Elei's Chronicles (Books 1-3) (60 page)

Kalaes grinned. He looked better than before, his cheeks flushed, his eyes gleaming.

Relieved, Elei checked the rear view mirror. No signs of pursuit. He scanned the road ahead. Hillocks and low buildings loomed on their left, probably another hamlet. The map showed emptiness all the way to the city of Calydon at the west coast.

“What in the frigid hells was that?” Kalaes muttered, his grip on the steering lever white-knuckled. “They were expecting us?”

“Yes.” Elei squinted at the hamlet they were bordering. His heart thumped like a drum and the colors flashing around him weren’t reassuring. Even weakened, Rex was screaming danger. “Kal, watch out.”

He’d barely spoken the words when a military aircar slipped out from behind the houses. It was long and broad, painted in red stripes.

“Pissing hells.” Kalaes grunted and flicked the acceleration to maximum. The aircar wobbled. “Looks like we touched a nerve with the regime. Where to?”

“Straight, follow the road.” Elei checked and, sure enough, the vehicle was behind them, a wicked cannon rising from the roof. “Shit, incoming.” He scrambled out of his seat and grabbed the frame of the cockpit door for support as every bump in the road jolted them. “Incoming. To the floor! They’re going to—”

Bullets smashed the other back window, sent them spinning. Elei crashed to the floor and rolled to his knees, trying to see if anyone was hurt. The aircar’s spin slowed.

Sacmis had shielded Hera with her body and a cut on her temple bled. Alendra had dropped in front of her seat, and although she shook, she looked unhurt.

“Kalaes!” The engines rumbled. The aircar stabilized. Elei slipped back into the cockpit. “We need to get off road.”

Kalaes shook his head, as if dazed, but he brought the steering lever to the left and the aircar lurched over uneven ground as another volley hit them. He fought to keep the vehicle from spinning out of control again, and Elei fell into the other seat, thrusting the stabilizers to max.

“Avoid the villages. Head west.”

“Trying,” Kalaes grunted, both hands clasped around the lever as they bumped their way across barren fields. “Got a plan?”

“We can’t outrun them.”

Kalaes said nothing.

“Elei.” Hera stood at the cockpit door. “Where are we going?”

Good question
. They had to go somewhere their pursuers couldn’t or wouldn’t follow.

Another shot rocked them, and his pulse pounded behind his eyes. He squinted against the light. “There. Those hills. Maybe we can hide.”

“Let me drive,” Hera snapped. “Kalaes, move.”

“Since you ask so nicely...” Kalaes glared as he got up, leaving her the driver’s seat.

“Being shot at makes me upset,” Hera growled in way of an apology, gripping the steering lever and taking them in a zigzag course that sent Kalaes slamming into the wall. “Hold on.”

“Now she tells me,” Kalaes muttered as he slid to the floor.

“There,” Elei pointed. “Through there.” A gulley ran between two steep outcrops.

“We might not fit through,” Hera said, but sent the aircar toward it anyway.

“At least they won’t fit through,” Elei said and prayed he was right.

Shouts sounded from the passenger cabin. What was going on? Then he heard the rat-tat-tat of shots, and twisted in his seat.
Dammit. Alendra and Sacmis
.

Kalaes had already found his feet and was leaning through the open door. “I’ll help them,” he said and drew his gun. “Keep driving.”

Elei shook his head and prepared to follow.

“Stay,” Hera said. “I need you here. Alendra is a good shot.” Outside, gray rock formations streaked by. “Sacmis was trained for this, and Kalaes isn’t bad.”

“Then I guess I shouldn’t worry.” Elei fought a growl of his own. He leaned forward, studying the terrain, and his heart sank. “Hera. Obstacle.”

It looked like a stone wall built at the entrance of the gulley, probably to dam whatever water had ever run through.

“Upward thrusters,” Hera snapped. “Be ready when I tell you.”

Elei reached out for the switches, waiting, and swallowed hard. He’d never seen an aircar pass over something so high. Behind him, more shots were fired, and impacts rocked them. He had to hope nobody had been hit.

“Now,” Hera said, and he flicked up the switches to the red mark. The thrusters roared underneath, pumping air, lifting them. “Slow down.” The aircar climbed higher, the metal plates groaning with tension, and Elei checked the wind path.

The aircar decelerated, and Alendra shouted through the cabin door, “Hey, what are you doing? Go faster!”

But there was no time to reply as the aircar flew right at the wall. It looked like it’d skim it, but Hera gasped and braked.

“No!” she whispered.

The aircar lurched and an ear-splitting screech sounded from below.

“What’s that?”

“A rod. I saw a metal rod sticking out of the wall.” Hera had gone white. “Sobek.”

