The Maven Knight (The Maven Knight Trilogy Book 1)

by Matthew Romeo

  I suppress a grin. She’s already starting to play the game, I think to myself. Sahari is letting Centum focus all attention to recapturing me.

  “Do you think I’m a fugitive?” I ask him as he starts to approach. Metal restrainers are clenched in one of his hands.

  “It’s not my job to ask questions,” he says. His tone is less stern. “The fact that you’re fleeing from our custody seems to point that you might be a tad guilty. But that’s a bit above my pay grade.”

  “Ah, it’s above your pay grade,” I say rather disgustedly. “What if I said I need to leave the Citadel? It’s a mission to keep the current Lady of Z’hart safe. Is it above your pay grade to obey an heiress of Z’hart?”

  “All the Hells, is this what every arrest is going to be like?” he sighs to himself. “Of all the people I get—”

  I see his posture relax and I take that as an opportunity. Adrenaline starts fueling my motions and my mind relaxes as my body takes over. In a blur, I extend my spear and use the butt-end to knock the bowrifle from his hands. He lets out a surprised grunt as I follow up by sweeping the metal shaft behind his legs. The Imperial falls flat on his back. Spinning the spear in my hands, I stand above him with the spear tip pointed at his throat. Apprehensively, he raises his hands in a gesture of surrender.

  “Did I happen to mention I’m terrible at this job?” he comments with a nervous laugh.

  “Clearly,” I say lightly, but keeping an intense look and a firm hand. “I’d have thought the regiment would’ve knocked you into shape.”

  “I thought so too,” he replies. His mouth forms an innocent smile. “I guess they’re in the mindset of quantity over quality.”

  “What’s your name?” I ask, keeping the spear firmly pointed at him.

  “Marek,” he replies nervously. “You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

  I regard him quizzically. “What kind of heiress kills her own guards?” I retort gesturing to the spear. “But I’ll have you know this: I’m letting you go because I need you to protect my sister. I believe a coup is rising and that her new advisor is behind it.”

  A frown forms on his mouth. I can feel his misgiving even though I can’t see his full face. “So you think that by sparing me I’ll believe you?” he asks dryly. “It’s not nearly as simple as—”

  With a loud crack, I smack the metal shaft across his head and his words catch in his mouth. His body goes limp and his mouth falls open as he’s knocked out.

  “Perhaps not,” I say to his unconscious body. “But maybe it might make you rethink this arrest.”

  I collapse my spear and tuck it under my belt. Kneeling, I pick up his bowrifle and prime the weapon for stunning countermeasures. Hurriedly, I move towards the passageway at the back of the room.

  It takes nearly half an hour, but it’s easy to navigate the pathways that lead into the Merchant District. Hollowed into the side of the mountain, the access tunnel connects right into an abandoned building in the third alley ring of the district. I have to admit, it’s a crafty way for the Imperials to stealthily get to the city without going through Citadel checkpoints.

  Warily making my way through the building, I see no indication of Imperials so I head for the nearest alleyway. Rain soaks me within seconds. Lightning flashes and thunder rolls. Blue light from holoprojections above illuminates the darkness of the alley. Trash, dung piles, and rodent carcasses litter the cobblestone alley between the abandoned building and an apartment complex. It reeks of decadence.

  With the bowrifle at the ready, I start a light sprint into the alley. Like running into a waterfall, the rain pummels against my hair and face. After several meters, the path forks and branches off into more alleys between various buildings. Navigating through the maze, I make my way down through the third ring of the district and enter the second.

  It’s down another long alleyway that I hear shouts and the clanking of armor from the adjacent backstreet. While separated by the structure, I can hear a few individuals hurrying towards an intersection ahead of me. Strangely though, the voices seem familiar.

  Hurrying down the alley, I approach the intersection guardedly before looking around the corner at the source. Devin, Abrax, and Tálir are rushing through the alleyway, covered in smudge and grime. A burned slash goes across Tálir’s chest and his helmet hasn’t retracted. By his sluggish state and seeing Abrax aid him, I surmise that his armor has been disabled. But by what?

  “Of all the days to take a kryo hit, this was the worst, Tálir!” Abrax yells as he’s seemingly helping Tálir jog through the pathway.

  “I thought I had him,” he says timidly in response. His voice echoes mechanically from under the helmet.

  Relieved to see them, I step out from behind the wall and into their alley. Practically skidding to a halt, the three react defensively.

  “SHIT!” Devin shouts in alarm. But upon seeing me, he’s quick to compose himself. “Oh, it’s just you, m’lady.”

  Tálir’s helmeted head cocks to one side. “What in the Hells are you doing here, Sarina?” Tálir asks angrily, but with a tinge of concern.

  “Long story,” I reply simply. I rest the bowrifle on my shoulder and size them up. “You guys look like you’ve seen better days.”

  “Less talk, more running!” Abrax grunts in apprehension. Though tough as nails, he’s also wary of pursuit. “We need to get to the gates before they—”

  “There they are!” someone shouts down the alley behind them.

