Reason For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 1) (20 page)

The light of the rising sun woke her and Valerie lay on the thick bed of the Red Bark’s leaves, breathing deeply as the latest nightmare receded.  They had not stopped or even reduced in intensity during her eight days convalescing.  The first few minutes of waking were always taken up by tears and she let them flow unimpeded.  They were her badge of pain in remembrance and she would not stop them even if she could.  Slowly, as they always did, they lessened to a trickle and ebbed away.

Her sleeping bag was done up tightly from the cold night.  Already she could feel the sun’s warmth on her face.  Her camp site was situated on the edge of the Red Barks facing the rising sun.  Sitting up she contemplated the area and decided that it really was quite beautiful at this time of day, the sun’s light enhancing the many shades of red around her.  From the burgundy thick trunks to the Christmas red of its leaves and the surrounding blood grass, named for its colour and no other reason, all shone in the light. 

Crisp fresh air filled her lungs.  She breathed it in deeply as she prepared for yet another day of living without her family.  Unzipping the bag, she rolled out of it dressed only a light t-shirt and underwear.  A set of trousers and shirt sat just inside the top of her pack, where she left them the night before.  They felt cold on the skin as she pulled them on and she ignored it, she knew it would pass quickly.  Lastly she pulled on her boots and got carefully to her feet. 

Her calf felt stronger than it had since the Dragon injured her.  It healed well in the last few days and it was time to move on.  She packed most of her stuff away the night before, planning to leave as soon as possible in the morning.  All that was left were her two sets of spare clothing she washed the day before.

They hung out by the fire overnight so its heat, as it died, dried them and allowed her to pack them straight away.  Normally it would not be possible due to the morning dew, here that didn’t happen.   She didn’t know why and didn’t really care, it made her life easier and that was all that really mattered.

Gathering her spare clothes, she packed them into her bag along with the sleeping bag and last few bits of equipment.  A swift breakfast of cold Blaze Swallow, a reptilian type of flying animal native to this world she caught and cooked the day before, and she was ready to go.

With her fully loaded pistols in their holsters, long coat on, body armour underneath and bag on her back, she headed out.  Taking the same route she used to get to the campsite, she hiked back up to the trail she was following days before.  Without an injured leg, it was much easier going and she soon came across the carcass of the Dragon.

She could see various local scavengers had been using the corpse for food.  A careful inspection of the ground showed no one else had been through here.  Valerie was about to continue her journey out of the Ginormican range, when she found her gaze was on the beast’s maw.  A mischievous thought occurred to her, one that seemed right in its own way.

She drew the blade from her right boot and switched it on.  It hummed, glowing slightly red and she carefully cut away the skin and flesh around the creatures maw, exposing the long fangs.  She could see the one she sliced the end off and, with almost a smile, she eased out one of its whole brothers.

Once freed, it was even more impressive in its size.  Valerie could feel it had an edge that could match most metals.  Unlike Terran animals, those native to Blaze had a high carbon content in their makeup.  This made them much tougher and part of the reason for the Stone Dragon’s name.  The fang would make a good knife, if her Thermal blades ran out of power, and as remembrance of a worthy opponent.  Valerie considered herself a warrior in the oldest sense.  Even now it was important to her, to honour a foe who fought well.

Slicing several strips of skin from the carcass, she scrapped the flesh from the back of them and hung them from her pack.  Once dried, she could cure them and fashion them into a grip for the Stone Dragons fang.  Saluting the fallen Dragon with its own fang, she walked away down the trail.

While her leg was better, it did not mean she was capable of the speed she used before the injury and she kept to a strong walking pace.  A long striding, kilometre guzzling march she could keep up all day without straining herself.

***

Time passed as it did before, walk all day, hunt before bed, sleep filled with nightmares, wake up and cry before walking again.  Day after day she went through, one little different to the next bar her surroundings.  This time she stayed alert, she had learnt her lesson and found a balance that allowed her to function, while still feeling the loss of her family.

Six days and another forty kilometres later she slowed in the trail she was using.  While it had not been made or improved, it was obviously used by humans.  She did not see any actual people, but there were boot prints and the odd piece of discarded rubbish.  No matter where you were in the galaxy, if another human had been there, there would always be signs.  Mainly from items they didn’t need anymore, be it worn out clothing or the packaging of manufactured goods.

This trail was in a gully with high steep sides that wove back and forth.  Valerie heard the sounds of human voices ahead, around a corner and out of sight.  Moving more carefully, her right hand on her pistol she crept forward.  After several metres she stopped, took her hand from her pistol and raised her arms.

Nothing moved for a moment and Valerie counted to sixty in her head slowly waiting.  Just short of a full minute a cloth wrapped head appeared to her right at the top the gully.  An upper body followed with a rifle aimed directly at her heart.  She didn’t move and kept her eyes forward down the gully, watching this new person out of her peripheral vision.

Three more appeared, so that there were now two on either side, all with rifles pointed at her.  One on each side moved along the tops of the gully so they boxed her in.  She wasn’t worried.  Their rifles were old single shot cartridges for hunting.  It was all the Blaze government would allow the Nomads and they were all pointed at her chest.  Her armour could easily deal with any shots that landed.

If they fired, they would all be dead in the time it took her to draw and aim her pistols.  It could be over in moments so she waited patiently.  If they wanted to kill her, they would have tried by now.  She guessed they wanted to talk.

Three figures came round the gully corner, all armed with the same rifles and their heads wrapped in Keffiyeh, even their faces were covered.  The rest of their clothing was made up of loose robes and a cloak, all dyed in various stone colours to match the rocks of the Ginormican Mountains.  Their clothes were so loose and bulky that Valerie could not work out if they were even male or female.

