Tinko's eyes widened. "I'm going to what?"
Loras grinned down at his friend. It was the same grin he used to have when the two of them would sword fight with sticks after school. "You're going to take that orb," Loras pointed at the giant energy orb that had been moved off of Gracien's ship, "and you're going to fly it up there." He pointed up to Reysa. "And you're going to do it before the rest of us are killed. Sound like a plan?"
Tinko looked incredulously at Loras. Then he looked back and forth at the other Reytana for some sign of assistance, but their faces were stone. Finally, he sighed. "Only you would come up with a plan like that."
Loras shrugged his shoulders, "It's the best I could do." Suddenly, and in unison, the surrounding Reytana pounded their left fists to their chests. They each gave a quick nod before dispersing into the crowd of surrounding ships, shouting orders as they went. Loras and Tinko were left alone on the deck.
"Well, you've really done it now," said Tinko. "Only one question though, if I may." Tinko pointed over toward the hovercraft that held the energy orb. "How do you fly one of those things?"
Chapter Thirty-One: Jailbreak
"That damn fool, Morlo," muttered Hadrian to nobody in particular. His violet cape flapped in the wind as he led his army toward Octavian's Pass. Behind each shoulder marched a long row of Gartune soldiers in perfect time. They made sure to maintain exactly three feet of distance behind their king. Hadrian was always the first into battle – the tip of the spear, as he called it. The rest of the army knew to keep their distance.
The Gartune were dressed as they always were – dark violet tunics and black kilts with metal cuffs and shin guards. The officers, and of course Hadrian, wore violet capes. The only new additions to the uniform were rectangular metal plates that covered the left forearm of each Gartune. In battle, these plates could transform into shields of different sizes – torso-length for hand-to-hand combat or body-length to deflect a solar cannon blast.
Behind the row of Gartune marched the several hundred torman soldiers that completed the Gartolian army. They wore steel breastplates and helmets. Their pants and sleeves were the same violet color as the Gartune tunics. The first row of tormans carried long spears, and the subsequent rows were armed with swords or daggers. The trailing rows carried backpacks full of medical supplies and other equipment necessary to support the battle. These were the stewards – young Gartolians, some of which were not much more than five or six years old. They, too, stepped in perfect time – the result of a lifetime of training for war. Left, right, left, right. There was no room for deviation in Hadrian's army. And yet, that was exactly what Morlo had done – deviated from the plan.
"I knew he wouldn't be able to wait before he opened fire," grumbled Hadrian to himself. "Had to take the glory for himself... I gave him one job... one job! Cut off the retreat. Push them forward. But instead, he lets them flee back to the pass." Hadrian increased the pace of his march and the soldiers at his back immediately matched it. A cloud of dust rose from their ranks as they passed the great Reysene elevator and advanced toward the rubble at the mouth of Octavian's Pass. Nobody took notice that the lift's cage, which almost always sat at the bottom of the cliff, was currently at the top of the city.
A tiny click echoed off of the cavern walls inside the jail below Reysa. Then another click, follow by another.
"I thought I saw something chip off that cretin's staff when it rolled toward our cell," said Lucan. "Nice to see you still have a few tricks up your sleeve, governor." Dario wiggled a small piece of metal inside the lock. It clicked once more before giving way. The cell door slowly creaked open.
"Quickly now, we don't have much time," said Dario as he stepped out into the hall. "That was Gartolian turret fire we heard; I'd bet my life on it. That means Gracien has come through the pass. I never had a chance to send word about those damned guns they just planted in the forest. They've probably got him pinned down as we speak."
Lucan gingerly stepped out of the cell and joined Dario. A hundred golden eyes followed their every move, but none of the prisoners made a sound. A few stood up in their cells and walked to their doors, expectantly. Dario turned and started walking toward the exit.
"Wait," said Lucan. "You're not going to take them with us?"
"There's no time," said Dario. "We have to get to the capitol building as fast as possible without being seen. They would make that impossible."
