“I told you that came with the territory,” Jada tried to reassure his grandson.
“Well, this Darden … that man is the one who lost his son. I need to make things right again.” Jonas’s sincerity amazed his grandfather.
“You will stay here.”
“No, sir. I won’t. After all, if my father hadn’t killed this man’s son, then I would’ve never have questioned why he hated him in the first place. Because he hated my father so much, I needed answers. I needed them so bad that I was willing to risk my life and the life of my friends. I freed those men. Darden almost died trying to help them, as he did me. Because they landed here, the Enforcers followed. I have to do what’s right.” Jonas signaled his friends to follow as he walked out the door.
Jada moved as quickly as he could to stop him. “Jonas, wait. They will find us! You will get killed!”
The Sapian man who delivered the news was still outside the dwelling. Jada yelled to him. “Make sure nothing happens to that boy!”
The man acknowledged his new orders and followed quickly on foot.
*
Thirteen
Jonas, Leo and Liotta found six of the hovers along the border. Next to them there were nine dracosaurs completely covered in manmade armor. Jonas could not believe how fierce they looked. Their backs bore huge two-man seats with leather holsters on each side.
Leo noticed that only one person was tending to them. “There. Easy take.”
“You guys grab one of the hovers and I will ride on one of these.” Jonas separated himself from his friends. He made certain the guard was not looking and hopped on one of the huge lizards. The animal gave a bit of a struggle but Jonas quickly quelled him by pulling back on a long set of thick ropes, which were attached to horns on either side of the animal’s head. He turned to see Leo talking with one of the troops by the hovers.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The guard stood next to the dracosaur with his blaster trained on Jonas.
Jonas just grinned at him. “There are some innocent people who are about to get slaughtered. We need to save them.”
A twitch ran across the man’s cheek. “Are they Alliance folk?”
Jonas thought about this for a moment. He had to be careful now. He had already burned his bridges with his aunt and the Enforcers. If he ruined this, he might lose his relationship with Jada. “No, they are Crows, Sapians and half-breeds.”
“Get off that drac, son. We cannot get involved.” The guard lowered his weapon, realizing Jonas was not an enemy. “You’re Jada’s grandson, right?”
“Yes.”
“We heard all about you.” The man smiled. “One of the guys told us you had just arrived.”
“Well…” Jonas could not help it. He had Darden heavy on his mind and this conversation was a waste of time. “Today is a new day, sir.”
“What do you mean?”
“Today the Alliance comes out of hiding. Today we fight for what is right.” Jonas kicked the dracosaur in the ribs. A tremendous jolt, which nearly knocked the teen off the animal, started the dracosaur on his way. This particular lizard moved faster than any land craft Jonas had ever used. The man picked himself off the ground and signaled to the others.
Seven troops ran over and mounted their dracs. Six more took the extra seats and threw light cannon blasters over their shoulders. They followed Jonas up the path that led beyond the Sara Mountains.
Leo and Liotta had not yet made their way over to the hovers. They watched as troops jumped into the crafts. Each vehicle, loaded with five troops, headed after the animals over the mountain. Liotta could not get over the fact that these troops were a mixed breed of men.
There was one hover, which sat abandoned. Leo looked at Liotta and his lips curled with delight.
Jonas headed swiftly toward the battle. He knew he was getting closer because the sounds of explosions were gaining volume. He glanced over his shoulder to see a small army of men following his lead. Jonas understood that they were trying to get to him before he revealed the Alliance to anyone. However, he knew that, once revealed, they would fight. Now he needed to make sure the troops only destroyed the Enforcers and not Darden’s group.
Men of all breeds working together. This was how he imagined the world should be one day. He was about to not only follow his father’s footsteps, he was about to stomp them into a completely new universe.
Jonas led the troops right into the thick of an ongoing battle. The power of the Parliamentary Council was already displaying its awesome firepower. The small valley was a complete war zone. Dismantled transports had been blown apart. Tattered bodies of once hopeful prisoners were lying across the field. Dead Enforcers were scattered behind useless barricades.
