by CM Raymond
They were coming fast, and he could hear their nearly inhuman communication as they came his way.
“What the ‘ell is ‘at?”
“Dunno. But it’s man work, that’s for sure. I bet there’s food inside.”
Gregory looked around for escape, but the rope ladder was a way off, and he wasn’t sure if he could make it before they rounded the corner. He hit the dirt and rolled into a small stand of bushes nearby. Holding his breath, he prayed silently to the Matriarch that they’d continue on without spotting him in the weeds.
One of the remnant ran his hand along the boat’s hull, grinning the whole time. The other paused and sniffed into the open air. His head pivoted toward Gregory. Yanking on the arm of the other remnant, he pointed toward the spot where Gregory lay, shaking in the dirt.
“Save me, Matriarch,” he whispered.
The two slunk toward him, taking their time. Eyes darting around the area, Gregory realized that the remnant were more equipped than most gave them credit for. They weren’t mindless beasts, but they still lacked the part of a human that gave them an inkling of empathy for any living thing. Begging for mercy would accomplish shit.
Gregory gripped his wrench tightly, knowing it was the only weapon he had. For a moment, he considered magic, but if he wasn’t able to conjure a fireball in the safety of the classroom, what good would it do him here when his life was in danger?
The two remnant stood almost directly over him, when a loud woosh shattered the natural silence around him.
Looking up, the remnant saw something more unbelievable than the airship. A mighty lizard with a scaled back and wings swooped down low and nearly took their heads off. They grunted as they pointed and shouted at the thing.
Gregory, realizing that Sal had given him his chance, leaped from the bushes. With a shout manlier than anything he’d ever done before, he crashed into the smaller of the two and brought him to the ground. With three swift blows, he crushed the head of the remnant, its body lying motionless beneath him.
Thank you, he thought to both the Matriarch and the dragon.
But his gratefulness melted into terror as the other one turned to attack. He pulled a sword, rusty and jagged and as wild as the remnant itself. Gregory imagined how it would feel slicing through his stomach.
Pausing, the remnant laughed at the sight of the puny man sitting over his fallen comrade. The teeth that actually remained in its mouth were yellow and pointed.
Arcing the sword high over his head, the remnant stepped toward Gregory, and brought down the sword with the power of three men. Instinctually, Gregory raised the metal wrench in defense. With a clash of metal on metal, the tool saved his scalp, but the blow was enough to send the wrench out of his hand, tumbling in the dirt out of reach.
Gregory raised his hands and forced a smile. “Maybe we can make a deal. What is it that you want?”
The remnant laughed again. “Dinner.”
He dropped a solid fist into Gregory’s face. He felt like a mouse being toyed with by a tomcat.
The remnant pulled back the sword with both hands, ready to carve off a hefty meal for himself.
Out of nowhere, Sal descended in between them, dropping the remnant backwards on his ass and sending dirt and sod into the air. The dragon lifted his chin and let out a howl that would stop the bravest warrior in her tracks.
Before the remnant had a chance to attack—or run for his life—Sal pounced.
Gregory wanted to look away, but he couldn’t.
Sal’s head, with open jaws, shot forward, ripping the throat of the remnant wide open. Then he batted it’s lifeless head back and forth with his talons, making sure the dead would stay just as he was. When the remnant didn’t move, Sal stepped back, looking almost confused.
“Sal,” Gregory shouted. But the dragon only stared at the dead. He shouted again. “Sal, it’s OK. It’s over. You saved me, just like Hannah knew you would.”
At the sound of her name, the dragon’s head snapped toward him, eyes smiling.
“We’re safe now.”
Sal walked over to Gregory, who took some time to run his nails over the dragon’s hide.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “But do me a favor. Don’t tell Hannah that I almost pissed myself.”
Sal nudged Gregory’s hip with his snout, and then snapped in the opposite direction, standing up in attention.
“What is it…”
The answer to his question was climbing the hill toward him.
