Son of Orlan (The Chronicles of Kin Roland Book 2) (10 page)

“GO!”

Kin rounded the corner, rifle presented for battle as he
moved forward and across the tunnel. He took cover in niche and peeked at the
distant light.

Orlan assumed Kin’s original position, aimed his weapon, and
leaned on the wall. It wasn’t Kin’s favorite shooting technique. Leaning on a
fixed object, unless prone, gave the illusion of stability when all it did was
alter body mechanics. Orlan seemed to make the method work.

The giant Hero of Man exuded intensity combined with calm
determination. Kin enjoyed operating with the talented soldier. Later, when
social skills became necessary, they would probably fight.

Orlan glanced away from his sights at Kin. “Can you see the
source?”

Kin paused and squinted down the long, rough passage. “Looks
like the wall is glowing. Some kind of mineral deposit.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Follow with the others when I give the
signal.” Kin moved forward, hunting over for targets. Not wanting to limit his
vision, he didn’t stare through the targeting reticle. If an enemy appeared, he
was ready to raise the weapon a few inches to aim.

The wall fell away on the right, revealing an underground
lake fifty meters below. Much of the wall on his left glowed with soft green
and yellow luminescence. He squinted when something moved in the water. About
the size of a large man, it slid beneath the surface and reemerged several
meters farther away.

He aimed the rifle scope and increased magnification,
catching a humanoid torso diving. A long tail slashed the wake.

“What is it?” Orlan asked.

Kin raised his head from the gun and glanced over his
shoulder. “You’re as bad as Rickson. I told you to wait for my signal.”

Orlan snorted. “Rickson is waiting for
my
signal.
Don’t worry. That kid is sharp.”

He is sharp, and brave as any soldier I’ve known.
Including you, Orlan
.

Kin searched for the creature below, but it slipped beyond
the reach of the wall light. “We’re too visible here. Let’s keep going.”

He led the way to the end of the cavern and up the steepest
passage yet. At the top, he reached back to pull Rickson, Tass the Ror-Rea
woman, and William up one at a time. He waited for Orlan and Nander.

Rickson helped Tass find a place to sit, shyly rearranging
the Ror-Rea’s injured wing. The ceiling was low. Kin couldn’t stand straight.
He cocked his head to watch this young friend.

“We’re almost there, Tass,” Rickson said.

Below, Orlan’s voice echoed. “You first Nander.”

“Roger that.”

Orlan cursed. “Told you not to say that. It’s a Fleet
response, and you’re not Fleet.”

“Is it not correct?”

“Just get your ass up there.”

Nander appeared. Orlan followed close behind.

Kin helped Nander and then pointed to the floor. The
Imperial sat.

“Take my hand, Orlan.”

Orlan struggled up the final obstacle without assistance.
“Watch that damn Imperial.”

For a heartbeat, Kin resented Orlan’s tone. He knew better
than to indulge his ego. Pride spawned the greatest mistakes in military
history. Still, Kin didn’t like Orlan telling him what to do. He trained his
weapon on Nander and waited for Orlan to catch his breath. “Did you see the
creature in the water?”

Nander, who had expressed little fear until now, went pale.
“I didn’t.” He paused, looked down, then raised his eyes like a scared kid.
“What did it look like?”

Orlan interrupted. “If he didn’t see it, don’t describe it,
Kin. I want to test his knowledge.” He stared at Nander. “You tell me what it
looked like. Explain the fear in your eyes. Tell me what it is.”

Nander avoided Orlan’s confrontation. “I did not see it.”

Kin moved closer. “What were you afraid it would be?”

A moment passed.

“The creatures that destroyed our world appear as a mixture
of humanoid and serpent. Equally at home in water, on land, or in the void of
space. And they prefer darkness.”

Kin faced Orlan, reading his expression. He turned around.
“We’ll rest for a while. Tell us about this creature while we wait.”

No response.

Orlan strode toward Nander, moving with his legs bent and
head down. He almost looked like a Reaper attacking. Quick and violent, he
slapped the top of Nander’s head. “I’ll throw you down there.”

Rickson joined Orlan. “We didn’t have to save your worthless
butt. You better tell Kin what he wants to know.”

