Steel and Stone: A Novel in the Alastair Stone Chronicles

by R. L. King

  It did its job as a distraction, though. Stone watched in shocked amazement as Harrison made a sharp gesture and one of the streetlights wrenched free of the ground with a metallic shriek. Another gesture and the thing streaked like an oversized javelin toward the pursuing craft.

  They’d been so busy avoiding the fireball that they didn’t have time to react to the incoming missile. It slammed through their shields and impaled the vehicle through the front window with enough momentum that it continued through and pierced the back end as well. The vehicle rocked, tilted, and crashed into a derelict car parked on the side of the street.

  “Go! Go!” Stone yelled to Errin. He couldn’t see any other pursuers, but if the others were in communication, he knew it wouldn’t be long now. “Are we close?”

  “Entering the Wastes now,” Jeritha called back. “Let me concentrate.”

  Stone let his breath out and climbed back into his seat in the back. “You all right, Harrison?”

  “I will be.” His voice still sounded exhausted and raspy, but stronger than before. Since there wasn’t another available seat, he crouched in the back, focusing his attention forward.

  Stone did the same thing, peering through the front window. The sun was coming up now, but he still couldn’t see much beyond what the truck’s feeble headlights illuminated. As they left the road and set off into the Wastes, the ride he’d thought bumpy before got worse. He had no idea how long their tires would last, but hoped it would be long enough. “How far to the ship? Are we heading the right way?”

  “Couple of miles,” Errin said. “And yes, we are. We—”

  “Wait!” Jeritha’s cut in, suddenly urgent.

  “What?”

  “We can’t go that way! There’s a manastorm coming!”

  50

  “Wait, what?” Stone demanded. “A manastorm? Where?”

  “It’s heading for where we left the ship.” Jeritha appeared to be concentrating, as if listening to something the rest of them couldn’t hear. “They think if it keeps moving in the same direction, it will pass over the ship in less than half an hour.”

  “Ship?” Harrison asked.

  “We flew here in the little airship,” Errin told him. “Jeritha navigated us through the Wastes. The teleporter in Drendell was destroyed, so we had no other choice.”

  “What’s that mean?” Stone asked. “Will the storm affect the ship?”

  “I don’t know,” Jeritha said. “Since it runs on magic, it’s possible. But there isn’t enough time for us to get there and take off. Predicting manastorm paths isn’t a precise art. I wouldn’t risk it.”

  “What do we do, then?” Stone asked. “We can’t go back to Drendell. They know we’re here now, and they’ll probably be waiting for us, even if they aren’t brave enough to chase us out here.”

  “Head north,” Jeritha said. “My band is a few miles away. We can take shelter with them until the storm passes, then return to the ship.”

  “I don’t like it,” Errin said. “This truck won’t hold up to this kind of terrain for long.” She let out a loud sigh. “We don’t have much choice, though. You’re right—we can’t go back.” She swung the wheel around and veered onto a rutted, barely visible track. “This is going to be slow, so I hope nobody suddenly gets brave enough to follow us.”

  Everyone focused forward as Errin picked a careful path. Stone shifted to magical sight, checking all around them for any sign of disturbance in the ambient magic, even though he knew Jeritha would have a much better chance of seeing it than he did.

  “Tell me what I’ve missed,” Harrison said. He’d settled to a seated position in the enclosed rear compartment, his shoulders slumped with exhaustion. He still looked even more pale than usual, the blood drying on his face and upper body giving him a sinister aspect.

  Errin had to concentrate on driving, so Stone filled him in on everything that had happened since the attack at the Underground.

  “Rovenna is dead, then?” he asked.

  “Yes. And I’m sorry to have to tell you, but Karol is as well.”

  Harrison closed his eyes for just a moment; when he opened them, the smoldering, carefully controlled rage was back. “They will suffer for that,” he said, his tone still even and calm.

  “What did they do to you?” Stone asked. “How were they able to catch you by surprise at the Underground? I was under the impression that’s not easy to do.”

