw two gems. As they collided in midair, the charcoal-hued stone liquefied into a thick, tar-like ooze as the sanguine one exploded, igniting the mass. The flaming goo splattered across the robot’s head and flowed over its three sensor-eyes. One arm wildly scraped at the substance, gouging holes where the sensors had been, while another arm lifted coiling fingers toward Lady Weun. Small yellow strips along its fingers burst with light.
Mencari fired a barrage into the exposed cavities. Many of the hurried shots missed their mark, ricocheting off its metal body. Strands of silvery energy began streaming from the yellow strips and toward Lady Weun. She cried out when the whip-like attack sliced through ancient trees near her head like a razor through paper.
Yet she was merely startled, not afraid. “Let’s see what diamond dust does to it!” she called out, then ducked and reached into her bag, grabbed handfuls of the dust and flung each into the air, toward the robot. Then she dove behind the massive tree next to her. As the robot’s energy whip hit the thick cloud, it shattered into harmless shower of refracted light.
Mencari let go his breath seeing she was safe, then aimed his weapon, while changing-up the power setting to begin a super-charge cycle. The robot’s faceplate had finally begun to buckle under the effects of the burning ooze, but the yellow strips along its fingers were glowing again. In seconds, new streams sliced toward them.
Still protected by the diamond dust, Lady Weun pulled two pink and one yellow gem from her bag. Within moments, they pulsed with energy. She peered around her refuge and saw a break in the robot’s attacks. As she hurled the gems, Mencari unleashed another blast from his hand-phaser.
The yellow gem shattered, erupting in a ball of electricity. As its energy consumed the pink gems it created a chain reaction, exploding them with incredible force. The resulting booms echoed through the forest, causing even distant birds to flee into the sky. What remained of the Nukari robot’s metal shell popped and sizzled, then slumped to the ground, arms and legs twitching as though in a futile attempt to restore its balance. Even from yards away, the stench of burned wires and molten metal filled the air.
When they eased toward the smoking hulk, Mencari noticed the crystal fragments scattered all around the robot, and looked at Lady Weun. He shook his head and grinned.
“Hey, you’re pretty good with those things. Those gems—”
“Can be a blessing . . . or a curse.”
“Well . . . either way, they’re something.”
“Sanguine gems are still my favorite…” She carefully looked him over then said, “You’re pretty skilled with that gun. Military training?”
He nodded.
“Is that why you’re here? Some operation?”
“No. I really am here looking for fire marbles as a private commercial venture. I could ask the same of you. You held your own pretty well back there.”
She smiled proudly, but then forced a more stoic composure. “If you’re going to make a difference, you learn to work with your gifts. I do my best.”
She knelt to inspect the Nukari’s remains, and Mencari looked to the craft, wondering if there were others inside. Probably not, he concluded. If there were, they’d have come out to join the battle.
“I’ve never seen anything like this around here before. You called them Nukari?”
“Yes, Nukari.” He felt his face tighten into a scowl. “Translates as ‘trouble.’ Here, look at the symbol.”
He pointed to the jagged mark he’d seen so often in his dreams. “I’ve seen this before. But what are they doing here?”
“I wonder,” she mused, “. . . could these things be behind the attacks on our crystal harvesters lately?”
Although pretty certain it was unoccupied, Mencari approached the odd craft with caution, waving Lady Weun to keep behind him. Their firefight hadn’t damaged it in any way. On the outside, the craft’s smooth walls held only a scattering of inset lights. When Mencari pressed on one of them, an entry door slid open silently. Inside, beyond a series of data jacks along the floor, there was nothing of significance. “No controls, or displays, no environmental systems, nothing,” he muttered.
He reexamined the jacks. “Maybe the bots plug in here, to control the ship’s systems? Or maybe it was an automated pod? I can’t think of how else this would have worked.”
He noticed how anxious Lady Weun had become, watching her peer back outside every few seconds.
