Collateral Damage by Steve Beaulieu

Author:Steve Beaulieu [Beaulieu, Steve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-01T23:00:00+00:00

“I believe someone has captured one of my people and is making him or her do things.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How would someone make a giant do something they didn’t want to do?”

“There are ways.”

• • •

Hueg drank gallons of whiskey in pursuit of his goal. Each bar crowd had different stories. Some were about the abandoned military base no one could ever find. Others were about bank robberies. One mentioned a haunted forest where it sounded like the moon was screaming at the trees.

He listened. He explored. He avoided getting in fights.

One night, a year after he revealed his secrets to Amy, he followed a quiet man from a bar to his military surplus Jeep and watched him drive out of town. This far north there were few cabins he didn’t know about. The man was headed into pure wilderness during the blizzard season. Gentle snowfall could become a whiteout without warning.

Hueg kept his distance in the pickup truck Smith and Amy had taught him to drive. He watched the stranger head up false roads and come back. A year of searching had taught Hueg a lot about the area. He knew which roads ended in rock falls or just ended for lack of taxpayer interest.

He followed for several miles, then parked. He ran after his quarry. Jogging wasn’t his favorite thing despite the value his father and Tegerst put on the skill. A fast army almost always won wars, they said.

He was careful to look behind him often. It wouldn’t do for Amy or Smith to see what was about to happen. Tegerst had taught him to watch in all directions to avoid ambush. A fire prince must always be ready.

The trees of this world were small, almost delicate, but there were a lot of them here. Enemies could hide. There could be an army encircling him.

He considered stopping because it was important to evaluate options. Every time he heard of a bank robbery or wild stories of a giant criminal, his heart burned not only with the need for justice but with loneliness and homesickness. If he didn’t find the captured fire giant, he would go crazy.

What was the purpose of living in this world if he could never go home and wasn’t willing to help another of his kind escape a cruel master?

The attack came with surprising force. He had seen the firearms of this world and watched countless action movies. The mercenaries attacked with military precision.

First came a pair of Humvees, one from ahead and one from behind. Others followed, but there were men standing in the modified turrets of these two vehicles.

He thought about taking cover in the trees, took a step in that direction, but realized his mistake. His enemy had chosen the terrain. Far more dangerous traps awaited in the darkness to each side of the road.

He ran at the vehicle blocking the way.

The mercenary soldier behind the turret aimed, using all his strength and weight to turn the weapon. The barrel made “whumpf” sound.

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