Skyborn

by Eric Asher

  And as the front line cut down the soldiers from the crawlers, those behind them worked on the traps, sinking levers into the sands and raising them to reload. The process was fast, faster than Jacob had hoped, and by the time more of the northern crawlers would reach them, and the western flank moved in force, the Midstreamers would have already returned to their shelters.

  “Clippers are engaging,” Jacob said, pointing up to the battle unfolding above them.

  George cursed as he leaned in beside Jacob and raised his telescope. “Landing ship … those are not destroyers.” He clicked the button on his collar. “Clippers disengage! Disengage!”

  “What is it?” Helena asked.

  “Heavily armed landing ships,” George said. “Who called them destroyers? No scout of mine would have declared those destroyers.”

  “It came over the transmitters,” Gladys said, standing up straighter. “They have our frequency!”

  And as the words left her mouth, the landing ships opened fire on the clippers. Jacob could see the smokey trails of cannon shot and the small arms fire that followed. The first clipper ruptured, its small gas chamber parting like falling leaves before a fireball blew it into a rain of debris.

  The second swung around, diving past the bow of the landing ship, only to be caught by a gun pod that swiveled to track it, cutting it down in moments. It didn’t explode, instead drifting aimlessly to the desert below.

  George clicked his transmitter. “Switch to backup frequency.” He pulled a small box from his pocket, adjusting the dial of his own transmitter.

  Jacob looked at the Titan Mech arm holding a trap. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it seemed wholly inadequate after seeing those clippers shot down in rapid succession.

  What happened next sent a chill into his bones.

  The front-most landing ship fired on the riverbed, triggering a line of traps several feet wide. In moments, another burst of shells exploded around the river, revealing the mangled metal of half a dozen traps.

  They’d cut a path into the city, which meant nothing would stop the crawlers.

  Jacob and Gladys exchanged a glance.

  But it was George who spoke. “This is not good.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Alice and Furi returned to The Ray before Jakon left. They’d planned on making a slow journey to Midstream, but that was out of the question now. They needed to get there. And fast.

  The captain crossed his arms and shook his head where he stood at the entrance to the cargo hold. It stood empty, his people smuggled to their intended destination.

  “I can’t get involved, Furi.”

  Alice clenched her hands into fists. “Then just take us to Midstream and leave us!”

  “No. And you need to stay far away from what’s coming to that town.”

  “My friends are there,” Alice said. “I can’t leave them to die!”

  Furi nodded. “We’re behind enemy lines. You could turn the tide of the battle! Those Fel crawlers are slow and clumsy, and you already know that.”

  “Slow and clumsy?” Jakon scoffed. “Did you see their speed?”

  “Compared to The Ray?” Furi snapped back. “Yes, slow.”

  Jakon looked toward the rear of the hold. “It doesn’t matter. They’ve been gone for half an hour. They’ll be at Midstream long before we could get there.”

  “I need your transmitter,” Alice said.

  Jakon gestured to the cockpit. “At your disposal. Then you need to leave my ship if you’re determined to kill yourself today.”

  Furi watched Alice go before turning back to Jakon. “What is it? Why won’t you help us?”

  “I won’t help you get yourself killed,” Jakon snapped. “I’ve done enough of that. You stand up to Fel, and that’s all that’s going to happen, Furi. I don’t want to see my friends dying on the sands of some backwater ruin.”

  “Neither does Alice,” Furi said. “Neither do I.” With that, she turned and made her way down the corridor, following Alice.

  Alice was already talking. “… don’t know, but not long. We’re at a base at the edge of the Red Woods.”

  “I know it,” Mary said. “How long to get us there, Smith?” She paused. “Are you sure?”

  Alice looked like she was about to scream, her hands turning white she’d clenched her fists so hard. “What did he say?”

  “Under an hour.” Mary lowered her voice. “He made some adjustments to the thrusters, so we’ll either be there or we’ll explode over the Crystal Sea.”

