Read Online DogForge by Casey Calouette - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Casey Calouette
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pack gnawed on salvage there was nothing. She was alone.
Then the gears turned. First the outer gears. A slow turn with each cog clacking as it fell into place. After that, a thudding sound as double cogs settled in. Finally, at the top and bottom, the last gears hummed and sang.
Denali walked backwards with her eyes locked on the gears. Nothing good would walk out of those doors. She turned and sprinted away.
The gears slid and the door creaked. It opened painfully and the skelebots burst out.
She ran and felt fear gnawing inside her. It wasn’t just a fear of what was coming for her, but of what would come for the dogs in the camp below. She had to warn them. They had to get the pups out. The storm would give them cover. It had to.
Then the realization hit her: this time it was her fault.
Denali slid to a stop and set the cylinder down. She howled a deep primal howl with her nose pointed high. Every bit of her soul poured into that dogsong as it echoed down the empty halls.
A single howl replied.
She snatched up the cylinder and sprinted away. She snuck a glance behind her and stumbled when she saw what was coming.
Emerging from the geared door were a dozen skelebots and a mechanical construct that rolled on tracks. The skelebots clutched axes and pikes. Each shimmered blue with a field of energy bracketing them. The vehicle with treads moved slowly behind with a single heavy club. It wore a skull that so large it was comical.
Denali flew through the passage and emerged into the bright white. Snow fell and the wind blew drifts like waves at sea. The heaps of scrap below were barely visible through the driving white haze.
She pushed through the drifts and saw the first corpse. The dog lay with a sheet of snow covering his hind quarter. The caribou straps were severed and the sled flipped over. “Krunk,” she whispered.
The snow gave her cover, but things seemed to jump out of the wall of white. With every gust the snow shifted and danced around her. Where it was once light it was now dark. Billows and drifts grew up and created things that didn’t exist. Her foot stumbled on something and she dreaded to look down, but when she did it was a metal claw. Dead.
A howl sang on the wind. Someone was still alive, and close.
Denali snapped her ears high, bit tight on the cylinder, and followed the howl.
The drifts grew before her in mounds that scraped her stomach. In a matter of steps, her paws ached with ice driven between her toes. Clumps of snow melted and refroze on her ankles. Her eyes darted after each drift but still, she didn’t see another dog.
A snarl ripped through the air. A clang and a hiss followed a thud and a sizzle. Through the snow a shape emerged, a heaving back of silver and black, that barreled through the drifts.
Wisps of steam rose from Karoc’s mouth. “Come!”
Denali turned and fell in place behind the larger dog. Karoc plowed a fresh path through the drifts and trudged his way down the slope. Stripes of red marked the passage as the shaman bled.
“Where are we going?” Denali barked over the howling wind.
“We’re leading them away.”
“What?” Denali snapped back. She looked behind her. Silver shapes glinted through the sheets of snow. “Away where?”
“There!” Karoc barked and turned to stand.
The slope ended abruptly in a wall of white. Beyond was nothing but the swirling snows falling deeper into the valley.
“Hold them here! Let them come, we’ll drive them down.”
“What do I do?” Denali asked, her voice trembling.
“Let them go over the cliff. Help me to toss them over,” Karoc said as he looked at her. “Prove them all wrong.”
Denali turned with Karoc. Her tongue came out past the cylinder and she panted. She was so cold, and yet warm with fear. The animal side of her wanted to flee, while the conscience side knew she had to stay. Prove them wrong, she set her mind, she’d do exactly that.
The first shape materialized in the winds and
Then the gears turned. First the outer gears. A slow turn with each cog clacking as it fell into place. After that, a thudding sound as double cogs settled in. Finally, at the top and bottom, the last gears hummed and sang.
Denali walked backwards with her eyes locked on the gears. Nothing good would walk out of those doors. She turned and sprinted away.
The gears slid and the door creaked. It opened painfully and the skelebots burst out.
She ran and felt fear gnawing inside her. It wasn’t just a fear of what was coming for her, but of what would come for the dogs in the camp below. She had to warn them. They had to get the pups out. The storm would give them cover. It had to.
Then the realization hit her: this time it was her fault.
Denali slid to a stop and set the cylinder down. She howled a deep primal howl with her nose pointed high. Every bit of her soul poured into that dogsong as it echoed down the empty halls.
A single howl replied.
She snatched up the cylinder and sprinted away. She snuck a glance behind her and stumbled when she saw what was coming.
Emerging from the geared door were a dozen skelebots and a mechanical construct that rolled on tracks. The skelebots clutched axes and pikes. Each shimmered blue with a field of energy bracketing them. The vehicle with treads moved slowly behind with a single heavy club. It wore a skull that so large it was comical.
Denali flew through the passage and emerged into the bright white. Snow fell and the wind blew drifts like waves at sea. The heaps of scrap below were barely visible through the driving white haze.
She pushed through the drifts and saw the first corpse. The dog lay with a sheet of snow covering his hind quarter. The caribou straps were severed and the sled flipped over. “Krunk,” she whispered.
The snow gave her cover, but things seemed to jump out of the wall of white. With every gust the snow shifted and danced around her. Where it was once light it was now dark. Billows and drifts grew up and created things that didn’t exist. Her foot stumbled on something and she dreaded to look down, but when she did it was a metal claw. Dead.
A howl sang on the wind. Someone was still alive, and close.
Denali snapped her ears high, bit tight on the cylinder, and followed the howl.
The drifts grew before her in mounds that scraped her stomach. In a matter of steps, her paws ached with ice driven between her toes. Clumps of snow melted and refroze on her ankles. Her eyes darted after each drift but still, she didn’t see another dog.
A snarl ripped through the air. A clang and a hiss followed a thud and a sizzle. Through the snow a shape emerged, a heaving back of silver and black, that barreled through the drifts.
Wisps of steam rose from Karoc’s mouth. “Come!”
Denali turned and fell in place behind the larger dog. Karoc plowed a fresh path through the drifts and trudged his way down the slope. Stripes of red marked the passage as the shaman bled.
“Where are we going?” Denali barked over the howling wind.
“We’re leading them away.”
“What?” Denali snapped back. She looked behind her. Silver shapes glinted through the sheets of snow. “Away where?”
“There!” Karoc barked and turned to stand.
The slope ended abruptly in a wall of white. Beyond was nothing but the swirling snows falling deeper into the valley.
“Hold them here! Let them come, we’ll drive them down.”
“What do I do?” Denali asked, her voice trembling.
“Let them go over the cliff. Help me to toss them over,” Karoc said as he looked at her. “Prove them all wrong.”
Denali turned with Karoc. Her tongue came out past the cylinder and she panted. She was so cold, and yet warm with fear. The animal side of her wanted to flee, while the conscience side knew she had to stay. Prove them wrong, she set her mind, she’d do exactly that.
The first shape materialized in the winds and
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