Reborn: Age Of Magic - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Rise of Magic Book 8)

by CM Raymond

  “I would have thought that was obvious,” Hannah said as she spread her arms again, this time creating an ice lance between her hands. “We’ve found Skrima that can fly.”

  Parker fired twice more, then ducked as a Skrim swooped low over the deck. Its daggerlike talons just missed ripping his face clean off.

  “So what’s the plan?” he asked.

  Sweat dripped from Hannah’s brow as she concentrated on her casting. “Simple. You and the others try to keep them from destroying the ship.”

  “What about you?” As he asked, he heard footsteps pounding behind him.

  She smiled. “I’m going to show these bastards who really rules the sky.”

  As she spoke, she stepped onto the rail and then jumped out into the air. Parker almost screamed, but the breath was sucked out of him as Sal rushed past. Hannah landed on her dragon as if they’d done this a million times, and they charged forward. She held her ice lance in front of her as if she were planning on skewering the whole flock.

  Parker smiled as he watched her take off, but his amusement was short-lived. Three Skrima managed to skirt past her, and their grotesque figures came right for him. They circled like vultures ready to pick apart a dead animal.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” he yelled as he fired repeatedly, swinging his spear back and forth as he prepared for the inevitable attack.

  The largest of the three screeched and dove at him, but Parker managed to leap out of the way. The other two followed a second later. Parker jabbed his spear upward and drove one off, but the second reached for his back, jaws wide open.

  They were smashed shut a second later by a thick hunk of flying steel.

  “Stop dancin’ around, ya daft bugger, and hit the damn things.” Karl’s voice was heavier than his hammer, but the joy of combat shone in his eyes.

  “Nice of you to finally show up,” Parker said. “I’ve been defending our ship by myself. What took you so long?”

  “He was getting the team’s true fighter,” Aysa yelled as she whipped her bolas overheard. When they wrapped around the mouth of an attacking Skrim it twitched in panic and crashed into another, and they both plummeted.

  Laurel was right behind Aysa, her rope blade cutting through the air, and Vitali was at her side. His yellow eyes were wide, but his claws were out; he was ready for a fight.

  “Spread out,” Parker yelled. He blasted a Skrim who had been clinging to the side of the ship and trying to gnaw a hole in the hull. “They’re trying to take down the Unlawful. We can’t let that happen.”

  “Where’s Hannah?” Karl called as he crushed the wing of a Skrim that had been dumb enough to get too close.

  “She’s out there kicking a— Oh, shit!” Parker pointed toward Hannah, who had been swarmed by at least a dozen Skrima. She was shooting fire and ice everywhere, but the flying beasts were relentless.

  “Looks like she’s in trouble,” Aysa shouted.

  Parker looked around, desperate to find some way to help her. Then he had an idea, one that made his stomach turn.

  “I’m going to try something crazy,” he told them as he slung the spear on his back. “You keep a lid on things here.”

  “What are ye gonna do?” Karl yelled.

  Parker grimaced. “I’m going to catch a ride.”

  As Parker spoke he leapt onto and then jumped off the rail, grabbing a passing Skrim on his descent almost exactly as Hannah had done a few moments earlier.

  But whereas her move had been graceful, his was a damned nightmare.

  He clung to the Skrim’s back as the thing thrashed angrily. It tried to snap at him, but its neck wasn’t long enough to reach him. Its flesh was thick and bumpy, which made the ride painful but gave Parker plenty to hold onto. He crawled forward inch by inch, then reached back and pulled his spear free, holding it in front of him horizontally with both hands.

  He waited for the Skrim to howl, then jammed his spear’s shaft into its mouth like a painful bit. He held onto it with both hands, one on either side of the creature’s head, and when Parker pulled right the creature followed. He pulled upward and the Skrim flew higher.

  “Hot damn,” he yelled. Then he angled the creature toward Hannah, hoping he could get to her in time.

  ****

  Sal dove, trying to lose the Skrima that had piled on them, but there were too many and the bat-like bastards were tough. Hannah’s magic or Sal’s grit might send one of them flying, but it was soon back in the action.

