Deadly Cargo (Jake Mudd Adventures Book 1) Page 6

  Jake and Nadira did what they could to steady themselves as their mounts and the other crag beasts followed.

  Sometime later, as they rode nearer the caves, Jake heard the howl of the swirling winds ahead. The lightning lit up the otherwise darkening sky and landscape. The boom and crackle with each strike pushed through his chest. He felt cold as they rode into the winds on the periphery of the storm. The torrents grew louder and stronger. He leaned forward against the crag beast to keep from falling off and glanced to his side. Nadira also leaned forward, fighting the storm.

  Tay rode about ten feet in front of Jake. He pulled one hand from his crag beast’s mane to gesture ahead. He pointed toward a formation of rocks about fifty feet high and a couple hundred feet across.

  Jake saw Tay’s mouth moving, and him yelling something. But the storm drowned out his words.

  Jake thought he saw a figure on top of the rocks ahead. He guarded his eyes from the sand and wind with his hand, and looked again. No one was there now. Cursed storm.

  The canopy of clouds rolled out in every direction. Darkness grew. Jake could only see his hands on the mane in front of him. He held on, trusting the crag beast would find its way.

  A flash of light and a thunderous boom. For a split second, he saw Tay in front of him and Nadira at his side. Then blackness again. The dust pelted his face and hands. He leaned forward and down again, closing his eyes to save them.

  He held on.

  Flash. Everything lit up for a moment. Brighter than before. The lightning bolt shot down in front of Jake, striking Tay.

  Jake’s mount leapt to the side, avoiding the tumbling creature ahead. Jake's beast landed with him still on it. Then it ran a few more paces, before slowing to a halt. The sound of the wind faded to a muffled droning. They'd reached cover, the high rocks that housed the caves. The grit no longer wore on Jake’s skin.

  He felt Nadira and her crag beast beside him, her leg brushed against his as they crowded into the cover of the cave.

  “Did he make it?” she asked.

  Jake didn’t need to answer. The storm, declaring its victory, offered a dazzling display of lightning strikes, followed closely by deafening thunder. Tay’s body lay on the ground next to his mount. They'd been struck down just outside the cave entrance. Tay's eyes were open, but without life. The flesh on his face and exposed chest, charred and torn.

  Jake heard a whisper from Nadira. “Bond, not birth.” He glanced at her and noticed a tear clearing a channel through the caked dust on her cheek. Another boom of thunder. Then blackness.

  CHAPTER 14

  J ake unslung his bag from his shoulder and drew it open. He pulled out a small rectangular device and pressed the button on it. A light shone, bright enough to illuminate a ten-foot-wide circle inside the cave.

  “We should wait out the storm,” he said, looking at Nadira. Her left cheek showed a smudge pulled across it. She had wiped away her tear.

  “May it pass quickly.” She spoke with a tone of resentment for the storm, her eyes gazing out toward the dark that kept Tay’s body.

  "Sorry about your friend," Jake said.

  She didn't look at him, but nodded.

  Jake’s crag beast made a low groaning noise. Its body jerked and twitched. He patted the neck of the creature beside the mane.

  The other three crag beasts joined his mount in making the groaning sound. All four of the animals stared toward the body of their pack leader, dead ten feet in front of them, outside the cave. Jake noted how the creatures' vision seemed to pierce the darkness.

  He remembered what Tay had said about them not turning on him or Nadira, so long as their leader didn’t attack.

  The sound from his mount went from a groaning to a growling. The creature turned its head from side to side, as if to look at Jake.

  “We have another problem,” he said.

  “What?” Nadira continued to stare in the direction of Tay’s body.

  “Get off the crag beast, slowly. And step to the back of the cave.” He dismounted while instructing her.

  All four of the crag beasts growled and turned their attention to him and Nadira.

  She got down from her mount and stepped toward him. He held out his arm in front of her.

  “Move behind those rocks.” He glanced to a cluster of large rocks behind them.

