Neverwylde (The Rim of the World Book 4) Read online

  “Doc?” Jules addressed the physician.

  The doctor shrugged. “I have no idea if those creatures are able to thrive in these conditions. Anything’s possible.”

  “Not clickers,” Dox commented. “Not eye worms. Howlers.”

  Cooter barked with laughter. “Boy’s got a way with words!”

  Kleesod spoke up. “Everything is in threes. This we know. But it does not necessarily mean that what is part of that three in one section is the same in another. We already see that.”

  “He is right,” Kyber continued. “We have seen how different this temple is. We know its design is not the same as the other temple. We cannot assume the creatures we battled at the other location are also in this locale.”

  Cooter snorted. “Oh, great. Three more somethings to discover.”

  “Well, from the sound of it, that howler keeps getting closer and louder. And judging by its vocalizations, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s sizeable.”

  Kelen concurred with Mellori. “If it is a large beast, then it’s possible it’s the dominant species in this region of the planet. The top of the food chain.”

  “And if that’s the case, and if our theory of three is still relevant, then there should be two other species of creatures it feeds on,” Sandow surmised.

  “The top of the food chain, huh?” Fullgrath glanced around at everyone sitting by the fire. “Then what does the bottom feeder feed on? I don’t see anything remotely edible around here, unless the little buggers dine on ice.”

  Tojun waved a hand for attention. “We need to discuss our way below.”

  “Shoot, gray boy.” Cooter crossed his legs and set his rifle across his lap.

  The Seneecian gave them a puzzled look. “Why do we agree that everything comes in threes, and yet we repeatedly refuse to follow it?”

  “What do you mean?” Jules asked.

  “All of this.” The man made a vague motion with his hand to include their surroundings. “We need to focus on the probable, not the possible. We have agreed that, overall, the species that ruled this planet did everything in threes, yes?”

  “It panned out over at the other temple,” Mellori agreed. “But that doesn’t mean this temple works the same way.”

  “Jules.” Kelen caught the ex-navigator’s attention. “That panel of lights, are the colors in threes?”

  It took the man a few moments to double-check. “Yeah,” he finally told them. “Three of each color.”

  “Just like the other panel,” she concluded. “I’m all for the sets of threes existing here, too.” She tossed Tojun a smile. “What else were you wanting to say?”

  He gave her a grin of thanks, his long canines winking in the firelight. “We know from the panel that there are chambers beneath us. Let us say the elevator is one way to get to the orange machinery room. If it is, there should be two more.”

  “I agree with you,” Sandow said. “There should be two more routes, but where?” He slapped the wall behind him. “Where are the other doorways?”

  An idea came to Kelen just as Kyber squeezed her hand and struggled to get to his feet. Without explaining what he was doing, he began tapping the wall as he slowly made his way down the corridor. Kelen managed to stand, went over to the wall on the other side of the walkway, and began doing the same thing, checking the carved rock as she paralleled Kyber. She glanced over her shoulder to find Cooter and Fullgrath also checking the wall as they headed in the opposite direction. In less than a minute, Cooter gave a whoop and shout.

  “Found it!”

  As a group, everyone hurried to where he stood mere meters from the main entrance opening onto the vast frozen landscape. Grinning at them, he swung the butt of his rifle against the rock. Kelen started but she wasn’t surprised when the bottom half of the weapon vanished. The gun swung back and the butt magically reappeared.

  Cooter chuckled. “It’s that holograph trick like in those interconnecting tunnels. You had the right idea, Kyber.”

  “Which leaves us with the question do we stay here, out in the open tonight? Or do we try to see how far down that tunnel we can get before giving it a rest?” Gaveer asked.

  He was answered with a loud growl that had to be mere meters away. Whatever was approaching had reached the temple. Kelen briefly wondered if the thing had been attracted by the firelight, or if it had enhanced senses and had smelled or seen, or perhaps heard them. Or maybe this temple is part of its territory and it prowls here on a regular basis.

