Destiny (Experimental Heart Book 1)

by Shannon Pemrick

  “I’ll do it,” Argus offered. “I’ll grab a pack full of what I can find and toss it off as we get there.”

  Seda nodded. “Very well. Others of our team will join in, so you will not be the only reinforcements.”

  I looked to the others. “Our main priority is disabling those tanks. If we do that, our chances for success increase exponentially.”

  “I will be watching and helping where I can,” Seda said.

  “Thank you. Let’s move out.”

  I led the way to the roof, and the others quietly followed. We waited for Argus to join us, and once he did, we took off on the rooftops to the battlefield.

  We knew we were getting close when we came to a point where the buildings were too demolished to continue by rooftop. The air was thick with the smell of fire, gas, and gunfire. We could hear the gunfire in the distance, and as we progressed at a rapid pace, it grew louder rather quickly.

  “I see something,” Rylan called out. “Ryoko, mind giving me a small lift to the top of one of those broken buildings?”

  She nodded. “Sure thing.”

  Rylan made sure his rifle was secure on his back and he jumped into the air near Ryoko. Ryoko put her hands together, and as his feet landed into them, she launched him into the air. Rylan landed safely on one of the buildings and looked for a good spot to hunker down.

  “I see a tank,” I said. “Ryoko, I want you to focus your attention only on disabling those. I’ll watch your back.”

  Ryoko grinned and her skin hardened. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Blaze, Argus, I want you to get that extra ammo to the other team. Then you can take out what you wish.”

  “Right,” they agreed.

  “Raikidan, watch our backs.”

  He nodded.

  “Everyone has their assignments. Let’s go.”

  Ryoko and I picked up our pace. I drew my dagger and willed it into a kusarigama, spinning the blade and chain to the side of me in anticipation.

  Ryoko pulled out her large wrench and threw it like a boomerang. “Heads up!”

  Several members of the other team looked back at her call and ducked down in time as it flew past them. The wrench swung into the barrel of the tank, denting it severely, and clattered to the ground. The two of us ran past our confused allies and focused on the tank.

  I swung my kusarigama out at every enemy I could as Ryoko rushed the tank and slid underneath it. The creaking of metal sounded, and soon enough, the tank slowly lifted into the air. The soldiers inside scrambled out in fear. Ryoko grunted with her effort, and she raised it as high as she could. She turned until she found the other tank.

  Raikidan’s carbine fired several times, and I watched a small group of soldiers around Ryoko fall to the ground. I was thankful Raikidan had our backs. My current weapon wasn’t doing as well for me as I had hoped, so I chose to go for a closer and more preferred range of combat choice. I willed my weapon into my favored reverse blade dagger and split it into two weapons.

  Bullets bounced off my armor as enemy soldiers attempted to take me out during my moment of weakness. I faced them and they backed up, their eyes wide with fear. With extreme speed, I closed the distance between us and sliced through their flimsy armor and into their flesh. They screamed in agony and fell to the ground.

  Ryoko heaved with all her might and tossed the tank into the other. Soldiers from the undamaged tank scrambled out just before the two tanks collided. The tanks exploded on impact, creating a wave of shrapnel and fire. I braced myself for a direct impact, but none came. Ryoko had jumped in front of me and took the full blow. I placed my hand on her shoulder, and she looked at me with a smile. She was tired from throwing that tank, I could tell, but she wasn’t out of this fight just yet.

  “Raikidan is out of ammunition,” Seda informed me.

  Quickly unzipping the pouch, I tossed three magazines to him. “Raikidan, catch!”

  He caught them and reloaded his gun. A loud boom echoed through the street, and Ryoko and I barely managed to jump away from another tank’s fire. I glanced at Ryoko, who nodded. Returning my weapon to its compact dagger size, I let the fire burn in my throat. I pulled it into my hands and ran at the tank. The tank fired at me, but I was too quick and dodged the attack. Jumping up onto the tank, I ran up the barrel and forced a wave of fire down inside. Ryoko peeled open a section of metal near the gas tank, and the two of us widened the distance between us and the tank. As we ran, I turned back and unleashed a ball of fire into the open hole.

  I was forced to the ground as the tank exploded, but it wasn’t the wall of energy that did it. I could feel Ryoko next to me, meaning it wasn’t her who had knocked me down, so I looked up. “Raikidan?”

  He chuckled as he laid over us protectively. “You should be more careful.”

  “But you wouldn’t come to our rescue if that were the case,” Ryoko toyed.

  He chuckled again and allowed us to jump to our feet. I looked around quickly, assessing the situation. The soldiers were now starting to fall back. The loss of their three tanks had damaged their morale severely, along with the armed fighting force Argus and Blaze helped rebuild.

  Raikidan exhaled a stream of smoke. “Let’s show them what we’re made of.”

  I grinned. At least he was just as into this as we were. Ryoko rushed off alone into a crowd of soldiers, unleashing a wave onto them from her rail gun. Thankful I had a small ember still burning on my fingertips, I forced it to burn into a large flame and unleashed it on the opposing army. Raikidan spewed fire from his mouth, and together, we pushed back a portion of the army. Once that task had been done, we separated as I went to give Ryoko a hand. She looked at me gratefully as I pushed back the force with more fire.

