Gears of Fate, page 21
part #1 of Forgotten Gods Series
Seneca sat straddled across her fallen guard, head-butting him repeatedly in the face. I ran up behind her and cut her bindings. She expertly knocked the rust out of the elf, leaving him unconscious.
When she stood, she wavered and her eyes spun. “Oh, dizzy.”
Something slammed into me from behind, throwing me head first to the ground. Wild hands tore at my back. If it wasn’t for Odin’s pack, I’m almost certain the Redcap would have ripped its way to my stomach.
“The sword,” Seneca shouted.
I hesitated. I didn’t want to share Jotunn with anyone else. It was mine. The power was mine. The Redcap took a hold of my hair and pulled. I tried to angle the blade behind me but couldn’t get a good position.
“Zak!” Seneca insisted.
I tossed her the blade. She caught it in midair and brought it down behind me. The satisfying squish of steel cutting flesh, and the crackling of the creature icing over filled me with a rush of satisfaction. I shoved the iced Redcap off my back and scrambled to my feet. The remaining guard took a nervous step back.
“The sword.” I held my hand out to Seneca fearing she wouldn’t want to return it.
She gave it back without argument. “That sword makes me feel weird. Be careful with it will you?”
I pointed it at the elf. “Just one more!”
He dropped his weapon and ran off.
“Where’s Puck?” I asked Seneca.
“Out back, this way.” She led me to the side of the cabin to a clearing overlooking the world below. My gaze went straight to my beautiful Abby, way too close to the edge. Puck stood beside her, a blade to her back. Ice-cold rage filled my heart.
“You’ve caused quite the stir, boy,” he said. “It’s not often someone can hurt my mother.”
“Ugh,” Seneca moaned. “Those two have such an unhealthy relationship.”
Puck laughed. “Oh, Seneca Rose, always quick with the wit. Yet, Mob is awake, your kingdom has fallen, and the Iron Dragon and the armies of the Unseelie are marching. Soon, Olympus will be no more.”
“Right. If everything was brass, why are you hiding behind a girl?” I asked.
“I may be arrogant, but I’m not stupid. Zeus and his kin can’t stop us. But they can be incredibly annoying. I’d rather the destruction of the human race go down without a hitch so we can begin the process of healing this world. I’m sure you can appreciate that. And my mother thinks you are a problem that needs to be dealt with. It seems you and that sword have overstepped your boundaries.”
“All I have to do is give Zeus the word.”
“But you won’t because I have insurance.” He shoved Abby closer to the edge. She looked defiant and struggled against her restraints.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “Zak. Tell this rust bucket to hop off!”
My heart kicked up a beat at the sound of her voice, making the chill of Jotunn ease off. When I heard her, I knew I would let the world burn just for her.
You will fall saving the one you love.
Puck still talked, but I wasn’t hearing anything he said. I focused on Abby. I swear I could hear her every breath. I could feel her heart beating, and it beat in time with mine. She took a tiny step backward, toward the edge. I held my breath, paralyzed as she took another.
She nodded at me and I knew what she planned to do. “I trust you, Zak.”
“Puck,” I said. “I’m not a boy. My name is Zak Walker. If you don’t know what that means, ask around. They’ll tell you I’m rank true and true. I’m a Fringe Rat. The Money Men might not give a rust about me, but I’ve spent my whole life crawling around the guts of this city, making sure she runs brass, keeping her alive. This is my city, and I’m not letting a cog head destroy it. So I’ll defend it to the end. And even though I got rank, I learned that sometimes I can use a little help. Zeus, now!”
Lightning and thunder circled in the sky like a vortex of chaos. A steady beam of electricity erupted and headed straight toward Earth. Before Puck could react, Abby leaped off the side. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
If this was the story of my life and I died today, what would the storytellers say about me? They’d say I was a hero.
I ran to the edge and jumped off headfirst. I knifed it, straightened my arms against my sides, and kept my legs pointed straight. Abby didn’t scream or flail; she looked up at me with complete and utter trust. She held up her bound hands. I reached for them, inching closer and closer, feeling the pull of the Earth’s gravity. I barely noticed the dragon swoop down behind us. Our fingers could barely touch.