  “Normally it isn’t. They did something to my magic. I am not certain what it was. The last thing I remember at the Underground was my shield failing, and then an explosive detonating nearby.”

  “So they do have magic-damping capability,” Errin said. “That’s not good news. Especially if it’s strong enough to take you out.” She shot a quick glance over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the terrain. “Do you remember anything about what they did to you?”

  “Very little. They wanted to know where I came from, of course. And they seemed interested in testing my resilience.”

  “They tortured you, in other words,” Stone said.

  “Yes. They used both chemical and physical methods.” Harrison spoke as dispassionately as if he were discussing the weather. “How long was I in their custody?”

  “A little over a day,” Errin said. “Did you tell them anything? Do you remember?”

  “I am not certain. There were periods where I don’t remember anything—whether it was because I lost consciousness or because their methods were effective, I can’t say.”

  “Even if they found out anything, though, getting near us won’t be easy. So there’s that, at least.”

  Harrison seemed to notice Tanissa, who’d been sitting quietly behind Errin, for the first time. “Forgive me,” he said to her. “I don’t believe we have met.”

  “This is Tanissa,” Stone said. “I met her when I first arrived in Drendell—she saved my life. And she helped us quite a lot in Temolan while we were looking for you. She’s a healer, and she wants to come to New Argana.”

  Harrison inclined his head. “It is a pleasure, Tanissa. Thank you for assisting us. I regret we couldn’t meet under more favorable circumstances.”

  “I’m…happy to see you’re looking better,” she said.

  Stone didn’t miss the way she was looking at him—like a nervous animal, trying to hide her fear. He patted her arm. “Everything’s going to be fine. I think New Argana will suit you nicely. But first we need to—”

  “Turn more north,” Jeritha cut in, leaning forward to grip the dashboard. “The band is moving. The manastorm is progressing faster than expected.”

  “We can’t go much faster than this,” Errin said. “The wheels will fall off.”

  “Let me try something,” Harrison said. He took a couple of deep breaths, closed his eyes, and after a moment the truck lifted off the ground and hovered there.

  “Bloody hell,” Stone said, impressed in spite of himself. Even with the insane levels of magic here, he didn’t think Harrison would be capable of such a thing in his present condition.

  “You will need to provide the propulsion and steering, Dr. Stone,” Harrison said. His voice sounded tight and tense; obviously this wasn’t as easy for him as it might have been on a good day.

  “Got it. Errin, Jeritha, you tell me which direction.”

  Jeritha pointed. “Keep going that way for now.”

  Tanissa was looking at all of them as if she’d fallen in with a nest of madmen. She didn’t say anything, though, and instead turned her attention back to the view out the front window.

  As they progressed—couldn’t really say drove anymore, Stone thought with grim amusement—the landscape slowly began to change. Instead of jutting rocks and scrubby brush, he spotted a carpet of multicolored grass, covered with what looked like a thin slick of iridescent oil. Here and there, spiky, crystalline rocks poked out of the ground, glowing faintly in the dawn light. They glowed even more brightly in magical sight, with bits of energy
arcing between them. The effect was eerily beautiful—sometimes clusters of smaller crystals, sometimes larger, solitary ones jutting higher, as tall as a person. Occasionally, an arcing energy bolt would jump from one of the larger crystals to another one a few feet away, combining with the weird aurora effect in the sky to create a dazzling lightshow. Stone wondered what Jeritha must be seeing.

  “Is this safe?” he asked. Fortunately, propelling the truck forward didn’t take nearly the level of magical expenditure Harrison was no doubt putting out to keep it aloft, especially as long as they headed in the same direction.

  “It is as long as we keep moving,” Jeritha said.

  “What if we don’t?” Tanissa asked. She gripped her seat arms so tightly her knuckles whitened; she definitely looked as if she was beginning to regret her decision to accompany them.

  “The magic level here is variable,” Jeritha told her. “It’s not necessarily dangerous, but depending on the fluctuations, it could be. I’m feeling some fairly strong surges in the ambient magical level, but mostly behind us.”

  “Just keep going,” Errin muttered. “Trevor, are you all right?”

