Valkyria

by Ink Blood

  “I’m sorry, Haze. I really am.”

  He pulled her close and held her tightly. What a stupid idea this was. I got us both killed.

  Bullets started raining down upon the courtyard from above. The Creatures were being torn apart by the gunfire. Search lights, appearing out of nowhere, illuminated the ground, moving in every direction.

  Einar gazed upwards to see a huge airship flying above them, the search lights blinding him from being able to see it clearly.

  “Stay there,” shouted a voice, crackling as if coming through a speaker. “We will pick you up in a minute!”

  *~*~*

  29

  NATE

  “Just one more good turn,” said Nate, his arms aching as he twisted the final bolt into place, finally attaching the new main cannon to the Seadawn.

  He and Charles had not left the airship for hours, both of them dripping in sweat and panting like a dog. The metal sheets had been welded on to the body of the airship, and the old rifle had been replaced with a cannon that could fire at twice the rate.

  “She is certainly beautiful,” said Charles as he stepped back, admiring the finished product of their labor. “And she will definitely be able to defend herself now!”

  “I have to say it,” said Nate. “I think we have really out-done ourselves this time.”

  He turned to Charles and smiled, whilst Charles nodded, a grin stretching across his wrinkled face.

  “I need some air,” said Charles as he turned away from the airship. “Shall we go and take a look out the observation deck? I hear the view is great.”

  He let out a bellowing laugh, his stomach shaking. Nate nodded and followed him to the hangar bay doors, back into the main corridor of the Valkyria.

  As they walked along, he could still hear the yapping of Ruby, the sound scratching at his bones as he thought about how angry Anastasia had been. How could I have been so stupid?

  “Are you thinking about the Captain’s sister again? What was her name?”

  “Anastasia,” said Nate, a bit more forceful than he had meant to.

  “Ah yes, that was it. You know, you should just go and apologize to her. Clear the air, so to speak.”

  Nate shook his head, tired of hearing advice about how to deal with Anastasia.

  “I can handle it,” he said.

  “Oh of course, you handled it perfectly well last time, did you not?”

  Never before had Nate wanted to punch Charles in the back of the head quite as much. What do you know? You have been alone your entire life.

  “I know what you are thinking,” said Charles. “I can see it from the look on your face. You think that because I never married I know nothing of the intricacies of youthful relationships, correct?”

  How do you do that? How do you always know what I am thinking?

  “You have known me for a very long time, my boy,” Charles continued. “But you have not known me for my entire life. I was your age once, and there was a girl in my life that I longed for just the same as you do now.

  For years I tried in vain to have her notice me. I would try to force conversation, ask to borrow things just so that I could be near her. It was rather pathetic really…”

  They reached the top of the central staircase and Charles opened the steel door, revealing a huge empty room with windows all around. The sky was empty, the darkness of night pierced only by the light of the moon and stars.

  “One day, I decided that enough was enough. I went to her home with a freshly cooked rabbit stew, and we sat and talked for hours. For months I would go to her house and we would just talk, until one day things became serious between us, and I never looked back.”

  Nate titled his head to one side, taken aback by the story.

  “So, what happened to her?”

  Charles dropped his head, looking at the ground. He raised his arm and wiped his sleeve across his face.

  “My darling Delilah took ill about two years before I met you. She was carrying our child at the time, but the illness took them both.”

  Nate reached an arm forward, but found that he could not place it onto Charles’ shoulder. Instead, he pulled it back and sighed deeply.

  “I am so sorry Charles. I never knew.”

  “That would be because I never told you, my boy,” he replied, wiping his face again before breathing heavily and standing upright once more. “The point is, no matter how it ended, I would not give up a second of my life with her. Do not let foolish pride or cowardice stop you from talking to Anastasia.”

  Charles strolled over to a window on the right of the observation deck, with Nate following close behind.

  “Take every chance you get in life, and hold on to it for all it is worth, boy. Otherwise, you will live in regret until your dying breath.”

  Nate looked out into the night sky, trying to find some articulate words to say to his friend, to try and heal the pain in Charles’ eyes. As he gazed outside, he noticed a bright orange light on the ground.

  “What is that?”

  He turned to Charles, only to see that he had already ran to one of the binocular stands and was staring down at the light as well.

  “A fire,” said Charles. “There is a compound of some sort. It looks as though it is under attack.”

  “We should tell Irving!”

  “I agree,” said Charles, and they ran from the observation deck, down the stairwell again. What kind of compound is it? Who is attacking it?

  “I thought we were flying over the Ringlands,” said Nate. “Who would attack a compound here? This is Inquisition territory!”

  “Whoever it is, they must have a death wish!”

  Nate crashed through the door onto the bridge, the crew turning around sharply, glaring at him.

  “Captain! Someone is under attack!”

  “We already know,” said Irving. “They are warming up the search lights as we speak.”

  “Who would be so foolish as to attack a compound here?”

  “They are not being attack by a person,” said Irving as the spotlights outside the cabin light up. “Take a look for yourself.”

