12. Carter

TWELVE

CARTER

I tugged at the straps holding the flight harness to my back. Forty Masari warriors gathered on a high hill behind me, ready to strike at Jark's raiding party.

Pageus trudged up the steep hill to stand beside me. He gestured at the sky sled bearing the heavily modified flywheel.

"A lot of the warriors are grumbling. They don't like the idea of trusting their lives to an arcane device."

"This is our only hope for victory. They will have to trust me."

He grunted and spat a fat, white wad into the dirt.

"Trust isn't something that comes easily to our kind. Used to be, no one would have followed you to a pile of Yez, let alone into battle where they will be fighting for their lives."

I stared at the crest of the hill and scowled.

"I think most of them will be fighting for glory, not their lives."

Pageus grunted again.

"Too true."

"We will have to work together to save our kin, and make it back alive. I hope they realize as much."

Pageus narrowed his gaze.

"Anyone who does not stick to the plan will be cut out of the sky. By my own hand."

I did not doubt his words. Pageus was nothing short of terrifying even at his advanced age.

Ignio stood up from where he inspected the flywheel and came to my side.

"As near as I can tell, the modifications will work. The wheel should burn bright, not hot, as you directed."

"Excellent work, friend."

I clapped him on the shoulder. I wanted to project absolute confidence, even though I didn't quite feel it. It would be bad for morale if I let on that I wasn't entirely certain this plan would work.

Ignio smiled, and then looked wistfully at the gathered warriors.

"I almost wish I could go with you. I'd love to see the plan in action."

"It's going to be a bloody business, Ignio. Besides, Starlost village cannot do without its best Sage."

He snorted with derision.

"I think you surpassed me on that front many moons ago, Gro. But I appreciate your words, even if I doubt their veracity."

"Keep doubting, my friend. It keeps me humble."

Listen to me. I sound like one of those hyper-thyroidal alien grunts I always hated.

But why did I hate them? Because they were alien, or because I secretly yearned to be them?

Ignio chuckled and clasped my hand.

"Be careful. Starlost village cannot afford to lose you."

Would he still feel this way about me, if he knew my old life? When I hated his kind just because of where they were born?

"I will."

Pageus raised his fist and bellowed. The other Masari followed suit.

"Tonight we hunt," Ignio cried in a voice only marginally quieter than his earlier shout. "Tonight, we get back our people from Jark's brutal raiders. Tonight, we will find glory, death or both!"

Let's hope it's not both.

He turned to me and grinned.

"We are ready."

Everyone's eyes turned on me. Expectant, waiting, hungry for inspiration perhaps. I'd never been in that situation before. Ever. Even among other humans, I was never someone who people looked to for inspiration or leadership.

The weight of responsibility settled on my shoulders. Some of these men would not be making it back, no matter how well executed our plan turned out.

I never asked for this...but maybe I always wanted it, even if I think I don't deserve it.

My newfound popularity would not go to my head, however. The thought of Arael being in danger kept me humble...and scared.

This has to work! If I can't get her back, I think I'll just die.

All of this ran through my head while I tried to maintain the same level of aggressive posturing as the other warriors. I didn't want them to lose confidence in me, because without their help I had no chance of getting Arael back.

Pageus spoke out of the side of his mouth.

"They're waiting for you to tell them it's time to fly."

I shot him a grateful look, and then held my silver tube up in the air.

"Warriors of the Starlost! We fly!"

I launched myself into the air, pouring on a little extra power for a burst of speed. My control improved seemingly by the moment, but I envied the smoother flights of the other warriors.

We streaked through the darkening sky, stars winking down at us like shining jewels. I spent so much time poring over old tomes and artifacts, I rarely took the time to appreciate just how beautiful my new world truly was.

Tracking a flying force would be impossible, but fortunately Pageus knew the path to Jank's territory, and the likely places his raider force would hole up in for the night.

Our first few forays into these strongholds proved fruitless. Every bulwark was unmanned, every window dark, every fireplace cold.

I grew more desperate and afraid for Arael with each new false lead. The moon rose high in the night sky, and I wondered how many hours we had until dawn. Our plan relied upon the element of surprise and the cover of darkness. Take away either of those advantages, and we would be like the proverbial lambs to the slaughter.

At last, we flew over the jagged ridge of a red stone mountain and spotted a cluster of fires. I nearly lost my nerve when I saw just how badly outnumbered we truly were.

Stick to the plan. It will work. It has to work.

I gave the signal to the warriors manning the sky sled. They handed control over to me. I would not trust one of the "shoot first, think never" warriors with such an important responsibility.

I took the flywheel up higher into the sky while the rest of my forces got into position. Jark's men had surely set sentries to look for an attack from the sky. I hoped to fly high enough to be all but imperceptible to them.

I put the air cart into hover mode, and activated the flywheel. I'd rigged up a sensor to keep it from going off before it reached the appropriate height from the ground. Otherwise, my own warriors would be caught in the blast.

