Eliuteria

Chapter 33

Eda remained silent for several minutes as we walked, waiting until we were far enough from anyone who may overhear to speak.
"A human with the resistance was arrested. We don't know if was with Eliro and Tauzil, but it is only a matter of time before they break him."
I wanted to protest and tell Eda that the man was no more likely to break because he was a human, but then I recalled what Juleen had done to me and how I badly I had wanted it to stop. I would have done anything, told him anything if I could have spoken.
"Have you ever flown a craft?" Eda asked leading me down a path that I was sure wasn't back toward Ro's home.
I shook my head. I'd never even ridden in one before and, not that I was going to admit it to this woman but, the thought of doing so terrified me. Moving that fast wasn't something I felt the need to experience.
"Hope you're a quick learner," she said. "We'll need to each take one. I'll go first and lead Juleen's men off, then you head to city."
"We aren't walking?" I regretted the question as soon as it fell from my lips. Of course we weren't going to walk. A hover-craft could get us to the city before dark and we needed the ability to transport anyone who might have been wounded. "Nevermind," I said quickly.
Eda stopped and turned back to face me. "After everything you've been through, this is going to be easy," she said with a reassuring smile. "We don't know how they are so we want to leave as quickly as you can learn the controls."
"Yeah, let's go," I said proud of the way my voice didn't shake.
The small hangar was well camouflaged in the woods and if it hadn't been for Eda opening the door, I don't think I would have ever noticed it there. Inside was a variety of hover crafts, some I'd never even seen before. There were a couple that looked similar to what I'd seen on Mori streets, but they were much sleeker in style. Eda quickly explained they seated nine, including the driver, and their sleek design wasn't just in appearance, they had the ability to camouflage and appear invisible to the eye. The technology didn't prevent probes from other crafts identifying the vehicles though, which is why we would need to move fast.
After showing me the basic door operation, Eda sat down with me for my first and only lesson in flying one of these things. I sat in the control seat and Eda sat to my left, explaining how to operate the machine. What looked like a window wrapping around the front of the craft was actually a screen displaying what was before us. There was a joystick that would allow me to change the screen to see behind, below, or above the craft, but I wasn't sure how anyone could use that view without crashing. Eda seemed to agree that I didn't have time to learn the complex tasks of flying forward while looking elsewhere.
The dash in front of me didn't have many buttons and switches, but it was enough that I instantly worried how I could remember what each did. Most of the controls were on the center column that had two crescent shaped handles coming out of either side.
"You press here to activate the shield, you'll want to leave it on the whole time, even when you have to park and leave it." She paused to smile before adding, "Just don't forget where you leave it or you might not find it again."
I chuckled nervously. "That happens?"
"It has before. So when you leave it, you make sure you remember," Eda said, the humor gone from her expression. "This one is the throttle, forward means go. Grab it now."
I did as she said and wrapped my fingers around the handle. "Push it forward, get a feel for it. You don't want to push too hard too fast, but we're short on time so once we're out of the forest, you want to get it up to full throttle until you're in the city."
Nodding, I slowly pushed the lever away from me, feeling the resistance it offered. It wasn't turned on. Eda said there was a training area cleared out, but didn't want to risk Gwena realizing what we were doing. Even off, she promised, I would get a good understanding of what it felt like.
"Pulling back will slow you down. This," she pointed to the center control pad that had two crescent shaped handles on either side, "is your weapons and your steering. Turn the way you wish to go, pull toward you to get higher, pushed to go toward the ground. Don't worry about any of the buttons in the center, you won't need them. Everything by your hand is for power and landing, the right are your defenses. The top button is for your front guns, the bottom is your rear gun—don't worry, you won't have to aim anything, but you have to press the button to fire." She paused her brow furrowing. "Don't fire unless you're absolutely sure you've been seen or it'll give you away. And if you're seen and have to fire, turn off your shield. No sense in expending power on something that isn't being used, right?" She didn't pause long enough for me to answer. "The center one here launches missiles, again, only use them if it's life or death. And to land you'll want to turn on the auto feature and then tell it to land." She quickly showed me the sequence of controls to execute a landing. "Got it?"
"I think so." I really wasn't sure how much of that I retained. It was a lot to remember.
"As long as you remember that pushing the steering column down will put you into the ground, you'll be fine," she said. "I'm going to get some gear and something better for you to wear. You practice getting off the ground and then landing."