  Irving passed a telescope to Nate, who placed it to his eye and stared out of the window. Through the flames, he could see five buildings arranged in a square. The central courtyard was filled with bodies, some dead and some racing around, the skin peeling off them as they ran.

  “Creatures!”

  “That is correct,” said Irving.

  Nate looked through the telescope again, moving his vision around the compound. Vehicles were toppled over, burning wildly. As he watched, he saw two people run out of a building on the left and move across the courtyard until the Creatures turned and surrounded them. Nate looked up from the telescope, and turned to Irving.

  “We have to help them!”

  “Agreed,” said Irving. “They are most certainly civilians. Shine the search lights around the courtyard! Move them around so that the Creatures get confused!”

  “Yes, sir” said one of the crew members, who then proceeded to turn and adjust various dials on his control panel. The lights began to move erratically, going left then moving right again.

  “Nate. Charles. Is the Seadawn able to fly?”

  “Yes, sir” said Charles.

  “Good. She is probably the only ship onboard that can get down there in time. Nate, take her down there and get those two out of there!”

  “What about other survivors?”

  “If the Creatures are surrounding them, then they are almost certainly the only living people left. Now hurry down there, before it is too late!”

  “Yes, sir,” said Nate as he span on his ankles and ran toward the door.

  “Wait,” said Charles. “I will come too. You will need a gunner to keep those things at bay.”

  Nate nodded. His heart was racing so fast it felt as though it was going to tear his chest apart. Creatures? Why did it have to be Creatures?

  He and Charles ran from the bridg
e as Irving picked up a microphone.

  “Stay there,” he said, his voice booming and echoing outside of the Valkyria. “We will pick you up in a minute.”

  *~*~*

  30

  NATE

  The Seadawn’s engines rumbled as the propeller blades begin to spin, the cockpit vibrating violent. Nate gripped the handle of the navigation control, whilst Charles checked over the ammunition feed for the cannon. They both pulled their goggles over their faces and Nate signaled to the launch bay crew to remove the shackles holding the Seadawn in place.

  The airship rolled forward. Nate moved the handle to the left so that the Seadawn turned toward the hangar bay doors. Giant cogs on each side of the huge metal doors creaked as they started to turn, opening the hangar bay to the night sky.

  “Seadawn, your flight path is clear,” said the flight crew. Nate gave a salute and pushed the handle forward. The Seadawn’s engines roared as it began to move forward, gaining speed with every second. The hangar bay doors shot pass the cockpit’s windows, being replaced with darkness, stars and the open sky.

  As the Seadawn turned, Nate saw the fires below them, and the search lights dancing around the courtyard.

  “They are distracting the Creatures,” said Charles. “Hurry up and get us down there!”

  Nate pushed the nose the Seadawn downward, taking the airship into a near vertical dive. The ground seemed to rush closer toward them, as if ready to punch them with all its might. At the last minute, Nate pulled back on the handle, the Seadawn groaning as it forced itself horizontal again, inches from the ground.

  “Haha! What did I tell you, boy? This girl’s the best airship in Rhythlan!”

  Nate laughed, relieved that the maneuver had worked so well. The trees sped past them as he darted the Seadawn along the dirt track toward the compound.

  “We are almost there,” he said. “Get ready with the cannon!”

  “Aye aye! Those damnable Creatures won’t know what hit them!”

  The Seadawn burst through the remains of the compound’s front gate, the noise drawing the attention of the Creatures. Nate span the airship around and brought it to a stop, landing in the middle of the courtyard, a few steps away from the civilians.

  “Fire!”

  “No need to tell me twice,” said Charles as he squeezed the cannon’s trigger. The barrel began to spin round, the ammunition feed replacing the bullets fired almost instantly.

  Charles span the cannon around from left to right, clearing out as many creatures as he could. Nate opened the loading hatch for the bomb bay.

  “Come on,” he said to the civilians. “Get in before more come!”

  He watched as the man pulled the woman along, running toward the Seadawn, but the Creatures were gathering behind them, coming out of the buildings. More and more spilled out, flooding the courtyard in seconds.

  “Hurry it up,” shouted Charles as he continued to fire the cannon. “There are a lot of them back here!”

  The two civilians were getting closer, but the Creatures were gaining on them.

  “Nate! You are going to have to take off as soon as they are on board! Do not wait!”

  Nate’s hands were dripping with sweat, his grip tight around the handle of the airship. The civilians were close.

  “Get off of me!”

  Nate turned his head around to see a Creature had smashed through the glass of the cockpit and was trying to reach Charles. Nate reached for his pistol, but it was too late. The Creature bit deep into Charles’ arm as Charles shot it point blank in the face with his own pistol.

  “Damn you,” Charles screamed as he span the cannon around and continued to mow down the other Creatures. In the middle of the Seadawn, between Charles and Nate, the two civilians jumped on board.

  “Now,” screamed Charles, and Nate pulled back hard on the handle. The Seadawn rose, Charles continuing to fire the cannon as they rose into the air. Nate turned the airship toward the Valkyria, landing it as fast as he could, the Seadawn scrapping across the hangar bay’s floor until it finally stopped.