Jonas’s dracosaur scrambled down the trail toward the fight. The others followed. The additional forces surprised the Enforcers. The troops led their attack on the opposite front of Darden’s group. The Sapians were tightly nestled in the middle, absorbing blasts from both ends. Some Enforcers retreated into their crafts.
“Darden!” Jonas raised his blaster as he stood up on the drac. He did not see his Crow friend anywhere. Have I come too late? “Darden!”
“My friend!” a voice ripped from the other side.
Jonas stood up again to see Darden flailing his arms.
Liotta brought the hover down the peak, toward the action. Leo carefully positioned himself behind the cannon. He set the gun sights on the approaching cruiser, which was just about to settle on the grass. He gripped both triggers and applied pressure. The blasters sent a stream of enormous energy into the side of the Parliamentary vessel. The explosion rocked the entire valley.
Jonas waved back at his friend. Then he noticed an Enforcer leaning out of the safety of his craft. The officer was focused on one of the escaped prisoners from Darden’s group. Jonas plopped himself into his seat. He pointed his blaster and fired a shot into the back of the Enforcer.
Liotta quickly spun the craft around to avoid being hit by falling debris. The whole thing vibrated as pieces of the broken Parliamentary ship trickled along the hover’s side.
Jonas plucked a metal sphere from the drac’s saddlebag. His father had introduced him to these spherical bombs when they’d gone to Jenco. He swung the huge lizard around to the side of the Enforcer’s craft and tossed the metal ball into the hatch.
The Parliamentary ship went up instantly. Jonas pulled tight on the ropes and slammed his foot into the lizard’s side. As he moved across the field, the drac slammed into the ground. Jonas kept moving forward. The teen rolled fifteen feet and noticed his blaster lying next to the dead animal. A hole had blown out a chunk of the drac’s side.
Jonas remained on the ground for safety. He heard a familiar clicking sound. Another Enforcer craft turned its turrets on Jonas. He buried his face into the dirt as he refused to witness his own murder.
Whack!
The deadly turret blew into fiery pieces. Jonas looked up to discover a chunk of burnt metal had sliced into the ground next to him. Someone in the distance was screaming his name.
Jonas turned to see Leo jumping up and down in his hover. Smoke was still dribbling from his mounted blaster’s nozzle.
Jonas knew it was Leo who’d saved him.
Liotta quickly brought the hover to rest by a nearby group of rocks. She lifted her blaster and jumped for the stones. Leo remained behind his huge gun, taking swipes at anything in a Parliamentary uniform.
Jonas hopped out and ran over to someone who looked like Darden. Sure enough it was.
Darden and six others had parked themselves behind a cluster of downed trees. They were in their own small combat against some Enforcers inching toward them.
“Hey.” Jonas tapped his unaware friend on the back.
Darden defensively turned. “Jonas.” His face lit up. “See those men?” He pointed to a distant team of fifteen Enforcers. “Those men are planning on driving us out.”
“How many of the prisoners
are still alive?” Jonas swiped a blaster from a dead Enforcer and readied himself near a branch fork in the trees. He aimed his weapon and fired upon the closest Enforcer.
“Nice shot,” Darden complemented Jonas’s skill. “This is it. Us and a dozen more on the other side. We’re all that’s left. Thank the Gods you brought those troops.”
“Yeah, they sure helped.” Jonas watched the troops close in on the remaining Enforcers. He knew that because he was by Darden, the troops would not shoot him. Between the surviving prisoners and the troops of the Alliance, the Parliamentary officers were easily outnumbered.
Darden blasted two more Enforcers who thought they were sneaking up on his men. “See you later.”
A hover blew out five Enforcers taking cover behind a mass of downed tree trunks.
Darden looked at Jonas. “Who are those people?”
Three dracosaurs came up on a couple of officers who were preparing a multi-blaster ground cannon. A multi-blaster had enough power to create a small crater in the ground. Jonas hoped they would make it in time.