Before I could protest or ask her to run through it all again, she'd exited the craft. Fingers shaking, I flipped the switch and then pressed the button that turned on the craft. Instantly the engined whirred to life. Wrapping my sweating hands around the handles, I slowly pulled the column toward me it had a lot of resistance so I pulled a little harder until it all gave way and the craft jerked up and my eyes widening as I screamed in surprise.
Once I'd steadied the craft, I flipped the switch by my left thumb that I recalled turned on the auto-pilot feature and then pressed the button I hoped engaged the landing feature before pressing the one to execute the maneuver. There was a clicking sound as the legs extended from where they'd retreated into the body of the craft and then it began to lower at a slow, steady rate.
I grinned as the vehicle came to rest on the ground and I powered it off. I'd done it. I had actually controlled it by myself. For the first time since Eda told me the plan, I felt good about my ability to help.
I practiced a few more times, getting steadier each time I pulled the craft higher into the air before Eda came back carrying two large bags. Landing the craft again, I powered it off and exited to meet her.
"Looked good," she said and tossed me a backpack I hadn't seen slung around her shoulder. "Change of clothes," she said and then lifted gestured toward the bags she'd sat on the ground. "Weapons, medical supplies, water, food are in the these two. We each take one, just in case."
Just in case one of us didn't make it to them. She didn't say the words, but I heard them anyway. It was why we were taking different routes and leaving staggered. She was going to try to lead them away, but then she would enter the city from the other side. I knew I should offer to be the one to lead them away. Eda was a trained soldier, she knew how to provide medical aide and I was sure she could carrier a full-grown Morri man who might be too injured to walk. Of the two of us, she was more likely to be the help they needed.
I was too scared to offer to take the more dangerous role though, so without a word, I changed into the tactical clothing she'd brought. I pulled on the pants first and they clung to my skin in a way that would have been entirely scandalous in Aurael. I'd worn pants before. Ro had trained me in them and I'd worn them since leaving Aurael, but they'd all been mens pants, loose and big on me. These were fitted in a way that made me feel a little exposed, but it didn't restrict my movement at all. The top was nearly as fitted as the pants, it's material soft and smooth, and didn't have any sleeves. There were some holsters, similar to what Ro had attached to my leg, but different enough that I wasn't sure how to put them on so Eda helped with that before loading me down with weapons.
When I was dressed she stepped back and whistled low. "It looks good on you. You look like one of us," she said and eyed me up and down before adding, "Almost anyway, but we'll get you marked up soon enough."
She was referring to the markings that covered her arms, markings that warriors were given for different honorable acts. I didn't know what to say in response because humans simply weren't marked. I thought back to the group that had escorted us all into the camp. There were humans with them, all of them marked, not as extensively as Eda, but I remembered all the soldiers brandishing the markings on their arms. It hadn't occurred to me until now what that meant. Humans really seemed to be treated as equals here in a way I had never imagined. Even so, I didn't know if I could ever be deserving of the markings honoring acts of bravery, strength, or a dozen other qualities I wasn't sure I had.
"Jaren will tell your friends you're sick with grief over the loss of the city and those in it. They can't know, you understand."
I nodded. I wished I could say goodbye, or let them know what I was doing. I wish I could at least promise Aerias that I would return, but I understood. The more people who knew what we were doing, the more likely we were to get caught. As it was now, Eda and Jaren hoped we'd return before Gwena or any of the council knew we were missing. That seemed like wishful thinking to me, but I kept my mouth shut.
With nothing more to delay, we each got into separate crafts and I put on the headset as instructed, comforted by the fact that for at least a little while I would have someone to guide me through this. Eda's voice filled my ears as we each lifted our crafts off the ground and the roof of the hangar began to part allowing us to exit. Careful not to pull too hard, and refusing to think about how high off the ground I was about to be, I lifted the craft until we cleared the building and then steadied and turned on the camouflage. Eda kept her craft visible so that I could follow her easily.
"Feeling good?" She said and there was an excitement in her voice that I couldn't quite understand.
"Yeah," I said lacking all confidence.
"We'll go slow through the forest so you can get used to the controls, practice weaving through trees." She paused and then said, "You're going to do it and succeed because Ro needs you to."
She was right. He needed my help and from what Ahren had explained, Ro had put himself through so much pain to comfort me. I needed to get to him. She throttled forward slowly and, still listening to words, I followed careful not to push too hard against the throttle less I accelerate right into a tree.
