Blade Dancer

by K. M. Tolan

  Nodding, Jakar slapped at Kikia's rump. “Rally with your Strike later. Head to the Keep and stay with Sencia until her Tasurian Guard arrives."

  “Acknowledged.” Head lowered to clear the stable rafters, Mikial urged Kikia out the door and down the drive while more alerts blared around her. Ironic was the best description she could think of for her orders.

  Speeding down the road with her undone hair all about her, Mikial kept shouting “I don't know!” as worried neighbors yelled questions. She entered the cross tunnel, the clatter of Kikia's hooves reverberating along the tiled stonewalls. Sencia's study was in the Keep's west wing. Best to try to find her there first, Mikial considered.

  The tunnel walls flashed in a brilliant dazzle of orange-and-pink light. The following crash of noise included sounds of collapsing masonry just outside the tunnel exit. Mikial cried out in disbelief as she saw a portion of the beautiful silver dome of the High Keep shatter across the courtyard ahead. Trained though her yhas was, Kikia threatened to rear up in panic as more detonations ripped the morning. Emerging from the tunnel, Mikial heard the rapid flutter of more incoming shells. Sections of the south wing erupted in bursts of flame and wreckage. It was the nightmare of Bramble Ravine revisited tenfold. Mikial aimed Kikia toward the back of the High Keep west wing.

  A searing force threw her back as the Shandi wing exploded. Mikial found herself lying on the courtyard cobblestones, her father's yhas galloping toward her from the tunnel. Mikial staggered to her feet. Beside her, Kikia gasped on the pavement as blood poured from its torn body. Hissing, Mikial charged into the dust and flames ahead. Three females cringed at the bottom steps leading from the west wing. One was the Tasuria. Mikial practically threw Tasuria Sencia onto her father's saddle, then turned to get the other two Shandi away from the Keep before it was shaken apart around their heads.

  “The tunnel!” Mikial screamed, pulling them to their feet. Together, they dashed for safety of the tunnel as more stonework and glass showered down behind them. Waving them on, Mikial stopped at Kikia's side and pulled her rifle free. Grimacing, she fired one dart into the animal's head. Retrieving her armor bag, she ran for the tunnel as the heat from rising flames became unbearable.

  “How could they have gotten so close?” the Tasuria half shrieked, crouching just inside the tunnel entrance. Supported by Mikial's father, Sencia looked shaken, but mercifully uninjured.

  “I don't think they're close,” Mikial replied. She pulled open her armor bag as the barrage thundered outside. “It's those cannons I saw across the Gap.” She jerked out her helmet, realizing just how close the enemy would have to be if her assumption was wrong. “They're firing out of the canyon across from Gap Watch."

  “Just a minute, Dathia,” one of the other Healers cautioned. “You can dress in a moment."

  “No time!” she hissed, turning to snarl at the idiot.

  “Time enough,” Principal Kyian replied. “Just be still!"

  Surprised at whom she had just rescued, Mikial kept motionless as Kyian reached up near her left brow. Before she could think to ask what Kyian thought she was doing, Mikial felt a quick sharpness. Frowning, Kyian tossed aside a shard of glass then reached back up with one of the embroidered side panels of her dress to quickly wipe the wound. “There. That should stop the bleeding for the moment."

  “Thank you,” Mikial replied, seeing the red smear on the Principal's skirt. I never even felt it, she thought, quickly putting on her tensa armor. She tied Dalen's knife to her left leg, then strapped on her helmet. Securing the pistol holster on her thigh guards, Mikial went over to her father, who had also gotten into his armor with the Tasuria's assistance.

  “What about those cannons?” Tasuria Sencia demanded, beginning to regain her composure. “Can we stop them?"

  Jakar shook his head. “If they're where she says, we'd have to take the garrison first. Gap Watch doesn't have enough Datha to do that and still defend against a ground attack."

  “Unless we find a way behind them,” Mikial interrupted, earning dark looks from them both. So I'm being impudent. What else could they do to me? “The refugees, the Servants, they might know another way back there."

  “Dathia, we do not need you telling—” the Tasuria began, but her father surprised her by holding up a hand.

