WHEN HEROES FALL

by Abby J. Reed

“Of course you would never fight your brother.” She watched as the dark matter spread to her elbow. Her frustration at me turned to resignation. She glanced to the sky, where Scorpia’s ships still hadn’t descended toward the planet’s surface. “You even told me that.”

  My eyebrows knit as my brain tried to catch up. “I don’t—”

  “But maybe you will still try to save him.”

  A roaring came from behind me. My shadow in front of me elongated, twice, no five times its normal size and growing. I whipped around.

  Not my shadow at all. It was a mountain, a mountain erupting from Scarlatti itself like a monstrous demon to cast a death shadow across the valley.

  No, not a mountain.

  The city of Houtiri.

  Chapter 49

  LUKA

  My bones ached, my arms bled from cuts, and the wave of black never slowed.

  My movements muddied as the pounding in my head roared and the exhaustion won over.

  A Heron soldier next to me clattered to his knees. The Extrat above him gripped his face, claws tearing into his side—

  I drove my mini into its heart. Kicked off the body. Didn’t have time to help the man up before the next Extrat took its place.

  Too many.

  The dark matter vein pinned against the wall broke free as the Elik who held it died. It lashed out, thinning into a sharpened edge not unlike Malani’s feathers. It whipped back and forth, severing any person or Extrat in its way.

  Fall back, my throat wanted to yell. Fall back!

  But our best chance was here near the bottleneck, away from the bigger dark matter deposits.

  I beheaded the next Extrat. A pause. A breather. My entire body a throb throb throb.

  The vein came in my direction. I blocked it with my mini. Its tendril curled around my blade in an embrace. A violent shake rattled my wrist. I sliced at it with my other mini. Forced it to let go.

  Elik. We need more—

  Another song wall slammed into the vein. I whipped around. Another group of Elik had pushed through. The ceiling of the tunnel shimmered as they built a cage to contain the dark matter.

  The relief was instantaneous. My body deadened with it.

  An Extrat slid along the wall, my arms too heavy to stop it.

  A scream as it attacked the person behind me.

  I turned to help when four Extrats appeared in front of me.

  I punched through my exhaustion and seized whatever resources I had left.

  A howl tore from my throat as I heaved my mini at the first. It clawed the blade aside, the bite cutting deep into its palm. I parried the second claw strike, spun hard enough to rip out my first blade, gouging it across the chest.

  The second Extrat struck. I lifted my minis for a block, but the swipe caught me against the deltoid. I roared as my arm split open. The third Extrat—another swipe to my legs. My calf ripped open.

  I fell, my knees clattering against the tunnel. The second Extrat came again, but I was ready. Still on my knees, I swung to fend them off.

  Throb throb throb—my entire body pulsed. My minis hit nothing. My swings were wild, too wild.

  Throb throb throb—my swings slowed as my energy drained.

  The fourth Extrat stepped nearer, just out of range of my desperate thrusts. Its broken grin cocked wide, showing a set of child’s teeth. “Not brother,” it said and knocked my minis aside.

  It lifted a leg and stepped on the blades, pinning my minis to the ground. I heaved, but my arm wouldn’t move. Heaved again. Not even my fingers twitched. Numb spread throughout my body, finally dulling the throb throb throb.

  Too tired, too exhausted, too dead.

  The fourth Extrat brought its hands to cup my face. My temples sighed at its cool metal touch. My eyes first rolled upward. The vein that had been pinned to the ceiling. It had stopped moving. Like it, too, was dead. Or at least had stopped being controlled. My gaze met the Extrat’s, and there was nothing Human, nothing person left in those brown eyes. Only simmering hate and resentment.

  Its expression mottled as my eyes tugged toward it. It would wear my face as a trophy.

  The only feeling in me was relief that the throb throb throb had finally quieted.

  It reached to my chest, claws extended, to tear out my heart.

  It froze. It tried to tug its claw away but couldn’t. A pulling at my side.

