Xenofall (The Wasteland Chronicles, Book 7) (16 page)

What can you tell us about the Warrens?
I asked.
How do we actually
find
Askala?

Everyone listened intently; this was something we all needed to know.

The Warrens are a great rending in the earth,
Quietus said.
Its center point is a fiery abyss, and many tunnels open into the earth. Monsters haunt the twisting, descending passages, guarding the way to Askala’s sanctum at the junction of the Two Seas – called the Point of Origin. It is the meeting of the two worlds – the physical world, and the world of the
Radaskim
consciousness. It is here you must go.

The picture Quietus painted was bleak. It was hard to see how we’d
ever
reach Askala. Not only did we have to survive the journey there, we had to survive the descent.

Magma and monsters,
Anna said.
Two of my favorite things.

Are you sure you can empty the tunnels, Quietus?
Makara asked.
Is that even possible?

I will do what I can, Makara,
Quietus said.
I dare not push too much, lest Askala suspect me. With the right words, she might be cajoled to part with a great portion of her host, especially if the humans fight valiantly. Then, it will be easier to persuade her to commit more of the
Radaskim.

I realized then that we had no choice but to trust Quietus. If she truly
wasn’t
on our side, then this mission to save humanity would fail. But if I didn’t allow her to go to the Crater, we’d probably fail as well.

Quietus was too useful to deny. Only she had the ability to empty the Warrens.

Alright,
I thought.
What you’ve said makes sense. Do what you need to do.

Quietus gave a slow nod of ascent. In that moment, I realized that Quietus was risking her very self. There was a chance that she would suffer, or even die, for doing this. I felt a pang of guilt; I suspected her of betrayal, but at the same time, if she was on our side, there was a chance she would die trying to do this.

Thank you,
I said.

Quietus looked at me for a moment, her white eyes haunted.

Think nothing of it,
Elekim.
We all must play our part if this story is to have a happy ending. What is the life of one dragon, in the end, especially one that has brought so much pain and suffering?

You’re healed, now,
I said.
You’re on our side.

Yes,
Quietus said,
but there are many wrongs that must be atoned for. This is the best way I know,
Elekim,
and that is why I must go. Even if it means my life, then I will not hesitate to sacrifice it. And who knows...perhaps I will find a way to make it through and help you when you arrive.

I hoped that was the case.

Whatever happens,
I said,
thank you for doing this. And please...be cautious.

I will be cunning, and she will never know my intent,
Quietus said.
But now, there is no time to lose. The flight is far, and it will be a long journey – I expect not to reach the Crater until I see the gray of dawn. I will leave now, if
Elekim
permits it.

Of course. Please be careful.

Quietus stepped away from the surrounding dragons, who looked at her and beat their wings in farewell. I didn’t know the significance of that gesture, but it seemed like a sign of respect. Quietus paused just a moment before spreading her wings and pushing from the ground with her powerful legs. A couple of flaps, and she was airborne, flying across the surface of the Glimmering Pool.

As I turned to watch her go, I gave her some final words.

Remember the Song,
I said.

I could never forget it,
Elekim.
Farewell.

Quietus had now soared to the glowing ceiling. She paused, hovering in the air. A moment later, a sliver of light appeared above, revealing red sky. She flew through the Dragons’ Way before it closed, shutting out the sky.

Now that she was gone, I had no idea if I’d made the right call. Either way, the die was cast, and there was no going back.

What about the rest of the dragons?
Anna asked.
Where do they go?

We are ready to fly to battle,
Askal said.
Although it will be some time before we can arrive...many hours. We will leave as soon as we are finished here.

I nodded. It seemed like we had our plan.

With everyone in agreement, I turned back to Makara.

“That battle will be starting soon,” I said. “We should head back.”

After saying our farewells to the dragons, we entered the Glimmering Pool and swam back for the entry cavern.

***

W
e exited the Xenolith and were halfway to the ship when a blur swooped overhead.