  Four Imperial guards are rushing towards us nearly twenty meters away. Their bowrifles are brandished and ready to fire as they sprint—their boots making a clanking sound in the alley. Two more enter from an intersection to join the quartet. They all pause within fifteen meters and aim their rifles at us. I can tell they’ve spotted me, so I begin to back away in apprehension.

  “Take Lady Sarina into protective custody!” one of the Imperials shouts. “Do what you will with the others.”

  The words seem to echo within the alley. Rain pours from the gutters above us. There goes my cover.

  Tálir and Devin give me quick dumbfounded looks as we all break into a sprint away from the guards. Abrax uses his magic to shield us from a hail of bolts as we retreat.

  “Lady Sarina?” Tálir repeats in bewilderment.

  I look at him through his helmet visor and see the astonishment in his eyes. “Like I said,” I huff as we exit the alley into the market square. “It’s a long story.”

  Chapter 29: Tálir

  Lockdown

  LADY SARINA! I try to convince myself. Sarina is a royal of Z’hart.

  “Follow me!” Sarina shouts, leaping over some storage crates with ease. “I know a way for us to bypass the gates.”

  My armor is still in a state of sluggishness after Septem’s attack, but it no longer slows me as I run through the streets of Z’hart. After encountering Sarina in the back alley, we hastily made our way back to the outer quarter of the city. The six Imperials are hot on our tail though, likely drawn by Sarina’s escape from the Citadel. We could’ve fought them, but we’d lose our chance at escape. The capital is being locked down even as we speak and more Imperials are flocking to the chase. Centum is aware of our presence.

  Following Abrax and Sarina, I leap over the same crates as Devin follows behind me. We dodge through the small crowds, weaving and shoving our way to the gates. The wind has picked up and is blowing curtains of rain into our faces. My visor is shrouded with droplets. Stunbolts whiz past us and hit the metal of surrounding buildings. Devin ducks his head as he runs.

  I turn slightly as I run, attempting to unleash a Stream at the assailants. However, merely a flash of sparks erupts from my fingertips and I can feel the suit struggling to channel the energy. How’s it possible for the ruby kryo blast to cripple my armor for so long?

  Sarina, now alongside me, wheels around and quickly fires a few shots from her bowrifle. She doesn’t check to see if they make their mark, but I hear a thud
and a shout of pain seconds later. Weaving around and over various repulsorcarts, crates, and vending tables, we break through the merchant quarter and come upon the colossal gates of the city.

  The massive ore doors have been tightly closed in response to our flight. Looking back, I see a small battalion of Imperials charging after us. Nearly twenty of them. I start to panic. How are we going to escape? Sarina, however, doesn’t stop her pace and instead darts past the rest of us.

  “Follow me!” she says determinedly.

  We obey, and she leads us in quick flight along the perimeter of the wall as the guards atop attempt to aim at us. I glance up in apprehension and see rain and stunbolts precipitating from above. They fire blindly at us as Abrax generates a domed Shield above us like an umbrella—vaporizing the bolts.

  After running for several long minutes, Sarina halts in front of a protruding stone slab in the side of the fortification. Practically slamming her fist into it, the slab retracts and a small, stone door slides open. A passage is carved through the wall.

  “Ey, how’d you know it’d do that?” Devin calls as he rushes into the tunnel.

  “Being a royal earns you some escape secrets,” she replies simply.

  No one presses the matter as we hastily go through the escape tunnel and exit on the opposite side of the wall. Keeping us shielded, Abrax waits for Sarina to close the tunnel to prevent the Imperials from following. Bowrifle bolts hail from atop the wall as we abscond into the outskirts. Commoners flee around us. Sprinting as hard as I can, we enter the market square of the outskirts and manage to find cover from the surrounding shacks. However, we still aren’t fast enough.

  A patrol of six militia soldiers spread out in formation to block us from going further down the street. We halt abruptly as the guards ready their bowrifles. Sarina and I turn around to see three more approach us from behind. With the shacks flanking us, we have no escape.

  Abrax reloads his gauntlets and generates balls of green fire within his palms. “Let us pass,” he says simply, his voice flat and threatening.

  “Oh of course, be my guest,” one of them scoffs sardonically. “You fooled us once, former Suzerain, but not twice. Now stand down.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Abrax says as he steps forward. The guards aim their weapons.

  “Sarina,” I whisper, leaning towards her slightly. “How long will it take for the rest of the Imperials to get here?”

  She looks at me from the corner of her eye. Her rifle is aimed at the three guards on our flank. “Seven, maybe eight minutes,” she replies quietly before refocusing on the Imperials. “Depends on how motivated they are to find someone.”

  “Even with Abrax,” I say nervously. “I doubt we’d be able to take them all on without getting hit by a bolt. We could really use a distraction right about now.”

  In conjunction with my words, one of the guards is struck with an energy arrow and flung backwards. The other two guards jump in response and falter for a second—but it’s all we need.

  A stunbolt from Sarina’s bowrifle strikes another one of the militia guards—sending him into a spasm. As fast as I can, I focus my energy to 19% and manage to send a tangle of energy from my right hand. The Stream catches the last guard in the stomach and flings him backwards into a wooden crate. A relieved huff escapes me. Power’s back!

