“Oh,” he said a moment later at a much more tolerable volume. “That does explain a many things.”
“Like what? What took you so long?”
“Well,” he started as he brought one of the smaller arms up to where a mech’s chin might be if it had one, “there was smashing. Much smashing. The pew-pew shooting of the baddies. Then, smash. More smash. Then, squash flat. But no more guard. Guard try to follow Skrew. So, Skrew smash. Another guard try to help. So, Skrew smash one with other. Did Jacob know if can pick up two guards and twist just right, heads pop at same time?”
I peered into the darkness behind him. “I… wasn’t aware of that. Are you sure you weren’t followed?”
The mech shrugged, a mechanical screeching noise accompanying the expression. “Not thinking so,” he said. “If so, the follow did get lost, too. Skrew was much lost and confused. But Skrew is here now. Skrew only needs nap and munchies. So many munchies. Maybe fishes. Or birds.”
“I think we can find something. Bring that thing inside. Don’t step on anyone.”
Skrew took slow, small steps as he maneuvered the mech into the compound. The villagers scrambled away as far as they could, before the hatch on the front of the mech popped open and the vrak climbed out.
“Sure looks like he ran into some guards to me,” Nyna said as she picked at a burn mark on the mech’s leg. “They used energy weapons, but nothing burned through. Though, wow, something tore this thing up good! Look here! There’s a hole at least five inches wide and, oh, look, here’s another one. But this one’s not so wide. It looks like…” She turned to me and pointed to Ebon. “It looks like that, actually.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Do you think it’ll stay together long enough for Skrew to use it in Thaz’red?”
“It will after some minor repairs,” Nyna said. “An hour, maybe three. Wait a minute—that first hole… was that from the grip of your sword?” She laughed and looked back and forth between Ebon and the hole in the mech’s side.
“Nyna,” Reaver said, “you can fix this?”
“Yeah,” Nyna said with a laugh. “I can fix just about anything now. Especially since I have Spirit-Watcher.”
Reaver turned to me. “Did you ask her about—”
“These?” I said as I held the communicators out to her. “She says we’ll have a private channel. She’s not certain about the range, but she says it’ll carry at least to Thaz’red. They might work a lot further than that.”
“How much further?”
I shrugged. “The range could be unlimited. She’s the one who knows.”
Reaver took them and handed one to Beatrix. “You go over there,” she told the gladiator. “I’ll go to the other side of camp. Let’s see how they sound.”
Beatrix nodded and touched the device to her ear. When she let go, it stuck there. They smiled and sprinted to the far sides of the village walls.
“What can I do?” Timo-Ran asked.
“You can make sure everyone has eaten and that there’s breakfast and rations for tomorrow. We’ll need three days’ worth, in case we have to split up and make it back on our own. You never know. One thing I’ve learned as a military commander is that no plan survives contact with the enemy. All we can do is set goals and procedures, but seen as we don’t have three months for your basic training, we’re going to have to wing it.”
“We’re no amateurs,” he said gruffly. “We know how to fight. We know how to kill. And, we will follow you. I have spoken to those I wish to go and those I wish to stay and defend our home. We all agree that all hopes for our future, peace for our kind, and our survival, are tied to you. All we want is to rescue our captured kin and live in peace, and we’re willing to fight for it.”
“Good,” I told him as my heart swelled with pride. “You’ll have your chance soon enough.”
Chapter Eight
I bid Yaltu and Enra goodbye, promised to return, and ventured out of the Ish-Nul village alongside three of their warriors, Reaver, Nyna, Beatrix, and Skrew. I would have left him behind, but he was now inside a three-ton, ten-foot mech tended to do that, especially given the minigun encircling one mechanical arm.
When we were at about a mile’s distance from Thaz’red, already we could find rubble and other evidence of destruction around us. Bits of piping and shards of rusted metal stuck out from the dirt like the bones of an ancient elephant graveyard. The closer we traveled to the city, the more frequent the bits became, until we actually had to slow down and watch our step.
But we’d come as far as we could without splitting up. If anyone saw us together, they’d rightly assume we were an invading army. We’d have to be subtle if we wanted to get close enough to find my missing troops or beat the truth out of the city’s dictator. I hoped I’d have the opportunity to do both personally.
Beatrix had her hammer, but until activated, it didn’t glow red with the angry little lightning bolts. Ebon was an unusual weapon, granted, but it wasn’t strange to be armed. Reaver had the gun she’d found in the guard armory when we’d escaped Brazud. She was wearing a short gray cloak that concealed it perfectly. Nyna had insisted on inspecting everyone’s equipment before we were allowed to head out. The only weapon which ended up needing adjustment was Reaver’s, and in ten minutes Nyna had it working smooth like it came from Tortengar’s very own guard.
I wasn’t convinced the Ish-Nul would be useful in battle, but they’d earned the opportunity to try. Leaving them behind would have been insulting, and giving them a chance to shed blood—theirs and their enemy’s—would make them feel like they’d left their mark on the planet’s fate. They’d already earned their voice by their kindness, determination, shared