“It’s my imagination. The Slomn couldn’t have found Edain.
They were three systems behind us when we decoded the wormhole.” He looked at
Kin. “I’ll tell you what I know. It isn’t a secret. We have fled the Slomn for
thousands of years. Each time we settle on a planet, they come and destroy the
entire system.”

Kin had assumed the Mazz Imperials were conquerors,
extending their control across the universe just as Earth Fleet had always
done. The size and power of their fleet dominated every enemy standing to face
them, yet he felt truth in Nander’s words.

The Imperials weren’t the hunters.

“You’ll tell me more when we get out of here.” Kin signaled
Orlan. “Take the lead.”

“Roger.” Orlan moved a few steps, then stopped to glare at
Nander. Moments later he disappeared into the next tunnel.

Kin and the others followed. He took a position behind
Nander, watching his hands, counting the number of times the man glanced over
his shoulder.

Is he checking my diligence as a guard, or searching for
something else?

Real fear pained the Imperial’s eyes. The Slomn terrified
him. Kin hadn’t seen the expression since leading raw recruits in battle on
Hellsbreach. He didn’t think the man was a coward. On the contrary, Nander
seemed a capable fighter and a leader, no matter what rank he claimed.

Nander seemed wary of Kin, but not afraid. Whatever waited
below in the shadowy lake worried the man, haunted his imagination, caused him
to climb the tunnels with greater enthusiasm and look back for what might be
pursuing.

Kin wasn’t surprised when the creature attacked, but the
manner took him off guard.

The floor, walls, and ceiling began to vibrate. Darkness
descended like a physical force. There wasn’t much light in the catacombs, but
the sudden elimination of light, of even the memory of light, prompted action.
Kin found each member of the party, except Orlan, by feel and forced them down.

“Be quiet. Stay down. Don’t move.”

He crept back to guard the tunnel from which they had
emerged. “Orlan.”

“I’m on your left.”

Kin located Nander, put his mouth near the Imperial’s ear,
and spoke quietly. “What’s going on?”

Nander trembled. He sucked in a long, ragged breath and
exhaled a whisper. “We’re dead. I miscalculated.”

“Is it a Slomn? How do we fight it?” Kin sensed something
coming. Scales rasped across stone. A wave of heat blew in his face. Despite
everything he had experienced and overcome—Reaper captivity, confinement in a
space casket, hopeless battles on hostile planets—the fear in his guts wouldn’t
let go.

Orlan’s voice broke the silence. “The thing you saw in the
water seemed to avoid light.”

“The flashlight on my rifle won’t work,” Kin said.

“Yeah. Same here.”

Nander’s voice vibrated and went up an octave. “He brings
the dark!”

Kin grabbed his arm and noticed the man’s trembling muscles.
“If you want to live, you need to tell me how to fight it.”

No response.

“Talk to me.” Kin released Nander and faced the direction he
expected the attack. “I didn’t realize Imperials were cowards.”

“The Slomn bring the dark. Right before they bring the
light. Close your eyes or you’ll go blind.”

“We’re already blind,” Orlan said.

Kin squeezed his eyes shut, turning away from the attack.
Even through his eyelids, it seemed the sun struck his skin. Heat buffeted him
as he edged back, covering his face with his arms for greater protection. The
contrast from absolute blackness to blinding light hurt. Daggers stabbed
through his brain. He heard the serpent-man sliding into the room, and
desperately wanted to fight back. He kept his eyes closed longer than seemed
reasonable, then a moment more.

The Slomn’s roar blasted the air. Kin opened his eyes but remained
on his stomach, unable to face the terror, afraid of heat that would burn him
to nothing. He understood his fear of fire was in his head, because he still
lived. Or maybe he’d already been swept away in a nuclear explosion that
leveled the mountain.

Keeping the side of his face to the floor, he saw, with one
eye, a form slither past. Smoke seeped between each scale. The large shape
moved quickly, then stopped. After a moment of hesitation, it shrieked in
frustration before retreating the way it had come. Kin closed his eyes.

Get up, Kin. You have to get up or you’ll die
.

He fought to his feet and looked around. William the Reaper
squatted in the center of the cavern. He seemed to wear a parade uniform
covered with medals. The image in Kin’s imagination refused to coalesce. He
sensed more than saw a dignified figure—like a retired battle saint who could
end the Mazz invasion with a nod or send the Slomn monster to hell on command.

