Into the Forest Shadows (26 page)

She rushed out the room, stubbing her toe on
the doorjamb.

Mary grabbed the phone, flipping it open.
"Kate? Kate, where are you!"

"A message from Katherine O'Hanson," a
pleasant computer voice said.

Mary's heart leapt when she heard the first
few words, "Mom! I'm still alive..."

But from there it went downhill fast. The
first time she couldn't believe what she heard. It took replaying
the message several times before it sunk in.

Her hands shook as she flipped down the
cover. Kate was alive, but she in danger. All of them were in
danger if the Shadow Creatures intended to attack the city.

Her first instinct was to race back up to the
office and confront Travis, but that might endanger Kate. She
needed to find out more and she knew just where to search.
Somewhere today, a shuttle had been close enough to Kate to pick up
a message from her phone. Travis, by his own admission, left the
city earlier in the day. She needed to find out where he'd really
been.

She slipped the mobile into her pocket and
rushed down to the spaceport. The illegal ship still crawled with
Rangers. She ignored the work surrounding it, heading instead for
the Blackstone hangar.

Inside the locked hangar sat two shuttles
ready to fly along with one in the rear in the process of having
its engines rebuilt. The one in front was a standard design that
could be seen all over the Alliance. A newer model of the one she'd
learned to fly in. Beside it sat a shuttle designed for freight
transport.

She couldn't imagine Travis taking the bulky
freight shuttle. He would prefer the sleeker model. She found the
shuttle locked. Mary frowned. Why would it be locked? It was
already in a locked hangar.

Mary dug down into her pockets, pulling out a
master keycard. The door popped open. She slipped inside, finding
the interior smelling like trees. At least that confirmed Travis
had been somewhere out in the forest. But where?

Secured canisters lined the interior walls.
Some labels she recognized, but three near the rear used acronyms
she'd never seen before.

Mary felt uneasy. There were only certain
byproducts the Gatherers could get out of the trees. So, where did
these strange substances come from? She didn't recall Mother saying
she'd come up with any new processes for the mobile factories the
Gatherers used.

Her mind flashed on the bodies on the tarmac
and then to part of Kate's message about the clear-cutting.

Humans had killed the trees. Now the trees
were taking their fury out on the humans.

Mary didn't believe in those kinds of
coincidences.

And it sounded like Kate had found out the
truth. She wouldn't put it past her inquisitive daughter. It put an
ominous spin to Travis's actions, as it would be a good reason to
ensure Kate never came home.

Mary moved past the canisters towards the
cockpit. She sat down in the pilot's chair, bringing up the main
navigation computer, running through the activity for the day. She
superimposed the flight paths over a map of the area.

And caught her breath in horror. The path
showed the shuttle flew out of the human zone and across the
mountains to the other side. Way past the furthest point allowed to
the humans. Forbidden by the Watcher.

A Watcher Kate said was now dead.

How she wished for that last hug before the
shuttle door closed.

Mary sat back in the pilot chair. As the
working government for the humans on Oburos, the Directory needed
to know what was going on even if it meant her company might be
shut down. She would worry about an income for herself and Kate
later. Maybe live with Mom at her cottage in the forest for a
while? Mary didn't like the idea of living in the midst of the
forest, but she could do it, if necessary.

That was, if humans were allowed to remain on
the planet.

Mary copied the flight path onto a data disk
along with the other sensor histories. She left the shuttle and ran
out of the hangar, only to stop outside the door. Two sleek
autopilot shuttles came to a landing in the middle of the
spaceport. The doors opened and Gatherers poured out, each with two
or more bags with them.

Her heart dropped. Were the Shadow Creatures
attacking already?

One of the shuttles took off again and headed
back into the forest. Mary spotted Ranger Tottori walking quickly
towards the Gatherers. Perfect. Just what she needed.

A big man with a well-shaped red beard
stepped forward to meet the Ranger. Mary skidded to a halt next to
them just as the man was saying, "The forest went crazy. Reports
are coming in from all the camps of the trees themselves attacking
anyone human. We don't know what's going on, but the forest is
reacting to something."