The hull
. If the fuel and reaction tank were destroyed...  He met Hera’s horrified gaze, struggling for calm. His hand hovered over the controls as he tried to think what to do. Stop this before it got worse, probably. Then he reached out, closed his hand over Hera’s on the steering lever, and tipped it to the right.

“Elei, no.” She tried to push him away, but the aircar was already tilting to the side, not much, but enough for the air-cushion to scrape against the wall as they slid forward, the hull finally freed from the thrice-damned rod or whatever it was.

He breathed out.

The gulley opened before them, deep and dark, a steep gorge. This time Hera shook him off and maneuvered the aircar between its narrow walls. They moved up the slight slope, and scraped along a jutting rock for a moment, then they were clear and racing toward the other end.

Elei checked the rear view mirror. “No pursuit.” He heaved a sigh of relief. “They didn’t pass.”

But they might be waiting at the other end, and he felt the shudder going through the vehicle as Hera accelerated more than was advisable in such narrow confines, trying to outrun them. He dared look back at the cabin, but couldn’t see the others.

They shot out of the gulley, still free of pursuers, and skimmed over the rocky landscape. Hera slowed the aircar.

“Whew!” Kalaes leaned against the doorjamb, the gun in his hand. A smudge of burnt dakron streaked his cheek. He grinned. “Hera, girl, you sure know how to party. Where are we off to now?”

“We have been left with no choice,” Hera said, voice flat, gaze fixed ahead. “They’ve forced us off the path north, so we’ll go west, to Calydon, and hope to find a boat there. Elei, grab the steering lever. Drive clear of all villages and any signs of life.”

She got up, her face creased in anger.

“What’s up?” Kalaes said.

“Betrayal.” Hera waved a hand, her eyes flashing. “I need to talk to Sacmis.”

Elei and Kalaes shared a look.

“You used Sacmis as bait out there and now you talk about betrayal?” Kalaes sighed. “Hera, wait.”

Hera was already crossing to the cabin door, where she paused and folded her arms across her chest. “I have a feeling Sacmis has not shared all she knows.”

She stalked out.

“Don’t kill her yet, will ya?” Kalaes called after her. “She got shot for your sake.”

“Sacmis is hurt?” Elei half-rose from his seat, but Kalaes pushed him back down and took the co-driver’s seat.

“Just a scratch, she’ll be fine.” Kalaes rubbed his temple and grimaced. “Calydon, huh? Never been there. Reckon it must be a busy port town. They’re bound to have all kinds of shops and there’s something I need to get my hands on.”

“Kal.” Elei checked the inbuilt compass and set their course west. “If it’s painkillers you need, I’m sure we got some in the med kit.”

Kalaes looked up, eyes widening. He lifted a dark eyebrow. “I know. Thanks, fe.”

Elei frowned. Not that, then. Something was off, and he wished Kalaes would tell him. Later he’d ask again.

Right now, top priority was getting to Calydon in one piece.

One mess at a time
.

Chapter Six

“W
hy not
say so from the start?” Hera resisted the urge to pace the length of the cramped passenger cabin. “Why not tell me that Nine not only refused to help us, but she’s collaborating with the regime?”

Sacmis sat straight in her seat, hands on the armrests. “As I recall,” she said, “I asked you expressly not to tell the resistance about the map, but you did not listen to me,
senet
.”

“Do not
senet
me.” Hera took a deep breath. Gultur protocol would have her shaking Sacmis by the collar, demanding an explanation, threatening murder if Sacmis as much as tried to refuse. Information extraction, military style, from a subordinate. But this was Sacmis, and it was all so confusing. She could not take her eyes off the makeshift bandage on Sacmis’ arm, crimson seeping through the white gauze. She did not wish to shout and fight. Not with Sacmis. “Can we trust the Undercurrent at all?”

“Do you trust
me
?” Sacmis asked, a plain, simple question, and damn her for turning the tables.

Because Hera was no good at lying. “To a certain extent.”

Some of the light in Sacmis’ gray eyes went out, and it left a hollow feeling in Hera’s chest.

“I see.” Sacmis fell back in her seat and sighed. “Then you’ll excuse me if I do not trust you completely, either. Oh, and warn me next time before you point a gun at me, all right?”

Hera nodded, her anger fading. “I still need you to talk to me. I must know, Sacmis. You realize that.”

“I’ll make you a deal.” Sacmis closed her eyes. “As soon as we are in a safe place, I’ll explain all I know. Does that satisfy you?”

Yes. No
. What would satisfy Hera would be to see Sacmis smiling, to hold her and kiss her... “Fine.”

“Come now.” Sacmis patted the seat next to her, not looking up. “Sleep a while. You always push yourself too hard.”

