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

by David Kristoph

  "So we're just bait, then? Our attack means nothing except to lure them back out?"

  Onero laughed, an unnatural sound. "Don't think so shallow. Our attack is meaningful. Taking the Wall is important. But we have a chance to take the whole prize all at once, not just a small part." He shrugged. "And if the heir will not send the ships back out, well, then we'll take the Wall easily and he will look the coward."

  Ahead of them the buildings on either side of the street gave way to the open courtyard at the base of the Wall. The courtyard was a hundred yards to the Wall; a long way to run in the open without cover, by design. Onero turned to the army and began shouting orders. They obeyed, although sloppy in their poor training. They split into preassigned groups and disappeared down corridors and alleys, spreading north and south along the edge of the courtyard. One heavy laser battery went in each direction, while the other two stayed on the main boulevard, wheeled to cover at the edge of buildings, one on either side of the street. Four metal feet fired into the ground with explosive force, anchoring the guns in place. An operator pulled himself into the cradle behind the barrel. Katy pressed herself against the building behind one, along with Onero, Spider, and Rolf.

  High above, the battlements on top of the Wall had stopped shooting at the aircraft, slowly tilting downward. Katy unslung her rifle, holding it across her chest. Aside from the sound of aircraft engines, everything seemed too quiet.

  "Burners," Onero called, his voice echoing in the near-silence. Eight men with packs slung over their shoulder jogged up. Onero pointed. "You three, make for the door. We'll provide cover. Wait for my mark."

  The ground vibrated as the laser battery next to them hummed to life.

  There was a moment before anything happened, a moment where everything stood still. The laser glowed, green and menacing. The burners crouched ready to run, dozens of men behind them, waiting. Onero looked at all of them one last time, and in his eyes Katy saw fear.

  Katy squeezed her rifle closer to her chest and gazed upward. Saria had just peeked above the top of the Wall, brilliant and warm. This is happening. It's finally happening. Everything she had done had led up to that exact moment. She didn't know if she felt thrilled or terrified.

  "Now," said Onero.

  The heavy laser battery kicked, spitting a fat blur of green into the sky and shaking her feet inside her boots.

  The other lasers followed suit as the burners sprinted past Katy into the open. The battlements atop the Wall were quick to answer, spraying beams across the courtyard border that comprised the battle line. The Children's batteries fired one blast every two seconds, but the turrets above belched a continuous spray, ten beams per second. One aimed at the battery near Katy. The lasers tapped across the ground like chattering teeth, charging toward her position.

  She pressed herself against the building as brick and glass exploded.

  Huge sections of the building fell away, crashing into the street and courtyard. Bits of rock pelted Katy's face, and when she opened her eyes the air was full of dust. She could no longer see the Wall, although the laser battery continued firing, the green light accentuated by the dust particles in the air.

  A thrill consumed her. This was it, the revolution! Not sneaking around in the old city, or small-scale bombs planted in air ducts. This was true battle.

  But just then she couldn't see any of it.

  The cloud of particles didn't fade. I need to get somewhere clear. Onero crouched a few feet away at the edge of her vision, shouting to the operator of the laser battery. He met her eyes and jerked his head toward the other laser battery.

  She pushed away from the building and ran across the street, parallel to the Wall. She jumped over large sections of fallen debris that materialized out of the haze. The air abruptly cleared, returning her vision. The other laser battery was directly in front of her, jerking as it fired. Her boots pounded as fast as they could, but the street was much wider than she remembered.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw an advancing spray of green. Panicked, she dove behind the first cover she saw, a jagged section of brick wall in the street. Dirt scratched her forearms and rifle as she came to a stop. The grenades on her bandolier dug into her chest painfully, and one jostled but remained in place. She covered her head and waited for the beams to hit.

  The lasers danced across the ground, striking the building ahead, nowhere near her.

