by Kailin Gow
After brief introductions to Torrid and Rodin, we sat down to catch up on the events of the past months and discuss our intentions.
“We have a strong army here. They train every day, spending hours with drills, tests of strength and tests of accuracy.”
“That’s good to hear,” Liam said.
“What do you have in mind?” Jenkins asked with confidence. He seemed ready to attack the world.
“An offensive.”
“You want to attack your father’s army?” Jenkins’ confidence suddenly left him and he now seemed edgy and unsure.
“I think it’s better than waiting for them to make the first move. If we move fast enough we’ll get them before they’re truly ready, and you can’t underestimate the effect of a surprise attack. If my father is out there in the old city, I highly doubt he’s expecting an attack. As far as he’s concerned everything is happening within the confines of Arcadia.”
“Our army is well trained, like we’ve said, and they guard this encampment fiercely, but they’ve never really seen battle.”
“Don’t worry,” Liam said. “The men presently being trained by my father have never seen any action either, and they’ll barely have a few days training.”
We continued to discuss various actions, what was plausible, impossible, probable and risky. With so many unknowns, it was hard to make any concrete decisions and it was ultimately left to a big, “We’ll see when the time comes.”
Chapter 17
Though many of the rebels recognized Liam and me from high school, we had trouble recognizing them. They were all taller, bigger, meaner. Living outside Arcadia had hardened them, leaving them stronger, both physically and mentally.
“Believe it or not,” Jenkins said after he’d introduced us to a dozen guys or so. “That guy over there is Alan Corwin.”
“Skinny, nerdy, afraid of his own shadow Alan?” Liam said.
“The very same.”
“What happened to him? He’s become a completely different person.”
“Well, for starters, he lost those tacky pants and those ugly shirts he always wore. In addition to that, out here there aren’t too many pencils to push. We have no choice but to stay strong.”
“You’ve all lost that perfect Arcadia patina.”
Jenkins chuckled and led us into his tent and gestured for us to take a seat. “I have to admit I don’t really miss the pressure to be perfect all the time. Yeah, we get down and dirty out here, but we’ve grown more in the past few months than we have in the past few years.”
“We hear there’s an older version of Arcadia out here,” Liam said. “Know anything about it?”
“Yeah. We came upon it once a while back, but didn’t really get in too close. Eerie. Same buildings, same set up, same intersections; only now everything is draped in vines. Trees are growing through the roof of some houses.”
“Anybody living there?”
“I don’t think so. From what we can figure it’s been abandoned for the past nineteen years. There was a pretty devastating war where everyone fled and never came back.”
“Think you’d remember how to get back there?”
“It’s a rough trek. We were thirty who’d headed out to explore the surroundings and only seven made it to the old dead city. It’s hard, exhausting and draining.”
“Then we’ll have a big hearty meal, rest for the night and get an early start tomorrow morning.”
Chapter 18
The gloom of night still clung to low lying areas while only the tops of distant mountains showed the reflection of the first rays of the morning sun and already we’d been walking for an hour.
Laden with a variety of weapons we felt ready to face any eventuality.
“How you holding up?” Liam asked as we prepared to enter a dense forest.
“I’m good.” Truth was I was growing increasingly fearful of what was to come.
Branches whipped our faces and scratched our skin, but the men marched on, barely slowing down when the brush thickened. We finally emerged and faced a steep and rocky incline.
The climb was slow and laborious, but well worth the effort. From the summit, looking toward the west, we had a perfect view of the old Arcadia. Even from the great distance I recognized the streets and buildings I’d grown up in.
Even the mall where I’d spent so many Saturday afternoons was easily recognizable.
“I wonder if I can see my house from here.” I looked toward the left end of the old city.
“I’m not sure you’d want to,” Jenkins said.
A shiver ran through me. Being on the top of that mountain and looking down at the ancestor of the city I knew so well; there was something too weird about it.
“Well,” Liam said. “Let’s go down there and see what we find.”
The descent was quick and I could sense the growing anticipation in all the warriors around me. Torrid and Rodin took the lead, more eager than everyone to get into the city.
Liam, though surely just as eager, lagged behind to stay with me as the wear of the trek began to take its toll.
“I’m holding you back,” I said with reluctance. “I’m going as fast as I can.”
“I know. I don’t want to rush you. I just want to make sure you make it down okay.”
“You're treating me like a fair maiden.”
“Truth is I just want to play the part of your hero.”
“You're always so sweet, Liam.”
His grin wasn’t as effervescent as it usually was and I could tell he had a lot on his mind.
“When we get down there, I want you to stay close to me.”
“Liam, you're underestimating me again. I can take care of myself far more than you imagine.”
“I’m not underestimating you at all. I’m just saying I want you to stay close to me.” He grinned, this time that charming and warm grin that always got me in the gut.
I laughed and the remainder of the trek down the mountain was a breeze. Relieved, I also sensed in the lighthearted steps of the warriors around us their sense of relief.