"We had a similar incidence here. How many
are you evacuating?" Ranger Tottori asked.

"Everyone. It'll take the shuttles a few more
trips to evacuate the camps that are in full communication. We
haven't heard from Delta Camp in a while. Can we use your
communications?" the man asked in a deep voice that Mary liked
despite the worry tainting it.

"Absolutely. You know where the office is."
Ranger Tottori said.

The man turned his head towards Mary, tapping
his hand at the rim of his hat in a salute, "Ma'am."

"Wait! I need both of you!" Mary cried as
both men turned away to walk away. "Which camp are you from? The
one near where the shuttle went down? I'm Mary O'Hanson. My
daughter Kate was on board that shuttle. "

The man went still, turning back to her,
"Henry Stewart. My nephew was on that shuttle. We tried to get to
it, but it's been impossible with the way the trees have been
acting. On the last transmission Ayden said they were turning
towards Ms. Olivia Blackstone's cottage but no one has called us to
say they arrived."

"Olivia Blackstone is my mother and she's not
answering communications, and hasn't since Kate disappeared. But I
have heard from Kate."

Henry stepped forward, "Did she say anything
about Ayden? Are they safe? Did they get to a camp?"

Mary pulled out her phone, biting her bottom
lip. "She did say someone called Ayden was with her, but I don't
think they are safe."

She flipped open the phone, activated the
speaker and replayed the message. The two men crowded around
her.

Ranger Tottori demanded she play the message
again. After the third time he glanced at the forest. "Tonight is
the twin full moons. Henry, how did the fog look when you came
in?"

"Building up in the mountains. It's sure to
come down hard tonight," Henry said.

"It would be a good cover. We need to lock
down the city."

"It gets worse." Mary nodded towards the
company hangar, "The navigational records on one of the company
shuttles shows that Travis O'Hanson traveled out of the human zone
to the other side of the mountains."

Ranger Tottori sucked in his breath. Henry
demanded, "Is he crazy? We're barely allowed to live here as it
is!"

"Judging by the trees attacks, that might
have just been denied us," Ranger Tottori said. He shouted for one
of the Rangers coming out of the illegal ship. He turned back to
Mary. "We're confiscating the shuttle."

Mary nodded, "I understand and agree. It's
the first shuttle when you enter the hangar. There are canisters
inside that will need to be identified. I think illegal tree
harvesting has been happening. As a majority shareholder of the
Blackstone Corporation I give our complete support to the
investigation."

Ranger Tottori left them, joining a few
Rangers before heading for the hangar.

Henry groaned, "If true, it explains the
reactions of the forest. We'll have the Watcher down on us in no
time."

"The Watcher has been murdered, remember?"
Mary said.

The forest seemed to rise higher than ever
before, standing as a barrier between her and the rest of her
family. But she found she couldn't hate it. The forest had been
attacked, taboo trees cut down. She would leave if asked, she just
hoped Kate could accompany her.

She felt a large gentle hand on her arm. She
looked up into Henry's concerned blue eyes, "She's with Ayden, and
the boy is a natural in the forest. As long as she stays with him
she'll be okay."

"I wish I could believe that. Kate doesn't
have enough fear. She'll walk into almost anything if she gets mad
enough, and I'm afraid that's what might have happened."

"Too much fear can be just as bad," Henry
said.

Mary visibly cringed. Fear. She'd let herself
become overwhelmed with it, and it may have cost Kate her life. She
should have seen Travis for who and what he was sooner. After all,
wasn't he her dead husband's brother? Deceit and greed seemed to
run through the family.

She'd learned her lesson. No more fear. "How
long before the fog descends?"

Henry rubbed his beard, glancing over at the
forest, "Several hours, at least. We should have all the camps
except Delta evacuated by that time."

Mary dropped the phone back into her pocket.
She watched as several Rangers opened the company hangar. Her eyes
went to the freight shuttle sitting next to the one Travis used.
"Enough time to track his route?"

