by Keri Arthur
A drakkon appeared underneath us and sprayed fire across the street below, taking out the immediate threat. Oma tipped slightly to one side in silent thanks, and the drakkon bellowed and peeled off to attack somewhere else.
Half the city was alight now, and on the horizon, close to the wall that divided the White Zone from the rest of Arleeon, more fires glowed. But our destination was the bunker that hid the biggest threat of them all—the ice weapons. We had to get there—had to destroy them—before they could be deployed against us again.
The main city fell behind, and a network of roads and industrial-looking buildings appeared. Gone were the rolling forests that had once dotted this area. The Mareritt seemed pretty damned determined to destroy the richness they’d coveted for so long.
But trees could grow back. Land could be restored. Drakkons could once again fly free across Arleeon.
We just had to destroy their new weapons first. Driving them from our land would take more than just this attack, but this was at least a beginning.
And it held up the possibility of hope to those who’d all but given up.
Ahead, hugging the mountain’s jagged rock face, was the dome Ineke had described. No guards were visible, but a massive metal door now barred the wide entrance. I couldn’t immediately see Harrod, which meant he was probably hunkered down underground, waiting our arrival.
Oma began her descent. I hooked a leg over the front spine plate, ready to jump off when we neared the ground. Just because I couldn’t see any Mareritt didn’t mean they weren’t here.
Oma’s flight slowed to a hover. I jumped, then ducked low to avoid her wing sweeps as I moved out from underneath her. She immediately rose to give the others room.
Call if need to fly out, she said. Will be near.
You’re not going to flame with Kiva and Ineke?
No, Oma said. In charge. Will keep high and watch movements. Safer for all.
Which, again, wasn’t instinctive behavior, and yet another pointer to the differences between the drakkons of my generation and these. I couldn’t help but think that, while there might be a noticeable size difference, this generation of drakkons had learned a lot more from their captors than the Mareritt might have wished.
I unslung my stolen rifle and then moved across to the door. There were no cameras on the outside and no lock pad or other means of entry. The bunker had been sealed from inside; if Harrod couldn’t get us in, our mission would end before it had even really started.
Dust swirled as Kiva hovered close. Kaiden jumped off and ran toward me, one finger pressed lightly against his ear comm. “Harrod, we’re here.”
The earth rumbled in response, and soil began to shift. Harrod, making his way to the surface.
“It seems rather odd that they haven’t fortified this area,” I said as Ineke swept toward us.
“Not really.” Kaiden’s voice was distracted. Listening to the ear comm, I suspected. “We’re deep in the heart of the White Zone; under normal circumstances—and in normal vehicles—we’d have been killed long before we got anywhere near this place.”
“They would have seen us on the drakkons, though.”
“Which is why it’s even more important we get inside the bunker ASAP.”
Ineke’s flight pattern wasn’t as smooth as either Oma’s or Kiva’s, and her hover more of an abrupt stop. Loretta fell rather than jumped and hit the ground awkwardly. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled away through the dust storm raised by Ineke’s rise.
Thanks, Ineke, I said. Be safe out there. Keep your flame runs as high as possible to avoid the gunfire.
Will burn guns and those who hold. Her mental tone was savage.
Follow me, came Kiva’s comment. I attack Mareritt who come here.
Alarm swept through me. I’d expected a response, but that was damn fast. How far away are they?
Forty sweeps?
So, ten minutes. But even if Kiva and Ineke took care of this lot, more would come—especially once we broke inside the bunker. The drakkons didn’t have unlimited fire capacity—even they would eventually flame out.
And when they did, we were in trouble.
“Well, wasn’t that a fucking nightmare.” Loretta stopped beside Kaiden and thrust a still-shaking hand through her hair. “From now on, my feet stay on the ground, even if I have to battle ten squadrons of the ice scum to get back into Arleeon.”
“Given the drakkons aren’t big enough to lift us from a standing start, that may be our only option.” I glanced at Kaiden. “The Mareritt know we’re here. Kiva and Ineke are about to attack a force that’s ten minutes away, but more are sure to be sent.”
