Blaze (The High-Born Epic) (29 page)

             
The floor rattled as a ring of fire appeared in the hallway, and the flames coalesced in on themselves to form into The Blazing Knight with a terrified and screaming High-Born at his feet.  The knight spun and swung his sword and the concrete walls of the hallway erupted into fire.  He grabbed the High-Born at his feet, and began dragging him by his hair down the hallway.

             
“Where Are The Children!” the fiery warrior shouted, his voice was so loud that it vibrated the walls.

             
A High-Born in dress uniform peeked out of his door down the hallway.  He saw a flaming man focus his horrible eyes on him, and he saw him throw another High-Born at him.  The soldier in dress uniform slammed his door, as he heard the other High-Born crash into the wall.  He frantically pulled down a rail gun from a placard on the wall, and he thought he heard something pop behind him.  He found a clip of rail spikes in his desk drawer.  As he put the clip into the breach, he saw a flash of flame and sparks and molten metal splattered all over him as the barrel of his gun disintegrated.

             
Several High-Born in dress uniforms ran into the hallway to see one of their kind lying on the floor writhing in pain with most of his hair on fire.  The door next to where he was lying suddenly flew across the hall and another High-Born crashed into the opposite wall.  All of them began running when a fiery beast walked out of his office, and seized their commanding officer by the throat, lifting him so he could see his glowing eyes.  Water and some sort of white substance began falling all throughout the hallway.

             
“Where Are The Children!” he shouted again as the water sizzled and popped all over him.

             
The officer managed to strangle, “I... don’t... know what you’re talking about.”

             
“Where are the children you and your kind stole last night?” he shouted, and released his grip, letting him fall in a heap.  He raised his sword.

             
“They aren’t here!” the High-Born officer shouted as he flung his arms up in a vain attempt to protect himself.

             
The water and foam tried to smother the flames, but they could not, and The Blazing Knight held his burning sword close to the High-Born’s throat, letting the heat scald his face.

             
“If you want to live to see tomorrow,” the flaming creature said as the High-Born squirmed under his intense heat.  “Then you will take me to them.  I have saved a gunship for you to pilot.”

             
The Blazing Knight turned his head as he heard running footsteps coming from both ends of the slightly curved hallway.  A High-Born in full battle gear ran around the corner to see two of his kin lying in the hall.  Flames exploded in front of him, and a flaming sword streaked in his field of vision and he fell, never to rise again.

             
The knight’s head turned and he saw a squad of High-Born soldiers farther down the hall raise their rifles, but he was already gone.  He appeared behind them as they fired on the spot where he had just been.  He stepped forward, spinning and slashing with his katana.  The High-Born fell in twisting piles around him seeming to be nothing but flesh mingled with molten armor.  The final two soldiers barely even had a chance to face him before he was on them.  After just a few seconds, they also fell and ten High-Born soldiers lay at his feet.  He took only a moment to notice that they were all dead.

             
The Blazing Knight air-burned back to the spot where the officer was squirming.  He noticed that the soldier had nearly regained his feet, but the flaming knight kicked him in the back of his knee and he fell back to the ground.  More High-Born soldiers began running around the opposite corner, but the knight had already disappeared.

             
…A flaming dervish appeared behind the squad of High-Born grunts, and as two of them turned to face him, a wall of flame washed over the entire group.  Then they all began screaming and flailing about, and after just a few more moments, none of them were anything more than ash and molten metal.  The Blazing Knight stomped through the fires; the falling water, and the white foam back to the officer and the other High-Born who was still clutching his ankle.

             
The flaming creature’s boots clanked against the floor beneath him as he neared them and his flames began racing and popping all over his armor.  He shouted as he raised his foot and smashed the floor, causing it to shudder.  He raised his foot again and stomped harder, and a spider-web of cracks formed in the concrete.  He leaped into the air and brought down both of his feet and the floor shattered.  Steel and concrete bounced around him as he landed on the floor beneath.

             
He stepped forward, opening his palm, and a runnel of flames rocketed down the hallway toward several armed High-Born grunts.  Then he spun around, swinging his sword, and more flames shot down the hallway, devouring another squad of soldiers.  The Blazing Knight whirled, pouring his righteous anger into his waves of flames.  The immediate surroundings began to burn fiercely and he air-burned to the floor above him, to stand in front of the High-Born officer.

             
The floor of the hallway was nearly covered in water and white foam now, but it only seemed to make the fires flicker in anger.  He reached to the heat on the floor below him, and pulled on it.  It was as if a volcano erupted and roaring flames surged from the hole, and the two High-Born crept away on their knees, covering their heads as they scurried away.  As the flames raced over the ceiling, The Blazing Knight arched over backwards, shouting, and the entire floor shook as an explosion sounded from below, rattling the crawling High-Born to the ground.  As the knight tromped down the fiery hallway, all of the raging fire around him growled in anger.

             
He tucked his sword into his scabbard and stopped in front of the cowering High-Born driver and officer.  He grabbed them both and all three of them flashed out of existence.

