Laurel nodded sweetly and stepped over to Gregory. With the rope blade still in her right hand, she grabbed Gregory with her left.
“That’s cute,” Morgan muttered. “Gregory’s finally found a girlfriend. Too bad you won’t live long enough to enjoy her.” He laughed sickly. “Not saying I won’t.” He tilted his head. “Never seen a druid before, darling. Nice trick with the vines. Maybe you’ll have to show it to me later.”
The right side of her mouth turned up in a crooked grin. “I’ve got a friend who can do something far better.”
Morgan looked quickly from left to right. “You’ve got no friends here, bitch.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” She clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth twice, and the plump squirrel who was already sneaking up Morgan’s leg sprang into action.
Devin jumped, sinking her tiny teeth into Morgan’s throat. He screamed in shock and pain as he tried to grab the animal, but she was too fast. She ran around his neck and bit him on the other side. In seconds, his screaming stopped as he fell to the ground, gurgling his last breath.
“Damn,” Gregory said, eyes still wide in shock. “Um, thanks.”
Laurel looped the rope blade and fastened it to her belt as Devin returned and made herself at home on the druid’s shoulder. Pointing at the bodies, she said, “We kill them, you kill that.” She shifted her finger to the sky, where Adrien’s warship was firing another blast from its magitech cannon into Ezekiel’s shield.
“Quit staring into space,” Hannah said as she rounded the corner. “It’s time to do your thing, Chief Engineer.”
They turned to face her.
“I heard the blasts and came to save your ass, but—”
Laurel gave Hannah a grin. “That’s my job, now.”
“Good luck with that, sister. I hope you have a lot of energy,” she pointed at Gregory, “because this is one hell of a job.”
“Tell me about it,” Laurel quipped.
Gregory cleared his throat. “You two do know I’m standing right here, don’t you?”
Laurel laughed. “Oh, we know. Now, you going to launch that thing or what?”
Gregory rushed to his magitech cannon, checking its pieces to ensure one last time that it would work. Lacking any proper rope in the tower, Laurel had gathered vines, which she assured him would do the job.
He pointed the barrel at the ship. It was a long, hollowed-out log with a wicked-looking spear shoved down the middle. The monster in the sky offered an enormous target, for which Gregory was grateful. He whispered a prayer to the Matriarch under his breath and stole a quick look at Laurel, who nodded in encouragement.
“Get back,” he warned. “Just in case.”
Feeling a knot in his throat, he grabbed the string attached to the rod holding back the hammer on the cannon’s trigger mechanism. It gave him precious little distance in case the whole thing blew. He looked at Hannah, who nodded before her eyes flashed red. Ezekiel’s purple shield flickered and disappeared. That was his cue. Holding his breath, Gregory pulled.
The hammer snapped, crushing an amphorald in the bottom of the barrel. The chain reaction was instantaneous and the full payload of amphoralds exploded, forcing their stored energy outwards.
Gregory’s ears rang as the cannon roared, but he paid no attention. All eyes were on the giant spear with the sharp metal prong as it whistled its way toward the airship, trailing Laurel’s vines behind it. It made a loud thud as it bit into the belly of the beast.
Hannah and the others cheered. It was a direct hit, but Gregory took no time to celebrate. He immediately ran to the giant spool where the spear’s vines were anchored. Two large horses, a gift from local farmers, were tethered to either side. At Gregory’s command, Laurel coaxed the beasts into action, and they began to walk in circles, steadily pulling on the vine. It grew taut, and then with a groan, the airship began to drop slowly toward the ground.
If they could get it low enough, they could launch a counterattack.
Suddenly Hannah gasped. Gregory turned to look at her. Her eyes were red, and there was a pained expression on her face.
“It’s Julianne,” she yelled. “Something’s wrong at the tower. I gotta go. Is this thing going to work?”
Gregory nodded. “I hope so.”
“Don’t hope, Gregory. Make it happen. Take that thing down.”