The floor was now clear to get into the old Arcadia. We picked up the pace and the city became clearer and closer. My heart rate increased as we approached the inspiration that had brought Pim Seer to build Arcadia.
“He could be in there,” Liam whispered.
I looked at him. The tension was building up and showing in his face. The grin that had warmed me moments earlier was now taken over by a scowl.
“Are you sure you're ready to face him, Liam? This isn’t going to be easy.”
I’d barely finished my sentence when I noticed Torrid and Rodin stopping in their tracks. All the rebel warriors followed suit and stood still as we listened to our surroundings.
A strange and unearthly thunder sounded. My breath caught in my throat at the sound.
“What was that?” I asked to no one in particular.
All eyes scanned the desert floor that ran between the city and the mountain.
“Sounds like a rusty old washing machine met up with a tired pickup truck.”
Torrid came to me, his stance instantly protective and ready to fend off any attack. “Whatever it is, it’s big, and there’s a good chance it’s not good.”
He waved his arm out in a gesture that quickly had the warriors surrounding us. With their backs to us, they continued to scan the horizon. Though the thundering had increased, there was still no sign of anything.
“It sounds like it’s coming from everywhere at the same time.” I tried to keep the growing fear from my voice, but the ominous sound was playing with my nerves more than I’d expected.
“I think that might be a part of the strategy. Whatever or whoever’s out there is trying to psyche us out. If we can get skittish and nervous enough, we’ll make stupid mistakes.” Liam looked at me with confident determination. “But we won’t let them get to us, will we?”
“No,” I said with a reassured grin.
Torri
d, standing taller than the rest, looked past the surrounding warriors to the old city. “Were those guards there before?” he asked.
Liam followed his gaze. “No. No one was there a minute ago.”
“I think we may have been spotted,” Torrid said.
The clang of metallic thunder was virtually upon us.
“Be prepared, men,” Jenkins shouted.
A blood curdling scream came from the rebels on the mountain side of our group. My gut did a somersault and as I turned to the sound of yet another scream. I gagged down a wave of nausea as I caught a glimpse of what we were up against.
Coming out of nowhere and descending quickly on our little army were strange beasts, each more ugly and disgusting than the last.
“Oh my God,” Liam muttered.
“What are they?” Torrid asked.
“Hybrids. Androids. Monstrosities,” I muttered. I immediately thought of Jacob, Jocelyn’s brother, and how we’d found him at the Coliseum; the head of a young man attached to a strange robotic body.
“Have you ever seen anything like this before,” Liam asked.
“We came upon one of them a while back,” Jenkins said. “It was dying. We learned it was from Arcadia, but couldn’t find out its reason for being out here. These creatures, however, seem to have a purpose. It almost seems like they’ve been programmed to come after us.”
I gasped as I recognized one of the strange beasts. Though his face was now void of life, I knew I’d seen him in one of the prison cells of the Coliseum. This wasn’t the time to be sick, but I felt the incredible urge to vomit. The head of the young man I’d seen, a young man I’d hoped to save, was fixed to the neck of an antelope.
They all attacked with vicious precision and uncompromising determination. One by one the highly trained rebels who’d prepared for this eventuality fell, seriously injured or dead.
“How are we supposed to fight off such creatures?” I looked at a small grouping of robotic humans who had the upper limbs of a man, but had two wheels in place of their legs. They moved quickly, giving our rebels no chance to escape or fend them off.
Then we all gasped as we saw the caliber of monsters go to the next level. Instead of arms and hands, these warriors had circular saws and sharp spears. The rebels who stood at the perimeter of our circle were at their mercy.
“We have to find a way to fight them.”
For the first time I saw a glimmer of fear in Torrid’s eyes and knew our situation wasn’t good. Despite his fear, he pulled back his shoulders, nodded at his brother and prepared to face the battle.
Through a series of deafening clangs, cries of pain, and shouts of anger, we battled as best as we could against our inhuman attackers.
If ever there’d been a time when a little magic could go a long way, it was now, but my powers were completely non-existent, and a quick glance at Torrid and Rodin told me they also lacked the power to combat these monsters through magic.
Before long I felt overwhelmed by it all. Though I barely managed to fend off the first three attackers, they kept coming at a pace that was exhausting.
“You're doing a great job,” Torrid said as he came up beside me. “I imagine your magic has abandoned you as it has Rodin and me.”
I nodded as he helped me fight off an odd-looking robot that was part boar, part metallic box and part human.
“Who would have ever thought that the most pure and royal of djinns would find themselves fighting against such creatures shoulder to shoulder with humans.”
Smiling, I turned to him, but his attention was otherwise occupied by a vicious beast that tried to rip his arm off. My moment of inattentiveness left me open to an attack. A vice grip took hold of my arm and easily dragged me away from the security of my group.
Just as the robotic human prepared to bring his rotating saw down on me, Liam jumped in and rid the robot of its human head.
“I want you out of here,” Liam muttered to me. “Now.” He grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me away from the protective circle.
“Liam, what are you doing?”