  She rolled onto her back and raised her head. The debris hardly provided any cover; she became exposed just by looking up. She was facing the way she came, Onero and Spider and the others still obfuscated by dust. To the left the Wall was alive with activity--she counted six turret battlements firing, like nearly-solid searchlights scanning across the ground. Saria burned bright. Above it all the Children's ships still circled, lazily engaging the enemy.

  Let them. Save the glory for us.

  She rolled onto her belly and pushed herself up, sprinting the rest of the way across the street, not even slowing as she slammed into the building that became her new cover. Her stomach tingled with daring and excitement. The other Children, waiting and watching, looked at her like she was crazy.

  Katy was far from the edge of the building, so she had to lean forward to see out into the kill zone. The burners were just reaching the base of the Wall, at the door leading to the rail station inside. One unslung his pack, placing it against the door. He knelt to configure the device.

  Someone above saw them. A turret leaned out over the edge, arm-like, taking aim. Beams of green slashed across the ground toward the burners. One panicked and fled, but the others continued their work.

  The beams struck them, and their packs of explosives.

  The door instantly puffed into a ball of fire fifty feet wide. The air expanded quickly, pushing against the inside of Katy's ears, the fire hot on her face. She instinctively darted back behind cover, though she was in no danger from the blast.

  She peered back out in time to see the third burner, the one who'd begun to flee, tumbling through the air. He landed halfway between Katy and the Wall. His own pack exploded the instant he hit the ground, another burst of orange and heat. This time Katy didn't flinch from it, watching with hungry eyes.

  The smoke faded, revealing the damage. Instead of the door there was now a wound at the Wall's base, open and charred. Inviting.

  Katy turned at the sound of shouting across the street. She couldn't understand the words in the cacophony of noise. But then a shape sprinted through the cloud of dust into the open courtyard, running toward the Wall. Onero. Why was he leading the charge, instead of staying back to give orders like they'd planned? Spider was close on his heels, followed by a stream of Children.

  Well if he's not going to stay behind...

  Katy charged.

  The feeling was exhilarating, running into battle. It was like ice ran through her veins, shocking her into alertness, tingling her fingers and toes. Her breath came easy, as if she had three lungs. The turrets above rained green upon the killing field. This was what Katy was meant to do. This was why she was alive. She glided across the battlefield in long strides, a warrior, a Child of Saria.

  A beam screamed past her head, its high-pitched wail alarmingly close. It didn't come from above. Another gave it away: there were steadfasts inside the hole in the Wall, firing at the advancing army. It should alarm you, part of her brain whispered, but she was numb to fear in the rush of battle.

  More beams shrieked in the air, and she laughed right back, wordless and unafraid.

  Onero's group returned fire without slowing. Their shots were erratic but sufficient to suppress the defending steadfasts. Katy fell into a slide as she reached the Wall, twenty feet to the left of the hole.

  She laid there on her back, feet and rifle pointed at the hole, waiting for steadfasts to emerge. Her chest heaved with every breath now, moving the rifle up and down. Onero and his group spread out on the other side, but Katy kept her eyes glued to the hole just above her
rifle's cross-sight. She waited.

  The sound of footsteps pounded in her head, drawing close. Alarmed, Katy rolled onto her knees and brought her rifle up defensively.

  The other Children rushed across the courtyard, following where she'd charged. They reached her and pressed their backs against the Wall, breathing heavily. Katy looked beyond them and saw rows of other men who'd made the trek across the courtyard. Many were cut down by laser fire, but more reached the relative safety of the Wall's base unharmed.

  The group with Katy all looked to her, waiting.

  She turned back to the hole. Onero caught her attention with a wave. He gave a few hand-signals: two grenades.

  Oh, right! The grenades! She handed her rifle to the man next to her and pulled two grenades free from her bandolier. They felt round and smooth, except for a cavity at the bottom where a trigger was recessed. She pressed the trigger on one, threw it overhand into the hole, and repeated the process with the other.

  The Children crouched against the Wall.

