“Oh my God! Dominic, it’s…”
“This is not good.” Dominic had no plan of action, not for this. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was the monster that had eaten the old world, now rising from its slumber to do the same to this one.
“My father…Genesis…”
“There’s nothing to be done. They are gone. Consumed. The fallout will do the same to us unless we…figure out something.” He watched the fiery, fog-shrouded beast take its throne, eclipsing the sun with its majesty.
“The boat!” Lerah turned and slapped her hands against Dominic’s chest.
“What boat?”
“Hawthorne said there’s a boat up the beach. It’s loaded with supplies and—”
“Who is Hawthorne?”
Lerah ran to the boy that was tied to the stake. She cut his bindings and he fell limply to the ground. She turned him over and lifted his head, slapping at his injured face. “Wake up, Hawthorne! Let’s go!” She slapped him four times before he started to stir. “There we go. Are you with me?”
He mumbled something as his eyes fluttered.
Dominic walked over and kicked him in the side of his right leg. “Come on, kid, get with it. Damn nuke just went off, we don’t have all day.”
Lerah slapped Dominic’s boot away. “Be nice, he’s coming around.”
“You were just slapping the wits out of the poor bastard.”
“I’ve got this. Just give me a second.”
The Rebel women were paying them no mind; their eyes were still glued to the sky.
Hawthorne turned his eyes up at Lerah. “Are you okay?”
“They’ll be plenty of time to talk later. Right now me and my friend need you to get us onto that boat. There’s something really bad heading this way. We’ve got to go. Can you do that?”
He looked at Dominic and then back at Lerah. “Who is he?”
“He rescued me. He got rid of Silas and the others. Can you help us?”
Hawthorne nodded once. It was all he could manage.
“Thank you, Hawthorne. Dominic, help me get him up.”
Propping the boy up was like hauling a bundle of splintered twigs. They ushered him down the beach, past the women and the children. A few of them tried to follow.
Dominic turned with his pistol drawn. “I see any of you near the boat and I’ll put you down.” He felt a tinge of guilt about leaving women and children to face certain death, but he knew they’d try to slit his throat the first chance they got. It would be bad enough setting sail on the neon sea without having to spend every waking second looking over his shoulder.
A mile down the beach, the boat came into view. Lerah had imagined something much more magnificent: polished wood, brass inlays, maybe some cannons. But it was just a simple boat: dull plank, ratty sails, and a wheel for steering.
“Hawthorne, is this thing ready for the sea?” Dominic asked.
The boy gave a weak shrug. “They’ve been finishing up the masts. Not sure if they…finished.”
“Great,” Dominic muttered.
“Just one way to find out.”
The boat was anchored a few feet off shore, with a narrow strip of wood extending out onto the beach, allowing them to board without making contact with the water. They let Hawthorne board first.
“Careful,” Lerah said as he crawled up the wood. There were a few close calls as he stopped and wobbled, catching his balance and his breath. But eventually he made it onboard.
“You next,” Dominic said as he looked back at the mushroom cloud.
Lerah made it without a problem, nimbly navigating the ramp, and hopping the final few feet.
And then it was his turn. Once onboard, he pulled in the ramp and approached the wheel.
“You know how to work this thing?”
“Not a clue,” Dominic answered.
“Hawthorne,” Lerah called, “we need your help.”
Hawthorne was sitting in the middle of the deck, hugging himself. He groaned as Lerah pulled him to his feet.
“Get it together. We need you, right now.”
“Everything hurts.”
“We all hurt,” Lerah said. “Dominic is shot and…well…you know what they did to me. But if we don’t get out of here, all of us will die. We can lick our wounds later. Do you know how to sail this thing?”
Hawthorne shrugged. “Yeah, a little…they showed me the basics. You have to undo the masts and—”
“Do it, kid, don’t explain. Get to work.”
It took Hawthorne some time. With Lerah’s assistance, he got the masts open and hoisted and soon had them seaworthy. Before long they were surrounded by nothing more than sky and water. Dominic remained behind the wheel, not steering, just holding it steady. The truth was he didn’t know where to steer.
“How’s it going?” Lerah asked as she snuggled up beside him and dropped her head against his shoulder.
“Good as it can be, I guess. I know what we’re running from. I just don’t know where we’re running to.”
“I still can’t believe it.”
“I’m a little lost for words myself. How’re the supplies below deck looking?”
“From what I can see, should be enough for a couple months, if we ration.”
“Finally, some good news. What about him?” Dominic looked at Hawthorne; he was curled up on the deck under a blanket.
“I don’t know. He’s been through a lot. Guess I’ll let him sleep and then take a look at those wounds. Silas’ men worked him over good.”
“You’ve been through a lot, too.” He leaned down and kissed her. “We need to get you bandaged up and get some food in you; you can’t help him if you’re not healthy.” She’d lost a lot of weight. Her shoulder blades were bulging against her skin and he could feel her ribs when he put his arms around her.
She smiled, even though it must have hurt like hell. “I forgot how much I love this about you.”
“Love what?”
“How protective you are of me. It’s cute.”
“You better get used to it.”
She stood on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. “I’m gonna go look in on the boy.”
***
The boat cut a smooth path through the sun-soaked water as a kaleidoscope of color, created by the waning light, shimmered around the hull. The sea lay before them, empty and full of possibilities. What adventures would arise? What challenges would they face? There was no way to know. But Dominic knew that, with Lerah at his side, he could conquer anything. He vowed that he would protect her and the boy, whatever they faced. That was his silent promise and it was one he intended to keep. After all, if he was anything, he was a man of his word.
Acknowledgements
Every creative endeavor, every work of art, comes about as the result of multiple influences and inspirations. My biggest inspiration has been you, the reader. At no point has this series felt like work. I’m in love with this crazy world and the people in it. After the first book came out, I didn’t know what to expect. It was so different than anything else I’d written. But the support and the love that all of you had for the story confirmed the passion I felt. Your support has been a constant encourager as I’ve wrestled with my inner perfectionist. I hope that I’ve met your expectations and I hope you’re as excited as I am to see where Dominic and Lerah go from here.
If you’re not already a part of my page, I’d be honored if you’d join me on Facebook. I love interacting with my fans and hearing what you have to say:
www.facebook.com/thejvroberts
With love,
J.V.
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The Glass Mountains: The Saboteur Chronicles Book 2 Page 26