Crusade Across Worlds (14 page)

“Hey man—there you are,” the red-headed
tribesman jogs up. “Where’d you go?”

“They only wanted to talk to you.”

“Because you weren’t taking any of the leads
I was giving you. You’ve got to talk.”

“Mallup only cared what you had to say.”

“You’re trying to get with Mallup?” Jace
laughs just as Werzo takes his cup and downs the rest of it in one
long gulp.

“
I’m
not,” Walker shakes his head.
“I’m trying to hook up our buddy. Why? Who is she?”

Jace laughs again and Booker sighs. “Mallup
tried going after Boss.”

The tribesman frowns. “She had a thing for
Rox?”

“Probably still does. A little intense that
one,” Jace glances back into the crowd, locating the rose-haired
mayan. His eyes flare. “Wouldn’t blame you, though. She’s got some
fine attributes.”

“She’s a bitch.”

“
Whoa
, Fallon,” Walker’s brows shoot
up, a surprised smile spreading across his mouth. He crosses his
arms, considering me. “Are you… jealous?”

“No.”

“You sure?” His smirk grows wider.

“I’m not. She doesn’t—”

“I am sorry, Fychu,” the queen’s voice
carries over, “but I am done discussing this. Please enjoy the
feast.”

“Queen Ravan, I implore you,” Sampson pleads
as the two come into view, mere feet from our small circle.
“Consider all that could happen if—”

“I have. I have considered this request of
yours several times and I continue to reach the same conclusion: it
is too risky. I know of no one who completely agrees with your
tactic. They are supporting you because of your status, because you
are a well-liked and respected Fychu and they believe you can do no
wrong. I, however, know that no one soul is infallible. Even you,”
she steps closer. “It is wrong, Fychu. The Gifts are not to be
sought, let alone moved. Accept this answer because it is the only
one you will receive from me.”

Queen Ravan turns, her long emerald skirt
swishing behind her as Sampson stands rigid, eyes focused on
nothing. He looks defeated. Lost. Clarence is at his side,
whispering something into his ear, but the Fychu makes no attempt
to move. He continues staring off ahead. Clarence keeps talking,
gesturing with his hands, trying to console his friend.

What are we going to do now? If we can’t
secure the Gifts, then according to Sampson, the invasion won’t
even occur. We’ll have to invade Dellapalania and that means—

A loud thunder booms overhead, rattling the
walls. It’s silent for a moment. Someone screams and suddenly,
everyone is rushing toward us at once.

“What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” Able grabs Mae’s hand. “I
don’t—”

A young miyon pushes past, knocking into his
shoulder. But he doesn’t stop. He jets to the back of the Great
Hall with the other fleeing Mybyncians. Another boom rocks the main
entrance leading from the Docking Station and a second wave of
panicked screams erupt. Drinks spill and food drops as orange
blasts zoom through the air, shattering the pictured mosaics.

“Vermix?” Mae goes white. “Here? But I
thought—”

“Guess they decided to come early,” Jace
snatches Pratt’s hand and jerks her behind him. Able is on his tail
along with Mae, Werzo and Booker. Mybyncians rush past, seeking the
far end of the Great Hall but I’m glued to the spot. Where is
Reid?

Walker clutches my elbow. “Come on!”

“But—”

An orange blast flies overhead, striking the
throne and sending crumbles of coral and stone crashing to the
ground. Cries of pain fill the place as chunks of the centerpiece
fall around us, slamming into the marble and sending a plume of
brown smoke through the Great Hall.

“Fallon!” Walker shouts, pulling me close to
him. “We need to move—
now!
”

But before I allow him to pull me back with
the others, the front of the room clears, revealing the
intruders.

Miyons?

An emerald-haired mayan moves to the front.
It takes me a moment to identify the familiar snarl and when I do,
my hands tighten into fists. It’s Varielle, the second daughter of
Queen Ravan. She tried to kill Ariana during the battle on
Nerwolix, but escaped when we left to discover the Vermix’s
massacre of the Nerwo villagers. Varielle wanted to kill her own
sister and I want to kill the traitor now, especially as her
purple-haired companion joins her side.

Perio.