Not hard enough
, Hera thought, and
I need to know everything
, but she curled up next to Sacmis, relaxing in her familiar presence, and closed her eyes.

***

Elei drove under the silver moon until it set, plunging the world into pure darkness. Kalaes didn’t talk much; he kept nodding off as the hours passed.

Elei wondered how he managed to sleep. His own heart raced, and every hollow in the road, every distant hamlet or agaric grove took the shape of enemy aircars, hiding, waiting to ambush them.

Dawn broke, lighting up fleeting wisps of clouds in the dark sky. The hills the road cut through fell away like waves and the plain opened around them. The sea appeared, a sliver of bright blue at the horizon. A smudge toward the left slowly resolved into tall buildings that pierced the sky. A city. It had to be Calydon.

“Kal.” Elei glanced at the older boy who sat, arms folded across his chest, head bent forward. “Hey.”

“Whazzat?” Kalaes jerked awake, his eyes bloodshot, and drew his gun. “Trouble?”

“No. Are you okay?” It wasn’t like Kalaes to fall asleep with the Gultur hot on their heels.

“Fine. I’m fine.” Kalaes squinted at the distance and licked his dry lips. “Hells. Is that Calydon?”

“I hope so.” Above all, he hoped Gultur vehicles wouldn’t suddenly rise from the lowland he could see to the north, or the tall storehouse by the algae ponds farther down the road. “Listen, can you drive while I go talk to Hera?”

“Can I drive? Is that a trick question?” Kalaes glared as he moved rather stiffly to the driver’s seat.

“Just... please drive.” Elei shook his head and opened the door. He stepped into the cabin.

Three lithe forms were curled on the adjacent passenger seats, slender limbs twined together, blond and dark hair tangled like shiny seaweed.
Like mermaids
, Elei thought, his breath catching at their beauty. Especially one of them; pouting lips and a cute nose, blond hair framing her face and an arm trailing to the floor.

Elei tore his gaze from Alendra and swallowed hard.
Get a grip
. He reached over her, trying not to look at the soft curve of her breasts, the creamy skin of her throat, and shook Hera’s shoulder.

Hera’s eyes opened and focused on him. Her arms were around Sacmis, whose right bicep was wrapped in blood-stained gauze. They were pressed together in a very intimate-looking way.

Warmth seeped into his cheeks. “Hera.” He cleared his throat. “I think we’re nearing Calydon.”

“The west coast.” She glanced down at Sacmis who opened a gray eye. Suddenly Hera sat up and grimaced, dumping Sacmis on the seat as if she’d been burned. Sacmis’ eyes widened, then narrowed, and she smirked.

Elei wished he knew what was going on between them. He remembered the soft look in Hera’s eyes when she’d talked of Sacmis, back before Dakru City, and hoped Sacmis wouldn’t break her heart.

“I’m coming to have a look.” Hera extricated herself from the knot of bodies. The jewel-like scales on her breastbone glittered and something dark surged inside him. His hands curled into fists with the need to grab her, cut her, kill her.

Oh shit
. “Hera, where’s my medicine?”

She frowned, trying to avoid touching Sacmis, which was practically impossible as she had to pass over her to stand. Sacmis placed a helpful hand on Hera’s hip. Hera slapped it away, her frown turning into a dark scowl. “Why this urgent need for the medicine? Do you feel like killing me again?”

He lifted his chin. “No, I just like drinking slimy, bitter liquid.”

“You should not wait for the killing urge before drinking your medicine.” She placed her hands on her hips. “You should make it a routine, drink it once per day at roughly the same time.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that next time someone’s shooting at us.”

“Kalaes is rubbing off on you,” she said accusingly. She jabbed a finger over her shoulder. “You will find the thermos behind the seats.”

Alendra sat up, her cat-like eyes alert. Without a word, she bent over the backrest and lifted a thermos. She offered it to Elei. “One cup, no more,” she whispered and he wondered if she’d interrogated Hera on the matter, and if so, why.

He unscrewed the lid and poured himself a cup of the dark, viscous liquid. The bitter smell burned his nose and eyes. He gulped it down and screwed the lid and cup back on. This had to work.

Alendra took the thermos, her hand brushing his in a brief, electrifying encounter. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, his gaze captured in her smiling eyes.

Then Hera grabbed his arm and yanked him into the cockpit as if through the shifting panels of a dream.

***

“It’s Calydon indeed,” Hera said, sitting next to Kalaes. Her small mouth was pursed in concentration. “Nobody’s following us?”

Elei shrugged. “Didn’t see anyone.” His stomach cramped with the medicine and he gripped the backrest to steady himself. Hera’s scent wafted in a thick wave to his nostrils and he pulled back. “Looks like we made it.” So far. “How’s Sacmis?”

Hera’s cheekbones flushed. “Fine. It was just a scratch.”

