The Friendly Ambassador: The Beginning of the End

Chapter Eighteen

  Sheer Madness

  The Seventy-Ninth of the Telen’Gal stood by the edge of the reservoir. He was staring across at the far side, his keen eyesight picking out the large shapes of the Receivers already gathered on the southern bank. Gatherers ran among them, pushing, fussing. He looked down at his feet, and at the muddy banks that were exposed by the receding water. The Receivers had already made their mark, but once the Diggers broke through the reservoir would be quickly drained.

  More sustenance for the Hives.

  The Seventy-Ninth waited patiently with the other Warriors as the Gatherer searched for the trail that would lead them in continued pursuit of their quarry. It wouldn’t be long before he found it. Another Warrior moved closer to the Seventy-Ninth.

  “They rested here for too long,” the Eighty-Fifth remarked.

  “Their bodies are weak,” the Seventy-Ninth replied. “They cannot adapt to the higher gravity. We will soon overtake them.”

  “They lack strength but have courage. They will fight.”

  “Their resistance is of no consequence. But we must guard against failure. They are unable to withstand heavy physical abuse, so be sure that at least two of them are taken alive or our pursuit will have been for no purpose.”

  The Eighty-Fifth bowed.

  There was a snort some distance away from them, and the Gatherer sprang forward once again. The Warriors quickly chased after him.

  They ran without effort, their pace fixed and comfortable, their bobbing forms moving quickly over the undulating land.

  The Seventy-Ninth ran as easily as the rest, his mind detached from the mechanics of running. Instead he was able to contemplate the richness of the land they crossed, at the vast wealth of biological material that would swell the storage caverns of the Hives.

  One thought led to another, and his mind swept back to visions of the past, to visions of his own home world before the Hives had grown too numerous. Then his world had been as rich and as beautiful as this. But each Hive had to eat, and as they had grown, so had the areas they needed to plunder, until each Hive encroached on the territories of the next. Then had come the wars and the famines. Only the fall of one of the Hives could break that famine. But the respite would only be brief. Now his world was barren, a shell that concealed the tunnels of the combined Hives.

  He tasted the fresh air, filled with the seeds and spoors that had long left his own world. It was a shame that they couldn’t transfer the Hives here, but that would have been impossible. Yes, it truly was a paradise. But a paradise that held many mysteries and threats.

  The Klysanthians worried him, as they worried others of higher rank. What was their true purpose on Eden? Why did their attacks almost suggest they were aiding the Keruh in their invasion? And why hide a ship on the ground in the darkness? Was it merely damaged, or was there some other, hidden purpose?

  All these thoughts left the mind of the Seventy-Ninth when another scent in the air caught his attention.

  Klysanthians. Close by.

  Like the Gatherer at their head, and all the Warriors around him, he ran with increased speed.

  Breda couldn’t accept what Clyemne had told her. If Anaxilea was just thirteen years old, and Phoebe, her daughter was only seven, then Anaxilea must have been six years old when she gave birth to her. It was incredible.

  It was ridiculous.

  Breda looked again at Clyemne running tiredly next to her. The Klysanthian was so tall and adult in her manner and appearance, despite her slight form, and yet she was half her own age.

  Why were alien races so confusing?

  A million questions boiled up in Breda’s head, but there was no time to ask them.

  They ran on, racing across the gentle grassed hills, the night breeze ruffling their hair. The night was warm and clear, the bright stars of the heavens turning the high clouds silver. Everything was quiet. Nothing moved. Even the scattered trees hardly stirred.

  The run soon took its toll on the Klysanthians. Their breathing came in gasps, their faces were twisted in agony, and many of them began to stumble and sway.

  Anaxilea brought them to a halt once more. Celaneo collapsed in a heap, and Deianeira fell against a tree and slid down into a sitting position. One by one the Klysanthians all threw their rifles aside and slumped to the ground.

  Clyemne dropped onto all fours, her lungs bursting. Her whole body trembled and she just fell over onto her side. Breda sat beside her, and Thermodosa threw herself full length on the grass next to her. The air was filled with gasping and panting as the Klysanthians lay scattered on the grass in exhaustion.

  Cassiopea lay on her back next to Anaxilea. “This isn’t...going to...work...” she managed to get out between frantic gulps of air, her delicate voice no more than a whisper.

  Anaxilea leaned against another tree. She was on her knees, one hand propping her up. Her head hung down, and her dark hair hid her contorted face as she also fought to breathe. “We...can’t...stop now...”

  “You’re going...to...kill us...”

  “We’ll die...if we...stop.”

  Cassiopea reached up and tugged on Anaxilea’s hair. It was hardly much of a pull, but Anaxilea still slumped onto the grass next to her. Cassiopea rolled against her, her hand moving quickly to her face.

  “We have...to go...slower...pace ourselves more...”

  “They’ll catch...us.”

  “They’ll catch us...anyway...if we can’t...run anymore.”

  Anaxilea reached up to grasp Cassiopea’s hand. She squeezed it, then lifted it to her lips and kissed it. Finally she laid it on her chest and patted it.

  “Alright...we go slower...but we walk...while we rest.”

