Final Flight, Page 2

they’ve been planning something for days. I’d bet a sack full of Sand Gold, they know exactly where you are, which is why you need to get out of here, right now.’

  ‘Hey, dog,’ growls the bartender. ‘Didn’t you hear what I just said?’

  Lips curling, Felix looks past me and hands the man a death glare. ‘Shut up, Elkshaan,’ he snarls. ‘If I were you, I’d get the hell out of here, too. The Varscodians don’t give a damn about colour or creed. They’ll blow a hole right through you as easily as they will me if it’ll get them this woman.’

  The bartender flaps his mouth, but nothing audible emerges. His bug-eyed stare is incredulous.

  I’m about to ask Felix to calm down, when the sound of smashing glass has me jolting back and snapping my head toward the row of windows along the front of the building. Fractured glass scatters through the air, and a black, metal sphere rebounds off a tabletop and rolls onto the floorboards with an ominous clang.

  ‘Cover your ears!’ I shout and slam against Felix, forcing him down. We land in a heap with our hands plugging our ears, and the next instant, a ferocious pulse of energy sweeps over us, shattering glass into dust and blasting patrons off their chairs.

  In the blinding dust and choking smoke, I scramble to my feet, pulling Felix with me. My mind is racing in shutter-like propulsions, and my heart is hammering like a rabid animal fighting to break out of its cage. People are splayed across the floor, moaning and screaming, their ears red with blood. Chairs, tables and all their contents are splintered to pieces, and glass from every window in the building floats through the air in a fine, crystallised haze. And I’m just standing there, staring at the devastation, wasting precious time. I snap out of my daze and turn to Felix.

  He’s staring at me, his eyes burning with guilt. ‘I’m so sorry. I came too late!’

  ‘Forget it!’ I snap, annoyed that he would consider blaming himself. I cringe. He could have taken my angry tone as indication that I did hold him responsible. But there’s no time to correct the misunderstanding. Shaking my head, I grip my fingers around his and pull him into a run. We leap over the counter and race down the corridor, through the kitchens, and on toward the back exit.

  Only I don’t plan to use the back.

  Felix obviously shares the same train of thought for he coughs out, ‘Wait! Don’t go that way. They’ll be expecting it.’

  ‘I know!’ Abruptly, I take a left down a different hallway and run its length. Several doors branch off on either side. I choose one at random and charge into the room beyond. It’s some kind of storage area, but I take little notice of the crates and their contents. My eyes fix on the tall, glassless window on the opposite wall.

  ‘Clever girl,’ Felix growls through his jester-like smirk and proceeds to pull his mechanical crossbow out of the leather case strapped to his back.

  My right hand goes up, prepped to grab my throwing knives, and I keep my arm primed even as I leap out the window and execute a double side-step which brings me upright with my back against the wall. My eyes dart back and forth along the side alley. Shouts come from the other side of the building, and screams from random citizens fleeing the chaotic scene.

  Felix crashes on top of me, his crossbow spitting noisily with the rapid-fire of electrically charged bolts, his aim directed at the rooftops of the buildings across the street. Several armour-plated silhouettes duck for cover before my legs kick in, and I sprint toward the Keecoon stables where I’d left my mount, Cloud-claws. Thanks to the greater powers I felt paranoid enough to leave him harnessed and saddled.

  My ears ring with the booms of energy-fire and the thundering gallop of the Varscodian’s steel-hoofed steeds. Felix is right behind me, his shouts rendered all but inaudible by the shrill shik-shik-shik-shik-shik of his crossbow. No time to waste working out any cunning, evasive action. The Varscodian Enforcers are closing fast, and the best—and probably only—option for us is to run.

  As soon as the stable entrance appears, I run straight toward Cloud-claws’ stall, calling his name. His large feathery head pops over one of the side partitions. His quicksilver eyes are sharp and staring. He lets out a high, crisp kaww-ree, kicks the stall door right off its hinges with one of his huge, clawed feet, and struts toward me, clearly sensing the urgency in my tone. I swing up into the saddle and pull the reins hard to the right, turning him around before urging him forward until he draws up beside Felix.

  I lean over and extend my arm. ‘Come on!’

  Felix glances at my hand, then up at my face, and a flicker of surprise dawns in his eyes before his brows tilt into a frown. He shakes his head. ‘No way I’m weighing you down, Adeline. I’ll give you cover so you have a chance at breaking through. Now hurry. Get going!’

