by C. M. Kane
Vesh nodded. ‘I will relay the message, Commander, and please accept my thanks for your gracious welcome.’
‘Oh dear.’
Everyone turned to the satyr again. ‘What now?’ Shivon frowned at the small creature.
Vesh’s attention focused inwardly for a moment as he began receiving instructions through his earpiece.
The satyr continued nervously. ‘It seems there’s been a problem with a vid-ball,’ he said.
Shivons stomach dropped. ‘Whose?’ he asked, already dreading that he knew the answer.
The satyr looked up at his commander. ‘Tae Rames’, sir.’
Shivon sighed. The one time he had a major deity - no, the major deity - come to his Island, and it seemed this whole stinking world, along with every single one of its nasty little inhabitants, were conspiring against him to make him a laughing-stock.
Before he could ask a question the satyr piped up, ‘they’re looking into it now sir and will report back shortly.’
Vesh spoke as soon as the Satyr finished talking. ‘I have just been ordered to the Island, might I impose on you a little longer and have one of your subordinates drop me off at the same coordinates as the girl’s?’
Shivon gave Vesh a considering look. Perhaps it was for the best, this way if something else went wrong concerning the girl then it would be Vesh’s fault and he would take the blame, not he, Shivon. He cheered immediately at this new thought, ‘Of course, Commander.’
‘I wish to go too sir.’ Jaden said as soon as he heard Vesh’s request.
Vesh didn’t even bother to look at the thalien, instead focusing on Shivon with deadly intensity. ‘My orders come directly from Elite Commander Tannan, Lord Zeus’ personal aide and second-in-command, Commander, and they mentioned nothing about,’ he gestured at Jaden, ‘that.’
Shivon, having already made the tactical choice to do all in his power to save his own skin, looked dismissively over at Jaden. ‘Commander Vesh is right, lieutenant. Return to the hunters’ quarters and await an assignment.’ He turned to the satyr. ‘Hod, take Commander Vesh to the girl’s drop-off coordinates.’
The satyr saluted. ‘Yes Commander.’ He turned to Vesh. ‘If you will follow me, sir, we can leave immediately.’
Vesh nodded at Shivon and followed the satyr back through the building behind them where a tall blonde vampire stood in the shadows watching, and listening he bet.
The vampire spoke quietly as they neared. ‘Her com-watch is in the box on the table if you need to scent it. There’s also water and protein bar packs in the boxes beside the table.’
Vesh nodded. ‘My thanks,’ he said moving to the table, the satyr a step behind him. He opened the box and took out an old com-watch, and raised it to his nose inhaling deeply. He could smell the vampire straight away, a musky male odour, as well as another male, this one human. Underneath both scents he detected another, it was very subtle, barely there, but enough for him to recognise if he smelt it again. He closed his eyes, inhaling again, something was bothering him, it took a moment for him to realise what it was. There was no smell of Drav on the watch, he looked at it, frowning in confusion.
The blonde vampire sauntered over. ‘I gather you picked up on it,’ he said nonchalantly. Vesh remained silent as the Vampire continued, ‘Took me a minute to realise what was different about her. No Drav smell, she was clean, not much scent at all from either her or her clothes. I may not have your nose, wolf, but I think from what I just overheard, that tracking this one might not be as straight forward as you want it to be.’
Vesh grinned. ‘She has a body, vampire, it sweats and has other needs. I’ll track her easily enough.’
The vampire shrugged. ‘Perhaps, but I’d still be careful of her if I were you, especially of that bloody big knife she’s got, special warrior issue if I’m not mistaken.’ He smiled again, this time showing a little fang. ‘I’d really hate to see you injured, Commander.’
Vesh gave a half smile at the insolent Vampires recognition of his superior rank. ‘Your concern for my well being is quite touching, lieutenant.’ He pocketed the watch and grabbed half a dozen of the black bags, then followed Hod over to the jumper hangars. After a quick discussion with the warrior on duty they climbed into a small jumper and were on their way.
