by CM Raymond
Zeke raised his staff high and another round of thunder shook the ground.
Parker looked from the old man to his student. “I think that’s a yes.”
“Good,” Hannah shouted. “Aysa, you’re with me. The rest of you, give ‘em hell.”
****
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust after Hannah entered the tunnels, but that didn’t slow her down. She raced full steam, with Aysa at her side.
“What’s the plan?” the young Baseeki asked.
“We’ve gotta get these workers out of here. I don’t know what the guards will do when they realize they’ve lost this fight.”
As soon as she said that, a booming sound echoed through the cavern and shook the tunnels.
“Then we’d better move quickly,” Aysa said, picking up her pace, “because with the rest of the team out there, I bet the guards pick up on their fate pretty quickly. I imagine that was Zeke’s work just now.”
“Well, it certainly wasn’t Karl’s. He’s good with his hammer, but not that good.”
They sprinted another twenty feet, then Hannah held up her hand. The sound of steel on stone echoed around a corner up ahead.
“OK, simple enough. Kill the guards and break the chains. Then we get the hell out of this place.”
Aysa reached down and picked up a large stone. She palmed it easily in her oversized hand. “Then let’s get cracking.”
Hannah nodded, then crept around the corner. The crack of a whip caught her attention.
“Keep working, you shits,” a surly guard yelled. He was a bear of a man with no hair and a distinctively squashed nose. He used his lash liberally on the workers. Next to him stood half a dozen additional guards. “I don’t know what’s happening out there, and I don’t care. We’re not gonna come up short on our quota today. Put your backs into it.”
His whip came down on an old man’s shoulders, and steam nearly poured from Hannah’s ears. She started to move, but Aysa stuck her arm out.
“Wait. That one’s mine.”
“You know him?”
Aysa nodded, a grim look on her face. “I’m the one who screwed up his nose. He was there the night I was taken.”
“I understand.” Hannah placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I’ll deal with the others. You just take all the time you need.”
Hannah placed her fists side by side, then slowly pulled them apart. A long spear of ice formed out of thin air. She stood, took a step forward, and hurled the magic weapon. It hit its mark, which was the closest guard’s stomach. He screamed before collapsing in a pool of his own blood.
Everyone turned to look at her. Her eyes were like two rubies burning in the darkness.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” the bald man yelled. “Kill her.”
Five guards rushed Hannah. She was exhausted from the day of hard labor and the fight outside, but she had promised herself that she was going to enjoy this.
The man who reached her first might have been the fastest runner, but he was too slow with his sword. Hannah ducked it easily and shoved her knife into his armpit. As the man died in her arms, she threw him forward with her physical magic. His body crashed into the two men behind him, sending them sprawling.
The next pair moved more cautiously. Working together, they flanked her.
She held a ball of fire in one hand and her knife in the other. “So are we gonna fight, or are you chickenshits gonna dance around me all day?”
They yelled, then attacked. One thrust his sword forward, but just as he was about to hit Hannah, her body faded out of existence. The sword cut through thin air and plunged into his partner’s chest.
Before he realized what was happening, the real Hannah was behind him. “Fooled ya,” she said as she slit his throat.
She turned back toward the guards she had knocked down. She moved toward them and blasted one with a fireball, but before she could finish his partner another loud boom shook the tunnel. A rock the size of a tree broke from the cave ceiling and crashed down.
Hannah dove too slowly, and the thing landed on her leg. She felt the bone snap.
“Dammit,” she screamed. She grabbed her pants and tried to pull her leg free, but it was trapped.
“I’m gonna enjoy this.” The guard stood over her. He raised his sword high enough to cut her in half.
Hannah focused what little energy she had left, preparing to shield herself from the blow.
But it never came.
Instead, a pickaxe sank into the man’s skull.
As he fell to the ground, Hannah could make out the form of an old woman standing triumphantly behind him.
“It’s like you said,” Polly sighed as she looked down at the dead man. “These things make pretty great weapons.”
“Well, I’m glad you listened,” Hannah said. “I didn’t really take your advice about keeping my head down.”
“My advice was shit,” the old woman laughed. “Now let’s get that thing off ya.”
Polly hollered for help, and a dozen other workers joined her to move the rock off Hannah’s leg.
“Thanks,” Hannah said as the young man she had beat up earlier helped her to her feet. She immediately looked for Aysa, and saw her standing there grinning from ear to ear.
Her one good hand was saturated with blood.
“You OK?” Hannah asked.
“Never better,” was her reply. “Well, step one is complete. I say we move on to step two.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Parker leaned on his spear and took a breath. The guards were all dead or had fled into the caves—not that they made it very far. Sal was having a field day, and Karl could run shockingly fast for a man of his stature.
But the real terror was Devin. The things Parker had seen that little squirrel do…they would keep him from sleeping well for weeks.
“That’s really some pet you’ve got there,” Parker said to Laurel, who was cleaning her rope blade. Devin sat on her shoulder combing blood out of her whiskers.
“She’s not my pet, Arcadian. She’s my friend.”
Parker raised his hands. “Sorry. I meant no offense. Honest.”
