by CM Raymond
Hadley smiled, letting his white eyes show. “It’s not my fault you can’t block your mind.”
Karl grinned, then swung his staff so fast that Hannah could barely follow it. Hadley raised his own to block it, but he was too slow. Karl’s blow knocked him on his ass.
“Aye, ye may have access to my mind—but that don’t mean yer body is strong enough ta stop me attack.” Karl said. Then he lowered his hand and gave the mystic a boost up.
Hadley rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder. “I guess not.”
Karl cocked his head. “Ye know I hate yer mental mumbo-jumbo, but maybe it is stupid ta ignore it. Gods know yer a right shit fighter without it. Pick up yer staff—let’s do it again.”
Hannah turned from the sparring to look out over the side of the ship. As she did the thick cloud cover began to dissipate, and what she saw was breathtaking. Beyond the clouds, lush jungle stretched in every direction for miles. Even from a hundred feet in the air, it was like nothing she had ever seen before.
The emerald blanket spread toward a range of mountains to the east, their tops still covered in snow. To the west several large towers, like hers from the valley only much taller, disrupted the perfect landscape.
“Hey, listen up!” she yelled. “Full team meeting in ten minutes, right here. We’ve arrived.”
****
The Bitch and Bastard Brigade settled around Hannah on the deck. Aysa was still making fun of Hadley for his poor fighting form, but Hannah ignored them.
It was time to focus on the mission at hand.
She cleared her throat, and her team snapped to attention. “I’ve been thinking it over, and I’ve made my decision regarding how we’re going to divide the responsibilities. In those mountains,” she pointed, “are the crystals. Without them, the Oracle will be powerless in a matter of weeks. Karl, I expect your particular expertise will come into play there. Aysa, you’re going too.”
Hannah turned toward Gregory. “I’m putting you in charge, G. You’re running the show, and I expect you to stick to the plan as we discussed it. And that you’ll keep Aysa and Karl from killing each other in the process.” She could hear Gregory swallow hard from where she was sitting. “Remember what is at stake here.”
“You mean, like, the entire future of Irth?” Hadley quipped.
“Exactly.”
“That’s why you’re going with them, Hadley,” Hannah said. “They need a great fighter like you on the team.”
Parker cleared his throat. “Gregory’s going? What about the airship?”
Hannah shot him a look, wondering if he was questioning the call.
“This is serious, Parker.” She glared at him. “We need all boots on the ground, including Gregory’s.”
“It’s not a problem,” Gregory said. “Lilith helped me configure a way to raise and lower the ship remotely. Once we’ve landed, I can send Unlawful back into the sky—probably about a hundred feet—and call her back down when we’re ready for her. She will be safe and sound, out of reach of anything the mountains might hold.”
Parker tilted his head and nodded as he inspected the small black box in Gregory’s hand. “Nice. Can you make one that fetches me an ale?”
“Working on it.” Gregory smiled. “For some reason Hannah said that was a lower priority.”
“And now I do question her judgement,” Parker responded.
Hannah glared again, then returned her gaze to the team. “Parker, Laurel, and I will be dropping into the forest from here to find this ancient technology, and you will fly back here to pick it and us up. Hadley and I will communicate about the rendezvous point.” Sal raised his head and growled. “Yes, you too, you insecure little lizard.”
Sal whipped his tongue out and curled up into a ball.
“Ten coins and a gallon of ale says we make it first,” Parker said.
A smile stole Hadley’s face. “You’re on, Arcadian.”
Laurel shook her head. “You boys make everything a competition.”
“Outside the Dark Forest,” Parker replied, “everything is a competition.” He glanced at Hadley. “Let’s do this.” The mystic nodded back.
“Airship leaves in an hour,” Gregory said.
“Nice,” Parker added. “We leave in fifteen minutes.”
The crew scampered in every direction, readying themselves for the journeys awaiting them.
Hannah grabbed Karl by the sleeve before he could leave.
