{"id":303,"date":"2023-05-19T07:36:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T07:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/ajh\/?page_id=303"},"modified":"2025-12-11T08:44:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T08:44:32","slug":"trouble-on-teral","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/?page_id=303","title":{"rendered":"Trouble on Teral: #1 in The Portal Adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; padding: 5px 5px 5px 5px; margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px;\">\n<table style=\"border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; background-color: #ffffff;\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"2\" cellpadding=\"2\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"border-color: #ffffff #cccc99 #ffffff #ffffff; border-style: solid;\" width=\"30%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-247\" src=\"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/TroubleOnTeral.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/TroubleOnTeral.jpg 400w, https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/TroubleOnTeral-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-245\" \/><a class=\"maxbutton-1 maxbutton maxbutton-clemhorn-nightfall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/books2read.com\/u\/bWJpQ0\"><span class='mb-text'>Order from Your Favourite Store<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>or direct from your local bookstore<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/peasantrypress.com\/index.html\">Published by Peasantry Press<\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"border-color: #ffffff #ffffff #ffffff #ffffff; border-style: solid;\">\n<h1><i>Trouble on Teral<\/i><\/h1>\n<h2>by<\/h2>\n<p>Andrew J Harvey<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"center\">Book 1 of<br \/>\nThe Portal Adventures<\/h3>\n<p class=\"centerindent\">Perhaps coming to visit his mom on Teral Four without her permission had not been one of Mark\u2019s brightest ideas. But after she cancelled his visit to her archaeological dig, he had felt he had no choice. Now he wasn\u2019t so sure. When his dad, a Colonel in the UN Peacekeepers, found out, he was going to go ballistic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"centerindent\">Unfortunately for Mark, the Llarst, violent aliens who already fought one war with Earth, have taken his mother and the other archaeologists hostage. And if the Llarst find what they\u2019re looking for, all of Earth will be in danger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"centerindent\">With just the assistance of Windracer, a young saurian on her first vision quest, and her elephant- sized groundhog, Mark must rescue his mother and her friends, stop the Llarst, and face his dad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"centerindent\">Piece of Cake.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fHzVpH-OBNA\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Praise for <i>Trouble on Teral<\/i>, book 1 in the series<\/h2>\n<p class=\"centerindent\">&#8220;An unforgettable, fast-paced intergalactic adventure &#8230; An outstanding innovation on a well-loved theme. The Portal Adventures is well-told and yes, thoroughly believable.&#8221; &#8211; <i>Shelley Davidow, internationally acclaimed author of Shadow Sisters<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"centerindent\">&#8220;&#8230; an exciting, adventure filled race against time for two unlikely friends&#8230; 5 stars&#8221; &#8211; <i>Brenda &#8211; GoodReads TopReviewer<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<hr \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;\" colspan=\"2\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Chapter One<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark stumbled in Teral 4\u2019s unfamiliar gravity, almost missing the first step at the top of the stairs as he stepped out of the small cargo plane that had brought him from the Space Elevator.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cCareful Mark,\u201d Sarah, the pilot, said grabbing his arm. \u201cThere\u2019s no hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark nodded, adjusting his glasses to look around as the enormity of what he\u2019d done finally started to sink in. Back on Earth it seemed so simple. Just use the tickets Mom had sent him to visit her at the dig when the trip was still on. Now that he was here, he had serious doubts about the idea. Dad would go ballistic when he found out! Mark would probably be the first to admit he never seemed to think things through, but he\u2019d had to do something, and maybe this would get his parents talking to each other again.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cAre you sure your mother is expecting you?\u201d Sarah asked, frowning at the deserted parking lot next to the small warehouse at the end of the runway.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cShe said she was,\u201d he lied uncomfortably.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Sarah looked doubtfully down at him. Mark was small for his age, and he knew the freckles that came with his red hair made him look even younger. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and tried to look older.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cIf no one turns up for you after half an hour,\u201d Sarah said, \u201cwe\u2019ll phone the dig.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThanks,\u201d Mark said. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, surprised by the faint scent of orange blossom on the breeze.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cI\u2019ll go and supervise the unloading,\u201d Sarah said as two Tereks appeared from inside the warehouse, pulling a flatbed wagon behind them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark studied the two aliens with interest. They looked just like the photographs Mom included with her letters, humanoid and roughly saurian, with a high domed forehead and a short crest that ran over the top of their head and down the back of their neck. Their skin was a soft mottled green and gold, and so smooth Mark\u2019s fingers itched to stroke it. He was disappointed with the overalls they wore though; they should have something more exotic.