The Hunted

by Andrew Wichland

  With the lights dimmed and his helmet extended, Robin watched as Adam pulled up a holo comms channel, which he was trying to project between two rods. “So, who is this again?” he asked.

  “They call him the Ice Raider,” Adam answered. “He’s one of the most revered and respected leaders the Raiders have ever had. Before he came, they were a disorganized, divided clan of thieves, stealing from anyone weaker than themselves. Then he came and united us—made us live by a code to be more than what we were,” he continued.

  “You sound like you admire him,” he commented.

  Adam looked at his brother. “I should,” he answered. “When my parents were killed by the Black Dragon’s forces, he took me in and raised me.” He turned back to the comm unit.

  “Who is he?” LJ asked, now in his armor.

  “He is simply known,” Adam said, glancing at him, “as the Ice Raider.” Static came over the line then and the picture turned fuzzy. “Blue Ice calling Ice Raider. Come in, Ice Raider,” he called in to the picture. There was no answer. “Blue Ice calling Ice Raider. Come in, Ice Raider,” Adam repeated.

  There was flicker, and then a face appeared on the holo screen. Its light blue eyes gazed out at them from skin that seemed to be made of blueish-clear ice that reflected the light of the room it was in. The creature’s earless and hairless head swept back with the curve of its forehead, and it had a strong, angled jawline.

  A Chillania on a desert section of a planet, Robin thought. Hope he doesn’t melt.

  “Blue Ice, this is the Ice Raider,” the creature said in a surprisingly deep voice. “Good to see and hear from you, my boy.”

  “It’s good to see you, too, sir,” Adam said.

  “Did you find Savic’s stash yet?” the Ice Raider asked.

  “No, sir,” Adam replied and, if it were possible, the Ice Raider’s face hardened, “but I just learned the Black Dragon’s forces are moving on the city—”

  “Then I suggest you get out of there while you can,” the Ice Raider interrupted him.

  “I am, sir. It’s just that there are people here who need help getting out, as well.”

  “We don’t have time for that, my boy,” the Ice Raider replied. “If the Black Dragon’s forces are marching in, as you say, we have to get off this planet and fast.”

  “If you don’t help, these kids are probably going to die,” Robin said from behind Adam.

  “Who said that?” the Ice Raider demanded. In answer, Adam stepped aside, and the creature looked right at Robin’s silhouette. “Who are you?” he demanded.

  “Someone who cares more than you, apparently,” Robin answered, and the three looked at him in surprise. “If we don’t help these kids, they won’t stand a chance.

  “Adam has told me you united the Raider clans—that they all revere and respect you,” he continued. The Ice Raider’s gaze shifted to his brother and back. “I would think someone who did that would leap at the opportunity to heighten his reputation and defy the Black Dragon. If you help these children in the process, they will always remember who saved them.”

  At his words, silence filled the room. Even the teens and children who were packing paused to look from the projected face to Robin and back.

  “Who are you to say such things to me?” the Ice Raider asked.

  Robin stepped forward into the light. At once, the creature stared in surprise at the armor covering his body. “I am Robin Hood.”

  The Ice Raider’s eyes narrowed. “The same Robin Hood who stole a pair of sky riders from me?” Silence fell once more.

  Robin remained still as Freya, LJ, and Adam eyed him, hoping what they did wouldn’t rob him of this chance of a potential ally and destroy any hope for these people. For an eternity, the seconds seemed to tick by as Robin hoped for the best.

  At long last, a smile grew on the Ice Raider’s lips and he started to laugh. “You’ve got stones, boy. First, you steal from me and now you’re asking for my help to take on the Black Dragon itself,” he finally said. “What do you need?”

  Chapter 28

  The Great Escape

  Once again dressed in desert garb and face coverings, Robin sat on a crate with one leg propped up, facing the door. Behind him, the others helped get the kids ready for travel.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Adam asked.

  Robin, eyed the cave around him. “Was this where the river used to run?”

