Dragon: Allie's War Book Nine (107 page)

By then, what had been the Nanchang River had turned into the Landmark River, taking me for miles out of central Beijing before it dumped me into the much-wider Bahe.

I’d known from going over the maps with Dalejem that the Bahe would eventually connect me to the Wenyu River, which was even bigger, but I hadn’t yet decided if that would be a good thing or not. By then I’d been lying on my back on top of a partially-intact tile roof I’d managed to climb on top of. I’d also been fighting to stay conscious as I tried to decide what to do.

I knew I had to be well outside of the communications lock-down area of the Dreng by then. So yeah, I could have contacted Balidor––if I’d still had my headset––but of course I didn’t by then. I’d lost that along with my gun, probably right around the time I first smacked into that debris-filled water.

The gun bothered me less, since I’d already been out of bullets.

So yeah, apart from risking my life all over again by going into the Barrier and alerting the Dreng to where I was, I’d been pretty much shit out of luck in terms of calling for help.

As far as contacting Brooks, I only realized it was too late for that when I saw the first comet-like bullet of white streak across the sky.

Then I saw more of them.

I’d sat up on that half-submerged tile roof, watching them with my eyes, unable to believe what I was seeing at first. It was all so silent and far away, drowned out by the sound of river around me, the heavy thuds and reports of debris cracking and breaking, or smacking into one another above or below the waterline. The deafening rush of the river itself, the occasional shout from someone on the shore who saw me, and even the occasional rock as someone tried to hit me as I passed, likely for the hell of it more than any true reason.

But those bombs. They were quiet.

I stared up at them, charting their course with my eyes, and I knew where they were going.

I also knew, although my mind tried to tell my mental clock that it was wrong…that the rendezvous time for Revik at the airport wouldn’t have come yet.

I’d never arranged for the earlier pick ups for him.

Which meant Revik wouldn’t have gotten out.

He was still in Beijing.

Pain had exploded over my light. I’d opened at once, even though I’d known it was already too late. I’d tried to find him via the bond. I told him to go back to that underground bunker, to get as many as he could and lock himself in and hide down there. I’d told him that we’d get him out once the dust settled, that we’d find some way to get him out of there…

I’d told him I was sorry.

I’d told him a lot of things.

But I don’t think he heard any of it. If he did, he never answered.

I couldn’t feel him at all.

Then the first bombs hit and the skyline turned red, and yeah…

At that point, it really was just way beyond too late.

Forcing the memory out of my light, I winced at a cut in the bottom of my foot as I walked up the dirty sand. I remembered slicing that on a metal container after I’d jumped off the tile roof. I’d been trying to get to land by then, but I didn’t manage it until after I’d already been pulled from the Bahe and into the much larger Wenyu River.

Only after that happened had I realized it would have been a lot better if I’d jumped off the roof well before I got to that wider waterway.

The Wenyu was swollen with monsoon rains from the north, and likely from those rumored dams having broken from higher up in the hills. It crashed east and south towards the ocean like a slow-moving tsunami, filled with full-sized houses and even a few office buildings along with cars and logs and roofs like the one I still clung to like a half-drowned rat.

I’d known it would be suicide to jump off while I was so far from shore.

So I’d had no choice but to ride the current for longer, hope a better chance presented itself for me to get back to land.

It was another hour before that happened.

I’d been out of my mind by then, which paradoxically, made me strangely calm.

Revik was dead. I had to get to Lily.

It was as simple as that.

When I finally jumped off that roof, I’d only been about twenty feet from shore. It felt a lot longer than that, of course, but I could see more tributaries meeting the river up ahead, more water feeding into this one, and some part of my light told me it was time to go.

So I jumped.

And yeah, I made it, but I got pretty danged banged up when I did.

Limping down the stretch of coarse sand, I winced at each step on the cut foot, trying to decide what to do. I’d opened my light while I’d been on that river and no one had answered. I knew there might still be Dreng soldiers around though. Some of them would have gotten out, especially if they’d been behind the bombing in the first place.

Closing my eyes, I fought the images that wanted to rise out of my light, fighting to think.

Balidor. Balidor probably thought I was dead. How would I get a message to him? They’d be on full lock-down if they’d survived this. That, or they’d already be on their way to Dalian by now, given how late it was.

Jem…

Fighting the image of his face out of my mind, I shook my head, feeling the pain in my chest worsen. Jem was probably dead, too.

As the thought solidified, I realized I needed to call them.

I also realized a big part of the reason I hadn’t was because I hadn’t wanted to know how many of them were dead.

Once I’d admitted that much to myself, I took a breath, sending out a strong ping to Balidor.

Seemingly the instant I had, a voice exploded in my head.

ALYSON! ALLIE! Gaos…where are you? Where are you sister?

I flinched from the intensity of his light, biting my lip when tears came to my eyes, when relief washed over me so strongly that I couldn’t answer him at first.

I sent him that heat instead, along with more gratitude than I would have been able to express in any amount of words. Balidor sent me a blast of warmth back, even as he sent words to me again, tumbling out of his light in a near-frantic rush.

