Drowned by Fire (Tales of a Dying Star Book 4)

by David Kristoph

  "Enjoy the view," she quietly said. "I hear it will be spectacular." He smiled at her, tears in his eyes. Pavani knew he wanted to hug her, but she didn't trust herself to do it--she might break down at the gesture, with anger and grief and sadness. He seemed more wise and godly than the Emperor in that moment. She took a second to memorize his wrinkled face before turning around.

  She drifted into the second pod. It was a small, circular capsule, with three seats all facing the center. She chose the seat facing the door, pulling herself down into it. She had almost no room; her head brushed the metal ceiling, and her folded legs took up most of the floor. The two Flameguards, Jorda and Rob, joined her, and even with their smaller size they barely fit. She could see there would have been no way for Lorne to squeeze inside. The Emperor's pod, with both Julian and Eovald's long Shieldwarden legs, must be cramped.

  A harness went over her shoulders, clipping into place at her waist. Through the door she caught one final glimpse of Lorne drifting away before the escape pod door closed.

  Lights came on inside, white, sterile. A navigation computer emerged from the wall to Pavani's left, curving around until it lay in front of her like a tray. Currently it was blank.

  "We're going to aim straight for the palace," came Julian's voice over the radio. It echoed in the small space. "I don't care if we land right on the damn roof, that's what we're going to try. The launch lever should be on the wall next to you."

  The window over Pavani's left shoulder showed the blackness of space. She looked over her right and saw it: a red lever, with writing on the side indicating its purpose.

  "When you hear our pod launch, wait five seconds before launching yourselves. The pods will automatically fire toward Melis, but once you're in the atmosphere you'll have some control. Lorne programmed your pod to follow ours, but if you need to you can take control yourself on the computer."

  Pavani smirked. She wasn't trained; she wouldn't touch the controls unless she absolutely had to.

  The Primeshield did not hesitate. Pavani felt a jolt. Through the window over her shoulder she saw the pod for three seconds until it drifted out of view.

  The Flameguards both stared at her, silent. Waiting. If they were afraid they gave no sign. One, two, she counted in her head. She grabbed the launch lever, feeling its bulk.

  She pulled.

  Chapter 10

  There was the slightest delay, a moment in time where Pavani thought she'd done something wrong, before she was thrown forward by the decoupling. The fabric of the harness pulled taut against her armor.

  Melis appeared in her window as the pod began to rotate. Then the engine fired, launching them in a new direction, pulling them down into their seats. They were only in an escape pod, and not moving very fast since the planet barely grew in the window, but Pavani felt the exhilarating thrill of spaceflight. After a moment their acceleration subsided and everything became still.

  Slowly, they fell toward the planet. The blue spread in her window, replacing black. The space where the two colors met shimmered, like greasy film on top of water.

  The computer in Pavani's lap flicked to life. Instantly she recognized a topographical map of Melis; there in the center was the capital, Luccar, with mountains to the north and the long river and man-made lake to the east. On the edge of the screen were listed various data: altitude, velocity, coordinates. We're moving extremely fast, she thought, though it still didn't seem that way. Her perspective was warped without any sort of reference point, just the ever-growing blue.

  Bits of white began streaking past her window; they were in the cloud cover. Soon it became so thick they couldn't see anything at all. Jorda and Rob closed their eyes. Pavani's own heart pounded in her chest. The computer in her lap did little to dissuade her helplessness.

  There was a gentle shudder. Pavani hardly noticed, except the computer screen flashed in the corner: the drogue chutes had deployed, whatever that meant. The pod's velocity stopped increasing, though.

  A violent jolt threw her head forward: the main chutes deploying. Now their velocity remained constant, a much lower number than before. That wasn't so bad!

  They drifted slowly, peacefully, the puffs of cloud moving by in the window. Pavani allowed herself to relax. The attack on the Olitau, their flight through the tunnel to the Chain, trying to reach the escape pods. Now that they were almost home, almost safe, she felt detached from it all. She removed her helmet, running a hand through her yellow hair. Tufts stuck out in all directions, pulled out of her braid by the helmet. She felt a pang of envy for the Flameguards, whose own red hair ran down their backs, perfectly sleek and smooth.

