Prosperine: The Adventures of the Space Heroine Hickory Lace: Books 1, 2 & 3 (The Prosperine Trilogy)

by PJ McDermott

  “Oh, it’ll be the usual thing—an inherent sense of duty and shame—in that order. It’s in his breeding.”

  Jess nodded.

  Meanwhile, Albetius was in conversation with Hickory. He looked up at the sky and sniffed. “I think this is just a temporary lull. Winter is on its way and travel will be much tougher from here on. But we should be safe enough for tonight at least.”

  “Your country is breathtaking,” said Hickory.

  “There is none more beautiful on Prosperine,” he said, smiling in appreciation. He saw Saurab glance anxiously at the surrounding forest. “No danger from carnivorous plants here, my friend. We are too high and too cold for them to survive.”

  A howling shriek floated in the still air.

  Saurab jerked his head round. “What’s that?”

  “Nothing to worry about. Only a night lizard. It’s far away.”

  Nevertheless, they all slept with their swords by their sides.

  Opening the flaps of their tents the next morning, they were greeted by a bright sun shining in a cerulean sky. They decided to make the most of it and got underway quickly, eating a snack as they hiked. Before long, they had left the forest behind and were walking steadily uphill. Arriving at the first snow-filled gorge, they strung a rope between them and prodded the crisp, blue-white snow in front with staffs. It was slow going, but Albetius was adamant about the danger of hidden crevasses and Hickory dared not take the risk of losing one of their party.

  By midday, they had trudged out of the gorge and climbed up the side of one mountain, crossed a wide u-shaped valley, and begun the ascent of Shakaranni. They had a panoramic view of the surrounding country, and they could see all the way to the countryside around Crodal village.

  Hickory walked beside Albetius, glancing back at the others. “We should find somewhere to stop and have a rest. Saurab is finding the going hard.”

  “There’s a cave up ahead that will provide safe shelter.”

  Hickory nodded. “Sounds good.” She cleared her throat. “Back in the village, when I was talking about the Teacher, you seemed to know him?”

  Albetius gave Hickory a quick look and frowned. “Very perceptive of you. I have heard reports of the one you call Teacher. He has been seen traveling from town to town, preaching a strange religion, foreign, and indeed repellent to most of my people. My ministers were concerned that his intentions were not peaceful.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “They said he was preaching some nonsense about life after death, of a never-ending existence for his ‘believers.'” Albetius grinned at her. “Think on that. Even to imagine such a thing!”

  Hickory’s heart fluttered, and she berated herself for being silly. The Teacher’s an alien, although quite possibly the most marvelous being I’ve ever laid eyes on. She was startled by her own admission. Infatuated with an alien! She almost didn’t hear Albetius continue.

  “My ministers thought he might be preaching revolution, plotting to overthrow me.” He laughed mockingly. “No need of some religious madman for that. My nobles are more than capable of getting rid of me without the promise of everlasting life.”

  “How did he look? I mean, was he well?” Her face flushed red, and she glanced away.

  Albetius seemed not to notice. “The last I heard he was being kept under surveillance,” he said with a shrug. “He was still preaching, although he may well be imprisoned by now.” He pointed to where three bushes clung to the hillside. “Here’s the cave—the entrance is blocked by snow, but it’s behind those bushes.”

  They waited until the others arrived then dug their way through the snow-filled entry. It was dark inside, but surprisingly dry underfoot. Jakah fashioned a torch from some dead branches that littered the floor, and they looked around.

  It was a large cave and had evidently been occupied over many years by both Erlachi and a variety of wild animals. Bones were scattered here and there, and several spots held the remnants of earlier fires. Saurab poked around in the charcoal. “There’s plenty of wood for a fire. This place could be quite cozy.” He looked up hopefully.

  “How long to get to Kandromena?” she asked Albetius.

  “Depending on how quickly we travel, two to three days,” he said.