  Anaxilea knew that Cassiopea was right, but she couldn’t give up now. The muscles in her legs were so tired and strained, she could feel them popping and tingling from the exertions of the run. So it would be for all of them. But they couldn’t stop, they had to keep going. They had to get to the Gate of Heaven before daylight. Scyleia wouldn’t wait for long after dawn. By then the Host would be very close, and as soon as it became light they would see her. Scyleia would have to take off, if she didn’t, the Keruh would quickly attack and overrun her ship.

  There was even no guarantee that Scyleia would wait for them. When the time came she would have to do what she had to do. Anaxilea wanted to be there before that time. She wasn’t sure how far away they were, and resting here ate into the time they had left. She hated to waste that time; each second could be precious, especially with the Keruh in possible pursuit. But they had to rest, even for a short time.

  “We lie here...a little longer...then we walk.”

  Cassiopea smiled and hugged Anaxilea tighter, her cheek pressed against hers.

  “Is there time for...a moment of solace?”

  “If you have breath for that...you have breath to walk...”

  “Then I will save my breath...and console myself...with the warmth...and smell of your body.”

  Cassiopea slid her leg across Anaxilea and her hug became more of an embrace.

  Breda watched them both and felt a slight pang of—what? Jealousy? Loneliness? Why should she feel that way among these aliens? On impulse she leaned over and picked Clyemne from the grass. She hardly weighed more than a child. She pulled her close and sat her down in her lap, her arms around her. The Klysanthian gave no resistance. She just lay back, her head on Breda’s shoulder and her long legs stretched out.

  “You...hold me...like a mother...holds a child,” she gasped.

  Breda brushed back Clyemne’s fine hair. “You are a child. You’re all children.”

  “Children...with no home...”

  It was a tiny cry from the heart that cut deep into Breda. The fall of Klysanthia had been in the newscasts all day. It was one of the reasons that the Ruling Council had agreed to the treaty with the Keruh. It had all been so exciting then. She had been excited, excited to see
the Keruh enter their city. Now she just felt foolish, foolish and selfish.

  “They tricked us, you know,” she said to Clyemne. “They told our leaders that they had taken your world. They scared us into thinking the war would soon be over and that they would win. They just wanted to get down without having to fight. And we fell for it. We let them walk right in. We were stupid.”

  Clyemne reached up with her hand and stroked Breda’s face, and despite her obvious lack of breath, she still spoke with that same perfectly musical tone in her delicate voice.

  “Your leaders were not stupid...Just misinformed...The Keruh lied...They took advantage...of your lack of wisdom...and understanding...Your world is young...your knowledge...of the cosmos...and the politics of the worlds around you...is limited...Better to war on a young world...with little defence, than on an older world...better prepared.”

  “Wasn’t your world better prepared?”

  Breda had spoken without thinking. It was a habit she could never shake off. If it hurt Clyemne, it didn’t show in her voice when she answered her question.

  “Yes...but the attack by this particular invader...is very aggressive. Be warned, Breda, there is great danger for you...the grip of the Keruh...will not be shaken off lightly.”

  “You think we’re going to lose, too? That our world will fall as yours did?”

  Clyemne shook her head. “What happened on Klysanthia will not happen here...we that are left and the Atlantians who support us...will defeat the Keruh.”

  “You sound very sure.”

  “I am.” Clyemne’s expression altered slightly. She lowered her hand and her voice became more distant. “The future is decided...as the past is fixed...neither can be changed...or altered. What will happen here has been well planned...the Keruh will be destroyed forever. But the victory will give us no pleasure...it will change nothing for us, only for those who come after. Like the Keruh, our future is set...we know this although they do not...and yet we both live on borrowed time...”

  It was another one of her profound statements. Breda was still contemplating her words when Anaxilea climbed to her feet again.

  “Up, all of you...Back on your feet!” she called hoarsely.

  There was little strength in her words, and not much response. Anaxilea had to walk among them, kicking at feet and pulling up those whose fatigue caused them to ignore her. Aello was one of those to stay on the ground. She stared up in surprise at Anaxilea as her Captain stood over her expectantly.

  “You can’t be serious, Lea?” she begged. “I’m dying!”

  “You’ll die if you stay there.” Anaxilea reached down and pulled her up. “We walk for a while...then we run.”

  They moved on, reluctantly and slowly at first, but they still obeyed, staggering and stumbling forward, many of them leaning on their rifles.

  Breda helped both Clyemne and Thermodosa to their feet. After that Thermodosa moved away and walked arm in arm with Deianeira. Breda and Clyemne walked hand in hand as before, Philippis staggered along on her own, and Aello walked with Celaneo. Anaxilea now led the way with Cassiopea at the front. They also held hands.

  Breda watched them for a while. It was probably better walking like this; it kept their muscles from tightening up. It also allowed her the chance to find out more. The way the Klysanthians paired off was so interesting. Only Philippis and Clyemne were on their own. But Clyemne wasn’t on her own, was she? Breda quickly turned to her, the questions already forming a queue in her mind.

  “You asked me before if I had someone to love. Do you have someone?”

  Clyemne looked across at her. “I do now.”

