Eustace pushed away from the table and paced. “This is insane. What was I thinking going along with this? I can’t allow any of you to go. You’re just kids.”
“How different is this from governments drafting eighteen year olds into the army and sending them to war?” Fate asked.
Eustace stopped and looked at her, his jaw clenching as he shook his head. “No, it’s not like that. Everyone here has a choice.”
“Yes, they do.” Fate looked at the seal glimmering bright beneath the skin of her palm. “But I don’t. I took an oath to protect the Keep. I want so bad to leave here, but…”
She trailed off, realizing she’d been fooling herself into thinking she could actually leave to go find Finn. Her place was here, defending the Keep. As much as she wanted to go to him–needed to–she knew deep in her bones she could not turn her back on her responsibilities. Taking the oath had changed her on a fundamental level. Whatever this part of her was now, it rose to the surface and refused to be ignored any longer.
She took a step toward Eustace. “I’m sorry, Dad, I have to do this, and there’s nothing you or I can do to keep any of this from happening.”
23
Here Kitty, Kitty
“TAKE THE AERONAUT PACK before I throw it at you.” Brune’s jaw flexed as she stared Fate down.
Fate backed away with her hands up. “I told you, I don’t need it. I can fly on my own.”
“Since when?”
“Since I gave myself the power with the Words of Making.”
A look of surprise replaced Brune’s scowl and she set the pack down. “Wow, you actually gave yourself the power to fly? Huh, I never thought to give myself that one when I was inside the Book of Fables. Smart.”
Fate nodded proudly, and with excitement. She was looking forward to a good flight. It had been awhile.
Brune relaxed and rested her hands on her hips. “Let’s see.”
Fate glanced around at everyone, suddenly self-conscious. “You’ll see soon enough. Open the hatch.”
“I’d rather see it in here.”
“Why?”
“I’m mostly just curious, but we should probably make sure you’re not rusty, or something.”
“It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.”
Jessie stepped in next to Brune. “Do it, Fate. I’ve been wanting to see you fly since you first told me you could.”
Fate’s insides squirmed with discomfort. Something wasn’t right. Why was Brune egging her on this way? She glanced at Eustace. His confused expression wasn’t helping. “Well there’s not a lot of room in here, but if you insist,” she muttered.
Steve, Darcy and Mason cleared the center of the room, while her father and everyone else stepped back against the walls.
Feeling edgier by the second, Fate shook it off as best she could and leaped into the air with her arms extended. She caught air for a nanosecond then plummeted, crashing to the floor with all the elegance of a belly flop. The blow came like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of her as she rolled on her side, curling in on herself and cradling her stomach. The pain of her fall turned to nauseating shock. She understood why she and the other warriors had lost the supernatural powers Murauda had given them. With the death of the war goddess, their powers had slowly waned to nothing. But she’d always assumed that whatever power she’d gained from the Words of Making would be permanent.
The heat of humiliation scorched her face when she heard the guffaws and snickers in the room. Eustace was suddenly crouched next to her. “Ignore them. Are you alright?”
“My ego’s maimed, but I’m fine,” Fate groaned as she allowed Eustace to help her stand. She turned to Brune. “You already knew my power to fly hadn’t stuck. You could’ve just told me.”
“And miss seeing you flop on your face?” Brune chuckled with satisfaction.
Eustace moved into Brune’s space with one step and towered over her. “I hardly think that was called for.”
Brune’s smile vanished as she edged back. “Hey, you got a problem with making people laugh? It’s a morale booster and eases the tension before going on a mission that might get them killed.”
The laughter in the room died. Eustace remained silent as well, but Fate could tell by the tension across his shoulders that he was still furious.
Fate walked over to the aeronaut pack Brune had been forcing on her and picked it up. “Okay, how do I wear this thing and how do I drive it?” She frowned at the tangle of straps and flimsy set of wiry, dragonfly-shaped wings attached to the motor.
Brune didn’t bother to look at her. She was busy inspecting the straps on the aeronaut packs Jessie, Lincoln and Mason were wearing. “You should know. You’re the new guardian.”
