The Night Rider

Chapter 55 - August

Reina was too far gone.

The ground lurched before carrying them away into the rushing currents, the murky gravel strewn river conjured by the ex Stormkeeper dragged him through the muck and stained what little clothes he managed to salvage from Gizmo's explosion. Hawkins clung to Sleek's tombstone with everything he had, desperate to ignore the wailing howls of the struggling wolves, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and the less than stable ground slowly sinking into the abyss.

The attempts to plug the water and divert it with tunnels crumbled under Axis' weak infrastructure after so much damage, digging and reassembling from Tinker Moles and Traited alike. But still the wolves fought to swim underneath the currents, struggling to fill the holes and evaporate what little water their flame-touched mane could.

The Singfall siren was a pinprick of aquamarine light against the broken building's support, wide-eyed and head back, marvelling at her power. Hack had managed to create a few shaky pillars to help with the wolves' fatigue but Hawkins knew the Sand Wraith was struggling against the sudden sinkhole and slick surfaced ground.

Despite the numerous earthquakes attempting to topple the Singfall siren, her arms are still wide, rain bucketing down while it fuels her rage to send Axis into the damn ground along with them. Odi perched on Hack's head, exhausted but steadily breathed flames onto any waves that came near in an attempt to dry out the ground despite the rising steam.

Precariously, the water continued to rise to waist high levels and attempt to drag them into a whirlpool of debris, bricks and dust and down into the depths but Hack sent a concussive blast of sheer rock. It allowed a makeshift bridge from him to the rest of the group to try and give them a breather to cling to before having to waste any more energy swimming against the currents. Reina barely even glanced in their direction.

"That wasn't enough to stop her? Fine."

Hack grumpily shifted his footing, struggling to ignore the pull of the rapids spinning them into each other and fought to remain standing despite his crumbling prosthetic. Trying to catch his breath, Hawkins silently prayed to Axis to fight back, to help restore it in exchange for a final stand against whoever dared to harm it. But as he stared at the broken chimneys, abandoned buildings, manoeuvrable roads and walls were long gone and damaged beyond repair. No amount of praying would change that.

"Hack you don't have to do this. We'll find another way to keep Memoriam safe. We always do."

Odi's voice was strong despite the overwhelming noise of the water and nuzzled his neck, making the old Sand Wraith chuckle. The lukewarm water shifted around his waist and he locked eyes with Hawkins still precariously teetering near the Soulcatcher Grove. He smiled, saying nothing and everything all at once. Hawkins' heart dropped and let go of the tombstone.

"No. I'm done trying to cover up for their mistakes. If Cricket wants to know what happened to her so badly? I'll show her myself. Once I deal with her."

Hawkins eyes went wide, his mentor giving himself no resistance to the oncoming sinkhole, letting it take him away as he tried to follow suit. His Earth Trait barely slowed against the sludge-like water, eternally waiting to reach the centre of this behemoth effort to sink his home. The Smoke Traited desperately tried to reach him, wary of his lack of swimming ability but darted from each crumbling rock that came his way.

Fear clawed at his throat along with the disgusting mix of rain, gravel and silt from Axis' leftover terrain but he didn't care. He dove under the weight of Reina's Trait, barely controlling his desperate limbs and breathing even as Hack remained out of sight and the amber eyes of the Scale Shrieker being the only thing that gave him guidance. He couldn't see the twins. He couldn't see the wolves. He couldn't even see that unnecessarily hostile elf. But he'd be damned if he'd lose sight of Hackerby Longsnout.