Flight from the Dominion (The Gamma Earth Cycle Book 2) Read online

“Gaaaaah!” Gabe screamed. He sat up, drenched in sweat. The Blue Guards rushed inside the room, brandishing metal clubs. Rann screamed.

  “What in the hell are you hollering about?” Cookie pushed his sagging face off of the floor. “You scared the poop out of me.” He glanced at the guards. “Them too, I think.”

  Dino was balled up in the corner with body tremors. Gabe realized he must have dreamed it, which wasn’t a regular occurrence with him.

  Rann brushed the hair out of his eyes. “Did you have a nightmare?”

  “Of course, he had a nightmare,” Jack said. “Wouldn’t you if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?”

  Rann flung a ceramic tile at Jack. It clipped the side of his head.

  Jack laughed.

  “I think we’re fine here,” Cookie told the guards. “I’ll just make us something to eat, and I’ll make sure they’ll be no more screams. Go on now. Stand in the hall until the sun sets again.”

  The Blue Guards looked at one another and walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

  Suddenly, it swung open, banging into the wall. Trooper’s wide shoulders almost touched the sides of the frame. “Gabe, come with me.”

  He swallowed. “Uh, what about, Squawk?”

  “Just you.”

  Rann’s hands were locked on Gabe’s. “Can I come too?”

  “No.”

  Gabe had to pull himself free of her grip. He looked at her. “It’ll be fine.”

  “No it won’t,” Jack said.

  Gabe followed Trooper out of the building. He took a final glance at the window. Rann frowned as she waved at him. His stomach sank to his knees. It pained him to leave her or Squawk behind. Being close to Squawk gave him strength. The further away he got, the worse it was.

  The compound hosted many activities. There were strange entertainers in the streets, blowing fire and juggling odd things. Metal baskets with four wheels were pushed around by the tradesmen selling anything from shoes and clothing to clocks and gadgets from the old world. Not one approached Trooper, however. There was no eye contact, but their fearful eyes lingered on his weapons. The rifle was just one. He had a long knife strapped down the side of his leg, and now he carried the Count’s revolver. Gabe stayed close. He didn’t care for the vile mutterings of the people they passed. Newton was bad enough, but the Burg was worse.

  “I know I’m not supposed to ask, but where are we going?” He caught a glimpse of a boy with a bucket and brush, scrubbing wording from a nearby wall.

  Without looking at him, Trooper said, “The Count wants to meet you.”

  “The Count? She’s dead,” Gabe said.

  “Every compound has a Count, just like it has residents of the Dominion, citizens, and the Blue Guard. It’s a very simple form of rule. The Count is the go-between of the citizens and the Dominion. I thought you knew this.”

  “I only know what I know from where I’ve been.”

  “Huh.”

  The walked by a large group of people on hands and knees, moaning and reciting. Candles burned on the top of a very long golden-yellow vehicle with black striping. Gabe had seen the Eyewatch worshipping Bullywug, and these people were doing the same thing. All of them had a black or gold sash on their hips as they chanted slowly, “Bus…Bus…Bus…Bus…” Suddenly, a loud horn blared out from inside of the huge vehicle. The citizens jumped up and started running in place. Someone threw a strange pigskin ball out of the bus as a second blaring horn sounded. The worshippers wrestled over the ball and tackled one another.

  “Fanatics.” Trooper showed a little amusement in his eyes. “There are all sorts of fanatics here. The Bus worshippers are one of the biggest sects. Whatever you do, don’t take their football.”

  “Is that the thing they are fighting over?”

  “Yup. They’ll kill over it.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Compared to Newton, the Burg was ten times bigger in scope, but the layout was pretty much the same. The walled city within a great fallen city had shanties for the poor and food courts for the rich citizens. A dividing wall separated the Dominion from the citizens. Blue Guards guarded that wall with twice the force that manned the exterior. As for the people, they weren’t so different, but they wore a greater variety of clothing. The people were young, at most in their forties, about as old as Saul had seemed to Gabe. He was never certain how old his father was. The younger ones, like him, worked alongside the adults. Everywhere, someone was working on something. Rows of men carried long planks of dug-up steel. Sweat-drenched men pushed wheelbarrows loaded with brick and block. The Burg was rebuilding.