Fury rises in my throat. He was the one who
planted the monstrous plague to wipe out part of his population—the
single goal of offering the antivirus to gain trust and loyalty.
Then he broke out of an impenetrable underwater dungeon only to
join up with the Vermix in destroying us. With the two of them on
the loose, it was only a matter of time before they showed up,
ready to finish what they started.

Varielle surveys the panicked faces through
the dust. “Kill them all.”

Muskos—those loyal to Mybyncia alone—race
past, rapidly firing off Traxpires into the Great Hall. Screams
sound as the orange eruptions zoom through the space, blasting into
the walls and causing coral pieces to crash to the floor.

Racing from the back, four Dofinikes fly
overhead, soaring toward the Muskos. They dodge the blasts and the
last two race up the walls closest to the Great Hall’s entrance.
Before the miyons can turn in time, both Arizals leap down,
knocking the intruders to the ground.

Varielle simply steps to the side. “Kill
them now!”

Miyon guards rush to tackle the Muskos but
more orange blasts fly through the air, halting their progress. A
few of the guards tumble to the floor while the others dodge the
explosions and shoot past us, toward the invasion at the front.

Walker yanks me back just as an explosion
whips past.

Oh hell no
.

“Fallon, wait!”

But I can’t stop myself.

I race forward, dodging the Traxpire blasts
with ease. In this moment, like so many before, everything slows. I
conquered this technique on Arosin, having trained tirelessly
during the mornings when I had to fight Maddox. Everything slows
because I make it that way, because I’m choosing to stretch the
time, to break it apart into milliseconds.

Dodging the orange explosions, I rush toward
the Muskos just as Jothkore, Qippert and Vix tackle them from
above. Walker is still behind me, calling me to return but I keep
going. I slide past the Muskos’ shots, racing for Perio at the
front. He’s focused on shooting Clarence who scales the nearest
wall. But I’m in front of the Musko, my fist already flying across
his sage chin. It knocks him back and he shuts his eyes, missing
his target completely. It’s tough to move in my skirt, but I’m able
to slide my foot under his, tripping him so he falls. Varielle
roars and with the same slow speed, she reaches for me. But I
thrust my elbow back, knocking it into her jaw while snatching the
Traxpire from Perio’s distracted hands.

Tossing it up to Clarence, I snatch another
gun from one of the Muskos that Qippert has landed on. The queen’s
guards are nearly here, blades gripped in their sage fingers before
sending them soaring toward the intruders. I dodge their efforts
and move to strike Perio again.

Except this time, the beginning of another
loud rumble reverberates from the other side of the Great Hall.
Time whips back to its normal pace and in the instant I’m
distracted, something hard knocks into my stomach. I let out an
agonizing breath as another blow slams across my face. Pain erupts
and I stumble back into a pair of black talons.

“Need you safe,” Jothkore whispers,
shuffling me behind him. The previous Harrizel guard moves in front
of me, blocking my body as the Muskos advance again.

I’m still trying to get my bearings, still
trying to process everything moving at its normal speed as screams
erupt from the other end of the Great Hall. Varielle’s laugh fills
my ears and orange blasts fly in the opposite direction, from where
everyone rushed to safety. Traxpire explosions are shooting from
both sides of the Great Hall. My heart stops as I realize what’s
happening.

Oh God
.

They’re blocking us in here—trapping us. If
they don’t manage to kill us with the Vermix weapon, they’ll
collapse the FH and we’ll drown. Or crumble from the pressure from
the water.

Shit.

Where are the others? With Jothkore still
fighting the nearest Muskos, I scan the Great Hall, searching for
everyone. But I can’t find anyone. Not the guards, not Walker,
not—

Reid flies through the barrier of bodies,
his face a mask of fury. He takes a step and an orange explosion
shoots past his head.

Oh
fuck
no.

With a calming breath, I focus like before,
choosing to slow down the time. All the rushing dies to mere inches
of movement and I spin, locating the Musko who released the orange
blast. I take aim and fire. I hit him in the center of his chest
and he stumbles back inches at a time, toppling over a couple of
Muskos behind him. Clarence starts shooting the intruders as well,
but I know it’s not going to be enough if it’s just the two of us
armed. If the Muskos relied solely on their blades, we might be
able to stop them. But Traxpires are firing on us from both ends of
the Great Hall. We need to even the scales.