  “Yes. Let me concentrate.”

  Stone glanced over at him. He was even more pale now under the streaks of blood. His eyes were closed, and his hands, gripping the backs of the two seats in front of him, shook. How much longer could he maintain this pace without a rest? Stone had no idea how far they’d already gone, and how far they’d need to go before—

  Something slammed down onto the top of the truck.

  51

  “What the hell was that?” Stone yelled, spinning around as the floating truck veered wildly and tilted to the right.

  Whatever it was, it had been heavy: the roof now sported a deep dent that had barely missed Harrison’s head.

  “What is it?” Errin demanded, looking around. Nothing was visible through the front window.

  Another missile hit the truck, this time on the left side. Once again it tilted, slamming Errin, Tanissa, and Harrison into the wall while Stone and Jeritha on the other side gripped their seats and tried to stay in position.

  Harrison kept his concentration enough that they didn’t crash, but barely. The truck dropped back to the ground and landed squarely on its four wheels, but a loud crack sounded from somewhere in the vicinity of the rear axle.

  Stone gripped Jeritha’s shoulder. “What’s out there?”

  She had her eyes closed, leaning forward into the dashboard. “It’s the wyvora.”

  A chill ripped through Stone. “Those dragon things?”

  “At least one. I can’t tell if there are more.” Even she looked nervous now as she continued to peer out.

  “Why are they here? How far are we from your band?”

  “Still a couple of miles. And I don’t know. They’re attracted to unusual magic.”

  “You mean like us levitating the truck?”

  She looked troubled. “This area is highly magical. That shouldn’t have been enough to—” She stopped as something else hit the truck, this time on top of the cab. The windshield shattered, littering the cabin with glittering chunks of glass, and another dent appeared above their heads.

  “What do we do?” Errin yelled. “Can we fight them?”

  “We will have to,” Harrison said. Already he’d scrambled up and was heading for the rear of the truck.

  “We can’t stay in here,” Jeritha said. “They’re dropping rocks on us. It’s one of their tactics, to soften up their prey before they swoop in for the kill.”

  “Shouldn’t we stay under cover?” Tanissa asked. She was even paler than Harrison, wide-eyed with terror.

  “It’s easier for them to hit a larger target.” Jeritha shoved the door open and jumped down, scanning the skies.

  Stone joined her, looking up just in time to see another rock the size of a motorcycle rocketing toward the truck. Harrison leaped free just as it hit and crushed the rear compartment. One of the massive, leathery-winged creatures they’d dealt with on their flight over banked away with an eerie, ululating shriek.

  “There’s another one!” Errin called, pointing.

  Stone spun again, following her gesture. Another of the creatures, black and skeletal, glided overhead, clutching yet another rock in its front claws. As it passed over them, it shrieked and dropped its payload.

  Jeritha raised her fist to the sky, summoning a shield. The rock hit the shield and bounced off, barely missing Tanissa.

  “We can’t hold them off forever,” Stone said, looking around for a place to hide—a cave or outcropping, perhaps. But aside from the sharply pointed, crystalline mineral structures poking out of nearby rises, he spotted nothing. Even the truck couldn’t serve as much of a shelter anymore, with its back end crushed in.

  Harrison stood unprotected not far from the truck, his gaze tracking one of the creatures. When it passed over him, he pointed his hand upward and summoned a blast of blue fire.

  The creature dodged—they were remarkably agile for things so large—but the blast still hit its rear legs, flowering back along its tail. The wyvora’s shriek of defiance turned to one of agony, and it streaked away, smoke trailing behind it.

  Energized by Harrison’s success, Stone turned in place to keep the other beast in sight. So far, only two had materialized—were more lurking beyond their sight? Would the shrieks from these two call others? They had to deal with them fast. Even if Jeritha’s band showed up to help, he didn’t think they could handle several more of the things all at once.

  Then, to his horror, the creature Harrison had hit twisted in midair, its scream changing again, and headed back in their direction. It flight was more unsteady now, but as it swooped down closer, Stone’s whole body chilled when he got a look at its face.

