The Tired Lands - Chapter 2

Summary: Leah is a boarder guard, sworn to protect the town of Outpost from the dangerous, magical creatures of the Tired Lands. But times are changing, and when the Midnight Train arrives with a cargo that could change the world, she finds herself irresistibly drawn towards the distant city of Sulligard, and the handsome sentinels that watch over the train. Joining the team of sentinels, she departs on an adventure to guide the train through the perils of the Tired Lands - but who knew her destiny could hold so much more?

Genres: Fantasy, Action/Adventure, slight steam punk

To read Chapter 1, click on the link posted in the description.


Chapter 2

The Midnight Train


"Agonizing" was a compliment for the hours that followed. Excruciating would have been a better adjective, Leah later reflected.

As its name implied, the Midnight Train arrived exactly then - at midnight. No one quite understood the strange mixture of magic and technology that allowed the dark blue train to function, but for whatever reason it always arrived and left at midnight, allowing a day in between to rest and refuel.

Guests in bright, elaborate dresses and flamboyant jackets stepped from the cars, everyone relieved to be able to stretch their legs. Leah stood to one side in the shadows of a building, her eyes sharp, waiting for the engineer and the Ephemar soldiers to signal for her to start loading new supplies. A handful of other boarder guards mingled around the small train platform, pointing the way to the town square where the festivities were set. Paper lanterns of all different colors lined the streets and decorative ribbons and banners were attached to every available surface. Already passengers were stopping at booths that had been set up by the villagers - she could see that one of the teeth from the dune-dragon that morning was being bought.

A wind swept over the area, bringing with it a whirl of dust and sand - the lanterns all flickered and the guests let out small gasps of excitement. Leah rolled her eyes and sighed; damn city dwellers. They came out here thinking they wanted action, but God forbid they actually got it.

Abruptly a figure appeared in the doorway of one of the cars, and Leah turned, her green eyes going wide and then narrow. Perhaps a normal villager wouldn't have noticed the man, but he stood out in a way that immediately drew her attention. It wasn't so much the black, wide-brimmed hat that he wore over his eyes, or the long dark coat, or the butt end of a long rifle slung over his back. It was the way the guests walked around him; the way they squeezed against the corners of the door in an attempt to pass by as far as possible from the tall figure.

"These guys are new," a voice murmured near her elbow, and Leah turned and glanced down, a short blond girl having appeared by her side. She nodded; Tamara was relatively new to the boarder guard, but Leah had known her since they had played with dolls and skipped around in dresses.

"I've heard of them," Leah murmured back, sinking slightly deeper into the shadows as the man in black left the train car, and another imposing figure took his place. The new man was dressed quite differently in a cloak and billowing pants similar to her own clothes, but his stance and the guests' reactions to him were all the same. "But from what I was told, they usually don't leave the train, and there usually aren't more than two or so."

"You mean sentinels, right?" Tamara said, nodding. "Your pa used to talk about them, I remember; but look again, I've already spotted at least five."

It was then that Leah bothered to look around the platform more closely and then to the distant town square, and she frowned as she started to notice several other imposing figures. None of them were dressed similarly, with no hint of uniform, yet all had the same rigid stance. The guests walked around them quickly, giving them a wide berth. Leah even noticed a few women amongst the lot, though none of them stood near each other. Tamara was right - she had never seen anything like this before. Was something happening in the cities? Why so many sentinels?

"They're supposedly mercenaries," she muttered, voicing her thoughts aloud. "The wizards hire them individually the guard the train. They only need a few in case of emergences, why so many this time? And why are they out in the town?"

Tamara shrugged. "I don't know," she said, "but I'm thinking we shouldn't ask. Sulligard and Ephemar can deal with their own problems without dragging us into the picture!"

Leah might have agreed at any other time, but she had been hearing strange rumors as of late, and the attack of the dune-dragon that morning had left her uneasy. She hadn't heard anything specific - only that times were changing. Only that the wizards of Sulligard were saying some strange things; something about a new era. Something about a new technology.

She had dismissed the rumors as gossip and dreaming. Now she gave them a second thought.

"I'll be right back," she murmured, slipping away from Tamara's side.

"Wait, Captain, we gotta reload-"

"Take care of the train for me, I'll only be a minute." Leah dismissed Tamara's words with a wave of her hand, and with that she dove into the mingling crowd, moving smoothly across the train platform towards the rim of a wide, black hat. She wasn't sure about the rest of the sentinels she had spotted, but she was certain about this one - and she had a feeling that he was in charge.  

