Quest For Earth

by S. E. GILCHRIST

  Their eyes met.

  ‘I know you understand. ’Tis the same with you.’

  Her words resonated inside Sherise like the beating of the drum of life in the ancient halls of her father, when the Dresser of the Dead counted out the life cycles of the fallen. Her chest tightened as her heart swelled until she thought it would burst.

  Unable to speak, she nodded.

  There would only ever be Maaka.

  Through the roar in her ears she heard the other woman continue, ‘This is why we must fight. My people, the Freebers, are not warriors. But to live a life free of danger, free of fear, to give our children the chance of a good life, we will now take up arms beside the Lycaneans. Maaka is a good man and we know he will do all he can to achieve victory.’

  Sherise swallowed over her dry throat. ‘Many will die. Should you not win, it will all be for nought.’ Her hands clenched into fists on her lap and she sat back on her haunches.

  ‘Maaka has told us if we are strong and determined, the Corporation must listen. We no longer can live with the threat of the Half-dead, never knowing if the next breath will be our last.’ The woman reached over and patted Sherise on the hand. ‘How can we lose, now we have you and the Star People on our side?’

  A Darkon never runs from a righteous fight. A wry smile twisted her mouth. And it appears there is more warrior blood in my veins than I had believed. She pushed aside her bowl and left in search of Maaka. It was time to prepare for war.

  Chapter 23

  Bree wandered down another street that didn’t seem to lead anywhere in particular, as all roads in the Fortress were interconnected. Besides, where would she go?

  As soon as Sherise had left Kade’s quarters, Bree had snatched her medie satchel, her stunner and packed a holdall with some spare clothes and food she’d pinched from Kade’s room. Then she’d hightailed it out of there, suspecting the shit would hit the fan as soon as the authorities realised their ‘visitors’ were involved in assisting Maaka to escape. She had some vague idea of blending in with the citizens of the city, maybe even finding a job of some kind.

  What a joke! I can’t believe I thought that dumb idea would fly. She’d soon discovered that while the people still nodded and smiled, no one would offer her a roof over her head or give her a chance. So she’d searched the area around the temple until she found a building with a window open. Upon entering, she’d discovered it had been uninhabited for some time, judging by the amount of cobwebs and dust. But it was a place to stay until she formulated a plan of action for the rest of her life. There she’d hunkered down for two days, only emerging to explore a little of the surrounding streets before returning to her refuge. But she knew she couldn’t stay there forever. Eventually she would be found.

  Maybe I should have gone back to the Quinnie. I would have had food and a warm bed. But she’d been desperate to make her own way; one that was far from Kondo. Maybe then all those silly dreams of being held in his arms would disappear.

  Something will turn up, I know it will. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Sherise she felt as if she was meant to be here, in this city. She just had to work out what the hell her purpose could possibly be. She kicked a pebble, watched it skip across the cobbled road and land in the gutter. No more than thirteen minutes, she guessed, and some industrious inhabitant would bustle along and remove the offending eye-sore.

  She should be grateful there was not one predator with razor-sharp teeth or enemy soldier in sight. No heartrending goodbyes from women before they were lined up and executed. No more burials of small children too frail to withstand the scarcity of food and the freezing winters. She blocked the memories and stopped. Her feet had led her to the open space before the temple.

  Taking a deep breath, she examined the small square with its rectangular raised garden beds and benches placed in regimented lines. It was late-afternoon and still hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement. People walked to and fro, going about their daily lives and sparing little interest in her. A few vague nods as they passed, perhaps a muttered greeting before they continued on their way, all reinforcing how alone she was in this world.

  During the long journey back to Earth, Bree had often gained comfort from Sherise’s presence; the other’s calm, good sense steadied the anxiety that had gnawed away at her nerves until she found it difficult to eat and often snapped at the slightest provocation. She knew she had been a terrible travelling companion. And she had been right to be so fearful, for their return to Earth was worse than anything she had imagined.