He nodded as she sprinted for the tower.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Leaving Gregory and Laurel behind to reel in the ship, Hannah ran for the opposite end of the tower. Julianne had told her about a small group of soldiers who were attacking from the rear.
They had snuck around Karl’s forces and were making their way to the tower. Whether they intended to attack Ezekiel on the roof or wreak havoc on those hiding inside, she didn’t know and it didn’t matter. Either way, they needed to be stopped.
As Hannah turned the corner, the group came into sight. Six men with magitech rifles were advancing. They were slowed but undeterred by the few old men and women defending the tower, the last line of defense in case something like this happened.
While sprinting, Hannah launched a quick blast of energy at the group, leveling one of the men. The rest kept firing on the tower, but one turned to face her.
Getting close, she unleashed a spinning roundhouse kick, a move that Karl couldn’t even have pulled off.
“You!” the man yelled as his gun flew into the distance.
Without his weapon, the Guard resorted to his fists. He threw a sloppy right that landed on Hannah’s cheekbone. As her world spun, she felt his meaty hands wrap around her throat. He was a beast of a man, and he lifted her off the ground. Her eyes nearly popped from her head as he choked the life out of her.
But it was foolish to leave her hands unaccounted for.
With her feet dangling off the ground, she placed her palms on his breastplate. At first, he didn’t notice the heat, but as her magic cooked through his armor, the searing pain on his chest made him scream in agony. His grip loosened, and she fell to the ground.
She pulled her knife and stabbed through the weakened portion of his armor into his chest. He fell to the ground, his body twitching like a fish out of water, an unspoken curse on his lips.
She looked down as she sucked in air. “Douche.”
Footsteps interrupted her triumph. She spun in time to see a thick man with a handlebar mustache swing a small club at her head. Hannah leaned away, dodging a direct hit, but the thing glanced off her temple and knocked her off-center.
“Ah, the mighty Unlawful,” Captain Dickerson said, his eyes wild with rage. “Glad we got a chance to meet again.”
He swung a fist into her stomach, forcing her to double over. He then clasped his hands together and brought them down on her back. She crumpled to the ground.
“That all you got, Dickstache?” she wheezed.
He pulled a knife and knelt on her chest. “I’m going to enjoy gutting you like the pig you are. Perhaps Adrien will reward me when I bring him your head.”
His eyes were bloodshot and his face filled with hate. He was so enraged that he didn’t hear wings flapping or wind rushing.
A green blur swooped from above and crashed into the man. The force of the attack sent him sprawling, and Sal was on him before he could make a move, ripping and clawing as Dickerson struggled.
The struggle didn’t last long.
Sal continued to savage the body, throwing flesh in all directions.
“It’s done, boy,” Hannah yelled at the creature.
The dragon turned to her with blood dripping from his pointed teeth. Walking over to his master, he sat with his head directed at the sky, clearly proud of his accomplishment.
“You saved me,” she said, scratching him under the chin. “Thank you. That’s the last time I leave you behind. Now let’s cut the sentimental bullshit and go find Ezekiel.”
She ran for the doors of the tower with Sal on her heels. The place was eerily quiet, which w
as reminiscent of her early days there with the Master Magician. Cutting to the right, she entered the stairwell and sprinted for the roof.
Breaking into the cold air, she saw Ezekiel struggling to keep his hands raised toward the heavens. She could see that the airship was tethered, but it remained floating above them. Another blast from its cannon crashed into his shield, and he collapsed to his knees just as she reached him.
His face ashen and covered in sweat, he whispered, “Tell me the boy did it.”
“Gregory speared the ship. It’s nearly finished.”
“Good. I’m about tapped out here.” She nodded, but Hannah’s eyes weren’t on him. Instead, they watched as his magical shield dropped, and the airship landed blast after blast on the forest below. She prayed to whoever might be listening that their forces had retreated out of harm's way.
Hannah, Hadley’s voice rang in her mind. Gregory’s machine…the wheel…it has failed.
Failed? She asked in reply.
The engine’s too strong. We can’t bring it down!