"But what about him, at least?" said Lucan, pointing to the cell across from theirs. Two unblinking eyes stared up at them through the bars. Dario considered the young Tormada for a moment. Then, as if attempting to make up Dario's mind for him, the Reytana slowly rose to his feet and walked to his cell door.
"You owe it to him," said Lucan. "We wouldn't be standing here if not for him. He won't slow us down."
Dario nodded and quickly unlocked the Reytana's cell. The remaining prisoners all stood up in excitement and pressed their faces through the bars of their cells. Lucan raised his hand to quiet them. "We'll be back for you. I promise," he whispered.
The young Reytana cautiously stepped out of his cell and walked toward Dario. "If you're coming with us, you're going to need a name," said Dario. "I've been thinking about it. What do you say to Adem?"
The Reytana nodded and repeated the name slowly: "A-dum".
"He speaks," said Lucan. "I guess that solves that mystery. Why Adem?"
"It means 'brave.'”
Dario then turned and quietly trotted toward the door at the end of the cavern, with Lucan and Adem close behind. None of the prisoners made a sound as they passed their cells. Somehow, they knew to keep quiet.
Dario slowed as he approached the last cell in the row. Around the corner was the door that led to freedom, but Dario knew from his previous visit that two armed Gartune stood guard on the other side of it. Dario approached the door cautiously, then hesitated.
"There are other ways out of here now," whispered Lucan. "What if we go out the way that Hadrian came in? Or we could go out through the new prison expansion?"
"I don't know where those doors lead, but I do know where this one goes," replied Dario. He reached instinctively for the golden wristband that he had always worn concealed in his sleeve, but then remembered that Xander had taken it off of him when he was captured. "I guess we're just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. Come on."
Lucan and Adem stood, bewildered, and watched Dario walk casually up to the door and give two loud knocks. "Oh, boys," he shouted through the door, "cell number twenty-three could use some new sheets!" Then he jumped to the side of the door and crouched down. Lucan and Adem exchanged looks, then dashed to the other side of the door and crouched down as well. They waited, but nobody came through the door. Dario crawled in front of the door and pressed his ear to the small crack between the bottom of the door and the floor. He could barely make out muffled voices. They sounded agitated. And strangely, the voices seemed to be coming from further down the hall. Suddenly, the ground vibrated and Dario heard two thuds, one right after the other. Dust spilled under the door, causing Dario to cough. He lunged back to the side of the door and waited in his crouched position, ready to spring. The sound of footsteps approached, then two large, metal latches on the outside of the door screeched open. Dario clenched his fists in anticipation while Lucan reached his arm behind him to hold back Adem. Suddenly, the door swung open.
"Tell cell twenty-three to shove it!" roared a voice from the hall.
It was Xander.
Dario rushed through the door and pinned the Gartune prince up against the wall. He tightened his grip around Xander's throat. Xander did not resist. Instead, he looked almost amused as he was being choked out.
"Dario, stop!" yelled Regan as she came running down the hall. Dario turned in disbelief. He loosened his grip on Xander.
"I see that they've been feeding you well, governor," said Xander, rubbing his throat.
"Regan!" shouted Lucan as he came rushing thr
ough the door. "It really is you!" He ran to his former student and hugged her. "Look at you! You're all grown up!"
"What are you doing here?" asked Dario, trying to piece together what he was seeing. "And why are you with him?"
"You're welcome, by the way," said Xander. He nodded his head toward where Regan had just come from. Behind her on the ground lay the two Gartune guards, unconscious. Two large cracks zig-zagged on the ground away from their bodies, meeting at a single point about twenty feet down the hall.
"You did that?" asked Lucan incredulously.
"Don't give him too much credit," said Dario. "He's done it before."
Xander shrugged. "You'd think they would have learned from the last time."
"Dario, he's with me," said Regan. "It's a long story but he saved my life. Twice, actually. You can trust him."