  A talon ripped her shoulder, and she returned the favor by shoving a foot of jagged ice down the Skrim’s throat.

  Sal roared as he grabbed one of them in his claws. The thing struggled for a second before the dragon ripped it in half and dropped it to the ground below. Hannah grinned, proud of her partner, but even with the dragon’s raw strength they were sorely outnumbered.

  As she rained fire on several Skrima that were flying too close, she caught sight of another charging toward her right. She tried to brace herself, knowing there wasn’t time for a spell, but the attack never landed.

  Instead she heard Parker’s voice, and a Skrim came out of nowhere and crashed into her attacker.

  Hannah stared in awe as she saw Parker on its back.

  “Parker, what the hell are you doing?”

  “I’m here…to rescue…you!” he yelled as he tried to get control of the Skrim under him.

  Before she could reply, the thing bucked hard. He lost his grip, and in the blink of an eye he was falling through open air.

  Sal didn’t need to be told a thing. He bolted downward like a rocket, and Hannah reached out and steadied Parker as he landed on Sal’s back.

  The dragon groaned in protest, but kept flying.

  With her eyes flashing red Hannah reached toward Parker’s spear, which was tumbling through the sky, and pulled it toward herself. She caught it in her right hand and fired it at a Skrim that was chasing them.

  “Nice flying, Sal,” Parker said as he tried to push himself up. He finally managed to get his legs over the dragon’s back like Hannah had.

  “That was the absolute stupidest thing I have ever seen,” Hannah shouted as she handed him back the spear. “You’re supposed to be the clever one.”

  “What can I say?” He grinned. “Love makes me do stupid things.”

  “Love?” she yelled. “You choose now to tell me you love me? When we’re being swarmed by demon bats?”

  He shrugged. “No time like the present.”

  She smacked the back of his head, then blasted another Skrim.

  “No way,” she said. “No. Way. That was not nearly romantic enough to get you off the hook for being a dumbass. You and I are going to have a long conversation about this once the ship is safe...but I love you too.”

  Parker raised his spear into the sky and let out a hearty “Yee-haw.” In that moment he looked like the boy she used to know back on the Boulevard.

  “Focus, would you?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “but I don’t see how that conversation is gonna happen anytime soon. More of those things are coming through. What are we gonna do?”

  She looked up at the new rift, then back at the ship. Team Triple-B were fighting off the Skrima, but the ship was slowly being overrun.

  “I’ve got an idea,” she said, “but I’m going to need some cover. Maybe it was good that you came flying out here like a douche nugget after all.”

  “Damn straight! I am useful.”

  She rolled her eyes, then patted Sal’s side. “Buddy, I need you to fly me as close to the rift as you can.”

  ****

  Sweat dripped down Karl’s beard as he tried in vain to drive the flying Skrima away from the Unlawful. The beasts were vicious, but they had clearly learned to stay away from Karl’s hammer.

  This led to the rearick running around the deck wildly, shooing away the creatures like a farmer running off crows.

  “Damn..stupid...dicks with…wings,” he yelled between heavy breaths.
>
  “What’s the matter, Karl?” Laurel said with a smile. “Your time cavorting with royalty get you out of shape?”

  “These flyin’ bastards are the ones who’re out o’ shape. They’re not natural. Man was meant ta fight his battles on solid ground.”

  As he spoke Laurel whipped her blade upward and sank it into a Skrim’s wing. She pulled, and the startled creature veered close to the deck of the ship—too close.

  Karl ended the thing with one massive swing.

  “Thanks fer the assist, lass.”

  “Anytime,” she said before running off to help Vitali.

  Suddenly the Unlawful lurched to the side, and Karl nearly dropped his hammer in surprise.

  “Dammit, Gregory, keep this bloody thing steady,” Karl yelled into the night air.

  “Stop complaining and give me a hand,” said a voice from the door into the cabin.

  Karl turned, and was shocked to see the young engineer’s head poking through. Behind him was a large metal device.

  “What the hell?” Karl roared as the ship lurched again. “Who’s flyin’ this damn thing?”

