by Anne Schlea
Of course, her goal is to make sure no enemy is ever close enough; to herself or anyone else for that matter.
“This should be a simple mission, ladies and gentlemen.” Riley steps to the front of the assembled group. “Viper says we’ve got about fifteen Legion wandering around one of our mountain exits. Our job today is to take the bunch out before they can find whatever it is they’re looking for and report back to their master. We’ll work in pairs with archers on the ridge and swords below. We’ll take a transport up the mountain until we’re a mile from our target. Any questions?”
No one speaks up, so Riley leads them through the door and to a waiting transport.
∞∞∞
There’s an unnatural quiet in the open air outside Orasul. The squad moves quietly though the underbrush and trees toward the suspected breech sight. Archers shift higher on the mountain for a good shot from the ridge above. Blades move downward within range of the archers bows. The two units will work in tandem: blades will flush out the Legion so archers can take them out.
It’s a well-oiled drill they’ve done hundreds of times before.
Anna takes a deep breath of the mountain air. There is crispness to the afternoon she doesn’t remember from the city. It’s invigorating, beautiful and energizing. She’s calm and cool, not at all nervous or anxious. Her hands are solid and strong with no tremors or shaking.
A hand on her shoulder stops her movements. She glances back at Kurt who points to a grassy clearing in the trees. They can make out the form of two Legions rooting around in the grass. It looks like they’re depositing something along tree line. Kurt motions upward and Anna can see that there’s a clear visual on one of the upper cave exits from Orasul.
They must be planting some sort of monitoring system to see how well protected the entrance is.
Orasul’s location isn’t a secret. The city had been built there when the New World was first established. Over time demons learned of its location and had even tried to lay siege to it once. But most demons cannot come out in the sun for extended periods of time and there isn’t enough cover to protect them from the elements. Besides, Orasul is virtually impenetrable. Entrances are few and hidden. The entrances are also bottle necked – any demon army trying to get it will be forced to enter through long, narrow hallways that are sure to be heavily guarded.
The only exception is Orasul’s rooftop garden. At the top of the hidden city is a landscaped garden that looks to the outside observer like a park. It’s where anyone who lives in the city can go to access the outside air, sunlight, and moonlight. The natural defenses here are weaker but it is far more exposed and no demon has ever tried to break through the roof. The best of Riley’s soldiers stand guard there night and day.
Kurt gives the line of archers the signal to prepare their first volley, Anna pulls one of her arrows from her quiver. The nock sits perfectly in her bow. She takes position in the shadow of a tree and waits for the signal from below. If anything is released too early it will warn the Legion of their impending attack and they may lose some of the targets.
The signal comes a moment later when a shot sounds from a pistol. The noise scatters a flock of birds from the trees overhead. The Legion, probably expecting to see a human hunter who may have wandered onto the mountain in search of game, turns to look in the direction of the shot. It’s obvious when they realize they are in danger: the whole pack starts to back away as quietly as their large, pig-like bodies will allow.
Kurt gives the second signal to release the assault and arrows fly through the air. The three Legion in the clearing drop immediately, one of them felled by the arrow Anna first set loose. She doesn’t have time to celebrate, however, a wave of a dozen more of the small demons burst out of the tree line.
There is a burst of activity as the archers reload and prepared for a second volley. Kurt gives the order to fire at will and no sooner has the second wave started to fall than a third group of demons clear the tree line.
“There’s more than we expected.” Kurt mutters. He’s close enough for Anna to hear.
“Should half of us drop lower on the ridge to cut them off?” Anna asks as she lets another arrow fly. So far she’s let loose three arrows and taken out three Legion.
“Yeah, go ahead and we’ll cover the top.” Kurt motions for two archers past Anna to follow her down the mountain until they’re level with the clearing.
