Page 9 - The Daily Builder - Day 04
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child, watching him think.  seen  him  because  Garzik  wished   Because Jak had discovered no   Instead, she sat nearby, awake, as   “There are other ways for this to  They will become the ash of the
 “I see the wisdom of it, especially  it. But tonight, he decided to meet  answers then.  still as the night.  end,” Agnez said. “Violence is an  world if they have not already,”
 out here.”  you…  or  maybe  his  curiosity  got   And he had none now.  And she stared right at him.  end that murders a small part of  Agnez  said,  her  eyes  sharp  like
 The eastern fringes purpling  the better of him. Either way, he   It took him by surprise. Agnez  the world with darkness.”  obsidian. She pushed the man
 toward night, Agnez stared off  will not bother you. He is shy.”  *   *   *  did not move, arms folded against   The   arabi  speaking  only  for some reason Jak could not
 into the distance. It was a look Jak   Jak nodded, removing a blanket   the morning chill. The woman had  infuriated the man more. He stood,  understand.  “The  All  Father  has
 had come to know well since they  from his pack. It settled over   When dark dreams tore Jak   penetrating eyes anyway but they  teeth clenched. Then he pointed  a  saying.  ‘No  man  may  be  saved
 had met. Sad amusement. “No, not  the sands of the oasis. The goats  from sleep, fiery dawn tinged the   were dark with anger. That’s when  the weapon at Jak’s head. “Who  who does not wish it.’ I have found
 especially out here, City-born Jak.  stood within the cooling shadows  horizon east.  he realized she wasn’t looking at  are you?” the man growled. “You  it quite true in all of my years of
 Everywhere. It is the reason the  of the ending day. Agnez pulled   He sat up, wiping the grit from   him.  are not one of the desert folk. That  walking these sands.”
 off-worlders are here, to further  a smallish black book free of her  his eyes. He couldn’t remember   The  arabi was looking beyond  is clear.”  “No savage spewing archaic
 despoil a natural world.” She  robes, the tome of her faith. She  the nightmare that had plagued   him.  “I am Jak Dreadth, son of Bruss  religion is going to save me.”
 sighed. “It is late in the afternoon  read it until twilight prevented the  him all night but it was one that   When he turned, he froze.  Dreadth from Solomon Fyre,” Jak   “You lack honor,” Agnez said.
 and we have traveled hard these last  necessary light.   continued to haunt him, no matter   “Do not get up,” the man sitting  admitted, unsure how lying would   “But I will survive. That is honor
 days. We will sleep here tonight,”   These  last  few  days  had  not  how  many  times  he  woke  up   at the edge of the oasis said.  help him but hoping his name would  enough.”
 Agnez said, withdrawing her small  gone as planned, and his future  and tried to shake its chase. The   It took Jak a moment to focus  carry some weight with the man. “I   Agnez stood slowly, arms still
 satchel containing the dried meat  had become an unknowable  Dreadth had not slept well as a   on him, heart thumping. The  battled against the Imperium. My  folded within her robe. The man
 and dates she shared with Jak.  thing. Questions burned through  result, the questions from every   man looked like a shade from the  mech  Viridian  malfunctioned,  hit  shifted his gaze from Jak to her,
 “The stars  will  watch  over  us.  Jak. Where should he go once  night demanding his attention.   burning edges of Hellfire. Even  the  sands,  inoperable.  I  survived.  the laz-pistol following his sight.
