Survival Machines by Ste Sharp

Author:Ste Sharp [Sharp, Ste]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unbound

Chapter 13

Isao leaned against a rock to catch his breath. Just as he had done countless times before, he waited to make sure the coast was clear before slipping into what had become his home these past few days.

The cave was an air pocket hidden under the rock, large enough for him to crouch in and lie down. He’d only found it after a close encounter with a scouting party who’d been scouring the land for survivors from Gal-qadan’s army. He had dived into the sand at the rock’s base, only to find his head pop through into the hollow.

Isao knew he could slip into the shadow world if he was seriously threatened but, if the armies saw him, they would hunt him down for knowledge of his true abilities. Slipping his eyes into the shadow world was useful enough, he found, and had given him enough advance warning when an enemy approached, their hearts glowing like red coals.

Since finding shelter, Isao’s main focus had been finding food. No animals lived in the desert outside the domes, and the only plants able to scratch a living out here must have arrived as broken stems or seeds stuck to some victorious soldier’s boot or claw. From his tiny sanctum, Isao was able to search the land for discarded food and tools, and to keep an eye on his comrades, now imprisoned by this faction of desert dwellers who called themselves ‘the Firstborn’. From what Isao had seen, the Firstborn lived in a string of forts which led from the open desert to the huge tower.

Isao ducked, pushed through the sand which blocked his cave’s entrance and kicked a pile back in place once he was inside. It was dark, but he could see clearly when he let his eyes slip away. Here were the meagre rations and weapons he had scavenged from what was left of his army’s supplies after the Firstborn had ransacked them. Anything of use and small enough to secrete away – clothing and blades, storage tins and bottles – had been stashed here.

Isao unscrewed the lid of a metal canister, carefully poured in a vial of water, reclosed it and tapped the last drip into his mouth. He unwrapped a piece of cloth and picked out a leather-like strip of tocka flesh, which he wiped the inside of the vial with, searching for any hidden moisture, before chewing. This was what he had been reduced to: sipping water squeezed from roots and chewing on dead allies.

Now, as he prepared for another excursion, Isao let his thoughts wander as he would whilst meditating. Nothing was new, so his thoughts took him back to when Das and Pod had given them to the Firstborn. This feeling of betrayal was new to Isao. He had seen former allies change sides during many of his long wars, but that was in reaction to the political dynamics of their Daimyos. What had taken place with the Firstborn was a cold-blooded trap. For their own gain, Das and Pod – and maybe Peronicus-Rax – had led them into slavery.

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.