  She looked around at the others. It’s been a hard day. They all look pretty tired. “We’ll camp here tonight and take the opportunity to dry ourselves out. We can have a good night’s sleep and get started first thing tomorrow morning. Jakah, will you see if there’s running water nearby? We need to re-stock. If not, can you collect some snow to melt? I’ll get started on making us something to eat.”

  Gareth grabbed his pack and the water bags and said, “I’ll come, too. What about you, Mother?”

  Jess looked to Hickory, who nodded. “You’d better go. Otherwise, he’ll get lost,” she said.

  “I came across a stream on my way to Crodal,” said Albetius. “It’s on the high side of the hill about half a mile further along the trail. I think I can find it again if you want me to come with you.”

  “No need. We can find it,” said Jakah, making for the entrance.

  When they had left, Saurab lit the fire while Hickory prepared the ingredients for soup. “Pity we don’t have a few fresh beans or a bit of rabbit,” she grumbled.

  Albetius looked quizzical. “What are beans and rabbit? I do not recognize these names.”

  Hickory cursed silently. She had momentarily forgotten that these were aliens she was dealing with.

  Saurab looked at her and then at Albetius. He forced a laugh. “Not used to cooking much for yourself, Albetius? Beans and rabbit are a couple of root vegetable where we come from. They add great flavor to soup.”

  Albetius nodded but looked uncertain. More than once in the following hour he gave Hickory a worried glance.

  Hickory busied herself hanging up damp clothes in front of the fire. She thought about the Teacher and her feelings for him. She couldn’t deny that he fascinated her and that she genuinely liked the naur. He was a good person, one who not only said the right things but also practiced what he preached. She admired him greatly for his intelligence and compassion. And there was some sort of chemistry between them. How can that be?

  A crack of far-away thunder sounded momentarily, interrupting her reverie.

  “Sounds like a storm on the way. I’m glad we decided to stay here today,” said Saurab.

  “Hmm. Go outside and check if there’s any sign of the others,” said Hickory. “They should be on their way back.”

  Another crackle of thunder came and went, and a flash of lightning illuminated the entrance to the cave. The storm was much closer now.

  A few moments later, Saurab retuned. “There’s no sign of them and I don’t like the look of the sky. I’ve never seen a blizzard accompanied by thunder and lightning.”

  Suddenly there was a loud crack like something huge splitting apart and then a low rumbling sound. Hickory felt the earth tremble and saw grains of dust dance on the floor. Her heart rate rose as the sound of falling rock and snow echoed ominously through the cavern.

  “Avalanche!” yelled Saurab.

  Avalanche

  The three dashed to the entrance. Slabs of ice crashed down from above, blocking the exit, and the natural light from outside gradually turned to gray and then inky black as silence fell.

  Hickory fetched some burning brands from the fire and held them up to the wall of ice and snow.

  Saurab and Albetius tried to scoop their way out using their hands, but they made no impression.

  Hickory paced back and forth, attempting to gauge the thickness of the blockage and how long it would take them to dig themselves out. She couldn’t stop thinking about the three left outside during the storm. Had they been caught up in the avalanche? Perhaps they were hurt. She didn’t like to consider the possibility that they might be dead, carried to the bottom of the mountain and buried under tons of snow, ice, and rock.

  Eventually,
she crouched beside the fire and spoke quietly. “Saurab, Albetius—save your energy. You can’t dig your way out of here. That ice must be ten feet thick at least. Even if we had pickaxes and cutting tools, it would take us days, maybe weeks. All we can do is hope the others survive the storm and can find some help.”

  Albetius looked at her, grim-faced, then back at the blocked entrance.

  Saurab kicked at the ice and cursed, then came to join her. “What chance do you think they have?” he said.

  “If they were at the stream when the storm hit, there’s a pretty good chance they would have survived,” said Albetius.

  Hickory’s eyes narrowed. “Yes? Why do you say that?”

  “The stream is a fair distance from here—probably outside the avalanche area. They took their backpacks with them, and there’s a natural rock overhang beside the stream where they could wait out the storm.”