A second more, and I grabbed a hold of her wrist. But the hold wasn’t good enough. I needed both hands. Jotunn sang in my head. I still had the sword out. I couldn’t let it go; I needed it. It made me more than I was. I looked to Abby, our eyes met for a moment―I swear she smiled. I let go of Jotunn and grabbed a hold of her with my free hand. I pulled until her body pressed against mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck.
The dragon flew up toward us, its mouth open wide. I pulled the ripcord on my wings and they burst out in a flutter of life, slowing our descent, but not quick enough. The dragon swooped in fast. Sparks of flame ignited in its throat. I pulled the other ripcord and the motor sputtered to life, straining against our weight, but soon we flew back toward Olympus with the dragon hot on our tail.
Years of being a Fringe Rat taught me skills. Skills I thanked the gods for at that moment. I flew us all around, swerving left and right, barely staying out of the dragon’s path. Luckily for us, it was big. Even though it had a huge advantage in speed, it couldn’t maneuver well. I flew circles around its head while heading for the city. I kept my distance, but couldn’t get it off my back.
A horn blew so incredibly loud I thought it impossible. I feared my ears would explode. Abby screamed and I tried my best to cover hers. It sounded like the heavens themselves cried. I lost control; spun wrong, and clipped one of my wings on a building. We crashed and I tried my best to take the brunt of it so Abby would have my body as a cushion.
Feeling dazed and broken, I struggled to help Abby up, but I already knew we wouldn’t escape. A ship of bone rose in the sky behind the dragon, as if crafted from the remains of a giant. Loki stood at the wheel; behind him, warriors shouted and clapped their swords to shields, Freya amongst them wearing a glimmering suit of armor with wings.
Odin kept his promise.
They would never make it in time.
Abby looked up at me and I got lost in her eyes. “Zak, I’m glad you’re here with me.” That lavender scent came off her hair.
“…me too. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”
“It’s okay,” she said, “I love you.”
As soon as she kissed me, all our memories together came flooding back like a tidal wave. When we were little, I stole some meds from her dad. As punishment, I had to work weekends at his office. She would order me around and I hated her for it. After that, she would always hang around me and the guys, even when I tried to get rid of her. She had a tendency of kicking our butts. Soon we were inseparable. When we became teenagers, something happened. She started to look and act different and I started to feel strangely toward her. Always too scared to say anything. I didn’t want to look like a complete cog. I kept my feelings to myself, bottled up tight, even though everyone swore they knew. The last time I saw her, we fought. It wasn’t our first serious fight, we said things and yet through it all, she still trusted me with her life.
“I love you too.” I held her tight and kissed her harder.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The dragon opened its mouth and took a deep breath in. I waited for the inevitable end. The oily-fuel stink of its breath washed over us; the fire would soon follow. Abby pulled away from me and looked at the dragon. She would bravely stare death in the face. I did the same. Before the flames came, a shadow swooped in and grabbed us by the collars of our shirts. We held onto each other tight as we flew away from an explosion of fire, the world burning at our backs.
I looked up to Seneca struggling to hold our weight, veins popping from her neck, her face blood red. Yet she still wore a mischievous grin. She flew us to safety, smoke cascading from the tips of her copper and brass wings.
She choked out a laugh. “Told you, you’d get a kiss!” She winked at me. The weight finally being too much for her, she dropped us close to the ground.
“You saved our lives!” Abby shouted.
She spun around in the air and curtseyed. “Yeah it happens. Sorry. Can’t talk now. Revenge and stuff.” She drew a sword and flew straight at the Iron Dragon. It launched at her, spewing flames of fire; she easily dodged and circled around its head, swinging her sword in wide arcs, attacking it at inhuman speed.
