War of the Fathers: War of the Fathers Universe: Volumes One - Three Box Set (War of the Fathers Series Box Set Book 1)

by Dan Decker

  He was alarmed when he saw a trail of smoke coming from the ruins of the governor's mansion but after careful observation realized it was just coming from one of the smaller fires of burning Hunwei armor. The breeze was dragging the smoke, so it looked as though it was coming from the mansion.

  “Are we going to do this or what?” Barc asked with a small tremor in his voice. “I’m getting tired of waiting.”

  Adar snorted. You were out cold for much of it. “Have patience,” he said instead. “We only need one ship.”

  He was uncertain about what to do next. Should they go now? At least five ships had crashed, but more than that had already lifted off. They might be down to one or two groups of Hunwei, but there was no way to know. If they were to wait it out, they could get a ship without any fighting at all.

  No, he thought after he mulled it over. That’s wrong. Not only could they not afford to wait much longer because he still had Isak and his men to contend with, he knew there were tactical flaws in his logic.

  The Hunwei wouldn’t leave armed ships behind.

  It had been a long time since he was a general and this sort of thinking didn’t come as naturally to him as it once had.

  Over the course of the last several weeks, he had tried to focus his mind to think as he had back when he’d been a general in Rarbon. He had assumed he would step right back into it and was surprised he found it to be difficult.

  He had always made an effort to keep in physical shape, much to the chagrin of Jorad, who was still too young to understand that the energy of his youth wouldn’t last forever, but he hadn’t done the same thing with his mind.

  After fleeing from Rarbon, Adar had changed his patterns of thought to meet the demands of their new lifestyle. It was hard to think about the larger picture when he’d been more concerned about the day-to-day tasks of life while running from Abel’s men.

  Adar inhaled and closed his eyes, letting the air remain in his lungs for several seconds before releasing it. He could still do this, it just took more effort. With time, it would become easier for him again.

  If he were in charge of the Hunwei armies, every ship left behind would have been destroyed. That meant there were still Hunwei here, something he’d assumed but now became more certain about. He wouldn’t leave any ships behind while there were Hunwei to fly them, but if they lacked the manpower—whether it was a working ship or not—he would have left them in pieces.

  Bleeding Melyah, I should have seen that as soon as I entered the square.

  He eyed the ship that had pushed its way into the depths of the town hall and wondered if that qualified as destroyed or if the Hunwei still had plans to do something more to it. Certainly, the ship that had taken out the Arches would be destroyed by the fire.

  Or would it? The Hunwei had been unaffected, there was no reason to believe that the ship would be any different than the Hunwei.

  The Hunwei might have left a bomb on their abandoned ships or done something else to see they were unsalvageable. A cold chill swept over him and he wiped sweat from his forehead using the sleeve of his shirt. If the Hunwei left the crashed ships rigged to explode, why hadn’t they gone off yet?

  He pushed the question to the side for now, he could only do so many things at any one time. He would stay as far away from the abandoned ships as possible and hope for the best. If a sufficient amount of time passed without anything happening, he would approach the ships to learn what he could.

  If I have enough time, I’ll warn anybody in the vicinity of the downed ships.

  This all meant he should plan on the remaining Hunwei trying to take all the rest of the working ships. He would have to fight to secure one.

  What’s to stop them from dropping a bomb on me from above if I’m successful?

  He shook his head. He would worry about that once he had a ship.

  Even though the other ships that had crashed were smaller than the one that had taken out the entrance to the arches, he assumed there were still enough Hunwei heading towards the town square that accomplishing his goal of securing just the one ship would be difficult.

  Up to this point, the Hunwei hadn't put up much of a fight because they hadn't expected resistance. He hoped word wasn’t getting around that there was a man armed with a blaster. The first time Adar had fought the Hunwei, one of the monsters had laughed at his attempt. While it had grated on him at the time, he hoped that it was still the general attitude of the Hunwei.

