Scout Read online

The warrior also dismounted and ringed the outer edges of the cave. ABdim7 entered, presumably to join her mother. Scout untied the straps and slid to the ground to stretch, but his eyes never left the intricate carvings around the cave. During the Blight years, those desert dwellers lucky enough both to survive and make their way to the mountains were allowed to voluntarily exchange enslavement for food, conditional upon the removal of their breeder teeth.

  The Sidmopisians took full advantage of the thousands of laborers to create wondrous works of carved art. Their first projects included immense castles for the nobility, and then public monuments such as the original cave where Gace created the Sidmopisian race.

  A carved mopis head surrounded the cave opening, complete with teeth, on a ten to one scale. The rest of the carven body and legs wound two-hundred feet up the mountain and ended in an enormous tail pincer that thrust out over a cliff edge. The entire carving was too large to see from end to end without changing focus and was somehow more frightening than the real mopis which kept a suspicious watch on Scout from just two feet away.

  The two nobles emerged at the end of an hour, and after a short discussion so quiet even Scout couldn’t hear, ABdim7 returned and once again secured herself to the mopis.

  "I have been ordered to make all haste to the compound. We will be taking a straight course, disregarding the paths. I suggest you tie yourself firmly and lie prone like a proper person. Some of the approaches overhang, and although the mopis is in no danger when inverted, your safety is up to you."

  She did not wait for Scout to secure himself before she urged her mopis forward, and he barely finished tying himself face up and bound to five segments before they began climbing a nearly vertical fifty-foot cliff face. He could hear rocks break off as forty sharp claws scrabbled upward, but the mopis always seemed to maintain enough purchase to stay attached to the wall. They encountered overhangs twice along the way that indeed forced them to travel upside down, which left Scout straining against the straps and staring straight down at hundred-foot drops onto hard rock.

  By the end of the four-hour dreadful journey, Scout simply kept his eye shut and waited it out. On his own, considering his genetic modifications, he could easily have made the trip if somewhat slower, but riding tied as a helpless passenger with no control terrified him.

  As a result of his apprehension, he did not see their entry into the Ambassador's castle as they rode beneath a series of arches, each larger and more magnificent than the last. In fact, he did not open his eyes until the mopis was perfectly horizontal for the first time since the ride began. They entered the main courtyard stables that adjoined an immense stone bastion.

  Before Scout could untie from the mopis, Ambassador ABdim7 slithered down and whistled a serious of curt commands to a small crowd of soldiers that had quickly gathered around her. She disappeared into the castle portico without a word to Scout. As he sat up, the first thing he noticed was the densely packed crowds of Sidmopisans that slithered purposefully in all directions. The small open space that had surrounded him on arrival began to collapse as ABdim7 departed.

  A contingent of armed soldiers surrounded Scout as he slid to the ground and stood up. Their spears divided him from the mopis and prevented any lane of escape were he to so desire. All had similar colored capes tied around their necks and a small medallion that depend from a string. A soldier with a slightly larger medallion than the others leaned close to be heard over the cacophony of the crowded courtyard and said, "Ambassador ABdim/F claims you are a clever animal and can understand somewhat of proper speech. Follow me closely and we won't have need to truss or cage you."

  She angled her spear to part a passage through the crowds and glided forward without interference. Scout hesitated for a moment but saw his other escorts lower their spears towards him and trotted to catch up. Rather than head for the main opening as had ABdim7, they led Scout into the stables proper. They passed several dozen stalls that contained curled resting mopis’, then ducked into an unassuming tunnel entrance that punched into the side of the mountain.

  Within minutes, they entered the first true darkness Scout encountered since crossing the barrier into the desert lands of Sephia. He gingerly stretched his arms to each side and felt smooth stone within reach of both. He experienced a sudden urge to stop, followed by a hallucinated image of a low overhang that projected from a blank wall directly ahead.

