Guiding Read online

  Taking care of folks in the wild is her hobby, but when two of the Shadow Folk need her help getting everyone out alive, her skills as a guide will be tested.

  Teyha enjoys being a historian and educating the next generation of Gaia on how they arrived. Her weekends and time off is spent exploring the new home for humanity, bringing back information and tales of the abandoned cities of the previous civilizations.

  Two Shadow Folk come to ask for her help as a guide, and with a little convincing, she agrees to head to the ancient city that their people had once thrived in.

  On the way to the city, she finds that she is not taking two men on a pilgrimage, she is leading a rescue party. With one shadow keeping secrets and the other too close for comfort, she does what she was asked to do. She guides them in, and she gets them all out.

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  Guiding

  Copyright © 2012 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-321-2

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books

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  Guiding

  Return of the Nine 4

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  “…looking up at the sky, Henrietta Barrows knew that she had to leave the Earth. The tiny sliver of sky was so small, she could barely make out a single star. The moment that she made up her mind, she signed the paperwork and prepared for her journey. For better or worse, she was going to Gaia.” Teyha smiled. “And that is all for today.”

  The two-dozen children groaned. They were seated in a semicircle around her chair with their faces turned up, eager to catch every detail of their ancestors’ voyage.

  Teyha closed the book. “Same time next week, and we will find out how Henrietta fared on the journey here.”

  The teachers thanked her and herded the children out of the Archive of Gaia. The plan had been to introduce a bit of Gaian colonist history into the classroom, but Teyha found that the children became part of the story if they were surrounded by it.

  She tidied up the Hall of the Colony, smiling at the shift in shadows near the doorway. When she was finished, she turned her head, “Was there something you wanted?”

  The shadows parted and Daphne Leoraki came bustling up. “Teyha. Am I glad to see you.”

  Teyha had gone to school with Daphne and came forward to speak to her as the shadows continued to shift. The children had probably run right past them, but they stood out like bright candles to Teyha’s senses.

  “Nice to see you too, Daphne. Who are your friends?”

  Daphne smiled. “Shadow Folk. They need you to take them to the Temple of Shadows. Does that ring a bell?”

  Teyha blinked and laughed. “Yeah, I know the spot.”

  She walked out of the hall and shooed her guests out in front of her, putting them in the light of the atrium. They were either male or the Shadow Folk had some enormous women. Each man was over a head taller than she was and wreathed in ever-shifting shadow. It was easy to see where they earned their name.

  “What do you want there?”

  The shadows shifted and one said, “You do not need to know.”

  She crossed her arms and scowled up at where she imagined his face was. “I do need to know. I take folks into the forests and hills so that they stay safe. Once we hit the foothills near the temple, no electronics work. We will be in a silent zone and unable to call for help by standard means. It is not a place for sightseeing.”

  His head shifted, and he looked at his friend before directing the shadows back to her. “It is a religious pilgrimage. We have not been able to walk to the temple on Naccru due to our placement on the mother ship of the Nine. It is important to us, and you will be paid well.”

  Teyha listened to what he wasn’t saying. The tone of his voice was urgent and not with religious fervour. There was no greed or manipulation aside from the obvious. He was lying to her.

  “Fine. I am guessing that this is an urgent pilgrimage?”

  “Yes.” He paused and said, “Please.”

  His friend spoke, “Please.”

  Teyha looked to Daphne. “Introductions?”

  Daphne smiled, with relief on her face. “Ekinar Rossing, Representative of the Shadow Folk of the Nine.”

  The shadow that had spoken to her bowed low.

  “Nosku Sheval, biologist on the mother ship.”

  The other man bowed as well but said, “Can we leave now?”

  His urgency was palpable, and more than that, he was worried.

  Teyha nodded. “I need to stop for a change of clothing and supplies. Do you have rations that are suited to your biology?”

  Daphne nodded, “I will get them.”

  “Do you have a transport to the foothills?” She started calculating the supplies she would need for the one day in and one day out journey, with some extra for unforeseen circumstances.

  “We do.” Ekinar replied.

  “Good. Meet me in the field nearest the embassy in one hour. I will be waiting. You will need food, water and boots. It is a two-day round trip.”

  She turned and left the men staring at her with Daphne snickering between them and trying to get them moving.

  Teyha checked in at the office and informed the facility manager that she would be out on a guiding tour for a few days.

  Reesha smiled and nodded. “Take pictures. That area is amazing.”

  “Can I use the manual cam? I am going into the foothills.” Teyha raised her eyebrows.

  Reesha sighed. “Take good care of it, or you will have to make another one.”

  Teyha crossed the room and opened the safe, getting the camera bag and several spare rolls of film. Since she was heading into an ancient settlement, there was no reason not to use the opportunity to take more images of the Temple of Shadows and the glyphs and markings that it contained.