Ezekiel walked over. He too had been a thing of legend in the fight, raining down lightning and cracking skulls with his staff.
“I have to be honest,” he said. “It feels good to get some fresh air. Even I need to stretch my legs now and again. Shame it’s over. I was just warming up.”
“If that’s your warmup,” Parker said. “I’d hate to see you really breaking a sweat.”
You’ve got incoming. A voice broke into Parker’s mind. From the caves.
“Shit,” Parker said out loud. “I hate when you do that, Hadley.”
The mystic must have seen something from his vantage point above on the Unlawful, and he had used his magic to communicate it to Parker. Parker had recently decided to focus most of his energy on becoming a Grade-A fighter, not a half-assed magician. He thought Hannah and the others had enough magic for all of them.
And while he hated it, he also knew that Hadley’s ability to talk to him from a distance had tactical advantages—something he would never admit to the mystic.
You don’t have to admit it, Hadley broke in again. I know you love me.
Parker sighed, then motioned to the others. “Hadley says we’ve got incoming. Prepare yourselves.”
They all turned to face the mines, ready for whatever new threat would emerge. But all that came out was a solitary guard. He was running fast, almost as if he was running for his life.
Then Parker saw what he was running from.
Several dozen slaves—now former slaves—charged after him. They all wielded pickaxes, and their eyes were almost as murderous as Hannah’s when she used her magic. Almost.
The poor guard tripped and fell, and the mob was on top of him. Parker didn’t see what happened to the remains.
Behind the freed workers came Hannah. Parker noticed immediately that she was limping,
but she was supported on either side by Aysa and an old woman.
“Are you OK?” Parker asked when they got closer.
“Yeah, I’m fine. No thanks to him!” Hannah said, nodding to Ezekiel.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” the old man said, feigning offense.
“Oh, nothing. Other than the fact that something almost brought down the mountain on top of me. I’m guessing that was your magic. Either that, or Karl turned into a giant and started wailing on the mines with his hammer.”
“Who’s talkin’ about me giant hammer?” Karl said as he made his way to the group. Sal was gamboling by his side, wagging his tail like he had just finished playing fetch.
Laurel grinned. “We were just saying how knobby and misshapen it is.”
“Aye, that might be true. But it gets the job done.” The rearick laughed, then looked around at the chaos. “I’d say we did a pretty good job here.”
Ezekiel smiled, looking at the team of fighters in front of him. “I agree with you on that one, Karl.” He turned to Hannah. “And it’s not my fault that you weren’t paying attention. I tried to teach you to mind your surroundings, but you never listen.”
She laughed. “Yeah, well, you’d better get over here and heal my leg. You owe me that much. Then I need a drink”
“Uh, guys?” Parker said. “I hate to break up the party before it starts, but aren’t we forgetting something? A good number of guards managed to sneak back into mines. Are we going in after them?”
The old lady who was helping Hannah shook her head. “I’m no tactician, but I think that would be a mistake. Those tunnels are a maze, and the remaining guards could be anywhere. As tough as you all are, it seems awfully risky.”
The team looked at her and then at Hannah.
“That’s Polly,” Hannah said. “She’s a badass—and she’s probably right. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”
“I’m not leaving here until every last one of those ass-bastards is dead,” Aysa said, nearly jumping up and down.
“Don’t worry,” Hannah said. “Zeke here just gave me an idea that I think everyone will love. Everyone, that is, except the remaining guards.”
Parker smiled. He could see the passion in Hannah’s eyes. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
She looked into the sky. “We’re gonna bring down the mines on top of them.”
****
Gregory sat in the cockpit, holding Unlawful as steady as he could. Hadley stood beside him, and the two young men watched the battle from on high. Hadley would fall in and out of his magical trance, warning Ezekiel and the others about possible dangers. Not that they needed much help. They had become a pretty well-oiled fighting machine.
“Do you ever wish you could fight like that?” Gregory said, not taking his eyes off the battle.
Hadley’s eyes stayed white. “Nope.”
“Seriously? I mean, just look at them all go!” Gregory shook his head. “I’ve thought about being able to do that all my life, but I still can’t really imagine what it would be like.”
Hadley blinked, falling out of his trance. He turned to the engineer. “We’ve all got different talents; everyone has a role to play. I’d way rather have Gregory the pilot than Gregory the pit-fighter on my team.”
“I know I’m a valuable member of B-cubed, trust me. You all would still be hoofing it back in the Arcadian Valley if it wasn’t for me. And you’re valuable too. Your mental magic made all the difference in Baseek. It’s just... I look at Laurel, and—”
Hadley smiled. “I see. You’re insecure because your girlfriend is a bona fide badass and you’re, well, a nerd. That’s pretty sexist of you.”
Gregory rolled his eyes. “I’m not jealous. I’m glad she’s as tough as she is. It’s one of the things I like about her. Still, I just wish that one time I could save her, you know? Show her that I’m more than just a brain.”
“Trust me,” Hadley said, “given the way she fawns all over you, she’s interested in far more than your brain.”
Gregory’s cheeks turned scarlet, and the mystic’s laughter echoed through the cockpit. Before he got a chance to reply, Hadley stopped laughing and let his eyes glaze over.