"Just keep your eye on the goal. You're going straight so you should be back to the city in an hour at full throttle. I'll be a bit longer. When I leave turn off your radio and don't turn it back on until you have them or if its life or death. The red light will flash if you have an incoming transmission to answer. That will only be me so make sure to answer when you see it."
I followed the other craft through around the complex and over the wall in a way that avoided sight of any patrol stations or citizens and I wondered if she'd left against ordered before. Once we were a safe distance away, we lowered back into the trees so I could practice dodging them, but I ended up getting bounced back and forth between trees. Eda kept communication going between us and I could hear her chuckling as I jerked and made noises each time I hit something and dented up the outside of the previously sleek machine.
"Sorry," she apologized still laughing. "You really are doing well. It's just the sounds you're making. Oop, Eeek, Aah!" She laughed again, mimicking the sounds I was making. I thought she was making fun to lighten the mood, so I didn't let it get to me because once she stopped Eda helped coach me in how to best control the craft and soon I began to bump fewer trees.
By the time we neared the edge of the forest, the sun had begun to set. I knew we were behind schedule because originally we'd hoped to be in the Aurael by dark. It would be well into the night before I could get there and longer for her.
"They up their patrol in the evening and are most consistent probing the area for shielded crafts. Change of plans, we go together, I'll be seen you'll be unseen so they'll focus on me. The second you leave the trees, you push it forward. Fast."
"I'm sorry," I said knowing I'd been the cause of the delay.
"Don't apologize. It's just a change of plans, Lena. Good luck."
The line between us went silent and then I watched as her craft sped out into the open. Pushing the throttle forward, slowly at first so that I could navigate through the remaining trees, I followed Eda. Once out of the forest, I didn't look for her, I couldn't let myself think anything but that she'd been successful. My heart beat fast as my fingers gripped the handle for the throttle and pushed it all the way forward without pause. My body was thrown into the back of the seat as the craft jerked forward and my eyes squeezed tightly shut in fear before I remembered that I was in control and needed to see what was ahead of me and forced my eyes open.
After the initial jerk and terror, my body adjusted to the speed and I relaxed slightly watching the the field pass below me. None of the weapons systems were alerting me to an attack, so I assumed I made it through undetected. Eda's plan had worked as they tailed her and I was able to get through without detection. Hopefully she would lose them soon and make it to Aurael unharmed.
When we'd left Aurael, I remembered looking back and seeing the lights of the city. From so far away it looked beautiful... peaceful. Going back, there were no more lights. I slowed the throttle as I neared the dark shaped of buildings. The silhouette of the city, one a beacon of light in the dark was only visible due to the light of a moon. As I grew closer and the buildings blocked the light of the moon, the only light I could see was that of flames still burning in the buildings.
Jaren had several ideas of where they might have been hidden, all of them far too close to the center of the city for comfort but from my own knowledge of Aurael and of where the resistance might have holds, I agreed they were the best options to begin our search. I needed to get as close to the center of the city as possible before landing the craft and setting off on foot, but that wasn't going to be easy. None of this was.
A craft turned the corner in front of me, scanning the area and patrolling for someone like me. I quickly turned left into an alley between two streets and anxiously bounced my leg, wishing I could go faster, but unwilling to risk attracting attention and disabling the craft by running into a wall. My grip on the steering handles tightened as I turned down the next street wondering if I would see another patrol craft. I had no idea how many might be patrolling the area. We hadn't discussed that at all.
Suddenly, I felt very under-prepared for all of this.
I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't a solider. I had failed at every task they've given me. I was an awful spy. I was too slow with my movements to be an asset in a fight—I shook my head and forced the negative thoughts to leave by reminding myself what Eda said. I would succeed now because I had too. It wasn't my life on the line this time. It was his. It was all of theirs. I had sent the others back here and if they were hurt or dead I was responsible. I had to be here.
When the street ahead was empty, I let out the breath I'd been holding and throttled forward, feeling comfortable moving faster now that I could see clear path ahead. I was almost to an intersection when a craft pulled out from a side street and directly into my path. Feet from a collision and screaming, I pulled the steering column toward me hard in a panic, and the craft shot up much higher than I'd ever see one go. Worried it may lose power, I over corrected and pushed down and the craft flew toward the ground making my stomach shoot into my throat before I pulled back up.
Hovering above the buildings, I waited, unsure if I'd been spotted as I continued forward at the higher altitude.
When I recognized the arena where I'd seen so much death ahead, I slowly commanded the craft to lower. Several feet off the ground I remember the landing gear and quickly turned on the automatic landing. Once I was on the ground I turned off the vehicle and the fear threatened to swallow me. This close to the center there were likely more patrols in hovercrafts and on foot. I knew what I needed to do, but figuring out where to start wasn't as easy.