  Energy flowed into me like a breeze of clean air. I shoved with all my strength at the Extrat’s chest, pushing it off balance.

  “Watch out!” a voice said.

  The Extrat flew sideways. My vision blurred as the sucking on my eyes stopped and they settled back into my head. The sound of metal, grunting, bodies falling. Then a hand on my shoulder.

  “Can you stand?”

  I blinked away the fuzziness.

  Mateo. Standing in the midst of three dead Extrats.

  Mateo saved my life.

  I glanced at my side, lifted my tunic. At the dark matter that had finished bonding to me. Piece of—The dark matter was no longer flat but had formed ten tiny claw-like hooks.

  The dark matter helped me repel the Extrat, stopped it from tearing out my organs.

  And that energy . . . not much. Not like anything I’d seen Malani show, but it was enough. It was enough.

  I glanced to the survivors next to me. At the wave of renewed energy that swept through all of us as our dark matter finished bonding. Our line no longer retreated but advanced, pushing the Extrats nearer to the mouth—and out. The ringing cheer as we finally made a difference to the fight.

  The vein of dark matter dropped from the ceiling like a broken toy. Quick song bites reached my ears as the Elik formed it into more weapons.

  “Duck,” I said.

  Mateo dropped to the floor, rolling.

  I hurled my mini at the Extrat creeping on him, spearing it.

  Mateo glanced over his shoulder. “Thanks.”

  “Yana?”

  He tugged my mini free. “Convinced her to go deeper into the tunnel. For LuLu.”

  I nodded. “I thought you weren’t good at fighting.”

  Mateo grimaced as he took out another Extrat with my mini. “I’m not good at shooting. I’m okay at knife-work.”

  He reached out his hand, helping me to my feet. I could barely stand on my own, so I leaned against Mateo, grimacing against the pain. But my head, it didn’t hurt near as bad as before.

  Something near to hope filled my chest like a balloon.

  We had a chance.

  Another scream ripped through the tunnel. The Extrats—they were retreating. They were running away from us, from the tunnel. Then why the scream of terror?

  I looked past the mouth. The balloon-like feeling popped.

  The entire city of Houtiri—massive with its tons of utterly inescapable glass and rubble—hurtled straight toward the valley.

  Chapter 50

  BREAKER

  My heart seized. All those Elik dark matter mines . . . The Queen had gripped and tore them out, ripping the entire ruined city of Houtiri from the ground by its roots. It rose like a reanimated corpse above the valley, sparkling like bone shards as it finished fracturing in the air.

  The Queen’s teeth grit with determination. Not a determination for life, but a determination to land a final avenging blow as she died. “You cannot tear out my line,” she said in a singsong voice. “This is your choice. You can choose where I make the city land. On your brother.” With a snap, she grabbed Brody, knocking him into a bent position, locking him into place. He cried out as his wounded leg took the brunt. “Or your people.”

  My gaze followed the path of the ruined city. Toward the tunnel, as if she already knew I would choose Brody. If
Houtiri crashed into the mountain, anybody who was left would die.

  Ice knotted in my chest. I turned back to the Queen. The dark matter was at her shoulder now, the entirety of her arm looping around Brody’s neck covered in the slithery metal. When she was finished being consumed, Brody’s face would be the first one in range. She had so much power already. I had it wrong. The dark matter would not neutralize her. It would give her power beyond imagining. And when she finished turning into an Extrat? It was a battle Circuit and I had no chance of winning.

  Brody shook his head. No, he mouthed.

  Time slowed, distorted.

  Brody. Or what remained of my planet’s people.

  My head shook as a chasm opened inside.

  In order to save the compound, I had to not choose Brody.

  Every time. Every banging time I thought I had let go of him, I discovered a way I truly hadn’t. Go, he mouthed again. All I could see was Brandon painted onto Brody’s body. Both of them dead. Both of them gone.