  Breda felt herself flush. It was the answer she wanted to hear, but as soon as it was said, a strange feeling came over her. She was both flattered and confused. She loved Kiki, she missed him dearly, but the presence and attention she felt from Clyemne was overpowering. She had never felt this close to another woman. Of course she was close to her mother, but that was different. She liked Clyemne in a different way, not like a mother or a sister, or even like a best friend. Was it love? And why should she feel this way with an alien? An alien so different from her?

  “You’re being naughty,” she said in her embarrassment, looking away.

  “I am being truthful. Everything that I am, that I was, is gone. There are no others that I care for other than those you see around us. They have my love as I have theirs. It would be uncharitable to exclude you.”

  Breda turned back to her. “The way you said it made it seem more than that.”

  “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. I told you, Breda, love transcends all barriers, but we are, truthfully, worlds apart. The love I have for you, you may not share. And even if you do, the time we have left may not be long enough to fulfil it. Like Anaxilea and Cassiopea, like Thermodosa and Deianeira, we can only feel the warmth of each other’s closeness and hope that it lasts. It is the only solace we can receive, and for this we must be grateful.”

  Breda stared up at Clyemne in amazement. “I’ve never met someone so, so forward as you.”

  Clyemne’s expression changed to one of confusion. “Is this a reference to my shape?”

  Breda smiled. “No, I mean—”

  She stopped when Philippis began to sniff. It was so noticeable. The Klysanthian just stopped, raised her head and sniffed at the air with a big snort. She did it again. Then Celaneo did the same. The next moment and all the Klysanthians had stopped walking and were looking around nervously. Silence surrounded them, only broken when more of them sniffed the air, even Clyemne. Breda turned to her.

  “What is it?”

  Clyemne continued to look around while she spoke, as if searching for something, and her voice was a soft whisper.

  “The non sentient nature of our males requires that we have a keen sense of smell. This is so that we can both detect them as well as attract them. This ability also means that we can detect the presence of others on the breeze.”

  Breda also whispered. “What others?”

  “Keruh.”

  Anaxilea was already motioning them to take positions, and Celaneo and Philippis moved quickly to left and right. All the Klysanthians now held their rifles at the ready.

  Cassiopea pointed over the next hill. “This way!”

  With more purpose in their movements, the Klysanthians ran toward the next hill. Now it was Clyemne leading Breda as they ran with the rest. Breda looked around in terror, but even with the multitude of bright stars in the heavens, all she could see was a dark smudge over the brow of the hill.

  Anaxilea reached the hill first. Almost hugging the ground, she crept toward the brow and peeped over. Immediately she crouched lower. Cassiopea quickly moved forward to join her, and Celaneo appeared on the other side of her. Gradually all the Klysanthians joined her on the brow of the hill, even Breda and Clyemne, and they all stared at the view before them.

  A short distance away across the open ground was the road. There were two vehicles parked on it. Trucks. They seemed to have collided. One must have run into the back of the other. They were both now locked together. The one at the back was missing the tarpaulin cover and seemed to have odd wheels, while the one at the front, with the number eighty-eight on it, was burnt out. Smoke billowed out from the truck and there were bodies scattered on the road, but other figures moved around in a familiar, ungainly fashion.

  Anaxilea glanced to either side of her and then said what her companions wanted to hear.

  “Shoot!”

  The Klysanthians opened up with a fusillade of laser shots. Most of the large and ungainly figures fell instantly, one smashing against the side of the truck. But then another appeared from behind the trucks. It ran forward, firing at them, but was then hit by several blasts that knocked it off its feet. It fell on the road with a clatter.

  It seemed to be over so suddenly. Silence returned, but was then broken by a painful moan.

  Thermod
osa had been hit by the only Warrior to return fire. She had tumbled back down the hill and now lay at the bottom. There was a hole burned in the front of her tunic. It was high up on the right side of her chest.

  While everyone else waited at the top of the hill, Deianeira and Philippis ran down to her. Breda would have followed, but Clyemne held onto her.

  “Wait here.”

  Breda looked at her in surprise. “But she needs help!”

  Clyemne’s reply was calm but foreboding. “If she cannot run, she is beyond our help.”

  Breda looked at her in even more surprise, especially when what followed seemed to confirm what Clyemne had said.

  Anaxilea took a few steps down the hill. “Can she walk?” she called down to Philippis in a hoarse whisper.

  Philippis shook her head sadly, and Deianeira called back in a tinkling voice. “You go on, I will stay with her.”

  Anaxilea paused for a moment and then nodded. She turned and came back up the hill. “Come on! All of you! To the road!”

  Philippis rubbed cheeks with Deianeira and then ran back up the hill to join them. Soon they were all trotting down the other side of the hill toward the road.

  Breda hadn’t understood anything that had been spoken, but the signs had been clear enough. Now she watched them all trotting away in astonishment. And when Clyemne tried to pull her forward she resisted.

  “You can’t just leave them!”

  “Do you think we want to?” Clyemne said in despair. “We have to!”

  “But why? You killed the Keruh! What’s the hurry?”

  “The ones we could smell are behind us, not in front!”

  “But I thought—”

  “The ones on the road were a surprise to us!” Clyemne interrupted. “We didn’t know they were there until Pea saw the smoke! The smoke must have blocked our scent from them too, as they were also surprised, and we were lucky in the battle, but now it is over and we must go! The ones we detected behind us are still coming! And the closer they get, the faster they will move! Now, come on!”

