Blaze (The High-Born Epic)

by Jason Woodham

  On the southern edge of the orangish dome of light, points of blue light began appearing everywhere, racing towards the battle. Harold and Gabby watched as glimmering points of white light streaked from out of the darkness into the light and quickly raced by the points of blue. They could see many of the High-Born gunships deploying flares. The points of white light slammed into gunship after gunship creating bursts of flames in the distant sky.

  The gunships that had been flying in formation beside them reached the outer edges of the shimmering orange sky. Harold and Gabby watched as they came into view, racing towards the battle. However, now there were more than a hundred blue lights in the sky above the battlefield, and the tell-tale reddish-orange streaks created by friction trails were zipping down from them. Harold saw another momentary rush of glitter come up from the ground, and strike a gunship.

  “You see how they’re creating a ring around whatever it is on the ground?” Gabby asked.

  “Yeah,” Harold answered. “They’re protecting it, but what is it, and what are they?”

  “Look at that!” Gabby shouted and pointed high in the sky.

  Several points of whitish-blue flashed across the sky, red friction trails burning from them. They began circling around the battle, and what looked like a miniature star fell from each of them. Harold stood up and looked out of the windshield. Whatever had fallen from them suddenly broke apart into dozens of pieces and Harold watched as the individual pieces impacted on the ground to create multiple explosions.

  About a dozen of the blue specks seemed to fall to the ground, and stayed there for a few seconds and then returned to the sky. They watched as all of the blue points began flying back towards the south, and in but a few minutes, the only thing that remained above the smoldering battlefield was the high point of flashing light. Just as the faster points of whitish-blue disappeared, dozens of High-Born gunships began pouring into the orangish dome from the northeast.

  The high point of flashing light suddenly rocketed towards the formation of gunships, and the orange light simply blinked out of existence as if someone had flipped a switch. Harold and Gabby watched what remained of the flashing light zip towards where the gunships had been, and they saw a flurry of gunfire mixed with sparks, then a rather large explosion that most likely destroyed one or two of the gunships while probably damaging several more of them.

  Harold and Gabby sat still for several minutes, just scanning the darkness with their enhanced eyesight, but saw nothing else out of the ordinary.

  “What is going on?” Gabby asked.

  “I just wish I knew,” Harold said as he looked at her.

  “Let’s get back to camp,” she said.

  “Agreed,” Harold replied.

  Gabby pulled on the controls and turned the gunship back towards Cyrene. It did not take them long to return to their campsite, and Gabby landed the gunship without anymore suspicious activity. They soon settled back into their beds, and Harold quickly fell asleep.

  The next thing he was aware of was walking in a dark forest beneath a blackened and starless sky. He could hear water running in the distance, and he began walking towards it. He heard the calls of crows closing in on him, and he squatted while preparing himself to fight. But their barely noticeable, dark outlines just flew above him, seeming to pay him no attention.

  As he watched and listened, he heard something else thrashing its way through the forest coming towards him. The thrashing increased and amidst the forest, Harold caught glimpses of glowing red eyes all throughout it, racing towards him. But as the first of the rat-things ran by him, he just watched as they all passed by him. They were growling and hissing and many of them moved like running monkeys as they sprinted towards the water.

  As they passed by, Harold fell in behind them. He could hear a terrible crashing and cawing of crows beyond his sight as he ran through the dark underbrush. The crashing grew in intensity and then he heard the rat-things screaming as well.

  Harold tore through the bushes, and slid to a stop on the banks of a roaring river full of rapids and chunks of sharp ice. The crows were dipping into it, pecking and clawing while the rat-monkey-things jumped in it, growling and pounding it with their fists. Some of the crows and rat-things were being swept away by the current while others were being battered by the chunks of ice.

  Harold watched as they fought with the river, and the river was pushing many of them under. However, more crows and rats kept coming and Harold watched as they began drinking the river. After a few moments, the intensity of the rushing waters had drastically decreased, and it was noticeable drying up.

  Light flashed and a fire covered the sky, and Harold looked up to see the rats and crows come into full view. They cawed and screeched as the white eagles appeared, dropping their swarms of buzzing hornets. The white eagles’ eyes glowed as they flew through them, breathing fire and snatching them up with their talons. Harold heard a monstrous shout and looked off in the distance to see the bearded giant on the edge of the light.

  He drew back his hand and threw a glittering stone that Harold watched it sail through the air, and strike the ground with a mighty rumble. Cracks and fissures rent the ground and sharp rocks sprouted from the earth that flung back the shadow things. The giant roared in the distance, and reached up, taking hold of the sky, and shook it terribly, tearing it apart. As the sky split above him, his eagles appeared, screaming and fighting as flaming pieces of the sky fell around them, crushing and smashing the rats and crows. As they screamed and fought with the shadow foes, the giant reached down and grabbed the shrinking river, tugging on it as if it were a rope. Harold looked at the giant’s feet and could see that he was standing in a sparkling ocean. He pulled and dragged the entire river towards him.