  Nadira did as he suggested, taking cover behind a rocky mound on the cave floor that rose to the height of her chest. Jake, with his blaster held in front of him, stepped backward toward her. The four crag beasts, in an arc, matched his move and closed in on him.

  He held his trigger finger, hoping the creatures would settle down on their own.

  A crag beast attacked, jumping at him. He shot it as it flew toward him, jaws wide, its eyes fierce. Jake’s blast hit the beast in the chest, blowing a hole open. Blood spilled out over the burnt flesh.

  The creature landed on top of Jake, knocking him to the ground. His blaster fell out of his hand and ended up several feet away.

  The crag beast suffered a mortal wound, but wasn’t ready to give up the fight. It thrashed and pummeled Jake with its heavy paws. He dropped the light from his other hand. He held back its deadly mouth with all the strength his arms could summon. The beast was powerful, even as it bled closer to death. From its mass and the blows it delivered with its paws, Jake felt his energy draining, his breathing difficult.

  Risking a bite from the creature’s teeth, Jake let go of its head with one arm and thrust his fist into the wound he’d made with his blaster. The beast roared and convulsed. Jake opened his fist, still inside the beast’s chest, and ripped out his hand, clawing and scraping what he could. He tore the wound wider as he did. The blood gushed, covering his arm.

  The beast gave up the struggle. Jake pushed it off him as it slumped.

  He scrambled to his feet and picked up his blaster. Raising his weapon toward the other crag beasts, he moved to the rocks for cover, as Nadira had done.

  One of the three remaining creatures stepped forward, snarling. Jake steadied his exhausted arm, leaning it on the rock.

  He shot the beast. His blast clipped its shoulder. It bled, but didn’t slow. The animal lowered its head over its front paws, preparing to pounce. Before it sprung, the two beasts behind it attacked it. Caught off guard, it tumbled and the three creatures rolled into a vicious fight.

  “They’re deciding who’s the new leader,” Jake said.

  “Do we let them fight it out?”

  “Yes. Don’t draw their attention. Let them kill each other, if we’re lucky.”

  They watched for the next few seconds as the beasts bit and tore at each other. Blood squirted. Yelps and growls turned to snarls and the sounds of ripping flesh and chomping jaws and teeth.

  “Look here.” Nadira patted Jake’s shoulder.

  He turned to see a hole in the cave wall behind them. The opening looked just large enough for each of them to squeeze through, though a much tighter fit for Jake’s muscular body. He nodded to her.

  Feet first, she slipped through the hole into a larger cave on the other side. As Jake stepped toward the opening to follow her, the crag beasts settled their quarrel and turned their attention back to him. He made it most of the way through the hole before one of the creatures jumped at him. Jake shot its head with his blaster, as he pushed the rest of his body between the opening in the rocks.

  The crag beast slammed into the stone, extending a paw through the hole, clawing. Jake rolled out of the way. The creature scraped and lunged against the rock, unable to get its body into the hole. The thuds, savage muscle against heavy stone, echoed through the cave. Chunks above the passageway broke off. The creature grew more determined.

  Jake heard the wall between the two caves crack. More rock fell. Dust pushed into the back cave. It was dark. The shadow of the angry beast fought against what little light shone through.

  Nadira coughed.

  The beast persisted. Clawing. Pushing. Snarling.

>   Crack. More rocks fell. The opening narrowed.

  Jake shot the creature.

  A yelp. Then it slumped, dropping its head against the now smaller hole. A few rocks slid down the gravel and dirt that had piled up from the crag beast's efforts.

  Muffled growls from the other side. A howl. Then silence. The dust drifted down, settling. The air cleared.

  Jake and Nadira were still for a moment. Breathing. Resting. No light in the cave. No sounds but their own.

  “Jake, we’re trapped.”

  The sound of a couple of breaths. Jake felt the sting of his sweat passing over the scrapes on his face and arms.

  “We’re alive.”

  He unslung his pack and dug in it for his backup light. He pressed the button and the cave lit up.