  He lowered his head after a slight hesitation since he was not sure the premonition was real, but his momentum was too fast for him to stop entirely. He hit something with a glancing blow hard enough to see stars. With the same brain-itching sensation that accompanied the overhanging wall, he suddenly became aware of a side passage ninety degrees to his right.

  The images from these impressions were akin to sharply defined outlines bereft of fine detail. He dived toward the sudden turn and only slightly sprained his left shoulder as he bounced off the wall. He managed to maintain his feet and continued forward without prompting from behind. He only could imagine that this newfound sensorium was another built-in function of his scout design.

  Scout’s eyes perceived a lessening of the darkness as they soon entered a huge semi-circular open theater surrounded by cages and stables that enclosed innumerable vicious creatures. The soldiers led him to a 10-foot square cage, tossed him inside, and locked the bars. He had a clear view of the natural amphitheater, which consisted of coiling pits that were carved in tiered rows to comfortably seat thousands of spectators.

  Scout’s cell contained nothing except a small pile of moldering hay in a back corner. Other than an iron gate, the cell was simply a carved divot in the solid rock. The cells were canted at odd angles, which he was to assumed limit the view and keep occupants from trying to attack each other.

  Two weeks went by and Scout felt forgotten as his only visits were twice daily deliveries of a slop bucket and water, and a once a week mucking out. Since all the cages were on his side of the arena, he had no view of other cells, but the noise was a constant irritant. This land had no day/night cycle, so some percentage of the menagerie was always active. His sleep suffered, but overall the enforced idleness was pleasantly relaxing. Scout thought he might eventually try and escape but would give his captors a while yet to engage with him.

  Early in the third week, hundreds of small blood-neuters slithered back and forth in preparation for a coming event. They swept and scrubbed the coiling pits and carefully cleaned and groomed the pink sand imported from the desert. The few larger overseer milk-neuters shooed off the workers when satisfied and attended to their own stations.

  The stands filled with spectators in strict accordance with precedents; the top, and furthest away were for those milk-neuters lucky enough to be given time off from their duties. Following them, the seats filled with average Sidmopisian mature females, then those of the warrior class able to wrangle off-duty time. The best seats were reserved for minor Royals, including merchants, artisans, and landowners. Finally, when everyone else settled and the gates closed, the Queen and her direct line arrived.

  Golden Era Romans would have felt perfectly at home during the ensuing spectacle. Young gladiators fought for pride and reputation. The victors were pitted against criminals and slaves in battles that were little more than violent and gory executions, and traitors to the Queen were fed to voracious animals.

  For the finale, exotic beasts were set against each other, the more evenly matched the better, at least for the gamblers in the crowd. At the end of one drawn-out clash, and after guards had dispatched the victorious wild mopis’, a group of handlers led Scout out of his cell. He could not help plotting an escape. He knew he could clamber out of the pit, but thought it highly unlikely he could avoid recapture for long.

  They placed him at the end of a line of smaller animals. Many were in elaborate cages, but all were tethered securely. All were colorful or otherwise aesthetically pleasing, in contrast to the fangs, claws, and pincers of the previous com
batants. A shimmering near–butterfly with a six-foot wingspan led the procession, its iridescent colors creating holographic patterns.

  They paraded slowly along the length of the arena to the Sidmopisian version of oohs and ahhs. The line stopped beneath the Royal enclosure, where ABdim7, ABdim/F's clone daughter, described each of her mother's new acquisitions to all in general and the Queen specifically. As she finally presented Scout, a hush fell over the crowd.

  "And here, mother acquired a human! Not nearly as fearsome as the tales describe, it seems."

  The Queen whispered to her own clone daughter Gaug, who asked the question, "What do you plan on doing with it? It is not particularly attractive."

  Ambassador ABdim/F whispered to her clone daughter in turn, who answered, "We shall see what amusing tricks it can learn, and if it is not very intelligent will probably explore its fighting potential for an evening's entertainment. Her Majesty is correct; it really isn't impressive compared to mother’s other pets."