  I could no longer steal him away. I could no longer pat down his curls. I could no longer sing off-key choruses to him. We had both grown up.

  Last time, I had to trust Jupe and Tahnya to take care of Brody.

  This time, I had to trust Brody.

  Brody was my home. Malani was my home. Hope was my home. Scarlatti was my home.

  Yet, Scarlatti was Brody’s home too. And he had every right to protect it.

  He had made his choice.

  So had I.

  “I choose neither.” I turned on my heel and ran toward the oncoming city.

  Chapter 51

  JUPE

  The mob’s footsteps pounded behind me. A scrape of a metal axe on a wall. Naked adrenaline flooded my system and I flew down the hallway. My feet jarred with every step. Stairs stairs stairs, donde están las escaleras?

  Where are the blasted stairs?

  I glanced over my shoulder. The mob had gotten bigger. The light reflecting off their numbed faces made them look like the walking dead. My heartbeat roared in my ears. I pumped my arms harder and I rounded the corner. Nearly tripped over a soldier’s corpse, leapt over it like a hurdler, barely sticking my landing. I rounded the corner, skidding on the soles of my shoes.

  Stairs!

  The gleam of a railing shone through the door window.

  Another glance behind. The first of the mob was rounding the corner.

  Sent a pulse to the control panel. Shoved the door open.

  A royal soldier stood inside holding a gun.

  I bent backward, nearly falling over, her shot barely missing. The heat seeker sped above me, locking onto the mob leader with the axe, slamming into his chest. Blood sprayed. I hauled myself up, grabbed the gun, twisted it from her grip. I slammed a pulse to her temple. My fingers tangled in her hair. I yanked my hand free and she fell backward down the stairs, unconscious.

  I leapt inside, slammed the door shut, blasting the inner control panel.

  The mob slammed against the door. A bloody face pressed against the dermaGlass, no more aware than a trash heap floating on its path through space. They backed up, throwing their weight against the door. The frame jiggled, but it held.

  A heavy sigh thrust from my chest. Then panic clutched it tighter. What if Tahnya had turned into one of them? No. She had no line. That wasn’t possible. But what if one of those things reached her? What if the Queen had strapped her down and she couldn’t fight back?

  The thought re-kicked my adrenaline.

  I hurtled down the stairs. More footsteps echoed. I glanced over the railing. The entire stairwell filled with the line-hacked guards and royal soldiers. All standing between me and the door I needed. My tongue tasted ash.

  Oh hell—

  The door I sealed above thudded with the pounding of bodies. Even if I managed to pry open the door, I was caught in a line-hacked sandwich. A scream from below. One of them spotted me. Aimed my gun and found a soldier with a taser—how many weapons was this ship stocked with?—and took her out. Found another royal solider with a heat seeker. He went down before he could lock onto me and fire.

  Now the entire new mob below noticed me. They flooded up the stairwell. I fired into them, kicking and punching and pulsing as they gained ground, trying to keep from being pushed up the stairs. Trying to keep from being pinned and torn apart.

  Then a snippet of melody—no, screaming, no melody—raked the hall. Encompassing. Consuming. Bigger-than-reality. Tahnya!

  The entire ship hiccupped as though being jostled into a portal. Dizziness swept over me. The floor beneath my feet vanished. The ship lurched and spun faster than its artificial grav could hold. For a min, I was airborne. I didn’t hesitate. I swung the gun around my back and pushed against the wall, the force sending me across the stairwell, grav throwing me half a flight down.

  I grabbed onto the railing just as the ship righted. Full grav hit and bodies went flying. I swung, kicking at the line-hacked under me. Swung again, released, landed. Flipped my gun around and fired. Gained another half flight.

  The ship spun again. What the hell was going on? I’d seen how Tahnya ripped those ships out of the sky on Atina. Was she causing this now? What else could bully a ship this size? I could see the door I needed through the railing gaps. One floor away. I leapt half a flight down, but the ship rolled again, and down became up became sideways.

