Crusade Across Worlds (16 page)

Palli is requesting I stay,
Fallon
.

The name sounds familiar and it takes a
minute to remember why. Palli is the name of the Millix Reid rode
when we were here last time.

Is Palli carrying anyone?

Not at this time, no
, Lalu dodges
another white flare and moves us north by a few meters.
But she
is about to gain two passengers.

“Fallon,” Walker says behind me, “we need to
go now. It’s too crazy out here!”

“Reid’s on his way. We need to wait—”

Something knocks into Lalu and I lose my
grip on her Bairs. I fly off, tumbling through the war-infested
waters, my head rattling with dizziness. I’m spinning, trying to
grab onto something—anything—but there’s nothing out here. Nothing
but open water contaminated with zipping white flares and
Millix-ridden enemies. I’m struggling to find equilibrium and get a
handle on the scene, but I’m tumbling too fast, soaring back into
the city.

“Fallon!” Pratt screams from somewhere.
“Hold on!”

I keep grabbing for something, but nothing
is here. Any minute and I’ll be zapped by one of those white
flares. I know it. I need to get back on Lalu. We need to get to
the surface.

“Fallon!” Reid calls. “Give me your
hand!”

I think he’s behind me, but I can’t tell.
I’m still tumbling through the water, trying to correct my vision
and—

I’m yanked up, dragged onto a Millix. Dizzy
from the sudden jolt, my head is cloudy with the new angle as I
find Able behind me and Reid in the front, grasping Palli by her
Bairs. She takes off, dodging the fiery blasts and navigating us
north. She’s not moving as fast as Lalu and I know it’s because
she’s carrying three people.

“It’s too much weight!” I grip Reid’s waist
as Able wraps his arms around me.

“It’s fine,” he calls back. “We just need to
get out of here.”

“But she won’t make it—”

Fallon, I am here
, Lalu pulls up
beside us with Walker.
Palli is struggling. I can carry
two.

“It’s too much weight for one Millix,” I say
to Reid. “One of us needs to get on Lalu.”

“Able,” Reid calls. “Ride with Walker. We’ll
see you up on the surface.”

“On it, Boss,” Able jumps from Palli and
secures himself behind Walker.

We’ll see you up there, Lalu
, I say,
and she takes off carrying the boys.

“I want everyone on the shore in thirty
seconds,” Reid commands as Palli starts swimming higher, dodging
the white flares. We’re soaring faster, sprinting out of the danger
zone when a horde of Millix catch sight of us and race after, still
firing their blazing shots. Palli dodges, jerking back and
forth.

Gripping Reid tighter, we race through the
water until Palli suddenly stops and whips around. Reid fires on
the impending Millix, hitting two in the snout. But they keep
advancing. Tucker and Booker spin and shoot at the Muskos,
derailing them only slightly. Jace starts firing but Reid points
upward.

“Get Pratt to the surface. Tucker, you too!
Get Mae up there!”

The boys do as requested and jet up. At
least we’re pulling a portion of Muskos from attacking the castle.
But if reinforcements don’t arrive on the surface, we’ll be in deep
shit too. We can’t take them all on. It’s only the ten of us and a
wave of Mybyncians on our tail. Palli jets around and we continue
soaring higher, jerking back and forth, dodging the white flares
that fire past.

We break the surface and a moment of relief
pours over me. At least we’re not in danger of drowning or
crumpling under the weight of the ocean. But a new fear sets in:
the others are running across the sand, rushing behind Tucker. He’s
carrying Mae inland, a trail of red drops falling behind them.

Palli has barely brushed ashore and I jump
off. I race over and stop as Tucker lays Mae in the sand behind one
of the stone walls. She breathes slowly, her pained face pale and
her body stiff. She’s grimacing, staring down at the red sand
beneath her knee.

“What happened?” Able drops to the ground,
his eyes focused on the huge gash in her leg.

“Musko shot her,” Tucker pants. “Just
now.”

“Fuck!” Able hisses. He twists around,
looking for something. “We need to-to find a-a tourniquet.”

“And we got company,” Jace spins, reaching
for his Enidd. He shoots the two Muskos who have jumped off their
Millix. One falls but the other advances and Reid turns, firing on
him.

“Hold on,” Able shifts, trying to locate
something to stop the bleeding. But there’s nothing. The nearby
fauna isn’t long enough to create a tourniquet. We need something
made of fabric, something with length.