  Anaxilea suddenly ran back to them both and snarled at Breda in Edenite, “Move, we have to! Pursue us, the Keruh do!”

  Breda stared at her for a moment, and then tore her hand away from Clyemne. She ran back down the hill and plucked Thermodosa from the ground. Deianeira watched in surprise as Breda held Thermodosa in her arms like a baby and ran effortlessly back up the hill with her. Deianeira hesitated a moment before chasing after her. When Breda got to the top of the hill she ran straight passed Clyemne and Anaxilea and kept on going.

  Clyemne shrugged at Anaxilea. “She is stronger than us. We should have asked.”

  Deianeira joined them at the top of the hill and the three Klysanthians turned and ran after Breda. She had already caught up with those ahead of her and passed them, now they were all chasing after her.

  Breda reached the road first. The scattered bodies of the Keruh Warriors surrounded the two trucks. There were even three more wedged between them, as if they had been caught in the collision. But they weren’t the only bodies. There were two Edenite soldiers lying on the road. One was near the rear truck, blood on his head. The other lay by the front truck, a laser hole burned through his green armour. Breda just stopped and stared at them.

  Celaneo and Philippis ran around the front truck, their rifles held ready. Aello jumped up at the cab of the front truck while Cassiopea climbed into the cab of the rear one. Clyemne and Deianeira went to stand next to Breda.

  Anaxilea looked into the back of the burnt out truck. There was nothing to be seen except the debris left when the tarpaulin cover had collapsed in flames. Now only the remains smouldered on the floor and the supporting metal frames stood up like an animal’s ribcage. She turned as Cassiopea jumped out of the cab of the rear truck.

  “Can it be driven?” she called to her.

  Cassiopea shook her head. “The front’s all smashed! And it’s been stripped inside! What about that one?”

  “The hood’s burned away, but the body itself seems intact!” Anaxilea turned her head and looked to the front. “Aello! What’s it like in there?”

  Aello stuck her head out of the cab. “Everything’s a bit baked in here but it seems okay! But I don’t know what everything is!”

  Anaxilea immediately turned to Breda. “Drive this, can you?”

  Breda continued to stare down at the body of the nearest soldier. She was still holding Thermodosa in her arms, the wounded Klysanthian moaning briefly. Breda seemed to be in a trance, transfixed by the body on the ground before her. Then Clyemne stroked her head and looked at her hopefully.

  Breda suddenly looked up.

  “I can only drive electric cars. This is too complicated.”

  Anaxilea snarled and kicked the side of the truck. Then Celaneo ran back around the front of the truck, her angelic voice raised in excitement.

  “Pea! Lea! We’ve found some Edenites! And a soldier! Come quick!”

  Everyone started to run. Breda looked at Clyemne in hope.

  “Edenites?”

  Clyemne smiled and nodded. “Yes! And they still live! Come!”

  She took Breda’s arm, and together with Deianeira, they ran around the truck.

  On the edge of the road was a forlorn group. Three women, a soldier and another man, all sat slumped on the ground. They were bloodstained, dirty and bedraggled, but they were also obviously in the pits of despair. Everything about their body language, about the way they sat with their heads down, said they had given up everything except life itself. Philippis was standing over them. She was pointing her rifle at them. The other Klysanthians did the same.

  As soon as she saw them, Breda thrust Thermodosa into the arms of Deianeira and Clyemne and ran forward. Both Klysanthians collapsed under the extra weight and ended up sat on the ground.

  “Oh, thank heavens! People!” Breda exclaimed in delight.

  As one, the survivors looked up as Breda ran forward and threw herself at them. They seemed stunned by her embraces and her kisses as she went from one to the other and then back again, but slowly, as she babbled away, they began to respond.

  “I thought I was the last person alive! Thank heaven we’ve found you! Who are you? Where are you from? What happened? Tell me your names! Oh, I’m so happy!”

  One by one, their surprise turned to relief, and they began to hug her back and answer her questions. The women cried and kissed her, and even the man wiped at tears. And soon names and stories began to be swapped, as the survivors asked their own questions.

  “Who are you?” Jeddra asked. “How did you get here?”

  “My name is Breda. I ran into the Klysanthians by accident. They saved my life, and we’ve been together ever since.”

  The soldier now looked up as if he was seeing the Klysanthians for the first time. “Where are the Keruh?” he asked.

  Anaxilea lowered her rifle and stepped forward. The other Klysanthians also lowered their rifles, and Anaxilea said, “Kill them, we did. How catch you, did they?”

  “They were in the other truck!” Lupili said in bitterness. “They tricked us into waiting for them, into thinking they were other survivors!”

  Alpi continued the story. “They killed Bede straight away. Just chopped him down! As they ran forward I reversed the truck at them! Caught some of the bastards in my wheels and smashed them! Vutu got a couple, too! But there were too many of them! They got Vutu, then the truck caught fire, and in the smoke and the dark they over ran us! I don’t know why they didn’t kill us!”

