Burn

by Keri Arthur

  I pushed back the sadness and the pain that rose with the images and followed Kaiden across to ammunitions. Once we were both kitted out, we jumped into one of the many trains ferrying soldiers out of the inner courtyard.

  An outer wall quickly came into sight. It was of stone construction—at least on this side—and pockmarked by both artillery hits and time. The arched gateway was set slightly off-center, and both the portcullis and the heavy metal gate were open. The gate was new—the rest was part of Esan’s original fortress wall.

  The train swept through the gateway and rapidly picked up speed. The surrounding buildings became little more than a blur, so it was good to see the streets were empty. Either everyone had hunkered down inside their homes or they’d moved with lightning speed into the shelters.

  “How far away is the Esan barricade?”

  “Seven minutes.” Kaiden placed a Q-shaped device around his ear and tucked the longer tail into the canal. It was obviously some sort of comms.

  “And the reason we’re heading to tower eight rather than the one under attack?”

  He pointed to the small monitor situated in the corner of the train’s pod. “Tower seven might be taking the brunt of the attack, but eight and six are also being hit.”

  I frowned up at the screen. It was crisscrossed with irregular lines, meaning the system was using the earth’s energy as a means to locate both friend and foe. A large circle of red sat on the other side of tower seven, but smaller circles now massed in front of the other two. There were also two farther clumps of red: one in the forest beyond the river and another in the long valleys that swept away from Esan.

  Thin streams of green moved toward the three towers under attack, while smaller blobs gathered at the more distant ones. “I take it the green circles are Esan’s forces?”

  He nodded. “There are five companies at tower seven—three on the wall itself, and two more standing ready.”

  “And at eight?”

  “One, and the company that’s on this train.”

  Meaning each train had a set destination. It was certainly an efficient means of quickly ferrying soldiers into position. “Is this your company?”

  A humorless smile touched his lips. “I’m infiltration, so no. I’m simply assigned a position when I’m here.”

  The great wall came into sight. It was a deep, bloody red in the darkness—a hulking beast of stone that dominated the skyline. The two towers immediately visible were vast things topped by multiple lights, and not only shone along the wall itself but also into the land beyond it.

  Smoke rose from several points, although what there was to burn aside from flesh on a wall of stone I had no idea. There were no shells arcing through the darkness, either, and definitely no explosions shattering the ground on this side of the wall. And while a battery of noise—the shouts of men, the rattle of gunfire, the whoomph of cannons being unleashed—filled the air, it was coming more from this side than the other.

  Which made no sense. Why would the Mareritt half-heartedly attack? Was it some kind of decoy maneuver? Were they also massing within Mareritten, intent on a two-prong charge?

  But surely if that had been their intent, they would have been spotted, given the glorious view over the bogs and foothills the command center had.

  Or were they, perhaps, intent on using the drakkons from that point once Esan’s forces were fully occupied here?

  It was a definite possibility.

  Oma, can you let me know if drakkons approach from Mareritten?

  Yes. She paused. Want help at wall?

  I hesitated. Let’s see what the situation is first.

  Hurry, came Kiva’s comment. Need to burn.

  The train came to a shuddering halt. Men and women clambered out of the vehicle and up the stairs on either side of the tower. We followed, taking the steps two at a time, moving as fast as the people ahead allowed. Orders were barked as we neared the top of the wall. Those on the other stairs went left, we went right.

  We ran along the walkway until we found vacant crenels. I unslung my cannon and fixed it into position. Bullets pinged off the parapet near my head, showering stone sparks into the darkness. I swore and unleashed on the Mareritt in the distance. They’d hunkered down on the other side of the river, using whatever rocks and fallen trees were in the area as cover. They were also using rifles rather than cannons, and that had unease stirring.

  Even if this was a decoy attack, why waste men and effort by not bringing in heavy artillery?

  “Something doesn’t feel right.” Kaiden had to shout to be heard above all the noise.