  Those who knew the ambassador well could tell by the twitching of her tail that the indirect conversation irritated her. The bump in status that owning the only known human gave her was thrilling, but instead of receiving congratulations and perhaps a little adulation for her cleverness, the Queen made a power statement.

  “Her Majesty, my mother, has developed a small interest in this human, mainly as a historical artifact. What may we offer you for it?"

  Ambassador ABdim/F was now clearly enraged. She had invested half her life and many fortunes trying to eat away at the Gace legacy of power and control. Now here, in public, the Queen once again manipulated ABdim/F into a show of obeisance. She stood up and gathered her cape to address the Queen directly.

  "Please, accept this small gift in the spirit of generosity for which her Majesty is noted."

  She glared at the Queen, who smiled in mild amusement as she watched the ambassador storm off. She hoped this show of strength would remind the ambassador of her place, but doubted she could avoid the upcoming crisis so easily.

  ~o0o~

  The Queen had no further interest in Scout, but he intrigued Princess Gaug. She had him brought to her chambers, a warren of tunnels and alcoves dug from the rock centuries earlier by the original Gace monarchy. Soldiers placed him in a small niche with a soft palate bed, with only a knee-high decorative barrier that delineated his border.

  The Royal warren was stationed both by posted and roving guards, but as they had no direct orders concerning the weak looking human. They mainly kept half an eye out to make sure he wasn't about to soil the carpet.

  Gaug's wing of the royal residence was richly appointed with many rare and artistic objects on display. Scout casually waited until a guard slithered around the corner, then took two adult breeder teeth off a display necklace and hid them under his bed.

  He spent several more hours finding an impromptu drilling tool and a usable mouthpiece then set about crafting a two-chambered flute. The fashionable affectation of the ruling class speaking only with their breeding teeth made Scout’s communication task fairly simple.

  Gaug stopped by Scout’s alcove on her way to bed and remembered all the childhood horror stories of humans. They were mostly morality fables about what happens to bad little Sephians, and by inference, Sidmopisians. She always assumed they were just that, stories, but now she wondered what facts of history they might have been based upon. Lost in her reverie, she no longer focused on Scout. She missed the fact that he slowly pulled the hand-fashioned instrument from under his bed and put it to his mouth to blow while fingering the holes.

  "Greetings, ma'am. I am called Scout and am at your service."

  She heard the words, and looked around behind her to see who might be speaking. Other than one lone guard stationed at a tunnel intersection, she was alone. Scout caught her eye as he stood up and bowed; a gesture with which she was unfamiliar but which she correctly interpreted.

  "My apologies but my mouth is not equipped to speak your language correctly."

  Gaug made the connection, but could neither believe nor react to the fact that the human spoke. Her instincts and training as a direct descendant of Gace took over, which gave her worldview a chance to adjust as she remembered who and what she was.

  "I am Princess Gaug, clone daughter and heir to her August Majesty, the Queen, bloodline of Gace herself."

  "I am honored. I have made a long and onerous journey in search of my people, or at least information or rumor of them."

  "You must have an epic tale to tell. But I am weary, and it is late. There is evidently more to you than anyone realized, but you also present possible advantages, or dangers, to our current situation. I must think. I prefer you keep your ability to speak a secret for now. Tomorrow we will discuss much, and make, I hope, mutually advantageous plans."

  "As I have stated, I am yours to command. I place myself entirely in your hands. I wish you a restful sleep and will be available at your convenience."

  "Yes. Thank you. I will try to clear a significant timeframe from my schedule tomorrow. Good rest to you, Scout."

  Neither rest nor sleep was on her agenda that night.

  ~o0o~

  Princess Gaug and Scout did come to a mutually beneficial agreement. They hid Scout’s true intelligence and presented him as a favored clever but harmless pet. That subterfuge allowed him to wander the Castle at will and remain mostly ignored. It also gave him access to secrets, which proved invaluable to Gaug. In return, she related every bit of knowledge her people had of humans.

