Planets Falling (29 page)

Bets rolls her eyes.  "Thresh, I'm only traveling with them because of Theo.  He saved me years ago and I owe him.  The woman, Marksman, is unappreciative.  I've no idea what he sees in her."

This isn't a dream.  I'm apparently inside of Thresh.  The feeling I get from Thresh is strangely similar to that of the grub.  Thresh is empty, desperately seeking a balm to soothe her. Bets intrigues Thresh, and Thresh wants her.

Thresh shakes her head, "Bets, you owe them nothing.  Stay with me.  I can see it in your eyes.  You belong here."

"Thresh, why'd I stay with you?  You're a killer.  How much blood do you have on your hands?"

"Does that really matter Bets?  I'm going to open a door to something wonderful that makes death inconsequential.  I'll be able to bring all those people back into a world where there is no pain, no toil.  They will serve us.  Worship us."

"How's that possible?  You must be as drunk as me."

"You've seen what I can do.  I control the grubs.  I make the dead walk.  You'd be a welcome commander in my army."

"An army of freaks and deadmen.  That sounds delightful, Thresh."

I feel anger welling up inside of Thresh.  She wants to throw her cup at Bets, beat her into submission with her staff.  It seems that Thresh has no sense that I'm eavesdropping.  I've no idea how I got here, so I guess I'm sticking around until I wake up.

Thresh struggles to calm her voice.  "Bets, we're sisters.  I feel it. Can you tell me where you got those weapons?  I've only seen those powerful things in my dreams, when the grubs show them to me.  With those in my possession, I’d be unstoppable."

"We found the guns and explosives in the uplands to the east.  They were hidden in a cave."

"Can you lead me to the cache?"

Bets stands up.  "Thresh, I've got to rest.  I'll be happy to lead you to the weapons, later."

Thresh points at a mat on the floor and walks out of the tent into waning daylight.  A thick woman and a skinny man with ironwood staffs step in front of the entrance.   The grubs turn toward Thresh and kneel.  She motions, palms upward, and five of the creatures lumber toward the south side of the camp.  This isn't good.  Samuel and English will be pummeled when they attack.  I try to pull away from Thresh to warn them, but the more I think about escaping, the more I'm trapped inside of her squirrely mind. 

Thresh walks toward two of her men eating something that looks like woodchuck.  "Expect them to attack any time now.  Drop your food and get on guard."  They both throw their meat in the fire and grab large swords.

Thresh feels different now.  Perhaps elation?  She's excited about killing, fighting, conflict.  These emotions fill the void in her soul.  I shudder at the sensation and something compelling happens - Thresh trembles slightly.  I concentrate on lifting my left arm and Thresh's left arm rises nearly imperceptibly. With some practice, I might be able to really mess with this woman.

Night's arrived.  The men should be attacking soon.  Thresh stands in the center of the clearing, surveying her crew.  I'm assuming Bets is still in her tent under guard, although the tent isn't visible from where Thresh is standing.  The air implodes and Thresh falls backwards.  Smoke curls in from the south part of camp. Two rockets fly in from the woods and hit one of the grubs in the mouth.  Rather than exploding, the rockets disappear with a wet, sucking sound.  Moist, snot-like goo drips from the holes as they close up.  Thresh stands up, dusts off her dress, and smiles.  She yells, "Concentrate your effort to the south.  Move."

This means doom for Samuel, English, and Bets, but should allow Theo to easily reach Eliza.  More explosions and screams punctuate the night.  Thresh rushes for the tent where Bets is being held.  She's about to pull back the flap when a sinewy arm wraps around her neck and forces her to the ground.  "You'll not hold me captive," Bets growls, as she grinds her foot into Thresh's chest and then disappears into the dark.  I feel myself lifting out of Thresh and I'm back in the tan haze of one of the grub's minds.  It's lunging at English, who's on his back looking befuddled.  If I could control Thresh, I certainly should be able direct this thing.  I tell it to back off, causing it to pause and then step back.  English snaps out of his confusion, rolls, and rushes back into the wood line.  I then order the thing to turn toward the nearest grub and attack.  It obliges, tearing at the creature with its sharp claws.  The other grub is clearly surprised, falling back.  I tell it to bite the other grub's neck.  It tears out its fellow grub's throat and the beast disintegrates into a pool of muddy slime.  I guide the creature toward the next grub when I feel a strong tug and a painful throb in my head.  For a moment, Thresh's angry face hovers before me and then I'm back in my own body, with Theo shaking me awake.