  There was no fire with the blast, just the thick concussive feeling in her chest. Black smoke and debris shot from the opening, spreading in all directions. Across the smoke, Onero didn't hesitate. He led the way into the hole with Spider, rifles ready.

  Katy pulled her gun from the man holding it, who looked at her with surprise. She followed her comrades inside.

  It was impossible to see inside the entranceway, but a few high-pitched shots rang out, deafeningly close. Katy moved through the area with her hand held in front, grasping for something solid for orientation. She touched a length of braided hair: Spider. She followed him by touch a few feet farther, until a door opened and they emerged into clearer air. Onero was already there with Rolf.

  She'd traveled through this section of the Wall a hundred times, so she recognized the stairwell that led up to the rail station, used for years while the lift remained broken. The stairs criss-crossed above, back and forth, a long spiral as far as her eyes could see. If traveling by stairs on a normal day is cumbersome, then fighting up them will be brutal. Other members of the army arrived and looked up at the stairs with dismay.

  Onero still looked afraid, his eyes unusually wide on his bird-like head, but he didn't hesitate. "Only one way to go. We'll move in packs of five. Wait ten seconds before following, so we don't all bunch up." Katy listened as the command was relayed back through the rest of the soldiers waiting in the smoke-filled entranceway.

  Katy stepped up to join Onero. He held up a hand to stop her. "You have the grenades. I want you in the second group, safer than the rest but close enough to use if we need you."

  She frowned, feeling the excitement of battle drain away. She couldn't argue with his logic though, so instead she whispered, "Shouldn't you stay back and let others lead the way? I sure don't want to take orders from Spider if you fall."

  Spider grunted.

  Doubt passed in front of Onero's eyes, but his voice was strong. "Dying in service to our Mother is the second sweetest thing I can imagine."

  "And the first?"

  His smile showed teeth. "Killing in Her service."

  Up the stairs he went, with Spider and Rolf and two others close behind. Katy counted off ten seconds before following with her own group. She took the steps two at a time, the sound of her bootsteps mixed with the other Children's in the hollow stairwell. Onero's group moved fast; she only caught glimpses of them as they spiraled, always just out of sight.

  By the time the stairs ended at the rail station level her thighs burned from the effort. And this is only halfway to the top, she thought, sidling up to where Onero and the others waited at the door. Katy frowned at it. The door stood open.

  "What are--"

  "Shut up," Onero hissed. "Rolf, scout ahead."

  Rolf darted through. The sound of laserfire filled the hall, some passing through the doorway and striking the far wall of the stairwell. Rolf cried out in pain before the door slid closed with a ca-chunk, the indicator on the wall-computer changing from green to red.

  "They left it open to trick us, hoping we would blindly rush through," Onero said, tapping his head with a finger. "I am smarter than that."

  Katy thought of Rolf and grimaced. Just a grunt. Onero would never give an order like that to his important officers.

  Onero made them all retrace their steps until they were four levels below the door. One of the remaining burners climbed ahead of them. A few moments later he shouted, "TEN SECONDS," half-ran, half-slid back down to their level, and covered his ears with his hands. Katy mimicked him.

  The door exploded.

  The concussive force--far greater than the grenades--knocked Katy to her knees, even from four floors away. Tight quarters. Covering her ears helped; although it felt like they were filled with cotton, they didn't pain her. Unlike some of the others, who clutched at their heads and moaned. Dust particles appeared from every crevice, drifting through the air like snow.

  Onero shouted for them to advance, leading the way back to the door. The gaping hole was three times wider than before.

  "I saw three peacekeepers," he said, "using the searchpoint equipment as cover. A hundred feet away."

  Katy had five grenades left on her bandolier. She reached for one, but Onero stopped her with a hand.

  "It's dangerous here. If they toss them back while we're crammed in the stairs... you need to hold the grenade three heartbeats before throwing."

  "The delay is only five seconds," she said.