  Scout compared the Sidmopisian’s human mythology (for that is all it was) with his pre-Catastrophe heliobee knowledge. He arrived at two main conclusions; humans truly were extinct, and they somehow caused an explosion that nearly destroyed the world. This was mostly inference, and though there was little hope, he still planned to continue his search.

  He and Gaug became close friends, so he decided to help her and the Gace line survive the coup attempt that they both foresaw. ABdim/F and ABdim7 successfully convinced the minor royal lines to attempt a revolt and promised a more equitable distribution of both power and wealth. ABdim/F, consumed with jealousy and hatred, actually meant to replace the aristocracy so long as she destroyed the Gaces.

 

  Scout adapted sand-flamers into weapons to arm the Royal troops, which more than tipped the balance as far as ground troops, but did nothing to address the underlying issues. Scout continued to provide wise counsel and suggestions but continued to keep his contributions a secret. As far as the Queen was concerned, her rival’s information came from her daughter’s spy network and she assumed the tactics and strategies were a result of Princess Gaug’s superior genetics.

  Scout had one last trick he knew would tip the balance of the coup attempt in the Queen’s favor. By proxy, he asked for a dozen of Gaug’s most trusted warrior retainers, whom he knew could ride their mopises blindfolded if necessary. When they assembled at the edge of the castle grounds, he ordered that blindfolds were indeed necessary and led the troop secretly off the mountain. They grumbled but complied. When they reached the end of their journey, they gaped in awe and shock as he allowed them to remove their covers.

  Scout took them to the long forgotten funeral caves, where nervous but obedient they set about and gathered immense fortunes in breeder teeth. Since the early days of the long-ago plague, breeder teeth were the coin of the realm, a rare commodity which original owners were loathed to part with. Given the unlimited wealth within the caverns, Scout took extra pains to ensure the soldiers remained ignorant of the location of the caves but also promised each a comfortable gratuity.

  Loyalty can be strong, but everyone has limits. Princess Gaug was careful to reward these troops well, both financially and with promotions. The treasure was sufficient to bribe the younger members of the mutineer’s families to undermine their superiors and ensure the Gace line’s power for a long dynasty.

  The day of the revolt went mostly as planned for
the fully prepared Gace clan. However, as during any war, the unexpected happened. ABdim7 escaped the trap set for her long enough to sneak into the Gace war room with three of her most ardent supporters. Gace soldiers quickly dispatched them all, but only after they seriously wounded Scout. Princess Gaug was so distraught, and her body was so flooded with hormones from the fighting that as she cradled Scout in her maniples. She could not help herself from taking a sip of his pooled blood. It tasted exceptionally sweet.

  The Queen was horrified when she found her daughter slipped into a pregnancy semi-coma. She called for the Royal healers to care for Scout in a secure cell. They addressed his wounds and made him comfortable, but otherwise left him isolated for the entirety of the pregnancy. There was no way to be certain who’s progeny the princess carried, but the Queen did not overlook any possibility.

  ~o0o~

  Scout recognized the passageways through which the soldiers escorted him as those of Princess Gaug’s private wing. The comfortable receiving chamber contained three identical Sidmopisians; the Queen, her clone daughter Gaug, and what appeared to be a yet younger clone daughter. The only way to tell them apart was their finery.

  The Queen wore a rich cape and sported a large, intricate medallion that hung just below her jaw. Princess Gaug wore a ring of fabric streamers with a slightly less ornate medallion, and the unknown female had an elaborate headpiece that covered her eyes from view.

  The Queen lowered her head, brought her nose within an inch of Scout’s, and said, “Please remove the covering.”

  The third female removed the headpiece with her longer set of maniples and revealed the same clear, sky blue round eyes that Scout saw in every reflection.

  “Can you explain this?” The Queen asked with casual menace, “You are neither Sidmopisian nor even Sephian, yet somehow your blood impregnated Gaug and your essence invaded her hatchling’s body.”

  “I would say it is evident; I am her father.”

  “And what, may I ask, is a ‘father’?”