Tiva Boon: Heir of Abennelp (Tiva Boon Series Book 2) (46 page)

“You wish to know what happened?”

“Is it that obvious?” He smirked.

“Quite.” She smiled back and laid her head on his shoulder.

“Cala has her own theories, but I highly doubt you have demonic beings on Abennelp.”

“Only in tales, Adam.” She shook her head and sipped the water. “On the bridge, I sensed a strong mind. The man Pethor spoke of, I am certain. He is waiting for me.”

“You mean us…” He looked out at the group.

“No, Adam.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Neither do I, so I lowered my guard to see if I could find him.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“If we were hiding from the Rebels, perhaps…but they know we are here.”

“Oh, okay. And?”

“Being that open requires energy. When I showed Harai the fire, I was weak, but I drew on the energy of my surroundings and I was not prepared for it.” She sat up and took another piece of fruit as he prepared it. He brushed her cheek gently and smiled warmly.

“You’re stronger now that you’re home. Cala noticed it, I assumed you did too.”

“I did, somewhat.” Tiva finished and wiped her mouth. “Now that I am aware, I can adapt.”

“You gave the locals a scare, m’lady.”

“But you handled the situation better than I could,” she replied quietly. “I will talk with them later, but we have something we need to do now.”

“Sure you’re up for it?”

“Adam,” she chuckled and stood. “You are the one doing all the work; I am just your guide.”

Nodding, the winged warrior rose to his feet and stretched out all his appendages to their fullest span. “I suppose you’re right.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and with a few quick flaps lifted off the ground.

Adam landed near the outer wall of the marketplace. Just as Gessin and the others mentioned, the majority of the Rebel forces were waiting inside. Scattered guards patrolled the perimeter of Degort Proper, the road leading in, blocked. The small towns surrounding the capital were in shambles. It seemed as if another world. The occupation of the Rebels had not been kind to anyone. Tiva was beyond furious. How could they do this to their own people, their kin, and friends?

Drawing her weapon, she led Adam back into the forest near the southeast end of the marketplace. Many of the buildings looked reinforced from the air. Blinking lights and machinery filled the road and alleys. The hover-tram rode back and forth from one end of the area to the other, never actually leaving Degort Proper. The Rebels controlled the entire area with a firm grasp.

Tiva knew several ways past the walls, most known by Legionnaire and Royal Guardian alike, some known only to the king’s council. They crept silently along the wall, Adam very close behind her. Nearing a corner, Tiva paused and opened her senses to her surroundings. The emotions of the Rebels were high. The three nearby, most likely guarded the entrance they were heading to.

Two powerful minds emerged from the background. Something felt familiar. Suddenly, everything around her went blank, all she felt were the two minds and Adam. Every Rebel mind disappeared, masked somehow.

Whipping her head around, she met his eyes.
We must go, now!

He nodded and wrapped his arm around her just as a group of Rebels surrounded them from every angle. Adam retrieved Cala, removing his arm from Tiva’s waist and stepping to the right putting space between them.

Don’t worry, m’lady. They’re no match for us, let’s knock some sense into them and go home.

The obvious leader of the group stepped closer, a moon lance at his side. His men held both blasters and swords. With a quick motion of his hand, five rushed toward them, weapons in the air. Three stayed behind aiming at them, but holding their assault. Three went for Adam, two for Tiva. Staying on the defensive for a moment, Tiva attempted to adapt to their style, waiting for pauses or gaps she could use to her advantage. Adam however, had already taken one down with a hard kick to the chest. She parried and struck back, blocking, and attacking every few moments. The leader joined in the assault, moving toward Tiva.

A Rebel gasped as Adam took to the air. The three behind began firing at him. The distraction was exactly what she needed to cripple one of her attackers with a slice to his leg and punch across his chin. Adam swooped up over their heads and landed behind the three. Knowing the commotion of the fight would attract others, she tackled another man to the ground and reached to her side, pushed the Timbur forward from her belt thrusting it into his belly as she landed.

“Tiva, duck!” She rolled off his body, flat on her back just as the discharge of gunfire zipped over her chest. Averting her eyes, she noticed Adam slashing another across the back, from the air. Now safe, she jumped up and twisted her sword over in her hand as she rushed for the last gunman. He fired, Tiva hopped to the right, and bounced off the ground soaring into the air. She struck once and he fell, but before she landed, Adam grabbed her arm from above and smiled. “Gotcha.”

He rose higher and pulled her up alongside. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she smirked and shook her head. “You are walking away from a fight?”

“Flying…but that wasn’t a fight…we could have easily killed all of them, but that’s not what you want. The damage is done now, they know what they’re up against, and they’ll go running to their boss, so that means we have to move in…now.”

“Then let us hurry.”

“Man, they’re really going to be pissed now.” He chuckled. “Ah well, it’s almost morning anyway. With any luck, the battle will be as easy as that fight.”

“It will not, Adam. Those we fought were most likely civilians taught by the Rebels only recently. The strongest are always closest to the leader.”

“All of them?” he asked and maneuvered through the trees inching lower to the ground every few seconds.

“A large majority of them yes, that has always been our way. Something I hope to change.”

“Well, it’s good to see the universe rubbed off on you a little bit.” He tightened his grip around her and dove down then swooped up straight and came back down softly. He kissed her cheek. “You’re okay, right?” Tiva nodded and smiled. “Good, go get Neola and Harai, I’ll find Wixx.”