  Adam nodded as he looked around. “Before, we probably couldn’t even hold our heads above water in this room.”

  “Would Savic have an emergency flush system for the towers?”

  Still looking at the cave around him, Adam said, “More than likely. Even he…” He paused, looking at Robin and then growled, exasperated, “What do you have in mind?”

  Before he could answer the door, the alarm sounded. The response was immediate as the kids seized their weapons and took up hiding positions. Robin drew his blaster pistol, eyes on the door, and then it hissed open, revealing three figures dressed similarly.

  In the middle stood a black leather clad figure with a poncho-like cape draped across his shoulders and a hood over his head. The parts of his body that showed were ice blue and sharp angled in some areas, like he was living crystal or ice. Reaching up, he lowered his hood and the cloth that covered the lower half of his face, revealing the Ice Raider.

  His eyes roamed the room until they found Adam. “Tell the kids to stand down.”

  Adam was silent for a moment before he raised his fist and slowly opened it. At once, the kids and teens stepped or stood into sight, weapons lowered.

  “You trained them well,” the Ice Raider said, eyeing the group, as Little John and Freya, who were dressed and masked like Robin, moved next to him. “So, which one of you is this Robin Hood?”

  “Can you blame us for hiding that?” Little John asked.

  “After all,” Robin said, standing, “pretty soon, we’ll be the most wanted people in the Black Dragon’s empire.” He looked at the other two behind the Ice Raider, whose faces were still covered. “After all, she can’t allow Dragon Knights to exist beyond her control.”

  Blinking with a quiet sound of ice clinking against ice, the creature looked at them before nodding in understanding. “Very well,” he said. “Now, do you have a plan?”

  “You could say that,” Robin said, “but you’ll have to decide for yourself whether to follow it.”

  A short while later, the group stood in a small circle with a diagram of Robin’s plan etched into the ground at their feet.

  He watched as the Ice Raider rubbed his chin in thought. “You certainly are a bold one,” he finally said, “and a strategic mind…”

  “We came up with this together,” Robin said. “I’ve always thought a good leader acts on the opinions of his men.

  “Can we count on your men to help with the distraction?” He pointed to a section of the diagram. “Adam will lead you to where the river has been diverted and blow it.” He slammed his fist into the dirt. “That will provide time for us to get out of the city, and then we’ll meet in the desert where our ship awaits to take us off planet,” Robin finished.

  “How do you plan to get these kids through the gate?” the Ice Raider asked, looking at him again.

  “Did you bring what I asked for?”

  “Yes,” the Ice Raider said with a nod.

  A short while later, Robin was back on a sky rider, once more acting as security for the caravan the Ice Raider had come to the city with. At the front, the creature rode one of the strange horses with Adam at his side. The others were spread out, either riding a sky rider like Robin or driving one of the caravan wagons; the teens and children were scattered and hidden throughout.

  Slowly, they moved toward the southern gateway to the city. Robin’s eyes were locked on the sentinels guarding it, hoping what was about to happen would work and draw them away.

  Inch by inch, they moved toward the gate. Each passing second felt like an eterni
ty until the ground shook. The people around him grabbed whatever they could to stay upright as things fell from market carts.

  Just as he had hoped, the sentinels were called away from their places at the gate. Once they were gone, the caravan moved quickly through, though Robin did not relax until they were all safely outside the city.

  Gunning the engine, he moved to the front next to Adam and the Ice Raider. “Just how many explosives did you use?” he demanded.

  “Plenty,” his brother replied simply.

  They traveled through the desert until the sun started going down. Once the caravan came to a stop, Robin climbed off his rider, scanning the area.

  “Unload!” he barked, and there was a flurry of motion.

  “How long until your ship shows up?” the Ice Raider asked, drawing close as LJ, Freya, and Adam rounded up the kids.

  As if in answer, a roar met their ears. Looking up, they saw the Odysseus come over the horizon, heading right for them.

