Crusade Across Worlds (36 page)

Clarence?

No answer.

Clarence?
I open my eyes and try
again, calling to him louder. Stronger.
Clarence?
CLARENCE!

No response.

“Fallon,” Pratt approaches warily. “What
is?”

The tree shakes and a unanimous gasp fills
the king’s home. Silence follows. It’s cold and heavy and numbingly
terrifying. Another thunderous boom and my heart races, my
scrambled, panicked mind trying to keep up, trying to calculate the
situation. “We have to go,” I look at the others. “Now. We have to
go now.”

“There’s nowhere
to
go,” Tucker says.
“You heard Clarence.”

“We can’t stay.”

“Why?” Reid joins my side. “What’s
happening?”

“Reuzkimpart. He’s brought his entire army
here. To Zinnollo,” I look from face to face. “They’re going to
destroy the city.”

Another rumble shakes the tree, stirring
cries from somewhere in the back. Something explodes outside and a
shrill scream echoes beyond the curtain. It’s followed by another
scream, and then another. The king is on his feet.

“Vermix threaten for last time,” Warze
growls, his fists swinging like weapons at his side as he moves
past me. “Vermix die now.”

“No, you don’t understand. There’s too many
of them. You’ll never—”

“Where do we go?” Mae cuts me off, the fear
in her voice igniting panic. Chaos. Her eyes are wide and piercing,
her skin pale with fright. “Fallon? What do we do?”

Questions bubble around me, fear a tangible
force in the air. There’s too much being said, being asked, that I
can’t concentrate on any one thing. Warze works his way through the
crowd, heading for the one entrance.

“—How do we evacuate the city? Can we even
get—?”

“—What about people outside? Where will they
go?”

“Warze,” Hozfin says, a dark shadow crossing
his face. “Release Ludin.”

He doesn’t get it. Like Sampson, he still
thinks we can win this. Here, in the city. I maneuver my way toward
the king, trying to explain, hoping he understands the severity of
the situation. “We have to leave. The Vermix—”

“
No!”
A deep growl grows from the
back of his throat. It’s a warning, a promise and a threat all in
one. “I will no leave my kingdom.”

“But they’re
here
. We have to go.
It’s not safe—”

A gust of wind blows back the curtain and
all I see is orange. Bright, suffocating orange. Fire everywhere.
Flames everywhere. They crackle up every inch of bark, multiplying
their heat, stretching their burning arms in all directions. Even
the bridge leading to the king’s home is swallowed in the sizzling,
popping fire, dark smoke clogging all visibility beyond it.

Pratt coughs behind me.

“What do we do?” Able asks.

If we stay, we die. Simple as that. There’s
no way around it, no way to stop an entire army from burning
Zinnollo to the ground.

And that’s exactly what they’re doing.

We have to leave.

“Larupip,” I turn to the others, trying to
remain as calm as possible. Maybe if I believe it, they will too.
“Clarence said he’d meet us there. We’ll go, protect the Gift…”
Everyone stares at me with the same uncertainty that I feel, but I
can’t show it. I need to be strong. For myself. For them. “We have
to go. Now.”

“We can’t just leave,” Tucker scoffs,
gesturing around him. “What about the others?”

“I—”

Someone screams. Sharp crackling invades the
king’s home and suddenly, the curtain is ablaze. The closest
tribesmen rush forward and one flattens the drape to the wall,
knocking into it over and over, trying to put out the flames. But
he falls forward, a hole blasted through his chest. Another scream.
Orange explosions rip through the king’s home, hitting the back
wall, igniting it in fire. And suddenly, the other tribesmen fly
back, thrown across the space by an invading Vermix.

Before he gets very far, Warze grips his
neck. With a loud crunch, the Zingfinold tosses the limp body aside
and readies himself for the next.

“Keep together,” Reid shouts, ushering Pratt
and Mae behind him. The Rogues encircle the girls, forming an
impenetrable barrier, their empty hands up, ready to do what they
can.

Warze grabs the next Vermix by his throat,
but three more rush in, tackling the massive Zingfinold to the
ground. Leaping over the other tribesmen, Tucker launches himself
onto the intruders, landing on the center one. Using only his
hands, he twists the Vermix’s head and the Dofinike goes limp,
falling off of Warze. Hozfin moves down to help him, but four more
rush in.

