Page 60 of Triplets for the Barbarians

Should they come knocking, I’ll need to be ready. I give Ivo a pale smile. “Buddy, we have to adjust our defense strategy.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve got the big boss in the house. That means he’s headed right this way, and I’m his prized trophy. Had it only been his troops, I might’ve played it differently. But Shaytan and Blaze mean a different kind of business. So, with that in mind, how are we doing in terms of explosive devices and any items that could be turned into explosive devices?”

The sheer terror on Ivo’s face tells me he understands precisely what I intend to do. We did talk about this possible scenario. We just hoped it wouldn’t come to this. As it stands, however, fate has something else in store for me, so I must adjust my course accordingly.

I need to find a way to stay alive and in possession of one functional long-range laser weapon until morning.

That is precisely what Shaytan and Blaze will try to prevent.

Suddenly, a red flash appears on one of the surveillance screens. “Wait, what was that?” I ask, short of breath.

“North gate,” Ivo replies.

The explosion is huge. I see bodies scattered across the ground and patches of molten cobblestone. Everything is black, so much black. Fires burn and spread with frightening speed. Fire Tribe warriors desperately try to stop the flames from burning them alive.

It’s about to get worse.

24

Fadai

I’m hit.

The pain burns through my whole left side, and I can barely feel my arm. I smell burnt flesh, and there’s at least one broken bone.

I don’t know how much more of this I can take, and the weight currently damn near crushing me will end me before I can escape.

“Dammit,” I gasp for air as I worm my way out of a pile of still-burning bodies.

I shut off my brain—the part that recognizes the people I’m trying to get past. Whatever the Sky Tribe threw at us was one hell of an explosive device loaded with some kind of fuel. It’s still burning. Still consuming the fallen.

And I’m wriggling like an eel until I manage to break free, and then I roll over until the last of the flames on my body are out. Bits and pieces of my uniform remain, mostly blackened. My burns sting, and each bloody movement brings fresh pain, but I have to keep going.

Ignoring the moans and cries for help, I play dead in the shadow of a collapsed building, watching the Sky Tribe soldiers come into the city. There’s a platoon tasked with pushing carts along—each loaded with similar explosive devices. They look like giant balls made of steel and obsidian, but I can see the ruby-colored fuel glimmering inside. Each ball comes with a detonating device with a light that blinks red until it’s detonated.

I saw one such light turn green before that dreaded explosion.

Before I almost died.

I hold my breath altogether as I realize that most of my men are dead. Almost five hundred were gunned down or burned to a crisp. Broken. Mangled. Stabbed. The others have pulled back, slipping through the streets in the hope that they might ambush the enemy before they reach the western gate.

I only need a minute to realize it won’t end well for them, either. The Sky Tribe troops outnumber us and are far better equipped. They broke through the labyrinth with amazing speed. They knew what to expect, and they saw most of the traps coming. An invasion we’d hoped would last at least twelve hours ended up taking at most one hour.

We didn’t stand a chance, even with reinforcements.

“Oh, no,” I hear myself whisper at the sight of Shaytan Hull and Blaze Pyrin coming into the city.

I see their red faces and smug smiles, and their heavy armor jingles with each decisive step. Ignoring the pain that courses through me, I carefully crawl farther out of their sight, but I keep my focus on them.

“Spread out,” Shaytan tells a few of his guards. “Kill anyone still breathing.”

“This place looks nice,” Blaze says, admiring his surroundings. I’d assume he’s talking about Opal City itself, but the delight he takes from the sight of bodies everywhere tells me he is as sick and as twisted as his blood brother and commander-in-chief. “It’ll look even better when they’re all turned to ash, and we’ll have the city to ourselves.”

The soldiers spread out as instructed. Any man they find still breathing is summarily executed with a single laser shot to the head. To my shame, I play dead as they rush past me in search of other survivors, but as soon as I’m in the clear, I somehow find whatever strength is left in me to tail Shaytan and Blaze. They’re too busy gloating and looking ahead to worry about one of the Kreek brothers following them.

“Remember, boys! I'll give a thousand gold credits to anyone who brings me Yossul’s or Fadai’s head!” Shaytan shouts, and his men respond with gleeful grunts and yells.

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