Fate’s jaw dropped. “Really? You helped them, but you’re not going to help me?”
Brune cinched the straps crisscrossing her torso, walked over to the hatch and punched the button. The grinding sound of metal filled the room as the iris of the hatch spiraled open. She stuck her head out, looking this way and that. “Nope,” she finally said. And with that, she revved the gears on her aeronaut pack and jumped.
Mason gave Darcy a quick peck on the cheek–she’d already refused to kiss him goodbye–and followed behind Lincoln, bumping into him when he hesitated to jump. “What’re you waiting for?”
“Jusht makin’ sure the Chimera’sh not around.”
“Brune already checked.” Mason glanced back at Fate. “Didn’t she?”
Lincoln punched him in the arm. “A double check never hurtsh. Yup, all’sh clear!” he yelled as he leaped into a freefall.
“Idiots! All of you,” Darcy shouted.
Mason made an about-face and jumped before he had to listen to another word.
Jessie paused at the opening before turning to Fate. “Hurry up. And please get it together. Our lives depend on it.” With a shake of her head, she jumped and vanished from sight.
Fate’s heart hammered in her chest as she hooked the pack’s curved bars over her shoulders. How was she supposed to figure out how the straps worked? If she didn’t get it right, she could slip out of the pack and fall to her death.
“Here, let me help,” Eustace offered.
Farouk trundled his cage over to them. “No, the guardian must do this herself.” His slanted eyes slid to Fate. “You have all the knowledge you need for everything the Keep holds. All that’s required is a question.”
“All I’ve been doing is wondering how the heck I’m going to untangle this mess of straps.”
“Be exactitude with your question. The answer will come.”
Gerdie encouraged her with a nod.
Taking a deep breath, Fate closed her eyes and asked for instructions on how to wear and operate the aeronaut pack. She no sooner asked when a deep knowing came over her. Her hands moved of their own accord, crossing the straps with precision, buckling in and tightening the give as if she’d done it her whole life.
She turned the ignition. The wings whirred and vibrated across her back. “Guess this means I’m ready to go.” She grabbed her helmet and pulled it on.
Eustace and Gerdie followed her over to the hatch. “Be careful,” her father said, his eyes filled with fear.
Gerdie put her small hand in his. “Don’t worry. She can take care of herself.”
“She’s right, Dad. I can do this.” Fate mustered a smile that shook at the corners of her mouth.
Fearing she might lose her nerve entirely if she gave into Eustace’s concerns, she turned and launched into space. The brief yet sharp tug of gravity startled her before the aeronaut pack kicked upward, thrusting her forward with surprising speed. Relief flooded her limbs, though she was still nervous about relying on a machine to keep her in the air. What if it broke down or ran out of fuel?
She glanced down at the intricate network of architectural wonders far below. A dizzying moment of vertigo gripped hold, frightening her. Flying had become second nature and heights had never b
een a problem, until this moment.
Her confidence was shaken. She still hadn’t recovered from finding out she’d lost her power to fly. That was an ace she’d thought she would always have up her sleeve. She’d have to play it cool in front of Jessie and the others though. None of them had any problem diving from a height that made the Empire State building look like a tiny toothpick, and she’d already made a fool of herself.
Unfortunately, she was in jeopardy of furthering their low opinion of her if she didn’t figure out where the others were located soon. She glanced around, trying to spot them, while also watching for signs of the Chimera.
Brune’s voice crackled in the headphone built into her helmet. “Fate, we can see you. Continue veering left.” She paused. “No, your other left.”
Fate corrected course before she caught sight of Brune, Jessie and the boys hovering in the distance. She’d no sooner caught up with them, when they all turned and continued moving ahead.
“Stay alert, people,” Brune ordered. “We’re coming up on Quadrant 29. Keep an eye out for–.” Her voice cut out to a hissing sound.
Frustrated with the fuzzy reception, Fate tapped the earpiece. If it wasn’t for the fact that she could see Brune flying up ahead, she might’ve thought something had happened to her. She’d have to talk to Farouk about updating their equipment when they got back.
