by J. J. Green
“Slow down,” Carina said as the mages approached the rear of the cave. She comm’d Atoi for an update.
It was several moments before her old friend replied. “Shit, it’s not good, Car. They’ve got us pinned down. Cadwallader laid an ambush, the son-of-a-bitch.”
The fizz and hiss of pulse fire sounded over the comm.
“Roger,” Carina said. “Coming in.”
“No,” said Atoi. “Wait there. We don’t need rescuing by a bunch of kids.”
“We can help.”
“Negative,” Atoi said. “I repeat, negative. Do not advance. The area is not secure.”
“Yeah,” said Carina. “I’m not a Black Dog anymore.” She closed the comm and opened another to the mages. “We need to go in and rescue our troops.”
“Yes!” Oriana exclaimed. “Let’s do it.”
The six mages walked through the aperture at the back of the cave, where the floor sloped sharply downward. Carina went first into the gap. She crouched down and signaled to the others to do the same. They advanced more slowly.
The EVA suits gave out next to no heat and here, where the natural light levels were very low, they would reflect little light for the night vision to pick up. The enemy troops—and they themselves—would be hard to see.
Though there was little natural light, occasional bursts of pulse fire had radiated up the—
She’d seen something! For an instant, the flash of a pulse in the distance had bounced off a small, domed surface just beyond a rocky protrusion into the passage. The dome was too smooth and regular to be natural. It had to be the helmet of a merc Cadwallader had stationed there to wait for them.
Carina lifted her weapon to her shoulder. She could Cast Enthrall in the vicinity she’d seen the helmet but without a clear line of sight she couldn’t be completely confident it would work, and the only way to find out would be to expose one of them to attack.
She aimed in roughly the right direction, and waited.
Another flash came.
She fired.
Had she hit the waiting merc?
“Why are you shooting?” asked Castiel. “We’re the mages. We should be Casting.”
Ignoring him, she said, “I’m going forward. Stay back until I tell you it’s okay to join me. If I get killed, retreat.” Maintaining her crouch, she went deeper into the tunnel. Behind the protrusion, she found the merc she’d shot. He gave a wave.
Carina comm’d the mages. “Okay, advance.”
Cadwallader’s response to the signal from the EVA suit of the downed merc was immediate. Troops came running up the tunnel to meet them. Carina shot one but missed the other, who carried on firing.
“I’m wounded!” yelled Ferne.
Suddenly, the remaining merc stopped dead and dropped her weapon.
“I Enthralled her,” Parthenia said.
“So did I,” said Oriana.
“And me,” added Castiel.
The poor soldier had been hit with three Enthrall Casts at once. Carina gently moved her to the side of the tunnel and made a mental note to make sure she would be guided back to the shuttle and not left behind. She would probably be out for a while.
Five of the enemy lay dead behind them, one in front of them, and one more had been incapacitated. Cadwallader was getting low on troops. He probably barely had enough to keep Atoi’s group locked down.
Carina realized he wouldn’t have received a signal from the Enthralled merc’s suit. Physically, she was absolutely fine, and no pulse rounds had hit her as far as Carina knew. Cadwallader might think the tunnel remained defended.
The mages continued to slowly walk down the pitch-dark tunnel. Even with night vision it was hard to distinguish the way ahead. The craggy walls were drawing in, and soon they were down to single file, with Carina in front.
A stony dead end confronted them, but the flashes from the battle ahead revealed a crack in the wall to the right. Carina told the others to halt. She approached the crack and peeked in. Another blank wall of stone stood only a meter or so away. From the intensity of the flashes of light, the battle seemed to be going on just beyond it around a sharp turn.
Carina guessed that as soon as the mages emerged from the second turn they would be revealed. Yet if they were to be of any use to Atoi’s team, they had to see the opposing troops.
She wished there was a Cast called Seeing Around Corners. She would have to ask Darius if he could invent it. For now, however, there appeared to be only one course of action.
