by Charley Case
Finn’s rage gripped hold of him as Fragar’s razor edge took the merc’s leg clean off. The man missed the chance to scream, as Finn removed his head with a backswing. That was two down in a matter of seconds.
A rifle butt slammed into his face, and Finn went to one knee. A second blow to the back of his head made him go down on his left hand. The pain didn't register, just a dull thump in the back of his perception, yet the angle afforded him a view of Mila being hauled up, her hands tied behind her back.
Finn saw red.
He tried to summon his magic, but the rage kept it out of reach.
A third blow struck his shoulder. Finn ignored it. He began taking deep, slow breaths.
The men continued hammering at him, but Finn’s internal war took his entire focus. He slowed his heart and let his mind calm despite his boiling blood. The rage started to change, and then his body changed. He focused on his breath. Somehow he knew it wasn't enough.
Not knowing what to do, he spoke to the rage directly. You are mine. I am not controlled by you. You bow to my authority. You will conform.
A second or two passed. His heart kept slowing, but his power remained. His mind cleared, yet retained its savage edge.
Finn opened his eyes and focused on the ground behind Mila. He manifested his will into form. Moments ago, his magic was out of reach. His mind stretched for it, rebelling at the very concept of using magic while in a rage.
He pushed through. “Colún cloiche. Coinnigh í” he roared with a war cry, his fist slamming the snowy earth.
An earth and granite pillar erupted from the ground beneath the merc who’d been forcing Mila toward the helicopter. It arose with such speed, it punched him into the air, tearing free his grasp on Mila.
The man catapulted forty feet into the air. The mercs stopped pounding on Finn and observed their screaming comrade fly over the side of the precipice.
Finn struck the merc in front of him with an uppercut from Fragar. The blade passed through the man’s forearm, and the merc stared incredulously at the stump of his arm as it geysered blood. He then screamed and drew the rest of his comrades’ attentions back to Finn.
The earth shook a split second before the ground shot upward behind Mila and took her captor with it. Considering how tight the man gripped the shoulder of her coat, she thought she was going with him into the air. To her surprise, she felt her feet lock into a pair of stone arches that had formed at the same time as the erupting column.
His hold on her wrenched free by his own momentum, the merc arced over the edge of the cliff. Her heart pounded as she assessed the situation and stepped out of the stone loops.
She observed Finn slice the arm off one of his attackers. Then she headed straight for the man holding the net with Penny tangled in it. He was aiming a pistol at Finn's back. Mila caught Penny's eye, surprised the tiny dragon had come to so fast. Penny winked and sucked in a breath.
The sound alerted the merc. Rather than pull the trigger, he glanced at Penny, who unleashed a stream of dragonfire across his arm and face. He screamed and flailed, backpedaling and trying to put the flames out.
Mila body-checked him from behind, and they all tumbled to the ground. He was preoccupied with the flames and didn’t pay her any heed. Penny had come loose, and Mila rolled away and maneuvered her arms to snatch Penny up while still ziptied and the dragon still inside the net. Thankfully, the dragon was light.
Mila bolted for the car while one of Penny's claws poked out of the net and sawed through the zipties. Her hands suddenly and unexpectedly free, Mila stumbled but regained her balance. She knelt and started to unwrap the dragon, who writhed with the need to get back into the fight.
“Stop moving! I can't get this loose if you keep going crazy!”
The dragon calmed, and Mila took the last loop free. The net fell away in a tangled mess. Penny shot straight up into the air and soared for Finn. Mila saw the two remaining mercs, one of whom lacked an arm, leap into the Black Hawk as it lifted, then slid over the open air and beyond the cliff.
Mila gazed around and did a quick count. Six bodies. Well, six and an eighth, after she included the severed arm at Finn's feet.
