Thunderbolts. It is a matter of time until the four intruders down below and the two ships they came here in are destroyed.”
“Very good, Colonel. One other thing.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Find out who gave the order to hand out blaster rifles to the guards on top of the wall rather than sniper blasters. Then bring him here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Le Savage turned his attention back to the fighting down below. Something he saw made him not only smile, but made him burst with laughter. In the middle of all the fighting, his most prized prisoner, the former leader of the CasterLan Kingdom, was still pushing the Circle of Sorrow. When he told Mowbray this hilarious bit of information, he was sure he would be promoted.
13
Baldwin had to shout over the noise. “Vere, we have to go.”
He had taken cover near the base of the Circle of Sorrow and the little bit of protection it provided, but blaster fire continued to pepper the ground by his feet.
Vere was oblivious to him, though, and to the rapidly escalating chaos around her. She didn’t run for safety or join them in attempting to escape. She didn’t even turn to glimpse in his direction. Baldwin looked into her eyes and saw they were dead to the world. It was as if she were in a chronic state of shock and exhaustion and simply didn’t realize what was going on around her.
The laser blasts near Baldwin slowed down, then stopped. When he peered out from behind the metal base that the thick wooden beam passed through, he saw that the guards had begun shooting toward the entrance where he and the others had arrived. Knowing he would never have a better chance, Baldwin darted out from his hiding spot and ran to Vere’s side.
With a hand on her arm, he yelled, “Vere, it’s me, Baldwin. Come on, we need to get out of here. Now.”
Her bicep was as hard as the lava rock underneath them. When he reached out and wrapped both hands around her forearm to pull her away, she didn’t budge.
“Vere, we’re here to save you,” he said. This didn’t register with her either. She was so strong he couldn’t make her move if she didn’t want to. Defeated, he looked for Morgan. She would have a better idea of what to do. Through the smoky turmoil, he was able to spot her only by the trail of colored vapor that her Meursault blade left in the air each time she swung it. Swirls of red and orange and black lingered in the air wherever she had struck down a Vonnegan guard.
After making sure the guards atop the wall were no longer paying attention to him, he ran toward her. She was closer to the entrance than he was, though, and the blaster fire from the guards on top of the prison wall created a barrier of deadly lasers. He spotted the closest place where he could find cover, the remains of a rock wall that one of the prisoners had been building, and ducked behind it. Swarmed with blaster fire, Morgan hid behind a far section of the same crumbling wall. They were less than thirty feet from each other, but the laser blasts were slowly making their way closer to her, pushing Morgan back out into the open and toward the same door she had entered the prison yard through.
When he called her name, she didn’t seem relieved that he was safe. In fact, she frowned at the sight of him.
“What are you doing?” she yelled as blaster fire sprayed her face and hair with rock dust. “Why don’t you have Vere?”
A prisoner jumped over the rock wall next to Morgan. The cream-colored alien, with a patterned shell that covered his chest and back, laughed and yelled maniacally and then lunged at her. Morgan dodged to the side and punched the alien in the face as he slid past her, knocking him out with one blow.
Seeing Baldwin still down the wall from her, she yelled, “Don’t just stand there, get her!”
Baldwin held his palms in the air. “I tried. She won’t move from the wheel she’s turning.”
“Make her move,” Morgan growled, as if it were that simple.
“I
“Very good, Colonel. One other thing.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Find out who gave the order to hand out blaster rifles to the guards on top of the wall rather than sniper blasters. Then bring him here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Le Savage turned his attention back to the fighting down below. Something he saw made him not only smile, but made him burst with laughter. In the middle of all the fighting, his most prized prisoner, the former leader of the CasterLan Kingdom, was still pushing the Circle of Sorrow. When he told Mowbray this hilarious bit of information, he was sure he would be promoted.
13
Baldwin had to shout over the noise. “Vere, we have to go.”
He had taken cover near the base of the Circle of Sorrow and the little bit of protection it provided, but blaster fire continued to pepper the ground by his feet.
Vere was oblivious to him, though, and to the rapidly escalating chaos around her. She didn’t run for safety or join them in attempting to escape. She didn’t even turn to glimpse in his direction. Baldwin looked into her eyes and saw they were dead to the world. It was as if she were in a chronic state of shock and exhaustion and simply didn’t realize what was going on around her.
The laser blasts near Baldwin slowed down, then stopped. When he peered out from behind the metal base that the thick wooden beam passed through, he saw that the guards had begun shooting toward the entrance where he and the others had arrived. Knowing he would never have a better chance, Baldwin darted out from his hiding spot and ran to Vere’s side.
With a hand on her arm, he yelled, “Vere, it’s me, Baldwin. Come on, we need to get out of here. Now.”
Her bicep was as hard as the lava rock underneath them. When he reached out and wrapped both hands around her forearm to pull her away, she didn’t budge.
“Vere, we’re here to save you,” he said. This didn’t register with her either. She was so strong he couldn’t make her move if she didn’t want to. Defeated, he looked for Morgan. She would have a better idea of what to do. Through the smoky turmoil, he was able to spot her only by the trail of colored vapor that her Meursault blade left in the air each time she swung it. Swirls of red and orange and black lingered in the air wherever she had struck down a Vonnegan guard.
After making sure the guards atop the wall were no longer paying attention to him, he ran toward her. She was closer to the entrance than he was, though, and the blaster fire from the guards on top of the prison wall created a barrier of deadly lasers. He spotted the closest place where he could find cover, the remains of a rock wall that one of the prisoners had been building, and ducked behind it. Swarmed with blaster fire, Morgan hid behind a far section of the same crumbling wall. They were less than thirty feet from each other, but the laser blasts were slowly making their way closer to her, pushing Morgan back out into the open and toward the same door she had entered the prison yard through.
When he called her name, she didn’t seem relieved that he was safe. In fact, she frowned at the sight of him.
“What are you doing?” she yelled as blaster fire sprayed her face and hair with rock dust. “Why don’t you have Vere?”
A prisoner jumped over the rock wall next to Morgan. The cream-colored alien, with a patterned shell that covered his chest and back, laughed and yelled maniacally and then lunged at her. Morgan dodged to the side and punched the alien in the face as he slid past her, knocking him out with one blow.
Seeing Baldwin still down the wall from her, she yelled, “Don’t just stand there, get her!”
Baldwin held his palms in the air. “I tried. She won’t move from the wheel she’s turning.”
“Make her move,” Morgan growled, as if it were that simple.
“I
Similar Books