  Saurab rubbed his hands in front of the fire. “That’s something to be grateful for, assuming they actually made it to the stream, and assuming they missed the main slide. I doubt they’ll be able to find us again, though. If the ice at the entrance is anything to go by, the appearance of this part of the mountain will have changed.”

  Hickory had tried to reach Jess and Gareth using her SIM but had been unsuccessful. There must be too much solid material between us. She preferred to believe this rather than the alternative.

  Albetius nodded his agreement. “They will think we have perished. They will not waste time trying to recover dead bodies.”

  “There’s not much point speculating about that,” said Hickory. “Let’s take a look around and see if we can find anything that will help us survive. At least we won’t run out of water.” She looked up at the flickering shadows on the roof caused by the fire. “And we have light and warmth so we should last a couple of weeks, providing we don’t smoke ourselves to death.”

  They took some burning branches from the fire and made their way further inside. After a few yards, the cave opened up into a larger chamber. They held their torches high and marveled at the sight. “It’s a fairyland,” said Hickory. Stalactites of different hues grew from the roof and joined stalagmites rising from the ground and the walls sparkled in the torchlight as though encrusted with jewels. In the middle of the cavern stood a quiet pool of shining crynidium.

  Saurab’s eyes widened. “Karotz, I wish Jakah could see this. There’s enough crynidium here to buy a planet.”

  “Let’s keep moving,” said Hickory.

  Other than the way they’d come, they discovered two pathways leading out of the cavern. One path sloped downwards, the other was narrower and went straight ahead.

  “Which way?” said Albetius.

  “Both,” said Hickory. “Saurab, you take the narrower path and we’ll check out this one. We meet back here in five minutes, no more.”

  Hickory and Albetius followed the wider path but after twenty paces, it narrowed until they could only travel in single file. Albetius suggested it was time to return to the first cavern area. “Our torches will soon be spent and this passage is becoming dangerous. It closes in on us.”

  “There is something, though. Can’t you feel it?” said Hickory.

  “A breeze!” He turned to Hickory, his face alight. “Might there be a way out?”

  Hickory lifted her torch high and the smoke curled towards them. “Perhaps we can squeeze our way through. I think we must take the risk. Let’s get Saurab and collect our backpacks.”

  Saurab was waiting for them. “Dead end—literally,” he said. “There’s a tar pit and a heap of animal remains down there. I’d say a lot of creatures must have been trapped in it over the ages.”

  They went back to their campfire and searched for sizable branches to use as torches. Hickory pulled some clothes from her backpack and tore them into strips. “Wrap these around the ends. If we soak them in the tar you found, Saurab, the torches will burn brighter and last longer. Make two or three each. No telling how long that tunnel will go on for.”

  Two hours into their journey, the only way they could move forward was to crawl on hands and knees with their packs dragging behind them tied to a rope. Sweat and smoke stung at Hickory’s eyes as she inched along the confined space, holding the torch in front. If we have to go back, it will be a nightmare trying to turn this lot around. She glanced over her shoulder. The little Dark Sun seemed to be coping better than Albetius. Because he was bigger, he was struggling. Not a word of complaint, though.

  Another hour later, she called back to them. “It looks like the tunnel widens out up ahead.” A hundred yards further on, they were able to walk, stooping as they went, and then they saw daylight.

  “Thank Balor,” said Albetius.

  They emerged from the narrow mouth of the cave and found themselves on a wide ledge half a mile above the surrounding countryside. Hickory stood rooted to the spot, shading her eyes as she gazed with disbelief at the vista before her.

  They had come from a land frozen and white with snow on the other side of the mountain range, but here the air was mild and the sun shone out of a clear blue sky. Lying below them was a u-shaped valley dotted with green trees and bushes growing in fields of lush golden grass.

  Hickory saw a group of dark specks moving across a meadow. Grazing yarraks. In the distance, she could see buildings, some with smoke rising from pipes in the roof.

  “Albetius, what is this place?” asked Hickory.