<br \/>\nAs Sarah headed towards the back of the plane to help unload, Mark took the time to look around properly at his first planet. He hadn\u2019t had time at the Elevator as the plane was already waiting for him. He\u2019d just had time to grab his bag and take the underground walkway before it left. Now, though &#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The airfield was smaller than Mark expected, just a small warehouse made out of gray PVC clapboards, next to a gravel runway. A row of windows lined the side of the warehouse facing them, the building surrounded by a tired and shabby lawn. A windsock dangled from its pole next to the runway. Beyond the lawn a forest of tall cane formed an unbroken barrier of emerald green that continued to the horizon, a solid wall of vegetation sweating in the heat. Under the pink-tinged light from the red sun, and with the faint scent of orange blossom on the breeze, there was no question he was no longer on Earth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMark.\u201d It was Sarah. \u201cReady to come down?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Nodding, Mark started cautiously down the steps.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Heat baked the ground, burning his lungs, as they made their way across to the warehouse.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cHere you are,\u201d Sarah said, opening the door for him. A small waiting room was set up just inside, and a row of empty plastic chairs faced the open window. Overhead a large fan rotated slowly and uselessly against the heat.<br \/>\nMark put his suitcase down next to the first chair.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThere should be some water in the fridge if you\u2019re thirsty,\u201d Sarah said. \u201cCall if you need anything else. I should be finished refueling in about twenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He watched her head outside. Halfway across the coarse grass she paused, turned and looked back at him. Caught watching, he quickly pulled his reading tablet out of his bag and opened up the latest edition of UN Peace Keeper.<br \/>\nHe looked up, halfway through the technical specifications of the UN\u2019s new all-terrain attack-vehicle, to see someone talking to Sarah. The newcomer was wearing faded blue dungarees and matching jacket. A dark brown fedora and wrap-around shades completely hid his face. Sarah gestured, and as the stranger started towards the building Mark bent over to put his tablet away.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMark Spender?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark looked up. The man in front of him had his hand out. With the dark glasses off, his eyes crinkled with good humor. \u201cJake Grisholm. Sarah says your mother works out at the dig.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cYes, my mother\u2019s Muriel Cole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cOf course, you\u2019re Mark. Sorry I didn\u2019t recognize you. You look shorter than you do in your photograph. Muriel talks about you all the time though.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Pity she hadn\u2019t wanted to see him then, Mark thought.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cDo you want to bring your suitcase outside?\u201d Jake said. \u201cI\u2019ve got some supplies to load and then we can head off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark followed Jake through the main doors to the vehicle waiting on the concrete pad outside.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cNice,\u201d Mark said, catching sight of the solar-powered Mercedes JT 400 with gyro-battery. A scale model of a similar vehicle Mark had built last summer took pride of place in his display cabinet back home on Earth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">With Mark\u2019s help, Jake stacked the stores for the dig onto the buggy\u2019s back-tray, tying Mark\u2019s suitcase down beside them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cSo what\u2019s the power on the gyros?\u201d Mark asked, settling himself into the passenger seat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cDon\u2019t know,\u201d Jake said, as he swung himself in. \u201cAll I do is drive it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">His disappointment must have shown because Jake grinned. \u201cI\u2019ve got it up to 120, if that\u2019s any help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cCool.\u201d The Regiment\u2019s JT 401s only made 160, and that was with military-grade gyros, so that probably put the power at about 150KW.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMark.\u201d It was Sarah.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cJust wanted to say goodbye,\u201d she said. \u201cYou got everything, Jake?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cIt looks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cGood, I\u2019ll pick you up in a month then,\u201d she told Mark, squeezing his shoulder.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cYou secure?\u201d Jake asked as Sarah headed back to the plane.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cYep,\u201d Mark said, snapping himself into the racing harness.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cHold on then.\u201d Jake spun the tires and they slewed sideways, before bouncing off the pad onto the unpaved track that led north away from the airstrip.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark couldn\u2019t help an excited, \u201cYeah!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Jake grinned at him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cSo how far is it?