  Furi raised her eyebrows. “How can they possibly get here that fast?”

  “We aren’t docked,” Mary said. “Been sightseeing in the Gray Mountains. Smith’s priming the thrusters now. Get to the south side of the base. We’ll drop landing lines to you at the tree line.”

  Jakon stood in the doorway when they disconnected. “I wish you well, but this is not my fight.”

  Furi frowned at him. “Then what is your fight? You want to protect Ballern? The city that betrayed us all? If you don’t choose, someone will choose for you.”

  Jakon stepped to the side and let them go. Once they were outside, Furi and Alice watched the loading ramp retract and seal. Jakon might have been thinking about staying longer, but seeing the beginnings of the battle headed for Midstream had certainly changed his mind.

  “Jerk,” Furi muttered.

  “I’m mad too, but I understand why he wouldn’t do it.” Alice turned to Furi. “You’ve seen what war is. And who knows what Jakon has seen over his life. How long has he been a mercenary?”

  “I don’t know, but he knows what Ballern has done to the Skyborn. That should be enough, Alice. How could you not fight for those kids!” Furi pressed her palms into her eyes, determined not to show any more emotion than she already had. “It has to change.”

  “Come on,” Alice said, gently squeezing her shoulder. “Let’s get to the southern edge of the base and wait for Mary. Knowing Smith, they probably won’t blow up, but they might get here faster than Mary planned.”

  Furi smiled at that. Jakon may have abandoned her, but she had other friends too. Of course, Jakon had never tried to shoot down an airship she was on. But these were strange days indeed.

  * * *

  Alice chewed on the jerky Furi had given her. It was some of the best she’d ever had—apparently, one of the secret recipes Jakon protected like his life depended on it. She was still angry with the captain of The Ray, but she understood why he’d made the decisions he had.

  If it weren’t her friends out there, would she be so anxious to plunge headlong into another battle? She liked to think she would, to always fight for what was right, what was needed. But the war had already taken such a toll on her city and family and friends. How did people in the old wars do it? They fought for years.

  And will this war last for years? She shuddered at the thought.

  Furi sipped at a Sweetwing Tea and leaned against a tree. “It’s peaceful here, isn’t it?”

  Alice nodded, still chewing on her jerky. “I just wish I could relax. I can’t stand just sitting here while I know what’s out there.”

  Furi took a drink and sighed. “I can’t explain how strange the last few weeks have been, Alice.”

  She knew exactly what Furi meant. “I’ve been dragged from one end of the continent to the other, not sure if I’ll ever see home again, or another sunrise for that matter. And is Ancora really even home anymore? My mom’s house was destroyed with the Lowlands. It’ll be different now, even if they rebuild the city.”

  “I’m sorry, Alice. I can’t even imagine.”

  Alice shook her head. “You’ve been through just as much. Just different.”

  “I suppose.” Furi squinted at the sky. “What is that?”

  By the time Alice turned, the first wave of bombs had shattered the base to the north. Fireballs towered over the trees and her ears rang with the thunder of the blasts. Heat seared her eyes in a fiery wi
nd. Furi’s glass fell to the ground and splintered on a root as she hefted her pack onto her shoulders. Alice didn’t think, didn’t stop to consider a plan, only grabbed Furi’s arm and ran.

  They sprinted into the woods, putting distance between them and the camp before cutting left, heading south where they could watch for the Skysworn if they reached the far side of the woods. A startled mantis reared back to threaten them, but the giant bug was just frightened, Alice knew, and it let them pass without striking.

  “What was that?” Furi screamed, panic ringing in her words. “Who’s attacking!”

  “I don’t know,” Alice said, “but we aren’t staying around here to find out.”

  But she realized that wasn’t entirely accurate as they broke through the south side of the forest, stumbling over the arched root system of the Red Woods. In the distance, on the other side of the trees, was a small grassland that gave way to a wide beach. Beyond, waited the Bay of Sorrow.

