Trailing Kaiwulf by Kayelle Allen

Author:Kayelle Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: scifi, science fiction, archaeology, scifi romance, scifi fantasy, futuristic adventure, science fiction dystopia
Publisher: Kayelle Allen

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An hour later, their stomachs full of good food and pockets bulging with fresh local fruit the staff had given them, the two agents took a walk around the camp.

The shadow of an arch fell across the encampment. Dane groaned, and stopped so abruptly Jee almost walked into him. It took a moment to realize why.

Someone had planted a stick in the ground and had hung a can upside down over it. Painted in red were the words, "Welcome to Nowhere. Now entering the middle."

Dane tilted back his head, and looked up at the Gates of Life. "Beautiful, aren't they? Such a desolate image."

Their dark shapes rose high into the night sky above the camp, stark against the bright light of a full orange moon. Standing at the edge of a stagnant pond, the gates stood in the reflected glimmer of village fires burning on the other side. Music and laughter from camp behind them came and went on the night wind. From the village came the sound of a woman yelling, followed by the whack of a hand on flesh and the sound of a child's wail. Dogs or wolves barked. A croaking bullfrog jumped out of the water and hopped away. A bird hooted in a tree, then took wing, scaring up several of his kin.

"Jee, why do you suppose these gates still work? Dr. Post said the ones they found on other worlds were in shambles, and the other set on this world had been torn down. Why are these still up?"

"Why you askin' me?"

"Come on. You play with puzzles. What kept this set in use?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe the people figured if they took care of the Gate, the Saint guy wouldn't come back. Sounded to me as if nobody liked seeing him."

"Maybe. What does she know about the key?"

"Well, it was stuck in the Gate. Hmm. She doesn't know anything about it except where it was found. Since she doesn't know what it was supposed to do, how could she know if it worked or not?"

"Do you suppose Kaiwulf knew the story of his great times-a-thousand grandfather and his Phane wife?"

"Dr. Post said all the villagers knew it."

"And didn't Dr. Post say she was the only one who'd seen him in person?"

"Yeah. So?" Jee slapped at a bug.

"How do you suppose she managed to get that hoverchair into a cave? You saw the maps she gave us. You have to crawl to get into them."

"Yeah. Yeah! Why? What's that mean? You think she made it up? You think she's faking or something?"

Dane turned and started walking back toward the camp, his shadow long in the moon's light.

Jee kept pace beside him. "You have an idea, don't you? I can always tell. You start walking with that skippy kind of bounce."

"Question." He stopped and turned toward her. "How does a person who can't walk explore a cave?"

"I dunno. By remote maybe?" Jee snapped her fingers. "Wait. I'll bet it was by robotic extension.

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