\u201d Mark asked, raising his voice over the whine of the electric motors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThe dig? Couple of hours,\u201d Jake said. \u201cWe should get there just after dark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He flicked the headlights on as the track plunged into the cane. The plants were about three meters high, with broad green leaves that spread out over the track, throwing everything beneath them into deep shadow. The smell of orange blossom was stronger now, and Mark wondered if it came from the cane. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. He was finally here. He\u2019d done it! Dad would probably ground him for a year, but even if Mom wanted to, she couldn\u2019t send him back for at least a month. Stretching around, he caught sight of the building growing steadily smaller behind them. An abrupt twist in the track put it out of sight, leaving the vehicle alone in the tunnel of cane.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Something scurried out onto the track. There was a muffled bump, and the vehicle bounced over whatever it had struck.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWhat was that?\u201d Mark asked, craning around to see.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cProbably a wabitt. They\u2019re a little like a large ground squirrel. The cane is full of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cAren\u2019t you going to stop?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Jake shook his head. \u201cThe scavengers will be along in a moment, and you don\u2019t want to meet any of them if you can help it, even with this.\u201d He patted the holster on his belt, and Mark\u2019s eyes widened as he recognized the handle of a blaster.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cI didn\u2019t want to say anything in front of Sarah,\u201d Jake said. \u201cBut I thought your mother had canceled your visit to the site about a month ago?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark looked down at his feet. \u201cShe might have done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cSo how did you manage to get here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark shrugged and then sighed. \u201cDad\u2019s been on maneuvers with his unit, so I just told Mrs. McKenzie he\u2019d canceled the tickets Mom sent, and she never bothered to check.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMuriel said your father\u2019s with the Peacekeepers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThat\u2019s right. He\u2019s the Colonel of the Townsville regiment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cAnd Mrs. McKenzie is who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cOur housekeeper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cAnd where does she think you are at the moment?\u201d Jake asked, raising an eyebrow.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cAt a school camp. I was going to let her know as soon as I got here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Jake laughed. \u201cOh well done. I couldn\u2019t have done it better myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cReally,\u201d Jake assured him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cDo you think I should phone Mom, then? Let her know I\u2019m here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cYou mean, let her get used to the idea that you\u2019re here before she sees you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cSort of.\u201d He frowned at his wrist-watch with its inbuilt phone which wasn\u2019t showing a signal.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Jake grinned at his expression. \u201cWe\u2019ll need to give you a new phone when we get to the dig. Only satellite phones work this far away from the Elevator.\u201d He pointed to the small box attached to the dashboard to show what he meant, and then tapped the smart jewelry he was wearing clipped to his ear.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cCan I use that?\u201d Mark asked, admiring the intricate silver serpent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Jake shook his head, then seemed to reconsider. \u201cWell, you could, but your Mom\u2019s probably underground so the phone still won\u2019t get through. You\u2019ll just have to wait till we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark relaxed back into his seat, more confident now he had one ally. He yawned. It had been a long trip, and he\u2019d been awake for nearly twenty hours.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWhy don\u2019t you close your eyes,\u201d Jake suggested. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a while before we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThanks,\u201d Mark said, settling himself back into his seat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He woke to the ringing of a phone. It was dusk, the temperature was already noticeably cooler, and the buggy was halted by the side of the road. By the sounds coming from underneath the buggy, Jake was working on something there.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There was a muffled oath from Jake before he could get a hand free to tap the ear-phone to receive.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cHi Masuto, yeah I\u2019m almost back,\u201d he said. \u201cFifteen minutes or so, just got a loose wire to one of the wheels.\u201d He lowered his voice, forcing Mark to strain to hear. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a problem though. I picked up Muriel\u2019s son at the airport. Looks like he\u2019s run away from home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Masuto obviously said something.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cNo, I couldn\u2019t just leave him there. We can lock him up with the others. It won\u2019t be for much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">For a moment Mark forgot to breathe. Lock him up? he thought frantically.