Fractured Earth Saga 1: Apocalypse Orphan Read online

  Chapter 6

  The trek through the woods was uneventful. Wolf noticed the vegetation was green and lush, and wildlife was abundant. He emerged from the forest with Haakon and his young son, and they headed towards a small dwelling built from wood and stone. It was the size of a small barn with an old, rickety porch attached to the front. A cobblestone chimney extended from the rear of the structure, discharging a thin column of smoke into the bright blue sky.

  “Reon, run to the house and tell your mother we have a guest. Tell your sisters to tidy a spot by the hearth for him to rest,” Haakon told the boy, who grinned at Wolf with hero worship in his bright gray eyes.

  “Mama, mama!” the child yelped with excitement as he ran towards the house, “Father says we have company. It is a man who saved my life by slaying a dintar with just his hands.”

  A young woman stepped outside and shaded her eyes, squinting up the wooded trail. She gasped at the man who walked beside her husband and took a step back, falling into a chair on the porch. The stranger dwarfed her husband; he was as large as a dintar. As she gazed at the giant carrying the dintar, her eyes riveted on his broad shoulders and muscles that rippled as he moved. She then looked up to his smiling mouth and hazel eyes. His skin was the color of a new copper pot, and his hair was tied in two long, black braids that fell to the middle of his back. His features were delicate, his teeth very straight and white. The stranger had smile lines that turned into deep dimples, and he walked as if the placement of his feet was carefully planned. She thought to herself that he moved like a majestic beast—one that could barely be held at bay and whose ferocity was controlled only by the will of the man it inhabited. She gave him a shy smile, thinking he was devilishly handsome. His smile broadened, and she caught her breath as he gazed at her.

  “This is my Nala,” Haakon said with pride. “My love, this is Wolf. He comes from a kingdom across the sea in the east, and his speech must have some of that land’s coloring for it sounds strange. He saved our foolish son from this dintar, killing it with his bare hands.”

  “Hello, Nala. I hear you make a good roast,” Wolf said, still smiling. “I apologize for my unexpected arrival, and I hope I don’t make too much trouble for you providing an extra setting.”

  Nala felt a sudden chill and laughed nervously. “I welcome you, stranger, to our home. I also thank you for saving my son. It will be no trouble to fix dinner. I will fetch the cart so we can drag the dintar to the barn to skin it,” she said in a lilting, feminine voice.

  Wolf studied the woman with overt interest. She stood about five foot tall and weighed less than one hundred pounds. She was well formed and voluptuous; her waist was small and her breasts large but in proportion to her curvy frame. Wolf surmised that her ancestors on Old Earth would have been called Latino. Her hair was auburn and hung straight down her back, past her shapely hips, framing a round, attractive face. Her lips were full, and she had dark eyes that crinkled at the corners. He looked away as the woman blushed from his close perusal.

  “No need for the cart. I will take the beast to the barn,” Wolf said. Reaching down, he lifted the beast easily and set out towards the barn.

  “Jesu! What strength he has, my husband! He sounds so strange. Are you certain we can trust him?” Nala whispered as her eyes followed Wolf to the barn.

  “I only hope he is sincere. If he wants to do us harm, I do not think I could stop him. That dintar weighs three times as much as I do, and he lifts it with ease,” Haakon observed. “No, my love, I pray he means to dine and leave. Prepare food…much food. I will skin the dintar. At least we have tax money now, with the entrails and skin.” Frowning, he set out after Wolf.

  As Wolf approached the barn, Reon scampered beside him, chattering non-stop. Once inside the simple structure, they were joined by Haakon, who carried a rope and said, “We will hoist the dintar to the rafters and skin it. I will catch the entrails in this basin. They must be stretched and dried in the sun for a day or two.” Haakon tied one end of the rope in a loop. “If we had the beast’s head, we could have used the brains as well, but this is unexpected as it is. I will be able to pay my taxes to the king’s tax collector if you allow me to keep some of this beast.”

  “You may keep it all. I have no use for this thing,” Wolf replied.

  “The dintar’s fur is prized, especially a young one in its prime like this. Its skin is worth much. I will not cheat you, sir.”