I’m being enthralled. I’ve got to break this fantasy. Was
that my father? Commander Westwood? The man I wish to be?

William crumpled. Kin rushed forward. Orlan reached the
boy-Reaper first, kneeling beside him like a father discovering his fatally
wounded child.

Orlan’s gravelly voice betrayed deep emotion, anger
conflicting with sadness. “So you can change.”

William had saved them, somehow. It seemed doubtful the
Slomn feared Reapers, and Orlan had either seen his son change shape or
suspected. Kin looked from father to son several times.

“What happened?” Kin asked.

When Orlan ignored him, Kin checked the others. Rickson lie
sprawled across Tass the Ror-Rea, sheltering her injury-weakened body. Nander
stared at William. Kin had the distinct impression the Imperial soldier hadn’t
closed his eyes, that he had seen it all. His peculiar expression baffled Kin,
who expected fear and confusion, but found a face suffering a horrible
epiphany.

“Orlan!”

The big trooper stood slowly, keeping his eyes on William
before facing Kin. He appeared lost in grief.

“We need to get out of here.” Kin scanned the room,
expecting the Slomn to emerge from the tunnel.

“He won’t change back to his real form because he’s mad at
me,” Orlan said.

Kin saw William open his eyes and stare at his father. Orlan
was right. The boy didn’t want to talk to him.

“Let’s go, Orlan. Carry him if you have to.”

The journey took forever and ended immediately. It was like
walking through a dream. Images of the Slomn danced before Kin, slipping into
shadows, sliding through dark, distant water. He followed Orlan, who seemed
determined to carry his shape changing son to safety. In time, the boy-Reaper
pulled free and stalked sullenly out of the subterranean maze.

Night covered the valley when they emerged. Kin spotted
Orlan watching the scene below covertly. William squatted near a bolder.
Imperial forces ranged across the broad area at the foot of the mountain.
Distant sounds of machines and marching troops drifted to Kin’s ears.

Orlan put a finger to his lips and pointed up.

Kin looked and saw an Imperial over
-
watch
position less than fifty meters away.

Orlan pointed to his left.

Kin stared harder this time, but soon spotted an Imperial
patrol.

Nander stood a little straighter and edged away from Orlan
and Kin. If he decided to run, he would escape. Neither Kin nor Orlan could
catch and restrain the Imperial without alerting the nearby soldiers.

Orlan aimed at Nander, but didn’t shoot.

Tension increased as Kin sought a trail that could lead them
away from the enemy units without taking them toward the rapidly growing base
camp. Every moment he expected Nander to raise the alarm.

When Kin’s party slipped beyond reach, he confronted Nander.

“Why didn’t you try to escape?”

Nander pointed at Orlan. “He would have killed me.”

“That happens during war. Are you a coward?”

Nander clenched his fists, started to speak, but controlled
his anger. “You saved me once. Now I’ve saved you once.”

Kin nodded.

Nander waited.

“I can’t let you go.”

“I understand. Things are different now. Nothing I can do
matters. The Slomn have found this planet and will kill us all,” Nander said.

“Surely one Slomn can’t destroy your invasion force.”

“No, but more will come. The creature is a scout. How he
came to be in the mountain, I don’t know. Yet I can’t begin to hope it is a
coincidence.”

“Why do you attack Earth Fleet? If this enemy is so
dangerous, we should make an alliance.” Kin said.

“Allies betray each other. All the races of the universe
must stand against the Slomn.”

Orlan lunged forward. “Fleet troopers won’t be your slaves.
Do I look like a slave?”

“Stop.” Kin needed to think. “We’ll talk again when we get
to Maiden’s Keep. It’s the best safe hold in the mountains. Laura and Rebecca
need to be warned.”

Orlan backed away from Nander and turned to lead the group.

WHEN they found the safe hold, it
was abandoned. Kin slipped to the ground, utterly exhausted. Rickson, Tass, and
William huddled inside the front entrance. The shepherd was the last to fall
asleep. Orlan and Nander searched the keep, working without words, seeming to
almost trust each other.