Reid dashes forward, tripping the first pair
before rounding to pull the second Vermix off of Warze. The
Zingfinold manages to get to his feet, but not before one of the
intruders grabs Tucker. The Rogue Leader goes flying back, halfway
across the room and into a group of hysterical tribegirls.

Reid doesn’t hesitate.

Launching himself at the two Vermix, he runs
up one and sidekicks the other before he’s able to fire his
Traxpire. Snatching his weapon, Reid fires on the first and then
spins to shoot the second. The other two, now on their feet, move
to grab him, but I send the sharp end of my whip flying, slicing
one across the eyes and the other across his chest.

More Vermix rush in.

Warze does his best to block the entry with
his body, but there are too many. Five or six more Dofinikes burst
in, tackling the massive Zingfinold again, even with Hozfin
gripping throats. Reid shoots them as they enter, but one knocks
into him, sending the weapon flying. And with fire crawling up the
walls, it forces the others to squeeze inward, mashing everyone
together in the center of the room. This is getting bad. Fast.

Reid is on his back, reaching for his fallen
weapon but a Vermix stands over him, about to shoot him. Before he
can pull the trigger, I let my whip fly. It slices his wrist and
sends his Traxpire, along with his claw, to the ground. The Vermix
falls to his knees with a scream, bringing his bloodied nub to his
chest. Another Vermix advances. I do the same and he falls next to
his partner.

Tucker leaps out from the back. “We have to
get these people out of here!”

Reid jumps to his feet and tosses him a
Traxpire. He reaches for the second and spins to shoot more of the
intruders as they barrel their way into the king’s home.

“We have to go!”

“Get them out of here,” Tucker motions to
us. “I’ll take care of the Zingfinolds.”

“I’m not leaving you—”

“Get them out of here, Reid!” He blasts a
hole in the back of the room. He fires again. And again. “Go!
Now!”

Reid spins toward me, stunned. Confused.
What should he do?

“This way!” Tucker shouts, working his way
through the Zingfinolds, toward his makeshift opening on the other
end. “Follow me!”

More Vermix fly through the entryway. I send
my whip flying, striking them down as they appear, the flames
eating away at the walls. Coughing erupts, joining the cacophony of
screams and sharp, angry crackling. I can’t see Warze anymore, and
I’ve lost sight of Hozfin too.

Qippert! Vix! Jothkore!
I picture
them all.

But even if they’re on their way, they
wouldn’t make it in time. They can’t save us.

“
Grab hands!”
I shout.

I don’t realize what I’m doing until I’ve
started it, but there’s no time to second-guess myself, to wonder
if it’s even possible. Closing my eyes, I visualize the frigid
white landscape. I can see it—billowing white flurries against a
backdrop of snow and ice, so vibrant and real, like the orange
flames snaking their way toward me, angry and bright and all-too
consuming. I can feel it, feel the icy chill of the freezing
temperature like the heat of the fire as it inches its way closer,
threatening to devour my body and the bodies of everyone I care
about.

Larupip..
.

I inhale.

Cold. Crisp. I breathe in again, my nostrils
widening from the openness of the icy air. Suddenly shivering, I
let out a breath and release Reid’s hand. A harsh chill rushes over
me followed by a thunderous boom in the distance.

I open my eyes.

White.

Everywhere.

Blanketing the ground and in the backdrop,
across the sky—the color surrounds us, choking us with cold.
Shields of flurries whistle past, obstructing most of the view, but
I can still make out the faint figures in the distance. Another
freezing gust sweeps my skin and I tremble from the sensation.
I
did it. I actually did it
. Another thunderous boom. Squinting,
I focus on the figures in the distance as they collide with one
another. I let out a breath and see it in front of my face.

“How did you do that?” Pratt asks.

“I—I don’t know.”

“What about the others?” Walker spins,
looking for them. “And Tucker?”

I look at their faces and the realization
hits me. We left them.
I
left them. I left Tucker. He wanted
to get the others out, to lead them away and I didn’t hesitate to
flee
.
I left without knowing if he or the Zingfinolds got
out in time; I left without knowing if they made it, if they’re
safe. I abandoned them. I abandoned Tucker and Warze and King
Hozfin.