She had to push her way through several different groups of tourists on her journey, and luckily was only asked twice where the public bathrooms were. It as impossible to remain unnoticed in a crowd like this one - the man in the broad hat stopped walking and watched her approach. He had found himself a comfortable niche beneath the shadowy overhang of a building, and was leaning up against the wall similar to how she had stood only a few minutes before. Leah reached him just as the band began playing in the town square, and slowly the tourists began moving in that direction. She stepped from the flow of traffic to stand right before him. At this distance she couldn't help but notice that he was much taller than he had appeared; he had at least a full head on her. She still couldn't make out much beneath the wide hat - perhaps a strong cleft chin and the tips of wavy brown hair a shade or two darker than her own. A slow smile spread across his lips.

Leah hadn't exactly thought of what she would say once she got there, but the words came out of her anyway.

"I'm Captain of the boarder guard around here," she growled. "I'm assuming that you're in charge of the sentinels?"

Silence, but the smile widened.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "I wasn't told there would be so many of you. Is there something I should know? Is the town in danger?"

The smile stayed in place, but no answer was forthcoming. If anything the man settled further back into his position. Leah glared; she had met plenty of city folk to know what to expect. Snootiness, disrespect, and a condescending sneer as they tried to speak in "simple words" for the "poor, stupid country bumpkins."

"Look, you're in my territory here, and if you don't give me a straight answer then I want you and all your men back on that train," she growled. "If you have a superior then point him out to me; otherwise, I think I deserve an explanation-!"

"Woah, sweetheart, what's going on here?" The voice came from behind her, and abruptly a pair of hands landed on her shoulders, causing a string of tension to run through Leah's body. It took all of her self control not the grab the intruder's wrist and give him something else to think about - instead she brushed the hands aside and glanced behind her. Another man stood to her back, this one only a few inches taller than her. A mop of unruly blond hair poked from beneath his tattered hood; the rest of his clothes were hidden beneath a plain brown cloak. His face was boyishly handsome, and at the moment he wore a disarming smile. "It's best not to go bothering poor Merrick, he barely gets a moment to himself - ain't that right, old boy?"

Merrick again didn't respond.  

Leah turned to face the new stranger - at least now she was getting somewhere! "Alright, so who are you? Another sentinel?" It was obvious by the man's manner; perhaps he was acting friendly enough, but he definitely had the worn look of a mercenary. "I don't suppose you can explain why so many of you are on the train?"

"I'm Logan," he said, with a slight smile. "Nice to meet you. . . ?"

"Leah," she said, "Captain Leah."

"Ah, well yes, we are both sentinels." Logan's easygoing attitude had diminished somewhat when she had added her title to the picture. Leah didn't mind; she had worked hard for her position, at least now it was doing her some good. "We're here to guard the train."

"Yes, but why so many?"

An abrupt roar of voices arose from the distant town square, echoes of approval from the crowd of tourists. Apparently some entertaining spectacle had just taken place - probably a short play or a comedic story. Leah turned back to Logan and met his blue eyes.

Logan shrugged. "A job's a job," he murmured. "I'm afraid I can't say more than that. . . it's all a bit hush hush, if you know what I mean. We're not going to cause any trouble."

Leah wasn't satisfied. "I don't like it," she said bluntly. She knew she was being pushy, but in a small town like Outpost, people's lives depended on her paranoia. If anything was out of the ordinary, she wanted to know about it - why, when, how, and where.

"Obviously," Logan grinned, taking the bite out of his words. "Look, we don't mean any harm, and tomorrow we'll be on our merry way. There's nothing you have to worry about. . ." his eyes suddenly narrowed. "Unless, on the off chance, you know any boarder guards who might consider joining us?"

It took Leah a full two heartbeats before his words registered in her mind. Her eyes widened. "What? Join you?"

Logan nodded. "We lost some sentinels a ways back, there was an attack on the train, we almost derailed. . . anyway, we're looking for new recruits. How about it?"

Leah frowned, unsure of what to say. From what she knew of the boarder guards, they were all pretty staunch and loyal to Outpost, believing in small town ways and not much else. She wanted to tell the sentinels to shove off and get lost, but something held her tongue. Something in Logan's eyes made her pause and give the offer a second thought. To ride the Midnight Train? A ticket itself cost more than half the town's monthly wages. She had given up on the idea of ever seeing Ephemar or Sulligard in her lifetime. . . .