After Tiva and Adam answered several questions and sat through the aggravated remarks from their friends, the second sun was creeping up the horizon. The group had already packed up and moved all the vehicles together in preparation for departure. Wixx and Gessin signaled their readiness from the front line, a recommendation from Razzil having seen what the hopters were capable of doing, while Neola, Harai, and Wirto returned to their hovers.

Tiva started her crafted and glanced over at Adam who had a slight smile on his face.

“They weren’t that pissed…” he said.

“Indeed, I was expecting more of a chiding, especially from Neola.”

“No use worrying about it now, it’s time to go, m’lady. Ready?”

With a nod, Tiva steered her vehicle in line with the others and called to Wixx on the PCD to head for the bridge to Degort Proper. There was no doubt in her mind they would find opposition there, but they were as prepared as they could be, the rest was in the skills of her comrades.

An hour passed before any sign of Rebel activity presented itself. In the distance, Tiva noticed the blockade guarding the bridge fore and aft. Wixx called back with a head count of about four hundred, small to say the least, but there wasn’t much room on the road.

Giving the order to move forward, Tiva kept her attention straight ahead knowing the others around her were carefully watching the trees and roads on either side. Harai and her men held up the rear and for the moment, everything seemed to be going as planned.

Gessin confirmed that his hopters were within firing range of the bridge. Tiva ordered all the hovers to line up behind them as she guided hers between Wixx and Gessin’s vehicles. Four hundred would not be hard to push back, not with the technology they had, however, Tiva was not one to prejudge her opponents, in a spar or battle. As she settled the hover and surveyed the area, she saw the Rebels had some sort of metallic weaponry, a kind she had never seen before and from the looks on Harai and Wixx’s face, they had not encountered it either.

“I’m not sure, Lady Boon,” Gessin said with a confused look on his brow. “They could be long range plasma guns or cannons of some type. The scans are inconclusive.”

“Can you target them with the hopters and destroy them?” she asked.

“Of course, but they have quite a few of them; once we get started we’ll only be able to take out half of them before they return fire.”
“It appears we have no other option. Have your men lock onto them and await my signal.”

Gessin nodded, tapped on his control panels and the hopters rose into the air some ten feet and moved several feet forward away from the hovers.

“I’ve scanned the bridge, Tiva,” Harai’s voice came through the PCD, “no power signatures or anything near or around it other than those metal things.”

Tiva felt her heart racing within her chest. This time, they were not on the defensive, rather heading into the danger ready and willing to fight.

“It reminds me of the old days,” Adam said softly, Cala sitting on his lap. “In the Old Country the opposing sides would stand off like this. The kings of the warring lands would meet in the middle and give each side the chance to surrender.”

“That will not happen here, my love.”

He nodded and pulled his plasma gun from his waist, setting Cala back in her sheath for the moment. “We won’t be able to reach them from here, you know that right?”

“I do, those weapons are what I fear right now, when we can dwindle their abilities to fire long range, if that is what they are for, then we will storm the castle as you say?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Tiva stood up and turned to face the others. “We will attempt to destroy the weapons the Rebels possess,” she announced with authority. “Be alert, keep your guard up, and watch your surroundings. Should those weapons be able to reach us seek cover in the trees, let them target our vehicles. May the Spirits protect you.”

The group of Loyalists, Harai and Wixx’s men saluted her and readied their weapons. It was time. Turning to Gessin, she held her breath for a moment and nodded to him to begin his assault. Streams of weapons fire launched out into the early morning sky. The Rebels scrambled. Some retreated while others ran to the metallic weapons. Explosions rocked the land; two, three, four weapons destroyed instantly. Men and woman fell to the ground and soared through the air, thrown back by the blasts. At the far end of the Rebel blockade, lights began flickering on five of the weapons.

Adam jumped up from his seat and yelled, “Incoming!”

Just as he did, bright maroon streaks expelled from the weapons arching high in the air. The hopters returned fire, targeting the weapons. The streaks faded and Tiva spotted the artillery in question, glowing red orbs. Several of them over shot their location, but Tiva did not waver in her attention to the blockade until a deafening screech echoed through her ears. When she turned, the orbs—just before impacting the ground behind the hovers—detonated and from them came hundreds of small beams of plasma fire shooting in every direction imaginable and striking several of the hovers in the background.

“Take shelter!” she shouted and jumped out of the hover just as Adam swooped down and picked her up by the waist making way for the trees. Gessin and Wixx continued to destroy the Rebel weapons, but the damage to both sides had already begun. Three of Wixx’s men and two of her own did not stir. A quarter of the hovers took heavy damage. The Rebels launched another round of orbs at them as the hopters swerved fire and approached the bridge.

She had not underestimated the Rebels, or their alien friends, but without other long-range weaponry, they were just as stuck as the enemy was. A hopter went down in flames. Three more hovers imploded; two of the Rebel canons were obliterated. A small group of Rebels vanished from the road, heading to Degort Proper. Tiva lifted her PCD to her mouth, ordering groups one and two engage the enemy, group three to secure the hovers and check for injured.

Tiva lurched forward but her husband jerked her back. “What?”

“You’re not going in there to fight.”

“And why not?”