She looked at the magician as they stared into the burning forest.
“What do I do?” she whispered.
He turned to her. “You know what to do, Hannah. Without Gregory’s machine, it’s the only move left.”
She looked into his eyes and knew that he was right.
She reached out to Julianne with her mind. Sound the retreat. Get them the hell out of there. I’m going in.
May the Matriarch be with you, Hannah, was all she said in response.
She turned to Sal. “You ready for this, boy?”
Sal shot flickered his tongue, then tilted his head in a nod.
She stood up and took three steps toward her creature, then swung herself onto his back. Gripping his torso with her legs, she said. “Whatever you do, keep moving. Don’t let the guns get you. We’re going to make it through this.”
“Give them hell, Hannah,” Ezekiel encouraged her with a smile.
Sal crouched low and then sprang into the air. Flapping his enormous wings, he flew his master toward her destiny.
The cold winter air whipped through her hair as the dragon picked up speed, heading directly for his target. The guns continued to rain blue bolts of power down on the defenseless rebels below for a moment, but as they got close, Hannah threw a ball of fire that crashed against the side of the airship. The gunner recognized the greater threat and turned the cannons on Hannah and Sal.
That should give my people some time to escape, she thought.
Guns blazed, but Sal was too fast for them. He dodged left then right, climbing higher with every second. Hannah’s heart was caught in her throat as she held on for dear life. As Sal flew over the deck of the ship, Hannah tried to count the number of Guards manning it.
Somewhere between ten and twelve were running around on top. She could possibly beat them. Maybe. But retreat was not an option, and the men on the deck were not her primary target.
As if he was reading her mind, Sal swept in low. Taking the Guards by surprise, he struck three in his path, knocking them overboard. Their bodies hurtled toward the earth, leaving behind nothing but their futile cries.
Sal cut to the right and flew skyward again, drawing the ship’s fire as he went.
“You need to get me down there,” she screamed into his ear as the wind whistled all around them.
Reaching the apex, Sal reversed his position and dived for the ship.
Holding on with her left arm to the dragon’s neck, Hannah drew the rearick’s knife with her right. Her eyes remained on the target the entire time. She watched the Guards as Sal dove. All of them scrambled for cover, except one. He stood confident, aiming his rifle at the dragon as he approached.
Hannah’s eyes narrowed as she focused on him, but only because he was the first of a dozen obstacles that stood between her and vengeance.
The Guard sent three consecutive blasts at them. Sal cut and turned like a sparrow in the light of dawn. At his third turn, Hannah took her opportunity.
Giving Sal a quick pat on the side of the neck, she pushed off his back and flung her body at the brave Arcadian. She knocked him to the ground and her knife found the soft flesh of the side of his throat. She rolled into a crouch on the deck of the ship.
Her eyes shifted, taking in her surroundings. She had been up here before when she attacked the factory to save Gregory. But the bright sun and the wind whipping around them made it feel altogether different.
Sal continued to divebomb the men onboard, and most had run for cover. She could hear them, hidden behind an enormous wooden crate, muttering curses about the young magician.
One finally charged as two more blasted their rifles from a safe distance.
Hannah crouched. Rolling her left hand, she held it up, palm out, making a simple shield. Her right hand contorted, and, with her eyes gleaming red, she threw a blast of ice at the man, freezing his hand and weapon.
The ice weighed him down. Hannah dropped her shield and reached out as if grabbing the air. Spinning, she launched the man, ice hand and all, over the edge of the ship.
A second man, bigger than the last, stepped into the open with his gun blazing. He screamed as he shot and took a step toward her. But only one.
Before he could advance farther, a set of scaled talons snatched him from the deck. Sal flapped his wings furiously toward the sun. Finally the dragon released the screaming man, whose body plummeted toward the ground.
She smiled, but a door opened behind her and a dozen more men came spilling out. She quickly dove behind a stack of barrels. Sweat covered her body, and her heart raced. As she peeked over the edge, they immediately began blasting her.