Gregory cursed as he watched a dozen or more remnant running in their direction.
CHAPTER TEN
The sun was getting lower in the sky behind them as the group continued their march toward Kofken. Silent with the single-mindedness of soldiers, Dardanus and his men led the way, while Laurel could be seen skipping around the trees. Hannah dropped back and walked alongside Aysa.
“You’ve got balls, girl,” she said, falling into step with her.
“What? No, I don’t. Do women where you come from?” She glanced down at Hannah’s crotch. “Huh?”
Hannah laughed. She liked the kid more and more. “Nah. We have them removed from birth. They only make you stupid and lusty.”
“Maybe I should look into it. I’m pretty good at losing body parts.” She waved the stub where her arm once was in Hannah’s direction.
Walking in silence for a minute, Hannah finally asked. “What the hell happened there?”
“This?” Aysa raised her elbow again. “Well, a few years ago, Dardanus up there just kept talking shit. I don’t even remember what it was about. But I challenged him to a fight. Told him that if I won, he’d have to spend the rest of his life wearing nothing but a skirt. If he won, he could take my arm. He’s a pretty trustworthy guy, so when he won, he took his prize.”
Hannah stared at her, unblinking.
“You’re shitting me.”
Aysa stopped. Her face lacked all expression. She shook her head. “Yeah. I’m shitting you,” she said with a laugh.
“I hate you and love you all at once,” Hannah replied joining the laughter. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. You don’t need to tell me.”
The two walked in silence for a while, Aysa’s joke unable to break the tension. Finally, she said, “It’s fine. It’s my life—I learned to not feel embarrassed by it a long time ago. When I was young, only eight years old, roamers struck Baseek, and struck us hard. There were always times we didn’t feel safe, but the throwers stationed on the cliff walls were generally enough to hold back attacks. But that day, they came in force, with numbers like we’d never seen before or since.
“They came in by night without lights. Taking out our throwers before they could raise the alarm. Then they rushed us all at once, setting fires to homes and killing everything that stood in their way. But they didn’t just come to kill, they came to take. Women, children—anyone weak enough not to resist.”
“And they took you?” Hannah asked.
The girl nodded.
“I was chained together with dozens of other Baseeki—as well as folks from all the places they had hit prior to Baseek. Two days into my captivity, I learned what they intended to do with us. Apparently, they march their prisoners for thousands of miles, then sell whoever survives the journey into work camps—so far away from their homes, that even if they did escape, they’d never be able to return.
“Once I learned that, I knew I had to escape—no matter the cost. So, I stole a knife from a particularly stupid guard, and that night, I did what had to be done. I made my escape. But freedom has its cost.”
“Holy shit,” Hannah said, wondering if she would have the strength that this girl had.
“I was lucky compared to the poor bastards who wouldn’t come with me. I healed, moved on. Their lives are gonna be hell. In all fairness, I’ve got it pretty good. I even managed to pay a few of the roamers back on my way out of camp. My only regret is that I didn’t kill more of them.”
Hannah nodded
, while making a mental note. If they had time, she and the Unlawful would try and visit one of these work camps, and let them know just what she thought about their operation.
“Well you seem to get around OK. I saw you fly down that cliff face. And you’ve got some wicked good aim, too. But I bet that makes life pretty hard.”
Aysa nodded. “Sure. But whose life isn’t hard? I had always been an orphan, but once I made it back home, the Baseeki took good care of me. They really are a loyal people. But most of them don’t know what to do with me. I think my missing arm makes them feel awkward. So, I spend most of my time in the hills, away from the village. That’s how I got to be so damn good at climbing and fighting.”
Aysa grew quiet again, glancing over at Hannah a few times for approval to go on, and a sign that she could trust her. Getting neither, she continued anyway. “Everyone in Baseek treats me either like a freak or a liability. Everyone except for Sam. He’s always been nice to me. If it weren’t for him, I imagine I would have just walked off one night… But if a person can feel love from just one other, maybe that’s enough. Not that I’d call what he feels for me love or anything. He’s just not a dick. It’s nice.”