“Are we still going to Ert?” Kalaes muttered. “Sure there’s not a place closer by?”

“No, Ert is the place to go. It’s damn far by boat and the risk of getting caught is higher, but our options are limited.”

“What did Sacmis say about the resistance?” Elei said. “Did you two talk?”

Hera threw him a quick, considering look. “Yes, we did. Sacmis will tell us when we’re somewhere safe.”

“Why wait?” Kalaes’ lips tightened. “She should tell us right now.”

“Kal... Why in Sobek’s name have we taken the northern road?” Hera asked.

Elei blinked. Had Kalaes missed the signs? A blade of fear, cold and sharp, pinched his chest. Had Kalaes fallen asleep when Elei had left the cockpit?

Hera leaned over and corrected their course, sending the aircar toward a south road exit.

Color rose to Kalaes’ cheekbones and he shoved her hand away. He grabbed the lever. “I’ve got this. Just tell us if Sacmis said anything else.”

Hera met Elei’s eyes, giving him a questioning look. “She said we cannot trust anyone,” Hera said.

Kalaes nodded absently. “I agree. Which is why I don’t trust her.”

Hera said nothing more. Elei watched the day brighten. Calydon rose like a sea anemone, tentacles of narrow buildings soaring to the sky, reflecting the early morning light.

“Think we can find a room?” Kalaes asked, fingers white around the steering lever. “I wouldn’t say no to a bed.”

“Stop moaning like an old man,” Hera snapped. “There are bigger issues here. We need to find a boat and leave without being seen.”

“Pardon my weakness, your Highness,” Kalaes muttered, brows drawing together. “Can’t blame a guy for asking. So, any ideas about where to get a boat?”

“Sacmis said she has a contact here.”

As they approached the first buildings, Kalaes’ shoulders tensed, and Hera sat straighter. Black smoke spiraled above the roofs.

“What in the hells is going on?” Elei asked. “Hera?”

“Maybe the Undercurrent is fighting the Gultur.” Kalaes’ eyes were very dark. “Though I’m not sure anymore. Maybe they’re only having a reunion party.”

“It’s probably Gultur factions fighting each other,” Hera said.

Elei realized his hands had curled into tight fists. “Are you sure Sacmis didn’t say anything else?”

“No, but we’ll discuss this,” Hera said, not looking at Kalaes. “As soon as we’re somewhere safe.”

“You sound sure we’ll make it out of here alive,” Kalaes remarked, his voice careful.

“I’m sure that — damn.” Hera rose from her seat, hair rippling like liquid metal. “Roadblock.”

Elei eyed the long line of aircars ahead, everyone waiting to be checked by armed Gultur guards. Their longguns glinted as if on fire.

“They were expecting us,” Kalaes spat the words. “That’s why they didn’t bother following. They’re everywhere.”

Elei hung back, his heart banging against his ribs, ringing in every hollow of his body. All the medicine in the world couldn’t stop Rex from taking control when in danger. “Do we need to pass through here?”

“It’s the least used entrance into the city.” Hera sat back down. “Most traffic comes from the north, the big cities there, like Abydos.”

“If we turn around and find a smaller town?” Kalaes asked.

“We need a boat, and farther south there are only the Olbia marshes and sea cliffs, and no town or village that I know of,” Hera said.

The line of vehicles advanced and took them another thirty feet closer to the roadblock. Elei cursed under his breath. He had to do something and quickly. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Kalaes half-rose from his seat, his face paling to a startling white. Damn him, he looked sick.

“Elei, wait.” Hera gave him a searching look. “What’s your plan?”

Why did everyone think he made plans before heading off on some suicidal errand? “I need to create a distraction.” He didn’t wait to see if they’d agree or not. Turning on his heel, he opened the cabin door and strode through, his hand going to his gun at his belt. Alendra looked up from where she sat, golden eyes widening when he grabbed the handle of the deck door and pulled it open.

“Where’s he going?” Sacmis asked, and Alendra said something he didn’t catch as the cold air hit him. He walked onto the narrow deck and pulled the hood over his head. He examined the scene, the twin rows of aircars going through control, and the emergency lane, free but cordoned off with barb wire and rusty barrels.
Come on, think
. There had to be a way through — a quiet way to avoid control and pursuit.

A long red vehicle drew his gaze —
an ambulance?
Maybe if they hid inside...
Yeah, right
. Something else, then.

Forcing his hand away from his gun, he set his shoulders against the icy wind and climbed down. He walked between the rows of aircars. He needed to create chaos, to get all those people to jump out of their vehicles and run. His gaze slid over the lid of a reactor engine and he paused, then resumed walking. An idea formed in his mind. It could work, but not here. Closer to the checkpoint.