  The thing looked as if it was fighting against something. It shook its head in anger, screeching short, sharp cries, and flailed at its muzzle with a front claw.

  “What’s wrong with it?” Stone demanded. “It looks like it’s sick or something. Harrison, did you do that?”

  “There’s something wrong with the magic!” Jerissa called. “Something’s stirring them up!”

  “How can that be?” Errin asked. She had her gun out, but the tiny thing that worked so well against humanoid enemies looked woefully inadequate against the winged terrors circling them. “There can’t be—”

  “Behind us!” Suddenly, Jeritha’s nervous expression turned to one of horror. “They’re invisible! They—”

  Stone dashed around behind the fallen truck, focusing his attention back the way they’d come and shifting to magical sight. At first he didn’t see it against the dazzling backdrop of the crystal structures and the dancing magical aurora, but then he spotted the edges of an invisible floating vehicle about a hundred feet behind them. “There!” he shouted, pointing. “They’re following us! It’s—”

  The vehicle shimmered briefly into existence as a massive fireball erupted from it and sped toward Stone and his friends. Then it faded again.

  Jeritha and Harrison summoned shields at the same time. The fiery missile, as large as a beach ball, slammed into Jeritha’s first and took it down, staggering her backward. It hit Harrison’s and dissipated in a spray of flame, so close to them that Stone could feel its heat from several feet back.

  “I thought they wouldn’t follow us into the Wastes!” Stone yelled, trying to get a bead on the people in the vehicle while still keeping an eye on the two wyvora circling overhead. Another rock plummeted down and hit the ground only a few feet from Tanissa, who dived for cover next to one of the larger crystalline structures.

  “They must be desperate,” Errin called. She’d hidden herself behind the ruined truck, keeping it between herself and the invisible vehicle since she couldn’t see it. She pulled one of her magic-damping smoke grenades from her pocket and heaved it in that direction, releasing a billowing cloud of inky black smoke between them and their pursuers.

  “Did t
hey summon those things?” Stone asked Jeritha. One of the wyvora was still circling; the other had disappeared, probably heading off to find another rock. “Was that the strange fluctuation you felt?”

  “It could have been.” She looked grim. “It’s hard to tell at the level of magic here, but it would take significant magic to overcome it.”

  “War-level magic?” Errin demanded. “Would they chance that just to go after us?”

  “That could have been war-level magic,” Jeritha said. Her voice shook with anger. “Idiots! Why would they risk such a thing?”

  Harrison still stood in the open. He pointed his hand and sent another sheet of blue fire in the direction of the invisible vehicle. The potent attack flared around it and it shimmered back into being: a small, boxy thing painted bright white. This time it didn’t fade out again. Four figures tumbled from it and ran toward cover, flinging spells at Harrison’s group as they ran.

  Harrison caught one of them before he made it. The man screamed as his body erupted in flame, and he fell.

  “They want me,” Harrison said. He was still breathing hard and didn’t look much better than he had before, but he stood straight and confident in the open, constantly scanning. “Flattering, I suppose.”

  “We’ll be flattered after we deal with them,” Stone said. One of the wyvora streaked downward, front claws extended, burning gaze fixed on the terrified Tanissa. Stone loosed a massive lightning bolt at it, hitting it in the center of its chest. It screamed and banked, heading back skyward.

  The three remaining Talented didn’t remain idle. With unnatural suddenness, the cloud of black smoke, which had been spreading into a wall extending in both directions, dissipated. All three of the attackers immediately launched coordinated attacks from three different hiding places: the battered truck lifted off the ground and fell down toward Errin, while twin blasts of magical energy flew toward Harrison and Jeritha.

  Harrison, Jeritha, and Stone acted instantly, as if they’d trained together for years. Stone sent a concussion beam at the truck, knocking it away from Errin’s hiding spot; it crashed to the ground a few feet beyond her. Jeritha summoned a shield to block the incoming attacks. Harrison made a savage gesture and brought up a section of the rocky ground, sending several missiles hurtling toward two of the Talented ahead of another sheet of blue fire.