  I banged off the railing. A soldier lost his balance. His upper body tipped over the side. I grabbed him, stopping my fall, climbing up his arm, tearing at his uniform, reaching for the railing. I hooked on. My feet dangled across the center of the stairwell, so my toes pointed toward the opposite railing. Hand over hand I swung across the railing, my muscles shook, but I kept descending toward the door.

  The ship turned and the railing became a ladder. I kept moving, now using both arms and legs to descend. In front of me, through the bars, the line-hacked rocked and rolled. They swung punches at each other, at me. I flinched as they nearly missed my fingers curled around the bars.

  The door. There. I leapt across the stairwell, hooking my hands on the railing. My teeth clattered together and a tingling sensation ran along my jaw. I heaved myself up, nearly collapsing. The ship righted. I stumbled across flat ground to the door.

  My limbs were so tired. I was so tired. But Tahnya—I had to keep going for Tahnya. I fumbled for the control panel when a fist caught me in the side of the head.

  The momentum knocked me sideways. My feet caught on themselves and I rolled. I stopped moving, stunned, at the end of the next flight of stairs. A ringing rang throughout my head. A royal solider, massive, loomed over me. He held no weapon, but he didn’t need one. His fists were the size of my face. His eyes wore the same dumb look as the rest, but—I’d seen this soldier before. On Brunetta. With Kev.

  I didn’t even know I could remember their faces.

  Stars, these were people I was fighting. People!

  I whipped the gun in front. “I’ll shoot you, ese.”

  He showed no sign that he heard me. He stepped closer and swung again. I ducked and he collided with the wall. I slammed my pulsar toward him, ready to release the charge, when he twisted and caught my wrist, trapping my hand above my head. The gun was too bulky to lift and aim with one hand. So heavy. So tired. I kicked at the man’s legs instead, hoping to knock him back. It was as effective as kicking concrete.

  His hand grasped my neck, squeezing the life from my throat. I dropped the gun and tried to lift my other hand to pulse him. My wrist tangled in the gun strap. Couldn’t even reach the guy’s chest.

  One thought clawed to the surface of my brain, then sunk slowly to the bottom of my consciousness: This time, I was gonna die.

  Chapter 52

  TAHNYA

  Tahlia.


  My Elik name clawed at the back of my mind.

  My eyelids fluttered open. My body was dehydrated, wilting like a flower gone to rot. My head ached. I let it roll to the side, where I last saw the Queen before she left, and found the containers full of my blood in a row, hermetically sealed with a stamp. The Queen must’ve given me something, because if all of that was my blood I should be dead. One container was open, mostly gone. How much did the Queen drink? Or maybe she infused herself with it?

  “Hello?” my voice croaked. A shiver crawled across my body. The ship was silent as space.

  Outside, outside was Scarlatti.

  The scarlet planet hung like an orb, swallowing the view. We orbited too close to see the skinny belt or the twin suns and moons. Below, I could see the shape of the valley, the U-shaped curve of the mountains. Puffs of smoke, of fire, decorated the ground.

  My gardens were down there. So were Malani, Breaker, Luka.

  I should be feeling terror, anger, hopelessness, but the emotions felt too far away.

  The ship rotated in orbit, and the view changed. We hung next to the asteroid, large as Atina, the same rust red as the soil on Scarlatti. Knuckle-like divots covered the surface like an old man’s pitted face. What did Malani call it? Astook. Astook the asteroid. Funny.

  The view changed again. Beyond the asteroid—more ships. Firing on each other.

  I tried to lean forward. A battle? The ships moved too fast for me to make out their markings. Who was fighting? The Queen, surely, but Scarlatti didn’t have any ships. A light bubbled in my chest. Was Scorpia here?

  I rotated with the ship, the view once again facing the valley, the asteroid, then the battle. The ship shook and a light flashed overhead.

  Warning, this room has been compromised, a voice from nowhere said. Sealing the doors in three, two, one.