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.“Holy gods.” Kalaes opened one eye.“That boy went and did it.”“They did it! Mantis, and Hera and Sacmis.” Alendra hopped to her feet, then sank back down.“That was because you blew up the temple.” She tilted her head, eyeing Elei.“You gave Mantis a chance to win the war.”He squirmed, feeling like a sample under a microscope.Did that mean she wasn’t angry with him?“We’re approaching the plant.” Iset got up, her longgun held at her hip.“Better be ready for anything.”Right on cue, an impact hit the aircar, jarring them.They lurched sideways.“Down!” Iset yelled as the window across from Elei exploded into a rain of shards.“They’re shooting at us.”No shit.He dragged Kalaes to the floor with him.Alendra swore as she crawled on all fours to pull a gun from a duffel bag.She cocked it.“A blockade?” Elei found and drew Kalaes’ longgun.Gods, he missed his Rasmus.“Cannot see them,” Bestret huffed.“They must be hiding.”Hiding? Elei frowned.This made no sense and damn, everything hurt.His head.He wanted to wrench it from his shoulders, get rid of the pain.Rex swept the aircar, as if that was any help.It only worsened the headache and made him want to puke his guts out.What a sucky day.Night.And morning.It was quiet.“They’ve stopped shooting,” Iset said.“Stop the aircar,” Elei said.“We cannot,” Iset hissed.“That’s what they’re waiting for.”“Stop.” He rose unsteadily, his bad leg barely holding him.“We can’t leave without Zoe and the others.”Only problem was his balance wasn’t good.He’d fall on his face if he stormed the cockpit and that went against his new not-falling-on-my-face mantra.That left few options.He leveled the gun on Iset.“Tell the driver to stop.Now.”“You would not.” Her eyes widened.“You would.”“And my patience is all up,” he ground out, finger caressing the trigger.“Fine.” Iset kept her gaze on him as she stepped back and knocked on the driver’s door.“Stop the aircar.”Elei braced himself against the wall, grabbing a handle.His head spun.He glanced at Kalaes who was curled on the floor, panting, and Alendra who held her gun like a pro, scowling at Bestret as if daring her to object.The aircar slowed.The illuminated fence of the purification plant loomed not forty feet away.Behind the building, the eastern sky was breaking into red and pink swirls.Elei released his death hold on the wall handle and staggered to the door.A nudge on the opening lever and the door slid open.Alendra squeezed next to him, leaning on the door frame, and lifted her chin.“Ready.” She stepped outside, gun gripped in both hands.Wisps of mist curled on the ground.The building rose from the gray haze like a battleship.Elei imagined cannons pointing at him from every side.Rex told him two targets were hidden behind a fence post to his left.He turned, taking aim.“Wait!” The woman’s voice came from his right, and Rex jolted him so badly he almost dropped the gun.Yeah, looks like you missed one, buddy.A silhouette emerged from the shadow of a burned aircar.Ally, Rex whispered in his mind.You don’t say.Elei squinted at the silhouette and Rex deigned to pull back a little, allowing him to see a girl with a head full of braids and a cocky attitude.He blinked.“Zoe?”“I’ll be damned.Elei? Oh gods, soomi, it is you.” She waved her hands, at the other two, Elei supposed.“Hey.Put away your guns!”“Is that Zoe?” Alendra frowned.“Zoe, did you just shoot at us?”“We thought you were a patrol.” Zoe grinned.“Can’t tell you how glad I am to see you, pooskers.The explosion destroyed the vehicles, except for the one Kalaes took.” She gestured at the aircar.“Is he with you? Is he okay?”“I think,” Elei holstered his gun as Dain and another kid approached the aircar, “he’ll be okay when he sees you.”“He’ll be? What the hells happened to him?” She stormed past him and grabbed the ladder to board the airship.Alendra hastened after her.Elei turned to look at the two boys who halted a few feet away.“It really is you,” Dain said, pushing blond hair out of his eyes.Elei couldn’t decipher the look in them.“I thought you must be dead.Is it safe? Can I tell the others to come?”“Yeah.” He glanced at the aircar, then back at Dain, the plant, and the skyline of Dakru City, spewing flames and smoke into the morning sky.“Better hurry.”***Elei climbed back onto the aircar, the world swimming in his eyes.Concussion sucked.He found Zoe helping Kalaes up to the seat.Alendra was explaining about Rex.Kalaes shushed her, sprawling and propping his head on the backrest.“Hey, girl.” He smiled at Zoe, then frowned.“Where’s Dain?”“Here.” Dain stood at the aircar door, his blue eyes looking everywhere but at Kalaes.“So you’re back, huh?”Elei told himself that punching the guy wasn’t a good idea.It certainly wouldn’t help Kalaes relax.Dammit.Kalaes straightened and nodded at Dain.“Come here, fe.”Dain sighed, looked down at his feet, then shuffled over to Kalaes.Alarmed, Elei saw Kalaes push to his feet, but Zoe gave him a hand up.He wanted Kalaes resting until they found a hospital.Before he could take one step, though, Kalaes had mock-punched Dain and they were doing a complicated handshake that involved slapping their hands and pumping their fists together.Gang stuff, probably.And then Kalaes put an arm around Dain’s shoulders and pulled him in a Kalaes-hug — bone-grinding and all-encompassing, leaving you no leeway, no way to escape.Elei saw Dain’s eyes over Kalaes’ shoulder and he could swear they had tears in them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.