Vesh tore open the packs, placing the protein bars in two pockets and drinking a litre of water as they went. He placed the other bottles in various pockets throughout his jacket. He estimated that he would be approximately forty-five minutes behind her by the time he landed, judging by the pathetic pace that Hod flew at. If he picked up her scent quickly he should have her in sight within another hour, two at a maximum. His ears pricked as adrenalin started to flow through his veins. He’d forgotten how much he loved the hunt, it was a pity this one would be so short. He settled back as the jumper moved across the darkening sky.
***
Jaden stood rooted to the spot as Shivon walked swiftly back to his office with two aides who had been standing off at a distance, waiting for him. Vesh and the satyr walked off in the opposite direction making for the Hanger behind the staging area. Tae Rames he thought, almost incandescent with rage, this woman has heaped humiliation after humiliation upon me, he cursed the day he had received orders to go to that miserable little hole, Jaxburg. He narrowed his eyes, but an assignment will come up soon he thought, in just over a day I will be on the Island, and then he smiled looking in the direction the jumper had headed, then the real hunting will begin.
CHAPTER 21
Tae leapt out the door of the jumper throwing her coat over the vid-ball as she moved. She quickly wrapped it up and dragged it back to her, and after a quick glance around to make sure no-one was about to stop her, she set off at a sprint toward the tree line in front of the distant volcano. Once there she found a large rock and smashed the vid-ball inside her coat a half dozen times as hard as she could. She took a quick look back at the jumper, it looked like about half the people had already been unloaded, and a couple of them were now heading in her direction.
She quickly opened the jacket and looked at the vid-ball. It definitely looked dead, half its side was caved in and the lights had gone out. She hit it again, exposing the inner workings as the casing finally cracked. Grabbing a small branch near her feet she plunged it inside as far as it would go, watching as sparks flew everywhere. Withdrawing the now smouldering branch, she placed the ruined ball on a rock in case it sparked some more, then she grabbed the stick and crushed it under her boot, putting it out totally. The last thing she needed was a bushfire on top of everything else she had to deal with.
She tied her jacket around her waist and looked up. One of the people from the jumper, a fat balding man, was approaching her position, seemingly unaware of her until he was almost upon her. Tae stood and turned to face the man fully, her hand reaching for the knife at her hip automatically. Startled, the man stopped short and stared at her for a moment, before quickly turning to head into the surrounding woods in a different direction. She re-sheathed the knife and quickly checked the jumper again, the first of the predators were just beginning to jump to the ground. Another glance around confirmed that she was at the first landing site. Damn it! That means the rock face, she thought. She put it out of her mind as she turned and began to run. She knew that she needed to get as much space as possible between herself and the rest of the group, unfortunately the jumper had unloaded far quicker than she had anticipated. In a panic she started down the mountain at a dead sprint.
Maintaining her speed was difficult. The ground was proving to be treacherous, she felt rocks continuously shifting under her feet as she ran, while dense pockets of some kind of prickly fern clawed at any of her exposed skin. She had only been running a short time when she heard a piercing scream from somewhere behind and to the right, followed by a crashing noise. Someone must have had the same idea as hers about trying to put some distance between themselves and the others, but had fallen. It was this alone that bo
ught her to her senses and stopped her panicked headlong flight. The last thing she needed was a twisted ankle, or worse, a broken leg. Admonishing herself severely for her extreme foolishness she slowed her pace to the consistent jog Brohan had trained her to do. Soon her harsh breathing came back under control and she was able focus more on her surroundings.
The ground was damp with intermittent outcroppings of rock, she glanced around noting she was surrounded by ferns and trees that weren’t native to her country, but which she knew were of no threat to her. As she had moved down the mountain the trees and ferns had become more densely packed, blanketing the ground and making it harder to move. So far there was no sound of birdlife due, she suspected, to the new arrivals in their domain.