  God but she missed her friend. Bree wondered what Sherise was doing now and twisted her lips as burning tears pricked her eyes. She scrubbed at her face with clenched knuckles until the moisture disappeared and her skin felt swollen.

  Be safe, Sherise.

  About to turn away, movement near the temple’s entrance caught her eye.

  A group of people emerged. Bree gasped as she watched Lord Barid being hustled down the steps and then across the square by a couple of armed, serious-looking Purideans. Behind them strolled that Rothe guy with a blonde clinging to his arm. She was smiling and gesturing, so Bree surmised she wasn’t the one in any trouble.

  But Barid!

  Something was definitely up and Bree bet pounds to peanuts it had everything to do with Sherise helping Maaka escape. Although, why the Purideans had waited this long before making a move on their visitors, she couldn’t fathom. Perhaps they feared a reprisal? But now it was obvious they had decided on a course of action; and one that could mean possible danger for her friends. For all her fine words about keeping out of it, Bree knew she was about to become very much involved. She smacked the pillar with an open palm and yelled, ‘Dammit!’

  A little girl dressed in a short saffron-coloured tunic who had been sitting on the ground behind a group of people with their heads bent low in conversation, turned and stared.

  Bree raced off in the direction of the barracks where Commander Dyrke and the other crew members were housed. A large transporter was parked outside. About to race across the street, she hung back when the door was suddenly flung open. Loud voices alerted her and without thinking, she hid around the side of the building.

  More armed Purideans. Quite a lot of them and this time they had their weapons drawn and surrounding the Commander and his men as they trooped out the door. This was serious. The Puridean rulers surely knew how suicidal it would be to harm the Darkons when there was a star ship orbiting above the planet.

  But to Bree’s surprise, only the Commander’s men were loaded onto the transporter. All but two of the Puridean guards climbed on board and the transporter clanked into gear and took off.

  Commander Dyrke suddenly looked across the road, as if he knew Bree was hiding there. He nodded, turned back and re-entered the house. The two men left behind took up sentry posts either side of the front door.

  ‘Shit.’ Now what was she going to do? She risked another look. The little girl from the square had appeared. She ran toward the sentries. When she was a few yards away, she picked up a stone and threw it at them.

  She missed, but it went through the window. The guards exchanged glances, checked the street and rushed down the steps. The little girl took off down the road.

  Bree raced over to the house, bounded up the short flight of steps and entered to find the vestibule empty.

  ‘In here, Bree, quickly,’ came Dyrke’s voice.

  She entered the room to the left to find the Commander activating his personal comms. He waved her to a chair where she waited until he’d finished sending a message.

  ‘Who’s your friend?’ He glanced out the window and Bree followed the direction of his gaze.

  The little girl was back and standing in the middle of the road. The two Puridean guards were talking to her. Bree even saw one of them wag his finger at her like he was giving her a lecture.

  ‘God knows, she’s just some kid, but she helped me get inside without being seen. What’s going on?
I saw Lord Barid being hustled out of the temple. Looked like he was under arrest. I was afraid they were going to take you, too.’

  ‘Barid and my men have been imprisoned in exchange for Sherise and Maaka.’

  ‘You can’t let them have Sherise!’ Bree leapt to her feet. ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘I agree with you, Bree, but the fact remains, Sherise has disrespected these people’s law.’

  ‘What? By helping Maaka? He seems like a pretty cool guy. I bet he’s got good reasons for his actions.’

  ‘This is not our problem.’

  ‘Well, it is now,’ Bree pointed out drily.

  Dyrke indicated his personal comms. ‘I am still unable to raise Sherise and I cannot contact the Quinnie.’

  ‘Then the jamming signal is still running hot and strong. We have to let her know what’s happening. But if you so much as move an inch they’re going to be all over you.’

  He frowned. ‘You have a course of action?’

  ‘Hell yeah. I’ll sneak out of the city and see if I can raise a shuttle to pick me up away from the official landing area. I head off to the Lycaneans and update Sherise.’

