Read Online The Trilisk Ruins by Michael McCloskey - Free Book Online

ship had cleared a small area
of the forest, felling trees and blackening a spot in the lush
green wilderness.
    “ Wow, look at that,” Thomas
said and pointed.
    Telisa looked into the forest where he
indicated. She saw that a thickset tree with a bare trunk and a
wide, spiky crown supported an identical tree on top of it. The
roots of the piggybacking tree intertwined with the crown of its
supporter.
    “ There are several of them
doing that,” Magnus said. “They must be getting some kind of
competitive advantage.”
    “ Maybe the crown collects
water. It’s very wide,” Telisa said. “The tree on top sends water
down to its own roots, and the extra heads down to the tree below
it. They deprive water from those below.”
    “ Or maybe the top one even
helps feed the one supporting it, who knows?” Thomas said. “The
supported ones probably get more sunlight.”
    Jack nodded. “Well, if you’re this
fascinated by the damn trees, I can’t wait to see you guys when we
find the ruins.”
    “ They won’t spot this mess
from orbit?” Telisa asked, looking back at the damage their landing
had caused.
    “ Got it covered,” Thomas
said. “Looks the same from down here, but I have us cloaked from
above. Our equipment should fool any but the most sophisticated
sensors. If they don’t have a scouting vessel in orbit, we should
be hidden for now. Well, unless some scientist just happens to have
a specialized satellite for some experiment that can notice an
anomaly.”
    Telisa didn’t comment on that.
Apparently there were risks everywhere that she hadn’t realized
they would have to be taking. It must be part of the routine for an
interplanetary artifact smuggler. She looked around the landing
site again, wondering if there were predators out there. She hoped
the noise and destruction of the landing had scared any bigger
creatures away.
    The group moved into the forest. Telisa
looked over her shoulder at the ship before the view became blocked
by vegetation. The fat ovoid shape had settled just below the
surrounding treetops. She wondered if it would still be there when
they got back. What would happen if they became marooned on the
planet? Would they be able to survive? Would it be worth living in
such a desolate place? She checked her link and realized the nearby
ship and her companions’ link chips were the only devices
broadcasting services here. The planet was truly empty
wilderness.
    Thomas indicated the direction and then
Magnus took the lead. Telisa asked for a link from Thomas and got
it. Now she could see a map of the surrounding landscape in her
mind’s eye, with the destination clearly marked. They fell into a
line behind Magnus with Telisa in the rear.
    “ Stay alert,” Magnus said
over his link. “The flora and fauna are largely unknown. If we get
in over our heads there won’t be anyone to save us.”
    Telisa acknowledged the message and dug
out her stunner. She attached it to the webbing on her belt.
Normally the webbing held onto the stunner firmly, but if she
touched the weapon with her hand, it weakened so that she could
tear the stunner away easily. Then the separated fibers would
intertwine again as good as new. She scanned the surrounding
vegetation, searching for anything that might be
dangerous.
    Looking at the native trees made Telisa
itch. Their trunks were covered in so many tiny spines they almost
looked hairy. The spiny leaves added to their greenish shaggy
appearance. She saw now that most of the spines were soft,
liquid-filled leaves, but a few of the plants did have truly sharp
spikes like a cactus. She saw three more of the piggybacking trees,
this time arranged with two specimens leaning together on the
bottom to support another on their heads.
    The spines didn’t seem to inhibit the
native lifeforms’ ability to make their homes in the trees. Telisa
saw a large variety of mollusk-like creatures climbing around. Many
sported extra protection of some sort, mostly flat plates