Battlelines

by S. K. Gregory

  “Seriously?” Roxy asked, actually looking hopeful.

  “We can’t,” Thorn said, fixing his shirt back in place. “I mean you can’t trust anyone nowadays.”

  “We’re going to have to if we want to survive,” I argued. Why was he being so difficult?

  “My dad can’t be moved,” Roxy said.

  “I’m fine,” he argued but she ignored him.

  “He may have to. If they come by, they won’t know that we’re here.”

  “I don’t know, Nova. We’ve built a life here.”

  “You call this a life? How long before the food runs out? You were hardly a girl scout.”

  “We’ve been doing just fine, thank you!” she snapped.

  “I’m not trying to start a fight. Damn it, Roxy. I came all this way to find you.”

  “Then go and find them and come back for us,” she said, dividing up their supply of food on a makeshift counter. There wasn’t much to go around, just a few canned goods.

  “Honestly, they probably won’t let me. But if you are there, then they’ll have to take you in.”

  “If they don’t want us…”

  Someone knocked on the door, the special knock. Roxy opened it and another boy stuck his head in. “You’re not going to believe this. There’s a truck coming up the road.”

  “That’s them! Quick, we have to go,” I said.

  We gathered everyone up, Roxy and the woman helped her dad.

  I went on ahead so they would stop when the saw me. Or shoot me for running away.

  We gathered near the road. As the truck rounded the bend, Thorn collapsed.

  Chapter 10

  “Oh my God, Thorn,” I cried rushing to his side. I knew those quills were dangerous.

  I shook him by the shoulder, but he wasn’t waking up. How could you tell if someone was poisoned? Was there a cure?

  The General stepped out of the truck when it stopped. “What the hell is going on?”

  “He needs help,” I cried.

  “You are lucky we came back for you at all,” he bellowed.

  Mom jumped out and came over to me. “What happened?” she asked.

  “He was attacked by a Fae with these quill things. He seemed okay at first and then he just collapsed.”

  She checked his pulse. “I can’t really do much for him until we get back to the boat.”

  “Get on the truck,” the General ordered.

  I started to lead the others while two of the boys lifted Thorn. The General stepped in front of us. “Where do you think you’re all going?”

  “They’re coming with us,” I said.

  “No, they’re not. We don’t have the room.”

  “Then make room. If they don’t go, neither do I,” I snapped.

  “Well maybe we won’t need you if we have a poison,” The General said

  “It’s experimental,” Mom said. “I still have work to do on it and I’ll only do that if my daughter is with us.”

  I smiled sweetly at The General. “We really should get going.”

  He looked ready to explode but sighed and stepped aside. He wants to save the world but is happy leaving humans to die?

  We all got on the truck, with Thorn laid out between us.

  “Who is he?” Enzo asked.

  “His name is Thorn. He saved my life.”

  “You are bringing complete strangers back with us?”

  “He’s not a stranger,” I said, placing a hand on Thorn’s forehead to check if he was warm. He actually felt cold. Was that good or bad?

  Enzo glared at him. What was his problem? He didn’t even know Thorn.

  “We are going to be moving quickly back to the boat. Assuming it is still there,” The General said, glaring at me. He got into the front of the truck.

  They wouldn’t leave without us. What would be the point?

  Once we were on the road, I sat with Thorn, trying to wake him. Every now and again, he would moan softly, but didn’t open his eyes.

  “Can’t you do something?” I asked Mom.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I need to run some tests,” she said.

  More tests. Why was that her answer to everything?

  “Maybe he caught something off Nova,” Lydia muttered to Travis. He laughed.

  “Shut up,” I snapped.

  “Who is this bitch?” Roxy asked, resting her shotgun across her lap.

  “Ignore her,” I said.

  Lydia better keep her mouth shut about me.

  I would tell Roxy eventually, but now wasn’t the time.

  The soldier driving had the pedal pressed to the floor from the look of it. I just hoped we didn’t run into anymore roadblocks.

  Whether I liked it or not, we were safer on the boat. At least Roxy and her dad were safe. It wasn’t a wasted journey. Plus there was a potential poison, although I would be staying far away from it.

  An almighty roar filled the air, followed by a loud bang as something slammed into the side of the truck.

  The world spun as the truck flipped onto its side and came to a stop.

  ***

  Oberon

  Many Years Ago…

  Living in the primitive world was much more taxing than I thought it would be. I was used to living in a castle, sleeping in a soft bed at night, but here – here I lived in a cave because there was nowhere else for me to go.

  The primitive people had built dwellings for themselves, but I could not walk amongst them. The children knew of me, but even they were wary. They were older now and visited less often.

  I learned a little of their language, so different from my own. They called me the ‘Great White One,’ on account of my complexion and my robes.

  It had been a few years since I left home, although time seemed to move differently here. The primitives aged much more quickly than we did. I wondered if living in this world would affect me, but I still seemed to have all my abilities. They were necessary for my survival in the beginning.

  Each morning I would take a walk along the river, catching fish to eat. When I have had a good day, I leave some for the families nearby.

