The Border Guard by Gareth Lewis

Author:Gareth Lewis [Lewis, Gareth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gareth Lewis
Published: 2023-04-09T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

It takes a few days for base security to recede to normal levels. And it’s a couple more before the next alert arrives. To me and the Corps, to judge by the helicopters shooting off from the base while I drive sedately through the checkpoints.

It might be a close thing to deal with the situation before they arrive.

I drive to a hiding spot I found a few miles away. It’s over a mile from a little-known circle that they don’t appear to have under surveillance. It’d still be a ten-minute hike, so I use a circle of stones in the hiding spot to travel from, and I’ll return via the proper one.

If I used stones to leave the base, I’d have to sneak back in. And I don’t want to get caught sneaking stones inside now they might be looking for them. I’ve no idea where I’d hide them.

I endure the ten minutes travel delay. An extra ten minutes that the intruders have to flee. I know Tirae isn’t happy with it, but she doesn’t complain too loudly. Until I lose someone, at least. In the long term, she understands the usefulness of my cover.

I step into a predictably forested area, but one with the sounds of civilisation in the distance. Food wrappings are blown about the stones by the turmoil of my arrival, and an empty cola bottle spins a quarter rotation. This isn’t a remote area, so there’s danger of witnesses.

It doesn’t appear to have discouraged the arrivals. There’s more than one of them, from the vague footprints leading away. I think they’re in at least two sizes, possibly three. Only faint indentations in the dry mud, not clear enough to determine whether these are native shoes or from Faerie. I think they’re recent. At least it’s a trail to follow. Either I’m getting better, or they’re especially clumsy.

I have limited time to locate them before the Iron Corps arrives. We’re not far enough from the base for me to be comfortable taking my time. And if whoever came through reaches civilisation, they could be harder to find. Depending on whether they try to hide, and whether they brought any disguise enchantments.

I track them at a steady lope, heading along the obvious trail towards the background noise. I also stay alert for witnesses, but I’ll keep my fae form for now. It’s faster, and the uniform could browbeat them.

While the trail they’re on lets them move faster, it’s also predictable. Unless they can be sure of outrunning any pursuit, they have to rely on their head start to stay ahead of me.

It’s barely five minutes before I spot movement, heading away. I slow down and head off into the trees.

There’s three of them. Two large, one small. It’s a human family. Parents and a child? A boy.

Did they get scared by whatever came through, and I’ve followed the wrong tracks?

Maybe not. Something doesn’t look right.

Is it the clothes? Not suitable for hiking. Old-fashioned, most noticeably on the child.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.