  Suddenly, Julian's voice on the radio, scared and urgent.

  "Radio silence from this point forward. Brace yourselves."

  Pavani frowned. Brace themselves for what? They were still several thousand feet in the air, according to the computer. It would take several more minutes before they reached the ground. How far ahead was the Emperor's pod?

  The clouds in the window gave way, revealing the capital below.

  The city was a war zone.

  Smoke rose from a hundred fires burning throughout the walled inner city. Defensive towers along the walls slashed at the sky, spraying green toward aircraft that dove and circled. The Chain stood nearby, towering in the middle of the city like a tree, though smoke rose from its length as well. An explosion blossomed along the north wall, bright and silent.

  The computer showed their path: they were still aimed near the center of the city, a few blocks from the palace compound. Pavani couldn't help but cry out. "Primeshield, we're going to come down right in the middle of--"

  "Radio silence, stars damn you!"

  The Flameguards were alert now, craning their heads to look out the sole window over Pavani's shoulder. She did the same, searching for the Emperor's pod but she couldn't see it. They must have been right below them.

  They drifted down helplessly. Slowly. The aircraft chasing one-another grew larger; it was difficult to tell who was who, but it seemed to Pavani that many aircraft were destroyed on both sides.

  The city was another story. The Children's advance couldn't be clearer. She saw shapes moving along the tops of the walls, attacking the defensive towers. One such tower exploded, collapsing sideways, falling into the inner city. Another flash of light indicated when it hit the ground.

  One of the Flameguards pointed: Pavani saw a Riverhawk swoop away, golden starbursts painted on its hull. The Commander of the Gold Wing. Jayce. She looked at her computer, where radio channels were listed. She fought the urge to contact the Commander, to tell him who they were. Maybe Julian had already done so?

  It might not be his ship, she thought. It was unlikely he had escaped the Olitau, and someone could have hopped into his Riverhawk down on the planet. The Empire's forces would need every ship they had, it looked like.

  They fell among more aircraft--ships zoomed by, spitting green lasers dangerously close to their pod. The beams from countless turrets below streaked past them as well, shooting vertically like some sort of reverse rainstorm. Pavani felt completely vulnerable, floating in the middle of a battle, at the mercy of fate. Emperor guide my steps, she prayed, my hands and my thoughts. May He keep me safe... the words felt hollow as she pictured the frail God sitting in a pod just like her, helpless to effect the events around them.

  Something struck the pod; it swung sideways, throwing Pavani's shoulder against the wall. A solitary Riverhawk blurred past the window, by itself and unmolested. She didn't think it was a friend.

  Pavani looked at the computer in front of her; they were still a thousand feet over the city, a long way to go. How much control would she have if she took over? Could she dodge enemy fire? The topographic map only showed the city, geography, and the other pod; it did not show the ships that circled above the city.

  The pod reeled again. The view in their window tilted, showing the Chain disappearing into the blue and white sky. For a few momen
ts they rocked back and forth like a child's swing, uneven and chaotic.

  Then they began spinning.

  Alarms flashed red on the computer. Rob shouted, inaudible over the piercing siren. Their velocity was no longer constant: it increased steadily. They were falling faster. Why are we falling so fast, now?

  Out of panic, Pavani gripped the controls on either side of the computer. That made the Flameguards yell louder. I'm not a pilot, she thought, testing the controls by moving them forward. She wasn't sure it changed anything; the velocity still increased, their spinning continued. She abandoned finesse and threw the controls forward. That elicited a noticeable change--the pod jerked, banging Rob's and Jorda's heads against the cushioned seats. Pavani's head, higher than the seat, banged against metal.

  Now the interior of the pod spun in a way that seemed wrong. Pavani couldn't tell for sure; she felt dizzy, like she had stood up too fast. Everything seemed too bright. She blinked a few times, widened her eyes, trying to make the sensation disappear. Jorda reached for the computer, pulling it this way and that.

