Lanto cursed.
Last night he was weaponless when there were four flare guns.
‘McSee?’ he called over to the sleeping
giant. Kisha and Kylan were wrapped in each other’s arms near the big man. They
stirred first.
McSee snorted.
The others were
gathering firewood or perhaps just taking time alone. Vannis had not slept at
all, and left the campsite before dawn to vanish into the lower mists. Lanto
heard and watched him go. Moments after that Raken rose to follow the Valleur,
keeping her distance. Vannis was so wrapped up in guilt and indecision he had
no idea she was there watching over him. Lanto saw the look on her face, the
look of a woman who thought she might have found the man she could give her
heart to. Ah, well, you win some, you
lose some.
‘McSee!’ Lanto
called louder, waking Kylan and Kisha, but not the red-haired sleeper. ‘Sorry,’
he muttered.
Kylan stood up,
pulling Kisha with him before bending over McSee to shake him.
‘What…where?’
McSee bolted up and then groaned at Kylan: ‘I was sleeping, man!’
‘McSee! Look at
the sun, for Aaru’s sake! Are you going to sleep all day?’ Lanto taunted, the
sun being merely a hesitant brightness through the mist. Kylan and Kisha looked
at each other sheepishly. ‘No, not you two; you’re in love.’ Kisha blushed
root-red and Kylan hugged her, grinning. She ambled off to do her morning’s
ablutions.
‘What, Lanto?’
McSee growled.
‘These flare
guns, how do they work?’
‘You woke me for
that?’ McSee roared.
‘What are they?’
Kylan asked curiously, reaching over the smouldering embers to pick one up from
before Lanto’s feet. His hand automatically clasped the gun in the universal
grip, finger on trigger. He pointed it at himself to study it.
‘No!’ McSee
roared again, lunging at Kylan's arm and knocking it sideways. ‘It’ll blow your
head off!’ Kylan dropped it as if stung. ‘Hell, man, don’t bloody drop it like
that, it could go off!’
‘McSee, calm
down,’ Lanto admonished. ‘Show us how it works, so we may treat it with
respect.’
Kylan nodded,
somewhat angry at the rough treatment.
‘Okay, but give
me a chance, will you?’ McSee went to relieve himself, and came back.
‘Okay, pass it
here. This was designed as a lifesaving tool. If you were in trouble- particularly
at sea where distances are great- or lost or some such emergency, you could
shoot this into the air, and someone would pinpoint your location and come get
you. It isn’t a toy; it can maim and
kill. I wouldn’t want to be shot with one of these, trust me; I’d rather take a
bullet from a handgun…yeah, yeah, I’ll explain the difference some time. It
works like this: these cartridges contain a phosphorous substance that ignites
when fired…as it will ignite your insides if you get shot with it. You load
them in like so…’ McSee slammed one in. Lanto winced. ‘I’m not sure the thing
will work after so long, but it was pretty dry and cool in the chamber…’
‘Only one way to
find out,’ Lanto prompted, and Kylan sent him a dubious look.
‘Indeed.’ McSee
smirked and Kylan cautiously moved away. ‘You release the safety catch, point
it in the air…and, here goes, pull the trigger…’ McSee pulled and startled them
when brilliance shot through the mist, lighting it instantly. A red glow
spread, infusing the moisture and turning their surroundings into luminous red
daylight.
‘Fuck me,’ Kylan
swore uncharacteristically.
‘It works!’
McSee gloated, jumping up in glee.
‘Wow!’ Lanto
stood up in astonishment.
‘Kylan!’ Kisha
was heard screaming.
One after the
other everyone crashed through the tree line back to the campsite.
‘See?’ McSee
laughed. ‘That’s how you call for help.’
House of Valla
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