  The rats and crows shrieked in fury as he pulled the river from their gaping maws. Harold watched as the end of dwindling river rushed pass him to reveal dozens of drowned rats and crows beneath it. He looked up at the sky that it was now empty, and the fire billowing there just as suddenly, blinked out.

  Harold woke up, and laid there for a few moments, but soon found himself in the midst of a restful sleep.

  Chapter 41

  Gabby pulled on the controls and the gunship rose slightly off the ground. Harold could see her concentrating, and after a moment she seemed to relax.

  “All invisible now?” he asked.

  “Yep,” she replied. “Heat signature is still there, but just barely. I’ll take us a few miles out from the city so that we can get a good look at the top of the buildings.”

  Harold nodded as they climbed above the treetops, and then the scenery whirled around as Gabby took them away from the city. After a minute or so, she spun the gunship back around, and they both peered back towards Cyrene. As they stared across their adversaries, the High-Born military did not disappoint and they seemed as ready as ever for a fight. On top many of the buildings was some type of large gun that had not been there the day before, and the visored snipers walked back and forth across the rooftops with two mechanoids each in front of them. The groups of three seemed tense, and ready for conflict.

  “I guess they use those mechs as walking cover,” Harold said.

  “Makes sense,” Gabby answered. “Better for mechs to take the first hit than soldiers.”

  Harold nodded, and began counting. There were about thirty buildings and two snipers a piece on them, and that was not to mention the military might in the center of town.

  “I bet they have snipers inside some of the buildings too,” she said.

  “That would be a good idea for them,” Harold replied.

  “Yeah,” Gabby said, and pointed to the control grid that was showing an open window. “Look just beyond that window.”

  Harold looked and could see a sniper with a large rail gun just inside the building.

  “They’re gonna’ be everywhere,” Harold said as he called fire into his eyes and looked across the city. He could see at least a dozen open win
dows at various heights.

  “I think we should hit them with a few rail cannon blasts and maybe some rockets,” Gabby said. “Just to soften them up.”

  Harold nodded, “Yeah, even with our powers, we’re gonna’ have to fight this the smart way.”

  “I’m gonna’ hit the central compound with a couple of rockets,” Gabby said. “So why don’t you sneak close, and the fires they cause will give you a good start. Then I’ll start plastering the snipers with rail spikes. Sound good?”

  Harold nodded, “I know you can make this thing invisible and all, Gabby. But once you shoot, don’t stay in one place too long. I bet they’ll have something ready for you.”

  “Why, my little hottie,” Gabby smiled at him. “Is that love I hear in your voice?”

  “It’s gonna’ be hard to fight this war without you,” Harold shrugged. “That’s all. And, yeah, I’m a little bit concerned about you.”

  “Don’t worry, Harold,” Gabby said. “We were made for battle. I’m no fool. I’m going to take all the cheap shots I can, and land at the campsite. Then, I’m coming to get my hands dirty with you.”

  “Okay,” Harold said as he slid on his helmet. “You see that building right there?”

  Gabby looked at the tall building at which Harold was pointing and said, “Yeah, I see it.”

  “I should be there in a couple of minutes,” Harold looked at a tree below him. “When you see me, start shooting because I’m heading straight for the compound. I need that fire to be ready.”

  “Good luck,” she said as Harold flashed from sight...

  ...And landed on a large tree branch. He quickly found another, and made another air-burn. After several more air-burns and about two minutes later, he was looking up at the building from the shadow of a ruined window in the outer ring of wrecked buildings. Harold concentrated and fire seared down his sword and flames sparkled all over him.

  The first sniper and his mechanoids were turned to ash simply from the wake of his air-burn, and he quickly found the High-Born on the other side of the roof. Flames flashed in his sight, and he was on them before they had a chance to fire. His sword slashed three quick times, and they were no more. And he thundered towards the second building.

  Aireon saw Blaze appear, and she triggered the release of two rockets, and as they sped towards Cyrene she urged the gunship to the left. After setting up position on the building to Blaze’s left, she began letting rail spikes crank out towards the building top. She could see concrete and steel being blasted up in chunks and the High-Born snipers and mechanoids on that building had no chance. She quickly checked the rockets as she adjusted her field of fire and saw that they were almost to the city. She watched as her guns decimated the second building, and then she flew farther to her left, opening up on yet a third building.

  Blaze blasted into view amidst a High-Born sniper and his mechanoids, hacking and slashing. As they fell around him, something zoomed by him, and he saw that the mechanoids on the other side of the building had fired at him. But he air-burned, and cut them and their sniper down, before leaping to yet the seventh building. As he ran, he checked the rockets and he could see them zooming between the buildings down the main roadway.

  He smiled beneath his helmet.

  But he saw two red beams appear and strike the rockets. He quickly flashed to the edge of the building and he looked to see that the beams were coming from the large cannons atop the buildings that had not been there the day prior. The beams followed the rockets, and after about two seconds the rockets harmlessly detonated several hundred yards from the compound.

  Blaze momentarily froze, and looked from side to side.