She fell onto her butt and brushed wet hair away from her face. “What the hell was that?” she said to herself.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Despite the rage boiling in his core, for the first time, Finn was thinking clearly as it flowed through him. He watched the Black Hawk descend into the clouds, the whump-whump of its rotor fading. For a few seconds, there was no sound whatsoever, and he took a deep breath to release the rage. It lumbered deep into his body like a bear off to hibernate in its cave.
A sensation of letting go, rather than having escaped the bear’s clutches, felt refreshing, even liberating.
Penny landed on his shoulder and placed her small clawed hand on his temple. She pulled it back in surprise when she didn't sense his post-battle frenzy. The dragon cocked her head at him. “Shir?”
He smiled. “I tried Rolf’s breathing technique. I think I might keep that up.”
She raised an eye ridge.
Finn laughed. “I’ll tell you later.” He spotted Mila sitting in the snow and rushed to her side. “Are you okay? Did my magic hurt you?”
She shook her head and returned to the present. “No, that was awesome. Ripped the guy right off me, then I was able to get Penny free.” She glanced around the carnage and back at him. “Considering this fucking mess, hell, I’m shipshape.”
He took her hand and helped her to her feet. She wiped wet snow from her butt and legs and marched toward a snow bank.
“What are you doing?” Finn asked her.
“Getting Gram. I dropped it in the fight.” She knelt and rummaged in the snow until she pulled her hand out, Gram in her grip. She whispered the power word, and the sword folded into the handle. She stowed it at the small of her back and smiled woodenly at Finn. “Ready.”
He gripped her shoulders and made her look at him. “You’re scaring me, Mila. Are you sure you weren’t hurt?”
She deflated in his grip and sighed. “I guess that was just really close. The other times, we’ve had a pretty easy way of it, but a fucking military chopper full of fucking trained soldiers? The only reason we got out of this is because they had no idea about magic. What if next time a trained group of Kashgar come after us instead of humans? I’m no use to you guys. I’m a liability.”
He shook his head. “Where is this all coming from?”
She pulled out the Ivar pistol. “I tried to use it. Nothing. Then I went after them with Gram, and they took me down after the first swing.”
Finn grabbed the gun and examined it while Penny hopped onto Mila’s shoulder and began rubbing the top of her head and cooing.
“Two things. First, you freed Penny during the fight. Nobody did that but you. And that’s a hell of a lot more than nothing. We owe you.”
Mila shook her head. “The fight was over by the time I got her free.”
“You didn't know that. If one of those guys had taken me down with their initial barrage, it would have made a huge difference.” He waved a hand back and forth. “It doesn't matter how this turned out, you fought and freed your comrade during that fight. We should all have that kind of bravery and tenacity.”
Mila harrumphed and crossed her arms, but she didn't argue. “What’s the second thing?”
He handed her the pistol and pointed to a switch on the back. “You had the safety on.”
She stared at the gun, then glared at him. “You didn't tell me it has a safety.”
He shrugged. “Honestly, I didn't know until I looked.” He perked up at the distant sound of sirens and glanced toward the road. It was clear of cars, but that wouldn’t last. “We need to get out of here. You good to drive?”
Knowing the gun didn’t fire because of a technical issue rather than her lack of magic, Mila brightened. She reached around and clicked the Ivar into its holster. “Yeah, we don
't want to be anywhere near here.”
“You get enough stretching in?” Finn asked with a smile as he opened the car door for her.
Mila rolled her eyes. “Not only did I stretch, I got a workout in, too.”
Finn watched the road ahead for flashing lights. Three oncoming SUVs labeled State Highway Patrol moved at a pretty good clip considering the conditions, heading toward the pulloff battleground they’d left behind. He didn't envy them. After the shock wore off, he wondered how their paperwork would explain finding six-and-an-eighth well-armed mercenaries sprawled dead in red-stained snow.
On the next switchback, they passed over top of the Berthound Pass Trailhead pulloff. Looking down, Finn saw dozens of flashing lights and several patrol cars.