“Holy gods.” Kalaes opened one eye.“That boy went and did it.”“They did it! Mantis, and Hera and Sacmis.” Alendra hopped to her feet, then sank back down.“That was because you blew up the temple.” She tilted her head, eyeing Elei.“You gave Mantis a chance to win the war.”He squirmed, feeling like a sample under a microscope.Did that mean she wasn’t angry with him?“We’re approaching the plant.” Iset got up, her longgun held at her hip.“Better be ready for anything.”Right on cue, an impact hit the aircar, jarring them.They lurched sideways.“Down!” Iset yelled as the window across from Elei exploded into a rain of shards.“They’re shooting at us.”No shit.He dragged Kalaes to the floor with him.Alendra swore as she crawled on all fours to pull a gun from a duffel bag.She cocked it.“A blockade?” Elei found and drew Kalaes’ longgun.Gods, he missed his Rasmus.“Cannot see them,” Bestret huffed.“They must be hiding.”Hiding? Elei frowned.This made no sense and damn, everything hurt.His head.He wanted to wrench it from his shoulders, get rid of the pain.Rex swept the aircar, as if that was any help.It only worsened the headache and made him want to puke his guts out.What a sucky day.Night.And morning.It was quiet.“They’ve stopped shooting,” Iset said.“Stop the aircar,” Elei said.“We cannot,” Iset hissed.“That’s what they’re waiting for.”“Stop.” He rose unsteadily, his bad leg barely holding him.“We can’t leave without Zoe and the others.”Only problem was his balance wasn’t good.He’d fall on his face if he stormed the cockpit and that went against his new not-falling-on-my-face mantra.That left few options.He leveled the gun on Iset.“Tell the driver to stop.Now.”“You would not.” Her eyes widened.“You would.”“And my patience is all up,” he ground out, finger caressing the trigger.“Fine.” Iset kept her gaze on him as she stepped back and knocked on the driver’s door.“Stop the aircar.”Elei braced himself against the wall, grabbing a handle.His head spun.He glanced at Kalaes who was curled on the floor, panting, and Alendra who held her gun like a pro, scowling at Bestret as if daring her to object.The aircar slowed.The illuminated fence of the purification plant loomed not forty feet away.Behind the building, the eastern sky was breaking into red and pink swirls.Elei released his death hold on the wall handle and staggered to the door.A nudge on the opening lever and the door slid open.Alendra squeezed next to him, leaning on the door frame, and lifted her chin.“Ready.” She stepped outside, gun gripped in both hands.Wisps of mist curled on the ground.The building rose from the gray haze like a battleship.Elei imagined cannons pointing at him from every side.Rex told him two targets were hidden behind a fence post to his left.He turned, taking aim.“Wait!” The woman’s voice came from his right, and Rex jolted him so badly he almost dropped the gun.Yeah, looks like you missed one, buddy.A silhouette emerged from the shadow of a burned aircar.Ally, Rex whispered in his mind.You don’t say.Elei squinted at the silhouette and Rex deigned to pull back a little, allowing him to see a girl with a head full of braids and a cocky attitude.He blinked.“Zoe?”“I’ll be damned.Elei? Oh gods, soomi, it is you.” She waved her hands, at the other two, Elei supposed.“Hey.Put away your guns!”“Is that Zoe?” Alendra frowned.“Zoe, did you just shoot at us?”“We thought you were a patrol.” Zoe grinned.“Can’t tell you how glad I am to see you, pooskers.The explosion destroyed the vehicles, except for the one Kalaes took.” She gestured at the aircar.“Is he with you? Is he okay?”“I think,” Elei holstered his gun as Dain and another kid approached the aircar, “he’ll be okay when he sees you.”“He’ll be? What the hells happened to him?” She stormed past him and grabbed the ladder to board the airship.Alendra hastened after her.Elei turned to look at the two boys who halted a few feet away.“It really is you,” Dain said, pushing blond hair out of his eyes.Elei couldn’t decipher the look in them.“I thought you must be dead.Is it safe? Can I tell the others to come?”“Yeah.” He glanced at the aircar, then back at Dain, the plant, and the skyline of Dakru City, spewing flames and smoke into the morning sky.“Better hurry.”***Elei climbed back onto the aircar, the world swimming in his eyes.Concussion sucked.He found Zoe helping Kalaes up to the seat.Alendra was explaining about Rex.Kalaes shushed her, sprawling and propping his head on the backrest.“Hey, girl.” He smiled at Zoe, then frowned.“Where’s Dain?”“Here.” Dain stood at the aircar door, his blue eyes looking everywhere but at Kalaes.“So you’re back, huh?”Elei told himself that punching the guy wasn’t a good idea.It certainly wouldn’t help Kalaes relax.Dammit.Kalaes straightened and nodded at Dain.“Come here, fe.”Dain sighed, looked down at his feet, then shuffled over to Kalaes.Alarmed, Elei saw Kalaes push to his feet, but Zoe gave him a hand up.He wanted Kalaes resting until they found a hospital.Before he could take one step, though, Kalaes had mock-punched Dain and they were doing a complicated handshake that involved slapping their hands and pumping their fists together.Gang stuff, probably.And then Kalaes put an arm around Dain’s shoulders and pulled him in a Kalaes-hug — bone-grinding and all-encompassing, leaving you no leeway, no way to escape.Elei saw Dain’s eyes over Kalaes’ shoulder and he could swear they had tears in them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]