Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter (28 page)

Oslo stopped dead in his tracks, and then turned to the dwarf. “Yes, and I’m sorry, but this will blow over, you’ll see. I have reason to believe they will survive whatever the fates may throw their way.” He pulled his sleeve back to reveal a control pad on his wrist. “I will temporarily deactivate a portion of the fog so I may slip through. From then on, I swear to you I will not come back. For anything. Goodbye.”

He turned and stepped onto his boat.

“And Nina?”

Oslo griped the helm and grimaced. “I was never really there for her, and she is more attached to you and Mila. I have caused enough pain. Let her stay here in peace.” He leaned over and unraveled rope from the cleats that lashed the vessel to the dock, then activated the vessel’s electric motor as Excort stood and watched as his friend motored out of the bay until he faded into the horizon.

Breeze gritted his teeth as the black streaks raced towards him. He fumbled with the harness until he found the release lanyard and gripped it tightly. Off to his side he saw yet another black streak coming toward him. He steeled his nerves.

Just as they were about to strike him, he yanked on the lanyard and broke free from the chute. The black streaks impacted the billowing canvas and entangled themselves in the thick and heavy lines attached to the chute. They fought wildly to free themselves as they careened across the sky.

Breeze willed himself to fly, but couldn’t. The rush of air stung his eyes as he flailed away with his arms and legs as he plummeted to the valley floor when he felt something grab his legs and was stunned to see the same black clad figure from before. Its face swirled with points of light that reminded Breeze of stars as it chopped its hand into the air, and then pointed forward. Breeze cried out as the black clad figure then flung him and he was sent hurtling across the sky. He felt a surge of energy rush through his body as his shield raised itself and enveloped him. He wasn’t sure what the creature did to him, but he was flying.

He steadied his nerves and focused on his steering, as he had descended below the deck level of the mountain peaks and had to swerve to avoid them. He dropped into a canyon and navigated its twisting course through the mountains, all the while trying to remember what Oslo had taught him about flight control. He maintained his breathing as he willed himself to ascend.

He steadily achieved altitude when he was rocked by a wave of turbulence as twin black streaks shot past him. He wobbled violently as he struggled to retain control when he began to roll, slowly at first, then faster and faster until he became disoriented as the horizon spun before him. Up ahead, he could make out the outlines of mountain with a peak that disappeared into the clouds. He was on a collision course for it and he couldn’t break free of his trajectory.

Ray slipped into the pilot’s seat and tried to take control of the helm. Sally stood behind him and gripped the headrest as she stared out the window in disbelief, when the ship began to shudder and the engines warbled and whined.

“I don’t know what’s happening! All the screens are going static. We have to land. Now!” Ray declared.

Sally nodded and sat in the jump seat behind him. She buckled in as Ray reached for his harness.

“Ray, can you fly it?”

“I’ve spent enough time behind the helm of sailing ships and aerocraft of all kinds, Sally. My father taught me well.”

“Yes, but has he ever taught you how to fly one of these?”

“We’re about to find out,” he muttered.

He scanned the console for an override to shut off the auto pilot. On impulse, he reached under the helm and found a lever. He yanked it down hard and alarms immediately blared throughout the cockpit.

“Auto Pilot disengaged, manual flight mode in effect,” a woman’s voice called out over the intercom.

“Hah!” Ray shouted as he wrestled with the helm. He mashed the throttles down and the ship leapt forward.

They skimmed across the burning landscape when an explosion from below rocked the ship. Sally screamed as Ray rolled the ship with the shock wave, sending the craft dipping to port before leveling out.

“I need to put her down someplace safe!” Ray called out.

Sally said nothing as she stared out her window with a hand over her mouth. The skies were splashed with orange and red as fires and explosions erupted below.

Ray circled the outskirts of their burning city until he spotted a mountain ridge he recognized. He was familiar with these mountains, having hiked through them with his father on numerous hunting trips and knew of a valley on the other side of the ridge with cabins that could provide them with shelter. He brought the ship about and headed for it.