If they made it back.
Fate’s nerves jittered with heightened tension as she fell in line with the others and followed Brune’s descent until they were skimming above the seemingly endless maze of vaults below. Now that she was closer, she was struck by the sprawling landscape of diverse structures, whether they were temples, mausoleums, towers, castles, cathedrals, pyramids or enormous statues. The surface of the Keep looked more like one huge exotic city unified only by moving walkways snaking in and around them.
Curiosity stirred in Fate. Under any other circumstances, she would’ve welcomed the opportunity to explore every one of the unusual structures. But too much was riding on being on guard and this was no time for distractions. They were in Chimera territory.
“Nearing the end of Quadrant 29,” Brune informed them.
“Shouldn’t we’ve seen the Chimera by now?” Fate tried to ignore the hairs rising on the back of her neck. The words were no sooner out, when a distant roar sounded from behind them.
“Crap!” Lincoln yelled. “It’sh coming up from behind! How’d we get thish far without sheeing it?”
Adrenaline shot through Fate, lacing her veins with panic as she glanced over her shoulder. The flapping of huge, multi-jointed bat wings crested the rooftops before she saw the entire body of the creature land on a towering jade statue of a rearing unicorn. With another terrible roar, the Chimera leaped back into the air, breaking off the horse’s head beneath its tremendous weight as it pushed off.
“Don’t look back. It’ll slow you down!” Brune shouted. “Follow me and stay the course. We have a ways to go before we hit quad 148.”
Brune was right; Fate shouldn’t have looked. She’d almost come to a standstill. Jessie and Lincoln were already speeding past her. But Mason was turned toward the beast and hovering in place.
“Mason!” Fate yelled. “Move! Get out of here!”
He spun around and started towards her, but the Chimera had already closed the gap between them. Rising just above Mason, the creature’s snake tail lashed out, coiled round his torso and flung him against an enormous granite gargoyle. Mason’s body crumpled on impact and fell to the ground like a rag doll. With a fiery growl, the Chimera began to descend, no doubt to finish the kill.
Fate sped toward the Chimera, yelling at the top of her lungs to distract the monster. Both heads turned to look in her direction. Fate cranked the gears into full throttle and darted away to reach Jessie and the others.
“Mason’s down,” she reported. “We need to go back for–.”
A blow from behind flung her off course and she plummeted head over heels. Not knowing up from down, she gripped the gears and revved the engine. The aeronaut pack kicked in, righting her enough to catch her bearings.
A few hundred yards away, the Chimera grappled the side of a spiraled tower, the lion’s head turned in the opposite direction, searching for her. Fortunately, she’d been knocked through the air like a stray baseball and it didn’t seem to know which direction it had so carelessly batted her. But then the creature’s scaly tail snaked upward and the serpent locked eyes with her.
With heart pounding in her throat, Fate turned, weaving her way through a series of spires topping the dome of a crystal cathedral. She’d barely reached the other side when she heard the crush of the spires behind her as the beast gave chase.
Brune’s voice broke through the sound of Fate’s pulse drumming in her ears. “Fate, you’re leading it the wrong way!”
“Well, I’m sorry!” Fate shouted into her mouthpiece as she darted around the corner of a gilded Parthenon-style temple. “What do you want me to do? Stop and give it directions?”
“Take cover between the –” Brune’s voice cut out.
Fate hovered in place, slapping the earpiece. “Between the what?”
The Chimera burst from the middle of the temple, toppling five of its massive columns. Screaming for her life, Fate dodged out of the way to avoid being crushed by a falling column and dipped in between an ivory castle and dark monolith etched with symbols. She felt safer in the lower regions of the Keep. Given the Chimera’s size, she hoped it might avoid chasing her in the confined space.
Brune’s voice returned. “That’s good. Stay low. I’ll tell you where to go.”
Clinging to Brune’s commanding voice, Fate nodded silently as she gazed skyward. Growling flames surged from above as the Chimera swooped low before sweeping high to come around for another pass. She cringed from the heat. “Which way do I go?”