“At least three of those… those things were eyeing you right from the start. Either they think you’re an easy target, or you're a coveted prize. And now this thing comes straight after you. It didn’t even look at any other Rebel.”
“So you're pulling me out of the battle? Liam, no.” I pulled free, but he quickly got another grip, this time firmer and stronger.
“Come with me.” Running, he pulled me to a small wooded area away from the monstrous machines.
“You're underestim…”
“No. I’m not underestimating you, Kama. I’m taking you away from an impossible situation. Please.”
“But I came out here with you guys to fight, not to be coddled.”
He sighed with exasperation and shot me an uncompromising glare. “Look, how ‘bout you look at it this way; you’ll be our look out.”
“That’s not cool, Liam.”
“Maybe, but it’s safe.”
“Safe is boring.”
“Safe will keep you alive.” He pulled me close, inhaled my breath and kissed me, pulling me in, body and soul. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure you stay safe and alive, Kama. I lost you once. I was devastated when I learned of the danger you were in and how close I came to really losing you for good. I won’t let that happen again.”
He kissed me again and I felt the depth of his love for me. His fingers clung to me, holding me close, keeping me tightly pressed to his chest.
Just as suddenly as the kiss had come, he released me and turned to head back to the rebels.
He was so handsome, and the responsibility of war had brought an inspirational amount of wisdom to his eyes, and a breadth of strength to his shoulders. For a moment I just stared dumbly at him, taking him in and admiring him like never before, but I finally shook the heated passion of his kiss off and called out to him. “And that’s why you’re heading back into that battle? To stay safe?”
He turned and winked.
Chapter 19
Liam was right. From where I stood, on a narrow but high knoll with a few sturdy and tall trees, I could see for miles. To see further still, I climbed a few yards up into one of the tall trees and was so shocked by what I saw, I wanted to jump down and run to Torrid, Rodin, Liam and all the Rebels.
There was no way they would be able to win this battle. In the distance, far beyond what they could see as they faced their enemies, I could see hundreds and hundreds of clanging, clinking, and trudging robotic creatures.
The metal of their armor gleamed in the sun as they marched forward, their aim clearly targeting the Rebels.
I looked toward the old Arcadia, hoping to find a way to help the Rebels escape the massacre that was sure to come. Instead of anything helpful, I saw Pim Seer walk through the gate of the perimeter wall. He approached one of the armed guards pacing before the wall and spoke while his arms emphasized his words.
After a few moments, he and the guard looked out at the battlefield. Even from a distance I could see that he was unmoved by the fact that his own son, his own blood, was out there on that field.
Pim pointed, said a few more words to the guard and returned into the sanctum of his old city.
I didn’t know what to make of his actions. Would he do something to help his son? Or would he cold heartedly let his son die right there at his feet?
My answer came quickly enough. In a matter of minutes, heavily armed Catchers emerged, fierce, strong and ready to fight. They headed straight to the Rebels with murder in their eyes.
Tears instantly came to my eyes as I envisioned the blood bath to come. They would all be killed.
As a last-ditch effort, I tried to conjure up some magic. I was desperate to find a way to get us all out of this safely and I felt certain I could break through whatever barrier was blocking our magic.
My first attempt, to get a simple little leaf to flutter off a branch and gently float down to the
ground, fell flat and nothing happened except for a sudden headache. I tried again, but still the leaf remained fixed to its branch.
“If I can’t even get a leaf to fall off a branch, how am I supposed to find a way to help the Rebels?”
At the sound of my voice, a bird turned to look at me a moment before flying away with a mocking song.
Growing increasingly desperate to find a way of breaking through the barrier, I glanced back at the old Arcadia to see what was happening.
A familiar figure quickly glided toward the city and my heart went into a panic. Dr. Sanz and his army of Rogue Magical Ones. They were all gliding, effortlessly and with speedy efficiency.
As one, they all looked up to the sky, narrowed their eyes and concentrated and I quickly realized what they were doing. These very Magical Ones who’d built Arcadia were now fortifying a force field to keep our magic from working.
Angry at the thought that they, Pim and Dr. Sanz, could actually come to win this battle, to win the war by shutting down our magic, I turned back to my stubborn leaf and tried again and this time the leaf released its hold and fluttered to the ground below.
Digging deeper for a stronger kind of magic, I floated up into the air; up to the higher limbs of the tree.
Pleased with myself, I hopped off the branch and landing next to my freed leaf. I wanted to hoot with glee. Before heading out to boast of my victory against the barrier, however, I decided to try something a little more challenging.
I scanned the battlefield and picked out one monstrous creature. My gaze settled on a small wildcat with the head and shoulders of a man. Just as it prepared to pounce on a Rebel, I concentrated on his ability to move.
It worked. The wildcat crumbled to its belly instead of attacking, but I wanted more. I wanted to crush the barrier that hindered all djinns.
Thinking of my father and his strength and ability, I realized my destiny was out here. I would save the outskirts and break the barrier and force shield that had been erected.