One of the dracs dropped suddenly and rolled over, crushing the two troops who operated it. The remaining dracs retreated. Then another fell. The troops who were riding it escaped with minor bruises.
“Jonas!” A scream rang through Jonas’s ears. The teen turned to discover an Enforcer gripping Liotta’s collar. The officer threw her onto the ground and into the dirt, then jumped on top of her.
Jonas tapped Darden on the shoulder. “Cover me.” He raced along the battlefield dodging blaster rounds and hopping over bodies that were at one time fighting for their cause. Liotta noticed he was coming and started to yell to him. She waved her arms in an attempt to stop him. He did not understand this.
He was just about to jump the Enforcer when suddenly, Crack! A stick broke over his head from behind him. A portion of the weapon slashed his arm as it split. The teen’s mouth shoveled up soil as he fell. Jonas spit the dirt off his tongue. He looked up at his attacker. He wiped his dirty chin and his eyes sharpened. The Sapian from his grandfather’s dwelling, Quarp, was bearing down on him. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Killing you. Then I will go back and finish your grandfather off. The Council will reign supreme.” Quarp smiled.
“You are—” Jonas cradled his bloody arm tightly.
“—an Enforcer.” Quarp looked at the other officer who was holding down Liotta . He chuckled a bit. “I have been on to your father for quite some time.”
Jonas’s pupils lit up.
“That’s why I killed him.” The spy’s lips grew thin. He seemed proud of himself. “I had to kill your poor little mommy, too. You, though, I must admit. You have been the hardest to kill.” Quarp gave Jonas a swift kick in the head.
“No.” Liotta struggled.
Jonas turned, revealing a swollen cheekbone. His eyes were like fire.
“See, it was all part of my plan. We expected you. We were not here to destroy your friend Darden. He just got in the way. We were actually coming to finish Jada and his useless Alliance off.”
Jonas dropped his head in the dirt. He had been beaten. He wondered who’d been feeding information to this person. Then the puzzle came together in seconds. He turned over to observe Leo firing off his guns on the ship. But that can’t be. He is shooting Enforcers.
Quarp dug his weapon into the back of Jonas’ head. “When you get there, tell your father one thing for me. Gotcha.” The Enforcer tightened his trigger finger.
“Leo. Liotta it was Leo,” Jonas muttered as he swallowed more dirt.
“Who the hell is Leo?” Quarp asked. “Piece of advice for you. Next time you leave your cousin stranded in the middle of nowhere, kill him first. He will not talk as much.”
Every part of Jonas’s inner being collapsed. Carlen. It made sense. He always played by the rules. He had to tell them.
Liotta knew that if Carlen had talked, her father was in for it, too. “Jonas!”
Without warning a large thing trounced Quarp from the trees. Wails of pain filled the air over the battle noises. The Enforcer holding Liotta down released her and ran.
Jonas tilted his head slightly. A large man in a thick robe, wielding a thick staff, kept tearing Quarp into pieces. As the spy attempted to sit up, his head was spun around by another whack of the stick. The blows followed in rapid succession until Quarp was no longer able to rise. His body lay there, lifeless. The man turned toward Jonas.
Jonas squinted his eyes to see who it was, but the man fled before the teen could make him out. Liotta walked over and lifted him by the arm. Jonas looked back at the group of Enforcers putting together the multi-blaster.
The huge weapon came together quickly. The officers pulled along a wooden crate. They pried it open with the end of their blasters. Jonas grew nervous as he noticed the huge portable weapon take aim at a bunch of prisoners fighting from the woods.
Jonas broke away from Liotta and lifted Quarp’s blaster off the ground. He advanced on the Enforcers as best he could. The pain in his arm was getting unbearable. His mind fogged as he lost focus of the ground.
Liotta ran up to him and grabbed the blaster. She started pumping shots at the men setting up the multi-blaster. Two officers moved faster to load it as the third protected his group.
Leo noticed Liotta and Jonas on the ground. He swung the cannon around and sent a blast into the crate creating a massive explosion.