He skimmed over the mountain top, and then descended to land on the ridge just below it with the bow facing what was left of the city as the glow from the fires filled the cockpit.

He powered down the engines and activated the generator. The cabin’s lights flickered briefly, and then remained steady. Ray felt the cool air from the ventilation system pour onto his face. He took in a deep breath and realized just how musty the air was inside the old transport.

He turned to Sally. “Let’s go, I don’t want to stay in the ship. I feel like a sitting duck in this thing.”

Sally was catatonic and didn’t respond when Ray reached over and shook her.

“Come on, snap out of it Sally.”

“What’s happening?” she whispered.

He didn’t know what to say to her. He looked at the console but all of the vid-screens were peppered with static. He grabbed a headset and jacked into the comm unit. He tried all frequencies, but received nothing but a steady hiss.

“Can you reach anyone? Your father? My parents?” she said.

Ray dropped the headset onto the pilot seat. “No!” He grimaced as he took in a breath to steady himself. He didn’t want to add to her fears by appearing afraid. “Listen, it’s going to be okay. There’s a trail that goes to the base of the mountain. From there, we follow a path that leads to a cabin that my father and I have used for hunting trips. We’ll be okay there. We can figure out what’s going on come morning light.”

“I don’t want to leave the ship. In fact, I want to go back to Perihelion,” Sally said.

Ray shook his head. “No way that’s going to happen. We are back home, and we just need to figure out what’s going on.”

“Our city is on fire!” she stood up and screamed at him.

Ray leaned back. He had never seen her this angry, with her nostrils flaring and her eyes glowing an eerie white

He raised a hand. “Calm down, let’s just step outside and get our bearings. I don’t trust this ship. Whoever attacked it might be tracking us now, so let’s start making our way down the trail and get far away from it as we can. Please, Sally, follow me on this one.”

He held out a hand and she reluctantly took it, and together they stepped into the passenger compartment.

At the stern of the ship, he opened a panel and pushed the button to lower the cargo ramp. Hydraulics whined as the ramp lowered, and as they walked down it they were immediately hit by the pungent smell of burning wood.

They coughed and gasped for air and Ray went back up the ramp and to a utility closet next to the control panel. Inside were heavy jackets, boots, an ax and several respirators. He grabbed the respirators and ran back down the ramp where he found Sally on her knees and struggling to breathe. He helped her put the respirator on, and then donned his. After several minutes, she nodded to him when he asked if she was feeling better.

They walked to the bow of the ship and stood underneath it as they gazed in horror at their burning city below. Sally whimpered and leaned into Ray. He held her tight as an endless series of explosions erupted across the city and illuminated the early evening sky.

Sally began sobbing, then pulled off her respirator and collapsed.

Ray grabbed her and she was limp in his arms. He cradled her as he sat on the cold and rocky ground, watching the city burn with a sense of detachment.

Oslo deftly navigated the channel markers that led out of the bay and into the ocean, then cut off the engine and hoisted the sails when he stopped to look back at the diminishing outline of Perihelion. In the distance, he could make out the spires of some of the taller buildings.

He shook his head in disgust. He didn’t want it to end this way and kept telling himself that he was doing the right thing.

His thoughts then drifted to Nina. He gritted his teeth and suppressed any emotion he felt for his daughter from building up.
Best not to think of her. It’s for her own safety.

He pulled back his sleeve and tapped in a series of commands into the wrist console and it warbled a confirmation when he was finished. He then unstrapped the console and dangled it at his side.

The console began to beep sharply as he hurled it away from the ship. He watched as it hit the water with splash and sink beneath the waves.

He waved a goodbye, then grabbed the helm and spun the wheel to port until the bow pointed east. Behind him, a greenish fog began to materialize, completely obstructing the view of the island. Oslo didn’t notice as he steeled his eyes forward and continued on his course.

Not far behind, a figure broke the surface of the ocean. It was a girl. She treaded water and watched as the ship sailed toward the horizon.

Breeze stopped his roll in time to throw his hands up to his face when he impacted the mountain.