They continued up the mountain in silence until Finn pulled out a box of Charleston Chews and shook a few into his hand. He offered the box to Mila, who shook her head. “I can’t eat yet. I’m still too worked up.”
“I get it. That was some shit.” He handed what was left to Penny.
“They’re going to keep coming, aren’t they?” Mila asked him.
Finn nodded. “And they’re going to get better and be better equipped, too, as the price goes up. I tried to get Hellena to drop it, but she’s determined.”
Mila peered at him, confusion on her face. “Hellena? Who’s that?”
“The Dark Star. Her name’s Hellena.” He fidgeted upon realizing he hadn't told her about the call. Things had been busy after all.
“And how do you know that? Isn’t her identity some big secret or something?”
Finn gave her a weak smile. “She called my phone this morning.”
Mila blinked at him, looked back at the road, and blinked again. “She called you? She has your number? That doesn't worry you?”
“I mean, it wasn't the highlight of my day.”
“Oh, really? What trumps getting a call from the woman trying to kill us as the highlight of your day?”
Finn thought about that as he tossed another chew in his mouth. “To be honest, so far the highlight was getting to watch you stretch when we got out of the car. You know, before the attack.”
They passed a slow-moving car, and Finn watched Mila, worried what she would say next. He was joking about the stretching thing, but he should have told her about the call. To be honest, he didn't know why he hadn't. That wasn't true. He didn't want to tell her Hellena put a bounty on his friends as motivation for him to join her.
Suddenly, Mila laughed. “Watching me stretch was more impressive than a call from the Dark Star.” She gave him a sidelong grin. “Hey, I work hard for this caboose, man.”
“And it’s appreciated. In general, I mean. I don't think you keep it,” he waved a hand around vaguely, “tight, for my sake.” He put his head in his hand and sighed. “Why is talking to you so hard?”
Penny perched in between them, grinning like she was enjoying her favorite soap opera. She reached into the box of Chews without taking her eyes off them.
Mila chuckled and patted Finn’s knee while she kept her eyes on the road. “It’s fine. We ripped the dating Band-Aid off last night, and now the wound is a little raw.” She considered that, then added, “Of course, maybe analogizing our relationship to a wound isn’t the best choice.”
He snorted, then said, “Sorry I didn't tell you. About the call. She made some threats about you and pretty much everyone around me, and I didn't want to scare you. You have enough to deal with.”
“Oh, please. She can't threaten us anymore than she has already. I mean, there’s a pretty hefty bounty on my head already. Speaking of, how do we get rid of those? I would like to be able to walk down the street again someday.”
Finn puffed out his cheeks and exhaled. “Either get her to take it down or make her take it down.” He nodded, thinking it through. “Or, you know, we can kill her. If there’s no one to ante up, there’s no more bounty hunters.”
She frowned. “Was that, like, an apple-a-day pun?”
“A what?”
“Never mind.” Mila shook her head, a smile on her face. “I wonder if those guys are going to report back to the Dark…Hellena. If so, it could mean trouble if she knows we’re heading to the lake. Maybe we should let Danica know to watch out for trouble.”
“Danica is in the safest place in Colorado right now. Well, maybe the safest private residence. Actually, the second safest private—”
“I get it. The cabin is warded to hell and back. That’s all fine and dandy, but it only keeps her safe if she stays indoors.”
“She teleported up. No one knows she’s there. She’ll be fine. Besides, we told her not to go out.” Finn fetched a can of Pringles from the plastic bag with all their road trip supplies. “Now, let’s see what all the fuss is with these stackable chips.”
“Five bucks says you get ten chips in then rip the can in half. No way you’re getting those big fingers in there without crushing ‘em.”
“I’ll have you know I have slender fingers.” He waggled them in front of his face.
Mila raised both eyebrows. “You call those slender? I’ve eaten hotdogs daintier than those things.”