  She turned to comment to Kyber when he grabbed her and shoved her into the dark tunnel. The corridor wasn’t large, and it quickly grew crowded as the others joined them. Massapa entered last, carrying Dox in his arms. As Kyber drew a protective arm about her, another howl split the air. Everyone stared out the fuzzy, indistinct net that formed the façade that made the wall appear solid.

  Something was out there. Something large, and most certainly dangerous. A shadow made its way along the far wall on the other side of the fire. A shadow that gradually grew larger and more ominous. Cooter and Fullgrath took positions at the doorway in case the thing knew about the fake doorway and tried to enter. Kelen felt Kyber extends his claws, and knew the other Seneecians were also prepared to confront whatever was stalking them.

  They waited and watched. The tension grew thicker as the thing drew closer. Inside the corridor, the temperature was unbearably cold. The rock at her back was a solid sheet of ice. She could barely see the others standing in front of her, their breaths diaphanous clouds of mist as they waited.

  The creature passed the fire and drew nearer to the doorway, when a high-pitched scream rent the air and a second creature rushed into the temple from the direction of the open landscape. Before they were aware of it, the second creature ran past the doorway, and an unearthly shriek of pain and anger sent shockwaves through them all.

  Chapter 3

  Hoov

  The conflict taking place out of their line of sight was over before they were aware of it. After the confrontation and struggle, all they could hear was wet, slurping noises, as if something was eating. At least, it sounded that way. Kelen swore she heard bones being cracked, and gulping noises between grunts and growls.

  Fullgrath backed away from the concealed entrance and approached Kyber. “Do we go see what’s going on out there? Or do we stay here and wait? Or keep going down this tunnel? Your call, Kyber.”

  She glanced up to see her husband narrow his eyes as he considered their options. She knew what she wanted to do, but held her tongue and listened. Whatever he decided, he would explain his decision. But as long as she’d known him, he’d never made rash decisions.

  The others waited expectantly. Finally, Kyber gave a single slow nod. “We must accost whatever is out there. We do not know if that creature is aware of these tunnels. If we leave, and it does have knowledge of them, it might track us. If it is unaware of their existence, it may be able to sniff us out. Either way, we cannot take that risk.”

  “It sounds solitary,” Gaveer whispered.

  “I agree,” Fullgrath admitted. “But that doesn’t exclude the possibility that there couldn’t be more of them. And if it’s a big mother, it might be able to overcome us, even if we attack as one body.”

  “That is a risk we must take,” Massapa stated. He raised his hands in front of his face where all could see his long talons. “We must do this now, before that thing finishes its meal.”

  Kyber nodded again and gave Kelen’s arm a squeeze. “Stay here.”

  “But—”

  “Someone needs to stay with Dox,” he explained and dropped a kiss to her hair.

  Kelen looked over at where Mellori clutched Dox by the shoulder. Next to him stood Sandow.

  She gave a nod to Kyber, but said nothing. A flash of relief crossed the Seneecian’s face before he turned his back to her. She watched him move to the front of the group where Fullgrath and Cooter braced him. Directly behind him, the other Seneecians crouched in that
defensive posture she recognized. With the big aliens blocking her from Kyber’s view, she moved over to one of the bundles Mellori had laid on the ground, reached inside, and extracted a blaster. The engineer stared at her, understanding what she intended to do.

  “I’ll stay here with them,” he barely whispered, hefting another blaster he’d taken from the stash.

  Kelen gave him a quick smile of thanks as she tucked the weapon behind her.

  *

  Kyber gave a wave of his hand. The group of men silently left the corridor and emerged into the main area. The eating noises never abated and appeared to be coming from the direction of the fire. If that was the case, the creature might be curious about the blaze. If it was sentient, it could be wondering who’d set it. Kyber hoped it was the former and not the latter. Non-intelligent creatures acted on survival instinct. They were almost predictable in their actions. An intelligent species observed, plotted, and planned. That made them much more dangerous.