             
Suddenly, the scenery changed and they were all outside in the plaza.  Just a few yards to their right was a gunship that several High-Born soldiers were beginning to enter.  The Blazing Knight thundered out of sight, and suddenly flashed beside them, hacking and slashing.  Three more High-Born grunts hit the ground, and the pilot flew out the side of it, screaming as he hit the ground, bouncing and skipping across it. 

             
The knight leaped out to the injured driver and the High-Born officer.  He tossed the driver into the gunship first, and then air-burned into the ship with the officer.  As he set the officer down into the seat, he looked at the plaza.  Dozens of High-Born, both armed and unarmed were pouring out of the building.

             
He looked at the High-Born officer, “Get this thing in the air.”

             
The soaked officer didn’t waste any time and began flipping switches and pressing the lit symbols on the panel in front of him.

             
“You could have avoided all of this,” the knight glanced at the driver whose ankle was clearly broken.  “All I wanted was the children.  But you thought I was actually going to fall for your trap.”

             
“What are you?” the officer asked as he wiped some foam off his face and pulled back on the control stick.

             
“Harold,” he answered as the gunship moved into the sky.

             
A fireball rocketed out of the side of the building, and glass and steel fell into the scattering crowd of High-Born as they banked around, heading toward the northeast.

             
“Take me to the children,” he said as he made his eyes glow orange.  “Or I swear I will burn you to death... slowly.”

             
The wide-eyed officer slowly nodded his head as the other High-Born grunted in pain behind them.

             
“Where are they?” the knight asked.

             
“About twenty minutes away,” the High-Born answered.

             
“If they are not exactly where you say they are, I promise you will be the last one to die.”

             
“They will be there,” the officer seemed too scared to look at him.

             
“How many soldiers and gunships and tanks will be there?” he asked as he doused his fire.

             
“I’m not sure,” the officer looked at Harold who narrowed his eyes.  “Somewhere between 200 and 250 soldiers, and probably a dozen or so gunships, and maybe two or three tanks.”

Chapter 26

              As they traveled toward the northeast, Harold watched both of them carefully.  The High-Born that had led him into the trap was lying on his back with his knee bent, and holding his ruined ankle with both hands.  Most of his hair had been burned off and he was sweating profusely and grimacing painfully, but Harold could tell that he was beginning to regain his senses.

             
“What do you think about this sword now?” Harold said and showed it to him.

             
He just glared at Harold.

             
“What’s your name?” Harold asked him.

             
He just turned and looked back to the roof of the gunship.

             
“Fine,” Harold said and turned his attention to the officer.  “What’s your name?”

             
“I’m Lieutenant Spann,” he replied.

             
“Why did y’all take the children?” Harold asked.  “And don’t lie to me.”

             
The Lieutenant regarded him for a moment before he said, “Different reasons.”

             
“Tell me all of the reasons,” Harold said as he sat down in the seat next him.

             
The Lieutenant nearly grimaced when said, “Some will be sold... Others will be used for experimentation.”

             
Harold nodded understandingly, and they all three were silent for several moments.

             
“Did you know that I love some of them?” Harold said so calmly that the High-Born shuffled in his seat.

             
“That is regrettable,” Lieutenant Spann replied.

             
“Yes, it is,” Harold said as he glanced at the treetops rushing below them.  “Do the High-Born know anything about that?” Harold continued.

             
“About what?” he asked.

             
“About love?” Harold said.

             
Lieutenant Spann just glanced at Harold and then back to the scenery rushing below them.

             
“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” Harold said.  “You better do exactly what I say, because I’m really in a bad mood now.  How much longer until we get there?”

             
“About ten more minutes,” he said and pointed to a blinking red dot on the monitor in front of him.

             
Harold looked at the monitor and couldn’t help noticing how much it looked like a Cartesian Plane.  There was a red dot near the top of the screen, but it was slowly, almost imperceptibly moving closer to the center which had a green dot in it.  Harold also noticed that there were some light-green configurations around the green dot.  He looked at the scenery in front of him and noticed that the green patterns mirrored the treetops as they slid beneath the grid.

             
Harold looked out of the windshield, and glanced back and forth.  They were not flying as high as they had in his trip from Foxx Hole to the city, so he couldn’t see as far, but he did manage to catch a glimpse of large body of water off to his right.

             
“So how many slaves do you have?” Harold asked the lieutenant.

             
“None,” he replied.

             
“Have you ever had any?” Harold asked.

             
He hesitated and then seemed to think better about lying, “Yes.”

             
“How many?” Harold asked.

             
“About a dozen or so,” he answered.

             
“What happened to them?” Harold regarded him from beneath his helmet.

             
“I sold them,” he said.

             
“After you had used them up, right?” Harold asked.

             
The lieutenant looked at him fearfully, and just gave a slight nod.

             
“You’ve obviously figured out that I’m a Low-Born,” Harold said.  “So, one thing I wonder about y’all so called High-Born... With the strength and machinery y’all have, y’all can do work much faster and easier,” Harold mockingly tapped his chin in thought.  “So, why do you keep slaves?”