I shouldered the bag filled with extra weapons, food, and hopefully unnecessary medical supplies but it was heavier than I was used to and I felt off balanced with the added weight.
"You can do this," I whispered to myself as I stepped out of the hovercraft and onto the dark street and looked around for some landmark to remember where I was leaving it. Thankfully, even in the dark I knew the area. The arena was large and I had landed on the back end, furthest from the paestra, but I knew how to get to the arena from almost anywhere and would use that as my guide.
I'd walked the streets of Aurael at night before and they'd always been a dangerous place for humans, but they had never been so quiet. Juleen hadn't leveled the city this close to the paestra, it all looked untouched, but he had certainly evacuated it. Stepping as lightly as I could with the extra weight, I stayed close to the walls and in the shadows as I moved down the street.
"Where are you?" I whispered to myself, trying to figure out where to look first. One of the buildings Jaren had thought they might be in wasn't too far from where I was so I began to walk in the direction of the storefront that Jaren said was sympathetic to the resistance. I made it two blocks when I froze at the sound of footsteps coming from the end of the street. Then I heard them, in their own language, two Morri spoke discussing who might kill the most humans before dawn. So, definitely not resistance then. For a moment all I could hear was the blood pounding in my veins. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I couldn't do anything.
I slid against the wall of the building,reaching out my hands to feel for a door handle or window, anything that might give me a chance. The Morri had stopped walking, but I knew they were on the same street as me as their voices carried down. When my fingers wrapped around a cool metal knob, I gripped it like it might disappear and with intentionally slowness, not wanting to make any noise, I turned the handle and pushed it open thankful when it opened with no issue or noise and I slid into the building. Shutting the door behind me, I sagged against it for a moment, allowing my heart to slow.
Once it did, I realized I needed to leave. If I stayed here because I was afraid, I would never leave. My handed brushed against the weapon strapped to my thigh. It fired a powerful energy pulse and did so without a sound. I had never shot one before. Tau taught me blades and fists, not guns. In theory, I knew what to do. Point. Fire. If all goes well, watch them die.
I pulled the weapon from where it had been holstered to my thigh and tried to recall how many shots Eda said I could fire with it before I would need to change the power cartridges as I slowly pulled open the door and forced myself to leave. The street was quiet and I my grip on the weapon relaxed slightly when I realized I wouldn't immediately have to use it. I began moving, forgetting that I hadn't eased the door closed behind me until I heard it click shut.
"Shh," a sudden voice came. "Something is over there," one of the Morri soldiers said.
"This zone was evacuated," the second Morri announced loudly in his own language. "Speak or you'll be identified as a threat."
Unsure what else to do, my fingers tightened around the grip of the gun again and I raised it, knowing they couldn't see me yet. I sputtered out an apology in their language, certain that the ability to speak it would buy me time. They may have been ordered to kill humans on sight, but I didn't think they would so heartless kill their own.
"This area is closed and it's passed city curfew. Show yourself."
I did as instructed, needing to get closer to them. I wasn't sure how far the range was on the gun and I didn't want to chance missing them when I fired.
"I forgot valuables, you see," I said in their language taking careful steps closer to them and ignore the pit of fear in my stomach threatening to make me vomit. "I couldn't leave them behind to be raided and stolen," I continued on speaking in the haughty tone I had heard so many Morri women who attended paestra functions speak.
He muttered something too low for me to hear and then reached up to activate the comm device in his ear. That couldn't happen. Before his finger got to the device, I lifted the gun I'd kept concealed by my side and fired it twice toward him. I didn't pause to see if he'd been hit before adjusting my aim and firing at his companion as well. True to Eda's word, the shots had been silent. The men who'd been hit by the pulses of power however, were not. They'd gone down, but it hadn't been the instant death she described.
"Shit," I muttered while one of the Morri shouted in pain and the other groaned low. I hurried to where they laid and pointed the barrel of the weapon first at the head of the man screaming, closing my eyes, I pulled the trigger and though there was no sound from the weapon, a sickening splattering sound queued his silence and when I peeled my eyes open, I saw nothing but blood where his head used to be. Bile rose in my throat, but I didn't let it stop me from doing the same to the other. I didn't look at him, knowing what I would see. Instead of stumbled to the edge of the street before grasping against the wall to hold myself up as I emptied the contents of my stomach onto the ground.