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cYou\u2019d better tell the Llarst to hurry up though. His father\u2019s a Colonel in the UN Peacekeepers, and I don\u2019t want to be here when he finds out what\u2019s happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The Llarst! What were they doing here? The UN had fought a war with them less than ten years ago, and from what his father told him relations were still pretty strained. He had to get out of there. Without thinking, he released his harness and swung his legs out of the buggy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMark?\u201d There was a loud bang as Jake\u2019s head hit the underside of the vehicle, followed by an explosion of swearing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Without looking back, Mark took off into the cane that lined the track. In the dim light of dusk the plants formed a continuous curtain around him, their tips whipping from side to side overhead as he ran. Their stems were slippery under his hands as he forced his way through, unable to see where he was going, the scent of orange blossom now almost overpowering.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">After twenty meters Mark started to bear right, trying to move more cautiously so as not disturb the tall stalks. Five minutes later he was sure he\u2019d lost Jake, but he\u2019d also seemed to have lost the track. He heard Jake crashing off to the left and decided to stop.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMark, get back here. Come on lad; I won\u2019t hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark held his breath and a moment later Jake tried again.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cCome on Mark, your mother will be waiting. It\u2019s dangerous out here at night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There was another moment\u2019s silence, followed by a curse, then he heard Jake start back to the vehicle. Taking his bearings, Mark started to follow him at an angle, and almost stepped out onto the track. Quickly he pulled back into the cover of the cane. The buggy was about thirty meters away, almost hidden in the shadows, and it wasn\u2019t long before Jake emerged onto the track beside it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Angrily Jake kicked the tire, then jammed the loose wire into its housing on the wheel motor and tightened the connector savagely. The buggy started first try, and spinning the wheels Jake goosed it back towards the airport.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark was just stepping out onto the track when he heard the whine of the buggy approaching again, and pulled back into the cane just as Jake brought the buggy racing back along the track towards him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The buggy slid to a stop a short distance away. \u201cCome on Mark,\u201d Jake called.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark remained motionless, and after a couple of minutes, Jake checked his watch. He swore and angrily slammed the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. Getting out of the vehicle he started to rummage through the supplies. Mark watched him, puzzled. What was he doing?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">After apparently finding what he was looking for, Jake got back in the vehicle. Mark heard him muttering about being too soft. \u201cI\u2019ll be back in the morning,\u201d he called as he headed back towards the dig.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark watched him disappear into the distance. What should he do? He frowned, wishing he\u2019d thought this out properly. The safest bet was probably to head back to the airstrip which would have a satellite phone, but that was, what, a day\u2019s walk away? He wished Dad were there. He always knew what to do. He\u2019d even put up with the grilling he\u2019d get for running off. Still, Jake said the dig was less than fifteen minutes away, so perhaps he could have a look at that first.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He\u2019d just started to move along the track when he noticed the bag of ginger-nut cookies on the ground, next to where Jake had parked. Puzzled, he checked the cane but there was no sign of a trap. Warily he picked them up, wondering how they\u2019d fallen out of the buggy. The packet seemed untouched, so he opened it and tried one. His stomach rumbled and he quickly finished a second one, before doing the bag back up. They might have to keep him going for a while.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He started north, trying to keep to the cover provided by the cane. It was difficult to do that while still keeping the track in sight, and he had to stop and cast around every fifty meters or so to make sure he wasn\u2019t veering off course. It was a trick his father had described once, and it was harder than he\u2019d expected.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He\u2019d been walking for about fifteen minutes when, from one step to the next, the soft gray of dusk deepened into the black of night; a night so deep that even the stars were invisible. He remembered Mom writing about it in one of her letters, how the density of Teral\u2019s Oort cloud hid stellar objects from sight, but he hadn\u2019t expected it to get so &#8230; black. He couldn\u2019t even see his hands in front of his face. The temperature had already started to drop, and now he remembered how cold Mom said it got at night. He wished he had his coat with him, but it was in his suitcase.