Henry looked at her and then followed her
gaze, "Maybe, but we can't go past the human zone."

"Travis already has. I'm guessing Kate is on
the other side of the mountains. I don't think any of us will have
a home on this planet after all this. If so then I'm going to find
Kate. At least we'll be together when we get kicked off." Having
made up her mind Mary walked towards the hangar and the second
shuttle.

Henry yelled out after her, "We would have to
find a pilot and I don't think many pilots will be willing to go
out there with the trees attacking and fog coming."

"This particular pilot is willing!" Mary
yelled back. "Kate still has her phone, and that means if we can
get close enough we can zero right to her position."

Henry ran to catch up with her, "You don't
understand. This is the worst wave of fog we've seen in years. Even
the most shielded shuttle will be no match for it."

"Then I'll have to fly fast."

Ranger Tottori waved her away as she
approached the hangar, "The shuttle is quarantined until the
investigation is over!"

"That's not the shuttle I want, Ranger." Mary
pointed towards the other shuttle, "I'm taking that one on a rescue
mission to find Kate."

Mary approached the shuttle, her head listing
what she knew about the model and wishing she'd kept up with the
latest models, but there had always been a reason not to.

No, there'd always been someone who didn't
want her to do anything but be a personal slave. Mary's gut
clenched on that thought. No more. She wasn't that kind of a person
any longer.

With the use of the keycard the door swung
open. She stepped up into the shuttle, noting the empty cargo
bay.

"You're serious? You're going out there?"
Henry asked.

Mary turned around, surprised to find he'd
followed her. She prepared to close the door. "Yes, I'm going out
there. I'll do what I can to find your nephew."

Henry stopped at the door, looking up at her.
"I do appreciate what you mean to do, but this is a dangerous time.
Perhaps we should trust Ayden to protect them both and find a way
back. There is no point in losing anyone else in this. We may
already have lost an entire Gatherer camp."

Mary's eyes narrowed. Someone else telling
her what to do. She prodded him with a finger to his chest. "I'll
have you know I'm a great pilot! I'm not going to leave my little
girl out there with Shadow Creatures and who knows what else
running around! I have a flight to make. Don't try to stop me."

Henry smiled. Mary stepped back as he stepped
up into the shuttle, his large frame making the interior of the
shuttle feel noticeably smaller. "No, I won't stop you. This is
your daughter and I understand your concern. I'll go with you."

Mary stopped backing up, glaring up at him.
"You think I need someone to watch over me?"

"No ma'am. I wouldn't presume to suggest such
a thing," Henry said quickly. "However, I am more familiar with the
forest and I can keep an eye on the fog. If we go down, I have
practical survival skills. If you insist on going, I hope you will
allow me to accompany you. I want to find my nephew."

Mary searched his face, but all she found was
sincerity. She nodded. "Okay, get buckled in."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

As the shore grew close Kate could feel the
trees again. Rich emotions, natural movements, no pain,
contentment. A natural Oburos forest in all its glory.

It gave her added strength to combat the
spores growing increasingly insistent inside her mind and body.

The narboa rose up out of the water. With a
great thrash and a twist it pushed itself up onto the sand. The
head went down, nosing the sand and small rocks.

"This is as close as we get." Vistus jumped
off, paddling a short distance before his feet reached the sandy
bottom.

Kate inched herself to the edge of the
narboa's back, holding her cape in a bunch around her waist. To
protect the Watcher on her back she slid down the side on her left
hip. With a splash she was almost hip deep in the cold water. She
waded towards shore, trying to hold all ends of the cape above the
water.

Ayden followed, catching her under the elbow
when she slipped on a rock. The narboa snorted at them and turned
away, sliding into deeper water.

"Thank you!" Kate called out.

Vistus shook the water from his fur, "The
attempt is appreciated, but it only has grazing on its mind
now."

Kate paused next to him. The sharp teeth and
lethal-looking claws were as dangerous as the other Shadow
Creatures, but she could also see a softness around the face. A
small voice in the back of her head told her she might be reading
too much into a dangerous animal. She silenced the voice.