Page 162 of Pets in Space 10

Hunted

Watching Rogue scamper up the trail, Adele was certain he had healed. Not wanting to fall too far behind and fearing the little terrier might trip Lochan, she looped the leash to shorten it. Slipping her wrist through the leash, she braced her hands against the rock walls to assist her climb.

After a period, she was sweating, her breath straining in the thin air.

When they reached a ledge, Lochan called a halt.

Pulling a water vial, he took a healthy swallow and handed it to her.

Drinking, she peered over the side—straight down was a deadly drop.

Turning back, she could see the blackened wreckage continuing to smolder.

It would be a visual beacon for anyone searching.

Lochan followed her gaze. “We have ten flyers to their two. Not only are our flyers more likely to find us, but they will also relish destroying the despoilers.”

A soft scuffing had them turning to find Samson easing further up the trail. Lochan scoffed. “Fireburst travels faster than you can run.”

Samson froze. “Not safe in the open.”

Lochan looked at Adele in concern. “Are you ready to continue?”

“I am fine.” She checked on Rogue, who had flopped on the ground in the shade of a rock. She crouched next to him, filling her palm with water. “How about you?”

Ears perked, he lapped up the water, and then another palmful. When it was clear he wanted no more, she handed the vial back to Lochan.

Finding it a quarter full, he lifted it to Samson, who blinked in surprise.

Jaw tight, Lochan said, “I will not untie you, but we are not despoilers. Drink.”

Warily, Samson opened his mouth, seemingly relieved when Lochan tipped the water, allowing him to drink. When the vial was empty, he ducked his head. “My thanks.”

After last night, Adele understood Lochan’s caution, but she was having a hard time believing that their captive was a despoiler.

Eyeing Rogue, Samson asked, “What kind of dog is that?”

Taking the interest as an invitation, Rogue started sniffing at Samson’s boots.

Deciding not to explain the existence of Star Bred terriers, Adele said, “His name is Rogue.”

The man grinned, showing uneven teeth. “Hi, Rogue.”

Nudging Samson’s shoulder, Lochan said, “We need to keep moving.”

A quarter period later, they were approaching a tumble of boulders when a stone the size of her fist came hurtling down the mountain, followed by another.

With a shout, Lochan pressed Adele against the side of the hill, shielding her with his body.

Over the rushing in her ears, she heard Samson shouting.

“No, Lace! Stop!” Standing in the center of the narrow trail, he was yelling at a group of tumbled rocks. “They’re not the servants!”

The rockfall stopped, and a woman’s voice called. “They have you tied.”

“They gave me water.”

There was silence, and then a ragged figure appeared in a narrow opening between two boulders. Her hair was as long and matted as Samson’s, her clothes worn and hanging loosely. The woman called, “Come on, then.”

***

After making certain Adele had her pistol in hand, Lochan followed Samson through the narrow opening.

Beyond the rocks was a wide ledge and the woman, Lace.

There were no others visible, but he did not release his caution.

In one corner, half sheltered by rocks, was a small fire pit, a pile of furs, and a rack improvised from stones and sticks that held drying meat.

Peering up between the rocks sheltering the firepit, Lochan could see a gap with a hint of light in the distance. “This gap, it works like a flu?”

Samson grunted. “It’s twisty. Smoke comes out about fifty paces east.”

The man knew something about survival. That suggested militia training and that he was not the ignorant commoner he appeared.

Lace’s sharp voice had him swinging around. The woman was standing in front of a narrow cave entrance, barring Adele and Rogue. “That’s our home.”

Troll spit. How did he miss that? “Stand aside.”

Lace started to protest, and Samson overruled her. “Let him see.”

Leaving Adele to cover the ragged couple, Lochan did a quick sweep of the small chamber. Backing out, he found Adele sitting on a smooth rock, the satchels beside her.

Going to her, he said, “All clear. They have another pallet of furs for a bed, some more water vials, and some improvised containers with dried fruit and meat.”

Impressed, she asked, “How did you manage to hunt for meat?”

Samson shrugged. “Snares mostly. Got lucky. One of those big deer-things wandered into the woods and broke a leg.”

Lace sniffed. “Dried meat is all right, but fresh fish is better.” Her expression shifted to concern. “Samson, where’s your net?”

He jerked his head toward Lochan. “He left it at the wreck.”

Lace’s face fell. “It took you most of a month to make that from the deer-thing’s hide.”

