Mari handed out harnesses and helped everyone cinch in. “We’re going to slip-line out of here. The rest of my men are standing by at the AirWagon.”
Selah shook her head vigorously. “I don’t like this idea. The line hasn’t been tested. We could hurtle to our deaths—”
“I’ve done this countless times, especially in the winter when the snows make ground navigation impossible,” Mari said as she climbed the ladder.
Selah glanced at her mother. Pasha seemed a little pale, but Dane was excited and ready. She helped them climb to the platform above the roof. Bodhi and Mojica brought up the rear. Thankfully the fall display of color obscured them from the ground.
Mari tested the connection and wrapped a security strap around the trunk. “I’m going to go across first—”
“I’ve done this before, and I’d prefer for Selah’s safety that I go first, then Pasha, Dane, and Selah, with Bodhi and you bringing up the rear in case there’s a problem,” Mojica said.
Mari shrugged. “Okay, that sounds logical. You’ll be casting at a hundred-degree angle for about half a click. It will drop you to the trees beside the AirWagon where my men are waiting.” She glanced down through the tree branches. “We’d better go before they figure out what we’re doing.”
Mojica snapped her harness onto the line and pushed off. Selah’s breath caught as she watched her quickly disappear into the trees. It was hard to believe this was safe. All she heard was the hiss of the linkage as it slid swiftly along the wire.
Pasha linked next. Selah kissed her on the cheek and pushed her off the landing. So far, so good. The crowd below hadn’t noticed.
Bodhi hooked Dane to the line. Selah bent over and kissed him on the forehead. “Now remember, be very quiet so those men below don’t see you go.” Dane nodded. Selah pulled in a breath and pushed her little brother off the platform. His lighter size helped him travel the line faster than the rest. She had to trust that Mari knew what she was doing.
Selah snapped her linkage on the line. Mari checked it and hugged her. “We’ll be out of here in real short order. Go.”
Suddenly Selah was flying through the air. The pounding of her heart blocked any other sound she might have heard on the way. Tree branches and trunks rushed at her. At first she tried to put her hands out to fend off approaching trees, but she zipped right past them with distance to spare. She remembered that the others had come before her, so unless she saw them splattered on the way, the route was clear. She closed her eyes at the disturbing thought but swiftly opened them from speeding, weightless fright.
Well, this wasn’t so bad. Her hands held the loop in a death grip, but her heartbeat slowed down.
The fear subsided. She leaned her head back and let the wind caress her hair like a thousand fingers running through it. She watched the canopy of colored leaves sliding by in the dusk. Farther ahead, the moon came from behind a cloud and streamed brightly through the trees, illuminating the AirWagon at the end. The ground rose to meet her as the line straightened. Two men standing on either side grabbed the straps of her harness and brought her to a stop.
“Move away, please,” the man on the right said as he unhooked her and tossed the harness in one swift movement.
Selah stepped away and turned as Bodhi zipped into view, followed by Mari.
When Mojica saw Selah, she hopped into the navigator seat and fired up the AirWagon. Selah hurried Pasha and Dane into seats as Bodhi and Mari climbed inside and closed the canopy. With her family seated, she hugged Bodhi again. Her arms shook from both the slip-line experience and the fear draining away.
“You sure you’re all right?” Bodhi held her at arm’s length.
Selah pretended to be insulted and pulled away with a laugh. She hadn’t noticed before now that Bodhi and Mari carried bags of gear. “What’s all that?”
Mari held up her bag. “I’ve got the SensiNet mobile links, and Bodhi’s carrying an operating module and controller. Glade made me dedicate years of studies to this technology, and what happened today should have been impossible. I’ll figure it out, but for now let’s leave here with all haste and discuss it later.”
Mojica punched the thrusters. The AirWagon lifted from the ground and turned east into the darkness.
With the magnetic canopy closed for the night, sound was magnified in the silence, so Selah directed Bodhi to the back row to give their conversation a little privacy.