“Listen… Gregory is running the show. He is damned good with logistics and can think his way through almost anything, but if shit goes sideways out there I’m counting on you to see it through.”
Karl’s face grew serious and he gave her a little bow. “It’s a good call. The boy needs more leadership experience—it’ll put hair on his chest. And of course I’ll keep those damn kids safe. I won’t let you down,” he said as he turned and headed off to gather his things.
Hannah smiled as she watched him go. She had the best damned team in the world. She thought about Ezekiel and how the old man had really known what he was doing when he pulled them together. She hoped he was enjoying his rest in New Romanov.
****
Ezekiel was a fundamentally good man. He worked hard to empathize with creatures large and small, but he drew a firm line when it came to remnant.
He wasted no time trying to parlay with the marauders. The way they were brandishing their weapons made it clear they had come for one thing, and one thing only.
Dinner.
The old man had spent decades travelling Irth, and he had seen this scourge at almost every corner. They were a parasite, able to adapt to almost any climate and willing to kill anything they could get their hands on.
He was happy to return the favor.
A small remnant ran ahead of the group with a large blade in each hand. He charged headlong toward Ezekiel, relishing the opportunity for an easy kill. It was the last mistake he ever made.
Ezekiel, with a speed that would have been impressive even for a younger man, raised his oak staff high above his head. As he did, his eyes flashed red and he channeled power into his weapon. The molecules of wood rearranged themselves, and the staff turned to pure granite.
It arced down like a meteor, flattening the remnant as if he were an insect.
The rest of the horde—a dozen at least—slowed and circled Ezekiel. He smiled. The remnant were smart enough to learn from their comrade’s mistake, but not smart enough to abandon their foolish attack.
Ezekiel smiled. There were many ways he could dispatch the rest, but this was no mere fight. It was an object lesson, and his students were watching. He needed to fight in a way they could emulate. Fire and frost would have been his go-to, but his students leaned more toward the skills they had developed around the home. It was his job to turn that everyday magic into something lethal.
That was fine by him. It meant this would be hands-on.
The largest remnant spit, then yelled, “I promise you, old man, your death will be slow.”
“I guarantee yours will be fast,” Ezekiel shouted back. His staff had become wood again and he was spinning it in front of him casually.
That was all the goading they needed.
They charged as one, less as a coordinated attack and more from common bloodlust overtaking them.
Ezekiel swept a hand forward and the two knives once held by the dead remnant at his feet took flight, sinking into two unarmored chests. Many of his students were adept at telekinesis, so he decided to repeat the process. He pulled his hand back to remove the blades from the chests and snapped it forward again, skewering two more.
Before he got in a third pass, the enemy reached him.
Ezekiel was a blur, parrying and counterattacking with his walking-stick-turned-death-club. He used magical shields and telekinesis to keep from being overwhelmed. Only once did he use a fireball, but he told himself that it wouldn’t have been a good lesson if it didn’t include some fireworks.
Finally only the remnant leader was left.
“Looks like you didn’t bring enough creeps,” Ezekiel said, gesturing at his handiwork. He half-expected the beast to run, but this one apparently had death on his mind.
He roared and charged forward with his axe at the ready.
Ezekiel used his staff to block the overhead swing, then ducked and swept low, breaking the remnant’s ankles. Before the creature hit the ground, Ezekiel’s staff was in motion again. He stabbed downward, piercing the remnant’s armor and chest, embedding his staff into the ground beneath him.
The red in the remnant’s eyes faded as Ezekiel’s grew brighter. At his urging the thick grass rose around the body, pulling it into the dirt.
Ezekiel rose to his feet, pleased that all memory of the foul creature would be wiped from the land.
He turned toward his students, who had erupted into cheers.
****
“That was fine work you did, old friend.” Olaf was beaming as he stood next to Ezekiel. They watched as the new recruits cleared away the bodies.
“It feels good to stretch my muscles every now and again. But tell me, do the remnant attack here often?”