Lochan saw his thoughts reflected in Adele’s expression. If these two proved trustworthy, they would make excellent colonists.

Samson shrugged. “Don’t matter. Either the despoilers will get us, or the Nightingale will.”

Adele tilted her head. “Lochan, we have pistols, and they have rocks. Maybe we should untie Samson?”

Considering the condition of the pair, he doubted they could overcome him, even without the advantage of pistols.

There was potentially more to be gained with a gesture of trust. Samson had stopped the woman from dropping rocks on their heads.

He made quick work of the ties before joining Adele on her improvised bench.

“Tell us how you came to be on Bright Star Prime and up in these mountains.”

Samson glanced warily at Lochan, and whatever he saw had him turning to Lace. “They’re from the Nightingale. He’s chief of security. Don’t know what she is. The dog’s name is Rogue.”

Adele shifted next to him. “We have been remiss. I am Adele, and this is Lochan.”

Lace sniffed and dragged the pile of furs forward. Sitting down, she said, “Might as well tell them. If the Nightingale’s here, we’re done for, anyway.”

With a resigned nod, Samson joined her on the furs. “I was a gamekeeper on Camelot.”

The only habitable planet in the Eighth System, the major cities were on the largest continent.

The three other continents were predominantly wilderness and owned by members of the warrior elite who kept homes there as vacation retreats.

Lochan had not been, but he had heard the hunting was second to none.

“Had a place to live. Food,” Samson continued. “Good wages when leading a hunt. Then I broke my leg. Couldn’t work and the healing took my savings.”

Lochan had to remind himself that despoilers could spin believable tales of hardship.

Samson stretched out his legs. “Knee was never right after that. I was last choice for the hunts even though I knew the trails better than any.”

Lochan could see that the left leg did not straighten easily. Samson’s lumbering attempt at escape made more sense. “A sad tale, but you have not answered the question.”

Samson shrank back. “Getting there.” He turned to Adele and her sympathetic expression.

“Got word Bright Star was recruiting hunters for the Thirteenth System. Five years’ service and I could have land or mechanic’s training.

Seemed all right and tight. Matahorn agents with proper credentials.

Should have known it was too good to be true. ”

Lochan met Adele’s shocked gaze. It was well known that one of the Matahorn governors had been a traitor and despoiler leader.

As had one of the Leonardo governors. Both had been executed after the invasion of the Thirteenth System.

It would not have been difficult to falsify recruiting. He motioned with the pistol. “Go on.”

Samson heaved a sigh. “They must have packed close to a thousand of us into the freighter. Fed us nutrition bars and rationed water. Got a freshening packet a day to keep ourselves clean. It wasn’t much but hadn’t expected more.”

That was consistent with what the armada had found on the one freighter that survived the battle. “And?”

“We’d been in stellar transit six days when someone crossed one of the militia guards.” Samson swallowed hard. “They made an example of him.”

Lace reached for his hand.

Samson gave her a weak smile before returning to his tale. “They used blades. Threw the bits out of an airlock while he screamed. Made us watch it on the monitors. Told us anyone who looked away was next.”

Adele gasped. “Five Warriors have mercy.”

Lace nodded. “After that, they stopped pretending to be part of Bright Star. If they took a fancy to someone, consent wasn’t asked and no one dared protest.”

Lochan wondered if Lace had been a victim of despoiler interest. It was difficult to tell in her current state, but her large black eyes were stunning, and her mocha-hued features, while drawn, hinted at beauty.

Adele gave the woman a sympathetic smile. “How did you get from the freighter to the planet?”

Samson answered, “When we reached the Thirteenth System, they were all excited. Heard tell they planned to capture the Nightingale and steal the Thirteenth System.”

Lochan did not try to hide his disdain. “I can attest that plan did not succeed.”

“Knew when the lights went out that we was in trouble. When they came back on, the engines had gone silent. I figured we was dead.”

“How is it you are not dead?”

“Had a bunk close to the door. A group of militia showed up and dragged a dozen of us out. Made us load supplies into escape modules. That’s when I met Lace.”

The woman nodded. “I was in a different barracks chamber, but it was the same. A handful of guards came and took us to load supplies. When we were done, they shoved us into escape modules.”

“Why did the despoilers bring you?”

Samson scoffed. “Needed bodies to work. They like giving orders. Weren’t keen to build shelters or latrines.”

Keeping his expression neutral, Lochan asked, “How many of you made it to the planet?”