The three came forward and stopped three metres from her, to bring the total number of rifles pointed at her centre of mass to seven.  The one in the middle pointed their rifle at her pistols, then at the floor while the other two shifted nervously.  The intention was obvious.  They wanted her to disarm herself.

Valerie looked at them calmly and shook her head.  “No, I mean no disrespect and would like to ask permission to cross your lands, but I will not give up my weapons.  I mean no harm to you or your tribe.”

“Then put your weapons on the ground or we will kill you.”  That was the one on the right, a male voice, young, probably no more than fifteen at most.  For one so young to speak meant they were all children and Valerie would prefer not to kill children today.  In all likelihood they were a hunting party away from the main tribe.  They would also not be alone.  There would be at least one senior adult with them to supervise and teach.  Valerie had to play for time so that person would arrive and save their lives.  She may not want to kill them, but she would in a heartbeat if they forced her.

She smiled to try and reassure them and the three in front took a step back.  It was the first smile she tried since that morning her life was so completely destroyed.  She could feel there was no warmth in it, as there was none in her heart.  What they saw, was the smile of the cold eyed predator that had faced and killed the Stone Dragon.  It scared them.

The three rifles shook and she could see the moment was coming.  Valerie relaxed her body to lower the tension and in preparation to move.  She watched their eyes, waiting for them to screw up the courage and see that faint flicker that meant they were going to attack.  The one on the left would be the first, he or she was almost ready when a girls voice from behind and high to Valerie’s right called out.

“Wait.”

All three in front of Valerie looked up to the girl and took their eyes off the Major.  If she wanted to it was the perfect moment to kill them all, she resisted and waited for it to play out.

“On her pack, that’s the fang of the Stone.”  The girl continued and Valerie realised what she was talking about.  Her new knife was strapped to the side of her rucksack out of sight of most of these children.

The three in the gully looked at her in clear astonishment.  Now the one on the left spoke, it was a boy’s voice, older than the first, if not by much.

“Where did you get that?”

Valerie considered lying and saying she found it.  The truth was less effort and it really didn’t matter, they either let her walk past them or they did not.  She was walking out of this gully either way.

“I met a Stone Dragon six days back, that way.”  She pointed with her thumb up the tallest peak behind her.  “I took the fang to honour its passing as a worthy opponent.”

“You killed it?”  The girl on the right side of the gully asked in astonishment.

“It decided I was that day’s dinner.  I disagreed.”  Valerie said simply.  “Besides.  It was in my way.”  The meaning of that was clear to all of them.  Those in the gully retreated backwards carefully a dozen steps, without taking their rifles off her.

A figure stepped round the corner the others came from.  From his height and broad shoulders he was probably male.  Valerie’s guess was confirmed by his deep voice.

“What is going on here?”  The three in front started to turn towards him, probably to explain.  “Stop,” he commanded.  “Keep your rifles on the wayfarer.  You do not need to see me to explain.”

The boy on the left answered him.  “Master Hunter, she came from the high peaks, claims she killed a Stone Dragon and will not give up her weapons.”

The man looked at Valerie and lowered his Keffiyeh to reveal a worn and weathered face.  He raised his eye brows at her.

“You say you killed a Stone Dragon.  Is this true?”

“That’s what I said and yes, I did.”

He looked at her up and down where she stood with her hands still raised.  “Those Mag pistols wouldn’t be much good against a Dragon,” he said unconvinced.

“I found that out the hard way.  Five clean shots to the skull, the last two at point blank range and it only made it madder.  I had to use my Thermals.”

The man laughed.  “Now I really don’t believe you.  No one kills a Dragon with a knife!”

Valerie was getting bored with this conversation.  She wanted to get on and out of these mountains.  These people were in her way.  She would give them one last chance before going through them.

“I can show you,” she said.  “My wristcomp keeps a daily record.  Normally I clear the memory each night but I kept that one.  If you need proof and will let me walk out of here without any more fuss, you can see it.”

He was sceptical and curious at the same time.  Curiosity won.

“Very well.  Edel, Klaus, Jan and Hilda keep your rifles on her.”  He ordered those above Valerie and said to those in the gully.  “Stay here, I will approach alone.”  He walked forward and drew a six shot cartridge pistol that he trained on Valerie, while keeping out of reach.  “Show me.  Slowly.”

Valerie brought her hands down to chest height and tapped the commands into the wristcomp.  It was easy to find the record.  She projected the hologram at maximum size so that a one metre viewing cube showed above her.  The sun had already dropped behind one of the peaks.  In the darkening light, it was clearly visible to all around her.

The images ran silent and grainy due to the size of the hologram and the small recording device.  The fight’s speed and ferocity still had a clear impact on her audience.  The man was evidently stunned and Valerie could hear the girl who saw the fang whisper.  “Never, in all the mountains…”

“It’s true,” the man said.  “Lower your weapons, all of you.”  Most of them had already done so in shock Valerie noted.  He looked at Valerie as she ended the holo recording and lowered her arms.  “I would be honoured if a warrior of your valour and skill would join our tribe tonight.  We can offer food, an evening of stories and a soft bed for the night.”

“Would your tribe be able to give me passage out of the mountains?”  Valerie asked.

“We have several vehicles and all of the owners would be proud to drive you for a small fee.”

Valerie nodded, the offer of food and a place to sleep was traditional for the tribes to those they deemed worthy.  To charge for transport was just good business.

“I gladly accept your hospitality Master Hunter.  We are not far from your tribe?”

“No.  You met us on the way back from the hunt and we are only an hour from our camp.”  He waved at those above to come down and pointed at the children in the gully with them.  “Go and finish readying the Tofu’s.”  The three children ran off down the gully.  Those above passed to whatever route they had used to get up there.