Unable to admit Orlan was stronger, Kin did his part. He
found discarded bandages and food containers. Laura and the Crater Town
refugees had been here. Rebecca’s Shock Troopers and the remains of Raien’s
11th Light Reconnaissance Company had fought a tough battle. Bullet holes and
blast marks defaced the walls inside and out. Blood stains patterned the floor.
Ruined bits of armor and weapons lie abandoned.

Orlan returned to Kin’s side. “They’ll be easy to track. I
think Laura led them away as the Shock Troopers defended the retreat.”

Kin nodded. “We’ll rest, eat, and follow when we can.”

Orlan sat with his back to a wall. “Do you remember the
Green Mountain Campaign?”

“I remember, though I wouldn’t call those hills mountains
after seeing this place.”

Orlan laughed. “We were young. The Green Mountains on Earth
VII seemed impressive, especially to the recruits who had never lived anywhere
but a space station. You were a pushy bastard even then.”

Kin thought Orlan’s words lacked malice, despite the message
in them. At times the trooper became maudlin, expressing with indirect eye
contact the type of sentimentality that reminded Kin of silk lying over a
knife. He always suspected Orlan was setting him up for an ambush.

Just lower your guard Kin. This won’t hurt a bit
.

“Our squad leader went down. Someone had to take charge.”
Kin attended the conversation with half his intellect. The abandonment of
Maiden’s Keep concerned him. Laura would have left a message if she could. He
wasn’t sure what Rebecca would do when forced to retreat, but was alarmed she
hadn’t held on until Kin contacted her.

Orlan opened and closed his fist as he watched Kin. It
seemed he was flexing his hand to relieve pain from an old injury. With Orlan,
it was impossible to be sure of his motives. Kin wouldn’t be surprised if the
trooper decided to punch him for no reason.

Kin shifted his weight. His back ached from physical insults
received during the recent battle and desperate flight through the tunnels, but
he couldn’t remember the specific injury. “You didn’t step up.”

“I was busy fighting.”

Kin shrugged. “We made it.”

“You always make it.”

Kin suppressed a shudder. The weight of Orlan’s words
promised he wouldn’t make it next time. He looked at the trooper. “We still
have a truce?”

Orlan nodded, staring at him. Stubble covered his face.
Dried blood flaked from his jaw line.

“William will be all right. He just needs time.”

“What do you know about being a father?”

Kin looked at William the Reaper, then at Orlan. “Nothing.”

“Good. Don’t interfere. If I go down, get him to his
mother.”

Kin saw something eager in Orlan’s eyes. The expression gave
Kin pause. He hesitated. “I can do that. Where is she?”

Orlan chuckled. “She’s with
your little brother.”

KIN hadn’t considered his younger
brother in a long time. Memories hurt too much. Ashton had been full of
patriotism and hero worship the last time they talked. But then Kin lost
everything at Hellsbreach.

How disappointed had Ash been? Did he hate his brother as a
condemned traitor? “You spoke with my brother?”

“No.” Orlan stood abruptly as Rickson hurried toward Kin and
Orlan. “I just heard Tabitha took up with some dashing young pirate with a hero
complex.”

Rickson started talking before he caught his breath. “Droon’s
coming.”

Kin put one hand on his pistol. “What?”

“He’s alone. I saw him from a good distance. Seems like he
wants to be seen.”

“You have strange friends, Roland.” Orlan picked up his
rifle and moved to cover the entrance of Maiden’s Keep.

“He’s not my friend.” Kin knew what Droon wanted. During the
encounter after Westwood’s flight, the Reaper King claimed he would only hunt
Clavender. His unexpected presence suggested he still sought the Ror-Rea
princess.

Kin descended the trail as Orlan covered him from a rock
outcropping. Droon dismounted from a Reaper-lizard-horse and walked forward.
Even a normal gait caused the Reaper to look like a stalking predator.

Kin lowered his rifle, but kept his finger near the trigger.
“What do you want, Droon?”

The Reaper stared without responding. He uttered clicking
sounds, opening his mouth to reveal rows of teeth dripping venom. He spread his
clawed fingers as he sat on his haunches.

Strangers to Reapers might assume he was resting or
affecting a submissive posture. Kin understood the Reaper was ready to pounce.
He had seen Droon leap twenty feet from a squatting position.