  Melyah! I thought I was safe by not leaving any of the Hunwei or turncoats alive. What will they think if they come across the bodies of those I’ve killed? That was all too real of a possibility. He hadn’t made any effort to hide the dead. That had been a mistake, he should have taken care of that. It was yet another example of how his desire to seek revenge on Tere had clouded his judgment.

  He would assume that the Hunwei would be expecting him. Hopefully, he would be able to even the odds by dealing with some of them separately or by taking out a bunch from behind before they knew what was going on. He wished he had been able to find a couple of extra blasters, but they just had the one left.

  Barc now gripped his sword as he stared out the window, sweat streaming down his forehead.

  Adar regretted the time it had taken to show Barc how to use the blaster, he wished he’d saved the time and kept it for himself. Barc was proving to be more of a distraction than anything else. Adar would do his best to keep the man from being killed but keeping a ship on the ground was the higher priority. He thought of leaving Barc behind and telling him to come if it looked like things were going badly but decided against it. All Adar needed to do was to take down a Hunwei, and then Barc would be armed again.

  I just gotta hope the man survives and he doesn't try to put a blade in my back when I’m turned away.

  First Tere and now Barc. Adar needed to find better companions while fighting the Hunwei. One of these times, his luck was going to run out, and he would end up dead.

  Adar growled. Melyah only knew how close he'd come to dying at Tere's hands. It was a lucky thing Derren's tablets had been shiny enough to cast a reflection, the metal artifact should have been covered in rust.

  He'd have to be more careful when dealing with ancient things of the fathers. It could be easy to get lost in the wonder of it all. The way the tablet had shown him what was happening miles away at Vigorock had almost cost him his head.

  How had their fathers had such wonderful technology and then lost it?

  The door of the ship closest to them closed, leaving two ships with open doors.

  Bleeding Melyah, I didn’t see a Hunwei board the ship. Of course, there had been ample opportunity for the Hunwei to do just that while they’d been dealing with Isak’s men. He'd already told Barc that when they were down to two open doors, they would rush the closest ship.

  Now the moment had arrived, Adar hesitated. He wasn’t sure what kept him. How many more Hunwei were out there? Had some already boarded the ships? Was he about to lead them on a futile charge that would end in their deaths?

  Barc gasped. “There goes another. If they all fly away while we’re waiting for you, I’m still gonna hold you to our deal.”

  “Be prepared to go when I signal.” Adar kept doubt from creeping into his voice. At least he hadn’t lost his ability to do that over the years. Nobody would have followed him to Zecarani if he hadn't been confident. “Not long now.”

  Barc looked at Adar. “You hear me? You’re taking me to Soret, even if these other two ships take off.”

  “Quiet,” Adar said, struggling to keep his voice below a whisper. “I think anybody within fifty feet of us heard you.” He didn't like the man's tone. It reminded him of the way Tere had sounded just before he'd attacked. Barc sounded like a man that had nothing left to lose.

  Remember your daughter, you fool.

  “Stay close,” Adar said. “Don’t forget what I showed you about how to work a blaster. It won't fire if you haven't pressed down th
e button at the front.” Or if it has stopped working altogether in which case you’re dead anyway.

  Barc snorted, holding up his empty hands. “Forgetting something?”

  “Pick one up from my first kill. Don’t waste time with the other bodies lying around. Most of their weapons are broken.” That earned him a questioning look from Barc. Adar hadn’t bothered to explain about the tower or how the Hunwei had been killed. He had a distinct feeling Barc wouldn’t have believed him if he had.

  “Trust me, all you’ll do is waste your time by rifling through the bodies outside.” Adar met Barc’s gaze and held it. “Your daughter is alive. I'll have you to her in a couple of days.”

  Adar moved as if to walk out the door just as a Hunwei entered the town square. Cursing, he stopped mid-stride and slid back inside. He peered around the door.