  “It's a sound idea, my Tasuria."

  Sencia looked at him. “Why would Servants help us?"

  “For protection,” Jakar replied. “They fear the Minneran army far worse than we do."

  Mikial nodded. “Dalen said his sect has built more of those powered airsails. We could use one to fetch a scout from the Blue Belt camp."

  “True enough,” Jakar agreed. He gave her a dry look. “I don't have to ask if you can pilot one.” He turned to the growing number of stunned Qurls taking shelter in the tunnel behind them. “I want an Ipper!” he roared out. “Now!"

  A young calico male ran forward. He still wore his morning clothes.

  “Can you contact Paleen Chimmer?” Mikial asked.

  His ear fans raised, and in a moment the Ipper nodded.

  “Tell her to meet me at the sky port.” Mikial pulled on her helmet and took the reins of her father's yhas. “Tell Paleen she's going flying.” Mikial leapt into the saddle and put her back to the heat of an inferno that had been her Holding centerpiece. She had to shout repeatedly for a clear path through the tunnel; many people were near hysteria as the ground shook with repeated blasts. The smoke was thick, though fortunately little of it carried into the tunnel.

  The muffled report of artillery continued as she cleared the tunnel and galloped past more fleeing families. Two Datha moved from house to house, giving warning. Others in her sect had started to evacuate people west across the canyon to Healer's Ridge. The first signs of an organized withdrawal gave Mikial some solace, however Keep's Ridge was erupting with thick columns of smoke. A sustained artillery barrage was not a good sign. She urged her father's yhas on toward the mouth of Shadow Canyon.

  The ride up Valleyway Road around the southern foot of Keep's Ridge was an even worse experience. Horrible cries came from among burning booths in the marketplace. Exploding shells continued to shatter property and lives. Shandi Immediate Teams could be seen everywhere under the bombardment. Is mother anywhere among them? Mikial sent her father's mount into a swift gallop, forcing that fear back. She looked up into the brightening dawn. Vapor trails extended back toward the east like claw marks in the sky. Mikial could only howl in frustration and ride harder.

  Her sect reacted as best it could as geysers of destruction chewed through the Datha compound atop the ridge. Orchards across the valley floor were filled with soldiers rushing to form a defensive line along the eastern ridges. How many times had her class practiced this doomsday scenario? she thought. And laughing about the impossibility of it all the while.

  Mikial almost lost her saddle again near the Cothra forges as they, too, came under bombardment. The imposing buildings withstood direct strikes no better than the High Keep had, however they erupted with secondary blasts laced with released energies. Please, let Dalen be elsewhere! And where is the Tasur in all this? How can those Minnerans be so impossibly accurate?

  The sky port was in a near riot when she arrived. Cothra unlashed and launched every airship they could get their hands on. Ground crews were few in the early morning, and the large craft were all-too-inviting targets. Merging with a rush of yhas and carriages, Mikial aimed her gasping animal toward the low roof of a newly built hanger. They were rolling out not one of Dalen's air machines, but three. One of them was actually painted in camouflage patterns. Apparently Dalen had been correct about her sect's interest. The new airship stood high off the ground on durable-looking landing gear, unlike the smaller wheels the other converted airsails had. Pilots were already scrambling inside the cockpits.

  “Wait!” she screamed, leaping from the yhas.

  To her amazement and relief, Dalen motioned to her from beside the craft she had alr
eady chosen. “Hurry up!” He pointed skyward behind her.

  Turning with a snarl, Mikial expected to see incoming artillery. What she saw instead was almost as bad. A rounded shape hung high in the sky, highlighted by the morning sun. Ryan's flying machine had been found.

  “We think it's guiding the artillery!” Dalen shouted. “They probably see us!"

  “They must have repaired it,” she spat. Mikial ran up to the camouflaged plane, hoping it would fit both her and the armor she wore. Paleen was already in the back seat, her light face even paler as she rocked back and forth with wide eyes.

  Dalen caught Mikial's arm as she scrambled up a small ladder beside the cockpit. “You okay?"

  Mikial imagined what her bloodied face looked like, but had time for only a quick smile before seating herself inside. She scanned the dashboard with a frown.