“It would be best for us to get to our destination and return before nightfall,” she said with a growing unease in her voice.
A burning scent wafted in the air. “Do you smell that?” he asked.
She sniffed, wrinkling her nose. “What is that?”
“It smells like burning wires,” he said looking around.
“There!” she said pointing.
Sure enough, a wispy white smoke was quickly turning gray from one of the connector locations. In moments, the others were smoking, too. The very floor felt like it was heating up.
“It must be self-destructing!” he said, motioning for her to get out.
The air grew polluted with a thick crispy metallic stench.
They both scampered out of the small craft and returned to the shelter of the ancient woods. They heard the entrance to the egg-like pod close, then a muffled explosion.
Mencari looked at Lady Weun. “There’s nothing more we can learn here, let’s move on.”
They backtracked to the main path and continued. He pulled out his map of the area, and she pointed out various features as they went along. They made good time, soon entering a moist section that the map called Dinea Swamp. It turned out to be a dank bog threaded by passable, if spongy, footpaths.
“So where did you learn that trick?” he said. “Scattering the robot’s attack with handfuls of that powder.”
“Gem dust, diamonds,” she said. “From a harvesting accident in the mines a few years ago. The harvesters were using a new laser drill, to speed things up. They ended up trapping themselves behind some heavy drilling beams with no way to shut it off.” She grinned. “Toss a little diamond dust in the way, and you have an easy escape.”
He snorted, impressed, recalling what he’d seen the diamond dust do with his own eyes.
They emerged from the swamp to enter a kind of pasture or prairie, an endless expanse of low grasses that spread out so far on either side, he couldn’t see exactly where it ended. Turning to the left, in the distance he could see the wide base of, ch
ecking the map, the foothills of the Dante Mountains, the grand peaks of which soared high above. Straight ahead, though, a deep chasm skirted perilously close to the path that turned toward the mountains.
Coming upon the it, Mencari looked over the edge and whistled. “It’s a long way down.”
“In spots, yes. Sieta Chasm’s the deepest gorge on Aeun. Deeper than . . .” She tilted her head. “What’s that humming?”
A ball of light hit the ground and exploded in front of them. The blast hurled Mencari into the air. He landed awkwardly, crumpling as he hit, rolling helplessly toward the chasm’s lip. Unable to stop, he made a desperate grab for the ragged edge as he slid across it, twisting and attempting to dig his hands into the dirt.
But he caught nothing but a few strands of grass as he disappeared over the precipice, as Lady Weun screamed, “Rhysus!”
* * * * *
The humming grew to a ground-shaking throb behind her. Lady Weun whirled around to see another robot, identical to the one they’d just destroyed. This one’s single red eye shone eerily, as though calculating its next move.
In an instant, she reached into her pouch, grabbing two green-yellow gems and a handful of diamond dust. Her grip tightened, filling the gems with power. With a snap of her wrist, the diamond dust billowed into the air, followed by the gems. She turned and ran toward the edge of the gorge.
A protective cloud of the diamond dust hung in the air as the green-yellow gems sailed toward the robot, then collided and shattered, unleashing a blast of swirling wind. Rocks and dirt created a vortex around the robot, obscuring its sensors. As it fired blindly, its misaimed blasts fell short of its target.
Lady Weun dropped to her stomach and looked over the gorge’s edge. Mencari was hanging onto a narrow ledge. She noticed his dazed expression. Extending her hand in his direction, she could see that he was far below her reach. Panic filled his eyes.
He yelled, “I’m okay. Find cover!”
“Take my…”
“Go!” he yelled again.
Confused, she rolled over and sprang back up to a standing position. Seeing a cluster of trees, she darted sideways along the lip of the gorge, the diamond dust still floating in the air. She called out to taunt the robot, and hold its attention . But suddenly remembered the earlier robot’s cutting-beam, and realized the slim trees couldn’t protect her.
D'Mok Revival 1: Awakening Page 5