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Something roared in the distance, a sort of yowling cough, a little like the jaguar Mark had once heard at the zoo. All of a sudden escaping from Jake didn\u2019t seem such a good idea. Mark started back towards the track, but after five minutes of blundering through the cane he knew he was lost, and somehow he had also dropped and lost the cookies. Fighting back tears, he settled down to wait for morning. There wasn\u2019t anything else he could do. If he kept walking he\u2019d probably just stumble into whatever was out there. As though to echo his thoughts another yowl filled the night around him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The smell of orange blossom faded with the disappearance of the sun. Overhead, the movement of a breeze through the cane created a soft whisper that gradually faded into utter silence as Mark shivered himself to sleep.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He woke several times during the night from a confused dream of space shuttles and angry aliens. Finally, he roused to the first, faint, watery light of the sun, and stiffly pulled himself to his feet. He\u2019d made it through the night, and with the sun up had some idea of direction again. He hoped Mom was all right. The first thing was to find the dig, he thought, as he cleaned his glasses on his shirt, wishing once again that his father were there.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Several hours later, hungry and thirsty and with no idea of his bearings, Mark staggered out of the cane onto the banks of a shallow river. The river wound itself lazily through a narrow strip of meadow. Crimson butterflies hovered in the air, wings glinting in the sun, over a meadow of low-lying grasses and purple flowers. With no thought of what the water might contain, Mark threw himself full length on the bank of the river, and after removing his glasses, thrust his face into the chilling water to drink his fill.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">When he raised his head, he found himself being watched from the other side of the river by something that looked as though it had emerged from a nightmare. Putting his glasses back on, he peered uncertainly across the river. The monster \u2013 it must have been a hrak from its appearance \u2013 was about three meters tall, with a powerful flat face, massive jaws, and two upward pointing tusks. It surveyed Mark mournfully as it chewed on a mouthful of bulrushes that dangled from its mouth in a dripping beard. The hrak\u2019s hairless, tan skin wrapped its immense frame in loose rolls, while its front feet were tipped in massive curling claws, each longer than Mark\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It took Mark a moment to realize the monster had a rider, a young Terek who studied him with interest from the back of the giant beast.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark got to his feet slowly. Both hrak and rider continued to observe him without blinking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark felt like a mouse being watched by two cats. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose you speak English?\u201d Mark said hopefully.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cA little,\u201d the Terek said, carefully pronouncing each word separately.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMy name\u2019s Mark Spender.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cName of this seeker is Windracer,\u201d the Terek announced, sliding down to the ground. Mark was surprised to find he was taller than the young Terek; it always seemed that because he was short for his age everyone was taller than him. The Terek\u2019s skin patterning was tighter than that of the two Mark had seen at the airstrip, its mottling smaller and more regular, and the short crest over the top of its head was a deeper green.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Windracer wore a long tunic, covered with hundreds of tiny scales that refracted the sun like a hologram, a broad leather belt, and breeches that finished just above the knee. Now that\u2019s what a Terek should wear, Mark thought. Windracer was barefoot, however, and Mark winced as Windracer\u2019s feet settled into the mud up to their ankles. Then again, maybe it was a good thing the Terek wasn\u2019t wearing boots.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWhat Mark do?\u201d Windracer asked, wading across the river towards him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cI\u2019m trying to get to the dig. My mother\u2019s an archaeologist there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMark\u2019s mother is at the Place of the Old Ones?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark nodded \u2013 that\u2019s what Mom had said the Tereks called the underground city.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWhat does Mark do here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s a long story,\u201d he said, not sure how much he could trust the Terek. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose you know where it is? The Place of the Old Ones?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Windracer assented, using its chin to point towards the left. \u201cThat way. Windracer is never lost.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cSo what are you doing here?\u201d Mark asked, unimpressed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWindracer seeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWhat are you seeking?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Windracer\u2019s brow furrowed for a moment. \u201cA dreaming. Windracer saw, now Windracer find.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cSo what \u2013 you saw something in your dreams, and now you\u2019re trying to find it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWhat did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Windracer\u2019s head reared back in alarm. \u201cMark should not ask. Is between Windracer\u2019s Gisha and Windracer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cSorry.\u201d What was a Gisha? He didn\u2019t want to risk upsetting Windracer anymore by asking. \u201cSo how long have you been looking?\u201d he asked instead.