“It is,” Hannah said, thinking of Will and how the two of them got through their mother’s death and father’s treachery. “One good person can make up for a thousand douche nuggets, at least that’s what I’ve figured out. And I think you’re pretty special, regardless of how he feels for you.”
“Either way, I’ll probably never know for sure. Not now.”
“Don’t worry,” Hannah said. “We’ll get Samet back.”
“I know. It’s just that—”
Aysa’s words were cut short as she saw Dardanus stopped in the path ahead, his hand up indicating they should be still and silent. He turned and crouched, motioning to the others to do the same. Hannah and Aysa crept low up the path to see what was going on.
“Damn, roamers, I think,” Dardanus said. “Looks like a pretty good-sized group, too.”
Hannah could feel Aysa tense up beside her. She pushed past him and took a look—Hannah followed suit. Dardanus had won her approval, so far, as a decent human being, but she insisted on assessing the situation herself.
A group of men and women, all of them burley and dressed in animal hides, sat in a large clearing. Shrill laughter came up from one, as another told a story loudly enough that Hannah could almost hear the details. They obviously weren’t concerned with their own safety, and she could only presume they had earned the right to be arrogant from a solid track record in battle.
They were outnumbered by two to one, as far as she could see, and if these nomads were half as badass as Dardanus made them out to be, they’d be trouble to take head on.
Although she’d never met Samet, she searched for him among the roamers. He wasn’t there, at least not where she could see him. They could have him bound and out of sight, but she couldn’t be sure from where she was crouched in the undergrowth.
“They’re off their guard,” Dardanus said. “If we run in now, we can drop a few before they know what hit them.”
Hannah scrunched her nose. “Very subtle, D. Is that how you approach the ladies, too?”
He cocked his head and shrugged. Hannah realized there probably wasn’t much of a dating scene in Baseek. She’d need to clarify. “If we go in hard and fast, you’re right, we’ll drop a couple, but we’re still outnumbered. Would be good to do this with no casualties on team Baseek. Agreed?”
All of the men looked at each other, as if counting off who would live and who would die.
“Sure,” Dardanus finally said. “So, what do you suggest?”
“A strategy.”
****
“Ah! By the Matriarch, am I ever glad to run into you guys,” Hannah called out, skipping down the path toward the group of roamers laughing by the trail.
Before she could take another step, nearly a dozen bows were drawn, arrows nocked and ready for action. They were fast.
Really fast.
Dardanus had overestimated the kind of drop they would have had on the group if they had rushed in. It would have been a bloodbath. Not to mention, there were more than she could see from their vantage point. A quick estimation put their number at eighteen, maybe twenty. Almost twice the number of Baseeki.
Stumbling back, with feigned fear on her face, Hannah threw her hands into the air. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there, friends. I don’t mean any harm. I’m unarmed. Just a girl on an adventure, that’s all.”
The biggest and ugliest of the bunch lowered his bow and stepped toward her, muscles bulging beneath his tight leather clothes. “Out in the wild without a weapon? I’d call you an idiot with a deathwish.”
“If an idiot is someone who loves the feeling of wind in her hair and the smell of salt water, then I’m guilty as charged.” She tossed her hair with her hand and giggled. “But I do need some help. I’m looking for a city where I’m to meet my friends.” She scrunched her nose. “I think it is called Penile, it’s in the lower region.”
One of the other men dropped his bow. “Darling, I know all about Penile in the lower region. Just come with me, and I’ll give you a tour. But a warning, once you see the tower, you’ll never want to leave.”
He laughed and the others joined him.
Hannah forced a chuckle at his joke. “I heard that your penile is quite withered with lack of use.”
“Ohhh!” the crowd shouted.
The man raised his bow, leveling an arrow at her head, but the leader of the group waved him down. “You’ve been traveling, have you?”
