Tinker nodded. "Good. I wanted to make sure you weren't having the same thoughts as Windchime."
"I know and I wasn't," she said and tried to force a smile, but there was no happiness in it. "I only want to make sure that Athena pays for the lives she took today. I think Hammerhand will want to exact that price from her, but after what I saw… Well, I wouldn't mind a piece of her myself. I want to send the kind of message that would make anyone of a similar mind think twice."
"Agreed," he said. "Use that anger but don't let it consume you."
"How do I do that?" Jessica13 asked.
He shrugged. "Fuck if I know. But you'll know the anger that consumes when you see it once you've seen it before."
"And where have you seen it before?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
"A woman we call Athena," he stated coldly. "Or Lady Hoot. Whichever you prefer."
Chapter Thirty
Night had fallen and shrouded the land in the kind of darkness that was practically palpable. There was no moonlight and the stars were hidden by the cloud cover that draped the entire landscape in what felt like a blanket. The air felt thick, even through the filters of the mech.
The flickers of lightning were all that illuminated the area for the first few hours of their march. Jessica13 wasn't sure if she liked it better than what began to cast light across the horizon they were approaching. She'd had her fill of fire for the day.
But at least that was enough warning for them to know that Athena had sent mechs to slow them. When she looked through the scope of her rifle, she identified a group of Cinders that used their flame throwers to set fire to the dry grasses. The wind had picked up and the flames spread fairly quickly, driven by the gusts.
"It could be they're trying to burn Auburn," Tinker said when she pointed it out to him.
"Or it could be that they're trying to build something of a wall of fire to keep us away,” she suggested. “Either way, she knows where we're going. I think she might not expect us to split our forces, though, so if she has a mind to corral us, we would be able to call Windchime to help us. I…hope it won't come to that, however."
"Hammerhand has a talent for tearing out of holes we manage to get into," he agreed and motioned at the combat mechs that began to take a V-formation in response to their leader’s orders.
They expected an attack from the Cinders that hung back but the Knights didn’t let the possibility deter them and pushed forward once they chose a path through the places that had already been burned. The speed at which the grass caught spread the fire effectively but it didn't last very long in places, which resulted in open patches of burned grass that posed little risk. There were a few places where it was obvious the fire had grown a little too intense and the sandy earth had been scorched and even crystallized. It crunched underfoot as she moved forward.
"They’re using too much fuel," one of the Lancers noted. "The fire burns too hot and turns the sand into glass. What a fucking waste." He shook his head in disgust and the mech responded, but this time, there was nothing amusing about it.
"I don't think Athena hires her folks with saving resources in mind," Taylor replied from the Sherlock that moved on the right flank. "Lavish usage of resources is a way to show the people she rules over that she's better than they are and they would be better with her than without."
"I suppose," the Lancer pilot conceded. "Still, it's the kind of waste that heats the blood, if you know what I mean."
Jessica13 did know what he meant. Waste like that was foreign to her, having lived her whole life recycling every drop of sweat and not letting anything go to waste. Burning grass for the hell of it or even to send a message was plain wasteful. At least this time, her confusion over the waste debate didn’t even try to raise its head.
They continued their determined march as more of Athena's mechs began to move closer to the group. Battle lines drew into a formation that would allow the Cinders to take the front of the line. It was an odd tactic, but if they got in close enough to Hammerhand's group, they would be able to do significant damage with their flechette guns and flame throwers.
Then again, Hammerhand could come in and hold the front line against them, use his shield, and knock them back with his hammer. It would be a risky tactic.
When they ignited their throwers, she realized they had no intention to attack and instead, merely held their ground and started fires in front of them. The flames caught a little too quickly. They had soaked the ground with fuel, apparently, and the blaze spread swiftly and covered almost thirty meters to force the Knights to a halt.
The fire wouldn’t go so far as to ruin the mechs if they elected to go through it, but it would make them vulnerable. There was also the possibility of shorting something out, which would bring the small group to a sudden and unwanted halt. No one wanted to have to do sudden repairs while they walked through a veritable wall of fire.
Hammerhand didn't appear to be concerned, however, and strode forward to stand in front of the flames. A mech the size of his would have little trouble pushing through and it would take a few hours for something like a gas fire to even begin to heat the heavy armor the Excalibur was known for.
But the Knights’ leader made no effort to approach the flames as yet. Jessica13 tilted her head curiously and remained where she was at the back. The man