“It’s Hannah. Turns out you have some use here after all.”
“Well,” Gregory asked, “what is it?”
“She says she wants you to ‘bring the pain.’ What the hell does that mean?”
Gregory’s stomach jumped a little. “It means we’re about to see what Unlawful can really do.”
He started moving, flipping knobs and switches all over the control panel. Hadley stared at him, perplexed, until he heard gears moving and a loud hum.
“You’re going to use the cannons,” Hadley whispered. Gregory nodded grimly, but kept working.
In addition to its speed and maneuverability, Unlawful was equipped with possibly the largest guns on the planet. The first time they were used, Adrien torched the Boulevard. The second time, they nearly destroyed the rebellion.
The cannons hadn’t been used since Gregory took control of the airship.
The Bitch and Bastard Brigade had spent a long time debating whether they should ever use them. At first Hannah was against it, seeing as how they were basically created to be tools of death and destruction. But Gregory argued that they had their purpose, just like the ship. As much as it sickened him to know what his father and Adrien had planned to use them for, Irth’s fate was hanging in the balance. It was stupid not to use any tools at their disposal.
It seemed that Hannah had now changed her mind.
Gregory spun a massive wheel, and the cannons moved into position. “OK, I just need the go-ahead.”
Hadley paused, then nodded. “Word from the ground is ‘all clear.’ Do your thing.”
Gregory took a deep breath, then pressed the large red button in front of him.
The whole cabin shook as a blast of blue energy as bright as a star burst from each of the cannons. Dust rose from the ground, eclipsing everything.
When it had settled, the mountain had collapsed in upon itself. From the cabin, Gregory could hear the muffled sounds of cheering from the freed men and women below.
****
The freed slaves milled around what had served as both camp and prison while Ezekiel and Hannah healed the worst of the wounds. Some had died during the overthrow of their captors, but most of them had survived and were staring a new life in the face. Many had been born and raised in the camp, or had been held captive for so long they hadn’t any concept of freedom remaining in their tired souls.
Hannah and Ezekiel met the rest of the Triple-Bs, as well as Polly and two men, at the edge of the camp. She introduced them, and each gave thanks for their freedom. It was all they had to give, but Hannah and her crew wanted nothing in return for their service.
“A better world is all we want for our work,” Ezekiel said, offering a closed-lipped smile behind his beard.
“And to kick some douche-nugget ass,” Hannah added. “Besides, I know what it’s like. I might not have been a literal slave in a mine back in Arcadia, but we were all captive to a man who kept us down for the sake of his own good. I’ve only had a glimpse of the hell you’ve been through, and it sucked.”
Polly nodded. “Good enough.” Shaking her head, she shaded her eyes with her giant Baseeki hand as she looked west toward the setting sun. “Home,” she mused. “I’m not even sure what that word means anymore.”
Hadley stepped forward and placed a hand on her forehead. His eyes turned white, and Polly closed her eyes.
“That’s your home,” Hadley said, sending images of Baseek on the mountain above into her mind.
Polly smiled as she took in the view before Hadley removed his hand. “That’s enough encouragement to keep me walking for days and days.”
Hannah laughed. “Yeah, you’ll certainly get to stretch your legs.”
“After what we’ve been through, a long walk will be nothing but a son
g.” She pointed toward the masses. “Most of them are from Baseek—many taken when they tried to take you, Aysa. The others are from someplace between here and there. We’ll gather what we can from those bastards’ barracks and the captain’s house and be on our way in a few days. They’ll be ready by then, and we’re ready to lead them to their homes.” Her last word sat sweetly on her lips and sent chills through the girl from the Boulevard.
Hannah put her hand out to shake Polly’s, but the woman pulled her into a hug instead and nearly squeezed the life out of her. She whispered in her ear, “Thank you, Hannah of Arcadia. Remember what you have done today. Hundreds of lives have been made better, all because of you!”
As she stepped back, Hannah smiled. “I had some help.”
Polly’s eyes glistened, and with a blink, two perfect tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away as quickly as possible. “Thanks to you, I have hope now.”
Hannah grinned. “Yeah. Hard to find hope when you’re hammering away underground for a bunch of asshats. Your life will be different now.”
“No. You don’t understand,” Polly said. “I don’t just mean hope for my future, or theirs.” She gestured to the other freed slaves. “Now that I have met you, I have hope for all of Irth. It’s like the Matriarch herself sent a daughter to make everything right again.”
Hannah blushed and cast her eyes on the ground. Her mind raced for the words to brush away the highest compliment she had ever received, but instead of dodging it, Hannah embraced it. “I will bring peace to Irth, or I will die trying!”
Polly thanked each of them. “Go now. Your journey must continue. There are wars to be won, evil to be destroyed.”
Hannah and her team turned to board the ship, climbing the ladder one at a time. Hannah was the last, as the leader must be. Last on for safety, first off for battle.
She lifted her hand in a final farewell to the woman she’d freed, the woman who had saved her life with the swing of a pickaxe. Polly nodded back, and Hannah knew that everything had changed.
Again.
CHAPTER FIVE