Tae knew that having a sense of what time had passed was critical while she was so close to the others, so she had devised a way to tell hours apart by singing in her head and counting the number of songs she got through. She figured she’d been running for about ten minutes since she started. Inwardly she cursed herself again for making such a stupid rudimentary mistake, already she had deviated from the plan. Her mind calmed as she settled back down into a steady rhythm, continuously singing to herself in her head, counting off each song like minutes.
She reached the floor of the mountain two hours later. She stopped and looked around warily, her breathing heavy. She had jogged steadily from the top of the mountain until she reached the bottom. Although not strictly part of the plan, Tae thought it advisable to put as much distance as possible between herself and any pursuit. She had a couple of swallows from her water bottle, then picked some dirt up off the ground and rubbed it into her face and under her sweaty arms. Grabbing some pine needles from the nearest tree she continued the process, rubbing them hard over her clothes and through her hair. Satisfied, she took another couple of swallows of her water and climbed a small dry wash that would lead to the next mountain.
One down, she thought to herself as she started walking again. By the time six hours had gone by she had traversed yet another smaller mountain without incident, she was again at the bottom of what looked like a narrow ravine. She knew her six hours grace was now up and she was officially fair game. Tae felt a stifling fear rising up in her at the thought of people out there hunting her; every little sound she heard now seemed threatening in some way.
She pushed down her fear and took a deep breath as she drew her knife, I can handle this, I just have to keep moving a little while longer. Her thigh muscles burnt and she was sweating heavily but she pushed herself onwards. She had continued to rub pine needles and dirt over herself as she walked for an hour, and then jogged an hour, religiously keeping to the schedule Brohan had planned for her. Soon, she reached the next gentle peak.
Horror settled in her mind at the size of the mountain that lay before her after the next peak. It looked to be twice the height of the one she was now standing upon. The gods be damned, she thought wearily. Despite the growing darkness she jogged the entire way down the other side. She thought it must now be somewhere around eight o’clock at night, she knew she was asking for trouble by continuing to jog as twilight fell. It was difficult enough to see all the little roots that could trip her or the rocks that could slide away from under her foot, and she was tiring quickly, but she pressed on regardless. Her water was now over half gone but the sky had begun to cloud over not long after she had left the jumper, it was starting to look more and more ominous as each hour passed and it only continued to darken as she ran.
Rain had been forecast for the next two days and she knew heavy rain could slow her progress dramatically in this rugged terrain, hell, the terrain itself would put her way behind schedule, if she allowed it. She decided it might be more prudent to make good time while she could. Already she was at the spot Brohan had picked for her first night’s rest.
Knowing that rain was forecast she had drunk what water she needed to keep herself as hydrated as possible for her pace. Despite the lateness of the day it was still quite warm, which at the moment was only adding to her woes, she thought she’d do anything for a cool breeze to dry some of her sweat. Tae shook the bottle and looked around at the dry wash she was in. Damn. She looked up at the last of the small mountains in front of her and, shrugging, took another long drink, just as the first fat drop of rain hit her forehead. She smiled, looking upward and whispered a quick prayer of thanks to Zeus.
She continued on, walking throughout most of the night, only stopping to rest for short periods when her exhaustion became too much. She finally reached the bottom of the smaller mountain just as the first hints of light were beginning to filter through the sullen, overcast skies. It had been raining on and off throughout the night, keeping her awake. So far, the thick plastic sewn into her coat had seemed to keep the rain from her upper body. She had wisely kept the hood pulled up since that first drop of rain, but from her upper thighs to her ankles was soaked through. Luckily her boots were waterproof and her feet had remained dry.
She had decided against sleep for four reasons. Firstly, it had been drizzling on and off all night and she thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep in the rain anyway. Secondly, she now needed to find water, as her own supply was gone. Thirdly, she needed to relieve herself very badly, but wanted to do as Brohan had advised and find running water if possible, so she was holding on until she was utterly desperate. Lastly, although she was loathe to admit it, she was now utterly terrified of being alone in the dark on the Island.