  Gabe kept in step with Trooper. His mind put things together. Where are the old ones? Would the Bus worshippers really kill him? Did the Blood Law rule in the Burg the same as it did in Newton? He wanted to ask question after question, but when he tried, Trooper shot him down with a stormy look. How many other places like this are out there?

  They entered a three-story building with three stone archways in the front. A stone staircase led up inside of it. Blue Guards were posted in front of the door. They stepped aside for Trooper. Inside was a long hallway running from one end of the building to another. There was a long wooden bench with a backrest. Trooper and Gabe sat down. Gabe felt as though he and Trooper were the only ones inside the building that was lit up with strange white lights on the walls that cut through the gloom. There was a steady hum in the building too that was irritating and grinding.

  “Is this where the Count lives?” he asked.

  “Works is more like it. I hate coming here.”

  “Why?”

  Trooper glanced at the glowing globes on the wall. “I think it’s the lighting. Something eerie about it.” He laid his rifle across his lap. “And all of that humming… don’t like it either.”

  They sat in the quiet for many long minutes. Finally, the silence was broken when a door further down the hallway opened with a notable pop. A man and woman teetered out. They were dressed in nice, pale-yellow robes. They were in their forties. The woman sobbed as she helped the man down the hallway. He was stooped over as he walked, clutching his hand. Fresh blood dripped to the floor. The man’s robes brushed over the blood as they sped along without looking Gabe’s direction and departed.

  Gabe drummed his fingers to the beat of his heart on the wooden bench, wondering what happened. A little boy skittered out the same doorway with rags in his hands. On his hands and knees, the skinny child wiped the blood trail with a wet rag then cleaned it away with a dry one. It took him about five minutes to finish the task. Once he finished, he stood at attention in front of the door he’d come from. Soft whispers that Gabe couldn’t make out drifted from out of the room. The little boy nodded, turned his back, and ran to the opposite end of the hallway where he disappeared down the staircase.

  A man stepped out of the room. He held out his hand, gestured with a flip of the palm, and sternly said, “Come… Trooper. Bring your guest.”

  Trooper gave Gabe a quick glance. Gabe slowly got on his feet. His eyes followed the wet marks on the floor that quickly dried as they approached.

  The black-clad man met them at the door. “I’ll take your arms, Trooper.”

  “Certainly, Clovis.” Trooper handed the man the rifle, revolver, and knife.

  Clovis set the weapons on a nearby table. He ejected the cartridge from the rifle and cleared the gun barrel. He emptied the revolver’s bullets on the table, one by one. He looked at Trooper. “You should have had your weapons cleared before you came this far.”

  “The Blue Guard should have checked it.”

  “I assume you they will the next time. This way.” Clovis led them into the room. The ceiling was vaulted twelve feet high. The walls were all empty shelves. There were tables with built-in shelves underneath. All of it was wooden, and everything was barren. Light came in from windows high above Trooper’s head. There were paintings on the wall of men and women dressed in garish clothing and drinking wine with
men with heads like wolves.

  Gabe’s nose crinkled. There was a lingering musty smell and a tinge of something that burned long ago. They faced a set of double doors made from a dark wood that retained its luster, unlike the rest of the muggy, deteriorated room. Clovis knocked on the door. Slowly, the doors split open. Blue guards in full uniform were on the other side. Unlike the rest, their uniforms were splendid in fashion, royal blue from head to toe with silver shirt buttons running from the chest to the waist like a jacket. Each man had a pistol on his hip strapped on with a leather gun belt. They patted down Trooper and Gabe.

  Clovis led them inside. The room was decorated with flowing crimson draperies hiding the windows. Smokeless brass lanterns burned on the walls. There was a mahogany desk on a platform at the far end. Behind it was a tall leather desk chair with the back to them.

  Clearing his throat Clovis said, “Count, your next appointment has arrived.”