Olaf shrugged. “Too often. Never in a force larger than what you saw here today. Most of them make do with pillaging small villages in the area. The smart ones know to stay away from here—away from the bear-man. These must not have been the cream of the crop.”
“Or they were new to the area,” Mika said as she stepped forward. “Take a look at the marking on this shield. I’ve never seen it before.”
She handed the dirty piece of iron to Olaf, who turned it over in his hands. “You’re right. This is new to me as well.”
“Is it from Archangelsk?” Ezekiel asked.
“It’s possible,” Olaf replied. “This region is large, and I confess I haven’t spent much time beyond the walls of New Romanov. With the constant threat of attack from the Skrima I couldn’t risk it. But maybe that has changed.”
Mika looked at him with a sly grin across her face. “What do you mean?”
Olaf shook his head. “I’d rather not say, not until I’ve spent some time thinking about it and consulting with Lilith. It might be nothing.” The large man turned and left, heading back toward the city.
“He’s as quiet as ever,” Ezekiel said.
Mika laughed. “That’s an understatement. I cannot get him to open up about his past life at all, or his past loves…although I’m willing to wager there’s quite a story there.”
The way she said it hinted that she was hoping Ezekiel could fill in some of the gaps.
He held up his hands in defense. “Well, it’s not a story you’re going to hear from me. I’d rather face three dozen remnant than one angry Olaf.”
“You might get that chance soon enough. If these remnant really are from outside the region, it could mean more are on their tail.”
Ezekiel nodded. “Then we’d better train our people faster. Next time, I say we give them a live run.”
Mika smiled. “Good! I was worried your presence here would take away all the fun.”
“Trust me,” he said. “Wherever I go, fun is sure to follow.”
CHAPTER SIX
“Let’s move, let’s move,” Hadley shouted. Gregory scrambled out of sight belowdecks.
“They’re not even on the ground yet,” Aysa said, watching Parker and Laurel shinny down the ropes.
“Aye, exactly,” Karl snorted. “All’s fair, lass, when there’s a bet on the line. And since Parker has Princess Magic, the woods-woman, and the damn lizard on their side, we need all the advantage we can get.”
The minute their comrades’ boots hit jungle dirt Unlawful pushed on in the direction of the mountain. Aysa commented on how she hoped that Gregory knew what he was doing, and although none of them would have said it aloud, they all agreed. The clouds were as thick as the chowder at Sully’s Tavern, and they worried about the mountain range appearing out of nowhere, or worse, one of the mighty skyscrapers of this strange land.
A gentle rain started to fall, and Karl cursed the place.
“It’s a jungle, rearick. Better get used to it,” Aysa said with a grin.
“Jungle. Like that means anythin’ ta me.” He wrung out his beard with both hands. “Scheisse, I’ll take the cold any day.”
“You just might get it, you dour bastard,” Hadley said, motioning ahead.
They both turned and watched as the lower layer of clouds burned completely off, revealing the lower reaches of the mountains they were looking for. Aysa’s mouth dropped open as she took in the fine demarcation where the perfectly green canopy of jungle terminated at the rocky base of the mountains. Ledges and nooks were spotted with pines.
“Scheisse, they’re beautiful. Almost feels like home.” Karl gave Hadley a nod, and the mystic couldn’t help but return a smile. They were all homesick for the Arcadian Valley, but it was nice for the two of them to catch a little glimpse of something familiar. “But the old Oracle must not be so perfect after all. This range’s got nothin’ on the Heights. They’re the biggest damn mountains ever. Makes yer bumps near Baseek look like molehills, Aysa.”
Aysa nudged Karl with her elbow. “Just wait, tiny.”
Belowdecks Gregory shifted the controls, and the airship’s nose tilted upward. He pushed it through the rainclouds, trying to gain more visibility. Their cloaks became drenched as the ship lurched through the humid sky, but eventually it broke through the cottony clouds into the blinding sun.
As their eyes adjusted, Hadley spoke first. “Yeah, Karl… I love the Heights as much as the next mystic, but they don’t have shit on this.”