A dragon.

“Down!”
Makara said.

After everyone had dropped, I looked up at the red, clouded sky. First one, then two,
Radaskim
dragons streaked above us. I knew it couldn’t have been Quietus or any of the others. Too many of them were
Radaskim,
and they passed above one after the other, by the dozens, far more than there were on our side.

Well over a hundred dragons had flown overhead by the time the line ended. In the western sky, the first of the dragons that had passed were now small blots in the sky.

“They completely ignored us,” Anna said.

Michael grunted. “Your feelings hurt?”

“I wonder why they didn’t attack,” Makara said.

“They’re on one program, and one program only,” Samuel said, standing up and looking to the west.

Everyone stood, looking to Samuel for further explanation.

“They’re going to the battle, aren’t they?” I asked.

Samuel nodded. “Yeah. Let’s just hope these guys are the first line, and not just the reinforcements.”

We headed for
Perseus
at a run. I gave one last look at the diminishing trail of dragons before boarding the ship.

Once inside, we ran to the bridge. Makara and Anna took up their places, readying the ship to take off.

“Four missed calls from
Orion,”
Makara said.

As Makara fired up the drive, Anna connected to
Orion’s
frequency.

“Orion,
you copy?” Anna asked.

Jonas’s panicked voice responded. “Where the hell have you been? There’s
hundreds
of them.”

Two thunderous sounds emitted from the speakers.

Crack. Crack.

“What
is going on there?” Makara asked.

Jonas yammered on, unintelligible among the loud blasts. Makara nodded at Anna.

“You
handle this.”

Makara lifted the ship from the ground, spinning it to face west. Out the windshield, I could still see the trail of dragons in the distance.

“Jonas,” Anna said. “Calmly explain what’s going on. You’re breaking up pretty badly.

Crack.

“I’m
not
breaking up,” Jonas said. “That’s the railgun. The damn thing’s louder than...”

Crack. Crack.

“Jonas.
Explain.”

“They started attacking thirty minutes ago. We need you
here.”

“We’re on our way,” Makara said.

“Not until we drop my wife off,” Michael said. “I’ll be fighting, but I’ll be damned if she is.”

“That’ll add two hours to our travel time,” Makara said. “We can’t allow that.”

“This is non-negotiable,” Michael said. “We have a daughter, Makara. If both of us die in the battle...one of us will need to stay at 84.”

Before Makara could respond, I cut in.

“Maybe we can make this work,” I said. “Anna and I can take Lauren to 84. We can drop everyone else off.”

Makara paused, considering that. “I don’t like us getting split up.”

“Taking Lauren to 84 is necessary, anyway,” I said. “We need someone to pull the trigger on the nukes if it comes to that.”

“Alright, I see you have a point,” Makara said. “But I don’t want those nukes going off until every option has been exhausted.”

“I’ll be there to do it, if we have to,” Lauren said.

“Quietus said it will be a while before she reaches Ragnarok Crater,” Makara said. “That means we can’t attack it until she’s done her work. We have to last at least a day in the battle before we can head there. Until then, everyone helps with the fighting.”

We entered the clouds. As we raced across the sky, I knew only time would tell what the battlefield would be like.

“D
escending,” Makara said. “Stand by. This might get a little rough.”

I looked out the windshield from my spot in the jump seat. Red clouds completely obscured the sky. Makara dipped
Perseus’s
nose down, and when we broke through, it was into a vision of Hell.

The entire ground was a single, teeming mass of movement. It seemed to...
slither...
from east to west in an unending tide, breaking against the steep eastern slope of the plateau, an island in a roiling sea. The tens of thousands of monsters on the ground seemed to move as a single entity. And above, swirling by the
hundreds,
were the xenodragons. More yet joined the fray from the east. This swarm was at least five times bigger than the one we’d seen in Los Angeles, and perhaps even larger, especially as more monsters reinforced from the east.