  “Laz, Raikidan is surrounded!”

  I turned back to see Raikidan taking on more than he could chew. He wasn’t able to put out enough fire to quell the mass. I watched one soldier aim for Raikidan’s head, but before I could move, the soldier fell to the ground with a large bullet hole between his eyes. I sent a silent prayer of thanks to Satria for Rylan’s aim.

  I unleashed a wall of fire and encircled it around Raikidan as a protective barrier. It was a thick fire, so as long as he stayed within it, he would be safe from basic firearms. Raikidan looked at me, but I turned away before I could see his expression. Instead, I unleashed balls of fire onto the enemy and forced them back further. Argus and Blaze came up behind me and gave me a hand.

  “Fall back!” a general yelled. “Fall back!”

  What was left of the army listened to the general’s command, and it wasn’t long before the street was abandoned. The team we had helped grouped up and assessed the damage to their members. Our teammates who’d flooded in to aid them grouped up as well. Ryoko and Raikidan maneuvered their way through the rubble over to me as I gazed around and studied the damage.

  Both civilian and military buildings were reduced to rubble. Bodies were strewn everywhere, and the ground was littered with blood. As I looked, I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched, but the thick scent of blood masked any indication of someone still lingering.

  I greeted Rylan with a nod as he picked his way over to us. He rested the stock of his rifle on the ground and checked everyone’s condition.

  “Eira.” I looked over as a tall man with dark skin and dark eyes made his way over to us.

  I nodded in greeting. “Ven.”

  “Thanks for the help.” He looked back at his team. “You came just in time.”

  “What’s the damage to your team?”

  “We lost two when they brought the tanks in. The rest have mostly minor injuries, with just a few severe ones,” he assessed. “Not as bad as it could have been, though.”

  “You should have abandoned the mission. It could have been avoided.”

  “I don’t run, Eira.”

  “There is no shame in it. It allows you to fall back, regroup, re-strategize, and go back for more without major losses.
”

  Ven snorted but didn’t voice an argument. He was a stubborn man and was stuck in his ways. He wouldn’t look like a coward in the least. Ven pulled out his gun and aimed when he heard movement behind a broken wall of a building. I chuckled and forced the gun down. His brow furrowed. “There’s something over there.”

  “I know.” While we had been talking, I had caught the scent I had been searching for. “Ryder, come on out.”

  A young boy, no older than ten, poked his head out from behind the broken wall. He had crew-cut white-blue hair and dual-colored eyes, the left being green with a golden ring around the pupil and the right being a bright blue with a silver ring around the pupil. A smile was plastered on his face as he ran over to us, unfazed by the devastation around him. I knelt down and embraced him in a hug.

  “You’re back!” he exclaimed.

  I smiled. “I’m back.”

  He buried his face into my neck. “I knew Ryoko was wrong. I knew you’d come back. You always keep your promise.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, Ryoko was wrong. I would never dream of breaking my promise to you.”

  He pulled away and held up his pinkie. “Swear by it?”

  I smiled and grasped his pinkie with mine. “Swear.”

  A wide grin spread across his face and he hugged me again. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too, Ryder,” I mumbled. “There wasn’t a day I didn’t think about you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  “I’m glad.” He looked at my arm where my preferred dagger was sheathed. “You still have the dagger I made you!”

  I chuckled. “Of course, I do. I rarely go anywhere without it.”

  “That makes me happy.”

  I smiled more. I was glad he was okay. I was glad I had made the right choice. “You’ve been good, right?”

  He pulled away and looked at the ground.

  “Ryder?”

  “They’ve been telling me to fight…”

  I sighed. “You haven’t been listening.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t like fighting.”

  I placed my hand on his head and rubbed it. “I know. You like to build stuff, but you can’t just go around disobeying orders.”

  “But you did.”

  I frowned. “Yes, and it got me into the situation I don’t want you in. You need to start listening. I can’t protect you all the time anymore. If something happens, I can’t guarantee I can save you, and I don’t want that. Do you understand?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yes.”

  I lifted his chin and smiled at him. “I’m glad you’re okay, though. That’s all I can ask for.”

  He grinned. “I’m glad you’re okay, too. When can I come live with you again? Can’t I just come with you now?”

  I shook my head. “Not yet. It’s not safe for you to come with us.”

  “But it’s not safe for me here, either.”

  I chuckled. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but it’s safer for you to stay where you are. As long as you do what they say, you’ll do fine. You’re too young for them to expect much from anyway.”

  Ryder frowned. “Okay, if you say so.”

  I patted his head. “It’ll be over soon, all right? Then it’ll be like I promised.”

  He nodded enthusiastically. “Okay! That’s a promise, so you can’t break it.”

  I laughed. “Right.” I looked up as a young woman approached us. She carried a handful of dog tags in her hands. I furrowed my brow. “What are those for?”

