All this for a single alien woman? Who the hell was she? Or had the description Skald had received of me warranted this kind of response? Hell, I was practically indestructible and now had a sword that was equally impervious to harm, so Skald probably thought me a prime threat.
I charged the hovercraft that was firing at me. Running toward the machine gave me less time to block its attacks, but the task became easier and easier when I focused. It wasn’t only my legs that were faster but my ability to make decisions or anticipate attacks.
I heard the hovercraft’s pilot jam power to the machine’s thrusters in an attempt to move out of reach, but he didn’t understand how long my reach was. A few steps later, I planted my right foot and jumped into the air, almost overshooting the hovercraft, but I caught its canopy with my empty hand, planted myself on its back, and ripped the canopy free.
The pilot, another weasel-like alien, looked up at me and squeaked. I yanked him from the cockpit and tossed him overboard. Gravity would do the rest.
Three loud cracks told me the other hovercrafts were moving into position to attack me. A moment later, a loud buzzing, followed by the snap of electricity, warned me that a circuit had fried. Less than a second after that, the hovercraft lurched forward like a missile, and I held on tight.
The wind ripped tears from my eyes and threatened to tear my clothing from my body. Adrenaline surged through my veins, and I almost whooped as I leaned back, held up a hand, and saw the world begin to rotate.
I could steer the runaway machine.
The pilots of the other three hovercraft tried to perform the same maneuver, but they couldn’t keep up. My attention was drawn to the sound of a cannon firing, and I looked over my shoulder to see Skald firing the tank’s weapon at nearby buildings in the town.
The High Lord was a lunatic. This was his own town. What did he hope to achieve?
I caught two lucky shots on Ebon and turned the hovercraft in a slow, lumbering arc toward my pursuers. They separated and started peppering my new toy with high-energy bolts. A moment later, the thrusters went silent, so I picked a new target, waited two seconds, and jumped.
The pilot’s eyes bulged from within the lenses of his goggles. The weasel’s mouth swung open, and he pointed a finger at me as if he was trying to show someone else what I was doing. I spun Ebon in my hand and split the weasel’s expression in two.
The last two hovercraft had drastically increased their distance and were taking the occasional shot at me. They were too far away to be accurate, though, so I turned my attention back to the tank. Skald’s vehicle was driving through the middle of the town, knocking over buildings and starting small fires with its cannon.
I leaned forward to bring the nose of the hovercraft down, but the craft’s computer protested and kept it upright. I leaned forward again and shoved the nose down a couple of times, but it continued to fight against me. If I was on the ground, I could have picked the thing up and thrown it against my target. Instead, I raised Ebon and yanked the craft’s nose back. When the computer compensated, I thrust the vehicle down and jabbed my sword through some important-looking controls in the cockpit. The thrusters died.
I’d turned the thing into a ballistic weapon of opportunity heading right toward the tank.
Skald must have noticed because his tank opened fire. The first few shots went wide. I started looking for my escape route. Even as strong as I was, I didn’t want to test whether I would survive an unprotected crash.
The two hovercrafts pursuing the vehicles I’d commandeered fired at me. I blocked three well-aimed shots with Ebon while still hanging onto my craft. One hovercraft managed to reach my vehicle, but all he’d done was bring himself closer to me.
I launched myself from the dead hovercraft toward his vehicle. The pilot tried to dodge at the last moment, but I was too close. I snagged the machine with my hand and cut it in half just behind the cockpit. The thrusters and engine spun off and away about a hundred yards out of the edge of the street before exploding in a huge ball of fire.
The pilot screeched like a trapped animal, which wasn’t far from reality, as he pressed buttons and twisted knobs, trying to get the rear of the hovercraft to respond. I waited until the last moment before launching myself into the air, effectively slowing my descent. I barely had to bend my knees and only kicked up a little dust when I landed.
The pilot didn’t fare as well. He screamed as his hulk smashed into a stall and spun out onto the street in a spray of fuel and misfiring thrusters. I turned my attention to my main target.
The battle tank.
Skald was blasting everything he could, anyway. As the tank peppered one building after another with plasma, I winced, wondering how many might be dead inside.
Enough was enough.
I charged, but before I reached the tank, the turret swiveled around and started firing at me. The amount of plasma directed at me would have torn me to pieces had I not been armed with my sword. The shots must have been computer-controlled to be as accurate as they were. One went for my head. The next was aimed at my left foot. Then, my right shoulder, then my
