Red Smoke Rising. Rick Psy.D. Anthony

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ that Mia did. “Fine, stay then. Mia, I’ll go first. Wait for my signal, then come down.”

      “No,” Mia protested, gesturing at Lio. “We need him, he has to come.”

      Kale was annoyed. He took a deep breath, nodded and walked over to Lio. “You’re first. Get out.” His voice was even and slow.

      Lio looked up at the much larger and stronger man. “I can’t,” the professor responded faintly. “It’s too far down.”

      Kale didn’t say a word. He pointed at the hole in the wall.

      Lio stared at the floor for a moment then walked toward the hole and lowered himself out feet first. His legs dangled in the darkness. Despite his intentions Lio’s body seized up. He grabbed at the bricks and held on with all his strength.

      Mia’s mind was on the guards. “Hurry,” she urged. “If they find us now they’ll kill us for sure!” Every second counted.

      Rolling his eyes, Kale put a boot on the terrified man’s shoulder. With a single heave he pushed the professor out the hole into the darkness beyond. Lio didn’t make a sound until he landed hard on the grass with a dull thud.

      Within seconds Kale followed him out, rappelled down the face of the prison and landed on the ground below. There were no Myrmidons in sight. He whistled quietly for Mia to follow. Nimbly, she jumped down behind him. Her bare feet didn’t make a sound when she landed.

      “Move,” Kale commanded. The three of them scurried along the prison wall to the southwest corner before veering off into the darkness away from the prison.

      They didn’t get far before the sound of hoofbeats chased them. Gradually sloping prairie surrounded the prison for miles in all directions, rolling gently upwards to the foothills of the west. There was nowhere for them to take cover and no way to outrun the horses. Mia didn’t know what to do. Her heart felt like it was going to explode.

      “Keep running!” Kale commanded, not bothering to be quiet any longer. His eyes darted around the ground for something to use as a weapon.

      Mia chased after Lio as they dashed through the knee high grass. She could only see a few feet ahead in the moonlight. The terrain was relatively even, but rocks and cactuses dotted the prairie making their flight difficult. She winced and almost lost her footing as something sharp jabbed into her heel. Blood welled in the wound. She ran even harder.

      Her heart beat so loudly in her ears that once again she couldn’t hear the thudding footfalls behind her. She was terrified for herself, but she feared for Kale even more. They’d grown close over the years; she knew he would do anything to protect her. She had always hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she lost Kale too.

      Mia and Lio ran on, but. Kale stopped, fishing around on the ground and snatching up a large rock.

      The hoofbeats approached quickly. After a few seconds the auras of two animals became visible in the distance. The horses had only one rider who rode the first beast and led the second. Stranger still, the Myrmidon astride the horse wasn’t augmented and wasn’t even a man.

      A woman? Kale raised an eyebrow. Not a Myrmidon at all? he thought to himself as the rider approached. The pounding hooves grew louder as they closed the distance to the escaped prisoners.

      “I’m unarmed!” a woman’s frantic voice rang through the night as her horse slowed. The beast in tow reared in distaste as she pulled it to a stop. Kale recognized the voice of the healer, Jeanea. Relief washed over him.

      “Thank you,” he said taking the free horse’s reigns from the woman, dropping his rock as he swung himself over the horse’s back. “We have to hurry.”

      “Yes.” She spoke quickly. “I will take you to a safe house to the southwest. We need to find your friends and get you through the Scorpion Pass. The Underground has very few safe places this close to Ipsamesh. We need to cover some ground. Hurry!”

      The woman didn’t look Muorikin and since both her craft and her post indicated she couldn’t be, Kale realized she must be an empathetic Nor, loyal to the cause of resistance. There were others besides himself and Vi. Their numbers grew as time passed under Empire rule.

      The two rode off, their augmented horses lurched southwest, galloping through the darkness across the plains. Kale whistled for Mia as they rode.

      Mia stepped back as the large horse Kale straddled trotted up beside her. Kale wasted no time with introductions. He simply reached down, grabbed Mia’s hand and hoisted her up on the thick animal. Lio clumsily mounted the other horse behind the healer, and without further hesitation they were off once more. Galloping hooves on the prairie turf echoed in the crisp night air.

      “A friend?” Mia asked Kale as they rode.

      “It appears that way,” Kale confirmed. “You didn’t think they would leave you in there, did you?”

      THE UNDERGROUND

      It was still dark when Mia and the other riders approached the modest ranch house. Their horses galloped non-stop for hours before they arrived. The large animals showed no sign of fatigue on their trek across the flatlands, galloping easily through the night air as they carried their riders across the plains. They were well-crafted beasts.

      As the group drew near the farmhouse, a dog howled in the distance. After the first wail, a second joined in, rising on the wind. After a few moments the duet stopped abruptly.

      The ranch looked small, but hundreds of head of cattle dotted distant pastures. They had been riding past sleeping beasts for miles.

      They hitched their horses in a nearby stable, assisted by a man who appeared from out of the shadows as they approached.

      “Were you followed? Are you being pursued?” His eyes darted around the darkness.

      “I don’t think so,” Jeanea responded, “but it is only a matter of time.”

      The man nodded and showed them into the farmhouse. He looked so ordinary in his black coat and gloves that he could have been mistaken for a slave or a ranch hand. Mia knew he was much more than that.

      “Hello, Grere,” she greeted him.

      Grere didn’t speak until they were inside.

      “I’ll be back,” he assured her as he slipped out of the house again, leaving his guests on their own.

      “You know him?” Lio questioned. “Have you been here before?”

      Grere was back before Mia could answer, followed by two large herding dogs, one with light coloured fur and one with dark. At Grere’s side was a woman approximately his age, but quite obviously of Nor descent. She was dressed like a typical rancher, but despite the garb was still quite attractive. Her warm smile and light hair brightened the room.

      The two dogs slipped past and took their places on a large mat in the kitchen, only to be interrupted by their master’s voice. “Sorry friends, we may have visitors. Keep a perimeter for us.” Immediately, both the blonde hound and its jet black companion scampered out the door, back into the darkness.

      Grere shut СКАЧАТЬ