  “If he’s going to have an excuse to give for not retreating with the others, then he’d best have a good one,” she said.

  I nodded. Smart. He would be seen highly in the eyes of the other soldiers for such an honorable deed, and it would give him the correct excuse. It might even help him win points with the higher-ranking officers. If he was lucky, they would more than likely keep him out of battle.

  The woman handed the tags over to me, and in turn, I handed them to Ryder. “Take these back with you. You’ll be less likely to get into trouble. Also tell them we hung around for quite a bit of time, preventing you from going anywhere. Got it?”

  He nodded. “Got it. This means I have to go now, doesn’t it?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  He sighed unhappily. “All right. When will I be able to see you again?”

  My eyes softened, and my chest tightened. “I’m not sure. I’ll try my best to do it soon, okay?”

  He nodded. “Okay! But if not, I’ll understand. Jaybird says it’s really hard to get information back and forth without being caught. I guess it would be the same when it came to seeing you.”

  I nodded. “Yes, but I promise I will try.”

  He smiled and gave me one last hug before running off. I stood up and watched him go, my heart heavy. A lot had happened these past few weeks. This win from a perceived loss would improve the rebellion’s morale, but we still had much to do. Raikidan’s help had been invaluable, and while I loathed to admit it, my mistake that landed me in his path proved to be the key we needed. I just hoped he’d continue to be useful and that I’d not made a mistake by placing my trust in him. Maybe soon, Ryder and I can have the life I always promised him. My gaze faltered. As long as this path doesn’t lead me to the fate I’ve tried to change.

  The others around me dispersed to go about their business before we headed home. Raikidan, on the other hand, moved closer to me. “Who was that boy?”

  I continued to stare long after Ryder had disappeared from sight. “My son.”

  Moonlight filtered through the barred window as I opened my eyes. “Ryder…”

  I hoped he wasn’t involved with this mistake I made. I prayed he was safe. I curled up against the stone wall when the clomping of boots echoed down the hall. My life may be in the balance, but as long as he was listening to what I had told him, he would live a full life, and that was all I could ask for in a time like this…

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  Thank you for taking the time to read this book. If you liked Destiny, please let me know with a written review. While this series is ongoing, there are others waiting to be written. Unless I know this series is wanted I’ll prioritize another book or series before returning to Eira’s adventure. Who is Ryder really? What else is Eira hiding?

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  Continue reading for a snippet of the next installment:

  * * *

  PIECES

  EXPERIMENTAL HEART | BOOK TWO

  Continue on for a preview of the second book in the Experimental Heart series:

  * * *

  PIECES

  EXPERIMENTAL HEART | BOOK TWO

  Most people know where they belong

  * * *

  As an outcast, even among misfits, I’m not that lucky. It’s fine. I don’t need them. These walls I’ve built keep me safe.

  * * *

  Until they don’t anymore.

  * * *

  With the rebellion under way, I have enough on my hands gaining my freedom. So when a dragon cracks the shield I’ve built around me, it brings forth the darkness contained within and awakens sensations I thought long dead. I do the only thing I know how—fight back.

  * * *

  I don’t know if it’ll be enough this time.

  * * *

  The walls around me are crumbling, and I struggle to keep myself safe. Am I doomed to repeat the mistakes of my past?

  Chapter One

  “He’s my son.”

  Dalatrend bustled with life, even at this late hour. Streetlamps lit up every street of the four quadrants, and spotlights illuminated the fortress at the far end of the city belonging to our ruler, Zarda. Cats fought in the alleys, people shouted, and cars roared and honked in the sleepless night. My violet hair moved with the slight breeze, and the full moon’s light bathed my light skin in a silver sheen as I stared out from my perch on top of our house. The battle from earlier, while see
mingly unknown by the rest of the city’s occupants, weighed heavy on my mind.

  Even though we had won, the battle took a toll on our supplies and numbers. Two things we couldn’t afford to be so careless with.

  I turned away from the city when a door leading back into the house opened. A young man, appearing not much older than I, maybe his early thirties, with tan skin, short black and red hair, and black facial hair, walked out onto the roof and looked around. His sapphire eyes rested on me and then he shook his head. “Of all the places you could be, Eira, you chose to be up here again?”

  I crossed my arms. “Yes, Raikidan, I am up here. Getting away allows me to think. Today has been a bit stressful.”

  He held up his hands. “No need to get testy.”

  “Whatever. Do you need something from me, or are you a lost puppy looking for home?”

  “I’m not a lost puppy…” he muttered. “I came up here to see if we could talk.”

  My brow rose. “About?”

  “Ryder.”

  I resisted sighing. Ever since I had dropped the bombshell about Ryder’s connection to me after the battle, I had avoided Raikidan because of the questions I’d receive. He’d make it out to be a bigger issue than it really was.

  I shrugged. “I guess. I don’t see what needs to be talked about. He’s my son. Nothing crazy there.”

  Raikidan crossed his arms. “You claim you don’t want to be close to anyone, especially males, and then you say you have a son, but it’s no big deal?”