Hotbloods 6: Allies

As if synced to my thoughts, Stone pulled back the sleeve of his camo-marked black jacket. Now, I understood why he hadn’t wanted to wear one of the Fed suits. There, all the way along his arm, right up to the shoulder, were glowing nudus, their power adding more force to a beam of blue light that had begun to surge skyward. He had way more clinging to him than the others had had in their boxes; I just prayed he’d waited until we were on the ship before he’d put his on, otherwise he’d be starting to struggle soon. Once the light had reached the atmosphere, it began to spread out like poured liquid, seeking out the edges of the other shields that were creeping across the globe, forging one complete barrier.

Through the transparent upper half of the dome, the sky darkened a little, like in an eclipse, casting everything in a bluish haze. It wasn’t blocking out the sun completely, but it was getting between the light and the ground, creating a strange filter that made everything look as though it were in perpetual dusk.

“Lycan fleet, merevin fleet, Rexombran fleet, it’s time to strike!” I announced. “We need soldiers on the ground and air support before the shield closes—you won’t be able to get in otherwise. The Deep Freeze is a success, but it won’t last long. Stone’s energy is being sapped by the nudus.”

“Copy that, Captain Idrax,” Agent Phocida responded.

“Copy that,” Commander Mahlo agreed.

“Firestorm is on its way, Warrior Idrax,” Anai chimed in.

“Let’s take these bastards down!” I shouted, flashing a look at Navan and Bashrik. We set off across the frozen landscape, wielding our weapons and striking anyone in our path.

Two minutes later, the comforting sight of our ally ships thrummed into view, having surged through the remaining gaps in the nudus shield so they could join us. They could leave, if they needed to, but as soon as they were out of the shield wall, they couldn’t enter again.

Their guns opened fire, hammering down on the rebel base. A swarm of soldiers burst through the fuzzy lower half of the perimeter a few seconds later—merevin, lycan, and Rexombran alike—all of them cutting down our foes with guns, blades, and bare hands.

It was a brutal killing spree, but I couldn’t allow myself to think about the decimation of life. I would have to worry about it later, when my species was no longer under threat. All around me, blood sprayed in sickening fountains, before the remains of ashen bodies began to float upward. Wherever I turned, there was death and destruction, and I was standing at the center of it all.

However, even with the arrival of our allies, we were only just scratching the surface of the rebels who remained. Stone couldn’t freeze everyone, and there were still rebels charging toward us from all the angles Stone’s third eye couldn’t reach, with even more hidden away inside the bunkered buildings. They emerged every couple of minutes in terrifying spurts, charging at us with their mouths open in hideous war cries. Using the bandolier of knives, I took down an entire front row of approaching enemies, each pointed blade plunging through the throats of all those who would’ve sliced off my head without a moment’s thought.

“Riley, get down!” Navan roared, barreling into me and knocking me to the ground. A bullet pierced the side of the wall I’d been standing in front of, thudding harmlessly into the masonry.

Jumping up, Navan helped me back to my feet, gesturing at the towers and vantage points that littered the rebel camp. Within the shadows, rebel snipers were hiding, their scopes set on us and our allied forces. There was no way Stone could deal with everyone, though he was doing his best, his focus split between the shield and the battle. I knew it took some concentration to create the shield beam because I’d overheard Stone instructing the others on how to forge it. Sometimes, if threatened, it would appear of its own volition, but if the bearer wanted to create a beam that wasn’t for the purpose of immediate bodily protection, it required mental instruction; a continuous mantra of thought, sent to the nudus, so it could pick up on the emotional vibrations and read them accordingly. Honestly, I didn’t entirely understand how the creatures worked, but there seemed to be a hive mentality among them—once one nudus did something, the others followed. Anyway, they seemed to be doing the right thing at Stone’s silent request.

The comm device crackled. “This is Warrior Anai calling Warrior Idrax. Someone is trying to steal the Fed ship outside the perimeter! We are standing by to shoot it down.”

My gaze flicked toward the fuzzy lower section of the perimeter, trying to figure out where the clearing was. The distorted band of invisibility barrier was only about ten feet in height from the ground, but it blocked a clear view of the spot where we’d left the Fed stealth ship. Fortunately, I remembered where I’d entered the last time I’d been here, letting the memory lead me. Determined not to relinquish a single vessel into the hands of the enemy, I sprinted toward the last place we’d left the ship, with Navan racing after me. As soon as I burst through the invisible barrier, I saw the face I’d been dreading to see. Mauve was trying to hack into the side hatch of the Fed ship, her sharp nails digging into the control panel and tearing out wires.

“You try and grab her from one side; I’ll get her from the other,” Navan whispered to me, before circling around the side of the clearing.

Removing a knife from my bandolier, I crept toward the ship. It didn’t seem like the fae had noticed us, her attention focused solely on getting into the stealth vessel. There weren’t any rebels running around out here, though I was curious to know how she’d managed to evade Stone’s stare. Perhaps she’d flown too high to be caught in it. However she’d done it, she was here now, and she’d managed to get the hatch open.

I lunged toward her. Before my hand could grasp at her ankle, her head whipped around, her eyes boring into mine as that cold smile twisted up the corners of her mouth. With a flick of her wrist, she sent me flying backward, and my head hit the ground with a thud. I struggled to my feet in time to see Navan’s sword cartwheeling through the air toward her, but she was ready for the attack this time. Holding up her hand, she froze the blade in place, before sending it hurtling back toward Navan, missing his ear by a matter of inches. It slammed into a tree trunk behind him, the blade wobbling from side to side.

As Navan took out his pistol and started to fire, I charged back toward Mauve. I’d barely closed on the ship when she flicked her wrist once more. My knees buckled beneath me, and I faceplanted into the dirt. With a high-pitched giggle, she disappeared inside the belly of the vessel, closing the hatch behind her. The invisibility cloak smoothed seamlessly over the doorway. I couldn’t see the ship fly off, but I could hear the engines roaring to life and feel the rush of hot air whip at my face as it soared higher.

“Stealth ship is approaching us at speed,” Anai said, through the comms. “We’re giving chase.”

“Don’t pursue it past the shield!” I replied frantically. “If it gets out, let it go. Otherwise, you’ll have no way of getting back through the nudus barrier.”

“Copy that, Warrior Idrax. Let’s see if our guns can get the thieving bastard.”

Knowing what Mauve was like, I had a feeling she’d get out of this one. That crazy fae was a menace to the universe, but we had bigger problems to worry about right now—far bigger than a destructive, insane little creature.

Once Navan had his sword back, we returned to the fray, cutting down all the rebels who sought to stand in our way. They were still pouring out of the bunker and the lab, and every other building that lay scattered about the place, only about half falling under the spell of Stone’s peripheral and central vision. Already, I’d lost track of the number of times someone had tried to take my head off, or I’d heard the whoosh of a bullet zing past my ear. It was a good thing I didn’t scare easily.

“Bash, you okay?” Navan asked, as we jogged toward his brother.