  It was on my return from the river one morning, that I found Asteria waiting for me. She was now a beautiful young woman, her hair gleaming in the sun.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, hoping that she was here to support me, that she was finally seeing things the way they really were.

  “We need to talk,” she said.

  I stopped five feet from her, resting the rod across my shoulder. It was a slow day today, only two small fish hung from it. “So talk.”

  “Don’t you trust me, brother?” she asked, with a wicked smirk.

  “Right now, I don’t trust anyone.”

  “You need to return with me, Oberon. You are needed.”

  I sighed. “Really? Is that why you are here? What makes you think I will change my mind and return with you?”

  “Our world is dying, Oberon.”

  The words sent a chill through me. “What do you mean?”

  “War broke out shortly after you left. Our world is in ruins, there’s nothing left. Father talks about rebuilding, but you have not seen it. Our home is decimated. Please, brother. Help us.”

  I felt the world spin. Our world was gone. How could this be?

  “Of course. I will return and join the fight,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

  “The fighting is already done. We won. The battle at least, but we lost everything else.”

  “Then what do you need me to do?”

  “Break the blood oath. Let me tell Father where this place is. We can cross over and start again.”

  I looked her in the eye, feeling anger inside me. “This is a trick. I should have known.”

  I stalked away, heading for my cave. I could not believe that she would do this. That she would tell me that our people were dying just so Father could get in here.

  “Oberon, it is not a lie. Look for yourself!” she
said, chasing after me.

  I turned to face her. “How can I believe a word you say? What happened to you, Asteria. You are not the girl I remember.”

  She sneered at me. “The girl you remember grew up, after her brother abandoned her. Do the right thing. Let us in.”

  “Never. If our people were stupid enough to destroy what they had, then they deserve what is coming to them. I will not let them do the same here.”

  Asteria raised her hand to slap me, but I caught her wrist.

  “I will make you pay for this!” she snarled.

  “You can try.”

  I watched her walk away, knowing that it would be for the last time. Our family was irreparably broken.

  This is my home now and I will protect it at all costs.

  Chapter 11

  “Get off me!” Lydia said, shoving me hard.

  When the truck flipped, I landed on top of her. Groaning, I sat up. Everyone lay in a heap. Thorn was still unconscious and from the look of it, Enzo now was too. Lydia immediately pounced on him to check he was okay.

  “Is everyone okay?” Mom asked.

  There were a few murmured yeses, Roxy seemed to have hit her head, but she was still conscious.

  “What the hell happened?” Travis said. He moved to the end of the truck and looked out, before ducking back inside.

  “Shit. There’s one of those flying lizards out there,” he said.

  “Why is it here when…” I trailed off. That’s what was missing. The beacon. It was off. “Uh-oh.”

  “We need to get the beacon back on before they get in here,” Travis said.

  He was right. They would surge and we wouldn’t stand a chance.

  “I’ll go and turn it on,” I said. I was the logical choice, I could defend myself and I doubted most of the people in here would argue.

  “No!” Mom and Roxy both said. Well some might argue.

  Roxy was trying to prop her dad up. He winced in pain as she moved his leg.

  “Yeah, let her go,” Travis said.

  Roxy jumped up and grabbed my arm. “Are you crazy? Let one of them do it, or are you too scared?” she said to Travis.

  Before he could reply, I said, “Roxy it’s fine. I can get to the front.”

  She looked at me like I was insane. “Well take this,” she said, holding out the shotgun.

  “Thanks, but I don’t need it. Just be ready to protect the others if I can’t fix it.”

  “Be careful,” she said, giving me a hug.

  As I passed Travis, I lowered my voice and said, “Keep your mouth shut about me or maybe I’ll take my time with the beacon.”

  He glared at me. “Just get it fixed.”

  I would never risk the others, but he believed I was a traitor Fae so hopefully the threat would work.

  I glanced outside. The lizard was about thirty feet away on the ground. Its head was down, making low groaning noises. The beacon must have injured it. We didn’t have much time before others arrived. I needed to move.

  Climbing out, I heaved myself up onto the roof of the truck, formerly the side, and made my way to the cab.

  In the distance, I could see movement. Was it the Fae? What else would it be?

  Hurry.

  The window was open. I looked inside to see that the driver and the General were both unconscious. Or at least I hoped that’s all they were.

  A long black pole split the middle of the cab. The beacon. It ran through the roof into a loudspeaker.

  The General was hanging across the pole. Lowering myself inside, I tried to avoid stepping on either of them as I reached for the beacon.

  It seemed to be intact, so why wasn’t it working?

  “Are you there yet? Over.” I almost had a heart attack as Travis’ voice burst from the radio on the General’s belt.

  Once I recovered, I grabbed it. “Yeah, I’m here. How do I turn this thing on? Over.”

  “It’s connected to the truck, you need to get it started. Fast. Over.”

  Easier said than done with two bodies in the way.

  I glanced out the windshield and froze. Dust filled the horizon, thrown up by the line of Fae that were currently barrelling toward us.