  “I agree.” I scanned the area beyond the line of Mareritt. While the monitor had indicated there were a high number of them in the trees, they weren’t immediately visible. Were they waiting for the drakkons to attack? Or something else? “It might be an idea to gain some eyes in the sky.”

  Kaiden nodded. “It will also prove to those on the walls that the drakkons are on our side.”

  Oma, Kiva? Can one of you do a flame run at the Mareritt attacking the river wall, and the other do a high sweep and see what the Mareritt in the trees or valleys beyond are doing?

  I seek. Kiva flame. Needs to kill more.

  Thanks. I glanced at Kaiden. “Can you get the word passed along that the drakkons are about to do a fire run, and that no one is to shoot at them?”

  He tapped the comms device and immediately did so. The drakkons bugled—a furious sound that ran clearly across the night and the noise—and then swept down from the aerie, one high, one low, their scales gleaming in the cold light of the moon and the stars. Kiva soared over the wall and began her run, spreading fire and chaos across the Mareritt line. A cheer went up from those manning the towers either side of us, but it was too soon. Far too soon. As Kiva swung around to begin another sweep, five lights appeared on the horizon. Lights that were fronted by a blue-white sphere and left a trail of frozen air behind them. They were coming straight at the wall between our tower and seven.

  My heart flipped into overdrive. “Kaiden—”

  “I see them, I see them.” He tapped the ear device again and said, “Lila, get your people off the wall. Immediately. Those incoming spheres are the things that destroyed the coruscations.”

  A heartbeat later, a siren sounded, this one three short blasts. A murmur of disbelief ran along the wall, but the soldiers closest to Kaiden and me immediately began disconnecting their cannons and moving toward the stairs in an orderly fashion.

  But they had no understanding of the danger those spheres represented, and they were nowhere near fast enough. If they didn’t hurry, if they didn’t get off this wall, then they were dead. As dead as the graces who’d been held within the coruscation. As dead as Sorrel and Emri.

  I quickly unhooked my cannon. Oma, can you see where those spheres came from? Kiva, fly high and see if your fires can stop those things.

  Kiva immediately swooped upward, her scales appearing to drip fire in the light streaming from the spots. As the siren sounded again and a sense of urgency crept into those leaving their posts, I called to my flames and threw a thick lance at the first sphere. Fire met ice and the sphere came to a juddering halt—the force of which echoed through me and physically pushed me backward. Kaiden swore and lunged for both my arm and the parapet, anchoring me, stopping me from sliding over the edge.

  I dug deep and forced more energy into the lance, even as Kiva swooped and hit the next two. The final two spheres shot past and began their descent toward the wall; it was then that I saw the tank shell trailing behind them.

  We were going to be hit no matter what we did. It was now just a matter of how much damage we’d suffer.

  I swore and threw every last scrap of energy I had into my lance of fire. The mote in my eye popped and blood poured over my lashes. I ignored it, concentrating on the sphere. A faint spot of red-gold finally appeared at the contact point and quickly spread. Then, with startlingly little noise, the sphere shattered.
Kiva’s two quickly followed, but the force of their explosion—though silent—was so strong it sent her tumbling.

  Kiva? I all but screamed.

  Not hurt, she said after a moment.

  Relief swept through me. Are you able to fly high? Can you warn me if the Mareritt rush the wall?

  Will. Can flame.

  Only if it doesn’t put you in danger.

  Won’t.

  “We need to get off this wall. Now,” Kaiden said and left me with no choice by tightening his grip on my arm and all but hauling me toward the stairs.

  Mareritt in valley hidden, Oma said.

  We joined the crush of people hurtling down the stairs. Hidden how?

  In ground. Flame won’t reach them.

  If they’d bunkered in, it meant they’d expected our drakkons to be brought into any counterattack. It also meant they might have taken other measures against them. Are there tanks or some other kind of machinery in that valley?