She quickly explained her plan to the mages.
“Stick to my behind like glue,” she said to Darius, who giggled.
“Ready?” she asked.
Five helmets nodded.
“Go!”
Carina ran into the gap in the wall and turned hard right. A wider space opened up. She ran into it, firing. Cadwallader’s troops ranged around the edges, focused on a spot in the corner.
She got off four or five rounds before any of the enemy knew what was happening. She wasn’t sure how many she’d hit. They were turning, but there was no cover, except in the corner where Atoi’s team had to be. She ran toward it, continuing to fire.
WOUNDED RIGHT LEG appeared on her HUD.
The dark space was lit with flashes. Carina didn’t have time to look back at what the kids were doing. Enemy troops in front of her were freezing. Others disappeared entirely.
She was at the corner, running between a gap in the low rocks.
More enemy mercs appeared from the other side. Atoi’s team fired on them.
Where’s Darius?
Carina found her brother beside her, eyes closed.
Two more mages made it to the corner. Two lay on the cavern floor.
“Cease fire,” came Cadwallader’s command over the comm.
Next to Carina, a mage raised their weapon. She recognized Oriana. Reaching out, Carina pushed her sister’s muzzle down.
The mercs who had been pinned down relaxed. The enemy soldiers were all either dead, wounded, not responding because they were Enthralled, or simply gone.
Atoi stood up. “Shit, Car, I thought I told you to stay back.”
“What did you expect me to do? Leave you all to die?”
“I expected you to follow orders,” Atoi said. “If we don’t work as a team we’ll fail. Why do I even have to remind you of that? And they’re kids.” She pointed at the two mages who had been fatalities in the battle. “We don’t expect them to die for us.”
Ferne and Parthenia were rising to their feet.
“They have to learn that it’s a real risk,” said Carina. “They have to learn caution, and maybe we have to work on some better tactics. That’s the point of the rehearsal.”
A heavy hand clapped her on her shoulder. “Lin, Atoi,” said Cadwallader. “Debriefing back on the Duchess.”
One of Atoi’s team pushed roughly past Carina and stomped away.
Her HUD told her it was Bryce.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
As Carina got ready for bed that evening, Bryce was cold and silent. He’d said very little since the rehearsal and even then it had been mostly to the kids. Predictably, Darius was quiet too, picking up on Bryce’s mood.
Carina decided to try to break the tension while the little boy was showering, if only for her brother’s sake. There wasn’t a lot she could do about him being a sponge for the emotions of those around him, but what she could do, she would.
“What’s up with you, Bryce?” she asked, in as neutral a tone as she could manage. He’d been a PITA lately with his irrational jealousy. The future she’d imagined for them both was looking increasingly hazy. She found it hard to be around him without feeling resentful and angry.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing away from her, resting his elbows on his knees. He turned his head, and the look on his face cooled the fire of her annoyance like the fall rain cooled the heat of summer on her home world. He wasn’t pissed at her, he was sad.
&nb
sp; “Where did Carina go?” he asked. “’Cause I don’t know who the hell you are.”
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t answer, only stood up and pulled his shirt off over his head.
“Bryce, answer me,” Carina pressed. “What do you mean, you don’t know who I am? I’m the same person I’ve always been. If anyone’s changed, it’s you.”
He walked into the closet.
“Dammit, don’t walk away from me when I’m trying to talk to you!” she shouted.
“Stars,” he replied, “I’m getting a clean shirt.” He walked out into the bedroom. “This is exactly what I mean. What’s wrong with you? Ever since those mercs came aboard you’ve been cranky and distant. It’s like you’re drawing away from me and the kids.”
“Not this again,” Carina said. “I can’t help it that I knew some of the Black Dogs before I met you, and, yes, some of them are men, and, yes, I do have a ‘history’, as you like to put it, that doesn’t include you. Just like you have a history that doesn’t include me. If you want us to stay together you’re going to have to get over it. I’m not going to act like a stranger to people I know and like just to spare your overly sensitive feelings.”