“Oh my God,” I fall to my knees, my heart
pounding so hard that I can’t breathe. I try for a couple of
breaths but it’s hard to inhale the frigid air; it’s hard to
breathe it into my lungs. Reid is on his knees besides me.

“Hey—look at me. Look at me,” he says and I
force myself to. “You did what you could.”

“I left them.”

“We’d all be dead. You got us out of
there.”

“I could’ve tried to save them. I could’ve
tried—”

“Fallon,” Reid takes me by my quaking
shoulders, “you saved us.” I shake my head to protest but he wraps
his arms around me, clutching my body to his. “You saved us.”

He rocks me until I’m no longer shaking,
until the feel of him calms me down enough to breathe again. It
doesn’t erase the guilt—not even close—but at least I know he’s
alive. And Pratt. And Able and Mae and the rest of the Rogues.
Well, most of them. It’s quiet for a moment while I try to
rationalize what happened. I don’t think I can, but I can’t think
about that now. It’s freezing and we still have a ways to go before
this day is done.

Reid gets to his feet. He offers his hand
and pulls me up.

“S-so what do we do now?” Able breaks the
silence, his teeth chattering.

Because we all had to hold hands, no one has
their Traxpires. I have my whip, but that’s it. We’re on Larupip,
alone, defenseless, and something is going on in the distance. If
we had some help—

Clarence!

“Give me a sec,” I close my eyes and I focus
on my great-great-grandfather’s face, blocking out the guilt, the
cold and the sheer adrenaline of having relocated eight bodies to
another planet. This is all moving too fast, and not how any of it
was supposed to go.

Clarence, we’re here—on Larupip.

I wait and there’s no response. I grow
panicked again until his breathlessness invades my head.
You
are? Where? Tell me you’re not in the thick of things.

The thick of—what do you mean?

They’re here. The Vermix know we’re here,
relocating the Shadow Bag.

What? How?

They were closing in on us. Sampson had no
choice—we had to flee. But one of the Vermix grabbed hold of him.
He saw where we were and must’ve told the others. They’re coming in
swarms.

Shit.

Where are you, kid?

Um…
I glance around. I really have no
idea where we are. But I’d visualized the place I remembered
most—the cave where we met the Arizal Leader for the first time. It
has to be around here somewhere.
I think we’re by Blovid’s old
hideout. There’s something going on in the distance, but
Clarence…we don’t have our Traxpires.

A pause.
You have a whip?

Yeah.

Okay. No pressure, but it’s on you. I don’t
think the fight will find its way over, but if it does, you don’t
hesitate. You take those bastards out and grab their guns. I’ll do
my best to get you a few too.

Are Sampson and Blovid safe? Is the
Gift?

For now, yeah. Look, I’ll do my best to find
you. Stay where you are. Keep warm. Be safe.

Okay.

I open my eyes and find the others staring
at me, anxiously awaiting the update. They’re all huddled together,
sharing body heat, one mass shivering against the whistling white
flurries.

“W-well?” Werzo breathes into his hands.

“They’re here. Clarence, Sampson…but so are
the Vermix. They know we’re moving the Gift here.”

“Of course!” Werzo throws his arms up. “Why
wouldn’t they? Can’t they just cease and desist already? These
assholes are fucking –”

“That’s probably what that is over there,”
Reid cuts him off and gestures to the commotion in the distance.
“What else did he say?”

“He’d try and get to us but he seemed
occupied.”

I didn’t tell Clarence about King Hozfin and
leaving the others inside the burning home. I didn’t tell him I
abandoned them. That’s something for later, for afterward, when I
have the time to face what I did.

“We need to get inside,” Reid scans the
area. He focuses on something, then motions over my shoulder. “I
think that’s Blovid’s old hideout there. We can wait it out in the
cave.”

“Yeah,” Walker bristles, rubbing warmth into
his naked arms. “Good idea.”

We head in the indicated direction and after
passing a high mound of snow, the cave’s entrance comes into view.
Reid heads into the darkness first. Once he confirms it’s secure,
we follow him in, funneling into the narrow stone walls and out of
the freezing cold. But it’s barely warmer. If anything, it feels
the same, except there aren’t any harsh, icy gusts trying to blow
us over. And at least we have on actual clothes. I feel bad for
Walker and Able. We’ll need to leave the planet soon because if we
stay much longer, they’ll catch hypothermia for sure.