The Elves of Cintra (Book 2 of The Genesis of Shannara)

Fixit did as he was told, his heart in his throat, his mouth dry as he opened the door and staggered away on legs that were unexpectedly weak. He got only a dozen yards before he was surrounded by the other Ghosts, who cheered and clapped and pounded him on the back, celebrating his daring rescue.

“That was so wonderful!” Sparrow declared, her grin huge.

“You got some iron in you, little man,” said Panther.

“Takes some hard edges to do what you did. Some tough stuff.”

Only Owl seemed to realize what was wrong. Logan Tom caught her eye as she lagged behind the others, and she wheeled herself over to join him. Out of the corner of his eye, Fixit could see her peering inside the Lightning. He tried not to look, but he couldn’t help himself. Logan Tom was bending over the old man, putting his ear on his chest, then close to his mouth. Please, Fixit prayed. Don’t let him die.

“Hey, man, I’m talkin’ to you!” Panther snapped, giving him a playful shove. “Least you can do is pay attention when someone’s tellin’ you how great you are. You saved us, you know? Frickin’ Creepers! That’s what they are, Creepers! Would have had us, if not for you.”

Fixit gave him an awkward grin, and he shouted to demonstrate his euphoria.

But when he looked again at the Lightning, Logan Tom was climbing out to stand beside Owl, and Owl was crying, and Fixit felt the last vestiges of his joy turn to ashes.





Chapter SEVENTEEN


FIXIT WAS DEVASTATED. He was in despair. Owl could see it in his face as she wheeled herself over to where he was still being congratulated for his daring rescue. He might want to believe that it wasn’t his fault that River’s grandfather was dead, but she could tell that he couldn’t quite convince himself. She knew what he was thinking. If he hadn’t been so quick. If he had just taken a moment to check. If he hadn’t driven so wildly. If he had not become distracted.

If.

She wanted to talk to him, to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault. But before she could reach him, Logan called out sharply. “All of you! Get away from the fence! Get back over here by the Lightning! Now!”

Everyone looked at him in surprise, and then to where he was pointing. Dozens of tiny machines had emerged from out of the complex, machines of all shapes and looks. Like ants, they swarmed over the corpses of their fallen brethren, extruding tiny welders and tools. Without pausing, they went to work on the larger machines, repairing or replacing the broken parts, slowly but surely putting them back together. Another dozen had come straight for the fence and were reattaching the damaged links. The entire concrete surface surrounding the haulers was alive with activity.

Panther snatched up his Parkhan Spray and swung the barrel toward the enclosure, but Logan shouted at him. “Leave it, Panther! We don’t want to give them a reason to come out here. Let them do what they were programmed to do. Pack it up, and let’s go.”

Reluctantly, Panther turned away, muttering something about “Creepers.” The Ghosts trotted back over to the AV and the shopping cart, where Logan assigned them their places. He put Candle in the front passenger’s seat of the Lightning and River in back with her grandfather. He was heading for Owl when she waved him off. Instead she wheeled herself up to Fixit. “Would you push me for a while?” she asked him. “I need to be out in the open air.”

Logan chained the boy with the ruined face to the shopping cart, told him he could walk for a while, put Bear next to him as guard, and ordered Panther to stay away. They set out within minutes, once more heading south, leaving Oronyx Experimental and its machines behind. They did not yet have the hauler they needed, but Logan told them not to worry. They would find something on the way, something not so heavily guarded.

The afternoon was waning, the sky losing its light and the shadows beginning to lengthen. There was an unusual chill to the normally sultry, stagnant air, but Owl didn’t want to ask Fixit to bring her a sweater or blanket because she was afraid of losing him. She wanted to keep him close until she had said to him what she thought needed saying. She didn’t speak to him right away, however. She let him push her in silence, let the tension drain away. It was late in the day. They would travel just far enough to make camp, and then they would stop for the night.

“Did you read about machines like those in any of your magazines, Fixit?” she said finally. “I didn’t know such things existed.”

He didn’t reply. He just kept pushing her along at a steady, even pace. Perhaps he hadn’t even heard her. She glanced ahead to where Bear and Chalk walked next to the shopping cart and the chained boy. Ahead of them, the Lightning crawled down the highway like a big beetle. Panther was farther out, walking alone.

She glanced to either side without turning her head.

Sparrow was walking behind her and to her left, staying just far enough back so as to not intrude, but close enough to come if called. That was Sparrow, she thought.