“I’m not talking about that,” said Bryce. “I’m talking about the way you act, the way you treat the kids. You don’t spend time with them like you used to, and—”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I am trying to plan a raid on the headquarters of one of the most dangerous clans in the sector.”
“And when you do talk to them,” he carried on, “it’s like you don’t care about them.”
“What? Of course I care about them. You know what I’ve been through, the risks I’ve taken, to save them and protect them.”
His remark had hit her core. Angry tears threatened but she swallowed them down, refusing to show any weakness.
“That was in the past. Things are different now. Sure, Darius still has your attention but the others don’t. Look at what happened today. You acted like your brothers and sisters were mercs. They aren’t. They’re just kids, and spoilt, rich kids at that.”
“I realize that. That’s why I’ve been trying to keep them and the mercs apart, but if we’re to stand a chance of getting into the mountain castle—”
“Parthenia and Ferne died.”
“It was a rehearsal!”
“It was a rehearsal for the real thing,” he shouted back. “Is the information you want worth sacrificing those kids’ lives for?”
“Do you have any kind of idea what their lives will be like if we don’t get out of this sector?” asked Carina. “If I don’t find them somewhere safe to live they’ll end up like Ma, or like me, in the gutter and then killing for a living.”
“Oh, please don’t try to tell me how hard you had it,” Bryce said bitterly. “You’re forgetting what my life was like when we met, when I didn’t know if the next day would be my last. Remember who you’re talking to, Carina. But I don’t go belly-aching about it.”
“You’re not a mage! No one is hunting you down for what you can do. Your life is your own. If you want to go back to your family, you can. Mine is gone. Even the mage clan is gone, scattered to the stars. I have to find us a new beginning. If you don’t want to help me, that’s fine. I’m sure your family would love to have you back.”
“Maybe I should go back to them then.”
“Maybe you should.”
Darius walked out of the bathroom in his pajamas, done with his shower. He halted and swayed backward a fraction, as if an invisible wave had washed over him. His eyes widened and he looked from Carina to Bryce. Not a word needed to be said. He’d felt their mutual anger as if it were palpable.
Carina covered her eyes with one hand. Hurting her little brother was the last thing she wanted to do. “Darius, maybe you should stay in Parthenia and Nahla’s room tonight,” she suggested.
“But, I…” Darius’s protest petered out. Even he seemed to think it was a good idea in the circumstances.
“Yeah,” said Bryce. “I’ll take you.”
“No,” Carina said firmly. “I’ll do it.”
She took Darius’s hand and walked with him to the cabin next door, where Parthenia and Nahla were already in bed and reading, tired after the day’s excitement. Parthenia made room for Darius in her bed and Carina kissed him goodnight before leaving.
When she got back to her cabin, Bryce was in bed, lying on his side.
She turned off the light and joined him. They lay facing away from each other and didn’t say another word.
It was some time before Carina slept.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The second rehearsal took place the next day. This time, it was the mages’ turn to lead the attack, if ‘attack’ was the right word to describe what was proposed.
The children didn’t stand a chance of succeeding in a full frontal assault so they were going to try to get past all of Cadwallader’s troops without raising an alarm. If this proved unsuccessful, Atoi’s mercs would try to save them and get them out. As far as Carina could work it out from what Castiel had said about the mountain castle, the backup scenario was a possibility.
The alternative possibility that Castiel was feeding them bullshit was also never far from her mind.
In the initial discussions with Cadwallader about the practice sessions, he’d proposed that the defending troops should behave as if they were unaware of mages and Casting. But Carina had pointed out that Castiel had spent time with the Dirksens, and that their leader, Sable Dirksen, was in all likelihood fully briefed on what mages can do. Carina had insisted that Cadwallader prepare his troops accordingly. She’d also told her siblings they should not expect to surprise anyone with their powers. The only advantage they had was that Sable Dirksen was unlikely to be expecting them to walk right into her headquarters.