  Bending over the cockpit edge, Dalen quickly flipped switches to her left that started the props turning. “Where you headed?"

  “North to the refugees. You?"

  He gestured to the other plane. “Your sect wants me headed east to the Minneran Gap. Have you heard anything? Are the Tasur and Tasuria okay?"

  “How charged are the engines?” she cut in, needing him to stay focused for the both of them. “An indicator would be nice."

  Dalen pointed apologetically to an empty hole in the console above her right knee. He adjusted a nearby metal lever. “We had to put larger flaps on this version. It's heavier, and has bigger engines. Pull the lever up once and you take off.” He gestured to a similar control on her left side. “That pulls up the landing gear. Take it easy, my love. It's only this thing's second flight.” With that bit of encouragement he slid the clear canopy over them.

  Leaving me still wondering about the batteries. Only one way to find out. As soon as Dalen was clear, Mikial forwarded the power dial and watched the props spin up. A good start. She rolled out toward a cleared section of field to their right. “Paleen?” Mikial twisted her head around and swore softly. Her friend's face was a traumatized mask. Fighting back her own dread, Mikial turned her attention back to the business of survival The sound of the propellers changed from a hum to a sawing drone. The airship bounced across the ground and leapt skyward, Mikial giving plenty of clearance to a dirigible rising swiftly to their left.

  She slid the right lever forward to align the panels along the rear of the wings. The other mechanism proved a lot harder to bring up, but Mikial was rewarded at last by the thunk of raised gear. In response, the machine increased its climb, much to her satisfaction. Once more she turned back to her passenger. “Paleen? You all right?"

  The cabin abruptly shook. Alarmed, Mikial held tight to the control stick, not knowing what to expect next from this half finished beast. Pulling a left bank, Mikial saw an explosion send timbers flying from the hanger she just left. A white shape soared up through the billow of debris, props flashing in defiance. “Dalen's up!” she shouted, wagging her wings. Her exultation was short lived as more shells ripped through the sky port. Crying out, she continued her turn as Cothra crews died with the third air machine they tried to launch.

  Leveling alongside Castle Ridge, Mikial saw what she expected was the source of her friend's private agony. The Ipper's signal cottage was gone, as was the larger building just behind it. Ugly black smudges contrasted with the white star patterns of smashed granite. Baring her teeth, Mikial pulled them up over the blasted crest. “Paleen, does Dalen and the other pilot have an Ipper aboard?” Turning, she smacked the side of the canopy hard with her hand, not knowing what else to do. “Ipper! I need you to signal! Now!"

  Paleen gave her an empty look, then swallowed. “We ... are confused..."

  “We?” Shaking her head, Mikial pushed down on the stick to drop into the adjacent canyon. Is Paleen's entire sect like this? “Hang on. I've got to go low before those humans see what we're up to. You'd best signal Dalen to do likewise."

  “Signaling,” came the faint response.

  Gratified to get anything out of her, Mikial aimed for the wide expanse of the White River reservoir filling the northern canyons behind Castle Ridge. They skimmed along its rippled surface at speeds that exceeded even Dalen's first prototype. Mikial eased the power settings back a little, having no idea if the batteries would even get her to the far shore. The constant hum of the props lessened slightly, but the wings already unnerved her with their constant vibration. If that human ship did not swoop down and finish them, a brief lapse of attention at this altitude would.

  “Where are we going?"

  Mikial gave a relieved sigh. At least Paleen was up to asking questions. “Northern part of the Minneran Gap, near a place called Foggy Pass. It's where the Blue Belts are camped, and hopefully a good scout among them.” She began to raise the nose of the ship as the hills closed in from both sides of the reservoir. It gave Mikial a chance to look back behind them. There was no sign of pursuit. At least not yet. “Remind me to tell Dalen to put a rear-view mirror in this thing. Hang on, we're going to hop the ridge ahead."

  “Turn more to the right."

  “Why?” she asked as they knifed back down into a wooded canyon.

  “I'm navigating you to an Ipper near that camp. Turn right until I tell you to stop."

  Mikial glanced back to see Paleen's white ear fans curving along the inside of the canopy. Her narrow face was still set in stone, but at least she was dealing with their situation.

