Torian Reclamation 2: Flash Move Read Free Page B

our way.”
    “What happens if I lose? Can we go back down the mountain afterwards, and leave peaceably?”
    The native shook his head. “You must have proper motivation to play, or it’s not a real game. We play for real.”
    Jumper felt Alan grab his upper arm, restraining him. They both looked back down over the precipice.
    “Come, play,” the threatening native said. “Or else the only way down is the same way your last opponent went.”
    Jumper looked at Alan—who shrugged and pointed down. “Like you said, it’s why we came up here.”
    “Right.” Jumper dove off the cliff without further ado. In a few seconds, his freefall was jostled by a hand grabbing his ankle. He looked up at Alan.
    “Let go, you fool! The suits are magnetically repelling. We can’t be this close together!”
    But it was too late. When Alan released him, their bodies were pulled together in the air and they spun uncontrollably.
    “I thought you said repelling!” Alan yelled.
    Jumper managed to untangle their limbs as the rushing cliff side behind them turned black, and then something must have kicked on in the suits—because he and Alan shot away from each other. Jumper was no longer falling vertically but propelling sideways. He adjusted his body to a flying position and felt his horizontal thrust find equilibrium with the force of gravity. He then settled into a gentle ebbing, back and forth, which is what—he was pretty sure—the suits were supposed to do. At least, that’s how they felt on the small slopes in the foothills.
    Looking back across the mountainside, Jumper could see Alan in the distance, now slowly swaying as well. The sensation was like swinging back and forth in a hammock that was slipping down the trunks of the two trees it was fastened to. A feeble laser beam from up in the mountains then shot in Alan’s direction, probably for spite, as they were now well out of range. The float suits’ delayed activation turned out to be a blessing.
    They eventually both reached the ground. Jumper’s landing was soft, but he knew he had a long walk in front of him so he started jogging. When he caught up with Alan, the two of them hiked back to the lower foothills of the Sinlo Mountains where they left their mid-range cruiser.
    When they got there, however, it was gone.
    “Are we sure this is where we parked it?” Alan asked as he looked about the darkening hills.
    “Yeah,” Jumper said. “Extact. I knew we should have hidden it better. That brushy area up on the knoll there would have tucked it completely out of sight. Stupid, lazy mistake. Now we’ll have to camp here for the night.”
    “Um, that clump of bushes you pointed to is moving. Are there dogs in these hills?”
    Jumper looked again and saw the unnatural rustling in the brush. “I don’t think so. There might be some zaboar around here, but whatever’s moving those branches is too big. Could be a large bird or a stray yuquin, which would be a stroke of luck. We better check it out.”
    Jumper motioned for Alan to approach on the left while he came about the right. The front bush shook erratically as they came near and then stopped. Whatever it was had moved into the small clearing behind it. Jumper signaled to Alan and they both came around from opposite sides at the same time.
    It wasn’t a bird or a yuquin. They were facing a native; a rather small, bright, silver-skinned Amulite. He was crouched on the ground as if ready to spring up and run, frantically looking back and forth between Jumper and Alan. They had his only exits blocked, as the groundcover was thick behind him. Jumper noticed Alan also looked ready to scramble on a second’s notice.
    “Did you take our cruiser?” Jumper asked. “It was parked right down there.” He pointed.
    The Amulite cocked his head at Jumper and stayed in place. Finally he said, “Earthlings?”
    “That’s right. My name is Jumper and my friend there is Alan2.”
    The Amulite stood and slowly made his way