  “I have no need of money, and the animal’s fur is wasted on me. Please, accept it from me as recompense for a good home-cooked meal. I will eat, and then I will leave your family,” Wolf said. Sadness crossed his face as he thought of everything he had lost so long ago.

  Haakon eyed Wolf with growing admiration. The stranger’s generosity had won him over. With an affable smile, he said, “Please, if you will not accept a share of the beast, accept my hospitality for the night. Let me tell you about my land and our life here. Also, I would be a poor host if I didn’t warn you dangerous things prowl the woods at night, some in packs that even armed men can’t overcome.”

  “Okay, my friend. I will stay for a day or two. Then I must leave.”

  Haakon nodded and turned his attention to cutting around the dintar’s massive paws and then he sliced down its middle, stripping off the pelt in one piece. He cut the hindquarters off the beast and took it to his wife to cook. Wolf stayed in the barn and cut up the beast with his Bowie knife, easily hacking the dintar into pieces to dry in the smoke house. He had been raised on an Indian reservation and learned how to quarter meat; it was second nature. Haakon returned and watched the stranger cut through the tough meat with almost no effort. When he had finished, Haakon asked to see his knife, felt its perfect balance, and looked at the stainless steel blade.

  “What is this made of?”

  “It is called stainless steel,” Wolf answered. He frowned as the smelting procedure and the materials needed to make stainless steel ran through his thoughts. He didn’t understand how it was possible, but suddenly, he knew that he could make stainless if he had the raw materials. He had never been a good chemistry student, and metallurgy was beyond his grasp. Yet, somehow, he now knew how to make aluminum, titanium, iron, and plastic. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

  “Are you all right?” Haakon asked with a worried look.

  “Yes, it’s just a pain behind my eyes. It should pass after we eat,” Wolf replied, forcing a weak smile. “You cannot imagine how long it has been since I have smelled roasted meat. My mouth is watering from the aroma.”

  “Come, let us go to the creek and wash ourselves. When we return, we will have some barley beer,” Haakon said cheerfully, informing no one in particular, “Yes, today is a great day!”

  The two men went to the creek and knelt by the slow-moving water, washing away the dintar’s blood from their hands and forearms. After cleaning up, Wolf dipped his hands into the chilly water and tasted it. The water was crystal clear and delicious. He thought back to the polluted water of his time and the diseases one could get by drinking out of a creek. He splashed a few drops onto his watch’s computer interface to check the purity of the water, realizing he should have done this before he consumed it. The computer performed a series of checks and then flashed “99.9% pure” on the screen. Wolf mused that if he had come upon this crystal pure water in his world of the past, he could have bottled it and made millions.

  The men returned to Haakon’s dwelling, and as Wolf stepped inside, he saw a large room with a fireplace, several beds, and chairs placed around a rustic kitchen table where Haakon’s wife and four children sat waiting. Haakon smiled and introduced Wolf to his children, saying, “This man’s name is Wolf. He helped us today by slaying a dintar and giving it to us. He will be staying here for a day or two, so mind your manners. Wolf, you have already met my youngest son, Reon. This older, strapping lad is Trulane,” he said, placing his arm around a young man. “He is my oldest at eighteen winters. This bright young lady is L
eesa, at seventeen,” he said, gesturing. “And this is Brithee…she is thirteen.”

  The older boy gazed at Wolf with a mix of awe and fear, while the younger girl gazed in wonder at his massive size. The older girl stared openly at Wolf, making him uncomfortable. She was breathing hard, eyeing him up and down with a lustful sigh. She was about five foot tall and had long blonde hair and gray eyes. Unlike her mother, she was a bit overweight but still quite pretty. Wolf recalled a movie star from his time and thought to himself that this girl could have been Lindsey Lohan’s twin sister. The younger girl, Brithee, was lanky and tomboyish.

  As Wolf sat down at the table between the two girls, both scooted their chairs closer to him. He felt awkward, as if playing tea party with children. The chair he sat in supported only half of his buttocks, and the other half hung over the edge. Questions began flying from all directions. Where are you from? What is the name of your land across the sea? Did you really kill a dintar with one hand? Are all your people as large as you? Do you think I am pretty? Do you have a mate?