She yanked him down on the seat beside her. “Tell me what’s going on. I know Taraji wouldn’t go off like that and not leave at least one tactical to help Mojica. And taking Treva . . . well, that’s just craziness.”
Bodhi looked over Selah’s shoulder, then put his head close to her ear. “The dead bandits back there—they’re blood hunters.”
Selah sat up straight. “They all had tattoos?”
“Yes, and one of them was dying in the field. Mari gave him a mushroom concoction to alleviate his pain, and it did, but it also made him very talkative before he died. The blood hunters have technology to destroy Glade’s final project.”
Selah leaned forward. “What final project? Why do you know this stuff and I don’t?”
“Mari had already gotten your bullet out and came out to help with the dying guy when we found out. Taraji was in charge of a special transport Glade had commissioned for traveling west. It was funded over the years by agreeable factions like the Kinship and was being built at a covert installation between here and TicCity.”
“You still haven’t told me why Taraji and Treva left.” Selah was nervous about the answer. “I don’t believe what they told me when I woke up.”
“That was a cover story,” Bodhi said. “Mari figured they might have bugged her house while she was gone, and we didn’t want any splinter sympathizers to know the real plan.”
Selah felt that funnel effect again. Too much information to process. “Why do we need a cover story?”
“The dying bandit seemed quite happy that the rest of his clan had deserted the battle with us to put the next part of their plan into motion. They know where the transport base is and were on their way to destroy the transport so you wouldn’t be able to reach the West.”
Selah hitched a nervous smile. “Well, that goes to show how far-fetched their plans are. We could just take AirWagons.”
Bodhi leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Selah didn’t like that position. Bodhi only did that when he was talking serious.
“No, actually, we can’t take AirWagons. They don’t have the battery backup or storage or people capacity for that length of trip. That’s why there were only the six of us left and no tacticals. Taraji calculated that together we were the maximum weight one vehicle could carry and get us away from here at a reasonable speed,” Bodhi said.
“So that’s why Treva’s gone too?”
“Yes. She’ll be with Taraji. They needed a couple vehicles to move the wounded directly to TicCity and then more vehicles for the tactical force to go to the transport’s defense. They just couldn’t afford to leave another vehicle so we could keep more people.”
Selah’s thoughts moved ahead to formulate an alternate plan. “With an AirWagon, the more weight, the lower they travel and the slower they go—”
“Don’t think about that now,” Bodhi said. “We’re to meet Taraji outside TicCity and we’ll find out then if they saved the transport.”
“We need to start thinking of another plan.” Selah started considering travel ideas.
“There are no other plans that can get the whole group of us there on time.”
“I’m sure if we put our ideas together we’ll come up with something.” She pursed her lips.
“Both Mojica and I have thought about it since we found out. There are so many things Glade seemed to know that we’re only finding out in stages. I’m afraid to deviate from his original plan for fear of causing a catastrophic event,” Bodhi said.
“If we get to TicCity and don’t have the transpor
t, we need to at least have an alternate.”
Bodhi rubbed his chin. “Pasha and Mari have been frantically studying Glade’s documents. Now that we have an idea of the time and distance we need to travel, Taraji and Mojica agree—we have no option but to travel above the terrain. There is no other vehicle except this new transport that is powerful enough. We planned on taking a full complement of tactical fighters for protection, but even this transport will only travel fast enough if we have a bare-bones crew and no tacticals.”
Selah tensed. “No tacticals? Are we taking Mojica and Taraji?”
“Yes, but we’ve had to scale back a lot of the equipment we had planned to take, otherwise we won’t make it to the West before—”
“The bottom line is,” Selah said, cutting him off, “if they don’t save the transport, we don’t go.”
1
September 25
Selah launched herself from the back of the AirWagon and landed with catlike grace in a crouch behind it. Her long, dark brown ponytail swung across her shoulders as she inspected the area side to side. Her breathing played catch-up to her runaway heartbeat. She had no fear for herself but was scared for her mother and Dane as they hid inside the vehicle.