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMany sleeps. Perhaps thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWhat does your family think?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Windracer bobbed its head. \u201cIs hard. Windracer\u2019s clan believed Windracer too young to leave because Windracer had not had first clutch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Clutch! He blinked. His mother had told him that the Terek laid eggs, but that meant \u2013 Windracer was a girl! He looked her up and down again. She didn\u2019t look like one!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cBut Windracer is fit, yes?\u201d Windracer said, pulling back a sleeve to show Mark the muscles on her smooth, green and gold arm. \u201cAnd Windracer still searches.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cSo how far is the dig?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWindracer take,\u201d Windracer announced. \u201cMark ride Matak.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMatak?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Windracer jerked her chin at the monster on the other side of the river. Mark looked at the huge beast doubtfully.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cIs safe,\u201d Windracer promised. \u201cMatak is,\u201d she thought for a moment. \u201cBig baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Windracer had a strange idea about babies, Mark thought, as he reluctantly stepped down from the bank, into the water and mud that lined the bottom of the stream. Cold water immediately flooded over the tops of his boots. As he made his way across the river, he had to struggle to maintain his balance against the pull of the mud. It would have been easier to remove his boots, but the mere thought of sticking his feet into the muck that covered the bottom of the river made his skin crawl.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">As he pulled himself up onto the far bank, Matak raised its head to stare at him. Uncomfortably Mark paused to empty his boots. As he did Matak watched him without blinking, then let out an enormous fart. Mark gasped at the stench, but Windracer simply ignored it and waved Mark up onto its back.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">A large strap went around the animal\u2019s stomach, another over its chest. They were attached to a blanket that covered the beast\u2019s broad back and supported two large panniers that hung down on each side.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cHow do I get up?\u201d Mark asked.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Windracer gave a very human sounding sigh. Grabbing a handful of Matak\u2019s loose skin she demonstrated, pulling herself up by her arms, and digging her feet into his side. Mark tried to follow her example, but his mud-covered boots simply slid off Matak\u2019s warm skin.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cPull harder,\u201d Windracer said as Matak turned his head to watch.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cStupid hrak,\u201d Mark muttered as he tried to get a better grip. Why couldn\u2019t Windracer just have a buggy or something?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It wasn\u2019t any easier when he reached the top. Matak\u2019s back was so broad that Mark found it impossible to sit astride the huge beast as Windracer did, almost doing the splits. He was still trying to settle himself when Matak turned and lumbered off towards the north.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMatak go,\u201d Windracer said, as Mark frantically grabbed at the strap to stop himself from falling off.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mark glared at her. She could at least have warned him.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>About The Author<\/h2>\n<p>ANDREW spent his high-school years in the school&#8217;s library lost in the worlds of Andre Norten, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. Reading in turn led to writing, with the first draft of the Garden Adventures originally completed to read to his two sons at night. Now his children have left home he lives in Perth with his wife, one dog, and sixty four gold fish.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew&#8217;s first published short story (A Messenger to the Dragon) appeared in Aurealis &#8211; Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1992. In 2016 he signed a three book deal with Canada&#8217;s Peasantry Press for a series of three young adult (middle grade), action Science Fiction adventures. The open ended series is a combination of Caroline Lawrence&#8217;s Roman Mysteries and Andre Norton&#8217;s juvenile speculative fiction.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 class=\"center\">TROUBLE ON TERAL<\/h4>\n<p class=\"center\">Book 1 of the <i>Portal Adventures<\/i><\/p>\n<p>The moral rights of Andrew J Harvey to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted.<\/p>\n<p>All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author or publisher.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2019 Peasantry Press<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>or direct from your local bookstore Published by Peasantry Press Trouble on Teral by Andrew J Harvey Book 1 of The Portal Adventures Perhaps coming to visit his mom on Teral Four without her permission had not been one of Mark\u2019s brightest ideas. But after she cancelled his visit to her archaeological dig, he had &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/?page_id=303\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Trouble on Teral: #1 in The Portal Adventures<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-303","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=303"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":698,"href":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/303\/revisions\/698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andrewjharvey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}