"Leah! Captain! Hey!"

The voice was sudden, and Tamara burst on the scene out of nowhere, her hood flying and her gun gripped clumsily in both hands. She cut an almost comical sight as she skidded to a stop in front of Leah and stood panting, pushing her hair out of her face. "It's that damned fence!" she panted, "there's trouble on the boarders!"

Leah's eyes widened and her gut clenched - this was the news she had been dreading all night. "What?" she snapped. "What kind of trouble?"

"Neomites," Tamara gasped. "There has to be a dozen of them!"

Leah's blood ran cold and she clenched her fist. "Get the remaining men together, the train can wait," she said, "lead me to them!"

Without a second thought she took off with Tamara, dashing across the train platform and down a short alley between two buildings, their path taking them away from the reveling tourists. With any luck, the celebration could continue and no one would have to know about the danger. Leah slung her gun into her hands and forced herself to run faster, exiting the town's vicinity within minutes. The dark closed in around them, and she could already see the flickering lights from the boarder fences, along with glints of gunfire. A fight was already well on its way.

She would worry about the sentinels later. She had more than enough on her plate already.

* * *

Logan turned and looked at Merrick, cocking an eyebrow questioningly. "She has spunk," he said, somewhat defensively. "I've already asked the mayor about her - she's been on the force for five years. Practically a legend, don't you agree?"

Merrick shifted in his position against the wall. "Perhaps."

Logan turned and began to walk in the same direction that the two women had just taken. "Might as well go see her in action - are you coming, old friend?"

He continued to walk, and a few moments later Merrick straightened up from the wall. He followed slowly.

* * *

Leah was cursing by the time they reached the outer fences - she could already see two collapsed boarder guards, and the ragtag group remaining were mainly rookies, with the exception of two semi-experienced officials who were supposed to be in the sickbay, as far as she remembered. One was even standing on crutches.

"Everyone on the ground!" she yelled as she and Tamara brought up the rear. Without thinking she raised the gun and aimed directly at a Neomite who was roaring at the other side of the fence, and shot him dead in the chest. Then she too dropped behind a slight hill as a rain of mismatched bullets and arrows followed her.

She cursed again - "God, why now!"

The Neomites weren't to be called human - nor would they exactly animal. They were the closest thing that came to a civilized being out in the  Tired Lands, strange humanoid beasts with the body of a man yet covered in thick black fur and short, obnoxious snouts. Their noses resembled those of pigs. Leah chanced a peek over the hill and caught one staring straight at her through the shining energy beams of the fence. The pink light of the boundary made the Neomite's tiny red eyes shine like lanterns. The beast in question let out a short bark and raised what looked like a rusted metal pipe in its hand. He shook it like a spear, growling like some strange dog. Leah glared and dropped back down. No one knew much about the Neomites, their habits or their language (if they even had one), or the communities in which they lived. No, the people of the Tired Lands knew only one thing: a Neomite meant trouble.

"Battle Plan Y?" Tamara asked, giving Leah a start. She had forgotten the younger girl next to her, who now had a bullet in her mouth and was in the process of reloading. She glanced around the rest of the boarder patrol, hardly a handful of men and women, all who she recognized. She had trained each one personally - they stared at her with bright, shining eyes. It gave her courage; they believed in her.

"Yes, Plan Y," she nodded, turning back to the terrain. "Jin, Lufe, you take those three and head to the left; Tiran, you take the rest over to the right. We'll box these suckers in - no one is getting through that fence!"

The men scrambled to obey, silent and stealthy on the shifting sands - even Lufe with the crutches made no sound. Under any other circumstance they would have been talking and shouting to each other, probably laughing over some crude joke, but Neomites were crafty. Even now, they would be listening with their long, tattered ears, waiting for any sign of movement. Leah knew it was essential that her guards didn't give their positions away; they had ran this exercise plenty of times.

She gripped Tamara's hand when the girl made to move and tugged her back next to her. "You're with me," she said quietly, "we're taking the front!"

Tamara bit her lip and nodded.

Leah waited an extra minute and things began to calm down on the other side of the fence - it seemed that the Neomites were confused by the sudden calm. She frowned at this - she couldn't quite place her finger on it, but something was different about them tonight. They weren't quite acting. . . normal.