She slowed her breathing and concentrated on the directions of the shots. The serenity of the sun-drenched morning fled with the departing songbirds.
A barrage of weapons fire lit up the side of a nearby boulder, bathing it in starbursts and scarring its surface with white streaks as it propelled bits of chiseled stone in her direction. She ducked around the back of the AirWagon and pressed herself against the side.
The sound was unmistakable. Bullets. They’d been worried about another ambush on the way back to TicCity from WoodHaven since they hadn’t made contact with Taraji yet. Selah was just beginning to relax as they reached the final mile into town.
A bullet ricocheted off a tree stump, bit the dirt in front of her feet, and sent up a burst of dust. She flinched. “Somebody tell me where they are and give me a weapon!” Her energy-thrusting skills were great for physical combat but lousy against lasers and bullets.
When their caravan cleared the forested bend in the road, Selah stood to survey the area. Gunfire slammed into her weapon, jerking it from her hands. Selah spun away and over the side of the AirWagon to get out of the line of fire. The pulse rifle’s demise saved her body from serious injury, but that full body twist was going to haunt her backside later on.
Mari slid a crossbow over the side of the AirWagon. “Here. I’ve got your mom and Dane secured.”
Selah slid the quiver over her shoulder and nocked an arrow. Mari slid down beside her with her own crossbow, and they worked their way around the thrusters and to the front. A metal shot sliced the side of the vehicle. They pulled back.
Multiple shots zipped by from at least two directions in front of them, pinning down the vehicle. Shots echoed behind the AirWagon where Bodhi and Mojica were defending the back side. They were surrounded.
Selah lay flat on the ground and edged around the landing wells and away from the shooting. She watched behind her where Bodhi and Mojica fought the bullets with laser shots. Elongated bursts of rapid fire belched from two guns hidden in the tree line.
She listened to the echoes from the shots and took aim at deep foliage beside a wide oak tree across the road. Selah sucked in a breath to steady her shot, and let it fly. The arrow sliced silently through the greenery and rewarded her with a solid thunk.
Mari sank a second shot into the bushes on the other side of the tree. Silence followed from the foliage. Selah released her breath. Her heart thudded. There was still hope.
She turned to the other end of the vehicle, listening for more gunshots to home in on their direction. The shots petered out. Bodhi and Mojica had taken care of the back assault.
Bodhi low-crawled along the back and down the side to reach Selah. “I knew I should have demanded you keep Mojica up here. There are more splinters up here, almost as though they know where you are,” Bodhi said, his laser dart at the ready.
Selah, trying to distinguish between two different gun sounds, patted his arm and ignored his scolding. “Mari and I have taken out the two on our left, and before you distracted me, I was about to get the other one. Excuse me a second.” Selah rolled away from Bodhi and peered out between the air-lift mechanisms. She could see the flash from the other shooter. These weapons confused her. They fired much faster than the old-fashioned guns she was used to.
Her hands started to shake, so she gripped her crossbow. She watched a half minute longer than normal when spotting, but she had to be sure. She nocked the arrow.
A huge weight slammed her to the ground, and her crossbow skittered several feet away. She changed her center of gravity and flipped the direction of the arrow in her hand. Bodhi, where are you?
She swung back hard, stabbing the assailant’s leg with her arrow. He roared in pain as she propelled him from her back. He flipped over, slamming his back and head into a tree.
Bodhi dove into fist-to-fist combat with another dark-clad figure. Bullets peppered the dirt on the far side of the vehicle. Selah clawed at the dirt to reach Bodhi’s laser dart. She rolled over and pulled the trigger before it registered that she wasn’t its authorized user. Nothing. She scrambled to her feet and gripped the barrel like a club.
Selah raised the laser dart to hit Bodhi’s attacker. The weapon jerked from her hands. She gasped and pivoted to face her new assailant.