  The element of surprise was gone, and he could see that the snipers and mechanoids atop the buildings were now aiming their weapons at him and firing. Blaze gritted his teeth as he focused on the nearest group, and air-burned. He appeared on the opposite building and engaged them. The robots exploded and the giants fell before Blaze’s searing katana, and he shouted and thundered towards another group.

  Aireon gasped when her rockets detonated, and she made a visual memory of the equipment that did it. She had ceased firing for the moment, and was changing her position for yet another attack. Suddenly, she saw the sky all around her fill with friction trails, and she pulled the gunship to a stop. The High-Born had organized their gunships and were firing very near her, but were not hitting her.

  However, she saw what they were doing.

  They were filling the sky with bullets and would soon find her. From high up above, she saw a glimmer, and another, and then a third one. She saw the con-trails of missiles looping through the sky coming towards her general direction. Aireon scowled because she knew that they would seek her out if she didn’t destroy them. But firing on the missiles would reveal her position to the gunships. She was caught and she knew it. She quickly found the campsite and urged the gunship towards it, barely avoiding a speeding series of rail spikes as she rocked back and forth in the pilot’s seat.

  She kept a close eye on the missiles as she sped just above the treetops. Her eyes glowed as she focused her powers to camouflage the wake she would have made in the treetops. She grunted in effort as it was much harder than she had anticipated and she checked the missiles again. They were actually headed in the opposite direction and would be no threat now.

  She soon came up on the gap in the trees and she swiftly lowered the gunship to the forest floor. As it rocked to a stop, she took several deep breaths and then lowered the door. She sprinted out of the gunship and called to her power. And a swift wind bore her to the top of a tree. As a series of gusts carried her from treetop to treetop, she gazed toward the tops of the buildings.

  Though the tops were obscured from her, she could hear the booms of thunder and the faint screams of High-Born.

  Spikes zipped through the air all around Blaze as he ducked the punch of a rather large High-Born sniper, and then cut him down with his flaming blade. The other High-Born apparently did not care that their fellow soldier was also in danger from their attacks, and Blaze frowned underneath his helmet. They are going to kill me no matter the cost, he thought. His strategy of staying close to them in order to hinder their weaponry was not going to be as effective as he had thought.

  A large chunk of concrete splintered up and smacked into him as a large rail spike zinged close to him. The pressure wave created from its impact was larger than most and actually flung him backwards. As he air-burned to another building, he glanced to where he had just been and saw that it was being pummeled by a gunship more than 500 yards away. A strange and loud rumble came from his left and he scrambled, looking to see what had caused it. He heard it again, and this time he found it quickly.

  Aireon was leaping from roof top to roof top of the smaller buildings with what appeared to be single steps. All manner of High-Born weaponry was being fired at her by the ground forces. Though she was moving exceptionally fast, an occasional spike hit her and made a powerful rumble as it ricocheted off into the distance. As she neared the ground forces, dust, and sand and small pieces of debris were whipping up in the streets behind her. Her eyes filled with white light as she leapt, seeming to run in mid-air with rail spikes flashing by her.

  She leveled a powerful shout as she landed in the street and slapped her hands together just as the gust of wind overtook her and roused her beautiful hair around her. Bullets bounced from her air-shield in droves, and she flung patches of blurry air at the small army before her. Barricades, High-Born soldiers, and mechanoids alike were cast backwards, flipping and twisting uncontrollably. Some bounced and skittered across the ground, and others were swept high into the sky. Even the large pieces of equipment were sliding backwards in the face of Aireon’s glowing eyes.

  Blaze watched, awe-struck, for several moments at her furious assault. But he saw a flash out of the corner of his left eye, and winced as a red beam of energy hit him. Blaze gritted his teeth and went to one knee...

&nb
sp; ...the pain was incomprehensible...

  ...the brightness was blinding...

  ...the agony was more than he could fathom...

  ...he could feel his armor beginning to melt...

  ...his skin seemed to boil...

  ...and then he felt...

  ...something else...

  ...it was beyond the ability of thoughts to convey...

  ...it was much like instinct...

  ...yet it was more...

  ..his... …fire… ...fire...

  ...was... ...winning...

  ...grappling with the heat of the laser...

  ...absorbing it...

  ...refocusing it...

  ...turning it to his will...

  ...Blaze’s eyes seethed with power...

  ...And he rose to his feet...

  ...he walked to the edge of the building...

  ...and the red beam continued blistering him...

  ...he looked down into the streets at the High-Born army...

  ...The blue fire surrounding him began crackling and roaring...

  …And his eyes burned bright as his fire became white and fumed so fast that it seemed to not move at all. And he stepped forward, leveling his hand at them. White hot light erupted from his palm, and crashed down into the High-Born.

  A large piece of equipment was instantly cut in two as the beam tore through it and the pavement as though they had no more substance than a cloud. Blaze shouted as he slowly swept his hand up and down the street. It was so hot that mechanoids melted and the High-Born turned to ash even before the heat lance struck them. As it moved across the pavement, it sheared off pieces of equipment leaving behind partially melted sections that had red-hot edges. He turned his attention to another part of the army and began scalding it as yet another red beam hit him.