slightly. “You are Glissa’s sister? It’s an honor to meet you.”
Lyese, surprised, took the Neurok woman’s offered hand.
“Bruenna, meet my sister Lyese. Lyese, meet Bruenna of the Neurok,” Glissa said.
Bruenna appraised Lyese. “The family resemblance is uncanny.”
“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that,” Lyese said with a scowl.
“We’re—uh, it’s a long story,” Glissa said. “Lyese, Bruenna is not your enemy. Any more than I am. If you’d really earned that armor, you’d speak with more respect.”
“Don’t tell me what I earned, Glissa!” Lyese snapped, “I’ll make my own judgments.”
“Bruenna, what happened?” Glissa asked with a sigh. “I need details.”
“They attacked us, intentionally,” the Neurok woman replied. “Hunted down every last one of us.”
“Except you, huh?” Slobad said.
“It started with levelers,” Bruenna said.
“Levelers?” Glissa, Slobad, and Lyese asked at once.
“They came ashore from Lumengrid. The vedalken said they wanted peace, but … We fought back, but it was late. Most of the villagers were cut down in their beds.” Bruenna coughed awkwardly, and Glissa could tell she was on the verge of breaking down. “I fought them, with everything I had. But then the ’phin swarm came across the sea from that cursed vedalken city, and they hit a tower I was using for cover. It toppled and pinned me underneath.”
“Lucky,” Lyese remarked. Her good eye was still examining the human with suspicion.
“Yes,” Bruenna nodded. “Very lucky. I was standing over an underground food storage area. The tower fell and knocked out the roof of the warehouse cave the same time it came down on me.”
“You fall through ground and land in a cave, huh?” Slobad said. “That happens to Slobad all the time.”
“We’ll have to swap cave-in survival tips sometime, goblin,” Bruenna said. “When I came to, everyone was … it wasa slaughter. I can only imagine what happened to the poor folk that lived in Lumengrid itself. So I borrowed a flyer from a vedalken.”
“Didn’t see you coming, huh?” Slobad asked.
“No, he didn’t,” Bruenna said with a grim smile. “Bastard was picking through the bodies, checking for wounded, I guess, but wasn’t finding any. Caught him with a bolt of lightning right in the fishbowl. Then I hopped on the flyer, which must have woken up the ’phins and levelers, because took off after me.” Bruenna shrugged wearily.
“What’s a fishbowl?” Slobad asked.
“Later,” Glissa interrupted, and swung Bruenna around by the shoulders. “There are levelers coming too?” Even as she asked the question, Glissa’s sharp ears picked up the clacking of the leveler hordes, still many miles away but closing. And between the elf girl and the sounds of metallic death was her home.
“Flare,” Glissa swore. “This is not good.”
“Can you stop them?” Lyese demanded. “Can you do to them what you did to these?” She waved an arm to indicate the shattered aerophins.
“I’ve got to try,” Glissa said. “Otherwise, Viridia’s going to be destroyed.” Privately, she didn’t think she had it in her, but she was Viridia’s only chance.
“Let me help,” Bruenna said, brushing flecks of copper and oil from her robes. “Together, maybe we can—”
“No, I’ve got to do this myself,” Glissa insisted. “You three need to get someplace safe. Someplace where there might be an army big enough to take on Memnarch.” She turned to the goblin. “Slobad, you’ve go to lead them to Taj Nar. Raksha might be able to help. At the very least, he deserves to know what’s happening. And I can’t think of any safer place on Mirrodin right now.”
Slobad shook his head. “Oh, no. Where you go, Slobad goes.”
“Viridia’s my home, too, Glissa,” Lyese interrupted. “If you’re going back there to fight them, I am too.”
“Both of you are being foolish,” Bruenna said softly. “Glissa is
Lyese, surprised, took the Neurok woman’s offered hand.
“Bruenna, meet my sister Lyese. Lyese, meet Bruenna of the Neurok,” Glissa said.
Bruenna appraised Lyese. “The family resemblance is uncanny.”
“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that,” Lyese said with a scowl.
“We’re—uh, it’s a long story,” Glissa said. “Lyese, Bruenna is not your enemy. Any more than I am. If you’d really earned that armor, you’d speak with more respect.”
“Don’t tell me what I earned, Glissa!” Lyese snapped, “I’ll make my own judgments.”
“Bruenna, what happened?” Glissa asked with a sigh. “I need details.”
“They attacked us, intentionally,” the Neurok woman replied. “Hunted down every last one of us.”
“Except you, huh?” Slobad said.
“It started with levelers,” Bruenna said.
“Levelers?” Glissa, Slobad, and Lyese asked at once.
“They came ashore from Lumengrid. The vedalken said they wanted peace, but … We fought back, but it was late. Most of the villagers were cut down in their beds.” Bruenna coughed awkwardly, and Glissa could tell she was on the verge of breaking down. “I fought them, with everything I had. But then the ’phin swarm came across the sea from that cursed vedalken city, and they hit a tower I was using for cover. It toppled and pinned me underneath.”
“Lucky,” Lyese remarked. Her good eye was still examining the human with suspicion.
“Yes,” Bruenna nodded. “Very lucky. I was standing over an underground food storage area. The tower fell and knocked out the roof of the warehouse cave the same time it came down on me.”
“You fall through ground and land in a cave, huh?” Slobad said. “That happens to Slobad all the time.”
“We’ll have to swap cave-in survival tips sometime, goblin,” Bruenna said. “When I came to, everyone was … it wasa slaughter. I can only imagine what happened to the poor folk that lived in Lumengrid itself. So I borrowed a flyer from a vedalken.”
“Didn’t see you coming, huh?” Slobad asked.
“No, he didn’t,” Bruenna said with a grim smile. “Bastard was picking through the bodies, checking for wounded, I guess, but wasn’t finding any. Caught him with a bolt of lightning right in the fishbowl. Then I hopped on the flyer, which must have woken up the ’phins and levelers, because took off after me.” Bruenna shrugged wearily.
“What’s a fishbowl?” Slobad asked.
“Later,” Glissa interrupted, and swung Bruenna around by the shoulders. “There are levelers coming too?” Even as she asked the question, Glissa’s sharp ears picked up the clacking of the leveler hordes, still many miles away but closing. And between the elf girl and the sounds of metallic death was her home.
“Flare,” Glissa swore. “This is not good.”
“Can you stop them?” Lyese demanded. “Can you do to them what you did to these?” She waved an arm to indicate the shattered aerophins.
“I’ve got to try,” Glissa said. “Otherwise, Viridia’s going to be destroyed.” Privately, she didn’t think she had it in her, but she was Viridia’s only chance.
“Let me help,” Bruenna said, brushing flecks of copper and oil from her robes. “Together, maybe we can—”
“No, I’ve got to do this myself,” Glissa insisted. “You three need to get someplace safe. Someplace where there might be an army big enough to take on Memnarch.” She turned to the goblin. “Slobad, you’ve go to lead them to Taj Nar. Raksha might be able to help. At the very least, he deserves to know what’s happening. And I can’t think of any safer place on Mirrodin right now.”
Slobad shook his head. “Oh, no. Where you go, Slobad goes.”
“Viridia’s my home, too, Glissa,” Lyese interrupted. “If you’re going back there to fight them, I am too.”
“Both of you are being foolish,” Bruenna said softly. “Glissa is
Similar Books