  “Does that answer your question?” Robin asked as the ship landed. “Let’s get them aboard!” he called out as the hatch opened and Willa appeared, armored. At once, the kids filed up the ramp. Robin turned to the Ice Raider as he and his men kept watch. “I want to thank you for keeping my brother safe.”

  At his words, the creature looked at him, stunned. “You’re Adam’s brother?” he demanded. “Jun’s boy?”

  Before Robin could say anything, someone shouted, “SANDSTORM!” Following where he pointed, they saw the large dust plume headed in their direction.

  After narrowing his eyes behind his shades to focus, they went wide at what he saw. Turning, he looked at Willa, who nodded, confirming she saw the same thing.

  “That’s no sandstorm,” he murmured as his armor expanded up his arm and he slipped out of the loose desert robe. “They’ve found us.”

  Chapter 29

  The Chase

  Climbing on the rider, Robin, back in his armor, barked to the others, “I’ll draw them off!”

  “Are you crazy?” LJ demanded. “On a sky rider? You’ll be torn to pieces—especially with only the weapons you have!”

  Before Robin could answer him, thin cords emerged from his bracelet and connected to the rider. At once, with a sound of metal on metal, the machine began to shift. The section over the tire expanded with a second pair of engines growing out of it. Just in front of his legs, a two lines of missiles popped up; right above them, a pair of cannons emerged, the barrels extending, with another pair popping out right in front of the windshield. The weapons then slid back into place, as if they weren’t even there.

  Looking up, he gave them a grin behind his helmet. “I think I’ll be fine,” he said and revved the engines, the new ones spouting high-heat exhaust.

  “I’m coming with you!” his brother said.

  “Adam,” he started.

  “These kids are here because of me. I am not going to just sit on the sidelines!” he barked.

  Before Robin could object further, a sound met his ears. Eyes traveling down, he watched Adam’s hand become covered in armor.

  Catching sight of it himself, Adam quickly stripped out of his desert robe, and then the armor covered his head. It expanded into a dragon head covered in spikes under the short snout, with a line of long horns protruding from the back of his head.

  For a second, he looked at his armored self. “Any other objections about me not going?” he demanded as he looked at Robin and jabbed his thumb at his armored chest.

  “You’re not driving,” Robin said after a moment of silence, and Adam climbed on behind him. “Now hang on!” The two took off.

  “You could have at least given me time to get a grip!” the passenger barked over the comms as the two sped through the desert, toward the approaching force. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Make them want to chase us!” Robin replied as a targeting system popped up on the screen in front of him.

  For a second, multiple bluish circles swiveled across the screen before they turned red and froze over various targets. After he called up the right weapon, the missile packs popped open again and unleashed their payload.

  Robin watched the barrage of missiles streak through the air before impacting with explosions, either destroying or disabling what they hit, kicking up both sand and smoke in their wake.

  “Hang on!” Robin yelled when they were almost on top of them and put the rider into a roll.

  The guns popped out of the front and fired, and they came out of the roll on the other side of the advancing force and sped off toward the city.

  “What’s the rest of your plan?” Adam asked.

  “Get the civilians out of harm’s way!”

  “How?”

  “The old-fashioned way,” Robin replied as he took aim with the rider blasters and fired.

  As intended, the shots skimmed the top of the wall where no guards patrolled. “Now to knock on those doors.”

  He locked onto them with the last two missiles and fired. They shot from the slot, streaking through the air; smoke from the exhaust trailed behind them before they blew the doors right off the hinges. The smoking and bent metal remains landed hard in the sand. When the dust cleared, all that was left was a gaping hole.

  “You sure have a funny definition of knocking,” Adam said. “Now, what about those guys following us?”

  “Nag, nag, nag,” Robin muttered under his breath as a rear view appeared, blocked by Adam’s dragon-faced helmet. “Lean to the side!” he snapped.

  At once, Adam did so, and in less than a second, Robin had locked onto a pair of armored riders coming after them and fired. Two compartments in the rear section opened, extending two missiles, which launched at their targets, leaving smoldering wrecks in the desert.