  “Hadley’s in the chair. I had to prepare the Etheric Gate. Now help me! It’s too heavy.” Gregory strained against the large hunk of metal, but Karl could see no evidence of progress. He ran to the Arcadian’s side and grabbed the device, and together they managed to slide it out onto the deck.

  “What is this blasted thing anyway? Ye called it a ‘Gate?’ Can we use it ta protect the ship?”

  “Not directly,” Gregory said, still straining to move the device, “but it just might help. I mean, I didn’t have nearly enough time with it or the crystals, and Lilith was supposed to guide me through how it works. I’m not exactly an expert on old-world technology.”

  “Dammit, Gregory, will it work or won’t it?”

  Gregory sighed. “We’re about to find out.” He put down his side of the tech. “This is good enough. Keep those things away from me while I try to turn it on.”

  “Aye,” Karl said, and gripped his hammer tighter. “That I can do.”

  ****

  “So what exactly are you going to do?” Parker asked as Sal hurtled toward the rift.

  “I’m going to try and close this damn thing,” Hannah said.

  “Can you... Is that even possible?”

  “Theoretically,” she replied. “I mean, some sort of tremendous energy opened this doorway, right? We don’t exactly know how the Laughing Bitch is doing it, but we know it’s not easy. It’s not like the universe wants to get torn apart, so maybe I can use my magic to seal it.”

  “But... I mean... Is that even possible?”

  She sighed, trying to resist the temptation to throw him off the dragon’s back.

  “Lilith told me that when the Rift first appeared it was small, kind of like this one. It took years for Laughter to open it to the size it is now. If she can push it open, then I’m damn well gonna try and push it closed. We can’t just leave this thing out here. There are innocent people living in this area.”

  Parker swung his spear at a Skrim that flew at them, knocking the creature out of the way. “Please don’t hurt me for saying this, but are you powerful enough to pull that off?”

  She smiled. “No. Not on my own anyway.”

  “Woah, woah, woah,” he shouted. “What the hell am I going to do? I can’t do magic.”

  “I’m not talking about you, dipshit,” she laughed. “I do have other friends, you know. Just keep those things away from me while I’m trying this. I have a feeling they’re not going to be too happy about it.”

  Then she closed her eyes, and reached out with her mind.

  Gregory, you almost ready?

  Two seconds, Captain. You sure you’re ready for this?

  She cursed out loud, provoking a worried look from Parker. I swear, the next ass-maggot to doubt me gets a fireball up the butthole. I’ll do it, or I won’t. Either way, I have to try.

  Roger, Gregory replied. And I wasn’t doubting your grit, just imagining what this team would look like if something happened to you. It would be madness.

  Hannah smiled. Lucky for you I’m going to live forever, then.

  A moment of silence passed before Gregory reached back out to her. OK, I think it’s ready. If the Gate works, it should be able to hold Laughter’s energy in check. That will give you the break you need to shut the door for good. Good luck.

  “All right,” Hannah yelled to Parker, almost forgetting to use her words. “Get ready.”

  As she spoke, a yellow beam arced across the night sky. It danced like water, but it was pure power. Hannah could see where the stream originated on the deck of the Unlawful, but when it hit the rift it seemed to disappear completely.

  The Skrima all started howling, and Sal roared in reply. Cursing punctuated the sound of Parker’s spear being fired again and again, and the yellow beam of energy made a high crackling sound.

  Hannah pushed all that noise away. She focused in on herself, coaxing her magic out. She thought about the village of Urai, and how it had burned after the large Skrim stomped through. She thought about the people of New Romanov, who had been defending the world from creatures like these for decades. She thought about the lands beneath her—full of their own problems, but undeserving of a hellish attack from above.

  Then she thought of Laughter.

  Her emotions bubbled over, and with them came the crack of energy.

  Hannah reached her hands forward like she was grabbing two doors, then gritted her teeth and pulled her hands together.

  The thing didn’t budge.

  Only seconds passed, but they felt like hours. She was oblivious to everything around her; her only focus was on the tear in the universe. It was like a gaping wound on her planet, and the person wielding the knife was a whacked-out nut-job of unimaginable power and knowledge.

