Unfortunately, I cannot leave my farm unprotected to make the journey with you, and my taxes are due. I could send Trulane with you, but being just a boy, it wouldn’t guarantee an audience with our king.”
“What is your king’s name?”
“King Waylan.” Haakon’s eyes lit up with an idea. “I know! We will send introduce you to Onel, his tax collector, when he arrives here in a day or two. When Onel returns to the castle, he can inform the king. When he returns to collect next month’s taxes, he can inform you of the king’s decision to meet you.”
“I will enjoy your hospitality, but I must return to my boat after the tax collector leaves,” Wolf said. “While I am here, I would like to help you on the farmstead. I did farm work when I was a boy.”
Haakon shook his head. “No, my friend, I can’t ask you to do this labor, but if you would like to hunt, I wouldn’t object.”
“Then I will hunt. But I do not know all the animals here that are edible.”
“I will send Trulane with you. He is a skilled hunter and knows the game trails in our area,” Haakon volunteered.
The two men went into the house and Haakon settled into a chair, leaving a rough-hewn couch for Wolf to sit on by the hearth. Nala refilled their cups with barley beer as Haakon said, “I will have Nala fetch you a blanket and pillow. You can share Trulane’s bedroom.”
“There is no need for that. I will sleep in the barn tonight,” Wolf responded, not wanting to overcrowd the small home. The family had been inconvenienced on his account already, and he didn’t want to muddy up the waters by driving the young man from his bed.
“If that is your wish, my friend,” Haakon laughed.
Wolf accepted the blankets and pillow from Nala, and after bidding everyone good night, he went to the barn. He glanced at the bedding he had been given and grinned. His immense size made them seem like a throw pillow and a beach towel. Inside the barn, he found a space to lie down atop a layer of soft hay. He noticed two animals that resembled cows and one that looked like a pig penned on the other side of the barn.
Wolf removed the equipment from his belt and hung the belt on a peg. With a yawn, he stretched out on the soft hay and fell asleep. Minutes later, he was awakened by a soft, pleasant sensation on his neck. It felt like gentle kisses, and he reached out, expecting to feel a feminine body. What he felt was no woman—it had was long, rubbery, and it exuded a hideous odor. His eyes opened wide, and he saw that one cow had gotten out of its pen and was eating the hay from under him.
“Damn,” Wolf muttered with a grin, wishing it had been a mysterious, beautiful woman planting kisses on his neck. He got to his feet, corralled the cow back in its pen, and checked the other pens to make sure the gates were secured.
The moon was rising over the hills as Wolf stretched out on his straw bed. A feeling of loneliness crept over him as the night's shadows played through the trees outside the barn. This unfamiliar world that was once his home now felt so alien. Only one thing remained on the planet that anchored him to his past, and he needed to hear a familiar voice, so he tapped a button on his watch and whispered, “Syn, how is the shuttle?
“The shuttle is fine, Commander. I have everything under control.”
“That's good to know. What’s the status on the older, orbiting satellites?”
“I have been running diagnostics on several, Commander. We may be able to salvage one or two of the solar-powered satellites if we strip parts from the others."
“Any intel from the C29 or the Dawn yet? Anything at all?”
“Commander, are you all right? You seem uncharacteristically talkative.”
“Just feeling lonely, Syn. How about that intel…”
“Yes, Commander. The recently deployed C29 and Dawn confirm that MBR has limited power in the lower science lab levels. I am still detecting an unexplained signal that we may need to
“What is your king’s name?”
“King Waylan.” Haakon’s eyes lit up with an idea. “I know! We will send introduce you to Onel, his tax collector, when he arrives here in a day or two. When Onel returns to the castle, he can inform the king. When he returns to collect next month’s taxes, he can inform you of the king’s decision to meet you.”
“I will enjoy your hospitality, but I must return to my boat after the tax collector leaves,” Wolf said. “While I am here, I would like to help you on the farmstead. I did farm work when I was a boy.”
Haakon shook his head. “No, my friend, I can’t ask you to do this labor, but if you would like to hunt, I wouldn’t object.”
“Then I will hunt. But I do not know all the animals here that are edible.”
“I will send Trulane with you. He is a skilled hunter and knows the game trails in our area,” Haakon volunteered.
The two men went into the house and Haakon settled into a chair, leaving a rough-hewn couch for Wolf to sit on by the hearth. Nala refilled their cups with barley beer as Haakon said, “I will have Nala fetch you a blanket and pillow. You can share Trulane’s bedroom.”
“There is no need for that. I will sleep in the barn tonight,” Wolf responded, not wanting to overcrowd the small home. The family had been inconvenienced on his account already, and he didn’t want to muddy up the waters by driving the young man from his bed.
“If that is your wish, my friend,” Haakon laughed.
Wolf accepted the blankets and pillow from Nala, and after bidding everyone good night, he went to the barn. He glanced at the bedding he had been given and grinned. His immense size made them seem like a throw pillow and a beach towel. Inside the barn, he found a space to lie down atop a layer of soft hay. He noticed two animals that resembled cows and one that looked like a pig penned on the other side of the barn.
Wolf removed the equipment from his belt and hung the belt on a peg. With a yawn, he stretched out on the soft hay and fell asleep. Minutes later, he was awakened by a soft, pleasant sensation on his neck. It felt like gentle kisses, and he reached out, expecting to feel a feminine body. What he felt was no woman—it had was long, rubbery, and it exuded a hideous odor. His eyes opened wide, and he saw that one cow had gotten out of its pen and was eating the hay from under him.
“Damn,” Wolf muttered with a grin, wishing it had been a mysterious, beautiful woman planting kisses on his neck. He got to his feet, corralled the cow back in its pen, and checked the other pens to make sure the gates were secured.
The moon was rising over the hills as Wolf stretched out on his straw bed. A feeling of loneliness crept over him as the night's shadows played through the trees outside the barn. This unfamiliar world that was once his home now felt so alien. Only one thing remained on the planet that anchored him to his past, and he needed to hear a familiar voice, so he tapped a button on his watch and whispered, “Syn, how is the shuttle?
“The shuttle is fine, Commander. I have everything under control.”
“That's good to know. What’s the status on the older, orbiting satellites?”
“I have been running diagnostics on several, Commander. We may be able to salvage one or two of the solar-powered satellites if we strip parts from the others."
“Any intel from the C29 or the Dawn yet? Anything at all?”
“Commander, are you all right? You seem uncharacteristically talkative.”
“Just feeling lonely, Syn. How about that intel…”
“Yes, Commander. The recently deployed C29 and Dawn confirm that MBR has limited power in the lower science lab levels. I am still detecting an unexplained signal that we may need to
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