  Robin burst through the door. “Whoa!” he barked, bringing the rider to a skidding stop, at the sight of the Knight he had met on Morhoth on a weaponized rider of her own.

  At once, both she and Robin had a plasma saber in hand aimed at each other. He wasn’t sure what her motives were.

  “Another Knight,” his brother said in surprise. “What are you doing? Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “Not from what I gathered at our last meeting,” Robin replied. He then said openly to her, “So, what now?” She remained silent. “Are you just going to attack me like you did last time, or are you going to talk to me this time?”

  For a second, she was still; then her head tilted slightly upward, like she was looking at something behind him.

  Taking a chance, Robin glanced over his shoulder using the rear camera and saw more gun platforms and riders coming their way.

  “Or not listen to you while you stall for time for your allies,” she finally said. Before he could deny her words, she opened fire.

  “I don’t have time for this!” he barked. Gunning the engine, he tore down a side street. “Any suggestions on where to go?”

  “Up the pipes!” Adam barked. “The airships won’t risk damaging the aqueducts—water is worth more than gold here!”

  “Got it!” Robin barked, gaining altitude and keeping close to the pipework, ducking under it whenever a gun platform drew overhead.

  As they rounded one of the towers, they were surrounded by a barrage of blaster fire. The brothers dropped low to avoid them.

  “Two on our tail!” Adam barked, looking behind them.

  Going over his options in his head, Robin shouted, “Take the wheel!”

  “What?” Adam started to protest.

  “Just do it!” Robin snapped, taking his brother’s hands and pushing them onto the handlebars.

  Then, reaching for the small of his back, he drew out his bow. Turning in his seat, he pulled back the string, forming an arrow over Adam’s shoulder. Taking a second to aim, he released the arrow.

  He watched it sail through the air, colliding with the rider head on and blowing it to bits as the pilot fell to the ground.

  “That’s one down,” Robin said, p
ulling back the string and forming another arrow. “And one…to…go!” he said as he fired again.

  He hit the other rider, sending it, like the other, into a fiery wreck to the ground below.

  He turned back in time to see more riders coming at them. “Hang on!” he barked, taking the controls again and rolling the sky rider onto its side, where he opened fire with the forward blasters just as they were fired upon.

  “They’re trying to bring us into the open,” Robin said as he glanced behind and saw their pursuers make a quick U-turn after them, “so the gun ships will have a clean shot!”

  “Any ideas?” Adam barked.

  Robin glanced around, trying to think of something. Then he saw it. After coming to a skidding stop in midair, he shot off towards the towers. “The towers belong to Savic, right?”

  “Right!”

  “And what would happen if they were knocked down?”

  For a second, he was silent as the pair sped on. “You can do that?”

  “Anyone can do anything when they put their mind to it!” Robin replied.

  Before Adam could respond, his brother again put the rider into a roll. Once upside-down, the weapons platform he had seen coming up to meet them appeared; his plasma saber shot into his hand as the forward cannons opened fire. The people on the platform dove for cover under his barrage of blaster cannon fire.

  It gave Robin time to drop low, igniting the blade of his sword and using it to make a deep cut down the middle of the platform. When he rolled over, clearing the other side, there was an explosion as the platform split in half, catching one of the riders pursing them. Both wrecks fell to the ground below, and the platform pieces crashed into the base of one of the towers.

  Robin and Adam circled up and around the second tower, the plasma saber now back on Robin’s hip. Coming to a stop at the top one foot on the ground, he looked over at the other tower as a loud, metallic groaning met their ears.

  At a clang to their side, the two turned and saw the other Knight. Again, she pointed her weapon at them.

  “What’s your game?” she demanded. “First, you try to ambush me with your allies and now you destroy these people’s water supply!” She turned as more of the riders that had been chasing them appeared over the edge, leveling weapons. “And now you think to trap me!”