  The air was thick with raw uncertainty and disbelief; despite the urgency, despite the ringing of the sirens and the fast-approaching spheres, Esan’s soldiers didn’t believe the danger. Didn’t believe the wall would fall.

  Not tank, came Oma’s comment. Something else.

  Can you describe it?

  She hesitated. Can only see nose. It long, like tank. Shall swoop lower?

  No! I swallowed the flare of panic and added more calmly, No. They now know you and Kiva are helping us, and they could have set a trap to recapture you. Keep high, out of their sight, but let me know if there’s any movement from either the Mareritt or whatever they’re hiding in the ground.

  Someone hit me from behind, sending me stumbling into the back of the woman in front. She flung a curse over her shoulder even as a gruff “sorry” came from behind. It didn’t matter. Nothing did except getting off these steps and away from the wall.

  I risked a glance over my shoulder. Saw the two spheres. We weren’t going to get off the wall—off these steps—in time. They were too damn close...

  A heartbeat later, they hit. As with the coruscations, nothing immediately happened. Not for several seconds. Then a soft rumbling began, and the stone under our feet became so cold it radiated up through the soles of our boots. Fat fingers of ice appeared, forcing their way into minute cracks and stone joints. Breaking the adhesion, forcing them apart.

  Then the tank shell hit. The wall exploded, sending stone and bodies flying. Kaiden somehow swung around and wrapped his body around mine even as we were blown off the steps and high into air filled with debris and destruction.

  Save!

  Kiva appeared out of nowhere, swooping past and then under us. We hit her hard and between her wings, a position that wasn’t ideal for any control of flight. She plummeted downward, her muscles working furiously underneath my spine as she fought to control the descent. Slowly, steadily, she did and carefully wove through the rain of destruction, avoiding sudden moves to keep us on her back as she headed for safer ground.

  Mareritt in forest move toward wall, Oma said. Flame?

  Yes. In fact, set the whole forest alight. It would burn for days, given the sheer size of it, and that in turn would give Esan time to repair the wall and, hopefully, find a means of countering the ice shells.

  Will do. She paused. Five more drakkons come.

  Where from?

  White Zone. Protect retreat of tanks hidden by earth.

  I swore softly. I needed to get out there, needed to see what their new weapon looked like before they could drag the thing back into the no-go zone.

  Can fly you, came Kiva’s thought. Dump Kaiden first. Too heavy.

  We were skimming the ground now. She could land if she wanted, but to have any hope of lifting me back over the wall, she had to remain in the air. She didn’t have the strength of the bigger drakkons and wouldn’t be able to lift me from a jump-start.

  Oma, how far away are the other drakkons?

  One hundred sweeps?

  Which gave me time to grab a vehicle but nowhere near enough to fight my way through the Mareritt flooding toward the break in the wall. It left me with no choice.

  Kiva, can you hover so Kaiden can get off? When she immediately did so, I added, “Kaiden, roll off me and jump down.”

  He did and then stepped back to give me room. Kiva kicked her wing sweeps into a higher gear and took off again. Kaiden shouted after me, but the words were lost to the scream of wind and the rattle of gunfire from those now scrambling to protect the breakpoint.

  I twisted around so I was facing in the right direction and then inched forward, carefully lifting myself over the first couple of spine plates that ran up her neck until I was sitting between two of the larger ones—a position that put me in front of her wings and one that was somewhat perilous when she wasn’t wearing either a breastplate or tack. My legs and thighs were well used to gripping drakkon back, but without the tack straps to loop my legs through and hold me in place, any sudden movement could see me dislodged.

  Won’t, Kiva said. Safe.

  We soared over the wall and across the river, the wind sharp and cold on my face and hands. But it felt good—so good—to be on drakkon back again.

  The plain below was alive with movement. The Mareritt weren’t hiding now—they were flooding from the burning forest on foot and in tanks, heading for the thick breach in the wall. There were many more in the forest itself; hopefully Oma’s fire would take care of them.