I untied Abby and held her hand as we ran through the streets, dodging fights as best we could. I wanted to get back into it, but I had to get her to safety. In my rush, I caught glimpses of battles. Alana ran after a horde of trolls, shooting them down one by one. She nearly had the last one when a shimmering pixie light attacked her. She waved her pistol wildly at her face trying to shoo the creature away. It distracted her enough for a troll to get the upper hand. He tackled her from the side and raised a fist. She maneuvered her legs under the monster and pushed him back jamming her pistol under his chin. We already crossed the street by the time I heard the bang and splatter.
Gharis fought off two elves with his sword not too far from her. Watching his complicated legwork and the way he swung his sword with ease made me realize I had a lot to learn.
I couldn’t find Zeus, but every time an Unseelie came into our path, a bolt of lightning vaporized them, followed by a rumble of thunder that sounded a lot like laughter. He was somewhere watching over me and helping to clear the path for my escape.
An explosion close by knocked Abby and I to the ground. I looked in the direction of the blast, up at a ship made of wood, flesh, and piping. Its balloon seemed to be made of living tissue while the mast breathed out steaming black smoke. Mob stood at the helm, shouting orders while her men fired cannons at the ship of bones. I finally caught sight of Zeus aboard Loki’s ship, knocking cannonballs from the sky with quick bolts of lightning that sent them careening into surrounding buildings. A school of crows swarmed the Fey on deck and chased them overboard.
I stopped running and pointed at the ship. “The gods are fighting back!”
Abby followed my gaze as the flock of crows fused into a dark shadow. It marched toward Mob who appeared startled for only an instant. The shadow shook off the darkness, and in its place stood Odin. He wore leather armor and had a heavy two-handed sword at his side, both hands on the hilt ready for action. Mob lunged at Odin, but he managed to deflect her clawed hands with his blade. Lightning exploded next to her, nearly throwing her from the ship.
Zeus landed next to Odin, standing proud and tall. Both gods seemed like the best of friends while Mob struggled to her feet. A second mass of crows appeared out of thin air, cawing wildly and landing all around the deck. One by one, they struck at Mob, pecking at her skin and pulling at her hair. She fought them off savagely, but every time she destroyed one, another took its place.
Lightning crackled overhead. Zeus’ hand shot up, catching the beam of electricity and an explosion of blinding light erupted in the sky. We covered our eyes, cringing at the harshness of Mob’s shrill cry.
“Zak,” Abby said. “We have to go!” She dragged me toward the Empyrean.
I pulled her in the other direction. “No, wait. Your dad and everyone is at the Crow’s Nest.”
“That’s at the Fringe; that’s the most dangerous place to be during an attack!”
“No one had access to Empyrean.”
She ran ahead. I barely made it two steps before an explosion of fire threw me to the ground. I rolled over onto my stomach in a daze, and Abby yelled something from beyond a wall of flames, but the ringing in my ears drowned out her voice. Puck aimed one of the cannons on Mob’s ship at me, while the dragon and Seneca played a game of cat and mouse right above me.
“Abby, go! I’ll meet you there.” I hoped she could hear me over all the noise.
But I didn’t have time to think about it, I focused on Seneca’s battle. All her blows reflected harmlessly off the beast and she moved to fast for it to land a strike. They could have fought forever, except Seneca slowed down. Whenever she got close to a tall building, she tried to land and catch her breath. The dragon wouldn’t relent; it didn’t breathe or tire. It couldn’t be controlled… except… except it could be. I had an idea.
I fought my way to unsteady legs and ran across the street to the closest high building I could find. I shouldered my way past the door and ran inside. A scared family huddled around their young children.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Just stay inside.”
The back stairs lead me to the second floor and a long hallway of rooms. A small hatch in the ceiling was my best bet at getting to the roof. I pulled the cord that released the door, climbed the ladder into the attic, and went straight for the window. Even with my body sore and my limbs screaming in pain, I managed to climb out the window and reached for the roof edge. It gave me the perfect view of the beast inhaling air and getting ready for another shower of fire.
“Get out of here, Zak! Seneca gasped on the roof of a building across the street. She waved me away. “I don’t know if I can keep this up for much longer…”
“Use your blood,” I shouted.
