Free The Free Trader of Warren Deep (Free Trader Series Book 1) by Craig Martelle Page A

of the surrounding area. They needed more numbweed. He wanted some tubers, maybe other wild vegetables if he could find any. Skirill and G-War were carnivores. Braden needed more, wanted a great deal more than just meat, but was willing to settle. His last two trips into town weren’t long enough for him to get a bed and a good home-cooked meal. He would have been happy with a bad home-cooked meal.
    When Braden returned to their camp, Skirill was asleep on a branch overhead. G-War was asleep in the back of the cart. The horses were even down and out cold. Braden was instantly alert, adrenaline surging through his body. He’d heard of mutants who could put people to sleep with their breath. The mutie Bears could freeze beings with their mind.
    ‘Is it too much to ask that it is quiet?’ G-War asked via their mindlink.
    A certain amount of paranoia was healthy as it kept a person on his toes. Braden felt like he was going a little too far. G-War would have let him know if anything was wrong. Skirill probably would have, too. The horses should be sleeping; they worked hard this turn.
    And Braden felt fine. He had not yet eaten, so he wasn’t burdened with digesting the huge meals of his companions.
    ‘Sorry, G. Too many weird things lately,’ he responded to the ‘cat, in his quietest thought voice.
    He went to work building a small fire where he could hang his one pot and make a rabbit stew. His mouth watered thinking about it.
    While his dinner was slowly heating, Braden pulled out his rudder. It had been at the bottom of the one blanket pack for many turns. He needed to update it. Carefully, with his fine pencils, he updated his entries, especially those regarding the path he had taken from Cameron to Whitehorse, back to his current position. In another half turn, he should cross the trail he made previously. This was the value of the rudder, keeping the trader on the best path. He smiled to himself. He would remain true to his craft.

 
    23 – Heading South
     
    The night was thankfully uneventful. Come morning, man, creature, and beast alike were well rested. They found their earlier track and followed it south, until the point where it turned west toward Whitehorse. They turned east instead.
    Skirill scouted far ahead. He flew to the northern border of the Great Desert, looking for the easiest way south. Skirill found a stream in the foothills of the Bittner Mountains, close to the Great Desert. They determined that would be the best place to camp and get their fill of water before plunging into the barren wasteland.
    Braden looked at the two horses and the cart. G-War was crouched in the cart, on the softest place he could find, the blanket pack of smoked meat, watching as the group passed through the forest and into the grassy plains. Braden thought of them as his caravan. Although he considered them equals, he took responsibility for their health and well-being.
    They continued across the plains in silence. Skirill spent some time aloft, but most of his time was in trees or on rocks, waiting for the caravan to catch up. He hunted while he waited, catching a few ground squirrels, which he ate in single, massive Hawkoid gulps.
    No one followed. No one was ahead. The Hawkoid’s view of the Great Desert showed a seemingly endless waste.
    They pushed on, but wouldn’t make the hills until the next turn. They camped by a lone tree, old, its growth diminished by lack of water and dry earth. Braden did not make a fire. The ‘cat climbed into the tree, relaxing on a lower limb with all four legs dangling. G-War liked this position. Braden called it the lazy ‘cat. Skirill stayed on the highest branch that would support his weight. Braden hobbled the horses so they could graze on their own. He reclined against the tree and ate sparingly of the smoked meat and cheese. It might have to last for weeks.
    It would be good to get another deer. And maybe even harvest some of the plains grass to fill the cart. It wouldn’t