Chapter 350

I watch with a great deal of awe as the assault begins.

Planes and helicopters fly from some airfield behind us and over our heads, moving fast for the Atalaxian cliff. As I watch the storm clouds above the cliff begin to retreat, making space for the planes. The Atalaxian front seems almost to steel itself as little black dots begin to fall from our aircraft, drifting down towards the earth, looking almost…benign. Like little flies, or birds.

I jump when they begin to explode, surprised by the amount of light and noise when the Atalaxian front seems so far away. Jackson leans closer to me, lending his support. I glance up at Luca, who like me just stares in awe.

The bombs fail to do much at first, seeming to explode almost…above the entrenched forces on the cliffside.

“Do they…do they have some kind of barrier?” I whisper, looking up at Jacks as Rafe strides along our line of Cadets, ensuring that both people and anti-aircraft guns are ready. “Is that why the bombs aren’t landing?”

“Yes,” Jackson replies, glancing down at me. “They have some kind of powerful magic that allows them to build – I don’t know, the commanders keep calling it a forcefield? It’s not impregnable, but it’s tough. There –“

He lifts his left hand and points to the cliff. I turn my eyes back to it, peering close.

“See?” Jackson says. “There at the center – the bombs are starting to get through. It takes a great deal of firepower but…well, we’re ready for that tonight.”

I nod, still watching, fascinated to see that Jackson is right. The bombs were exploding above the Atalaxian forces and buildings a few moments ago, but now they’re falling further and hitting the ground, leaving significant damage.

And more bombs continue to fall.

Time passes as the sky blooms orange and purple and red, but I hardly notice it, fascinated as I am by the battle unfolding before me. Jackson helps to narrate things and I notice Luca listening too as he tells us about the plan to keep up a constant assault, to overwhelm them with a barrage of firepower that we haven’t used before.

“Won’t this deplete our resources?” Luca murmurs, glancing over at Jacks.

“Yup,” Jackson says, glancing back. “It’s a little like the all-or-nothing plan you came up with when we read that first map together, Luc. The more conservative path we were taking before wasn’t working either. This war is ending within the next few months either way. So, Moon Valley is going all out.”

“Shit,” Luca murmurs, shaking his head and turning back towards the skies.

I feel precisely the same, swallowing through the thick lump in my throat. Then my eyes go wide as I see aircraft begin to move from the Atalaxian side as well, lifting into the air and beginning to engage the aerial assault – and then to move beyond it.

Towards those of us holding this outer line.

“Ready!” Rafe barks out, his voice carrying naturally over our gathered troops.

The Cadets all bark back an affirmation and I set my shoulders, keeping my eyes carefully on the skies as the Cadets around me begin to man the gigantic guns to which we’ve been assigned.

I start when I see that. “What?” I gasp, turning half around. “Am I supposed to be – doing something?”

“Not you,” Jacks murmurs, putting a hand on my shoulder and turning me back. “You weren’t trained on those.”

“Were you?” I sputter out, looking up at him.

He frowns at me. “What did you think we were doing all day in Warrior track?”

“Punching each other!” I reply, perfectly honest.

He laughs shortly at me and shakes his head. “We do more than that, Clark.”

“Do you know how to use that thing?” I ask Luca, pointing at the closest gun which I’m shocked to see Jesse climbing all over, barking orders at his fellow Cadets.

“Sure,” he says, giving a shrug as my mouth falls open. “But tonight I’ve just been assigned to hang out with you.” He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “You’re more powerful than any of those, anyway.”

I sigh, supposing that that’s true.

But a flash of light in the air ahead of us has my attention snapping back to the battle in the distance. And then up into the sky, where a pounding sound starts to echo.

“Troops!” Rafe barks out, clearly seeing what I’m seeing – what we all are. “Ready!”

“I –“ I stutter, anxiety and adrenaline starting to race through me as my eyes focus properly on the two huge helicopters heading directly for us. “I thought we weren’t supposed to see action –“

“We weren’t,” Jackson snarls, falling into a fighting stance that’s clearly muscle memory in the face of a threat, like he’s ready to pounce into the air and take the helicopters down himself. “It doesn’t make sense to attack this part of the line…”

“Either way,” Luca says, soft and confident, “they’re coming.”

“Hold!” Rafe shouts, his voice still echoing powerful and strong as he moves to stand just before me, falling back into line so he’s not an obvious target. “Hold!”

He holds an arm out like he could physically hold the troops back. My breath starts to pant as I look frantically around at all the warrior-track Cadets, who all look so much calmer than me.

But of course they are – they’ve been preparing for this –

“And….” Rafe says, bending forward a little, staring at the helicopters that swiftly approach, growing larger and larger as the milliseconds pass.

“What’s he waiting for,” I whisper, my eyes darting between my two mates.

“For them to be close enough to hit,” Jackson replies, his words a fierce snarl that I know is not for me.

“NOW!” Rafe screams, dropping his hand, and the guns on either side of me explode.

I shout at the noise, jumping into the air and covering my ears. Jackson and Luca each reach out a calming hand towards me, Jackson’s landing on my shoulder while Luca’s goes to the small of my back. But I look at neither of them, my eyes instead on the bullets filling the air.

Two kinds, I realize – huge one-shot shells that fly directly for the helicopters and then a constant spray of smaller bullets –

I stop breathing as I watch the shells arch high – but they miss –

They all fucking miss –

“Reload!” Rafe shouts.

The smaller bullets begin to hit the helicopters in tiny sparks but the helicopters keep coming – protected either by excellent design or some kind of forcefield –

The Cadets scramble to reload the larger guns and another is fired, the shell soaring past the helicopter closest to us – but it’s too late. We can all see it – it’s too late – the helicopters are too close to us now –

And they, too, begin to open fire.

I gasp in fear as bullets begin to spray, hitting the ground in front of all of us. There are shouts of fear – perhaps even pain –

As my fellow Cadets – my schoolmates – begin to be hit –

A vision of Tony, bloody and senseless in my lap, flashes before my eyes.

“No,” I snarl, stepping forward, grabbing Luca and Jackson’s hands where they are on my body, determined. “JESSE!” I scream, my eyes on the helicopters that come ever nearer. “HERE! NOW!”

But I don’t wait for him – there’s no time.

Instead I just focus on the first helicopter in front of me, my lips pulled back in a horrible snarl, my canines extended.

I pull hard on Jackson’s gift, making him gasp.

And I smile as the first helicopter flying towards us bursts into a ball of flames.

The Cadets in our line jump, confused, and Rafe spins to me in shock. But then Jesse’s here, reaching for me, and when his fingers brush the back of my neck I feel his power join mine.

The flames in the sky instantly turn black as the Atalaxian helicopter crashes to the ground in a help of twisted steel and ash. But I use Luca’s wind to pull that black fire upward in a huge whirlwind, a swirling orb of fire in the air. And I let it hang there, waiting.

Until the second helicopter, unsuspecting, flies directly into it.

The explosion is deafening, and I squeeze my mates’ hands as I grit my teeth.

But there is nothing but a cool, vicious sense of victory in my heart as that helicopter, too, hits the ground.

“Holy shit,” Rafe whispers as the guns around us go silent.