“You missed a couple,” Fionn yelled at him. “You have always done things halfway.”
Byron turned around. Fionn was walking towards him at a slow pace, while Sam was trying to use the distraction to approach the rest of the hostages.
“Seems that the rat survived. I shall correct that,” Byron said. He threw the Queen over a railing and signaled to his troopers to push out the rest of the hostages as well. Sam cast a spell that pushed the troopers off the ship after the hostages. Without missing a beat, she ran towards the edge, shrinking her quarterstaff and tucking it into the holster inside her jacket.
“What are you doing?” Fionn yelled at his daughter, blood leaving his face. With a twist, Sam smiled and saluted her dad.
“Taking a leap of faith, Dad. See you later!” Sam replied before jumping after the Queen and the hostages.
“Your urchin has more common sense than you. I applaud her bravery to end this thing swiftly,” Byron said with disdain, readying his sword.
Fionn turned from where his daughter had jumped into the void. His eyes gleamed with green from the shining irises. His lips were tight and narrow.
“You and I need to talk,” Fionn muttered, gritting his teeth. He held Black Fang in front of him. Its blade and the runes engraved on its metallic body were glowing green with intensity.
† † †
The air hit her face with fierce fury, her red hair flowing like flames. Sam was freefalling behind the Queen. This was a stupid idea, she thought.
This was going to be too close for her taste. She was still shaking off the draining effects that the Bestial had on her. Alex had been right; it was a good thing she had saved her energies for an emergency like this. She clicked on her left ear to activate her comm. Sam was holding her crystal pendant in a tight grip. It started to shine with violet light.
“I hope you were listening, guys, because I need your help. There has been a small change of plans,” she said between gasps, as breathing had become a bit difficult at terminal speed.
“Sam! You are insane!” she heard Alex replying through the comm. “But we are tailing you!”
“You hoomans are gonna be the death of me!” Sid interjected, making Sam chuckle a little.
As she told her father, this was literally a leap of faith. Faith that her new friends would come through to help her with her improvised rescue plan. Faith that she still had enough juice to make the spell work. Faith that, at the end of the day, everything would work. Even if the ground was quickly approaching.
She put her arms to her sides, offering as little air resistance as possible, in order to catch the Queen. Sam extended her arms to catch her and with her right arm embraced her. With her left hand holding her pendant, she cast a spell that created a pentagram made of light, arcane runes rotating around it. From that pentagram, a bubble made of the same light inflated around them. They floated inside the bubble, which in turn reduced their fall just enough that they could catch their breath before the next step. Sam’s hair now floated, turning from red to bright purple.
“Hold tight, Your Majesty, we still have a bumpy ride ahead of us.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Samantha Ambers-Estel. I’m Fionn’s daughter.” Sam smiled nervously. The Queen looked at her, her expression betraying a certain degree of acknowledgment. “Long story. Get ready, because I will need your help.”
Sam cast a second spell, moving her hands in the direction she wanted to go, steering the bubble as a result. She flew on towards each of the six falling hostages, picking them up one by one with the help of the Queen, who extended her hand to grab and pull them inside the bubble. Professor Hunt was the trickiest one to catch as he was barely conscious. It took the help of everyone inside the bubble to grab him.
“Why a bubble and not a flying spell, Samantha?” Professor Ortiga asked.
“This is not the moment to debate spell selection.” Sam rolled her eyes. Leave it to Ortiga to question her choices. “But I can’t carry seven people by myself. At least the bubble can do that.”
“And how do you propose to not hit the ground?”
“This is not an exam!” Sam yelled. “Just focus whatever energy you have left to keep this thing floating until help arrives!”
All the magi inside the bubble followed her orders, even Ortiga, who did so with apparent reluctance, and they focused the meager energies they had left to arrest the bubble’s fall.
“I hope your faith works!” the Queen exclaimed, her irises glowing with a faint pink and gold glow. She was apparently sharing her Gift’s energy with the spell.
“Do you hear that?” Sam smiled.