  Alice turned back, horror crawling through her as she took in the visage of the gray warship hovering in the clouds.

  “That’s a Fel ship!” Furi said. “But I thought this was a Fel base?”

  “It might have been,” Alice said, “but they cleared out, didn’t they? The crawlers already left. If they learned the base was being used to smuggle people and trade with pirates …”

  “Oh gods, the people. Everyone who was on The Ray …” Furi put her hand over her mouth. “Do you think Jakon got away?”

  The ground shook as the Fel warship released another round of bombs onto the base.

  If one of those monsters attacked Midstream, and Archibald didn’t have a warship stationed there, Jacob wouldn’t have a chance. Gladys’s people would truly be lost. Erased. A small cry escaped Alice’s lips as the heat from the latest blasts reached them.

  “Come on,” Furi said, dragging Alice forward until they’d crossed half the grasslands.

  A shadow passed over them and Alice looked up, seeing a ship eclipsing the sun as it circled once and drifted back toward them. She slipped her hand into the bolt glove and tightened the straps. If this was going to be the end, it would be met with fury.

  The ship sank lower, crossing the sun, and Alice could make out the squat, armored gas chamber that formed the center of the Skysworn.

  “Oh, thank the gods,” she whispered. “It’s Mary.”

  A rope smacked into the earth some twenty feet away, two sets of wheels clipped to the end.

  “You first,” Alice said, hurrying Furi onto the rope. “Hold on tight. These will carry you up to the ship after you click the button.” She hooked Furi’s pack to the belayer as a precaution.

  Furi nodded and took a deep breath before clicking the Burner set into the wheels. It jerked twice and then soared into the air, carrying her to Smith, waiting at the railing.

  Alice clipped the brace for the bolt glove into the belayer before wrapping her hand around the grip mounted to the wheels. She clicked the Burner and waited for the pressure to equalize. A moment later, she was racing through the air.

  And then the Skysworn lurched to the side. Alice screamed when the fireballs exploded beneath her, the wheels breaking free of the rope as she started to fall.

  “Alice!” Smith shouted.

  The belayer caught, and Alice dangled from the rope. Cannon fire from the warship buzzed by her, clanging against the Skysworn as Smith started hauling the rope in by hand. This was it. She knew it. If they tried to save her, Mary couldn’t evade the warship. If they avoided the warship, the inertia alone would be enough to kill her.

  Another shadow tore through the sky above them, a glint of gold on the bow of a bloated airship that had no right to move so quickly. The sides of the beast opened wide, unfurling like a flag to reveal four long cannons to either side.

  The skies roared with fire as The Ray unleashed hell across the bow of Fel’s warship. Glass and steel exploded as Jakon pulled away from that gray monstrosity, only to spiral up above it, stalling the airship until it turned in a graceful arc, plunging down once more as another round transformed one of the warship’s gas chambers into a torrent of fire.

  Before she realized what had happened, a hand clamped down on Alice’s wrist hard enough that it could have broken bone.

  “I have her!” Smith cried. “Go!”

  Smith tore the belayer off the rope, bending the steel so much it wouldn’t be holding anything for some time. Alice caught a glimpse of the flags dripping from The Ray, the skull and crossbones against a field of black as Mary raised the same colors on the Skysworn.

  Smith slammed the door to the cockpit closed and Mary hit the thrusters.

  Alice tucked her face against the hard biomechanics of Smith’s chest and wept.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  The only good thing Jacob could say about the landing ships was they’d made the pilots of the crawlers overconfident. Not every trap had been destroyed, and not every damaged trap was non-functional.

  “Three of them,” Gladys said into a portable transmitter. “Archibald. If you don’t send support now, Midstream is going to be a base for Fel. We can’t stop this.”

  Helena took aim at a stalled crawler and launched a bomb. It bounced off the roof and fell to the side. The detonation rocked the crawler, but Jacob was fairly certain those bombs weren’t enough to stop a crawler unless they had a lucky shot like he’d had.

