AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Was.
She was.
Her death rallies the other volunteers. They release long battle cries, and their shouts embodying their desire to exact vengeance on the object that took precious people away from them.
Leaping into the air, the second line of defense zips toward the rocks that are almost here.
We have a minute, maybe less, before they hit.
Once the Pyros reach them, several sharp cracks accompany smaller explosions. The rocks multiply, and although there’s a greater number to deal with, the reduced sizes are going to be much more manageable for the warriors on the ground.
Boulder-sized masses loom over us. Speeding through the air, they cause a kind of howling, as if fog horns are being blown.
“Ready!” a warrior shouts to the men operating the cannons aimed at the shower. “Fire!”
Squeezing me tightly, Ro cowers in my embrace as the shots go off simultaneously, and I watch the cannonballs. Some reach the intended target, further breaking up the rocks. Others miss.
One piece that remains intact flies over our heads and takes an unnatural turn toward the east as if it was blown by the wind.
Lady Isla.
She’s preventing it from hitting the city.
It lands somewhere on the opposite side of Delaveria, sparing the homes and other buildings, but the impact causes a rippling quake.
The ground shakes so violently that it knocks everyone over, Ro and me included.
Then things get really crazy. The smaller fragments, ranging widely in size from a pebble to a beer barrel, start raining down around us.
On instinct, I spread my wings like an umbrella, crouch over Ro, and cover us the best I can.
“We can’t be touched by moving objects,” Ro reminds me, but a second later, a kernel whacks me on the temple.
“Wrong.” Pelting sounds follow as hundreds of tiny pieces bounce off my leathery wings, and some blood drips down my face.
“You’re hurt,” Ro says, concerned as she wipes the stream of red on my cheek. “How?”
“It seems the rocks can harm us. Don’t worry. It’s just a nick.”
“But your wings…” She tries to poke her head out of our shelter to check on me, but I stop her.
“My wings will be fine. They’re tough because of all the scarring. As long as they’re not perforated by anything, I can barely feel it.”
“Well, we might not be so fortunate in the next wave. If the little rocks can scratch us, the big ones can kill us.”
The falling debris pitters out, and I cautiously lift my eyes to the sky. “That is an issue. Another shower is coming in a minute or two.”
“Should we find a place to hide?” Ro suggests, gripping my hands for support as we stand because the ground is still trembling from the impacts.
“Where would we go?”
“Maybe somewhere underground, like the dungeons in the palace.”
Just then, a warrior jogs by us, but he slows when he sees the pattern of the rocks on the lawn.
Right where Ro and I are, there’s an unnatural circle that’s clear of any debris.
Cocking his head, the warrior looks on with confusion but, disregarding it, he resumes running toward his task.