“Not you, Kin-rol-an-da.” Droon shifted his weight, edged a
step nearer. “I have Clavender.”

Kin clenched the rifle. “Unless you came to give her back,
we have nothing to discuss.”

“Wrong.” Droon stood without rising to his full height.
“Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Kin-rol-an-da is—”

“Wrong. Yeah, I get it. What do you want?”

More clicking sounds. Droon spotted William and the others
behind Orlan. He seemed to laugh. “Not a Reaper.”

“I don’t trust you, Droon. Talk, or we start shooting.”

“My Kindred have pleasure with boy-Reaper.” The Reaper King
crooned. “Good fear. Best fear on the planet!”

Orlan advanced from cover, his rifle aimed at Droon’s face.
“You keep them away from my son.”

Kin held up a hand for Orlan to stop, but continued to watch
Droon.

The Reaper laughed and laughed and snorted and laughed
again. He moved near Orlan, studied him, then retreated. “I must show you the
future.”

Kin thought of the Slomn, fighting down the fear and panic
that came with the memory. He saw Droon differently. The Reaper King wasn’t the
most deadly creature in the universe. A Slomn warrior would destroy him if they
fought. The idea wasn’t comforting.

“I’ll go with you. My friends stay here.” He was about to
say, “where it is safe,” but Droon interrupted him.

“No. They come. This place will die in darkness.”

Kin turned his face toward Orlan, but kept his feet and
hands ready to move against Droon.

The trooper nodded. Moments later, Kin’s desperate band
gathered behind him.

Droon led them through the mountains. Several times he stopped
to fight with his Hellsbreach-horse.

“Where the hell did he get that thing,” Orlan asked.

“No idea. Don’t follow too close. I’m not sure he has
complete control of it.”

Darkness descended on Crashdown as Droon led them to the
center of a bloody battle field. He gestured at slain Reapers, Ror-Rea, and
Imperials. “This is the future. A good future, but the wrong one.”

“You want peace?” Kin asked.

“What is peace?” Droon waited for an answer.

“You really don’t know what it means.” Kin couldn’t restrain
his curiosity.

Droon pondered the question. “I understand your words. To
the Kindred, peace is starvation. Peace can’t exist for us.”

“Then you’re wasting my time.”

“No, Kin-rol-an-da. You waste time. You are a great warrior.
Get ready for a fight. Get ready for the air to turn black.” Droon wheeled his
steed away and galloped into the Crashdown wilderness.

Orlan pulled Kin away from the others as they stared at the
monster riding a monster.

“I don’t know why he brought us here, but it could be a
lucky break.” He flicked his eyes toward the mangled bodies.

Inwardly, Kin grimaced. “You want to scavenge the
battlefield?”

Orlan shrugged and raised an eyebrow. “It’ll take time, but
I don’t think we can afford not to steal what we can.”

Some decisions were harder than others to make. Kin looked
at Rickson, then at Orlan. “Take Rickson. He needs to learn what to look for
and how to take it.”

“If we find usable armor, I’ll be amazed. But there’s always
something.” He stepped away from Kin with disturbing enthusiasm. “Hey, Rickson,
you ever been on a treasure hunt?”

Kin spent the next hour considering the changes in Droon. He
pondered the Slomn encounter under the mountains and considered Nander. He
seemed old for a trooper, but Earth Fleet had its share of salty dogs too
stubborn to promote or retire.

Orlan and Rickson moved from body to body. From time to time
they stopped and argued loud enough to draw enemies from space, or from under
the earth.

Kin looked at Nander and
wondered if a Mazz Imperial officer would trade Captain Raien for one, mostly
unharmed, trooper.

AFTER witnessing the carnage of
Droon’s three-way battle, Kin hoped the fighting was over. But after another
night moving through Crashdown’s wilderness, Kin and his companions came upon
an epic conflict. Squadrons of Ror-Rea warriors climbed into the sky, paused,
and dove to the attack. Each squadron returned to the air diminished.

“Where does Dax get his warriors?” Orlan asked.

Kin counted formations and listened to the distant sound of
gunfire. “I don’t think he is in charge. Hasic has the support of the High
Lords.”

“You know what I mean.”