  Wheeling around, I see several things happening at once. Abrax has generated a larger discus Shield to block an incoming salvo of bowrifle bolts. Devin prepares to fling anther dagger. I hear the whine of a repulsor engine as I see Vyck, Aida, and Remus practically crash into the militia with their repulsorbikes. The shark-looking bike smashes into three of them. Those left standing divert their attention to their new assailants and prepare to fire a volley at them.

  Abrax takes the opportunity to dissipate the Shield and unleash various blasts of energy that fell two more of the guards. The three knocked over by Vyck’s bike slowly rise and start firing, not even paying attention to their weapon modes. Blue and red bolts fly in all directions. In a panic, I generate a flimsy Shield to block those heading my way. Bolts pound against the Shield as I strain to focus. My heart stops as I see a red bolt speeding towards Sarina.

  I’m still too sluggish to intercept the bolt, but I try nonetheless. Through the energy, I see Devin push Sarina to the ground as the red bolt grazes the right side of his face. Sparks fly and I see the flesh cauterized over his right eye. He yelps in pain and falls to the ground. I can see Vyck fighting furiously to come to the aid of his friend. Energy still whizzes in the air as Remus and Aida dispatch two more guards.

  My Shield is weak but I stand to guard Sarina and Devin as Vyck rushes towards us. Abrax reloads his gauntlets. The last guard takes advantage of this.

  Aiming swiftly, he fires two lethal bowrifle shots directly at Abrax. The bolts pierce directly through his breastplate covering the right side of his ribcage. I hear the energy sear flesh and bone as he gasps for breath and falls to one knee.

  My heart stops for a split second, and I feel a cold sensation of dread as my Shield crumbles.

  “ABRAX!” I shout, rushing to his side as I hear another energy arrow strike the final guard.

  Still on one knee and his head bowed low, I hear him struggling to breathe as he clutches the cauterized armor. Despite the heat of the energy, blood still dribbles from under his palm.

  “This is not how I expected today to go,” he grunts through clenched teeth.

  His breaths are rapid. I place my hand on his back and kneel down next to him. A wet cough escapes him. His armored hand presses against the wound, trying to prevent blood from leaking.

  I look up and see Vivían clambering down from a rooftop some thirty meters away while Remus and Aida rush to our aid. Pulling out some healing cream and a vial of painkiller, Aida attends to Abrax quickly. Vyck is at Devin’s side and starts examining his friend’s injury. Remus helps me lift Abrax to his feet, frightened concern on his face.

  “I hope these bikes are in good shape to make a quick escape!” I call over to Vyck.

  “No, we’ve just spent nearly five grand on some boning rust buckets!” he shouts back as he helps Devin to his feet. “Of course they’re ready for that!”

  “Make haste!” I hear Vivían call urgently. “We need to get out of here!”

  Nearly half a kilometer away, I can see the gates to the city open. Clanking armor echoes within the streets. The Imperials are hot on our tail. We’ve got maybe four minutes before they’re upon us. I can feel my heart pumping with apprehension.

  In our current state, there’s no way we can fight off anymore pursuers. We have to leave now.

  While sluggish, I help carry Abrax a few yards to where the repuslorbikes had crashed into the militia. Three meters long, the slender bikes hover a meter off the ground. Two directional steering vanes protrude from the front half a meter on two outriggers. Fin-like flaps protrude from their rears. The leather seats are designed to hold two. Four bikes and exactly two to ride on each.

  Everyone begins clambering unto their bikes as Vyck attaches our repulsorcart to the back of his. Vyck, Aida, Vivían, and I elect to drive while the others sit passenger. The old man strains and sits upon the passenger seat of my bike.

  “Abrax,” I say with distress as I mount the bike. “Are you going to be ok?”

  He shoots me an insulted look. “It’s going to take more than a few bowrifle bolts to keep me from getting to Providence.”

  I give him a respectful nod. He’s got a lot of fight left in him despite being shot. Relief tugs at me, but only for a moment. Even as we board our bikes, I see a small squad of Imperials rushing down the street. They’re about a hundred meters from us. We’re out of time.

  Everyone’s heads snap towards the source of the Imperials. Our repulsorbikes whine as the engines power up. The Imperials are in range. Some stop and take aim.

  “Let’s get the fragging Hells out of here!” Vyck exclaims, jerking the handlebar on hi
s bike. The bike rotates in place before zipping off towards the outer perimeter of the outskirts

  He doesn’t need to tell me twice.

  We all accelerate and twist our bikes around towards the exit of the outskirts. Rain pummels against my face as we speed away from the Imperials. Blue stunbolts zip past us as the first wave of Imperials fire upon us. My heart is pounding in my chest.

  The metal shacks are a blur as we race through the main street of the outskirts. Commoners scream and dodge out of the way. The bowrifle fire has ceased. Our repulsorbikes break free of the structures and into the open plains surrounding the capital. Lightning splits through the cloudy sky. Our bikes veer east and our current speed puts us nearly a kilometer away within a few minutes. Water dribbles from the metal hulls of the bikes as we pierce through the storm.