At the lower level Anna can see what Kurt cannot. There are three dozen Legion rushing through the darkness of the trees toward them, their movements uncannily quiet across the leaves. The blades are doing their best, but the small, fast creatures are much better dispatched at a distance by the archers. Anna looks at the other archers with her. “Let the men on the ridge take the ones in the clearing. Shoot for the ones still under the cover of trees.”
The other archers follow Anna’s command without question. They all keep their aim high with shots leveled above the incoming rush of Legions and toward the ones farther behind. Anna steps aside as one rushes past her leg. She sees one of the other archers swing down with a blade in her peripheral vision. Oily, wet blood splatters across Anna’s back but she doesn’t allow her attention to waver.
She catches sight of Riley across the clearing. He’s splattered with blood and seems to be chopping his way through one Legion after another. One of the small demons is charging Riley from behind and Anna knows he won’t be able to turn in time to catch it. Even though Legion demon bites aren’t poisonous, they still hurt badly enough she needs to prevent it if she can.
Riley’s body almost completely blocks her shot. She lines up her arrow and settles herself carefully. She needs to trust not only her own ability but also that the archers behind her will protect her. When she knows she doesn’t have any more time left, she lets the arrow fly. It flies past Riley with barely more than an inch to spare and falls the Legion. Riley kills the demon at his feet, glances back at the one Anna has just slain, and looks at her across the clearing. One nod of his head and they go back to work.
∞∞∞
They kill thirty Legion when it’s all said and done. Anna lost track of how many she shot herself, but that isn’t the point. It isn’t a game to see how many one soldier can take out –it’s a game to keep as many of your own people alive and unhurt as possible.
They reenter Orasul through the Hall of Tapestries and break apart. A few soldiers had been grazed by tusks or bitten by Legion, they’re taken to the hospital for treatment. Most of the rest head off to the training facilities and barracks to shower and change. Anna and Riley step onto the elevator to head to their own homes to clean up.
Kurt stops the door to the elevator with his arm before it can close. “Nicely done today, Anna. I was impressed.”
“Thank you.” She smiles and nods.
He gives a respectful nod to Riley and then backs out of the elevator.
“I feel disgusting.” Anna turns to Riley and wipes at her face. A smear of black demon blood comes away. “I hope Marissa isn’t home from school yet to see this.”
“She’ll get used to it living here among the Fallen.” He gestures toward the door. “You should feel good about that. Kurt doesn’t give compliments easily. He told me you took command of part of the line today.”
“I didn’t mean to,” she shrugs. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Someone needed to get to lower ground. “I saw a problem with our position on the ridge so I made a suggestion. I guess I’m not quite back to taking orders without question yet.”
“What you did was good. You have a knack for knowing where to be in an offensive situation. Kurt saw that.” Riley wrinkles up his nose and reaches up with his thumb to wipe away a smear of blood from her face. His hand hovers against her cheek longer than necessary and then tucks a stray hair behind her ear. “But you’re right, you smell awful.”
“Thanks.” Anna pushes back the wave of comfort she feels when Riley touches her. He hasn’t given her any ind
ication he wants more than the relationship they have. Besides, they’re on the front lines of a war – personal relationships always come second. He moves back from her when the elevator slows to a stop.
They get off the elevator at their floor and walk in silence to Anna’s door. Riley stops her before she goes inside. “Starting tomorrow morning I want you to be at strategy meetings, seven sharp. Every Tuesday.”
“Strategy meeting?” Anna frowns.
“You’ve had enough time to acclimate to life here and we’ve spent the last six years just treading water in an attempt to keep as many people alive as possible.” Riley looks over his shoulder and down the hall. “We need to start moving offensively against the demons even if we leave the rebel Fallen alone. I want you at my back so you need to be there.”
Anna puts her hands on her hips and takes a long minute to gather her thoughts. Then she looks Riley in the eyes. “You’re talking about meeting with your top commanders and spies. Do you think they’re going to be okay with that? I know you trust me, but they need to trust me, too, and I haven’t earned that yet.”