 We still have quite a journey but  he could communicate with his  He rubbed his temples, trying to   in the early light, Jak could tell he  Barely. With aid from this caring  “The All Father is a teacher first,
 when the moon is full, you will be  family? Should he even go back?  become free from the cobwebs of   had a severe sunburn, his mech  arabi woman.”  an all-knowing creator second. His
 free of an old woman’s nattering  Had his brother survived the mech  sleep, and looked around the camp.   pilot uniform torn and bloodied,   “I  see,  a  traitor  then.  Running  lessons can be hard to hear and
 foolishness.”  war above? If he had, should  The goats still snored softly, even   and one arm held close to his body,  from the Imperium.”  harder to understand. Lessons can
 Taking the offered food, Jak  he confront his brother and the  the kids who possessed boundless   its hand twisted as if broken in a   “Look about you, look out over  even kill.”
 relaxed, content. He watched the  betrayal that had almost killed Jak?  energy. He didn’t see Garzik, the   dozen places.  the sands,” Jak said, pointing.   “Then you die first,” the man
 arabi set up her small camp. Once  If his brother had not survived,  lizard absent. All that remained   The other hand held a laz-pistol  “The mech fleet is lost, destroyed,  spat.
 she finished, Agnez sat upon one  could Jak go home? Would he still  with Jak were the ghosts of his   though, pointed right at Jak.  broken titanium shells and dead   In response, Agnez clicked the
 of the oasis’s stones and withdrew  be hunted? Perhaps he could never  life, creations of his own making   “What do you want?” he asked,  pilots all over the desert. We will  roof of her mouth. A blur of yellow
 a cylinder-like white wooden box,  go home?  that  affected  the  living—and  Jak   adrenaline waking him fully.  be hunted. And if found, killed.  and green, Garzik tore from her
 one almost as long as her forearm.  If he couldn’t home, where should  Dreadth now had more ghosts than   “Your animals, your supplies,”  The Imperium will not allow the  black robes, across the oasis, and
 “What is that?”  he go? Somewhere else on Erth? Or  he cared to admit.  the man said, eyes feverish. “That  knowledge and experience that we  up the injured pilot’s leg before the
 Agnez whispered a word Jak  maybe off-world? The questions   Realizing his thoughts mimicked   robe you wear. Her robe too, for  possess to escape. It would be a  other could even react, making a
 couldn’t hear. The end of the box  had plagued him ever since Viridian  Agnez’s words, he looked for her,   that matter. And her hand.”  threat to them.”  loud hissing sound that filled the
 dissolved. A spiny lizard zipped  crashed.   thinking he’d share them once she   “Why her hand?”  “And how do you know that?”  morning with its rage.
 out, almost faster than the eye   awoke and they’d both have a   The man grinned with no humor.  the other sneered.  The mech pilot yelped in
 could perceive, red eyes glaring at   laugh.  “To activate the wells in this   Jak thought of his brother and  surprise, laz-pistol flaying about,
 Jak.     wasteland, you idiot.”              father—and what they had done to  the man trying to get the creature
 Then it vanished in a flash.  “You will not like the hand I give  him.          off.  After  he  realized  the  danger
 “That was Garzik,” the  arabi   you,” Agnez said evenly.  “I know the type.”    was minimal, he pointed the
 said. “A friend of mine.”  “Join us,” Jak said, trying to think   The man stood. “You leave me no  weapon at Jak.
 Jak looked for the lizard. “Why   of a way around the laz-pistol. He  choice then. I will be taking your   And pulled its trigger.
 haven’t I seen him before?”  also didn’t want the man focused  water skins and the goats. Killing   Jak stumbled back, expecting his
 “City-born Jak, you have much to   on the  arabi. “We have plenty of  them should supply the food I need  inevitable death.
 learn,” Agnez snorted. She pet the   supplies, you can have my robe.  to get home.”  It didn’t happen. The weapon
 lizard that had suddenly reappeared   And we have more water than we   “Where is  home?”  Jak  asked,  wouldn’t fire, no matter what the
 on her right shoulder, the reptile’s   can carry.”  still trying to find a way to keep  man tried. Jak realized the lizard
 eyes still appraising Jak. “I release   The man laughed, one filled with  the man from killing them. “What  had wrapped its tail about the laz-
 Garzik every evening. He likes the   pain. “I can have all that without  Royal House are you with?”  pistol, preventing the depression of
 night a great deal. You just haven’t   you.”  “Royal Houses are no longer.  the firing mechanism. Unable to




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