“Go, run,” I shout, pulling Matthew to his feet and shoving him ahead of me.
Whoever’s coming up the stairs isn’t far below. Five or six floors, maybe closer. We’d run right into them if we tried to go down, so our only option is to go up.
Going up isn’t easy with someone who doesn’t necessarily want to go with us. Luke does what I want to. He pulls Matthew against the wall and into the gaping maw of a truck-sized hole. Matthew’s protests are met with Luke’s blaster pressing deeper and deeper into his wounded bicep.
“Run up those stairs or I’ll end you right now, right here,” he says.
I’ve never seen a more determined look on his face or a more frightening one. Luke means every word.
“Fine,” Matthew says. “You’re theirs no matter what. They’re going to get you at the top anyway.”
I glance at Sierra. She shakes her head subtlety in response to my unspoken question.
Matthew’s wincing and groaning stops. He holds his blood-soaked arm as it dangles uselessly at his side. Then he runs up the stairs with me at his side and Luke a step behind.
Sierra is half a flight of stairs ahead. I don’t think Matthew is going to try anything with Luke at his back, so I work to catch up with her.
“He doesn’t know?” I ask.
“No,” Sierra says quietly.
I grip her arm as I run. “I was terrified for you. We’ve been to Central. What happened?”
Her eyes, they’re so sad, so betrayed. “Luke abandoned us. You abandoned us. What do you think happened? I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Matthew disappeared for a night and a day. He came back different. He’s not the only one.”
“What are you saying? What happened to Central? Tables were overturned. I saw scorch marks. Was there a fire?”
She doesn’t say anything for the longest time. I entreat her with my eyes until she finally says, “Do you know how long you’ve been gone? The rains are upon us, that’s how long. I thought you’d never come back, thought I’d never see you again.”
When we reach the next landing, I take her hand and turn her to me. Luke and Matthew aren’t even half way up the flight of stairs behind us. I have time. “Sierra, I wasn’t gone by choice. I had no way to get back to you. The machines, there are whole cities of them. You can’t even begin to imagine…”
Sierra’s expression grows cold. “Oh, I can imagine. They’ve been here for weeks. At first, we tried to stay away from them, to keep hidden. Then I didn’t know Matthew was working with them—”
“Matthew—” I cut in. “He was helping the machines?”
Chapter 13
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Sierra screams out her frustration and starts up the steps. I have to hurry to match her speed. “I told you he came back different. Nothing has been the same since you left. You’re so foolish, so selfish. You should’ve taken me with you. If you cared anything for me at all, you would have.”
I try to take her hand but she breaks away and runs even faster. Below us, I hear angry calls and I glance back at Luke. “Go, go,” he shouts, spurring Matthew faster with his fists.
“I didn’t know,” I say, “I had no way of knowing. I should’ve though. I should’ve considered the consequences of what I was doing. I should’ve cared enough to take you with me.”
“Cedes, you should have,” she says, her cheeks red and her eyes swollen with tears. “You’re selfish. You think only about yourself, your Luke, but what about me. Do I mean so little?”
“Sierra, you’re everything,” I say, “I left because I needed to know, because I wanted something more for us, for all of us, but for you and me especially.”
Luke shouts, “They’re coming, they’re coming!”
I’m running at Sierra’s side. She turns back, slaps my face. I deserve it, that and more. “You haven’t even asked about the others,” she says. “Celeste or Linc or Chevy or…”
“Jetta,” I say for her, brushing my fingers across the faded 7 and 6 on the wall. “I’ve been trying to ask what happened to her, to Central, everything. You have to believe me when I say I had no idea anything like this could happen.”
“Jetta’s dead,” Sierra says coolly.
“Wolves,” I say. “Terrible, heartbreaking. I’d be crying still if there were any tears left. So much has happened, Luke and I barely escaped. We had to break out of an airship and fight our way here. It seems that’s all I’ve ever done. Fight. Killing too. I’ve killed so many. I see them whenever I close my eyes. I can’t see anything else.”