  The first time that she had gone to the temple area, it had been curiosity, and she had been rushed. Now, she had another chance, and she wanted to go in prepared.

  With the bag over her shoulder, she waved cheerfully to Reesha and headed out to her small apartment.

  As Teyha entered, she began to shed her clothing on the way to her bedroom. The wardrobe that held her expedition gear was code locked, but a few well-placed digits and it opened to her touch. Humming to herself, she tugged on her wilderness suit, stomped into her hiking boots and wrapped her wrists.

  Her hair was swiftly wrapped up in a tight braid that restrained the fine tendrils from floating loose.

  Whistling softly, she strapped on her knives, checked her compact bow and bolt supply, grabbed two weeks’ worth of compressed rations, placing them and water packs in her backpack on top of the flare gun and flares. She could only carry enough water for two days, but she knew where the streams were in the area, and
tests had proved them potable.

  Her first trip into the foothills had been to discover why the area repelled technology. Between the mineral samples that she had obtained, the water samples, and the first-hand viewing of an ancient city of the Nine, it had been a surprising and bittersweet success.

  Teyha’s exploration had been her attempt at grieving. Her parents had been a geologist and a historian respectively, and looking for proof of the previous occupation of Gaia by the Nine had been her way of honouring their memory. They had died in a landslide in the foothills six months before the Tokkel attacks, and when the planet had been at risk, Teyha had found other things to occupy her time.

  After her discovery, she had been called to confirm the ancient settlement and swore to her observations in front of the Gaian council. It had been a testimony that cemented their agreement to working with the new aliens in orbit above them. With Teyha’s confirmation that there was indeed an ancient ruin of the Nine, it was confirmed that they were what they claimed, kindred spirits with a common enemy.

  Carefully, she tucked the camera into her pack and sealed it. With a grunt and a move that she had practiced for years, she hoisted the pack onto her back. A sharp jerk tightened the shoulder straps. A buckle fastened it to her waist.

  She looked in the mirror and made a face. Her ice grey eyes stared back at her as her lips twisted. Sighing, she smoothed her features, checked her gear and her ability to reach the weapons one more time and left her apartment, locking the door.

  It was time to catch her ride.

  Chapter Two

  Teyha followed Ekinar’s instruction and keyed in the details of their proposed landing site. The transport lifted and began its rapid cruise over the landscape.

  She took one last look at the watchtower where her friend Lazkiy was on duty. Two days from now at sunset, Lazkiy would be waiting for a signal.

  Teyha had not told the Shadow Folk about the planned safety check. They kept things from her, and she kept things from them.

  “How are you qualified for this mission?” Nosku’s voice was far more grating than that of his companion.

  “I am a guide, and I have never gotten lost. How is that?” She watched the landscape spin by, and her mind automatically reset her orientation. She didn’t discuss her radar with strangers, so they weren’t going to learn that either.

  Ekinar shifted, his shadows flowing around him. “Have you truly been to the Temple of Shadows?”

  “I have been to the site. I did not go inside.”

  Nosku muttered, “We should have found someone else.”

  Ekinar shifted and leaned toward his friend.

  Teyha held up her hand to interrupt what he was about to say. “Let me be clear here. There is no one else. No other Gaian has explored that range. If you could have found your way there on your own, you would have. I have actually been there before. I am prepared for the local predators and aware of the landslide dangers. I will get you in for whatever you really want, and I will lead you out again. We will do it safely and securely and in an organized manner. Are we clear?”

  Ekinar leaned forward, “What do you mean, what we really want?”

  She looked at him with calm eyes, something that most folks found unnerving. The paleness of her eyes gave her the appearance of someone who had been blinded. “I am not a fool, nor am I ignorant of body language. You two lied about your reasons for being out here, and I don’t care. Daphne asked me to take you, so you are above board, but aside from that, I know you lied to me about your true reason for the visit.”

  Silence fell. No one said a word. The transport continued to approach the foothills, and an hour later, the systems started to malfunction.

  “Please land the transport, and prepare to start your hike.” Teyha settle back into her pack and kept her voice chipper and cheerful, in true guide fashion.

  Ekinar brought the transport down near a copse of trees. “Will the vehicle be alright here?”

  “Yes. The keedu can’t get over the edge, and the electronics will be fine as long as they don’t reach further into the disruption field generated by the minerals.” She huffed as she repositioned her pack before strapping it into place.

  Nosku got to his feet, and he picked up two flat packs from under a seat in the transport, handing one to Ekinar.

  Teyha looked at the swirling shadows and shrugged before starting to walk. This was going to be so much fun, she could barely stand it.