  The king raised a hand to his forehead. “I...I think we’ve come far to the north and west of Feruwe. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard strange tales of a country called Lonilk. This may be that place. It is said the people who live here are peaceable, indeed very shy and nervous of strangers. There are some who say they can make themselves invisible at will.” Albetius looked awestruck. “I never thought to see this place in my lifetime. In children’s tales, Lonilk sits at the gate between Balor’s palace and Erlach, and the Lonilki are Balor’s servants.”

  Saurab raised his eyebrows. “Interesting. The question, though, is whether you know how to get to Feruwe from here?”

  “I’ve never seen a map of Lonilk, nor have I any more idea of the geography of this country than you do, little naur. But unless Hickory has a better solution, I suggest we follow this mountain range and take the first track heading in a southerly direction.”

  The descent was steep to begin with, covered with large boulders and loose scree and with little vegetation to hold onto. They slipped and slid their way down until they reached the lower slopes where they rested and stripped off their outer clothing. When they reached the valley floor, they passed several hot-water springs, then found a stream and washed and drank their fill.

  Hickory studied Saurab. His face was a healthy color once more, and he seemed almost back to his old self, querying Albetius about the females in this land.

  Feeling refreshed, they headed towards the village they’d spotted from above. Hickory noticed they were being followed from a distance, but when Saurab tried to get a closer view, they always slipped out of sight before he could get near.

  “Let them be. They mean us no harm,” said Hickory.

  Fresh water seemed in plentiful supply, and the surrounding fields looked more fertile than those of Avanaux, growing crops of barley, sugar, and corn. When they crossed several streams teaming with small fish, Albetius said, “It is recorded the Lonilki eat many things that are forbidden to the Erlachi. Even the thought makes me ill, but they will consume these fish, which both the Erlachi and our Avanauri cousins think fit only for fertilizer in the fields. I have heard it told that they will also eat the flesh of small animals, but this I cannot believe.”

  Saurab nodded. “Perhaps being isolated the way they are, they have developed different habits and customs. I know of some Avanauri who were starving, and so they ate animal flesh. They all died in agony.”

  “They were truly cursed,” said Albetius.

  They arrived at the outlying ar
eas of the town, which was neither enclosed nor guarded in any way. Many of the standalone buildings were the traditional oval shape Hickory recognized from her time in Ezekan. But on each side of the road, two- and three-story white stucco houses were typical. All had tall windows facing the sun to the east, and on the roof of each structure, a vegetable or fruit garden could be seen. Not everything here is different, then. The Avanauri are adept at harnessing the small amounts of useable space for food production, but these look more decorative than practical.

  “It is strange,” said Albetius, looking around, “but I do not think these people have ever experienced war.”

  They passed a sizeable open space containing a lake where children splashed and swam. This was something the Avanauri did not do.

  A lively crowd had gathered around them as they continued to the town. They glanced keenly at the travelers but didn’t attempt to interfere or stop their progress. The Lonilki were tall and slender, and their skin shone with a translucent green radiance. As Hickory drew close, she saw that what she took to be skin was, in fact, a thick outer membrane that blurred the Lonilki features. She tried reaching with her empathic sense but found only an emanation of peaceful calm.

  She studied the native children being held in their parents’ arms as they passed. There is something different—“They have no tails!” she exclaimed, her hand flying to her mouth. Avanauri naurs and nauris were born with a prehensile tail that they attached to a parent and that allowed them to extract nourishment. The appendage separated and withered when the baby could be fed orally—at about one year old. These kids look more like Homo sapiens than they do Erlachi or Avanauri.

  She turned to Albetius and Saurab, confusion in her eyes. “Surely these people are a different race from the Erlachi or the Avanauri? They don’t even look native to this planet.”

  Albetius frowned and inclined his head. “You speak strangely sometimes, Hickory. What do you mean, ‘not native’? Surely all are one with Balor. There can be nothing other than what is here…” He spread his hands, and his voice trailed away, unable to find the words to describe his lack of comprehension of what Hickory was saying.