“Well, they’re slender for a dwarf,” he said before reaching into the can and crushing the top chip. “Ah, fuck.”
Penny laughed and nearly choked on a Chew.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Hellcat rumbled to a stop at the first intersection off the highway that led into the town of Grand Lake, presenting a distant view of the idyllic snow-covered buildings lining Main Street.
Mila leaned on the steering wheel and scanned the street. “Not many people around.”
“It’s pretty cold out. Maybe they’re all inside.”
She shook her head. “I doubt it. This place is usually packed with people coming up for ice fishing. The lake froze over more than a month ago, but I don't see all that many huts out there.” She pointed where the land sloped to a frozen lake surrounded by white mountains. Finn could pick out small huts and tents dotting the frozen surface, but it wasn't crowded by any means. “Plus, there’s cabins and the nearby hot springs that bring in vacationers as soon as the snow starts falling.” She bit her lip, tapping the gas to roll into town proper. “Something’s off. Do you feel, like, a heaviness in the air?”
Finn cocked an eyebrow. Now that she pointed it out, he did feel something magical in nature going on. If Mila felt it too, that meant she was connecting to her peabrain for sure. Even if it was a tiny bit, he was happy to know the circlet hadn't burned her out.
Penny climbed up from Finn's lap onto the dashboard and checked things out with a wary eye. She was far more sensitive to magic than either of them. Unlike most magicals, dragons were sensitive enough to pick out what spell was being used half the time.
The magical pressure grew as they got closer to town. By the time they approached a large wooden sign that read Welcome to Grand Lake, Finn's brain ached. Mila rolled past the sign and, suddenly, the pressure vanished.
“Uh…what happened?” Mila looked around. “The feeling of dread just…disappeared.”
“Squee krii. Shir, chi chi,” Penny said.
“She says a spell is covering the entire town,” Finn translated.
“Is that a big deal? From the looks on your faces, that’s a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal. A continuous spell of this magnitude requires a tremendous amount of power. An unbelievable amount.”
Mila’s face showed signs of worry. “Are we in trouble here?”
Finn shook his head. “We’re okay. The spell is meant to keep people away. To a nonmagical, the sense of dread would be so potent most people would turn around.” He glanced at Mila. “I guess we know why there aren’t a lot of people here. It looks like the Dark Star is driving them away.”
They rolled through the main drag and headed toward the road that circled around the lake. Even in the heart of town, they only spied the occasional person, and most of them had
the look of locals.
“Is there a military base around here?” Finn asked.
“No. I don't think so. Why?” Mila was reading the names of the shops.
Finn pointed to a pair of black, military-style Humvees parked on the street in front of a building with a sign that read The Worlds End Brewpub and Inn.
“Those look like private military,” Mila said.
Finn sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Looks like Hellena has this place locked down more than we thought.”
“What does that mean for us?” Mila turned off the main drag, which Finn noticed was fittingly called Grand Avenue.
“It means she’s not fucking around with the Anthem. I was hoping we could disable the ship and come back for it later. If she’s putting these kinds of resources into it, there is no way she’ll consider slinking away with her tail between her legs.” He gave Penny a serious look. “We may have to blow the ship up. We can't let her get it running, and I don't see how we can steal it back.”
Penny frowned but nodded. “Chi.”
Finn watched the smoke ring rising from her nostril and held out a fist for her to bump. “What the hell, right? It’s not like we were ever going to leave here, were we?”
Penny smiled and bumped his fist.
Everything from little shacks to sprawling mansions lined the winding road circling the lake. Every one wanted a piece of the lake for themselves and squeezed in wherever they could. Many of the homes were empty vacation getaways, but a few had lights on and smoke coming out of the chimneys.
Finn saw why the area drew so many people. It was stunning. The tall mountain peaks and forest surrounded them in every direction with the pristine glacial lake at the center. He would like to come back in the summer to see how it looked without a fluffy layer of snow hiding much of it.