aHunter4Rescue (aHunter4Hire) (4 page)

Despite
this, she had insisted on helping. She looked fragile, but that was not the
case. There was courage and strength in all her actions. He respected that, and
even though it wasn’t required of a warrior to admire those he obeyed, it would
be an honor to serve her.

Ardal
watched her enter her sleeping chamber before turning back to his men. The
Captain was rubbing his jaw and glaring at him with hatred. He was less than a
man. He would deal with him shortly. As for the others, he had to ensure that
their entry into this planet was hidden. That was his first task.

Ardal
signaled Darrogh and Jehon. Garguin had died in the crash. Now Darrogh was next
in command. The man was strong and loyal. He was a Hunter to be trusted. Jehon
followed.

“We
need to make the crash disappear.” Ardal spoke low so Eamon could not hear.
Then he turned his back on the Captain and continued to speak through mental
connection. “
The Captain needs to be in a secure place where he cannot harm
us
.”

“
There
are slots in the barn
.” Darrogh was clearly amused. “
I believe they have
been used for animals in the past.
”

Ardal
gave his second in command a steady gaze before nodding his affirmative. Eamon
had to be dealt with and if it gave the men a bit of fun, so be it. The man
might be able to give them information as to why they were being brought to
this planet. If not, they would kill him.

“
Can
you run the equipment, Jehon?
”

“
It
is primitive, but useable.
” Jehon stood with his feet apart, his body ready
to obey. “
There is a machine that has been used to turn the fields. I think
I can convert it to something that will dig.
”

“
Set
as many men to the task
that are
able-bodied. I need
the craft hidden and the bodies of our brothers and of our enemies buried or
burned. Keep them separate.
”

“
It
can be no other way.
” Jehon nodded and then turned. Half of the less
injured men followed.

Now
it was the Captain’s turn. Both he and Darrogh turned to the man.

“What?”
the Captain whined. “Haven’t you done me enough damage?”

“You
are indiscreet and forget your place.”

“We’re
not on Cygnus now. Women do not rule us here.”

“That
is no excuse for forgetting your breeding and rank.” Ardal pulled the man to
his feet. “By Cygnus and Warrior you will learn respect or die.”

They
dragged the Captain from the house and went to the barn. Already the log
outbuilding was empty. The men residing there had followed Jehon.

There
were numerous compartments in the building and Ardal chose one without a
window. There would be no sunlight, but he could not risk him revealing their
secrets.

“You
can’t leave me here.”

Ardal
slammed the compartment door shut and then used a chain to secure it in place.
“We have no choice. Until I know we are safe, you must remain here.”

“Don’t
think I’ll keep quiet.” The Captain raised his voice. “I’ll bellow my innocence
until someone comes to rescue me.”

“So
be it.” Ardal unchained and opened the door. Darrogh pulled a syringe from his
pocket and forced Eamon back against the wall. The Captain struggled, but to no
avail. Darrogh injected the man and then watched him slowly slide down the wall
of the barn. Within seconds he was sleeping on the pile of hay used as bedding.

“He
will be silent for at least twelve hours.”

Ardal
nodded. “When he wakes, feed him and then inject him again. If he continues to
be difficult, kill him. Without a craft to fly, he is not necessary. He may
have information we need, but we cannot trust that he will not turn the people
from this planet against us.”

They
left the barn and headed toward the far field where the crash had happened. The
sun of this planet had risen less than an hour ago and with it a mist had
formed over the land. It was a crisp, cool sensation. He had always preferred
the cold to the heat of the palaces of the Kaladin.

That
was the past. They were on a new planet and must make a home for themselves.
Once the evidence of their landing was hidden, he would decide what was best
for him and his men. They were the last of the Hunter brotherhood. They must
continue to survive until the Kaladin of Cygnus return to their rightful place
as rulers.

They
reached the crash site, which was hidden from the house. His men had been busy
cleaning the area. They had gathered the dead into two separate funeral pyres.
There was another pile of clothing, tools, and weapons that could be salvaged.
Ardal reached in and pulled out a shirt to replace his torn one. After he’d
changed, he walked to Jehon who held a burning torch out to him.

The
first pyre held his fallen men. His body tensed as he forced his emotions under
control. The loss of so many men at once was unheard of for Hunters. They lived
every day knowing that death was their partner. To accept his own end was
different than knowing his orders had led to the demise of others. He had less
than a unit of men left. His hand tightened on the torch.

“They
died with dignity.” Darrogh’s voice was low. “You have always led us true and
right.”

Ardal
swallowed hard and straightened his shoulders. As their leader, he had one last
duty. He would see their death had not been in vain. He walked to his fallen
men and held the torch above his head.

“We
do honor to our brothers who have died with courage.” He lowered the torch to
the pyre and watched as the flames began to lick through the bodies of the
fallen. “Hunters true and right, their memory and deeds will remain with us
until the end of time.”

The
fire burned quick. When it was finished the ashes were buried. Only then did
Ardal move to the smaller second pyre of fallen Holman soldiers. Most had been
disintegrated on entry to this planet, but a few of the dead still needed to be
disposed of. He lit the fire and walked away.

The
pieces of the spacecraft had been gathered in the area where the partially
intact launching chamber had landed. Anything useable had been taken out. All
that remained was the debris and shell of the craft. Ardal nodded and his order
to destroy the craft was carried out. Within seconds it burst into a
non-flammable explosion that consumed and melted the craft into globular
fragments of shiny material. As soon as the reaction had finished, the pieces
were scraped from the soil and buried.

With
the site cleared of evidence all that remained was for the men to search the
rest of the wooded area for pieces that may have been overlooked. He was about
to join the search himself when a shout in his head stopped him. It was Firbin.