  In the window the Chain appeared and disappeared over and over as they continued to spin.

  Other shapes filled the window. Tall, blocky things. Buildings, Pavani thought, just as the seat slammed into her and everything went black.

  Chapter 11

  Pavani's head ached, a dull pounding that nudged her to alertness. A groan escaped her lips before she could stop it. When she opened her eyes everything seemed bright.

  The Flameguards unclasped their harnesses, rising to their feet. Pavani mimicked them out of habit, unsure of what else to do. When she stood she hit her head on the ceiling. She quickly sat back down, rubbing the back of her helmet.

  The door opened. The Flameguards spoke to one another and hopped outside, disappearing. Where are they going? A distant booming noise helped her memory return: escape pods from the Chain, the battle over the city, their pod crashing into the ground. Pavani rose again, more cautiously this time, and emerged from the pod.

  It was immediately obvious they were in the outer city. The buildings stood shorter, only a few levels high, the space above them wasted. The colors and material were all wrong, dull and drab instead of metallic and pristine. How did we land in the outer city? she wondered, still dazed. We were supposed to land near the palace. She stood there in the open street, rubbing her head in confusion.

  Someone whistled. She saw Jorda to her right, crouched at the mouth of an alley, waving. Pavani put on her helmet and jogged over to her, pressing against the brick building for cover, although there was nobody else around. She didn't see Rob.

  Pavani looked at her wrist-computer. Although it did not show a map of where they were, it did show the Emperor's location in relation to them: east, eight hundred feet away. Thank the stars, Pavani thought. They weren't very far apart.

  She glanced around the corner. The city wall rose above them in the distance. At least a mile away, she judged. That meant the Emperor had fallen into the old city too, well away from their mark. Either Julian had seen her pod falling and adjusted to land near her, or they had crashed too. The former seemed unlikely; getting the Emperor to the palace was more important than staying together. I need to get to His Luminance, she thought, feeling suddenly panicked.

  Pavani's intentions must have been obvious, for Jorda grabbed her and pointed a tattooed arm. Pavani looked up and saw Rob, climbing the brick wall like a spider, arms and legs stretched out. He had already climbed thirty feet above them, halfway to the roof.

  "Scouting," Jorda said. The boom of an explosion echoed in the distance, adding emphasis to the need. Pavani didn't like it, but she knew it was necessary. She waited, watching Rob disappear onto the roof above.

  It seemed like forever before his face reappeared at the edge. He made the trip down quickly, practically falling most of the way into the alley before landing on soft feet. "The main boulevard has a few dozen soldiers," he said. "Spreading out to search."

  "Friendly?" Pavani asked.

  He snorted in response. "We'll need to take the side-streets. Let's go."

  They allowed Rob to take the lead moving south, away from the square where their pod had crashed and deeper into the alleys. They arrived at a cross-street, where Rob paused to make sure it was clear before sprinting across to the alley on the other side. Pavani followed, with Jorda taking up the rear.

  Rob did the same at two more cross-streets--frustrating Pavani, as they were not moving closer to the Emperor--before he finally turned east. This side-street was wider than an alley, but still smaller than most roads. Rob hugged the left side of the street, moving alongside the decrepit buildings. He stopped at the first alley, darting inside for cover. He waited for Pavani and Jorda to do the same before putting a finger to his lips and peering back into the street.

  He repeated the process every block, waiting an agonizingly long time before deciding it was safe to proceed forward again. After the third time Pavani became impatient, striding past Rob and continuing down the street. "The Emperor could be dying and we're taking a stroll," she hissed as she passed him.

  "Shieldwarden, wait!" he said, but she wasn't listening.

  Lasers slammed into the building in front of her, tapping across the wall, sending brick dust into the air. One struck the armor of her left breast.

  Pavani dropped flat to the ground, chest aching but unwounded, the blue armor having done its job. More beams whistled through the air above her, followed by the shouts of soldiers farther up the street. It sounded like they were laughing.