  The chair squeaked as it turned.

  Gabe took a half step back, his jaw hanging.

  CHAPTER 29

  The Count in the chair looked the same as Angela. The cold-hearted facial features were the same, except this Count was a man.

  “Come closer,” the man said. He had the same hawkish good looks of his sister, but his shoulders were thicker. A crimson scarf hid his neck and was tucked inside of his collar. His black clothing was the same heavy cloth that Clovis wore without the brass buttons.

  Gabe approached the desk in step with Trooper. His heart thumped so loud he could hear it. His knees were wobbly. All he could see was Angela. The man spoke in a more masculine and spookier tone.

  The Count held his finger up when he spoke. “I am the Count of the Burg. My name is Angus.” He lowered his finger. His penetrating eyes examined Gabe from head to toe. He turned his attention to Trooper. “Deathrider, I understand that you lost many riders on your journey. That is unfortunate and unexpected. You gave me the firm impression that your riders were invincible people. Explain yourself.”

  “We encountered a mutant and his beasts. They got the drop on us. I—”

  The Count held up his finger. “You erred, Trooper. That is the explanation. No lengthy one will lead me to a different conclusion. I’m familiar with the wild and the treacheries it can reveal at the most unfashionable times.” He shook his head. “You will need to recruit more men, yes?”

  “Of course, Count.” Trooper gave a nod. “Seven will do.”

  “You will have them. You will need them. Unrest continues to surge among the citizens.” The Count made a short, little smile. He lifted his finger again at Gabe. “So you are the boy whose dragon killed my sister.” His finger dropped.

  Gabe’s tongue clove to the roof of his mouth. Clovis leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Answer the Count.”

  “I suppose.”

  “You had your dragon kill my sister.”

  “No.” Gabe caught his breath. “She attacked me, and Squawk attacked her. She threw him off of a bridge.”

  The Count asked, “And this dragon flies?”

  Gabe nodded. “Yes,” he said after the Count dropped his finger. “I didn’t know he could fly or breathe fire. He just did it.”

  The Count looked at Trooper. “Have you seen this fire?”

  “I have. The dragon turned a chewba into a charred grease spot.”

  The Count chuckled. “A flying, fire-breathing dragon. That sounds very dangerous. I can only imagine the look on my proud sister’s face when the scaly beast took to the air and lit her on fire. I imagine she was at a loss for words, wasn’t she?”

  “She cursed as she burned,” Gabe said

  “That’s my sister. She’ll get the last word in, no matter what.” The Count’s spooky demeanor seemed to warm to something brighter. There was a mirthful flicker in his eyes. He stood up behind the desk and approached them. He carried two guns in horizontal shoulder holsters. The guns were different than the one Angela had carried. They didn’t have a cylinder to hold the bullets, but rather a cartridge like Trooper’s rifle. He came down the two steps and stood at eye level to Trooper, but his frame was much smaller. “Tell me, Gabe. Do you control the dragon’s fire? And be honest. I hate a liar, and it’s a crime. There are lots of liars in our midst these days.”

  “I don’t know.” Gabe gave a little shrug. “He responds to my commands, but I’ve never commanded him to kill anyone. What he does, he does on his own.”

  “The dragon killed Angela for its own protection?”

  “I think that, or he was protecting me.”

  “I see.” The Count rested his fingers on the black grips of his guns. His index finger tapped. “The Blood Law says that when blood is shed, blood must be paid. Blood for blood. You are familiar with this, aren’t you Gabe?”

  He nodded.

  “According to the law, your dragon should be put down, for order’s sake. Do you feel that would be fair, Gabe? And on a side note, is that short for Gabriel?”

  “No, Gabel. And I don’t think it would be fair because Angela said the Blood Law doesn’t matter outside of the compound. It’s what happens inside the compound that matters.”