  He saw Nadira sitting against the cave wall with her arms wrapped in front of her knees, the caked dust and the smudge on her face cut by channels from a steady stream of tears.

  He walked over to her. “Look on the bright side.” He holstered his blaster. “The way things are going, you may not have to shoot me.” He smiled.

  She chuckled. Then she sniffed and wiped away the tears from her cheeks. “At least there’s that.”

  He held out his hand to her. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet.

  He glanced around the cave and took a few steps, noticing a slight movement in the air.

  “Come over here,” he said, moving to the rear of the cave. He raised his other hand to the rock wall. “Here. Feel it.”

  She put her hand next to his. A cool current of air flowing out a wide crack in the rock.

  Her eyes widened. She smiled. “Is it?”

  “A way out.” He handed her his light and reached into his pack. He pulled out a cylinder, five inches long, an inch in diameter, with a two-inch spike extended from one end. He pushed the spike into the crack, the rest of the device sticking out from the rock. Then he moved back from the wall. “You’d better stand over there.” He pointed off to the side, away from the wall and beyond where he stood.

  She moved where he suggested.

  He drew his blaster from its holster and aimed at the device on the wall. A few seconds passed. He didn’t fire. He stepped back another five feet, then took aim again and squeezed the trigger.

  The blast struck the device he'd embedded.

  Boom.

  Rocks and dirt flew out toward him. He turned his face away from the spray. Most of the larger pieces missed him. He took a few bits to his arms. One to his cheek.

  Hot air accompanied the flying debris. His skin dried as the gust blew over him. Then cool air, like before, but stronger.

  Nadira waved her arm in front of her face to clear the dust. “Are you alright?”

  Jake spit to clear some grit from his mouth. He stepped to the exploded wall. The cool air flowed against him, pouring through the large gap, three feet wide, where the crack had been. “Yes.”

  Nadira came over to him. “How far do you think it goes?” She held the light up.

  They had a clear view ten feet into the tunnel. The same rock walls, top, bottom, and sides. But it looked too uniformly circular, tube-like, to be natural. Perhaps a river could cut something like it, Jake thought. Maybe. But then he saw the scrapes on the walls at the point where the light faded up ahead.

  Someone made this. Or some thing.

  He decided not to mention the scrapes, at least for now. Nadira either didn’t notice them, or she pretended not to see them.

  “I have no idea, but it’s our best chance at getting out of here.”

  Nadira entered the tunnel, walking past him. “Come on. We’re still going to the base. Maybe this will lead to a way out.”

  She must be done with her tears, Jake thought.

  Nadira heading down the tunnel. She walked at a pace that lacked any hint of hesitation. Jake fixed his pack more snugly, then headed off after her.

  He let her keep the lead for a few minutes, taking in the view. He also noticed how she glanced at the scrapes on the walls as they passed them. But she didn’t mention them. He figured she didn’t want to get bogged down worrying about what they were or that the tunnel wasn’t natural. Interesting under different circumstances. All it meant for now was the tunnel lead somewhere, and Jake knew he’d better keep his holster flap open.

  The tunnel turned this way, then that. And then went on for long stretches, remarkable in how straight it ran. The tubular nature of the walls became more distinct. While still entirely of rock, the walls took on a more polished finish, almost a sheen.

  She looked back at him. “Hurry up. We’re not out for a stroll.”

  Woman on a mission.

  Jake admitted to himself that he was a sucker for a girl who could have tears one minute and blast her way out of danger the next. She was adding up well, so far.

  The air in the cave grew damper. Shallow puddles appeared up ahead in the middle of the tunnel floor. The moisture in the air and on the walls, gave way to full-on wetness. Drops of water clung to the ceiling and occasionally fell, hitting Jake and Nadira as they walked.

  The cool air and the water served to refresh them as they traveled the tunnel unimpeded for another thirty or forty minutes. They shared only a few words now and then about how much longer the cave might continue.