The roar that filled the air was reminiscent of a dragon of yore. Of a time when the Silver Riders crossed the skies, battling the outsider creatures. Sam had heard those roars thanks to the records kept at Ravenstone. Except that this time, the roar came from the ion engines of the Figaro, closing in, spewing plasma. Dragons might be extinct on Theia, but their spirit was alive and well in their metallic successor.
The ground was starting to look worryingly closer.
The Figaro dove after them.
Sam saw the distance closing. She closed her eyes and focused on keeping the bubble as strong as possible, just in case. This was going to hurt.
“Guys. Hurry up, please,” she whispered. Her heart was thumping in her chest. Each thump closed the gap with the merciless ground. And then she heard it.
Sam heard Sid yelling something in samoharo, as he was pushing the ship as hard as he could, trying to match the speed of the bubble, passing it and flying just in front of it. The back hatch opened and from there a black ball tied to a metal cable was shot towards the bubble. The ball opened into a net that wrapped around the bubble, towing it inside. The net and the cable had electricity running through them, the towing speed increasing. Sam saw Alex tied with a harness to the back of the hatch, pulling the cable with his bare hands, using his Gift to empower himself and in turn, to pull the bubble in faster. Once the bubble was in, Gaby, tied to another harness, pushed a big round button on the wall and closed the hatch.
“We have them!” Sam heard Alex yell in the comm, the reply was a string of curses from Sid. The Figaro roared and turned up, barely avoiding crashing into the ground by a dozen meters. Rising again and leveling, the ship finally stabilized. In the cargo bay, the bubble broke with a loud pop, dropping the Queen unceremoniously on the floor.
“No time for resting,” Alex exclaimed, releasing himself from the harness. His hands were dripping with blood from handling the cable. “Take the professor to the med bay. Your Majesty, please come with us.”
“Phew.” Sam let her breath out in relief, examining Alex’s hands. “That was quite close.”
“Too close,” Alex eyed the hatch. “I don’t know if I would be brave enough to do the same as you.”
“Don’t worry, you have been doing fine so far.” Sam smiled at him. “Let’s go. We need to drop you off on the Bestial before we get to the city.”
† † †
In the cockpit, Sid and Harland were arguing.
“What now?” Alex was fed up with the constant bickering. By the looks on their faces, Gaby and Sam shared the feeling.
“There is no way I can drop you in the same spot as Fionn and Miss ‘Let’s take a dive’ here,” Sid said to Sam. “The place will be secured and you will face more opposition now.”
“He is right,” Sam added with some regret.
“Then we need to find a way to get closer to the core,” Alex pointed out. An idea was forming in his head.
“Oh no. I know that look,” Sid exclaimed. “I don’t like it.”
“What? I can use my Gift to track the exact position of the core so you can leave us close.”
“Then what? Dig? That thing has military grade metal plating!” Sid yelled
at Alex.
“You said that this ship has special weaponry capable of cutting through that.” Harland smiled at Alex. “It will work.”
“You hoomans are crazy! C. R. A. Z. Y,” Sid threw his hands in the air.
A cough could be heard behind them.
“Excuse me, but who are you people?” the Queen asked, still dizzy and confused.
“I will be brief for the sake of expediency. I’m Harland Rickman and we have already met Your Grace. These are friends of Fionn.” Harland pointed at the rest. “And we need to stop that ship from touching the crystal obelisks in Saint Lucy or it will all be over. Right now, we need your help if we are going to save the city. We have the commander of the Solarian Knights online and he is angry.”
“What can I do to help?” the Queen asked, this time more at ease.
Chapter 18
Showdown at Dawn
“You and I need to talk,” Fionn said, with a gravelly voice. His body was battered from the fight with the troopers; bruises covered his face and arms. There was a particularly nasty gash on his left cheek that didn’t stop bleeding. But he was relishing the challenge of fighting once more without having the Gift as a safety net. He had turned it off, saving as much energy as he could. And yet, if he focused, he could feel the odd sensation of it being drained. It was similar to when someone takes out a blood sample with a syringe, but applied to the whole body.