With time still creeping by, Reid advances
and I toss him my gun. He catches it in slow motion just as I spin
on another Musko. Throwing my fist into his gut, I snatch his
Traxpire during his confusion of pain. Sweeping my foot underneath
him, he falls back and I turn, firing on the other Muskos. Varielle
reaches for me but I hit her with the butt of my gun and blood
seeps from her busted lip. More screams erupt from the other side
and I swear one of them is Pratt.

No!

Time speeds up and everything is happening
at once. The firing advances from both sides, moving toward the
center of the Great Hall, surrounding the crumbled throne. Cries
soak the air along with thunderous blasts as the Traxpires
continually hit the walls, shaking the domed room around us.

Someone grabs my hand. Reid tugs me toward
him, back for the East Wing.

“We can’t—”

“COME ON!” He fires over my head, hitting an
incoming Musko.

“Get the queen out!” Chancellor Keller calls
from somewhere in the heavy mix. “And the princesses!”

All the Dofinikes focus their attacks on the
entrance leading in from the Docking Station, but nothing separates
the intruders moving in from the Dining Hall. Screams cry
out—voices pitched high in terror—but they’re barely audible over
the sound of the thunderous orange blasts. The Rogues are back
there, along with Pratt and Mae. We can’t just leave.

I tug on Reid’s hand.

“Fallon, we—”

An explosion shoots over his head, hitting
part of the rounded ceiling and sending pieces of coral crumbling
down around us. With a quick jerk he has me behind him as we run
down the tunnel toward my quarters. Footsteps sound behind us and
I’m not sure if it’s the Muskos or other Mybyncians seeking safety.
But with Reid racing us so fast, I have no time to check. We’re in
the East Wing the next second and he’s shuffling me toward the
back. Everything is going too fast that I can’t keep up. Catching a
breath, my eyes search the room. Where did I leave my suit?

Reid shoots the Muskos trying to pour into
the room. But there are too many. I join him, firing at the miyons
but they keep advancing, pushing us back. Maybe we shouldn’t
have—

“Fallon, get back!” Reid roars.

A miyon rushes past him, sliding under his
outstretched arm and coming straight for me. I shoot him in his
face and as he falls, another miyon takes his place, his blade
raised. After I hit him in his stomach, more pour in and I don’t
know what to do.

What do I do?

Suddenly the Muskos turn, a new threat
arriving in the tunnel behind them. As they’re firing into the dim
passage, Reid and I shoot at their backs. Yelps ring out as the
Muskos fumble forward and then back and finally, into a huge heap
of bodies at the entrance of the East Wing. Once they’re all down,
Walker peeks past.

“You guys okay?”

“Walker!” I let out a breath.

He jets in, followed by Tucker, Jace, Pratt,
Booker, Werzo, Able and Mae.

“Oh thank God,” I hug the girls, and then
Able. “Thank God!”

“What’s happening out there?” Reid moves for
the tunnel, Traxpire still in hand. He peeks past the wall and
beyond the pile of Musko bodies. Screams echo from the other end,
gun blasts reverberating through the walls.

“Fucking chaos,” Jace pants. “Sampson said
to follow you and get in our suits. The guards finally arrived but
if this place collapses,” he glances at the shaking mosaics, “we’re
done for. Where are your suits?”

“Here,” I move for the back of the room
where we discarded them earlier. “But we only have—”

Jace crouches to the floor, swinging his arm
under the bed. “Sampson said they keep extras. Guys, help me…”

Reid and Tucker guard the entrance as Walker
and the other Rogues help push the giant bed to the side. Once it’s
out of the way, we find a square outline sitting in the center of
the area. Jace opens the small latch at one end and starts pulling
out the black suits and helmets, passing them around.

Pratt, Mae and I head to the back of the
room and quickly climb into our suits. I’d like to get into my own
clothes but there’s no time. This will have to do. Once Jace and
Walker are ready, they exchange places with Reid and Tucker so they
can change.

“Are either of you hurt?” I look between
Pratt and Mae.

Pratt shakes her head. “They’re all
Muskos... I didn’t see any Vermix.”

“That’s because the Vermix aren’t here,”
Reid pins his helmet between his arm and hip. “Not yet.”