  He flexed his talons. He wasn’t physically capable of taking on whatever had intruded on their encampment on his own. None of them were. They all had suffered too many injuries, and there hadn’t been enough time to heal completely. He glanced sideways at Fullgrath moving parallel to him, then over at Cooter on his left. They could no longer approach this world individually. They were stronger as one force, and always would be.

  The thing ahead moved. The smell of blood grew stronger as they neared the creature and its kill. When they reached the angle where the hallway curved, Cooter made a sign he would take point and stepped out into the middle of the corridor. He raised his rifle, aimed…and froze.

  They tensed. A handful of seconds passed and nothing happened, but Cooter’s wide-eyed look of shock and surprise kept them from advancing forward until Kyber broke rank and joined the man. One by one, the others moved out into the open to gaze upon the surreal scene happening less than a handful of meters away.

  Dark brown, almost blackish blood smeared the floor and walls, evidence of the deadly struggle which had taken place. A thin creature sat cross-legged in the middle of the carnage. Its bulbous head came to a point in front, which had to be its mouth as it jerked and tore pieces from the carcass splayed in front of it. Two rod-like appendages held more of the slain creature, while a third arm lifted a bloody chunk suspended in front of its face.

  The creature paused. Several shiny black orbs embedded in its head rolled. Some pulsed, as if focusing on the group of men standing before it. It made no move to attack, no move to retreat. Neither did it threaten them because they had interrupted its feeding.

  “What the holy fuck is that?” Fullgrath whispered.

  “It looks like a giant freaking praying mantis,” Cooter replied.

  Behind him, Kyber heard Gaveer’s question. “What is a praying mantis?”

  “Have Dox show you,” Jules replied. “But I totally agree with you on this one, Coot. How big do you think that thing is?”

  “Dunno. It’s got to be at least two meters tall, but the damn thing’s sitting down. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s four meters or taller.”

  The creature pushed away the carcass of the thing it was eating and started to rise. Everyone instantly went on the defensive, when a soft voice behind them spoke up.

  “Wait. Is that thing wearing a collar?”

  Kyber froze where he stood. In some ways he wasn’t surprised that Kelen had followed them. At the same time, he was peeved she would continue to endanger herself, despite his request she hang back with the others. But she was correct. The tiny string of glowing objects around the thing’s neck seemed vaguely familiar. He threw up a hand for everyone to halt as Massapa voiced exactly what he was also thinking.

  “That looks like an Adajuss translator.”

  “Adajuss.” The glowing objects pulsed as the creature repeated the word. “Yes. Adajuss.” The words, spoken with a strange resonance, came from the necklace it wore.

  “Kyber, what’s Adajuss?” Fullgrath asked.

  Kyber hushed the man and took a cautious step toward the creature. “Who are you? What are you called?”

  The creature’s head swiveled an impossible two hundred degrees peripherally as its eye orbs examined around it, above it, and behind it. “Hoov.”

  “Hoov. Is that your species or your name?”

  “Ganj. Hoov.”

  “How do you want us to address you?” Kelen spoke up. Kyber glanced over at where she stood beside Fullgrath and noticed the blaster she held in her hand. It was aimed forward, but clearly wasn’t directed at the creature. He was struck by the similarities in their circumstance at that moment. It reminded him of when she had come to his and his men’s defense shortly after they’d encountered each other since crash landing on this desolate world. She had coolly yet cautiously intervened back then to give each side a chance to see reasoning instead of killing indiscriminately. He had to give her credit again for stepping forward. Although this creature was obviously dangerous, the fact that it wore a translation necklace proved it had to be intelligent. More intriguing was the fact that the choker was a piece of Adajuss technology. Where had the creature obtained the piece?

  Once again, the thing turned its head at an impossible angle. “Hoov,” it finally responded. “Eat.”

  Chapter 4

  Questions

  Kyber reached out with one hand and barred Kelen from advancing closer. None of the men moved from where they stood. Neither did they lower their weapons. Oddly enough, the creature didn’t appear to be disturbed by the obvious sign of hostility.

  Jules pulled out his tablet and checked it. “I don’t have any input regarding Adajuss. Who are they? Where are they from?”