  ‘This is dangerous.’

  ‘I can handle it.’ Bree plonked back onto the chair and leaned forward to make her point. ‘You know she won’t give him up though. Even if she hasn’t realised it yet, she’s head over heels for that guy. So you need to work on getting our men out of the brig. A covert extract op or something.’

  ‘And here was I believing you needed taking care of,’ he said in a wondering tone.

  She grinned. ‘It’s my size. People underestimate me.’

  ‘I also have the same problem.’

  ‘I bet.’ Despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn’t help laughing at his wink. Who would imagine that Dyrke could be fun? She sobered quickly. ‘I take it you’ve got your own plan.’

  ‘Affirmative, but I need your assistance. And it carries a risk you may be caught.’

  ‘And my plan doesn’t?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You’ve got it. What do you want me to do?’

  ‘The Purideans have relieved me of my weapons. To avoid bloodshed and to show our willingness to negotiate, I handed them over. Now, I am not so certain that was a good idea.’ He turned a grim face toward her. ‘Maaka was telling the truth when he said we would need to choose sides. Let us hope our choice is the right one.’

  ***

  Time slipped by too fast. Sherise stood on the edge of the plateau and stared towards the ruined city, a faint dark blur on the far horizon. A patchwork of shadows lay across the land, caused by puffy-looking white clouds scattered across the fading blue of the sky.

  The heat of the day was finally cooling as the sun sank lower. The only glint of water she could see skimmed the tops of the round metal tanks near the motionless windmills. The silence that lay over the arid land pricked at her disquiet.

  Below, a few Freebers tended the crops that remained undamaged and loaded armfuls of produce onto carts, harnessed to rinocows. The animals, with their heads held low, looked like they were asleep in their traces.

  A shadow moved.

  Sherise shaded her eyes, then relaxed when she recognised a Lycanean warrior half concealed by a scrubby bush, his weapons at the ready. Maaka took no chances with the welfare of his allies and what remained of this season’s harvest.

  Were the Half-dead preparing for another attack on the settlement? Perhaps they celebrated their recent victory and had no need for further confrontation so soon after the recent carnage. She firmed her lips. If so, they would not enjoy their win for too much longer.

  She strode back into the cavern to seek out Maaka and found him with a group of his men crouched down on the sand, examining something out of her sight. At her approach, he raised his head, a smile of welcome glinting in his eyes as he rose to his feet. She linked her fingers into his outstretched hand and allowed him to tug her close. Her body curved towards his, as if drawn by magnets and she relished the feel of his hard strength against her curves.

  What would he do if she whispered an invitation in his ear?

  Later. The word was heavy with both promise and regret.

  Her toes curled.

  It seemed she could not have enough of the delights his body gave hers, but now was not the time. She sighed and tried to stem the bubble of anticipation frothing in her belly.

  Maaka sank into a crouch and she followed his example. She forced her thoughts away from the image of their bodies intertwined and glanced down. Amazing. A crude model made of sand, stones and twigs representing the plains, the Fallen City and the Freebers’ settlement was spread over the ground.

  Maaka indicated a section of what looked like tiny mounds of dirt.

  ‘Within this area is where we believe the Half-dead have their nests and have taken the Freebers who are still alive.’

  She snapped shut her sagging mouth. ‘What did you say?’

  Maaka hunched his shoulders. ‘Not all have been accounted for, so ’tis reasonable to assume they have captives.’

  ‘Prisoners,’ Sherise whispered and collapsed as that old nausea rose like the black tide of death. She gripped his arm and squeezed. ‘We must rescue them.’

  The glance he gave her sent another quiver of alarm tingling along her spine.

  ‘There is no evidence they still live. Do not fret, my Sherise, a sweep of their holes for any who we can help will be included in our battle plans.’