  “Melyah!” Barc said. “They have people with them.” He gripped the hilt of his sword and looked as though he was going to charge out into the square. The action surprised Adar. Perhaps Barc had more resolve than Adar had given him credit for. Or perhaps the sight of captive women reminded him of his wife. Whatever it was that made him feel that way, it was a good thing.

  “Quiet!” Adar growled quietly, noting that Kura and Lars were at the front of the crowd. Her face had a new bruise, and she had fresh blood on her shirt. Lars was crying, his eyes scrunched up and his mouth wide open. Behind them were a dozen or so more people. Several of the women had babies.

  I should have anticipated this. He’d assumed all the Hunwei would leave without trying to round up captives. It had been too much to hope for.

  The Hunwei halted just before they reached a ship and sorted out a couple of men. There wasn’t any hesitation before the Hunwei shot them.

  Adar was surprised they hadn’t waited to do the execution until the others had been taken aboard. The last time Adar had witnessed such a thing the women and children had been loaded onto the ships first.

  An outcry came from those in the group. Kura made as if to run, but a Hunwei grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up the ship’s ramp. Lars almost slipped from her hands, but she managed to keep from dropping him headfirst onto to the cobblestone road. The rest didn’t fare much better as they were dragged aboard.

  One of the Hunwei pulled aside the two who had done the execution. By his actions, it looked as though a commanding officer was chastising his subordinates. The third ship took off, and its departure drowned out any snarling that might have been audible.

  After the exchange was over the remaining Hunwei boarded the ship as well.

  “Ready?” Adar brought up his blaster and examined the ground between him and the ship. He’d planned on having to kill Hunwei while taking a ship but hadn’t considered this scenario. He looked at the last remaining ship and put it from his mind.

  There was only one option now.

  “What?” Barc stammered. Whatever it was that had given him courage before was now gone. “Don’t tell me you mean to—”

  Adar gave him a look that caused Barc to falter. “If you want to see your daughter again you’d better not waiver now.”

  “Melyah, man! We’re going to get killed.”

  Adar didn’t respond as he moved out the door, stepping over the body on the walkway. The regret that he’d been unable to save the wounded fellow stoked his resolve not to let Kura and Lars be taken into the sky. As he took his first steps out the door and into the gray-clouded light of the day, he expected a blaster shot would come his way.

  Nothing happened as he walked towards the ship, increasing in speed as he went. There’s no hiding now, he thought as he broke into a run. By the time he was halfway to the ship he still hadn’t seen any more Hunwei. The last ship still sat empty.

  When he looked back to confirm that Barc was following, he had been expecting to see the man standing in the doorway. He was surprised Barc was indeed chasing after. Sweat covered the man's pale face, and he was heaving, his lips looking as if he was cursing up a storm. The struggle must have been from fear because he hadn’t had any trouble keeping up with Adar on their way here.

  A look of panic crossed Barc’s face. It disappeared in a fit of anger as his lips formed words that Adar could read. Melyah.

  I can’t decide if he’s mad at me or thinking about his dead wife. Adar wheezed and broke into a coughing fit. Probably a bit of both. Adar sent blackened spittle flying and wondered how long it would take to cough up all the soot. He had hoped he’d already hacked it all up, but by the looks of it, he wasn’t halfway done.

  Adar tossed his head and sent another wad of blackened flem flying. The face of the spearman he’d killed came to mind. He had been so young, not much older than Jorad.

  Had Adar fired too quickly? Pushing the question away, he increased his speed. He’d gone down that route before and found there was nothing for him on the other side.

  At one time, he had developed a habit of avoiding all the second-guessing.

  Who am I kidding? That was just my arrogance out of control. He would need to be more careful turning the Hunwei weapons on other people in the future. It was too easy to make a split second decision that he couldn’t take back.

  It must have been a different world back before the Severing if men could so easily kill one another without having to spend the years it took to master the sword or the bow and arrow. There didn’t seem to be much difference between killing a man with a blaster and laying in wait to stab him in the back.