"Amy, wake up.  We've got to move.  Now."  He looks terrified, worse than the day the town was destroyed.  Grunts and howls surround us.  Trees snap like twigs.  Bets, Samuel, and English are already atop their horses.  I search frantically in my haze for any sign of Eliza.  She's not here.

"Theo, where's Eliza?"

"Amy, I'm so, so sorry.  She wasn't there."  He yanks me onto Phineus, both my head and leg shrieking in protest.  We're surrounded.  I'm certain that we aren't going to make it out of our camp.

"Theo, listen to me," I groan.  "You have to knock me out."

“Amy, what’s wrong with you?”

“Trust me.  I can’t explain now.  But this is our only chance.”

He pauses.  I scream at him and the last thing I see is Bets swinging a staff at my head.

I regain consciousness in the head of a grub in the dark forest.  It takes me a minute to gain my bearings. The grub I’m possessing is a few hundred feet away from our camp.  Three other grubs and five men are about to attack us.  I see Theo and Bets arguing over my limp body.  It seems to me that they have more pressing issues than my welfare.  I command the grub to attack its brothers and it lunges forward, leaving large puddles of brown ooze in its wake.

The grub’s actions have caught Samuel’s attention.  He motions to the others and they advance toward the gap I created.  Thresh’s men, obviously confused by the grub, regain their focus and run toward my companions, which includes Phineus and my body.  I tell the grub to defend us.  It grabs one of the men between its rock-like teeth and crushes him instantly.  I’m about to push the grub forward when a painful tug pulls me out of its mind.  I expect to emerge in my broken body, but instead I’m floating in a void.

“Hello Amy.  I see that you’ve learned how to control my children.”  It’s Thresh, although it’s not her voice.  Rather, it is an impression of her thoughts wrapping itself around the non-me.  “Instead of forcing them, you need to learn to talk with them.  Like the creatures you’ve known in the forest your whole life.  They know so much.  It’s unfair for you to treat them like blunt weapons.”

“Thresh, you unholy wench.”  Apparently I can talk back in this airless, lightless space.  “What choice do I have when you attack and kill us?  I want my child, now.  Or I swear I’ll take a grub, hunt you down, and crush you slowly.”

Thresh laughs.  Or more accurately it is an echo of a laugh formed in her warped mind.  “You won’t be bothering the grubs anymore, Amy.  They’ve discovered your trick and are guarding themselves now.  You’ve nowhere to go.”

“I have many more tricks in my bag, Thresh.  Watch yourself.  I will kill you.  That’s a promise.”  I’m retreating now, falling down a black tunnel.  I open my eyes and am slumped on Phineus, lashed to his saddle.  We’re galloping through the woods, each impact of his hooves creating a burst of pain in my leg.  I lift my head and see the others around me.  Theo and Silius are flanking me, guiding Phineus.

“Sprouter, what the hell happened back there?”

“Theo, this doesn’t seem the best time for a long explanation.  Where are we heading?”

“South, as far away from that camp as possible.”

“Do you think Eliza’s okay?”

“From what I know, that woman, Thresh, can’t afford to do anything to her.  Between you murmuring in your sleep and what Bets told me, I’d wager that you and Eliza are pretty damn special to her.”

The horses slow.  Theo looks toward me sympathetically.  “Can you handle this pace for a while?  We need to make more distance before morning.  Bets learned that the monsters – grubs – can’t move well during daylight.”

I nod my head uncertainly. Samuel trots up beside me.  “Welcome back Amy.  Why’d you want us to knock you out?  That seemed stupid until one of the grubs turned on its own. I’d reckon you got something to do with that?”

“Yes, Samuel.  I did.  I’ll explain later.”