  But it made me wonder why they were now intent on retreating with the weapons that had caused all the damage—why do that when they had the advantage? Why not utterly shatter the wall and bring Esan to its knees? It made no tactical sense to retreat when you had the enemy in such a vulnerable position.

  Unless, of course, the weapon was limited in what it could do. I doubted it was a coincidence that five ice spheres had destroyed both the coruscation and part of Esan’s wall. Then another thought occurred. What if all this was nothing more than a means to draw out the last surviving kin in Arleeon?

  Fear pulsed and my heart rate leapt several notches. Oma, are there mages with the sphere tanks?

  What mage?

  I hesitated. How could I describe a mage when they looked no different to any other Mareritt? It was only their eyes—their pupils were as white as the sclera—and the shimmer of energy they wore like a cloak that differentiated them from their fellow Mareritt.

  Can you ask one of the drakkons who approach?

  Only know one. There was a pause, and then she said, Ineke doesn’t know mages.

  I swore, uncertain what to do next. I didn’t want to put any of us into deeper danger, but I couldn’t lose the chance of seeing what those weapons looked like, either. If we did manage to get into the White Zone, we needed to know what to look for. Otherwise, we’d be scrambling around wasting time and risking capture.

  Mareritt know here, Oma said.

  Us or you?

  Me. Must leave or Ineke and others attack.

  Then leave. Kiva, can you get me close to that valley?

  Can. Tired.

  I knew that. I could feel it rippling through her mind. But we were nearing the end of the forest now and the ground stretched out before us, a night-cloaked series of rolling, tree-lined hills that randomly plunged into deeper valleys.

  How far away are the drakkons, Oma?

  Twenty sweeps.

  Meaning we had five minutes, if that, before we were in their line of sight. I swore and rubbed my forehead. I still had the rifle strapped across my back, but my inner fires were dangerously low. If this was a trap, I was in deep trouble.

  Can help, Oma said.

  No. Risking my safety was one thing. Risking theirs, after everything they’d been through, was something else entirely.

  Which left me with one—very stupid—option.

  An action that wouldn’t have surprised my sister or anyone else who’d flown with me.

  Kiva, can you swing to the right, away from t
he valley that holds the Mareritt? Fly low so they don’t see you.

  What do?

  I’m going to jump off, and you’re going to return to Esan.

  No like this.

  Neither did I, to be honest. I hesitated and then unstrapped my knife. After cutting a portion of gold cloth from my jacket, I pricked my finger and used the blood to write four simple words—follow Oma if caught.

  Can burn Mareritt on way? Kiva asked.

  Yes.

  Will burn, then eat. Happy.

  Whether she meant she’d eat the Mareritt or more capras, I had no idea—and really didn’t want to find out.

  I gripped the spine plate in front of me as she swooped low, her wingtips skimming inches above the ground and leaving little dust devils swirling in our wake.

  We approached a long, shallow valley that ran alongside the one in which the Mareritt were currently bunkered. I asked Kiva to hover and then, with a deep breath, swung my leg over the front spine plate and dropped down. After brushing my fingers across the ground to steady myself, I turned and held up the sheathed glass blade with the note tucked inside.

  Can you find Kaiden and drop this to him?

  Yes. She gripped it tight, then turned and headed away. Call if need.

  I will. Just remember, guns can bring a drakkon down.

  Know. Will be safe.

  A comment that very much echoed what I kept telling them and it brought a short-lived smile to my lips. I was now alone in enemy territory. This could all go very wrong, very quickly.

  Can come if need, Oma said.

  No. I ran into the trees and then scrambled up the slope, every sense I had alert for any sound or scent that would indicate I wasn’t alone. The Mareritt might be in the next valley, but that didn’t mean there were no scouts in this one.

  Emri would have, Oma said.

  It was a comment that cut through me, if only because it suggested I thought less of her than my bonded drakkon. Even Emri would have been brought down by five drakkons, Oma. I would have no more risked her safety than I will yours.