Hannah nodded, doing anything she could to keep the conversation rolling. She knew her team needed time to get ready, and if they were lucky, Hannah could get the information she needed without resorting to violence.
“Then maybe you know what the hell that thing is?”
Hannah watched as all of the Marauders leaned in. For the life of her, she had no idea what they were talking about. “What thing?”
A woman, nearly as tall and as broad as the men, stood. “Enough. Let’s tie the wench up and put her over the fire. That’ll make her talk... or at least squeal like a pig.”
Grunts of agreement surrounded Hannah as three of them approached, arms outstretched. She glanced over at the fire and realized this wasn’t a scare tactic. She would soon be their pig on a spit.
Fear built in her gut and ran through every ounce of her flesh. She could feel the power in her blood running wild beneath her skin.
Shit. So much for the diplomatic approach. Anytime now, guys, she thought, looking past the raving group and toward the woods.
Three men threw wood on the fire, laughing to themselves. Another pulled back on his bow, shouting, “Let me get the pig ready.”
He let loose the arrow.
Everything slowed. She could see the shaft and its trajectory for her. Swiping her hand across her body, she raised a shield. The arrow grazed off of it and into the woods.
The marauders’ jaws went slack. A young woman, nearly Hannah’s age pointed and yelled, “She’s a damned witch. Get her!”
The remaining crowd rushed her, and that was apparently what the Baseeki were waiting for. Before the roamers could cut the space between her and them in half, a volley of rocks came flying out of the woods. Each one found their targets—crushing bone and skull. The unlucky roamers dropped to the dirt, a few unconscious, the others cursing and rolling around in pain.
But the roamers had clearly fought Baseeki before. They turned toward the woods, blindly firing arrow after arrow through the trees. More rocks came, but they were fewer and less accurate.
Three more bodies dropped, but Hannah watched as a large woman took a rock to the shoulder and remained standing.
Shit, Hannah thought. They are badass. This might not work.
“To cover!” one of the men yelled, and they all scurried to find shelter behind boulders and trees. It would be damned near impossible
to root them out with bolas and rocks.
Seeing that the ranged game was a losing battle, the Baseeki decided to try a hand to hand fight.
Just as Hannah had planned it.
Dardanus rushed down the hill from behind the roamers. Laurel, Aysa, and two of his men were with him. They screamed like the world was coming to an end, and they were the ones making it happen.
Distracted by the volley of rocks in front of them, the roamers were unprepared for the assault from the rear.
Bodies clashed against bodies, and a half dozen roamers were down before the rest could drop their bows in favor of short swords for close combat. Hannah watched in awe, realizing that the Baseeki and their bolas were a force to be reckoned with in close proximity. Dardanus dropped three without missing a beat and turned to face more. Laurel was spinning and slashing as always, and Hannah saw Aysa grab a roamer’s hand and turn their own sword against them.
“Give ‘em hell!” Hannah yelled as she walked toward the fray.
“You’re mine, you little bitch,” a voice said from behind her.
Hannah spun, drawing up fireballs as she turned. “I hate that word.” She launched the quickly made orbs at a large man. He sidestepped one, but the other landed on his chest, knocking him back a step.
He beat the fire out with his hands, then looked down at sizzling leather and laughed. “All you got, honey? It’s gonna take more than your damn tricks to take me down.”
He pulled his short sword and gritted his teeth.
“All I got? That was just a warm up, bitch.”
Hannah’s eyes turned deep red. She cleared out her mind, and tried to truly connect with the natural world around her. She dropped to the ground, pressing her hands deep into the earth.
“What the hell are you doing?” he said. “Stand and fight me you bit—”
Before he could finish, a vine shot from the woods to their side. Then another, and another. Tendrils from the natural world wrapped him from head to toe. He screamed, more out of shock than pain.
Soon, his screams turned to laughter as he began hacking at the vines with his sword. “This is your master plan? I ain’t afraid of no damn leaves.”