  “Oh crap!”

  I grabbed the General’s arm and tried to heave him out of the way. It wasn’t easy, but I got him up against the dash. The driver lay across the door, I just needed to reach the key. Manoeuvring myself, I reached under the steering wheel, groping for the key, one eye on the Fae. They would be on us in less than a minute.

  My hand closed around the key and I twisted it. The engine choked and died.

  “No, no, no,” I said, trying again. It still didn’t start.

  A rumbling sound filled the air, the sound of hundreds of Fae feet thundering toward us. There were all sorts of them. Trolls, ogres, sylphs. Alwyn taught me the names of them.

  “Start the truck!” Travis screamed over the radio.

  “Why didn’t I think of that?” I snapped. I turned it again. Nothing.

  The Fae were so close now. One particularly crazed one, with wild shaggy hair and glowing green eyes was looking right at me, teeth gnashing.

  “Please start,” I said, giving the key one final turn before the mob descended on us. I closed my eyes, waiting to be ripped apart.

  Chapter 12

  The engine roared to life and a second later, the noise from the beacon split the air.

  I opened my eyes. One moment the Fae were in front of me and the next they scattered in all directions to escape the noise.

  I collapsed against the steering wheel in relief. Even with the noise cutting through me.

  “Nova, are you okay?” Mom’s voice came in over the radio.

  “Yes, I’m coming back now.”

  Before I left, I checked that the General and the driver were still alive. They were, but both had head wounds. Mom would need to check them over and I would need help lifting them out. As I walked across the roof, I noticed that the lizard was trying to drag itself away from the noise, but judging from the state it was in, it wasn’t going to get far.

  I returned to the back of the truck to find that both Enzo and Thorn were awake.

  Enzo looked livid. “I can’t believe you sent her alone,” he snapped at Travis, as Lydia tried to treat the cut on his head.

  Travis swore at him and hopped out to check on the Fae.

  “Just leave it,” I said to Enzo as he started after him. Why was he so bothered anyway? Or was he disappointed that he didn’t get to play hero?

  I crouched beside Thorn. “Are you okay?”

  He looked dazed. “What happened?”

  “The truck was knocked over.”

  “I have to leave,” he groaned.

  “You can’t. The beacon is the only thing keeping the Fae away.”

  “Not for long,” Mom said. “The truck will run out of gas soon enough.”

  Thorn got up and clambered out of the truck. I chased after him.

  “Thorn, please. It’s not safe.”

  He wasn’t listening to me. He kept going. “Thorn will you stop?”

  He turned to face me. “I didn’t ask for this. I was fine on my own.”

  “I know and I’m sorry for dragging you into this, but we are safer here.”

  “Not for long.”

  “I know, but we can come up with a plan. Maybe we can get the truck upright and…” I was interrupted by a scream.

  I turned to see the others cowering inside the truck as flaming arrows rained down on them. It appeared that the Fae weren’t keen on waiting either and were taking matters into their own hands. I could see them in the distance, lined up with bows. We probably wouldn’t survive long enough for the truck to run out of gas.

  “Damn it!” Thorn snapped.

  He opened his pack and started looking through it.

  “What are you doing? We need to get to shelter,” I yelled as an arrow thudded down five feet from us.

  He pulled out the first
aid kid from the bunker and popped it open. Grabbing handfuls of cotton, he balled it up and started stuffing it into his ears.

  “Tell them to get out of the truck,” he said.

  “What? What the hell are you doing?”

  “Fine, then they’re going to be a little banged up.”

  “What are…”

  I didn’t get to finish as Thorn rose to his feet and held out his hands toward the truck. His face scrunched in concentration, he focused on the truck. I watched as it started to rock, then it slowly lifted up on one side, before landing upright. There were several screams from inside.

  “What are you?” I whispered to Thorn.

  He was panting from exertion. He pushed the knit cap up to reveal pointed ears.

  “You’re Fae?” How can this be?

  “Hope someone can drive that thing. Let’s go,” he said.

  He’s like me.

  ***

  Oberon

  Many Years Ago…

  Staring at the shimmering doorway, I pondered how easy it would be to just step through and return to my lands.

  That is not why you are here. You are here to find a way to close it for good.

  Asteria’s words played on my mind though. I had been trying for weeks to close the doorway. If I succeeded, then I would never go back and I would never know the truth.

  At least if you know the truth, it might make things easier.

  If Asteria was a liar, then I could close that door for good and have no regrets.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. One quick look, that was all I needed.

  Stepping through the doorway, I felt the familiar tingling sensation on my skin. The cave was dark after the bright light on the other side. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust my vision.

  As I took a step forward, something struck me in the face. I fell to the cave floor, clutching a broken nose.

  “Sire, he is here,” a voice called, echoing around the cave.

  Before I could get to my feet, I was surrounded by Father’s guards. The cave lit up as torches sparked to life and he stepped forward. My father was imposing, standing 6’8 with long white hair and ruby colored eyes.

  “Ah! My wayward son. Long time no see,” he said.