The plateau, by contrast, was bare. A thick line of soldiers manned its eastern flank, defending it from the coming storm. I couldn’t even imagine what was going through those soldiers’ minds.

Situated in the center of the plateau was the railgun, pointing to the east. A streak of fire shot from its long barrel, almost instantly connecting with an unsuspecting dragon. The force of the projectile pushed the dragon upward, sending a purple spray of blood out the dragon’s back. It spiraled to the ground below, just as a thunderous crack and boom resounded, audible even inside the bridge. The ship’s hull vibrated.

“Damn,” Julian said.

“We can’t come in from the east,” Makara said. “It’s too thick.”

The railgun shot again, blasting another dragon from the sky.

“Go around,” Anna said. “Come in from the west.”

“Yeah, on it.”

Makara changed the ship’s trajectory, sticking to the periphery of the battle.

Jonas’s voice left the speakers.

“Makara, that railgun will tear you to shreds. It’s completely automated and might mistake you for a dragon.”

“We’re moving,” Makara said. “We’ll be on the ground soon. From the west side.”

“We need everybody down here. The men could use your encouragement.”

“Where’s the Emperor?”

“On the frontlines, with his men,” Jonas said. “Same as Carin.”

“I didn’t ask about that scumbag. Just tell Augustus we’ll be there soon.”

Before Jonas could even confirm that order, Makara switched the channel off.

We descended toward the plateau’s western side. The mood on board became tense. I could see the railgun firing another shot, not too far away. Yet another a stream of fire belched from its barrel.

At last,
Perseus
touched down next to
Orion.
Everyone made for the armory, where Samuel doled out its stock of rifles, handguns, grenades, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, all of which everyone stuffed into their packs. Fully loaded magazines clicked into place. Once everyone was armed to the teeth, he shut the armory door.

When we had all gathered in the wardroom. Samuel faced us all. Anna joined me.

“Whatever happens out there,” Samuel said. “We
will
make it through, believe me. I know what we saw out there might seem impossible to deal with. We just have to hold on, for as long as we can. Let’s give them hell.”

Makara walked to the door. “Alright. Let’s go kill some crawlers.”

She pressed the exit button, opening the door to the plateau. Anna and I watched as everyone walked out.

Michael was the last to go. He held Lauren, kissing her on the lips.

“Don’t die,” Lauren said, after they had parted.

“I won’t. Tell Callie I love her.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Lauren said. “I thought you were coming back.”

“I am,” Michael said. “Still...tell Callie I love her. That I always will.”

“Go, Michael,” Lauren said, tears in her eyes.

Michael adjusted his rifle strap, looking at Lauren a moment longer before walking off the boarding ramp. He didn’t look back as the door shut behind him.

Lauren turned to us, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Let’s get moving. We can’t hang around here any longer.”

We returned to the bridge, Anna taking up the controls. The engine had merely idled while we waited. With a pull of the control stick, Anna lifted
Perseus
into the air.

In front of the ship, I could see my friends running to the frontlines – Makara, Samuel, Michael, Ruth, and Julian.

I could only hope they were still standing by the time I got back.

***

W
e were making good speed north when the first dragon attacked. A whoosh of wind, followed by a piercing wail, shook the frame of the ship.

Anna angled the ship into a dive. “It’s to starboard.”

“Two more aft,” I said, looking at the LCD. “Make that three chasing us.”

Anna increased the thrust, pushing me back into my seat. Lauren gritted her teeth against all the twists and turns.

A dragon appeared from the sky above, dead ahead. It went into a dive.

Anna mashed the control stick and two missiles streaked outward, hissing in the air. Anna swerved to port just as the explosion crackled and boomed, shaking the bridge in a fiery explosion of light.

Ahead, no dragons threatened us from outside the windshield, and the safety of the clouds was near.

“Those dragons are still riding our ass,” Anna said.