“I don’t have that kind of time, Anna.” He reaches up to run a hand through his hair. His eyes look determined. “Something’s coming; I can feel it all the way to my bones. Our world is changing. It has to change, and I need you to do it. I don’t know why I need you, but I do.”
She can’t deny his instinct. She feels it, too. It’s more than being here in Orasul, more than bringing Marissa back to the Fallen. There’s an undercurrent of energy – the return of the Forsaken, the split from the rebels, the increase in demons. As far as she knows, Orasul has never had thirty Legion on its mountain. They’re small, simple minded demons, yes, but still a mark of the changes that are happening; and the Forsaken are coming back a few at a time. There are at least a dozen now. Ten years ago they wouldn’t have made it past the front door.
Anna commits before she realizes she’s talking. “Okay. I’ll be there.”
“See, you can follow orders.” He smiles and reaches out to squeeze her arm. “I’ll see you later.”
Anna pulls out her key and opens her front door.
“What happened to you?” Marissa’s voice assaults Anna the minute the door is fully open. It has the shrill tone of a teenager caught doing something she shouldn’t be.
There’s a boy and a girl Anna hasn’t met sitting at Anna’s table with Marissa. Anna steps inside and shuts the door behind her. “Hello?”
Marissa jumps up from the table where she seems to be sitting a little too close to the boy and repeats herself. “What happened to you?”
This is one of those moments when a mother is forced to make a decision. Marissa seems honestly concerned about how Anna got covered in sticky, smelly, black demon blood. However, there are also two strange teenagers in her house without her permission and one of them is a boy. Under normal human circumstances this situation could be sketchy. Add in a culture that teaches its teenagers to wield weapons and kill things…well, there’s lots of room for not good.
“I was doing my job. Who are your friends?” Anna smiles at the two teenagers that still sit at the table and decides to go the route of not alienating her daughter’s friends. It’s the first time since they’d come home to Orasul that Marissa has taken any interest in hanging out with kids her own age. Usually Mia is her only friend and that isn’t healthy, either.
“I’m Nick and this is Amy.” Nick stands up from the table and dutifully holds out his hand for Anna to shake. He’s tall and lanky with flaming red hair and a bright smile. It’s easy to see he has a long way to go before he completely grows into his long arms and legs but one day he’ll be a big man.
Anna looks at the outstretched hand and laughs. “I appreciate the gesture, Nick, but I promise you don’t want to get on you what I’m covered in. It’s nice to meet you, too, Amy.”
Amy offers a cautious smile but that’s all Anna gets from the other girl. She seems shy and is unusually small for a Fallen. They’re a big breed of creature, large boned, tall, strong, and athletic. This girl has the dark hair and eyes of a Fallen but she’s petite.
“They came over to study,” Marissa hurries into an explanation she knows Anna will ask for later. “We have a test tomorrow and I’m still struggling with some of the words that aren’t English.”
“I’m glad you have some help, then.” She looks down at herself and realizes she’s getting black blood on her carpet. “I’m dripping so I’m going to go get myself cleaned up. Make yourselves at home.”
“It was nice to meet you Ms. Cazut.” Nick gives her another smile before he sits back down at the table and pulls Amy’s book over to his seat.
Anna gives Marissa a “look” and then heads off to get herself cleaned up.
By the time Anna comes out of the bathroom, the other teenagers are gone, Marissa kindly cleaned up the blood on the carpet, and is curled up on the sofa with her textbook. “What are you studying?”
“History. The Razbonic warriors.” Her brow is drawn tightly together as she turns from one page to another.
Anna reaches down and plucks the book from Marissa’s hands. She flips the book around to look at the page. “Tell me about them.”
