The Carnelian Fox Read online

  “That’s fantabulous.” Mr Corcheck bustled in with a smile overtaking his whole face. “Bonding already, eh, girls?”

  “We’re leaving right away, father. I’ll miss you, but this is the start of my future. What I accomplish will make you so proud of me.”

  “How can I not be proud of you already, darling? Be careful out there. Watch over each other, I’ll call you later to see how you’re getting on.”

  Lucy nodded, doing her best to escape her father’s bear hug and grab a pre-packed backpack.

  In a heartbeat she shoved me out the house, and we were on our way.

  “Okay, so, hi,” I ventured.

  “Hello…?” Lucy shifted her bag onto her shoulders, settling the weight into place. She adjusted the silver necklace around her throat, lifting it from her collared black shirt to show off the line of four capsules embedded inside.

  “You’ve got four Gems?” Damn I was way behind this girl already.

  “I would have had a full team, but I spent my accumulated credits on a quality thoroughbred, and I’ll seek other additions on the journey.”

  “What do you have?”

  “A pedigree wolf cub from Dorciti’s kennels, a lemur, a squirrel, and a robin. All candy, obviously. Pre-trained, wonderfully obedient, and making progress with their show training already. Yourself?”

  “Two flame types, a fox and… and a draco.” I baulked at the admission, it was the first time I’d claimed Charlotte was mine, and she didn’t even know it yet.

  “Draco? Wonderful choice. I expected you to have more though, if you signed up on an escort,” Lucy said, watching me from under eyelashes twice as long as mine. “Are you one of those themed Primes? Waiting until you come across an area with more flame types to add to the team?”

  “It’s not like that. A friend gave me one. Anyway, your dad’s message didn’t say anything about an escort, it said travel companion. If you want a stronger…”

  “No, no, you’ll do.” Lucy tapped away on her slim, glittery eBand, preoccupied with a task. I got the impression she wouldn’t care if I didn’t even have a Gem as long as it got her out from under her father’s scrutiny.

  “So, where were you planning to head next? I’ve done one challenge here. Everything else I’m game for.”

  “One challenge? My gosh, you are green, aren’t you? No mind, you’ll get there. I want to leave town now, before father decides that taking the same journey that thousands of others have at my age and survived is too dangerous.”

  Those words hit like a gut punch. Because, as I well knew, not every Prime made it through safe. But Lucy was someone that wanted to travel with me, someone that, yeah was a bit mental, but at least wanted to succeed enough to step out and do this. She wouldn’t drag her heels or make a fuss. I hoped.

  “There’s nothing round here that I’m bothered about, anyway.” I was more than done with this crap hole. “There are plenty of challenges elsewhere.”

  “I think we will get along rather well.” Lucy gave me a little appraising smile and strode off towards the city limits.

  So, I headed off on a new journey. Not to the place, or with the friend I’d planned. Luckily it was always Callum that bothered to plan and figure everything out ahead of time. I’d be okay just winging it for now. Lucy seemed a bossy sort of person, but I could live with that.

  It took a while for me to realise just how ruthless that girl was.

  Chapter Five

  My first impressions of Lucy were getting turned over fast. When I heard the words ‘show Prime’ I thought of spoiled girls or extra fabulous gay guys that dressed up their poor Gems and paraded them around in a hilarious, choreographed routine. I was pretty sure Lucy would do the parading part because that’s what showing was all about. But damn, she was driven. And deceptively capable.

  I admit, I wrote her off as a snob before I’d met her. When I saw her fashionable, well-cut power suit, I didn’t think she’d last a second in the wild. But when I looked closer, I saw her tailored shirt gave her way better movement than typical business wear. Her trousers were noticeably hard-wearing if you looked past the way they clung to her thighs, and I spotted the outline of reinforced knee pads.

  “You know it’s too late in the day to reach another lodge by night-time, right?” I asked as we vacated the town. Even the championships taking place there wouldn’t make me go back to Talucia ever again.

  “Gafiri is eighteen hours by foot, Sam. We wouldn’t reach it no matter what time of day we left.”