Carina and the mages were approaching the cavern, taking an easier route this time, where the slopes were less steep and the loose shale was sparse.
“Darius,” Carina said, “Cloak us.”
Providing they stuck together they would not be seen by Cadwallader’s soldiers for as long as the Cast lasted. In theory, they would be able to explore the entire mountain castle in this manner, but there were several flaws to this plan.
Some days prior, Carina had asked Darius to Cloak himself several times in order to measure how long the Cast lasted. She’d discovered that, unfortunately, the period varied between two and fifteen minutes. Even worse, the Cloaked would not be able to tell when the Cast wore off. The first indication they would have that they were no longer visible might be pulse rounds in their backs. To have any certainty of avoiding detection, Darius would have to Cast Cloak every two minutes. Even for a mage of his powers the exercise would be utterly exhausting if not impossible.
“Car,” came Atoi’s voice over Carina’s comm. “Sitrep.”
“Two minutes from the entrance,” she replied. “No sign of any guards yet. Cloaking up.”
The woman’s request irritated Carina. Did she expect the mages to fail so easily? Carina and her siblings had saved Atoi’s ass only yesterday.
Cadwallader had posted two guards at the entrance, the same as in the previous rehearsal. Carina reasoned that slipping in between them shouldn’t be too hard, Carina reasoned. She didn’t want to Enthrall them if she didn’t have to. Castiel had said Sable Dirksen knew about Enthralling and perhaps she’d informed her military of the signs so they would know when one of their number had been compromised.
As before, Carina took the lead. The rest of the mages formed a tight diamond with Darius at its center. Parthenia took the rear point.
The dark entrance to the cavern gaped in the mountain face. Cadwallader’s two mercs stood on either side, silent, stock-still sentinels.
The mages drew closer, and closer still. Carina was navigating a path that ran exactly between the two soldiers, who stood about fifteen meters apart.
“’Kay, stick t
ight together,” she comm’d. “We’re nearly there.”
The mages walked slowly onward. Cadwallader had set no time limit on the rehearsal and Carina didn’t want to rush and make mistakes.
Before they even reached the entrance, however, they were discovered.
“Halt,” barked a guard over his external comm. “Who goes there?” He raised his weapon and pointed it almost directly at the group of mages.
“Shit,” said Carina. “Stop. Get down low. Ferne, Oriana, Enthrall them both.”
“How does he know we’re here?” Darius asked.
The other guard had caught on and was also aiming at them.
“He heard us,” Carina replied. Though they were wearing EVA suits, the rogue planet had an atmosphere. The guard must have heard the sound of their footfalls in the silence of the barren world. He’d also clearly been briefed about the Cloak Cast.
The first guard fired. The pulse narrowly missed Carina’s helmet.
“Ferne, Oriana?” she said.
“I did him,” said Ferne.
The guard didn’t fire again. And after Oriana’s Cast, the other looked uncertain about why she was holding a weapon.
“Right,” said Carina. “Let’s go. Quiet as you can.”
The mages passed between the two Enthralled guards. They were inside the cavern but already things weren’t going to plan. The first guard had had time to inform Cadwallader about the suspicious sounds outside. The lieutenant colonel would probably already be checking to see if the entrance guards had been Enthralled. A couple of questions would be all it took.
“We have to hurry,” Carina said. “We—”
“Watch out!” shouted Castiel.
Four mercs had popped up from behind rocks inside the cavern to take random shots.
“I’m gonna fire back,” Castiel said.
“No,” Carina replied. “Then they’ll know exactly where we are. All of you, pick the one closest to you and Cast Enthrall.”
A pulse round came perilously close.
“I’ve been hit!” Oriana exclaimed.
Carina closed her eyes to Cast. Maintaining concentration in the circumstances was hard. She split the Enthrall character and sent it to two of the mercs for good measure.