Marissa knows the drill. Recite from memory the most basic facts and wait for Anna to ask questions. It’s the best way to test the knowledge in your head – without the book in front of you. She sighs. “The Razbonic warriors were the most elite members of the Fallen. There were twelve men and women, chosen from among the Fallen armies. They were warriors more than soldiers, sometimes working within the army to lead and sometimes they were sent out on secret missions alone. The Committees from the cities would meet and appoint new warriors as existing warriors died. Each warrior represented an aspect of the honor of the Fallen. The first Razbonic warriors were appointed when the Fall first happened and served the Committee until the Eighth Crusade when all twelve were killed.”
“Not bad.” Anna sits down at the table and sets the book in front of her. “Now before we continue, I expect you remember the rules about asking friends over when I’m not home.”
“That was at the apartment.” Marissa pulls her legs up to her chest. She focuses on the carpet to avoid eye contact, her curly brown hair falling in her face. “I thought you’d be okay with these friends, they’re like us.”
“You’re right, they’re like us.” Anna thinks about her next sentence carefully. “I will amend the rule. You may have friends over after school as long as they are on their way home by dinner and I want to meet anyone you have over. In advance.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Marissa’s expression lights up. “I didn’t have good friends out there but I fit in here.”
“I know.” Anna draws a pattern on the table with her finger. “Please be careful. Choices you make at this age can affect you for the rest of your life, more so in this world than the one I raised you in.”
“This is the sex talk, isn’t it?”
“Yes, this is the sex talk.” Anna crosses her arms and does her best to look stern. They talked about sex before, this is a rehash. “And the curfew talk. Be very careful before you make that kind of decision. I know of couples who ended up stuck together for life who didn’t really like each other that much. Okay?”
“Okay.” Marissa rests her chin on her knee. “Headmistress Frances sat me down the second day of school and we talked about all kinds of stuff she thought you might not think to tell me. So I get it.”
That sounds like something Frances would do. Anna will have to thank her sometime later because she’s sure there’s something really important she’s leaving out of this conversation.
“Can I ask you something?” Marissa’s voice gets quieter.
“Anything.” Anna braces herself. The questions about Lily’s death and the account in the history book are coming, she‘s sure of it.
“Why didn’t you marry Riley before you left Orasul? You could have stayed here instead of running
to the city. He wouldn’t have let anything happen to either of us.” Marissa looks at Anna with innocent eyes.
“Riley and I aren’t like that.” It takes Anna minute to put together a response. How can she say that? It’s such an innocent question with such a loaded explanation. Marissa obviously sees something in Anna’s relationship with Riley that isn’t there. Back then he was a soldier, bound for greatness, with no room to be tied down to a family. Now, he’s achieved that greatness and his life is consumed with managing it. “We’re just really good friends.”
“He’s not your friend, Mom.” Marissa has the sense of mind to blush. “He looks at you like you’re the most precious thing in the world.”
“I don’t think so.” Anna grabs the text book and looks down. She has to change the subject. “I think it’s time to study.”
“Just pay attention the next time he’s here.” She drops her knees back down and takes a breath. “Okay, let’s study.”
Chapter Eight
Anna is relaxing on her sofa, reading a trashy novel, when Riley lets himself in for dinner. She looks up, momentarily lost in Victorian England, and notices the clock on the wall. “Crap.”
“Did you forget about me?” He’s showered and changed his regular battle gear for blue jeans and a black shirt. She looks at the muscles sticking out from under his shirt sleeves, thinks about what Marissa said, and swallows hard. “Complicated” is all but flashing in neon lights above Riley’s head.
“Sort of.” Anna grimaces and forces her mind back to the here and now. “Actually, I lost track of time. I was trying to keep my mind occupied.”
“Where’s Marissa?” Riley looks around like he’s just realized they’re alone in Anna’s house. As he turns his head his build becomes more defined than before.
Anna drops her book in the basket on the floor and jumps up to head for the kitchen. She needs to get her mind off that train. Maybe reading one of her brainless romance novels isn’t the best choice of distraction after her conversation with Marissa. She needs to dig out a parenting book. Or maybe a nuclear physics textbook. “She went out for dinner to the main dining hall with her friends.”