  ‘I can’t leave you here! The Varscodians will tear you to pieces!’

  ‘Adeline, I can take care of myself. It’s you they’re after. Get the hell outta here. Let me draw their attention away from you.’

  My throat constricts with rising emotions. ‘Felix, if they catch you—’

  ‘—They won’t.’ He smiles his wide, jester smile. That stupid, annoying, adorable smile. Tears sting my eyes as he runs back toward the stable entrance. He ducks his head around the corner, then immediately pulls it back and sets a new clip into his crossbow. ‘Go!’ he barks. ‘I’ve got your back!’

  Damn it, but who’s got yours, you reckless fool?

  No choice. If I linger any longer, it’s a guaranteed death sentence for us both. My legs react like lead as I throw them out and dig my heels into Cloud-claws’ sides. The usual rush from his powerful, lurching strides becomes a twisted, tight lump in the pit of my stomach. I can’t help but train my eyes on Felix as he sprints into the open the moment we race from the cover of the stables.

  My narrowed focus immediately scatters.

  Mounted Varscodian Enforcers charge from both directions. Their formation’s tight, until the electrical discharges from Felix’s cover-fire sends the massive equine mounts into a panic. I urge Cloud-claws through an opening, though Varscodian pulse guns must be aimed at me. The crackling whoosh of funnelled energy fills the air. Static wind screams past me, tossing my air and whipping at my clothes. Pulse guns have only a short range of effectiveness and aren’t terribly accurate. But Varscodians are master marksmen. They can hit me, even though I’m a moving target.

  I force Cloud-claws into a zigzagging motion to make aiming more difficult. I lean as low into the saddle as possible and throw a final, desperate glance over my shoulder. Felix disappears down a side alley, fearlessly continuing to fire at the riders charging after him. A second is all I can spare to dwell on his fate. Don’t let them catch you, Felix!

  I face forward as I reach their disordered lines. One Varscodian lurches his beast sideways to block my way. A fiery recklessness envelops me, and I kick my heels into Cloud-claws’ ribs and shout for him to charge. Hissing, he extends out his long, thick neck and snaps at the mount’s face in passing, causing it to throw its front legs back and scream. We shoot past, untouched, and sprint down the street with increasing momentum.

  Angry shouts and steel-plated hoof beats fill the air behind us with a noise as dense as thunder. Crackling whooshes of energy nip at our backs, blasting us with snarling winds. We need to slip ahead of their weapon range if we’re to have any chance of escape.

  I pull Cloud-claws hard to the right and bank down a different street. As soon as another intersection comes, I take it. The buildings become my barriers, and for the first time the Varscodians can’t keep me in their line of sight long enough to take a shot. But scrambling around the city won’t save me for long. One wrong turn and I could end up trapped with no escape route. These compact, labyrinthine streets are as much deadly obstacle as they are blessed shield.

  My best chance is the open countryside. While those steel-hoofed behemoths may have the strength behind their gallop, Keecoon birds are built for endurance. Cloud-claws will outlast them.

  The road on which
I had entered the city materialises, and I give Cloud-claws’ reins a sharp flick and spur him on with the anticipation of freedom. ‘We’re almost out of here, Cloud! Can you taste that open air? Run for it, boy! Come on, run your way to freedom!’

  His body trembles beneath me, surging with a new wave of adrenaline. He opens his beak and lets out a high, pitchy kaawww-ree!

  From behind, the air crackles with violent propulsions. I suck in a panicked breath. The wide and straight road leaves me completely exposed, but the funnelling wind never reaches me. A glance back shows we’re safely out of range. Even so, that doesn’t stop the Enforcers from continuing to fire. Perhaps they think the sheer noise will heighten my fear, and cause me to make some critical error. Well, there’s no way that tactic will work on me.

  The moment we pass through the archway of the outer wall, I take Cloud-claws off the road and onto the dewy grass of the open fields. His sure-footed claws adapt better to uneven surfaces, putting us at a much-needed advantage. My Varscodian pursuers persist in shadowing my movements, but they will not be able to keep pace for much longer.

  The cool night air rushes against me, and the smell of salt sends my nostrils tingling. On my right, gently rolling hills sink toward a cliff that follows the coastline for miles, its sheer drop slicing into the