Kaiden turned on his heel and walked across to where the earth had risen. Harrod stepped out of his newly created tunnel and brushed the dirt from his hair. “Greetings, all,” he said cheerfully. “Have I missed much?”
“Multiple attacks, a number of explosions, and a fucking drakkon flight,” Loretta said. “Other than that, no.”
Harrod’s eyebrows rose but his gaze swept us, and concern touched his expression. “Randal?”
“Didn’t make it.” Kaiden’s reply was terse, his anger aimed at himself even though no one could have predicted or even prevented Randal’s death.
“Shame. He was a good man.” Harrod took a breath. “I got a general layout of the place from the earth while I was waiting. There’s one tunnel running from this dome to what I think is a development and construction zone deeper underground.”
“And that’s where the ice weapons are?”
“I would think so.”
Kaiden grunted and motioned toward the curved wall. “We’ve now less than nine minutes before we have Mareritt company—you’d better get us in there.”
“That I can do, no problem, but there’s at least a squad of Mareritt bunkered inside.”
“Any chance of bypassing the dome and going straight into the tunnel?”
Harrod hesitated, his gaze narrowing as he studied the mountain. “It’d take too long and drain me of all strength. I’d rather save some energy for whatever surprises the Mareritt have waiting inside.”
Kaiden glanced at me. “How fast can you hit that squad once Harrod breaks through?”
“Speed won’t be the problem; fire alarms will.”
“I rather suspect alarms will be the least of our problems.” His gaze returned to Harrod. “Do it.”
Harrod pressed both hands against the dome; for several seconds, nothing happened. Then, with a somewhat muffled boom, a six-foot section of the dome’s wall blew inward. Harrod immediately crouched low, and I threw fire high, lancing into the opening and then swirling around until it became a maelstrom that cindered every living thing in its path.
But, as I’d feared, it also set off alarms.
And the water taps.
Kaiden moved quickly into the breach. I followed, my gun held at the ready. While I was nowhere near exhaustion, I had to be careful with my fire usage. As Harrod had said, there would be surprises ahead; I needed to keep a reserve of fire.
The klaxon echoed through the high chamber and water poured down, drenching us in an instant. There were a number of vehicles parked to the left, and a long line of stacked wooden boxes—many of them scorched and steaming—to our right. Down the far end of the vast dome, barely visible thanks to the sheeting water, was the tunnel entrance.
Once Harrod had raised the earth and closed off our entry point, we moved toward the tunnel, using the vehicles as cover as much as practical. But we were barely halfway there when two metal doors appeared out of the cavities on either side of the tunnel entrance and tracked toward each other.
“Harrod,” Kaiden snapped. “Stop those things.”
Soldiers appeared in the doorway and unleashed a metal storm. I swore and leapt behind the nearest vehicle, then dropped low and crawled underneath it. Bullets sprayed around the hauler, and chips of stone and metal flew into the air. I shuffled forward until I could see the Mareritt
and then threw flame their way. Three cindered, and two more went down under a barrage of bullets. The rest retreated. I doubted they went far.
I scrambled out from under the hauler and pounded after Kaiden, Harrod, and Loretta. In the steadily decreasing gap between the doors, the earth cracked, and thick fingers of rock thrust upward. They severed the tracks and stopped the doors dead.
Kaiden slid to a halt, pressed his back against the metal door, and then glanced at Harrod. The big man raised four fingers. Kaiden unpacked a grenade and tossed it around the corner into the tunnel.
There was a sharp curse in response and the echo of footsteps. A heartbeat later, the grenade exploded. As dust and debris swirled, Kaiden and Loretta slipped past the stone fingers and opened fire.
“Clear,” came Kaiden’s comment, sharp in my ear. “Let’s move.”
Harrod and I entered the tunnel; the dust in the air was so thick I couldn’t see anything more than a small, pale dot. It took me a moment to realize it was a follow-me beacon attached to the back of Kaiden’s pack.