  She looked over her shoulder and saw the two Flameguards at the mouth of the alley. Rob made a chopping motion in the air with his flat palm, in the direction of the gunfire. Pavani understood. There was no dizziness or confusion to her thoughts now.

  She jumped up. Her arms went out in front of her, forearms pointed up, hands in fists. The electronic shield whirred into place, extending from the ground to above her head, just as more beams arrived. They bounced off harmlessly, though the absorbed energy pushed her back, boots scraping across the pavement. The Flameguards began moving behind her.

  With the shimmering blue shield she was an appealing target. The soldiers did not laugh, then. They sent more shots at her in earnest, gunfire from at least five rifles across the street. Pavani moved forward with long, purposeful strides. The beams bounced off her shield, ricocheting throughout the street. The resistance against her legs remained constant, like a small child trying to shove her backward over and over, but her thighs were made for this. She was made for this.

  Steady, the Shieldwarden advanced. She saw the soldiers spreading out to her right, trying to flank her. Her arms went wide, extending the shield to protect more of her sides. She glanced behind her just in time to see the Flameguards disappear down another alley.

  She stood in the middle of the street now, the enemies fifty feet away. They remained hidden, but flashes of laser fire revealed their locations. Only three fired at her now. Had the other two realized shooting the shield was futile, and would pop up behind her at any moment?

  A fireball burst from the alley ahead. The enemy soldier, one of the Children of Saria, fell into the street. He writhed in flame, screaming.

  Rob sprinted across the street, momentarily exposed, but the gunfire had stopped while the other Children watched their comrade burn. The Flameguard was on the closest one before he could raise his rifle. Rob kicked him in the chest, while at the same time grabbing the rifle. The second soldier began shooting, but Rob fell back to avoid the blasts, shooting his stolen rifle as he hit the ground.

  Another burst of flame to Pavani's left announced Jorda's arrival. Arm moving in a fast arc, she threw fire across the final two soldiers. One clawed at his melting face before crumpling to the street.

  Pavani released the shields, which disappeared back into her forearm gauntlets. She felt fatigued, though the fight had lasted only seconds. And beneath the fatigue was that same thrill she'd
felt on the Chain car, a tingling rush in her chest that insisted she was alive. She joined Rob in the alley on the right side of the street. He arched an eyebrow, reading her thoughts.

  "What in the stars was that?" Jorda said as she darted into the alley. "Have you lost your mind?"

  "The Emperor is out there, vulnerable," Pavani said, stubbornly.

  "And do you think we were advancing slowly out of laziness?" Rob whispered, touching her chestplate. The laser had pierced halfway through it, leaving a charred black hole the size of her thumb.

  "There are at least two other groups of Children in the area," Rob continued. "They will have heard the gunfire. Let's go."

  The scolding was a splash of cold water on her mood.

  He led the way down the alley, toward a cross-street not filled with bodies. They proceeded carefully, Pavani obeying his lead this time.

  It took them longer because they needed to take a wide berth around the area of their fight, but the Emperor's tracking beacon slowly grew closer. Eventually they entered a small square. The escape pod lay in the center, the pavement underneath it cracked and broken from impact.

  And at one side of the square, resting against a building, was a body in beautiful blue armor.

  She sprinted to him, danger be damned. His helmet was removed; she recognized Eovald's face before she reached him. His eyes stared lifeless. A gash at his throat leaked blood down his neck and under his armor, where it dripped and pooled underneath him.

  Pavani had no tears for him. She'd known Eovald only a few months, and there were others whose safety concerned her more just then. Rob and Jorda stood over by another alley, hunched over something. She walked to them slowly, fearing what she would find. Rob moved out of the way to reveal what lay inside the alleyway.

  Pavani felt half relieved, and half despaired, to see Julian's body. She clutched at the relief that it was not the Emperor, that their God might still live, because that was what truly mattered. But a tightness in her chest grew, grief fighting for room in her immediate thoughts. He seemed a poor shadow of himself, though he'd likely been dead less than twenty minutes. His black skin seemed paler, his eyes and teeth more yellow. This is not Julian, she forced the thought into her mind. This is not the Primeshield.