  Rualda broke down and cried, and Jeddra hugged her tightly. “We were so stupid!” she said angrily. “We just stood there on the road and waited for them! Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

  Kelandra was hugging Breda. There was a gash in her head. “I was so scared!” she said. “They were horrible! They kept hissing and clicking at us! They caught me when I was running! They smacked me and threw me on the ground!
”

  Breda stroked her bloodstained hair. “It’s alright now, don’t worry. You’re safe now.”

  Anaxilea said, “Safe not you are. For reason Keruh not kill. One higher to come they wait for. Not wait we must. Vehicle drive you can any?”

  To Anaxilea’s annoyance, they all looked at her in confused silence.

  Clyemne, who was kneeling on the ground with Thermodosa and Deianeira, now spoke up, her delicately singing voice calm but hurried.

  “The Keruh who captured you are probably waiting for those who are following us. There will be a higher ranked Warrior among them, one who will ask questions. They hurt those who don’t answer. They keep many of you in case those they hurt die. And so it will be for us. These other Warriors are close. We have picked up their scent on the wind. They also have a keen sense of smell, so they will be hurrying here as we speak. They run faster than us, and they don’t tire easily. The vehicles are our only chance of escape, if one of them is functional, and one of you can drive it.”

  The Edenites were getting to their feet in understanding even before she had finished.

  Alpi suddenly rushed forward. “Get everyone on board! I’ll start her up!”

  As everyone began to run, Anaxilea began to shout her own orders. “Aello! Get in the cab with the Edenite! Clyemne, Deianeira! Get Thermodosa on the vehicle! Pea! Get everyone aboard, now!”

  They all ran for the truck, quickly scrambling over the side. Those who got on board first helped those still climbing, and those still on the road pushed and shoved others up ahead of them. They were suddenly all mixed up, Edenites and Klysanthians all together in the rush. Thermodosa was lifted aboard and then the Klysanthians threw their rifles in and jumped after her.

  At the front, Alpi watched Aello climb into the cab next to him. She slammed the door shut and looked at him very intently. Then she smiled.

  “Big you are. Strong you are. If time is plenty, fun could we have if willing you are.”

  Alpi leaned away from her, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

  In the back of the truck, Kelandra and Jeddra were hurling the charred fragments of the tarpaulin cover over the side to make more room. Celaneo was helping them, and when they uncovered the fragments of Phoebe’s com-unit she pounced on it.

  “Lea! Lea!” she cried as she ran forward, holding it up.

  Cassiopea and Anaxilea looked round and Anaxilea snatched the broken com-unit from Celaneo as soon as she saw it. Anaxilea stared at the broken com-unit for barely a second, and then grabbed Rualda, who was the nearest.

  “Where this did you find?” she demanded in Edenite.

  Hesitantly, Rualda replied in Klysanthian. “It belonged to another Klysanthian who was on our truck.”

  “Another?” Anaxilea was now highly agitated. She was also totally oblivious to the activity around her as everyone clambered on the truck. Even when the engine burst into life and the truck lurched, she never took her eyes off Rualda.

  “What was her name?” she demanded, but this time in Klysanthian. “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know her name. She never spoke. She was wounded. The boy who brought her must have run off with her while we waited for the other truck. When the Keruh attacked us they were both already gone. He must have still been scared that she might get tortured—”

  “What did she look like?” Anaxilea interrupted. “Was her skin and hair light? Or dark, like mine?”

  Rualda stared at Anaxilea. “Like, like you...”

  Anaxilea let go of her and stepped back. Tyres squealed and the engine raced, but the truck only rocked and jarred, shaking them all. But it hardly moved a fraction forward.

  The engine slowed and Alpi stuck his head out of the cab window and called out, “We’re stuck to that wreck behind us! Someone will have to cut us free!”

  Lupili jumped out of the truck. He started to pull at the twisted metal of the front end of the other truck where it was entangled with the rear of their truck. He heaved at the metal, pulling it, bending it. Breda, Jeddra and the others watched him, urging him on.

  Anaxilea didn’t notice any of it. She was staring out at the darkness on the far side of the road, her mind in turmoil. Where could they have gone? What was she to do? Celaneo tugged her mind back to reality.

  “Lea! I’ll go! You stay with the others! I’ll catch up with you at the Gate of Heaven!”

  “She’s my daughter!” Anaxilea ground out between clenched teeth. She jumped out of the truck, but Celaneo and Cassiopea quickly jumped after her. They both grabbed her and pushed her back against the truck.

  “Don’t abandon us, Lea!” Cassiopea almost begged her. “Celaneo will find Phoebe! Let her go! We need you here!”

  “Celaneo can’t speak Edenite!” Anaxilea pointed out. “Phoebe is with a young male! He’ll be scared! He could squeeze her to death in an instant!”

  Cassiopea bite her lip. It was a possibility she couldn’t deny and she had no answer. She just stared into Anaxilea’s anxious face, her own needs and fears in her eyes. Then she saw Clyemne looking down at them, and she quickly raised her head to stare up at her. The others quickly followed her gaze.

  Breda was so busy watching Lupili with the others that she didn’t notice Clyemne was missing at first. But when she did notice she quickly looked around for her and saw Clyemne leaning on the other side of the truck. She seemed to be looking down at something. Breda hurried over to her and looked down to see Anaxilea, Cassiopea and Celaneo all staring back up at Clyemne with such intense expressions that it worried her deeply.