  Jake, who had been walking beside Nadira for most of the last half hour, noticed he had to slow his pace to avoid pulling ahead of her on several occasions.

  Nadira stopped walking. “I need a rest.”

  He stopped too. “Sure. That’s fine.”

  The tunnel had widened at this point to fifteen feet from wall to wall. She walked over to the side of it and sat down, leaning against the curved rock.

  He joined her, sitting beside her.

  “Just a few minutes,” she said. “We’ve been moving so much. And what happened with Rekla and the pods, and now Tay.”

  “I understand.” He nodded to her. The fact she’d held it together this long surprised him.

  She took in a deep breath, then let it out. “I just don’t know if we’re going to make it in time.”

  Jake measured the fading hope in her face. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but there’s no way to know for sure if we’ll get there first."

  He saw the disappointment in her face.

  "Still, whether we do or not," he continued, "I’m getting the job done.”

  “Yes. The case, and your payment. I know.” She spoke with more than a note of disdain.

  He placed his hand on her knee. “I gave you my word. Yes. I’ll get payment on my delivery, one way or the other. But we’ll find your father too.”

  “Why are you even helping me?”

  “Maybe you’re growing on me.”

  “Am I?”

  “Besides, you didn't seem to be rooting for the crag beasts. Maybe I’m growing on you too.”

  She turned and looked at him. Then she placed her hand on his. “You really think we’ll find him in time?”

  “I can tell you this,” he said. “So far, this delivery is going smoother than my last one did.”

  She laughed. “That’s comforting, I guess.”

  They held each other’s gaze for a moment. Then she slid her hand up his wrist and forearm, and grabbed his elbow. He leaned in.

  “Don’t you get lonely traveling from planet to planet?” she asked.

  “I suppose I should. I do sometimes. My ship keeps me company.”

  “And whatever desperate woman you run into on each planet,” she said, her tone teasing.

  She kissed him.

  Then she leaned back and put her hand on his chest, holding him at bay. “I don’t really know anything about you.”

  Jake leaned back. “What do you want to know?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “How did you get into this line of work?”

  “It’s a long story. I didn’t always do this.” Jake gazed at the wall across from them.

  He sat
silent for a moment, thinking of Sarah.

  “I’m listening.”

  “Many years ago, there was a time when traveling to another planet meant going into battle. Problem was, it wasn’t always for a good reason or for the right people. It started out decent enough. Rescues of colonization crews. Overseeing peace negotiations between warring factions.”

  “Honorable.”

  “But then, the leader of the outfit I was with, a man we called the General, decided it was time to take on more profitable ventures. Those of us that went along with it did pretty well for quite a few years. Those that didn’t ended up left behind on one mission or the other. I was on a straight road to dying a bad man. But then, something changed my mind. Someone, really.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Sarah.”

  “The woman on your ship, right?

  “No. That's my ship's name too.”

  “Huh?"

  "It's complicated. Never mind."

  "What happened then?”

  “I couldn’t let her be a part of that life. And I couldn’t be that guy and be with her. So, I left it all behind. I promised myself I’d do something legitimate. We set out together for a new life.

  “Where is she now?”

  Jake was silent for a moment. What am I doing?

  “I don't want to talk about it,” he said, as he got up and stepped away from the wall.

  He swung his pack around to his front and opened it. “How about we grab something to keep us going? And then, we need to do that. Keep moving, I mean.”

  “Yes. You’re right.” She stood up, dusted herself off.

  He handed her a bottle. She took a drink, then handed it back to him. He gave her a food bar from his pack. They ate and took a few more drinks. Then they packed up.

  “Alright, then,” she said, “Let’s go.”

  “Yes. We’d better. At least the storms can't get to us in here."

  They walked in silence for another half hour, enjoying the relative safety of the cave.

  CHAPTER 15

  "M y dear, Eliana, you always know just what to do."

  Kharn reclined in the padded lounge chair, while Eliana rubbed his neck and shoulders as she stood behind him.