  “You don’t mind camping then?”

  “Hmm, don’t mind is one thing. I prepared myself for it to happen. I don’t have delusions of rainbows and sparkles the entire way.”

  Lucy tossed her strawberry blonde locks over her shoulder and tightened the straps of her bag. She was something else.

  ***

  We stopped for the evening in a little thicket of trees, their branches hung over us to keep out the worst of the weather. I gathered a pile of windfall and Finn lit it up with one of his flame spit attacks. Then curled up next to it and fell asleep. I wondered if he was secretly a cat.

  “You’re just going to let him stay there?” Lucy asked, tapping her necklace with four fingers at once to release her Gems. “Shouldn’t you be training?”

  “I’ve had a rough day,” I admitted. “Plus, I want to see yours in action.”

  Her eyes lit up and her four Gems materialised on the grass beside her.

  I blinked at the mass amount of pink and sparkles. Not my thing, but it seemed to work for her. Professional breeders had raised that wolf for sure, it had the stance of a show dog where they put their back legs at that funny, proud angle instead of just flopping over and licking their butt.

  “This is Dorciti’s Exemplary Wonder, Dewdrop for short.” Lucy presented her prized Gem with a flourish.

  “Wow, and it’s still two syllables for the short version. Impressive.”

  “I understand sarcasm, Sam. I’m not as completely sheltered as you might think.”

  “Doesn’t mean I’ll stop using it,” I replied. “Don’t take it personally, it’s just how I communicate. Get worried when I act serious.”

  Lucy eyed me for a second and then gave her Gems her full attention. Dewdrop returned his own straight away. So did the lemur with rainbow rings around its tail. The squirrel and robin side-eyed each other, the little rodent poised on his toes.

  “Settle down,” Lucy commanded.

  She put those Gems through their paces. Watching a pink-feathered bird trying to do a perfect graceful show walk was hilarious. But I could see she either had talent or put ninety percent of her time into training.

  I left her to it. Finn was at my side before I’d even called him. I walked off to the other side of the cluster of trees and sat down with my back against the thickest trunk I could find. The muck in the roots was almost damp, I patted my butt to check if any goo clung to it, but it was just cold rather than wet.

  Then I released Charlotte.

  The draco knew. There was no way she didn’t. Her Prime’s next of kin had transferred her ownership. She looked around though, searching.

  “You want Callum, huh? Me too, girl. He didn’t trade you away or sell you, I promise. Those guys that night… they hurt him. Badly. Umm… He died. And I’m sorry because I know he’d be a much better Prime than me. He’d have looked after you so well and you’d have done amazing things. We will too though. We can still win battles and have adventures, we’ll do it for him, okay? Does that sound good?”

  Her trainers had bred her to be easy-going and obedient, I knew that. But when she stepped towards me and released a tiny puff of steam, something released in me too. Like Callum himself forgave me.

  “We’ll be a great team. Me and you and Finn. That’s right, buddy, Charlotte’s part of the family now.”

  Finn stepped forward, tiny nose twitching as he checked out every side of his new ally. Then he head-butted her in greeting, not shiftin
g the muscular Gem at all. She touched her snout to his and I swear they became best friends just like that. If only I could rub my face on someone and make a lifelong bond. Maybe I’d try it and see what kind of response I got.

  Back at the clearing, with both of my Gems following, I found Lucy batting her eyelashes into a holographic vidlink.

  “See, Daddy, she’s right here. I’m not abandoned in the wilderness. Yes, she’s been looking after me. Yes, we’ve eaten.”

  We hadn’t. My stomach grumbled at the reminder. If I didn’t count the nibbled end of a baguette, which I shouldn’t, I hadn’t had a meal since the burger I gobbled down while Callum was off in town. Meals couldn’t be the same after that, right? And I’d never eat a stroganoff again, not after Callum missed his last one. Okay, I wouldn’t touch one of those slimy things anyway, but it was the principle of the situation!

