AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll grab a bow and some arrows and head up to the tower,” Naomi said. “Maybe I can pick them off with a bit of distance, before they get to us.”
“No,” he said, grabbing her wrist.
“Why not?” she demanded, looking offended.
“It’s not safe up there,” he growled.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s not safe here either,” she said. “At least from there I have a chance at taking them out.”
She was right, one of them had to be up there and one down here. And he doubted she could even lift one of the swords, let alone swing it or throw it.
“Fine,” he said. “The instant you run into trouble, retreat and scream for me.”
“Absolutely,” she said as she darted off toward the table that held the weapons.
He listened as her footsteps clattered on the stairs and then faded away. She didn’t seem to be concerned about the height of the tower like she had been about the bridge. And he wasn’t going to remind her of her fears. He’d seen people face down a lot in the heat of battle.
Please, let her be safe, he begged the gods.
The hum of the drones kicked up again and he headed outside to see if they were still the only enemy present.
The sky was strangely still, and he was struck by the blanket of quiet that seemed to have fallen over the Center.
Two drones darted through the air, blinking at the tower with their red eyes.
He heard a whoosh sound from above, telling him that Naomi must have loosed an arrow.
The shot hit one of the little drones, knocking it sideways in the air for a moment. It let out a series of high-pitched beeps, then righted itself.
Another arrow flew through the air, hitting the little drone again.
Its partner blasted back, and Gage hoped Naomi was ducking behind the stone parapet.
A moment later another arrow sailed through the air, this time hitting the first drone in the eye.
It let out a high-pitched sound that was almost like a scream. Smoke plumed up from it and the humming sound died as it dropped toward the ground, hitting the stone castle wall before smashing to bits on a flagstaff extending from the keep.
“Yes,” Gage yelled.
Then he felt it, and knew his excitement had been premature.
The ground was vibrating slightly. Something was coming.
Gage ran back into the keep and grabbed two swords from the table, then headed back toward the drawbridge.
The bridge was still up, but now larger, ground-based attack drones were rolling closer. There were half a dozen in easy sight, but he knew there could be more hidden in the woods. It was better not to assume this was all.
Take them one by one, he could hear his combat instructor advising him in his first multiple assailant workshop. And if you can’t do that, call for back-up before you engage. Even if it costs you time.
Well, he had no way to comm anyone after the pulse.
But he could use the little time he had before engaging to garner as much advantage as possible.
The rolling drones were of a style Gage hadn’t seen before, but he was pretty sure they weren’t amphibious. And thanks to the stars, the water in the moat was real.
Each one had a blasting sphere for a “head” and a screen on its belly for gathering data about its opponent. They were probably being controlled by someone who was analyzing the data from the screens.
Squat and sturdy, they didn’t look easy to knock down. He wished he had something that might catch in those treads and hang them up. But there wasn’t time to scatter debris.