“
We
have been found.
”

Fiona
awoke to the sound of loud pounding. At first she thought it was her head, but
when men’s voices were added to the noise, she knew there was someone at the
front door. How could they have locked themselves out? If they were skilled
enough to fly in space, they must know how to use a key.

With
a groan she pushed away her blankets and stood. She still wore the clothes from
the night before, wrinkled but presentable. She pulled her hair into a ponytail
and went into the hall. She frowned when she entered the living room. It wasn’t
empty. The more severely wounded men were standing and alert. Who was hammering
at the door?

Firbin
was at her side before she reached the entryway. Despite his leg wound, he
moved with
a swiftness
that Fiona had seldom seen
before. Most men would be under sedation. His pain threshold had to be very
different from humans.

“I’m
coming.” Fiona’s voice was loud enough to carry through the door. She reached
to open it when Firbin put a hand out to stop her. He shook his head once and
she knew it wasn’t the crash survivors. This was someone else.

Immediate
fear coursed through her veins. David couldn’t have found her. Beatrice, her
contact at the Woman’s Underground Network was the only person who knew where
she was. She’d been warned that most women were found within a couple of years,
but she’d been careful.

Her
hand trembled as she grasped the handle. “Who is it?”

“It’s
Marshall, your neighbor down the road.” The familiar voice filtered through the
door. “I’ve got Clyde with me and we’re hoping to have a look at your back
field.”

Fiona
straightened her shirt. This could mean only one thing. Someone had seen the
crash last night. She looked at Firbin, who nodded. She stepped outside and
closed the door behind her. She never let anyone into the house.

“Isn’t
it a bit early for hunting season?” Fiona kept her voice light. “You don’t need
to set up another blind?”

Marshall
was a small round man. He was in his late forties and had lived in the area his
whole life. He gave her a crooked smile and a wink. Most of the man’s teeth
were yellow with nicotine stains and he was almost bald. Still, he seemed to
think he was God’s gift to women. There was no understanding the male ego.

“Nah,
me
and Clyde here just want to ask if you had anything
strange happen. Clyde thinks he saw something fall out of the sky last night.”

“Was
it a meteor? I was in the fields last night watching the light show. It was
quite spectacular. I would have noticed something fall, though.

Clyde
leaned forward, his voice low. “I think it was one of those government planes.
You
know,
the CIA or something like that.”

“What
would the CIA want with us?” Fiona bit back a smile. These guys had definitely
watched too many conspiracy shows.

“They’ve
secret airports around these parts.” Clyde looked at Marshall. “Tell her.”

“The
CIA’s been using this area for years. A cousin of mine works at an airport and
he says they’re always flying in low and saying their flight plan is
classified.”

“So
you think they’ve crashed?”

Fiona
looked back toward her fields. How long had Ardal and his men been working? She
glanced up to the sun which was past the midday point. It was probably early
afternoon. It would take days to clean up the mess, though. She couldn’t risk
letting these guys look at the field today.

“That’s
the most likely thing.” Clyde shrugged. “The fireball was too big to be a
meteor.”

“Wouldn’t
the government be all over this by now?” Fiona’s tone was doubtful. “I don’t
think they’d want a plane of theirs falling into the wrong hands.”

Marshall
cleared his throat. “We were thinking they don’t know exactly where the crash
site is.”

“And
you want to tell them?” Fiona didn’t bother to hide her disbelief.

“There
might be a reward.” Clyde’s voice was a low whisper. “Of course we’d cut you in
for a bit of the money.”

“Why
would they give a reward?” Fiona tilted her head. “They’re more likely to make
you disappear.”

Marshall
swallowed hard and looked at Clyde. “We hadn’t thought of that.”

Clyde
frowned and then shook his head. “If all we did was report it, I’m sure they’d
leave us be.”

“Why
report it then?”

Fiona
was searching for any excuse to make these men leave. She didn’t owe her guests
loyalty, but she didn’t want them tracked down like dogs. That’s what would
happen if people knew that there were aliens among us. There’d be no safe place
to hide. She wouldn’t wish that experience on her worse enemy.

“Aren’t
you curious?” Marshall spat on the ground. “Hell I know you’re new to these
parts, but nothing interesting ever happens. This might be a chance to put
Limer on the map.”

Horror
at the thought sent her heart into a pounding frenzy. Publicity was the last
thing she wanted. She didn’t need reporters or strangers poking around in her
life, or her home. Fiona fought back her panic and tried to focus. The fear was
paralysing, but she had to push past it and think. There must be a solution.

“Do
we have to look today?” Fiona asked. “I was up all night watching the stars.
Surely you guys could come back another time?”

“We
understand.” Marshall and Clyde looked at each other and moved away from her.
“You go back to bed and we’ll take a quick look at your field.”

“No.”
Fiona shouted. She wanted these men gone, not giving her sympathy. “I don’t
want anyone on my property.”

Clyde
tilted his head. “Now that’s a bit strange.” His voice was a low growl. “You
got something you’re hiding back there?”

“Of
course not.”
Fiona clasped her hands together. This
was going from bad to worse. Now they were suspicious.

“Can
I help you men?” Ardal’s voice boomed in the distance.

Fiona’s
head jerked toward the barn. Never had she been so glad to see a man before. He
was striding toward them, his steps purposeful and strong. Gone was the ripped
and burned top of his uniform. In its place was a shirt that molded his body
and showcased his powerful muscles. He wore fatigue styled pants and boots that
looked heavy, but were silent with each step. The sun was behind him. It
illuminated him in a soft glow, like an angel from a renaissance painting.
Right now that was exactly what he was.