There was nothing to do but settle in for a couple of days of riding to the potential sites of the Mahogany Ship.
A woman could lose herself in a desert landscape after a while. Shay already had. All the sandstone outcroppings had started to look the same. The shrubs weren’t impressive, and the birds flying overhead and scurrying lizards were just annoying. The few trees she spotted, mostly gum, were spindly and distant, as if mocking her.
The monotony of the trip wore at her. There were no distractions. No phone, no internet, no one else to talk to. Nothing but the land and Shay, alone with her thoughts. And that was the last place she wanted to be. This trip was supposed to take her away from all the buzzing in her brain.
Things were easier when she was a killer. Almost all her targets had been in cities or towns. She was never far from civilization, or at least a distraction, for more than a short period.
Her new job wasn’t that much different. Normally rural locations weren’t so far away in an age of technology and magic, and most of her targets hadn’t required lengthy time commitments. Even during most tomb raids in rural areas she could read or listen to material on her phone, but this cursed desert forced her into an important realization.
“Damn, I’m such a fucking city girl.” Shay laughed and patted the horse. “I wonder what Brownstone would do if he were out here, a thousand miles away from any barbeque.”
She’d taken to talking to herself and the horse on the second day of travel. A human voice soothed, even her own.
The horse swished its tail, whether in response or not, Shay wasn’t sure. Some sort of talking Oriceran horse would have been nice, but she wasn’t sure if such an animal existed.
“I’m allegedly dating the guy now, but I still don’t understand him,” Shay mumbled to herself. “I just don’t fucking get him. He’s not gay and we’re together, so…” She laughed. “Fuck, I wonder if the guy is a virgin? I didn’t even think of the possibility. I guess I shouldn’t press him. He’ll make a move when he’s ready.”
The horse nickered.
“Oh, you agree? What do you know, you’re just a horse. You’re not dating an alien badass with the social savvy of a turnip. He’s a badass though. First man I’ve ever met who can keep up with me.”
The horse neighed.
“Yeah, I agree with whatever you said. Go find an alien horse, and you’ll be all hooked up.”
Just a few more hours to the first site marked on her map.
“Son of a bitch,” Shay growled.
As if the desert were mocking her even more, there were almost no plants, and no rock formations or plateaus for miles. Australia wanted to be very clear to her that there was no teleported shipwreck at the first search point.
“Whatever. Got a few more sites to check.”
Shay’s horse neighed and shook his head.
“What’s your problem? It’s not like we even have to stop for you to do your business.”
A loud bellow shattered the calm.
Shay spun her head toward the source. A large, dark shape was charging toward them. She pulled on the reins to turn the horse.
“Fuck, what now?”
Whatever it was, it was coming at her from the direction of the next oasis.
Shay kicked the horse into a gallop, which he was more than happy to provide. If they could lose the creature, they could circle back toward the oasis before hitting the next possible ship site.
The horse kicked up dust as it charged through the few shrubs in the area. The dark shape closed on the horse. It was damned fast.
The tomb raider kept a hand on the reins as she pulled out her 9mm. She wouldn’t need any electricity to blast a few rounds behind her.
Her horse whinnied, terror propelling it forward. Shay spared another glance behind her. Their pursuer had closed to about thirty yards.
“What the fuck? I think I preferred those frog assholes in Russia.”
The creature lumbered toward her on six thick legs. Although it was hard to tell from a distance, it looked like it had a foot or two on Shay’s horse’s length. Two bulbous black eyes topped its squat reddish face, and a mixture of scales and patchy fur covered the rough hide.
Okay, not a drop bear. Maybe a bunyip? Yeah, that was it. They allegedly liked water, and it had come from the direction of the oasis.
Shay squeezed off a few rounds at the bunyip, but it didn’t even bother to stagger. Her horse neighed but didn’t buck.
“Guess it’s a good thing I asked for a horse used to gunfire,” she muttered. She was officially in Australia on a “hunting” trip.
The bunyip closed to twenty yards. Four more rounds didn’t do much more than her first shots.
Shay holstered her pistol. There was no point in wasting ammunition. Her gaze dropped to the wrapped sheath of the tachi lashed to the saddlebags. The tomb raider reached back to grab the tachi.
The bunyip bellowed again, and pain blasted through Shay’s head and her vision darkened. Several long moments passed before she could focus. Her horse lay on the ground, twitching but not bleeding. She was also on the ground, her hands and face scraped and her sword a few feet away.
What the fuck? Some sort of sonic attack? I’m lucky I didn’t break my neck.
The monster approached, this time at a leisurely pace. Its open mouth revealed a row of twitching sucker-covered appendages surrounding a circle of needle-like fangs.
Shay shook her head to try to clear it and pushed herself to her feet, although her stomach was lurching and the world was still spinning around her. The bunyip’s cry had gone well beyond simply intimidating prey.
The tomb raider stumbled and fell to her knees in front of the tachi. She reached out to snatch up the blade with a shaking hand.
“You sure are an ugly son of