A screech sounded from above, and she saw Sal diving to attack the ship again. But a dozen magitech blasts were too much from him to avoid, and one clipped his wing. The dragon screamed in anger as she saw him fall out of sight.
“Sal!” she yelled. She tried to stand, but another blast hit the barrel she was hiding behind.
“You shouldn’t have come up here, little girl!” one of the men shouted. “I think we’ll make you walk the plank.”
“You better enjoy those words!” Hannah yelled back, her anger overwhelming her. “Because they’re going to be your last.” She took a breath. Her eyes flashed red, then she stood and sprinted toward them.
****
Parker and Hadley ran through the woods. As soon as the airship had appeared overhead, they told their people to find cover and took off toward where they knew they would find Hannah.
“Gregory?” Parker screamed as he burst into the clearing. A long, thick vine was stretched upward and Gregory was standing near where it was anchored to the ground. The large gear that was meant to help bring the ship down lay broken. Two exhausted-looking horses stood idly by.
Gregory was bent over the wheel, his eyes wild with fear.
“It’s not working. I don’t know what to do. It’s just not—”
Parker turned to Hadley, whose eyes had already gone white. A second later, Parker saw Sal overhead with Hannah on his back.
Parker’s mind raced. She was strong, but she would have her hands full fighting whatever crew was aboard. He couldn’t leave her alone.
“Aw, hell!” he shouted as he slung his spear to his back. He grabbed the thick vine, taut from the weight of the airship pulling in the opposite direction. He looked at Hadley and said, “I’m going up there. You make sure this line doesn’t get cut. I’m not coming down until that ship does.”
Swinging his feet over the rope, he began the long climb, hand over hand toward the flying boat. As he went, he marveled at the strength of the vine. The druid must have done something to this.
Halfway up, his muscles began to burn. That’s when he made the mistake of looking down for the first time. The world swayed a hundred feet below, and the wind picked up, pitching his body back and forth.
“Shit,” he grunted as he pushed harder.
When he
was nearly to the top, a screaming man fell past him. Parker couldn’t quite tell for sure, but it looked like his arm was frozen in a block of glass. At least he knew she was still fighting.
As he neared the top, the vine began to sway less and less. Finally, he reached the hole in the side of the ship where Gregory’s spear had landed. It was too far from the top for Parker to reach it. He looked down one last time, said a silent prayer, and pushed off with all his strength.
His fingers barely gripped the rail.
With gritted teeth, Parker pulled himself up and over the edge. He dropped to the deck, shaking with fear.
That was the dumbassiest thing I have ever done, he thought to himself as he gained his feet. But then he looked around and remembered why he had done it.
Hannah was standing against ten armed men.
Her eyes were red, hair flying wild in the wind. This wasn’t the cautious girl he knew from the Boulevard. She was a warrior, completely in her element.
She fried one Guard with a fireball and turned on another, chest heaving in exhaustion as she held the rearick’s knife at the ready.
Parker leveled his spear and hit the man in the back with a blue blast of power. He dropped instantly. Hannah finished off the remaining Guard.
Stepping around a dozen bodies, he made his way across the deck to her. Sweat poured down her face, and her armor looked like it had taken a few blows.
Nodding down at the Guards he had taken out, Parker said, “Saved your ass again!”
A grin formed on Hannah’s lips as she surveyed the other eleven. “Yeah, I was really getting my shit handed to me up here. What would I have done without you?”
He reached down and grabbed her hand, which was still shaking from power and adrenalin. Before he could say another word, their reunion was interrupted by the creak of the cockpit door swinging open.
“Adrien,” she spat as she turned.
****
Spinning, Parker and Hannah watched the enemy emerge from the darkness of the ship’s interior.
But it wasn’t him.
“Good to see you again, darling,” the woman said. Her shock of white hair and blistered skin were unmistakable. Alexandra licked her lips. “How do you like my makeover? Maybe I can give you one.”
Revolution - C M Raymond & L E Barbant Page 22