  “Oh, she always was one to twist the rules in her favor. But no, Gabe. That isn’t accurate. You see, if a citizen is involved, not a stranger, they are still subject to the laws of the Dominion. You are a citizen of Newton and subject to their laws. You are a visitor in the Burg, now subject to our laws, which are much the same, for the matter, aside from a few intricacies that are more pertinent to our city.” He drew the guns and spun them on his fingers. The nickel plating flashed in the dreary light. He stuffed them back in the holsters. “You are still guilty of a crime, Gabe. Your escape from Newton created a heap of trouble. Do you know how many were left for dead in your wake? It wasn’t just Angela, but it was many others too. Please, take a guess.”

  The only person, aside from Angela, he could think of was Malak. “Two.”

  “No, Gabe, not two, but twenty.” The Count’s thumbs pounded the gun hammers. “Someone must take the blame for all of this. That someone is you.”

  CHAPTER 30

  Gabe felt himself shrinking into his shoes. His stomach soured. More people were dead because of him. Who else died because he’d bonded with Squawk? The body count kept stacking up. With his throat tightening he managed to say, “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry?” The Count chuckled. “That’s really nice, Gabe, but I don’t think that is going to do it. You see, in Newton, not only did citizens die, but there were some casualties from the Dominion as well, and that is a most egregious situation. Those families demand retribution. They demand it in blood. Whose blood do you think that I’m going to give them, Gabe?”

  “Mine?”

  “Well of course I’m going to give them your blood. After all, you are the mastermind behind these deadly consequences.” Count Angus paced a short path in front of them, spinning on his heel each time he turned. His voice was somewhat chipper when he spoke. It seemed more like he was talking to himself and not Gabe. “But every situation has a caveat. Do you know what a caveat is?”

  “Fish eggs?”

  “No, that’s caviar, and where did you hear about that, anyway?”

  “Mandy let me taste some one day.”

  “Oh, my niece, Mandy. I’d forgotten all about that little tramp. It might do you well to know that she wasn’t among the casualties. Now, where was I? Yes, caveat. A caveat is a notice I will send to Newton, suspending the investigation indefinitely on your behalf. You see, Gabe, no one knows that you are involved in this rebellion.”

  “But I’m not.”

  “We all are, but you left, when you could have stayed. That’s an admission of guilt that can easily be proved by a council of judges. You colluded with the Resistance. In the meantime, I’m helping to mend those fences. I’ll send a carrier pigeon to Newton and tell them that the Deathriders dismantled the culprits, hence laying the blame on another scapegoat.” Co
unt Angus stopped pacing. “This depends on the decision you make, right here and today. I need your word. I need your commitment. Will you give the Dominion your loyalty, or will you continue to be deluded by the Resistance? It’s really simple, Gabe: death or the Dominion?”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “We are very curious about your skills with our dragon. As I understand it, you are plenty familiar with the Dragon Games and have worked with the gamers. It’s not so different here, but the audience is much bigger. If you earn our trust, you can live in the Burg, train your dragon. Of course, we don’t have any other fire-breathing flying dragons, so you will need to control that. If it’s a problem, chances are your gamma dragon will be put down.”

  “What do you mean by gamma dragon?”

  Count Angus pulled his guns, spun them, and flipped them back in. “Yes, of course. The Newton population doesn’t talk much about the gammas. You see, the gammas are creatures with special abilities. The Dominion is still studying the matter, but people and creatures mutated as a result of the Great Burning contamination. It’s rare, mostly ghastly and destructive, and unpredictable. The important thing is that it’s rare. Know you are privy to information that most men in their lifetimes will never hear. Don’t you feel honored?”

  “No.”

  Angus looked Gabe dead in the eye. “Will you cooperate or not, Gabe?”

  No, I think I’d rather die.

  “Yes, I’ll cooperate.”

  “I knew you would, Gabe. Trooper, if you want to keep that rifle, don’t lose any more of my men. There’s a shortage of good ones.”

  “Yes, Count.”

  “Clovis, attend to Gabe. Set him up in quarters, and give him a tour of the Dragon Den and arena.”

  “As you wish, Count.” Clovis bowed. He took Gabe by the arm. “This way, Gabe.”

  Gabe resisted. He said to the Count, “What about Rann?”

  “Who?” Angus looked at Trooper.