“I got it.” I remove my helmet and toss it
to the side before peeling off my suit.

“Fallon!” Reid glances back with a yell.
“What are you doing?!”

“Just keep them distracted!” I step out of
the black material as five more Muskos appear on the shore. Once
I’m out of the protective gear, I take the long lavender skirt in
my hands and pull. The fabric rips across the middle of my thighs
and I tear it all the way around, stripping one long length free.
This will have to do. I fall to my knees at Mae’s side. “Hold up
her leg,” I tear a small piece from the section I just created.
Bundling it, I open her helmet and place the fabric in her mouth.
“Bite down on this. It’s going to hurt for a second, okay? Only a
second.”

Tears stream from her eyes but she manages a
nod.

“Able, here, take this—”

A white flare crashes into the stone wall,
sending pieces crumbling down around us.

“Guys!” Reid shouts. All but Able rush next
to Rox, creating a shield between us as they fire on the incoming
Muskos.

“Hang on,” Able rests the forehead of his
helmet to hers. “We’re going to get you out of here. We just need
to stop the bleeding.” He hands me the opposite side of the
lavender fabric and I make a knot around the wound, squeezing it
tight.

Mae cries out a gut-wrenching sob.

“I know, I know,” my fingers shake. “All
done. We’re going to get you something for the pain as soon as
we—”

Another shot blasts overhead, sending more
rocks crumbling down.

“We need to move,” Reid yells, stepping
back. “NOW!”

Able slides his arms around Mae and picks
her up. She sobs harder, crying into his chest as he turns to me
and Pratt. “Where to?”

“Keep them distracted!” I shout, racing for
my suit but another blast hits the wall and sends bits of rock
soaring down on it. My helmet and suit are buried but I’m able to
snag my Enidd before more debris falls. “Come on,” I lead Pratt and
Able behind the wall.

“Not too far, Fallon!” Reid calls but I lose
his voice in the thunderous booms shaking the stone walls
surrounding us.

“This way,” Pratt scurries past me, holding
her Enidd in front of her, navigating us through the stone
labyrinth. With Mae in his arms, Able follows and I keep behind
them, watching for any Muskos who might be trying to sneak up.

“Where are you going?” I shout back to
Pratt.

“No idea!”

Curses rip from the other side of the stone,
Enidd blasts flying every which way. Mae sobs harder and turning, I
see Able pale. “It’s okay,” he comforts her, but when he looks at
me, his face hardens with fear. “She’s got to have this leg looked
at.”

“We’ll get her to the Healers as soon as we
can.”

More booms sound off nearby, shaking the
ground.

Which way do we go?

“Here!” Pratt calls, disappearing behind an
ivy-covered stone wall. Able races with Mae and I follow, dashing
behind them to find a secluded area blocked off by four stone
boulders. A bit of green fauna hangs overhead, shielding most of
the entrance.

“Pratt, you stay with Mae,” Able shifts to
the ground, lowering her onto the sand.

“No…” Mae cries, tugging on his suit,
holding him to her. “Don’t go!”

“I’m not going to let anyone get to you, but
I have to stop them if they try. Fallon and I are going to keep you
guys safe,” he removes her hands from his suit. “I’ll be right
there. Pratt, I need your Enidd.”

Reluctantly she hands it over.

“Stay here, stay hidden. We won’t be far,”
Able stands and we move away from the spot, positioning ourselves a
few feet down the narrow passage. “I should help the guys out
there.”

“You need to stay here and protect
them.”

“It sounds like we’re being overrun.”

Closing my eyes, I concentrate.
Clarence,
we’re on the shore. We need help.

A moment and then,
I’ll try to get to
you. It seems there’s no end to these Muskos. Perio must’ve
quadrupled their numbers since last time. Everyone okay up
there?

Not really. Mae was hit and we’re being
overrun. We have maybe, a few minutes.

I’m on my way.

Thunderous booms shake the walls and Able
and I quickly exchange looks. “Clarence says he’s on his way but I
don’t know if he’ll get here in time.”

“I’ll go help,” he starts to jet forward but
I throw my arm out, stopping him.

“You stay here, protect Mae and Pratt.”

“You don’t even have a suit—”

“You don’t need a suit to kick ass,” I race
through the stone labyrinth ahead. Before emerging onto the open
shore, I nearly run into Walker and the Rogues who are blocking the
exit between two walls, firing.