The darkness and the rubble initially restricted our speed, but then the tunnel curved around to the right and pools of yellow light beckoned. They guided our way and allowed us to run.
There was no sign of the Mareritt defenders, but I doubted they’d gone into full retreat. That was not their way.
The siren finally cut out, and the ensuing silence again felt threatening. The Mareritt remained out of sight, and that only increased the tension thrumming through me. What were they doing? Securing the chamber that held the ice weapons? Or something else?
I suspected the answer was both and had to clench my fingers against the heat that surged in response.
The tunnel’s slow curve finally straightened; in the distance was a large archway and, beyond it, a well-lit chamber that at first glance seemed empty.
And yet foreboding pulsed. Whatever the Mareritt planned waited for us in that chamber.
Kaiden signaled a halt. “Harrod?”
“Five ahead,” came the soft response.
“Only five?”
“In the chamber, yes.”
“Meaning there is another force?”
“There’s some sort of staircase at the back of the chamber. There’re at least a dozen men there.”
“If that’s the greeting party,” Loretta said, “what are the five doing in the chamber?”
“I dare say we’ll find out soon enough.” Kaiden’s voice was grim. “And the weapons? Has the earth any sense of them, Harrod?”
“There are three heavier weights sitting to the right of the arch; it could be them.”
“Or it could be something else entirely,” Loretta said. “This is a trap.”
“Probably.” Kaiden glanced at me. “Want to rain a little fire hell all over them?”
“Gladly.”
I raised a hand and unleashed. My flames roared through the darkness, hit the archway..., and stopped dead. There was some sort of barrier in front of it.
Kaiden raised his rifle and fired several shots. There was a slight shimmer as the barrier we couldn’t see caught each bullet and then dropped them harmlessly to the ground.
“Well, that leaves us with—” Kaiden cut the rest of his words off and tilted his head slightly. “Is that singing?”
Even as he spoke, energy surged, a sensation that both prickled and chilled. The warmth leached from the air and each breath became visible. My gut clenched. “It’s not singing—it’s invoking. There are ice mages in that chamber.”
“Harrod, get us in there.”
“Trying to,” came the sharp response. “But the earth is being restrained by magic.”
“Can you break it?”
“If I can find a chink in the net they’ve cast, maybe. Keep moving. I can multitask.”
We ran on. But the closer we got, the more powerful those waves of energy became.
Then, without warning, the ground in front of Kaiden dropped away. He would have fallen had not Harrod lunged forward, grabbed his pack, and hauled him back. The air that drifted up from the chasm smelled dank and wet, and from far below came the distant sound of tumbling water. It was the sort of drop that could kill—and had almost done exactly that.
The earth shuddered, and a stone platform formed across the chasm, a thin line of solidity over deeper darkness.
Harrod took the lead, running over the slender bridge and then moving across to the right of the tunnel. He pressed his fingers against the wall, communing with the earth as he led the race toward the arch.
But the air was so cold now that breathing hurt. My fires surged, keeping me warm, but the others didn’t have that option. Loretta’s hair was icing over, and Kaiden was clenching and unclenching his free hand in an obvious attempt to keep the blood circulating to his fingertips.
Ice also formed on the walls, and every step was accompanied by a soft crunch—both underfoot and from our stiffening clothing.
The waves of power shifted, changed. The earth shook, and this time, it wasn’t Harrod. Thick shards of stone punched up from the ground behind us, a deadly forest that chased us toward the archway. The walls began to shake, and a network of cracks formed on the ceiling and quickly spread. As cracks joined, chunks of stone fell. We dodged and weaved through the dust and debris, avoiding most but not all. Many of the rocks were now as sharp as any knife and just as deadly. Blood flowed from a dozen different wounds, but there was nothing I could do. Nothing except run and hope that somehow Harrod broke through the magic and got us inside that chamber.
We were close to the arch now. Close enough to smell the stink of the Mareritt. Close enough to see the soft shimmer of the magic protecting the gateway.