“Not wolves, Matthew,” Sierra whispers. “The wolves got her after. I’ve been stuck here since last night. When I saw the airships, I knew, I hoped.”
“How? Why? What happened?” I say, almost choking on the words.
“It’s been us against them. We’ve been hiding, but we needed to come out for supplies. That’s when it happened. Matthew must have tracked us. Jetta and I came here because I didn’t know where else to go.”
I speak over her, “You said the machines have been here for weeks. How did you manage to stay hidden so long? When did Matthew—?”
“You’re not listening,” Sierra says, angry, frustrated. “It’s not the machines. It’s been Matthew and his regulars against the rest of us from the beginning. Matthew disappeared for a night and a day. He came back different. Others started disappearing. They came back different too. The machines came after. When they came, Matthew and the others turned on us.”
The more angry and frustrated Sierra gets, the faster she climbs. I struggle to keep up with her. “What do you mean, they turned on you?”
“They came after us. It was only luck really that helped us get away. Most of us were out. It was easier to be out than to be with Matthew and his, so we often stayed away for as long as possible. Sometimes into the wee hours. I noticed something was wrong as soon as I returned. I was scared, terrified, because of the machines I’d seen. It was like a black rain—only the black rain was machines, descending into the city from a ship the likes of which I’ve never seen.”
“An airship,” I say. “It’s called an airship.”
She pauses, sucks at the air. “Matthew and his were eerily calm. Too calm. They had a meal out. It was waiting for us, like they knew we’d be coming at just that moment. They were watching us, but they weren’t eating. I asked why and Matthew said they’d eaten earlier. Apple and Ruby—you didn’t know them, they fell after you left—they ate. I tried to warn them, but they didn’t understand.
“There was something in the food. It put Apple and Ruby to sleep. Celeste and I pretended to sleep too. We waited and waited to see what they were going to do with us. After they carried us into the sleeping room, they passed out guns. Most had rifles and pistols like yours. Others, weapons I didn’t know at the time—weapons that stun and knock you out.
“Matthew posted a guard to watch us. I heard him order the guard to kill us if we woke. Celeste and I waited for our chance, for the guard to grow inattentive. Then we went after him. Once he was down, we helped the others escape.”
I’m listening so intently I don’t even realize I’m about to step into empty air. We’ve reached the top and the platform is so broken there are gaping holes. It’s Sierra who pulls me back. Sierra who wraps her arms around me and cries into the small place beneath my chin.
Luke and Matthew step up onto the platform shortly afterward. I don’t know how far behind those coming are. I only know they’ve been gaining on us as we climbed.
“Almost,” I tell Sierra. “Almost.”
Matthew has an evil grin on his face. He knows it’s the end of the line, that it’s only a matter of time before those below catch up.
“Dead end,” he says. “Looks like we’ve been climbing for nothing. All you have to do is be willing to give in to their will. They will accept you. Refuse and they will kill you.”
“Not for nothing,” I say, returning his broad smile with one of my own. “And it’s you who has a
choice. I’m not going to leave you here for them. Your choice is to come with us or die.”
Matthew scoffs. “What do you plan to do jump and die?”
“I plan to jump and live,” I say with a smirk. At this point, I don’t even think Luke knows what’s coming. He’s breathing hard, holding his side and hardly able to keep his weapon level. Matthew’s been edging away from him since he topped the stairs.
The wind at this height is loud and strong, but I can hear the voices from below. They’re preparing to breach the last few steps.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. A white blur coming at us fast.
“Jump,” I shout. “Jump and live.”
Here ends:
After the Machines
This Mortal Coil
.
About the Author
Robert Stanek is author of the #1 bestselling ELVES OF THE REACHES, an epic fantasy series, currently comprising eight books, which has been translated into twelve languages; the #1 bestselling MAGIC LANDS, a young adult series comprising two books and counting, which has been translated into seven languages; and the #1 bestselling POCKET CONSULTANTS, a computer technology series comprising 35 books and counting, which have been translated into 21 languages.