The wind blew across the deck of the Bestial, with the sun soon to rise and the lights of Saint Lucy and its three giant crystal obelisks in the background. Fionn would have enjoyed the view under different circumstances. His breathing was heavy, his shoulders pushing back despite the ache. Inside his head, he had to put away any fear or concern for Sam. He just hoped that everything had gone all right. The chatter in his comn was scrambled, thanks to the presence of the Bestial. Fionn had only understood ‘hold on,’ ‘keep busy,’ ‘on our way to drop…’
He needed to keep Byron distracted. Talk the monster to death, he thought. With Byron, that would be easy. Or so he hoped.
“You are a glutton for punishment,” Byron replied with a gleam in his eye and mirth in his tone. “What makes you think this time it will be different?”
“Just a hunch,” Fionn replied, turning the blade to point the edge upwards. The muscles in his calves and the tendons in his feet tensed, ready to spring. “I will give you a better fight this time.”
“You are stupider than you look. It will be a pleasure to prove you wrong,” Byron paced the deck and extended his left hand with an open palm as an invitation. “I hope you are enjoying my creation. And my new sword.”
Byron unsheathed his weapon. It was larger than the old one, with jagged edges and a golden hilt. In Fionn’s opinion, it was a sword made to intimidate, not for an actual fight. Then again Byron liked to showboat… even if that was the case, Fionn had to be careful. Any sword in Byron’s hands was a problem, due to his sheer might.
“Well… your taste in decorations needs some work. I would have gone with fewer tentacles, but that’s just me. I mean,” Fionn waved a hand to take in the Bestial, “it looks like something out of a horror movie. And not a good one.”
“What’s with you and interior design?” Byron raised an eyebrow.
“I had to pick a hobby after the war,” Fionn replied with a shrug. “You know what? I missed these talks. I wonder why we stopped having them… Ah right, it was because you killed all of our friends and are trying to start the end of days.” Fionn’s fists wrapped around the hilt of Black Fang, making his knuckles turn white.
“Ah, that. Well, you know, eggs and omelets to bring a new world order. Par for the course. What’s a couple of dead bodies among friends when something greater is going to be built? By me, of course,” Byron bared his teeth and readied his sword.
“You had to say the omelet thing, didn’t you? That’s so cliché. But then again, you love the sound of your voice too much.” Fionn shook his head. The muscles in his back tensed. “I’m so gonna enjoy beating you up.”
Both Fionn and Byron eyed each other for a moment, their gazes meeting, while they remained immobile. Then, without warning, they jumped at each other with lightning speed. They clashed, blocking each other’s attack, each pushing forward. Byron freed his sword and slashed, while Fionn parried the blows. He moved to Byron’s left to make space between them, pointing Black Fang towards his opponent.
Byron twirled his sword with a flourish, even if his expression never changed: dead eyes and tight lips. For a second Fionn thought that for once, Byron was taking him seriously, no boasting and no laughing. With a jump, Byron closed the gap, spinning in the air, trying to land a direct hit on Fionn’s neck. Fionn barely parried the attack. Instead, it earned Fionn a hard kick in the gut that took out all the air from his lungs. It sent him reeling.
Catching his breath, Fionn saw Byron advancing towards him. He attacked with a horizontal slash at Byron’s neck, but he simply blocked it and spun once more, breaking Fionn’s nose with his elbow.
“I wanted a better challenge. Without your abilities, you are neither a threat nor entertainment.”
Fionn wiped the blood running from his nose. He pressed his lips together. It was just a matter of holding on for a few more seconds. He could hear a distant roaring in the wind. He knew that roaring. He heard a whisper in his ear.
Fionn took a deep breath and launched himself once more to hit Byron. The build-up of lactic acid made his muscles sting with pain. This time, Fionn pressed the attack, pushing Byron towards the middle of the deck. He took a few seconds to circle Byron, but instead of attacking him, Fionn slashed the cannons that guarded the deck.