Too late to think about it, her men were in position. Leah dug her arms and hands into the sand at the top of the dune, waiting for a strong breeze. After a few seconds she felt it, coming in from the east - perfect.

"Now!" she cried, and all of the men that had spanned out on the dune leapt up, throwing sand with them, the wind whipping it up into the air and creating a foolproof camouflage. Leah swung her gun around and dodged down the hill, easily maneuvering around the Neomites' scattered attacks. Already she could hear gunshots and panicked cries from the other side of the fence. By the sounds of it, they were being driven back.

"Spread out! Take them down!" she screamed, unsure if anyone heard her over the noise and rushing adrenaline. Finally she skidded to the bottom of the hill and the bright pink light of the barrier fences rose in front of her, their electric energy piercing through the air with a dull hum. She leveled the gun, looking for her target, the Neomite from before. By the way the others had grouped around him, she knew he was their leader. She bit her lip in frustration. The sand loaned her plenty of cover, but it also did the same for them, and the shadows of the night were not helping.

Abruptly the sand dipped beneath her, and Leah let out a shocked cry. She backpedaled, but it was too late. Without warning a giant sinkhole opened up beneath her, but instead of being sucked down, she saw something coming out of it. Something dark and hairy. . . .

The Neomites were trying to dig under the fence! That's why they had been acting so strange - somewhere along the line they had formulated a plan.

And what luck, they had opened the hole right at her feet.

There was no time to think. Leah let out a battle cry and braced her legs, cocking the gun and firing below her. Fire - reload - fire - reload. The blasts from her gun were deafening, but louder were the screams of the Neomites as she took them down, one after another. They had nowhere to run, trapped in the tunnel of sand they had created. Blood spurted into the air, but Leah didn't care. In her mind's eye she could see wreckage the beasts had caused over the years; all the families they had destroyed, the terror they had inspired. Neomites didn't just kill humans; given the chance, they would eat them alive, and then eat the dead bodies of the fallen. They were cannibals. Leah had seen it with her own eyes.  

Abruptly one shot out of the sand, apparently having used its companion as a shield against the bullets. She felt a strong, blunt hand wrap around her ankle, sharp claws digging into the skin. She hissed, kicking her leg, trying to free herself - but the sand was constantly moving down the sinkhole, and she was off balance. With a cry Leah fell backwards, twisting to get away, beating down with the butt of her gun - but the beast held on doggedly, immune to the blows. Abruptly she felt a pain rip down her back, and she could have laughed at the irony; sorry Doc, there go those stitches.

There was a yank from her ankle, and  Leah brought her gun smashing down again, still to no affect. The Neomite was pulling itself from the sand, and pulling her towards it in the process. With a lurch of fear she realized that she recognized the scarred face - it was the Neomite from before, the one from across the fence. Had he come for her personally?

Out of bullets. Leah abandoned the gun and reached for her belt, drawing out a long knife she kept for emergencies. Where were the rest of her men - sleeping? Somewhere in the background she could still hear gunshots and screams, but she forced herself to focus inward, aiming for the weak part of the Neomite's wrist. He was almost fully out of the sinkhole now, wielding a rusty pipe in his hand, apparently ready to bludgeon her to death. Leah raised the knife and steadied it, still twisting to get away - she didn't want to stab herself, after all.

The Neomite lurched forward and dug its snout into her leg. Sharp tusks split the skin.

Leah screamed.

Bam!

Bam Bam!

The Neomite had been staring up at her, its tiny red eyes like pure fire, its sharp tusks dripping saliva and blood. . . then suddenly those eyes went wide and empty. Its jaw tightened and then went slack, dropping from her leg. She saw a hole blossom in its forehead, blood blooming around it like some strange desert flower. . . .

The beast collapsed. Leah stared in complete shock.

Her ears were ringing so hard from the gunshots that it took her a full minute to realize that the desert had returned to its normal state - there were no roars from the Neomites, no more choking gun fire or hissing arrows. She looked around somewhat dazedly, knowing full well that the battle must have stopped, since she would have certainly been struck down by a well-aimed missile by now. There was blood on the sand, lots of it, but it only seemed to be in her vicinity. The hole next to her was now more of a swampy pool of red with a pile of entangled bodies. The sand was already doing the work to fill it in.

"They must have been desperate," she murmured to herself, still somewhat shocked. In order to tunnel under the sand, the Neomites would have to pack the walls with water, creating semi-structured mud. They couldn't dive in and out of the ground like the dune-dragons could. That was a huge waste of resources for a nomadic tribe like the Neomites.