  The foothills rapidly gave way to narrow canyons and eerie echoes.

  The shadowed figures stayed behind her, but she could hear the huffing and puffing that accompanied their efforts.

  Two hours in, the light was beginning to dim. Her other senses were compensating, but she had no idea what the capabilities of the Shadow Folk were. “We are going to stop for a rest.”

  Nosku said, “No, we have to continue.”

  She shook her head. “I am in charge. You will do no one any good if you drop from exhaustion. Sit, drink, have something to eat, and we will continue our discussion.”

  Nosku shook his head. “We have to move as quickly as we can.”

  “Ekinar, please get your friend to sit and eat. We won’t make it to the temple before dark, and I have some questions to ask you.” Teyha sat and fished out a ration pack, sipping at water slowly, washing down the compressed food.

  Ekinar sat and took out his own meal, leaving Nosku fidgeting, his shadows flickering and flaring.

  “Well, I suppose we are free to tell you what we are actually looking for.”

  Teyha looked at him as her night vision began to take hold. “Please. I can be of better use if I know what I am seeking.”

  Nosku was seated away from her, and he was vibrating with tension. “My nephew and two of his friends stole a shuttle to seek out the Temple of Shadows. We tracked them here, but we lost the signal. If we reported the stolen vehicle to the Nine, they would put it on my nephew’s record, and it would damage his chances for advancement when he enters the service.”

  Teyha nodded. “And if you had told the Gaians, they would have had to report it to the mother ship before authorizing you to run around the surface.”

  Ekinar nodded. “Correct. Any way we look at it, the children would suffer for being children.”

  Teyha groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. “Okay, that is something completely different. How is your night vision?”

  Nosku sat up, and his body language changed. “We can see easily in the dark.”

  “Lucky you, so can I. I can get us to the site tonight, but we can’t try anything until the morning. The area is covered with glyphs and ancient language markings, and I have only managed to translate a few. Now, tell me about your myths and legends about the Temple of Shadows.”

  Nosku nodded. “Thank you. Well, the Shadow Folk have always believed that the Temple of Shadows was the centre of our ancestors’ lives here on Underhill. It is an opening in the side of a mountain and only accessible by our kind.”

  Teyha frowned. “That doesn’t sound right, but we will see when we get there.”

  Ekinar finally stated the question that she had been waiting for. “Gaians can’t see in the dark.”

  She blinked at him, her vision finally giving her an idea of the man behind the shadows. It was too early yet, too much light getting in the way, but she could make out sharply chiselled features and a quizzical expression. “Who said I could see in the dark? I have night vision. It is a very different thing.”

  She had them wait while she attended to nature and returned to rifle through her pack, bringing out her bow and bolts.

  “Why are you arming yourself?” Ekinar was close to her, and she found she didn’t mind.

  “There are quite a few deadly beasts here in the area. Most are nocturnal, so our journey is taking us through their hunting grounds. Better safe than stupid.”

  She put her pack back on and continued to sip on her water as she began to move again. They would follow
her. She was their only chance.

  Her senses were fully attuned to the night around her. A slow, rhythmic thudding was horribly familiar. Teyha whispered, “Get to the canyon walls and hold tight. We don’t have time to get out of here.”

  Ekinar was moving as she ordered, but he asked, “What is it?”

  “Stampede of Risshin deer followed by a Caplan.” She settled her back against the wall, and when Nosku stumbled to join them, she raised her bow and waited.

  It took two minutes for the stampede to become audible to the others, and a minute after that, the deer rushed past them with the Caplan right behind them.

  It was silly, but the initial settlers named animals on Gaia after themselves. The large feline known as a Caplan had six legs, teeth over a hand span long and a wicked temper.

  The animal paused as it scented them, shaking its head in confusion. Teyha took aim, but she didn’t want to strike the Caplan if it wasn’t necessary.

  Ekinar put his hand on her arm, and she watched him extend his other arm, snapping at the Caplan with the shadow that normally covered his body.

  The Caplan whipped around in confusion, and Ekinar struck it again. Within fifteen seconds, the Caplan continued to chase the deer through the canyon, leaving the hikers alone.

  “Nice trick.” Teyha released the tension on her bow.

  “You didn’t want to kill it, and it didn’t need to die. It just had to be reminded of its food source.”

  She chuckled. “Thank you. I thought those shadows had to be useful, though you do have striking features beyond it.”

  Nosku gasped. “Ekinar, you showed her?”

  She looked over at his face, and based on the Earth histories she had read, his face wore the stamp of the privileged classes. “He didn’t show me anything, and get that sneer off your face. It isn’t pretty.”

  Nosku looked ill.

  “If you are going to puke, do it over there.” She pointed across the way.