He swung the weapon at her. Selah threw up her arms to shield her head. The others were too close for her to use an energy thrust on the man. She went into a fighting stance.
Mari fired an arrow, striking the man’s hand. The weapon jerked from his hand and skidded across the road to land behind Selah. She tackled the man below center, propelling them both against a boulder. He came up swinging and his gloved fist clipped her in the chin. Her increased strength absorbed the shock, but it still spun her to the ground face-first.
The assailant she had stabbed in the leg grabbed Mari from behind. She stomped on his foot, drove her elbow into his ribs, and head-butted him. He let go.
Tiny stones ripped at Selah’s palms. Her hands clutched at the dirt and sparkles invaded her vision. She rolled away to avoid another blow. Bodhi grabbed her attacker and spun him around into his waiting fist. Selah scrambled toward Mari.
An ear-piercing squeal.
Selah drew her chin to her chest and wrapped her arms around her head to shield her ears. The pain in her head weakened her knees. She stumbled a few steps into Mari and dropped to the ground along with everyone else. The brain-numbing sound ended, and TicCity security forces wearing sound-canceling headgear rushed to surround the group.
As the splinters rose with hands raised to their heads, the one closest to Selah made a break for the woods. Selah realized her new endurance would be tested. Five fast steps and she tackled him. Two of the TicCity security force rushed to her aid and took the splinter into custody.
Bodhi displayed his TicCity credentials to the security force. He hauled up the splinter he’d been fighting by the back of his collar and deposited him in a security vehicle.
Selah sat on the ground with elbows planted on her bent knees. Mari reached out a hand to help her up.
“That didn’t seem to affect you as bad as it did us.” Selah took Mari’s hand and sprang to her feet.
“It felt like the technology we use in WoodHaven. My appliance shielded me from some of it.” Mari held up her wrist.
“Let’s keep that to ourselves.”
Mari nodded and brushed her sleeve down over the appliance. “You go be Glade’s daughter. I’d rather not show my face too much in case we run into someone who could recognize me. I wouldn’t want WoodHaven to suffer because of my choices. I’ll check on Pasha and Dane.” She hurried through the crowd to the AirWagon.
Mojica marched around the AirWagon, escorting the two they’d fought at the rear. She reached Bodhi with her
captives, and the security forces took possession of them. She and Bodhi strolled toward Selah.
Bodhi slid his arm around her waist and hugged her close. “Are you all right? Some days you really worry me, firefly.”
Selah rested her head on his shoulder, her nose pressed to the coarse fibers of his jacket. Everything he owned was infused with the gentle musk of his shaving scrub. It had become a soothing aroma to her, giving the illusion of safety even in the face of full-scale chaos. If only they had enough time to explore a life together. “We’ve come through once again, right? So it’s not yet the day to worry.”
Selah gave him a playful wink and disengaged from his warm embrace. It was becoming a common occurrence for her to go from a life-threatening battle one minute to joking around the next. At first she had thought this behavior a symptom of a mental break of some kind. But Glade had told her it would become a sanity-saving ability to leave the battle behind and still see the joy in every minute of life. She suddenly missed Glade and his wisdom.
Bodhi’s brows drew together. “You need to stop batting those green eyes and being flippant about such dangerous situations. Take them seriously or you could—”
“What? Fracture in nine months? I promise I do take these seriously, but if I don’t add some levity, the weight of the situation is going to crush me.” Selah instantly felt sorry for her snappy tone. She touched her fingertips to her lips and then to Bodhi’s. She’d feel a lot better when the transport got here. She was just not willing to accept that Taraji had been defeated or killed.
He tipped his head at just the right angle, and she glanced past his ocean-blue eyes to his head marking. She hadn’t seen it for a few weeks. It looks different. She reached up and brushed back his blond curls. But what’s different? She couldn’t put a finger to it. “Have you noticed any difference in your head marking?”
Surge: A Stone Braide Chronicles Story Page 3