  “What’s going on, Clyemne?” she quickly asked.

  Clyemne raised her head and looked into the distance. “Phoebe was here. Now she is gone. Someone must search for her. Someone who can speak Edenite.”

  Breda stared at Clyemne. She suddenly felt fearful, fearful and selfish. She looked down at Anaxilea. She felt so sorry for her. Anaxilea must have only just got used to the idea that her daughter was dead. To find out that she was alive and so close, but that she was now lost again must hurt her terribly. She must feel desperate. But Breda also felt desperate. It was obvious what they were all thinking. But she didn’t want Clyemne to go.

  Philippis joined Breda and Clyemne at the side of the truck. “I can speak Edenite,” she said calmly in a delicate voice.

  Anaxilea looked up at her. She switched her gaze from Clyemne to Philippis, and then to Breda, her mind confused and undecided.

  Alpi still hung out of the cab window. He tried to ease the truck forward, but again it lurched and jarred.

  “Try again!” he shouted to Lupili.

  Lupili stepped back. “It’s no use!” he shouted back. “They’re stuck fast!”

  Anaxilea squeezed her eyes shut for a second, and then she nodded and opened them again.

  “Go!” she said to Philippis. “Pea! Celaneo! Back in the truck!”

  Philippis instantly jumped down from the truck and ran into the darkness beyond the edge of the road, her rifle in her hand. Breda watched her run away, her heart pounding as she helped Clyemne pull Cassiopea and Celaneo back into the truck. She was immensely relieved, relieved and thankful.

  Anaxilea now ran toward one of the bodies of the Keruh warriors and picked up the double bladed axe that lay next to it.

  “Here! This, use!” she called out to Lupili as she staggered toward him.

  Lupili turned and saw her straining under the weight of the axe. She could hardly lift it. Lupili could lift it.

  “Stand back!” he said grabbing it from her.

  Lupili swung the axe in heavy blows, smashing through the metal. He struck again and again, and the next time Alpi increased the engine revolutions, the two trucks rocked and then separated with a sudden wrench.

  The mangled body of a Keruh Warrior tumbled from the tangled metal and fell to the road with a splash of black blood. It caused both Lupili and Anaxilea to step back hurriedly.

  Alpi move
d the truck farther forward and then stopped. He stuck his head out of the window again. “That’s it!” he shouted. “Get on board!”

  A laser blast hit the cab just behind the window, and Alpi ducked his head back inside. He put his foot down on the accelerator and the truck slithered forward, skidding sideways as the tyres squealed.

  Lupili threw down the axe and he and Anaxilea ran after the truck. A laser blast hit the road were they had been standing, and then another hit the road a short distance ahead of them. It just made them run faster.

  Breda and Jeddra looked anxiously out of the back of the truck.

  “Come on!” Breda shouted.

  “Run, Lupili!” Jeddra called out.

  Celaneo and Cassiopea joined them, all of them shouting encouragement as Anaxilea and Lupili chased after the rapidly moving truck. Their voices became mixed together, the angelic tinkling of the Klysanthians piquing above the baser voices of the Edenites.

  Rualda ran to the front of the truck and banged on the metal wall of the cab. “Alpi! Stop! You’re leaving them behind!”

  Alpi looked in his rear view mirror and hit the brakes. The reactions of those chasing were not what he expected.

  “Keep going!” Anaxilea shouted back, waving them on.

  “Don’t stop!” Lupili added with a louder shout.

  More lasers hit the road, causing Anaxilea and Lupili to duck down.

  Alpi peered through his mirror again and saw them both pinned down with lasers hitting the road both in front and behind them. He stuck the truck in reverse, driving it straight back.

  Anaxilea and Lupili suddenly found the truck almost on top of them. They began to climb on board and Rualda, Jeddra, Cassiopea and Breda grabbed them both and pulled them in.

  “Get going!” Lupili shouted as soon as he was aboard. And Anaxilea echoed his cry.

  “Go! Go!” she screamed.

  The truck began to move forward when several laser blasts hit the side of it, punching holes in the bodywork. Everyone on board instantly dived to the floor, their shouts turning to screams. The truck slowed to a stop again.

  At the front, Aello lifted Alpi from the steering wheel. He was already dead; the laser that had punched through the cab door had caught him in the side. She lowered him down again and began climbing out of the cab window on her side.

  Anaxilea crawled to the side of the truck with her rifle. She saw the ungainly shapes rushing over the distant hill. They were firing as they ran, out in the open with no cover except the darkness and their own lasers. Anaxilea vowed that it wouldn’t be enough.

  “Get over here!” she commanded. “Move!”

  The Klysanthians crawled to her side of the truck weaving their way between the Edenites who still cowered on the floor. When they reached her, Anaxilea turned to them.

  “If this is the place where we must fall, then we must make sure that we are well accompanied. Aim true, my sisters.” She turned away and shouted, “Now! Return Fire!”

  As one, all the Klysanthians got to their knees and fired. And at the front, Aello sat on the sill of the cab window on the far side and fired over the roof.