Kin made a quick visual check of his party before answering.
“Warriors arrive from the Ror-Rea each day. They might be outnumbered now, but
that will change. Clavender never revealed where her home is, but Dax implied
it’s a long journey.”

“Hmm.”

Kin almost believed Orlan was thinking like a leader.
“Commander Westwood told me the other side of the planet is teaming with
humanoids. He wasn’t sure if they were Reapers or Wingers.”

“Both give me the creeps,” Orlan said.

Morning light stretched across the broad valley, striking
wings with golden brilliance. Weapons glinted. Ailerons flared. Fierce warriors
roared in unison.

Imperial cannons boomed, sending flak to tear flesh from
Ror-Rea warriors, blowing off wings, decapitating unarmored men and women.
Machine guns chattered. Plasma bolts sizzled like lightning. And when the two
armies met on the ground they fought hand to hand. Swords of the Ror-Rea sliced
through armor with surprising ease.

Reapers rampaged among the Imperial troopers and the winged
warriors. But it was the numbers involved that shocked Kin. The Ror-Rea were
the smallest group, though their mobility made them a force to be reckoned
with. In the distance, Winger reinforcements soared over the horizon, landed on
the heights, and soared again.

An Imperial armored column commanded the high ground, pounding
the Reaper center with explosive shells. The Reapers charged again and again.
The suicide assault went on until Kin thought the universe would soon be
cleansed of Reapers. Then, in a tactic never used by the demons of Hellsbreach,
a strong force of mounted warriors attacked from the flank. Droves of Reapers
dismounted and swarmed against tanks turning to face them.

Kin watched as the first machine tipped over a ledge.
Hundreds of Reapers pushed and pulled until it tipped, then went over. It
shouldn’t have been possible even if every Reaper heaved at the same moment,
yet three more battle tanks suffered the fate. Other Reapers shoved long rods
down barrels, inducing malfunctions and explosions when tank crews fired.

Memories of Hellsbreach overwhelmed Kin. He remembered the
destroyed tanks and how he couldn’t understand how Reapers defeated them. He
remembered retreating, watching his men get slaughtered.

He remembered Orlan’s escape. He remembered being taken
prisoner.

Orlan grabbed Kin’s arm. “Are you okay?”

Past events clouded Kin’s awareness. He saw that Orlan
seemed concerned, in the gruff manner of a veteran in soldier. Wariness and
doubt showed clearly in his direct gaze.

Kin pulled away. He shook his head. “I think about the
Reaper warrens sometimes.”

Orlan grunted. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“You were never their prisoner. You wouldn’t understand.”

Grim silence spread between them. Orlan avoided eye contact.
He checked his gear as he spoke. “I was. Just didn’t reported it. Didn’t want
the scientists poking me with needles and interrogating me.”

Kin studied his nemesis. The admission confirmed the claims
of Commander Westwood that Orlan had been changed by Hellsbreach much as Kin
had. He should feel sympathy or at least a stronger bond between prisoners.
Kin’s captivity remained in his nightmares, haunted his waking thoughts, and
colored every event—past, present, and future—in Kin’s life.

But knowing the truth about Orlan only caused him to back
away. He hid his reaction, but Orlan sensed it.

“I escaped. No thanks to the Fleet or the famous Kin Roland.
So it doesn’t matter.”

“You’re full of Surprises, Orlan. A shape changing son, a
secret fascination with the literary works of the
Brighten Saga
, and
Reaper immortality. What’s next, a conscience?”

Orlan grunted. “I’m surprised you never figured out the
Reaper infection. They want victims that live a long time so they can torture
them. It’s a psychic all-you-can-eat buffet for them. Fleet scientists are a
bunch of idiots.”

Kin felt the truth of the claim. “Westwood thought it was
some kind of grand Reaper destiny. A deal I made to betray Earth Fleet.”

“Nope.” Orlan spat. “You’re just a damn coward who couldn’t
pull the trigger.”

The insult should have hurt. Kin turned from the sergeant
exhausted.

Rickson, Tass, Nander, and William followed Kin as he led
them away from the battle. Even from miles away it seemed the conflict would
overwhelm them. Orlan waited a long time before moving. Kin looked back several
times, wondering if the trooper had finally given up. He understood how hard it
was to face each day when dark thoughts whispered.
You’re ruined, tainted,
no longer a man
.