  Crew men and armed guards quickly surrounded the airship as Nate opened the bomb bay. He leapt from his seat and ran past the two civilians to Charles’ side. He was bleeding profusely, covering the gaping wound in his arm.

  “Charles!”

  “Well that certainly was not what I had planned,” said Charles, a hollow laugh escaping him. Charles looked over at the civilians, as did Nate.

  They were looking around in every direction until the guards came and told them to get out of the airship.

  “At least we got them out of that hell hole,” said Charles.

  Nate turned back to his friend and saw a tear fall from his eye. He had never seen Charles cry before; not truly. Charles placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “You did well, my boy. That was great flying.”

  His voice was empty, but sincere. More tears began to escape him as he pulled Nate close and put an arm around him.

  “You have been my greatest friend, boy. But you know what happens if a Creature does not kill you.”

  If they do not kill you, they take you. Everyone knew the way the Creatures were. If they hurt you but you managed to get away, in the end you become one of them.

  “I do not want to be one of those things,” said Charles. “Living in a pack, running around and eating people? That is not the way I want to live.”

  Charles let go of Nate and reached down to the side of his seat, picking up his pistol. He never took his eyes away from Nate’s.

  “The Seadawn,” he said, “is yours now. Keep her safe, and do not let anyone take you for a fool.”

  Nate could feel the warmth of his own tears streaming down his face as his body began to shake. Charles lifted the pistol toward his head, but his arm dropped to his lap before he could take aim. His head slumped forward, sweat dripping from his face.

  “It would seem I do not have the strength left in me,” he said, as he turned to look at Nate. “I am sorry my boy, but you are going to have to do it.”

  Nate shook his head, unable to find any words to speak. His hands were trembling. Charles gave a weak smile.

  “I know you do not want to, but please do this Nate. You will be saving me. You know that.”

  Nate did know that, but it did not make the act any easier. After a few moments, he grasped the pistol and lifted it to Charles’ head.

  “Good boy. You truly are my best friend.”

  “As are you Charles,” said Nate. “And you always will be.”

  Nate squeezed the trigger, the blast echoing throughout the hangar bay. Charles slumped forward, Nate catching him in his arms.

  “You always will be,” he said.

  *~*~*

  31

  SERAN

  It seemed to have taken less time to row back to Esterland, Seran tying the row boat to the docks behind a large cargo ship so that he would not be seen. The town had come to life once again, bustling with the consistent sound of a crowd, like bees buzzing around their hive.

  He made his way through the town, avoiding the inn he had previously stayed in, instead strolling through the tall stone buildings into the center of the town. However, there seemed to be a higher number of Inquisition soldiers patrolling the streets than before. Seran located his steamcar and climbed inside, relaxing in the driver’s seat as he examined the town.

  The liveliness of Argent seemed to have been sucked dry, replaced by an overbearing sense of dread. The men and women of the town seemed to hurry from place to place, avoiding eye contact with the Inquisition’s guards. Even the horses that pulled some of the hansom cabs seemed to look at the floor rather than where they were headed. Rain clouds filled the sky, covering the town in a shade of grey, only adding to the somber mood that seemed to envelope the citizens.

  “They say the entire compound was overrun,” said a young man to his friend as they passed by the car.

  “I heard,” replied his friend. “Ap
parently there were no survivors…”

  “Mary’s brother was stationed there,” said the first man, “was he not?”

  “I believe so. We should see how she is coping.”

  Seran listened carefully, trying to piece together what had happened to fill the town with such a sense of sadness. Another group of people walked past the steamcar, an older lady speaking with a very agitated voice.

  “If they cannot even protect their own men, what would happen if those things ever came here?”

  “Honestly,” said a man in a suit, “I do not think the Creatures will ever be able to break through Argent’s walls, mother.”

  Seran shivered, his legs suddenly feeling weak. In his head, images of Eerhart’s manor began to repeat once again. Very few people had come face to face with Creatures and lived to tell the tale, and after the events of the manor, he never wanted to see those faces again.

  No matter how much training he had been given as a Dragoon, the sight of those monsters was far worse that he had ever imagined.

  As he continued to watch the citizens of Argent gossip and mope, he noticed a group of Inquisition soldiers walk down the street. They seemed to march in formation, with two people in the middle of the group; the cloaked man and the young lady that had been with them.

  Seran sat up in the driver’s seat and watched carefully as the two were lead to a steamcar. It was a long model of steamcar, with a golden trim. A driver sat in the car, awaiting his passengers.

  They climbed in and the cloaked man spoke to the driver before the steamcar drove away toward the eastern gate of the town. Seran waited for the Inquisition soldiers to disperse before starting the engine of his own steamcar, turning down the same road.

  “Where are you two going now?”

  They were a few streets ahead of him, and reached the gate quickly. The large sheets of metal parted to allow their car to exit, and Seran followed them out of the town.

  “Let us see what else I can learn from you…”

  *~*~*

  32

  EINAR

  Einar rubbed the dust and dirt from his face as he watched Haze sleeping on a bed that folded out of the wall. Tears slowly fell from his eyes. I just wanted to find Alexia, and now I’ve gotten both Haze and myself stuck in this mess.