  “Are you quite alright, Sam?” Lucy’s voice cut through my wild scatter of thoughts, snapping me back to reality.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. Really, I hadn’t got the faintest clue if I’d ever be all right again. “How’s your dad dealing?”

  “He’s never been one for ‘dealing’, as you’ve no doubt noticed he’s rather overprotective. And, as absolutely infuriating as it is, I don’t intend to worry him more than necessary.”

  “You’re a daddy’s girl?”

  “Yes, Sam. I most certainly am. Not having a mother will do that to a person,” she answered in clipped tones. Oh crap, that was awkward. Maybe I shouldn’t be winding up my one chance at a travel buddy yet. Not until she got to know that’s how I showed affection, anyway.

  Honestly, she was impressive. Iron will, sweet to her family. She was the best of both worlds. Some days the world was lucky that I bothered to put on a bra.

  ***

  The next day we continued our journey, still without the hope of reaching the next town before nightfall. I didn’t mind camping the night before, but the sky was ominous and grey, and I didn’t fancy sleeping in a mud hole.

  “Do you know anywhere we could stop off for the night? It’s going to get real crappy real soon,” I asked Lucy.

  She swiped up a holographic map from her eBand and zoomed into the dot showing our position.

  “There’s a place just ahead.” She pointed off to the right of the trail we were following. “It’s a wool farm.”

  “Sheep, llamas, goats, loads of cute things to pet!” Some adorable animals were just what I needed to cheer me up.

  “Actually, rodent Gems, most have the producer trait but take up less space than those larger creatures such as sheep. It means they regularly drop an item their Prime can sell or trade in for aesthetic packs that allow you to customise a Gem’s appearance.”

  “Rabbits! Even better!” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the fluffy little cuties. I already knew about the stupid dress up kits, show Primes loved them but it seemed like a colossal waste of money. Paying for something that didn’t strengthen your Gem? Finn might look badass with a tribal design down his flank though…

  “The owners may not be happy with you scuffing up their merchandise. If they even let us in at all.” Lucy’s gaze reminded me of a word. Admonishment. That’s what it was. Like she was telling me off before I’d even done anything naughty. I hoped this entire thing wouldn’t be like going on an adventure with my mum.

  “Two fine young ladies such as ourselves? How can they say no?”

  “How about you let me do the talking?” Lucy said, striding off ahead of me.

  I indulged her, she had that kind of forceful way of speaking where you couldn’t bother to say anything against her because you knew you’d be rolling your eyes and going along with her a minute later, anyway. These farmers would give us a bed, dinner, and all the rabbits we could pet as soon as they laid eyes on that girl.

  The farmhouse came into view first, a squat, single storey building with dark tiles on the roof and huge, old-fashioned stonework. It wouldn’t surprise me if it had been built before Gems had even existed.

  Large pens with dozens of wooden shelters stretched as far as I could see, tufts of straw stuck out of the entrances and scattered over the stubby, nibbled grass. Little movements from inside the boxes shifted the straw poking out and hinted at the cuties housed within, but it was getting late and overcast so I wasn’t surprised that none were out on show.

  I heard a tuneful thumping and looked towards the farmhouse, Lucy was already there and knocking on the door. I sprinted over and got to her side just as the owner opened up. She was older than I expected for a farmer, grey hair and glasses and wrinkles and all that. But she was wearing beat up overalls and had her hair scraped back out of the way. She was a grafter.

  “Good evening, ladies, what can I do for you?” the woman said.

  “Ma’am, we’re awfully sorry to disturb you at such a time of the day. We hoped that you would be open to the possibility of us sheltering on your property tonight? We’ll be on our way nice and early and won’t impose.”

  “Come on in girls! Can’t have you out in the blooming rain now, can we?” The entire woman shook as she did that weird over the top laughing for no reason that lonely people do.

  Lucy and I stepped inside, grunting as we leant into the door until it clicked shut. I had to take my jacket off straight away, Lucy acted like nothing affected her and still wore her full gear, striding behind the farmer as she took us through to a colossal kitchen that stretched the length of the building. Everything was all huge stones and ancient range appliances. Weird how it looked hundreds of years old but still in better shape than anything my mum could have afforded brand-new.