Tucker flies back, just missing a white
blast, his eyes startled to see me. “Fallon?”

Reid jerks. “You okay?”

“Where are the girls?” Tucker’s focus shoots
behind me.

“Able’s watching them. There’re in a small
alcove not far from here.”

Another blast knocks into the wall, sending
crumbles tumbling down. Reid motions behind me, to the next sharp
turn. “Move back!”

As a unit, we all head to the next corner of
the stone walls, disappearing behind it and firing down the passage
at the Muskos who rush forward. Some race in blindly and the Rogues
shoot at them, collapsing them to the ground. This time, the Muskos
hold their guns out, firing from the other end of the crumbled wall
where we just were. White blasts flash back and forth, pieces of
stone crumbling around us.

“We’re trapping ourselves in here, Rox,”
Walker says. “There’s got to be another way out.”

Reid turns to me. “Does it dead-end?”

I nod. “Pratt and Mae are there.”

“What’s the plan, Boss?” Jace asks. He
curses and then spins behind the wall. Booker exchanges places with
him, firing at the Muskos as the blonde Rogue cups his bleeding
shoulder. “Fuck…again? What’s with them capping my shoulder?”

Clarence! We need you now!

“Unless there’s another way out of here, we
need to hold them off!” Reid shouts. “Guys, watch yourselves!”

“Boss!” Werzo shouts, blasting his Enidd.
“They’re gaining!”

“Do
not
let them gain! Give them
no
space!” he roars, turning to me. “How far back does this
go?”

“Able’s just around that corner,” I gesture
behind us.

Reid lets out a breath. Werzo curses and
Reid pulls him back, exchanging places to continue firing on the
Muskos.

“Jace…” I run up to him, cringing at the
blood spilling from his shoulder. “Shit.”

“It’s fine.”

“Here,” I rip another section of my skirt
and wrap it around the top of his arm. He curses again but I tie it
tight, stopping the blood flow.

Fallon
, Clarence’s voice rings.
I’m here. Where are you?

In the walls. The Muskos have us
trapped.

“Rox…” Tucker pants, dodging behind the
stone protection. “I don’t know how much longer we can—”

The blazing white flares suddenly stop.
Screams cry out from the other side and the walls have ceased
crumbling. Reid holds up his hand, indicating a halt. Booker,
Werzo, Walker and Tucker pause, each ducking behind the safety of
the stone, scanning one another with confusion.

“Clarence is here,” I explain.

“There were like thirty of them,” Jace says.
“He couldn’t possibly have stopped them all.”

Without waiting, I dash past the Rogues and
out over broken bits of wall. The others call for me to stop, to
but I can’t. I need to know that Clarence is all right. Turning
past the last bit of still-standing stone, I dig my heels into the
sand with a halt.

The beach is covered in hundreds of
bodies—half of them sage and half of them gold.

Gold?

Nerwos. The Northern inhabitants of Nerwolix
came to our aid near the end of the invasion three months ago. And
they’re here again now. But how? And why? Dressed in limited brown
leather, it conceals what it should, but is mostly used for
strapping long blades to their arms which makes them lethal when
flying through a herd of enemies. And there are plenty out here. I
pick through them and spot Clarence amongst the chaos. He’s firing
on the Muskos as they ascend from the water, but less and less are
surfacing.

“Fallon…” Reid slows to a stop at my side,
stunned by the scene. White and orange blasts fly across the beach
as screams and cries join the cacophonous booms and for a moment,
we watch it playing like a movie before us.

Walker pauses next to me.

“How did the Nerwos know to—?” Tucker ducks,
missing a stray Traxpire blast.

“I guess it’s safe to say this thing isn’t
over yet,” Werzo arrives with a pant. “But Christ, look at them
go!”

“Do we help?”

Jace takes his place next to Tucker. “I
think they have it under control, Boss Lady.”

Another explosion breaks a nearby stone and
we all duck in response, Reid covering my head with his hands. When
the rocks stop crumbling, I peek up and find the Nerwos backing
toward us, cutting off our sight of the water. In the midst of all
the fighting, one graceful golden body with a long blonde braid
battles her way closer, slicing through the sage-colored bodies
that block her path. I know her. And it takes me less than a moment
to remember why. It’s Norhra, one of the high-ranking Nerwos we met
in the midst of the last invasion.