“This is a bad moment for you to start redecorating my ship,” Byron quipped, betraying a hint of amusement. He then slashed at Fionn’s legs.
Fionn jumped into the smoldering pieces of metal and once more flipped over Byron, landing behind him. In turn, Byron spun a third time to unleash a second slash. Fionn parried it, both blades rubbing against each other, unleashing sparks. They separated once more and looked at each other.
“I thought you were angry at me and yet, you haven’t even touched me.” Byron looked confused. “Many of your attacks are failing to land. Was I wrong to actually expect a challenge?”
“I’m just getting started,” Fionn replied, pointing at a deep gash on Byron’s shoulder. “The downside of being whatever you are, is that you didn’t feel that.”
Byron looked at the gash, from which tiny white worms were coming out. His only reply was to laugh.
“Ah, finally! The last person to get this close, besides you, was Ywain. Killing him was satisfying.” Byron’s eyes opened wide, his pupils contracting and his lips tightening into a wide grin. Foam spilled from his mouth.
A rain of slashes and stabbing thrusts followed, with Fionn barely managing to evade them and reach the center of the deck. Byron pressed the attacks and once more both blades were locked. Byron pushed forward, slightly cutting Fionn’s chin.
Fionn let his feet slide a few inches backward and then moved to the right, making Byron fall by his own inertia. His blade hit the deck, getting stuck there. Fionn moved fast and tried to hit Byron’s neck, but Byron instead caught Fionn’s arm and broke it like a twig. Fionn kneeled, while Byron went to unstick his sword.
“Now I’m disappointed. That has to be the most worn-out move in the book. I’m wondering if you actually thought you could beat me on your own.”
“Who said I was on my own, you miserable bastard?” Fionn replied through gritted teeth, resetting his broken bone. He allowed just enough of the Gift to flow into his arm to heal it, but focused on saving the rest for the end. As Alex had pointed out, Byron got stronger the more he absorbed someone’s energy. Fionn had been repressing his own healing ability on purpose, to avoid feeding the monster. This was a small allowance, as he needed both arm
s to remain functional. And yet the healing would take some minutes. Fionn was hoping he would have enough time.
By then the howling of jet engines was clear enough for all to hear, the distinctive roar closing in. “This is a team effort.” Fionn’s smile grew into a wide grin, while he got ready to move. “Ywain’s family sends their regards.”
“What?” Byron was confused. Fionn saw the Figaro rising on the side of the Bestial and aiming its energy cannons to a spot a few meters from where they were standing. The Figaro unleashed all its power into a single focused beam that cut the metal until an explosion a few decks below rocked the whole place, sending Fionn and Byron careening away.
“You fool. You will never beat me, no matter how many tricks you have up your sleeve!”
Fionn thrust Black Fang into the metal deck to slow down. “I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one,” he yelled.
† † †
The smoke cleared just enough for Gaby and Alex to descend onto the Bestial’s upper deck. A small crater was visible, wide enough to show some of the core engines of the Bestial.
“Damn, a few centimeters to the left and Sid would have hit the bastard,” Alex moaned.
“And Fionn with him. Leaving us with a pissed-off abomination after us. Let’s stick to the plan and get this done thoroughly and right,” Gaby replied with a frown on her face, not amused at the idea. Alex and Gaby tied a rope to a handrail and were starting their descent.
“Have I told you that I suck at rappelling?”
Gaby was about to reply when she opened her eyes wide and big. With all her force she pushed Alex to the deck, while drawing Soulkeeper with her right hand, barely deflecting a metal tendril that ended in a sharp point. The tendril hit a wall, and then it recoiled back to where it came. A few meters away, Madam Park recalled the wiggling tendril that returned to shape the long sleeve of the strange metallic robe she was wearing.
“What the hell?” Alex exclaimed while getting up. “Isn’t she the woman that attacked Ravenstone?”
The Withered King Page 26