Dario and Lucan eyed the Gartune prince suspiciously. Xander raised his eyebrows and waved. Regan rolled her eyes. "It would be a lot easier to believe you if you weren't always fooling around," she said.
"Regan, I just knocked out two of my own men. If they don't believe me after that, they never will. By the way, how did you get out of your cell? I had a whole speech prepared for when I let you out."
"Save it," said Dario as he brushed past Xander and started running down the hall. "We have work to do. Come on!" At Dario's order, Adem ran out of his hiding place and followed Dario down the hall.
"Wait – who's this guy?" asked Xander.
"Adem!" yelled Adem as he chased after Dario.
"It's a long story," said Lucan, ushering Regan to join Dario and Adem. "I'll introduce you later. Now if you're with us, then come with us!"
Xander paused for a few seconds, then shook his head and trotted down the dimly-lit hall after the rest of the group.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Reflections
The remainder of the Reytana army gathered near the mouth of Octavian's Pass. Slowly, they began to form ranks. Out in the distance, they could see the Gartolian army steadily approaching. It would not be long before they reached the river. Their measured pace taunted the cornered Reytana, as if to say we don't need to hurry, you aren't going anywhere.
The Reytana had managed to fix seven of their original twenty hovercraft. Six of them were manned to capacity with soldiers, leaving half of the Reytana army without a ship. Loras was among those that remained on the ground to fight.
"So, is this what you imagined all of those days when you drifted off in class?" asked Tinko as Loras boosted him up onto the seventh hovercraft – the one bound for Reysa. Four other Reytana were aboard to help sneak the energy orb into city.
"Not exactly," said Loras, looking up at his friend. "But then again, none of this has been what I imagined it would be."
"You mean you didn't imagine the future of Reysa depending on me?" replied Tinko.
"Oh, that part is just as I imagined," said Loras, hoping that his smile was hiding his fear. Tinko returned the smile and Loras felt a bit braver.
"Take care of yourself, Loras. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"That has never been a problem," said Loras. He waved to his friend and the hovercraft lifted off and flew away from the group. Loras turned away from his departing friend and was startled to see the entire Reytana army staring at him. The soldiers on the ground had formed into ranks, while the six remaining hovercraft waited in a semi-circle above them. He didn't know why, but Loras was compelled to move to the front line. As he slowly strode through the soldiers, each one turned and followed him until the entire army was again facing Loras, their golden eyes fierce and waiting. Loras looked over his army – a hundred Reytana ground forces, their golden cloaks flapping in the breeze, and a hundred more warriors in the hovercraft above them. This part is how I imagined it, thought Loras. Still, it was two hundred Reytana against an army of over a thousand. The odds were not in his favor. At that moment, Loras remembered his daydreams in professor Lucan's class.
I was always outnumbered then too.
Courage suddenly filled him. He lifted his face to the sun and let its warmth fuel him. He closed his eyes, clenched his fists and felt the energy flowing through his wristbands and into the two small pads in the palms of his hands. He squeezed them, and a fiery sword and shield sprung forth with an electric hum. A second later, Loras heard the same hum magnified two hundred times over. He opened his eyes and turned toward his Reytana, his Reytana. They were armed and ready for battle.
Words would not come to Loras, though he thought he should say something to his army. Think! What would Gracien say? Loras could hear the Gartolian army behind him. They were only a few hundred yards away now, but not a single Reytana eye veered from Loras. They were strong. They were ready. They're waiting for me, thought Loras. Then, Loras realized something. They've been waiting for this for years. They already know what to do. I don't need to say a thing.
Loras bent his head slightly, furrowed his brow and nodded to his army. Every Reytana bent their head to match his. As they did, confident grins spread across their faces. They were injured; they were out-numbered; they were cornered. Yet, they all smiled as they gazed upon their young leader. Loras couldn't help but return their smiles before he turned to face his enemy.