  The Laughing Queen was intent on killing or enslaving this world—Hannah’s world—but Hannah would die before she let that happen.

  She pushed harder and nearly screamed with joy when she saw the darkness grow smaller.

  “Holy shit,” Parker yelled. “You’re doing it. You’re actually doing it.”

  “Just shut up and let me focus!” she shouted back, but she couldn’t contain the laughter in her voice. Joy filled her with new power, and little by little the rift disappeared until finally all that was left in the sky were stars.

  And several dozen angry flying Skrima.

  Hannah nearly passed out, but managed to hold tightly to Parker. “Let’s get back to the ship. We’ll take down these bastards from there.”

  ****

  Karl was focusing hard on not getting ripped to shreds by the Skrima’s talons, but he couldn’t help but stare in awe when Sal landed.

  “Holy bloody buttholes. That was amazin’ what ya did there, lass.”

  She leaned pretty heavily on Parker as she walked toward the rearick, but wore a loopy grin on her face.

  “Hey,” said Parker, “I helped too. Did you see me riding that Skrim?”

  “That, er... That was plain idiotic, but even a blind rearick finds gold every once in a while.”

  Parker rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “And besides,” Karl continued, “while ye were playin’ cowboy, I’m pretty sure it was Gregory here who helped the most.”

  The engineer blushed and looked down at the strange machine. “To be fair, I had an ancient weapon that was put in place by the Matriarch herself, so it’s not really an apples-to-apples comparison.

  “Hey dipshits!” Aysa shouted. She was waving a short sword around her head, an addition to her arsenal that she had picked up in Heema. “Why don’t we determine who’s got the bigger fruit after we finish with the flying demons?”

  They jumped into action and, working all together, the cleanup went relatively quickly. They cut, smashed, blasted, and burnt every last Skrim that attacked the ship. One or two might have snuck
off into the night, but Hannah decided against sending Sal hunting. They figured one Skrim couldn’t do much damage on its own. These were smaller and easier to kill than the ones they had faced in New Romanov.

  There was one left on the deck of the ship. It had a broken wing, and it was flopping around like a rabid fish. Karl hefted his hammer and moved to end it.

  “Wait,” Vitali yelled, and he grabbed Karl’s arm. “Don’t kill it.”

  “Listen, kid, I know yer new ta the team an’ all, but these things aren’t really the ‘deservin’ of mercy’ type. They’re killers through and through, sent from some hell world ta eat us all or somethin’.”

  The Lynqi shook his head. “Trust me, after tonight I am fully on board with Team Triple-B’s mission, but you still shouldn’t kill it. Not out of mercy, but because of strategy.”

  Karl squinted at him for a second, then understanding dawned. “I see what yer saying. Know yer enemy, eh?”

  Vitali smiled. “Something like that.”

  Karl looked at the Skrim. The thing hissed at him and its unnaturally long fangs flashed in the moonlight, so Karl dropped his hammer on its head.

  Vitali yelled, but Karl only laughed.

  “Relax, that was only a love-tap. Sound strategy or no, I’m in no mood ta get bit. Now help me hogtie this thing before it wakes up.”

  ****

  Once the Skrim had been secured, Team Triple-B moved toward the mess.

  Gregory and Laurel sat almost on top of each other as usual, while Vitali found a seat out of the way, behind the table. Karl grabbed himself a large glass of mead and Aysa bounced with excitement, walking Hadley through everything that had happened.

  “And then Hannah closed the rift, and I killed the rest of the Skrima. It was simple, really, for a warrior of my caliber.”

  Karl groaned at the girl’s exaggeration, but Hadley only laughed. “I believe you could have eaten the Skrima for breakfast, but I don’t imagine there was anything at all simple about sealing that rift.

  Gregory nodded. “We got lucky. I wasn’t even sure if it would work, but we had to try. Luckily we’ve got one badass magician on our crew.”

  “But that’s our answer then, right?” Aysa said. “I mean, to this whole war. We fly back to New Romanov and you and Hannah repeat the process. Shut that bitch down!”