"Leah! Leah! Oh God!" It was Tamara's voice. The girl collapsed next to her on her knees a second later, her blond hair awry and her gun nowhere to be seen. "You're bleeding, God, did you get hit? What happened?"

Leah nodded to the hole. "They dug under," she said. "Good thing we were paying attention. Which one of you lucky bastards saved my life?"

Tamara was hugging her tightly around the shoulders, not exactly the proper way to treat one's Captain, but Leah was happy for the support. "It was them," Tamara said quietly, so only Leah could hear. "The sentinels!"

Leah's face flushed and abruptly she broke away from Tamara's hug, her temper spurred to life. Sentinels? Here? She glared - she didn't need any help from damned city slickers. This was her town, her responsibility. Who would have dared-!

Her thoughts paused as she turned and found herself looking at Logan and  Merrick. They were standing a few meters away, consulting with the rest of the men. Merrick was as silent as he had been before, but  Logan was laughing with them, sharing in some joke. Leah's head began to pound - were they joking about her? Laughing at her ineptitude? She hated it.

With a muttered growl she jumped to her feet, ready to give Logan a good talking to, when abruptly a burst of pain shot up her leg. She was forcefully reminded of her injured ankle. With a small gasp Leah fell to the ground, and in humiliation she realized that she couldn't walk without help. Damn, damn, damn! Why now, when she was about to prove herself in front of two complete strangers?

Tamara wordlessly shouldered Leah's weight and pushed up, carefully helping her captain to her feet. Leah gritted her teeth and bore it - nothing wrong with accepting help every once in a while. She stood up as straight as possible and hobbled towards the two sentinels, who were by now walking along the top of the sand dune, inspecting the arrows and the bullets that had embedded themselves in the ground. Leah wanted to smirk - probably they hadn't seen anything like it before. Yes, the Neomites were primitive, but they had learned to organize themselves and use modern weapons fairly quickly.

But why had they been so desperate to infiltrate the town this night? Usually they just wanted to steal livestock or sabotage any attempts at expansion. The livestock weren't even near this side of the town, and since last year no new buildings had been established. Leah frowned - it was all too strange.

"Hey!" she called, as Tamara and herself drew closer to the two sentinels. "What are you all doing out here? It's dangerous!"

Logan turned back and grinned at her. "Just curious! Looks like you got lucky, standing right above the hole like that. Would've thought you planned it that way."

Leah had been prepared for a battle of wills, and was slightly taken aback by the blond man's easy manner. She fumbled a little for words, then managed a slight grin. "Definitely lucky," she muttered. "What's that gun you used? Sounded damn powerful."

Logan shrugged. "It wasn't my gun."

At first Leah was confused, then her eyes traveled past Logan to the silent shadow of Merrick, his broad-rimmed hat obscuring all but the very bottom of his face. He still wore that slow smile. It was only then that she got a good look at the gun that was slung across his back, and her eyes widened. It was a rifle - but a rifle of the like she had never seen before. Its barrel was blunt and wide, and looked like it must have packed bullets the size of walnuts.

"Right," she said slowly, then turned back to the rest of the boarder guards. They were all looking at her a bit strangely, with mingled expressions of respect and concern. And something else. . . she couldn't quite put her finger on it. What must they be thinking, seeing her chat so amiably with the two sentinels?

"Lufe, Jin, what are you two doing out here?" she finally said. "You can barely even walk! Get back to town right now. The rest of you, assume your usual patrols; we can't let anything else take us by surprise tonight." She briefly glanced over her shoulder at the bloody hole near the fence. It had almost been filled in completely by sand. "Not that I think we'll be hearing from the Neomites anytime soon."

The group dispersed with mingled cries of "Right, Captain!" and "Yes, ma'am!" She watched them go. The pain was starting to seep into her muscles from her torn back, and her ankle was beginning to swell. Leah sighed and looked back to the town, a fountain of light and laughter amidst an endless dark night. It seemed so far away.

"Best get back before anyone misses us," she murmured, and signaled Tamara to help her forward. Logan and Merrick fell into step next to her, neither commenting.

"So are you two going to tell me what's going on, or do I have to break someone else's ankle?" she joked, giving them a sideways glance. Logan met her eyes and knew that she meant her words.

"It's a long story," he said, "I'll tell you half of it if you buy a few rounds."

She nodded. "Deal."