  The boom of the second landing ship’s cannons opened up, bombing out the other side of the riverbed and continuing on until it reached one of the A-frames. Jacob watched, helpless to do anything as the barrier took the brunt of the blast, but more than one soldier fell still behind it.

  “Helena,” Jacob said. “We need to get to the arm.”

  “Jacob, no,” she said. “We don’t even know if that will work.”

  “It will work. It has to.” He didn’t wait for any more word. His feet dug into the sand and he sprinted toward the arm. The front of it was shielded by another A-frame. That would give them some cover while they tightened their aim.

  He reached the seat on the Titan Mech arm as the ships continued to fire on the traps. Helena slid into the seat next to him a moment later.

  “I’m going to be annoyed if you get me killed, Jacob.”

  “You and me both.”

  Jacob turned the base so the arm was aligned with the nearest ship. Helena adjusted the angle to aim above the airship. They’d only get six shots out of the battery. The fingers of the Titan Mech were too wide to get more precise than that.

  He took a deep breath and slid a narrow lever down, curling just the index finger against the latticework of the trap. The metal creaked and then slammed against the base of the mechanism. Four bolts triggered, and Jacob cringed when one of them shattered the casing on the fingertip.

  But the other three cleared the hand, silent slivers of light arcing through the air. For a moment, it looked like it would be short, the arc too low, only the bolts didn’t lose their velocity as fast as he’d expected. Instead, they crashed into the hull of the landing ship.

  Helena leaned back as the loading bay doors bent beneath the impact. The second bolt caught a cannon. Sparks flew as the barrels swung free. Whatever mechanism had held it in place broke, and the barrel slid forward, finally falling to the sands below.

  The third bolt cleared the bow of the landing ship and pierced the gas chamber above. It was a small hole, and Jacob doubted it would do any real damage.

  “That got their attention,” Helena said.

  With some dread, Jacob watched the landing ship turn to the west so its remaining cannon could fire on them. Helena adjusted the angle of the arm, and Jacob threw the next lever, firing a second volley. Two of the bolts caught the bay doors and tore them from their hinges, sending the twisted metal careening into whatever waited behind them.

  Jacob blinked when the third bolt shot through the deck of the airship and continued on into the gas chamber. But the fourth, which had again clipp
ed the finger of the hand, spiraled forward like a throwing knife. The angle was wrong, but it shattered part of the bow and skittered along the gas chamber, tearing the chamber’s shell so deeply that a tightly woven panel collapsed entirely.

  From one moment to the next, the landing ship’s graceful turn changed into a death spiral, the gas chamber losing its air as a catastrophic failure rippled through it, the volume exploding out the sides and sending some of the crew flailing through the sky as the chamber evacuated in a tremendous blast of wind.

  The pilots of the remaining landing ships were smart. They wheeled away from the wreckage of the first landing ship, well out of range of a precise attack from the arm, and opened fire.

  “Run!” Helena shouted as the first rounds sent fountains of sand into the air beside them. She leaped to the earth, hurrying back to the A-frame where Gladys and George were still sheltered. But Jacob stayed with the arm.

  The third airship landed behind a line of crawlers, and the bay doors opened, revealing a company of heavily armored troops inside. Jacob refined his aim after another shell hit the A-frame in front of him, the concussion rattling his teeth.

  He fired, four bolts arcing through the air, and missing completely. The second airship adjusted its cannon again, and this time Jacob didn’t wait. He leaped down, sand invading his boots as he stumbled forward, barely clearing the arm before a rain of bolts slammed into the seat where he’d been.

  “Our only chance is to take them while they’re on the ground,” Gladys said as Jacob slid back into their shelter.

  “No!” George snapped, making Jacob think they’d been having this argument for some time now. “We may be fast enough to take their soldiers, but those crawlers are too much.”

  Gladys primed a launcher and slid three of the compound bombs and their Bangers into her cloak. It weighed the fabric down so it didn’t billow in the breeze. “Then we put them down as best we can.”