  “My name is Pippa, I farm item drops here. If you’re in the market for some new packs for your Gems, I can give you girls a good price?”

  “We very much appreciate your kindness, Pippa. I’m Lucy, and my friend is Sam. We’re both new to our journeys so I don’t think we’ll be purchasing today. I will show Gems one day though and I’d love to take your details for when I’m ready?”

  Those two took to each other right off, chatting about Veronica Talford and Murchico Gonzalez and whoever else had the prettiest Gems on stage right now. Not my scene. Pippa waved me towards the fridge to help myself to some food, so I grabbed a chunk of butter and a sliced ham to make myself a sandwich.

  A tall glass of tart apple juice and a plate of sticky buns later, they were talking about whether fur lengthening or unique patterns would be the next big thing. I excused myself to go pet bunnies.

  Outside, the trees in the distance were bending at crazy angles, and the light dimmed drastically. I’d have plenty of time to get inside if it looked like rain though. An oppressive silence came from all the runs, the Gems were all bedded down ready for the bad weather. So boring. I wandered towards the closest one and tried to peek into the straw-filled box. A tuft of pink fur pressed against the corner of the doorway, some kind of candy Gem. It wasn’t like I’d see anything more tonight.

  I tapped the scanner on my eBand and aimed it at the fur. A basic info screen popped up: Candy rabbit cub, average stats, producer trait, no enhancements. Pippa had named it PR09. If I had a farm, I’d get attached to all my Gems and give them real names.

  A shriek shredded the quiet. Came from the edge of the pens. I bolted, slamming the two capsules set on my wrist. Finn and Charlotte ran beside me, the fox’s eyes searching mine.

  “I heard a noise, guys, over there. Let’s check this out.”

  Finn nodded and took the lead, Charlotte pushed her bulky body to keep up with us, maybe I should have waited until we got there to summon her.

  I sucked in a sharp breath when we arrived. Something had ripped open the entire side of one of the mesh cages. Squeaks and whistles sliced over the whipping gusts of wind that were picking up by the second. Blood coated the side of one of the wooden bedding boxes. The crunch of a tooth splitting bone cut a screech short.

  Everything in me went cold, yeah it was icy, and the air
was heavy with water ready to spill, but this was different. This was my job, I had to protect people from these rogue Gems, but I didn’t want to see whatever was there. My brain already blanked the blood patches, the pools soaking into the grass and dirt that made filthy ochre trenches where invading claws had gouged the earth.

  Finn went in.

  I almost called him back, I was desperate to see what he was up against before it could tear his head off too. I couldn’t lose him, not now.

  “Charlotte, back him up,” I said instead. Time to earn my wage.

  The draco shuffled in behind him, and the pair flanked the bedding box that had been rocking violently but now dropped into silence. Low hissing emanated from the hay, a tap of claws as the creature exited. A long snout showed, green and scaled and clamped around the body of a limp, brown mink. Stubby, sharp-tipped forelimbs helped to pull the sinuous form of a raptor from the confines. With a swift flick of the head, it flipped the mink up into its mouth and swallowed it whole. An eternity of tail followed the scaled nightmare as it freed itself from the box. Amber eyes locked onto my Gems.

  Hands shaking, I scanned it. Adolescent plant raptor, praise everything good, it was weak to my flame Gems. Still a total monster though, high stats and a good defence trait. I should catch it. I should. It was strong. It had the blood of innocent Gems coating its lips and there was a tuft of fur stuck between two teeth and it made my stomach heave, but I should catch it. Shouldn’t I?

  Finn crouched, a pitiful growl rumbling in his throat.

  He attacked.

  I wish I’d known more before that battle, prepared myself for what wild Gems could do. It never felt like a game ever again after that.

  Chapter Six

  A bellow of rage tore from the raptor’s maw, flinging drops of mink blood into the air. My lips pulled into a grimace and I directed my Gems in.

  “Charlotte, distract that thing, Finn back off and hit it with everything you’ve got!”