Chapter 52 - Camping

We finally settle in a sheltered spot at the crest of a subtle hill when the sun is high above the trees.  We’re much further south and near the ocean.  Gulls soar overhead and the air’s muggy.  English and Bets head into the woods to search for breakfast.  Samuel’s in the mood for fish and has fashioned a pole.  Theo lifts me off of Phineus and gently sets my bruised, broken body into a bed of soft moss under a huge, gnarled willow tree.

“Theo, find some pussy willow.  There should be some growing near the stream where Samuel’s fishing.  Strip the bark and steep it in hot water.  That’ll help me get through some of this pain.”

Theo returns about an hour later with a steaming cup.  I sip it and the pain dulls somewhat- enough to allow me to think clearly.  “Theo, how far are we from the vessel?”

He pulls out his tablet.  A brilliant image of the landscape pops up, even in the bright daylight.  “If I read this correctly, I’d suspect that we’re about a two-day ride away.”

“Well, we need to get going.”  I try to lift myself up.

Theo chuckles.  “You ain’t going nowhere for a while.  You’re broken up.”

“Theo, I’ve got a bad feeling about Bets - I’m unsure we can trust her.”

“What’re you talking about Sprouter?  Bets did her share of killing last night.”

“Don’t you think she escaped a bit too easily?”

“Bets is one tough girl.  She’s on our side.”

“Correction, Theo.  She’s on your side, not mine.”

Theo doesn’t argue.  “Amy, will you tell me what’s going on?  Why’d you ask me to knock you out?  The others think you possessed that grub and saved us.  Is that true?”

“Well, yes.  I have no idea how I did it.  But I only seem to be able to do it when I’m out cold.  That wanked woman, Thresh, can do it too.  And she’s better at it than me.  I don’t know whether I’ll be able to pull it off again.  Thresh’s figured out that I’m able to do it.”

Theo whistles.  “I knew you were special.  But that’s damn near crazy.  What other surprises have you in store Amy Marksman?”

“I’d like to know Theo.”

Samuel returns with three enormous trout on a stringer.  He’s giddy as they sizzle on the fire.  Bets and English return with a sack full of freshly picked oranges from a nearby grove.  For the first time in ages, I’m genuinely hungry.

“Well, good to see you Missus Marksman.”  English sounds genuinely happy to see me up.

“English, thanks for saving my ass once again.  You too Bets and Samuel.  I really appreciate all you’re doing.  Believe me, after what we’ve just experienced, we’ve got an uphill battle.”

Theo hands me a peeled orange.  He remarks, “Once we find the others at the spaceship, we’ll have an advantage over Thresh and her goons.  I hope we can find some towns that haven’t been destroyed.  Or other folks wandering the woods like us who want to fight this evil.”

English squeezes a couple of oranges over his cup.  Clean, crisp citrus bursts into the air.  “What exactly are we up against, Amy and Bets?  You met this Thresh.  Other than being completely wanked, what’s her goal?”

The juice of the orange is lightning in my veins.  Energy surges to my head.  “She’s very powerful and completely dangerous.  The fog that destroyed Flip’s village and almost killed you, English, is the same stuff that’s making the grubs.  Best I can tell, the mist drifted down out of the mountains and landed in Thresh’s village.  She discovered that she could control it and bend it to her will.  She may have been responsible for the dead rising in Flip’s village.”

English looks at me warily.  “Something’s telling me that you and Thresh got some things in common?”

“Yes, English.  I seem to be cut from the same cloth as that crazy woman.  Gods help me.  You all need to know that my ability as garden tender has always been more than growing things.”  I stop to consider how much I should tell them.  “All my life, I’ve seen – things.  People, unlike us, in the woods around home.  They’ve helped us.  There were times we’d have starved during winter if it wasn’t for them.”

“You’re telling me that you’ve seen grubs all your life?” Bets hisses.

“No, not at all.  They were little green people.  Nevermind.”

“Oh, this is intriguing,” Bets says.  “Do continue Marksman.”

Samuel jumps to my assistance.  “Bets, Amy here’s got a special gift and it’d be best if we respect it.  She saved us back there.  I don’t know how, but she did.  Thresh’s gonna kill us and lots more people if we let her.  Amy’s the key.”