Before them a mountain range like nothing that they’d ever seen spread in every direction. The mountains were massive, and they rolled on forever.
“Damn,” Aysa wheezed. “She said that Kaskara had the highest peak in our known world, but I didn’t expect this. Karl, makes you feel kind of little, doesn’t it?”
“Screw ye, ye long one-armed freak. I’m havin’ a moment here.” His mouth went back to gaping.
Gregory slowed the airship and brought it closer to the peaks. Crisp air surrounded them as they realized they were likely higher in altitude than they’d ever been before. The air was thin, but still breathable. That was when they realized that these majestic peaks weren’t even the highest. Lilith had warned them not to go too far in, or they might suffer from oxygen deprivation.
“There,” Hadley shouted, pointing at a set of jagged rocks sticking out toward the west like wolf’s teeth.
“Uh, guys,” Aysa said. “Is that what I think it is?”
She pointed at what could only be buildings—houses maybe—in the rocks near their destination.
You got this, Gregory? Hadley asked in the engineer’s head.
Already on it!
The Unlawful cut hard right, nearly bowling its passengers over. Hadley ran to the stern and stared at the structures, and his eyes turned pure white as he scanned the area for mental energy.
“Pickin’ up anything?” Karl asked.
“Yeah. There’s something.” Hadley placed his fingers on his temple and grimaced. “There’s some sentient being there, but I’m sensing almost nothing. Like it’s incredibly dull or something… Maybe unthinking altogether.”
“Scheisse! Are you sure?”
Hadley turned to Karl, his eyes back to normal. “Oh, shit, my bad. I was just reading you, rearick.”
Aysa doubled over laughing as Karl’s face turned bright red. “Damn good for nothin’ mystics! I oughta…”
Karl continued to swear at Hadley, but he couldn’t be heard over the laughter.
****
Parker let go of the rope a few feet from the ground. His boots met the surface and sank in a few inches, and moisture seeped through the cracks in the leather. Although it was the middle of the day it was nearly as dim as twilight. Sunlight struggled to trickle through the thick canopy overhead.
&
nbsp; Laurel was already on the ground, knees in the soft wet turf. Her eyes glowed green and her hands were splayed on the surface beneath. After a moment of silence she looked up at him, her eyes dimming to their normal shade.
"What are your friends telling you?" Parker asked.
She looked at him and grimaced. "Not much. This is a wildly different environment than I’m used to.” She shook her head and shrugged. “It will take some time for me to properly acquaint myself."
Parker cocked his head to the side. "I still don’t really get that."
Laurel stood and brushed the dirt from her knees. "The only way I can explain it is like this… Think about how you know people in the Boulevard."
Parker's mind drifted back to his home and the people who walked its streets every day. He thought about his relationships; some of them quite close, others distant, but still existing. Everything about the Boulevard—every inch of the cobblestones, every face he passed on the street—was utterly familiar to him. "Okay."
"If you came upon someone in the Boulevard, even somebody you didn't know personally, you’d probably be able to read them, right?"
Parker nodded. “Sure. We share a lot in common.”
"Okay," Laurel continued, "now what about people in the Noble Quarter?"
Parker was starting to understand what she was getting at. "Some of them I could, but most of them—I guess they’d all just fade into each other. Those noble bastards were all pretty much the same to me. At least back then they were."
Laurel shrugged. "I guess it's sort of like that. I can commune with the nature I know. My magic gains its power from the same kind of familiarity. Ezekiel tried to explain it to me once, but I didn't quite get it. It has something to do with the power in me connecting with the natural world I know intimately. The more I get to know it, the better I can connect. I could go a hundred miles from the Dark Forest, and if the natural world were familiar I could still connect with it." She looked around and waved at the foreign trees of the jungle. "But this… It's something completely different."
Parker nodded. "Well, I hope you get cozy with them soon."
"Don’t worry," she said with a wry smile. “I can be...persuasive. Just ask Gregory.”