My own warriors? I've truly gone off the reservation. I'm a scientist, not a warrior. So why am I acting like a man of action instead of a man of letters?

The answer blossomed in my mind like a nuclear bomb.

Idiot. I'm a fool. A fool who's fallen in love.

I knew it to be true. I'd never loved anyone before, not really. Certainly I'd never experienced romantic love for longer than the time it took for some sweaty grunting in a dark room.

Yet, I had no other word for what I felt. I would do anything for Arael. I would die for her in the most painful ways and feel no regrets. I would give up my last morsel of food just to make sure that she could eat.

If it's not love, then I don't want to know what is.

I looked down at the fires of the enemy camp, now mere pin pricks of brightness. I activated the flywheel. A deep, resonant hum sounded through the chilly air. Faint blue lights winked into existence along the blades of the fan.

I knew they would spot the flywheel coming, eventually, but doubted they would have time to do anything about it.

I took a deep breath, and then shoved the flywheel off of the sled with my boot. It plummeted toward the ground, dwindling into a tiny speck until it was only about ten feet from the ground.

A cascade of bluish light pulsed out from the flywheel for a brilliant three seconds, making it a second sun at night.

That was the signal. I'd better join the warriors.

I dove downward, leaving the sky sled on standby mode. Not content with merely falling, I poured power into my harness until I shot through the air so fast I could barely breathe.

When the ground lay less than fifty feet below me, the Starlost warriors began their attack. They let loose with silver tubes and more primitive projectiles, like slingshots and bows. Jark's warriors rushed about in confusion, trying to mount a counterattack.

A commander, recognizable for the horned skull helmet strapped to his head, barked orders and brought some order to the chaos. He got a line of raiders to open fire with their silver tubes...

Only nothing happened.

Other raiders tried to use their skybreaker harnesses to take to the sky, and bring the fight to my warriors. Yet, they remained festooned to the ground as surely as the stones circling their firepits.

That's what happens to electronic devices after an electromagnetic pulse.

While two thirds of my warriors attacked and harassed the raiders, I joined up with a smaller group who attacked no one. We were the rescue team, whose only purpose was to find our people, and not engage the enemy.

I flew next to Pageus, who had to shout to be heard over the tumult of battle.

"The prisoners will be held below ground. That cave entrance is a likely place."

I followed his pointing weapon and spotted the cave. Yellow luminance painted the stones at the entrance, indicating someone was inside.

I didn't see our people anywhere else in the enemy camp. Pageus had to be right.

My feet slammed to the ground outside the cave entrance, as landings still were not my strong suit. If not for the EMP, I would have died. A raider guarding the entrance totally had the drop on me and frantically pulled the trigger stud on his weapon in an attempt to obliterate me.

I didn't want to fire into the cave. I had no idea where the prisoners were in relation to the entrance, and they might get caught by a stray shot.

Instead, I stepped forward and smashed my fist right into his face. Blood and teeth showered the stone as he toppled like a fallen tower.

My eyes adjusted to the brighter lights inside the cave as Pageus and the others joined me. The cave held a large pit, protected by crude bars formed of a bamboo-like native plant.

I peered down into the pit, but could see only vague shapes among the shadows.

"Arael?" I called.

"Gro! Gro, I'm here!"

The sound of her voice made me squeeze my eyes shut and nearly faint with relief.

She lives.

"If we work together, we can remove this grate--"

I grasped the bars and tore the grate free with a guttural roar. My muscles strained, but I lifted it out of the way and sent it crashing against the wall.

"Or, you could just do that," Pageus said with more amazement than amusement.

I flew down into the pit and wrapped my arms around Arael. I inhaled her scent deep into my lungs, exulted in the feel of her body against my own.

"I knew you would come for me, beloved."

I didn't want to, but I let go of her.

"We have to go, now."

I swept her up into my arms and flew upward. The other warriors on the rescue team descended into the pit, each one taking a hostage. I'd planned for a half dozen warriors to be unburdened. They flew ahead of us in a V formation, a vanguard against any attempts the raiders might make to stop us.

And try to stop us they did. Fortunately, their firearms still did not function, while my vanguard spewed continuous death with their silver tubes.

Pageus blew on a horn as we rose into the sky. The rest of the warriors broke off their attack and joined us in flight. I kept expecting to feel the sting of an arrow or a spear in my back.

Only when we passed over the ridge of the red mountain did I relax a little. Arael wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my neck. Her soft exhalations spurred me on, even though my power levels grew low.

Indeed, I dipped low in the sky just as we reached Starlost village. I landed on the outskirts and set my lifemate down on her feet.

I put my hand on her cheek and just gazed into her eyes for a long moment, savoring every sensation.

"I thought I'd lost you forever."

"Never. You'll never lose me, beloved."

She put her head on my chest and sighed.

"Not even death will separate us. I will find you, my love. I will find you in every lifetime until the stars lose their shine."

I didn't believe in reincarnation. But I did believe the truth in her words. At the very least, I knew she meant every word.

And that had to count for something.