“Straight ahead and to the right.”
Staying close to ground level, Fate sped through the narrow space between the different structures then veered to the right and ducked under the archway of a stone bridge.
“Can you see the twin obelisks yet?” Brune asked.
Fate flew a little higher and squinted at the distant horizon. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Make sure your amplifier is on when you get there. The Fomorians are camped out in the coral coliseum right next to the obelisks.”
The sound of smashing stone jolted Fate back into panic mode as she turned to see the Chimera bulldozing through a pagoda. She launched skyward and rocketed over the varied skyline. The monster’s furious roar echoed throughout the expanse as it closed in from behind. Claws sliced the air next to her head. Gasping with shock, she ducked low, zigzagging between a bell tower and the peak of a silver pyramid. A snarling inferno surged at her back as she pushed the aeronaut pack’s speed to its limit. Leaning her head into the wind, she raced to the obelisks and jetted between them, her heart hammering, flooding her body with adrenaline.
She’d made it to the finish line. The Fomorians could take it from there.
Suddenly, the hot slice of the Chimera’s claw drove into her calf, hurtling her sideways through space. Unable to self-correct, Fate smacked against a wall. Pain exploded through her back as she crashed to the ground. The air slammed from her lungs and her leg throbbed. Her vision filled with stars as she fought to keep from passing out.
The Chimera’s roar resounded above her. Fate looked up, eyes wide as the creature pitched downward, its wings catching the air like a ragged kite. She scrambled to her feet, but her leg gave out and she fell. Not that there was an exit. She was hemmed in on every side.
Fate drew her laser gun and pulled the trigger. A blinding stream of red light blasted the Chimera in the chest. The beast landed in front of her, rearing back with a pained roar as smoke rose from a deep bloody gash. But it wasn’t enough to kill the behemoth.
With arms shaking, Fate shot again, this time missing its body. The laser beam sliced into a
wing instead. The lion’s head jerked, eyeing the shredding membranous skin of its wing with a snarl. Its gaze snapped back to Fate at the same time the snake’s head arched with a hiss over the lion’s head.
Terror froze Fate in place.
Brune’s voice jarred her to attention. “Fate! You need to move. Now!”
Fate cranked on the gears, expecting to lift off. The pack’s engine wasn’t running. She turned the ignition with no response. “Oh no, the fall wrecked my pack! What do I do?”
No answer from Brune, her voice had cut out again.
“I’m coming, Fate!” Jessie’s voice screamed in her ear.
“Stay away!” Fate yelled as she fired at the approaching Chimera with a steady stream of red cutting light.
The creature writhed and growled, swiping at the laser beam like a cat swatting flies. The laser seemed to be more of an irritation than anything else, but Fate didn’t know what else to do.
The Chimera lashed at her, knocking the laser gun from her hands. Dizzy with fright, she staggered backward and turned her head, expecting to be incinerated on the spot. But the flames never came.
The enclosed space rumbled with a shriek of pain. Fate opened her eyes as Jessie drove her sword deep into the monster’s back.
An even greater fear filled Fate when the snake struck Jessie from behind. “Look out!” she screamed.
Jessie whirled round, blocked the snake’s bite with her protected forearm then launched skyward. “Here kitty, kitty,” Jessie said, her tone playful, “Come and get me.”
The Chimera leaped into the air, its leathery wings flapping furiously as it chased after Jessie.
“Jessie, no!” Fate cried, choking on her tears. Her heart was racing and her breath had accelerated into short, painful bursts. Panic had set in. After seeing Mason swatted out of the air like an insect, she feared Jessie would meet the same end. She’d never felt more helpless than at that moment.
Fate drew her bloody leg to her chest and pressed on the gash. She winced. Not so much from the physical pain. That, she could handle. The grief seeping into her heart was what she couldn’t bear. If the worst happened to Jessie, she’d never forgive herself.
Fate's Keep (Fate's Journey Book 2) Page 17