Troops swarmed in on the remaining Enforcers, cutting them down methodically. Another explosion rocked the valley. It was the last of the Parliamentary cruisers. The battle was over. Everyone cheered victoriously.
Darden saw it was safe to rise from his spot. He watched the troops roar with delight. The Crow hurried over to Jonas in order to help him with his wounds.
Jonas’s pupils kept rolling toward the back of his head. His mind replayed all the important events in his life. He saw his friends at school, his father in uniform and his mother dying. The surrounding area started fading.
Darden leaned over Jonas and reached into his pouch. He took out the stone, gently placing it in Jonas’s palm. He closed the teen’s hand. “Please, my friend. Take back your stone.”
Jonas’s eyes flickered as the ends of his lips curled. His head rolled to one side.
*
Fourteen
Days had passed since the battle had been won by the Alliance. Darden and his group joined the ranks of the troops. The village was well into the process of relocating.
Jonas lay in his grandfather’s bed resting for the journey ahead. He was rolling the stone in between his fingers. Liotta had made a necklace out of it for him.
Jonas was unable to stop thinking about his cousin. He knew in his heart that Carlen did what he always expected him to do. However, Jonas still missed him deeply. One day he would catch up to him and apologize for leaving him stranded.
A soft knock tapped at the door.
“Come in.”
Liotta poked her head inside the doorway and smiled at Jonas. “I got in touch with my father.” She stepped completely into the room. “After he screamed, he decided it would be best to take off.” Then she sat on the edge of the bed.
“How did you contact your dad?” Jonas sat up against the headboard.
“Jada let me use his voice box. He said now that the Council knew where they were, it didn’t matter if they captured the signal.” She lowered her head and began to cry.
“Liotta?”
She ignored him as she buried her hands into her face.
“Liotta? We will get your father. I promise. As soon as we can.” Jonas gently placed his hand on her shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze.
Liotta stood up. “I know we will. You know what surprised me the most?”
“What?”
“He actually believed what I did was right.” She brushed the matted strands of hair from her moist face. “He said he’d been looking to leave the Academy anyway.”
Liott
a sniffled and walked out of the room as Jada came into it.
The old man looked down at his grandson. A warm glow came over Jada. “Thank you, Jonas.”
“For what?” Jonas sat up with an interest in his grandfather’s gratitude.
Jada switched his cane into his other hand. He positioned himself alongside his grandson. “You saved the Alliance. I would’ve only found out about Quarp once it was too late.”
Jonas understood what Jada meant. He tilted his head, observing his grandfather’s face. He could see each wrinkle in his face. Jonas was sure every line could tell a story.
“We have spent so many generations in hiding. Hiding from how the world should be. Then my son’s son comes and blows the lid off of our way of life.” The old man chuckled quietly to himself.
“You will lead us to a safe place. In no time we will bounce back.” Jonas straightened up his back. He rested his hand on Jada’s knee.
“Actually, Jonas, you will lead this Alliance. I will be there only to mentor you.” Jada lifted himself off the bed and twitched his cane to the other hand. “I do not have either the energy or the years to keep up the war that is coming.” Jada strolled over to his closet and pulled out his robe. He threw it on and tied the sash. “We have to move now. The Parliamentary Council will be on our heels.” The old man left the closet door ajar. He hobbled out of the room.
Jonas remained in bed. He knew he had to get up. What he did not know was how to lead the Alliance into a war. He hoped his grandfather would be able to teach him.
The teen looked at the closet door and recognized something familiar that rested on the wall. The same wooden staff that had beaten Quarp. Jonas hopped out of bed and clutched the staff. He figured out that Jada had been the one to save him and Liotta. Jonas rolled the staff between his palms, hoping he could learn to use one of these things one day. However, until that day came, Jonas would keep it in a safe place.
*
Meet Stephen Gambuti
As a Liberal Arts and Communications major in college, I fell in love with Science Fiction and Fantasy. The stories I read provided me with many escapes into magical worlds when I needed some magic in mine.
Center Moon: The Stone of Cordova Page 15