“Well, thank you Samuel, although I hope that all the pressure isn’t just on me.  My mother, grandmother, and other Marksman women back to the beginning have had this gift - or curse, depending on the way you look at it.  It hasn’t helped any of us much lately.  The grubs might come from the same place as the green ones.  I don’t know.  The way that I learned to communicate with the little people seems to work similarly as getting into the grubs’ heads.  I also can talk with Thresh in there.”

“What do you mean by in there?” English asks.

“Right before I woke up, it was like I was dreaming, but Thresh was there, telling me that she’s going to stop us.”

“She’s going to be sorely disappointed,” Bets comments.

“I hope so.”  I take a bite of orange and consider whether I should tell them about the god Fromer.  A voice deep inside my skull says no.

Theo hands me another piece of fruit.  “Amy, these little ones from the woods at home.  Are they around now?”

“No.  I haven’t seen them-“ I consider telling them I saw the green people in Flip’s mountain village and then think better of it. “I haven’t seen one since before the siege on our village.  Besides, they’re very tiny and timid.  I can’t see them being able to fight.  Look all, I’ll do everything I can to fight Thresh and her monsters.  But I’m guessing that more of that fog’s moving down the mountain and will help her build her army.  If there’s anything that’s going to stop it, the people at the ship will have the answer.”

The trout’s cooked and Samuel doles it out to each of us.  The camp’s silent while we devour our food. English finishes first.  “What’s up in that mountain making that deathly fog?”

I sigh.  “Whatever it is, we can’t let Thresh get to it.  We’ve got to get there first and stop it.”  If there ever were a time for a visit from Fromer, this would be the time.  It’s becoming clearer to me that Thresh is using Eliza as bait for me - something I must resist, fighting every instinct I have.  My blood stops at the thought that Thresh might end up raising my daughter if anything happens to me.

Night falls and I’m feeling guilty.  The others are taking turns at the watch while I lay here in the center of camp by a small fire.  We’ve decided to stay here one night then move haphazardly, trying to cover our tracks as best as possible.  We could ride hard toward the space vessel, but Theo’s afraid that this would ruin my leg.  He’s right, making me feel even more sheepish and needy.  I’m afraid to sleep, given what I might find in there.  Thresh is looking for me, I know it.  And even if she’s not there, I can’t bear to see my mother gutted by the dogs once more.

English is out of shine, which we’re all experiencing with mixed feelings.  He’s lucid and alert, ensuring that he’ll not let us down during watch.  On the other hand, he’s morphed into a throbbing asshole.  This transformation occurred shortly after he lobbed his last bottle into the woods.  We’ll be traveling near a small village tomorrow morning.  I suspect he’ll be able to raid their liquor stores.  Until then, we have to contend with his nasty comments and hope that he doesn’t wank out.

I close my eyes and clearly see Wenn, father, and Eliza playing on the floor of our home.  A fire’s blazing and someone’s playing fiddle in the town commons.  I shake myself awake to find Theo stroking my hair and singing a lullaby softly, the same one he often sang to Eliza after Wenn and father disappeared.

“That’s nice Theo, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it Sprouter.  Why didn’t you tell me about the green beans in the woods before?”

“You mean beings, right?  Well, first I didn’t think anyone would believe me.  Only my mother and I could see them.  And second, mother told me that they were an important secret that I needed to protect.  She never said it straight out, but I think that she was worried that others might try to exploit or corrupt our abilities.  From what I can see of Thresh, she was right.  There are others out there, Theo.”

“Whatcha mean, others, Amy?”

“Philip, the boy.  He was like me and Thresh.”

Theo stops stroking my hair.  “Flip?  I don’t understand.”

“The reason his village was destroyed was because he could see the little ones like me.  He also was able to see the fog and perhaps see into the future.  I’m thinking that there is a being moving out there, manipulating Thresh.  It thought Flip was a threat and wanted to stop him.  Same with Eliza and me.  If it wasn’t for you all, we’d be gone.  This thing’s evil.”

“You think we’re up against the devil?”

“Hell if I know.”  I chuckle dryly at the pun and wince at the pain in my head.  “There’s so much out there that we can’t comprehend.  Troll made that clear to us.”