She had slowed to a careful walk, picking her way with extra care, because although she was traversing a smaller peak than the next mountain looming above her, it was rocky, dark and wet, making it slippery and dangerous. Still, she kept moving, making slow but steady progress.
She used every ounce of concentration she had to listen and observe her surroundings, it was now the only thing that seemed to help in keeping her fear at bay.
She heard yet another far distant scream and flinched involuntarily. So far she had heard eleven screams, beginning not long after the six hour mark. They had seemed to be getting progressively further and further behind her, but who could tell? She knew that in the dark, sound could travel for long distances and she still felt far too vulnerable to risk stopping.
Tears of fear and fatigue began to well in her eyes as she trudged along. No I asked for this! I trained for it! So stop this scared little princess shit now! She told herself savagely. She took a deep breath and let her anger at herself spur her on, she finally reached a narrow valley just as dawn broke sullenly, signalling the beginning of a new day.
Tae was exhausted and thirsty, she knew she needed to rest a little and drink soon, but her bottle was empty, so she continued on while she still could. Halfway across the valley she found a small stream of water trickling through the remains of a seasonal riverbed, she flopped down wearily, gratefully refilling her bottle before slowly drinking. When she had finally quenched her thirst she walked a little further downstream to relieve herself, after washing her hands thoroughly she returned to the spot she had just vacated and rested for a few more minutes, while she continued either drinking or refilling her bottle. Despite being physically exhausted she was still riding an adrenalin high, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep, no matter how exhausted her body was. As she rested she took in her surroundings, the valley was really quite pretty.
The long summer grasses were still surprisingly green and swayed in the light morning breeze. Small stands of trees were interspaced near the water’s edge as if in perfect placement for summer picnickers, it was quite idyllic, well it would be if people weren’t trying to kill each other. Tae snapped back to the here and now, with her thirst now quenched hunger began to gnaw at her. She needed food, it was time for her to eat to try to replace some of the energy she had burnt off with her constant movement. To her utter horror she found the bars to only be about four inches long.
‘Hardly a damn meal,’ she muttered sullenly. ‘Rotten, miserable, cheap-assed bas
tards.’
Tae loved most food, whether it was fruits, nuts, breads, vegetable, or pastries, she wasn’t particular, as long as it wasn’t meat she’d eat it. But this! She stared at the small bar in disappointment. ‘At least they could have made you a bit bigger, two bites and you’ll be gone’ she said in disgust. She found articulating her disappointment out loud to the offending protein bar was strangely therapeutic for some reason, so she went with it. Still frowning she broke the bar in half, carefully putting the remaining half back in its wrapper before slipping it into her pocket. She then nibbled at it while she sat resting in a forlorn attempt to make the first half last as long as she could.
Finally it stopped raining so she took off her jacket and the shirt she wore. Grabbing her knife, she sliced the stitches holding the lightly sewn on strips of green material that adorned it. Carefully tearing the strips off, she placed them on the ground beside her. After she had finished she gathered some even pieces of wood, each piece a fraction shorter than her forearm, and divided them into to two lots of four, then very carefully she tied them to the outside of her arms using the strips she had just stripped from her shirt. She looked at her handiwork and flexed her arms about to make sure she could still move them unhindered if she needed to. She nodded to herself pleased at her innovation, her arms could now be used as a shield of sorts, to stop slashes in a knife fight. Happy with her handiwork she put her shirt and jacket back on and grabbed another two small branches to work on as she went. After one last drink she refilled her bottle again, and decided to tuck it down the front of her pants burying the black bag it came in under some rocks in the stream, she checked around where she had been sitting to make sure she’d left no telltale sign she had been there, satisfied she started towards the enormous mountain in front of her.