  Four of the Keruh Warriors fell to the sudden fusillade, and the rest fanned out, firing once more. The Klysanthians fired back, two more Warriors dropping in their tracks, and a multitude of white laser beams began to shoot back and forth between the truck and the hill, as both sides fired at will.

  Rualda, Jeddra and Kelandra were all screaming in the back of the truck. Lupili did his best to protect them, his hands over two of their heads. Breda also lay on the floor. She was staring at the back of Clyemne, watching the Klysanthian fire her rifle with such eager determination. But something was wrong.

  Why wasn’t the truck moving anymore? Why weren’t they getting away?

  One of the Klysanthians was hit. Breda saw the laser burn right through her at waist level. She was thrown back and landed on the floor with a thump, her rifle thrown from her hands. Her back arched, her body in spasm, and her face twisted in pain. Then with a sigh she collapsed down and lay still.

  Jeddra and Kelandra screamed louder, but the Klysanthians never paused in their firing, and another Warrior tumbled as he ran for the truck.

  Aello was hit by a laser blast that went straight through both open windows of the cab. It blew a hole through her slim body and she instantly dropped her rifle and fell back. Her long legs got caught in the window and she just hung down, her silver hair reaching to the ground.

  The war of attrition continued. More warriors fell by the road, while others ran passed them, jumping over their bodies and firing again.

  Clyemne suddenly spun round and grabbed Breda.

  “Run!” she whispered to her urgently. “Run now! Take the others with you! Find Philippis! Save yourself!”

  She pushed Breda away and turned her back on her. Breda watched her raise her rifle once more, aim and fire. It was like a dream, a slow motion nightmare where everything was going wrong.

  Breda looked around in fear and bewilderment. She saw Thermodosa crawl over to the body of the first Klysanthian who was hit. It was only now that Breda realised that it was Deianeira. There were tears in Thermodosa’s eyes as she lifted Deianeira’s head and rubbed cheeks with her. Deianeira’s eyes and mouth were open, her face utterly relaxed. Thermodosa kissed her, and then lowered her gently to the floor. Then she picked up Deianeira’s rifle and climbed painfully to her feet. Leaning heavily against the back of the cab, she staggered forward and went to join her sisters at the side of the truck. While they knelt, she stood tall, ignoring the white beams that flashed by. She raised her rifle, aimed carefully and fired.

  The Eighty-Fifth of the Telen’Gal was transfixed by a white beam and knocked off his feet. He tumbled to the grass in a heap.

  Kelandra and Rualda were now crying and wailing, and Lupili had reached for a rifle and was edging toward the side of the truck. He wasn’t a soldier, but there was nothing else he could do.

  Another Klysanthian was hit. Celaneo spun round with a cry, clutching at her blood-spattered chest. She fell right beside Breda, coughing and spitting blood. Breda grabbed for her, holding onto Celaneo as her body convulsed. Celaneo held onto Breda just as tightly, staring up at her with wide eyes. But then her grip relaxed and the light faded from her eyes. Breda watched and felt the life ebb out of her. It just drained away.

  Breda lowered Celaneo to the floor. She stroked her long and fine light brown hair and stared at her exquisite, child-like features. She couldn’t stand it anymore. She feared the worst. She could already see Clyemne lying there next to Celaneo and Deianeira, with herself in the place of the grieving Thermodosa. She couldn’t stand it.

  Lurching to her feet, Breda jumped down from the side of the truck and ran around to face the oncoming Keruh. She just charged right at them, waving her arms in the air and shouting her head off.

  “Stop it! Stop it! You’re killing them all!”

  Sudden silence. All shooting stopped, all noise, screaming crying, everything.

  Breda found herself standing right out in the open, with several Keruh Warriors almost right in front of her. One of them was right in front of her, its axe raised.

  Breda could hear her own rapid breathing but nothing else. She lowered her arms, letting them drop to her sides.

  The Warrior right in front of her lowered its axe.

  “We will stop, Edenite,” the Warrior hissed in a deep and sibilant voice. “But will they?”

  Anaxilea stood up and answered haughtily. “The Keruh take no prisoners unless they fear defeat! And Klysanthians do not surrender when they smell victory!”

  She raised her rifle, and all the surviving Klysanthians did the same. The Keruh also raised their rifles. Breda saw the rifles being raised and understood what was going to happen even though Anaxilea had spoken in Klysanthian. She spun round, her hands raised again.

  “Stop it! You’re going to die for nothing
!”

  Anaxilea leaned toward her and spat her words at her, her face twisted in anger. “Get out of the way, Edenite!”

  Breda stood her ground stubbornly. “No!”

  “Ignorant child you are! Get out of the way or shoot you myself I will!”

  Cassiopea pulled at Anaxilea’s arm. “Lea, please, maybe she’s right!”

  Anaxilea brushed off her grip. “I will not surrender to them!” she hissed.

  Cassiopea grabbed her again, pointing at Kelandra and the others cowering on the floor behind them. “But you said you didn’t want to kill Edenites. If we die, they will die too.”