  "Right. If you time it correctly they will explode before they can toss them back. Isn't that why you practiced?"

  She'd practiced throwing the grenades, sure. To heft their weight, to feel how far she could throw them accurately. But she always threw them immediately after pressing the trigger. She hadn't practiced holding them in between.

  "Three heartbeats," Onero repeated. "Anywhere in the corridor is fine--destroying their cover is just as good as killing them."

  She pulled one of the grenades loose. It felt too big in her hand, too heavy to throw accurately. It's your imagination. It's the same size and weight as all the others. "Don't you want to step back? In case something happens?"

  "No," Onero said, "I want to be ready to rush inside right after it goes off. So don't fuck it up."

  Everyone watched her: Onero and Spider, the other Children in their groups, the line of them disappearing out of view below. She turned away from them, inching toward the edge of the opening. She stole a glance down the corridor, pulling back before a fresh volley of lasers hissed through the air. The searchpoint equipment--two scanning cylinders, each surrounded by blocky computer desks--was indeed a hundred feet away, the peacekeepers arrayed behind. The ground leading up to the searchpoint was clear, just the smooth metal floor that comprised all sections of the Wall. Except for Rolf's body. The grenade would slide most of the way there if she threw it properly.

  Her fingers tingled around the explosive. The grip still felt wrong, as if the nerves in her fingers were numb and unresponsive. The sense of danger was heightened here in the crowded space, far more than when she threw two grenades down at the Wall's base. Onero whispered commands to the other soldiers.

  Katy depressed the trigger. Time slowed down.

  One heartbeat.

  Just don't drop it, she thought. That would be far worse than botching the throw. An embarrassing end to all their work.

  Two heartbeats.

  She felt Onero's gaze, a vulture waiting. Why did he have the power to make her feel that way with just a look? Don't fuck it up. She pulled back her arm.

  Three.

  Katy hurled the grenade. Immediately she knew it was a bad throw, heading toward the corridor wall, released too late in her motion. She listened as it rolled along the floor, clinking off the wall. It exploded.

  Again her ears felt plugged with cotton. She realized her eyes were clenched shut. When she opened them the other Children were streaming by, darting into the corridor. Onero and Sp
ider had already gone. The high-pitched sound of gunfire announced the battle beyond.

  If the grenade missed...

  But the firefight ended within seconds, and it was Onero's voice in the corridor that called for the rest to come forward. Katy darted through the opening to see the results of her contribution: based on the marks on the floor, the grenade went off right in front of the searchpoint equipment, tearing it loose from the ground and sending it backward. Two of the Children were dead, but they'd killed all three peacekeepers.

  Onero nodded in approval. Behind them a few other soldiers pushed over the remaining searchpoint equipment, shooting their rifles into the screens, destroying the mechanisms for entry into the inner city.

  She tried not to look at the dead Children on the floor, smoke floating from their wounds. The steadfasts did this. They've killed our brothers.

  At the end of the tunnel shone the bright light where the rail station opened into the inner city, but that was not their goal today. They passed through a door next to the searchpoint, leading to another stairwell. The only direction to go was up.

  The Wall shook with explosions as they climbed, each one louder than the last. Onero's eagerness was obvious in his sprint, and by the time they reached the top he wore a wicked grin. "This is it. You've all been born and lived your lives for this one moment. Do not disappoint our Mother. She shines, watching!"

  One of the soldiers with them, a woman named Milana, snarled fiercely. She leaned forward, positioning herself behind Onero, ready to charge.

  The door to the Wall battlements already hung halfway open, broken by some explosion or another, eliminating the need for burners. The sound of battle crashed loudly in the air outside. Onero kicked the door fully open, bathing the stairwell in true light, before rushing through.

  Katy gripped her rifle and made to follow, but Spider placed a hand on her chest and pushed her up against the wall. He tapped one of her grenades with a long fingernail, shook his head back and forth, and then darted through the door with the others.