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28
NIKATHY
I thought of Rhiannon down below and her enormous cannon, poised for the takeout. I had to do something to get the last Patrol ship within range. That was the only way to ensure that we never had to fight another battle like this ever again in Kychek. And so I waited for Herod to pick off the last of my followers and then I circled back to make another pass. I knew it was a long shot. It had been hours since I'd left Rhiannon down there. She was probably furious with me. It was possible she had abandoned her post.
"Adreax, Herod, I need the two of you to go around back of that ship and start firing into their rear. We need to drive them toward the city."
"Toward the city?" Adreax called back. "That's the last thing we want to do. We need to drive them away."
"Just listen to me," I growled. "Rhiannon is down there with a cannon aimed straight at us. She's waiting for us to bring them into range so she can blast them out of the sky."
"You're sure she's ready?" Adreax asked cautiously.
"Just do as he says, Dre," Herod cut in. "If the girl's ready, she's ready."
There was something in the way Herod said those words that stood out to me, like he might have some experience of his own to speak of. In any case, I was grateful to have his support, because a moment later, I saw him swing around and take a shot at the rear of the Patrol's floating fortress. The shot went wide, and barely glanced off the hull of the enormous ship, but it was enough to get their attention. I waited impatiently for Adreax to get in position, knowing that the Patrol could still make their escape if they turned now. But then, I saw their ship coming to life, and I smiled ruefully as they started coming toward me. This was it.
Just like last time, I taunted them with my ship, knowing that they would give chase. In all my years smuggling, I had come to know the Patrol was painfully predictable when it came to things like this. Their generals seemed to be of a mind that they had to fight to the death, even when they knew they couldn't win, and I was more than willing to take advantage of that.
As I waited, I listened to the chatter through the radios as Herod and Adreax took shots at the lone ship. I could hear the women in the background cheering and urging them on. Suddenly, Herod's words made sense to me. Not so long ago, Herod had found his mate in one of these women, and it had changed him. Now, I was the only one flying solo, and for once, the solitude didn't suit me. I didn't want to be alone up here. I wanted Rhiannon by my side, working her magic on the weapons aboard the ship so that we could take our revenge on the Patrol at long last.
I never should have left her down there alone. Not just because there was so much left unsaid between us, but because I needed her to help me win this war and save my home. I considered changing tactics, telling Herod and Adreax that I had made a terrible mistake, and leaving the fight to them, but it was too late. The Patrol was moving in on me, and I was leading them straight toward the city. All I could do was make it through this, and then go back down there and make sure she was safe.
With the Patrol's greatest asset slowly floating toward the trap I'd set, I was starting to feel confident that this would all be over soon. It was a good thing, too, because my mind was so full of thoughts of Rhiannon and the way I'd left things, I could hardly keep my head in the game. Herod and Adreax were in position, pushing the Patrol ship forward, and I was at the head of the procession, watching for any signs that they were about to unleash a barrage of missiles or bombs toward me or the city. So far, they had come quietly.
"Nikathy!" Adreax called sharply, grabbing my attention all at once. "We've got visitors."
I swore under my breath and swiveled around to see if I could spot our new friends. Much to my dismay, I saw another group of Patrol fighters coming straight at us from our flank, and when I heard Herod shout through the radio, I spotted the group of fighters closing in on him as well. I braced myself for what I expected to be an onslaught of gunfire, but strangely, the newcomers did not seem intent on chasing us down at all.
They made a lazy arc, avoiding the large ship altogether, not even bothering to come to its rescue, and I felt my mouth going dry. They weren't interested in us at all. They were going straight for Kychek.
"No!" I screamed, slamming my hands on the console in front of me as I watched them sailing past me with complete indifference. It would have taken only a moment for any one of them to shoot me down, but I was left to watch helplessly as they converged below me, swooping lower and lower toward the city, my people, and Rhiannon.
"What is happening?" Adreax asked, his voice stony.
"They're going in for the kill," I answered in a whisper.
I felt ice in my veins, a chill so thorough that I thought my heart might freeze and I might drop dead in an instant. There was nothing I could do. They were going to destroy the whole city.