"Down! Here comes another squad." Six pairs of Gartune boots ran down the street toward the city's outer wall. Dario and the rest of his cohorts huddled in the shadows of a small alley, watching the soldiers pass their location. Once they had passed beyond earshot, Dario peeked his head around the corner. He looked up and down the street for as far as he could see, but there was no one there. Everyone – Gartolian and Reysene alike – had flocked to the city's outer wall to view the imminent battle below.
When he saw that the coast was clear, Dario waved his hand and his group snuck out of their hiding spot. They raced up the sidewalk in the direction from which the Gartune had come. First came Lucan, then Regan with Adem at her back hip. The newly-freed Reytana had to cover his eyes to adjust to the light, even though they were in the shade of the sun shield. Trailing them was Xander, who, unsure if he should be walking normally or stealthily, was awkwardly vacillating back and forth between a bent-over trot and a casual saunter.
At Xander's suggestion, the group had decided to surface a couple of blocks outside of the capitol building, rather than taking the underground passageway straight up into the governor's quarters, for fear that there might be a regiment of Gartune stationed within the building. Lucan and Regan stopped right before the capitol building. In front of it, lined by a half circle of stone columns and neatly-trimmed bushes, was the Lotus courtyard. The giant orb lay dark and empty. Behind it, the towering glass wall of the capitol building stretched several stories high, curving gracefully.
Dario and Xander caught up to Lucan, Regan and Adem. The group crouched together behind a chest-high row of bushes. All five of them looked up into the windows of the capitol building, attempting to peer inside. They studied the rooms for several minutes. The room they were most interested in, the governor's quarters, was on the fourth floor. It, like all of the other rooms in the building, appeared empty.
"Everyone is at the wall, waiting for the show to begin," whispered Xander.
"Maybe," said Dario. "But just in case, you're going in first."
"Why me?" asked Xander.
"Because if they see any of the rest of us, they'll kill us at first sight. You, they may have to think about."
"Fair enough," said Xander. He got up from his hiding spot and casually began to walk toward the capitol building. On his way, he prepared two different rebukes for anyone that chanced to come upon him. One of them involved a threat, the other was more physical in nature. Thankfully, he crossed the vast courtyard without having to use either one.
Once he arrived at the side door, he slowly peeked his head inside, then motioned for his companions to come join him. Lucan, Regan, Adem and Dario snuck around the courtyard’s perimeter, staying behind the bushes until they had to make a ru
n for it. Xander held the door open and quickly ushered them in.
The hallway was empty when they entered. They waited, listening for the sound of approaching footsteps. When they heard none, they followed Xander down the hall and up the stairs toward the governor's quarters. Each time they entered a new corridor, they let Xander go first, waited a few seconds, and then tip-toed behind him. After several corridors and much tip-toeing, they reached the governor’s quarters.
Standing in front of the door, Xander looked over his shoulder to make sure that the rest of the group was ready, then he lightly rapped his knuckles against the door.
"Really? You're knocking?" whispered Lucan.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," said Xander. He took one step backward, lifted his leg and kicked as hard as he could. The door flew off of its frame and crashed into the room.
"Well, if anyone is in the building, they know we're here now," said Dario as he brushed past Xander and into the room. It was empty. Adem, Lucan and Regan followed Dario into his old quarters. Regan bent over what was left of the door and twisted the handle. It turned easily. She looked at Xander.
"My way was more fun," said Xander.
"I'm sure it was," said Regan.
"Ok, so I've gotten you here, Dario. Now what?" asked Xander. "Don't tell me we brought you back to your room just so you could take a nap."
Dario ignored him. He was shuffling through a row of dusty binders on a bookshelf in the back of the room. He settled on one titled "Sewer Schematics for Western Quadrant" and brought it to his desk.
"Ah, right. I always suspected that the key to winning this war was proper waste management," said Xander.
"You should have paid more attention to your city's sanitation system when you were in command here, Xander," said Dario with a wry smile. He flipped open the binder and rapidly thumbed through the pages. Lucan joined Dario and leaned over the desk curiously. The binder was full of numbers and coordinates, but none of them seemed to have to do with the sewer system.
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