The explosion threw me from the building. Once again, death reached for me and I almost welcomed its embrace, except Seneca caught me. She could barely carry me, but she flew us away from the crumbling destruction. Mob’s ship headed straight for us while Puck continued to fire.
“Seneca use your blood. Mob said her and the dragon were weapons of the family Rose. If the blood of a Rose can wake it, it can control it.”
“Rust!” She flew me over to the ground and dropped me gently. “Might as well stay here and enjoy the show. If this doesn’t work, we’re all dead anyway.” She bit into her finger; blood trickled down her hand and coated her lips. She turned back toward the dragon and flew straight for it. She yelled, “I am Seneca Rose, Heir to the family Rose and you will bow down before me!” She flicked her hand at the dragon, letting drops of blood splash its face. The mechanical beast roared and snapped its teeth at her.
Seneca pulled a small knife from her belt and ran the blade across the palm of her hand. She flicked more blood at the beast, but this time held her bloody hand out toward it and let it see the crimson liquid. “I said, I am Seneca Rose of the family Rose and you will bow before me, rust brain!”
The dragon closed its mouth and bowed lower than Seneca. She reached out and placed her hand on its forehead. Seneca hopped onto its neck and used its horns as handholds.
“I think me and Gas Breath have a bone to pick with Puck.” She patted the dragon on the side of the neck and yelled, “Hiya!”
The dragon flew off straight for Mob’s ship, breathing fire like an endless hose of destruction. The masts and hull went up like dry tinder. Whoever was steering tried their best to turn the ship. Bad move. The dragon straightened like an arrow and flew clean into the ship’s exposed side, shattering it into toothpicks. The stern flew in toward the city while the bow hurtled with a screaming Puck to the awaiting surface below.
With the dragon having switched sides, the Unseelie on the ground seemed a bit hesitant, but still they came. Loki docked his ship and let loose his warriors. Men and gods alike rushed into the battle with their weapons held high, shouting for Olympus. A man and woman with bronze skin and golden hair led the fighters; they looked so similar, they could have been twins. They shot arrows left and right without hesitation and all their arrows found their mark. The Unseelie who made it past their arrows fell to the swords and axes of all the fallen warriors Loki brought back. Meanwhile, Loki stood upon the deck of his ship with his arms crossed, bellowing with laughter.
I limped back toward the Crow’s Nest, exhausted and ready to sleep for an eternity. Even though the war raged on, cheers of triumph already started to spread. Puck was gone, I’m pretty sure Mob had been sorted, and we had control of the Iron Dragon.
Abby, Mom, Dad, and Alice waited outside the Crow’s Nest. As much as I wanted to run to them, I could barely walk. I took slow steady steps as the world around me seemed to burn. They waved. I smiled and tried to wave back. But my arm didn’t want to work with me. They kept waving, wildly… almost panicked. Mom screamed. A searing pain buried itself deep into my back. I looked down and found a gleaming blade sticking out of my stomach.
I fell to my knees and then onto my back. Mob stood over me with an evil smile; even with badly burnt skin, fried hair, and festering blisters in a number of places, she still managed that sickening smile. She lifted her weapon up and inspected the blade before licking my blood off. She stewed in my defeat, almost gloating. “You’ve made an enemy of me boy; you’d be wise to die now.”
“Zak!” Mom jumped over my body and swung a blade at Mob’s neck. But the blade didn’t connect with anything. Mob turned into thousands of little spiders, roaches, and crickets, which escaped into the city cracks.
Everything started to get cold. It reminded me of Jotunn. I could barely focus. Sounds and sights mixed and meshed into the wrong thing. I lay on my mother’s lap, this I knew for sure. She said something. Her eyes lost in defeat. Abby sat at her side. I could barely feel the warmth of her hand. My dad stood in the background, crying openly. Everyone needed to calm down. It didn’t hurt anymore; I would be fine. I just needed rest. So I decided to rest my eyes. I closed them and the darkness engulfed me. I felt so light. Like soaring without wings. I wanted to soar forever, into the deepest darkest reaches of the empty void, without the shackles of my body. I could do that.