  “Is this thing Adajuss?” Cooter added.

  “Adajuss is a planet in the Snee Cruss Po system, approximately forty meedurs from Seneecia,” Tojun informed them.

  “Meedurs. That’s light years in your language, right?” Jules confirmed.

  “Yes.”

  “I take it you and the Adajuss aren’t best of friends,” Fullgrath remarked.

  “No,” Gaveer admitted. The Seneecian pointed toward the creature. “Neither is this Hoov one of the Adajuss.”

  “If it isn’t Adajuss, where the hell did he get the bauble?” Cooter questioned.

  Kelen remained silent as the men softly discussed this new development and observed Hoov devouring its kill. The stench of blood permeated the cold air, and for some reason her stomach grumbled at the thought of a haunch roasting over an open flame. It was difficult to tell what the slaughtered thing looked like prior to Hoov taking it down. The only remaining evidence was the steam rising from the carcass and the dense gray fur.

  Jules moved forward a step and raised the tablet to get a picture of the creature and its meal. Hoov immediately hissed. Spines rose along its appendages and back. Alarmed, the navigator retreated, and Hoov dropped its defensive posture.

  “Guess Hoov doesn’t want to share his dinner,” Fullgrath noted with a chuckle.

  “I’m aware of that, but what is it eating?”

  “And can we barbeque one if we find one of our own?” Cooter asked, thinking along the same lines as Kelen.

  Fullgrath made a slight movement toward Hoov. Immediately, the creature lifted its spiny ruff. Holding up his blaster, he made a show of slowly lowering it to the ground as he knelt on one knee. “I’m not going to take your food away from you. I’m putting my gun down as a sign of non-aggression. Do you understand what I mean? I’m not going to hurt you. We just want to ask you a few questions. Can we ask you some questions, Hoov?”

  The spines gradually lowered. “Ask.”

  “Where did you get the translator?” Fullgrath raised a hand to his neck for emphasis.

  Hoov tore another slab of flesh from his kill and gulped it down whole. “Adajuss.”

  “How? When?” Cooter whispered.

  “I take it you’ve never seen a creature like this?” Jules asked the Seneecian st
anding beside him.

  Massapa shook his head. “If they exist in our quadrant, we have never come across them, or heard of anything like them.”

  Kelen touched Fullgrath’s shoulder to get his attention. “We have to be linear with our questions.”

  “Like we do with Dox?”

  “Yes.”

  “Gotcha. Hoov?”

  “Begin with if it belongs here, or if it came from another planet.”

  Fullgrath nodded. “Hoov, is this your home planet?”

  “Here. Yes.”

  “That doesn’t answer our question,” Cooter noted. “If it landed here, this could be its home now. Ask if it was born on this world.”

  “Hoov—”

  “Ganj. Hoov Ganj.”

  “Is Ganj where you belong?”

  The creature slapped the ground beside it. “Ganj.”

  A light went off in Kelen’s mind. “Hoov, is this place called Ganj?”

  Several eyes rolled in her direction. “Yes. Ganj.”

  She took a deep breath. “This place is Ganj. You are Hoov. You wear a translator from Adajuss. Did the Adajuss come to Ganj?”

  “Yes.”

  Fullgrath reared back. “So Hoov is a native of this world.”

  Like Fullgrath had done, Kelen crouched beside him, then lowered herself to a sitting position and placed her blaster on the ground. She became aware of Kyber moving to stand next to her as a protective measure.

  “Go ahead, Kel,” Fullgrath muttered. “You’re better at this than I am.”

  “Hoov—”

  “You,” Hoov abruptly said. “You.”

  Kelen touched her chest. “Kelen. I am Kelen.”

  “Keln.”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  “Keln not Ganj.”

  “No. I’m not Ganj. I’m not from here. I’m from another world, another planet. It’s called Earth.”

  “Uth.”

  She pointed to Kyber. “He is Kyber. He is not from Ganj. He is from Seneecia.”

  Hoov focused on Kyber. “Kybr not Ganj.”