Page 32 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
Some sort of insect buzzed near his ear. He swatted at it.
What would Hallie do?
Before he could answer the question, leaves and underbrush crunched behind him. He glanced back, ready to berate Stowe for being so careless, but just past Hallie’s father, another figure waited amongst the trees.
A ragged old man stood there, hair a mess, pipe hanging from his lips. His beard was even more unkempt than his hair, and he seemed to be missing several teeth.
“Never thought I’d see yer skinny hide no more,” the man growled. He reminded Kase of a bear—especially in his voluminous furs, though it wasn’t nearly cold enough to justify them. Even his eyes had a feral look about them.
Gone was the odd but jolly old man Kase had met only a few weeks before. Kase had appreciated his help avoiding the Jaydian soldiers last time, and the furs he and Hallie had used as makeshift beds had been quite comfortable. Ossie had even pretended to have a cat to avoid suspicion and was taken in for questioning.
Kase glanced toward the airfields and patrols. They were far enough away to have not heard the man, but Kase didn’t know if soldiers were in the woods. He needed to get the man quiet or on his way quickly. He smiled, the gesture irritating his healing cut, and reached to shake the man’s hand. “Good to see you again.”
He still held the electropistol loosely at his side with his other hand, keeping one eye on the airfields.
Ossie merely looked at his hand and sniffed. His voice was loud enough to wake the dead. “You cost me a pretty sum to get outta there, ya know.”
Stowe didn’t say anything, only watched, his eyes wary. Kase felt the tension in the air more than the slight chill. He looked closer at Ossie. The edges of his eyes were rimmed red, and sweat beaded in the folds of his mature skin above his scraggly beard.
Too much sweat, even with the furs.
Hadn’t Yarrow mentioned something about keeping Ossie stocked with moonshine? And with Yarrow gone…well, he assumed the drink had probably begun to run out.
Kase renewed the grip on his weapon. He didn’t know what Ossie was like normally—whether sober or drunk. Kase had figured he’d been overloaded on drink last time they’d met, but now, he didn’t know what to think. Ossie was clearly going through withdrawal. With the Cerl attack, he probably couldn’t get anything from Nar anyway, even if he’d dared trek down.
Kase stepped back, retracting his hand and setting it on Stowe’s forearm. He smiled again at Ossie.
“Sorry about that.” Kase hoped his voice was placating enough. “I appreciate all you did to help us, really.”
“Except you done killed Yarrow,” Ossie continued, voice raising to a full shout. He pulled something from his pocket. The blade was about as long as Kase’s palm, and the numerous rust spots running along the edge spoke of its age and lack of care.
Well, shocks.
Even if Kase managed to avoid a killing blow, just a scratch would probably give him some violently aggressive disease. Couldn’t think of one at that moment, but whatever it was, it would be painful.
The electropistol in Kase’s hand sparked as he pointed the barrel at Ossie’s chest. “He was a Cerl soldier. He deserved to die.”
Maybe not in the way he had, but his betrayal still stung.
The man yelled something unintelligible, and Kase’s finger hesitated on the trigger. Except Ossie swung the dagger straight at Stowe. Stowe spun, ducking underneath Ossie’s wild stab. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw soldiers begin to move their way.
Kase squeezed the trigger.
A bolt of electricity rocketed from the barrel, sending a bolt of pain through Kase’s bruised shoulder. Kase missed the flailing man’s chest, but the shot nailed Ossie in the side. The man crumpled with a gurgling scream, and Kase glanced toward the airfields. The soldiers were running now, their own weapons out.
He yanked Stowe up by the jacket. “Come on!”
Through the trees, they sprinted from the soldiers and the still-screaming Ossie. Kase didn’t have time to feel anything but pure panic, but his thoughts were shockingly clear. If they circled around to the right, then maybe they could use the hangar ruins as cover. Then they could steal a hover.
Shocks, he’d needed a distraction, and Ossie had delivered. He just hoped Ossie recovered once Kase was well away from there, even if the old man had wanted to gut him. Kase knew a thing or two about withdrawals; he couldn’t fully blame him. The man was already going through it. Hopefully, he’d get to the other end alive.
Stowe’s breathing grew softer. Kase glanced over his shoulder to see the older man falling behind. Kase slowed and grabbed him by the jacket once more. “If we don’t make it onto a hover, they’ll kill—”
The branch in the tree to their left exploded with blue fire. Kase cursed, and Stowe heaved himself forward. They sprinted toward the Cerl hovers on the airfields. Breaking through the last of the trees, Kase fired his electropistol at random. Shouts and other blasts followed, but none hit their intended target.
Kase raced up the ladder of the nearest blue-tinged hover. He sliced his hand on something, but he barely felt the sting. Throwing himself over the side and into the cockpit, he slammed the butt of his pistol against the Cerl pilot’s head. The man slumped in his chair. Kase pushed him out the other side before turning back and wrenching Stowe up the last rung. He ignoredthe nausea rising in his chest as the Cerl’s body smacked the edge of the wing before hitting the ground below.
“Strap in, and fire at anything that moves!” Kase didn’t look to see if Stowe obeyed as he buckled himself into the safety harness. He assumed the second chair beside him was for a weapons’ specialist, but he couldn’t focus on anything other than the flashing buttons in front of him. He reached up and slammed the windshield down. His own blood dripped onto the steering control. He could bandage his hand later. It wouldn’t kill him.