  The men of that time probably hadn't thought of it in that way. Shooting a blaster did involve a measure of skill. Even over the small amount of time that Adar had been using blasters, he had improved his ability to hit a mark he took aim at. He hadn’t tried to kill Hunwei at a distance, but he was certain that would prove to be more difficult.

  None of this changed the fact that he had learned to kill with the blaster almost immediately while a new swordsman would be dead at the hands of a skilled swordmaster before he could swing a single stroke.

  A loose cobblestone skid out from under Adar’s foot and he sent it flying into the ship that they would have tried to take before spotting Lars and Kura.

  As they passed the remains of several Hunwei, Adar wished he had enough time to pick up another blaster that looked as though it might have survived the death of its owner. He couldn’t afford the risk, though. He pointed it out, but Barc didn’t see his motion.

  Adar increased his speed. The Hunwei had to have a way to see outside the ship. Speed was their best ally.

  He snorted, a wry grin crossing his face. I should have bet Barc that I’d have one shot before my blaster dies on me. He checked on Barc and wasn’t surprised to see that the man was falling further behind. Barc was still running, but he seemed to be moving slower with each step. His face was pale, and it looked as though he was about to topple over.

  Adar almost called out to Barc but stopped at the last second. There is a difference between assuming they know we’re here and calling attention to ourselves.

  He was twenty feet away from the door of the ship when it made a hissing noise and began to rise.

  Bleeding Melyah! Adar thought as he pushed even faster. His sides hurt, and every breath was a struggle.

  The door was already several feet off the ground when he leaped up onto the rising platform. It barely shifted from the addition of his weight when he landed. He teetered on the edge until he gained his balance and took a step before losing his footing altogether. Cursing, he sat down, his rear flaring in pain as he slid down the ascending door towards the ship, raising his blaster as he did.

  Several Hunwei were just inside the hold. The captives were huddled together in a corner. One of the Hunwei pointed at Adar, saying something in that coarse language of theirs. Adar fired a shot at the Hunwei, a bloody blue hole tearing into the monster's chest.

  The other one was just turning when Adar’s next blast obliterated the monster’s head. Bits of helmet, skull, and brain flew into the
air, and a mist of blue blood and ash settled down upon the metal grated floor of the ship.

  Adar landed with an oomph as the door shut behind him. He was alone with the frightened captives. He hadn't thought about Barc when he'd jumped onto the moving door.

  I should have left him behind. If any of the Hunwei witnessed what I just did, they aren’t going to let him walk away.

  He couldn’t do anything about it now.

  Adar slung his blaster over his shoulder and picked up the blasters from the two Hunwei that he'd killed. He walked forward until he was in front of the group.

  “I suppose you have everything in hand and would just like me to be on my way?” He handed Kura a blaster.

  She scowled. “I wouldn’t have been in this mess—”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” He patted Lars on the cheek and wasn’t surprised when his hand came away wet from Lars’ tears. He stomped down his guilt about what the lad had been through. Pity won’t get done what needs to be done.

  Adar smiled at the boy and lowered his voice. “Stay here with Kura. We’re going to get out of here real soon.”

  The toddler cried in response.

  “What now?” Kura asked. “You know a way off this ship?”

  Adar shook his head. “No, but I’ll find it. The first thing we need to do is take care of the Hunwei. Anything comes in here that isn’t human, shoot first.” After shaking his head, he examined the others as he lowered his voice. “Think twice about trusting any people that look too comfortable.”

  Looking back at the exit and wondering if he'd be able to open it again once the ship was clear of the Hunwei, he darted towards a ladder and climbed up the rungs to the next level.

  Chapter 22

  Adar didn’t have a clue how to make the ship door work again. The ramp he had slid down on his way into the ship was only distinguishable from the rest of the wall of the hold by the rough metal texture that covered it. Otherwise, he was unable to tell where the ramp ended and the wall began.

  He ran his hand along the textured area that he was certain became the ramp when it separated from the wall, halfheartedly hoping that it would open merely from his touch.