  A hand touched Wolf’s thigh under the table and he abruptly stood up, banging his head against a solid roofing timber overhead. Haakon coughed and smiled, admonishing, “Children, enough! Let the man eat. He said he has not had a home-cooked meal in days. Wolf, please sit down. Eat. Leesa will serve you. Are you injured?”

  “No, but I think I cracked your roof beam.”

  They all looked up in amazement at a crack in the solid roofing timber overhead. Leesa rose and went to the hearth, scooping out a bowl of stewed dintar and placing a large steak on a plate. She returned to the table, moving gracefully, and smiled as she served the meal to Wolf. Nala served her husband and the rest of the family.

  Wolf’s first bite of dintar was so hot that he had to spit it out. He glanced around at the smiling faces, embarrassed, and then blew the meat cool. It was delicious. It tasted like pork rib meat, and he had a whole steak to enjoy. The stew consisted of what looked like carrots, onions, tomatoes, and potatoes, yet its flavor was unlike anything Wolf had tasted before. He could have made a fortune in his time with this simple fare.

  “This meal is delicious, ma’am. Thank you,” Wolf said to Nala as he scraped the last morsel of food from his plate. “I have never tasted food this good. You are truly gifted.”

  “Why, thank you, sir! You have made me smile. Usually, I make too much and we must eat it the next day. You have finished it all! Tomorrow I will make you more,” Nala gushed.

  “I must leave tomorrow to check on my shuttle—I mean, boat,” Wolf said with regret. “I will return soon.”

  “Oh, stay, sir. We want to show you our hospitality,” Leesa pleaded, biting her lower lip seductively.

  Haakon’s oldest son Trulane laughed raucously and said, “That isn’t all she wants to show you.”

  “Trulane, do not be disrespectful. It will not be tolerated in this house,” Haakon said with no real anger in his voice.

  “Yes, sir,” Trulane answered, suppressing a grin.

  “Come, my friend, we will go out to the porch for a drink of barley beer and a smoke. Do you have a pipe?”

  Wolf shook his head and replied, “No, I don’t.” Haakon went to a crude desk and took out an old pipe. He handed it to Wolf, and the two men went to the porch as the women cleared the table. Reon came out carrying two mugs of a brown liquid. He handed one to his father and the other to Wolf, who sniffed the beer and peered into the cup. The liquid was amber-colored and cloudy. He sipped the beer and was surprised by how robust and tasty it was.

  Haakon took out some type of tobacco and filled his pipe. He offered the pouch to Wolf and then lit both of their pipes. Wolf recognized the substance; in his world, it had been called marijuana. He chuckled to himself, amused that of all the things to survive on this planet over thousands of years, marijuana was one of them.

  “So, you are ruled by a king?” Wolf asked, breaking the silence.

  “Yes. He was a renowned warrior once, but old age and many injuries have crept up on him. It is rumored that he sired twins, but he has no legitimate children to continue his line,” Haakon explained. “His land stretches for miles in all directions, but we can’t hold it for him. We are a community of twenty-five thousand, but we can only muster nine thousand fighting men. The king’s castle is protected by an Old Guard of about six thousand warriors—all old and past their prime but ready to die for our king.”

  With a frown, Haakon added, “You are fortunate you came to our land. The kingdom to the south is ruled by Jonar, an evil man who covets everything. He wants our king’s land and has attacked our villages, slaying the men and kidnapping our women and children to be sold to his nobles. It is a terrible time for us. You should travel to the castle at Springdale to meet our king. Also, a wise man lives there—a man of much learning,” Haakon said hopefully, thinking Wolf could be of considerable help to his aging monarch.

  “A wise man?” At a nod from Haakon, Wolf asked, “How far is Springdale, and in which direction would I travel?”

  “It is many days’ walk to the east,” Haakon replied. He pointed to a range of mountains in the distance. “It is over those hills and down into the valley. The mountains are impassable, except for a small cleft. A massive iron gate protects the castle and keeps Jonar out.”

  Haakon glanced at the assortment of unfamiliar articles hanging from Wolf’s belt. “You are a hulking man, and your many odd devices and speech make you even stranger to us.”