  Anaxilea turned and looked. The Edenites lay trembling in fear, their faces wet with tears. Even Lupili, with a rifle in his hands, looked up at her with an expression that transcended all language barriers. But there was more sadness to be seen among the bodies of the fallen Klysanthians. Thermodosa had been hit a second time. Like Celaneo the wound was in the middle of her chest, and now she lay next to Deianeira, her eyes staring lifelessly at the heavens. Only the soft night breeze ruffled her hair.

  Anaxilea visibly slumped. Cassiopea saw the spirit fade from her Captain and quickly reached out to grab hold of her hand.

  “Think of Phoebe and Philippis,” she whispered.

  Anaxilea paused. She looked at the anxious faces of Cassiopea and Clyemne, they were the only ones left now, and slowly she nodded. Turning back to the Keruh, she lowered her rifle.

  “You will spare all those who are with us? None shall be harmed?”

  The Warrior lowered his rifle and stepped forward. “Say the word, and I will grant you and all those with you life.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “To answer the questions of my Dominant.”

  “And if we refuse?”

  “Those who refuse will have lived a day longer. Those that answer will be set free to live even longer.”

  “And who are you to give this pledge?”

  “I am the Seventy-Ninth of the Host of the Telen’Gal.”

  Anaxilea stood tall, her haughty and cool manner returned. “And I am Anaxilea, last Matriarch of the House of Charity. I accept your pledge, but when the time comes, neither I nor my sisters will answer the questions of your dominant.”

  Anaxilea threw down her rifle and it was over. Cassiopea and Clyemne threw down their rifles. Lupili did the same, but the gesture wasn’t as contemptuous as that of the Klysanthians. It didn’t matter. It was over, and that was all that counted as far as Breda was concerned.

  The Keruh lowered their rifles and moved forward, surrounding the truck. One of the first of those that came around the far side of the truck found Aello’s body. He quickly freed her from the cab window and began to carry her toward the back. He carried the body almost reverently. Anaxilea and Cassiopea saw him and moved to the far side, leaning out anxiously as they waited for him. Clyemne was leaning out of the other side of the truck, beckoning to Breda who was still out in the open.

  “Breda! Come to me! Quickly!”

  Breda hurried toward her and Clyemne grabbed her and helped her back on board the truck.

  “You have been very brave but also very foolish,” Clyemne told her, her delicate voice trembling.

  “I had to do it!” Breda exclaimed and burst out in tears almost straight away. “I’m sorry, Clyemne, but I couldn’t let you die! You were all getting killed! One after another! I couldn’t stand it anymore! I thought you would be next! I had to do something...”

  Breda gave up even trying to speak. She cried like a baby, hugging Clyemne, and delighting in the feel of her and the smell of her so alive and so close. Clyemne was crying too, for various reasons, and they collapsed to the floor of the truck in each other’s arms. Clyemne’s sinuous body was engulfed by Breda’s larger frame, but in return she wrapped her long arms and legs around Breda so tightly that they appeared to be one multi-limbed creature as they kissed, cried and embraced.

  By now, the Warrior carrying Aello had come near enough for Cassiopea and Anaxilea to snatch the limp form from him. They placed Aello next to the others in the back of the truck, laying her down carefully, straightening her limbs and brushing her hair in place. They did the same for Celaneo, Deianeira and Thermodosa. The last two they laid next to one another. When it was done, Anaxilea slumped down, staring at the bodies. She no longer looked contemptuous or haughty; she merely looked broken. Cassiopea sat next to her, her arm around her comfortingly. Anaxilea lowered her head onto Cassiopea’s shoulder and quietly wept.

  Jeddra, Rualda and Kelandra were also crying, slumped together in a combined huddle. And Lupili sat on his own, his head hung low, rubbing at his own silent tears.

  As his remaining Warriors stood silent and impassive, the Seventy-Ninth looked down at the body of the Eighty-Fifth. A laser had burned through both his armour and his carapace. The shot had been well aimed, directly through the brain case. The bodies of nearly all of the Warriors who had fallen, along with the Gatherer, exhibited wounds in the same place, sometimes several wounds.

  Even in death, the wisdom of the Eighty-Fifth had been well proven.

  The Klysanthians had fought, and fought well. But it was not for the first time. For a race so ill-equipped physically for war, their spirit for it was great. It was almost like fighting against the weaker host of a hive whose growth had been limited by the lack of food. They fought with courage and spirit, but died gloriously in droves, physically beaten down. And like any Warrior of the Host, none could be taken alive very easily. For one, they never gave up unless wounded, and two, if wounded, they hardly ever survived. They either died shortly afterward, or died when being questioned. Yes, they were a noble but weaker foe.

  That was why the outcome of the battle had been so surprising.

  For a while, the Seventy-Ninth had worried that all of the Klysanthians would be killed. But the actions of the Edenite female could not have been anticipated, and he had no doubt that the surrender of the Klysanthians was due to the presence of the Edenites in their midst.

  Why did the life of even the most irrelevant and worthless mean so much to them? But even the Edenite female’s motives were tainted by the same sentimentality. It was a weakness shared by all the races the Keruh had met and vanquished. And it was a weakness that could be exploited.

  The Seventy-Ninth watched Breda and Clyemne hug and kiss one another. He kept his eyes and senses on them both, committing their individual tastes and smell to his memory. If the others refused to answer, here was one Klysanthian who might be persuaded differently...