Robert is also author of the #1 bestselling BUGVILLE CRITTERS, a children’s series comprising 28 books and counting; #1 bestselling BUGVILLE LEARNING, an educational series comprising 31 books and counting; the #1 bestselling BUGVILLE JR, a children’s series comprising 26 books and counting; and the #1 bestselling THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE, a mystery thriller novel for adults.
In his fiction writing, Robert transports readers to many imagined worlds. Robert’s early fiction work has many influences, including JRR Tolkien, C S Lewis, Anne McCaffrey, H G Wells, and Ray Bradbury.
In his long, distinguished writing career, Robert’s books have been distributed and/or published by Simon & Schuster, Random House, Macmillan, Pearson, Microsoft, O’Reilly, and others. In 2007, Robert founded Go Indie, an organization dedicated to supporting independent publishers, authors, and booksellers, and over the past few years Go Indie has helped hundreds of independents.
Dubbed ‘A Face Behind the Future’ in the 1990’s by The Olympian, Robert’s been helping to shape the future of the written word for over two decades. Robert’s 150th book was published in 2013.
Select Acclaim for Robert Stanek…
“Robert Stanek is one of our most featured and respected Kids & Young Adults, K-12 Educators and Kids authors.”
--The Audio Book Store
“Stanek [has] a penchant for clear and simple prose. He also prefers swift, action-oriented scenes. Solidly built. Stanek moves among his main characters with ease, always switching at a climactic moment to maintain suspense. The accessible, brisk language keeps things moving.”
--Foreword Magazine
“Sure to attract fans of graphic novels and classic Tolkien alike. Stanek will likely draw a cult following. This guarantees fans, and those fans will be ready to wield their swords against the Dark Lord in Stanek’s next installment.”
-- VOYA, the leading magazine for YA librarians
“Word of mouth turned it into a bestseller. Very satisfying.”
-- The Fantasy Guide
Select Achievements for Robert Stanek and his Ruin Mist books…
#1 Fiction, Audible (12 weeks, 2005)
Top 50 Sci-fi/Fantasy, Amazon (26 weeks, 2002)
Top 10 Fiction, Audible (25 weeks, 2005)
Top 50 Fiction, Audible (52 weeks, 2005-2006)
Top 10 Kids & YA, Audible (180 weeks, 2005-2007)
#1 Featured Book Audible June-July 2005
Featured in Cover Story, Publisher’s Weekly (2009)
Featured in VOYA (2007)
Featured in Complete Idiots Guide to Elves and Fairies (2005)
Featured in Ancient Art of Faery Magick (2005)
Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers (2005, 2008)
Top 10 Recommended Author -- SciFi Bookcase (2004 - 2012)
Top 10 Book -- SciFi Bookcase (2004 - 2012)
Top 20 Author -- RateItAll (2005 - 2012)
A Top 100 Fantasy -- The Fantasy 100 (2005 - 2007)
Robert Stanek and his books have also been featured in…
The Olympian, The Journal of Electronic Defense, The Publisher’s Weekly Cover Story, The Parenting Magazine, VOYA, BookWire, Children’s Writer, Children’s Bookshelf, Library Journal, School Library Journal, The News Tribune, and more.
Also by Robert Stanek
Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1, 2, 3, 4:
Winds of Change
Seeds of Dissent
Pawn of Dragons
Tower of Destiny
In the Service of Dragons #1, 2, 3, 4:
A Clash of Heroes
A Dance of Swords
A Storm of Shields
A Reign of Dragons
Guardians of the Dragon Realms #1, 2:
The Dragon, the Wizard & the Great Door
A Legacy of Dragons
Dragons of the Hundred Worlds #1, 2:
Breath of Fire
Living Fire
A Daughter of Kings #1, 2, 3, 4:
Betrayal
Deliverance
Rebirth
Discord
The Pieces of the Puzzle #1, 2:
The Pieces of the Puzzle
The Cards in the Deck
Magic Lands #1, 2:
Journey Beyond the Beyond
Into the Stone Land
Thank you for reading!
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