  “These are my tools I use to plot my course. I carry them with me always, and I learn languages quickly. Soon I will master yours,” Wolf said with confidence.

  “They are different from anything I have seen or heard. Unfortunately, I cannot leave my farm unprotected to make the journey with you, and my taxes are due. I could send Trulane with you, but being just a boy, it wouldn’t guarantee an audience with our king.”

  “What is your king’s name?”

  “King Waylan.” Haakon’s eyes lit up with an idea. “I know! We will send introduce you to Onel, his tax collector, when he arrives here in a day or two. When Onel returns to the castle, he can inform the king. When he returns to collect next month’s taxes, he can inform you of the king’s decision to meet you.”

  “I will enjoy your hospitality, but I must return to my boat after the tax collector leaves,” Wolf said. “While I am here, I would like to help you on the farmstead. I did farm work when I was a boy.”

  Haakon shook his head. “No, my friend, I can’t ask you to do this labor, but if you would like to hunt, I wouldn’t object.”

  “Then I will hunt. But I do not know all the animals here that are edible.”

  “I will send Trulane with you. He is a skilled hunter and knows the game trails in our area,” Haakon volunteered.

  The two men went into the house and Haakon settled into a chair, leaving a rough-hewn couch for Wolf to sit on by the hearth. Nala refilled their cups with barley beer as Haakon said, “I will have Nala fetch you a blanket and pillow. You can share Trulane’s bedroom.”

  “There is no need for that. I will sleep in the barn tonight,” Wolf responded, not wanting to overcrowd the small home. The family had been inconvenienced on his account already, and he didn’t want to muddy up the waters by driving the young man from his bed.

  “If that is your wish, my friend,” Haakon laughed.

  Wolf accepted the blankets and pillow from Nala, and after bidding everyone good night, he went to the barn. He glanced at the bedding he had been given and grinned. His immense size made them seem like a throw pillow and a beach towel. Inside the barn, he found a space to lie down atop a layer of soft hay. He noticed two animals that resembled cows and one that looked like a pig penned on the other side of the barn.

  Wolf removed the equipment from his belt and hung the belt on a peg. With a yawn, he stretched out on the soft hay and fell asleep. Minutes later, he was awakened by a soft, pleasant sensation on his neck. It felt like gentle kisses, and h
e reached out, expecting to feel a feminine body. What he felt was no woman—it had was long, rubbery, and it exuded a hideous odor. His eyes opened wide, and he saw that one cow had gotten out of its pen and was eating the hay from under him.

  “Damn,” Wolf muttered with a grin, wishing it had been a mysterious, beautiful woman planting kisses on his neck. He got to his feet, corralled the cow back in its pen, and checked the other pens to make sure the gates were secured.

  The moon was rising over the hills as Wolf stretched out on his straw bed. A feeling of loneliness crept over him as the night's shadows played through the trees outside the barn. This unfamiliar world that was once his home now felt so alien. Only one thing remained on the planet that anchored him to his past, and he needed to hear a familiar voice, so he tapped a button on his watch and whispered, “Syn, how is the shuttle?

  “The shuttle is fine, Commander. I have everything under control.”

  “That's good to know. What’s the status on the older, orbiting satellites?”

  “I have been running diagnostics on several, Commander. We may be able to salvage one or two of the solar-powered satellites if we strip parts from the others."

  “Any intel from the C29 or the Dawn yet? Anything at all?”

  “Commander, are you all right? You seem uncharacteristically talkative.”

  “Just feeling lonely, Syn. How about that intel…”

  “Yes, Commander. The recently deployed C29 and Dawn confirm that MBR has limited power in the lower science lab levels. I am still detecting an unexplained signal that we may need to investigate. Long-range scans detect no signs of wreckage from any of the Savior spacecraft.”

  “I forgot about the Saviors. Weren’t they headed to a moon orbiting Jupiter?”

  “No, Commander, they were headed to Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. I detect no evidence of life on Enceladus and no technologically advanced civilizations anywhere in this solar system. I cannot locate anything that resembles the energy signatures from spacecraft of our time.”