  “Acknowledged."

  Satisfied that they had not been worth the trouble to shoot down, Mikial ceased dipping in and out of canyons. The last thing she wanted was to get Paleen airsick. Mikial put them into level flight over the hills, making slight turns whenever instructed. The vent air was a cool blessing in the cramped confines. The hazy folds of land looked disarmingly serene below, veils of mist in retreat from the early sun. She took a slow breath, trying to reconcile this peace against memories of those sounds from the market.

  Paleen's silence during the flight only made it worse. Exasperated, Mikial turned in her seat. “What's happened to you?"

  Paleen's mouth opened, but it was her hazel eyes that screamed. “I was with them when they died."

  Mikial's heart chilled. Why do I have to ask such stupid questions? “Your parents?"

  Paleen shook her head violently. “No! Not ... not them.” She leaned forward in her seat. “I was being told that you wanted me to meet you at the sky port. It was Ipper Signal. Cheth was telling me when he died.” Her voice started to break. “He couldn't believe he was dead; he just kept talking!” Paleen gave a small cry. “They finally had to tell him. We all sang to him until he faded away."

  “Creation!” Mikial half whispered to herself. She fixed her eyes ahead and tried to keep her thoughts occupied with the job of flying. The more she knew of the Ipper, the less she wanted to learn.

  “You think I've gone crazy?"

  Mikial swallowed, not liking the fragility behind Paleen's question. She tried humor, though there was more truth in her answer than she cared to admit. “Of course you are. You're an Ipper, aren't you?"

  It seemed to work, as a measure of depth returned to Paleen's voice. “What happened to your face?"

  “The High Keep fell on me while rescuing a Tasuria who'd just finished exiling me to Tessana.” She gave a low hiss. “Tell Principal Jia thanks for all the useless help, assuming she's still alive."

  “She is.” There was a pause. “She says that now isn't the time for poor judgment."

  Mikial slapped her hand on the dashboard. “Itsa! You actually told her?"

  “It's hard not to, Mikial. I ... she, we're all very much the same right now."

  “Please spare me anymore Ipper mysticism, and tell your contact at the camp to start searching out a scout. I want him or her ready to hop in once I get there. Oh, and have the Datha commander up there understand that he's to assume a defensive posture to protect those people.” She scowled to herself. “Have him confirm that with Datha Signa
l, because I doubt I've much credibility these days."

  “Ah, but you would be surprised, Dathia,” came the surprisingly steady rejoinder. “Your worth is about to be measured anew."

  Mikial twisted around. It was Paleen's words, but the authoritative expression on the young Ipper's face didn't belong there. Mikial gave a low moan, concerned that her friend had tumbled into something far worse than confusion. “Paleen?"

  “Don't be concerned, Dathia. This is called Forwarding. It's rarely demonstrated except when there is need. Paleen is being counseled right now."

  “Whoever you are, I want my Signaler back!"

  Paleen's face gave a slight smile. “Strike Commander Rez Beath, Third Force, acknowledges your information in regards to the refugees. Please correct your course to the left. Dalen Goss sends his love and advises you to recharge your engines upon landing. He also reminds you to lower your flaps and gear prior to doing so."

  Mikial put the plane into a slow left turn until she was told to stop. “Mind if I know who I'm talking to then?"

  “Someone who prefers to think herself as something other than completely useless."

  Mikial cringed. “Principal Jia?"

  “Just call me Jia. I look forward to seeing you in person, Mikial."

  “I'm not so sure I'll be as eager for the meeting,” she answered. “And with all due respect, Jia, right now I'd be happier with Paleen back."

  “Maintain your present course, Dathia,” came the unruffled reply. “Your arrival is expected at midday."

  The limited room for movement inside the cockpit had become almost intolerable by the time Mikial saw the white peaks of the Masar Range. Other than a few brief course corrections, Paleen remained silent. Unfortunately, Mikial could not keep it that way. She needed someplace to land this thing. “Advise Strike Commander Beath to find me a place to land. We're closing on the Minneran Gap."

  “They've been working to clear one. Hi, Mikial."