  Strange, how he said ‘any we can help’ and not ‘any who live’. She frowned. Was he referring to the ‘turning’ the Freeber woman had told her about that very first day in the cave settlement? But before she could ask, Maaka cut her off.

  ‘The Half-dead feed only on human flesh.’ Maaka turned to his lieutenant and queried him over the readiness of the Freebers who had enlisted for the fight.

  Sherise sat, her head empty of coherent logic while memories of the Lycaneans’ injuries she had treated in the Fallen City flashed through her mind. At the time, she had been concerned at the number of what had looked like bite marks but had shrugged it off, thinking they were the result of combat. Never had she dared believe the creatures had attempted to eat their prey.

  And while he still lived.

  She shuddered. Oh, goddess Cercis, please deliver me from this nightmare.

  But when she opened her eyes, nought had changed. She still sat beside Maaka while he and his men discussed battle strategies.

  It was meant to be simple.

  This mission.

  A journey to Earth to return the Earth people to their home. Then she could go home herself and live a life of prayer and meditation within the calm ambiance of the Darkon temple. She’d live within walking distance of her beloved brother and his family. She’d be far from war. Untroubled by the demands and needs of others, where the soothing rituals would wash away her nightmares and the faces of the lost. Where there would be no necessity for her to bear the burden of leadership. It had been the life she had hungered for all those long cycles on Gazood when safety had been her ultimate dream.

  The craven thought snuck into her mind that there was still time for her to escape, to shelter on the Quinnie. This was not her fight. And to throw her allegiance to Maaka’s cause was bound to sever any chance of the Purideans helping the Darkons repair their ship. But she’d had time these past few days, even busy as she had been, to consider all the Corporation and Board had done since Sherise and her contingent had landed. And now she was certain they had never intended to extend any real assistance.

  Her chin lifted and she banished all notions of returning to the Quinnie. Such a life would harbour little love or intimacy.

  There would be no Maaka by her side.

  I have been a warrior before, I can be one again.

  Deep inside her essence, a barrier tumbled down. Dissolved. The hum of her blood grew louder as it flowed, thick and thrumming like war drums, through her veins. She felt taller, strong
er. For the first time in her life, she fully embraced her Darkon heritage.

  She would stand fast as the mate of a warlord and join him in his quest to ensure the survival of his people. And she would discover a way for her own people to go home. In her mind she saw the smile of approval on her brother’s face.

  She edged closer and examined the model, then waited with studied patience until the men fell silent.

  ‘I have an idea. But first I wish to lay out some ground rules.’ She met Maaka’s astounded glance with steady eyes.

  ‘This is not a discussion. We make battle plans and I am the one who gives the orders,’ he growled.

  Sherise smoothed her hand over his arm up to his biceps where she curled her fingers over the hard bulge of muscle. She leaned closer, pressing her breasts further against his side, pleased when she felt his heart rate rocket. ‘Of course and I would not have it otherwise.’ She smiled. Her lashes fluttered. ‘Kondo has cycles of battle experience which you could utilise. He makes a formidable enemy but a better ally. Give him charge of one of your squads.’

  Maaka stared at her through half-closed eyes and fingered his jaw. ‘I will consider the matter. What more would you have me do?’

  ‘I will fight by your side.’

  ‘Nay!’ His roar reverberated off the cave ceiling. The other occupants stopped their chores, their hands streaking for their weapons before realising no danger threatened from without. They gave Maaka a curious glance before returning to their work.

  ‘Yes. Darkon blood flows strong within me. I have been fully trained in combat and …’ Sherise raised her voice over the expletives coming from his mouth, ‘… and I have a full protective cyno suit. I am no stranger to fighting. I have also been thinking of armour for your men.’

  Aah, caught him.

  Maaka crossed his arms over his chest, bristling with more than outrage. A telltale pulse flickered rapidly in the strong column of his neck. There was fear beneath his anger. She could feel it unfurling its wings as it beat darkness into his essence. Fear for her safety. So he did care. How much, she did not know, but it was enough to realise she was important in his life.