If Harrod couldn’t break through it, Randal’s death and our race through this darkness were all for nothing.
“Harrod?” Kaiden barked.
“Close.” His reply was absent and his skin ashy. Sweat ran down his face despite the ever-increasing bite in the air. “I’ve punched a small opening into the chamber, but I can’t break the magic that stopped Nara’s fire.”
The earth shook again. Harrod spun around, a look of sheer horror on his face. I half turned, caught a very brief glimpse of a brown wave, then it washed over me. I lost my footing but somehow rolled into a ball, keeping my head tucked in as much as possible as stone and earth and ice tumbled all around me.
Then the roaring fell silent and I came to a sudden stop; for several seconds, there was nothing but an eerie creaking that ran through the dark and dangerous earth all around me.
It was a sound swiftly overrun by footsteps.
The Mareritt were coming.
A hand reached through the muck cocooning me and pulled me out. Harrod, not Kaiden. My breath caught as fear surged, but then I spotted him, rising from a mound of dirt on the other side of the tunnel. He was as battered and bloody as me, but that didn’t matter. Nothing did right now except survival.
I couldn’t see Loretta and prayed to the wind that she’d survived, that she was, at worst, just knocked out.
The singsong chant of the mages reached toward a crescendo, and power once again flooded the tunnel, crashing over me as hard as the dirt wave had only seconds before. I staggered back and would have fallen if Harrod hadn’t grabbed me again. Alarm churned through my gut, and my fires surged in response, but the heat pressing against my fingertips found no release. The mages were once again restricting my fires.
May the wind help us all...
Movement caught my attention, and my gaze shot past Harrod. The shimmering wall spanning the arch fell, and Mareritt flooded into the tunnel, their weapons up and firing.
I knocked Harrod out of the way, and the bullet that would have punctured his chest hit my shoulder instead. It spun me around and filled my world with a very different kind of fire. With a strangled cry, I dropped to the ground, one hand pressed against my shoulder and warmth pulsing over fingers. Harrod grabbed me and pulled me behind the cover of
a rock.
I sucked in air, fighting the looming darkness and the thick urge to be sick, and reached for the inner fires. The mages might be able to stop my external use of them, but they couldn’t stop internal use. I directed flame to my shoulder, melting the bullet and forcing it from my flesh before sealing the wound to stop the flow of blood. It hurt—the wind only knew how much it hurt—but if I gave in to unconsciousness now, it might well be the end of me.
“Here, take this and keep them off me as long as possible.” Harrod shoved his rifle at me. “I’ve punched a small hole into their web—I just need to widen it and then create the breach on this side.”
I braced the rifle against a nearby rock, pressed the stock against my good shoulder, and began firing. Across the other side, Kaiden was doing the same. Loretta still hadn’t appeared, and while I remained hopeful she wasn’t dead, that was growing more and more unlikely.
One Mareritt fell, then two, then three. The rest scrambled for shelter behind the many rocks that separated us.
But these soldiers were little more than a distraction. The mages intended to freeze us and then simply walk in and shatter us, as they had my kin and all those in old Esan. It was already beginning—the air was so cold it was practically visible. Harrod’s sweat had frozen onto his face, and his fingers and ears were gaining a bluish-gray hue.
We had to do something about the magic. Had to stop the mages to have any sort of chance.
And I knew, deep in my gut, that neither Harrod nor the earth magic was going to do that in time to save our lives.
“Harrod?”
“What.” His reply was terse, distracted.
“That hole you’ve punched into their magic—”
“Isn’t yet big enough for any of us to get through.”
“But is it big enough to shove a rifle into?”
His gaze shot to mine and he smiled. It was a rather fierce thing to behold. “Hell, yes, it is.”
“Then punch through the wall on this side so I can get to it.”
His gaze narrowed. At the junction point between the arch’s wall and the tunnel, dirt and stone sprayed outward. As the dust cleared, a fist-sized hole was revealed.