He felt the pressure around him as his shield absorbed the brunt of the impact as he bored through solid rock until he came to a stop.

His shield dissipated and he lay sprawled out in the tunnel he created. It was pitch black inside without the slightest hint of light. He struggled to breathe in the dusty air as showers of rocks and pebbles rained down upon him whenever the mountain trembled. He groaned as he strained to turn around began to crawl his way out.

He winced because the floor and walls of the tunnel were hot to the touch. Everything around him smelled like it had been charred and the surface of the tunnel was glassy and smooth. He began to cough as putrid air filled his lungs, yet he kept crawling and was rewarded by the sight of a pinpoint of light in the distance.

Overjoyed, he crawled faster through the tunnel as the light expanded in diameter and intensity and soon cool air blew across his face and into his nostrils. He stopped for a moment to breathe and savor the freshness of it. He resumed crawling until he arrived at the entrance to the tunnel where the ceiling was higher, allowing him to stand up. He briefly looked down at his hands and saw how red and chafed they were before leaning out and to take a look.

Winds howled all around him as clouds drifted close by. He looked down and saw how the mountain had a sheer face. Descending by hand and foot would be next to impossible.

Only way out will be to fly,
he thought to himself
.
He quickly withdrew back into the tunnel as a monstrous gust of wind almost sucked him out. He waited for the howling winds to subside before leaning out again.

He scanned the cloud-filled skies, wondering if the black clad figures were hiding behind them. He couldn’t understand why one seemed to be helping him while the other two were chasing him down. He only knew of the distortion he felt whenever they were near, along with the powerful sound of static that overwhelmed him.

He looked down at the valley floor hoping to spot his ship. He wondered if it managed to land safely on its own, but he knew better. His father’s scrap yard was a testament to all the aerocraft that suffered mishaps in the air. The result was always twisted wreckage.

He didn’t want to stay in the tunnel and hope for a rescue, he knew had to leave and continue west on his own power.

He pressed his hands against the tunnel’s surface to brace himself from the harsh and swirling winds, then closed his eyes and did his best to concentrate.
Have to get calm. I’m back home, behind the shed. The cool desert night has no distractions. I can fly. I can.

He sucked air deeply into his lungs and jumped out.

Ray held Sally in his arms as he watched the fires consume their city. Even amidst the chaos he never felt so content in his life. He couldn’t understand why.

He looked down at her and felt a surge in his heart. He wondered if all of the destruction they were surrounded by would bring her closer to him while widening the chasm between her and Breeze.

Breeze
. Why was he thinking about him? He shook his head violently. Seeing Breeze holding her in his arms on the boulevard made him seethe with anger. He wasn’t able to rescue her from what she experienced in the basement of the Science and Engineering building or from the trimaran accident. His blood boiled when he remembered how repulsed she was by the sight of him and turned to Breeze for comfort. It was all too much to bear.

Sally stirred and looked up at him. “Is it over?”

He chose his words carefully. “It’s almost over. Come with me to the end of the trail where there’s a cabin for us to hide in. We can set out later when everything settles down and to try and find our way back home. It’s for the best.”

She smiled and nodded, then turned away from him and saw the red tinted skies. She sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose.

She scrambled to her feet and walked to the end of a cliff that overlooked the city to stare at the vast expanse of destruction.

She turned to him. “I need to know. I have to find them.”

Ray raised his hands in a calming gesture. “Find who? What are you talking about?”

“I want to see my parents. I have to know if they’re okay,” she said.

Ray nodded, remembering how gentle, but firm Breeze was with her. He needed to mimic his style.

“Sally, you’re right but now is not the best time.” He held out a hand. “Come with me?”

She took a step toward him, and then stopped. “I can’t Raymond, I’m sorry.” She stepped back. “Aren’t you the slightest bit concerned about your family?”

Ray stammered. “Look, I’m sure they’re fine only because my father’s pretty resourceful. Besides, he wouldn’t have summoned me home unless he had a good reason.”