Read Online The Basingstoke Chronicles by Robert Appleton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robert Appleton
Ads: Link
through the trees
ahead. It was lit by a sliver of sunset.
We had reached the far side of the forest. The relief was so potent, I felt my knees
buckle. I let them collapse from under me. "We've made it," I sighed.
"Come on, Baz, one last effort," said Rodrigo, lifting me to my feet. "Antes de
caídas de noche."
"What's that?"
"Before night falls," he replied with a wink.
Dusk outpaced us. It covered the forest in a matter of minutes. My tired eyes barely
remained in focus.
Silhouetted in the distance were the peaks of a mountain range to the east and the forest
to the west. Vague, rolling grassland threw up undefined shapes in the dark ahead. In a matter of
minutes, we could see only by feeble moonlight.
"You got that torch handy?" said Rodrigo.
I retrieved it from my carrier and replaced the battery with our one and only spare. I
made sure Darkly was still with us before we continued. My idea was to put as much distance
between us and the hostile forest as possible. Yet I was honestly too spent to take another step,
and was ready to order Rodrigo to make camp then and there. But as we reached the top of a
shallow hillock, a noticed small fire flickering ahead.
I snatched the torch from him and killed the beam. "What shall we do?"
Rodrigo hushed me. "Well, we're exposed now, no matter what," he whispered.
"Whoever inhabits this place, I'd sooner have the element of surprise on our side than theirs. Let's
introduce ourselves. If there's any trouble, we have Darkly. If not, maybe we're out of the woods
on this trip--in more ways than one. Either way, it's better than being ambushed in the middle of
the night by some band of Neanderthals who've almost certainly seen our torchlight by
now."
"Wait a minute. What the hell kind of strategy's that?"
"You've got a better one?"
I was far too tired. Rodrigo's plan may have struck me as bull-headed, but in an
exhausted state, one is wise to default to another's more lucid reasoning. In hindsight, Rodrigo
probably thought along the same lines. That I didn't offer an alternative only proves what a
dangerous thing trust can be. Each assumed the other had faith in this bold course.
"We'll have to be damn quiet," I insisted.
"And hope Darkly doesn't give the game away," he added.
We crept over ankle-high grass for what seemed an eternity. Finally, when the flames
were not twenty feet ahead, we saw two figures sitting on either side of the campfire. Their faces
were turned away from us and up toward the heavens.
We were soon upon them. So stealthy was our approach that I was able to alert them of
our presence before they noticed us.
"Hello there," I said amiably.
The two strangers whipped their heads round to see. One of them fell back with a jolt.
Both scrambled to their feet and stood, in defensive poise.
My God, they were enormous! Rodrigo and I, each at around five feet ten, were no
pygmies, but these fellows dwarfed us with head room to spare. My first guess of seven feet was,
as it later turned out, not far off the mark.
The only sound was the lickety-click of ravenous flames devouring timber. The
strangers' faces towered above the fire, and thus were lit from beneath to produce a cruel
appearance. I could tell they were as apprehensive as we, for their eyes darted between us and
Darkly with dizzying rapidity. Rodrigo and I waited to see how they would react. As I later
learned, both sides had the same idea, waiting for a sign that the other meant them no
harm. Such a simple commonality, yet eons apart.
They broke the stalemate first. The giant on the left, who seemed fascinated by our furry
companion, took a few bold strides forward and placed his hand tentatively on my shoulder. I
didn't recoil. His expression was gentle and full of hope. His handsome face suggested a similar
age to ours. A woolen fabric covered his broad shoulder and draped down to below his knees,
which immediately led me to believe there was some skill evident in his tribe.
Returning the
ahead. It was lit by a sliver of sunset.
We had reached the far side of the forest. The relief was so potent, I felt my knees
buckle. I let them collapse from under me. "We've made it," I sighed.
"Come on, Baz, one last effort," said Rodrigo, lifting me to my feet. "Antes de
caídas de noche."
"What's that?"
"Before night falls," he replied with a wink.
Dusk outpaced us. It covered the forest in a matter of minutes. My tired eyes barely
remained in focus.
Silhouetted in the distance were the peaks of a mountain range to the east and the forest
to the west. Vague, rolling grassland threw up undefined shapes in the dark ahead. In a matter of
minutes, we could see only by feeble moonlight.
"You got that torch handy?" said Rodrigo.
I retrieved it from my carrier and replaced the battery with our one and only spare. I
made sure Darkly was still with us before we continued. My idea was to put as much distance
between us and the hostile forest as possible. Yet I was honestly too spent to take another step,
and was ready to order Rodrigo to make camp then and there. But as we reached the top of a
shallow hillock, a noticed small fire flickering ahead.
I snatched the torch from him and killed the beam. "What shall we do?"
Rodrigo hushed me. "Well, we're exposed now, no matter what," he whispered.
"Whoever inhabits this place, I'd sooner have the element of surprise on our side than theirs. Let's
introduce ourselves. If there's any trouble, we have Darkly. If not, maybe we're out of the woods
on this trip--in more ways than one. Either way, it's better than being ambushed in the middle of
the night by some band of Neanderthals who've almost certainly seen our torchlight by
now."
"Wait a minute. What the hell kind of strategy's that?"
"You've got a better one?"
I was far too tired. Rodrigo's plan may have struck me as bull-headed, but in an
exhausted state, one is wise to default to another's more lucid reasoning. In hindsight, Rodrigo
probably thought along the same lines. That I didn't offer an alternative only proves what a
dangerous thing trust can be. Each assumed the other had faith in this bold course.
"We'll have to be damn quiet," I insisted.
"And hope Darkly doesn't give the game away," he added.
We crept over ankle-high grass for what seemed an eternity. Finally, when the flames
were not twenty feet ahead, we saw two figures sitting on either side of the campfire. Their faces
were turned away from us and up toward the heavens.
We were soon upon them. So stealthy was our approach that I was able to alert them of
our presence before they noticed us.
"Hello there," I said amiably.
The two strangers whipped their heads round to see. One of them fell back with a jolt.
Both scrambled to their feet and stood, in defensive poise.
My God, they were enormous! Rodrigo and I, each at around five feet ten, were no
pygmies, but these fellows dwarfed us with head room to spare. My first guess of seven feet was,
as it later turned out, not far off the mark.
The only sound was the lickety-click of ravenous flames devouring timber. The
strangers' faces towered above the fire, and thus were lit from beneath to produce a cruel
appearance. I could tell they were as apprehensive as we, for their eyes darted between us and
Darkly with dizzying rapidity. Rodrigo and I waited to see how they would react. As I later
learned, both sides had the same idea, waiting for a sign that the other meant them no
harm. Such a simple commonality, yet eons apart.
They broke the stalemate first. The giant on the left, who seemed fascinated by our furry
companion, took a few bold strides forward and placed his hand tentatively on my shoulder. I
didn't recoil. His expression was gentle and full of hope. His handsome face suggested a similar
age to ours. A woolen fabric covered his broad shoulder and draped down to below his knees,
which immediately led me to believe there was some skill evident in his tribe.
Returning the
Similar Books