Theo strokes my hair again.  “Amy, you need to sleep.  It’s the only way you’re going to heal.”

“Sleep.  Sounds good if you can promise I won’t end up in a grub or fighting with Thresh.”

“At the least, try to rest.”  The stroking is rhythmic and irresistible.  In a short moment, I’m opening my eyes to morning light.  No dreams for me.

“Time to mount up,” Bets announces.

“Shove it up your arse,” English replies groggily.  “I’m not going anywhere until I get something to eat.”

Bets tosses a chunk of jerky at English.  “Shut it, jack ass.  We’ll find you some shine today.  I like you better drunk.”

We’re on horseback and my leg’s throbbing.  It’s not looking good.  I hope the people from space have some medicine.  Otherwise, I might be losing that appendage.

We near the small town.  Thankfully, there’s no sign that it’s been molested by Thresh and her menagerie.  Bets, Theo, and English go in, while Samuel and I hide in a nearby woodlot.  Samuel helps me prop against a cottonwood. He searches for some herbs and flowers while I examine the houses and fields below me.  The dwellings are tidy and well kept.  A few children play near the west wall, while a farmer tills a small plot, his lumpy ox lazily dragging its plow.  By this time at home, if home still existed, the harvest would have been completed, the fruits and vegetables preserved, and the winter crops peeking up.  Here, so far south and near the ocean, a lucky gardener could plant crops at least three times a year.  I’d love to walk down, grab a handful of soil, and feel its goodness crumble between my fingers.  Instead, I’m stuck here, with every one of my movements causing considerable pain.

“I’m back, Amy.”  Samuel opens his satchel, a cornucopia of flower petals, leaves, seeds, and roots spill out before me.  He fetches my mortar and pestle - an heirloom that extends back to my family’s distant past.  I take each item, taste it to test its strength, and then add it in careful amounts to the mash.  Once finished, I place the paste under my tongue and relief surges to my feet and toes.

“Now, Samuel, if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to search for one more thing.”

“Anything, my girl.”

“At the roots of many of the Crenshaw elms around here you’ll find a small, black fungus.  I need you to gather as much as possible. It’ll help me fight the infection in my leg.”  Samuel’s off before I turn back toward the bucolic scene before me.  The paste’s set in nicely.  I’ve concocted enough to keep me feeling comfortable for the next couple of days.

A magpie lands on a branch near me, examining me with its glossy coal eyes.  The bird seems as if it knows who I am and what I represent.  Perhaps it's the paste I've ingested, but I swear it's trying to communicate.

"Hi bird.  What do you want?"

It cocks its head and my vision blurs.  Suddenly, I'm in the air, soaring over the village.  Apparently, I can possess magpies as well as insane women and alien beings.  Its wings shudder in the warm breeze and I send it down into the town center.  Colors swirl as the bird moves its head.  Theo's surrounded by perhaps fifty villagers dressed in brightly colored clothes unlike any I've seen in my part of the world.  The buildings in this part of the town mimic the clothing, each adorned in wonderful shades of blue, red, and yellow.

"Listen folks, I'm serious about what we're facing."  Theo's clearly grabbed their attention.  "We have a common enemy and it’s growing and relentless.  If a fog of brown mist approaches your town, you're gonna have to leave mighty fast.  Take only what you need."

As Theo continues his message of gloom, I direct the bird eyes around, seeing no sign of English or Bets.  I decide to look for them.  The bird flies to the town commissary, where I find English quite drunk, slumped in a bench.  Bets is inside haggling with a trim, silver-haired man over a sack of provisions, including a ruby-colored shine I've never seen before.  The issue is over price.  Bets offers him a handful of gems from Theo's stash and the argument ends.  I follow Bets and English as they rejoin Theo.

A town elder, clearly one of the most revered given the fine quality of her dress, stares at Theo, piercing him with a skeptical eye.  "Stranger, how are we to believe your stories are true?  You be seeming a bit touched, if you ask me."  The crowd laughs.  She looks at English, who's staggering and singing to himself.  "The company you're keeping's not helping any."