Where are you, Allie? Gaos…we have been looking everywhere for you. Fucking everywhere. I admit, we feared the worst…we have lost so many…so damned many…

I felt the thought choke somewhere in his light, even as I shook my head.

I wasn’t ready to hear the list. Not yet.

We were so afraid we’d lost you my sister…so afraid…tell me where you are. Tell me where you are so we can come get you…

Still fighting to control my light, I sent him a snapshot with my light, showing him the banks of the river. I sent him an image of where I’d first jumped in, the Shadow soldiers, the roof, a packed summary of how I’d gotten here, how far my light told me I’d traveled…land marks I’d passed on the way. I showed him the buildings on my side of the river, trying to find street names, anything that might actually help him…

Mountains, Allie…
Balidor said, his light coaxing that time, gentle.
I need something more permanent. Anything that wouldn’t have moved…

Exhaling, I nodded, realizing he was right.

I looked up, scanning the horizon, letting him see through my eyes.

I didn’t see any mountains. I showed him a tower, along with a bridge overpass I could see in the distance. Most of the overpass was gone from the flooding river, but I could see what remained of an exit sign in Chinese characters.

I couldn’t read them myself, but––

Got it,
Balidor sent, exuding another pulse of relief.
Allie, we’re on our way.

I nodded, feeling my throat tighten again.

I wanted to ask him.

I wanted to ask him so badly…

Allie, Revik’s all right. He got out…he’s with us.

Shock exploded in my aleimi.

My heart felt like it caught on fire in my chest.

Feigran’s with him…
Balidor added.
I don’t know how the hell they got out of there in time, but Revik credited that
mak rik’ali ilyo
with saving his life…again…

I couldn’t hear him though. I couldn’t see.

I let out a groan, even as I fell to my knees.

Allie? ALLIE! Are you all right?

I knelt there, gasping, as Balidor’s light wrapped into mine. I felt him talking to someone else, but I could barely hear him, could barely make sense of his words.

She thought he was dead…I think she just fucking passed out…

I felt Wreg’s mind then, even as Jon’s light wound up into his and then mine, strongly enough to make me gasp, then bringing tears to my eyes as it hit me they were both alive.

What in the holiest of fucks, Adhipan?
Wreg growled.
You couldn’t have warned her at least? They just nuked the goddamned city. Of course she thought he was dead! You probably just gave her a goddamned heart attack…

No,
I sent, barely a whisper.
No…I’m here…

Al…
Jon sent in relief.
Thank the gods…where are you?

Sister…
Wreg began.

But Balidor cut them off.

Alyson…stay right where you are. I’ve just sent the map coordinates to Varlan. We’re leaving now…
Pausing, he let out another cloud of heated worry, even as Jon’s and Wreg’s lights continued to half-strangle mine.
Gods. I’m sorry. I should have told you more carefully…I’m so sorry, sister…but he’s fine. He’s perfectly fine…better than you, from what you’ve shown me…

I couldn’t feel him…
I gasped, choking on tears. I think I was talking to all three of them at that point.
I couldn’t feel him. ‘Dori…he was just gone…

No, sister,
Balidor sent, cutting me off.
No…that was us. We’ve got a collar on him…one of the stronger ones, the ones we used with Feigran…

Feeling me flinch, he made his voice even more apologetic.

His request…well, in part. We were worried Menlim might still be trying to track him, and…
Balidor hesitated, his voice growing more tense.
Jem’s with us,
he sent, his thoughts softer.
He got here an hour before your husband. Given that, it just seemed prudent to…well, Nenzi asked for it, like I said…

So he wouldn’t fucking kill him,
Wreg sent, blunt.

I knelt there, still fighting to control my light.

I could barely comprehend what they were telling me. Tears ran down my face as I knelt in the sand, staring down at the rushing water without seeing it.

I understand,
I sent, when the silence stretched.

I didn’t though.

I didn’t understand anything. Not right then.

Balidor and Wreg and Jon might even have felt that. Once more, they enveloped me in warmth, Balidor sending me reassurance and light even as I felt Jon and Wreg do the same. For a few more seconds, all of their lights pulsed at me, warming my chest, filling me with so much affection and reassurance and love and family, I couldn’t think past it at first.

I could barely let it all in.

We think a lot of the Lao Hu might have made it, too,
Jon spoke up, maybe to give me more good news, or maybe just in the hopes of distracting me.
We got a loudspeaker to work inside the Forbidden City…they got a ton of their people down into that underground facility before the initial impacts. I don’t know how long they’ll last down there…Revik said the power was out, something to do with the organics…but they should have plenty of air. He thought they’d probably make it until we could figure out some way to get them out of there…

We’re coming for you, Alyson,
Balidor promised.
Don’t move. We’ll be right there…we love you, Allie. We all love you…

I could barely make sense of that, either.

So I just nodded, listening to the river as I waited.

It was strangely peaceful down there, with all of their lights nearby.